Elfhunter

by C S Marks

  It was with such thoughts in her mind that Nelwyn sensed a presence behind her and turned to investigate. Gaelen was standing there. She had left the others and gone out walking, alone among the stars. "Where is Galador? I would have thought he would be with you, as always," Gaelen said, with only a hint of resentment in her voice. She had precious little time alone with Nelwyn since the coming of Galador.

  She liked him, and rejoiced that he had found love and happiness at last, but she also wished that he would not have come between Nelwyn and herself to such an extent. Nelwyn heard this in Gaelen’s voice, and she sorrowed, for she knew that Gaelen had been largely shut out of her life of late. They had nearly always depended on each other, had saved each other’s lives on several occasions, and had been inseparable until now. Nelwyn didn’t like the prospect of

  taking separate paths any more than Gaelen did.

  "He is not here at present, but I expect he soon will be," Nelwyn answered. "It’s just as well, for I would speak with him. There is something troubling him that he has not told me about, something that prevents him from going under the mountain. But I suppose it is well that we are not all going, as someone must get the horses across to Talsithian." She sat down beside her cousin, and they shared their cloaks against the chill, for the wind was rising.

  "I thought Thorndil and Belegund were to travel across with the horses," said Gaelen, who was unwilling to admit that there was a positive side to Galador’s reluctance.

  "The intentions of Thorndil and Belegund are as yet unknown. Perhaps they are bent on staying with Rogond," said Nelwyn.

  Gaelen sniffed. "I thought Galador was Rogond’s dearest friend and thus would be bent on staying with him. I just do not understand." Nelwyn loved her cousin, but she was beginning to get annoyed, and was inclined to speak in defense of Galador. "You are my dearest friend, Gaelen, and yet you will separate from me to stay with Rogond. You will not cross the mountains with us, but instead will remain with the Tuathan and the dwarf ? And what is your lofty motive for this course? Admit it! You wish to get beneath the mountains in the hope that you will pick up the trail of your enemy, the sooner to pursue him with foolish overconfidence. I love you, Gaelen, and would fall defending you. But sometimes you frighten me." As soon as the words escaped her, she regretted them. Gaelen was not likely to forget them, either.

  "My motives are not lofty. I simply feel compelled to remain with Rogond. This encounter he seeks may bring him great joy or make him very unhappy and disappointed. And to whom shall he turn then? His friend Galador, with whom he shares his thoughts, will be in Tal-sithian, along with you. My motives are no more lofty than that. As for finding the trail of the enemy, you have listened too long to Galador if you believe that I would pursue him lightly now that I understand his nature. I would correct you on one other point, as well. He is not merely my enemy. He is the enemy of our race and our very way of life. The sooner he is dead, the better, but I will not confront him again until I have considerably more power beside me.

  I thank you for your vote of confidence." She rose somewhat stiffly, and turned to Nelwyn, cutting off her apology.

  "Galador is coming. Perhaps he will enlighten you as to the real reason he chooses to abandon his friends. In the meantime, I know you did not mean to say what was said, but sometimes what we do not mean to say expresses our true feelings. I will take my leave of you now, for my presence here will interfere with your ability to inquire of Galador. I would very much like to know of his motives, if he has them. Perhaps you will share them with me on a time."

  Nelwyn watched her go as Galador approached from the other side of the hill. Gaelen had been hurt by Nelwyn’s words and had left without giving her a chance to explain or take them back. There was nothing to do for it now. Galador came up behind Nelwyn, embraced her, and they sat down together. Now she would try to learn the real motive for his reluctance to enter Cós-domhain. She hoped he would trust her sufficiently to tell her of it and that Gaelen would understand.

  Some time later, Nelwyn sat with Galador’s head in her lap, stroking his long, dark hair, still wondering how best to broach the subject of his underlying fears. None of the ideas she had entertained up to now seemed right. She could just imagine Gaelen’s approach: So, Galador, what is the REAL reason that you choose to abandon your friends? She smiled in the darkness. No, that approach would not do at all. But she finally decided to simply ask him directly, as he loved her, and she knew she needn’t fear his reaction to an honest question.

