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Authors: Richard S. Tuttle
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same because it indicates that they plan to attack the pass today.”
“Attack the pass!” exclaimed Calastano. “That’s preposterous. We have forty men in the pass and these children are going to attack it? I doubt the reliability of your pigeon.”
“Does Fire Glue mean anything to you, Xerog?” Zorn asked.
The color drained out of Xerog’s face as he stared open-mouthed at Zorn. “Fire Glue is a substance used by Alexander Tork and the Targa Rangers,” Xerog announced. “Nobody has been able to duplicate the formula so far. He used it in the goblin war and killed tens of thousands of goblins in a pass through the Boulder Mountains. If he used that on my men, there will be nothing left of them. How could Tork have ended up with the Children? He hasn’t been heard of in years.”
“Perhaps,” suggested Zorn, “he has been using another name.”
“Garth Shado,” spat Xerog.
“Then Kalina must be Jenneva!” exclaimed Calastano. “We must get this news to Sarac immediately. It is time for the Ravens. I will head for Sarac and check the pass on my way.”
“No,” ordered Zorn. “It is time for the Ravens, but we shall proceed cautiously. I have already seen what happens to someone foolish enough to fly over this party. Such a trip will end in death. You, Calastano, will head west to verify the note regarding the party from Kantor. I will head towards the pass to see if it has been attacked yet. If not, I will alert our forces. If it has, I will return here and we will discuss what we shall tell Sarac before we make a grievous error. We must be sure of our facts or present them as a theory. I will not appear a fool in front of the Dark One. Fools do not survive long.”
Chapter 5
Night Visitors
The moon shone brightly in the black sky, sending a pale glow over the small clearing where the Rangers slept. The flames of the campfire had ceased illuminating the campsite hours ago and only a small tendril of smoke drifted upwards seasoning the air with the scent of burnt oak. Tedi lay awake staring at the drifting smoke. Niki hadn’t completely extinguished the fire and he knew he should get up and put it out, but he wondered why he had awakened. One minute he was dreaming peacefully about Tanya and himself chasing bandits through a forest and the next he was watching the smoke escape from the fire.
Cautiously, he sat up and looked around, his sensitive ears tuning themselves to the night sounds. The forest surrounding the Rangers was dark and foreboding. Quickly, he scanned the campsite and identified everyone’s sleeping form. He was the only one awake. His eyes lingered for a while on Tanya as she lay sleeping. His dreams about her were becoming more frequent and each one featured only Tanya and himself.
Suddenly, he heard it again. Yes, again. He remembered now hearing the sound at the end of his dream as Tanya grabbed two of her throwing knives and they clashed together momentarily. Except he wasn’t dreaming now. For twelve days they had passed through the Northland area which was home for the goblins. Each of those twelve days they had seen goblin parties heading south towards the Boulder Mountains and successfully avoided them by hiding until they had passed.
Tedi visualized a band of goblins sneaking through the woods to surround their campfire and immediately forced his imagination to stop. He knew now that the sound was the trap wire which Alex put around the campsite every night, but that didn’t necessarily mean goblins. An animal could also trigger the alarm and had done so on many nights. Still, Tedi was not about to take any chances. Scooping his hand across the ground, Tedi gathered a dozen acorns. Taking the long shot first, Tedi hurled an acorn across the campsite towards Alex and Jenneva. The acorn overshot its mark, but Alex immediately sprang to a sitting position and looked around, his hand automatically closing around the hilt of his sword.
Even as Alex spied Tedi sitting
“Attack the pass!” exclaimed Calastano. “That’s preposterous. We have forty men in the pass and these children are going to attack it? I doubt the reliability of your pigeon.”
“Does Fire Glue mean anything to you, Xerog?” Zorn asked.
The color drained out of Xerog’s face as he stared open-mouthed at Zorn. “Fire Glue is a substance used by Alexander Tork and the Targa Rangers,” Xerog announced. “Nobody has been able to duplicate the formula so far. He used it in the goblin war and killed tens of thousands of goblins in a pass through the Boulder Mountains. If he used that on my men, there will be nothing left of them. How could Tork have ended up with the Children? He hasn’t been heard of in years.”
“Perhaps,” suggested Zorn, “he has been using another name.”
“Garth Shado,” spat Xerog.
“Then Kalina must be Jenneva!” exclaimed Calastano. “We must get this news to Sarac immediately. It is time for the Ravens. I will head for Sarac and check the pass on my way.”
“No,” ordered Zorn. “It is time for the Ravens, but we shall proceed cautiously. I have already seen what happens to someone foolish enough to fly over this party. Such a trip will end in death. You, Calastano, will head west to verify the note regarding the party from Kantor. I will head towards the pass to see if it has been attacked yet. If not, I will alert our forces. If it has, I will return here and we will discuss what we shall tell Sarac before we make a grievous error. We must be sure of our facts or present them as a theory. I will not appear a fool in front of the Dark One. Fools do not survive long.”
Chapter 5
Night Visitors
The moon shone brightly in the black sky, sending a pale glow over the small clearing where the Rangers slept. The flames of the campfire had ceased illuminating the campsite hours ago and only a small tendril of smoke drifted upwards seasoning the air with the scent of burnt oak. Tedi lay awake staring at the drifting smoke. Niki hadn’t completely extinguished the fire and he knew he should get up and put it out, but he wondered why he had awakened. One minute he was dreaming peacefully about Tanya and himself chasing bandits through a forest and the next he was watching the smoke escape from the fire.
Cautiously, he sat up and looked around, his sensitive ears tuning themselves to the night sounds. The forest surrounding the Rangers was dark and foreboding. Quickly, he scanned the campsite and identified everyone’s sleeping form. He was the only one awake. His eyes lingered for a while on Tanya as she lay sleeping. His dreams about her were becoming more frequent and each one featured only Tanya and himself.
Suddenly, he heard it again. Yes, again. He remembered now hearing the sound at the end of his dream as Tanya grabbed two of her throwing knives and they clashed together momentarily. Except he wasn’t dreaming now. For twelve days they had passed through the Northland area which was home for the goblins. Each of those twelve days they had seen goblin parties heading south towards the Boulder Mountains and successfully avoided them by hiding until they had passed.
Tedi visualized a band of goblins sneaking through the woods to surround their campfire and immediately forced his imagination to stop. He knew now that the sound was the trap wire which Alex put around the campsite every night, but that didn’t necessarily mean goblins. An animal could also trigger the alarm and had done so on many nights. Still, Tedi was not about to take any chances. Scooping his hand across the ground, Tedi gathered a dozen acorns. Taking the long shot first, Tedi hurled an acorn across the campsite towards Alex and Jenneva. The acorn overshot its mark, but Alex immediately sprang to a sitting position and looked around, his hand automatically closing around the hilt of his sword.
Even as Alex spied Tedi sitting
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