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.They unearthed tunnel rats, snakes, and reptiles of various forms, treed a variety of cats, andspied upon the distant, rock-sheltered eyries of hunting birds.They studied the plantlife.Questor wentwith them on the first outing to interpret; after that, he was left behind.Ben and the kobold found thatthey could communicate well enough on their own.Ten days later, Ben used the Landsview to seek out Strabo.He went alone.He intended this outing tobe a measure of his progress in learning to control the magic.He had thought at first to seek out Willow,but it would be as if he were spying on her and he did not want that.So he settled on the dragon instead.The dragon terrified him, and he wanted to see how he could handle his fear.He searched most of theday before finding the monster engaged in devouring half a dozen cattle at the north end of theGreensward, gnawing and crunching on carcasses shredded and broken almost beyond recognition.Thedragon seemed to sense his presence as he brought himself to within a dozen yards of the feast.Thecrusted snout raised and jagged, blackened teeth snapped at the air before him.Ben held his ground for along five count, then pulled quickly away, satisfied.He wanted to make a foray alone into the forests about Sterling Silver to test what he had learned fromBunion, but Questor put his foot down.They compromised on a daytime hike in which Bunion would trailand not interfere if Ben was not threatened.Ben trooped out at dawn, trooped back again at dusk andnever saw Bunion once.He also never saw the cave wight and the tree adder that the kobold dispatched Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlas they were about to make a meal of him.He consoled himself with the knowledge that, while he hadseen neither of these, he had seen and avoided several bog wumps, wolves, other wights and reptiles,and a big cat, all of whom would have made a meal of him just as quickly.Two weeks later, he could recite from memory recent history, geographical landmarks and routes to andfrom the same, consumables and poisons, the creatures inhabiting the valley, the workings of the socialorders that dominated the major races, and the rules that any manual of basic survival in Landover wouldinclude.He was still working on the Landsview.He had not yet developed his confidence in its magic toundergo the final test that he had set for himself a search for the witch Nightshade in the hollows of theDeep Fell.Nightshade never ventured out of the oppressively dark confines of the Deep Fell, and he didnot yet trust himself to attempt an intrusion.He was still wrestling with his uncertainty when a more immediate problem appeared at the castle gates."You have visitors, High Lord," Abernathy announced.Ben was bent over a worktable in one of the lower sitting rooms, perusing ancient maps of the valley.Helooked up in surprise, seeing first the scribe and then Questor a few discreet steps behind him."Visitors?" he repeated."Gnomes, High Lord," Questor advised him."G'home Gnomes," Abernathy added, and there was hint of disdain in his voice.Ben stared at them.He shoved back the maps."What in the world are G'home Gnomes?" His lessonswith Questor' had never gotten this far."A rather pathetic species of gnome, I am afraid," Quetor replied."A rather worthless species, you mean," Abernathy creeled coldly."That is not necessarily so.""It is definitely so.""I am sorry to say that you reflect only your own predices, Abernathy.""I reflect a well-reasoned opinion, Questor Thews.""What is this Laurel and Hardy?" Ben broke in.They stared back at him blankly."Never mind," hetold them, impatiently brushing the reference aside with a wave of one hand."Just tell me what G'homeGnomes are.""They are a tribe of gnomes living in the foothills north below the high peaks of Melchor," Questoranswered, his owlish face shoving forward past Abernathy."They are burrow people; they inhabit tunnelsand dens they dig out of the earth.Most of the time they stay in the ground.""Where they ought to stay," Abernathy interjected.".but now and again they forage the surrounding countryside." He gave Abernathy a withering glance. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html"Do you mind?" His eyes shifted back to Ben."They are not well liked.They tend to appropriate thingsthat do not belong to them and give back nothing in exchange.Their burrowing can be a nuisance when itencroaches on pastureland or grain fields.They are extremely territorial and, once settled in, will notmove.It doesn't matter who owns the land they have settled on once there, they stay.""You have not told him the worst!" Abernathy insisted."Why not tell him yourself," Questor huffed, stepping back."They eat dogs.High Lord!" Abernathy snapped, unable to contain himself any longer.His muzzle drewback to reveal his teeth."They are cannibals!""Unfortunately, true." Questor shoved forward once more, crowding Abernathy aside with his shoulder."They eat cats as well, however, and I have never heard you complain about that!"Ben grimaced."Terrific.What about the name?""An abbreviation, High Lord," Questor said."The gnomes became so vexatious with their burrowing andtheir thieving that everyone began to express openly their wish that they would simply 'go home' towherever it was they had come from.After a while, the admonishment 'go home, gnomes' became thenickname by which they were known G'home Gnomes."Ben shook his head in disbelief."Now there's a story right out of the Brothers Grimm.The G'homeGnomes.Well, what brings these gnomes to us?""They will speak of that only with you, High Lord.Will you see them?"Abernathy looked very much as if he wanted to bite Questor, but he managed to refrain from doing so,his shaggy muzzle frozen in a half-snarl.Questor rocked back on his heels, eyes fixed on Benexpectantly."The royal appointment calendar isn't exactly bulging at the seams," Ben answered, looking first atAbernathy, then at Questor."I can't see where meeting someone who has taken the trouble to come allthis way can hurt anything.""I trust you will remember later that it was you who said that, High Lord." Abernathy sniffed."There aretwo of them waiting.Shall I show both in?"Ben had to fight to keep from grinning."Please do."Abernathy left and was back a few moments later with the G'home Gnomes."Fillip and Sot, High Lord," Abernathy announced, teeth showing.The gnomes came forward and bowed so low their heads touched the castle stone.They were the mostmiserable looking creatures Ben had ever seen.They were barely four feet tall, their bodies stout andcovered with hair, their faces ferretlike and bearded from neck to nose
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