  "Galador, my love, why will you not go under the mountain? I know there is something else besides uncertainty of the descendants of Rûmm. Will you not make this clear to me? We are leaving our friends in what I have foreseen to be a time of peril. Please, beloved, open your heart and let me help you if I may."

  Galador stiffened, and his eyes met Nelwyn’s in the deep starlight. She had never known anyone so beautiful, or so complicated. She was unswerving in her love and would never abandon him. "I will always love you, no matter what may befall us," she whispered. "Your heart and its secrets are safe. I will not disparage you. Please, help me to understand."

  He sat up then and threw his cloak across her shoulders, drawing her close. "Ah, Nelwyn. I will tell you, but you must not reveal what I am going to say to anyone. Rogond knows it already. And you must promise not to turn from your course and to stay with me on the path to Tal-sithian. I believe you will understand once I have told you."

  Nelwyn nodded, promising to keep his secret, though she did not look forward to informing Gaelen that she could not share with her. Galador then proceeded to tell her a tale of two events: one that had happened in a time long past and another that had happened much more recently in Mountain-home. When he had finished, Nelwyn did indeed understand his motive, and she knew that she could not turn from her course beside him, for to do so would break his heart.

  She prayed that her friends would find their way safely beneath the mountain and would meet them in Tal-sithian, but that was not what Galador had foreseen. He had seen death stalking the Company beneath the mountain, and would no more go there now with Nelwyn than kill her himself.

  "Something lurks under the mountain, and at least one of our friends may not come out again. One thing is certain—if you go with them, you will die. I have foreseen it." He held Nelwyn as she wept with fear for her friends.

  "Then, we must stay them all from this course! I would not lose any of them!" she cried. "How can you let Rogond go?"

  Galador tried to calm her. "Hush, Nelwyn. Rogond knows of this, as I have told him. Yet he would not be diverted from his path, for it is of great importance to him, and he knows that my visions do not always come to pass. Besides, it was only your death that was foreseen."

  Nelwyn could not stop trembling. "But surely, we must warn them all of this! Perhaps they might choose differently."

  Galador shook his head. "It is enough that Rogond knows. He will discourage Thorndil and Belegund."

  Nelwyn drew back from him and looked into his eyes. "And what of Gaelen? Would you have her walk unknowingly into peril?" "Of course not, but…I sensed from my vision that she was not in danger. Rogond might be, though, and you most of all. I tried to turn Rogond from his path, but he is set upon it; he so desperately searches for answers to his identity. This is a hard burden for me to bear, for I would not abandon Rogond if I had any other choice. But to protect you from this fate is the only choice I can make. Fear of the enmity of dwarves is just a façade." He sighed. "I’m sincerely tired of Fima’s reaction to it…he teases me without mercy."

  "He is merely trying to reassure you by making you see that your fears are groundless. You would be quite safe in Cós-domhain with both Fima and Rogond at your side."

  "I would not be entirely sure of that, Nelwyn. But you now know that my fears are not of the dwarves. Remember that night in Mountain-home, when you dreamed of the great evil that stalks us? My vision was much the same. You could not stop crying until
we found Gaelen and Rogond. What you do not realize is that I wept for YOU as you lay beside me. I have seldom had such a vivid and frightening vision before, but when they happen, I have learned to pay attention to them."

  Nelwyn looked into his face and saw deep anxiety written there. She held him in a reassuring embrace. "I will go with you, my love, do not fear. Yet I am troubled and afraid for my friends. Can we not tell them all of this, so that they may choose? They will not disparage you, for they love and respect you. Please, Galador, at least let me tell Gaelen that she must be ever watchful of Rogond."

  Galador stiffened in her embrace. "Gaelen? You want to tell her that I’ve dragged you away because of a bad dream? You want me to open my deepest thoughts and fears to her? Oh, most certainly!" His sarcasm was obvious, and he knew immediately that it was a mistake. Nelwyn drew back from him, and in a moment she had broken free of his embrace and stood before him. It was the first time he had ever seen her truly angry.

