Taran wanderer by Lloyd Alexander

Author:Lloyd Alexander [Lloyd Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jeunesse
ISBN: 9780805061345
Published: 1999-04-20T06:58:22+00:00

Chapter 11

Dorath

AFTER EATING, the Companions stretched themselves on the turf and slept solidly the rest of the day and all that night. In the morning Doli took his leave of them. Kaw, at Doli’s request, had already begun flying to the Fair Folk realm with tidings that all was well; from there, the crow would rejoin Taran.

“I’d go with you if I could,” the dwarf said to Taran. “The thought of an Assistant Pig-Keeper blundering his way through the Llawgadarn Mountains makes my hair stand on end. But I dare not. Eiddileg must have the jewel safely. And who’s to bring it to him? Good old Doli! Humph!”

“It saddens me to part with you,” Taran said, “but you’ve helped me more than I could hope. The Lake of Llunet bears the same name as the Mirror and perhaps will lead me to it.”

“Farewell, then,” said Doli. “You’ve kept us all from being frogs or worse and restored a treasure to us. You’ll not regret it. We Fair Folk have long memories.”

The dwarf clasped hands with the travelers, and pulled his leather cap tighter on his head. Doli waved one last time, and Taran watched the dwarf’s stumpy figure trudging steadily across a broad meadow, growing smaller in the distance until he vanished into the skirting woods and Taran saw him no more.

Through the day the companions bore northeastward again. Taran would have been glad for Doli’s guidance and keenly missed the gruff dwarf, but his spirits had never been higher; he rode eagerly, light-heartedly; the battle horn swinging from his shoulder gave him fresh courage and confidence.

“Eilonwy’s gift is more precious even than I thought,” he told Fflewddur. “I’m grateful to Doli for telling me its power. And more than that, for telling me of the Lake of Llunet. It’s a strange thing, Fflewddur,” Taran went on, “but somehow I feel closer to the end of my quest. I believe more than ever that I’ll find what I’m looking for.”

“Eh? How’s that?” Fflewddur answered, blinking as if he had just come awake. Though Gurgi had put all thoughts of Morda behind him, the bard seemed still shaken by his ordeal, and often lapsed into thoughtful silence when he would morosely finger his ears as though expecting them to lengthen at any moment. “Dreadful experience!” he muttered now. “A Fflam into a rabbit! What were you saying? The quest? Yes, of course.”

“Smell with whiffings!” interrupted Gurgi. “Someone cooks tasty crunchings and munchings!”

“You’re right,” Fflewddur agreed, sniffing the air. “Oh, blast! There goes my nose twitching again!”

Taran reined Melynlas to a walk. Llyan, too, had caught the scent; her ears forward, she licked hungrily at her whiskers.

“Shall we see who it is?” asked Fflewddur. “I wouldn’t say no to a hot meal—so long as it isn’t rabbit!”

Taran nodded and the companions rode cautiously through the glade. He had meant to catch a first glimpse of the strangers without himself being seen; but he had gone no more than a few paces when two roughly bearded men rose from the shadows of the bushes.

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