Hero's Song Read online

  Then through his one open eye Collun suddenly spotted a figure stride up to the campsite. He blinked to make sure the flickering light of the fire was not playing tricks. No, someone was there. His head was cocked to one side, as if he was studying the scene that lay before him.

  Moving quickly, the stranger crossed to their pile of kindling. He removed a long slender branch. He deftly stripped the branch of smaller offshoots, then, still crouching, placed his hand around one end. He stayed motionless in that position for several moments. Collun could swear he heard the faint sound of music through the blood roaring in his ears.

  Collun could not feel his toes anymore. The ivy was pulling tighter and tighter around his legs. The pain made him dizzy. Then he felt a stinging sensation as though his skin were being pierced by hundreds of sharp needles.

  The stranger abruptly rose and, still holding his hand over the end of the branch, crossed to the green bundle that was Talisen. He knelt beside the mound of ivy and slowly took his hand from the branch. A soft pink light glowed from its tip. In the faint light Collun could just see the stranger's face. He had fair hair and his lips were moving. Now Collun was sure that he was singing.

  The figure took the glowing end of the branch and ran it along Talisen's body. Though his vision wavered, it looked to Collun as though the ivy was shriveling and falling away from Talisen's body. Then a green tendril snaked across Collun's open eye, forcing it shut, and he saw no more. Ivy pressed against his nostrils and the choking smell of decay filled his nose and mouth. It was harder and harder to breathe. His lungs were bursting.

  Through the haze, he felt someone crouch beside him. He dimly heard Talisen's voice. It was as if he were in a deep hole and Talisen was calling to him from above. They were playing hide-me-and-find-me, back behind the smithy. That roaring noise must be the sound of his father's furnace. Why couldn't Talisen find him? What was taking him so long?

  Suddenly he felt something wet and cool on his lips and someone blowing into his mouth. "Talisen, stop that," he protested. "It was a good hiding place. You couldn't find me..." He stopped short. What had happened? Why couldn't he move his legs? Then he saw Talisen's anxious face hovering over him and the dark eyes of Breo-Saight. Of course. The ivy. He took a deep breath of air, then another, and another.

  The stranger with the golden hair was leaning over Collun's legs, holding the branch with the pink light at the end, which now seemed dimmer than before. He was running the pink light along the stem of the ivy around Collun's leg, and as he did so, the ivy withered and fell away. Talisen and Brie were pulling away the dead vine.

  Soon Collun was able to sit up and help them draw the long tendrils away from his body. He took sidelong glances at their mysterious rescuer. The stranger's face was very pale and was covered with a fine film of moisture. He was small, a head shorter than Talisen, and wore simple clothing of white and blue. His golden hair was longer than theirs and curled down the back of his neck.

  As he rose, before crossing to the mare and pony, he met Collun's gaze. The stranger's eyes were silver. The golden-haired figure was an Ellyl.

  SEVEN

  The Ellyl

  When he had run his fading pink light down the last of the ivy covering the two animals, the Ellyl looked from one to the other of them. His eyelids flickered slightly with fatigue. Then he smiled gently, lay down on the ground, and was soon fast asleep.

  Talisen bent over and picked up the branch the Ellyl had used to free them from the ivy. The end that had glowed with pink light now looked slightly charred.

  "He is an Ellyl, isn't he?" Collun said, breaking the silence.

  "Yes," replied Brie.

  Collun stood, disentangling the last remnant of dead ivy from his ankle. He noticed there were tiny pink marks on his bare skin and minuscule holes in his clothing. "I have never seen anything like it," he said. "It was as if the vine was alive."

  "And wanted us dead," responded Talisen with a shudder. "Thank Amergin the Ellyl came along when he did."

  Suddenly a knee-high white shape glided into the clearing. Talisen let out a shout and jumped back, as if at a ghost.

  "What is it?" he whispered loudly.

  At first Collun thought the animal was a cat. Its movements were lithe and feline. But it was larger than a cat, and its legs were longer. It had a thick tail, almost as long as its body.

