“I’ll be all right,” Haplo said, holding his injured shoulder, fighting back the temptation to use the runes, complete the healing. When he was alone . . . and that would be soon, if all went well! Alone and away from this place! He leaned back against the tree trunk, closed his eyes, hoping the man and the elf woman would take the hint and leave him to himself. He heard footsteps walking away, he didn’t care where. Paithan and the elflord had resumed their conversation.
“… scouts reported that conventional weapons had no effect on them. The humans’ defeat in Thillia made that obvious. Humans using our magical weapons proved somewhat more effective, but were eventually beaten. That’s to be expected. They can use the magic that is in the weapon, but they can’t enhance it, as we can. Not that enhancing helped us much. Our own wizards were completely at a loss. We threw everything we had at them and only one proved successful.”
“The dracos, my lord?” said Paithan.
“Yes, the dracos.”
What the devil was a draco? Haplo opened his eyes, peered through half-closed lids. The elflord held one in his hands, apparently. Both he and Paithan were studying it intently. So did Haplo.
The draco was similar in appearance to a railbow, except that it was considerably larger. The projectiles it fired were carved out of wood, fashioned to resemble small dragons.
“It’s effectiveness doesn’t appear to be in the wounds the draco inflicts. Most didn’t get close enough to the tytans to inflict any,” the lord added ruefully. “It’s -the look of the draco itself that frightens them. Whenever we loose the dracos, the monsters don’t try to fight. They simply turn and run!” The elflord glared at the weapon in frustration, shaking it slightly. “I wish I knew what it was about this particular weapon that frightens them off! Maybe we could defeat them!”
Haplo stared at the draco, eyes narrowed. He knew why! He presumed that when it was fired at the enemy, it came to life- elven weapons sometimes operated that way. It would appear to the tytans’ senses as if they were being attacked by a small dragon. He recalled the sensation of overwhelming terror emanating from the tytan when the dragon had appeared in the glade. So, the dragons could conceivably be used to control the monsters.
My lord will find that most interesting, thought Haplo, smiling quietly and rubbing his shoulder.
A nudge at his belt drew his attention. Looking down, he saw the dwarf, Blackbeard or Drugar or whatever he was called. How long has he been standing there? Haplo hadn’t noticed, and he cursed himself for not noticing. One tended to forget the dwarf and, from the look in the dark eyes, that tendency could be fatal.
“You speak my language.” It wasn’t a question. Drugar already knew the answer. Haplo wondered briefly, how?
“Yes.” The Patryn didn’t think it necessary to lie.
“What are they saying?” Drugar nodded a shaggy head at Paithan and the elflord. “I speak human, but not elven.”
“They’re talking about that weapon the elf’s holding in his hand. It apparently has some effect on the tytans. It makes them run away.”
The dwarf’s brows beetled, his eyes seemed to sink back into his head, practically invisible except for the sparkling hate in their black depths. The Patryn knew and appreciated hatred- hatred kept those trapped in the Labyrinth alive. He had been wondering why Drugar was traveling with people the dwarf made no secret of despising. Haplo thought suddenly that he understood.
“Elven weapons”-Drugar spoke into his thick beard-“drive them away! Elven weapons could have saved my people!”
As if in response, Paithan’s grim voice rose, “But it didn’t drive them far, Durndrun.”
The lord shook his head. “No, not far. They came back, attacked us from behind, using that deadly elemental magic of theirs-hurling fire, rocks dragged from the Mother-knows-where. They took care not to come within sight of us and, when we fled, they didn’t follow.”
“What do they say?” Drugar asked. His hand was beneath his beard; Haplo could see the fingers moving, grasping at something.
“The weapons stopped them, but not for long. The tytans hit them with elemental magic.”