From alt.pub.dragons-inn Sun Feb 19 19:41:44 1995 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:8153 Path: netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!torn!newshost.uwo.ca!ts3-80.slip.uwo.ca!mdevries From: mdevries@julian.uwo.ca Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [WAYFARERS] was At the Inn Date: Sat, 18 Feb 1995 09:10:19 LOCAL Organization: ITS, UWO Lines: 185 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: ts3-80.slip.uwo.ca X-Authenticated: mdevries@ts3-80.slip.uwo.ca X-Newsreader: Trumpet for Windows [Version 1.0 Rev B final beta #4] (Copyright 1995, all rights reserved) Authors: E. Laycock Sleeaeth (E.A.Laycock@sheffield.ac.uk) M. DeVries Tyloril (mdevries@julian.uwo.ca) S. Vanhorn Jason (svanhorn@xmission.com) Sleeaeth smiles, almost sadly to the elf. He seemed so wise in some respects, and yet so innocent in others. Had she ever been so carefree in attitude, she wondered, and the memories caused her vision to blur, and she looked away before he could see the tears forming, blinked them away, and turned back. "Perhaps I survive, because it is the only thing I know how to do." she says simply. Her face shows for a moment indecision, as if she is struggling within whether to say something or not, she decides not. There is a pause, then she says, "so, how is it that you deem to travel with the likes of me?" she says it without malice, but with a touch of sarcasm and a weariness that suggests that it has been a stigma she has lived with all of her life. "Feelings are very much like these," she holds out her hand, calloused and scarred, "it hurts at first, then the skin goes hard, and it stops hurting... eventually.... as much" Tyloril tilted his head to the side in a quizzical gesture. "Would it not be better to ask why I would not travel with you? I do not know you, so how could I deem you an unsuitable travelling companion?" The elf's eyes slid down to the blades Sleeaeth carried. "Of course, some might think me the fool to travel with a stranger who might easily remove my head." Sleeaeth laughed softly at that, some of her spirits returning. "Nevertheless, I do not believe you have such intentions. So far you have shown me only kindess, and even some concern for my well-being. Things I do not take lightly. But what of you? Why is it that you seem to expect that any moment I will send you on your way? That I desire your company less then you do mine?" Sleeaeth looked at the elf, "Well, you may as well know, since you'll be sure to find out anyway....." she pauses, "to be half elven is looked on by many elves in the same way as, I don't know...as a mule is to a horse, something second class, even an abomination by some, to be pitied and despised, by humans we're looked on with suspicion, because we're different. If we stay with humans, we watch them age while we grow little older. It's a very lonely existance My mother was elven, but she died soon after I was born, my father, I think, loved her very much, but he was killed.....I had to leave the place where I was born soon after, I couldn't stay...." "I left and adventured, with many different people, Human, Elves and others. I don't go around severing the heads of my travelling companions, it's very antisocial!" **** Outside the city gates, near a small copse of battered trees, Sleeaeth reined in her mount, "we'd better wait for Jason here, I hope he catches up" soon. "If you don't mind I'll just get a catnap for a few minutes," she winks roguishly, "Y'never know when you'll have to do without sleep". She dismounts, ties her reins quickly, puts the hood up on her cloak and curls into a small ball, totally enclosed in the dark wool. Despite the fact that it's mid morning, her breathing becomes soft and regular. Tyloril spread his arms wide and gave a stretch. It was good to be outside of the city, away from all the noise, the stench, the narrow roads, and tall buildings. He took a moment to look at Sleeaeth's sleeping form. She was a puzzle to him. She spoke of many things, but completed few of them. She did not mention why she had to leave her village, or perhaps why she chose to. She did say that elves looked on half-blood's as lesser creatures, but Tyloril did not follow that philosophy, nor had he any intention to. He really was not an elf, not in mind anyway. He had spent most of his life away from not only his own race, but most others as well. Tyrloril had few regrets though, although he might have liked to have known his parents better. Banishing the thoughts from his head, Tyloril turned his gaze skyward. A storm was coming. A few clouds dotted the sky but the signs were unmistakable. He did not even have to see the sky, he could feel it in the air. The elf looked back over his shoulder to see what was keeping Jason so long. Sleeaeth half opened one eye. It was so nice to be able to trust someone enough to stand guard over her without having at least one dagger to hand. Strange also that she should trust the elf after so short a time. "Must be getting soft" she thought to herself, closing her eyes and falling restfully asleep. The horses continued forward at a walk, and soon as the sun moved across the sky, the city was left far behind them. As they continued on, Tyloril began to worry. Dark clouds were forming in the sky, and there was no sign of the town for which they were bound. Tyloril knew the storm was coming too fast. Earlier in the day he had guessed that it might hit just after nightfall, but now he knew they had less than an hour. The elf brought his horse in close beside Sleeaeth's and tapped her on the shoulder. She awoke immediately, her hand instinctively