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on horseback, it is likely the exchange will not begin pleasantly."
Mappel took one hand from his staff and placed it upon his chin. "We will
have to alert our camp of this," he said stoically. "Though I am adverse to
such, you will have to leave my side to send word to our camp."
Consprite seized an opportunity to offer a favor to the elves, a favor he
hoped to collect upon in the immediate future. "I can have fresh horses
prepared for him. If the trip is not far, and goes through nearby towns, I can
see to it he's back quickly."
Lief refused vehemently. "I will not need a horse when I reach the
trees."
"But you will not have to go far into the trees to do what must be done,"
Mappel interrupted. "You need only reach the outskirts of Dark Spruce and call
to a perimeter sentry. The elf guard can relay the message back to our camp.
You can ride from here to Pinesway and then back. A horse will return you to
my side quicker and so it should be done."
The mayor smiled. "Fine. That makes things easy. I can have a fresh horse
sent to the church right now, and have another waiting for you at Pinesway for
your return trip." The mayor then spoke with a guarded yet questioning tone.
"I have one more question for you. You spoke of representatives of other
races. Who will be representing my people?"
Uneasiness filled the room. Matthew looked about absently. He wished to
make no comment
Mappel shifted the grip on his staff. He looked back and forth from the
mayor to the reader. "That has not really decided as of yet. For the moment,
the reader Matthew is acting as an intermediary. His knowledge of the legends
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has allowed for an easier communication of the problems we face."
"That's fine, but don't you think you should be consulting someone that
understands all of the people? Reader Matthew represents the followers of
theChurchofGodson . I would think you should include me in any of your
decisions which might affect this town. After all, I am the duly elected
official of Connel, and it is Connel which has much at stake." The sentence
was punctuated by Consprite's almost harsh, questioning stare.
"I can not say whether that is wise or not," Mappel offered, hoping for
an escape from this new dilemma. He fished for a quick response which might
rationalize keeping the mayor at bay. "We need those that will understand the
legends, those that will offer knowledge of the past beyond your recorded
history."
"Yet you also need someone who will assist you in how things are run in
the present," the mayor nudged the elder elf. "If you expect assistance or
even acceptance from the people of this town, you simply must gain the backing
of someone in authority. At the present, I am that someone."
Mappel grunted with dissatisfaction. "I do not know. There are other
concerns. You must realize that this is not simply between the elves and the
humans. Representatives of other races will also be involved. Others may
question your presence. It is not only my decision. I would not want to insult
the other leaders by simply accepting you. I would be stepping beyond my
experience and knowledge."
The mayor was not put off, not for a moment. "But its sounds as if it was
your decision to meet at Connel. And it was your decision to speak with the
reader. You seem to have more power over this than you're willing to admit.
Now, I can't claim complete understanding, but I already know of what has been
happening around this town. Even the reader can't say that. I also offered you
assistance with the gathering of the strangers you wish to bring here. I
expect that entitles me to be informed of what's going on, what other
decisions you might make, and how Connel will be affected. For the last, I
will demand that, no matter what your wishes are. I am still the mayor here."
Mappel wished to speak of this no further. He might have found it
difficult to read the intentions of Consprite, but he knew he did not like the
mayor's insistence at being included within all their decisions. Uneasily, he
made one more attempt to sway Consprite toward a lesser role.
"You will be alerted to all things which might directly affect your
people and this town. That seems to be more than a reasonable request. We will
also defer to you as the authority in how to deal with all matters involving
the general population of Connel. If any services are needed, such as horses,
blacksmiths, forgers or craftsman, we will of course come to you. We will also
alert you to any of our activities which might, even in the slightest way,
gain the attention of any of the townspeople. As to your request for being a
representative for our discussions, I must defer on that decision. You will
simply have to accept that of all the races, the humans have gained the most
distrust of the others. The dwarves, the algors, even the elves have lived to
remain hidden from your people. The humans themselves have shown a desire to
forsake the past and to ignore the legends. Indeed, for the past hundreds of
seasons, the humans even refuse to accept the existence of other races. Even
you can not deny that."
Mappel paused to let the mayor speak. He looked at Consprite, expecting
him to reply.
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"I won't deny that your presence is new to me, but ..."
Mappel spoke quickly to cut off further remarks. "But that is what I must
focus upon. Can you even tell me of the legends which are now central to what
we face?"
"I do not know of ..."
Again Mappel seized the opportunity to direct the conversation. "And you
should not be blamed for not knowing. It was not your way, but it is of great
importance at this moment. The trial we face is based upon legends contained
in elflore, dwarf tales, and even the Book of Godson. You pointed out that I
decided to meet with the Reader Matthew. That is because he is familiar with
the legends I speak of."
The mayor glared in frustration at being interrupted in both cases.
Mappel continued with reverence. "Since humans have forgotten the past,
it is not unreasonable for us to first meet with those that will have a better
understanding of what we face."
Consprite frowned sourly. He knew Mappel had seized a small victory in
temporarily sealing him from the intended meetings. He was about to make one
final attempt to reassert himself when the door to his office flung open.
A woman not known to Consprite pushed forward and out of the reach of the
mayor s assistant, Kendal, who followed behind her with outstretched hands.
The woman revealed an immediate sense of relief at finding the reader. She
also maintained a look of bewildered excitement.
"Thank Godson I found you," she spoke with heavy breaths.
"Rachael?" Matthew turned to her and caught her arm.
Kendal tried to move further into the room, but Lief stepped in front of
him with a menacing scowl. His agility surprised the assistant, who almost
turned and ran back out of the office. He gathered himself quickly as he
caught the familiar and questioning face of the mayor. At first the assistant
wished to question the presence of such strange men with pointed ears, but
Kendal had already witnessed far stranger things these past few days. As the
mayor's chief aide, he was privy to the reports of nearly every occurrence. He
wrote most of them out himself.
"I'm sorry, sir," Kendal said with a heavy breath, as he stepped slightly
back and away from Lief. He tilted the upper half of his body to the left to
gain a clear view of the mayor. "I tried to stop her, but she ran past me."
Matthew ignored the assistant. "What is it Rachael?"
"He's back!" she blurted out. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]