by T Nisbet
Chp. 33
Two groups passed us heading north as the afternoon wore on, but neither of them stopped. It was hard sitting there watching them go by, waiting for some sign that they thought something was wrong. I didn’t want to shoot anyone else in the back. But it was harder thinking of Ivy out there sneaking up on a castle.
I couldn’t stop worrying about them. Gill must have sensed my worry and told me stories he’d heard about fairies and other creatures, as well as anecdotes from his time in the guard while we waited. I listened, but even though the stories were fascinating, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ivy and the danger she faced.
It was late in the afternoon when Bronn appeared around one of the granite boulders down in the vale and motioned for us to join him. Gill ended his story about a recruit in Lockewood that could bend arrows in flight abruptly. Toby emerged from his hiding place and jogged around the huge boulders. Gill and I scrambled down from the ledge and ran across the road. Fear and trepidation slammed into me as I ran. Were they back? I covered the forty yards in a sprint worthy of an NFL combine.
As I rounded the corner I saw Ivy and Guldan, and relief flooded through me. Guldan was questioning the female blood elf that had apparently woke up. Bronn stood beside him glowering as Guldan interpreted what she was saying. Ivy paused in her conversation with Carla and Toby, smiled at me and winked. I took a deep breath and walked over to join them.
“Where is she then?” Carla was asking as I stopped next to Ivy and gave her a sideways hug.
“She’s probably back in Brighton with Coach McNally,” Ivy said, melting into my side. “We got pretty close, I’m sure she wasn’t there.”
Toby smiled.
“Well, that’s a good thing, been kinda rough here waiting for you. Glad you’re okay. Jake-O was beside himself. I kept hearing him whine about it across the clearing all day.”
“Yeah right!” I shot back, embarrassed.
Gill joined us.
“It wasn’t that bad. He was able to pretend to listen to my stories anyway.”
I shook my head at their playful ribbing.
“Wish there was someway to find out about Brianna. I don’t like not knowing,” I said, trying to turn the conversation. “At least she wasn’t at the castle.”
Toby nodded.
“Maybe Carls can try her on the cell phone again.”
“Hey!” Carla said punching Toby in the arm. “We’re teasing Jake remember?”
“He hits too hard,” Toby laughed.
Guldan and Bronn joined our circle.
“That’s Memron’s daughter by the way,” Guldan said, as if he was commenting about the weather. “She claims that she doesn’t know anything. We could always torture the truth out of her, but we would probably find out in the end that she was telling the truth. We don’t have the time, we need to get back on the road. That is, if you are satisfied, Jake?”
“Torture?” Carla said, startled. “We’re not torturing anyone.”
“Relax girl,” Guldan said rolling his eyes. “Like I was saying, we don’t have the time.”
I didn’t know what upset Carla more, the thought of torturing someone or being called ‘girl’, but she looked at the pale elf in fury, biting back whatever stinging retort she was surely thinking, and walked away.
“Something I said?” Guldan smiled, watching her depart.
Toby chuckled.
“Probably the ‘girl’ comment. You might want to call her Carla,” he said and followed Carla.
“Indeed,” Guldan said, his dark eyes sparkling with mirth. He looked back to the group and continued. “The hike to the castle wasn’t totally without use. Our mage here… Ivy, was able to find out that Memron dispatched a party to warn King Zildain of our imminent arrival, and since you took care of them. I think it safe to say we still have a good chance of having surprise on our side.”
“The other two riders must have come from the crossroads and the camp,” Bronn interjected.
“Agreed,” Guldan nodded.
“What do you want to do with the female?” Bronn asked. “Kill it?”
Guldan furrowed his brow at the immortal dwarf.
“Not likely my hairy friend. Why rid ourselves of such an excellent hostage?”
“You cannot be serious!” Bronn growled. “Have you lost all the grey matter between those ugly pointed ears? We can’t take her into Grimhome bound and gagged. We’ll have enough on our hands getting in and out without worrying about her.”
“As if you won’t draw unwanted attention in Grimhome, oh King of the Knee High. That’s why you, the girl, and the guardsman will stay here and keep watch over her. We might have need of her on our journey back, through Memron’s lands.”
I watched as Bronn grumbled and complained, but in the end Guldan’s reasoning won out. Gill didn’t look too happy either but accepted his duty stoically. Our ruse of being merchants was over. I was relieved there wouldn’t be any more challenges over our cargo, or our amazing horses for that matter, since it was decided we would each ride one of the ten blood elf mounts we captured. They weren’t nearly the quality of the horses Gill had been given, even I could see that, but they wouldn’t be seen as something of worth by the blood elves.
Ivy, Toby and I picked horses, Gill and Carla made sure the saddles were adjusted for us. Carla fretted over Toby’s horse, tears in her eyes and made him promise to come back safely. He promised not to cheat on her with an elven woman in typical Toby fashion, and we left.
My mount was a bit skittish at first, but as we left the vale and continued on up the road it settled down. The pine forest on either side of us was silent. There were no birds singing in the twilight or movement of any kind as dusk settled over the mountains. Only the sound of our horse’s hooves colliding with the ancient road accompanied us as we moved deeper into the forest.
I watched with growing fear as I started to glow. Guldan and Ivy began to shimmer as well.
After half an hour or so Guldan turned and regarded us.
“Now that your mounts are settled a bit, its time for us to pick up the pace. We need to arrive before dawn. No one will challenge a royal at the gates with dawn approaching. Our exhausted horses will play into the deceit.
“I am well known in Grimhome, no one will stop us. It’s not uncommon for a lord of my stature to travel with magi. When we arrive at Grimhome let me do the talking if it’s necessary, I doubt it will be though, any guard foolish enough to risk getting a royal incinerated by the sun would find he and his extended family sacrificed in a most horrid fashion. We’ll make a dash to my villa once we’re inside. Keep your hoods pulled low and keep up.”
