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.Magiere’s venture among the elves might explain their presence.But why would they trail her—or were they following Leesil? Either way, he worried how this might affect his plans.He wanted no one to get between himself and Magiere.The scent of life waned, diminishing, until he smelled only moss and needles and the salted breeze.He peered about but still saw nothing, and finally turned back north to where Chane and his monks waited.Welstiel could not hunt something he could not find.When Hkuan’duv lost sight of the stranger, he clicked his tongue three times, telling his companions to wait.Slipping from the shadows, he followed the stranger’s trail.At a glimpse of movement ahead, he slowed, pausing until it disappeared.He followed again in silence, tracking the pale human by sound.Then he heard grunting and snorting.Hkuan’duv closed in, one silent step at a time.As the sounds grew closer, he spotted more movement in a clearing just above the beach.He sidled into an aspen, barely making its leaves shiver.Once again, he let shadow take him.The dark-haired stranger approached another human, tall and younger with red-brown hair.All around them, others moved like half-crouched beasts, snuffling in agitation.They showed some fearful obeisance to the dark-haired man.Their faces were twisted, and their eyes glittered like his.Their tabards and robes were splattered with dark stains.The tall young one spoke.“Was it Magiere?”Hkuan’duv closed his eyes, letting their words fill his emptied mind.The strangers spoke Belaskian in low tones, and the younger man’s voice never rose above a hoarse rasp.“No.I do not think so,” answered the man with white temples.“Then what? Who else could possibly be out here? Some Ylladon survivor?”“Not them,” the elder answered.“They would not.”Someone began savagely sniffing the air, and Hkuan’duv parted his eyelids.Several of the crouching figures snarled and inched along the slanted forest floor.“What now?” the dark-haired man asked.“I do not scent anything,” his companion answered.“They grew agitated when you left.It may be nothing more than wildlife.”Hkuan’duv had been detected somehow.What were these robed humans who acted like beasts? He dropped low, bunching his cloak and pulling its folds snugly close.He slipped into the forest as silently as a prowling majay-hì.It took only a few breaths before he was certain no one was pursuing him.Once clear, he sped up and slipped swiftly through the trees.He whistled softly before entering the clearing, and his comrades dropped from above.“Who was he?” A’harhk’nis asked.“He did not breathe as we do.”“And so pale.,” Kurhkâge added, “like the one Most Aged Father accused before the council of elders.This can be no coincidence.”“What did you find?” Dänvârfij asked softly.Hkuan’duv was unsure how much to discuss—as he was uncertain himself.Magiere had been accused of being an undead.Though the council of clan elders had dismissed Most Aged Father’s charges, the patriarch’s firm belief had never wavered.Magiere, the monster and undead, had walked freely in the protected realm of the an’Cróan.Now others, so similar in coloring and attributes, trailed her.“An entire group camps some distance behind us,” Hkuan’duv finally said.“I counted seven.I believe they are following Magiere as well, but I do not know why.”“How did they come to be here, so close upon her heels?” A’harhk’nis asked, his voice hard.“Did they make any mention of the Ylladon?”Hkuan’duv shook his head.“The hkomas said their ship was destroyed.” "A Päirvänean was also burned,” Dänvârfij pointed out, “and yet most of our people reached shore.”Hkuan’duv had considered this.“Should we capture one of them?” Kurhkâge suggested.“Perhaps glean more information?”Hkuan’duv saw hazards in such a pursuit.When finished, they would have to kill the prisoner.thing.to maintain secrecy.He looked at Dänvârfij.She shook her head.“They know little to nothing of our presence,” she said, “and pose no immediate threat to us or to Sgäilsheilleache and Osha.But if these pale ones have a claim concerning Magiere, they could be useful later.We cannot leave Sgäilsheilleache at odds between our purpose and his guardianship.”“If they posses useful knowledge,” A’harhk’nis countered, “we must have it.And if they murdered our ship, they should die.”Hkuan’duv glanced at Kurhkâge, who looked silently troubled.It was clear he saw merit in both his companions’ arguments.Duty and sense required that Hkuan’duv listen to all worthwhile input, but the final choice was his [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]