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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
All nine now sat in a rough circle round the low blaze. The
albino pair sat side by side, the pholtite priest Henri though only
a foot or so away, sat apart, removed and distant. "We did well." Their H
igh Elf leader began. "Now we must plan
what our next step will be."
"I have said this to Telenstil" Talberth spoke up, "and I want
to say this again to all. Last night I feel we could have done much more.
Our surprise is gone and all that it seems we have achieved is to thin
their number by two."
A grumble of voices broke out though none much louder than the
rest.
"True." said Telenstil, "We took only our first steps, but
tis will be no easy undertaking, no simple task. Last night we could
have stumbled upon more vigilant guards, or fought against the entire
giant clan. Though each of us has proven their worth and comes upon
this endeavor with royal support, these giants are very dangerous
foes. Those gathered here alone could smash a castle or defeat a small
army. And these are but the vanguard. Nosnra is the head of a much
larger beast."
"Nosnra is not the head." a stentorian voice declared. The silent
Henri spoke and all turned to see and listen to his prophetic tones.
"e is but a hand, the first to reach out and smash into the realms
below his hills. Holy Pholtus gives me sight, His light reveals a darker
will that heads this giant chief."
"Yes," said Telenstil. "I mispoke. My Lady Queen says such may be
as well. Were it simply Nosnra, though a mighty giant chief he be, this
would be an easier task. His death may blunt a deadly sword but more
than just his kind have been seen in the lands below."
"I have seen such." Declared the cleric Gytha. "My flock dwells
among the hills and outlands of my homeland, Geoff. I say my flock, as
I am a shepherd to my people, but the wolves have come and they are no
more. Empty homes where those who lived have fled, and burnt remains of
those who would not, they died among their herds and fields or lie
among the ruins of house and home. And some are simply gone, if any do
survive perhaps they are kept within Nosnra's wooden walls."
"Tell of these others." the greybeard Harald said.
"My pardon." She bowed her head. "I pursued these wolves with
Harald here and others, rangers of the hills and woods. We caught a
drunken straggler, these giants love their drink, this one had swigged
a barrel of three winter cider thinking it but mild ale. It felled him
like the Saints own cudgel. We bound him tight, trussed him like a hog
for slaughter, then made him talk, the Saint pardon my deception, but
even such as that giant drunken lout I could not have slain helpless
as he was, but I saw no harm in letting him believe his slow painful
death was near." She paused for breath.
"These others." prompted the small Harold.
"I beg your pardon once again." Gytha ga a thoughtful frown.
"I am no teller of tales, I know how only to begin and say what I have
to say till I am done."
"Please go on, we will not interrupt." Talberth said and gave a
dark look across the fire at both halfling and aging hero.
"My anks." she said and smiled so to cause Talberth a painful
fluttering within. "This giant, he talked, the ranger Arawn could speak
and understand their gravelly tongue. He bragged and boasted, still half
drunk, he cursed us vilely, but spoke of his great chief, a cousin to this
Nosnra, Karnash he named his chieftain to be. He told how at their hall
they had hosted strong allies for a war to come. They had cleaned out
an ice cooled cavern, a storage place for fresh killed meat, and made it
into sleeping chamber for their blue-skinned guests."
"Frost Giants." Harald disregarding Talberth's word broke in.
"Yes," Gytha continued. "And such, this giant said, had come along
with him that very day, they could be no more than an hour or two ahead."
"A giants sp is very wide, no need to say I know, " Harald began
his tale. "Two hours lead, " he laughed, "we never would have matched
their pace let alonovertaken them, but they were drunk, just like
the one we'd caught. We found three giants, blond haired and blue skinned,
they sweltered in the cool air, but sang and stumbled and passed a barrel
back and forth. They made these giants here look like unshaven, untried
youths. Half-blind drunk they fought and came close to killing me, they
downed three rangers out of five. They fought with boulders and with bare
hands, clumsy as any tavern drunk could be, but dangerous still like an
avalanche, a force of nature, like a winter storm they were. We killed
them all, nochance to capture. I brought back a splendid head." Harald
smiled. "Pickled it in that three winter apple wine."
* * *
(To Be Continued)