Aglahad and the Dead City (In Tharbad: Volume Three)

16

"Nothing seems to match."

We rode on for another mile or so when the path forked away to the west.

This time Finduilas halted the line. She stood and looked down the path. "It seems to be as straight as this one."

"I still think we should be further north," Lofar said.

"These paths were made by Elven hunters," Lóni pointed out. "Who knows where they lead?"

"So far," I said, "they have led us towards the mountains. And that is where we are headed."

Finduilas seemed to share my faith; she turned her horse and led us along the fork. As I clicked my tongue at Losnoron, I sensed something was amiss. There was a swishing sound like a sudden gust of wind across a barley field. Then a brown shape sprung from the heather behind Aglahad.

But Bronweg had already seen it. She sidestepped and turned as a huge mountain cat leapt up from the scrub, its front paws spread out and its claws extended. Finduilas was already drawing her bow as the beast landed and ran towards her. Lofar swung his hand-axe down, slashing nothing but air. Finduilas's horse danced back and her arrow went wild. I jabbed at the cat but it pawed at my staff as though it were a game. Finduilas loosed another arrow and it found its mark in the beast's flank. It yelped in pain and seemed to retreat. But then it readied itself to pounce again before another arrow appeared between its shoulder blades. The cat slumped to the ground.

Aglahad was already running towards it, holding Bregedúr out. He raised the sword and drove it down past the arrow and into the cat's heart.

"Did you see the size of it?" he cried, his voice trembling. He turned to Lofar. "It was almost as big as your pony."

"What is a mountain cat doing down here?" Lóni said.

"Ten leagues from the mountains," his brother finished.

"Hunger?" Aglahad said. "That would explain why it attacked us."

"They usually ambush lone travellers," I said. "No, not hunger. Not in midsummer. I fear there is some dark power at work here."

As the others stared at the dead cat, I realised that they were half-expecting the skin-changer's dead body to be lying there.

"Come," Finduilas said dismissively. "We should be on our guard. If the world is turning upside down."

But the twins were already working together with their hand-axes on one of the back legs.

* * *

I kept referring to my etching as we rode. One mountain looked much like the other now. The path curved gradually northward, to the pleasure of the Dwarves.

By early evening, the dimming light turned the heath purple and the path became difficult to discern.

"We should make camp soon," Aglahad suggested. But we remained silent. It was after heading north for another few miles that the land started to slope downwards to a narrow river. This was indeed a barrier after the gurgling streams we had been fording throughout the day. Again, we paused, looking east and west along the river for a place to cross.

"What is that?" Finduilas said, pointing to the northwest. A mile or so upstream and beyond the river stood two pillars.

"Perhaps some way marker," I said. "The path leads towards them. Perhaps the hunters of Lindon know of a crossing there."

We made our way towards the pillars and soon enough the sound of rushing water rose before us. A wide ford spanned the river, a furlong or so downstream of the pillars. I led the others up the gentle slope of the northern bank and onto the Dwarf Road.