The Elemental Trilogy Box Set

by Toni Cox

  “Thank you Lord Hazelwatch, but I believe Commander Hollowdale has already taken care of him. He has gone to the roost with the other dragons.”

  Lord Hazelwatch bowed to her and then led her personally to Thala House before seeing to his own needs. Exhausted, Maia sank into her bath, with Rothea climbing into the tub next to hers. A Server came and took their garments away to be cleaned. When they had washed, they donned the clothes the Server had left for them and went down the stairs to the dining hall. It reminded Maia of the evening she spent there with Riker, but she pushed the thought down. They were served wine and fruit juice while they waited for Lord Hazelwatch. When he came, he was accompanied by Commander Arkenbay and Commander Hollowdale and together they sat down for their meal.

  “It was fortunate you arrived when you did,” Elandor Arkenbay said. “We were about to be overrun, with no further backup close to the city.”

  “I am just glad we could help,” Maia replied. “We noticed that all your fields were empty. Did you manage to save your livestock?”

  “We saved some. They are within the stockades in the city. But a lot of them were lost to the Vampyres. They have been feeding on them.”

  “I am sorry to hear it.”

  “We have enough to see us through the next winter. Most of our breeding stock is kept close to the city all year round, so those were all saved. By spring we will have a whole new generation of animals on our fields,” Lord Hazelwatch cut in.

  Maia smiled. “Let me know if I can help when the time comes. I would love to assist bringing new life into this world.”

  “Your help, as always, is more than welcome, My Lady. I think the people would love to have you with us during calving season.”

  Their food arrived then and they ate in silence for a while. Maia was anxious to return home, but she did not want to spurn their hospitality.

  “Princess Maia,” Commander Arkenbay finally asked, “how are things at Greystone? Has there been any movement?”

  “Nothing yet, for which we are grateful. Tarron Heights seems to be able to hold their own at the moment, but we have had no news from Dragonfort or any of the other cities.”

  “We will clean things up here and, if all remains calm, I will consider sending some of my Regiment back to you. Lord Hazelwatch has agreed, if they do come through the Gate, you will need all the men you can get.”

  “Thank you; I will inform my father of your decision.”

  It was another hour before they finished their meal and were able to excuse themselves. It was dark outside, but it would make no difference to Midnight; he could see as well at night. Maia let him know they were ready and they met him just outside the city. Folk came out and waved them off, but then they were out of sight and Thala Yll was just a sprinkling of lights below.

  Maia dreaded facing her father, but felt good about what she had done for the people of Thala Yll. It also gave her hope for the future. If they could claim a victory such as this in such a short time, nothing seemed impossible. Midnight’s fire had proven to be a more powerful weapon than they had hoped and in the right circumstances could wipe out an entire squadron in mere minutes. They now had a chance. They now had hope.

  “I am sorry, Sir, Braérn is overrun by Vampyres. We have sent the clippers over with as many warriors as we could spare. Unless you would like to row, there is no other way to get to the main land.”

  “I understand,” Blaid said. “Thank you for your help.”

  He paced along the empty dock staring across the water. The sea was only forty miles across here and the escarpment of the Grildor-Bron Mountains cast a spectacular background to the vast expanse of water before him. He would probably get wet twice before he reached land if he shadow travelled across. But, if Braérn was indeed overrun by Vampyres, then he needed to get there as fast as he could.

  Quickly he walked back towards the town. He had traded the sword he had acquired at Stoneloft for passage to Arrow. He planned to trade Kanarel’s hunting knife for passage to Braérn, but in light of the fight to come he decided to keep it. He was also keeping Kanarel’s sword.

  At the nearest food stall in the market he rummaged through Kanarel’s possessions and traded a water flask and a flint for bread and mutton stew. It was not his favourite, but it would provide him with the sustenance required to shadow travel and then go straight into a fight.

  He ate quickly and repacked his bag. He put his shoes into it and secured the weapons to it tightly, so that the drop into the water would not dislodge anything. It was fairly heavy, but he thought he would be able to stay afloat with it long enough to make the next jump.

  With the water lapping at his naked feet he concentrated and soon felt himself dissolve. It was not a pleasant feeling, but he had always been good at it; this part of manipulating Air was easy for him, unlike invisibility.

  Within minutes he splashed into the cold water of the channel that divided Crook Harbour from Braérn. The strong current surprised him and he floundered for a short while, drifting north, before he managed to summon enough energy for the next jump.

  When he sank beneath the waters the next time, it was within sight of the shore. The current was not as strong here, but he let it carry him north for a short while so that he would end up just outside of Braérn.

  He landed in some shrub about half a mile from the city. Quickly he put on his shoes, tied on his weapons, and then dumped the bag beneath a bush. There was nothing he could do about his wet clothes, but they would eventually dry by themselves. He took off running and covered the distance in a few minutes.

  Carefully he approached the outer wall of the city. He could hear noises coming from the main gate that connected to the Trade Route, but it seemed to be quiet within the city itself. Keeping close to the wall, he circled around until he was able to see the road. Braérn was besieged, not overrun. A horde of Vampyres had made camp outside the main gate and, although Blaid could not see it, he knew by the smell of charred wood that they had been trying to breach the gate. There seemed to be a ceasefire at the moment; besides the noises coming from the Vampyre camp, everything was still.

