Brinks in Time: The Unification

by Tom Rogal

  Divi released her Telekinetic Hold when she brought him near his horse. She could see he was struggling to move.

  Levus exclaimed, “I can’t feel my legs!”

  Divi and Thamalos helped him quickly on his horse as the elf stated, “We need to head to the Lake Verbias. I know a safe place there.”

  The group rode as fast as they could from the Ferigor's Hand hideout.

  Inside, Zulfaris made his way to the end of the hall. The stones had nearly covered the entire entrance. Impressive for a common mage spell. That or they had stayed at this location too long. This was the former hideout of another group that had met its end at the hands of the Kittara years ago. Not much maintenance was done since they moved in. Regardless, they should have not let them escape.

  One of the female members asked, “Do we pursue?”

  Zulfaris answered, “We will not. They had an elf with them, meaning they are heading toward Lozela. I don’t want the elves more involved than they already are. We will move to another location, as this one has been compromised. Ready your things. I will consult with Kremmos and see where he will guide us.”

  There was no question or defiance from the other members. They slowly turned around and headed deeper into the cave. He hated letting the mage and her friend go, especially after this slight. He had to look at the bigger picture, however. Yes, Dark Magic made the Hand strong. But if the elf reported the attack, his people might send an army after them. That wouldn’t help them end the current mage regime. For now, he would swallow his pride and they would move. One day, they would get their chance at vengeance. One day.

  CHAPTER 12

  Arionn

  They reached Lake Verbias, whose waters flowed into the Sea of the Unifier, that night. A small inn was located on the western shore. It seemed out of the way for travelers, yet it did serve fresh food and clean water. Plus, Thamalos seemed to have a good relationship with the owner, another elf. The other reason he wanted to come here was because his friend was also a doctor familiar with the ways of Dark Magic. He wanted to know if what Levus’ affliction would be permanent. If so, this inn might be the boy’s new home, as he would just slow them down.

  The innkeeper, named Culkinii, exited the room Levus lay in. Tasi, Eraddor and Thamalos stood up to meet him. He led them toward a hearth lit with a lively fire. It was a chillier night than most. Winter was only three months away.

  Thamalos asked, “What can you tell us about the boy’s condition?”

  Culkinii explained, “He was hit with the Dark Magic spell called ParaFear. It makes the recipient lose feeling gradually in their body. It can cause death if the spell hits in the right spot. He was lucky. The only thing that went numb were his legs. He must have been struck indirectly. He should be fine in the morning. We would be having a different conversation if it hit him numerous other ways.”

  Tasi asked, “What blocked it? There were no defenses in that hallway.”

  “If it hit a wall, it would have caused more damage as the spell magnifies hitting a thick, solid base. It must have hit another Hand member or even a piece of metal.”

  Thamalos found that interesting. Maybe that sword did have some magical properties to it. Of course, this was all speculation. No one was there to witness what he did except Levus himself. Yet if the sword could somehow counter Dark Magic or cause it to react differently, what did that say for the blade?

  Culkinii continued, “I wouldn’t worry about it. You all should rest. Ferigor’s Hand will not come near. They know elves tend to stop here frequently when traveling to Cordca to risk an attack. You will be safe here.”

  As Culkinii left them, Tasi looked around the room. One of their party was missing, and it wasn’t Levus he was concerned about.

  “Where’s Divi?”

  Divi continued to wipe Levus’ brow. She had stayed with him since Culkinii finished his evaluation. At least it was good news. By morning he would be okay again. Until then, she wanted to stay by his side. He risked his life so the rest of the party might be safe. That and he saved her. He killed two Dark Magic-using Hand members by himself to save her. She knew better than to ask how. Like back on Dyyros, he probably didn’t know how. All that mattered was that he did it, and because of it, they were together again.

  Levus looked at her and said, “I thought you went to bed. Got quiet.”

  “How can I even get a wink knowing you can’t walk? I’m staying here all night whether or not you want it.”

