“And Fivra?” Thrang questioned.
“Well, yes, Fivra was there as well,” said Thrain, his face turning bright red.
“Plotting with my own family, I see,” said Thrang with a laugh. “So has Fivra agreed to wait for your return before going to Vargland?”
“Oh, well,” Thrain stammered, clearly surprised that Thrang had guessed the truth. “Yes, he said he would wait until I could go with him.”
“That may be a long time,” Thorson said. “After all, you have this adventure to finish before you can go anywhere.”
“Yes, well, I did say I’d try to come back,” said Thrain. “Or I thought maybe Fivra could come to Benorg, once our adventure is done.”
“At least Thrain was able to talk Fivra into waiting,” Arconn pointed out. “I don’t think any of us could have done that.”
“I suppose that’s true,” said Thrang with a laugh. “But I think I would keep a closer eye on our young friend just the same.”
“Until you return, my friends,” said Thorson. “And perhaps Fivra will indeed be able to go to Benorg when you return.”
“Farewell, my brother,” Thrang said. “Keep an eye on the youngsters—they seem to be plotting together.”
Thorson laughed and waved to them all as Thrang led the company through the gates, away from Thorson’s house and into the city.
It appeared, however, that the people of the city were unwilling to let them leave without wishing them good luck once again. The streets of Kazad-Syn were crowded, and all along the way dwarfs were cheering them on and wishing them a safe journey.
“You are well thought of by the people of this city,” Arconn said as he rode beside Thrang. “They honor you greatly by this display.”
“Their wishes are for all of us,” said Thrang, smiling and waving to some friends as he spoke.
“Yet I doubt we would receive such a send-off if you were not our leader,” said Kat.
Soon they left the cheering crowds behind, and the city became a small green spot on the road behind them. Thrang’s good spirits did not falter, however, even when a soft rain began falling after their midday meal.
“Winter moves south quickly,” said Barnabus. “I am glad we are going south and not north.”
“This rain is hardly winter,” Thrang said with a laugh. “Though I confess I also am glad to be moving south. Winter is hard in the north, and travel is almost impossible.”
“How long will it take us to reach the Lost Mountains?” Alex questioned.
“Two, maybe three weeks,” said Thrang. “They are south and a little east of us, but the people Thorson spoke to in Kazad-Syn said the road is good. If we stay on the main road we shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“That’s what we thought when we left Benorg,” said Nellus with a grin.
“And there is the rumor of the hellerash,” Thrain added.
“That’s just a rumor,” said Thrang, looking a little uneasy. “I doubt we will see anything.”
“Some creatures grow strong when rumors remain rumors,” said Kat, her voice so low that only Alex heard her.
As they made camp for the night, the rain stopped and the clouds slowly broke apart and drifted away. Alex glanced up at the thousands of stars in the sky, letting his mind wander freely. It was a pleasant evening, yet something in Alex’s mind made him nervous. He glanced around the campsite, wondering if something was watching them, but he could see nothing.
“You felt something,” Kat said, moving up beside him; it was not a question.
“A nervous feeling, nothing more,” said Alex.
“I felt it too,” said Kat, a look of concentration on her face. “There is nothing there now, only the empty land.”
“Perhaps that is why I’m nervous,” said Alex, laughing softly.
“Too many dangers,” said Kat.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve faced too many dangers for one so young. Now you feel nervous when there are no dangers to face.”
“Perhaps,” Alex agreed. “Though I’m not in any rush to look for danger.”
“Danger seems to find you,” Kat answered with a smile. “I find that strange, but I am at a loss to explain it.”
“Don’t be troubled by it,” said Alex, turning back to the campfire.
Kat remained at the edge of the camp for a few minutes and then returned to the campfire as well.
The days passed and the weather seemed to change with each new day. Some days were warm and dry, others wet, and still others windy. Alex and his friends were not troubled by the weather, but they were starting to feel strangely nervous as they moved south. Nellus and Barnabus both tried to lighten the mood with jokes and songs, but were not always successful. Alex felt watchful, and he noticed that both Kat and Arconn would often stand and stare into the darkness around their camp at night.
On the eighth day away from Kazad-Syn, they camped beside a small stream, eating in silence as rain poured down on them. The campfire popped and sizzled in the rain, but because Alex had conjured it up with magic, it would not go out.
“Winter is moving south fast,” Thrang said, looking at the dark sky. “But we should still reach shelter in the Lost Mountains before the weather gets too bad.”
They finished their meals and hurried off to their dry tents. Alex let the conjured fire burn, though he had some misgivings about such a bright light on such a dark night. Arconn remained at the fire during Alex’s watch, and Alex had the feeling that the elf was listening for something, something that he could not hear over the noise of the falling rain.
The next morning, the rain had stopped, but the uneasy feelings had grown stronger. They were darker than the uneasy feelings they had experienced on the Isle of Bones. As they were eating their breakfast, Arconn wandered down to the stream, and then quickly returned with a troubled look on his face.
“What is it?” Kat questioned, setting aside her plate.
Alex jumped to his feet, looking around the campsite as if expecting a sudden attack.
“Just tracks in the mud,” said Arconn, trying to sound calm.
“Tracks?” Thrang questioned. “What kind of tracks?”
“They are difficult to read,” said Arconn. “I have never seen anything like them before, though they look something like wolf tracks.”
“Wolf tracks?” Thrang questioned. “There aren’t any wolves this far south in Thraxon.”
“Show me the tracks,” said Nellus as he got to his feet. “I’ve tracked many creatures in the past, and may be able to make some sense of them.”
Arconn led Nellus and the rest of the company back to the stream and pointed out the large tracks. They were all on the far bank, though none of them had come within five feet of the water.
“They do look a little like a wolf’s tracks, but they are too large,” Nellus said.
“That’s what I thought,” said Arconn, looking quickly at Thrang and then back to the tracks.
“Hellerash,” Thrang whispered. “Those are hellerash tracks.”
“What?” Barnabus asked, turning to look at Thrang.
“I thought the hellerash were vicious,” said Thrain softly. “If they’re as vicious as the stories say—and I heard a lot of stories in Kazad-Syn—then why didn’t it cross the stream and attack our camp?”
“Who can say?” answered Thrang, looking a little pale. “Perhaps this is the boundary to their territory, or perhaps they were afraid of the light from Alex’s conjured fire.”
“Or perhaps it was a single hellerash, and it has gone to get others,” Kat said darkly.
“Perhaps,” Thrang allowed. “Whatever the reason, we should all remain extra alert from now on. We should also have a double watch at night, just in case.”
“A wise precaution,” said Arconn. “And I think we should keep the horses closer to our tents as well.”
“Yes, that is a good idea,” Thrang agreed quickly, leading the company back toward the camp.
The journey that day was slow, and everyone kept glancing around them as they traveled, looking for any sign of movement. They saw nothing that day, and by the time they made camp for the night, Alex’s troubled feelings were beginning to subside. Thrang, however, seemed more nervous than ever, and he asked Alex to conjure up a fire that would burn brightly all night.