Suddenly, the air around him grew colder. The elk cow was standing beside him on the steep bank. No . . . now Ole saw his mistake. This thing was as big as an elk cow, but that was all it had in common with an elk. Its head reminded him of a huge dog’s head. Finger-long teeth lined its jaws. And it was translucent. Pale, ghostly light emanated from it.
For a long time, the creature merely stood there and looked down on him. Ole had the impression that it was feeding on his pain. Finally, it lowered its head and approached a little closer.
Its jaws snapped at the injured leg. It felt as if an icy winter wind touched him. The creature’s teeth sank into his flesh but did not injure it. Something golden shimmered between its fangs. The beast jerked its head back, tore something out of him. A snake? No. It looked more like an umbilical cord of golden light.
All his joints began to ache. Half unconscious, Ole felt for the bandolier that held his whips. The pain in his joints burned more and more. At the same time, he was overcome by a weariness as if he had not slept for days. It took all his strength of will just to pull a whip out of the leather loops of the bandolier.
“Everything that looks like a dog fears me.” His voice was no more than a hoarse whisper. It sounded like an old man’s voice. The creature looked up momentarily. With a weak swing, Ole flicked the whip at its snout. There was a hissing noise, as if he had thrown water onto hot coals. The thong passed straight through the creature’s ghostly body. Small sparks gleamed. The creature leaped back in fright and let out a pitiful wail. Then it dashed away and vanished in seconds between the trees.
“I told you! I can get the better of any dog,” Ole murmured. Then he sank back on the earth. He felt as weak as an old man, and a pounding pain tormented his leg. He tried again to sit up, but his strength failed him. He knew it was hopeless to cry for help out there. No one would hear him.
Like some spawn of the night itself, Skullbiter was suddenly standing before him. The large black dog looked at him coldly. Then it lunged forward with its misshapen head. Its jaws closed over the bone jutting from the open wound, and with a furious snarl, it shook Ole’s leg back and forth.
Ole’s voice broke down in shrill screaming. He heard the bone crack between the dog’s monstrous teeth. Blood spattered his face. He wished he would lose consciousness, but the pain kept him awake.
Skullbiter’s fangs were dug deep into Ole’s flesh. Something else cracked in the wound. The huge dog pushed its front feet into the soft earth with all its considerable strength. Suddenly, there was a jolt, and Skullbiter tumbled backward. He had bitten through the leg. Without letting Ole out of its sight, the dog crouched down and tore the flesh from the bone. Blood had gathered in the deep scars on its snout, making them look like fresh wounds.
Ole’s screams had lost all trace of humanity. His fingers clutched at the forest floor. He tried to drag himself away, though he knew he could not escape the hound, though he knew that the dreadful meal was very far from over.
APPENDICES
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Aesa—Daughter of the farmer at Carnfort Farm
Aileen—Lover of Farodin; in Ollowain’s parable, a legendary archer in the saga of Nazirluma and Aileen
Alathaia—Elven princess of Langollion; in a feud with Emerelle; it is said that she has walked the dark paths of magic
Alfadas Mandredson—Jarl of Firnstayn and prince of the Fjordlands in times of war; son of Mandred; grew up in Emerelle’s royal household in Albenmark
Alfeid—Washerwoman in Firnstayn; mother of Halgard
Alvias—Elven chamberlain of Emerelle’s court; commonly known as Master Alvias
Andorin—Elven healer in Emerelle’s court
Antafes—Centaur warrior; member of Emerelle’s ceremonial escort in Vahan Calyd
Asla—Wife of Alfadas
Atta Aikhjarto—Souled oak tree that saved the life of the hero Mandred
Audhild—Wife of the farmer at Carnfort Farm
Birga—Troll shaman; foster daughter of Skanga
Boltan—Troll artillery chief
Branbeard—King of the trolls
Brud—Scout in the service of Skanga
Dalla—Healer in the service of King Horsa
Dolmon—Kobold in Phylangan
Dumgar—Troll duke of Mordrock; adviser to King Branbeard
Egil—Son of King Horsa; heir to the throne of the Fjordlands
Eginhard von Daluf—Chronicler of King Horsa
Eleborn—Prince beneath the waves; ruler of the Albenkin that live in the oceans of Albenmark
Emelda—One of the names used by humans for Emerelle
Emerelle—Elven queen of Albenmark; one of the oldest beings in her world
Erek Erekson—Fisherman in Firnstayn; father of Asla
Fahlyn—Young elf woman from Phylangan; a member of the Farangel clan
Farodin—Legendary elven hero
Fenryl—Elven count of the Normirga
Finn—Oldest son of the farmer at Wehrberghof
Firn—God of winter in the pantheon of the Fjordlanders
Fredegund—Slave woman in Firnstayn
Freya—Wife of Mandred; mother of Alfadas
Galti—Fisherman in Firnstayn
Godlip—Jarl of Honnigsvald
