Chapter 19 Chapter 18 Every Weapon

Howls burst from every corner of the shadows, from every part of Rufo's night.Cadderly had known for a long time that there were wolves in the Snowflake Mountains, many wolves—everyone knew—but none of the four friends guessed that there were so many around, so close! Xuelin kept the group of partners moving, shuttled at unexpected angles in the night mountains, cut across towering rock walls, and walked along the edge of the deep canyon.The elf could see in the dark, and so did the dwarves, and Cadderly had lucifers, whose light was kept at a fine level, half hidden under his gray traveling cloak so as not to draw undue attention.

When the wolves inevitably closed in, their howling sounded like a long, pathetic dirge, and the young priest was forced to cover up the lumens and put them away.In a night that was still getting darker, he staggered forward as far as he could, Pikel supporting him on one side, Ivan on the other, and Xuelin trying not to get too far ahead. Somewhere, it seemed, their path was cut off, with a pack of wolves howling in the distance on the same path they had taken.Xuelin looked back at the other three companions, her violet eyes shining so clearly that even Cadderly's weak night vision could be seen, and her expression showed that the solutions were quickly exhausted.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight again," Ivan complained bitterly, and for the first time in Cadderly's history, he saw the sturdy dwarf so visibly displeased with the possibility. Unexpectedly, the wolves that had gathered ahead ran away, crossed the path, and did not follow the path to the pack of companions.The wolves howled excitedly into the night sky, as if they had found another new target to chase. Xuelin didn't want to question their own good luck.She drove her friends on at full speed until they reached a small fruit grove.Xuelin prefers evergreen trees. Their dark needles can provide some cover, but the chasing wolves are not far behind, and these trees are easy to climb, even for dwarves with stubby limbs.The four companions climbed up and reached the highest place that the branches and leaves could bear. Xuelin found a safe hiding place, and immediately drew her bow.

The dark figure of the huge wolf entered the open space on the side of the small bush. Under the weak light, the hair on its body appeared silver and black and stood upright.A wolf came right under the tree where Cadderly and Pikel were, sniffed the air, and let out another blood-curdling howl. The howl was echoed by a dozen of its companions among the trees, followed by a larger group somewhere ahead of the four to the east.The howling from the east continued, rising, and though the pack had cornered four of their mates, they couldn't ignore the desire to give chase.The wolves ran away, but Xuelin and the others did not climb down the tree, and the elf explained to them that this was probably the best defense they could find for miles.

The howling lasted for several minutes, and the sound was frantic, as if the wolves had indeed started a new pursuit.Cadderly's heart fluttered with every cry—were the beasts chasing Danica? Then the howling lessened and was mixed with a resonant roar, and from the perspective of these companions, whatever the wolves had been chasing seemed to be trapped. "We have to help," Cadderly announced, but none of the others seemed ready to follow him to the ground.He looked back at them, especially the strong Ivan, and he felt betrayed. "Forty or so wolves!" said the yellow-bearded dwarf. "There could be more. We'll just give them more food to eat!"

Not flinching, Cadderly began to find his way up to the lower branches. Ivan puffed from his perch and moved awkwardly, getting close enough to slap Pikel and make him move too.The agile Xuelin has arrived on the ground and is waiting for them. Cadderly smiled secretly, happy to reaffirm that he had a group of brave and righteous friends.However, the young priest's smile disappeared immediately, and all four of his companions froze (except Pikel, who fell from his perch and fell hard to the ground) as a huge explosion shook the ground beneath their feet. , a ball of fire rose into the eastern sky, accompanied by the howling of many wolves.

"Could it be Dorigen?" Cadderly and Xuelin asked in unison, but neither moved, not knowing what to do. With a groan, Pikel stood up again, shaking the branch from his green beard.High in the branches above, a small figure flitted by, flying from branch to branch. Yiwen was at the highest position. He uttered a loud cry and turned around, raising his battle ax to attack, but Xuelin's call stopped him in time. "Perscival!" The elf girl explained. "That's just Percival." Cadderly climbed as high as he could, to meet his squirrel friend.Percival squeaked excitedly and jumped in circles on the branches, and Cadderly knew that the squirrel was not a bystander of the whole affair, for a moment later he heard a man screaming frantically, and the others The long howl of a wolf in pursuit.