  He walked back the way he came, looking for a way into the city, but the usual stalls, fishermen’s huts and trading posts had all been cleared along the wall. He walked further and finally reached the shore. Braérn’s walls did not extend into the water; they were built as a feature around the city, not as protection; but the people of Braérn had barricaded this open section with anything they could find that did not burn. Archers were posted; protecting the rear.

  An arrow whistled past Blaid’s ear and a man shouted a challenge. Blaid stepped away from the wall with his arms held wide open.

  “I am here to help,” he shouted up at the men on top.

  “Who are you?”

  “I am Blaid Elderbow. I have come from Stoneloft. They have also been attacked, but they have managed to defeat their attackers. Let me in and I will see what I can do to help you.”

  The men were quiet for a moment, conferring.

  “How do we know you are not a spy? We have already caught two traitors. Be on your way and we will fight our own battles.”

  Blaid considered for a moment explaining to them who he was, but then thought better of it. There was probably not much he could do from within the city and he did not want another incident like what happened at Stoneloft. These people here would probably be served best if he attacked the Vampyres from the outside, diminished their numbers enough to give Braérn a chance to defend itself.

  “As you wish,” he finally said. “May the Mother be with you.”

  He retraced his steps along the wall but, before he made it half way, he realised he had been followed. He could smell them approaching even before they came into sight. Quietly he hid behind a shrub and waited for them to get closer. As soon as they had walked past the spot where he was, he jumped out and cut their throats in quick succession. They were dead before they could make a sound.

&n
bsp; Blaid checked the sun; it was early afternoon, another four hours till sunset. He could not attack the Vampyres alone during daylight; there were too many of them. Circling around, he travelled around the back of their camp. It sprawled a mile in either direction from Braérn’s gate and Blaid estimated there to be at least eight hundred Vampyres. He noticed few Werewolves, but, because of their exceptional sense of smell, he would need to deal with them as soon as possible so that they would not alert the Vampyres to his presence.

  He found himself a vantage point on a slight wooded rise. It had tall trees, but most of them were shrub-like and made for excellent cover. He had a good view from here and was able to observe the entire camp. It was too far away to hear much of what they were saying, but he did not understand their language anyway.

  The longer he watched the camp, the more he learned. He knew the Vampyres preferred to be less active during the day and did most of their work and hunting during the dark hours of the night. He believed their eyes to be sensitive to light, which made them poor shots during the day, but no less dangerous. They were probably waiting for nightfall to renew their attack, so Blaid had to come up with a plan fast. Most were honing their weapons, repacking arrows into sheaths and reloading the slingshots, while yet others were simply resting or eating. He noticed the Werewolves were kept together on the far southern side of the camp; they were not tethered, but there were two Vampyres keeping watch over them.

  Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood erect and he shrunk deeper into the bush. Two Vampyre Scouts emerged from the trees, conversing softly in their strange tongue. They were completely oblivious to his presence and he dealt with them swiftly and silently. They would probably eventually be missed; same as those two by the wall; but he hoped it would all be over by then.

  He dragged the two Scouts under some brush and covered them with leaves. The Werewolves would still be able to sniff them out if they were to come this way, but they were well enough hidden from the passing eye.

  Blaid waited as another hour went by. He noticed activity on the wall above Braérn’s gate; probably a shift change; and then everything went quiet again. He considered his options; eight hundred Vampyres, too much for even him to fight alone; but if he could disable some of their siege weapons and take out as many archers as he could, then maybe the people of Braérn would be able to do the rest. He wondered how many men were behind that wall; most cities had sent their armies to Greystone. He despised the Vampyres for their cowardly behaviour; attacking the cities while the warriors were away. Those that were left were the elderly and children and anyone else not able to fight. What chance did these people have; even with the few Regimental divisions Crook Harbour had managed to send them?

  Maia, he thought, I could really use your help.

  As the sun set behind the mountain and the land was steeped in twilight, Blaid began his assault. It only took him a few minutes to steal a bow and a few quivers with arrows; the Vampyres did not expect an enemy in their own camp and everything was ripe for the picking. Quickly he made his way to the far southern side of the camp and, with as little noise as possible, took care of the Werewolves and their two Keepers. Four others came to investigate the commotion, but those were dealt with as effectively before they could alert the rest of the camp.

  As darkness fell, the Vampyres jumped into action and started their attack on the city, firing balls of fire from their sling shots. With the Vampyres’ attention on their target, Blaid began his sabotage. He punctured the barrels of tar the Vampyres used to dip their slingshot balls into to make them burn and then set the oozing liquid alight. The flowing, burning tar spread quickly and soon some of the slingshots were on fire. By the time he had destroyed four of the barrels, there was chaos in the camp. Often, he had to hide for a while before he could continue his campaign, but, with the Werewolves out of the way, he was able to do so without much difficulty.

