The Fall of the Elves

by J. J. Thompson

  “That's a relief,” Chase replied as she watched Diane unrolled the parchment. “How long do you think it will take to go through the list, Diane?”

  The mage scanned the document for a moment, pursing her lips as she read.

  “Well, as Malfiess said, most of the scryers are here in town. According to his list, only four of them are stationed elsewhere, so we'll visit their tower first and make sure that they are free of corruption. After that, I can Gate to all of the others, which should only take a few hours and then we can concentrate on checking on the keepers. Shouldn't take more than a few days at the most.”

  “Excellent,” Ethmira told her. “We can find whoever the local healer is at each location and ask them to keep an eye on the keepers and scryers. Then we will be able to focus on cleaning out the infestation at Othallis. Do you have a plan for that?”

  The mage rolled up the scroll and set it down on the table. She refilled her teacup and then stared into the amber liquid as if looking into the future.

  “No, not yet,” she answered slowly. “I still don't know what that horrible growth is. Is it some sort of mutated fungus? Is it a corrupted kind of plant growing out of control? I have no idea. Let's focus on the immediate task at hand and deal with the keepers and scryers. We'll turn our attention to Othallis after that is taken care of.”

  All four of them sat quietly for a few moments, drinking tea and staring out of the window. Finally Malfiess set down his cup and beamed at the group.

  “Is it wrong that I am feeling a lot more optimistic than I was just this morning?” he asked them.

  Ethmira frowned and exchanged a dark look with Chase.

  “Our world is still under attack, Malfiess,” she warned the councilor. “We may have gotten lucky when we learned that our healers can exorcise the darkness from any possessed keepers or scryers, but we don't know what to do after that task is accomplished. Is the corruption in and around Othallis the only place on the planet where evil has gotten a foothold? We can't say yet. And, while I hate to keep bringing this up, it bears repeating: Diane is the only person on Trillfarness who can fight directly against the Darkness. Our healers will do what they can, but the main battle rests squarely on our human ally's shoulders. And that is a heavy burden for one person.”

  Malfiess' expression changed and he looked concerned as he stared at Diane.

  “I'm sorry,” he said contritely. “Ethmira is correct. You are tasked with saving our race and all we can do is watch helplessly and support you as best we can. Are you all right?”

  Diane rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward, smiling kindly at the councilor.

  “I'm fine, my friend. Truly. And you are far from helpless. Without the three of you, and your people, I would not be able to defeat the threat to your world. And in all honesty, I am not at all positive that I can actually do that. All I can promise you is that I will do my best. But all of you will be called to battle as well. You can count on that. So prepare yourselves. The worst is yet to come.”

  Chapter 16

  The sun had dipped below the horizon by the time that Diane and her group entered the spire of the scryers. Mirran had met them outside and all of them began ascending the spiral staircase.

  “How is Kallistra doing?” Chase asked the healer as they climbed the steps. “Is she recovering after her ordeal?”

  “She is. Physically, the keeper will be fine in time. But she is crushed by the guilt of what she did to others while under the control of that evil thing inside of her. I have told her repeatedly that she is not to blame, but she is finding it difficult to accept that fact. Keeper Fiad is staying with her, which I appreciate very much. Who better to understand Kallistra than another of her kind?”

  “That is so sad,” Chase said softly. “She spent her whole life serving others and now she feels guilt for something that was not her fault. It is heartbreaking.”

  Diane and Ethmira were leading the way up the stairs. As the mage listened to the conversation, she looked over at the ranger.

  “Evil is insidious,” she remarked. “Even after expunging it, its effects linger.”

  “I know,” Ethmira replied as she watched her footing as she climbed. “Even now, years after the fact, the countryside that was destroyed by the brown dragon invasion struggles to recover. Scars will remain not matter what happens in this war. Not all will be obvious, just as Kallistra's are not. But we must deal with the here and now. The future will take care of itself.”

