Lady of Poison_ The Priests - Bruce R. Cordell [11]
Marrec said to her, across the length of the unmoving lion, "I am Marrec. Gunggari," he inclined his head toward the Oslander, "and I chased these monsters down. They kidnapped a child from a village they attacked." He gestured back toward the girl. "Her father will be overjoyed to discover your part in saving her. Thank you."
The elf smiled in acknowledgement but said nothing. She looked over to where Ash sheltered.
Ash had left the tree's shadow and walked tentatively up to join them. All eyes fixed on the frail girl dressed in a simple peasant dress.
The girl glanced at each of them for a second, and said, "Ash."
She looked to be between four and five years of age.
The unicorn warrior looked the child over for injuries. She seemed unscratched. Poor little tyke. He ruffled Ash's hair. The girl merely looked at him, staying silent.
No doubt she was still frightened by her recent kidnapping. He felt an instant fatherly affection for her, partly because he couldn't help identifying with her. They were both orphans, though of course he wondered if her actual origin could be as strange as his own.
"What did she say?" wondered the elf.
"Ash is her name," indicated Marrec, looking to the girl then back to the woman.
The elf figured out his unspoken question. She smiled again and raised her sword to her brow, as if a salute. "I am Elowen. I am a Nentyar hunter in service with the Circle of Leth. I've been trailing these volodnis for some time, trying to find out more about their recent incursions."
Marrec was unfamiliar with most of those names. He decided to pursue the rot fiend topic. "They look like volodnis of which I've heard, but there is something wrong with these," he said, pointing at the corpses.
"Yes," continued Elowen. "These poor creatures suffer from an infection of body and mind. When unaflicted, we call them the pine folk, too. They normally live in the Lethyr Forest, the Rawlinswood, and the forests of Rashemen. These are a fair bit south of their natural ranges."
"I've heard of volodnis but never seen them before," responded Marrec. "I've heard that they can be vengeful protectors of the forest. Perhaps the people of Ash's village somehow riled them up?"
Elowen rubbed her jaw and said, "Well, they can be antagonistic to the 'warm folk' as they call us. But I assure you, as a servant of the Nentyarch, I've dealt several times with volodnis, and none are like these. Volodnis do not normally rot as if dead but continue to draw breath. These are…"
"They are evil," finished Gunggari.
She nodded, then looked to Gunggari and back to Marrec. "If you haven't seen volodnis before, you must come from far away."
She grinned, looking again at Gunggari. "Especially you."
The Oslander offered a tiny smile back at her, said, "Far, far to the south was my home. Where I come from, everything is different. I am an explorer."
"Indeed. And you?" Her gaze was back on Marrec.
Marrec answered, "I hail from the west, where I serve the goddess Lurue. I am here because… this child is somehow important to the goddess, though I have as yet no understanding of how that could be."
Elowen rubber her palms together. "Let us compare stories, and perhaps some pieces may come together for all of us."
"Great. Let's start with why you were trailing these creatures," said Marrec.
Elowen replied, "As I said, this rot is not something volodnis have exhibited before. As an agent of Leth, it is my job to protect the forests for the Nentyarch. If the volodnis are suffering from disease or have leagued with evil, I need to know. That's why I'm here following this particular group. Plus, I have a friend up in Two Stars who promised to help me out. She owes me."
"Whoa… slow down," said Marrec. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Explain it to me as if I were a complete stranger to your land." He let a smile touch his lips.
"Sure. The