Dragonlance Elven Nations Trilogy 02 The Kinslayer Wars

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Sithas almost like a physical force, knocking him off his feet. He sensed that the griffons
were still diving, still swooping toward him, but their shrill cries had been silenced by his
first words. This enhanced his confidence.
"Thanthal ellish, Quimost."
The words seemed to flame on the scroll before him, each symbol erupting into life
as he read it. He did not dare to look up.
"Hothist kranthas, Karin Than-tanthas!"
The last of the symbols flared and waned, and now the elf looked up, boldly seeking
the griffons with his eyes. He would meet his death bravely or he would tame them.
The first thing he saw was the hate-filled visage of a diving griffon. The monstrous
creature's beak gaped, and both the eagle claws of its front legs and the lion talons of its
rear limbs reached toward Sithas, ready to tear him asunder.
But then suddenly it veered upward, spreading its broad wings and coming to rest
upon the shelf of rock directly before the tall form of Sithas, Speaker of the Stars, scion
of the House of Silvanos.
"Come to me, creatures of the sky!" Sithas cried. An awe inspiring sense of power
swept over him, and he raised his arms, his hands clenched into fists held skyward.
"Come, my griffons! Answer the call of your master!"
And come to him they did.
The flock, dramatically spellbound, swirled around him and settled toward places of
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vantage on the towering ridges nearby. One of these approached the elf, creeping along
the crest of rock. Sithas saw a slash of white feathers across its brown breast, and his
spirits soared in sudden recognition.
"Arcuballis!" he cried as the griffon's head rose in acknowledgment. The great
creature lived and had somehow found a home with this flock of his kin!
The proud griffon sprang to Sithas, rearing before him and spreading his vast wings.
The elf saw a gouge along one side of Arcuballis's head where the giant's club had
cracked him. Sithas was surprised at the joy he felt at the discovery of his brother's
lifelong steed, and that joy, he knew, would pale compared to Kith-Kanan's own delight.
The others, too, moved toward him with pride and power, but no longer did they
seem to be threatening. Indeed, curiosity seemed to be their dominant trait.
By the gods, he had done it! His quest had succeeded! Because of his elation, the
distant war seemed already all but won.
18
That Day, Late Winter
The dire wolves attacked suddenly, bursting from the concealment of trees that grew
within a hundred feet of the cave mouth. Kith-Kanan and One-Tooth had planned their
defense, but nevertheless, the onslaught came with surprising speed.
"There! Hounds come!" shouted the giant, first to see the huge, shaggy brutes.
Kith-Kanan seized his bow and pulled himself to his feet, cursing the stiffness that
still impaired the use of his leg.
The largest of the dire wolves led the charge. A nightmarish brute, with murderous
yellow eyes and a great, bristling mane of black fur, the beast sprinted toward the cave,
while others of its pack followed in its wake. It snarled, curling its black, drooling lips to
reveal teeth as long as Kith's fingers. The dire wolves had the same narrow muzzles, alert,
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pointed ears, and fur-coated bodies and tails of normal wolves. However, they were much
larger than their more common cousins, and of far more fearsome disposition. A dozen
erupted from the trees in the first wave, and Kith saw more of the dim gray shapes
lurking in the woods beyond.
The elf propped himself up against a wall. With mechanical precision, he launched
an arrow, nocked another, and fired again. He released a dizzying barrage of missiles at
the loping canines. The razor-sharp steel of the arrowheads cut through fur and sinew,
gouging deep wounds into the bristling canines, but even the bloodiest cuts seemed only
to enrage the formidable creatures.
One-Tooth lumbered forward, his club raised. The hill giant grunted and swung, but
his target skipped to one side. Whirling, the dire wolf reached with hungry fangs for the
giant's unprotected calf, but One-Tooth leaped away with surprising quickness. Instead of
lunging after the giant, the monster darted toward Kith-Kanan as a snarling trio of its
fellow wolves took up the assault on the hill giant.
The elf smoothly raised his bow and let fly another arrow. Though the missile scored
a bloody gash on the beast's flank it didn't seem to appreciably affect its charge. One-
Tooth whirled in a circle, clearing the menacing forms away from himself, and then
swung desperately, knocking the rear legs of one large monster to the side. The wolf
crashed to the ground and then sprang away. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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