Gondoran—Boatmaster of Queen Emerelle in Vahan Calyd; master of the waters
Gran—Exceptionally gigantic troll warrior; rival of Orgrim
Gundar—Luth priest in Firnstayn
Hallandan—Elven prince of Reilimee
Horsa Starkshield—King of the Fjordlands
Isleif—Wilderness farmer; lives on a farmstead in the vicinity of Firnstayn
Iwein—The most important livestock breeder in Firnstayn
Kadlin—Daughter of Alfadas and Asla
Kalf—Fisherman and jarl of Firnstayn
Kodran—Ferryman at Honnigsvald; oldest of three brothers
Lambi—Jarl from the Fjordlands; banished by King Horsa
Landoran—Elven prince of the Snaiwamark and Carandamon; father of Ollowain
Loki—Orphan boy in the care of Svenja
Luth—Weaver of fate; in the Fjordlands, he is the god who weaves the strands of life into a wonderful tapestry
Lyndwyn—Granddaughter of Shahondin
Lysilla—Elf woman from the Normirga race
Mag—Ferryman at Honnigsvald; younger brother of Kodran
Mahawan—Elf; once lover of Emerelle
Mandrag—Brother in arms of the troll king; interim ruler of the trolls after their diaspora
Mandred—Legendary hero among humans and elves; father of Alfadas; jarl of Firnstayn
Maruk—Pack leader of the trolls in the service of Skanga
Matha Murganleuk—Souled magnolia tree in Emerelle’s palace in Vahan Calyd
Melvyn—Son of Silwyna and Alfadas
Mjölnak—Warhorse of King Horsa
Murgim—Kobold from Phylangan
Nazirluma—Legendary king of the Lamassu
Nessos—Centaur warrior; member of Emerelle’s ceremonial escort in Vahan Calyd
Nomja—Elf woman; archer; once part of Emerelle’s guard
Norgrimm—God of war in the pantheon of the Fjordlanders
Noroelle—Elven sorceress sent into exile by Emerelle
Nuramon—Legendary elven hero
Olav—Woodsman from Sunhill
Ole—Dog breeder in Firnstayn; uncle of Asla
Ollowain—Swordmaster to Queen Emerelle; a member of the Normirga
Orgrim—Pack leader, then prince of the Nightcrags; most competent commander of the trolls
Orimedes—Centaur prince of Windland
Osaberg—Legendary king of the Fjordlands
Oswin—Young jarl from the Fjordlands; standard-bearer of King Horsa
Ragnar—Warrior under Jarl Lambi
Ragni—A bodyguard of King Horsa; accompanied Alfadas on various military cam
paigns
Ralf—Name used by Egil Horsason to serve in Alfadas’s army
Rolf Svertarm—Warrior under Jarl Lambi
Ronardin—Elven keeper of the Mahdan Falah
Sandowas—Elf from Phylangan; emissary in the service of Landoran
Sanhardin—Elven warrior; a bodyguard of Queen Emerelle
Sansella—Daughter of Hallandan, the elven prince of Reilimee
Senwyn—Elf; oldest of the Farangel clan
Shahondin—Elven prince of Arkadien
Shaleen—Wife of Count Fenryl
Sigvald—Wainwright from Honnigsvald
Silwyna—Elf woman; archer from the race of the Maurawan
Skanga—Important troll shaman
Slangaman—Legendary troll king
Slavak—Kobold servant; part of Shahondin’s household, then in the service of King Branbeard
Snowwing—Falcon of Count Fenryl
Solveig—Woman from Firnstayn
Svanlaug—Goddess of victory; daughter of Norgrimm
Svenja—Aunt of Asla in Firnstayn
Taenor—Young elven sorcerer from Phylangan
Thorfinn—Farmer at Wehrberghof
Tofi—Youngest son of the farmer at Wehrberghof
Torad—Ferryman at Honnigsvald; younger brother of Kodran
Ulf—A bodyguard of King Horsa
Ulric—Son of Alfadas and Asla
Urk—Troll with a weakness for squirrels
Usa—Slave woman in Firnstayn
Vahelmin—Son of Shahondin; famous hunter
Veleif Silberhand—Skald in the service of King Horsa
Yilvina—Elf woman; a bodyguard of Queen Emerelle
Yngwar—Warrior under Jarl Lambi
LOCATIONS
Albenmark—Name for the entire physical world of the Albenkin
Albentop—Mysterious mountain in the north of Albenmark
Arkadien—An important principality in Albenmark
Carandamon—High plateau; permanently frozen; the original homeland of the Normirga
Drusna—Forested kingdom in the human world
Eaglescarp—A mountain fortress in Carandamon
Firnstayn—Small village in the Fjordlands
Gonthabu—Harbor in the south of the Fjordlands; residence of King Horsa Starkshield
The heartland—Province in Albenmark; location of Queen Emerelle’s court
Honnigsvald—Small town about half a day’s ride south of Firnstayn
Iolid Mountains—Mountain range on the edge of the heartland
Iskendria—Important trade center in the human world; famous for its library; notorious for its cruel city god
Kandastan—Legendary city/kingdom in the east of the human world
Kingdom beneath the waves—Principality on the bottom of the sea in Albenmark
Kingstor—The trolls’ name for Phylangan
Langollion—Island to the southeast of Whale Bay
Mahdan Falah—The world bridge; inside the Skyhall of Phylangan
Phylangan—Also known as the stone garden; a fortress that watches over the entrance to the high plain of Carandamon
Reilimee—Important harbor city of the elves
Rosecarn—Elven settlement on the western end of the Swelm Valley; known to the trolls as the Wolfpit
Shalyn Falah—The white bridge; one of the entrances to the heartland
Slanga Mountains—Homeland of the secretive Maurawan race of elves
Snaiwamark—Original home of the trolls
Sunhill—Small mountain village on the reindeer path
