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.In Obat's village, they believed that Antrax wasa demon.Quentin absorbed all that and consoled himself about Bek by deciding that his cousin, with his newlydiscovered magic, was probably better equipped than he to ward off demons or creepers or anythingelse.That Bek should have magic of any sort still astonished him, yet it made sense in light of what theyhad both decided about Walker's decision to bring them along.It explained why they had been chosenwhen there were so many others who might have been taken instead.But it left the Highlander ponderinganew his cousin's origin and the reason it had been kept secret so long.It made him wonder how muchCoran and Liria knew and had been keeping from them.They arrived at the village of the Rindge by midday, newly footsore and barely mobile.The villagesprawled through a series of connected clearings in a wooded area backed up against foothills leadingwest into a spine of mountains and consisted mostly of open-air huts and pavilions constructed of woodand bark with blankets and reed screens used as dividers for rooms.The people came out to look atthem, men, women, and children alike, all henna-complexioned and red-haired, the youngest darker thantheir elders.No palisade or moat warded the village, and when asked, Obat said there was no point; the wronks andcreepers could push right through such defenses in any case.When a raid took place, the Rindge simplyfled into the hills until it was safe to return.A good system of outposts kept them safe most of the time.The defenses that made a difference were the traps they set out in the woods, deep camouflaged pitswith jagged rocks at their bottoms.The creepers and wronks often fell into them and if damaged or notsufficiently mobile, could not climb out.If the metal predators were found and the pits filled in quicklyenough, they could no longer hear the commands of Antrax and so remained there.Fetishes tied to poles ringed the village, protectors for the Rindge against the things that sought to huntthem.Quentin looked into the eyes of the children who watched him and wondered how many thefetishes would save from raids and other dangers.The five guests were taken to a screened-off area to bathe in large tubs of heated water, then visited byhealers who dressed their wounds.Afterwards, they were taken to a pavilion, seated on mats, and givenGenerated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlfood.The Rindge were primitive, but their life seemed well ordered and reasonable.Quentin thoughtthem intelligent, as well, not just from their speech, which had a musical lilt, but from the look in their eyesand the feel of their homes.Everything was simple, but all needs appeared to be met and served.After an initial period of congregating to look over their visitors, the Rindge went back to work.Everyone seemed to have a task, even the children, although the youngest mostly played and clung totheir mothers.Things aren't so different here than they are in the Highlands, Quentin thought.They slept then, and although Quentin promised himself he I would rest for no more than a couple ofhours, he did not wake until | dawn.Panax was already up by then, engaged in conversation with Obat,and it was their voices, soft and distant from where they conversed outside the sleeping shelter, thatroused Quentin.He glanced around and found to his chagrin that the Elves were up and gone, as well.Washing his hands and face in the basin of water provided for that purpose, he strapped the Sword ofLeah across his back and I walked out to see what was happening.He found Panax and the Elves with Obat and several more of the Rindge, seated in a circle on mats,talking.As he walked up, he saw that sketches had been drawn in the dirt in front of them.Theconversation between Panax and Obat was sufficiently intense that the Dwarf did not even glance atQuentin, but Tamis caught his eye and beckoned him over."Nice to see you back among the living," she offered dryly.Her round, pixie face was freshly scrubbed,the skin ruddy beneath her tan."You snore like a bull in rut when you sleep."He arched an eyebrow in response."You spend a lot of time with bulls in rut, do you?""Some." She brushed at her short-cropped hair."What would you say if I told you that Obat knowsanother way into Castledown?" Quentin blinked in surprise."I'd say, when do we leave?"There was no hesitation on anyone's part about going.Rested and fed, their spirits renewed, the edgesof their memories sufficiently blunted that wariness had replaced fear, they were anxious to return.All ofthem sought answers to what had happened to their friends, and there could be no peace of mind untilthose answers were found.Each of them, without saying so to the others, believed that there was stillsomething to be accomplished at Castledown.Their attitude was buttressed in no small way by the fact that the Rindge had agreed to guide them.Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlCreepers and fire threads notwithstanding, if there was another way into the chambers beneath the ruins,they were eager to explore it.Ard Patrinell, Ahren Elessedil, and a handful of other Elves were stillmissing.Walker was still unaccounted for.Bek had disappeared along with Ryer Ord Star.Some ofthem, perhaps all, were still alive and in need of help.Quentin and his companions were not going tomake them wait for that help.They ate a quick meal, strapped on their weapons, and set out.Obat led their Rindge escort, two dozenstrong.Most of the Rindge carried six-foot blowguns along with knives and javelins, but a substantialnumber bore short, stout, powerful spears with razor-sharp star heads that could penetrate even themetal of creepers.They used them like pry bars, Obat explained when Panax questioned him about it.They jammed the heads into joints and gaps of the creepers' metal armor and twisted until somethinggave.Numbers usually gave the Rindge the advantage in such encounters.The creepers, he advisedsolemnly, were not invincible.It was educational to watch the Rindge at work.They were a tribal people, but their fighting menappeared to be well trained and disciplined.They fought in units, their numbers broken down byweaponry.The front ranks used the heavy spears, the rear the blowguns and javelins.Even during travel,they kept their fighting order intact, dividing the men into smaller groups, scouts patrolling front and rear,and spear bearers warding the edges of the march.The outlanders, untested in battle, were placed in themiddle, screened by their would-be protectors.Quentin noted the way the Rindge rotated in and out of their loose formation as they traveled, shiftinghere and there in response to orders from Obat, burnished bodies gleaming with oil and sweat.No one inthe little company thought to question their tactics.The Rindge had been living in that land and dealingwith the minions of Antrax for hundreds of years; they knew what they were doing.After a time, Panax dropped back to walk with Quentin, letting the Elves walk ahead of them a fewpaces.He did so quite deliberately, and the Highlander let him choose his own pace."The Rindge believe that Antrax controls the weather," the Dwarf told him quietly, keeping both his headand voice lowered.Quentin looked at him in surprise."That isn't possible.No one can control the weather.""They say Antrax can [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]