Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [95]
The weapon sank deep, just below Kornith's rib cage.
The thief slumped against the wall of the warehouse, grasping the hilt with both hands. Bubbles of blood formed at the corner of his mouth, and he slid slowly to the filthy walkway. His lips twisted into an expression of self-contempt and he sought the elf's face with eyes that were rapidly glazing over. "I shoulda run. Forgot what… you was," he gasped out.
Elaith stepped closer, and with a vicious kick he drove the knife still deeper. Kornith's last breath was swallowed in a blood-drenched gurgle.
The elf stood over the fallen man, eyeing his handiwork in silence. "For a moment" he said softly, "so did I."
*****
At Morgalla's request, Balindar, Mange, and Cory dragged a log into the circle of light cast by a roaring campfire. Bribing the burly mercenary captain had put a considerable dent in Danilo's supply of gems, and the Harper had learned it was more economical to channel his requests through Morgalla. Balindar had grown so fond of the dwarf-and he was so guilt-ridden over Elaith's order to hold her hostage to ensure Danilo's cooperation-that Dan had little doubt that the mercenary would dive into the pond and catch fish with his teeth if Morgalla expressed a desire for seafood. For her part Morgalla lingered with the three surviving sell-swords, repaying the favor with a tale of battle waged against a horde of orc invaders. Left alone, Danilo and Wyn studied the copy of the ballad by the dancing firelight.
"The final stanza gives more hints about the song's performance," the elf noted. "Here, for example. 'First the harp, then the singer circles twice.' Does that make sense to you?"
"I think so," Danilo said thoughtfully. "That would indicate that the ballad must be sung as a round, with the harp beginning the melody. The entire song must be sung twice.''
"What's a round?" Morgalla put in, coming to sit beside Wyn.
"It's a type of simple harmony," Wyn told her. "One person begins a song, the second begins at a certain point, and so on. Dwarven music is not much given to such devices, as I understand."
"So how d'you know where to join in?"
"I can answer that one," Danilo broke in. "The melody determines that, but usually the round begins after the first line of verse. For example." Danilo cleared his throat and began to sing:
"He who would an alehouse keep Must have three things in store: A chamber with a feather bed, A pillow and a… heynony-nony, Hey-nony-nony, keynonynony nay."
The Harper paused. "Then the second time through, you would join in after I sing the first line. Now then, altogether!"
The dwarf eyed him with a dour expression. "Yer gittin' a mite punchy, bard."
Wyn nodded in agreement. "This discussion does raise a valid point, though. We must know the melody to which these words were set."
"I think the riddle gives that, as well," Danilo said, getting back to the scroll with reluctance. "Look at the final line of the ballad. It says the song must be sung to the armed man of Canaith."
"Who's that?" Morgalla demanded.
"That is not a who. That's a what. If I'm not mistaken, this refers to an old song, L'homme arme-the armed man -which is attributed to Finder Wyvernspur. He was sentenced by his fellow Harpers to centuries of isolation on another plane of existence, and his music was wiped from the land by powerful spells. Our bardic foe used this particular melody as another safeguard."
"That fits everything we suspect to be true," Wyn said. "Iriador Wintermist traveled with Finder Wyvernspur and would be familiar with his fate.