Xuelin and Pikel climbed back up the tree while the four companions, plus a squirrel, fell silent, watching the east.Xuelin was the first to notice the movement. She raised her bow and shot an arrow quickly, accurately shooting down a wolf that was chasing after the fleeing man. Shocked and disbelieving that he would have any reinforcements in this dark place, the man screamed as the arrows flew by.Cadderly recognized the voice. "Belag," muttered the young priest. Ivan descended branch by branch until he reached the lowest part of the trunk, where Pikel joined him.Both dwarves looked at the running man to figure out what angle to approach, and they moved side by side until they reached the proper position.Pikel propped up Ivan's feet, and Ivan swung under a branch with his knees hooked and his arms hanging.

Belag continued to run blindly, and more wolves came after him.Another arrow brushed past him, and the elf's aim was undeniably accurate, but the frightened man seemed unable to comprehend even that fact.He seemed oblivious to anything other than the single-minded belief that he was alone and helpless in the dark night, about to be eaten by wolves. He ran under the tree only because that was the straightest route, and because he knew he had no time to climb up. Then he was caught, and screaming, he rose suddenly, and was lifted by the powerful hands of the dwarf.He didn't know Ivan was a companion, so he wriggled and punched the dwarf hard in the face several times.Ivan just shook his head, muttering curses at "stupid humans."

But Belag was nowhere near breaking free, but his squirming kept Ivan from lifting him out of danger.Finally, the dwarf lifted Belag as high as he could, before hitting his head squarely on the man's face.Belag collapsed in Ivan's hands, and Ivan tucked him against a branch with Pikel's assistance. Xuelin's bow vibrated several times, blocking the pack of wolves, allowing the dwarves to stand upright, and dragging the dizzy Belag up a few branches. "By the gods!" Visello Bellague kept whispering, tears streaming down his face, as he finally recovered from his unconsciousness and recognized his savior. "By the gods! And Cadderly! Cadderly dear!" he wailed, standing on the branch to get closer to the young priest. "I'm afraid you're coming back too late!"

