The Legend of Elora: Book 1 A Queen's Quest

by K. M. Bonde

  “We need to pass through half the valley before the road continues toward the lake,” Arddun says.

  They continue, and Elora feels hopeful for the first time in a while. Everything is so peaceful down here, and she almost forgets that something evil lurks beyond the tree line.

  ***

  A portal appears in the dark throne room, and a dark, hooded being steps out behind Grimdar. The newcomer walks up to Grimdar and bows, keeping his red eyes trained on the floor. “My master,” he begins, “Nevrik failed us and has not recovered the dagger. It is now in the hands of the girl. I told him he has one week to give me it or I will end him.”

  Grimdar turns around, his eyes blazing. “Nevrik failed to recover the dagger? And you failed to remedy the situation?”

  The hooded figure stays bowed on the floor. Two more portals open up, and two more dark figures comes out, both wearing hoods like the first man. They quickly walk up to Grimdar and bow.

  “My master,” they say in unison.

  Grimdar seems to forget about what he was yelling about and walks up to one of them, placing his hands on the head of one. “Rise, my daughter, and tell me that you have it.”

  She stands up and removes her hood, revealing her gorgeous face and dark red eyes. She tosses her long black hair over her shoulders, then holds her hand out. When she opens it, there’s a black shard with red veins on the sides. “I had to kill hundreds of elves to obtain this,” she murmurs. “It was heavily guarded.”

  Grimdar takes the stone and examines it. “Elves do not concern me,” he says dismissively. “You did well, my child. Now we finally have what is needed to finalize our weapon.”

  He turns his attention back to the other two. “Rise,” he commands, and they do. When their red eyes meet his, he speaks to the first man. “I have trained you as an adept, someone with great and dark magical abilities. Yet, you failed me by not controlling Nevrik. If he does not retrieve the dagger within a few days, deal with him. Do not fail me again.”

  The man bows again and leaves through a portal. Then, Grimdar looks at the remaining adept and gives him the shard. “Go to the marsh, find the general, and tell him to use this for the machine. Stay and oversee the construction. Only return once it is done.”

  This man leaves as the first did, with a bow and then through a portal. Only Grimdar and his daughter are left in the room.

  “Firestorm,” he says, smiling at her. “Tell me, did the elves suffer for their insolence?”

  She smiles, her beautiful face fierce. Most people don't believe she is the daughter of Grimdar, at least not until she uses her powers. Some say her power rivals Grimdar, and she is the strongest of his adepts. “They did, father, a great deal.”

  Grimdar pats her back. “Good, my child. Good.”

  Chapter 23: The Camp

  Soon, the merry party, led by Elora, reaches the steep road heading south out of the valley. Elora glances back at the others wearily, exhausted from their trip so far, then begins the climb.

  “I should be in a nice cozy inn right now, drinking ale,” Elof mumbles, trudging up the hill behind Eadric.

  “Elof!” scolds Eadric. “I thought you’d be accustomed to these environments considering the strenuous climbs you made during your mountain mining days.”

  Elof sighs, his voice heavy and tired when he speaks. “With a pick axe aimed at a glorious mineral vein and a pouch of ale attached to my belt, this climb would be a different story.”

  Eadric laughs. “That's my Elof alright; strong and thirsty with a tendency to complain.”

  Elof raises his fist to Eadric, grinning like a madman.

  Arddun approaches from the rear, meeting Elora’s surprised gaze. “Let’s go, everyone. No time to spare.”

  Elora watches as Arddun takes the lead position, her robe swinging in the wind as she trudges up the path.

  She really is the opposite of Elof, Elora thinks. Fast, focused, and vigorous, always focusing on the task in front of her. She smiles, admiring the powerful mage. Good thing she’s on our side.

  Drake comes up on Elora’s right side, his steps so light that she doesn’t hear his approach. He smiles as he passes her, giving her a small wave. He’s the only one really keeping up with Arddun.

  I suppose he must be fast to be a master thief, Elora thinks.

