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Authors: Patricia Malone
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around us. I measure Rol’s grain carefully. There is no grass to crop up here, and the tiny pile of oats I pour for him is soon gone. There is enough left in the sack for tomorrow morning. I notice Gola weighing their grain sack after she feeds the mares.
She says, “I think we could spare a little if Rol needs more.”
I’m touched by her offer. Grain for the animals is a difficult matter; it is heavy to carry, but necessary if they are to remain strong. “Thank you. He hasenough, and you have two days’ travel to return to Dun Dreug.”
“You’ll find a good meadow at the bottom of this trail,” Cochan says. “He’ll have grazing by noon tomorrow.”
It is a shock to remember that they will leave me tomorrow. My face must show my concern. Gola reaches out to touch my arm.
“Do you want us to go on to Dun Alyn with you, Ilena?”
I swallow hard. Of course I want them to stay with me. As I come closer to Dun Alyn, I begin to fear what I will find. I force myself to sound calm.
“I will miss you, but I will be fine. You are needed back at Dun Dreug.” I manage a smile.
She looks worried. My smile must not be very reassuring.
Cochan speaks. “Your kin will be glad to see you. How long has it been since you’ve seen them?”
“Oh, years,” I say with as light a tone as I can manage. Do I even have kin there? The closer I get to the end of the trip, the more unlikely that seems. Where will I find the woman called Ryamen? How do I approach the gates of Dun Alyn?
“We’ll go on in the morning till you can see the trail,” Cochan says. “There is an outcrop that gives a view clear to the sea. I’ll point the direction when we get there.”
I sleep soundly again and waken to Cochan’s bustle about the horses. I watch closely this morning and notice that, despite his gruffness, he is moving quietly to let us sleep longer. Gola is a lucky woman.
The outcrop is only an hour’s trek down the eastern slope of the mountain. The sun lightened the early-morning sky but now has retreated behind a sullen cloud cover. Rain falls on plains to the south. Far to the east I can see the ocean. It looks flat and gray from so far away, but I’m sure the waves churn as fiercely as they do on the western coast near the Vale of Enfert.
Cochan points down the slope below us. A trail meanders around piles of boulders and sharp drop-offs. It disappears from view in places, then can be seen again farther down. The constant switchbacks look to be an easier descent than the one we stumbled through yesterday. At the foot of the mountain a wide valley stretches, green and inviting.
Cochan draws my attention to the northeast. “See that pine forest just past the mouth of the valley?”
I nod. The conifers make a dense green pattern in the surrounding browns and yellows.
“Dun Alyn lies on the coast. Follow the stream in the valley below us till it meets a river. The crossing is downstream a short distance. From there the track leads into that forest. Stay on the main trail and you will come to a clearing where the trail branches in two directions. The right one leads to Dun Alyn.”
Gola says. “I could go on with Ilena.”
“And then you’d return alone,” Cochan says. “Ilena’s route is easy. She’ll have no trouble finding her way.”
“You can use that sword you carry?” Gola asks.
I manage a laugh that I hope sounds convincing and say, “Yes, of course.”
Cochan touches Gola on the arm and motions back up the trail. She follows him slowly. I take Rol’s lead rein over my shoulder and turn down the path.
When I look back from the first bend, she’s watching me. We wave and turn to our separate paths. I go on alone.
J UST A FEW DAYS AGO I HADN’T MET G OLA OR D URANT . Yet I miss them as sorely as I miss Jon and Fiona.
To add to my gloom, the skies, which have threatened all morning, open and pour down a cold deluge. I clutch my cloak tight around me, and Rol shakes his head against the
She says, “I think we could spare a little if Rol needs more.”
I’m touched by her offer. Grain for the animals is a difficult matter; it is heavy to carry, but necessary if they are to remain strong. “Thank you. He hasenough, and you have two days’ travel to return to Dun Dreug.”
“You’ll find a good meadow at the bottom of this trail,” Cochan says. “He’ll have grazing by noon tomorrow.”
It is a shock to remember that they will leave me tomorrow. My face must show my concern. Gola reaches out to touch my arm.
“Do you want us to go on to Dun Alyn with you, Ilena?”
I swallow hard. Of course I want them to stay with me. As I come closer to Dun Alyn, I begin to fear what I will find. I force myself to sound calm.
“I will miss you, but I will be fine. You are needed back at Dun Dreug.” I manage a smile.
She looks worried. My smile must not be very reassuring.
Cochan speaks. “Your kin will be glad to see you. How long has it been since you’ve seen them?”
“Oh, years,” I say with as light a tone as I can manage. Do I even have kin there? The closer I get to the end of the trip, the more unlikely that seems. Where will I find the woman called Ryamen? How do I approach the gates of Dun Alyn?
“We’ll go on in the morning till you can see the trail,” Cochan says. “There is an outcrop that gives a view clear to the sea. I’ll point the direction when we get there.”
I sleep soundly again and waken to Cochan’s bustle about the horses. I watch closely this morning and notice that, despite his gruffness, he is moving quietly to let us sleep longer. Gola is a lucky woman.
The outcrop is only an hour’s trek down the eastern slope of the mountain. The sun lightened the early-morning sky but now has retreated behind a sullen cloud cover. Rain falls on plains to the south. Far to the east I can see the ocean. It looks flat and gray from so far away, but I’m sure the waves churn as fiercely as they do on the western coast near the Vale of Enfert.
Cochan points down the slope below us. A trail meanders around piles of boulders and sharp drop-offs. It disappears from view in places, then can be seen again farther down. The constant switchbacks look to be an easier descent than the one we stumbled through yesterday. At the foot of the mountain a wide valley stretches, green and inviting.
Cochan draws my attention to the northeast. “See that pine forest just past the mouth of the valley?”
I nod. The conifers make a dense green pattern in the surrounding browns and yellows.
“Dun Alyn lies on the coast. Follow the stream in the valley below us till it meets a river. The crossing is downstream a short distance. From there the track leads into that forest. Stay on the main trail and you will come to a clearing where the trail branches in two directions. The right one leads to Dun Alyn.”
Gola says. “I could go on with Ilena.”
“And then you’d return alone,” Cochan says. “Ilena’s route is easy. She’ll have no trouble finding her way.”
“You can use that sword you carry?” Gola asks.
I manage a laugh that I hope sounds convincing and say, “Yes, of course.”
Cochan touches Gola on the arm and motions back up the trail. She follows him slowly. I take Rol’s lead rein over my shoulder and turn down the path.
When I look back from the first bend, she’s watching me. We wave and turn to our separate paths. I go on alone.
J UST A FEW DAYS AGO I HADN’T MET G OLA OR D URANT . Yet I miss them as sorely as I miss Jon and Fiona.
To add to my gloom, the skies, which have threatened all morning, open and pour down a cold deluge. I clutch my cloak tight around me, and Rol shakes his head against the
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