Chase nodded slowly as she looked down at the picture.
“I will do what I can, Elder. I give you my word.”
“Good. Keep that portrait. And here...”
Chase looked up and watched as Salfrena reached under her shawl and pulled out something that sparkled in the firelight. The ranger reached out and accepted the item from the Elder.
It was a brooch. Made of silver and amber, and decorated with tiny diamonds, the piece of jewelry had been shaped to look like a sprig of leaves covered in drops of dew. It was obviously quite old and very delicate.
“It is beautiful, Elder,” Chase told Salfrena as she carefully cradled the brooch in her hands.
“It is, isn't it? It has been passed down in my family for generations. Do try not to lose it.”
“I won't lose it, Elder. You have my word. But why give it to me?”
“When you find Ethmira, you may not be able to convince her that the situation is desperate enough for her to return. If that is the case, give her that brooch.”
“She will recognize it?” Chase asked dubiously.
Salfrena smiled faintly.
“She should,” the Elder said dryly. “She was very fond of it when she was a child. You see, Ethmira is my granddaughter.”
Chase patted her tunic, feeling the lump that the brooch made where she kept it in an inner pocket. It had become an unconscious habit to check it several times an hour, to make sure that it was still safe. She was more worried about losing the heirloom than she was about the constant dangers that surrounded her.
She had left the village of Imrathstal shortly after her meeting with Salfrena. Before leaving, she had picked up the essentials needed by a ranger for a long journey. A full quiver of arrows, a water skin, a skinning knife and strong twine that was used to build traps. Flint and steel to start fires and an assortment of small items essential for survival in the wilds.
Rangers were self-sufficient. They had to be. Sometimes their travels took them away from civilization for weeks at a time. So they were experts at living off of the land. They knew how to find plants to eat and medicinal herbs to treat wounds or infections. They could trap small animals for food and replenish their stock of arrows by making more of their own. They could even clean and tan skins to create clothing if necessary.
The last items that Chase took with her were a pouch of steel arrowheads and her short sword. Not every encounter with dangerous beasts could be settled at a distance.
And then she had left the village. Several people waved farewell, which she appreciated, but they did not know of her mission. They simply saw a ranger heading into the wilds and wished her well. Her own home was very far from Imrathstal.
That was two weeks ago. And now Chase knelt on the edge of a meadow and felt a chill run down her spine. Something wasn't quite right here.
The innocent beauty of the open glade was warring with the feeling of unease that the ranger felt. Chase slowly scanned the vista before her, looking for anything out of place. She could go around the meadow, but it was very wide and deep and would take her away from the trail that she had been following for several days. And if she deviated from that trail, it could be difficult to find again.
The remains of an old campfire had been the first sign that she was on the right path. She'd found the cold embers almost a week before, along with a shallow print that no one but a trained tracker could have seen. Chase easily recognized the impression as having been made by a ranger's soft-soled boot. This far from any elven habitation, the track had to have been made by Ethmira.
She'd followed the trail ever since then. Ethmira had left little evidence behind her and Chase admired her skill. But a broken twig here and a scuff mark there had been enough for her to track her quarry and those traces led her directly through the meadow ahead.
I can't deviate from the path, she thought. If I do, it could take hours or days to reacquire the trail. And Salfrena told me that Ethmira is needed urgently. Losing time is out of the question.
She stood up and took a single step forward. And then she froze in place and held her breath. A faint musky scent touched her nostrils, a smell that she knew very well.
Targon! she thought. And close enough to smell. Not good.
A targon was a tree snake. They averaged thirty to forty feet in length and they could change their skin patterns and colors to match their surroundings. The only clue to their presence was their nasty stink, but an old adage amongst the rangers was: if you caught the scent a targon, you were already too close to escape its coils.
Chase turned her head slowly, scanning her surroundings while remaining as still as possible. Even when camouflaged, there should be some evidence of the snake's presence. A leaf out of place, a color not quite blending in with the other hues around it. Something.
But she saw nothing suspicious ahead of her. Which meant...
Damn it. It's above me!
She began to raise her head and at that moment, something incredibly heavy slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. The targon had struck first.
Chapter 2
Chase was pinned down beneath thick, stinking coils as the targon writhed and hissed above her. The massive serpent's foul stench choked the ranger and its weight forced her face into the dirt. Chase grasped the hilt of her short sword but she couldn't draw it while her arms were being held down by the snake.
The coils slipped and slithered across her back and shoulders as the targon tried to wrap its body around her. Targons were constrictors and had to crush their prey before they could swallow them. Fortunately for Chase, the snakes were not poisonous, but she found small comfort in that fact as she desperately tried to breathe.
If I could just get my sword free, she thought frantically. One slice across its coils would at least make the monster retreat.
But the targon was holding her immobile by sheer weight and she simply couldn't move, as much as she struggled to do so. Her vision began to dim as her chest was crushed and she couldn't catch her breath.
If I don't get free in another minute, I'm going to pass out, was Chase's furious thought. What an undignified way for a ranger to die.