  Diane nodded thoughtfully and focused on the climb. The stairs were steep and one misstep could send her tumbling back into the others following closely behind them.

  At the top of the spire, the group were met with silence. Ahead of the stairs were double doors identical to the ones in the keepers' tower. They were closed and flanked by lanterns shining brightly in the darkness that had fallen over the village.

  “No guards,” Malfiess observed as they approached the doors. “That is unusual. The scryers are known for their need for privacy and they always have guards stationed here to keep out the curious.”

  “Diane, do you sense anything?” Ethmira asked.

  The silence was ominous and she drew her sword at the same moment as Chase drew hers. Malfiess was holding his sturdy staff and he raised it reflexively as they all watched the mage.

  Diane raised her right hand and her ring blazed brightly like a star, intense blue light throwing crooked shadows against the walls.

  “I cannot see what lies on the other side of those doors,” she muttered, her eyes staring at nothing as she probed magically for dangers. “That's strange. I think that something is wrong. I can only sense one living presence in there. Whether that person is under the influence of evil or not, I cannot say. We have to get in there immediately.”

  “Understood,” Ethmira said briskly. “Chase, let's get those doors open.”

  The rangers moved forward. They sheathed their swords and grabbed the handles of the heavy wooden doors.

  “Ready?” Ethmira asked Chase.

  “Ready,” she replied.

  “On three then. One...two...three!”

  They yanked the doors open and a stinking miasma flooded out of the chamber, sending both rangers reeling backwards, coughing and choking.

  “Everyone, to me!” Diane exclaimed.

  The group gathered around her quickly, Ethmira and Chase wiping their streaming eyes, and Diane surrounded them with a shield of blue energy. The air was immediately clear of the stomach-turning stench and they could all breathe easier.

  “By the Mother, what was that?” Ethmira asked in a strained whisper.

  “Something horrible,” Diane replied. “But I don't know what it is. Are you both all right?”

  Chase nodded as she breathed deeply and dabbed her eyes on a sleeve.

  “We're fine,” Ethmira assured the mage. “Let's go.”

  Malfiess looked frightened, but he remained silent and watched the darkened chamber ahead.

  “Stay within the shield,” Diane told the group. “Mirran, are you okay?”

  The healer smiled tremulously.

  “I am fine, Lady,” she replied. “I have never seen a magical barrier before. It is quite impressive.”

  “Just remember that it cannot protect you if you do not remain inside of it,” Diane warned her. “I will move slowly. Here we go.”

  Everyone carefully matched their pace to the mage's as Diane began to walk toward the open doors. The chamber beyond was shrouded in shadows, but the shield's bright glow lit the way as they progressed and it pushed back the darkness. It spluttered and sparked as the group entered the room and the shield touched the top of the door frame, making Mirran jump nervously.

  Malfiess gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Easy now,” he whispered.

  The healer nodded and took a deep breath.

  Just inside the room, Diane stopped and everyone peered through the shield, trying to see across the large chamber.
Chase made a sound of disgust and Ethmira hissed in anger as they began to make out details of the horror that was laid out before them.

  The entire chamber, from floor to ceiling, was covered in thick, oozing fungus. Shining greasily in the blue light of the shield, it writhed and pulsed as if trying to retreat from its brightness. Fumes rose from the growth and covered the ground in a putrid green mist.

  “By the Light, what has happened here?” Mirran gasped. “What is this horrible mass?”

  “We've seen this before,” Malfiess said thickly. “In Othallis. This same type of fungal growth covered the entire town and the surrounding forest. But how did it get in here?”

  Diane raised her ring again and turned her head slowly to the left.

  “I sense someone over in that direction,” she told the group. “Stay alert.”

  She began walking across the room and the fungal growth writhed and burned as the shield scraped across the floor, clearing a path as the group moved. Smoke mixed with the fumes already in the air and a thick fog obscured the group's vision.

