[Child of the 7th Age]

By the time Elentari awoke the next morning, many of the other members of the company had already been up for several hours. It was Grain and Farin who came over and sat down next to the Elf as she pulled off a small piece of travel bread and absently chewed on it, thinking of everything that had happened the night before.

Elentari signed and looked over at the sturdy faces of Vrain and Farin. "Your people are skilled with rock and stones. Can you direct the rest of the company to gather the stones we need to build a barrow where Merenwen can be laid to rest? You and the other Dwarves have a gift for fitting earth and stones together so the mound will stand proud and tall, protecting the tomb from the wolves, as well as the rain and winds that will bear down on it. Tonight, under the silver light of the moon, we will have a service of remembrance and each may speak what is in their hearts. Tomorrow we break camp and double our pace on the trail so we can reach the mountains more quickly. I will not rest until the wyrm falls to our swords and arrows, and the captives are brought home. "

With this, Elentari withdrew to a secluded niche on the very edge of the campsite, pulling out her maps, and carefully spreading them out on the ground, using her finger to trace the long route that still lay ahead of them. Once or twice, she glanced up from her work and saw that others had begun piling up the rocks and the rich brown loam to make a suitable grave for the fallen Elf. Still other members of the company were currying and feeding the horses, or had gone off into the nearby woods hunting small game that could be cooked over the fire for dinner.





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[ June 05, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]