Delver Magic II: Throne of Vengeance, Jeff Inlo [graded readers .TXT] 📗

trails, but she also took several sweeping glances at the town behind her. Ryson and Lief’s safety were of paramount importance, but this human town was now charged to her care. Three points of focus. She fought to keep her attention upon them all.

At this particular moment, though, Lief’s progress called to her with the greatest sense of urgency. If Lief faced danger in his trip back to their camp, it was at this moment. She knew he could not sense river rogues. Once he reached the trees of Dark Spruce, he would be safe, but now, at the river’s edge and moving through tall grass, he was vulnerable. Damn stubborn elf. He refused an escort, even just to the trees. He told her it wasn’t necessary, that she should focus upon the preparations to defend the human town. He even rejected an escort of Sy’s guards that were already prepared to scout the area on horseback. How foolish was that? Pride. Ignorant, stubborn pride.

As for Ryson, he was simply a blur of motion. The spectacle itself called for attention. No dust kicked up in his wake. Only the blurred outline of his body was visible, and it rushed along the ground as a bird soars across the open sky. As fast as he moved, as far as he traveled, he would remain in her sight for some time. Her eyes were strong, and the delver moved over the flatlands to the north. She commanded a strategic view from this platform and she could see well toward the horizon. The Colad Mountains stood proudly, clear in her sight. They waited like a great barrier, an impenetrable wall. They extended for untold distances. Surely, the cliff behemoths waited there, but how long would it take Ryson to find the one he needed, to find Dzeb?

As for the town, it waited for her in unmoving silence. At her request, the human volunteers had stopped their current training. That would become necessary soon enough, but they would also need to rethink their methods of fighting. It was of no use to train them as simple ground soldiers. To do so would invite disaster. If they were to fight off dwarves, they would have to focus upon evasion.

The townspeople of Burbon surprisingly did not question her. Rumors were spreading of course, rumors that an elf was going to teach them how to fight. Most did not protest, and they showed no sign of resentment. They did not know how to fight dwarves. Those civilians that thought they did were quickly rebuffed by soldiers that watched comrades die in the first dwarf attack. As these stories were recounted, any mumbling of dissatisfaction quickly died away. The people simply waited, waited for her direction, waited and hoped that this elf might hold their salvation.

Holli sensed all of this. First, however, it was necessary to review the full breadth of the town. The tower she now stood upon held that opportunity. She could inspect the structures and the lay of the land from this vantage point. It also allowed her to watch the departure of Lief and Ryson. As for the delver, he was relatively safe. She doubted there was anything that posed a threat to him in the open lands he now traveled. She doubted anything could catch him. Though his speed of movement held her fascination, it was Lief that held her concern.

Her own muscles drew tight as she watched with narrowed eyes. She tried to drink in the magic that filled the air as Lief moved upon the bridge. She knew she couldn’t sense that far, but she made the attempt. She also requested the same of the human wizard that stood beside her.

“Enin. Do you sense anything? Any disturbances in the magic that surrounds you?”

Enin immediately understood her purpose. It was as if he could see her thoughts, her concern painted itself in the magical energies which flowed around her. “I can not discern anything out of place, either in the town or in the clearing. I sense you standing beside me, but I can not sense anything else, not even your comrade so far in the distance. I’m afraid that is beyond my range. You are worried about a river rogue?”

“He won’t be safe until he reaches the trees,” Holli admitted.

Sy grunted. “Then why didn’t he accept an escort? He’s as important to us now as anyone else.”

Holli did not answer. Lief was on the bridge. He seemed to move in slow motion. “Why doesn’t he move faster?”

Holli’s hands gripped the railing of the tower. Her eyes scanned the river. She saw nothing. Unable to do anything else, she pulled the bow from her shoulder. She took a long, thin arrow from her quiver and placed it upon the string.

Sy wished to question her, to ask her if she saw anything, but he remained silent. He would not distract her, not even for a moment. Instead, he also took a precaution. He signaled to the scouts on horseback to prepare to advance. He held his hand for them to wait as he now watched Lief with equal diligence.

Lief was upon the bridge, moving to its far end. He stopped. A moment of caution as he surveyed the banks of the river below him. Nothing, no river rogue, no danger. He moved forward. With no obstacle before him, he moved undeterred to the trees. He took to their limbs.

Holli stood down from her state of readiness. She slowly released the tension on her bow string and returned the arrow to her quiver. She spoke with obvious relief. “Lief will give word to the elf guard. A contingent of archers to assist us should be here before nightfall.”

