conscious thought of Triss and the two Home Guard who stood
watch close by.
It was still raining when she awoke, as steady as before. The
skies were clouded, and the earth was sodden and turning to
mud. It rained all that day and into the next. Scouts went forth
to check on the Federation army’s progress and returned to ad-
vise that there was none. As Wren had hoped, the grasslands
were soggy and treacherous, and the Southland army had
pulled up its collective collar and was waiting out the storm.
She remembered Tiger Ty’s admonition not to be fooled into
thinking that the Federation was doing nothing simply because
it was not moving, but the weather was so bad that the Wing
Riders did not wish to fly and there was litde to discover while
they were grounded.
Word arrived from Arborlon that the main body of the Elven
army was still several days from being ready to begin its
march south. Wren ground her teeth in frustration. The weather
wasn’t helping the Elves either.
She spent some of her time with Tib, curious to know more
about him, wondering if there was any basis for Tiger Ty’s sus-
picions. Tib was open and cheerful, except when Gloon was
mentioned. Encouraged by her attention, he was eager to talk
about himself. He told her he had grown up in Varfleet, subse-
quently lost his parents to the Federation prisons, had been re-
cruited by the free-born to help in the Resistance, and had
lived with the outlaws ever since. He carried messages mostly,
able to pass almost anywhere because he looked as if he
wasn’t a danger to anyone. He laughed about that, and made
Wren laugh, too. He said he had traveled north once or twice
The Talismans of Shannara
to the outlaw strongholds in the Dragon’s Teeth, but hadn’t
gone there to live because he was too valuable in the cities. He
spoke glowingly of the free-born cause and of the need to free
the Borderlands from Federation rule. He did not speak of the
Shadowen or indicate that he knew anything about them. She
listened carefully to everything he said and heard nothing that
suggested Tib was anything other than what he claimed.
She asked Triss to speak with the boy as well so that he
might decide. Triss did, and his opinion was the same as her
own. Tib Ame seemed to be who and what he claimed. Wren
was persuaded. After that, she let the matter drop.
The rain ended on the third day, disappearing at midmoming
as clouds dispersed and skies cleared into bright sunlight. Wa-
ter dripped off leaves and puddled in hollows, and the air
turned steamy and damp. Desidio sent riders back to the plains,
and Erring Rift dispatched a pair of Wing Riders south. The
Elves moved out of the deep forest to the edge of the grass-
lands and settled down to wait.
The scouts and the Wing Riders returned at midday with
varying reports. The Elven Hunters had found nothing, but the
Wing Riders reported that the Federation camp was being
struck, and the army was preparing to move. As it was already
midday, it was uncertain as to what this meant since the army
could not hope to progress more than a few miles before dusk.
Wren listened to all the reports, had them repeated a second
dme, thought the matter through, then summoned Erring Rift.
“I want to go up for a look,” she advised him. “Can you
choose someone to take me? ”
The black-bearded Rift laughed. “And have to face Tiger Ty
if something goes wrong? Not a chance! I’ll take you myself,
my queen. That way if anything bad happens at least I won’t
be around to answer for it!”
She told Triss what she was about, declined his offer to ac-
company her, and moved to where Rift was strapping himself
onto Grayl. Tib caught up with her, wide-eyed and anxious,
and asked if he might go as well. She laughed and told him no,
but spurred by his mix of eagerness and disappointment prom-
ised that he might go another dme.