XI
Heavy snow had fallen throughout the night, but by morning the latest blizzard had moved on to the east. The first gray lights of dawn fell on a fresh, unbroken blanket of snow, obliterating almost every trace of the vicious battle that had been fought by the river the previous day. The only evidence of the bodies that had fallen on the river bank was a series of slight rises on the otherwise smooth, white surface. Even the river had disappeared, covered once more by ice and a thin layer of snow.
It was here that Rachwal had ridden out the storm, concealed beneath the body of one of the winter wolves that had attacked him. The wolf's carcass had given him some measure of protection from the elements, but more importantly had masked the raider's scent from the winter wolves that had ambushed them and had hidden him from the keen, icy eyes of the elf that dressed in wolf furs and apparently led the winter wolves. Only once had Rachwal left his hiding place, to retrieve Emeri's backpack and the potions that the Lancer had been carrying with him. Without the potions, Rachwal never would have survived the night underneath the winter wolf.
Now, with the sun beginning to creep into a crystal clear sky, Rachwal finally came out of hiding. The winter wolves had long since moved on, following their master on Crispin and Talia's trail. The two humans had escaped down the river, braving the frigid water rather than face another six winter wolves and the druid that led them. Absently rubbing at the frozen blood on his short sword, Rachwal considered his options as he started toward the nearly invisible river.
The goblin's first idea was to simply head south, all the way back to Pryzasnysz, but two problems confronted the raider with this. For one thing, Rachwal would have to try to sneak past the elven druid's forces, and one goblin stood very little chance against a horde of winter wolves and a powerful spellcaster. If this were not problem enough, Rachwal was almost certain that the goblins of Przasnysz were suffering at least as much as the humans of Tourant's frontier. In the weeks that it would take for the raider to return to his clan and warn them of the danger to the north would take far too heavy a toll on the goblins of the Cold Tooth. Much as he hated to think it true, Rachwal needed the human ranger and his mage companion. Together, the three of them might be able to kill the elf that threatened his people before he could do any more damage.
With renewed purpose, Rachwal set out along the river bank, keeping as close to the water as he could without leaving the cover of the heavy spruce and pine in his search for his two human allies.
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Their passion had come about as much from the simple need for warmth as it had from love. When he had fallen asleep, he had been certain that he would never wake up again.
The heavy storms must have receded in the night, for two brilliant shafts of sunlight shone into the cave around the edges of the frozen blanket. Talia was still sound asleep in his arms, and as Crispin shifted slightly the mage forced herself even closer to him beneath the damp blanket that they had shared during the night. Although he had managed to gather only a meager supply of fuel, the fire that he had built still smoldered in the center of the cave, but it gave off too little heat to be of use. With the few hours of rest that he had claimed, Crispin would have a new set of spells, but most of the pair's clothing was still too wet to be of much use outside the cave. While he was not keen on the idea of remaining in the cave for another day, Crispin was reasonably certain that he and Talia would freeze to death if they did not give their clothing and supplies one more day to dry.
"I thought you would never wake."
The unexpected and completely unfamiliar voice startled the ranger into action. Crispin practically fell over Talia as he fumbled for his weapons, coming up with his hand axe and long sword and stumbling into a defensive crouch. Standing against the wall next to the cave's entrance, a diminutive man wearing a helm made of a winter wolf's skull and white furs simply smiled back at the naked ranger. Quickly Crispin tried to shake Talia awake, but the mage simply batted his hand away with an incomprehensible mumble and fell back to sleep.
"She will not wake for some time," the newcomer said. "But she is otherwise unharmed."
"Who are you?" Crispin demanded. Recognition hit home as the ranger noticed his guest's pointed ears.
"I am Elec, the Mournbringer," the elf stated simply. "I am steward of these forests, the caretaker of all you see."
"You're a druid," Crispin concluded. Elec nodded, a faint smile on his face.
"I am," the elf affirmed. "And you, ranger, respect the old ways. Otherwise, the Mother would not have deemed fit to see you live through the night. In these times, your fellow humans seem to think a ranger is anyone that can shoot a bow and track a goblin army across a muddy field. Tell me, were you trained by an elf?"
"No, I wasn't," Crispin answered. Elec arched a skeptical eyebrow.
"Your mentor must have been, then," the druid concluded. "But despite your talents, I must question your judgment. You take a goblin for an ally?"
"The winter wolves were a more dangerous foe," Crispin pointed out. Elec smiled once more, and casually pushed the blanket aside. Outside, a huge winter wolf stood among the rocks, only a few paces from the cave entrance. Crispin backed up a step, ready for an attack, but the wolf simply growled slightly before turning away.
