She began slicing a dense loaf of bread, which Tam realized must have been made without an oven.” Tell us about the Vale. Have you had other winters like the one that brought us to you?"For half an hour the Fdel tried to pretend they were interested in the doings of the Vale and Tam tried to find | something to tell them. Finally Cian took pity on him.” We should let these young men eat before Genn calls for them," Cian said.” Best not to go hungry."They ate in silence for a while, Aliel humming an odd, haunting tune, meeting their gazes now and then with her beautiful smile. As they ate, dusk stole into the Fael encampment, muting colors, brightening fires. The tents, formed like miniature pavilions, stood out against the growing shadows, their soft colors seeming to glow in the gloom.
Tam looked past Cian and Aliel at the other Fael moving about the encampment: the graceful women in their long, I flowing skirts and intricately embroidered vests, their I golden brown arms bare. The Fael women seemed terribly I exotic and beautiful to Tam. So unlike the practical women of the Vale in their no-nonsense clothing, hair pulled into a single, tight braid.
The dress of the men was only slightly less exotic, for they favored brightly colored vests over shirts with billowing sleeves. Even now, at the end of the day, the Fiel had a lightness to their step. They didn't seem exhausted by their toil, as did the men and women of the Vale. Yet they were industrious, despite their reputation. They produced beautiful fabrics, jewelry, instruments, and the finest bows in the land between, the. mountains.
In the growing dark, the great horses shifted, hooves making a muted sound upon the soft earth. Tam could see Cian and Aliel's horse staked out nearby, cropping the grasses contentedly. It was said that the Fael valued their horses above their children, and certainly when they had Hvnter&J in the Yak, Tam had been left with the impression that the horses were members of the families. The Fael took no chance that their precious horses might breed with those of the Valemen—leaving any half-breeds behind.
They were well-tended beasts, and much alike in color and conformation. Silky black manes and tails, varying degrees of white on their faces, shiny coats of burnished brown shading toward deep chestnut, and feathered white feet. Like most draft horses they were of calm disposition. Cian looked up as someone came near and nodded to him.” It is time to meet Genn," he said, rising.” Aliel and I will accompany you." Tam was half expecting to meet "elders," but the Fael they were introduced to hardly fit the image: one was a fairly young man they called Cynddl, not more than thirty despite his gray hair, and Genn was a woman of perhaps fifty years—hardly elders. They sat in chairs woven of willow wands, set beneath the spreading branches of a great beech. Colored candle lanterns swayed on cords, illuminating the Fael and the sweeping structure of the tree. Tam felt a bit self-conscious sitting there with the dark Fael eyes gazing at him. Genn had wrapped a finely woven shawl about her shoulders, and perched so elegantly on her chair that Tam felt clumsy and oafish just sitting near her. Tam didn't remember her from the Fael visit to the Vale, but Aliel and Cian deferred to her and listened respectfully.” I'm surprised your people would let you go digging on a field of battle," she said.” There are things in such places that should never be disturbed: old enmities, malignities that have festered over all the years the ground has been closed. Battlefields are places to be wary of. You can't know what you might unearth." Having experienced the arrogance of the Fael before, Tam knew there was nothing to be gained by reacting in anger.” We sought only to find a few trinkets we might trade downriver for horses," Tam said.” Certainly we meant no harm." "Let us hope you've done none. I'm also told you were set upon by brigands...."
Tam looked past Cian and Aliel at the other Fael moving about the encampment: the graceful women in their long, I flowing skirts and intricately embroidered vests, their I golden brown arms bare. The Fael women seemed terribly I exotic and beautiful to Tam. So unlike the practical women of the Vale in their no-nonsense clothing, hair pulled into a single, tight braid.
The dress of the men was only slightly less exotic, for they favored brightly colored vests over shirts with billowing sleeves. Even now, at the end of the day, the Fiel had a lightness to their step. They didn't seem exhausted by their toil, as did the men and women of the Vale. Yet they were industrious, despite their reputation. They produced beautiful fabrics, jewelry, instruments, and the finest bows in the land between, the. mountains.
In the growing dark, the great horses shifted, hooves making a muted sound upon the soft earth. Tam could see Cian and Aliel's horse staked out nearby, cropping the grasses contentedly. It was said that the Fael valued their horses above their children, and certainly when they had Hvnter&J in the Yak, Tam had been left with the impression that the horses were members of the families. The Fael took no chance that their precious horses might breed with those of the Valemen—leaving any half-breeds behind.
They were well-tended beasts, and much alike in color and conformation. Silky black manes and tails, varying degrees of white on their faces, shiny coats of burnished brown shading toward deep chestnut, and feathered white feet. Like most draft horses they were of calm disposition. Cian looked up as someone came near and nodded to him.” It is time to meet Genn," he said, rising.” Aliel and I will accompany you." Tam was half expecting to meet "elders," but the Fael they were introduced to hardly fit the image: one was a fairly young man they called Cynddl, not more than thirty despite his gray hair, and Genn was a woman of perhaps fifty years—hardly elders. They sat in chairs woven of willow wands, set beneath the spreading branches of a great beech. Colored candle lanterns swayed on cords, illuminating the Fael and the sweeping structure of the tree. Tam felt a bit self-conscious sitting there with the dark Fael eyes gazing at him. Genn had wrapped a finely woven shawl about her shoulders, and perched so elegantly on her chair that Tam felt clumsy and oafish just sitting near her. Tam didn't remember her from the Fael visit to the Vale, but Aliel and Cian deferred to her and listened respectfully.” I'm surprised your people would let you go digging on a field of battle," she said.” There are things in such places that should never be disturbed: old enmities, malignities that have festered over all the years the ground has been closed. Battlefields are places to be wary of. You can't know what you might unearth." Having experienced the arrogance of the Fael before, Tam knew there was nothing to be gained by reacting in anger.” We sought only to find a few trinkets we might trade downriver for horses," Tam said.” Certainly we meant no harm." "Let us hope you've done none. I'm also told you were set upon by brigands...."
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