  Levus laughed and said, “Why wouldn’t I want the company of a beautiful woman like yourself?”

  Divi had started noticing it. She suspected he did too. Maybe Elissa had it right. The way they talked to each other had changed. She was no longer the mage scared to speak to him about her utmost feelings for certain things. She was still hesitant to call it love, but there was something there.

  “I’m glad you agree,” she said. “I did want to thank you for saving my life once again.”

  “I’m starting to make a habit of it, aren’t I? What can I say? You are worth saving. I should be thanking you this time. If you didn’t use your abilities, I would have been stuck in the cave with those crazies.”

  “I merely gave you a little help. Besides, what you did was brave. We couldn’t have known if the others were captured or not. It was a risk you had to take, and it ended up working out.”

  “And don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do things because you don’t know magic. Your telekinetic powers have been a big help to me.”

  Divi was very touched. Not many admitted to liking her for what she was and not by what she couldn’t do. Tasi, Thamalos, and Haldirin were part of that tiny group. But so would her mother. By the gods, did she miss her. The acceptance despite not being able to cast magic was comforting. She wanted nothing more than to lay a steamy kiss on him, but she refrained. If not for the inn being very small and having thin walls, she might have gone further.

  Levus finally suggested, “Why don’t we get some sleep? Seems like we’re going to have a few more days of travel before we reach our destination.”

  Divi agreed as she laid her head on his stomach. He was out in seconds after he closed his eyes. Culkinii’s concoction was strong. But he needed the rest. It had been a stressful day for all of them. To survive a Dark Magic attack was not easily done, and they had done it.

  Before Divi closed her eyes, she whispered, “Sleep well, my hero.”

  Levus, Eraddor, Divi, Thamalos, and Tasi rode quickly over the hilly plains. They left the inn as early as possible. It took Levus a few minutes longer to get ready, but once he re-affirmed how to walk, everything else came back naturally. The trip was slowed a little by heavy winds coming off of Lake Verbias. Divi suddenly stopped and stared at the sky. She noticed a black dot situated in the middle of a cloud. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. The others rode about fifty yards in front before realizing that she wasn’t following. Levus and Tasi both came back to her. Divi squinted harder.

  “Your mission will fail.”

  That voice! Was that Ulcinar trying to get into her mind again? He normally waited until she slept as that was when one’s mind is most vulnerable. That haunting voice in her nightmares was now coming to her in the day . . .

  “Death is in your future and I am the reaper.”

  . . . light. The black dot began to grow, as if it was toward her. Divi’s eyes grew wide and she started to shake. What type of black magic was this?

  “Divi! You . . . are afraid.”

  Sweat sprang all over her skin. The black dot seemed to engulf the world around her. This couldn’t be real! Not while she was awake!

  “Divi!”

  She finally looked down at Levus and Tasi, shaking almost uncontrollably. When she glanced back at the sky, the black dot was gone. What had she just seen? Divi put her face in her hands to wipe the sweat off her face.

  Levus asked, “What did you see?”

  Divi felt all eyes were on her. She didn’t like th
at as it reminded her how the other mage students stared at her, making her uneasy.

  “Nothing, just a hallucination.”

  Levus looked at Tasi before returning to their horses. Thamalos was the only one still watching the young mage while the others moved on. He hated to invade the privacy of her mind, but he had to do it this once. Divi had great potential. Everyone who knew her was already aware of it. That she didn’t know she was using her powers daily was a little frightening. Thamalos believed it was dangerous for any mage to voluntarily refuse themselves their destiny of learning magic. Divi had a strong will and conviction, but he felt one day destiny would hit her hard.

  Divi cocked her head back up. She could feel him looking inside her. Both felt it . . . something was talking to her. She wasn’t dreaming. Divi looked away from Thamalos and tried to catch up with the others, understandably a little offended that he had done what he did.

