by Joshua Hoyt
Chapter 19:
“Good morning,” Xantar said as he joined them, then taking the lead, he strode into the forest. Tom noticed that Tanya seemed to be more alive than ever since arriving in the forest. She seemed to glide through the forest without even touching the ground. The group headed deeper into the forest and Tom soon lost his direction, luckily Caspin waved him in the right direction and Tom realized that if he did not keep up he would be lost forever. The companions walked most of the day without speaking, keeping a brisk pace, and stopping only for brief moments to get food and water. As the day went on the trees grew thicker and shut out much of the sunlight. Tom wondered at how the two elves could stay on the path with the low light but it seemed that Xantar’s pace increased as it grew darker.
The companions came upon a clearing and Tanya held her hand up. She then held her finger to her mouth. Xantar and Tanya slowly circled the small clearing in opposite directions and John pulled his sword from its scabbard. Tom looked around but because of the density of the trees and the low light he couldn’t see much.
John waited for a few minutes and then he and Kristiana entered the clearing. The two walked casually but slowly towards the other side. Tom saw that Kristiana’s lips moved quietly as they moved closer to the grassy center. As the two reached the center of the clearing, a man walked from the opposite side to meet them. John put his sword to the ground and leaned on it slightly as the man approached.
“Hello there,” John said.
Tom couldn’t make out to whom John spoke. Is it another elf or a man, and what are they doing here?
“Hello sir, what brings you into the woods?” the other man said.
“My sister and I travel to the white trees to receive wisdom. We have journeyed many days and hope to reach the tree by tomorrow. We come in peace meaning no harm,” John replied.
The other person looked around warily expecting a trap. “No one may enter the sacred grove at this time. It would be best if you returned to where you came from.”
Tom heard a sound to his right. He dropped to the ground and looked to see who or what had made the sound. Beside him Cody also crouched low. Tom quietly pulled his sword from its scabbard. Aithnea's mind began to clear as she prepared herself for a spell. Caspin moved quietly behind a large tree putting his back up against it.
“We’re under the understanding that anyone can seek wisdom from the white tree. What has happened that we may no longer enter the grove?” John asked.
Tom watched a person materialize directly in front of him facing the clearing. Where did he come from? The man in front of him slowly pulled a bow from the quiver that hung on his back, and notched an arrow. He pulled the string back slowly, preparing to release the missle. Tom jumped forward hitting the man in the back with his shoulder. A loud gasp of air escaped the man's mouth as Tom knocked the wind out of him. The man fell to the ground and released the arrow harmlessly into the ground at the edge of the clearing.
At the same moment Tom heard an eruption of sound all around him, as if the trees had come alive and moved on their own accord. Tom jumped on top of the man he had hit in the back. He pulled the knife from his belt and held it to the man’s throat. He looked around. John had the man in the clearing held firmly, knife threatening.
“How many of you are there,” John shouted at the man.
The man’s face had gone white and a red welt grew across his nose where John must have hit him. The man sagged slightly and Tom wondered how much longer the man would be able to stay standing. “There are only five of us,” the man said.
John looked at the edge of the clearing and then looked back at the man. “Why are you here?”
“We have come to ask for help from the Guiding Mother. When we approached her city we saw that something was wrong and began to head back to our village. We were attacked by a small group of elves with dark skin. They killed three of our friends but the rest of us were able to escape,” The man responded. His voice quivered.
“Why did you think that we were with them?” John asked pulling the man up as he began to slump further.
“We are scared, and we didn’t know who you were with. The dark elves had a woman with them and several men. They seemed to be working together. We thought that maybe we would be better off if we ambushed you. We hoped that we would be able to take you off guard. We're just trying to get home.” The man’s voice nearly failed him. His legs were buckling underneath his own weight. John pulled him up to keep him standing and to offer better protection.
Caspin entered the small clearing and walked up to the man. John looked hesitantly at Caspin and back at the man that he held in his grasp. Caspin put a hand on John’s strong forearm and John allowed the man to fall to the ground. Caspin prayed and put his hands on the man, color returned to his face.
The man looked up at Caspin in surprise. “You’re a healer?”
Caspin appraised the man. “Yes my dear brother. You must forgive our methods but like you we are wary of those we encounter. You and your brothers may leave now, and I recommend that you do so quickly.”
John looked up at Caspin in shock. “Caspin we don’t know if he is telling the truth or not. We can’t just let them leave. What if they give us away?”
“John, I know him. He is not one of those we fight,” Caspin responded.
The man under Tom’s weight stirred slightly, and Tom moved the knife from the man’s neck and stood. The man slowly got to his feet and quickly backed away from Tom as he entered the clearing to meet his companion. Three other men slowly walked into the clearing heading toward John and Kristiana.
