Taber

by K Fisher

  “Our world must be saved, a dark evil approaches and you two must ensure it does not swallow Desin whole. I can no longer lead others and control from within the stone and must leave this place. But I cannot do that without ensuring you have the tools necessary to defeat what comes for the lands.”

  “What’s coming?” Alni exclaimed, an anger in his chest as he thought of Dora in the castle thousands of miles away from their location and the danger that could come for her.

  “Alni, I must ask something of you. It is what I asked of Silthia when she brought you here to me. I ask that you have trust in the magic at the core of this world and my words. Just as I led your father away with the stone, I now ask that you take this magic I offer. You two will hold the remainder of my power and influence, strongest when you are with each other. This power will help you take your rightful throne over the dragons, Silthia, just as it will help you both defeat the darkness. Alni, I once asked you if you would see our world in ruin, knowing you had a chance to save it. Do you remember what you chose?”

  “I chose to do what I could to save it,” Alni said softly, looking upon the Mystic Dragon as he digested all of what was said to them and what it would mean.

  “Would you choose to do that once again with Silthia by your side?” he said, head lowering until it was right before Alni’s face, eyes holding the half-elf’s before peering over to Silthia in turn.

  “I will do anything to keep Desin and Dora safe,” Alni said without hesitation and, although the past few weeks had been filled with uncertainty and strain, he knew the words he spoke were truth. How he came to feel such things so deeply and at his core, he did not question.

  “I will,” Silthia spoke, and the words surprised Alni although he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was that only a few minutes before they had been at each other’s throats. The mere thought that she would voluntarily choose to partner with him to keep Desin safe was not something he fathomed would be an easy decision for her.

  “I have been a part of Desin for so long and spoken to so many through my magic. I’ve seen the demise of villages and the growth of life, the reign of the horrid and the rise of the good. Through it all, the magic has spoken of you, Alni. Of the union between yourself and your team and the promise of true safety for us all. I regret that I will not be around to see the day in which the people of our world do not fear each other, but am honored I was chosen to be a part of the journey and assist with the remaining bits of myself. Remember, Alni, although your power was fueled by emotion before, you must control your anger if you wish to harness what I will gift you.”

  “But how-” Alni’s words were cut off when a gust of cold wind blew through the cave, the petals of the Vespairs whipping around and hitting the stone walls.

  The wind appeared to be sucked in by the Mystic Dragon, becoming ever wilder until Alni’s hair whipped around his face and he was forced to hold onto the sides of his maroon cap to keep it upon his head. Before long, the wind was beating so wildly against them, Alni was forced to crouch down by Silthia’s large body, side pressed against her cold scales as he was knocked to his knees. Her large tail whipped around towards his body, securing him against her as it pressed against him, careful not to hurt him.

  The Mystic Dragon was glowing brightly, the color amethyst at first until it became so bright they could only see white. Mice and other small creatures that had called the cavern home raced for the exit, the sound of their scurrying bodies quickly drowned out by a loud humming. The wind continued to drive into the Mystic Dragon, forcing Silthia’s massive body to slide forward a few inches with the force. Alni felt the magic at his fingertips start to drain out, as though the King dragged it from him. Opening his eyes, he looked down at his hands and saw the magical trail from the dragon to himself, his body weakening with each second it was removed from his body and fed to the Mystic Dragon’s.

  Fear gripped Alni as he fought to keep hold of it, clenching his fists around the magic that poured from his fingers, yanking his arm back in an attempt to break the strain. But as the wind only picked up around them, he remembered what the Mystic Dragon had said to them both… The plea for trust.

  Taking a deep breath, Alni closed his eyes and opened his hand once more, focusing the magic as best he could towards the powerful dragon before them. The moment he fully let go of his restraint, magic exploded around them in waves, pressing Silthia and Alni tightly against the wall of the cave. He opened his eyes just in time to see a smile on the Mystic Dragon’s face as the magic holding the King together disappeared into the air around him, smashing against the walls of the cave, strands of it traveling across the ground and stone heading straight for Alni and Silthia.

  The strands hit the two of them at once, a bright flash of light illuminating the cave once more before they were flung across the ground. Alni’s body landed hard, eyes heavy as he stared at the exit and the lush green trees beyond.

  He was certain he saw the smiling face of someone he remembered, a person who had helped himself and Dora a great many times before. The Man in the Tree lounged upon one of the branches outside, giving him a wave of his hand in greeting as the half-elf lost consciousness and darkness took over.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alni’s eyes slowly opened through the pain that bore down on his temple. Awakening with such a headache was not only nauseating, but trivial as he tried to remember what had happened before pitch black took over. When what had transpired came back into his memory, Alni’s hand searched through the darkness to find Silthia.

  He stopped short, sensations filling his body that were foreign to him, ones that demanded his attention.

  Both of Alni’s hands fell to the cave floor, spanning out against the cool ground as he took a deep breath in, willing the nausea and head pains away as he focused on what had changed and what was happening around him.

