Death's Sword Book 1: Finding and Seeking

Chapter 15, part 1: Day 22

The wood was full of the soft, scuffling noises of night-creatures going about their business. An owl screeched in the distance. A badger snuffled along nearby. The trees were mighty specimens, some fully fifteen metres in diameter at the base, soaring into the night sky, spreading wide, broad, heavy branches. On one of these branches, two figures sat, talking with a third that had just slid around the trunk and now stood on the same branch. A soft, golden glow played around the two seated figures, whilst the third was cloaked in darkness. Their voices were melodic and lilting, their talk more like music and song than simple speech.

"Such carelessness in the watch, are all the guards asleep?" interrupted a harsh, chattering voice, "What if I had been a party of bugbear, skulking through the night, intent on mayhem and slaughter, rather than a simple, harmless old tengu?" The little bird-man hopped down onto the branch nearest the seated figures.

"Then," said the one nearest the tengu, switching to the same language, "we would have filled the bugbear full of arrows when they trod on the rotten branch two trees back, instead of waiting to greet a simple, harmless old rascal called Vrakschtek." Even heavy with irony and humour, the voice was beautiful.

The bird-man cocked his head on one side, considering the speaker for a moment. "I must be old and a simple indeed, to think to surprise the elves of Hrramkayesh so easily. Foolish old tengu! You come flapping all this way, wearing your wings to rags and your feet to nubs of bone, to tell these wise elves something they probably already know of. Perhaps I had best just return to my cave, lest my very name become a byword for foolishness amongst these noble ones. 'Come, study your lessons,' they will tell their children, 'lest you grow up to be a stupid as Vrakschtek the Tengu.'"

The elf who was standing, realising that the old tengu's pride was hurt, sought to smooth ruffled feathers. "Come, come, do not be hasty. Vrakschtek the Tengu's wisdom is reknown amongst the councils of the elves, both here in Hrramkayesh and in Wilverstanding, land of his youth. If you bring us news, why, please tell us and we will bear your tidings to our king." The elf's voice was calm, musical and very persuasive.

Vrakschtek shifted his wings, settling them into a more comfortable position, "No, I must bear the news in person and I'll not speak of it here - the wrong ears might catch my words."

"Come, now, the trees in Hrramkayesh do not have ears - save, perhaps, those of an elf!" protested one of the elves, rising to her feet. Vrakschtek performed a bow to the lady, then fixed her with his bright, black eyes. "But when is an elf not an elf, my lady?" he asked, cocking his head on one side. "Oh-ho, like that, is it?" said the elf by the tree-trunk, voice suddenly grim, "In that case, I think we three should escort you to the king immediately."

"That, "said Vrakschtek, flatly, "is probably the wisest thing any of us have said all night."

The three elves and the tengu travelled for the rest of that night, through the next day and far into the next night. By mutual consent, they shunned the other forest-dwellers, telling of their passage only by whistles and bird-calls. Most of the time, they travelled in the trees, jumping from branch to massive branch, only occasionally descending to ground level. In this manner, the many streams traversing the forest were crossed almost without notice.

Two broad rivers were bridged by the massive trunks of trees long fallen. A third was spanned by a rope bridge, trailing like a few strands of spider-silk between two trees. The elves walked lightly, confidently, across the swaying structure, while the little bird-man hopped onto one of the side-strands and ran across on that, wings a-flutter. "Hah! Hurry up, you tardy elves!" he called, "Can it be you fear to get your feet wet? It is a strange sight, to see three elves, swiftest of all the races, unable to keep up with an ancient tengu. Especially a tengu near-crippled with arthritis!" Vrakschtek cackled with mirth as he reached the far side well ahead of his companions. "I can understand now why few people bother to have dealings with tengu," said one elf to another, loud enough for the bird-man to hear, "Feather brained as well as feather-clad."