Elfhunter (39 page)

Gorgon did so, focusing all his thoughts on finding
and eliminating the Elves one by one. He began breathing normally
again, concentrating on dominating the mirror. It was his now and
would serve his purpose. It would always pain him, but he would
bear it.

At first, all was blackness, but slowly his vision
came into focus. Then he heard Gaelen’s name being called
repeatedly, followed by a blurred, wavering vision of the faces of
the fair-haired She-elf and the tall Aridan. Gorgon witnessed the
revival of Gaelen with a sort of pained fascination. He could see
the others in the party: an old dwarf and two other men. And there
was the dark-haired Elf, the one who had finally run him
underground.

They appeared to be concerned for Gaelen, though
Gorgon did not know why. He could hear her muttering as she stared
at the fire. This was going to be trickier than he thought, as he
would not be able to bear the mirror for more than a short period
at any given time. Whether he saw or heard anything of real
importance would be largely a matter of luck. Yet this ability
would aid him, no doubt about that.

He stood with his eyes closed against the pain, still
focusing on the vision in his mind. Gaelen had lifted her eyes from
the fire, and was now looking at Rogond, who offered her food and
drink. "Perhaps later," she said. The Aridan then sat beside her,
placing his cloak about her shoulders. "Stop fussing over me,
Rogond. I told you, I’m all right. I would rather have made more
progress today; we will never get to Cós-domhain if we keep this
pace."

Gorgon galvanized. Cós-domhain—how very interesting.
He smiled in spite of his pain. Only a few minutes, and he had
already learned of their destination…how excellent! Deep within his
fortress, Lord Wrothgar was satisfied. Gorgon was impressed with
his gift already, and as time passed he would become more adept at
using it. The Elves would never know what had befallen them, and he
would pick them off one by one. He would know of their whereabouts
and when they were getting too close, should they suspect his
presence. They would never catch him if he remained cautious. Who
knew what sort of information Gorgon would discover? Wrothgar was,
in general, pleased with this plan. It seemed that the labor of
creating Gorgon might prove to have been worthwhile after all.

Nelwyn was lost in thought as she stood upon the
hilltop, keeping the watch over the encampment, for this land was
not without its perils. They had come to the separation of their
paths, and tomorrow they would decide who among them would turn
west to cross the mountains and who would go beneath them. Nelwyn
had volunteered for the watch this night, and Galador would no
doubt be joining her soon, for it was his habit. At such times they
would speak quietly with one another, sharing their thoughts, and
she had learned much of him in this way. But now she was unhappy
about the upcoming division of the Company, yet she could not sway
Galador in his determination to part ways with the others.

Nelwyn knew that he was deeply troubled and fearful
of the passage under the mountains, though she did not yet know
why. He had certainly been uncomfortable when they had been forced
under the Monadh-hin, and not without reason, yet they all had,
even Rogond. Galador was keeping something from them, something
that made it necessary for him to turn from his companions even if
they faced grave peril without him. Nelwyn knew that he was very
old compared with the rest of them and had lived in places and seen
things they could only imagine; yet it would take a lot to turn him
from Rogond.

It was with such thoughts in her mind that Nelwyn
sensed a presence behind her and turned to investigate. Gaelen was
standing there. She had left the others and gone out walking, alone
among the stars. "Where is Galador? I would have thought he would
be with you, as always," Gaelen said, with only a hint of
resentment in her voice. She had precious little time alone with
Nelwyn since the coming of Galador.

She liked him, and rejoiced that he had found love
and happiness at last, but she also wished that he would not have
come between Nelwyn and herself to such an extent. Nelwyn heard
this in Gaelen’s voice, and she sorrowed, for she knew that Gaelen
had been largely shut out of her life of late. They had nearly
always depended on each other, had saved each other’s lives on
several occasions, and had been inseparable until now. Nelwyn
didn’t like the prospect of

taking separate paths any more than Gaelen did.

