At last they topped the final rise, and they could see out before them a mile away ten thousand Rupt jeering and japing at the mere seven hundred Daelsmen standing silent on the slopes below but a half mile away.

"Oh, my," said Beau, his heart pounding as he scanned the breadth and depth of the enemy lines. "There are so very many of them and we are so few."

Yet the jeers of the Foul Folk diminished somewhat as the Elves came down the rise, but when the Spawn saw again how few were the foe, their voices rose once more in taunt.

All was going according to plan.

The Dylvana rode down the hill to join the Daelsmen, and from within the Swarm a signal sounded, and the Horde stirred.

Oh, my, are they going to attack?

Yet it was a shifting of Foul Folk, as more took up positions to the fore of the Swarm.

Indeed, all was going according to plan.

Now the Elves dismounted to stand by the Daelsmen, and Beau dismounted as well. And he stood looking at the foe; they seemed without number. And toward the rear of the ranks of the Horde and towering above all stood the Ogrus, six altogether, spread out along the wagons.

And still the Rucks and Hloks howled in glee, for although the severely outnumbered Daelsmen had been joined by an array of hated Elves, still all the advantage was with the Horde, their count at least five to one.

And the Elves and Daelsmen yet stood silent, unmoving, as if waiting.

Beyond the Horde and set into the stone face of the mountain, Beau saw the iron of two great gates. There stood the shut doors into Mineholt North, and he wondered if Tip and Bekki were within.

Candlemarks passed and the day grew old as the sun ran after a slender crescent moon fleeing down the sky. And yet once again the Ruptish sentry's horn sounded.

Within another four candlemarks, over the crest behind came riding the Baeron, huge men on huge horses. And the jeering and japing wavered at the sight of these formidable foe.

And with the Baeron trundled some thirty wagons, fully half of which were hospital wains, while the rest held food and water and weapons.

Within the Horde, Ghuls on Helsteeds rode together and dismounted, and from a tent and among them came a Ghul afoot and he led what appeared to be a shambling man into the center of them all. And one of the Ghuls sounded a horn, and the Horde fell silent.

The Ghuls stood quietly, and moments later in their midst the man turned and surveyed the slopes where now stood seven hundred Daelsmen, a thousand Elves, and five hundred Baeron. And then the man turned back to the Ghuls, and it seemed as if they listened closely.

Now the man was led away from circle center, and again he shambled. A horn sounded, and as the Ghuls rode among the Swarm, Rucks and Hloks took up positions facing the foe standing silent on the slope before them. And no longer did they jape and jeer.

Twilight came, and within the ranks of the allies a clarion called, and the Daelsmen and Elves and Baeron broke into small groups and set wood for campfires to the ground.

Beau sighed contentedly when he saw the flames come to life. "Oh, good," he said to Melor, "at last we can have some hot tea."

And as darkness fell in the vale of the mineholt, the fires of the allies burned on the hillside, and a half mile away the fires of the foe burned as well, as the two armies faced one another and waited for the coming of dawn.

Chapter 36

Beyond the crest and down a shallow slope went Tipper-ton, following Bekki as the eventide swept over the world, and glimmering stars began to emerge in the indigo sky above. Through whin and pine they trudged and then up-slope again, the land becoming steeper the farther they trekked, neither Dwarf nor Warrow speaking, but saving their breath for the climb.

North Bekki turned, due north, up the steep face of a high-angled ridge barren of all but rock, and by the time they reached the top, Tip was panting heavily, Bekki a bit less so. As Tip came over the rise, Bekki pulled him behind a great rock and said, "Here we will pause awhile."

"But I can go on," puffed Tip. "I mean, Lady Phais often pressed us this hard and harder as she taught Beau and me the skills of climbing."

Bekki only grunted and stood in the darkness at the edge of the huge boulder and looked back the way they had come.

"What is it?" sissed Tip, clutching his bow and reaching for an arrow. "Are we being followed? By Rucks and such?"

"Nay, Waeran, it is not the Grg I look for, but sly Daels-men instead."

"Sly Daelsmen?"

"Aye. It would give them advantage to know where we are bound, to know of a secret way into Mineholt North."

"But surely Loden wouldn't send some-"

"Not Loden, Waeran, but grasp-handed Tain instead."

"Oh. -Are we going to be long?"

"A candlemark or so," said Bekki.

Tipperton shucked his pack and sat down. After a while Tip said, "What is it that Dwarves and the Daelsmen have lying between?"

Bekki growled. "They would charge us double tariffs: one to move our goods through their city, another to use their docks."

"Docks?"

"Aye. On the Ironwater."

"The river," said Tip, remembering his maps.

"Aye. By boat and barge, it is the swiftest way to reach the city of Rhondor or the wide Argon Sea beyond, for river legs never tire, but run all day and night."

"What's in Rhondor?"

"A good market. It is there we trade for much we need in our crafting, particularly in our forging: siarka, foran, zarn-"

"Whoa, Bekki, these are things beyond my ken. What is, oh, say, siarka?"

"The yellow rock: like chalk, it crumbles. We use it to make an etching liquid. In Rhondor it is plentiful, for it lies on the floor of Hel's Crucible for the taking, as do many other ores, nearly pure."

"Ah," said Tip.

Now Bekki sat down, yet he kept an eye on their backtrail.

After a while, Tip said, "And this dispute between your people and the Daelsmen is over tariffs? So you can reach the docks?"

Bekki grunted but otherwise did not reply.

"Well, why don't you just not use their docks? Go south from the city and launch lower down."

Tip could hear Bekki's teeth grind. "King Enrik claims the whole of all rivers in Riamon, and no matter where we would set in he would charge us the double fee."

"Oh?"

"Aye. And even though Prince Loden himself pled with his father to return to the old way-to charge but the single docking fee-King Enrik listened instead to Lord Tain."

"His advisor instead of his own son?"

"Aye, for Enrik is besotted with Lord Tain's youngest daughter, Lady Jolet, though she looks coldly upon him. It is Brandt she casts her smiles upon. But Brandt favors another, Lady Pietja, though she leads him on, for her eye follows Druker, second in line after Loden. -Kruk! Humankind! A pox on all their petty intrigues."

"Um, Bekki, how do you know this?"

"Because, Waldan, as the representative of my Delf-Lord, I was in King Enrik's court demanding the recision of this unwarranted tariff when the Horde marched past. I then asked the King to gather a great force of Daelsmen to help us slay all the Grg. He refused, saying that he would not lay Dael bare in these troubled times, and instead marshaled his army and set them to guarding the walls of the city instead of aiding allies.

"In the weeks after, Prince Loden pled with his father, saying that if the Daelsmen did not aid the Chakka and if as a result Mineholt North fell, then surely Dael would follow. Yet once again it was Tain's voice Enrik listened to.

"But then Loden declared that with or without his father's leave, he would gather a force and harass the Horde if nought else.

"After many a bitter argument, King Enrik suddenly changed his mind, and gave Loden leave to command a token brigade and harass the Horde. King Enrik sent Brandt as well. And he assigned Tain to go with his sons. Tain objected, saying that he could best serve his king by remaining in court, but Enrik commanded that Tain accompany Loden and give sound advice to him.