Celedin regarded him, but he made no other reaction to this.
Dathor was not sure what to say next to the man. “I suppose I could be sorry about it, about trying to kill you, but…”
“But you’re not,” finished Celedin. “Because you have always hated me, and I have always hated you, and that is the way of things between us.”
Dathor shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. “I aim to have it for myself, the Peak. I suppose you should know that. I doubt that you’ll wish to let me have it—”
“I’d rather die,” said Celedin.
“As it happens,” said Dathor, “it’s more convenient for me to have you alive right now.”
Celedin raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“You do want to deliver our home from these orcs occupying it, I suppose?” said Dathor.
“Youwant to do that?”
“The orc army and I have had a bit of a parting of ways,” said Dathor. “They’ll probably think I’ve deserted or betrayed them or something dramatic like that. It’s possible that word will not have reached them yet, but it will soon. So, we do not have a lot of time.”
“You have some sort of plan?”
“I was thinking of the trick that we used to play when we were boys,” said Dathor. “The one where we would tell everyone that the herd of cows in the east field had broken down the fence?”
Celedin furrowed his brow. “Tell the orc army that something they were tending to has broken?”
“Or tell them there is an attack coming,” said Dathor. “I was thinking we steer them to Campion Cliffs.”
Celedin nodded in understanding. “They’ll get down there but they’ll have a devil of a time getting back up.”
“And they won’t be able to see until they’re down there,” said Dathor.
“You could have done this on your own,” said Celedin. “You don’t need me for this.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But with you as my hostage, they’ll believe the elves are coming to attack more readily, I think.” He paused. “And I was hoping you’d go into the village and convince the men who are good archers to camp out on the turret and the towers to put arrows in anyone who advances on the keep.”
Celedin laughed, a raspy sound. “Now, I see how it goes. And after this, after I bring people to defend my home, you think you’ll take it from me?”
“We’ll get to that part later, I suppose,” said Dathor. “It’s my home, too.”
Celedin sighed.
“You don’t really have a choice,” said Dathor. “You know I can turn you out now, and you could never stop me on your own. You always had to use your coin to bribe others to hold me down.” He spit out the words.
Celedin bowed his head. His voice was that awful ghost of a voice. “Iwill apologize. It was beneath me. I am ashamed of the way I treated you.”
Dathor didn’t know how to react to that. It actually made him unsteady on his feet. He backed away. He clenched his hands into fists.
Celedin raised his gaze to the other man’s.
Dathor swallowed. His voice came out strained. “I could kill you again, and we both know it. So, you will do as I say.”
“All right,” said Celedin. “As you say, I have no choice.”
They simply stared at each other for long, long moments.
Then, Dathor drew in a noisy breath and stepped forward again. “All right,” he said. “Here is what we will do.” And he began to explain.
37