Sy signaled all clear to the scouts and motioned for them to begin their standard patrol.

Holli took one last glimpse at the fading outline of Ryson to the north before she fixed her attention on the streets of Burbon.

Sy, however, would not immediately disregard Holli’s previous intentions. “Could you have hit a target from this distance? It’s a long way to that bridge. It would also be a dangerous shot. Your friend would have been in harm’s way.”

“I don’t know,” Holli replied stoically. “But it was all I could do.”

Sy weighed the reply. If he was going to place his faith in this elf guard, he wanted to know more about her, including her consideration of risk. “That doesn’t really answer the question. An arrow would have to travel a long way from here. The target could have moved. Lief could have moved, right into the path of your arrow. If a river rogue attacked, would you have taken the shot?”

“Yes,” Holli said shortly.

Sy waited.

Holli noted the expectation of his silence. She offered her explanation. “If Lief was attacked by a river rogue, he would have had no chance of survival on his own. That is a plain and simple fact. His only chance would have been my arrow. If he was attacked and I hit the rogue, he would have had a chance to escape. If my arrow missed, it might have distracted the creature. Again, Lief would have had a chance to escape. If my arrow hit Lief, it would be no worse than a rogue’s teeth or claws.”

Sy pressed for more information. “Would you have given your friend there a chance to escape on his own? I mean, how long would you have waited before you took the shot?”

Holli answered quickly. Her mind was on the new task at hand, protecting the town, but she answered with all honesty. “Not long. If Lief was caught on the bridge, his fate would have been certain. If he made it to open ground, he might have been able to draw his sword and outmaneuver a rogue.”

Sy rubbed his chin. “You wouldn’t have waited for him to call for your help? You would have made the decision as to when to risk his life based on your own interpretations?”

“The bow was in my hands. It was no one else’s decision to make.”

“Is that how you will see to the defense of this town?”

Holli raised an eyebrow. “Do you object?”

Sy pointed to the cold facts. “At this point, my objections are pretty much irrelevant. I’ve accepted your expertise in this matter. You will guide us. That has already been decided. That doesn’t mean I want to remain ignorant of your views. Your opinion of acceptable risk will certainly define your tactics. I would be negligent if I didn’t attempt to recognize just how far you would go, what you might consider appropriate in the face of danger.”

“I see. It’s an acceptable question. You are putting your life in my hands.”

“I’m putting the life of everyone in this town in your hands,” Sy reminded her firmly.

Holli looked over the streets, scanned the buildings, and settled her attention on those that watched and waited for her advice. “Yes, you are. Will it ease your worries if I tell you that I don’t think there are any acceptable casualty counts? That I think the loss of one is one too many?”

Sy did not reply.

Holli did not wait for him. “I don’t expect you to believe me, and I guess you will remain ill at ease as long as you depend on another’s judgment. But you also know what we face. If the dwarves attack us, there will be injuries among your people, there will be death. I can not prevent that. But I still believe that one casualty is one too many. I will do everything within my power not to just limit the number of casualties, but to eliminate them. If the battle ever arises, and I truly pray it does not, my plans will be to save all, everyone. Even when that no longer becomes possible, even when I see the dead on the field, I will act so that those that are still alive fighting will remain alive.”

Holli nodded over to the bridge. Lief was now out of sight, his trail covered by the limbs of the trees.

“You asked me if I would take the shot from this tower, would I risk Lief’s life to save it. Yes, I would, but you have to understand why. I would not risk Lief’s life for my own glory, but I would if I felt it was his only chance. That is how I will deal with your people as well. Does that ease your mind?”

Sy smiled. He liked Holli, appreciated her honesty. “My mind is never at ease, but it does answer my question. I believe I have put my faith in the right person. Excuse me, the right elf!”

“Let me now ask you a question.” Holli nodded to the throng of onlookers below. “How much can I count on the humans you are trying to train? Do not rate them as soldiers, that is not what I need to know. Rate them for what we face. I need to know if they will be determined to carry out the orders given to them. Do not be concerned with whether you think they are able to defend themselves or able to perform with competence, just their willingness to do so. Will they hold their position to save the town, or will they run to save their own lives?”

Sy considered the question. He thought of all the different people, all the different characteristics of those that now seemed willing to help defend. It felt difficult to judge them with one sweeping statement, but he kept his answer short and pointed. “Some will run. Most will do what they can to do what’s expected of them.”

“Do you think you can weed out those which might run?”

“No.”

Holli frowned, but only