Elf Killers Read Online Free PDF Page A

By the time they had begun again with their ringing calls in the growing shadows, Olloo was stumbling from exhaustion, tripping on the sticks he kept kicking up between his ankles. 
    Suddenly there were shouts through the leaves from up ahead. "Ubh Ollmhor!" said Kieran. "Olloo, is that what they said?"
    "I'm pretty sure."
    Presently they came out of the trees to begin clambering over a maze of huge round boulders, piled every which way. Soon there was nothing to be seen of the woods at all as they climbed and scuffled around the rocks, with the summit of Mount Sliabh rising quickly into view. 
    "Where's everyone going?" said Kieran. "Are we spending the night in a ditch?”
    "It sure looks that way," said Olloo, "and it's been looking like rain for some time."
    "Look. It's a tunnel..."
    "From here it looks as though we're going right into the foot of Mount Sliabh."
    "At least it hasn't erupted any time during our lifetimes."
    "And it probably won't for at least another night."
     
    Dyr followed the Elf tracks to the creek where they vanished into the current. He gave a growling huff of exasperation, tramped up the bank to a big rock and clambered up on it. "Dyrney nyr-vyr-nirr-trad!" he roared as he hammered his chest with both fists. "Dyrney halt!" Again he pummeled his chest. "Dyr-jiny!" he bellowed.
    Dyr-jiny, the right half of his body painted red ochre, the left half painted black, his hair caked with red mud, hurried to the rock with his talismans and ropes of beads a-dangle to plant his staff and began bobbing in time as he chanted, "Ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo..."
    "Ay-ooo!" cried Dyr as he leaped into the air once and planted his feet to pummel his chest once more. "Gnydy!"
    Gnydy jogged up and began leaping in time, crying, "Ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo..."
    "Ay-ooo!" cried Dyr, leaping and drumming his chest. "Dyrney-brutes!"
    Trolls came running from all directions out of the woods to leap and bob in time beside Dyr-jiny and Gnydy as they took up the chant, "Ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo..."
    "Ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo," chanted Dyr, suddenly changing to, "Ooot-ooot, ooot-ooot, ooot-ooot..." as he sprang off the rock to land beside Dyr-jiny and Gnydy and to leap up and down the highest of all as everyone chanted, "Ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo..."
    Suddenly they all froze as Dyr pummeled his chest, slinging spittle. "Kid-grab-up-squeakers katoomp-katoomp off into scurry-water here!" he cried, flinging his arm at the creek. "Dofan-ay-yr-pi! Fnad-ripf! Rre-gafi-ni-oow-fn!"
    "Ay-ooo, ay-ooo, ay-ooo," cried the three, bouncing their shaggy heads in time above the crowd.
    "You and you and you go-all-round!" cried Dyr, stirring the air over his head.
    "Look-on no-see-side of tumble-rocks. Go-down-stream. Find-where kid-grab-up-squeakers hee-hee-sneak. Go! Dyrney will juicy-champ them later. Meet-us at the endless eye-sting-water." Suddenly he furiously pounded his chest. "Dyrney-brutes!" he bellowed. "We-now-go jump-bite the big grab-up-squeaker-nest of skin-huts and float huts at the endless eye-sting-water! Follow me!" And with a wave of his spear, he set out in a loping run down the side of the mountain.
    Gnydy stared at Dyr's back for a moment, then picked up his club and followed.
     
    Fynlo sat on an empty keg in the sand down the beach from the quays and watched the twelve ships row away into the red sunset and vanish over the edge of the world. Terns swooped and dove at the water for their evening fish. Bellbirds giving their final calls of the day could be plainly heard all the way from the woods over the sounds of the lapping waves. 
    "How long have you been sitting here?" said Catreeney, gently putting her hand on his shoulder as she studied the horizon.
    "A while."
    "So, have you decided that we should've gone with them?" she said as he turned a haunted look to meet her sea-green eyes. 
    "No, we did right," he said with flat certainty. "It's 'way too soon to give up the younglings for lost when we don't even know