The Unknown Quest (Book One of The Horns of Elfland)

Chapter Two

"Remind me," said Tarke as she sat down on a boulder and shrugged her shoulders out from the straps of her pack, "why have we just spent the past month travelling to 'some unknown place north-east of Dakesht'?"

Nemeth grinned at her. "Because Jevann and Sherath, between them, felt compelled to do so?" he answered.

Sherath walked back to join them. – I don't take any of Jevann's 'compulsions' lightly, he said with a smile. Particularly not this one.

– We've shared dreams on this one, said Jevann, catching up and dumping his pack down next to Tarke's. There is a need to be here, and it has something to do with the dreams. Don't ask me what, he added, sitting down.

Louka settled herself between Jevann's feet, using him as a backrest. "I picked up echoes from a dream of yours, last night," she said, squinting sideways up at Jevann. "It woke me, so I just listened in. You were right about 'sharing' the dreams with Sherath. You were both dreaming exactly the same thing."

– You were eavesdropping on my dreams? asked Jevann, ruffling her hair.

­"Yup," she answered, grinning.

"And mine, Jevann," Sherath added. "Are no-one's dreams their own these days?"

"Not when they wake me up like they did last night," retorted Louka. "It sent the hairs up right along my back."

– We need to set up camp before we can talk this one through, said Sherath quietly, assessing the smaller Children's state of sleepiness.

Tarke looked around. ­– You've been pushing us all a bit harder than usual, for you, she said. Do we have a deadline?

– We don't know, said Jevann.

– But we might have, added Sherath.

***

Thunder rumbled in the distance; smoke still rose from what had been a village. From the edge of the woodland Nemeth scanned the valley. There was no sign of life other than the wildlife. There was no sign of life in the village either – the place reeked of death and pain. Amongst the smouldering remains of the roundhouses lay blackened lumps. Lumps with twig-like arms curled. Nemeth looked back along the badger-trail he had been following, catching Sherath's eye where they had halted the smaller Children.

– Keep them back there, Sherath, said Nemeth quietly. I'm going to go down to check this out.

– With care, Nemeth, said Sherath. Though their noses have already told them what's down there.

Nemeth grinned – a wry grin. – And am I not always careful?

– No, not unfailingly so. Sherath's amusement sang along the mind-link. Whoever did this may not yet have gone far, he added. Remember we need you.

Nemeth grinned back. – I've no intention of getting myself killed. He cast Awareness throughout the valley, sensing only the fleeting touch of the smallest creatures, the slow Presence of the trees, a brief awareness of himself from a deer hind on the farther side and from rabbits who paused briefly in their grazing as his mind touched theirs. In the sky a falcon, to the west a vixen with cubs.... but no Men.

– They've gone. May Dominn curse them for this.

He moved out from the shadow of the trees, swiftly crossing the open space before the village.

He stood before the largest roundhouse, laying a hand on what remained of the burned thatching, listening, feeling for echoes.

His lips tightened into a thin line and his eyes narrowed as he left the shrine. Children had been put to the sword; grain stores burned. He walked around the farthest house.