Wherever their camp is, I’d wager it’s supremely uncomfortable, Khollo observed, turning to the south. There was no sign of vertaga there either. The north, maybe?
Nothing that I can see, Kanin reported. But the trees are thick. They could be anywhere. If they attack though, there is plenty of open ground they have to cover.
That’s something at least, Khollo agreed. If we knew where their camp was though we could flame the command post and be done with this.
They would be much easier to slaughter without leaders, Kanin mused. But is it fair to attack them like that, when they have no way to retaliate?
They gave up their rights to fair a long time ago, Khollo growled. They are monsters. Anything is fair where those beasts are concerned.
Agreed. Kanin flew on in silence for several moments, wheeling around and around high above Ishkabur. To the west, the three galleys were still being unloaded, wagons running from the wharf into the city, making directly for the keep. A flash of movement caught Khollo’s eye and he saw a pale blue banner waving back and forth among a cluster of men standing on the flat roof of one of the keep’s larger towers.
It appears Lord Horam requests a meeting, Khollo observed.
Requests? Or orders? Kanin snorted.
We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
Kanin adjusted his flight path and glided smoothly down to the tower, back winging furiously at the edge to check his momentum. Then he dropped to the stone roof lightly, but still managed to send vibrations through the whole structure.
Lord Horam stepped forward from the cluster of men on the roof. “Thank you for coming down, Keepers,” he said, bowing. “Did you see any vertaga?”
“None,” Khollo replied. “Not even their camps. Do you know where they are?”
Lord Horam shrugged. “We suspect they have many smaller camps all across the slopes of the mountains on three sides. But we have never seen the camps, and whenever we send scouts they do not return. So we stopped sending scouts.”
“Good,” Khollo muttered. “How are you doing on supplies and troops?”
“We can manage,” the lord of Ishkabur said confidently. “We dealt them a severe blow today, thanks to you and Kanin. With this load of supplies from Narne we will be able to hold out for several more weeks.”
“And what news from the rest of the kingdom?” Khollo asked.
“None,” Lord Horam replied. “Not that I have heard anyway. Where have you been that you are so out of touch with events here?”
“Long story,” Khollo muttered again.
“We have time.”
Khollo shot the overeager lord a look. “It’s not something I am willing to discuss just yet,” he said stiffly.
Lord Horam nodded, swallowing nervously. “Yes, yes, of course. As you wish.”
It is easy to assume authority with a dragon at my side, Khollo said to Kanin.
The dragon blew a puff of steam in reply, whipping his tail back and forth a few times.
“Will you be staying?” Horam asked suddenly, looking at Khollo hopefully.
Khollo hesitated, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I believe there is trouble approaching the West Bank, and they will need our help.”
“I hope you’re wrong,” Lord Horam murmured.
“Me too.” Take us up, Kanin.
We go now?
We’ve done all we can here, I think.
Then we go now.
Kanin launched himself backwards from the tower, falling for a moment, then twisting and spreading his wings. Then they were climbing, climbing into the sky, headed north.
Chapter 39
The journey north was much different from the journey between Ethgalin and the continent. The winds swirled amongst the mountains, creating treacherous currents. Sometimes, these caught Kanin unawares and they would drop for a moment, then rise again with a frenetic flapping of wings.
In addition, the scenery offered an endless variety and source of interest for Khollo. They flew over snowcapped peaks, stony cliffs, and half-frozen waterfalls, their waters caught up in silvery sheets in some places and spewing white spray in others. They flew over snow-covered valleys and twisting ravines, over sheltered glades and the occasional high-country meadow.
The one thing they did not see was any sign of life. No vertaga attacked. No birds were seen wheeling above the slopes, no deer or mountain sheep on the ground.
This is a dead place, Kanin announced. These mountains are not like the ones on Ethgalin. Those were friendly. These . . . they are menacing.
Can a place really be all of that? Khollo wondered. Or is it just that we know what lurks among these mountains?
I do not think so, Kanin replied after some deliberation. The Fells as you call them are not friendly. All sharp edges and hard rock, not like the soft moss and wet jungles of Ethgalin. These mountains are inhospitable.
But inhospitable is not evil, Khollo pointed out. Or dark for that matter.
No. But I still do not like it.
And of course, when people don’t like a place they avoid it and when everybody avoids a place that leaves it to monsters like the vertaga to claim as their own.
Yes, Kanin agreed. And monsters certainly are capable of being evil.
They flew on, flying among the mountains. Khollo kept his eyes on the ground, searching for trouble, for any clue that there were vertaga on the move. But there was still no sign of the enemy. There were just too many hiding places in the mountains.
When the sun touched the horizon, Khollo and Kanin began looking for a place to spend the night. There was no shortage of isolated, lofty peaks that would be unreachable to enemies, but many were covered in snow and ice and unprotected from the wind. Finally, they settled on a place near the