Caspin looked at the man whom he had just healed. “What happened at your village?”
The man looked up at Caspin with uncertainty. “We were attacked by bandits. The elves have always come to our aid in the past but when we signaled for them, they did not come. We feared that they had abandoned us, and we were sent to find out what had happened. We traveled here and arrived three nights ago. As we drew closer to the city, we became uneasy, knowing that the elves had always met us in the past at the edge of the forest, so we went a little farther in. When we still saw no elves, we decided that we should leave as quickly as possible. As we headed back to our village, we were attacked by the group of dark skinned elves and a woman. Three of our brethren fell as we ran. I’m not sure why we were allowed to escape. We figured that you were part of the group coming to finish us off, and so we laid an ambush.”
John scanned the trees and Tanya and Xantar ran off into the forest.
“We best leave this clearing. You may leave. You should head in the direction we came from. You shouldn’t run into any more dark elves from that direction.”
John, Kristiana and Caspin headed for the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. Tom, Aithnea and Cody circled around the clearing. The three of them met up with John and the others on the other side. Xantar and Tanya had not yet returned. Where did they go to? Are they still worried about the group or are they looking for other elves?
“I think it would be best if we moved on,” John said as he scanned the forest. The companions continued in the same direction they had been going. After they walked for nearly an hour, Tanya and Xantar reappeared. John stopped the group. “Is there anyone following us?” he asked.
“I don’t believe so, but the forest has grown quiet. We found where the battle between the dark elves and the humans took place, but there was no sign of anyone still remaining in the area,” Tanya said.
John studied the ground as he thought.
“We’ve no choice we must go on,” Kristiana said, touching his arm tenderly.
John shook his head slightly. “I fear that we will not be able to surprise them. I’m worried that the witch that attacked us at the cabin is here… I can’t stand to see you hurt like that again Kris.”
“John, I’ll be ok. It will work out. I won’t be caught off guard this time.” Kristiana spoke softly.
“Tanya what do you think?” John asked as he turned to Tanya.
“I think that they are expecting us from the front with a large force. If we are able to circle around to the rear, we should be able to get in unnoticed. If they haven’t already discovered us that is. We should travel through the night so that we’ll be able to hit them in the early morning,” she responded.
“My ability will be able to cover our passing. The black widow will not be able to detect us until we are well in to the city and hopefully by then she’ll not be able to pinpoint our exact location until it’s too late.” Xantar said.
John looked at Tanya. “You should take point. Be on the lookout for any surprises that may be waiting for us.” John looked over his shoulder to Xantar, and said, “Xantar how far ahead can she go and still be protected by your ability?”
“I believe that I will be able to cover her if she stays within twenty yards of me.”
John looked ahead at the dense forest. “I guess that will have to do then.” He nodded to Tanya and she vanished in to the forest.
They traveled through the rest of the day, only stopping occasionally. When it became too dark for them to see Xantar led them as they held on to a rope between them. Tom’s legs ached, and he stumbled over the rocks and limbs that lay in his path. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open and wondered how he would make it through the night. If I’m too tired to walk, how am I going to be able to fight when the time comes? Maybe that is what the adrenaline is for? He grinned to himself. The group traveled on, Tom only saw Tanya occasionally. She would dart in and out among the trees and report to John with a simple nod of the head. John continued to push the group through the night, taking no breaks as they traveled. Tom felt the weariness in his body as they traveled, he just wanted to find a good place to lay down and sleep. But he stayed strong for Aithnea who occasionally would lean on him. She nearly fell asleep as she leaned on his shoulder at one poiint. He smiled as he looked at Cody up ahead. How does he do it? He doesn’t look tired at all. He never seems to get down about anything, not even when he’s stumbling through an overgrown forest. After what seemed an eternity to Tom, the group finally came to a halt. The trees didn’t appear to be any different than the last thousand they had past. Why did John decide to stop here?
John sat down. “We’ll rest until morning. I’ll take the watch tonight while the rest of you sleep as best you can. Tanya, I would appreciate it if you would also stay up.” He looked at her with a weak smile.
“Don’t worry about me, John. I don’t need to sleep,” Tanya responded sarcastically.
Tom lay down, and it seemed that he had no sooner fallen to sleep than someone shook him awake. “It’s time to get up. Get a quick breakfast. We’ll be leaving shortly,” Tanya said quietly.
“Ok,” Tom mumbled sleepily as he tried to sit up. After several attempts he finally stood. He stretched and rubbed at a sore muscle in his neck. That's going to be annoying. He walked over to where Cody and Aithnea sat and grabbed a dry piece of fruit and some water. He ate standing, not daring to sit down again, afraid he wouldn't be able to get up at all.
