planned treachery it would have many opportunities. Still, within days, if all went well, his army would be in position to make the greatest surprise attack in history.
Now the Great War had truly begun.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tyrion smelled Avelorn before he saw it. Even over the salty tang of the Inner Sea, he caught the scent of pine and a hint of the fresh air of the forest that lay just over the horizon. And there was something else in the air, some kind of magic, faint yet tangible, that set his skin to tingling and made him feel more alive than he had in a very long time.
Soon, green was visible right across the horizon. Enormous trees overhung the water, packed so densely that it was difficult to see what was beneath their eaves. It was a forest, ancient and primordial, of the sort that had existed when the world was young, before the coming of Chaos changed everything. Perhaps some of those trees over there had existed during that dark time. It was possible that he was looking upon a thing that had existed when Aenarion was young.
The ship sailed on, leaving white foam in its wake. Gulls circled overhead. Atharis came up beside Tyrion and said, ‘We shall be there soon. I hope you’re prepared for your first look at the legendary Everqueen.’
‘I’m sure she will be beautiful,’ said Tyrion sardonically. ‘Everybody tells me this.’
‘Why do you sound so sour about it? Anybody would think that you did not want to be her champion.’
‘Perhaps I just want to be different. Perhaps I just want to make up my mind for myself, not believe what everybody tells me.’
‘You’re starting to sound like your brother,’ said Atharis.
‘I am sorry if that disturbs you. It’s just that everybody speaks about the Everqueen in the same tone of voice. Everyone who has ever met her sounds like they worship her except Prince Iltharis.’
‘Yes, he only ever sounds like he worships himself.’
Tyrion laughed at that. ‘You know him too well.’
‘He was one of the last people to see the old Everqueen alive,’ said Atharis. ‘She probably wasn’t very happy that one of the last faces she ever looked on was not one of her devotees.’
‘I think even he was disturbed by that event.’
‘You talked to him about it, did you?’
Tyrion nodded. ‘It was the most upset I have ever seen him.’
‘You’re probably the only person who has ever seen him upset then,’ said Atharis. ‘He is the most cold-blooded elf I have ever met.’
‘You don’t like him?’
‘I never said that,’ Atharis said. ‘He is amusing enough in his own way and I don’t suppose he’s any more self-centred than most of us. I just don’t think he liked me all that much.’
‘I don’t think he likes anybody all that much.’
‘He seems to like you well enough. Probably because you are one of the few people that he can spar with and still get a bit of exercise.’
In the distance a bay was visible, the mouth of a river merging into the sea. The forest around the estuary had been cleared a little and there was what passed for a port in this part of the world. ‘It looks like we have arrived,’ said Atharis.
Tyrion could see that there was a large number of ships in the harbour, a much greater number than there really ought to have been in a port this small. A large number of people had sailed here for the tournament, judging by the amount of ships that he could see riding at anchor.
‘We shall need to head on upriver to find the tournament grounds,’ said Atharis.
‘It looks like we won’t be the only ones,’ said Tyrion.
‘We’ll be ready to go soon,’ said Atharis.
‘Good,’ Tyrion replied. ‘We don’t have much light left.’
It had taken most of the day for his party to unload their horses and gear from the ship. They had to go as close as possible to the shore and then lower the horses into the water with winches and cranes, which was always a tricky proposition at the best of times.
While they were doing, this Tyrion waded ashore and explored his surroundings. The small village was right by the waterside. It had no walls and was built from logs with wattle and daub roofs. It looked very primitive for elven building but it somehow fitted in with the landscape. Perhaps this was how elves lived in ancient times. This was one of the few permanent settlements to be