"He is not here at present, but I expect he soon will
be," Nelwyn answered. "It’s just as well, for I would speak with
him. There is something troubling him that he has not told me
about, something that prevents him from going under the mountain.
But I suppose it is well that we are not all going, as someone must
get the horses across to Talsithian." She sat down beside her
cousin, and they shared their cloaks against the chill, for the
wind was rising.

"I thought Thorndil and Belegund were to travel
across with the horses," said Gaelen, who was unwilling to admit
that there was a positive side to Galador’s reluctance.

"The intentions of Thorndil and Belegund are as yet
unknown. Perhaps they are bent on staying with Rogond," said
Nelwyn.

Gaelen sniffed. "I thought Galador was Rogond’s
dearest friend and thus would be bent on staying with him. I just
do not understand." Nelwyn loved her cousin, but she was beginning
to get annoyed, and was inclined to speak in defense of Galador.
"You are
my
dearest friend, Gaelen, and yet you will
separate from me to stay with Rogond. You will not cross the
mountains with us, but instead will remain with the Tuathan and the
dwarf ? And what is your lofty motive for this course? Admit it!
You wish to get beneath the mountains in the hope that you will
pick up the trail of your enemy, the sooner to pursue him with
foolish overconfidence. I love you, Gaelen, and would fall
defending you. But sometimes you frighten me." As soon as the words
escaped her, she regretted them. Gaelen was not likely to forget
them, either.

"My motives are not lofty. I simply feel compelled to
remain with Rogond. This encounter he seeks may bring him great joy
or make him very unhappy and disappointed. And to whom shall he
turn then? His friend Galador, with whom he shares his thoughts,
will be in Tal-sithian, along with you. My motives are no more
lofty than that. As for finding the trail of the enemy, you have
listened too long to Galador if you believe that I would pursue him
lightly now that I understand his nature. I would correct you on
one other point, as well. He is not merely my enemy. He is the
enemy of our race and our very way of life. The sooner he is dead,
the better, but I will not confront him again until I have
considerably more power beside me.

I thank you for your vote of confidence." She rose
somewhat stiffly, and turned to Nelwyn, cutting off her
apology.

"Galador is coming. Perhaps he will enlighten you as
to the real reason he chooses to abandon his friends. In the
meantime, I know you did not mean to say what was said, but
sometimes what we do not mean to say expresses our true feelings. I
will take my leave of you now, for my presence here will interfere
with your ability to inquire of Galador. I would very much like to
know of his motives, if he has them. Perhaps you will share them
with me on a time."

Nelwyn watched her go as Galador approached from the
other side of the hill. Gaelen had been hurt by Nelwyn’s words and
had left without giving her a chance to explain or take them back.
There was nothing to do for it now. Galador came up behind Nelwyn,
embraced her, and they sat down together. Now she would try to
learn the real motive for his reluctance to enter Cós-domhain. She
hoped he would trust her sufficiently to tell her of it and that
Gaelen would understand.

Some time later, Nelwyn sat with Galador’s head in
her lap, stroking his long, dark hair, still wondering how best to
broach the subject of his underlying fears. None of the ideas she
had entertained up to now seemed right. She could just imagine
Gaelen’s approach:
So, Galador, what is the REAL reason that you
choose to abandon your friends?
She smiled in the darkness. No,
that approach would not do at all. But she finally decided to
simply ask him directly, as he loved her, and she knew she needn’t
fear his reaction to an honest question.

"Galador, my love, why will you not go under the
mountain? I know there is something else besides uncertainty of the
descendants of Rûmm. Will you not make this clear to me? We are
leaving our friends in what I have foreseen to be a time of peril.
Please, beloved, open your heart and let me help you if I may."

Galador stiffened, and his eyes met Nelwyn’s in the
deep starlight. She had never known anyone so beautiful, or so
complicated. She was unswerving in her love and would never abandon
him. "I will always love you, no matter what may befall us," she
whispered. "Your heart and its secrets are safe. I will not
disparage you. Please, help me to understand."

