“No pockets,” Phen said, patting the stony robe that covered his body. “I mapped where he left it, at least.”
“You still have my medallion, I see,” Hyden said.
“Do you want it back?”
“Not yet,” Hyden answered seriously. “I think that, since you had it on when you were petrified, you should wear it until you go into the fountain pool.” He gave Phen a pat on the shoulder and stepped away.
“Shaloo, Little Con,” Hyden called out. “Round everybody up. There are three wagons to unload back at the edge of the basin.”
Hyden turned to Lieutenant Welch. “All they need is one of your men to lead them to the wagons. They’ll pack the stuff back.”
“They’ll need some horses too,” Lieutenant Welch said. “The dwarf has kegs, and Phen has trunks full of books.”
“There are several trunks full of gifts, as well,” Lord Gregory called from where he and Tylen were standing. “Tell the boys not to peek.”
“I’ll go with them, Hyden,” Tylen said. Tylen was on the council of elders now, and the boys would obey him with no question. Hyden smiled. “Don’t you be peeking, either, Tylen,” he joked.
After they'd gone, Lord Gregory led his horse over to the others. “Lady Telgra,” he said, “you should probably stay close to me when we get to the village. The clansfolk know me and will accept your presence more easily if you are seen with someone they trust.”
“Yes, Lord Lion,” she answered, looking nervous.
“How could you know that we brought three wagons?” Lieutenant Welch asked Hyden.
“I’ve watched your approach since you stopped at the Summer’s Day Spire,” he replied.
From above, Talon gave out a loud, shrieking call of explanation. The sound of his familiar reminded Hyden of something and he began searching the ground all around them. With alarm in his voice he asked, “Phen, where is Spike?”
“He’s in an aerated trunk on one of the wagons,” Phen sighed. “Oarly killed a wildcat on the road and Spike still wants to exact feline revenge or something. I didn’t have a choice.”
“You should have put Oarly in the trunk,” Hyden said with a shake of his head.
“Phen and that fargin lad Jicks toted me off into the hills while I was sleeping, then they set a wildcat on me,” Oarly said.
“Was he snoring?” Hyden grinned at Phen and the boy laughed.
“It’s not funny, Hyden.” Oarly strode up and pointed at the sky accusingly. “That fargin wildcat nearly killed me.”
Hyden laughed at his friends as he spun away. “Come on,” he called back over his shoulder. “We’re still a good ways off.”
He led them through a series of shallow valleys, then over a rocky ridge that was high enough for them to see the vast expanse of gray and white that was the Giant Mountains. A blast of icy wind whipped at them as they started down the other side. No one said a word. The sharpness and cloud-shrouded emptiness of the mountain range they would be crossing in the spring left them awestruck. All of them found that they were intimidated.
“Bah!” Oarly grumbled as he scurried deftly around a large pile of broken rock. “It’s fargin cold as a witch’s nipples.”
“You sound like Mikahl,” Hyden laughed. “Excuse me… I mean High King Mikahl. He whined like a hungry coyote about how cold it was the whole way on our journey to meet King Aldar.”
“That’s why he’s the king and you’re not,” Oarly barked. “He’s got enough sense to know when it’s cold outside.”
“You’ll live, Oarly,” Hyden said. “I’ve got shagmar cloaks waiting for all of you at the village. There should be a big kettle of stew on, as well.”
“A flask of stout and a bowl of steamy stew.” Oarly gazed dreamily at the sky as he spoke. “What more could a dwarf ask for?”
“You could ask for a hot, scented bath,” Phen said with a chuckle. “Or maybe clothes that don’t smell like goat piss, or a trim of that shrub on your head. There are still scales from the serpent tangled in your hair and probably more than one of those fruit bees.”
Oarly stared at Phen while he hurried up to Hyden’s side. “I cut that blasted serpent in half,” Oarly said. “You should have seen the front end slither down into its hole.”
“He cut off the tip of its tail,” Phen laughed.
Oarly stopped and turned, his face red with anger. “Now listen here, lad, I’ll not be the butt of all your jokes on this fargin journey. I cut right through that serpent with me axe. You seen it. I’m getting tired of… of…” Oarly stopped. There was a loud buzzing in his hair. “Don’t do it, lad!” he warned, but it was too late. Already a cloud of angry bees were swarming out and stinging the dwarf.
“Ah… Phen… stop it, lad…” Oarly yelped as he skipped around and batted at the angry insects. “Help me, Hyden, it fargin stings.”
“After the tricks you played on all of us?” Hyden laughed hysterically as Oarly spun and whirled his arms around. “How could you dare complain or ask me for help?”
Phen stopped laughing long enough to end the spell.
“Bah!” Oarly growled when the bees disappeared. He went stalking away from them.
“Are they always like little boys?” Telgra asked Lord Gregory.
“Aye, they are,” he answered through his grin.
“I see I’m in for a long journey,” Lieutenant Welch commented. “I’ll have to learn to ignore them so I can stay alert.”
“I promise you, Lieutenant,” the Lion Lord said with a look that showed he meant it, “when there are teeth and steel clashing around you, and the blood is flying, there is no better company to be in. From what the High King has told me, they will be jesting in the heat of it.”
The lieutenant looked at the imposing mountain range ahead of them. “Out there, in all of that, I don’t think there will be much to laugh about.” He spoke more to himself than anybody else. “Fools of the highest order, that’s what King Mikahl called them.”
“Exactly,” Lord Gregory said.
“Did you bring my bow, Phen?” Hyden asked.
“Aye. King Mikahl went after it himself. It’s in the hard case along with the texts you requested.”
“Did you find the ones I wanted?”
“And then some.” Phen replied.
Hyden waited until Lord Gregory was talking to Lady Telgra, then asked Phen softly, “Do her people know where she is?”
“No. She wrote a message and I sent riders to leave it in Vaegon’s Glade. It said that she was well.” Phen shrugged. “She doesn’t know who she is, Hyden. She didn’t even know who to send the message to.”
“To the Queen Mother, I’d guess,” Hyden mused aloud.
“How would you know?”
“Who else would you send a message to, if you were an elf and you didn’t know who you were?”
“Aye,” Phen agreed.
“Thank the goddess that Old Condlin took the place of Eldest,” Hyden said. “If my father had been chosen, then Telgra would be in for a long winter.” After a moment, Hyden changed the subject.
“Lord Gregory,” he called back over his shoulder. He had stopped on another ridge. This one was smoother and covered with clumps of green grass still fighting to survive, despite the coming season. Beyond them lay a shallow, rounded valley where more patches of the persistent foliage defied winter. When Lord Gregory, Lady Telgra, and the lieutenant caught up, Hyden pointed down into the valley. “Lord Lion, do you remember this place?”
“Is it where the hellcat set upon us and took Vaegon’s eye?”
“No,” Hyden forced a smile. “That valley is half a mile away.” He looked at the Lion Lord and then the others. “This is where you landed when you fell from its claws, after it carried you off.”
“By Doon,” Oarly said from behind them. “Set a hellcat on me and see what happens to it.”
