Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [38]
"Cleddish seems rather subdued, and his color is poor," Danilo pointed out, "but I don't know him well enough to judge whether or not this is normal for him."
Elaith turned a long-suffering gaze to the human, his expression plainly indicating that he tolerated this inter-ruptionas but one indignity among many. "Cleddish is a hired sword, not some beloved cousin. You know him as well as I."
"Ah. Well that exhausts that topic," Danilo said dryly. "I should hope so."
Aftera moment's silence, the nobleman tried again. "In all candor, I can't envision you joining forces with bards and Harpers."
The elf responded with an enigmatic smile. "Let's say that I've become a patron of the arts."
"Most commendable. I must say, it was a surprise to learn that you've taken up adventuring again. I trust your expedition to Taskerleigh was a success?"
"Perhaps you shouldn't be so trusting." The rejoinder was offered in silky, pleasant tones, but it was nonetheless a warning.
Danilo decided not to take it "Hit a nerve there, did I?" he said cheerfully. "Well, if your men expected treasure and were disappointed, one way of keeping up morale would be offering them a green dragon's hoard." He left an unspoken question hanging in the air.
"A gracious offer." Elaith made the Harper a small, mock bow. "On behalf of my men, I accept. Now, if you'll excuse me, one of us should watch the road." The elf kicked his horse into a trot putting several lengths' distance between himself and the Harper.
Danilo grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. That went about as well as he'd expected. Still, the elf had a point. The terrain through which the adventurers rode was rugged and inhospitable, and caution was definitely in order. The village of Taskerleigh lay near Ganstar's Creek, in hilly and fertile land northwest of the Goldenfield temple farms. The roads through it had fallen into disrepair, for rumors of monsters and the disappearance of more than one adventuring party had discouraged resettlement. The main road that led westward from the deserted village was also lightly traveled, for only the heartiest travelers ventured into the High Forest and even fewer emerged. The path that Music and Mayhem followed skirted the rock-strewn hills marking the grave of the Fallen Kingdom, a long-ago settlement of humans, elves, and dwarves. The land had long since become wild: fields had been reclaimed by scrub forest buildings had been reduced to occasional heaps of stone, dwarven tunnels had either collapsed or become home to underground monsters. To Danilo, the scene was an ominous suggestion of what befell humans, elves, and dwarves who tried to cast their lots together.
The sun cast long shadows before them as they climbed a particularly high and rocky hill. At the summit, Elaith signaled a halt. The riders came together to survey the land before them. Near the bottom of the hill was a fork in the road. The southern branch, Danilo knew, led toward the town Secomber, where it connected with a major trade route. The northern fork was a narrow path into the High Forest. Far to the north Danilo could see the rapid waters of Unicorn Run, and beyond the river lay the dense green wilderness. A section of the road ahead went through marshlands, and the bed had been built up with soil and stone into a narrow causeway. This road had been built many years before by an adventuring party known as the Nine, and it ended at their famed stronghold in the southern part of the High Forest. But the Nine had retired long before Danilo's birth-some rumors had most of them rolling in wealth on another plane-and the causeway had crumbled.
Danilo considered the marshlands with a dubious expression. Sunset was hours away, yet already the songs of frogs and other, unknown swamp