Farly scowled and looked at Cein. "But Beau did ask a good question: why would Modru send his forces running to Rimmen Gape? -Assuming, of course, that's their goal."
Cein turned up a hand. "I know not the mind of Modru, nor such would I desire."
"Well, whatever his reason, wherever they are bound," said Rynna, peering at the distant march, "it must be important for him to drive his forces so."
Beau frowned in puzzlement, for with Rynna's dire words an ephemeral thought had flickered through his mind, but ere he could capture it, it was gone.
Walking, riding, and at times resting, Tip and Nix maintained a good distance between the maggot-folk and themselves. Weary were Warrows and ponies alike, their steps lagging, for they had been on the move for a day and a night and another full day and part of the second night as well, and only starlight illumed the land. Even so, in the distance ahead, the two buccen could see the notch of Rim-men Gape silhouetted against the indigo sky.
"We've got to be careful now," said Tip, stepping 'round a grassy hummock, "for if the Ghuls are nearabout, it'll be in the pass where they've stopped, or so I would think. It's a choke point, you know. Anyone coming or going along Landover Road has to pass through there."
Plodding at Tip's side, Nix looked across at him. "Who might that be? -I mean, who or what is so important that Modru would send his Ghuls ahead to lay a trap along the Landover, and his maggot-folk to follow after?"
Tip shook his head, and on they walked in the starlit shadows, leading the ponies after.
"They're still faring for Rimmen Gape," said Dara Cein, looking at the stars above. "At the pace they set, they'll come to it by dawn at the latest."
"Good," said Beau, his voice weary.
Linnet looked at the buccan. "Good?"
Beau nodded. "The Blackwood curves around and nearly reaches the slot, and if Tynvyr and Picyn have succeeded, there'll be a force of Hidden Ones nigh."
"Dylvana and Baeron, too," said Rynna, awake from her doze in the saddle.
They rode without speaking for long moments more, but finally Rynna once again asked, "What could be driving them so?"
"There," whispered Tip. "Just behind the hillocks on either side. See?"
Nix peered down where Tip pointed. "Helsteeds."
"And look just above on this side of the crests," breathed Tipperton, "Ghuls waiting and watching."
From the slopes above Braeton, the two buccen looked through the predawn light and down at the ambush set along the Landover Road.
"Some thirty or so, I tally," said Nix.
"Aye," said Tip. "The whole of the Ghuls from Eryn Ford I would imagine, but for the few escorting the surrogate."
Dawn pinked the sky.
Tip peered southerly. "Here come the maggot-folk."
Out on the wold some two or three miles distant and boiling northeasterly came the Spawn.
"Tip, look! On the road east."
Tip swung his gaze toward where Nix pointed. "Oh Adon," groaned Tip, "this is why they set ambush."
East of Braeton and riding toward Rimmen Gape came a band of Elven riders, travel-worn, drooping, wounded.
"I should have known! I should have known!" cried Tip in despair. He leaped to his feet and headed for his pony, no longer trying,to remain hidden.
"What? What is it?" appealed Nix, jumping up and following.
"It's Galarun and Aravan and the company, or what's left of it," gritted Tip. "We've got to do something."
As the buccen swung up onto the ponies, Nix turned to Tip. "Why would Modru pull his Spawn from Eryn Ford and set an ambush for these few Elves?"
"If they've succeeded in their mission, they are bearing a great token of power, a silver sword, one that'll slay Gy-phon Himself, if the rumors are true. Modru hopes to stop them."
"All right, then, what'll we do?"
Air hissed in and out through Tip's clenched teeth, and then he said, "Stampede the Helsteeds before the Ghuls can reach them and mount up to waylay Galarun."
Nix nodded. "If the ponies don't flee from the stench."
Kicking his heels into his weary steed's flanks-"You take this side; I'll take that"-Tip galloped down the slope, Nix riding after.
Down the slant they ran, toward the Helsteeds tethered on either side of the road, and even as the Ghuls started down the slope toward the scaled creatures, Tip flew past the first group, while Nix rode among them crying "Yah, yah!" And Helsteeds began to kick and bite at the darting pony and at one another, and jerk loose from their teth-erings to squeal and mill and clash.
And Tip galloped across the road and in among the other 'Steeds, and as he did so, he raised to his lips the black-oxen horn-Dediana's horn given to him by Linde-and blew blast after blast as he charged through the cloven-hoofed rout. And the sound of the Harlingar horn panicked the beasts, both on this side and that of the road, and squealing and grunting in alarm, they scattered.
And on the road, Lian Elves raised weary heads, and unsheathed swords and took lances in hand in the dawn.
"Krystallopyr!" whispered Aravan, gripping his spear and truenaming it, making ready for combat. Even as the horn sounded, the small, blue stone amulet at his throat grew chill with peril… as it had done so many times on the journey to Black Mountain and back. And now it and the black-oxen horn called out danger, and neither would be denied.
"Ready!" barked Galarun, sword in hand, another sword-one of silver-strapped across his back. And he motioned to Larana, and she raised an argent clarion to her lips and blew an answer to the oxen horn, the silvery notes belling clear.
The sound of a Harlingar horn rang over the wold, and Spawn hearing it hesitated. Yet the Ghuls surrounding the surrogate cried out in their foul tongue, and whips lashed about and the maggot-folk began to run through the daybreak shadows and toward the gap ahead. And then a silver note rang, but the Spawn stopped not in their race.
"That's Tip's horn!" cried Beau. "He's in trouble!" And he leaped astride his pony and spurred forward, galloping after Rynna flying across the wold, Linnet and Farly and all the Dylvana racing after. And then an Elven horn sounded in the distance ahead.
As the Helsteeds scattered before the buccen, Ghuls sprang up from their ambuscade and yawled in fury and with cruelly barbed spears in hand they ran toward the two Warrows on ponies, the corpse-folk ready to slay.
"Ride! Ride!" called Tip, and he and Nix wrenched their overtired ponies 'round to flee down the Landover Road, only to see a vanguard of Spawn scrambling across the way, two thousand others shrieking war cries and racing after.
And behind the buccen came savage Ghuls, the corpse-foe overtaking the two ponies, the little steeds stumbling in exhaustion.
Tip raised the black-oxen horn once again to his lips and blew a second time, and Rflpt quailed back from the sound, and the Ghuls slowed a step or two in their pursuit -and Lian slammed into them from the rear, lances piercing, swords riving, Aravan's truenamed spear burning wherever it struck flesh, Ghuls howling even as they died upon the dark crystallic blade. Yet Elves died too, impaled by barbed spear. But the corpse-foe could not withstand Aravan's deadly lance nor the beheading strikes of swords, and they yielded back from the Lian, no longer disputing the way.
And toward Tipperton and Nix did Galarun and company ride and toward Darda Erynian beyond.
And yet two thousand Spawn stood across the way.
A third time did Tipperton blow Dediana's horn, and lo! the call was answered from the nearby woodland as a horse-borne company of Dylvana and Baeron came charging out from the trees, while at the same time a small band of Dylvana came racing across the wold, four Warrows on ponies running alongside, arrows flying and sling bullets hurtling to slam into the Spawn.