Blade of Erogrund

Chapter Five- Song in the Night

Stepping toward them, she put the arrow she held back into a quiver which hung from her back. "Must you always make things complicated, Ennor?"

The man scowled, but Thain raised a hand. "Come now, Sarah, you can hardly blame us."

She sighed. "Fine; you're right. I guess I should have known better." Her eyes fell on Godric and Mira and her hand clenched the bow. "Who are these?"

"Survivors from Dunn. They saw us in the village, so Ennor said they had to come with," Thain explained. Sarah's eyes softened and her face darkened as she looked the two children over. "So then Dunn has fallen as well?"

The man, who, Godric presumed from Sarah's previous comment, was named Ennor, waved a hand dismissively. "Threst is the last. It's only about twenty miles south of here."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sarah asked. "Let's move."

Thain grumbled something, but Godric only picked up the words "running" and "pain".

After hours of walking, running, and everything in between, Godric finally believed the rumors that the forest in Niron was unending. The massive wooden trunks seemed to blur together into one immense tapestry of dullness that perpetually surrounded them. Even the leaves appeared the same, creating a blank atmosphere that epically failed to distract him from the ever-increasing discomfort that radiated from his feet. Several times he hung back with Mira and made weak attempts at conversation, but each time she answered in such a distracted, faint manner that he finally gave up.

And so minutes passed to hours and the hours pushed through the brief morning, breaching the dawn of the afternoon, and finally into the dusk of evening. They stopped only twice, once to rest and once to eat a meager meal of bread and mushrooms.

When the first star shimmered into appearance on the horizon, Ennor called a halt. "That's enough. We have covered probably sixteen miles already; we should reach Threst early tomorrow morning. Thain, get a small fire together. Nothing big, just enough to get some warmth. It should be a cold one tonight." The dwarf nodded and pulled a small tinder box from a pack and started at his task. Sarah and Ennor unrolled bedrolls onto the leaf-covered ground while Narn paced around them, his eyes searching the trees.

"You wouldn't happen to have another pair of those stashed somewhere, would you?" Godric asked hopefully.

Ennor snapped his fingers. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot." He pulled out two thick cloaks from his pack and tossed them to the boy. "Here. They aren't cots, but they will keep you warmer than any tunic." Godric ran his fingers over the coarse material, but it did not bother him. They had many similar blankets in Dunn that he had used many times before, though he noticed a particularly large hole in one of them. He handed the other to Mira who accepted it gratefully.

The small party ate another scanty meal around the little fire just as full darkness was blanketing them. With it came an intense drowsiness until he could not hardly keep his eyes open. Thain stuck a small twig into the fire and looked up at him. "You should consider getting some shut-eye lad. We have another march tomorrow and you will need your legs."

The boy nodded his agreement and, rubbing his eyes, wrapped himself in the cloak Ennor had given him to lie down not far from where Mira had not long since retired. It seemed as though he fell asleep even as his eyelids closed.

With a start, Godric awoke. He had no idea how long he had been asleep or what had woken him, but he scanned the surroundings as best he could. It was almost totally black out, but the tiny fire still flickered, its light just barely revealing the faces of Ennor, Sarah, Thain, and the sizable body of Narn all shrouded in the dancing shadows that streamed from the fire. A subtle whisper that echoed like song wavered into his ears. Thain's deep voice seemed to guide the music while Sarah's high melody brought life to its dull words. With them was Ennor, who murmured the lyrics more than sang them as he stared deep into the embers of the fire.

Long ago

When mighty kingdoms stand

All laid low

Before a terrible taloned hand

There was he

Who sought to save his land

His kingdom did he free

All in vain

For great was his foe

Despite his strain 

And greater sorrows did he know

The voices rose and fell with each verse, weaving into a dark lullaby. Godric's heart strained as he heard the mournful words. What do they mean?

The song stopped with the last word and all was silent save the crackling of the fire for a time. Then Ennor spoke just above a whisper.

"So what do we do with the girl and boy?"

Godric heard Thain's armor scrape as the dwarf adjusted his seat on the ground. "I say we leave them behind. Just deadweight and more mouths to feed, if you ask me. Anyway, that boy has some heart. He can take care of them both - for a time at least."

He heard Sarah's hair rustle as he assumed she shook her head. "No, that would be wrong. They are scared and clearly hurting. We can't just throw them aside like dirty stones. Then we would be no better than bandits."

"We have a noble purpose that must be fulfilled," Ennor said. "The Dragon is just the beginning. If we fail all is lost. I won't jeopardize everything just for a couple of homeless children."

"Even so," Sarah countered gently, "it would be a shame to already condemn them as lost, no matter how worthy our purpose is. The boy truly has courage if not skill and the girl is knowledgeable for her age."

Silence.

Ennor finally spoke once more. "Then it's settled. We bring them with us tomorrow and do whatever is most fitting when we reach Threst. With a marginal amount of luck, perhaps it will still be standing and we can leave them there." The others murmured in agreement and someone smothered the fire.