“Not exactly,” Belynda said with a laugh. “Though in our case, it will help us to get there. You didn’t think we were going to walk all the way, did you?”
“Oh, well, no. Oh!” Blinker said with a gulp. “We’re going with m-magic?”
“Don’t worry-it won’t hurt, and will save plenty of blisters on our feet.”
The gnome looked unconvinced, but nevertheless followed her up the rugged path. The route was much as Quilene had described it when she gave Belynda directions: an overgrown pathway with a foundation of solid stone, including steps that had been carved into the hillside during some long-forgotten century.
By the time they neared the summit, both of them were huffing for breath. Nistel fell a dozen steps behind by the time the sage-ambassador stepped between two pillars of gray stone to emerge atop the hill. She found the ruin of an old stone wall, and a flagstone surface that was still smooth and flat. Belynda knew this was the right place-the pattern of monoliths rising around the edge of the circular surface, surely distinct in all Nayve, matched exactly the description Quilene had provided.
In the center of the hilltop plaza was a raised stone basin containing clear water. While Blinker nervously checked behind the monoliths, Belynda touched the water with her fingers, then moved her hand through it in a gentle, swirling motion. In seconds the water in the stone bowl was spiraling lazily, circling in the direction of her movement. Satisfied, Belynda removed her hand. The water continued to whirl as she looked around the open space.
“There!” gasped Nistel.
A halo of lights suddenly sparkled, only a few steps away. More and more spots blinked into view, colors of gold and cream and crimson. Moments later those pieces of brightness had coalesced into the form of a serene elfwoman with hair of gold and a gown of bright red silk.
“Hello, Quilene,” Belynda said. She had been confident that the spell would work, but even so, the other woman’s appearance was a relief.
“Greetings, Belynda, Nistel,” replied the sage-enchantress with a graceful dip of her head. “Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?”
“Yes. I must see these Crusaders for myself-the Senate will not dare to doubt my own word.”
“I agree,” Quilene said. “And I admire your courage. Very well-Are you ready for the journey?”
“Right now?” Nistel said with a gulp. “Can’t we have a little bite of something to eat, first… maybe wait for the Hour of Darken?”
The two sages laughed sympathetically. “Actually, the teleportation spell is easier when your stomach’s empty,” Quilene suggested. “At least, when you’re not used to it.”
“It has been long since I’ve traveled this far,” Belynda admitted. “You’ve found a place to send us?”
“Yes… there’s a small pool in a grotto near the shore of the Snakesea. It will work quite well as a focus for the two of you.”
“Good.” Unlike the powerful enchantress-who could teleport either from or to a focal point of water-Belynda and her companion would require a swirl of water to anchor each end of the spell. Quilene had agreed to go ahead and locate such a terminus while Belynda had escorted the company to Natac.
“You will arrive in a very small, sheltered valley,” the enchantress was explaining. “There is a small trail, quite steep, leading up the side-you’ll have to climb about a hundred feet up to the forest floor. From there the path is obvious, running to the left and right. Take the right fork, and within a few hours you’ll arrive at the first village, a place called Tallowglen.”
“Tallowglen… we’ll start our search there,” said Belynda with a sense of finality.
Quilene pointed to the water in the stone bowl. “Start stirring, both of you. Be very gentle and steady in your movements.”
Blinker’s small, chubby hands splashed in the water across the bowl from Belynda’s graceful fingers. The gnome and the sage-ambassador began to trace movement through the water, and slowly the liquid commenced a graceful whirling. Quilene paced through a series of measured steps, walking around the basin, and past the two travelers, opposite the direction of the water’s swirl. The enchantress made three circuits around them while Belynda pushed the water into a faster and faster spin.
Abruptly Quilene stopped pacing, raising her arms as if she would encircle Belynda, Nistel, and the basin. She closed her eyes and tilted her head skyward, while from her throat came a deep, thrumming noise. The sound built in volume and pitch until it seemed to Belynda that a wind was howling through the nearby trees.
The ground seemed to tilt underfoot and, unconsciously, the sage-ambassador grasped the edge of the basin for support. She saw Blinker’s goggle-eyed face staring wildly as he, too, clutched the rim of the stone bowl. Colors brightened around them, a brilliance greater than sunlight, a glowing rainbow wrapping them in an embrace of silky hues.
The humming grew louder, a supernatural sound that went far beyond any noise emerging from Quilene’s throat. The ground lurched again, but Belynda was confident now that she wouldn’t lose her balance. Nistel’s eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was shaping soundless cries of fear.
Belynda felt a sensation of weightlessness, but had no fear of falling. Instead, she might have been floating, soaring and gliding through time and space. She laughed, a slight and girlish giggle that startled her and caused Blinker to moan in dire fear. Her next sensation was of water that suddenly felt cooler against her skin. The whirling rainbow slowly faded, and she saw that they were in a new place-a grotto, as Quiline had described. The sage-enchantress was nowhere to be seen. Instead, steep, rocky walls draped with trailing greenery rose on three sides. A gap in the surrounding cliff walls revealed a stretch of sunlit sea in the other direction.
The basin of water was here a natural depression atop a rock. Belynda and Nistel now had their hands in this cool liquid, which seemed to bubble up from some sort of spring. Belynda exhaled and stepped back, feeling wide-awake, her body tingling with energy.
“Th-that wasn’t so bad,” Nistel said, after opening one eye and looking cautiously around. “I guess we came quite a way, didn’t we?”
“Through the Ringhills and across the Snakesea,” Belynda confirmed. Looking around, she spotted a precipitous route up the steep side of the grotto. Overhead, the limbs of great trees reached into view, indicating that dense forest lay beyond. “And there’s the trail up the hill.”
Atop the cliff they found the two paths, and started down the right fork. The village of Tallowglen, and all the Greens, lay beyond.
F or many days the company of elves practiced drills with the bows and staves. Darryn Forgemaster brought hundreds of arrowheads, and-though the archers still used wooden tips for practice-many missiles were outfitted with the lethal steel blades. Owen and Fionn, meanwhile, took turns demonstrating the uses of the quarterstaff in battle, until most of the elves had become very proficient in the use of that weapon. The Celt and the Viking treated Natac with grudging respect, and had thus far accepted his leadership of the makeshift force. He, on the other hand, had been unfailingly polite to his fellow warriors, showing awareness of their knowledge, allowing them to decide how best to teach their skills to the elves.
Natac wished for a means to outfit his warriors with better weapons, but for now no ready opportunities presented themselves. Darryn was working on several swords, but that work took time-and in any event, even given several intervals or a full year he wouldn’t be able to make enough blades to outfit even half of the company.
During the same period the elves built many straw houses to serve as their quarters. These were placed around the large, flat field that served as a drilling and parade ground. Juliay, Nachol, and several other druids also joined the band, though not to serve as warriors. Instead, they contributed their magical talents to the healing of wounds and the management of the weather during the long days of drill.