Trek to Kraggen-Cor by 1932- Dennis L. McKiernan Read Free Book Online Page B

responded Anval, "a fortnight and a week hence, King Durek and the Army arrive at the ford; so it is there that we will await them."
    "It is at the ford where Durek must decide how to enter Kraggen-cor," added Lord Kian, responding to Perry's puzzled expression. "Here, let me show you: If I line up these mushroom platters . . . there, now . . . then they can represent the Grimwall Mountains, as they run down from the Steppes of Jord and on toward Valon and Gunar in the south ere curving away westerly. Along the eastern flank of the range runs the Argon River, flowing southward toward the Avagon Sea . . . and here where I put my spoon is the ford where the Landover Road crosses the river. The road goes on up the east flank and into the mountains where it then runs through Crestan Pass, crossing over the range to come back down at Arden on the west side. Now let this saltcellar represent Mineholt North, where Durek's army started their march. . . . Mineholt goes up here—nearly three hundred fifty miles of marching to the east and north of the ford. And finally we'll put this pepper mill down here, another two hundred miles south of the ford, where lies Drimmen-deeve, with its Dawn-Gate on the east side of the mountains and the Dusk-Door on the west.
    "Now you can see it is at the ford where Durek, coming down from the north and east, must choose which way to invade the Deeves: he can cross over the mountains at Crestan Pass to Arden, march down the west flank of

    the range, and invade by Dusk-Door; or he can stay on the east side of the mountains, tramp south along the banks of the river Argon, then come over the wold . . . about here . . . and march up the Pitch to attack into Dawn-Gate. You can also see that his choice is crucial, for these two ways lie on opposite sides of a mighty wall of mountains, and he must decide at the ford, for there is the Crestan Pass—the Army's path across the range." Lord Kian lapsed into silence, taking a long pull from his mug.
    "What about Quadran Pass?" asked Perry after a moment. "It is near Drimmen-deeve. The Raven Book says the western reach of the pass is less than a day's march north of the Dusk-Door, and the eastern end of the pass comes down onto the Pitch itself. I repeat: what about Quadran Pass? Couldn't Durek cross over there?"
    "A good question, Perry," replied Kian, "and the answer is—perhaps. Durek might be able to cross there, but he is faced with two problems: First, the gap in the Quadran, at least on the Pitch side, may be guarded by Spaunen, and crossing there would alert Gnar and all his forces, and our edge of surprise would be lost. Second, early winter is nearly upon us, and by the time the Army can get to that pass, Quadran Gap in all likelihood, will be snowed in and impassable. No, Durek must choose at Landover Road Ford, so that the Crestan Pass can be crossed if his choice is to attack by the western door, or so that he can turn south and follow the river if he chooses to invade through the eastern gate. And our mission now is to meet him at the ford with the information gleaned from your Raven Book, so that he can use that knowledge in making his decision." Again Lord Kian fell silent, and each stared at the problem laid out before him as the Man took another long pull from his mug.
    "Wull, Dusk-Door or Dawn-Gate, it's a poser all right," said Cotton at last, eyeing the alignment of the mushroom platters. "But be that as it may, please pass me some of those Grimwall Mountains, and I'll have a bit of Mineholt saltcellar and Drimmen-deeve pepper mill, too, to make 'em more tasty." With a strangling cough, Lord Kian choked on his beer in laughter, and the others guffawed heartily as the Warrow piled mushrooms on his plate and salted and peppered them and began popping them into his widely grinning mouth, saying, "Mmmm, good mountains! Delicious peaks!"
    The table talk continued in this fashion for two hours as the Warrows, the Dwarves, and the Man stuffed