The constant hissing from the targon was deafening and its slimy scales undulated disgustingly across her body. Chase tried again to push herself to her knees, to get enough room to draw her weapon. But it was useless. Her strength was draining away as she began to lose consciousness.
And then the snake's slithering movement stopped abruptly. It hissing was cut off and the motion across Chase's back ceased. A splash of warm, sticky liquid gushed down over her body and then she could suddenly breathe again as the targon slipped off of her body.
The ranger struggled to catch her breath as she rolled over. She squinted, trying to see as her vision cleared and the sun blazed down upon her.
“You were in a rather bad spot there for a moment,” someone said to her.
Chase sat up slowly and then accepted the hand that was offered to her. She was pulled smoothly to her feet and stood there, weaving slightly as she tried to regain her equilibrium.
“Are you all right?”
The ranger could finally see the person who had saved her and she smiled ruefully as she recognized the face of the woman who was staring at her with concern.
It was Ethmira. The other woman was holding a sword that dripped with green blood and Chase noted that the dead snake had been sliced neatly in two.
“I'm fine. Thank you for your aid. If it hadn't been for you, I would have died here today.”
Ethmira smiled as she reached down, ripped a handful of grass from the ground and wiped off her blade.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Targons are rare in this part of the forest and hard to see at the best of times. I'm just glad that I was able to help.”
She nudged the snake with her foot and the body slithered away from her, exposing the targon's head. Its jaws, lined with tiny, razor-sharp teeth, gaped open in death and its yellow eyes
glared blindly up at the two elves.
“Nasty creatures,” Ethmira noted.
“They are that,” Chase agreed.
She looked down at her own body and grimaced in disgust. Her clothing was splattered with the snake's blood and the stench was strong enough to make her eyes water.
“Is there a stream or a pool anywhere nearby? This stink will announce my presence to any monster for miles around. I need to wash it off as soon as possible.”
Ethmira laughed lightly.
“There is. If you feel up to it, I can lead you there now.”
“Yes please. I'm fine.”
“Very well. It's this way.”
Ethmira led Chase into the meadow and the ranger followed her. She was finally able to take a moment to size up the other woman and she was impressed by what she saw.
Ethmira wore the same dappled leather armor and cloak that Chase wore herself. She looked almost identical to the picture that Salfrena had given the ranger. Her hair was a little longer and more blond than it had been in the portrait, but that was the only difference.
The older woman walked with an assured grace and made absolutely no sound as she slipped through the deep grass of the meadow like a ghost.
On Ethmira's hip was a quiver of arrows and she carried a longbow over her shoulder. All in all, she looked like any other ranger, but Chase could sense her experience and her skills in her casual way of moving and her calm demeanor.
No wonder Salfrena wants her back, Chase thought as she followed Ethmira closely. A steady leader in these dangerous times is just what we need right now.
After they had made their way through the meadow, the two women entered the trees again. They only walked a few more minutes before Chase heard the sound of running water. The forest parted and a clear section appeared with a narrow stream, no more than a dozen feet across, running through it.
Chase sighed with relief and Ethmira smiled at her.
“Go ahead and get cleaned up. I will stand watch.”
“Thank you, Lady Ethmira. I appreciate your aid.”
“You know me?” Ethmira asked sharply.
Chase nodded and reached into an inner pocket. She pulled out the brooch, which she had wrapped carefully in cloth, and handed it to the other woman.
Ethmira unwrapped the brooch and then caught her breath as the diamonds embedded in it gleamed brightly in the sunlight. She turned it slowly and smiled at its delicate beauty.
“Ah, I remember this piece so well,” she said softly. “My grandmother would wear it only on special occasions and I would always ask her if I could touch it. 'One day, little one,' she would say. 'One day when you are all grown up and ready, then you can wear it.' Apparently today is that day.”
She glanced at Chase.
“What is your name?”
“Chase, Lady.”
“And Salfrena sent you to find me?”
“She did. There is a crisis looming on the horizon and the Elder needs you.”
Ethmira nodded as she looked at the brooch again.
“Does she now? Well, go ahead and get washed up,” she told Chase. “We will discuss this afterwards.”
Once Chase had washed the snake blood off of her clothing and her skin, she got dressed again in her damp leather. It was uncomfortable, but safer than trying to journey through the forest without wearing any protection. While she had bathed, Ethmira had gathered dry sticks and leaves and had started a small campfire. She invited Chase to sit down and then offered her some dried rations.
“Here, eat something and allow your clothes to dry out a bit,” she said as she sat down across the fire from Chase. “You need the energy after your encounter with the targon.”
“Thank you, Lady,” Chase replied gratefully.
“It's Ethmira, not Lady,” Ethmira said with a smile. “I don't care for titles. Now, are you injured at all? Any cuts or scratches? Infections can fester very quickly out here.”
“The only thing injured was my pride,” Chase admitted with a lop-sided grin.
Ethmira chuckled.
“I know how you feel. So, what can you tell me about this crisis you mentioned?”
