Darkwalker on Moonshae - Douglas Niles [20]
“I don’t know,” responded the prince. “I’ve been here many times, but never felt any danger… until now. Bah! It must be our imaginations!”
“Indeed,” murmured Daryth, unconvinced.
“Of course, there might be something to that innkeeper’s warning,” admitted the prince. “But it’s more likely he was testing us, or playing some ruse. We’ve seen nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Do you come here a lot?”
“Arlen used to bring Robyn and me camping here when we were children. I guess it’s been five or six years since we’ve been here, though. It’s always been a pleasant place – very wild, not many people around. I like that about Llyrath Forest.”
“You and Robyn,” Daryth asked, a little awkwardly.
“Are you…?”
Ignoring a surge of jealousy, Tristan answered thoughtfully. “I don’t know. Even though we’ve known each other all our lives, Robyn excites me like no other girl or woman. But there’s something about her that keeps me at arm’s length. And -” He had to laugh. “- there’s something about me that keeps her at arm’s length.”
“She is a lovely woman – more beautiful than anyone I have ever known. I should like to, well…” Daryth’s desire remained unspoken.
“So would I,” laughed Tristan. “So would I.”
The next day brought them into the edge of the wood, and here the hunt began. The hounds, pent up by the slow pace of the party’s march, were loosed, and soon disappeared among the widely spaced oak trees of the pastoral forest. Urging their horses on, the hunters pursued.
The eager hounds, following the vigorous lead of Canthus, flushed birds from their covers, chased and caught any hapless rabbits that lay in their path, and sniffed the ground in search of larger game. The dogs crisscrossed back and forth across the hunters’ path, silently intent on their search.
Only Angus showed signs of slowing. The old dog kept the pace of the pack for several hours, but finally slowed to an amble at the side of the riders.
Over the next few days, as the band worked its way eastward, the archery skill of Arlen and Pawldo put a dozen pheasants and quail into the game bags, but no bigger game.
Finally, the hounds picked up the scent of a deer, and bounded into the brush in pursuit. The prince spurred his horse through a tangled thicket in pursuit, his companions streaming along behind. The hounds eventually brought the animal to bay against a sheer rock wall. Daryth signaled the dogs to halt, and Tristan took careful aim as the slender creature stood, shivering with fear, against the cliff.
The prince’s arrow flew straight, piercing the creature’s neck and swiftly killing it. Suddenly, all those practice sessions were worthwhile.
“Bravo!” clapped Pawldo, trotting up to the prince.
“Nice shot,” commented Arlen, and Daryth nodded in agreement.
Robyn turned away as the deer fell – each time the creature kicked, she flinched. Momentarily, Tristan regretted her presence. Why had she insisted on coming, anyway? She took something from the fun…
As he stripped and cleaned the kill, his annoyance lifted, and he remembered that Robyn had wished to seek out some fungus or something in the forest. He resolved to give her the opportunity to do so.
They camped that night near a small, clear lake among a grove of lofty pine trees. The ground was cushioned with a thick layer of needles, and firewood was plentiful, so they had a comfortable camp and got a good night’s rest. Still, Robyn seemed quiet and depressed that night, and again the following morning.
“Perhaps we should rest here for another day or two,” suggested the prince as the party breakfasted on bread and cheese. “Robyn could then have a chance to collect some of her fungi, and we can explore this lake a bit.”
“It is indeed a beautiful spot,” agreed Arlen, looking around as if for the first time. Low, forested ridges, perfectly reflected in the still morning water, surrounded the lake.
They almost forgot the warnings of the druids and the innkeeper in the pleasant passing of the bright day. Yet, even as they enjoyed watching the