Pool of Twilight - James M. Ward [94]
After a long moment, his eyes blinked open.
"Now what?" he asked.
Trooper gave him a quizzical look, then shrugged his thin shoulders. "Now we journey on. If a steed has heard your call, it will find us."
"If it didn't run as fast as it could in the other direction, that is," Listle added impertinently.
Kern groaned. "Listle, don't you have something better to do than make fun of me constantly?"
The elf thought about that for a moment. "No," she decided finally, shooting him a winsome smile.
Kern sighed. "Just checking," he said gloomily.
The four rode on across the frozen plain. No more than a quarter hour had passed when Kern heard something rustling through a nearby stand of tall, dry grass. His heart leaped in his chest. Could it be his charger? He dismounted, peering into the high grass expectantly.
With a snort, something burst into the open.
Listle's trilling laughter rang out brightly. "I don't know, Kern," she said with mock gravity. "Don't you think it might be difficult to joust with your heels dragging the ground?"
"Very funny!" Kern snapped hotly. He glared downward as the beast he had summoned oinked happily, nuzzling its bristly snout against his leg.
"I have only one question, Kern," Trooper said, his eyes sparkling. "Do you think you should ride it or roast it?"
"I'm not laughing," he grouched. Kern shook his leg, trying to get away from the pig. It grunted and trotted after him, its pink eyes shining with affection.
It took the better part of an hour and all the hazelnuts left in Kern's saddlebags to convince the pig to trot back into the tall grass. Finally, the four rode on.
It was nearing sundown when the riders halted on the edge of the plains. They made camp in a grove of oak trees at the foot of a high mountain. While the others busied themselves, Kern wandered to the edge of the grove. The westering sun had set the plains afire with color. A cold wind rushed down from the mountains, tangling his red hair.
Before he even knew what he was doing, he closed his eyes, once again sending out the call.
It was hard to forget Listle's laughter, or the amusement in Trooper's wrinkled eyes. Kern clenched his hands into fists. He had to show them that he could do it. Beside, he thought, there wouldn't be any witnesses if he failed this time.
He cast his thoughts to the wind, calling out with all his spirit. How long he stood there, he wasn't certain. But when he finally opened his eyes, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and purple twilight was filling the arms of the mountains.
For a time Kern listened, but heard nothing except the soft, lonely voice of the wind. With a sigh, he turned back to camp, hoping the others wouldn't guess what he had been trying to do.
Unfortunately, his worst fears were realized the moment he stepped into the small clearing where they had set up camp. Listle, Trooper, and Miltiades were all staring at him.
"Er, Kern," the elf said after a moment's pause. "You've, ah, been trying to summon a charger again, haven't you?"
His shoulders drooped in dismay. "How did you know?"
"Oh, just intuition." Listle grinned crookedly. "That, and the big horse that's following you."
"What?"
Kern whirled about, his jaw dropping in surprise. He must have been so caught up in his gloomy reverie that he hadn't even noticed.
The steel-gray charger snorted softly, tossing its proud head. It moved forward, nuzzling Kern's outstretched hand. It was the most beautiful horse he had ever seen.
"Not bad, son," Trooper said, scratching his long white beard thoughtfully. "Not bad at all."
"You've gained the second power of a paladin, Kern," Miltiades announced gravely.
"But don't let it go to your head," Trooper quickly interjected. His bushy eyebrows bristled wildly. "You still have yet to master the third and final power. And that is the hardest one of all."
Kern, stroking the charger's smoothly muscled neck, barely heard the old paladin. "Your name will be Nocturne," he murmured softly.
The charger snorted, stamping a hoof, as if