The Dark Elf

Chapter 4

The slow creak of the barn door pulled Lymerra from her restless sleep. She froze at first but soon remembered the careful position she had picked out for this very circumstance. She flattened her body and stilled, her eyes on the farmer who was pushing the door open with his wheelbarrow.

The man was older, human, by the looks of it, and seemed to be bumbling about posing no threat. The farmer's wheelbarrow got stuck in the dirt floor of the barn twice before he made it the animals locked in their stalls. She had noticed them last night; they slept standing up.

Lymerra craned her neck to get a better look at the creatures. There were eight of them all together, and they seemed to be of mixed species. In her readings, Lymerra learned a fair bit about human and high elf farm operations, as well as commonly utilized travel methods. If her knowledge served her, one of these large brown creatures was sure to be a horse.

Horses served a very similar purpose to the subterranean Atrox the Drow rode. If she could sneak one of these creatures away, her travel time would surely be cut in half.

Lymerra continued to watch the farmer from her perch atop the hay pile. She marveled at his carelessness, the way he waltzed into a building without scanning the room, the way he whistled as he worked, drowning out any telltale sounds of an ambush. If he was anything like the rest of the humans, these surface creatures would be very easy to slip past indeed.

After feeding the livestock and refilling their water troughs, the balding old man took a moment to lean against a support beam and wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Oh Honey, slow down! If you eat that fast, we won't have any left by frost. That's it, enjoy your breakfast! I know I do!"

The man was talking to one of these animals, and he even went so far as to reach into the pen and rub its snout. These creatures were docile, just like the skittering fungal spiders that inhabited the cave.

Something in Lymerra's heart swelled at the idea of the peaceful living things she had yet to encounter. A tingly warmth spread to her fingertips and sparks began to dance around them.

In horror Lymerra sucked the feeling back in, calming her mind and shutting out the warmth. It had felt so good.

Eventually, the man puttered out, banging his wheelbarrow into the wall on his way. The Drow waited until his footsteps faded until she eased herself onto her feet. As she stirred, the animals turned to look but became quickly uninterested and turned back to their feed.

Lymerra swung her pack around her shoulders and made her way cautiously to the creature known as 'Honey.'

She imitated the human, holding her hand out towards the horse, allowing it to nibble her glove with its moist snout. Lymerra ran her fingers along the animal's long brown snout. The creature was greying around the eyes, a sign of age.

She looked around for a whip and saddle, items typically used when riding an Atrox. No whip, but there was a saddle. She opened the door to Honey's stall and fastened the saddle's leather strap underneath the creature's belly.

Drow riders used the long tendrils attached to the Atrox's snout to control them, but this creature had a mane of long hair perfect for grabbing hold of. Lymerra hoisted herself onto the horse's back. She made a quick note of needing something to entice the creature, so she scooped a handful of feed from the animal's trough and stuffed it into her pack.

She took the horse's mane in her fists and prepared herself to ride, but Honey didn't seem to have the same idea. Finally, loose from her stall, she sauntered over to the neighboring horse's pen and began to eat their food.