  Despite there being no light in the cavern with Alni, traces of magic lit up the area around him, their footsteps when they entered, and a shimmering, floating mass where the Mystic Dragon had stood before. It was much like when Bethinium took them into the spell to find Taber’s trail, but no spell was needed, Alni’s eyes finding the magic around him… Feeling it. He was no longer pulling the magic from the core of Desin, but accessing it in the very air around him.

  His elven ears twitched from beneath his cap and he removed it, allowing them the freedom they so desperately desired. His hearing felt amplified, picking up on the cautious footsteps of a creature just outside the cavern, the birds taking flight, wind rustling the leaves of trees and plants. He remembered when Dora had once teased him for the lack of internal elven senses and hearing he possessed.

  Was this what it was like?

  Silthia. He needed to find Silthia.

  Alni’s head whipped around, certain he knew right where her body was. When he caught sight of the large dragon, the magic from around her made her glow softly in the corner of the cave. Ignoring the pounding in his head and the numbness in his body, Alni scrambled to his feet and raced over to his dragon, boots slipping on the damp ground of the cave. But before he could fall, his hand jumped out and hit the wall, steadying himself. Getting to Silthia, Alni leaned down and reached out, touching her side.

  Her eyes opened and she focused on the ground before her. They were glowing and amethyst once more, power radiating from her. For a brief moment, Alni was almost hesitant to be near her, wondering how much power could be contained in one being before it became dangerous to be in close proximity to them. Looking at his own hand upon her side, he realized his body glowed with the magic, as well.

  “Are you okay?” Silthia inquired, her voice strong and rumbling as her head swung around to look at him.

  “I think so, yes. Are you okay?” The only response to his question was a slow nod before she stretched one of her wings out in the cave, the edges scratching against the stone.

  “Let’s get out of here. We need to get back to Bethinium and… I don’t know.
Need air…” Alni’s voice was strong but cracking as he looked towards the ‘too bright’ sun just outside the entrance to the cavern.

  Giving her the softest of pats, he made his way outside, blinking against the light before searching the top of the trees for the old friend he had been certain he saw before passing out. There was nothing but the silence of the forest that greeted the two of them as they left the cave behind.

  “I feel… Weird. Scared, and overwhelmed.” Alni started in, one hand rising to rub his forehead as he growled against the pain.

  “As do I. Let us ensure Bethinium is safe and we will discuss this with him further. Perhaps he can shed some light on it all and ease our minds,” Silthia said softly, stretching both her wings towards the tops of the trees as she reached out and lifted her long neck to the sky. Peering over to Alni, he did not need her to speak further to know what she required of him.

  Approaching her, Alni concentrated on his magic, trying to summon the ring to hold him on her back as they flew. Normally it was something that he had to begin once he already climbed upon her, as it took him a bit to fully access his powers without heightened emotion. But that time, the magic immediately erupted from his fingers, wrapping around his wrists and securing onto the horn on her back, pulling him up her body and eliminating the need to climb.

  Silthia did not look back at him in response, kicking up from the ground the moment she felt him upon her back. The speed in which she hit the sky was unlike anything Alni had ever experienced, her wings soaring and beating the air as they headed straight for the High Mountains once again.

  As if the newfound power wasn’t enough on its own to handle for the both of them, the copious amounts of dwarves that littered the clearing when they returned was. They all stared up at the flying dragon in fear at first, scattering and moving out of the way as she landed upon the ground before them.

  After the fear of seeing her left, curiosity and fascination filled their gazes, the small men and women taking a few steps towards her as they observed how large she was. Their eyes all stopped at her fangs when Silthia curled her lip back and Alni jumped down from her back and landed, dusting off the side of his tunic and cloak before looking to their wide eyes and the end of the sharp spears pointed at them.

  “We’re looking for Bethinium. I suppose you’re our guides!” he said cheerfully, strolling past them towards the direction he had seen Bethinium and Brig disappear down previously.

  They shook the shock from their faces and slowly lowered their weapons, mumbling to each other under their breath whilst branching wide around Silthia in fear and hesitation before heading off after Alni.

  “Don’t worry, gentlemen. Silthia is absolutely coming with us,” Alni called out.

  ~

  When Alni entered the home of the dwarves, he was met with dozens of torches lighting the deep tunnel into the side of the mountain and the faint sound of music. Glancing at the dwarves that led them quizzically, Alni wondered if they were also able to hear the music from so far away or if it was still the side effects from the magical boost.

  Behind him, Silthia was having no issues fitting down the tunnels, keeping close to Alni as they continued on towards where the music began, the tune becoming ever louder until Alni was certain the dwarves could hear it. They were singing lightly under their breaths, falling into small fits of excited dancing before remembering they traveled with a dragon and magic harnesser, making them cautious once again.

  When they reached the end of the tunnel, the two dwarves standing guard looked to Alni then to each other, laughing softly beneath their breath.

  “Please let me in on the joke. I promise I’m a good sport,” Alni poked, one eyebrow raising as he spoke to the two.