  The group continues this way for a while, Arddun leading and the others barely keeping pace. As they reach the edge of the valley, they come across one of the most beautiful landscapes Elora’s seen since entering this word.

  “It looks like an artist painted this!” Elora exclaims to no one in particular, pushing past Arddun to get a better look.

  “It’s the Fields of P’Tunah,” Arddun says.

  Before them is a vast, open field that stretches toward the horizon, with rolling hills and grand mountains in the background. The scene is green as far as the eye can see. Elora gazes at it all, occasionally glancing to her friends standing at her sides. It seems they’re all as taken by the beauty as she is.

  “I have never seen anything as amazing as this. It’s almost like paradise,” she whispers.

  “Come over this way,” Arddun says, motioning for the group to follow her.

  She leads them to a small hut nearby. It’s made from wood and has three walls, the fourth open for visitors to enjoy the view. Whoever built it even put little benches in for travelers to revel at the fields.

  Elora sits down, putting an arm around Ryan as he leans against her shoulders. He’s weak, and Elora feels his warmth; he’s warmer than he should be. They sit there tight together and just stare out over the fields.

  I hope he’s going to be okay, Elora thinks.

  Not wanting to worry the others, she turns and smiles at her companions. “Amazing. This is so nice.”

  They hum in agreement, and Arddun begins telling stories about the love and poetry that’s emerged from these fields.

  “Many old poems were written with this place in mind. The walls of this little hut are covered with messages, thoughts, and names. As you can see, some have hearts drawn around them, like a message of love.”

  Elora inspects the messages on the wall, absorbed in the sweet messages of love. Who were these people? How have they been affected by my absence?

  “We can probably camp here for the night,” says Arddun, breaking the comfortable silence. “It’s been a long day.”

  Elora, reluctant to put it off, still trusts Arddun’s judgment. “Fine,” she says cautiously. “But we have to leave early in the morning to reach the lake by the evening. Ryan’s not doing so well.”

  “Of course,” Arddun replies gently. “But it’s been a long day. We could all use some rest.”

  Arddun stands up, excusing herself to find some tinder for the fire. The rest sit down, looking out over the fields waiting for the sun to set. Ryan lays his head down in Elora's lap, and she runs her fingers through his hair. It’s always soothed him when he doesn’t feel well, and she hopes it helps him now, too.

  As Ryan sleeps, Elora ponders the view in front of her. It’s just like a picture from one of those travel books I used to read. She’d always wanted to see the world and had devoured those books where people travel the world. She’d often wondered if the pictures were real or something created on a computer but looking at the Fields of P’Tunah, she figured beauty like this must exist in other worlds, too.

  Eventually, the sun begins to set, orchestrating the most glorious light show. Arddun comes back, a little winded, and lights a fire in the middle of their camp.

  Elora tends to Ryan, who seems to be doing a little worse. Even keeping him close to the fire, he shivers uncontrollably.

  “We have to get him to the lake soon,” Elora cries.

  “I can help with a bit of calming magic,” Arddun offers, kneeling near Elora. With Elora’s consent, Arddun casts a quick spell, and Ryan’s shivering stops.

  “Will you help me change his bandages, too?”

  Arddu
n nods, and the two women get to work re-dressing Ryan’s wounds.

  “You know,” Arddun says quietly, “the magic will only help keep the pain at bay. The wound is spreading.”

  “Can’t you do more?” Elora asks, not taking her eyes off the bandages she’s wrapping around Ryan’s arm. If she takes her eyes off him, something even worse might happen. He followed her into this world, and Elora’s determined to keep him safe. I can’t fail him.

  Arddun shrugs. “I’ll do what I can to keep it controlled, but I’m no healer.”

  “Then we need to find the healer soon,” Elora says. “Or we might not be able to help him anymore.”

  “We will find the healer, Elora,” Arddun says kindly. “Please, just try to get some rest.”

