Chapter 15
The darkhounds assembled for attack. They were close enough that Mia could see strings of drool, white froth, spraying from long, wolf-like mouths when the man-dogs snapped at empty air. Some clawed at the ground with all fours, sending streams of dirt behind them, their black, angry eyes locked on her. One let out a low, loud growl; another arched its back and yelped. Yet another threw its head back and howled. They walked back and forth among themselves not twenty yards from Mia’s Stand, never releasing their predatory gazes from their quarry, looking for an opportunity.
Carameth took a stance beside Finnegaff. One darkhound, one of the few with a sword, lunged at them. Carameth met his charge with a low duck and a quick slice, sending the wounded animal whining back to its ranks. The unorganized darkhounds were cautious about moving against the waving blades. Two of them advanced on Finnegaff. The old wizard’s blade flashed a dance that repelled the advance. Three others came at him from his left. He was aided by Carameth's advanced training with the sword when the elf warded off several darkhounds himself. He swung full circle, his quick blade defending the old wizard. He pivoted and returned to his own fight. One darkhound threw a rock the size of an orange on a collision course with Romessee's back. Belemeriath foiled the throw by striking the stone in mid flight, diverting its trajectory. Romessee shot stone after stone from her sling, hitting most targets she selected. A dozen or so darkhounds were down. Many still stood, and were attempted to regroup. Mia was on her feet, holding her sword before her, though the others were careful to protect her. No darkhound was permitted to get too close to them. The band of darkhounds managed to organize. Finnegaff knew the darkhounds were about to figure out that a mass rush would bring them victory. He held Lebethtro Larra before him.
Suddenly the forest came alive with coldsliders. The first of the little snowmen slammed at high speed into one of the darkhounds. The coldslider exploded on contact. The darkhound howled. He had been turned into a white, frosty ice, frozen in mid-howl. The darkhounds scattered in fear, but the coldsliders were much too fast for them. None escaped their icy wrath. Within seconds not a darkhound remained standing that was not frozen solid.
"I didn't know they would do that!" Finnegaff said. How could he be so calm?!
"The magic of the mountain doesn't fare well with darkhounds any more than we do," Carameth said firmly, sheathing his sword after wiping the blood from it in the snow. "We've seen this before. What worries me is that darkhounds are here in Elfwood."
"Its the Reading of the Book of Life that motivates them. Any of these fellows would want to be the one to take the Book to the dark sorceress in hopes of reward or favor. Humph." He snorted. "They weren't sent by their master. They're a bunch of renegades that attack any small group they find in hopes of randomly stumbling across their prize."
"Would somebody please tell me what just happened?!" Mia said. Nobody had paid her much heed once it was learned that she was okay.
"We were attacked by darkhounds," Finnegaff said.
"I know that! But what about the rest of it?" Mia still gripped her sword with trembling hands. Her aching ribs caused her to wince and lean to one side.
"Well, the coldsliders allied with us and helped to defeat the darkhounds."
"Yes, I KNOW that!" Mia clenched her sword.
"There's not much more to tell," Finnegaff said.
"They were after the Book of Life, and wanted to kill all of us to get it,” Romessee said.
"Well, it almost worked." Mia mumbled. She was sickened by the battlefield scene, yet was unable to take her eyes from the morbid attraction. The majority of the dead were ice statues, eerie, opaque sculptures forever frozen in mid-action.
"What do you mean, Finnegaff,” Romessee asked, “that these were not sent by their master? If she didn't send them, who did?"
"What I mean, friends, is that the dark sorceress doesn't know where we are," Finnegaff said. Carameth was nodding in agreement.
"How do you know that?" asked Mia.
"Had she known where we are, we would've encountered a division of her army, not these...these commoners."
"Commoners?!" Mia exclaimed. "These aren't soldiers?" Mia looked at a dead darkhound's light armor.
"Had they been soldiers," Carameth said, "we wouldn't have had such an easy battle."
"True," said Finnegaff. He looked at the ground and stroked his beard. "Things could have been much worse."
They gathered a few of the items that had been lost from the horses during the skirmish. Carameth and Romessee took arrows out of darkhound corpses to be used again, liberated a few darkhound knives, and then destroyed any weapons they did not want. It took some time to round up the scattered horses. With stealth and great caution, the little group then made their way down the canyon.