"They are the Hounds of Winter," Elec said, regaining the ranger's attention as he dropped the blanket. "The largest pack of winter wolves ever assembled, almost a hundred in number. They are my allies."
"Allies?" Crispin repeated. "They've killed over two hundred innocents!"
"Innocents?" Elec echoed. The elf's cold blue eyes darkened with anger as he moved forward slightly, practically spitting out his words in anger and disgust. "Innocents. You of all your kind should know better. They have defiled the Mother. They destroy hundreds of trees every day for their precious wood. They hunt for sport as much as for necessity. They dig in the mountains for their precious steel. They are no innocents. For two hundred years I have watched the humans of the so called 'Kingdom of Tourant' push their way westward, destroying everything they come across. You should be able to see that."
"And you think what you're doing is any better?" Crispin asked.
"I am defending my home!" Elec shouted, his face twisting into a mask of rage. "I have every right to kill them, before they kill me!"
"What you're doing will only bring the army to your forests," Crispin said, trying to sidestep the elf's skewed morals. "And they will not be as kind to your land as the loggers have been."
"No army can move through winter storms," Elec countered, his anger still simmering just below the surface. "The Hounds of Winter will drive the humans back to the sea. I will let them take their precious boats, so that they may leave and never return! Because I can bring winter down upon them whenever I choose!"
"You'll need more than winter wolves to stop the entire Army of Tourant," Crispin pointed out stubbornly. Elec turned back to him, the mask of maniacal rage beginning to fade away.
"I know," the elf said, calming once more. "And that is why you must help me."
"Me?" Crispin said, astonished. Elec nodded.
"The Mother has favored you with Her gifts," the elf said. "In return, you must lead the Hounds of Winter. As spring advances, more and more of my power must be directed to holding winter over this land. If we are to succeed, I will need a general. Answer my call, Crispin. Be my general. If you do this, you may keep the girl, as long as she will respect the Mother as you and I do."
"And if I refuse?" Crispin inquired.
"Then we remain enemies," Elec answered. "Do not make me regret my choice to spare you and your woman during the night, ranger. Do not go against the Mother that has granted you your gifts of woodlore. I will kill you, if I must."
"I will not slaughter entire villages," Crispin said. Elec shook his head sadly.
"I will give you until the sun sets," the elf decided. "Change your mind. For once the darkness comes, the hounds will hunt you down and kill you. Even if you flee now, you will never reach your pathetic cities in time."
Elec turned without another word and pushed his way past the icy blanket, pausing only long enough to summon the monstrous winter wolf to his side before he disappeared into the forest.
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"How long have you been up?"
"About an hour and a half," Crispin answered, fully dressed and crouched near the edge of the cave as Talia slowly rolled over in the blanket. The ranger must have rekindled the fire, for it crackled merrily in the middle of the tiny cave. A faint pall of woodsmoke clouded the room, stinging the mage's eyes as she sat up and pulled the blanket tightly around her. "Get dressed," the ranger instructed. "Your clothes are just about dry."
"My head is killing me," Talia said as she dragged herself closer to the fire. She gingerly put her fingers to her temples and rubbed gently, trying to ease the dull, steady ache in her skull.
"You'll live through it," Crispin informed her. "Come on. Get dressed."
"Can't we stay here for another day?" Talia asked, smiling up at the ranger. Her good humor faded, however, as she saw the unease on her companion's face. "What's wrong?"
"We had a visitor this morning," Crispin answered. "Elec, the Mournbringer. He's an elven druid. We have until the sun sets to get out of his forest, unless you think we should join him and bring winter to the rest of Tourant."
"What… what are you talking about?" Talia asked. "Visitor? Why didn't you wake me?"
"Your headache was probably caused by whatever our druid friend drugged you with," Crispin explained. "I guess he didn't care what you might have to say."
"A druid?" Talia repeated. "It really is a druid?"
"Yeah," Crispin said. "And he's controlling the winter wolves. Looks like you were right about the late storms."
"I can't believe it," Talia said, fumbling for her clothing. "I was right. I was actually right!"
"Yeah, well, that druid and his wolves are going to actually come back and actually kill us unless we get a move on," Crispin pointed out, helping the mage into her heavy shirt. "So let's not spend too much time here enjoying how actually right you were."
"My clothes aren't completely dry," Talia pointed out, holding her leggings up for Crispin to inspect.
"I know," the ranger said. "We'll try to head back upriver. If Elec didn't move Emeri's body or steal his pack, we might still be able to get those cold resistance potions."
"Do we have enough time for that?" Talia asked, pulling on her pants.
"We don't have much of a choice," Crispin explained. "If we don't get the potions, we're going to freeze to death out here. My spells can't keep the cold at bay very long."