Chase chewed on some dried fruit and began to tell Ethmira the same tale that Salfrena had related to her. Ethmira listened quietly, not interrupting or asking questions until Chase was finished.
When she was done, Ethmira nodded as she stared into the crackling campfire.
“So the dwarves have been attacked, just as the humans were. And our two worlds are now entwined, something that I was assured by our sages was impossible. Yes, I have to agree with my grandmother. The old gods are moving against us, all three of the mortal races. I wonder what Shandon is doing now? Shoring up his defenses, I imagine. Well, if anyone can beat back the darkness, it's him. The dwarves are lucky to have him as their king in their time of need.”
“You know him, Lady? I mean, Ethmira?”
“Oh yes, I know him very well,” Ethmira replied with a laugh. “Or at least, I did. The two of us fought against the evil dragons on Earth, alongside Simon O'Toole. Now those were glorious battles.”
She looked at Chase, who was frowning.
“Oh, I know,” Ethmira said, smiling wryly. “Elves aren't supposed to celebrate war. But if you had been there, Chase, you would have said the same. Fighting against something so obviously evil, like the primal dragons, was exhilarating. And Simon was magnificent. His power, his dedication to his people, his willingness to sacrifice himself for others. Well, words cannot do him justice.”
“I remember hearing about him,” Chase said. “Simon O'Toole. He was a wizard, was he not?”
“He was. The only human wizard in existence, as far as I know. With almost his entire race wiped out by the old gods and their dragons, he stood virtually alone against them. And he beat them all.”
Chase saw the other woman's eyes shining as she spoke of the wizard.
“You were friends?” she asked curiously.
Ethmira looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Is that so hard to understand? Humans live such short lives that our people have often overlooked them, dismissing them as unimportant. Foolishly. But because of that brief existence, to find those who are willing to risk their lives is even more admirable. At least it is to me.”
“Yes, I understand. How did he die?”
“Simon? I did not say that he died. As far as I know, he might still live.”
Chase stared at her, wide-eyed.
“Really? But then, where is he? Why is he not still defending his people against the Darkness?”
Ethmira sighed. She picked up a long stick and poked the fire, making the flames hiss and jump as she moved the burning coals around.
“I don't know where he is. I heard that he was badly wounded in his last battle against the dragon queen. He retreated into the Void to recover and, as far as I know, he hasn't been seen since. Perhaps he is waiting for the right time to return. Or not. I cannot say.”
“The Void? But Ethmira, the gods live in the Void!”
Ethmira smiled at Chase's shocked expression.
“The Void is endless, my young friend,” she told the ranger. “With his skill and power, Simon could have retreated to some far corner of it and avoided the old gods completely. In fact, I would bet that is exactly what he did. And I would further bet that we will see him again one day. I hope that we do. We need him.”
Once Chase's clothing was dry, she got ready to move while Ethmira carefully extinguished her small campfire and poured water over the coals. The greatest threat to the forest was always fire.
“Are you feeling well enough to travel?” Ethmira asked the younger woman.
“I am. Are you?” Chase replied curiously. “I must admit that I am surprised by how easily you were convinced to return to society. Your grandmother said that you left to reconnect with nature after your battles on Earth. And yet you are willing to come back with me now?”
“Ah, s
o Salfrena mentioned our relationship to you, did she? I am surprised by that. She has always been rather distant, both to me and to her other relatives. The result of a very long life, I suppose.”
Ethmira kicked some dirt over the wet coals at her feet as she spoke.
“Yes, I did want to find my equilibrium again. My time on Earth was spent almost exclusively in conflict. As rangers, we are both warriors and healers, as you know well. To have to engage in battle for an extended amount of time was...upsetting. I needed to clear my head, calm my inner spirit. And I have done that. To be honest, I was close to deciding to return when you showed up. You've just given me the last little push that I needed to do so.”
Chase nodded as she settled her bow over her shoulder.
“I'm glad to hear that,” she said. “I hoped that you wouldn't be too reluctant to answer the call of the Elder. Certainly there was no way that I could have forced you to return.”
Ethmira laughed lightly.
“No, that you could have never done. Now, let's get started, shall we? I will take point.”
Chase nodded again and Ethmira set off, headed back toward the meadow where they had encountered the targon.
As two rangers traveling together in a straight line toward a known destination, Ethmira and Chase made good time. The distance that had taken Chase two weeks to travel was covered in less than a week and they arrived at Imrathstal just as twilight was falling.
Ethmira stopped as they left the shelter of the trees and looked at the village steadily, a strange expression on her face.
Chase had learned much about her companion as they had journeyed back to Imrathstal. She had found the older woman to be surprisingly candid about herself and her past. Ethmira had recounted her battles with the evil dragons on Earth and she had spoken fondly several times of the wizard, Simon O'Toole. By the end of their trip, Chase had begun to hope that she too would one day meet that admirable human. Whether such a thing would ever happen was doubtful, but anything was possible.
The Fall of the Elves Page 2
