Free Hero's Song by Edith Pattou Page A

their belongings from the animal's back.
    "Perhaps I can assist them," said the Ellyl, as he and Talisen also dismounted.
    "How?"
    "I know a song of returning. It guides lost animals back to their homes."
    "Can you really do that with a song?" said Talisen, his eyes wide. "Will you teach it to me?"
    "I don't suppose you know a song that will rid us of Scathians altogether," Brie said, pointing suddenly at the horizon.
    Outlined against the darkening sky and standing at the very spot where the companions had first sighted the Forest of Eld rose more than a dozen figures on horseback.
    Though the riders were far away, they were clearly Scathians. And the tall, cloaked figure was almost certainly the morg. They began to move forward, swooping down the hill at high speed.
    "Have they seen us?" Collun asked.
    "It is hard to know. The dark and the trees may obscure us. But the path should be close by," Brie said, scanning the edge of the forest.
    "Silien, can you send animals anywhere you wish with your song?" asked Collun suddenly, his eyes on the riders on the moor.
    "Within reason," replied the Ellyl with a half-smile.
    "What about back to the high road?"
    "Yes, I could do that."
    "In this light it may throw the morg off," said Collun. "If he sees the animals heading toward the road, he may be fooled into following them."
    "Yes," said Brie, her voice edged with excitement. "It might work. That is,
if
the Ellyl truly can sing such a song."
    Silien crossed to the two animals. Talisen tried to get close to listen, but the Ellyl waved him away. While Brie began searching for the forest path, Collun anxiously watched the progress of the riders. It was getting more and more difficult to see in the twilight.
    He could faintly hear the music of Silien's voice, though he could not decipher any words.
    Suddenly the animals bolted, galloping along the forest's edge, away from the travelers.
    "Well done!" cried Talisen.
    "They will go as far as the high road, then will follow it back to this inn you spoke of," said Silien. He looked paler than before.
    Collun could no longer see the Scathians. Night had fallen and the moon's light was dimmed by cloud cover.
    "This way," Brie called out. She gestured for them to
follow. They walked quickly through the trees, moving in the opposite direction from the galloping animals.
    They had been traveling no longer than an hour when Brie stopped short. She pointed at the faint beginning of a path.
    Silien turned slightly and his face wore a listening expression. "It worked," he said simply.
    They looked at him inquiringly.
    "The riders have turned and are following the animals."
    "Thank Amergin!" exclaimed Talisen.
    "It may not take them long to discover they have been tricked," warned Brie. "Come." And she led them into the Forest of Eld.
    As the others went ahead, Collun hesitated. Something about the forest filled him with a dread he couldn't shake. As he gazed fixedly at the path, the feeling of foreboding grew more and more intense.
    Then he heard the harsh call of a bird. The sound was unmistakable. A scald-crow.
    Collun ran blindly down the path. The cries of the scald-crow grew louder, echoing in his ears.
    His three companions were far ahead of him on the path, though it had not seemed more than a few seconds that he had been standing alone at the forest's edge. He rubbed at the numb spot on his forehead as he ran. He had not felt the cold sensation in days, but he felt it now.
    He caught up to Brie. "A scald-crow," he said breathlessly. "It may have seen me." Collun could read the alarm in her face.
    They made their way as fast as they could through the darkness.
    "Can we not have a torch?" asked Talisen after stumbling heavily over a tree root.
    "Too risky," Brie replied.
    They journeyed on silently, Brie leading them. Some hours before dawn they paused to rest, eating a quick meal. Then they slept until the sun rose, taking turns keeping watch. There was no further sign of the