  “I can't see a damned thing,” Malfiess complained as he followed Diane.

  “None of us can,” she replied as she walked slowly. “But someone is definitely still alive in here.”

  “Oh no!” Chase exclaimed as she saw something appear to the right of the shield. “Are those people?”

  Diane stopped and they all turned to see what Chase was looking at. A half dozen large lumps covered in fungus lay together on the floor. They were vaguely shaped like bodies, but what had caught the ranger's attention was an arm thrust upward through the muck toward the ceiling. It was encased in slimy green goo and its fingers stretched futilely out of the infestation.

  “I believe that we have found the scryers,” Diane said, her voice thick with emotion. “Gods, that must have been a horrible death.”

  “But it's been less than a day since we got to town with Kallistra,” Ethmira told her. “How could this have happened so quickly?”

  “We don't know when this happened,” Diane corrected her. “The scryers are very private, or so I've been told. This blight might have struck them several days ago. There is no way to tell.”

  She turned away from the remains and stared into the cloud of smoke.

  “Come on. We might find some answers over there. Let's go.”

  Chase closed her eyes for a moment and then began to move along with the rest.

  Someone would pay for this, she vowed silently. Somehow, they would pay. She would make sure of it.

  As they reached the far side of the chamber, they came across a surprising scene. The infestation had stopped as if it had bumped into an invisible wall. The floor and walls a dozen feet from the corner were pristine and clear of any hint of fungus or rot. And huddled against that corner was a young elven man dressed in blood red robes.

  Mirran gasped as the figure was illuminated by Diane's shield.

  “That's Callius!” she exclaimed. “He survived this attack?”

  “I think so,” Diane replied as she stared at the elf. “He isn't moving, but I sense a pulse of life within him. Who is he?”

  “Callius is the youngest scryer ever admitted to the Circle,” the healer replied. “He was barely out of his period of apprenticeship when the scryer elders invited him to join them. I am told that his skills were so extraordinary that they felt they had little choice. And now it appears that he is the only one who has survived. But how?”

  “We'll have to wait until we are out of this infested tower to find out,” the mage told her. “But before we do that, can you tell if he is under evil influence? I am concentrating on maintaining my shield and I can't focus on him long enough to get an accurate reading.”

  Mirran moved forward to the edge of the shield and squinted through its sparks and florescent glow at the huddled figure.

  “He is clean. I can see no shadows weighing on his spirit. But he is also very weak. We must get him out of here so that I can treat him.”

  “Understood. Ethmira, I am going to drop my shield for a moment. When I do, grab Callius and I will Gate all of us back outside.”

  “Got it. Ready when you are,” the ranger replied tensely.

  “And...now!”

  The shield burst apart in a fountain of sparks and Chase was left blinking in almost total darkness. She saw Ethmira leap toward the body and then felt a wrenching sensation as if someone had grabbed her by the collar and yanked her off of her feet. A second later the entire group was standing outside of the doors to the scryers' chamber again.

  “Well, that was abrupt,” she exclaimed as she swayed in place.

  “Sorry about that,” Diane told her with a grin. “Sometimes there isn't time for subtlety.”

  They all watched as Ethmira gently placed the limp form of the young scryer on the floor. Mirran knelt down beside him and put her hands on both sides of his face.

  “Give me a few minutes,” she muttered as she closed her eyes and frowned in concentration.

  The young elf's smooth face was marked with bruises and smeared with dirt. His skin was gray and looked parchment thin.

  “He's been through much,” Malfiess observed.

  “He has indeed,” Mirran murmured. “I just pray that I can save him.”

  While she worked, Diane walked back to the doorway and stared at the stinking darkness beyond.

  “This infestation must be cauterized,” she stated. “I hate to do damage to such an old and revered structure, but the growth has to be excised before it spreads any farther.”

  “Do what you have to do,” Malfiess told her. “For what it's worth, I speak for the Council in this.”

