Egrassa ground his teeth. “And what of Epilorssa?”
“Tresh Epilorssa should now assume the leafy crown, but he left for Avendoom with a detachment of bowmen more than a month ago.”
“Who rules the house now?”
“Your younger brother, Tresh Egrassa. He is awaiting your return.”
“The crown will be mine only after Epilorssa!” Egrassa retorted furiously. “I have business entrusted to me by the United Council of the Houses! I cannot return now. Will you give my message to my brother?”
“Yes, I will convey it without payment.”
I raised one eyebrow sharply. Could this really be a flinny we saw before us? He spotted my dubious expression and announced to everyone: “These are dark times. If we do not help the elves, and the orcs are victorious, we shall have no one to tell our news to. We may be greedy, but we are not stupid. Your message, Tresh Egrassa?”
“Tell my younger brother to rely on the council and await the return of Epilorssa. I shall return as soon as I can. And something must be done about the Black Flame.”
“You know what must be done, elf, you know it and you fear it,” said Fluffy Cloud, emerging quietly from the gloom. “This has happened once before.”
“In any case, this decision will have to be taken by Epilorssa when he returns,” Egrassa snapped. “Only the head of the house—”
“But are you certain that your brother will return from the north? Are you certain that he will want the leafy crown? You know his attitude to power. Babbling Brook saw you as the king. Better hurry home, elf. We will take your friends to the lands of men. The marriage of the King of the Moon and the Queen of the Flame will resolve all difficulties and they will not be k’lissangs.”
“It is a point of honor for the Flame. If an entire house has decided to serve us for eight years, that is their right. If one house is stronger than all the others, sooner or later that will lead us to one king for all. And sooner or later unitary power in the Black Forest will end in secession. I have no right to return at the moment.
“These are questions of politics. In any case, you have spoken as you see fit. Make haste, flinny!”
“Wait!” Eel called to Iirroo, who was already mounting his dragoatfly.
“You have spoken of the elves. But what of men?”
“I regret that this is not known to me. I do know that the Border Kingdom is standing firm to the death, I know that the second fist, the largest, is advancing toward Ranneng, I know that a part of the third fist is bogged down at Maiding. The Firstborn have skirted round Moitsig. These lands have not yet been touched by war, and if you hurry, you will have time to slip through. This is yesterday’s news, perhaps there is more already, but I do not know. I am sorry. Farewell!”
The dragoatfly buzzed strenuously, performed a farewell circle in the air, and slipped into the darkness of the forest. And then Eel, Mumr, and Egrassa started arguing about what might happen in Valiostr and the way the orcs had stirred things up there. Their military leader had shown just what a cunning lad he was. He had tied the Border Kingdom and the elves hand and foot, while his main forces advanced on Valiostr. We couldn’t expect any help from anyone. The Border Kingdom might manage with its own forces, but the garrisons on the southern border were weak and there were few troops. Most of the forces had been pulled back to the north and the border with Miranueh. The soft underbelly of the south was exposed and there for the taking.
No had one expected that the Firstborn would decide to repeat the Spring War. Sagot grant that the army would at least reach Ranneng in time. The Borderland and the whole of the south would have to be won back in battle—assuming, that is, that we stood firm at Ranneng, and the Borderlanders and the elves could contain the orcs. If the Borderland and the Black Forest fell and fresh hordes of orcs came surging at us, then all was lost. If things went really badly, we could be pushed back to the Cold Sea. A truly encouraging prospect! No Nameless One would be required. And no Horn, either. Everything would be over long before the sorcerer arrived from the Needles of Ice.
The next morning Hallas was quite steady on his feet, but he didn’t react at all to the presence of the dryads and the elk. Lucky was gloomy and sullen and he hardly spoke. When he heard the news from Kli-Kli that the war had begun, the gnome just nodded. The only words Hallas spoke were when Lamplighter handed him his mattock. The gnome said, “Thank you” and slung the weapon over his shoulder. After a moment’s hesitation, Kli-Kli handed Deler’s hat to Lucky. The gnome twirled it in his hands, cleared his throat, and then put it on his head.
“When will they take these bandages off me?”
“When the time comes,” Sunpatch answered, stroking the neck of one of the elk.
“And when will that be?”
“Soon.”
Hallas snorted, but he didn’t try to argue with the dryad. And the gnome didn’t say anything when it turned out that he would have to ride behind the Daughter of the Forest.
We spent all that cold autumn day traveling. The elk speeded up even more, and the world around me fused into one long blur of brown and gold.
After lunchtime the Golden Forest came to an end and Lamplighter thanked Sagra. Now there was ordinary autumn forest ahead, with no leaves left on the trees, which was only natural in the final days of October. Soon the genuinely cold weather would begin, and the snow would not be far behind. Then we’d really start to freeze. How could the dryads go around barefoot in weather like this?
The presence of the Daughters of the Forest guaranteed our safety, and at night we lit huge campfires without feeling afraid that orcs might find us. The flames roared and we felt a lot warmer. Kli-Kli had caught a cold and kept sneezing all the time, so the heat of the fire was certainly good for her. We didn’t talk about Glo-Glo and his apprentice’s mission any longer, having come to an unspoken agreement to pretend nothing of the sort had ever happened. If Kli-Kli was supposed to take care of me, then let her. I was used to it in any case, and she was much better than anyone else. Egrassa was absorbed in his own thoughts, torn between us and his duty to his own house. Lamplighter took care of Hallas. The gnome had completely recovered from his wound, but he was still as gloomy as the autumn sky above our heads.
On the second day after we left the Golden Forest, Fluffy Cloud said we weren’t going to stop for the night. Hallas said sarcastically that a full day and night of riding on a huge shaggy beast was more than even a gnome could bear, and he was against the idea. He also inquired in the most impolite fashion possible (the gnome couldn’t care less that he was talking to a dryad—gnomes had never seen dryads, and he had no idea why they should be spoken to politely) when they would be pleased to remove the bandage that was pressing on his face. Sunpatch sighed and said that she would remove the bandage straightaway, but if Hallas didn’t shut up after that, she would tell Runner in the Moonlight to trample the gnome with his hooves. Lucky agreed that it was fair deal.
He examined his face for a long time in Kli-Kli’s mirror, and then asked Mumr for a rag to cover the empty eye socket. Lamplighter gave him a broad strip of black cloth, and it made the gnome look like a pirate or Jolly Gallows-Bird.
We galloped all night long, and this time I even managed to fall asleep, and I was woken by the elk stopping. It was early morning, and the black silhouettes of the trees stood out against the sky that was beginning to grow light. There was a fresh smell of frost and water in the air. I got down off the beast, shuddering, and helped Kli-Kli to get down as well.
“The Iselina,” she explained.
It was so cold that clouds of steam erupted from our mouths as we spoke. If the Black River ran nearby, I certainly couldn’t see it. The water was as black as the forest all around us.
“And now what?” Hallas blurted out, wrapping himself in his cloak.
“Thank you, Runner in the Moonlight,” Fluffy Cloud said to the elk.
The beast’s snorting surrounded the dryad in steam, then he turned and disappeared into the forest. Our other mounts followed him. The group of elk disappeared in an instant, and the bushes didn’t even crack, as if we had been carried by intangible phantoms, not animals of flesh and blood.
“Now? Now we go by river,” Sunpatch answered the gnome.
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too dark and cold for a swim, dear lady?”
I swear by all the gods that in her heart of hearts Sunpatch must have regretted that she ever healed the