  The animal turned its head toward Collun at that moment. The white fur of the animal's forehead bore a star-shaped burst of gold, and its eyes were large and silver. Though the ears were pointed and alert, it was not the face of a cat.

  "I think it is called a faol," said Brie, her eyes kindling with interest. "It is an Ellyl animal—part cat, part wolf." As the white creature approached, Brie knelt and put out her hand.

  "Brie..." Collun began in alarm. The faol did not look like a tame animal. There was a fierceness and arrogance in the face and in the way it moved.

  But to Collun's surprise the faol arrested its movements and lifted its head to sniff Brie's fingers. The animal's silver eyes even closed halfway as it allowed Brie to lightly run the backs of her fingers along its spine. Then it opened its eyes, stared unblinking at Brie for several moments, and resumed its course. It came to a stop beside the Ellyl's golden head. With almost regal grace the faol lay down, resting its head on its paws. It looked prepared to keep a vigil over the Ellyl for some time.

  "I always thought Ellylon were supposed to be small, with little wings for flying," Talisen said, taking a step closer to the Ellyl. But he jumped back when the faol narrowed its eyes and lifted its upper lip, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

  "No, my father told me about Ellylon," said Brie. "He knew a man who had seen one once, and he said they were our size, only shorter, with silver eyes and fair hair. My father also told me that Ellylon are not to be trusted. They have an old hatred for Eirrenians."

  Collun began clearing dead ivy from their camp. He thought back on what he knew about the Ellylon.

  Before Amergin and his people came to Eirren, the land had belonged to the Ellylon, whom Amergin dubbed the Fair Folk for their bright hair and silver eyes. They had lived in the land since memory began.

  There was no bloodshed when Amergin came to the land and renamed it Eirren. The Ellylon continued to call it by their own name, Tir a Ceol, and if they did not welcome the Eirrenians, at least they made room for them.

  But soon after coming to the land, Amergin, with his winning ways and a streak of something very like Ellyl blood in his veins, won the heart of the beautiful daughter of the Ellyl king. The two were wed, forging a bond between the two races.

  Despite the differences between them, Eirrenians and Ellylon lived together in peace. They even fought side by side when the land was threatened by the evil wizard Cruachan. It was only after Amergin died that the trouble began. A headstrong and distant young cousin of Amergin's seized control of the throne, banished his Ellyl wife, and tried to exert his power over the proud Ellylon. They resisted and war broke out between the two races. Scores of Ellylon and Eirrenians were slain in the conflict.

  In disgust and horror, the Ellyl king made a swift and far-reaching decision. He removed his people and Tir a Ceol to the hidden places of the land, using old magic to obscure themselves from the Eirrenians they had come to despise. Since that time very few Ellylon had been seen by men. Indeed, many Eirrenians had come to believe that they did not exist at all and were merely the remnants of old superstition and legend.

  "Yet this Ellyl saved our lives," Collun said to Brie, looking thoughtfully at the pale, exhausted face. "And at some cost to himself, it seems."

  "I wonder how long he will sleep," said Talisen excitedly. "I have heard such tales of Ellylon and of their music. Think of the songs I could learn!"

  Brie helped Collun clear away the rest of the vine from their camp. Collun had been worried it might grow again, but when he crossed to the other side of the hill, he found it lay dead and withered.

  Whe
n they went to sleep that night, the Ellyl was deep in slumber, and when they awoke at dawn, he still had not stirred. His chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm. The faol remained at his head, its white face alert and watchful.

  "I hope he's not ill," Talisen said, looking down at the Ellyl's pale face with concern.

  "We cannot stay here long," Brie said shortly. Soon after, she set off to scout for Scathians. While she was gone, Collun foraged for food.

  When he returned, arms laden with ripe bilberries and hazelnuts, he found Talisen and the now-awake Ellyl laughing together as if they were old friends. The faol was calmly washing itself nearby.

  Collun nervously approached the Ellyl. "Thank you," he said awkwardly, "for saving our lives."

