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October faded, the leaves turning brown, yet nought else nigh Eryn Ford seemed to change-Warrows and Fox Riders keeping station, watching the maggot-folk, guiding a traveller or two past the Spawn now and again. But in the first days of November [The Rupt are on the move!] came the cry. Both Tynvyr and Ry
[How many and which way?] snapped Tynvyr.
[All, and north, and they have a dark-haired, pale-ski
[A surrogate,] hissed Ry
[And some Ghuls on Helsteeds have ridden ahead,] added Picyn, [or mayhap raced ahead is a better way to put it.]
Ry
At Tynvyr's nod, Picyn leapt astride his fox and started to turn, but Ry
[He trails north, Lady Ry
Ry
Ry
Tynvyr called her fox and mounted and rode swiftly away, rousing those in their huts 'round the perimeter of the dell.
"Aunt Melli!" cried Ry
At the small table the eld damman looked up from her work, Lark standing on a stool at her side looking up as well, the child's face and arms streaked with flour. "Bread, bread, bread," said Lark, holding out her white-powdered hands to show to her dam.
"What is it?" asked Melli, trying to keep her voice calm in front of the child, but her words quavered regardless.
"Bread," said Lark, looking at Melli.
Ry
"Nix? Going north and on the east flank? Riding the open wold between the maggot-folk and the mountains?"
"Yes," gritted Ry
"Oh my," groaned Melli, "but that means they're trapped."
Lark looked back and forth between Melli and Ry
"No, not trapped. Not trapped. Not precisely," averred Ry
Lark began to cry.
Ry
Despairing, Ry
Melli stepped forward and took the child from Ry
"Perhaps it's best," said Ry
And then she was gone.
And Lark looked up at the empty doorway and said, "Bye-bye," and she rested her head on Melli's shoulder and sobbed, Melli weeping as well.
"Why are they marching north, and in such a hurry?" asked Nix, urging his pony 'round an outcrop of rock.
Riding in the lead, Tipperton glanced back. "I don't know, Nix, but with a surrogate, and what with the Ghuls racing ahead, I think it must be urgent."
"Well, should we double back and cross at the ford? The Rissanin is somewhere ahead, you know."
"I don't think so, Nix. I mean, I don't think we should double back. I don't know where they are going but, wherever it is, we've got to keep up."
"How will we cross the river?"
"Swim, bucco, swim."
"Argh," groaned Nix. "I suspected as much."
"Oh my," exclaimed Beau. "On the wold on the eastern flank? That's not good being out in the open like that."
Li
"It may not be," said Ry
"I hope," said Beau. "I hope. -Oh, I should have been with him, not Nix."
Ry
Li
"Here they come," said Farly.
In the distance out on the plain the massed Foul Folk boiled northerly.
After a while Beau said, "Lor', but look at them go."
" Tis a forced march," said Ry
"I'd not like to be in their way," said Farly.
"And somewhere ahead ride Ghuls," said Li
Both Ry
They watched moments more, and then Ry
And in the dimness of Darda Erynian, enshadowed Fox Riders coursed a like route within, though Tynvyr and Picyn rode out on the wold with the Warrows.
"I do hope that you are right about Tip and Nix," said Beau.
Her eyebrow cocked, Ry
"L-lor', 1-lor', b-but this w-water is c-cold," said Nix, his teeth chattering, the two buccen hanging on to pony saddles and urging the little steeds through the water, the horselings drifting downstream in the current as they valiantly struggled across. "W-we should have k-kept on our c-clothes and b-boots."
"N-no," chattered Tip. "We'll n-need them w-when we get to the s-side opposite."
"If we d-don't f-freeze first," said Nix.
At last, numb and shuddering uncontrollably, they reached the far bank, both buccen staggering up out of the water and into the woods beyond.
"S-s-swift, now," said Tip, "unbundle everything, d-dry on the, the blanket, and, and g-get dressed."
But Nix needed no instruction, for even as Tip spoke, in spite of his numb fingers Nix untied the tightly wrapped all-weather cloak from 'round his blanket roll, which in itself was wrapped around his garments and weaponry and a few supplies. Quickly he dried on the blanket, and then do
Both Tip and Nix wiped down their ponies, using the blankets here too, the labor serving to warm the two buccen. Wringing out as much water as they could, they re-rolled their blankets 'round their meager supplies and lashed them to the saddles.
Fastening his quiver to his thigh and his bow scabbard to the saddle, Tip said, "Quick now, we've got to get ahead of the Foul Folk and track them from the fore. That way they can't trap us against the mountains. Too, by the tracks of the Helsteeds we can see whether or no the Spawn follow wherever the Ghuls have gone."
"Speaking of Ghuls, what'll we do about them?" asked Nix.