“Delicious,” she murmured.
“Have some bread and honey,” Waylan urged. “Deakon's two sons harvest the honey themselves and the bread is baked fresh each morning.”
Chase took a slice of bread, still steaming from the oven, and slathered it with butter and honey while the others began speaking about local news and rumors.
“Have you been in town long?” Ethmira asked him.
He nodded and drank some tea.
“Several days, actually. I was sent here by the administrator of my province. She wanted to pass along some rather disturbing news about the ley lines in our region.”
“Ley lines?”
Ethmira and Chase exchanged a knowing look.
“What about them?” Chase asked him.
Waylan shrugged as he buttered a slice of bread.
“The senior keeper in the province reported that the lines were behaving erratically. He summoned our administrator and passed along his concerns and she in turn told me about the problem and asked me to travel here to meet with the Council.”
He bit into his bread and chewed reflectively.
“Imagine my surprise when I arrived and ran into others who were in town to report on the same thing,” he said after he had swallowed. “There's something going on, Ethmira. Something big. The Council has not responded to my request for an audience, by the way, which is why I am still here cooling my heels instead of being back home doing my duty.”
He frowned at the slice of bread in his hand.
“If I'm stuck here much longer, I'm going to start getting fat. Deakon's food is insidious. It's too good to turn down, but a steady diet of it will probably be detrimental to my health.”
Both women laughed and Waylan grinned at them.
“I'm joking, of course. But this delay is vexing. I have work to do back at the college. Our group of students this year is very promising and if I am away too long, their skills may suffer. Even the best teachers need some oversight, which is what my job is all about. But that's enough whining from me. What brings you both to Alderthal?”
Ethmira finished her tea before answering. She looked across the room though the windows at the bright day beyond.
“My grandmother is gone, Waylan,” she stated evenly. “Salfrena has passed.”
He gasped and leaned forward.
“She is dead? That's terrible! I am so sorry, my friend. Salfrena was a legend among our people. The fact that she was a member of the Council for as long as most of us can remember gave many of us a sense of stability, a confidence in our leaders. When others hear of this, it may send a ripple of unease through our entire society.”
Ethmira nodded solemnly.
“Yes, I know. She was very wise and a calming presence during any crisis. We will miss her for many reasons, but that trait may be the one that we will miss the most.”
“And she sent you to the Council?”
“She did. Salfrena believed, and I think that her reasoning was sound, that our world will soon be the target of the dark gods. They have sought to eliminate both the dwarves and the humans on Earth and my grandmother thought that we would be next.”
Waylan sat back limply.
“Mother help us,” he muttered. “I thought that we were safe here on our hidden world, tucked away from the sight of the Darkness.”
“We were. But as you may have heard, Trillfarness is now locked to the Earth. Our worlds are synchronized. Salfrena not only believed that this overlap was permanent, but that it was initiated by the old gods of Chaos, to allow their creatures to cross over into our plane and attack us directly.”
“And here I had thought that the defeat of the brown dragons meant that we would be safe forever,” Waylan said with a shake of his head. “How foolish of me.”
“Not foolish,” Chase spoke up. “Hopeful. We all believed that, Waylan. Or at least I did, as did most of the people that I know.”
“I did as well,” Ethmira added. “After battling the primal brown dragon with Simon O'Toole and watching him draw it back into his own world and destroy it, I was convinced that Trillfarness was safe. Apparently I was wrong.”
Deakon returned at that moment with fresh tea. Behind him, a woman no taller than himself, with rosy cheeks and a wide smile, carried a tray loaded down with covered plates. She silently left these on the table, nodded at the three elves and returned to the kitchen.
“We have a variety of delightful choices for you to enjoy this morning,” Deakon told the trio proudly. “Fresh fruit from my own gardens, spiced poached eggs, succulent venison prepared perfectly by my dear wife and savory pastries to delight your palates. I hope that you will all enjoy our efforts to please you.”
“I am certain that we will, Deakon,” Ethmira assured him with a warm smile. “Your table is famed across Trillfarness and you never fail to disappoint.”
The innkeeper was obviously gratified by her compliment and bowed gracefully before retreating back into the kitchen.
“Does he always talk like that?” Chase asked her companions.
Waylan laughed at her dumbfounded expression.
“Always,” he assured her. “But Deakon is sincere. He firmly believes that this inn is the finest in all the land. And trust me, after sampling his food, I'm fairly certain that you will agree. That's why I said that if I stay in town much longer, I'll become too fat to do my job competently.”
The three of them took the covers off of the large plates and served themselves. For the next quarter hour, they were too engrossed in their meal to do much talking. Ethmira noticed Deakon peaking out of the kitchen at one point to gauge their reactions and she winked at the innkeeper. He smiled happily in return and disappeared again.
“My goodness,” Chase exclaimed as she finished her food. She patted her lips with a napkin and sat back in her chair. “That was amazing,” she continued. “I've never eaten so much at one sitting, but honestly I just couldn't stop. It was too delicious.”
Ethmira smiled as she sipped some tea.
“I know. It's a guilty pleasure to stop into Deakon's establishment, but one that shouldn't be missed. I'm not sure that I'll be able to stand up, let alone walk very far after all of that.”
