Egelric tells Alred what he learned

There was a hand on his neck, the fingers curled up underneath his jawbone, tight against his pulse.

“No no – he’s alive!”

The hand left his neck and traveled up to his face, slapping at his cheek.

“Egelric! Hallo! Egelric!”

Egelric opened his eyes.

There was a great dark shape blotting out half the sky. It was the night sky, and all the stars shone behind. He was lying on his back, and the stars his grandfather called the fortress of Dana stood directly overhead. And it was August, thus it was still hours to dawn. Satisfied, Egelric sighed and closed his eyes. He could sleep a few more hours.

“Oh! Egelric! Not again!”

“Alred!” Egelric sat up suddenly.

“That’s better. Now, you have to quit doing this to me, old man. You take ten years off my life every time I find you out here playing dead.”

“Where is he?” Egelric looked around. They were at the crossroads, and there were men and horses, and the black dog sat a few yards off, whining plaintively. But he saw no sign of Druze, and he smelled nothing but the night air, the horses, and the pines.

“Your elf?” Alred whispered, for the men did not yet know of this.

“It’s still night – he could still be here.”

“We’re armed,” Alred said as he took Egelric’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “More than I can say for you, Squire.”

Egelric felt for the knife at his waist. Gone. “My grandfather’s knife!” he groaned. The dagger in his boot was gone as well. But he was sorry – very sorry – to lose the knife. He would have given it to Finn.

“What happened? Belsar came home looking rather humiliated. Without you.”

“He took one look at the – at him – and ran.”

“No wonder you’re looking so shame-​​faced, you big baby!” Alred called to the dog, who rolled over onto his side and whined.

“Don’t be hard on him,” Egelric said softly. “His nose told him the elf was dead, and his eyes told him the opposite.”

“What did he do to you?”

“Strangled me, I suppose. They seem to like to do that to me,” Egelric said ruefully, rubbing his throat.

“Did you talk to him?”

“I tried. I suppose I wasn’t much better than Belsar,” he sighed. “He’s just so…”

“I can imagine.”

“No, he’s also terribly violent and aggressive. He doesn’t care to talk except to taunt me. But I don’t think he may kill me, although I believe he would like to.”

“Damn, Egelric, don’t you think you can kill him?”

“‘Can the dead die?’ He has asked me this twice.”

“Ah, we have us a philosopher,” Alred spat.

“I tried to ask him not to kill any more – I told him we hadn’t done anything to hurt him, and I told him we would help him if we could.”

“And?”

“And he strangled me. I tried asking about my son, and he only asked for my daughter. I’m afraid I learned very little.”

Alred sighed. “You’re killing me, Squire. Either get rid of it or quit coming out here alone. I had a hell of a time explaining to the men why we had to go out looking for you. They think you’re some kind of hero or madman now for coming out alone.”

“I hope that’s all they think,” Egelric said. “Next thing I know they will be saying I’m the killer. Or that Baby is.”

“Jupiter, you’re in a sour mood. Well, I brought you a horse – I even put a saddle on it, optimistically thinking I might find you capable of riding it. Now let’s get home before too many people notice we’re gone – and before our decaying friend notices we’re here.”