"But what if the wolves catch up to us?" Talia asked. Crispin hesitated for a moment, looking back to the blanket that still covered the cave entrance.
"They're going to catch us no matter what," the ranger said quietly. He looked back to Talia, who had stopped in her tracks as she reached for her boots. "With those potions, we'll at least have some protection against their frost breath."
"Maybe we could hold them off here," Talia said quietly.
"The two of us don't stand a chance against a mad druid and almost a hundred winter wolves," Crispin said. "Our best chance, slim as it is, is getting back to Montcalm. Maybe if we can keep ahead of them, we'll be able to take them on a few at a time. If we sit here, they'll just converge on us. Memorize any spells you think will help us, and let's be on our way."
"I… oh, no!" Talia gasped, jumping to her feet and rushing to her wet backpack in the corner of the cave. "My spellbook!"
"Oh, no," Crispin grumbled, closing his eyes and sighing in resignation.
"Oh, dear God, please be dry," Talia prayed, ripping through her pack and pulling out her spellbook. The mage frantically ran a hand along the side of the book, then opened it and flipped through the pages as quickly as she could without damaging the paper. Crispin watched her as she appraised the damage, until Talia turned back to him uneasily.
"The… the lightning bolt is still readable," she said quietly. "The web and the burning hands, too. The magic missile is gone, and… God, the haste spell would have helped us travel quickly. I'm so sorry, Crispin."
"It's okay," Crispin said, moving to Talia's side as the mage dropped her head. The ranger put his arm around her, and Talia slowly leaned back into his side. "I was the one that threw you in the water, after all. Memorize what you can, and I'll see if I can repair your boots."
"My… oh, yeah," the mage remembered, looking back to her torn footwear. The soles of her boots had been ripped apart by the rocks in the creek, making them almost useless. Slowly the mage turned her eyes up to Crispin's face. "You think anything else could go wrong?"
"We lost the tea, too," Crispin said quietly.
"No tea?" Talia asked quietly.
"No tea," Crispin confirmed. Talia looked down at the floor for a moment, stifling a giggle.
"Now we're really done for," the mage said, a broad smile stretched across her face as she turned back to Crispin. The ranger tried to force down a chuckle, but within moments the two were practically doubled over in wild gales of laughter.
"What is funny about tea?"
Crispin and Talia both looked up, their laughter dying out instantly as they turned to the entrance of the tiny cave. Standing just inside the blanket, covered in blood but apparently relatively unharmed, Rachwal regarded his two allies with a perplexed expression.
"Rachwal!" Talia exclaimed, finding her voice first. "You're alive!"
"I hide under wolf body," the goblin explained, moving closer to the fire. "I almost get too cold, but potion keep me warm."
"Potion?" Crispin echoed. "The potions in Emeri's pack?"
"Yes," Rachwal answered, holding up a torn, bloodstained haversack. "Emeri is killed, but wolves and elf not take him away."
"You saw him," Crispin concluded. "You saw the druid."
"I see elf, wearing wolf head," Rachwal explained. "He is druid?"
"Yes, he is," Crispin answered. "Did you see where he went?"
"He goes west, to mountains," Rachwal answered. "Maybe to Goblin Stones."
"If he's going back there, maybe we'll have enough time to reach Mattin," Talia offered. Crispin shook his head.
"Even if he heads west, the wolves will be heading east, continuing their attacks," the ranger concluded. "We'll have to…"
Crispin trailed off in the middle of his statement, lost in thought as he stared into the tiny fire.
"We must kill druid, before winter kill my people," Rachwal decided. "We find him at Goblin Stones."
"We got butchered the last time we went looking for him, remember?" Talia argued. "We can't get into another fight with those wolves!"
"The wolves will track us, no matter what," Crispin said quietly, still looking into the embers. "But they'll need more time to catch up with us if we head west."
"Crispin, there's nothing to our west!" Talia pointed out.
"Elec is," Crispin corrected, looking to the mage.
"Do you really think he'll be all alone?" Talia asked, looking from Rachwal to Crispin. "I mean, you said yourself that the two of us don't stand a chance against the druid and his wolves!"
"We are three now," Rachwal pointed out.
"Well, that certainly tips the odds in our favor," Talia grumbled sarcastically.
"If we run, no matter which way we go the wolves will overtake us," Crispin explained. "But if we do find Elec, and we can kill him, maybe the wolves will break off the attacks and head home. After all, Elec told me that he needs to direct much of his power to maintaining the cold weather. Once he's dead, winter will break, and the winter wolves will head back into the mountains to find colder weather."
"It is good plan," Rachwal said. "We die fighting, not running."
"That's reassuring," Talia said sarcastically.
"Well, you wanted to be the hero," Crispin said to the mage. "Here's your big chance."