  Meanwhile, Elof and Eadric have put away their equipment and found a good spot to rest. Felan runs around playfully, chasing the fireflies hovering near the campsite. He doesn’t catch a single one. For being such a large wolf, he stills behaves like a puppy sometimes. And soon enough, he tires out, settling down near Elora and Ryan.

  He is such a good protector and guard, Elora thinks. My knight in shiny, furry armor. With Ryan so sick, she’s glad to have someone she can count on, even if that someone is a wolf.

  “I’ll take first watch,” Arddun offers, breaking the quiet that’s fallen over the camp. The others thank her, and they settle in for the night.

  Elora struggles to fall asleep, listening to the birds as they perform their late rituals before returning to their nests. The soft wind in the trees brings smells of summer. A lone owl calls for the moon. It’s a beautiful night, a night that can be filled with the most precious dreams and wishes. As Elora finally drifts off to sleep, she wonders if Arddun is listening to the same sounds of the night.

  Once asleep, Elora enters another one of her unsettling dreams.

  This time, she’s alone on a hill, with a bloody sword in her hand. Lifeless bodies cover the ground around her. She’s wearing a black hooded dress, and someone is calling to her. At first, she can’t make out what they’re saying.

  It’s just a voice in the dark, calling out for her.

  But soon, the voice pulls her, draws her from deep within herself.

  She walks toward the edge of the hill, looking down on the field in front of her. It too is filled with bodies; no one is alive but her. Swords, shields, and armor are scattered everywhere. Some swords still have hands attached to them, only the hands, the rest of the bodies are spread elsewhere on the battlefield.

  The voice is stronger now, and it’s hurting her head. Whatever it is, it’s stronger than anything she’s encountered before. Eventually, it becomes too much, and Elora screams in pain. She puts her hands in front of her, releasing waves upon waves of fire down on the field in front of her.

  And it’s no ordinary fire, not the weak kind that she’s is used to. Instead, enormous waves of fire and lightning combine in front of her, destroying everything in its path.

  Eventually, the voice fades and is gone and she kneels, tired, but feeling stronger than ever. The field in front of her is empty; the bodies have been vaporized by her powers. There are just ashes left, floating in the wind, like small dust particles struggling to find a calm place to land and finally rest.

  * * *

  At the same time, in a dark room far from the campsite, Firestorm wakes up from the same dream, screaming out in pain. Her room is melting from the fire and heat emanating from her hands. She quickly holds out her hands, absorbing the fire. It tingles and warms her, giving her power.

  She waves her hand to magically restore her room, then sits up and stares at the ceiling. She waves her hand at it, and it becomes black as death with stars and planets appearing randomly. It’s as if the night sky has come into her room and landed on her ceiling. She lays back and looks at it, the dancing images calming her.

  As she drifts back to sleep, she whispers, “I will find you, sister.”

  Chapter 24: The Island

  Elora wakes up, being licked all over her face by Felan. She wipes her face and hugs him. Arddun is already up. Does she ever sleep? She is attending to Ryan and packing up some of their camp items. Elof has already cut some wood for the fire and is making breakfast. He tosses an apple Elora's way and says, “Catch!”

  She catches it easily. “Thanks, Elof,” she says as she walks to the fire and sits down. Breakfast is good, especially after such a dream. She starts to feel better and wants to start walking toward the lake. Now is not to the time to think about the nightmares. I need to focus on finding Ryan a healer.

  As they walk down over the open fields, they notice farmers are still around and working their fields. They grow almost everything here; Elora notices potato plants, lettuce, corn, beets, and much more. They pass small farms made up of stables and cute cottages where children are running around. Elora watches the girls play, suddenly overwhelmed by the imminent threat of the Dark Army.

  She walks up to the farmer and asks, “Why don't you leave? The Dark Army is coming, and bandits roam these parts.”

  The farmer sighs. “We can't leave our crops. We don't fear the bandits because they know what would happen if we don't produce food. Even bandits need food. No bandit wants to farm. So, they leave us alone most of the time, at least the wolf raiders. The only thing we fear are monsters, but thanks to good fortune, no monsters have been seen in these parts for a long time.”

