“Fascinating as this tale is,” she said to him, “it does not answer the central question. What can this woman, Diane, actually do to help us? We are cut off from the rest of our world now. Can this human repair the ley lines? Or battle the forces of darkness that Salfrena seemed to think would soon pour into our realm? What precisely did she offer to do for us?”
“I don't know what she can or cannot do,” Malfiess admitted with a shrug. “She never got into specifics. All she said was that if we faced a crisis caused by otherworldly forces, I should contact her and pass along that information. After that, she would do what she could to lend her aid.”
“But who is she to offer such aid?” Loristar asked him stiffly. “She is certainly not a keeper. Humans cannot control ley energy. And if she is simply an agent of Simon O'Toole, what can she do beyond contacting him in some way? You say that he cannot aid us directly even if this Diane person reports that we are in peril. So what is the point of her even being here?”
Malfiess smiled at the keeper.
“I cannot say what she will do. But I do not think that she is a simple scout.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because of the way she left my home. After her brief visit, Diane stood up and walked to the front door. She told me that when I needed her, I should look for her to the north.”
He looked at Amelda's dubious expression and his smile widened.
“No, I don't know how far north or exactly where she went. She didn't say. But then she did something that gave me some hope that she had more than words of encouragement to offer us.”
“What did she do?”
“She Gated away. One moment she was there and the next she had disappeared in a flash of silvery-blue light. The sound of thunder that followed her disappearance actually deafened me for a moment.”
“She's a mage?” Ethmira asked, her voice tinged with wonder.
“No,” Malfiess replied simply. “I believe that Diane is a wizard.”
Chapter 7
Deakon looked positively rapturous as he bustled around his inn, serving more people than he probably had in many a year. With the portals not functioning planet-wide, many elves were trapped in Alderthal as they tried to decide how to get back to their homes. Some of them lived many months away. A few were effectively trapped in town. They lived on the other side of the planet and, although Trillfarness had no major oceans, it would probably take these people years to make the trip back to their home towns, if they could make it at all. Traveling through the vast forests of the planet was dangerous for even the most experienced ranger. For ordinary elves, such a journey would be a death sentence. It simply couldn't be done.
“There are a lot of gloomy faces in here today,” Waylan observed as he sat with Ethmira and Chase at a corner table.
“Do you blame them?” Ethmira replied as she raised a cup to her lips and sipped some tea. “There are at least a dozen people in here who may not see their families for years, if they ever see them again. They are now effectively new residents of the town of Alderthal.”
“Yes, it has to be a shock for them, especially those with children and spouses waiting at home,” Chase said as she scanned the room. “I cannot imagine how that feels. As someone without any familial ties, I am at least free of that burden.”
Waylan nodded as he added a dollop of honey to his steaming cup of tea.
“Yes, I have no family either, but my college back in Dharka does need my leadership. It will take me a month or more to get back there on foot, so I don't intend to wait here much longer. What about you, Ethmira? What will you do now?”
“Now? I've already spoken privately with Malfiess. His home is as far away as yours is, but it lies to the east, not the north. Chase and I intend to travel with him when he leaves. As he mentioned yesterday in the Council chamber, this Diane woman told him to look for her in the north if there was a crisis. And I would say that the loss of the ley lines definitely qualifies as such. So we will protect Malfiess on his journey home and then leave with him from there to try to find her. How long that will take or if we can even locate her is the real question. But right now she is the only hope we have.”
Chase observed the other elves gathered at tables around the room as she listened to Ethmira and Waylan. Every chair was occupied, but the hum of conversation was muted and most of the people looked dispirited and lost. Chase's heart went out to them, but there was nothing that she could do except hope that Malfiess was right about his mysterious visitor. How one lone human could solve the problem of the ley lines was something that the ranger did not know. Neither did anyone else.
“Do you really believe that Diane is a wizard?” Chase asked abruptly, interrupting her companions.
When they both looked at her with surprise, the ranger smiled self-consciously.
“Sorry, but I've been trying to think of a way that a single person could help us resolve this world-wide crisis. Ethmira, you knew Simon O'Toole. Could even he, the only human wizard that we believed ever existed, save us now? Humans cannot affect the ley lines, or so our sages tell us. So what could he do? Or what could this Diane person do, even if she truly is a wizard?”
Ethmira could only shrug.
“I have no idea. Is she a wizard? Malfiess seems to think so. But Simon admitted that he was an aberration, that humans had only produced mages and other magic-users of lesser power, such as witches. Doesn't it seem strangely convenient that Diane would appear just before the ley lines failed us and claim to be an associate of the only human wizard who ever existed? I am very skeptical, to be honest, but at the moment she is our only hope. So you and I have to protect Malfiess on his journey home and then stay close to him until we find that human. After that, well, we'll see.”
“A thin hope at best,” Waylan said heavily. “But you're right. It is our only option right now. So when do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning, at first light,” Ethmira told him. “Malfiess said that he had to meet with the rest of the Council one last time to tie up a few loose ends and then he would be prepared to journey home after that. What about you?”
