Part 15 (1/2)

Jim heard Tomas's voice. 'That's Malac's Cross we just pa.s.sed over. We should reach the Peaks of the Quor at dawn.'

Through the night they flew and Jim found himself too enthralled by the experience to feel even a hint of fatigue or hunger. They pa.s.sed over villages where only a lantern or two illuminated the streets, but which they could clearly see from on high as Middle Moon joined the other two in the sky and a cloudless night revealed the landscape below.

Jim felt the dragon turn and bank angling now towards the south-east, and he knew they must be approaching the sh.o.r.e of the Kingdom Sea. In the east the sky was lightening by the minute, first a faint hint of grey, then a lighter grey, then suddenly a rosy hue was quickly followed by a golden dawn. The rise of the sun as they sped downwards was breathtaking, just as the rising of the moon had been what seemed barely minutes earlier. Whatever magic made it safe to ride the back of the dragon also seemed to make it impossible to judge how quickly they were moving, Jim thought, for he knew that even at the dragon's prodigious speed it had still been a journey of hours, even if it felt as if only minutes had pa.s.sed.

In the distant morning light Jim saw mountains and looking down could see the grey shapes below resolve themselves into sea and land. They were pa.s.sing over the eastern coastline of the Kingdom just north of the border with Great Kesh, and the mountains in the distance could only be the Peaks of the Quor.

'Where exactly?' came Tomas's voice.

'Look for a cove a third of the way down the coast from the tip. It has a large outcropping of boulders to the north, with a high bluff rising up behind it. It's very deep and our camp was about a mile up a trail-'

'I see it.'

'Follow the trail north. You should find the elves' enclave quickly.'

The sun had crested the horizon and now day was fully upon them. The dragon slowed and now the flight was almost leisurely compared to how fast they had flown through the night. Jim tried to make sense of the landscape below, then saw the trail. 'There!'

'Yes,' said Tomas.

The dragon banked and slowed even more and they flew down to barely more than tree-top height. Then Tomas said, 'Ahead!'

A band of men, armed with bows, lay waiting in ambush, as on the other side of a large clearing elves moved down the trail in plain sight. 'I know them those are Kaspar's men! They must have escaped and seized weapons!'

'I must stop this!' Tomas said.

He ordered Ryath to land in the middle of the clearing and with a thunderous crack of its wings, the dragon did as it was asked.

Jim didn't wait to be told to dismount when they touched the ground. He swung a leg over the dragon's neck and slid down his shoulder, landing on his feet. He took half a dozen steps towards where the ambushers crouched, shouting, 'Wait!'

The men stood up with amazed expressions and one by one walked out from their place of concealment. Jim saw Kaspar pus.h.i.+ng forward from a position on the far side of the clearing and heard him shout, 'Jim Dasher?'

Jim looked around and saw that elves were walking into the clearing from the other side, their weapons shouldered. They looked entirely at ease. They did not look at all like guards seeking escaped prisoners.

'Don't fight!' Jim shouted. 'Lord Tomas will sort this all out!'

Kaspar came right up to Jim. 'Fight?' With a barking laugh, he said, 'What fight? You and your friend just ruined a perfectly good hunt.'

'Hunt?'

'The elves were beating the brush and driving a nice little herd of elk towards us.' Kaspar put his bow over his shoulder. 'The elk bolted when they caught sight of that dragon coming down out of the sky. They're probably half-way to the City of Kesh by now.' He put his hand on Jim's shoulder. 'Good to see you got away, and lived, and even better that you've fetched help.'

He regarded the dragon who now sat in repose on the tall gra.s.s. 'And I must say your arrival was like nothing I've ever witnessed before.'

'You should try riding one,' said Jim. 'What happened?'

'Come along,' said Kaspar and he motioned to his men. 'Start back to the enclave and we'll organize another hunt later. This one is over!' he shouted.

The men acknowledged his order and Kaspar turned back to Jim Dasher. 'Since you left, I've had a good chance to speak at length with Castdanur. He's not a bad sort once you get used to his elvish ways.' As they reached the spot where Tomas stood speaking to the elves, Kaspar said, 'Let's say we've reached an accommodation.'

'Accommodation?'

'Yes,' said Kaspar. 'We're going to help these elves survive, and they're going to help us save Midkemia.'

Jim couldn't believe that a tiny band of ragged elves could render much help to those forces already poised to defend this world, but after what he had seen in the last three days, he decided that rash judgment was a poor choice. Suddenly feeling exhausted again, he said, 'You'll have to explain it to me, Kaspar.'

Kaspar laughed. 'Willingly, but first let me meet your companion. I know him only by reputation.'

Jim grinned, then shook his head in disbelief. The last thing he had expected up to moments ago was to be standing here making social introductions.

The elves revealed more emotion when confronted with Tomas than they had shown the entire time Kaspar and the others had been confined. Castdanur and the other older elves were visibly moved by the sight of the man in the white-and-gold armour.

'Valheru,' said the old elf as Tomas walked into the central compound.

'No,' said Tomas, 'though I have his memories. I am as mortal as you, leader of the anoredhel.'

'But the old magic lives in you,' said Castdanur.

Tomas merely inclined his head, acknowledging it was so.

'Does the old knowledge also reside with you?'

Tomas said, 'Some, but there are... memories that are missing. Yet, I know of you and your brethren. In our complacency we a.s.sumed that hearing nothing meant you were well.' He looked around and said, 'It appears otherwise.'

'Let us take counsel,' said Castdanur. He motioned for Tomas to precede him into the central hall, then said to Kaspar and Jim, 'You should attend.'

The two men exchanged glances and Jim whispered, 'What happened here?'

Kaspar said, 'I'll give you the details later, but the heart of the matter is you did well in not killing Sinda and his friend. Had you killed those two, we would all most likely be dead by now. Sparing him and giving him that trinket convinced Castdanur that I spoke the truth about... certain things. I'll tell you more later.'

They entered the hall and sat in a circle, with Tomas opposite the old elven leader. Two other ancient elves sat on either side of him and Kaspar and Jim took up position on either side of Tomas.

'Know, Dragon Rider, that we are a free people, according to your own words.'

Tomas remembered the last flight of Ashen-Shugar, when the Valheru whose armour he wore had flown around the world freeing every servant of the Dragon Host, letting all know they were a free people. 'I remember,' he said, not wis.h.i.+ng to debate the nuances at this moment.

'You know the mandate,' said Castdanur, and suddenly Tomas did remember. As in times before, memories came unbidden.

All elven-kind had been slaves of the Valheru, and while the Dragon Host rose to challenge the G.o.ds, Ashen-Shugar, the last of the living Dragon Lords flew the skies of Midkemia, freeing all the peoples once in thrall to his brethren. But the anoredhel were unique, elves given a special duty. 'You are the protectors of the Quor.'

'A task set to us in the times of our ancestors, and one we have discharged to this day. But our number has diminished and we stand at peril, and so do the Quor.'

Jim and Kaspar exchanged glances. Both had the same question: Who or what are the Quor?

'How fare those gentle beings?' asked Tomas.