User Unfriendly by Vivian Vande Velde Page A
Authors: Vivian Vande Velde
Tags: Ages 9 and up
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thought, brought everyone back to our business. "We were headed for Sannatia," he announced.
Wolstan started, as though he'd been slapped.
"We're on a quest," Robin explained, ignoring my dirty looks for his timing, "To rescue the Princess Dorinda."
Wolstan's dark eyes widened in amazement. "To rescue...," he repeated, "the Princess Dorinda...?"
"She's been kidnapped," Robin said. "Disappeared. Members of the Grand Guard killed. She appears to have been taken to Sannatia."
"Yes," Wolstan said. "I know. We—my brothers and I—we'd heard the same story." His eyes shied away from ours again. He stared at his hands, clasped in his lap. "We too ... wanted ... to rescue the princess."
Robin flashed me a self-satisfied grin to show his had been the right approach all along. "Would you like to come with us, then?"
Wolstan's gaze went to each of us in turn. "Yes," he said. "If you'll have me."
"Of course," we all said.
We sat down on the grass while Wolstan went to the lake to clean off the wound on his forearm ("You don't have a cleric with you?" he'd asked) and to wrap it with a makeshift bandage ripped off the bottom of his shirt. Mom offered to help, but he wanted to do it himself. Maybe to prove he was a tough guy. OK with me. His sleeve was soaked with blood and the arm must have been a mess, though he acted like it was nothing.
"Think he's a coward?" I asked. "Is he going to be a liability?"
"Arvin!" Mom started, obviously shocked. But it must have hurt her head to talk, for she didn't say anything else.
Cornelius, however, was never at a loss for words. "What a terrible thing to say, Harek. The poor man's been through a lot."
"Yeah," I said. "And he ran away from it."
"Think you would have done better?" Thea asked.
Ouch, that hurt.
I nibbled on a blade of grass. "The point is, the way this game is going, I'm not expecting much help from Rasmussem."
Robin reached over and whacked my arm. "You worry too much," he said.
I'd strangle the next person who said that, I decided.
"Now quiet," Robin said. "He's coming back."
Wolstan approached, the bandage around his arm already bloodied.
"You sure you'll be all right?" Thea asked.
In answer, he bent his arm and straightened it several times.
Thea said, "Then we'd better get going, or we'll be caught out here by dark."
"But," Wolstan said, "surely we should camp here for the night?"
"With all those wolves hanging around?" Cornelius asked.
"Better them than the caves," Wolstan said.
We looked at each other. "What caves?" I asked.
"The Shadow Caves." Wolstan was obviously amazed that we didn't know. "They're just ahead. That's the way to Sannatia. They'll bring you almost to the desert's edge. Unless you go around the long way, which takes two days instead of half."
"Wolstan," Robin said, "why is that bad?"
"It's not—during the day. But at night, orcscome out of the side tunnels." He shuddered. In a quiet voice he added, "I hate ores."
Robin wiggled his eyebrows at me.
Thea looked excited about the prospect, but she only said, "Yes but, Wolstan, if we stop now and wait till dawn, think of all the time we'll lose."
"If you don't want to come with us," Cornelius said, glancing at us for approval, "we could still give you a horse."
We told him about the extra horse we had now that Brynhild was gone. We didn't, of course, tell him
where
Brynhild had gone.
"But you're going on?" Wolstan asked.
"We have to," Cornelius said.
Wolstan sighed. "Personally, I'd rather deal with the wolves." He shook his head. "But I'll come with you."
We gave him Brynhild's sword, which she'd kept wrapped in her saddle roll. It was a bit short for him, since she'd been a halfling. But we were glad of his company. If we were going to be meeting a horde of ores—on their own ground, no less—we could use any help we could get.
16. THE SHADOW CAVES
The caves were only a few miles' journey from the clearing. The entrance dipped into the ground, looking less like a hill than
Wolstan started, as though he'd been slapped.
"We're on a quest," Robin explained, ignoring my dirty looks for his timing, "To rescue the Princess Dorinda."
Wolstan's dark eyes widened in amazement. "To rescue...," he repeated, "the Princess Dorinda...?"
"She's been kidnapped," Robin said. "Disappeared. Members of the Grand Guard killed. She appears to have been taken to Sannatia."
"Yes," Wolstan said. "I know. We—my brothers and I—we'd heard the same story." His eyes shied away from ours again. He stared at his hands, clasped in his lap. "We too ... wanted ... to rescue the princess."
Robin flashed me a self-satisfied grin to show his had been the right approach all along. "Would you like to come with us, then?"
Wolstan's gaze went to each of us in turn. "Yes," he said. "If you'll have me."
"Of course," we all said.
We sat down on the grass while Wolstan went to the lake to clean off the wound on his forearm ("You don't have a cleric with you?" he'd asked) and to wrap it with a makeshift bandage ripped off the bottom of his shirt. Mom offered to help, but he wanted to do it himself. Maybe to prove he was a tough guy. OK with me. His sleeve was soaked with blood and the arm must have been a mess, though he acted like it was nothing.
"Think he's a coward?" I asked. "Is he going to be a liability?"
"Arvin!" Mom started, obviously shocked. But it must have hurt her head to talk, for she didn't say anything else.
Cornelius, however, was never at a loss for words. "What a terrible thing to say, Harek. The poor man's been through a lot."
"Yeah," I said. "And he ran away from it."
"Think you would have done better?" Thea asked.
Ouch, that hurt.
I nibbled on a blade of grass. "The point is, the way this game is going, I'm not expecting much help from Rasmussem."
Robin reached over and whacked my arm. "You worry too much," he said.
I'd strangle the next person who said that, I decided.
"Now quiet," Robin said. "He's coming back."
Wolstan approached, the bandage around his arm already bloodied.
"You sure you'll be all right?" Thea asked.
In answer, he bent his arm and straightened it several times.
Thea said, "Then we'd better get going, or we'll be caught out here by dark."
"But," Wolstan said, "surely we should camp here for the night?"
"With all those wolves hanging around?" Cornelius asked.
"Better them than the caves," Wolstan said.
We looked at each other. "What caves?" I asked.
"The Shadow Caves." Wolstan was obviously amazed that we didn't know. "They're just ahead. That's the way to Sannatia. They'll bring you almost to the desert's edge. Unless you go around the long way, which takes two days instead of half."
"Wolstan," Robin said, "why is that bad?"
"It's not—during the day. But at night, orcscome out of the side tunnels." He shuddered. In a quiet voice he added, "I hate ores."
Robin wiggled his eyebrows at me.
Thea looked excited about the prospect, but she only said, "Yes but, Wolstan, if we stop now and wait till dawn, think of all the time we'll lose."
"If you don't want to come with us," Cornelius said, glancing at us for approval, "we could still give you a horse."
We told him about the extra horse we had now that Brynhild was gone. We didn't, of course, tell him
where
Brynhild had gone.
"But you're going on?" Wolstan asked.
"We have to," Cornelius said.
Wolstan sighed. "Personally, I'd rather deal with the wolves." He shook his head. "But I'll come with you."
We gave him Brynhild's sword, which she'd kept wrapped in her saddle roll. It was a bit short for him, since she'd been a halfling. But we were glad of his company. If we were going to be meeting a horde of ores—on their own ground, no less—we could use any help we could get.
16. THE SHADOW CAVES
The caves were only a few miles' journey from the clearing. The entrance dipped into the ground, looking less like a hill than
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