Tom rubbed at his neck again and said, “This adventuring stuff sure isn’t much fun.”
“What? You mean you like a warm soft bed that you can lay down in without feeling rocks in your back and a warm breakfast to wake up to each morning.” Cody smiled. Of Course Cody is in a good mood again. Tom couldn't help but smile back at Cody's infectious grin. Cody's smile seemed to ease his troubles and make life seem doable. Tom watched Cody get his gear ready. Carefully checking his weapons as he put them in place, Tom grinned when he noticed Cody and Tanya share a smile when they thought no one else watched. When Cody realized that Tom was watching, he blushed and quickly turned away.
“We need to be moving, soon,” John said, as he walked around checking everyone’s gear. The group finished making preparations to leave, then huddled around John as he went over the plans one final time.
“We’ll all hit the palace, and then we’ll split up into our groups. Cody, Tom and Aithnea will hit the closest tower. Tanya and Caspin will hit the west tower and Kristiana and I’ll hit the east tower. Xantar you’ll need to go and find your people and head to the prisoners and release them. Does anyone have any questions?” John looked around to each one in the group. “Remember that if you are over run we'll meet here and regroup. The elves should be attacking shortly to give us more support and to distract most of the enemy.” John looked up at the group. He smiled reassuringly. “Be aware of what's happening around you and stay focused on the objective. It’s time to get going.” John turned and led the group toward the edge of the city.
Tom’s breath caught in his throat as he looked at the magnificent city that thrust out of the surrounding forest. The buildings looked as if they had been shaped to appear like trees. The bases were wide, and as the buildings climbed into the sky, they became narrower and branched off to connect to other buildings. The entire city appeared to be made of crystal and when the sun struck the facades, they reflected every color of the rainbow. Every building joined to a large building in the center of the city, and that building rose high into the sky until it seemed to pierce the clouds that floated lazily through the blue heavens. Its crystal skin reflected white like snow right after it had fallen. When the sun hit the building at just the right angle Tom could see through the walls into the interior. Three other buildings stood around the edge of the town, not as high as the center building but taller than the rest. These were the control towers that they were to infiltrate, and disable. As Tom looked on he carefully plotted the walkways that connected the three towers to each other and then to the center building.
John turned and looked at the group. He pointed out the tower each group was responsible for. Once again Tom followed the attack way with his eyes. Then, as John turned and headed into the city, he followed. The city looked and felt like a ghost town, empty and haunted. Why is it so quiet? It feels like a huge weight is sitting over the town. The group quietly ran from building to building as they wound their way toward the palace. Suddenly, an explosion of sound came from the far side of the city. Tom could hear battle cries ripping through the heavy air toward him. “They've begun the assault. We must hurry. They’ll be putting up the protective barrier, and my people will have to retreat,” Tanya said in a hushed tone. The group continued at a quicker pace. Tom could hear the battle dieing down. Suddenly the air filled with electricity. A bright light flashed around the city, and he had the distinct feeling of being trapped inside a bubble. Looking behind him, he saw the trees shimmering through a film that separated him and the forest.
The group reached the center of the city, and to Tom’s relief only four guards stood outside the palace. The guards wore black leather armor with an even blacker image of a spider. The spider's legs wrapped around their bodies in a protective fashion. On their heads, black helmets sprouted black hair from the top. For weapons, each wore a long sword at his side and cradled a rifle in his arms. “Those are part of the Black Widow’s elite guard. Their bullets are dipped in a poison that if not neutralized will kill a grown man in minutes. They also have psionic ability and communicate with each other through thoughts. We must be careful,” Xantar said. Tom saw worry or maybe it was fear cross Xantar's face.
“Kris, we’ll need a shield if we are to reach them. Caspin prepare to neutralize any hits. Tanya, Xantar cover us with your bows. Cody and I will take the lead. Aithnea help cover us with a shield and Tom, well, Tom surprise us,” John said with a quick smile.
Kristiana and Aithnea chanted quietly while Tanya and Xantar readied their bows. Cody gave a quick smile to Tom and Tom smiled back hoping that his friend would be ok. Tanya and Xantar released their arrows at the same time and before the first arrow was half way through its flight they had both notched and let loose another. John attacked a half second ahead of Cody as they sprinted toward the four guards. Tom’s mind went blank and then filled with t
he fire spell he had used earlier to enchant his sword but instead of enchanting his sword Tom allowed the fire to form into a small ball in his hand. He flung the ball toward the four guards, and it split into four equal parts as it screamed past John and Cody.
The first set of arrows struck their marks, dropping two guards before they knew what had hit them. The two remaining guards reacted without hesitation. They lifted the rifles to their shoulders and fired at the two men racing toward them. Sound exploded from the contact of the bullets against the magical shield and the shield surrounding, Cody and John wavered somewhat. Cody hesitated, but John didn’t even flinch.
