Элейн Каннингем - Silver Shadows

“I know this,” Ganamede replied softly. “For a time I doubted your purpose. But like us, you also walk between two worlds. It is not an easy thing to do, and sometimes others, who see through only one pair of eyes, do not understand.”

“Sometimes I don’t understand, myself,” Arilyn admitted.

The wolflike elf placed his muzzle on her shoulder in a rare caress. “In time, you will. And when you do, I will take you where you need to go.”

And then he was gone, bounding off through the trees with eerie silence.

Arilyn puzzled briefly over his words, then set them aside for more practical and immediate concerns. Despite her words to her friend, what Ganamede offered wouldn’t be nearly enough. Scouting would be helpful, certainly, but without the silver shadows beside them, it was unlikely the wild elves would venture beyond the boundaries of their forest.

And unless they did, and unless they won, Bunlap and his men would continue to press and harass the elves.

It was clear to Arilyn that the Harpers’ original goal of compromise with the humans was out of the question. Briefly, she wondered what Khelben Arunsun would think if he knew he’d urged her to make a deal with a former Zhentilar soldier. This much she had learned of Bunlap when she’d researched his fortress’s defenses. The Zhentarim were devoted to evil gods and their own personal profits, but they often showed a special enmity against the elven people. Arilyn knew enough of Bunlap and his ilk to know that his war against the elves was not due to a misunderstanding, nor was it solely for profit. It was a vendetta.

And it was taking a grim toll. Before her arrival in the forest, Talltrees had been a thriving settlement. Now, fewer than a hundred elves remained to the tribe.

Perhaps it was time to present Queen Amlaruil’s invitation to Retreat to Evermeet. Arilyn doubted the elves of Tethir would accept, and after midsummer, she understood this better. They were bonded to the land, as firmly rooted in their forest as any of the ancient trees. Even so, they should be given the option. There was nothing else for them to do. They were too few to fight alone.

Or were they? Talltrees was one settlement, its inhabitants one clan of one tribe. Surely there must be others! The Forest of Tethir was a vast place, and the elves of the Elmanesse tribe were relative newcomers. There were other elves who had been living in the forest from time beyond memory. Surely now they would come together to fight a common enemy! As Arilyn considered this notion, she became more and more convinced that this was the path to take.

Excited, she returned to Talltrees and sought out Foxfire. To her surprise, the war leader was not encouraging.

“Yes, there are other tribes, and many clans among each tribe,” he said cautiously. “Many of the Elmanesse clans were slaughtered during the reign of the royal Tethyr family. There are small groups here and there, but they are too few and too far removed from us to be of much assistance. There is a small community of Elmanesse on Tethyr Peninsula, and other clans that live in the forest to the southeast of Trademeet. These elves are unlikely to aid us. In many ways their interests are tied more tightly to those of the humans. They trade with the farming folk who live to their east, and they carry goods north on the same path used by the caravans of humans and halflings. When the troubles started, we sent scouts northward to see if these folk were the source of the problem.” Foxfire paused for a wry smile. “Oddly enough, our scouts met with a delegation they had sent to inquire the same of us!”

“But how many are there?” Arilyn pressed.

“There are perhaps two hundred elves in the northern forests, the border lands, and the towns,” Foxfire said. “Some are moon folk or gold elves who mostly dwell in towns. There are a number of half-elves as well, but these seldom come to Tethir. Then there are a few solitary elves scattered about the forest: druids, skin-walkers, possibly even some outlaws.”

The Harper considered this. “But what about the Suldusk tribe?”

“You know more of Tethyrian history than most,” he commented. “The river that waters half of Tethyr bears the name of the Suldusk people, yet few people know of their existence. They are more remote than most of the Elmanesse, in inclination as well as in distance.

“Do you find the folk of Talltrees more insular than the moon people?” he asked abruptly, not waiting for or expecting an answer. “So likewise do we find the Suldusk. In times past the clans of these two tribes raided back and forth. In recent centuries we have agreed to abide by the peace and keep our distance. No one even knows how many of the Suldusk remain. Even if we were to seek help from them, we would find none.”

Arilyn threw up her hands in exasperation. “Fine. So we just sit here and let Bunlap’s men whittle us down, a few each battle?”

“There is something else to consider,” the elf said with obviously reluctance. “Perhaps the humans should settle with this Bunlap. They have laws, do they not?”

“Lots of them, but not the means to enforce them,” Arilyn said glumly. “No, our best chance is for me to take out Bunlap and scatter his men. At the very least, I can keep them busy and out of your hair until I think of something better to do.” She nodded decisively, then turned and began to stride away.

Foxfire stared after her, bemused by her quicksilver decision. At moments like this, the half-elf seemed utterly foreign to him, utterly human: impetuous, impatient.

He decided it did not matter.

The green elf jogged to Arilyn’s side. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll see that you get it.”

She smiled thinly. “Several nice pelts would be a good start. I could also use some dried trail food—I’ll be traveling fast and the less time I spend hunting, the sooner I’ll get there.”

“You will not go alone,” he told her. “I will go, and Ferret as well.”

Arilyn hesitated for moment, then nodded. She still didn’t like or trust the elf woman, but Ferret had proven to be an effective assassin. The wild elf female possessed deadly skills that might prove valuable, as well as no discernible scruples. Both would be useful qualities for the mission ahead.

As it turned out, there were four who set out on the three-day journey to the southern parts of Tethir. Hawkwing demanded to come along and, though Arilyn had reservations, she had to admit the young elf held up her end of the load. Hawkwing was among Arilyn’s finest students and had proven herself in battle more than once, but the Harper was not entirely certain the elf maid would perform as well once they were outside of the forest. The girl was too impetuous, utterly without fear or forethought. But as Arilyn had begun to realize, she had to accept whatever allies in this battle she could find.

The southward journey passed quickly, and shortly after highsun of the third day the four stood beneath the open sky. A stream ran southward from the forest. Arilyn set a path along this waterway, which quickly broadened and deepened as it neared the place where it would join the northern branch of the Sulduskoon. They walked along this tributary for several hours more before the Harper indicated a halt.

“See that hillock up ahead?” she asked, pointing. “It has been hollowed out to make a dwelling. See the stumplike chimney and those doors along the side?”

The green elves squinted, then nodded uncertainly. All the fey folk had in some measure the gift of perceiving hidden doors, but this skill was seldom used by the forest-dwelling folk. In the forest, they could find a trail that would be invisible to the best human ranger, but out here, Arilyn’s eyes were sharper than theirs.