  Thamalos continued to watch Divi. Something was odd. He had never felt that strange sensation, like he was being observed while he was examining a person’s mind. There was something special about what was happening to Divi and Levus. Both had been attacked by something evil . . . only in different ways. What am I getting in the middle of? Thamalos realized he was falling behind the others. In time, he hoped he could discover the cause of this darkness. If not, one of his allies might one day become the enemy.

  The workshops on Barbata were active day and night, exhausting its workers to complete the next set of catapults. Smoke from all the fire and the crash of dead trees were seen and heard everywhere. The Ettuiis were prepared for war. Ulcinar and Kile observed the process, walking slowly among the former elves. The two towered over the tiny five-foot Ettuiis. The Oruthai Ettui, with their long ears, were the most plentiful. The Rhuttana Ettui, who had shorter ears, stayed near the outskirts. The Cathuai Ettui, with their V-shaped noses, worked the weapons development.

  Despite his pleasure in the Ettuiis progress, Ulcinar was personally getting frustrated. Something was blocking his ability to track the boy. It came so easily before. There was only one race who had the magic to repel his voice. Oh, how he despised them! His desperation even had him using Divi again, though she had outlived her purpose to him. She led her father to Dyyros. That was supposed to be the only domino he needed to fall. Doing what he did now provided little good to him. He couldn’t track her. Not to worry, he told himself. The boy would slip up soon enough.

  Ulcinar took a deep sniff of the air and smiled gloriously.

  “This smell . . . it is the smell of my victory.”

  Kile looked around at the area. The armor the Ettui wore was well made, yet seemed like it would shatter the moment an arrowhead crashed into it.

  He commented, “I beg to wonder if the Ettui equipment can match the likes of Cordca. I have seen their armor. It is made by the greatest craftsmen in all the land.”

  “Be not fooled. Their armor is the best. Why do you think the other races fear them? A large Ettui army could destroy a human army with little trouble.”

  Kile and Ulcinar walked up a platform at the highest point in the working area. It faced east in the direction of the elf and human stronghold, Fort Za. It was way too far to see from their location, separated by twelve hundred miles of ocean. Ulcinar knew, though, where it was. It was an important cog in his plan to bring the mainland to its knees and under his control.

  Both men stared east, almost seeing the flags of victory unfurled atop Fort Za's famous first wall. Smoke from the fires below and fog dropping down out of the sky became one. Ulcinar did like it here. He's had the pleasure of teaming many times with people such as the Ettui, but never in this primitive time. It interested him, though, he realized Barbata was not the real prize.

  “That fort is the only thing separating us from the mainland. It will very soon be ours.”

  As his laugh echoed, the different races of the Ettui could be heard joining his celebration.

  Thamalos and the others slowed their pace as they were about to leave Lozela’s lands after five days of travel, continuing north through what was labeled the Forrtuii Permisii, or the Forbidden Forest. For any non-elf, the border would be hard to distinguish. The differences were subtle, Thamalos would grant anyone that argument. The forest had fewer hills and where there were, large and beautiful waterfalls usually resided. The wildlife was usually non-aggressive, but that could change if the Wood Elves found any intruders. At night, it was said that the spirits of elves that had fallen could be seen floating around as small balls of light. He loved Lozela, but he always enjoyed visiting the Wood Elves' realm more for all these reasons.

  Tasi, who rode near the front, made a complete stop in front of the latest forest clearing, “You are sure it will be safe for us in here?”

  Thamalos responded, “We were summoned. They will let us pass once they sense me. Trust me, you have nothing to fear in these woods during this journey.”

  Thamalos and Eraddor resumed riding. Levus, Tasi, and Divi all followed next to each other. Tasi could see that the boy was a little nervous about what he had said.

  Levus finally asked, “Why is this route so dangerous?”

  Divi explained, “This is the land of the Wood Elves. To be able to see one is supposed to be an honor. Not many go this route because if you get past them, you reach the Fourth Human kingdom. Tales of them are far worse than tales of the Wood Elves, in my opinion.”