Cadderly slid down the branch and stepped on Belag's level, trying to calm the man. "Is Dorigen with you?" Cadderly asked slowly, still thinking about the explosion that would prove it. But Bellague didn't recognize the name. "Where's Danica?" the young priest asked frantically. "What happened to Danica?" "She's with you," replied the lanky alchemist, seemingly genuinely confused. "Danica's back in the library!" Cadderly snapped back anxiously. "I've been away from the library for a few days," Bellague replied, and quickly recounted what had happened to him.In the end, these four friends knew better than him what had happened here. The poor alchemist only knew that he was kicked out, and it seemed that those extremely dark things appeared in the library afterwards.Belag did not follow Thobix's instructions to go to Kara Dun.He thought it best to wait for Cadderly to come back, or at least until the weather warmed up.He had friends in the mountains, and took refuge in a hut east of the library with a hunter he knew, named Minshuk. "The dark monster is near," the alchemist said, referring to the hunter's hut. "Minshuk and I both know, and we were supposed to go to Kara Radon tomorrow." He looked east, with sad eyes, and repeated sadly, "Tomorrow." "But the wolves came," continued the alchemist, barely louder than a murmur. "There was something else. I escaped, but Minshuk..." Belag slumped against a branch and fell silent, so the four friends turned their attention back to the pack of wolves surrounding the grove.The wolves couldn't catch them, but the constant howling might attract something, or someone, who could. "We should get out of here," Ivan said. For the first time since showing up, Visello Bellague's expression lit up.He reached under his heavy cloak, took out a small vial and handed it to Cadderly. Meanwhile, Pikel had other ideas.He snapped his stubby fingers and snatched the heavy tomahawk from his brother's back. Cadderly was so concerned with what Bereg was offering that he paid little attention to the ensuing quarrel among the dwarves. "Shock oil," said the alchemist excitedly. "I was about to make you another bullet point belt for explosive arrows, but before it was too late, Thobicus..." He paused, overwhelmed by painful memories.Then his face lit up again, and he pushed the bottle toward Cadderly. "I had another bottle," he explained. "Maybe you saw the explosion just now. I was hoping to cause another explosion, just before Ivan caught me, but it was too late." Only then did Cadderly understand the fireball rising in the east, and he was careful—extremely careful! ——Take this gift from the alchemist. "Hey!" Ivan yelled, getting everyone's attention.Pikel won the argument this time, pushing Ivan back so hard that he had to grip the branch with his fingertips to keep himself from falling into the pack.Before the yellow-bearded dwarf could straighten himself up or protest further, Pikel hit the tree trunk hard with the axe, creating a small crack.Once Ivan regained his balance, Pikel handed the ax back, and Ivan snatched it away, eyeing his brother curiously. He was less curious than Cadderly, who was watching.He knew better than anyone else, even Ivan, what had changed in Pikel, what the dwarf's love of trees and flowers had brought him, and the significance of Pikel's act, the quasi-dwarf. Ruy had just brought a weapon against a living tree, and none of this escaped the young priest's attention.Cadderly moved past Ivan, who was happy to slip away from his unpredictable brother, to Pikel, and found the green-bearded dwarf muttering—no, singing —had a pocket knife in his hand. Before Cadderly could ask, because the young priest didn't want to interrupt him, Pikel slashed his hand with the knife. Cadderly grabbed the dwarf by the wrist, forcing Pikel to look him directly.Pikel smiled, nodded, and pointed to Cadderly, the wound, and then the scar he had just caused on the tree. Cadderly began to understand as a drop of Pikel's blood dripped from his hand and landed on the rough bark next to the small cut in the tree.The blood immediately moved quickly to the gap in the tree trunk, and then disappeared. Pikel chanted again, and Cadderly did the same, trying to find energy in the song of Denir that would help the dwarf in this endeavour. More blood poured out of Pikel's wound, each drop finding its way to the notch in the trunk without fail.A warmth rose from that gap, accompanied by the breath of spring. Cadderly found a flow of thought, some divine note that matched the scene before him, and he followed it wholeheartedly, not knowing what was going to happen next, not understanding what Pikel had started. He closed his eyes and continued to chant, ignoring the continued howling and howling of the wolves, as well as the startled gasps of his friends. Cadderly opened his eyes again as the branches began to heave beneath him as if alive.The tree is in full bloom and fruit, with large apples hanging from each branch.Yiwen had already taken one in his hand, and took a big bite. However, the dwarf's expression changed drastically, and not because of the smell. "You think I'm fattening myself up so the wolves can eat better?" he asked seriously, before tossing an apple on the nose of the closest wolf. Pikel squealed with delight, and Cadderly couldn't believe what he and Pikel were doing.What the hell did they do?The young priest wondered, for he could not see any advantage in letting the tree bloom and bear fruit early.Apples could be used by them as missiles to throw those wolves, but of course it would not be possible to drive the whole pack of wolves away. The tree undulated again, and again, and then, to the astonishment of everyone on the branch - except Pikel, of course - it came to life, not just a plant, but sentient, moving biology! The branch rolled up, then swung down quickly, raining down apples with a thunderous force, striking the wolves hard.To make matters worse for the wolves, the lowest branches were still falling to knock them, creaking their legs beneath them, or sending them spinning away.Belag almost fell and fell on the branch where he was, with his arms folded and desperately grasping.Ivan fell, bouncing from one branch to another, all the way to the ground.Immediately he was on his feet, ax at the ready, anticipating a dozen wolves to pounce on him and bite him by the throat. Sherin was at his side at once, but the dwarf needed no protection.The wolves are too busy dodging and running away.After a while, Pikel and Cadderly, and finally Belag (who would come down only because he stumbled and fell), came to Ivan's side.Some of the closest wolves took the pack less seriously, but the four friends were armed and well trained, and with most of the pack broken up, they easily drove off those who had strayed . The matter was over quickly, and several wolves fell to the ground dead, while the rest of the pack disappeared.And the tree is just a tree again. "Your magic bought us some time and space." Shailene congratulated Cadderly.The young priest nodded, but then looked at Pikel, the green-bearded dwarf whooshed and grinned almost from ear to ear.Cadderly didn't know how much of himself and how much of Pikel had made the tree move this time, but now was not the time to explore the mystery. "If they come back, use that bottle," Bereg said, moving beside Cadderly. Cadderly studied the lanky man for a moment, realizing that Belag was unarmed.He handed the bottle back. "For your use," he explained, "but only when absolutely necessary. We have a darker road ahead, my friend, and I think we'll need every weapon we can find." Belag nodded his head up and down in agreement, though he didn't know, and couldn't possibly know, how deep the darkness Cadderly was talking about was. Turns out, they didn't need Bellag's bottle or anything that night.Xuelin immediately let everyone go on the road, turned back to the west, and came to a small bush formed by dense pine trees, where they spent the rest of the dark time, five friends and Percival were on guard at the highest point of the trunk. Cadderly could only assume that they had crippled Rufo, since the vampires hadn't found them.On the face of it, that seemed a good thing, but the young priest couldn't get the thought out of his mind that if Zirkan Rufo hadn't been with him, the vampire might have been with Danica. Cadderly did not fall asleep until the night was almost over, when exhaustion overwhelmed him.