and except for hunting in these woods, I’ve never been away from this place. The only people that I know, I have known my whole life. The worst thing that I have ever done was to embarrass some of the boys from my village and a few of the neighboring villages by winning an archery contest a few months ago. It upset and embarrassed our village elder Ston because his son was in the competition and expected to win. Ston immediately issued a proclamation limiting sporting competitions to males. The truth of the matter is that Ston can’t stop me from learning and honing my skills, but he can keep me from competing and demonstrating them publically. I would view him as my worst enemy, but I doubt he wants me or my uncle dead. Even if he was that angry, I don’t think he has the money to hire a bunch of assassins to do the job. If he was that upset with us, he’d probably just try to us kicked out of the village.”
Thane realized, from her words, that Elwyn was rattling nervously, anxious to think about something other than death and dying. He could also tell that she was a very confused and resentful young woman who was not willing to acknowledge the seriousness of the attack on her uncle or herself. Thane was pretty sure that her uncle would know the reasons why they were attacked, and was surprised that he’d decided to keep his niece in the dark. He hoped the man lived long enough to share them with her, so that she would understand the danger she was in.
As he cleaned the blood from his cloak with a damp cloth, he also realized how much punishment she’d probably endured living in this small village because of her skill with a bow. In his society young women were praised and affirmed for any talent or ability they possessed. He tried to lighten the mood of the conversation by saying, “Well they should have known better than to try to compete head to head with an elf, or maybe your village elder, this Ston, just doesn’t know any better.”
“What is an elf?” Elwyn said, her voice rising nervously. “I’m tired of all this mystery and death. I don’t trust any of you. I’m leaving now.”
Chapter 6 – Reunion
A yron arrived back at the village square just as his men finished putting together a makeshift stretcher. A local couple, who lived nearby, offered the use of their home as a temporary hospital. He gratefully accepted their offer, anxious to get Rhys to a more secure location as soon as possible. Ayron doubted that what was left of Crawley’s men would try to mount another assassination attempt, but the square was difficult to defend and he didn’t plan to leave anything to chance. It was obvious to him that Rhys was well liked. Quite a few of the villagers gathered in the square after the initial excitement of the attack died down. They were concerned for Rhys and wanted to find out how he was. It took an appeal from Clayre to convince the crowd of villagers to separate enough to clear a path to the nearby home. As soon as the way was clear, Ayron gave the order to move him. As the stretcher passed by, he could see the hilt of the dagger still protruding from Rhys’ chest.
“The wound must indeed be grave if they haven’t removed the dagger yet,” he thought to himself. “I have a feeling that my questions are going to have to wait until the healers have had a chance to tend to him.”
His men succeeded carrying Rhys on the makeshift stretcher, without incident, to the dwelling that had been procured for his care. For the next forty minutes, Clayre with the assistance of Ayron’s healer Galdor, worked on Rhys. Whether Rhys lived or died depended on how much damage the dagger had done and the skill of the healers working on him. Ayron knew and trusted Galdor’s skill. Since Clayre was a stranger to him, he was happy that Galdor was there to assist her. Ayron waited outside the hut, not wanting to distract them from their work. After what seemed like an eternity but was little more than
Thane realized, from her words, that Elwyn was rattling nervously, anxious to think about something other than death and dying. He could also tell that she was a very confused and resentful young woman who was not willing to acknowledge the seriousness of the attack on her uncle or herself. Thane was pretty sure that her uncle would know the reasons why they were attacked, and was surprised that he’d decided to keep his niece in the dark. He hoped the man lived long enough to share them with her, so that she would understand the danger she was in.
As he cleaned the blood from his cloak with a damp cloth, he also realized how much punishment she’d probably endured living in this small village because of her skill with a bow. In his society young women were praised and affirmed for any talent or ability they possessed. He tried to lighten the mood of the conversation by saying, “Well they should have known better than to try to compete head to head with an elf, or maybe your village elder, this Ston, just doesn’t know any better.”
“What is an elf?” Elwyn said, her voice rising nervously. “I’m tired of all this mystery and death. I don’t trust any of you. I’m leaving now.”
Chapter 6 – Reunion
A yron arrived back at the village square just as his men finished putting together a makeshift stretcher. A local couple, who lived nearby, offered the use of their home as a temporary hospital. He gratefully accepted their offer, anxious to get Rhys to a more secure location as soon as possible. Ayron doubted that what was left of Crawley’s men would try to mount another assassination attempt, but the square was difficult to defend and he didn’t plan to leave anything to chance. It was obvious to him that Rhys was well liked. Quite a few of the villagers gathered in the square after the initial excitement of the attack died down. They were concerned for Rhys and wanted to find out how he was. It took an appeal from Clayre to convince the crowd of villagers to separate enough to clear a path to the nearby home. As soon as the way was clear, Ayron gave the order to move him. As the stretcher passed by, he could see the hilt of the dagger still protruding from Rhys’ chest.
“The wound must indeed be grave if they haven’t removed the dagger yet,” he thought to himself. “I have a feeling that my questions are going to have to wait until the healers have had a chance to tend to him.”
His men succeeded carrying Rhys on the makeshift stretcher, without incident, to the dwelling that had been procured for his care. For the next forty minutes, Clayre with the assistance of Ayron’s healer Galdor, worked on Rhys. Whether Rhys lived or died depended on how much damage the dagger had done and the skill of the healers working on him. Ayron knew and trusted Galdor’s skill. Since Clayre was a stranger to him, he was happy that Galdor was there to assist her. Ayron waited outside the hut, not wanting to distract them from their work. After what seemed like an eternity but was little more than
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