Suddenly, Telgra’s shrill scream cut through the air. Phen called her name twice from inside the wooded area at the valley bottom and then let out a yell himself.
Just as Hyden was finally able to turn and look in that direction, a big, hot-breathed muzzle engulfed his face. There were teeth and wild eyes. For a moment he thought it was the bear, but it wasn’t. A huge, slobbering tongue sloshed across his cheek. The sensation, even the smell of the creature’s breath, was familiar. Huffa didn’t wait for his recollection. She pounced on him and began licking him as if he were a piece of salt rock.
The low, insistent growling of another pair of great wolves held Oarly’s attention. The terrified dwarf was on his feet now, his dagger in one hand, and a small hatchet in the other. The wolves weren’t growling at him, though. They were growling at the huge bear they were trying to herd away from the group.
“Urge her home, Oof,” Borg called from the top of a rocky precipice at the head of the valley.
Standing there, with his staff in hand, silhouetted by the clear blue sky, he looked thirty feet tall, like some dark-robed arctic god. He was only half that height, but to those who had never seen a full-blooded giant he was as imposing as could be. Even the white-furred great wolves looked huge.
Borg started striding down the slope in that long, loping gait that only giants can manage.
Telgra’s shrill shriek split the valley again, only this time it was tinged with delight, instead of terror. A moment later, she and Phen came out of the trees. She was riding one of King Aldar’s great wolves, while Phen was jogging along beside them. Both were grinning broadly.
Chapter 30
“Well met, Hyden Hawk,” said Borg, with a smile. Unlike the primitive-looking breed giants, Borg looked like a thrice overgrown man. While Oarly found this frightening, Phen and Lady Telgra were intrigued by his size. The soldiers had seen Borg when he was in Dreen, so to them, he was familiar. To all of them, his presence was both encouraging and a relief at the same time.
“I hope you're being sarcastic, my old friend,” Hyden said. He stood and ruffled the scruff of Huffa’s neck, then began brushing the icy debris off of his soaking wet britches.
“In those furred cloaks, I thought you were a pack of gremlets,” Borg laughed. “I almost let nature take its course. Only your bowman's horse bolting through the trees gave you away.”
“Thank you for intervening,” Lieutenant Welch said. “Come on down, lads. Hobble the horses and build us a fire. Sir Hyden Hawk will be needing some heat.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” said Hyden.
“They are beautiful.” Telgra looked up at Borg from the back of a young male great wolf.
“His name is Yip,” Borg replied, taking in her elven features. Her amber gaze made her look wild. “I think he likes you.” Borg’s eyes scanned the others but then stopped on Phen. After a moment, he burst into a deep, rumbling laugh.
Phen scowled up at him and then glared at Hyden.
“Ah, young Phen,” Borg sighed through his glee. “Hyden Hawk has told me much about you and your predicament.”
“It’s not funny,” Phen said.
“No, I suppose it’s not funny to you,” Borg agreed. The giant looked at the soldiers leading the hesitant horses back into the valley. Then he glanced around the area until he saw Oarly. The dwarf was staring up at him and shivering.
“Master Dwarf,” Borg said, bending at the waist to extend a hand down toward him.
Oarly looked unsure as to what to do with a hand that could cover his whole head as if it were an apple. Slowly he reached up, grabbed two of Borg’s fingers, and shook them in greeting.
“Let’s make camp here,” Hyden ordered from his place by the pile of deadfall that Jicks was trying to light. “I would like to visit my friend’s resting place, and I need to speak to the Southern Guardian alone.”
Just then, Spike leapt out of the saddle pack in which he had been riding. The poor lyna was trembling with terror from the scent of the wolves. It leapt to the ground toward Phen, but the little spiked cat could do no more than hop a few inches at a time through the deep, fluffy snow.
“No!” Phen yelled sharply when Yip darted his nose in to sniff the creature.
The wolf jumped back, yelping loudly. One of Spike’s needle-sharp quills was sticking out of its nose and Telgra was thrown from it’s back. Being elven, Telgra’s reflexes and grace allowed her to land well. Rising from her cat-like crouch, she fought away a flush of embarrassment and went to pick up the frightened lyna cat.
“Get yourself dry, then go, Hyden,” Lieutenant Welch said after a moment. “If you two leave a few of those wolves behind to keep the bear away, we will be all right until you return.”
Huffa left Hyden Hawk’s side, and after growling and nudging at Yip, she took up a position a little above the camp where she could see the bulk of the valley. Yip wagged his way over to Borg, who checked the wolf’s nose and gave him a loving pat on the head. After only a few minutes by the fire, Hyden, Borg, and two of the great wolves started into the trees to cross the valley.
Hyden saw the miraculous sight long before they were upon it. A ring that was twenty paces across formed of bright blue flowers encircled the rock pile grave where Loudin was buried. Despite the fact that it was mid- autumn, the flowers were in full bloom.
The man had died saving Ironspike from Pael’s evil minions. Hyden remembered watching the sword tumble through the air only to bury itself in the center, where they later buried their friend. The blade’s powerful magic no doubt fueled the magical growth. It was like a droplet of spring in an otherwise snow-covered opening in the forest.
“More men like Loudin in the realm, and it would be a far better place,” Hyden said as they approached the burial mound. “I didn’t know him long, but I knew him well. May the goddess grant him peace eternal.”
“Well said,” Borg murmured softly. He moved away and stood silently at the side for a while. He only spoke when Hyden stood and starting striding out of the magical circle of flowers.
“Where did the elven woman come from?” he asked. “There’s an air about her.”
“She's the daughter of the Queen Mother, Borg.” Hyden shrugged as if it were all beyond him. His eyes were still glazed with the memory of Loudin, but he continued speaking, glad for the change of subject. “She has lost her memory, and seeks the Leif Repline.”
“Why isn’t she traveling with a group of her kindred?” Borg asked.
“They died in an attack on the Isle of Salaya.”
“King Mikahl touched on that subject when I was in Dreen. What will she do once you’ve left the fountain pool and continue north for the Verge crystal? Does she know that the Leif Repline isn’t your final destination?”
“Aye, she does,” Hyden said. He looked skyward and grinned broadly. Talon was approaching. The hawkling was excited about something, but Hyden could tell that the bird was tired from carrying the extra weight of its condition. Borg followed Hyden’s gaze and his expression went grim.
“King Aldar will be surprised at the size and composition of your party, Hyden. Five kingdom men, a dwarf, an elf, and a living statue are going to cause quite a stir in Afdeon.”
Hyden held out his arm for Talon to land on. Already he and the hawkling were communicating mentally in a way that was second nature to both of them. Talon landed, and worked his way to Hyden’s shoulder. Hyden absorbed Talon’s thoughts as if he were drawing a breath into his lungs.
He looked up at Borg and cringed through his sheepish grin. “Make that six humans, two elves, a dwarf and a living statue.”
“What?” Borg asked, his expression incredulous. “If there were more of you in these mountains, I would know.”
Hyden chuckled uneasily. “An elf and a human monk are a little over a day behind us. They are what’s left of Princess Telgra’s party. I have to admire their persistence.”
Borg snapped a command in the old language. The great wolf, Yip, listened alertly and then went bounding away. Borg wasn’t showing distrust, Hyden knew; the Southern Guardian was upset that someone was in his land without his knowledge. To Hyden’s surprise, a pair of chitter birds came spiraling down. They warbled around the
