He rode Firareth a little away from the camp, out beyond the pickets. It was already dark, and he conjured a ball of Coldfire. The ball of azure light turned the snow around him a brilliant blue.
Above him the sky was bright with stars. Meriec was probably right. Winter must be almost over.
It was going to be a glorious spring.
He was actually surprised when Shalkan came trotting up to him. He hadn't seen Shalkan for several days since the two of them had slain the Prince of Shadow Mountain, in fact and he certainly hadn't seen him lurking around the edges of Kellen's makeshift army as they'd ridden through the Delfier Valley. But still, here he was. The unicorn looked, as always, composed and imperturbable.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Kellen said.
"We aren't finished with each other yet," Shalkan replied.
"I guess we aren't," Kellen said. "So… Cilarnen is going to be Arch-Mage of Armethalieh."
"So I heard," Shalkan said. "Nice of you to tell me."
"I haven't seen much of you lately."
Shalkan snorted rudely. Kellen sighed. The unicorn wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. But it wasn't his fault. He hadn't really been that accessible. Not to a unicorn, anyway.
"I'm sorry," he said penitently. "I'll try harder to make myself available."
"You'd better," Shalkan said meaningfully. "I still have to keep an eye on you, you know."
"It's not like I can get into that much trouble out here," Kellen pointed out. How was it that Shalkan could manage in only a couple of words to make him feel as if he'd never been anywhere or done anything and still needed looking out for?
"You're going to Stonehearth tomorrow. And trust me, Sarlin will bear watching."
Sarlin? Oh. "The Lady of Stonehearth. Cilarnen mentioned her. Don't worry. I won't get into trouble." No point in wondering how Shalkan knew something he'd only decided a few minutes ago. Kellen had long since realized that unicorns had their own sources of information.
"See that you don't."
"So… do you want all the details?"
"It would be a nice gesture on your part," Shalkan said grumpily.
Quickly Kellen told the unicorn all that he'd discussed with the Elves under his command, about splitting the army up into a number of small mobile units, in order to cover the whole of the Wild Lands more swiftly and efficiently.
"Thought that up all by yourself, did you?" Shalkan said, when he'd finished.
Kellen sighed. Shalkan snickered.
"It needs to be done," Kellen said.
"It does," the unicorn agreed. "And afterward. What then?"
After Sentarshadeen. After the funeral.
"I don't suppose I've thought that far ahead," Kellen said.
"You'll have to eventually," Shalkan said.
"I know," Kellen said.
"Go to bed," Shalkan said. "You'll have a busy day tomorrow."
* * * * *
TWO days later, Kellen and his troop rode up to the gates of Stonehearth.
He was relieved to see that the village appeared to be in good shape. Cilarnen had told them of the devastation the Demons had caused here several moonturns before, and the southern route had been the main line of march for the Demon Army on its path to Armethalieh. But Stonehearth seemed to have escaped.
The gates were already open as he and his Knights approached. Several Centaurs trotted out through the snow toward them, a young blonde Centauress in the lead. She must be Sarlin, the Lady of Stonehearth.
Kellen reined in Firareth and waited for them to approach.
"I greet you in the name of Andoreniel, King of the Elves," he said, when she reached them. "And I bring you good news: They have been defeated."
"'They'?" Sarlin only looked puzzled. And worried.
Despite himself, Kellen smiled. No need not to speak Their name anymore, lest it draw Their attention.
"The Demons. They have been defeated. You are safe now." Now a look of joy suffused Sarlin's features. "Herdsman be praised! Then… you are Elves?"
Kellen reached up and pulled off his helmet. "My Knights are Elves. My name is Kellen Tavadon. I "
"You are from the human city! You're the one Cilarnen went to look for! Did he find you? Is he "
"Cilarnen is safe and well," Kellen said. "And he is a great hero. And a friend of mine."
"Oh, I knew he would be!" Sarlin gasped, rearing up on her hind legs in her excitement. "Can you Will you come in? All of you? Will you tell me about him?"
"Gladly," Kellen said. "We need your help, as well."
"We will do anything," Sarlin said fervently.
* * * * *
THEY stayed three days at Stonehearth, using it as a base as they swept the surrounding area, looking for signs of the Enemy.
They found one or two, wounded stragglers from the party they had slain. They also found a pack of Ice Trolls, dead of sunlight when their magic failed them. They burned all the bodies.
Kellen found himself glad of Shalkan's warning. Sarlin whether because Kellen was Cilarnen's friend, or because she was simply relieved that the Demons were gone was just a bit… fervent. Kellen found himself rather uncomfortable in her presence. But there was little to be done about it, save make certain that he was never alone with her, and that was easy to arrange, as the addition of fifty Elven Knights and their mounts crowded the Centaur Village almost to bursting.
One thing Kellen did find very useful in his time at Stonehearth was that Sarlin and the rest of the village elders were able to provide him with detailed information about other villages in the area, something the Elven maps he had brought with him sorely lacked. As Kellen had hoped and expected, they were little more than a day's ride apart at least for Elven destriers and Sarlin assured him that every village and farming community in the area would be as happy as Stonehearth had been to host them, out of gratitude for the news they brought.
On the third day, Kellen and his Knights moved on.