Signs passed between the hariland Lellin, angry on the haril'spart, urgent on Lellin's. "They believe you part of the strangers' force," Lellin said. "They ask why we ride with you. They have seen you two here before, alone."
"Near Mirrind," Vanye said very quietly, "there was one. I know what it was now. It ran away when we chased it." The haril'shand descended on his shoulder from behind, gentle as wind, and tightened, betraying enormous strength, wanting him to turn. He did so, and faced it, heart beating wildly as he stared up into that dark, strange face.
"It is you," Sezar said from horseback. "It is you that disturb them a tall Man, and too fair for a Shathana. They know that you are not of our blood."
"Lellin," said Morgaine, "I advise you do something before I do."
"Please, lady, do nothing. We are all alone here. Our folk have given no warning of this, and I do not think there are any of the arrhendimin the vicinity little they could help if they were. These woods are the harilim'sjust now, and our chances of escape are not good. They are not violent but they are very dangerous."
"Bring one of my arrows," Vanye said; and when no one moved: "Bring it!"
Lellin did so, moving very carefully. Vanye held it so that the harilcould see it and indicated the feathering, which was brown; and pointed at the arrow in the corpse, which bore white feathers. The harilspoke something to its fellows; they responded in tones that seemed at least less angry.
"Tell him," Vanye asked of Lellin, "that those Men out there in Azeroth are not our friends; that we come to fight them."
"I am not certain I can," Lellin said in despair. "There is no system to the signs; subtleties are almost impossible."
But he tried, and perhaps succeeded. The harilspoke to its fellows, and some of them gathered up the body of their dead and bore it into the woods.
Then the one behind set hand on Vanye and began to draw him away too. He resisted, planting his feet, and now he was very frightened, for the thing was strong -and they were still completely surrounded.
Lellin put himself in the haril'spath and signed a negative. The harilspat back a chittering retort, and beckoned.
"They want us all to come," Lellin said.
"Liyoget out of here."
She did not. Vanye turned his head, trying to reckon his chances of breaking for his horse and living to reach it. Morgaine did not move, doubtless weighing other considerations.
Sezar muttered something he did not hear clearly. "Their weapons are poisoned," Morgaine said more loudly. "Vanye, their darts are poisoned. I think Lellin has been persuaded by that from the beginning. We are in somewhat of a difficulty, and I fear that there are more of them that we do not see."
Sweat trickled down his face, cool as it was in the night "This is a ridiculous situation. I apologize for it. What do you advise, liyo?"
"Vanye asks for advice," she said to Lellin.
"I think we have no choice but to go where they wish and not to do anything violent. I do not think they will harm any of us unless they are threatened. They cannot speak to us; I think that they want to assure themselves of something or to demonstrate something. Their minds are very different; they are changeable and excitable. They rarely kill; but we do not enter their woods, either."
"Are these their woods, where you have led us?"
"They are ours, and we are now nearer Azeroth than I would have liked to come, following this one. Your enemies have roused something that we may all regret. KhemeisVanye, I do not think they will let you go until they have what they want, but I do not think they will harm you."
"Liyo?"
"Let us go with this a little way and see."
Lellin translated an affirmative sign. The hariltugged gently at Vanye's arm, and he went, while the others were allowed to go ahorse: he heard them following. The haril'shand slid to his wrist, a gentle grip, dry as old leaves and unpleasantly cold. The creature turned and chittered at him now and again as they came to rough ground, helped him up slopes, and when a time had passed in their journey, it let him go seeming to judge that he would stay with it. Then his fear diminished despite the strangeness of the face which occasionally turned to him in the dark. They were being urged to haste, but not threatened.
He looked back more than once, to be sure that they had not lost the others; but the riders stayed with them, more slowly and by a course the horses could follow. Sezar brought Mai along, which he was glad to see. But when his looking back delayed him, a touch came on his shoulder: shuddering, he faced the haril,which seized him a time and hurried him on.
He tried signs of his own, making what among Andurin signed for where!-a pass of the open palm back and forth supine. The harilseemed not to comprehend. It touched his face with clinging, spidery fingers, replied with a sign he did not understand, and hurried him on, through the thicket and up slopes and on and on until he was panting.
They came briefly into the open between trees. The harilseized his arm again to be sure of him, for suddenly there was a dead man at their feet, and another, as they crossed that area, bodies almost hidden in the dark and the leaves. He saw the leather and cloth in the starlight and knew them for the enemy. One carried arrows, white-feathered. He resisted the harilenough to bend and gather one up, showing the creature the nature of the feather. The harilseemd to understand, and took the arrow from him and threw it down. Come, come,it beckoned him.
He glanced over his shoulder and for a moment panicked, for he no longer saw the others. Then they came into view, and he yielded to the haril'spulling at him. It began to go very quickly, so that he was rapidly exhausted by the pace, for he was in armor and the creature strode wide with its stalking gait.
Then they were at a complete break in the forest: trees ceased, and starlight fell clearly across a wide plain. Something else glowed there, the glare of fires spangled across the open. Where they stood there was wood hewn, trees felled, their wounds stark in the faint light. The harilpointed to those, to the camp, and signed at him, at him,accusingly.
No,he signed back. Whatever it wanted or suspected that had to do with himself and that camp, the answer was no. Morgaine and the others overtook them now, and harilimwere all about them. He looked up at her, and she gazed at the campfires of the enemy.
"This is not their main strength," she whispered for Lellin's benefit; and that was true, for the camp was not nearly large enough-nor would Roh or Hetharu likely give up possession of the Gate of Azeroth's center.
"This is what the harilimbrought us to see," Lellin said. "They, are angry for the trees, for the killing. They blame us that this has been allowed."
"Vanye," Morgaine said softly. 'Try; mount up quickly."
He moved, without prelude or hesitation, flung himself for Mai's side and scrambled into the saddle. There was a stir among the harilim,but none moved to stop him. He remembered the poisoned weapons and sat the nervous horse with his heart pounding against his ribs.
Morgaine turned Siptah slowly, to regain the shelter of the woods. Harilimstood gathered in the way, stick-like arms uplifted, refusing them passage.