  Thamalos wished she was joking. He truly hated to bring them this way, mainly because it opened up the eventuality that they would have to go through Sardonian lands to reach Rudann and Desris. However, when Arionn called, it was because he had seen something that needed to be done. Thamalos was rarely ever summoned by the Wood Elf leader, making what he had to say even more important. Whatever the reason, it was completely necessary they return.

  Thamalos said, “Hopefully we can cut through Garlock and avoid that route altogether.”

  “What’s Garlock?” Levus asked.

  Eraddor answered, “It is one of the Great Cities of Man. The human race is divided into four kingdoms on the mainland. Cordca is capital of the Durion kingdom, though essentially rules over all four of them. Rudann, the northern-most human city, heads the Terinic kingdom. Garlock is part of the Pyerlith kingdom and Sardon . . . well.”

  Levus was confused. Why did he just stop?

  Thamalos, after a short while, continued, “Sardon is part of what is now called the Tyranis kingdom. They are a savage people, descendants of the barbarians who once owned this land. They are like the Ettui, with the only exception being that they have not the army to fight the three other kingdoms. The Wood Elves, in fact, are the only reason they do not attack Lozela. They, like the rest of the non-elf population, fear them. That is another good reason why we go this way. We shall rest here in the forest where it is safe. Tomorrow we must ride swiftly so that the Sardonians do not know of our presence.”

  As they rode in the forest, Levus looked around. The trees appeared to be centuries old. They were so extremely tall that they resembled some of the tallest buildings on Dyyros. The branches were twisted, yet seemed to be very strong. He didn’t know why, but there was a peaceful nature to this place. There was something else that mystified Levus. The sky was cloudy before entering the forest, yet white lights penetrated the leaves of the majestic trees.

  Suddenly, a whistling sound rose around them. The entire party was taken by surprise, except for Thamalos. He just smiled as he turned to face the riders behind him.

  “It is the Wood Elves," he explained. "They are use the wind to communicate. Right now, they are discussing us and our purpose.”

  Levus listened closer. All he could hear was whistling, which he could barely distinguish from the sounds a bird makes. The whistling continued, but became more spaced out. After a few more minutes, Thamalos stopped in a clearing. He searched the area before dismounting from his horse. Everyone else stayed on theirs, awaiting instructions.

  “We sh
all camp here.”

  ***

  While the others slept, Thamalos made his way to the spot called Gulizimaii’s Grove. Named after the elven god of order, it was far enough from their camp that they wouldn’t be disturbed, nor would other ears hear. The grove had a pond surrounded by trees. The clearing in which held it was well defended by Wood Elf guards. No unwanted visitors would be interrupting them.

  When Thamalos arrived, Arionn was already sitting on the other side of the pond. In front of his chair were five others on each side. Thamalos stopped at the end of the path, unofficially making him the twelfth member of this council. Twelve was a sacred number for the elves, as it represented order −one followed by two− as well as parallelism, six and six equaling twelve. Back on Barbata, before the Ettui and Eratuu changed things, there were twelve races of elves, albeit some were sub-races. Most of those minor races had tragically become extinct after the Ettui took over.

  Thamalos bowed as Arionn welcomed him. “I am glad you were able to make it here safely. The trip this way was more perilous than usual.”

  The elf prince replied, “It seems that is the way the world is tilting, isn’t it?”

  “You might be right,” answered Arionn.

  The other ten members of this council didn’t speak, instead looking his way silently. They spoke their own tongue, which was a different dialect from regular elvish. Not even Thamalos knew the Wood Elf language entirely. Arionn was the only one who spoke, as he was the only person whose opinion mattered. He had predicted the rise of the Ettui, but no one listened. Since then, whatever he said was treated as a message from the gods. In almost all cases, it was true, too.

  Thamalos asked, “Why have you asked us back? And why did you specifically ask that Divi be here when we did?”