Waylan groaned as he pushed away his empty plate.
“Why do I do this to myself? Elves aren't meant to eat that much. It's indecent.”
“Well, no one forced the food past your lips,” Ethmira teased him. “You did it all by yourself.”
“I know, I know. Don't remind me. Ah well, at least I won't have to eat again for another day or two. Or three.”
Both Ethmira and Chase laughed at his pained expression. As the three of them continued to joke with each other, Deakon swept out of the kitchen and returned to the table.
“Did you enjoy your repast?” he asked them anxiously.
“My friend, you outdid yourself. Again,” Ethmira assured him. “How you constantly do that is beyond me, but your meals get better every time I visit. Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure,” the innkeeper replied with delight. “Now, how else can I serve you today?”
“My companion and I will be visiting the Council later today,” Ethmira told him. “But we've come a long way and would like to rest for a few hours before we meet with them. Do you have any rooms available?”
“Of course. Of course, Commander,” Deakon exclaimed happily. “It would honor me and my house if you would stay with us. Two of our best suites are already prepared for new guests. Just let me know when you are ready to retire and I will take you up personally.”
Ethmira looked across the table at Waylan.
“I don't want to seem rude, old friend, but it's already been a long day for Chase and myself, and I want to be at least somewhat refreshed before I visit the Council. I have a feeling that it will a rather difficult meeting. So if it's all right, I'd like to get some sleep.”
“I understand perfectly,” Waylan replied with a smile for both women. “Go, get some rest. A
nd after you meet with the Council, perhaps we can talk again. I'd like to know why I've been kept waiting, cooling my heels and eating Deakon's superb cooking for days while they've ignored me. My news is important, so why the delay? If you learn anything, I'd like to hear about it.”
“You have my word that I will bring it up during our meeting, Waylan,” Ethmira assured him. “We also experienced something odd when we used a portal to get here. It reinforces your report, and I will pass that along to the Council.”
“Does it? Well, that's good to know. Thank you.”
Ethmira glanced at Chase.
“Ready to go?” she asked. “Maybe we can sleep off some of this food so that I'll be able to walk all the way to the Council's spire this afternoon.”
Chase chuckled and pushed herself to her feet.
“Ready,” she said. “Between that meal and this past day's travel, I'm suddenly exhausted. Let's go before I fall asleep on my feet.”
Both women bid farewell to Waylan and then Deakon motioned for them to follow him.
“Right this way, please,” he said as he walked toward the stairs. “I'm certain that you will be pleased by the accommodations.”
“I sure that we will be,” Ethmira replied through a yawn. “I've spent half of my life sleeping on the cold, damp ground, after all, so at this point any bed would feel luxurious.”
Chapter 5
Just past noon, Ethmira and Chase left the inn and headed toward the Council's spire. Deakon had offered them lunch, but both women had declined. Even after some sleep, neither of them was hungry. All they had was a cup of tea before setting off.
“Deakon said that Waylan left to try to meet with the Council about an hour ago,” Ethmira told Chase as they walked through the town. “He never gives up, I'll give him that.”
Chase nodded as she settled her bow over her left shoulder. Both women had gotten cleaned up before they left their rooms, but they were still clothed in typical ranger attire. As Ethmira had said, to be recognized as a member of the order of rangers was an elf's highest honor, even when in the presence of the Council of Elders.
“I imagine that he's frustrated because he's been stuck in Alderthal for days,” Chase replied.
She smiled as several small children raced past the two women, hooting and laughing as they ran. The white stone path that the rangers were following was wide enough for six elves to walk shoulder to shoulder and the townspeople were all going about their business, passing the two women with polite smiles and nods.
“I'm sure he is,” Ethmira agreed. “Waylan is devoted to his students and he knows how badly we will need more skilled rangers in the future. I can't understand the Council's reasoning. Why not meet with him and hear about these disturbing events that the keepers are experiencing? It doesn't make sense.”
“Maybe you can ask them when you see them,” Chase suggested.
“I intend to,” Ethmira replied firmly.
The Three Hearts had looked slim and needle-like to Chase when she had descended into the valley. But as she and Ethmira walked past shops and homes and approached the towers, she realized just how massive they really were.
The towers were as wide as the largest elven hall at their bases. They had been built of pale stone that was completely smooth and seamless. The method of their construction was lost to time, but they had stood longer than any elf could remember. They were a symbol of strength and permanence in elven society.
Tall trees with bright red and green leaves lined the pathway as the rangers approached the towers. The walkway split into three about fifty feet away from the spires and Ethmira continued walking along the middle path toward the central tower.
“They look even bigger than they did when I was here as a child,” Chase observed. “Funny, I thought that it would be the other way around.”
Ethmira chuckled as she stopped and looked up at the looming spires.
“Yes, they always shrink in my mind as well, if I'm away for some time. I don't know what technique our ancestors used to build the things, but I've always found it unnatural that such structures can even stand under their own weight without collapsing. But through storms, earthquakes and countless years, the Hearts have stood immovable, as if they were extensions of Trillfarness itself. It's comforting, I suppose, to many of our people.”
