the west, the plains abruptly gave way to uneven, heavily forested foothills. Beyond the foothills rose a dark wall of high, jagged mountains.
Elerian saw many small birds busily darting among the tree limbs overhead, but he saw no four footed creatures larger than a hare on the ground. As Ascilius had surmised, the larger animals all seemed to have fled this dangerous country. He listened intently, but aside from the liquid calls of the birds and the rustling of the long willow leaves overhead, the only sounds he heard were the light footfalls of Ascilius's black mare. Enias made no sound with his trim hooves that even Elerian could hear.
To Elerian’s left, lulled by the peacefulness of the wood, Ascilius gradually ceased to pay attention to his surroundings, becoming instead totally occupied with his own thoughts. He was amazed to find himself and Elerian still alive this far into the dragon’s hunting grounds, and for the first time, he felt that they might actually reach Ennodius. As he considered the ways in which he and Elerian might enter the city without being discovered by the dragon, he ceased to pay attention to Elerian, which was never a good idea.
Elerian had already carefully positioned Enias a little behind Ascilius’s mare. Now that he knew the chief source of Ascilius’s dark mood was concern for his own safety, he felt that he could resume his favorite activity of Dwarf baiting with a clear conscience.
“It is almost my duty to distract the poor fellow from his worries,” thought Elerian to himself as he watched Ascilius with the patient, crafty eyes of a hunter. His gray eyes gleamed with anticipation when he saw that the Dwarf was now deeply immersed in thought and oblivious to his surroundings. A little at a time, he edged Enias closer to Ascilius’s mare until they were almost side-by-side.
Leaning gradually to his left, Elerian suddenly said abruptly and rather loudly into Ascilius’s right ear, “I am going hunting for our dinner, Ascilius.”
At the sudden noise, Ascilius, whose nerves were rather frayed by this time, almost leaped out of his saddle. His mare entered into the spirit of Elerian’s prank by pretending to shy to her left, snorting and prancing on her neat hooves.
“Got him again,” thought Elerian to himself, experiencing the same pleasure as a huntsman after a successful stalk as he watched Ascilius grab wildly at his saddle in order to retain his seat.
“Confound you Elerian, must you sneak up on me like that?” shouted Ascilius wrathfully as he regained his seat his seat with difficulty.
“Sorry. I did not mean to frighten you,” said Elerian innocently.
“I was not frightened,” said Ascilius irately. “You only startled me, for I was deep in thought,” he said haughtily. “You should know by now that Dwarves are brave as lions and possess lightning fast reflexes.”
“Those lightening reflexes certainly served you well that time you and Dacien ran from the water horse in the cavern beneath Calenus,” said Elerian, his eyes gleaming wickedly. “I had all I could do to keep up with you.”
Elerian laughed silently to himself as Ascilius began to sputter incoherently.
“Keep under the trees,” he said cheerfully before the Dwarf could recover his power of speech.
Still laughing, Elerian rode to his right, leaving Ascilius behind. After taking his bow from its hard leather case which rode on his pack, he dismounted at the edge of the thin belt of trees growing alongside the river. His bow was of the short, recurved variety favored by the Tarsi, made of alternate layers of horn and wood glued together. Bracing one end on the front of his left ankle, Elerian bent the bow around the back of his right leg, stringing it in one quick move. After fastening his quiver of black feathered arrows to his broad leather belt, Elerian leaped lightly on to Enias’s sleek back. Calling his ring to his left hand, he watched with his third eye as a flow of
Elerian saw many small birds busily darting among the tree limbs overhead, but he saw no four footed creatures larger than a hare on the ground. As Ascilius had surmised, the larger animals all seemed to have fled this dangerous country. He listened intently, but aside from the liquid calls of the birds and the rustling of the long willow leaves overhead, the only sounds he heard were the light footfalls of Ascilius's black mare. Enias made no sound with his trim hooves that even Elerian could hear.
To Elerian’s left, lulled by the peacefulness of the wood, Ascilius gradually ceased to pay attention to his surroundings, becoming instead totally occupied with his own thoughts. He was amazed to find himself and Elerian still alive this far into the dragon’s hunting grounds, and for the first time, he felt that they might actually reach Ennodius. As he considered the ways in which he and Elerian might enter the city without being discovered by the dragon, he ceased to pay attention to Elerian, which was never a good idea.
Elerian had already carefully positioned Enias a little behind Ascilius’s mare. Now that he knew the chief source of Ascilius’s dark mood was concern for his own safety, he felt that he could resume his favorite activity of Dwarf baiting with a clear conscience.
“It is almost my duty to distract the poor fellow from his worries,” thought Elerian to himself as he watched Ascilius with the patient, crafty eyes of a hunter. His gray eyes gleamed with anticipation when he saw that the Dwarf was now deeply immersed in thought and oblivious to his surroundings. A little at a time, he edged Enias closer to Ascilius’s mare until they were almost side-by-side.
Leaning gradually to his left, Elerian suddenly said abruptly and rather loudly into Ascilius’s right ear, “I am going hunting for our dinner, Ascilius.”
At the sudden noise, Ascilius, whose nerves were rather frayed by this time, almost leaped out of his saddle. His mare entered into the spirit of Elerian’s prank by pretending to shy to her left, snorting and prancing on her neat hooves.
“Got him again,” thought Elerian to himself, experiencing the same pleasure as a huntsman after a successful stalk as he watched Ascilius grab wildly at his saddle in order to retain his seat.
“Confound you Elerian, must you sneak up on me like that?” shouted Ascilius wrathfully as he regained his seat his seat with difficulty.
“Sorry. I did not mean to frighten you,” said Elerian innocently.
“I was not frightened,” said Ascilius irately. “You only startled me, for I was deep in thought,” he said haughtily. “You should know by now that Dwarves are brave as lions and possess lightning fast reflexes.”
“Those lightening reflexes certainly served you well that time you and Dacien ran from the water horse in the cavern beneath Calenus,” said Elerian, his eyes gleaming wickedly. “I had all I could do to keep up with you.”
Elerian laughed silently to himself as Ascilius began to sputter incoherently.
“Keep under the trees,” he said cheerfully before the Dwarf could recover his power of speech.
Still laughing, Elerian rode to his right, leaving Ascilius behind. After taking his bow from its hard leather case which rode on his pack, he dismounted at the edge of the thin belt of trees growing alongside the river. His bow was of the short, recurved variety favored by the Tarsi, made of alternate layers of horn and wood glued together. Bracing one end on the front of his left ankle, Elerian bent the bow around the back of his right leg, stringing it in one quick move. After fastening his quiver of black feathered arrows to his broad leather belt, Elerian leaped lightly on to Enias’s sleek back. Calling his ring to his left hand, he watched with his third eye as a flow of
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