it seems they answer to Reigns. You shouldn’t be surprised considering that Reigns is half elf. It stands to reason that he is half dark elf.”
“Gifted? It doesn’t make sense. Why would they work for Reigns? What’s special about a dark elf?”
“I'm not sure why they would answer to Reigns. As far as I know, the only difference between light and dark elves is their skin color, mentality, and their choice of alliance during the Millennium Wars.” Urake shrugged before ducking under a limb as they entered the woods. Balinor was distracted from pursuing his interrogation as he looked for a campsite. They found one inside a clump of trees that Urake happened to ride towards. The pines circled around a patch of dry needles providing shelter from the wind and prying eyes. Balinor decreed that a fire was unsafe so they would have to make do without. This drew some scowls from Emeck until a glance from Urake distracted him.
“To bad that pyromancer wasn’t more cooperative. I was sort of looking forward to some warm food.” Urake joked as he pulled out some hard bread and cheese out of his pack. His belt knife served to carve thin slices of the strongly flavored cheese to go with the bread. He had only taken a few bites when he realized that Balinor was eyeing him enviously. The knight was able to command armies and devise an escape from Shienhin with the Princess, but in all his preparations, he had forgotten to bring food. Fortunately, Turana had packed enough to feed a small army. Balinor chivalrously made sure that the Princess had food before partaking himself. Emeck made sure that Aleest was given food when he noticed the youth had been overlooked.
When they finished eating, Urake volunteered to take the first watch. The rest of the party quickly collapsed into exhausted slumber. Within the span of a few minutes, Urake was alone in the night except for the occasional nicker from the horse or Balinor’s snoring. No one woke until well after the sun had risen high above the horizon. Urake sat next to the campsite watching the hillside below and the glancing up the slope every now and then. On his lap was Ice Heart and his fingers lazily traced the designs that were engraved along the length of the blade. If twisted in the right light, the runes and frost engravings seemed to dance with their own light.
“Sorry, I should have taken a shift.” Emeck apologized as he rubbed the sleep grime out of his eyes.
“Don’t be sorry. You looked like you needed the sleep more than me.” Urake stretched and stood up. “I will probably feel it later, but I actually feel fine right now. A bit hungry, but awake nonetheless.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep, but I can take the watch if you would like to get some rest now.” Emeck felt a little guilty and tried to make it up. He knew that Urake had been pushing just as hard as he had since they had left Warton.
“I'm all right although thanks for the offer. I think that I will see if I can rustle up some game.” Urake sheathed Ice Heart and pulled the bow off his shoulder. The string gave a satisfying twang when he pulled it.
“Balinor probably won’t let us cook it.” Emeck’s logic gave Urake pause a moment.
“That tin can won’t have any say in the matter. I can cook it over a smokeless fire before I bring it back. Contact me if anything come up. I will be back shortly.” Urake quietly stepped past Balinor who was still snoring, oblivious to the new day. Em’risi was under both the knight’s and her own cloak in a peaceful slumber.
***
Torroth paced the cell that Inadar and he were confined to. The torch had burned low and it was almost time for one of the guards to appear and replace it. It was also nearly time for the army healer to show up again. He paused his pacing and glanced back over at the straw tick where Inadar lay. She had been unconscious for the last few days.
Inadar’s condition baffled the man. The healer was far more skilled at dealing with open wounds caused by training accidents. He had initially thought that it was due to a bite from some venomous creature, either insect or reptilian, but a search had failed to uncover any marks inherent to such a bite. She had neither worsened nor