  The one to the right hit the butt of his spear against the ground and roared out in laughter, his other hand stroking the long beard on his face. The dwarf to the left pointed to his own beard and spoke loudly, eyes sparkling with mischief. “We were told you had hardly any hair to speak of. Didn’t know you were such a lad! The warlock did say so, didn’t he Benj? He said the likkle’ elf had a bit o’ scruff…”

  Alni’s cheeks reddened instantly and his hand rose to the small bit of stubble that had been shadowing the lower half of his face during the last week of their travel. “That hardly seems fair, this is a handsome beard I’m growing.”

  This, of course, only caused the two dwarves to erupt into a fit of laughter, one that was quickly joined by the rest. Without another word, a large wooden door before them opened and they entered the home of the dwarves, met with loud music, cheer, and a sight Alni had never seen before.

  The inside of the home was one large circle of stone, hollowed out. The sides of the mountain inside were scattered with homes that had been nestled into the rock, a pulley system in place for those traveling up to the higher homes. Dwarves were all around them, sharpening weapons and sending food and jugs of liquid up the pulley systems to each other. All the while they sang together heartily and danced, the cheerfulness never something Alni would come to expect from such creatures he had been told were grumpy and unapproachable.

  But there in the safety of their home, even in the presence of Alni and Silthia, they were joyous, paying them no mind as their voices rang out and echoed through the inside of the mountainside.

  “Oh ayyee the mountains do wash away,

  The greed of the ‘morrow and troubles of day.

  Upon our heads the latter rain dries,

  A promise of troubles from high in the skies!

  Oh ayyee it will no’ touch us, oh ho,

  Safe in our mountains where none dare go.”

  Sitting comfortably in the middle of the dwarves’ home and waving around a slab of cooked meat was the loudest singer of them all…

  Bethinium.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Castle Herrick and Glade

  “So is it Queen Elladora or Princess Elladora? I really was never one to keep up with the politics, the people’s logic around here kind of missed me with the entire Mallor thing,” Atair murmured, his black, dirty books were propped up on the cushioned seat next to Dora.

  The carriage hit a small bump and Dora’s eyes snapped over to Atair, staring him down for a few seconds before responding softly. “It’s Queen, drop the Ella. There are no laws prohibiting women from single-handedly running the throne, simply that it had been an unsaid thing that they didn’t. I don’t plan on really spending time thinking too hard on what rules are implied.” This received a round of laughter from Atair, his feet bouncing on the chair and touching Dora’s side in the uncontrollable fit of chuckles.

  She pinched the end of his shoe with two fingers, lifting and moving his foot a few inches away from her before grabbing the curtain covering the small window on their carriage and pulling it to the side, peeking out at the dirt roads they traveled. There were easily twenty elven guards behind them and before the carriage atop horses, something Atair had deemed a necessity before Dora left the castle. Although she was certain Marianne had a bit of some say in that as well, she had been less than pleased but had at least seen the merit in what Dora was doing. Besides, she needed a day off from keeping on top of the scheduling.

  “I still think this is silly, Atair. I lived outside the castle my entire life and among these people for quite some time. No one is going to lay a hand on me.”

  “First of all, little angry one, you were not Queen Dora during that time. Second of all, perhaps all of this precaution is to keep myself alive. If someone decided to attack you, I would be forced to protect you with my life and that’s a risk to me. The more guards, the less chance of my neck on the line… So just tell the driver when you want to stop and be thankful I’m selfish enough to insist you guard up,” Atair grumbled back, reaching into the pocket of his cloak to produce a long, badly-rolled cigar.

  With a flick of his fingertips, the end of the cigar lit and he sucked in. He was about to breathe out when Dora’s hand jumped out
and grabbed the cigar, tearing it from his lips. “Is this break time, G.O.B? You’re going to reintroduce us to the people of Glade in a billowing cloud of cigar smoke.”

  “They will believe it’s my magic, don’t you worry,” Atair responded, hands extending to snatch the cigar back from her.

  Dora was too fast, knocking hard on the top of the carriage as they entered a familiar part of town. The carriage came to a stop and she jumped out before the door was opened for her, leaving Atair gaping behind her as she gifted the nearest guard the cigar.

  The guard looked down at the smoking item in his hand, then back at the Queen for a moment before smiling, lifting it to his lips and taking a draw as he followed her towards the line of new homes built on the outskirts of the Glade along the large walls surrounding them.

  Atair finally made his way out of the carriage, following close behind Dora. He glared at the guard holding his cigar hostage before he kicked up heel and came alongside the Queen. All around them, builders and farmers quizzically took note of their presence. Some fell down on a knee and bowed to Dora, who only waved and nodded her head awkwardly in response before barreling forward, others looked simply stunned.

  Dora finally stopped before a flattened area of earth. The ground was scorched with the dragon’s fire that had previously been its demise and nothing had yet been built atop the damage. The previous home that had stood there was dissected by the builders, only the materials that were beyond repair left behind. Despite it being some time since the attack, the air was still filled with smog and the scent of burnt wood was one that would linger with them all.

  “This was where we all met before the attack,” Dora said softly, looking to Atair as a small crowd of people started filling into the area, whispers of their presence spreading throughout Glade.