Tip shook his head, and on they walked in the starlit shadows, leading the ponies after.
"They're still faring for Rimmen Gape," said Dara Cein, looking at the stars above. "At the pace they set, they'll come to it by dawn at the latest."
"Good," said Beau, his voice weary.
Linnet looked at the buccan. "Good?"
Beau nodded. "The Blackwood curves around and nearly reaches the slot, and if Tynvyr and Picyn have succeeded, there'll be a force of Hidden Ones nigh."
"Dylvana and Baeron, too," said Rynna, awake from her doze in the saddle.
They rode without speaking for long moments more, but finally Rynna once again asked, "What could be driving them so?"
"There," whispered Tip. "Just behind the hillocks on either side. See?"
Nix peered down where Tip pointed. "Helsteeds."
"And look just above on this side of the crests," breathed Tipperton, "Ghuls waiting and watching."
From the slopes above Braeton, the two buccen looked through the predawn light and down at the ambush set along the Landover Road.
"Some thirty or so, I tally," said Nix.
"Aye," said Tip. "The whole of the Ghuls from Eryn Ford I would imagine, but for the few escorting the surrogate."
Dawn pinked the sky.
Tip peered southerly. "Here come the maggot-folk."
Out on the wold some two or three miles distant and boiling northeasterly came the Spawn.
"Tip, look! On the road east."
Tip swung his gaze toward where Nix pointed. "Oh Adon," groaned Tip, "this is why they set ambush."
East of Braeton and riding toward Rimmen Gape came a band of Elven riders, travel-worn, drooping, wounded.
"I should have known! I should have known!" cried Tip in despair. He leaped to his feet and headed for his pony, no longer trying,to remain hidden.
"What? What is it?" appealed Nix, jumping up and following.
"It's Galarun and Aravan and the company, or what's left of it," gritted Tip. "We've got to do something."
As the buccen swung up onto the ponies, Nix turned to Tip. "Why would Modru pull his Spawn from Eryn Ford and set an ambush for these few Elves?"
"If they've succeeded in their mission, they are bearing a great token of power, a silver sword, one that'll slay Gy-phon Himself, if the rumors are true. Modru hopes to stop them."
"All right, then, what'll we do?"
Air hissed in and out through Tip's clenched teeth, and then he said, "Stampede the Helsteeds before the Ghuls can reach them and mount up to waylay Galarun."
Nix nodded. "If the ponies don't flee from the stench."
Kicking his heels into his weary steed's flanks-"You take this side; I'll take that"-Tip galloped down the slope, Nix riding after.
Down the slant they ran, toward the Helsteeds tethered on either side of the road, and even as the Ghuls started down the slope toward the scaled creatures, Tip flew past the first group, while Nix rode among them crying "Yah, yah!" And Helsteeds began to kick and bite at the darting pony and at one another, and jerk loose from their teth-erings to squeal and mill and clash.
And Tip galloped across the road and in among the other 'Steeds, and as he did so, he raised to his lips the black-oxen horn-Dediana's horn given to him by Linde-and blew blast after blast as he charged through the cloven-hoofed rout. And the sound of the Harlingar horn panicked the beasts, both on this side and that of the road, and squealing and grunting in alarm, they scattered.
And on the road, Lian Elves raised weary heads, and unsheathed swords and took lances in hand in the dawn.
"Krystallopyr!" whispered Aravan, gripping his spear and truenaming it, making ready for combat. Even as the horn sounded, the small, blue stone amulet at his throat grew chill with peril… as it had done so many times on the journey to Black Mountain and back. And now it and the black-oxen horn called out danger, and neither would be denied.
"Ready!" barked Galarun, sword in hand, another sword-one of silver-strapped across his back. And he motioned to Larana, and she raised an argent clarion to her lips and blew an answer to the oxen horn, the silvery notes belling clear.
The sound of a Harlingar horn rang over the wold, and Spawn hearing it hesitated. Yet the Ghuls surrounding the surrogate cried out in their foul tongue, and whips lashed about and the maggot-folk began to run through the daybreak shadows and toward the gap ahead. And then a silver note rang, but the Spawn stopped not in their race.
"That's Tip's horn!" cried Beau. "He's in trouble!" And he leaped astride his pony and spurred forward, galloping after Rynna flying across the wold, Linnet and Farly and all the Dylvana racing after. And then an Elven horn sounded in the distance ahead.
As the Helsteeds scattered before the buccen, Ghuls sprang up from their ambuscade and yawled in fury and with cruelly barbed spears in hand they ran toward the two Warrows on ponies, the corpse-folk ready to slay.
"Ride! Ride!" called Tip, and he and Nix wrenched their overtired ponies 'round to flee down the Landover Road, only to see a vanguard of Spawn scrambling across the way, two thousand others shrieking war cries and racing after.
And behind the buccen came savage Ghuls, the corpse-foe overtaking the two ponies, the little steeds stumbling in exhaustion.
Tip raised the black-oxen horn once again to his lips and blew a second time, and Rflpt quailed back from the sound, and the Ghuls slowed a step or two in their pursuit -and Lian slammed into them from the rear, lances piercing, swords riving, Aravan's truenamed spear burning wherever it struck flesh, Ghuls howling even as they died upon the dark crystallic blade. Yet Elves died too, impaled by barbed spear. But the corpse-foe could not withstand Aravan's deadly lance nor the beheading strikes of swords, and they yielded back from the Lian, no longer disputing the way.
And toward Tipperton and Nix did Galarun and company ride and toward Darda Erynian beyond.
And yet two thousand Spawn stood across the way.
A third time did Tipperton blow Dediana's horn, and lo! the call was answered from the nearby woodland as a horse-borne company of Dylvana and Baeron came charging out from the trees, while at the same time a small band of Dylvana came racing across the wold, four Warrows on ponies running alongside, arrows flying and sling bullets hurtling to slam into the Spawn.
Even as Galarun and Aravan and other Lian surrounded Tip and Nix, the Rupt reeled hindward from the charge of the Baeron and Dylvana.
"Quickly!" called Galarun. " 'Round to the right and into Darda Erynian."
None argued with his command, for all the Allies together were yet outnumbered ten to one.
Rightward they fled, running for the trees, spent ponies and weary horses faltering even as they ran, giving their all to the riders.
And Larana blew a horn cry-a signal to withdraw-and now the company of Dylvana and Baeron and the small force of Dylvana and four Warrows turned their own steeds and fled for the forest as well.
With howling Rupt on their heels, into the Blackwood they ran, past gathered shadows slipping twixt the trees, and huge yellowish mounds standing still, and tall bundles of twigs and vines and tendrils looming in the darkness and rustling as leaves in the wind. Among these and other such things they passed, the forest enshadowed a grim grey though the sun shone aslant through the brown-leafed November trees.
"Shouldn't we stop and help?" called Tip, urging his exhausted pony across a streamlet and up.
"Nay, love," replied Rynna. "As Tynvyr has often told me, we would just be in the way."
Chapter 30
Sheltered by Darda Erynian, the Elves, Baeron, and War-rows rode another five miles westerly ere making camp within a small glade just north of the Landover Road. And while the Baeron and Dylvana stood ward, exhausted War-rows and Lian and the Elves who had ridden with Dara Cein slept the sleep of the dead. After taking water and a hearty ration of oats, spent ponies and horses dozed as well, some standing, but most lying on the sward. Through the remainder of that day and the full of the night and into the next morning did they sleep, though Elves and Warrows awakened long enough to relieve themselves as necessary and to take a meal in the evening.