Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [82]
"If I were all that wise, I wouldn't be standing around in a place like this, blathering on like a five-copper sage," Danilo said, distinctly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. "Let's get back to the others. Come with us, friend elf," he called, and at his summons the hermit promptly crawled out from his hiding place in the bushes.
The three of them walked in silence for some time, each deep in his own thoughts. At the crest of a large hill, the camp came into sight, nestled in a clearing bounded by Ganstar's Creek to the west and thick woodland to the east. Apparently Elaith was impatient to be off, for the horses were saddled and the gear packed. The cookfire had been doused, but the scent of woodsmoke and roasted fish lingered in the air.
Wyn paused at the crest of the hill and laid a hand on the Harper's shoulder. "Elaith Craulnober was correct about one thing: it is time for me to reconsider my thinking about elves and humans. You would wield the Morninglark with more honor than either Elaith or the elf who now possesses it I will do all I can to help you recover the artifact. And if you still desire to learn elfsong, Danilo Thann, then it would be my honor to teach you."
Before the startled Harper could answer, Wyn's face turned ashen, and he pointed to the sky. "The asperii! There it is!"
Danilo squinted in the direction Wyn was pointing, but his eyes were not as keen as the elf's. He thought that the small moving spot could just as well have been a bird. "You're sure?"
"He's sure," the elven hermit said, peering up at the sky. "Flying horse, no wings. See you later!" He scampered off into the woods nearby.
Wyn's golden face clouded with concern. "The campsite below is surrounded with trees. From this hillside we can see much farther than the others! If this is an attack, they'll never see it coming."
"Maybe the sorceress is just passing by on her way to Waterdeep?"
Wyn shook his head and ran one hand through his ebony curls in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture. "Look. The asperii is circling."
*****
High above Ganstar's Creek, Garnet ordered her exhausted asperii to circle the camp. From her vantage point in the sky, the adventurers looked like so many ants as they moved busily about the clearing. The half-elf's blue eyes narrowed as she considered the site. The camp was surrounded by verdant woodland. She smiled slowly, and silently bid the asperii to begin a spiraling descent.
The bard took the Morninglark harp into her arms and began to play, singing the words that had laid waste the Moonshaes' vineyards and the farmlands around Water-deep. In response to her song, the trees surrounding the encampment shuddered and died. It was as if autumn came in the span of two heartbeats, and a hundred trees cast their leaves.
Next, Garnet struck a single string on her harp and pointed a finger at the camp. A stream of air spiraled downward toward the clearing.
*****
"Damn," Danilo said emphatically, as he and Wyn squinted up at the circling asperii. "If you know an elfsong suitable for the occasion, I suggest you sing it!"
Wyn looked dubious, but he took up the lyre. The first blast of wind tore the magical instrument from his hands and knocked his feet out from under him. Danilo threw himself flat and gripped the elf's ankle. He barely had time to lock his own ankles around a young birch before the maelstrom began in earnest
Howling as if in torment, the wind tore through the trees, growing in volume and speed until it threatened to suck the slight elf into its vortex. Danilo closed his eyes against the churning dust and debris, and he held on to the airborne minstrel with all his strength.
"As Mielikki is my witness, I hope this elf has a competent cobbler," Danilo muttered as he clung to Wyn's boot with both hands.
*****
Flying high above the wind. Garnet watched as the giant whirlwind engulfed the clearing. The tiny figures huddled together in the eye of the magical storm, while the tunnel of air around them sucked in leaves and broken