  The Ellyl nodded slightly, a half-smile on his face.

  "He says it is called cro-olachan, or blood-drinker," broke in Talisen. "It climbs up your body, suffocating you, and pierces your flesh with thousands of tiny pointed thorns that are really roots. That's why we have those marks on our skin. It feeds on blood. It is very rare, he says, but he's been seeing more of it over the past year or so. His name is Silien. Silien, this is Collun." Collun extended his hand and the Ellyl took it.

  Brie rode up shortly afterward and Talisen introduced her to the Ellyl as well. Silien examined her face intently. She grew uncomfortable under his gaze and spoke.

  "We are in your debt, Ellyl. The animal with you, is it a faol?"

  The Ellyl nodded. "She is Fara," he said. His voice was light and filled with music. "She told me she approves of you. But she wants to know why you disguise yourself as a boy."

  Brie's cheeks flushed.

  Talisen answered for Brie. "She says it's because her father treated her as a son. Her other name is Breo-Saight because of her skill with bow and arrow, but I call her Flame-girl because of her temper. She was very angry when I saw through her disguise, so tread lightly. She does not want anyone to know."

  Talisen turned to Collun. "I invited Silien to join us, and he said he would. He also said he may teach me Ellyl songs!" Talisen's enthusiasm was infectious.

  "You are welcome," said Collun gravely, "but you should know that we are being pursued by Scathians and a morg."

  "A morg?" Silien looked thoughtful. "Unusual. I have never seen a morg. In any case, I would like to join you, for a time."

  Collun noticed from the corner of his eye that Brie's mouth grew tight. He sensed that she was not pleased.

  When she spoke, though, her voice was neutral. "I saw no sign of the Scathians," she said. "But we should move on. We are still a day away from Eld."

  As they set about breaking camp, taking care to obliterate all traces of their presence, Brie turned to the Ellyl. "What brings you into Eirren? It is not usual for Ellylon to travel among us."

  "My father says I am unusual for an Ellyl."

  "Really? Then do all the rest of you fly about on little gossamer wings, no bigger than the palm of my hand?" asked Talisen, kicking bracken over the sodden ashes of their campfire.

  Silien laughed, shaking his head. "I am afraid we disappoint you."

  "Not at all," he replied, "especially if you promise to teach me an Ellyl song."

  "We shall see."

  Later, when they had resumed their journey, the Ellyl on the pony with Talisen, Collun asked Brie why she had not wanted him to join them. Talisen and Silien had fallen some distance behind and were exchanging favorite riddles.

  "It is what I said before. My father told me of Ellylon, of their hatred for us. And that they have their own reasons for the things they do. They are ... changeable, he said. Like the direction of the wind on Eydon Heath."

  "I see. And are Ellyl animals also not to be trusted?" He gazed pointedly down at the faol trotting along beside the mare.

  "I have always liked animals," she replied stiffly. "I understand them better than I do people. Animals kill only to survive. Not like people." She leaned down and ran her hand along Fara's back. The faol's tail went up in pleasure.

  They continued on in silence as Collun thought about what Brie had said. They were not so different, he and Breo-Saight. As she was drawn to animals, he was drawn to plants. Though people often surprised you, a green sprout always behaved the same. If you gave it sunlight, water, and fertilizer, it grew. It bore fruit or flower. When it died, there was a cause, be it drought, frost, scavenging animals, or disease. It did not turn away from you for no reason.

  He was brought out of his reflections by the merry laughter of Talisen. He and the Ellyl had come up beside them.

  "Riddle me this riddle," Talisen challenged with a grin.

  "I come out of the earth,

  I am sold in the market,

  He who buys me cuts my tail,

  Takes off my suit of silk,

  And weeps beside me when I'm dead.

  "So, what is it?" Talisen waited a flicker of a moment before bursting out, "Why, an onion, of course! I have never missed a riddle yet, have I, Collun?" Collun was on the verge of refreshing Talisen's memory when Brie stopped short.