  "And you decry her for her pride! You would let her walk into this darkness alone and uninformed rather than explain yourself to her? Well, here is a bitter truth for you: she would never do the same to you. She would care more for your safety. You had better confront her,

  Galador, unless you love this hilltop, for here you will stay until you do. And I will not take one step toward Tal-sithian until you have spoken with her. I promised not to reveal your secret, but you shall. Only then will I go with you to the Lake-realm."

  She turned and strode back down into the encampment, leaving Galador to keep the watch alone. He contemplated her words, the blood ringing in his ears as he considered them. He was not certain that Gaelen would have cared more for his safety than for her pride were their situations reversed, but the important thing was that Nelwyn thought she would. He was humbled by her words and by her simple faith in her cousin’s integrity. Had he been vying with Gaelen for Nelwyn’s affections? If so, he should have known better.

  Galador dropped back onto the grass and gazed at the stars, the watch forgotten for the moment. Then he realized that he was not alone. He started up in alarm to find Gaelen standing before him. He cursed himself for taking his eyes from the watch, as she surely had an even higher estimation of his worth than before. She did not comment, but leveled her gaze at him, knowing he would wonder why she had appeared.

  "I came up here because Nelwyn has just gone back down into the encampment, and she is unhappy about something. She seems angry, Galador, and that does not happen without cause. I came to ask you about it." Her tone was neither accusing nor combative—she simply wanted to know. In that moment, as Galador looked into her artless face, he knew he had to tell her.

  "Sit down, Gaelen, friend of my beloved, for I would reveal much to you."

  Gaelen did so, and Galador told her everything of his thoughts and fears, of his frightening vision and his dread of Nelwyn’s death beneath the mountain. He found her surprisingly easy to talk to, as she gave her full attention, and did not scoff at him or grow impatient. When he had finished, he took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "Well, Gaelen, do you have any thoughts?"

  In answer, she surprised him with a tentative embrace, for she had misjudged him.

  "I’m so sorry, Galador, for my unworthy thoughts concerning you. I hope that you may forgive them—I just did not know. I will watch over Rogond. You must promise to watch over Nelwyn for me. You are a worthy companion and a stout friend. I hope we may see one another again in Tal-sithian, but if not, remember me as one who loves you and wishes you joy. You shall be as a brother to me." Then she broke her embrace, looking into his eyes once more.

  "I truly am not descended of Aincor Fire-heart, you know. You think I cannot hear your comments to Rogond? It is really quite unseemly of you to keep suggesting it."

  Galador smiled at her. "Of course you aren’t," he said, in a sarcastic tone. This earned him a half-hearted punch to his upper arm, just before she turned to go. She couldn’t resist one parting remark over her shoulder.

  "If you ever want lessons in how to approach someone without making such a racket, ask either Nelwyn or myself. That skill is somewhat necessary to hunter-scouts in the Greatwood."

  Galador chuckled at her, shaking his head. He was pleased with the outcome of this conversation, now assured that Nelwyn would accompany him to Tal-sithian and that he and Gaelen would be on much better terms from that point on. He was relieved, not knowing that the evil he feared beneath the mountain was moving toward them even now, and that Gaelen could prove to be its unwitting instrument.

  Gorgon had been released from Tûr Dorcha and was now making his way back toward the mountains. He knew the way quite well. He also rejoiced to learn of his foes’ intention to go deep into Cós- domhain, for at least some of those paths were fairly well known to him. It was immense, the greatest dwarf-realm that had ever been. The name meant "Deep Cavern," and it was an ancient and impressive excavation. Gorgon neither hated nor feared the dwarves, for he was clever and could avoid being seen if he wished. Yet he had no objection to killing them.

  His tentative plan was to follow his enemies deep under the mountain, where he would hold the mastery, and then kill all save Gaelen. She would grieve for them, but in time she would seek out more of her kind, and he could then prey on them as well. With luck, she would return to Mountain-home. Then she would provide him with plenty of opportunity, as she would know when various Elves were leaving and where they were going. There were mighty Elves there, and he could almost taste of his coming victory over them.

