Into the fire

Beau glanced at Melli, and she nodded and said, "At odd moments, that is."

Tip looked up from his giggling daughter and across the low fire pressing back the chill of the night. "Parting brings sorrow in its wake: tenderly sweet when lovers but separate until the morn, yet grievous in times of war."

Ry

A rustle of leaves sounded from the darkness, though there was no breeze to stir them so.

"Sshhhh, shhh…" whispered Lark in return, and she struggled to get down. Tip set her afoot and she darted out toward the shadows.

"Oi, now," said Alver, reaching to grab her.

"Let her go," said Beau. "It's just Prym out there calling her babe."

Melli looked at Beau and smiled.

"What?" said Beau, looking back at her.

"You have changed, my lad,'" said Melli. "Yes, indeed, you have changed."

Tip laughed and took up his silver-stringed lute and struck an argent chord. "Shall I sing about the terrible Blackwood, with its ghosts and bogles and horrible things that seek the blood of those who would trespass this domain?"

Beau smiled grudgingly and said, "If you would sing of bogles and seekers of blood, my snickering Tipperton, then Drearwood should be your theme."

Tip drew in a deep breath and let it out, then said, "I'd rather not, Beau, old friend; I prefer to forget that place altogether. What say we have a merry tune instead?"

He glanced at Ry

And from the shadows at the edge of the firelight there came Lark's laughter of glee.

They rode into the campsite in the noontide of the day of the first-quarter moon, that half-orb just then rising in the east. After unloading the supplies and caring for the ponies, they met with Tynvyr. And still the wold and Rim-mens were free of Foul Folk for as far as the Pysk patrols ran and as far as watchers could see. Even the Troll hole in Rimmen Spur was deserted, or so Nia and Kell reported, having gone there three times now and foupd it completely empty of all but Ogru stench.

And so with little to do, the Warrows settled down to wait. The Dylvana and the Baeron would be here within but days, the long trek to Pellar to follow.

And Ry

On the second day after arriving in camp, three Pysks came riding through the morning shadows and across the bowl of the glade.

Ry

[We followed them all the way to the Skarpals,] said Farrix. He and Ji

Melli was inside making tea, and Lark played under the table.

Ry

Aylissa nodded. [Aye.]

[No wonder you were gone so long,] said Tip, studying the map. [That's all the way to Garia and back.]

Ry

[Aye,] said Farrix, nodding.

[All of them?]

Again Farrix nodded. [All of them,] he affirmed.

[Wull, I hope DelfLord Borl's ghost finds a way of vengeance,] said Beau.

[Borl?] asked Dinly.

[Of Mineholt North,] said Beau. [He was killed by Ruck arrow in the Skarpal Mountains as he and others battled the retreating Spawn; the Foul Folk were fleeing the broken siege of Mineholt North, then Borl's delf, now Bekki's.]

[Say, just how did the Foul Folk cross the Ironwater River?] asked Tip, yet staring at the map.

[Oh no,] groaned Beau, [they didn't destroy Bridgeton, did they?]

Ji

[To the north?] said Tipperton, looking at his chart. [I see no ford there.]

[Nevertheless there is one,] said Farrix, striding across the map and placing his finger on the sketch of the Iron-water just north of Bridgeton. [Though quite deep-I would think not passable at all when the river is in spring flood-this is where they crossed.]

[Hmm.] Tipperton marked his map tentatively as he mused, [Perhaps this is what they did when marching the other direction to set siege on Mineholt North. They bypassed Bridgeton then as well.]

[They could have crossed on ice at that time,] said Beau, [for I think it was winter then. Regardless, this time they went 'round Bridgeton again, and it is safe.] He turned to Li

On the map, Tip wrote, Deep Ford Here with an arrow to where Farrix pointed.

Farrix cocked his head 'round to read the words in Common and laughed. [Deep indeed. Even using the spa

Dinly frowned. [Why would Ogrus be afraid of a river?]

[They sink like a rock in water,] said Ji

[Bones like stones,] said Farrix.

[Ah,] said Dinly, enlightened.

Tipperton frowned. [It bothers me that they bypassed Bridgeton. -Oh, I'm certainly glad they did. It's just that it seems such a tempting target. What is the goal of a maggot-folk army if not to plunder cities?]

Beau held up a finger. [Hoy now, Tip, you said it yourself: the Riicken army went 'round it on the way to Mine-holt North.]

[Yes, but the Dwarvenholt was their goal, and so they had good reason to skirt it then, just as they disregarded Dael.]

Beau nodded, but added: [When the Mineholt siege was broken, they bypassed Bridgeton again as they fled.]

[They were ru

Beau laughed. [Angry Dwarves: nothing better to flee, eh?] As the others smiled, Beau sobered. [All I'm saying, Tip, is that every time the maggot-folk go past Bridgeton, they leave it alone.]

[Regardless as to their motives,] said Aylissa, [they marched to the Skarpals and within.]

[Retreating like the others, eh?] said Alver, looking at Beau.

Beau glanced at Tip and turned up his hands.

[Did you see any more maggot-folk?] asked Ry

[Ah, so that's who they were,] said Farrix. [A belated group heading east as well.]

[They hie for the Skarpals, too,] said Aylissa, [or so we believe.]

[Fleeing to hide in the mountains,] said Dinly. [All of them run away.]

[Say, I wonder if this has to do with the High King breaking the siege at Gunarring Gap?] said Beau. [Perhaps the reason they head for the Skarpals is that they think the war lost and they run for cover, just as Alver and Dinly say.]

Tip looked up from the map and shook his head. [Perhaps you are right, Beau, and the Skarpals is their final goal. But then again perhaps you are wrong and Modru has something else altogether in mi-]

"Hiyo! Hiyo!" came a shout.