Tom's small fire balls raced toward the guards and Tom saw that the guards finally registered the first feelings of fear that they had probably ever felt in their lives. Two balls slammed into the two fallen guards, causing a small explosion of flames. The other two balls hit the remaining guards, throwing them to the ground. To Tom’s surprise and disappointment, the two guards were immediately back on their feet, and pulled their jagged swords from their sheaths. John hit them first. He swung his sword in a downward arch toward the first guard. The guard, caught off guard, could only bring his own weapon up in time to deflect the blow from a fatal hit to one that cut deeply into his shoulder. The second guard swung in toward John but Cody had moved in to engage the guard and brought his own sword up to stop the downward slash toward John’s unguarded side. The strength of the blow seemed to surprise Cody a little but, he still deflected it safely away.
Xantar and Tanya had drawn their own weapons and raced across the courtyard toward the combatants. Tom followed with his weapon held high. Close behind he could hear the others racing with him across the courtyard.
When he reached the half way point of the courtyard the doors to the palace erupted, spilling out several more of the elite guards. John brought his weapon across the guard’s chest he fought and looked up at the oncoming group of dark elves. Cody continued to engage with the other guard. Tom figured that Cody wouldn’t need any help so he turned his attention to the group that exited the palace. Several of them put their guns to their shoulders and prepared to fire. Aithnea and Kristiana chanted as the guards fired their deadly guns at close range. All but one of the bullets smashed into the same invisible barrier. The one that made it through created a long red mark across Cody’s forearm. Cody fell and Caspin pushed past Tom toward him. Caspin put his hands on Cody and prayed while John, Tanya and Xantar finished off the other two and quickly ran the short distance to the guards that had exited the building. Tom’s mind raged again as he saw Cody lying on the ground and his mind filled with fire once again. He enchanted his blade with the fire, and he could feel the heat coming off the sword as he rushed the closest guard.
Tanya fought with her two weapons as she faced off against two of the guards. She blocked one blow from the first guard with her dagger and then with a quick movement brought her long sword across the second guard’s wrist causing him to drop his weapon. Turning her dagger in an upward motion, she thrust it to the hilt into the second guards gut, causing him to double over and fall to the ground with a groan. Unable to pull the dagger free in time Tanya left it in the guard and pulled a second from the small of her back and blocking an attack from yet another guard at the same time.
Tom swung with his fire sword down toward one of the guards. The guard threw his sword up to block the blow that descended blazing from above. When Tom’s sword hit the guard’s, fire seemed to leap from the sword onto the guard’s hands and body. He screamed out in pain. Tom quickly took advantage of the elf’s confusion and brought the sword back across the elf’s body, cutting a small line across his armor. The leather armor caught fire for a brief moment. The elf jumped back, and another elf leaped towards Tom.
The second elf had two small blades in his hands. He feinted with one catching Tom off guard and then made a cutting motion toward Tom with the other blade. The blade sliced across Tom's right arm almost causing him to drop his weapon. Tom quickly stepped back, recognizing that he was outmatched by this elf. The elf slowly started forward and Tom’s mind raced for a way to catch the elf off balance. The elf smiled cruelly as he once again came at Tom with his weapons.
Tom reached out with his mind toward Aithnea and connected as he desperately warded off the elf’s attacks. Aithnea’s and Tom’s mind connected and Tom's mind filled with the confidence. Once again his mind filled with the fire. He made a circular motion with his hand and fire filled the space between him and his assailant. The elf dropped back before the flames. Tom blew on the flame and a jet of fire shot from his hand toward the elf. The elf twisted away, and avoided the full brunt of the magic.
But still he screamed in pain as fire heated the leather on his back. Tom jumped forward with his sword and plunged it into the elf’s back. The elf screamed again, fell to the ground and no longer moved. Tom's attack cleaved the final hurdle. The way was open into the palace, and Cody looked to be doing well, thanks to the faith of Caspin.
Xantar dropped to the ground clutching his head. Through gasps of breath he said, “We must find the queen quickly. She has noticed us and will take us out one by one. She should be in the palace somewhere. We must hurry.” Tanya helped Xantar up. Still gripping his head, they headed toward the palace doors. By the time they reached the entrance Xantar could walk without help but sweat poured down his face. The group entered the palace. A huge staircase went up to a landing high above them. A shiver ran up Tom’s spine. This is exactly what I saw in my dream the other night. He looked over at his companions and saw similar recognition in their faces. Suddenly, Tom felt as if his mind had been hit with a sledgehammer and his legs buckled under him. He felt himself falling toward the ground and oblivion. The last thing he remembered was Xantar grinning broadly.