He sat up then and threw his cloak across her
shoulders, drawing her close. "Ah, Nelwyn. I will tell you, but you
must not reveal what I am going to say to anyone. Rogond knows it
already. And you must promise not to turn from your course and to
stay with me on the path to Tal-sithian. I believe you will
understand once I have told you."

Nelwyn nodded, promising to keep his secret, though
she did not look forward to informing Gaelen that she could not
share with her. Galador then proceeded to tell her a tale of two
events: one that had happened in a time long past and another that
had happened much more recently in Mountain-home. When he had
finished, Nelwyn did indeed understand his motive, and she knew
that she could not turn from her course beside him, for to do so
would break his heart.

She prayed that her friends would find their way
safely beneath the mountain and would meet them in Tal-sithian, but
that was not what Galador had foreseen. He had seen death stalking
the Company beneath the mountain, and would no more go there now
with Nelwyn than kill her himself.

"Something lurks under the mountain, and at least one
of our friends may not come out again. One thing is certain—if you
go with them, you will die. I have foreseen it." He held Nelwyn as
she wept with fear for her friends.

"Then, we must stay them all from this course! I
would not lose any of them!" she cried. "How can you let Rogond
go?"

Galador tried to calm her. "Hush, Nelwyn. Rogond
knows of this, as I have told him. Yet he would not be diverted
from his path, for it is of great importance to him, and he knows
that my visions do not always come to pass. Besides, it was only
your
death that was foreseen."

Nelwyn could not stop trembling. "But surely, we must
warn them all of this! Perhaps they might choose differently."

Galador shook his head. "It is enough that Rogond
knows. He will discourage Thorndil and Belegund."

Nelwyn drew back from him and looked into his eyes.
"And what of Gaelen? Would you have her walk unknowingly into
peril?" "Of course not, but…I sensed from my vision that she was
not in danger. Rogond might be, though, and you most of all. I
tried to turn Rogond from his path, but he is set upon it; he so
desperately searches for answers to his identity. This is a hard
burden for me to bear, for I would not abandon Rogond if I had any
other choice. But to protect you from this fate is the only choice
I can make. Fear of the enmity of dwarves is just a façade." He
sighed. "I’m sincerely tired of Fima’s reaction to it…he teases me
without mercy."

"He is merely trying to reassure you by making you
see that your fears are groundless. You would be quite safe in
Cós-domhain with both Fima and Rogond at your side."

"I would not be entirely sure of that, Nelwyn. But
you now know that my fears are not of the dwarves. Remember that
night in Mountain-home, when you dreamed of the great evil that
stalks us? My vision was much the same. You could not stop crying
until we found Gaelen and Rogond. What you do not realize is that I
wept for YOU as you lay beside me. I have seldom had such a vivid
and frightening vision before, but when they happen, I have learned
to pay attention to them."

Nelwyn looked into his face and saw deep anxiety
written there. She held him in a reassuring embrace. "I will go
with you, my love, do not fear. Yet I am troubled and afraid for my
friends. Can we not tell them all of this, so that they may choose?
They will not disparage you, for they love and respect you. Please,
Galador, at least let me tell Gaelen that she must be ever watchful
of Rogond."

Galador stiffened in her embrace. "Gaelen? You want
to tell
her
that I’ve dragged you away because of a bad
dream? You want me to open my deepest thoughts and fears to her?
Oh, most certainly!" His sarcasm was obvious, and he knew
immediately that it was a mistake. Nelwyn drew back from him, and
in a moment she had broken free of his embrace and stood before
him. It was the first time he had ever seen her truly angry.

"And you decry her for
her
pride! You would
let her walk into this darkness alone and uninformed rather than
explain yourself to her? Well, here is a bitter truth for you: she
would never do the same to you. She would care more for your
safety. You had better confront her,

Galador, unless you love this hilltop, for here you
will stay until you do. And I will not take one step toward
Tal-sithian until you have spoken with her. I promised not to
reveal your secret, but you
shall
. Only then will I go with
you to the Lake-realm."