  Other equipment started to burn and, as often as he could, Blaid added arrows, spears and other weapons to the flames. While the siege on Braérn continued, some Vampyres were now solely busy with trying to get the blazes under control. He defied them at every turn and those that got in his way he killed as swiftly as he lit the next fire. Vampyres did not burn easily, but their weapons did. He did everything he could to destroy as many as possible before the Vampyres eventually caught up with him. They would; there were simply too many of them to outrun.

  The Vampyres’ camp now lit up the night like a sunrise and soon Blaid fought more than destroying weapons. He still had the bow slung over his shoulder, but in such close quarters he had to use Kanarel’s sword. He was glad for the weapon, it was of excellent make, but he wished he had his own. The smell of smoke, tar and blood was thick in his nose, and breathing was difficult. He noticed the Vampyres had no such difficulties; they did not need to breathe as much as Elves did.

  Soon he was coughing and out of breath. He stabbed two more Vampyres and beheaded another before he hid behind a tent that had so far escaped the flames. He tried to catch his breath, but he knew, if he did not get out soon, he would not make it. But he was not done yet. There was still fight left in him. Two more sling shots were operational and fired what was left of their ammunition. About a hundred archers were on the front line he had not been able to get to and shot relentlessly at the figures on the city wall.

  With one last effort, Blaid made his way to the slingshot furthest to the left. It was manned by four Vampyres and they put up a good fight as he attacked them, but eventually they were no match for him. He commandeered the sling shot, turning it, loading it, and then aimed for the archers. The first flaming ball smashed into the back row and took out about ten of them. By the time he had loaded and lit the second ball, a group of Vampyres was running towards him. He quickly fired and the line of archers broke up as the ball exploded in their midst. He had just loaded the third ball when the Vampyres reached him. Before he could fire, they attacked and, in the time it took him to defend himself, the remaining archers regrouped and continued their assault on the wall. During the melee, he managed to spring the release of the sling shot and fired the third ball into the line of archers. He was too busy to see how much damage it caused as more Vampyres converged on his location.

  Outnumbered and overwhelmed, he felt the black rage start to cloud his vision. He could not control it, but today he welcomed it; there were no innocent bystanders here. As his vision went dark, his ears picked up a new sound. A horn blared in the distance and then there was the sound of galloping hooves. He struggled to bring himself back under control as he fought; the Elves had left the safety of the city and were attacking. He had hoped they would, once the Vampyres were in disarray, but in his current state he cursed their timing.

  He screamed in rage as his mind became muddled and he desperately shook his head to clear it; he could not bear the deaths of more Elves on his conscience. He had to leave. Now. Too worked up to shadow travel, he did the only thing he could; he ran. The Vampyres chased him, but it did not matter. He could deal with them once he was safely away from the warriors that had now reached the Vampyre camp.

  He ran up the low rise he had used as a hideout and, once he reached the trees, he turned to confront the five Vampyres that had given chase. He was calmer now, but the Vampyres knew nothing of it as he killed them ruthlessly, one by one.

  With the dead lying carelessly at his feet, he watched from his vantage point as the warriors of Braérn and Crook Harbour dealt with what was left of the Vampyre army. Blaid did not know how many Vampyres he had killed, but it was clear the Elves were still outnumbered. With most of their weapons burned, the Vampyres were left somewhat at a disadvantage and it did not take long for the Elves to overpower them. It was difficult to see through the flames and the smoke how many Elves died in the process, but when Blaid finally heard the horn blare again, the fighting had stopped.

  Tiredly he sank down to the ground and leant against a tree. He was so thirsty. After restin
g for a short while, he searched the Vampyres and took from them their weapons; as many as he could carry; and then moved back to where he had hidden his bag on the shore of Nithril Deep.

  She sat in the branches of the tree above her house, her feet dangling in the air. Rothea was inside, sitting by the window where she could see her. Maia had taken refuge in the tree after she went to see her father. Even now his words still rang in her ears.

  “Do you understand the danger you put, not just your own life in, but the lives of Rothea and the people of Shadow Hall as well?” he had shouted, her mother’s hand resting calmly on his shoulder.

  “Yes, Father.”

  “You could have been killed. Is that what you want? Do you want to follow Riker into the next world?”

  She had taken a sharp breath; even Jaik looked shocked at her father’s outburst.

  “And what if we had needed you here?”

  “Here?” she asked, now utterly furious. “So, I am allowed to fight here and put my life in danger, but I am not allowed to do it for the people of Thala Yll?”

  Her father was quiet then for a moment, blood rising to his face, and her mother whispered to him. Jaik, leaning against a post in the room, tried hard to suppress a smile at his sister’s spirited reply.

  “That is not the point, Maia,” he had finally answered. “You disobeyed a direct order.”

  “I did not receive such an order,” she answered defiantly. “I left before it could be given.”

  “Maia,” he said, a dangerous calm in his voice, “you have changed and I think we all know the cause of it. I do not like what I see and from now on I expect you to report directly to me. We have always given you free rein, but if you treat yourself and others with so little respect, then it is time for me to intervene. You are not to leave Shadow Hall unless ordered to do so while there are Vampyres in our land and while that … that Blaid is still out there. Orders have been given to capture him and kill him if necessary.”