“I have my mother to thank for that. She always said that treating visitors well was an elf's highest duty. For some, social duties are tedious, but for her they were very important. I learned to cook from her.”
“She sounds like she was an extraordinary person.”
“She was. Very.”
The three of them spoke quietly about the history of Illistra and about Malfiess' parents for a few moments and then Ethmira steered the conversation back to the reason that they had traveled so far.
“Diane told you that if you needed to contact her, you should look to the north. That's rather vague. Did she not say anything else? Give you some clue that would aid us in finding her?”
“No. Nothing,” Malfiess admitted. “I agree with you. It's vexing to think that she might be able to help us, but that we must first journey without more direction than what she gave me. But I don't know what else to do. I will happily entertain suggestions if either of you have any. We are in a crisis situation now and time is of the essence.”
Chase pushed around a speck of food on her plate with the tip of her knife as she frowned in thought.
“What lies to the north of Illistra?” she asked Malfiess. “Other than the ancient forest, of course.”
He pursed his lips and glanced across the kitchen to gaze out of the window.
“On the far side of the northern forest, many miles away, lie the foothills of the Calvara mountains. They are some of the highest, most rugged mountains in the world. We have mapped out their borders over the years, of course, but very few elves have ever seen them. Fewer still have tried to climb them. They are a mystery.”
“Mountains?” Chase said softly. “Interesting.”
She glanced at Ethmira, who seemed to know what she was thinking.
“Could this woman be hiding out in the Calvara mountain range?” Ethmira asked Malfiess.
“In the mountains? Hmm. Yes, I suppose that's possible. But they are very inhospitable. Barren and dangerous. Very cold at higher elevations. I have a map of the region somewhere that I will try to find before we leave. But why would anyone even attempt to live in a place like that?”
“For exactly those reasons, perhaps,” Ethmira mused. “If I was a magic-user who wanted to remain out of sight and aloof from elven society, living in a place that is avoided by most elves would be the perfect solution. Surely someone who can Gate wherever they wish to go could make themselves comfortable in a cave in the heart of the mountains. Certainly Simon O'Toole could have. Diane said that he was her mentor, so she might have the ability to do the same.”
“That's a lot of supposing,” Malfiess said with a smile.
“Well, that seems to be all we have,” Ethmira replied frankly. “Guesswork and supposition. I don't like it, to be honest. Heading into the wilds with no specific goal in mind would normally be considered foolishness by most rangers, myself included. So if either of you have a better idea, I would welcome it.”
Malfiess stood up and began picking up the dirty plates. He politely refused Chase's offer of help and cleared the table quickly. As he pumped water into the sink next to the stove, everyone silently considered their options.
“I can't think of any other choice at this point,” Malfiess said eventually as he finished washing the dishes and stacked them on a tray.
He wiped off his hands with a towel and leaned back against the counter.
“Diane said to look for her in the north. That is all she said. You may be right about the Calvara mountains, Ethmira, but whether she is there or not, we have to head north and hope that Diane will somehow become aware of us and make contact. Unless either of you have another option, that has to be our plan.”
Chase just shrugged and looked at Ethmira. The older woman sighed and rested her arms on the table.
“I'm at a loss,” she told Malfiess. “I do not like the idea of simply wandering through the wilds and hoping that we run into this human. But as that seems to be our only choice, that is what we must do. When do we leave?”
The councilor smiled at her.
“I appreciate your candor, my friend,” he said. “And your support. We'll all get a good night's sleep and set off in the morning. If you need any supplies, we can pick them up before we leave tomorrow. Chase? Any thoughts?”
The ranger looked at both Ethmira and Malfiess. She felt a little self-conscious, but she had come to know them well enough over the past few weeks to speak her mind honestly.
“I think that this may be a fool's errand,” she said frankly. “You know nothing about this human, sir, nor do you know her motives. Is she truly an ally of Simon O'Toole? Or was she simply using his name to gain your trust? She could be an agent of Chaos. How can we know? But I agree with Ethmira. We must follow the trail set out for us and go north. If it turns out to be a trap, well then, we'll have our answer, won't we?”
The journey northward from Illistra started off well. The three elves bought some supplies from the villagers before they left and accepted their well wishes. No one knew why the councilor was leaving a day after he had returned home, but he wasn't questioned. Malfiess was obviously held in high regard by his neighbors.
But as the sun climbed toward noon, the skies began to cloud over and darken. Rumbles of distant thunder announced an approaching storm and soon large drops of cold water began to patter down on to the leaves of the forest and drip on the trio of travelers below.
“An ominous way to begin our trip,” Malfiess observed as water droplets splashed down on his hair.
He grimaced and shook his head briskly.
“Water is life,” Ethmira said, quoting a basic elven tenet. “And we are merely a part of that life.”
Chase wiped a dribble of cold water from her face.
“I know that,” she said with a sigh. “But that doesn't mean that I enjoy traveling in the rain. Wet leather clothing is uncomfortable, especially when hiking through the wilds. Ah well, it can't last forever, I suppose.”