  “Thank you,” Diane replied. “Everyone stay away from the entrance, just in case some of the foul air escapes from the chamber.”

  She invoked her shield spell again, a smaller version that barely covered her body, and then stepped inside the chamber. The doors slammed shut behind her, blocking the party's view of the chamber.

  “What is she doing?” Chase exclaimed in horror. “She's alone in there with all of that corruption!”

  “Diane knows her own abilities, Chase,” Ethmira assured her, although she stared at the closed doors nervously. “She is doing what she feels needs to be done. Let's just hope that she is successful.”

  A brooding silence fell over the spire, only broken by the sound of Callius' ragged breathing. Ethmira, Chase and Malfiess stared helplessly at the closed doors and waited for something to happen.

  “Isn't this taking too long?” Malfiess asked after a few moments had passed. “Should we go in after her?”

  “Patience,” Ethmira advised. “If we go into that chamber, we might not come out again. We have no defense against that corruption.”

  A sudden shrill screaming erupted from the chamber. The edges of the doors were brightly outlined in blue fire and they shuddered and writhed like living things. The tower itself shook from its foundations to its roof and the elves braced themselves and tried to stay on their feet.

  “Damn it, what is going on in there?” Malfiess exclaimed, wincing at the ear-splitting shrieks that reverberated through the double doors.

  There was a final blast of sound and the doors burst open. A black fog of stinking fumes erupted from the darkness and the elves stumbled back several paces as they watched the miasma rise to the ceiling and dissipate like smoke. The silence that followed was almost deafening.

  A moment later, Diane walked out of the chamber, her shield spluttering weakly as she moved. She dismissed it with a flick of her fingers and stopped to stare at the elves.

  “It is done,” she said wearily. “But I'm afraid that the chamber will have to be repaired and refurbished before it can be used again.”

  “The infection is gone?” Malfiess asked her.

  “It is, as is everything else. The remains of the scryers have been cleansed along with the infestation. I had to use my full power to burn away the growth, which tells me th
at it was more than a mere fungal infection. Unfortunately that much energy also cracked the walls and tore a few holes in the ceiling. I apologize for that, Malfiess.”

  “There is no need, my friend,” the councilor assured her. “You have cleansed the spire and stopped further infestation. Some damage to the building is a small price to pay for such a thing. I thank you for your efforts on behalf of the Council and the citizens of Alderthal.”

  Diane gave him the ghost of a smile and then walked slowly over to stare down at Mirran and the unconscious scryer.

  “How is he?” she asked.

  The healer opened her eyes and sighed. She sat back on her heels and looked up at Diane.

  “By the grace of the Light, he will live,” she told her. “But it was a near thing. He was close to death, but I have brought him back. His spirit is strong and it held on tightly to life. A remarkable young elf.”

  Malfiess helped her to stand and all of them stared at the sleeping figure.

  “How did he manage to hold back the infestation when it was able to consume the older, more experienced scryers?” he asked her.

  “I have no idea,” the healer replied. “This isn't my area of expertise. Lady Diane?”

  “I don't have a clue,” she admitted. “We'll have to wait until he has rested and recovered somewhat and then perhaps Callius can tell us himself.'

  She turned to look at Ethmira and Chase.

  “My energy reserves are low. I won't be able to Gate us down to the ground. Could you two carry the youngster down those steep steps?”

  “Of course we can,” Ethmira assured her. “It would be an honor. Callius showed us his bravery today. We will happily carry him to his well-earned rest.”

  Chase smiled at her words and nodded at Diane.

  “Good. Then let's get out of here,” the mage said. “I think that we could all use a good night's sleep.”

  Deakon found accommodations for all of them when they returned to the inn, including the unconscious young elf. The scryers lived in rooms at the base of their spire, but Diane decided to get Callius away from that building to a safe place where they could oversee his recovery. Mirran stayed with him and promised the group that she would inform them if his condition changed.