  Past the farms and small streams are more hills and green fields. It feels like this is where the real trek starts, hills upon hills with small trees on green fields in between. The way the hills are situated it almost makes them look blue in the distance. Elora smiles and continues down the next hill. Elof is switching off with Eadric, taking turns carrying Ryan.

  “Is that smoke?” Elora asks as they get to the top of the next hill. She points to the horizon, and they hurry, but none of them are as fast as Drake, who has already vanished. He hasn’t been talkative since leaving the city, but now he seems more eager than any of them. Does he know something? Elora wonders.

  They soon manage to pass the hill and on the other side they see a house in flames. They run toward it, and Drake is already there, helping some people to safety. The house is breaking down and all that is left is a pile of burnt wood and ashes, and the people cry out as they watch their home burn.

  Elora tries to comfort them. “It’s ok,” she says. “You’re safe.”

  Drake contorts his face in anger and says, “What happened here? How can I help?”

  “It was a group of bandits,” one of them says. “They wore the brand of the Red Baron.”

  Drake stands up and growls. “That bastard! I thought I told him to keep out of these lands.”

  Elora looks at Drake. “You know this bandit?”

  “I had dealings with him and his goons in the past and we agreed to stay out of each other’s business.” Drake reaches into one of his pouches and pulls out a handful of coins, giving it to the family. “Please go to the nearby village for help and use the money to rebuild.”

  “Thank you, good sir,” the farmer says and hugs him. Before they leave, he says, “The bandits went in that direction.”

  Drake looks at Elora, squaring his shoulders and meeting her eyes. “The Red Baron is a plague on these lands and he doesn't care about anything. At least the Wolf Raiders honor the farmers by leaving them alone. I must excuse myself from my service to the queen. Please forgive me, but there is something I must do before I can continue on my mission with you. I have some hunting to do, some bandits to strike.”

  Elof raises his axe and grins. “Do you need any help?”

  “No,” Drake says politely. “Based on the tracks around here, it seems that there was only four of them. I can handle it.”

  Elora nods. “Please be quick and safe. Meet us at the lake before night sets in.”

  He takes her hand and kisses it. “I would never dream of being away from your company for too long.”

 
Arddun sighs. “Come on, enough already, Drake.”

  He does not pay her any attention and is soon gone, disappearing through some bushes. Elora does not know if she is annoyed or confused. Why such an interest in me? I’m just an ordinary girl from the city. She pauses. No, there is nothing ordinary about me, the new queen of these lands.

  The party moves away from their path, going south and steering west toward Lake Uriel instead, now without Drake. Up another hill and through trees and bushes of all kinds, they finally reach the next hill, where they take a break and are once again in awe over the beautiful setting before them. They can see the lake far below them in another valley, surrounded by plentiful fauna and rocks. South of the lake, there is an amazing blue waterfall cascading into the lake from the tall mountains situated nearby.

  Arddun points to the island in the middle of the lake. “We’re nearly there.”

  * * *

  Meanwhile, Drake moves fast on his feet, quietly crossing the lush environment toward the bandits’ camp. They’re near a cave on the south side of a hill, hidden away between some overgrown bushes. The two bandits sitting there obviously think that it would guard them from prying eyes, but not from a master thief and hunter like Drake.

  He creeps toward the unsuspecting bandits, dagger poised to strike, but just before he is about to strike the first bandit, two more come out of the cave. He pauses, staying hidden for the moment. He waits for an opportunity to finish them, to make them pay for what they’ve done. They sit there, cursing, drinking, bragging about all the bad things they have done, all in the name of the Red Baron.

  But one is actually saying some rather illuminating and bad things about the Baron, and he can’t help but smile. What would the Baron do if he knew? He might even thank Drake for taking out these men.

  Soon, one of the bandits gets up and throws his cup at another bandit. “I need ta’ pee, guard my cup.”