"Lor', but I wish we had the vision of Elves," said Beau, tasting fear and peering into the darkened valley, looking back the way they had come. "Then we could see by starlight alone."
"Fear not, Beau," said Rynna, gesturing into the shadows at hand, "we have at our sides the eyes of the Pysks."
His palms sweating, his heart hammering, Tipperton reached out and took Rynna's hand as howls echoed along the vale. "They come," he said, and then amended, "No, what I mean is it comes."
Rynna's breath fluttered in short, rapid puffs. "In moments we will see."
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than there began a groaning rumble.
One of the Fox Riders spoke: "Va Dreeth ar en va dep un visin den Eio Wa Suk."
"The Gargon is in the valley," translated Rynna, "moving among the Stones."
Louder and louder came the groaning, and the howls of the Foul Folk juddered to a halt.
"Mayhap it is working," said Tip, squeezing Rynna's hand.
Rynna nodded, saying, "Aye, mayhap," though doubt dwelled deep in her voice.
Louder and louder groaned the Stones, the rumbling ground itself beginning to shiver, and Beau looked about in dread as if seeking a place of solidity.
And still the Draedan came onward, its terror growing with every massive stride.
"Oh, love, I just remembered," called Tip above the collective moan filling the air, the buccan's voice shaking with dread, "the Gargon, his tread is ponderous, as if moving on massive feet of stone."
Her breath jerking in and out of her lungs, Rynna managed to say, "Good… that will… anger… the Eio Wa Suk."
Now the whole vale shook with a collective deep grinding, a vast unending stentorian groan, the very earth thrumming in response, as if the whole world howled.
Beau clapped his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.
And from his place on the ridge, Tip could see down in the starlight and among the Stones, where -He screamed in unending terror and fell to his knees and shrieked and shrieked and shrieked.
And beside him Rynna and Beau stood frozen in horror and shrilled, as did the Fox Riders, the Pysks and foxes suddenly bereft of shadow…
Through a gap between monoliths, the Gargon had them trapped in its glare.
Yet as the creature stalked toward the gaze-stricken victims, it passed behind a Stone, and suddenly all were free, though pounding dread yet coursed through their veins.
"Run!" cried Tip, but even as they started to turn, Tip's eyes flew wide for he beheld -one of the huge monoliths tilting, tilting, falling, falling, falling -down -down Whuuump!
– the entire vale quaked with the shock of the thunderous crash -and great waves of unendurable dread blasted outward, and Tip, Rynna, Beau, foxes and Pysks, all were hurled to the ground shrieking, their blood hurtling along their veins, their hammering hearts ready to explode. And screaming in boundless terror they groveled on the ground beyond all reasoning, beyond all control.
And then it was gone.
Completely.
His breath coming in gasps, Tip managed to say, "The Gargon is dead."
And an angry roar rose up from the Groaning Stones, a sound so loud that it rattled the very bones, and the earth itself quaked and trembled under the thunderous blast. Stumbling and falling and rising and running across the shivering land, Rucks and Hloks and Ghflls on Helsteeds fled away in mortal fear, though many did not live beyond a mere few paces, their very beings bursting apart in the bellowing rage below.
Chapter 27
The angry roaring thundered out across the land, the enraged fury of lithic giants hammering throughout Darda Erynian and under the Rissanin River and into the Greatwood beyond, the earth juddering for miles uncounted-loam, soil, detritus, muck, glades, hills, vales, fens, streams, pools, meres, swards, bushes, trees, all shuddering in response. And on the very edge of the aggregate, Tip, Beau, Rynna, Pysks, and foxes, all were knocked from their feet in the jolting, bellowing blast of wrath. Warrows and Pysks slapped hands over their ears, while foxes turned their own back and down, yet the roaring thundered through flesh and bones to deafen them regardless. And just over the crest of the vale and down in the woods below-horses and Harlingar, foxes and Pysks, and War-rows afoot-all reeled under the onslaught, and animals tried to flee, those who had not run away during the death throes of the Gargon.
Exactly how long the rage lasted, none on the ridge or beyond could say, yet of a sudden the bellowing ceased altogether, to be replaced by a low, anguished groaning. And in distant places throughout the forest and elsewhere in Mithgar, other aggregates of Eio Wa Suk took up the mournful cry.
On the valeside, as Pysks stroked foxes and soothed them, the animals wide-eyed and jittery, Tip struggled to his feet and helped Rynna to stand as well. He then called out to Beau, but Beau sat on the ground and looked down into the vale and paid him no heed, for with their hearing aggrieved neither Tip nor Beau nor Rynna could comprehend a word said. Tip stepped to the buccan and held out a hand, yet Beau waved any aid away and simply remained sitting, though he did say something that neither Tip nor Rynna understood.
And so, Tip and Rynna took places beside him, and all peered down into the aggregate below, seeking any sign of movement, Tip with his arm about his dammia as they waited for their hearing to return.
Moments later, up the back of the ridge came three Pysks riding, shadow gathered 'round. Coming after was Farly the Warrow as well as Linde and another Harlingar, the Vanadurin astride horses.
The gathered darkness about one of the Pysks vanished as she stopped before Rynna and said something, but Rynna touched her ear and shook her head.
The Pysk nodded in understanding, and called out to the others, and Farly turned and spoke to the Vanadurin and then sat down beside Beau, Jordians and Pysks dismounting to wait as well.
As April stars wheeled through the dark velvet sky above, they sat and gazed into the valley where Groaning Stones mourned. How long they waited, none could strike a mark, yet after a lengthy while, again the Pysk stepped before Rynna and said, "Ya e a va dep a vis eh ve crued a Eio WaSuk."
Although the Fox Rider's voice seemed muted, Tip realized he could now discern the words.
Rynna turned to Tip. "The Fox Riders are going down into the aggregate to see what has befallen the Groaning Stones."
"Then we should also go," said Tip. "You never know what might be lurking therein."
"You need not worry about the Pysks, love," replied Rynna. "Those tiny arrows of theirs are quite lethal."
"Should they face danger," said Linde, "Sten and I ride with them." She gestured toward the male Vanadurin who had ridden back with her.
"Nevertheless…" said Tip, rising to his feet and helping Rynna up. Then he turned to Beau. "We're going back down into the vale, bucco."
An unwilling look swept over Beau's features, but he stood, though reluctantly, and laded his sling with a nearby pebble and said, "If we must."
The Pysk spoke again to Rynna, and she in turn said to Linde, "Leave your horses behind. Their heavy tread might anger the Stones. And walk softly, please."
Linde nodded, then said, "It is dark down there and unlike Waldana and Pyska, Sten and I will need light to see by."
Beau took a small hooded lantern from his pack and lit it, raising the shield a crack. "Here," he said, and held it out to Linde. But Sten stepped forward and took the light.
Then Tip, Rynna, and Farly all nocked arrows, and Linde and Sten each took a saber in hand.
And so, stepping lightly, down into the aggregate they went-six shadows, four Warrows, and two Jordians-while all about them arose a dolorous collective groan.
"Oh my," said Rynna, disheartened, as she looked through the starlight at the huge, vine-covered Stone, the great long monolith broken in twain where it had fallen to the ground. Lying on its side, some eight feet up and eight feet across it was, and nearly sixty feet in length altogether, including the ten feet or so that had ripped out of the valeside when it had pitched forward and down. And now it lay sundered-like a toppled broken obelisk from an ancient age unknown.