Michael Mathias - The Wizard and the Warlord

“Sorry, Phen,” he said, holding back a laugh. “But it is funny.”

“I didn’t laugh at you when Oarly had you shitting fire,” Phen shot back harshly, but the way he hugged Hyden gave little room to doubt the love he felt for him.

“Aye,” Hyden said, losing his grin for an instant. “Who is she?”

“This is the Lady Telgra,” Phen said, feeling rude for not making the introduction already. “Lady Telgra, this is Sir Hyden Hawk Skyler.”

“Just Hyden, lady,” he replied, with a slightly strained look on his hawkish face. He was about to ask why she was here. His people had no love for the elves. He personally had no problem with them. One of the bravest beings he'd ever known was an elf. Phen saved him from asking the awkward question, though.

“Telgra has lost her memory.” Phen took her hand as he spoke. “She needs the Leif Repline fountain as badly as Talon and I do.”

Hyden immediately noticed the way Phen spoke of her. After a glance at Lord Gregory, and a quick seeing spell that no one noticed, he bowed to her with a smile.

“You may have to suffer my people’s dislike of your race,” he said honestly. “But you are safe here among us. We won't harm you.”

She batted her wild yellow eyes at him nervously and forced a smile. “Thank you.”

“You could have gotten that boy killed, Sir Hyden Hawk,” Lieutenant Welch said nervously.

“Oh, I doubt it,” Hyden grinned. “You and the boy reacted quickly enough, but not that quickly. A real attack on this group at that moment would have ended all of you, save for Phen and Oarly.” Hyden glanced again at Telgra then added, “The lady, and the Lion, would have probably made it, too.”

“What?” the lieutenant snapped, looking at Lord Gregory for support.

The Lion Lord just shrugged.

“My blade could have easily been in that boy’s flesh. It would have, had I not seen it was a boy and not some wild creature.”

“I’m not trying to offend you…” Hyden looked at the man’s collar to see what rank he held. “…Lieutenant. I’m just telling you the facts. Your whole party was surrounded by my clansfolk. If we had meant you harm, you would have been porcupined before your sword came free.”

Lieutenant Welch’s face turned red, but he gave a curt nod. “Point taken,” he said. “Still, even with arrows in me, your man could have felt my blade, had I not seen two horsehide boots sticking out of that hairy thing.”

Hyden extended the man's sword to him hilt first, as if he were reaching to shake the lieutenant’s hand. “Hyden Skyler,” he introduced himself.

“Lieutenant Buxter Welch,” the lieutenant replied. He reached his hand toward Hyden and saw that his sword was being handed back to him. Lieutenant Welch froze in dismay. It was clear he didn’t understand why he didn’t have his own sword anymore.

“I assure you, Lieutenant Welch, my cousin was safe from your blade.”

“Wow!” Phen said. “How did you do that, Hyden?”

“It’s a variation of that spell that sent Oarly’s boot off into the Nethers,” he said. “You’ll be surprised at what I’ve learned. Watch this.”

A cloud of roiling smoke and a shower of sparks enveloped Hyden. The display was accompanied by a loud, crackling pop. When the smoke cleared, the space where Hyden had been was empty.

Two of the horses whinnied in surprise. Phen turned at the tap on his shoulder and found Hyden Hawk standing behind him, grinning ear to ear.

“You’ve got to teach me that,” Phen said excitedly. After a moment he blurted out proudly, “Me and Oarly went back into the Serpent’s Eye. We got the emerald out of the sea cave, but Oarly lost it in the marshes.”

Hyden glared at Oarly. “By the Goddess, Phen, why would you let Oarly carry the Earth Stone?”

Oarly looked at the two of them and waved them off. “Bah!” he grunted, and stalked over to where Lord Gregory was speaking to one of Hyden’s cousins.

“No pockets,” Phen said, patting the stony robe that covered his body. “I mapped where he left it, at least.”

“You still have my medallion, I see,” Hyden said.

“Do you want it back?”

“Not yet,” Hyden answered seriously. “I think that, since you had it on when you were petrified, you should wear it until you go into the fountain pool.” He gave Phen a pat on the shoulder and stepped away.

“Shaloo, Little Con,” Hyden called out. “Round everybody up. There are three wagons to unload back at the edge of the basin.”

Hyden turned to Lieutenant Welch. “All they need is one of your men to lead them to the wagons. They’ll pack the stuff back.”

“They’ll need some horses too,” Lieutenant Welch said. “The dwarf has kegs, and Phen has trunks full of books.”

“There are several trunks full of gifts, as well,” Lord Gregory called from where he and Tylen were standing. “Tell the boys not to peek.”

“I’ll go with them, Hyden,” Tylen said. Tylen was on the council of elders now, and the boys would obey him with no question. Hyden smiled. “Don’t you be peeking, either, Tylen,” he joked.

After they'd gone, Lord Gregory led his horse over to the others. “Lady Telgra,” he said, “you should probably stay close to me when we get to the village. The clansfolk know me and will accept your presence more easily if you are seen with someone they trust.”

“Yes, Lord Lion,” she answered, looking nervous.

“How could you know that we brought three wagons?” Lieutenant Welch asked Hyden.

“I’ve watched your approach since you stopped at the Summer’s Day Spire,” he replied.

From above, Talon gave out a loud, shrieking call of explanation. The sound of his familiar reminded Hyden of something and he began searching the ground all around them. With alarm in his voice he asked, “Phen, where is Spike?”

“He’s in an aerated trunk on one of the wagons,” Phen sighed. “Oarly killed a wildcat on the road and Spike still wants to exact feline revenge or something. I didn’t have a choice.”

“You should have put Oarly in the trunk,” Hyden said with a shake of his head.

“Phen and that fargin lad Jicks toted me off into the hills while I was sleeping, then they set a wildcat on me,” Oarly said.

“Was he snoring?” Hyden grinned at Phen and the boy laughed.

“It’s not funny, Hyden.” Oarly strode up and pointed at the sky accusingly. “That fargin wildcat nearly killed me.”

Hyden laughed at his friends as he spun away. “Come on,” he called back over his shoulder. “We’re still a good ways off.”

He led them through a series of shallow valleys, then over a rocky ridge that was high enough for them to see the vast expanse of gray and white that was the Giant Mountains. A blast of icy wind whipped at them as they started down the other side. No one said a word. The sharpness and cloud-shrouded emptiness of the mountain range they would be crossing in the spring left them awestruck. All of them found that they were intimidated.

“Bah!” Oarly grumbled as he scurried deftly around a large pile of broken rock. “It’s fargin cold as a witch’s nipples.”

“You sound like Mikahl,” Hyden laughed. “Excuse me… I mean High King Mikahl. He whined like a hungry coyote about how cold it was the whole way on our journey to meet King Aldar.”

“That’s why he’s the king and you’re not,” Oarly barked. “He’s got enough sense to know when it’s cold outside.”

“You’ll live, Oarly,” Hyden said. “I’ve got shagmar cloaks waiting for all of you at the village. There should be a big kettle of stew on, as well.”

“A flask of stout and a bowl of steamy stew.” Oarly gazed dreamily at the sky as he spoke. “What more could a dwarf ask for?”