  "Look!" They had come to the top of a rise. Collun drew a deep breath. A mighty forest stretched both east and west below them, as far as the eye could see. The Forest of Eld.

  Collun felt a wave of unease as he gazed down. Perhaps they should have taken their chances on the high road after all. But the kesil had said to stay away from it, and Brie knew of a path....

  "Is it possible the Scathians also know this path of yours, Brie?" he asked.

  "It is possible," she admitted, "but not likely. It is a very old path and has fallen into disuse over the last twenty years or so. I learned of it from a woodsman who kept very much to himself. I did him a service and he repaid me thus."

  The Ellyl suddenly spoke, an alert look on his face. "You say you are being pursued by a company on horseback?"

  "Yes," answered Collun.

  "I hear them," responded Silien.

  "I don't hear anything," said Talisen.

  "Ellylon have very good ears," the Ellyl replied.

  "How far behind us?" asked Brie. "Can you tell?"

  "Some distance. But they are coming fast."

  Without another word Brie urged the mare into a run. The pony labored to keep pace as they sped down the slope of the moor.

  They kept up a steady pace, and by twilight they had reached the forest.

  "I'm afraid we will have to leave the horse and pony behind," Brie said, dismounting. "The forest is too dense. I hope they will be able to find their way back to the Traveler's Rest." Collun swung off the mare, and he and Brie began unpacking their belongings from the animal's back.

  "Perhaps I can assist them," said the Ellyl, as he and Talisen also dismounted.

  "How?"

  "I know a song of returning. It guides lost animals back to their homes."

  "Can you really do that with a song?" said Talisen, his eyes wide. "Will you teach it to me?"

  "I don't suppose you know a song that will rid us of Scathians altogether," Brie said, pointing suddenly at the horizon.

  Outlined against the darkening sky and standing at the very spot where the companions had first sighted the Forest of Eld rose more than a dozen figures on horseback.

  Though the riders were far away, they were clearly Scathians. And the tall, cloaked figure was almost certainly the morg. They began to move forward, swooping down the hill at high speed.

  "Have they seen us?" Collun asked.

  "It is hard to know. The dark and the trees may obscure us. But the path should be close by," Brie said, scanning the edge of the forest.

  "Silien, can you send animals anywhere you wish with your song?" asked Collun suddenly, his eyes on the riders on the moor.

  "Within reason," replied the Ellyl with a half-smile.

  "What about back to the high road?"

  "Yes, I could do that."

  "In this light it may throw the morg off," said Collun. "If he sees the animals heading toward the road, he may
be fooled into following them."

  "Yes," said Brie, her voice edged with excitement. "It might work. That is, if the Ellyl truly can sing such a song."

  Silien crossed to the two animals. Talisen tried to get close to listen, but the Ellyl waved him away. While Brie began searching for the forest path, Collun anxiously watched the progress of the riders. It was getting more and more difficult to see in the twilight.

  He could faintly hear the music of Silien's voice, though he could not decipher any words.

  Suddenly the animals bolted, galloping along the forest's edge, away from the travelers.

  "Well done!" cried Talisen.

  "They will go as far as the high road, then will follow it back to this inn you spoke of," said Silien. He looked paler than before.

  Collun could no longer see the Scathians. Night had fallen and the moon's light was dimmed by cloud cover.

  "This way," Brie called out. She gestured for them to follow. They walked quickly through the trees, moving in the opposite direction from the galloping animals.

  They had been traveling no longer than an hour when Brie stopped short. She pointed at the faint beginning of a path.

  Silien turned slightly and his face wore a listening expression. "It worked," he said simply.

  They looked at him inquiringly.

  "The riders have turned and are following the animals."

  "Thank Amergin!" exclaimed Talisen.

  "It may not take them long to discover they have been tricked," warned Brie. "Come." And she led them into the Forest of Eld.

  As the others went ahead, Collun hesitated. Something about the forest filled him with a dread he couldn't shake. As he gazed fixedly at the path, the feeling of foreboding grew more and more intense.