Waylan sat back and stretched languidly.
“Tomorrow as well. I have to purchase a few supplies and I will ask around to see if anyone else wants to come with me. I will be passing through several towns and villages on my way back to the college. It is possible that some of the people stranded here might be from one of those settlements. If so, I will offer them my guidance and protection if they want to get back home.”
“A generous offer,” Chase told him with a smile.
“It is my duty as a ranger,” Waylan replied. “You two are doing yours as well. During this crisis we must all do what we can to aid our fellow elves, so I will do my part.”
“We are all facing long journeys tomorrow,” Ethmira told them. “So we might as well take this opportunity to rest while we can. It will be in short supply over the coming months.”
The next morning found Ethmira, Chase and Malfiess preparing to leave Alderthal. All of them carried backpacks and the councilor was dressed in rugged leather clothing almost identical to the two rangers. Unlike them, he did not carry a sword or a bow. Instead he had a long staff made of ironwood, one of the strongest natural materials found in nature.
“Is that a family heirloom, sir?” Chase asked him when they had met at Deakon's inn to have a final meal before setting off.
Malfiess leaned the staff against the table that the two women were sitting at, set his pack on the floor and sat down himself. He smiled at Chase and nodded.
“It is indeed. My great-grandfather used it in his youth when, it is said, he used to walk vast distances patrolling the borders of our province. He was a high-ranking official at the time and enjoyed joining the rangers when they traveled through the wilds.”
He chuckled and stroked the staff lightly.
“If this old length of wood could talk, what stories it could tell. But enough of that. A
re you two ready to leave?”
“We are,” Ethmira assured him. “Rangers travel light, as you know, and we will live off the land once we enter the deep forest. Are you ready as well, Councilor?”
“Certainly. Like my ancestor, I am used to traveling on foot. It has been a few years since I took on a journey of this length, but we have little choice. We will have to reach my home by going the long way.”
Deakon entered the room and hurried over to them.
“Ah, how good it is to see you all,” he exclaimed jovially. “You appear to be preparing to leave our little town. Is that so?”
“It is, Deakon,” Malfiess answered the innkeeper with a warm smile. “And we wanted to enjoy your excellent fare one last time before we left.”
“You honor me, Councilor,” Deakon told him with an elaborate bow. “I will serve you the finest breakfast you will ever eat, to give you the strength you will need to brave the wilderness.”
He bustled off and Chase grinned as she watched him enter the kitchen.
“I think that I will miss Deakon's way of speaking even more that his food,” she observed. “I've never met anyone who is so...so...”
Ethmira laughed at Chase as she groped for the proper term.
“I agree with you,” she told the younger woman. “But Deakon is best taken in small doses. Trust me, even though he is being quite honest in his manner and speech, he begins to sound insincere over time, even though he is not.”
“Then I guess that I'm leaving just in time,” Chase replied with a smile. “My memory of him will remain a fond one.”
“As it should,” Malfiess agreed. “Deakon has a good heart. He just tends to go overboard with his praise, that's all. So let us enjoy this last meal and be on our way. We have a very long trip ahead of us.”
Like every elven settlement, Alderthal was bordered on all sides by the endless forests of Trillfarness. The elves did not clear space around their towns as they expanded them. Instead, they built within natural clearings and around thin parts of the forest. So when Ethmira, Chase and Malfiess left town, they immediately plunged into the gloom of the towering trees. Many paths crisscrossed through the forest, made by countless travelers over hundreds of years and Ethmira chose the one that led most directly toward the east.
The three elves walked in silence at first, taking the time to get into the rhythm of a long march. Ethmira led the way, with Malfiess behind her and Chase bringing up the rear. They spread out, leaving about a dozen feet between each of them. It allowed them to hear the sounds of the forest and the creatures that lived within it and it gave them a chance to react to any dangers that might threaten them as they traveled.
By the time that the sun hung over their heads at noon, the trio was many miles away from Alderthal and well into the deep wilds. The distant call of birds, the constant creaking of tree limbs and the rustle of countless leaves immersed the travelers into the pulse of nature and they slipped past the boles of massive old trees and sparse undergrowth silently as only elves could.
Chase observed Malfiess as he followed Ethmira and she was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. Obviously his time spent sitting on the Council of Elders hadn't dulled his edge when it came to traveling through the wilds. She had been a bit concerned that the councilor would not be able to keep up with Ethmira and herself, but so far he was doing well. He was walking steadily and easily, using his staff only occasionally to step over thick roots crossing their path. It gave Chase hope that they would be able to reach Malfiess' home safely.
It's just the first day, she reminded herself. Give it a week and then we'll see how he is coping. Illistra is still very far away.
The next small clearing that they entered gave Ethmira the opportunity to call for a rest stop.
“Let's take a break and eat something,” she said to the others. “We've made a good start, but I don't want to overdo it. This isn't a forced march and we have a long way to go.”