“But not to you?”
“No, not really,” Ethmira replied with a shrug. “Like most rangers, I find buildings made of stone to be a little...unnatural. Wooden structures make me feel like I'm in touch with our world. But stone buildings? They feel more like they were created from the bones of Trillfarness. Almost indecent, you know?”
Chase looked puzzled and Ethmira laughed self-consciously.
“Maybe it's just me,” she said. “Forget I said anything. Come on, let's get this over with. It's a long climb to the top of the tower and we might as well get started.”
Two armored guardians were stationed at the base of the Council's tower, on either side of a pair of heavy wooden doors. As Ethmira and Chase approached them, both warriors moved to open the doors.
“Good day, Commander,” one of them said respectfully. “We had word that you would be visiting the Council today. Please go right up.”
“Thank you,” Ethmira replied with a nod to both of them.
She entered the tower with Chase close on her heels and the doors closed behind them. Inside, the walls of the tower were covered with multi-colored tiles arranged in sweeping patterns. Waves of color spiraled around the perimeter and climbed into the heights above.
In the enter of the structure, a spiral stone staircase ascended toward the distant peak of the spire. Glowing orbs were hung from the walls all around the staircase and set into the steps themselves, bathing the tower in ghostly light.
“Oh my,” Chase murmured as she tilted her head back to look up at the rising stairs. “It's amazing, isn't it?”
“You were never inside when you visited as a child?” Ethmira asked her, smiling at her companion's reaction.
“No, never. We didn't think that we were allowed to enter the towers back then, and my parents were too daunted to even ask anyone if we could. They were simple farmers, after all. Just visiting Alderthal was enough for them. But they would have been delighted by this, I know that for a fact.”
“Well, their daughter made it inside, at least,” Ethmira said as she gave Chase's shoulder a brief shake. “Now, let's get started. That damnable staircase won't get any shorter just by staring at it.
Chase laughed and followed Ethmira to the bottom of the steps.
“The trick to reaching the Council chambers without exhausting yourself is pacing,” Ethmira said. “I learned that when I was climbing this thing on a daily basis. A steady climb is best. It takes longer to get to the top, but it is worth the patience needed to get there.”
“Okay. I'll follow your lead.”
“Right.”
The ascent was as grueling as Ethmira had implied. Chase tried counting her steps as they began climbing, but she gave up after she had reached a hundred. After that, she concentrated on her feet. The stairs were worn down and shiny from many years of countless numbers of elves who had used the steps before her and it was easy to slip on them if she lost her focus. It really was a lesson in patience and maintaining a steady pace, as Ethmira had suggested.
After what felt like hours, the two women finally reached the top of the staircase. The landing there led to a wide arch, but before they continued into the Council chambers, they both stopped to catch their breath.
“You weren't joking about that climb,” Chase said as she breathed heavily. She dabbed her forehead and smiled thinly at Ethmira. “I've been less exhausted after reaching the tops of some mountains.”
Ethmira nodded as she pulled out a handkerchief and patted her face.
“I know. Funny how memory makes such things more manageable than they really are. As a Council member, I became used to the daily grind of reaching t
he chambers, but it's been quite a while now since I've done it. If it makes you feel any better, the descent is much easier, I assure you.”
“It does, actually. Thanks for that.”
“You're welcome. Are you ready to proceed?”
Chase took a deep breath and adjusted her tunic.
“Ready.”
“Let's go in.”
They walked through the archway and stopped just inside the chambers. Several dozen elves were standing off to the side, holding scrolls and books and listening intently to what the Council members were saying.
The chamber was about fifty feet across and the domed ceiling soared twenty feet over the heads of the elves below. The Council table stretched across the far side of the room. It was made out of a single piece of ancient wood. The border of the table was decorated with countless carvings of leaves and vines that twisted and flowed all along its length.
Above the table and all around the chamber were wide windows that allowed the sunlight to stream into the room. The floor was made of dark wooden tiles set in the complex patterns that elves loved, and it was well worn just as the stairs had been by many years of use.
There were no chairs in the chamber for visitors. The only people who were sitting were members of the Council, who sat behind the long table and listened to those who had business with them.
As Ethmira and Chase entered the room, they saw a delegation of six people standing in front of the conference table. The elves were dressed simply in plain tunics and trousers and they were listening intently as the Council members spoke amongst themselves.
“Hey, Ethmira,” someone said softly.
Both women looked to their left to see Waylan standing against the wall along with a few other elves. He grinned at them and motioned them over.
“Waylan, you made it in,” Ethmira said with a smile. “Good for you.”
“We'll see,” he replied softly. “Just because the Council allows someone to enter their hallowed hall doesn't mean that they will actually grant them an audience. You know that as well as I do, Ethmira.”
“Unfortunately, I do,” she replied with a quick glance toward the Council table. “And while I was seated over there, I always argued against such practices. If someone has journeyed a great distance to speak with our leaders on an important issue, the least the Council can do is listen to them, if only for a brief time. The others didn't see it that way though. Just one of a list of irritating things that helped convince me to leave this place.”
The Fall of the Elves Page 6
