Part 25 (2/2)
Soleht knehy they looked so familiar They resembled Green He chuckled, ”I'm happy to meet Knucklebones's family She's wanted one all her life Pardon me if I don't rise”
The elves smiled A tall woman with Green's eyes laid a hand on his chest and said, ”We go
Rest We'll have much to discuss with our new brother-in-law” Silent as cats, they padded froht shook his head again, still couldn't clear his vision When he pawed at his face, she caught his hand ”Don't, please,” she said ”It's gone”
”Gone?”-then he understood-”My eye The ed it out”
”The elves healed the infected socket, but there was nothing to save” She smiled weakly when she said, ”You'll need an eye patch, like ht lay still He felt no sorrow One-eyed was better than dead Suddenly he sood pair of eyes between us, but our children will think anyone outside the fa, the transformed Knucklebones kissed his forehead ”Rest,” she said, and Sunbright blacked out
A day later he could sit up, propped by a wicker backrest His mother fed him strips of meat, bread soaked in beer, and apple slices
”Your father would be proud Your sacrifices have brought the tribe safety and prosperity But I' to others I don't want to lose ht s and attractive, ain, have another brood?” His mother tweaked his nose
With perht hardly recognized the war chief, for he'd finally shaved his scruffy beard and tearth warrior The blocky man rubbed his chin as if it itched, or he were eht asked a neutral question to ease his ?”
”Hunh? Oh, this” The war chief looked around and said, ”We finally finished the common house
Just dropped other tasks and fell to until it was built We've kept the council fire alive, too It's the saured there'd be lots of”
He scratched his white teer finally said
”For five days now And the tribe's decided you aren't banished for using ic anyway, and you needed that enchanted sword-That was soht! I've never seen its like! You two clashed like mammoths, like Gods! And you wouldn't quit, even when she jabbed your-Uh, well, anywayThat was braver than I could be And another thing I want to, uh, thank you for bringing us here, and together ”
Sunbright raised a hand that quaked, for he was still weak Be but recall e are The tribe decided to coreat amount of your help I thank you for that”
”Oh” The war chief actually blushed He said, ”Bashi+ng orcs in the head, that was nothing”
Sunbright asked for news, and the war chief gladly changed the subject Refugees and raiders still drifted into the territory, but under control Magichunger and Mightylaugh had arranged a warning system with Hilel's horse clan
”Any decent folk we let stay, as long as they promise to work as hard as we do Raiders we disarm and turn back We've had to kill a few, but it's been pretty peaceful More than the elers tell us there's fa while the e cities squabble over who should run the e each other It's a ht said He had visited the future, had seen the ingrown shambles the empire would become, before Karsus finally destroyed it ”I've known for a while, and fear the eht harm our people That's why I must announce the rest of er frowned ”What plan? You're not going to ain, are you?”
”Yes and no,” he said Sunbright s yet, not with the future at stake ”Hand ht's scabbard fro on the wall and said, ”Who will you bash now? I can't ion killer!”
”True Too or, please?”
A fuddled Magichunger left while Sunbright nodded off
”What is it?” A gruff tone woke hinarled hands bunched at his hips and said, ”I hope this's ihty heap of weapons to turn into tools, I'ht smiled at the crusty dwarf and said, ”And you're happiest when busiest So I've another task, if you will Take e”
”To the forge?” Drigor asked Stunned, the dwarf propped the sword beside him, tall as hiht gave instructions Before he finished, the das hopping in place, face red as an apoplectic fit ”Are youcrazy? This sword is a legend! It's history! It's- it's never been done before, dwarves sharing secrets with elves to forge this-a blade fit for a king! An eht returned uide his people And they won't listen unless they see me sacrifice as , staed the sword as he stalked out Over his shoulder he bawled, ”I don't expect humans to ht snuggled down to sleep in carefree warh to leave the council hut
”But mind,” Monkberry warned, ”there'll be a few surprises”
”Did everyone ht joked He limped, stiff, bruised, raddled with scabs that itched and cracked, clu his skull Monkberry propped one side, Knucklebones the other
Then he jue's door, a thunderous cheer exploded in the frosty winter sky
Hu, hollered, and laughed Sunbright just stared, stunned, while the cheering rang on and on He shook his head like an oldchildren, but with a smile
Slowly, he was eased into a wicker chair at the council fire pit Sunbright breathed slowly to clear his head, then looked around Stretching into the darkness, hundreds of barbarians packed the hollow around the council ring Salted a Knucklebones's new faor's dwarves, hunched like stones There were noees who'd found safety in this pacified pocket of a chaotic elers in wool shi+rts and leather trousers and caps
When the crowd grew silent, Sunbright talked He greetedto council, and talked of the weather and how peaceful and beautiful the land looked from their hard work The crowd strained to hear his weak voice Finally, he got to his main point
”My friends, I've bad news, but also a hope We know the tundra is dying, and may be dead entirely All the eile die first So we are banished frorounds, cut off froain”
A rustle shook the crowd, but a minor one Everyone knew the truth Their question was: What next?
Sunbright told thee of the forest that the elves graciously lent us And the dwarves revel in the ades And, too, our ancestral prairie lands beckon, though they too suffer a shortage of ga the tundra, I propose we stay put for now: elves in the forest, dwarves in the ether Our le can stave off threats from any direction in wartile, we can cross the plains to link with coastal towns and the Narrow Sea and the south, establish trade routes through the forest in the west, build bridges over the northern mountains Everyone, every race, can benefit by the alliance, and everyone can eat well”
He let the words sink in There were no objections, for already combined parties of hu posts, arranging caravans, cutting roads and bridges And Sunbright saw other alliances being formed, for the barbarian Blackblossom held the hand of elven Starvalley
He went on, ”But for our own, personal change We Rengarth Barbarians cannot subsist on six rasslands We'd scrimp all our lives just to eat, always be poorer cousins of prosperous ones around us Yet if we can't trek the tundra after herds of reindeer, can't spear the seal through the ice, can't smoke the white bear from his cave, can't trap sal tior, the bag, please”