Malfiess smiled as he took off his pack and lowered himself to the ground. He set his staff on the grass beside him and let out a long sigh.
“It's been a while since I've traveled very far on foot,” he admitted as Ethmira and Chase sat down across from him. “I'm sure that my legs will be aching tomorrow morning after I get some sleep.”
All of them dug into their packs and took out small packets of travel rations. The squares of dried fruit and preserved meat could last for months and contained a lot of energy. The three elves sipped from their water flasks as they ate.
“The pain passes quickly, as I am sure you know,” Ethmira replied as she slowly chewed her food. “In a few days, you will be used to steady walking and won't stiffen up in your sleep.”
“I know. It's getting to that point that I don't enjoy,” Malfiess said with a chuckle. “But it's important that we reach Illistra and find Diane as soon as we can, so a few aches and pains aren't going to stop me.”
“Well said.”
“Once we reach your home, how can we even be sure that we will find this human?” Chase asked him.
“We can't, I suppose,” Malfiess admitted. “But she was the one who said that I should get in touch if we got into trouble with the old gods. Why do that if she didn't want to be found? No, we will be able to contact her, somehow. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she tracks me down first. If Diane is a wizard, as I suspect she is, she may already know about the failing ley lines. And if that is so, then she may be waiting for me when I reach home.”
“Let's hope so. Telling you to look for her in the north should you need to contact her again isn't much to go on,” Ethmira said.
The councilor sipped some water and hooked his flask on to his belt again.
“I agree. But that's as much as I got out of her. And we don't have a lot of other options, do we? When I met with the Council yesterday for the last time, none of them, including Amelda, offered any other ideas on how to solve our problem. So unless someone comes up with something while we are away, this is the best chance we have.”
“Why exactly do you believe this person is a wizard, sir?” Chase asked him curiously. “You said that she knew Simon O'Toole and that she Gated out of your home, but a mage could have done the same thing. Isn't deciding that she is a wizard a rather large assumption on your part?”
Malfiess cocked his head to the side as he stared at the young ranger and Chase wondered if she had offended him by voicing her doubts.
“She makes a good point, Malfiess,” Ethmira interjected. “Mages can use the Gate spell. I know. I've seen them do it. But Simon's power dwarfed their abilities. He took on dragons! A mage could never do that. Why assume that Diane is as powerful as the greatest human spell-caster who emerged in modern times?”
The councilor looked at her for a moment and then lay back on the ground to stare up at the distant sky. Small fluffy clouds chugged across the blue expanse like flocks of fat birds and he smiled as he watched them pass overhead.
“I can't really explain it,” he finally replied. “Her mismatched eyes were a hint, I suppose. I've never met Simon O'Toole, but I've certainly heard the tales spoken about him. Most elves have. And those odd eyes of his are always mentioned in those stories. But it was something else about Diane. Something...intangible. She had a presence, an air about her that only someone with great power has. Not arrogance or pride. No. This was something else. It was a heaviness, a weight that was almost oppressive. It was as if being in the same room with her made the air thin and hard to breathe. Does that make sense?” he asked as he sat up again and stared at Ethmira.
“More than you might think,” she answered thoughtfully. “Simon had that same presence. Power followed him like an invisible shield, or a menacing shadow. Always there, ready to respond to his needs at a moment's notice. Perhaps you are right, Malfiess. If Diane controls such forces, she may actually be a wizard.”
“Or something else equally powerful,” Chase suggested. “After all, we don't know the full extent
of the powers that humans can control. They were changed by the magic itself. Perhaps they are still changing?”
“Possibly. However, such speculation gets us nowhere,” Malfiess told her.
He picked up his staff and got to his feet slowly, wincing a few times as he stretched.
“But if we are done for now, we'd best get moving again,” he told the rangers. “If I sit any longer, my muscles will begin to tighten up and that will make walking difficult.”
Both women sprang to their feet and slipped their backpacks over their shoulders again.
“Good point,” Ethmira said with a smile. “We'll have a lot of time to discuss Diane and the future as we travel. So let's put some more miles behind us while the day lasts.”
Their first camp that night became a model for the others that followed as the weeks passed. Ethmira always chose a clearing far enough from the trees to give the elves room to move should they be attacked by some wild animal. And she always made sure that they were close to a source of water, either a stream, a river or a small lake. Trillfarness was blessed with an abundance of water and there were only a few large plains on the planet where none could be found.
The three elves gathered dried sticks and leaves to start a fire, and some larger pieces of wood to add to it once the fire was burning well. To supplement their food supplies as they journeyed, either Chase or Ethmira would hunt during the day. Usually they could find a few of the small rabbit-like creatures known as purlets that lived in the undergrowth of the forest. They were abundant and easily brought down with a quick bow shot. Larger prey, like the stellen, an animal closely resembling a deer, were not hunted. Ethmira didn't want the three elves to be burdened by carrying a lot of meat. And rangers refused to kill animals and leave most of the carcass untouched. It was considered both a waste and an affront to nature to do so.
The Fall of the Elves Page 9