The rain may not have lasted forever, but it did continue falling for almost an entire week. The first storm passed in a few hours, but then the clouds settled in for an extended stay and a steady driving rain battered the forest and the elves day and night. At one point, Chase shook her head and looked at her companions ruefully.
“Do you think someone was listening when I said that this weather couldn't last?” she asked them.
The three of them were standing under an enormous old tree and eating dried fruit. It was their noon break, but even here the rain water still dribbled down on them.
Both Ethmira and Malfiess laughed, even though they were soaked.
“Probably not,” Ethmira replied, her hair looking like a shining blond helmet stuck closely to her head. “Weather is what it is. I don't complain about it. What irks me is that it's been too wet to start a fire. Cold rations and fitful sleep do not make for a pleasant journey.”
“Agreed,” Malfiess said with a tired sigh. “I realize that our mission is vital, but if I'd known how long it was going to rain, I would have been tempted to delay setting out from home until it had passed.”
“Well, we're in it now,” Ethmira told him, smiling. “But even with the rain, we are making decent progress. I estimate that we are only a week or so away from the foothills of the Calvara mountains. Maybe as we get closer, the weather will improve.”
“Let's hope so. I'm very pleased that we found the map of this province before we left Illistra. It's not the most accurate chart that I've ever seen, but it's been helpful.”
The map had been made by rangers many years in the past, as most elven maps were. It was a very general rendering of the land leading from Illistra to the northern mountains, but the distances were accurate enough. The three of them consulted it each evening to gauge their progress as they trudged through the constant rain.
“It's been keeping my spirits up,” Chase said as she blinked water from her eyes. “After days of constant rain, the forest ends up loo
king the same no matter how far we walk.”
“The weather is bound to change once we reach the Calvaras,” Ethmira assured her.
She swallowed the last bite of her ration and adjusted her pack. Then she patted the twisted trunk of the old tree affectionately.
“Come on, let's keep moving. Our friend here isn't providing the shelter I'd hoped it would, so we may as well continue our journey.”
Constant rain can numb the senses and dull the mind. Days of hiking through endless forests makes every tree look the same as the next and every step turns into a test of a person's fortitude and resolve.
Or at least that was how it must have felt to Malfiess, who wasn't an experienced traveler. Fortunately for him, he was journeying with two veteran rangers. And that probably saved his life a few days later.
The first indication that things had taken a turn for the worse for Malfiess and the others came when he was knocked off his feet as Chase tackled him.
He slammed into the soaked ground and skidded a few feet on wet leaves. Malfiess had the wind driven out of him by the blow and tried to breathe as he turned his head to stare at Chase who was kneeling over him.
“What...what was that about?” he gasped.
“Shh!” she whispered, tapping her lips with a forefinger. “We are being hunted. Don't make a sound.”
Malfiess rolled over and sat up slowly. He wiped his eyes and breathed as quietly as he could as he looked around.
“Hunted by what?” he asked softly.
“I'm not sure. All I heard was a hiss above us. Ethmira has responded. We will have to wait until she calls for us.”
The leafy cover above them was particularly dense in this part of the forest and appeared almost solid a dozen feet over their heads. The two elves listened keenly, trying to hear anything over the constant patter of falling rain and the steady drip of water through the trees.
“Where is she?” Malfiess asked Chase.
“Above us, somewhere,” she replied as she gazed upward, her head cocked to the side.
Malfiess listened as well, keeping his questions to himself as he waited anxiously. He knew that Ethmira was one of the best rangers that he'd ever met, but she was facing danger alone and he desperately wanted to help her. Waiting helplessly for something to happen was very frustrating.
Chase stood up slowly and extended a hand to help the councilor to his feet. Malfiess stood up as well and both of them continued to look upwards.
“Shouldn't we do something to help?” he asked quietly.
“We are doing it,” Chase replied tersely. “We're waiting.”
She slipped off her pack, drew her sword and stepped away from Malfiess. He watched her for a moment and then removed his own pack as well and pulled out his dagger. The councilor wasn't an experienced warrior, but he was determined to do what he could to help if it became necessary.
A sudden sound of breaking branches high above them made both elves gasp. Chase raised her sword, while Malfiess peered desperately at the soggy leaves over his head.
The snapping sounds became louder and Chase leaped toward Malfiess and pushed him away from the tree trunk that they had been standing next to.
“Watch out!” she yelled as the councilor stumbled backwards.
With a crash, the canopy opened above them and a writhing, scaled creature that was as green as the leaves on the trees slammed into the ground, hissing loudly.
Its body was over two feet thick and dozens of feet long. A mouthful of jagged teeth was snapping furiously at Ethmira, who had her legs wrapped around it as she stabbed it repeatedly with her short sword.
Malfiess gaped at the scene, frozen with shock, but Chase didn't hesitate. While Ethmira attacked the creature and kept its attention on herself, the younger woman leaped toward the head of the monster and drove her sword into one of its blazing yellow eyes.
The creature shrieked and twisted convulsively. Its body struck Chase and she flew a dozen feet and rolled several times before she came to a stop. Her sword had fallen from her hand and she pushed herself to her feet and frantically looked around for it.