  Gorgon sat alone under the stars, his evening meal before him.

  He had worked up an appetite, and he tore enthusiastically into the raw flesh of the ewe he had strangled a short while ago. The meat was tough, but tasty. Gorgon relished raw flesh; this was a tendency he had inherited from his father. He stopped short of consuming the flesh of Ulcas or men, however, and as for Elves, other than occasionally tasting their blood out of curiosity, he left their ruined flesh untouched. Somewhat fastidious, he preferred fresh meat that he had killed himself, and he disliked scavenging. But he seldom went hungry, for it did not take much to sustain him. These were qualities of his mother’s folk, though Elves did not eat raw meat of any sort unless desperate.

  He wiped the blood of the ewe from his mouth and lay back upon the grass, flattening it beneath his tremendous weight. He thought to try the mirror again and view what was happening in Gaelen’s world. Drawing it from a small pouch on his belt, he turned it over, admiring it in the starlight. The engraved golden cover glittered as he beheld it—it picked up nearly every trace of light and shot it back in every color imaginable. He cautioned himself not to look at it in full sunlight.

  Carefully, he pressed the tiny pin that released the cover, flipping it open to reveal the magical surface of the glass. He looked into the misty grey depths, steeling himself against the pain that would follow. It slammed into his head like a bolt, and he squeezed his eyes closed, focusing hard on subduing it. Gradually, it subsided until he could bear it. He could hear voices inside his own head, speaking in Elven-tongues. They were speaking of plans to separate and go to Tal-sithian as well as to Cós Domhain. Gaelen and Rogond were still going under the mountains, and Gorgon could wait until later to pick off the others. Gorgon smiled as he listened to Galador’s recounting of his terrifying vision of death beneath the mountain, imagining that it surely would not be as bad as the reality! But now the pain in Gorgon’s head increased, nearly blinding him, and as Gaelen embraced Galador, and Gorgon beheld the disgusting sentiment they shared, his gorge rose and he looked away, lest the effort spent in obtaining his excellent meal should be in vain.

  The day dawned with the arrival of grey, chilly weather that brought with it the promise of rain by mid-day. The Company had packed up their gear, and they were now sitting around the fire, cloaks wrapped about their shoulders, warming themselves. Which of them would now go beneath the mountain? Rogond and Gaelen would go with Fima; that m
uch was certain, but the choice of Belegund and Thorndil remained unknown. Rogond had of course told them both of Galador’s fears, and Gaelen hoped that at least one of them would go with Nelwyn. It might be somewhat difficult leading seven horses over the mountains, especially when one of them was Eros, who would be intent on following Rogond.

  In the end, it was decided that Thorndil, the older and more experienced of the Tuathar, would go with Galador and Nelwyn, as he had walked in Cós-domhain before, but never in Tal-sithian. Belegund, who had not yet seen the great halls of the Deep-caverns, wished to go with Rogond despite Galador’s warning.

  The time had come to go separate ways. Nelwyn shivered as she sat astride her restive mount. She had already embraced Gaelen and Rogond, and even Fima, tears welling in her beautiful green eyes. Fima had blushed and muttered something about the overly emotional nature of Elves. Gaelen also had tears in her eyes for a moment, but she quelled them. Galador sat in stony silence upon Réalta; he alone had seen the vision of death in Cós-domhain, and he prayed that it would not come to pass. He looked hard into the eyes of his dearest friend.

  "Farewell, Rogond. Keep safe and remain ever vigilant, as this journey you undertake is perilous. Safeguard my little sister, she who denies being of the House of Aincor." He looked sidelong at Gaelen and smiled as he said this, and she muttered something disparaging under her breath.

  Rogond answered Galador: "It will not be the first time you have been wrong, Elf of Eádros! Take heart and remain watchful yourself, for your way is no less perilous. Thorndil—take care of these Elves for me, won’t you?"