Страница 38 из 234
"No, then it'll just get mad," Daran said, thinking. "We have to lure it out, so we can kill it."
"Trolls may not be smart, but they aren't stupid," Tarrin said, falling back on what his father had taught him about them. "It's not going to come out here when it can see twenty armed men."
"We can have some of the men trot off," Daran said to himself."
Tarrin looked up, seeing more disturbances in the foliage. "I don't think that it's going to matter," Tarrin said quickly. Tarrin could see another Troll, and then another, and one more, gathering at the edge of the trees. "I see four of them now."
"They'll attack with that many," Daran told him, turning around and putting a hand on his sword. "I can see them," he said.
The Trolls hovered at the edge of the clearing, then they simply turned and walked away. Tarrin could smell their scents getting fainter; a smell that pungent was easy to keep track of. "They're leaving," Tarrin said. The taste of disappointment was hot in his mouth, and he had to quell the Cat's desire to go chase them down. Now he was glad that he hadn't chased off after that thing in the first place. He'd have had a nasty shock by the time he got there.
"That's not like them," Daran said curiously. "Twenty to four are odds that Trolls would have accepted, and it's not like a Troll to give up on a fight. They like killing as much as they like eating."
"All in all, with those children here, I'm glad we didn't have to fight," Tarrin said, tying his robe belt again and trying to calm down from the adrenaline-rushed high he'd worked himself up to in preparation for the fight.
"It may not be over yet," Daran said. "They may have decided to turn around, or maybe even try to come at us from another direction. We're moving into town, and we're bringing the children in with us," he a
"Good idea," he agreed.
They all got into a loose formation around the children, who were lured into coming with them by Jarax's easy ma
Dola
"Lady Dola
"Trolls?" she asked.
The captain nodded. "I sent Nyllin to quietly warn the mayor. I've ordered my men to stay in the town for a couple of days to dissuade them from attacking anyone."
"Tell me what happened."
Daran and Tarrin quickly recanted the events that had happened not long ago. When it was over, Dola
"I know," Daran agreed.
"At this point, I am not going to take any chances," Dola
They walked the horses through town, reaching the docks. The river was deep towards the southern end of town, but shallowed dramatically towards the north, until it resembled little more than a stream, forming the ford from which the town took its name. It was a natural headwater that made it a logical place for a town to be. The town sported three wooden docks stretching out into the narrow river, and all three were occupied by three different types of ship. The farthest one away was a two-masted vessel with a narrow beam and a graceful look. The middle ship was an oared scow with a single, small mast, little more than a barge. The third ship was a single-masted fishing vessel of some kind, heavy with nets and rigging and smelling like fish even from this distance. Dola
"Ah, Madam Dola
"Andevouz," Dola
"Ai, madam, you hurry me, no?," he said, "but I am done with my loading, yes. Come, come, I will have your horses loaded, yes, and we will talk as my Lady begins her journey." He barked out a series of commands in a flowing, musical language, and a heavy plank was quickly lowered for the horses. They carefully led the horses up the narrow walkway, holding tightly to the reins, allowing canvas-shirted sailors to take the reins from them once they got the horses on board. The tall captain gave them all a cursory look, then he retreated to the raised sterncastle and grabbed hold of the wheel that moved the rudder. He barked out a few more commands, and another man started shouting a series of instructions. Dola
"A dangerous group, yes," Re
"This is Tarrin," she said calmly. "He is my guest."
"Ah, then he is my guest as well. Andevouz, Tarrin."
"Tarrin, take off your robe," Dola
Tarrin hesitated a bit, but did as she commanded. He never felt so self-conscious in his life. It was almost as if he was stripping in front of them. Re
"I appreciate your aid, Re