THE LONELY STAR (Contd. from BD birthday party)

[Child of the 7th Age]

The three made their way to the stables where they found Lindo saddling the ponies. Child could not help herself. She turned to the hobbit and gazed at him with curiousity. He was slender and fair, and was dressed much like any other Elf in the household. It was apparent that he spoke fluent Elvish.

He tersely said to them, "The Lady has requested that I take you to the home of Maura Tuk, so I will do that."

Beyond those words, he offered no greeting. The hobbits could sense that he neither trusted nor liked them.

As they rode along, Child felt a tentative pull within her head. She had felt that tug before. It was the sort of thing Angara would do when she wished to speak mind-to-mind, or find out something that Child already knew. Child knew that Elves often communicated with each other this way. She herself could not speak with any elves or hobbits, but with her own dragon it was different. Angara had taught her to share ideas, and to close down her own mind so that no one else could peer inside. She had even helped Rose master the skill of shutting down her thoughts to protect her privacy.

Child wasn't sure where this tug came from, but she instinctively clamped down to push the intruder out. The three continued their ride in silence. At one point, however, Rose's eyes met her own, as if she too had felt something strange. Occasionally, Bird took off from Rose's shoulder and flew about to have a look at all that she could see.

After they had ridden some time, the landscape began to change. Ahead lay a bank of hobbit burrows nestled into a vast series of small hillsides, one tucked immdiately next to the other. To Child's immediate left, she could see the North Gate.