But another blow wasn't necessary. Ethmira stabbed her opponent one last time and with a high-pitched hiss and a shudder all along its length, the snake-like creature went limp and died.
She rolled off of the limp body and got to her feet. She knelt down and wiped bright red blood off of her blade on some wet leaves before sheathing it again. Then she picked up more leaves and cleaned off her hands.
“Are you all right?” Malfiess asked her as he stepped closer to the carcass. “You weren't bitten, were you?”
Ethmira shook her head. She watched as Chase retrieved her own sword and wiped it off.
“Well done, my friend,” Ethmira told her. “Your blow was perfectly timed and accurate. The skrike never had a chance.”
“Thank you,” Chase replied with a smile. “But you did all the work. And you heard it preparing to attack before I did.”
“That's just because I was in the lead,” the older woman said. “You would have done the same thing if you had been in my position.”
“You were both magnificent,” Malfiess assured them.
He walked over to the tangled mass of scales and poked it with his foot.
“So this is a skrike. Huh. I've never actually seen one before. My father told me about them years ago, but his description didn't do it justice. You knew that it would attack us?”
“Oh yes,” Ethmira assured him. “Once you hear the telltale hiss, an attack is inevitable. Skrikes make no noise as they travel through the trees. It's only when they are ready to take down their prey that they will make any sound. Fortunately for us.”
“I think it's more fortunate that it was a juvenile,” Chase said as she stared at the body. “A mature skrike is a formidable opponent.”
“Wait a second. That thing wasn't fully grown?” Malfiess exclaimed incredulously.
Both rangers smiled at him.
“No, it wasn't,” Ethmira replied. “By the look of it, it was about half a large as an adult would be. But skrikes take a long time to reach their full size. This one was probably no more than a decade old, but it was certainly experienced enough at hunting. We're lucky that we heard it before it attacked.”
“I'd call it skill, not luck,” Chase told her with a grin.
“Either way, we should keep moving,” Ethmira advised her companions. “The sounds of a struggle will inevitably draw scavengers and we don't want to be here when they arrive. Some of the carrion eaters are larger than this skrike was.”
Malfiess looked overhead anxiously.
“Good idea,” he said nervously. “I'm ready when you are.”
“Follow me,” Ethmira said. “We'll put a few miles behind us and then take a break.”
Chapter 9
Perhaps the skrike attack had been a good omen for the trio of travelers. Certainly it marked a turning point for them, because later that day the rain finally stopped and the sun broke through the clouds again.
The three elves were immensely relieved. Just the sound of silence after listening to rain falling for a week was delightful. Unfortunately, as the sun warmed the air beneath the trees, all of the water pooled on the ground began to evaporate. A thick mist gathered throughout the forest and the elves appeared to be wading knee deep through thick white soup.
“Damn it,” Malfiess snapped irritably as he stumbled over an unseen root.
None of them could watch their footing and so they had to slow their pace as they stumbled over and over again.
“I appreciate the end of the rain,” he continued as he followed Ethmira. “But until this mist lifts, we're moving at a snail's pace.”
“Can't be helped,” the ranger told him, glancing over her shoulder. “It would slow us down even more if someone twisted their ankle or, even worse, broke their leg. It will dissipate by the end of the day, as it always does. Just be patient, my friend.”
Malfiess p
ushed his long mane of hair out of his eyes and scowled at the hidden ground.
“I'm trying,” he replied tersely. “But the week of rain has slowed us down to begin with. This damned fog is making our trip even longer. Who knows what is happening to the rest of our world as we crawl toward the one person who might be able to give us the help we may need.”
“I know the stakes, Malfiess,” Ethmira told him as she continued to lead the way. “I assure you of that. But it is what it is. We move at the pace that we must. Don't you realize how much I would rather run northward to find Diane as quickly as possible? But I cannot do that and neither can you. And, no offense meant, but constantly complaining about things we cannot control is counterproductive.”
She didn't raise her voice, but even Chase, following silently behind Malfiess, could sense Ethmira's growing frustration. Apparently Malfiess could as well.
“I'm sorry, my friends,” he said contritely with a quick glance back at Chase. “You're right, of course. I'm starting to sound like a petulant child, rather than a member of the Council of Elders. I'll try to practice patience going forward. I'm just anxious about our people and the threat we may be facing.”
Ethmira stopped and turned around to look at her companions. She smiled at both of them, her fatigue obvious on her face.
“I know, Malfiess,” she told him. “I am not criticizing you. We all share the same concerns about our world. I think that we are all tired and need to get some rest. But we'll need to keep moving forward until the fog lifts and we can find a good place to stop for the night. After the battle with the skrike, it would be foolish to camp out in the open. I'm hoping to find a sheltered spot that is relatively dry and easily defended. Now let's keep moving.”
The long day finally ended. The fog did lift and the forest floor dried out remarkably quickly after it did. Ethmira found a sheltered grove of young trees where they set up camp and made a fire for the first time in days. The relief that the three elves felt at being able to cook their food, and the warmth and light from the campfire was a balm to their nerves.
The Fall of the Elves Page 11
