"And wanted us dead," responded Talisen with a shudder. "Thank Amergin the Ellyl came along when he did."
Suddenly a knee-high white shape glided into the clearing. Talisen let out a shout and jumped back, as if at a ghost.
"What is it?" he whispered loudly.
At first Collun thought the animal was a cat. Its movements were lithe and feline. But it was larger than a cat, and its legs were longer. It had a thick tail, almost as long as its body.
The animal turned its head toward Collun at that moment. The white fur of the animal's forehead bore a star-shaped burst of gold, and its eyes were large and silver. Though the ears were pointed and alert, it was not the face of a cat.
"I think it is called a faol," said Brie, her eyes kindling with interest. "It is an Ellyl animal—part cat, part wolf." As the white creature approached, Brie knelt and put out her hand.
"Brie..." Collun began in alarm. The faol did not look like a tame animal. There was a fierceness and arrogance in the face and in the way it moved.
But to Collun's surprise the faol arrested its movements and lifted its head to sniff Brie's fingers. The animal's silver eyes even closed halfway as it allowed Brie to lightly run the backs of her fingers along its spine. Then it opened its eyes, stared unblinking at Brie for several moments, and resumed its course. It came to a stop beside the Ellyl's golden head. With almost regal grace the faol lay down, resting its head on its paws. It looked prepared to keep a vigil over the Ellyl for some time.
"I always thought Ellylon were supposed to be small, with little wings for flying," Talisen said, taking a step closer to the Ellyl. But he jumped back when the faol narrowed its eyes and lifted its upper lip, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
"No, my father told me about Ellylon," said Brie. "He knew a man who had seen one once, and he said they were our size, only shorter, with silver eyes and fair hair. My father also told me that Ellylon are not to be trusted. They have an old hatred for Eirrenians."
Collun began clearing dead ivy from their camp. He thought back on what he knew about the Ellylon.
Before Amergin and his people came to Eirren, the land had belonged to the Ellylon, whom Amergin dubbed the Fair Folk for their bright hair and silver eyes. They had lived in the land since memory began.
There was no bloodshed when Amergin came to the land and renamed it Eirren. The Ellylon continued to call it by their own name, Tir a Ceol, and if they did not welcome the Eirrenians, at least they made room for them.
But soon after coming to the land, Amergin, with his winning ways and a streak of something very like Ellyl blood in his veins, won the heart of the beautiful daughter of the Ellyl king. The two were wed, forging a bond between the two races.
Despite the differences between them, Eirrenians and Ellylon lived together in peace. They even fought side by side when the land was threatened by the evil wizard Cruachan. It was only after Amergin died that the trouble began. A headstrong and distant young cousin of Amergin's seized control of the throne, banished his Ellyl wife, and tried to exert his power over the proud Ellylon. They resisted and war broke out between the two races. Scores of Ellylon and Eirrenians were slain in the conflict.
In disgust and horror, the Ellyl king made a swift and far-reaching decision. He removed his people and Tir a Ceol to the hidden places of the land, using old magic to obscure themselves from the Eirrenians they had come to despise. Since that time very few Ellylon had been seen by men. Indeed, many Eirrenians had come to believe that they did not exist at all and were merely the remnants of old superstition and legend.
"Yet this Ellyl saved our lives," Collun said to Brie, looking thoughtfully at the pale, exhausted face. "And at some cost to himself, it seems."
"I wonder how long he will sleep," said Talisen excitedly. "I have heard such tales of Ellylon and of their music. Think of the songs I could learn!"
Brie helped Collun clear away the rest of the vine from their camp. Collun had been worried it might grow again, but when he crossed to the other side of the hill, he found it lay dead and withered.
When they went to sleep that night, the Ellyl was deep in slumber, and when they awoke at dawn, he still had not stirred. His chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm. The faol remained at his head, its white face alert and watchful.
"I hope he's not ill," Talisen said, looking down at the Ellyl's pale face with concern.
"We cannot stay here long," Brie said shortly. Soon after, she set off to scout for Scathians. While she was gone, Collun foraged for food.
When he returned, arms laden with ripe bilberries and hazelnuts, he found Talisen and the now-awake Ellyl laughing together as if they were old friends. The faol was calmly washing itself nearby.
Collun nervously approached the Ellyl. "Thank you," he said awkwardly, "for saving our lives."
The Ellyl nodded slightly, a half-smile on his face.
"He says it is called cro-olachan, or blood-drinker," broke in Talisen. "It climbs up your body, suffocating you, and pierces your flesh with thousands of tiny pointed thorns that are really roots. That's why we have those marks on our skin. It feeds on blood. It is very rare, he says, but he's been seeing more of it over the past year or so. His name is Silien. Silien, this is Collun." Collun extended his hand and the Ellyl took it.
Brie rode up shortly afterward and Talisen introduced her to the Ellyl as well. Silien examined her face intently. She grew uncomfortable under his gaze and spoke.
"We are in your debt, Ellyl. The animal with you, is it a faol?"
The Ellyl nodded. "She is Fara," he said. His voice was light and filled with music. "She told me she approves of you. But she wants to know why you disguise yourself as a boy."
Brie's cheeks flushed.
Talisen answered for Brie. "She says it's because her father treated her as a son. Her other name is Breo-Saight because of her skill with bow and arrow, but I call her Flame-girl because of her temper. She was very angry when I saw through her disguise, so tread lightly. She does not want anyone to know."
Talisen turned to Collun. "I invited Silien to join us, and he said he would. He also said he may teach me Ellyl songs!" Talisen's enthusiasm was infectious.
"You are welcome," said Collun gravely, "but you should know that we are being pursued by Scathians and a morg."
"A morg?" Silien looked thoughtful. "Unusual. I have never seen a morg. In any case, I would like to join you, for a time."
Collun noticed from the corner of his eye that Brie's mouth grew tight. He sensed that she was not pleased.
When she spoke, though, her voice was neutral. "I saw no sign of the Scathians," she said. "But we should move on. We are still a day away from Eld."
As they set about breaking camp, taking care to obliterate all traces of their presence, Brie turned to the Ellyl. "What brings you into Eirren? It is not usual for Ellylon to travel among us."
"My father says I am unusual for an Ellyl."
"Really? Then do all the rest of you fly about on little gossamer wings, no bigger than the palm of my hand?" asked Talisen, kicking bracken over the sodden ashes of their campfire.
Silien laughed, shaking his head. "I am afraid we disappoint you."
"Not at all," he replied, "especially if you promise to teach me an Ellyl song."
"We shall see."
Later, when they had resumed their journey, the Ellyl on the pony with Talisen, Collun asked Brie why she had not wanted him to join them. Talisen and Silien had fallen some distance behind and were exchanging favorite riddles.
"It is what I said before. My father told me of Ellylon, of their hatred for us. And that they have their own reasons for the things they do. They are ... changeable, he said. Like the direction of the wind on Eydon Heath."
"I see. And are Ellyl animals also not to be trusted?" He gazed pointedly down at the faol trotting along beside the mare.