Swelm Valley—Valley in the Snaiwamark that opens into Whale Bay; the troll fortress known as the Wolfpit lies at its western end
Vahan Calyd—Harbor city on the Woodmer; founded by the displaced race of the Normirga
Whale Bay—Large bay on the east of the Snaiwamark
Windland—Steppe landscape in the north of Albenmark; populated mainly by centaurs
The Wolfpit—Troll fortress on the western end of the Swelm Valley; known to the elves as Rosecarn
The Woodmer—Shallow sea in the south of Albenmark
GLOSSARY
Albenkin—Collective term for all the races created by the Alben (elves, trolls, centaurs, and so on); the humans refer to them as Albenfolk
Albenpaths—Magical paths
Albenstars—Intersection of two to seven Albenpaths; Albenstars are the entry points to the Albenpaths
Apsaras—Water nymphs
Bandag—Red-brown juice obtained from the roots of the dinko bush; used by the Albenkin to paint their bodies
Centaurs—A race in Albenmark; half horse, half elf-like
Devanthar—Half-man, half-boar creature; archenemy of the elves
Dinko bush—Bush from which the Albenkin extract bandag
Elves—The last of the races created by the Alben
Farangel—Elven clan; part of the Normirga race in Phylangan
Fauns—A goat-legged race in Albenmark
Gry-na-Lah—A cursed or enchanted arrow that flies until it kills the victim whose name is written on its shaft
Holde—One of the kobold clans of Albenmark; they live in the mangrove swamps near Vahan Calyd; their princes call them the masters of water
Ironbeards—Carved wooden figures into which one drives items made of iron as offerings to the god Luth
Jarl—Title of the leader of a village in the Fjordlands; elected anew each year
Lamassu—A race in Albenmark; body of a bull, the wings of a giant eagle, and a bearded face
Liburna—A small galley, designed to be fast and light.
Lutins—A race of fox-headed kobolds famed for their crude pranks and skill with magic
Maurawan—A race of elves that lives in the forests of the Slanga Mountains
Minotaurs—A race in Albenmark; steer-headed giants
Normirga—A race of elves that lives on the high plateau of Carandamon and the Snaiwamark
Oreaden—Shy mountain nymphs that live primarily in the Iolid Mountains
Riverbank sprites—Small, winged race of Albenkin
Shi-Handan—Soul eaters; creatures summoned by Skanga
Summoners—A subgroup of the trolls with the ability to form a spiritual connection with wild animals, to attract them and make them subservient to their will
Trolls—A warlike race in Albenmark; banished to the human world by Queen Emerelle
Warmaster—Elven title for the commander in chief of their military forces
Windsingers—A special group of elven sorcerers
Yingiz—Mysterious race driven by the Alben into the void between the worlds
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Despite the popular cliché of the author as a lone figure ensconced in a garret, hidden away from the world, the truth is that this book, at least, would probably never have been finished without the assistance of a great many unseen elves and kobolds. Those who helped me in my struggles with Albenmark were Menekse, who gave me my freedom when it was necessary; Elke, who knows draft horses better than I do, even though she can’t stand them; Karl-Heinz, who dispensed advice freely, even at midnight; Eymard, who piloted me through the shallows of specialized nautical terminology; Gregor and Bettina, who were where I was not; and my editors Martina Vogl, who never lost faith, and Angela Kuepper, who ensured among other things that my readers were spared tapeworm sentences like this one.
Bernhard Hennen
December 2005
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bernhard Hennen studied archaeology, history, and German studies at Cologne University, and traveled extensively while working as a journalist. With Wolfgang Hohlbein, Hennen published his first novel, Das Jahr des Greifen, in 1994. Since then, his name has appeared on dozens of historical and fantasy novels, as well as numerous short stories. Hennen has also developed the story line for a computer game and has worked as a swordsman for hire in medieval shows and as a Santa Claus mercenary. Elven Winter is the second book in Th
e Saga of the Elven, following The Elven. He currently lives with his family in Krefeld, Germany.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Photo © 2016 Dagmar Jordan
Born in Australia, Edwin Miles has been working as a translator, primarily in film and television, for more than twelve years. After undergraduate studies in his hometown of Perth, he received an MFA in fiction writing at the University of Oregon in 1995. While there, he spent a year working as fiction editor on the literary magazine Northwest Review. In 1996, he was short-listed for the prestigious Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award for young writers for a collection of short stories. After many years living and working in Australia, Japan, and the United States, he currently resides in his “second home” in Cologne, Germany, with his wife, Dagmar, and two very clever children.