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.“Come; we must be on the road again.If you go up against Kuru, you must begin by visiting the most northerly of the southern cities—Cashalo—for there you will find ships and captains that can take you to the eastern lands far more quickly than you can walk.”“Cashalo?” Dalvan frowned.“I have heard of that city.But how shall we find our way?”“You have but to journey down the Mashra River; it will take you into the heart of the city itself.”“Up and away, then!” Ohaern came to his feet.“If the road to Kuru begins at Cashalo, then to Cashalo we go!”“It is time to divide into small bands, though,” Manalo told him, “for so large a force as ours will be noticed by Ulahane’s sentries, and he will send his creatures against us.Divide yourselves into bands of three and four, and journey to Cashalo separately.”“But will we not then be easy meat for any Klaja or wicked men?” cried Lucoyo, dismayed.“The Klaja will not trouble themselves for so few,” said Manalo, “for their Ulharl drives them toward one particular goal that his master has set him, and only that one.As to bandits and enemy tribes, have you never dealt with them before?”“Aye,” Glabur said slowly.“We hide when we can, and fight when we must.”“So you must do again.Believe me, there is little to fear— none will take you for a threat when there are so few, but there are enough to give pause to any who might wish to prey upon the weak.Go to Cashalo as secretly as you can, but do not skulk so obviously as to arouse suspicion.Meet there, and rally to Ohaern.Choose your traveling companions and go by different roads.”Lucoyo lingered, reluctant to push himself onto any of the groups, but wishing ardently that some would invite him.It seemed none would—Glabur and Dalvan united with two other Biriae, and all around him others joined in threes and fours, by bonds of kinship or long-standing friendships.But before everyone had clustered, Ohaern beckoned the half-elf to him.Lucoyo’s heart leaped—did he truly have a friend? He went.“You shall travel with us, archer,” Ohaern told him.“I need your nimble wits and nimbler hands, and with my bulk to back you, we should be unbeatable.”Lucoyo grinned, sensing genuine liking beneath the excuse.“Why, thank you, smith! I will be glad indeed of the protection of your hammer! But with whom do we travel?”“With me,” said Manalo.“Or will that make you uneasy, Lucoyo?”The half-elf looked up at him slowly, and admitted frankly, “A little—but I shall master it.Where do we wander, O Sage?”They wandered to the west, away from the path and between the great trees—but they left last, watching the other dozen bands go off one by one, each waiting, chatting and resting, until the one before it was a goodly distance ahead.Three went by the path; three to the east through the forest and toward the river; four to the south and southeast, to circle around and find the stream; and three to the north, to swing down to the flood in their own turn.Only Manalo, Ohaern, and Lucoyo went west, to take the longest circle and come last to the river, so that they might catch up and aid any who might come to grief.“The Klaja will have a merry time trying to track this band, if they seek to,” Lucoyo said with a grin.“Why do we wait?”“For magic.” Ohaern pointed at Manalo, who leaned upon his staff, looking back at the campsite and singing softly as he watched.Lucoyo frowned, watching, too, wondering what the sage was up to now.He waited and waited, growing more and more impatient, and was about to demand they leave when he saw a small animal come hesitantly from the far edge of the clearing.It was a stoat, and another joined it from another quarter, then another and another.They came forward, meeting in the center of the clearing.The sage nodded, murmuring, encouraging.The little creatures looked up at him, then at one another, then began to spread their scent all over the clearing and back into the trees.Manalo turned away to join the two Biriae, chuckling.“Let the Klaja try to track our bands by scent raw!”“I could almost feel sorry for them.” Lucoyo wrinkled his nose, trying to fan away the rancid, musky smell.“I could indeed,” Ohaern agreed, “if I did not remember what they would do to one of our bands if they found them.Where did you learn that trick, Teacher?”“That is a story in itself, and too long to tell now,” Manalo said.“But the spell is short, and worth learning.Repeat the words after me, and I will tell you their meaning [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]