Thus began one of the most harrowing rides of my life. I took up the rear as we galloped through the darkness trying to keep up with Guldan. After a while, I couldn’t see anything but the elf’s reddish glow, Ivy’s soft purple and my blue hands on the reins as an utter darkness settled over the thick pine forest. The ancient stone paving didn’t offer the horse’s hooves very good traction and my horse stumbled repeatedly but thankfully recovered each time without unseating me.
As I got more comfortable riding through the near total darkness, I became aware of a small flickering light at the corner of my vision. When I quickly turned my head to look, it was gone. At first I thought it was my imagination, but it came back again and again, only to disappear when I turned to look.
“It’s one of the fairy folk,” came Thallium’s voice clearer than it had been since the first night in Lockewood. My horse chose that moment to stumble and I nearly lost my seat I was so surprised. I cursed silently.
“Careful, it wouldn’t do to fall and break your neck now,” the voice said, with a sarcastic edge.
“Your voice is… stronger,” I whispered to myself.
“Indeed. You are traveling through a very strong magical place, Jake. In another hour you will be passing the edge of Lillith Ga’ Serne, one of the most powerful magic areas in all this world.” Thallium said. �
��Plus you’re tired, the combination has lowered the veil between us considerably.”
The light appeared again at the edge of my vision. “Should I be worried about it?”
“On the contrary, it’s a good sign!”
“Really? A sign of what?” I asked, grabbing the saddle horn and adjusting my feet in the stirrups.
“If the fairies are involved, they must think you have a chance.”
“A chance at what?”
“Haven’t you been listening dear boy?” Thallium chided. “Why, to stop the demon and get their lands back of course. King Hammervil was correct in suggesting the fairies would return if the demon is destroyed or captured by the stone. They have been waiting far too long to return to their lands.”
“Why is it following us?”
“I believe that you have a fairy guard my boy.”
What was it guarding me from? The darkness was so complete I couldn’t even see the trees unless I chanced a look up and saw their outline in the stars.
“These woods are ancient, Jake, as old as the imperial trees of Lor Lorenith and like the elven city, it sits upon a vortex of magical energies. That energy, along with being the home of the fairy folk for uncounted millennia have given it a collective consciousness of sorts. Like most of the fairy folk, it isn’t good or evil. And just like the fairies, it doesn’t take well to trespassing.”
“Trespassing? What do you mean by that?” I said, looking around in the darkness, expecting some unseen force to grab me from the saddle, as my frightened horse flew over the road.
“Intrusion my boy. Going onto someone’s property against their wishes or without their permission,” the olden voice giggled.
“I know what the word means old man. What can the woods do? What power do they have?” I asked frustrated, trying to stay in the saddle.
“The explanation for that would require a knowledge and vocabulary base you don’t possess dear boy. Suffice it to say that the blood elves don’t travel through these woods at night when the power of the forest is at its zenith. Guldan risked much attempting to cross through them at night, but he always was crafty. He must have deduced the fairy would protect us.”
I thought about the many questions I had for Thallium, trying to decide which one to ask.
“Do the blood elves know where we are?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“The ones behind most certainly do. As for those in front of you, that is beyond the scope of my knowledge, young one. I think the assumptions made by you and your group are correct, but I have no definitive answer to that question. That they expect you is a certainty. Do they expect you to arrive before dawn? All the evidence leads me to theorize that they don’t.”
“Why?” I asked, doing my best to ignore the light flittering at the edge of my vision.
“Like Guldan hypothesized, Jake, they have bothered putting a deception in place and have sent riders to inform the king of your presence. That tells me that King Zildian doesn’t know your exact location but knows of your quest. More importantly, it also leads me to believe that Zildian is not the Demon’s seed.
The Demon most certainly knows the exact location of the stone, and when it will fail. If Zildian were the Demon’s seed he would have access to that knowledge and there would be no reason to issue orders that he be informed of any suspicious groups entering Mozgul.
Fortunately for us, Jake, the Demon has only the most infinitesimal hold in this world and, for the time being, is still constrained by the same laws that bind the angels and the greater demons. With the exception of the one whom he possesses, he is restricted to communicating through imprecise interpretations retrieved from vague prophecies.
Understanding this made me feel a bit better, but not much. If Zildian wasn’t the Demon’s seed/minion, then who was? Or was there one at all?
“I don’t believe there is, Jake, at least not in this world at any rate. If there is, he or she hasn’t made himself or herself known yet. It takes an incredible amount of energy for the Demon to forge the link, and possess its minion. It doesn’t pick unless it’s sure.”
“Sure of what?” I asked.
“Sure that it will receive more energy in return for its investment.”
The thought was chilling. The demon fed on the suffering and pain it caused in the worlds. Hitler had caused unimaginable suffering and had nearly extinguished the Jewish people in the process.
“If the blood elves have to rely on these vague prophecies, then they are in the same boat we are?” I asked.
“That is correct my boy, except for one thing. Regardless of the fact that Zildian is not likely to be the Demon’s seed, that does not mean he is without resources. Blood elves are very familiar with the demonic forces of the underworld. It is their religion, if it could be called such.
Being a vampire gives Zildian even greater access to that evil since he is not of the covenant. Much like our sages, the lesser demons can step out of the timeline and glimpse the present, past, and future. Zildian would certainly have called on their knowledge to interpret the prophecies, and thus, set this plan in motion. For all we know, he might even be under orders from the real Demon seed, though it doesn’t appear so based on his actions.”
“Great.” I said, whispered aloud.
“Sarcasm in one so young?” Thallium’s ancient voice chuckled.
I would have shrugged had I not been holding on for dear life.