on her sword hilt. "What's wrong?" she asked after giving the area a quick survey and seeing nothing wrong. "A storm is coming. We should seek shelter." Sleeaeth looked at the clouds. "I've ridden in worse." "It's not natural, Sleeaeth. Something or someone has caused the weather to wrong. I don't think we should take the chance." Sleeaeth could see the concern in the elf's eyes. "We should wait for Jason, if we get separated we will never meet up again, and he is the only one who knows where to go for the information you seek. Perhaps we can fix up some sort of shelter in these trees here, that way we can still see the road, and not have to turn round to go back into the town." The half elf looks at the gathering clouds. "It does look like it may be a bad storm," she conceeds, "shall we get the horses secured, and a fire lit? After all it will act as a guide to Jason as well." They had just started their preparations, when stepping out of the trees several paces up the road walked Jason, a bloody dagger at his side. He approached the other two slowly, eyeing them carefully. Quicker than the eye, he pulled a rag out from his pants and wiped the blood from his small blade. He raised a smile on his face as he sheathed the dagger on his leg. "Before you ask," Jason said, hand on hips, "I ran into a little trouble on the way up here." He looked past the two toward the city and then smiled, looking genuinely at the other two. "But there's nothing to worry about!" A strange silence settled amoung the three as Jason inspected the sky specuatively. "Rain, I'd guess. We'd better find a large tree or a haystack or a cave or something. . .any ideas?" "I think I'd rather not be under a tree if you don't mind" said Sleeaeth," although I think there's probably a farm over there" she said, gesturing. I'm sure I remember seeing it on the way towards the town." She looks at the clouds. "We'd better get a move on," turning to Jason,"would you like to ride, or do you still want to run?" So saying she turns towards the distant farm. "I think I'll walk," Jason smiled. "It's only a little ways from here. Perhaps we can stay inside the farm or in the barn, or somewhere." Jason then took his place behind the horses, watching behind him suspiciously. He sensed a follower but wasn't sure if it was the rain coming to him or not. Shrugging, he patted his dagger and continued walking. They reached the farm before rain started to fall. Black clouds filled the sky covering the land in a darkness that seemed like night although it would be hours before the sun set. All tall barn stood in front of them. The silhouette of a farmhouse was discernable in the distance although there were no other signs of life. No animals were in the field and the entire land seemed to echo a silence that filled the air. A lightning bolt streaked down somewhere to the east, the resulting thunder momentarily deafening the companions and causing the horses to wicker nervously, the whites of their eyes clearing visible. Sleeaeth slowly dismounted and approached the door. Jason followed her off to the side, his dagger pushed out of sight but within easy reach. Sleeaeth looked at her two companions. She was tense and the scars on her face seemed to stand out vividly in the little remaining light. "I don't like this," she said, "I don't like this one bit!" She edged slowly towards the door, peering down the gap next to the hinges, "I can't see anything inside, and that's bothering me, there should be animals...there were animals, horses, chickens and things when we went past earlier, and people too, where is everyone? Why are there no lights in the farmhouse? We'll get inside," said the half-elf, "it must be the storm putting me on edge". She pulls a dagger from a sheath on her right arm, and holds it so that it is held up behind and concealed with her left arm. She takes a deep breath and pulls open the barn door. Jason stood back behind the door to attack anything that came out. He poised his dagger protectively up near his face and eyed the door carefully. He nodded affirmatively at Sleeaeth as she opened the door, peering in curiously. Sleeaeth stepped cautiously into the gloom of the barn. The darkness inside smelt slightly musty, like damp hay as well as strongly of horses and cattle. There was no noise at all in the barn, just a strange, deathly silence, unbroken even by the scurry of rats. Sleeaeth pulled back, and took a small lantern out of her pack, taking a few moments she lights the wick and then turns and shines the light into the barn. For a second, Tyloril wondered why Sleeaeth would bother with the lantern, but then he remembered Jason did not possess the night-vision of elves which let them view patterns of heat instead of light. Slowly, the companions began to search the barn, walking from empty stall to empty stall. Eventually, they came to the back of the barn, and a small door leading outside. They walked outside again, the rain already coming down, and stopped, no longer wondering what had happened to the animals. A pile of bones and half-decayed flesh littered the ground, a leg from a cow, the head of a horse. The rain managed to take away most of the smell, but Tyrloril still felt naseous. Quickly, the elf scanned the ground looking for any trace of who had done this before the rain washed away all traces. He soon found some tracks and bent to examine him then stood up slowly, turning to his companions to see if they recognized them as well. _________________________________________ The lady, with guile in heart, Came early where he lay; She was at him with all her art To turn his mind her way. The Gawain Poet