Slathbog's Gold - Forman Mark L. Страница 17

Thrang took the rabbits and birds from Arconn and quickly prepared them for cooking. The rabbits were added to the pot on the fire, while the birds were skewered on long poles and propped over the flames to roast. It wasn’t long before Thrang had a wonderful rabbit stew ready for them to eat. The birds continued to roast, filling the air with a mouthwatering smell.

“You’re a master cook,” said Skeld, bowing to Thrang. “It is a wonder your people let you go on adventures when you cook so well.”

“If you think this is good cooking, you should visit the halls of my people,” Thrang laughed with a pleased look on his face. “I am only a fair cook in my own land.”

“Then perhaps our next adventure should be to your land.” Skeld laughed happily, filling his bowl with more stew.

The company was merry that night, and there was plenty of talk and stories of past adventures. Even Tayo, who normally didn’t say much, told them part of the tale of his first adventure. Both Alex and Andy listened to all the stories, fascinated and entertained. Though Andy had been on one adventure before this one, he said that he had no stories to tell.

“Have you all traveled together before?” Alex asked between stories.

“No, not as a group,” answered Thrang.

“Tayo and I have been on a few adventures together,” said Skeld. “And I think all of us—except for you and Andy, of course—have traveled at least once with Bregnest.”

There was a general agreement with what Skeld said, and then some talk about who had traveled where and with whom in the past. Alex tried to keep track of it all, but there were too many jokes and bits of stories mixed in with the talk. In the end, all he knew for sure was that Thrang and Arconn had traveled together many times, Skeld and Tayo had traveled together, and Bregnest had been on too many adventures to count.

Finally, when the fire was burning low, they went to their tents, tired and happy after their fine meal and long talk. The wind was still blowing, but gently. The full moon rose, covering the ground with a pale light. Alex feel asleep, peaceful and relaxed.

* * *

Alex felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. Struggling to open his eyes, Alex was confused to see Tayo in his tent. It was still dark outside and there was a grim look on Tayo’s face. He motioned for Alex to stay silent. Alex nodded and pulled on his boots, following Andy out of the tent. The rest of the company was already gathered around the cold ashes of their fire, speaking softly.

“The horses have broken away,” Tayo said in a whisper. “Something has spooked them into flight.”

“Whatever it is, it hasn’t come close to the camp,” said Thrang. “There are no tracks or any other signs to be seen close in.”

“Should we wait for dawn to seek the horses, or go now?” Arconn questioned, looking at Bregnest.

“They could be far away by dawn,” said Bregnest, looking at the trees where the horses had been tied. “We should look now, but in pairs.”

Alex volunteered to go with Andy to look for the horses, but the others were against the idea.

“You are both young and have little experience,” Skeld commented. “Perhaps you should remain here, in case the horses find their own way back.”

“Good idea,” said Thrang in a heavy whisper. “They are good animals and will try to return if they can. And as nothing has come close to the camp, you should be safe enough.”

“Agreed,” said Bregnest, looking at Alex and Andy. “You two remain here and keep your eyes open. We will look for the horses and return. I don’t think we will need to look far, perhaps a mile at the most. If you need us, call out loudly. Arconn will hear you.”

Alex, unhappy about staying behind, wanted to argue, but the look in Bregnest’s eyes told him it would be pointless. Remaining silent, he and Andy watched the rest of the company walk away toward the trees.

“Should we light a fire?” Alex asked in a lowered voice.

“Best not,” Andy replied. “If something is out there, a fire might draw it to us.”

“What do you think might be out there?”

“Goblins, maybe,” said Andy. “Or maybe a troll.”

“You couldn’t just say robbers, could you?” said Alex, bumping Andy’s shoulder in fun.

“Bandits or robbers would have attacked the camp before taking the horses,” said Andy. “Trolls or goblins are more likely to steal the horses for food and leave us alone.”

“Trolls and goblins eat horses?” Alex asked in a worried tone.

“Goblins do,” said Andy. “I don’t know about trolls, but I’ve heard they’ll eat most anything.”

The two of them stood looking into the darkness without speaking for what seemed like a long time. The light from the full moon gave the nearby trees a strange, shiny look and cast long, dark shadows across the ground. Alex’s ears started to ring as he strained to listen for any sound at all, but all he heard were the branches moving in the soft breeze, the trees creaking gently, and the water running in the stream beside them.

“How long do you think they’ll be?” Alex whispered.

“Depends on what they find,” Andy answered quietly. “Though I don’t think it will be long. We should have set a watch, but I’m sure Bregnest didn’t think we’d run into trouble so soon.”

They fell silent again, listening and swaying slightly from side to side. Time seemed to be moving slowly. Alex didn’t like waiting at camp, though he knew it was probably for the best. He rolled his head around on his neck to fight off sleep, and halfway through the roll, he heard a sound. Freezing, he strained to listen. He heard the sound again: the frightened whinny of a horse.

“Did you hear that?” Alex asked.

“Yes.”

“What should we do?”

“I don’t know,” said Andy nervously. “It sounds troubled.”

The frightened whinny came a third time as Andy finished speaking. It was a scared and lonely sound. It sounded to Alex like a desperate call for help.

“Stay here,” said Alex, turning to follow the sound.

“What are you doing?” Andy asked in alarm.

“I’m not sure. I . . . I just feel that I have to go.”

“We were told to stay here,” Andy protested, grabbing Alex’s shoulder. “We should do as Bregnest said. He is the leader.”

“I know,” Alex answered, pulling free. “But I have to go, I can’t explain why.”

Alex felt desperate, and he was determined to go, no matter what. Following the distant sound would mean leaving the post Bregnest had assigned to them, breaking an important rule of adventurers.

“Go,” said Andy after a moment of thought. “If you run into trouble, call out or light a fire and I’ll come. If you find the horse, return as fast as you can.”

Alex nodded and started off along the stream. He didn’t know why he had to go into the darkness alone, but something inside him knew he had to get to the frightened horse. The feeling was stronger than his fear of breaking the rules and upsetting Bregnest. Something in the terrified and lonely whinny of the horse called out to him, and Alex knew that the only thing that mattered was finding the horse, and fast.

He moved quickly along the bank of the stream in the darkness. The ground was mostly clear and the moonlight reflected off the large rocks and bushes in his path, making them easy to see and avoid. Alex tried to move as quietly as he could. He had never seen a goblin or a troll and he hoped he wouldn’t be seeing either of them tonight.

Alex heard the whinny again. It was closer now, and off to his left. Leaving the stream behind, he moved deeper into the trees, stopping to listen. He heard nothing, so he moved forward, trying to head in the same direction as the whinny. He climbed a small hill and stopped to listen again. There was a sound of movement in front of him: hooves stamping the ground nervously.

Moving cautiously, Alex tried to stay silent. He had no idea what he might run into, and he didn’t really want to think about the options. Putting his arms out in front of him, he was able to keep the small tree branches from slapping his face and poking him in the eyes. He moved as fast as he dared in the darkness under the trees, worried about every little noise he made. Soon the trees began to thin, and he could see moonlight filling an open clearing in front of him. His eyes, accustomed to the darkness beneath the trees, could see clearly across the open ground.