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tucked it under the blanket next to herself with her hand on its hilt.
She lay awake for a long time, not tired enough to sleep, strange as that
was. She listened but couldn't hear the elves above the forest's soft sounds.
Magiere finally closed her eyes and tried to drift off&
She suddenly found herself walking the forest in darkness, alone, wondering
how she had gotten so far from the camp.
Pieces of the night moved around her between the trees.
Here and there, half-seen shapes shadowed her. Their colorless and glittering
eyes watched her, as if waiting for her to do something.
These were not majay-hì. They walked on two legs. And in her belly she felt
their hunger. She smelled it, like blood on the damp breeze, and her own
hunger rose up in answer.
The forest began to wither around her, until the stench of rot made her
choke.
Magiere snapped her eyes open with every muscle ridged from the nightmare. It
felt disturbingly familiar, as if she'd seen such a vision before. Lifting her
head, she found the fire was now little more than glowing embers.
She didn't sleep for the rest of the night.
Chapter Four
By midmorning, Wynn's fear of becoming lost succumbed to awe as she walked
the elven forest. Patchy lime-colored moss cushioned her footfalls as she
followed the others. With all her ink and journals gone, it was heartbreaking
to witness such diverse flora without a way to take notes.
Fresh food and a night's rest had revived her, and the pain in her shoulder
had dwindled to an intermittent twinge, but her improved mood still wavered.
This was a desperate search for Leesil's mother, and their guides were now the
Anmaglâhk. These elven assassins were manifested dark shadows of the Leesil
that Wynn had come to know in the Warlands.
Yet, she found them fascinating. Their ways were so different from the elves
on her continent. She tried to mentally note everything about them for later
records. Once she returned to her guild in Bela, she would write extensive
work comparing the two elven cultures of the world as she knew them. And how
stark the contrasts were or might yet be, for she had not met any elves here
besides Sgäile's caste.
A temperate breeze rustled the foliage, and she pushed Chane's cloak back
over her shoulders.
What would he think of this place? His interests lay in distant times back to
the Forgotten History, and how societies evolved from unknown beginnings in
the aftermath of the great war. He was always more interested in studying the
past than the present.
Wynn pushed aside thoughts of Chane. He was part of her own past.
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Sgäile led the way with his comrades following behind their guests. The pace
was too slow for him, as he often paused after stepping too far ahead, but he
made no complaint.
Wynn avoided looking back at Én'nish walking at the procession's rear. The
woman was no less angry than in their first meeting. Silent and stoic Urhkar
walked in front of his bitter comrade, and Osha came directly behind Wynn.
All four elves left their cowls and face wraps down. There was some
significance in this, as secrecy seemed paramount to their ways. Perhaps they
simply felt at ease in their homeland.
Leesil and Magiere walked ahead, behind Sgäile, and Chap trotted beside Wynn
with his head turning at every new sight. His nose worked all the time, and
Wynn often heard him sniffing as his muzzle bobbed in the air. She looked
about at the lush flora, and more than once her boot toe caught on a root,
stone, or depression when she was not paying attention to the trail.
Of all their escorts, Osha betrayed the most curiosity about the interlopers.
He was so tall that when he stepped close, Wynn had to tilt her head back to
see up to his chin. She felt awkward and rather too short. His hair was
white-blond like Leesil's and hung loose to the center of his back. His
somewhat horselike face was not nearly so handsome as Sgäile's, but it was
pleasant. Although quiet, he was certainly the most polite of their guides.
They passed a large weeping willow with vivid orange fungus growing up its
trunk's northern side. The color was so eye-catching that Wynn wandered
absently toward the tree. Chap rumbled at her, following partway, but she
ignored him in her rapt fascination.
"Osha, what is this?" she asked in Elvish, and pointed to the shelves of
fungus. "The edges look like seashells."
Osha hesitated, looking to Sgäile as if awaiting instructions. He finally
joined her.
"It is called woodridge," he answered in Elvish, and he put his hand against
the fungus, closed his eyes for an instant, and then broke off a small piece
to offer her. "It is safe to eat, though pungent until properly cooked."
His strange conjugations and declinations took time to comprehend. It
reminded her of the oldest texts she had been permitted to browse at the elven
branch of the guild on her own continent. It made some sense, for these elves
had lived in isolation for centuries, while their counterparts of her world
interacted with other races more freely.
Wynn put the orange lump near her lips and breathed in its scent. It smelled
of wet earth. She snipped it with her teeth. A sweet sensation flowed over her
tongue.
"Very good."
The taste thickened suddenly, bitter and pastelike. She swallowed, trying not
to grimace, and smiled. Osha nodded in approval with perhaps a little
surprise.
"Wynn, what are you doing?" Magiere called. "Did you just eat that?"
"Osha said it is safe."
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Chap stood stiff and silent, watching the tall young elf, and then cast a
glare Wynn's way.
She knew that look on his furry face. She did not care for his parental
disapproval.
Wynn stuffed the hunk of woodridge in her pocket and hurried to catch up, as
both Magiere and Leesil looked uncomfortable. She stepped back into the
traveling line with the others.
Since Osha was the most amiable among his group, she continued questioning
him in Elvish. His answers were short, but at least he answered with
occasional glances toward Sgäile, as if expecting admonishment. Sgäile
remained silent, not once looking back.
Wynn kept her questions to the world around them, though she wanted to ask of
the people here. Intuition told her not to do so. A few times Osha paused [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]