told many, many tales, mostly Juraviel and Brynn re-counting to Cazzira some of their adventures together back in Andur'Blough Inninness, like the time Brynn had lured a deer with a sweet plant, that she could pass the challenge of touching the animal - turning what should have been a test of her stealth and understanding of her surroundings into a of her charm. How many tales Juraviel had to recount of Brynn frustrar' him and the other Touel'alfar, circumventing their plans while reach' every goal they had set out for her!
Late that afternoon, with daylight beginning to wane, they shared so hugs and some tears, some hopeful words about a reunion, and some ass ances to each other that they would all succeed.
And then the two el walked into the deeper darkness of the Path of Starless Night, and sudden!
Brynn Dharielle felt very much alone.
She hugged herself against the cold winter wind and reminded herself that Pagonel was back to the south, at the Mountains of Fire and the Walk of Clouds, waiting for her. Still, she stared into the black hole of the tunnel feeling lonely and empty and fearful.
Behind her, Agradeleous roared.
"Are we to fly all the way back to the south this night?" the dragon asked some time later, with Brynn still standing there, staring into the tunnel.
She was no longer thinking of the two elves, though. Rather, she was formulating her continuing plans. The previous night, the last leg of the journey that had brought them up there, they had spotted several large en-campments of the Behrenese army, still floundering about the To-gai steppes. Brynn was glad that the winter had caught the Behrenese still in To-gai, confident that the vicious weather would erode their morale, possi-bly even their numbers. She was thinking that she should find some way to keep the soldiers there, in misery, and perhaps even lure more in.
She glanced back at Agradeleous. ?No," she answered. ?My army is at rest and needs us not at all. Perhaps you and I should find some fun in lo-gai.
The dragon looked at her curiously. ?Fun?"
"You have wanted your fights, Agradeleous - more than I have allowed you, certainly. Perhaps it is time for you to have those fights."
The dragon's lips curled eagerly and a low growl escaped his lips, along with a trickling line of smoke.
"Let us go down this night, and however many it takes, for us to learn as much as we can about the situation in To-gai, that we might find ways to strike hard at our enemies."
The dragon's wicked grin receded more than a little. ?Months of gather-ing information?" he asked, seeming none too pleased.
"Days," Brynn assured him. ?Only days. I desire battle as much as you. There is an enemy army within my country, likely making life miserable for my kinfolk."
"We will chase them away!" Agradeleous roared.
"No," Brynn corrected. ?We will make them miserable and strike at their flanks, but above all else, we will keep them here."
in came that curious look, but Brynn gave a sincere smile in response, }>e plan was aiready taking definite shape in her mind.
o tj ,nn kept the dragon aloft for as long as she could stand the cold wind first night and the next, mapping out the deployment of the Behrenese They had several encampments, and it was obvious that the army using a number of the settlements in the region for their bivouac, as, they weren't as far west as they had been when Brynn had previ lv encountered them, and she was guessing that her To-gai forces had ken them on a chase out to the north and west, but that they had, for some reason, turned back.
I\Tor were the encampments static, for that second night, she noted that the westernmost groups had moved to the east, leap-frogging their fellow Behrenese. Brynn didn't even need to see the movement before the third night to know that the pattern would be repeated, an organized, well-defended retreat back to the plateau rim, perhaps even back into Behren, to Dharyan.
She wasn't surprised.
On the third night aloft, Brynn and Agradeleous found another encamp-ment, a large one, further to the south and west. Recognizing it for what it was, Brynn had the dragon set her down far to the side, and then she walked in, greeting the To-gai-ru perimeter sentries.
They seemed to recognize her almost immediately, but when she drew out her sword and lit its magical fires, their smiles grew wide indeed, and they hustled