by B A Fleming
“Take Dralans’ body home,” said the Blue Dragon to Ocolan before turning and flying towards Narthal. Sedna screamed at him, but only traveled at half pace, as if escorting the Blue Dragon out of her lands, only stopping once Zenath had crossed back through the Angry Teeth.
Battle had ceased on both sides of the line. Shigeru organized a cart to move into the battlefield to retrieve the carcass of Dralan. There was no movement from the beast, so the black warriors assumed that the Black Dragon had fallen. The line just north of Agrippa was maintained as both sides posted guards as able soldiers retrieved their dead from the muddy battlefield.
Trajunus walked from one Hardular body to another, assigning two men for each to check on their condition, as other soldiers did with their own comrades. Sedna flew past overhead, looking down upon the Narthal and Morean troops, disinterested in dealing with them.
“Tell me, what do you know about the situation here?” asked Emperor Trajunus of a Principale as they examined the scene where the allies had fallen.
“Strangely, sire, it seems that all in this area live, if barely.”
Trajunus looked at him.
“All of them?”
“Well, yes, sire. Some maybe severely injured but everyone within fifty paces of the Princess is basically alive, even the fallen Narthal. I have called over one of their commanders to take them.”
“Our soldiers have followed their orders into death. We should be proud of their actions, no matter the outcome.”
Trajunus and the Principale stood near Thais, as two surgeons examined her.
“She holds no injuries, sire, only unconscious,” he considered her. “Carry her, and the others, back to the city.”
After some time, Soze sat up, looking around. Others, exhausted from the battle ran past, helping others as best they could. One, hobbling, yelled to the others that he couldn’t carry Casperi and others came to help. Make shift wards had been established in streets of houses throughout the northern part of Agrippa.
Jotnar came to sit with Soze. They were instructed by Trajunus to await help as Soze absently flicked the mud that encrusted every inch of his body.
“Look around you, what do you see?” Soze finally asked.
He looked around, then looked back at Jotnar.
“Darkness. I see darkness.”
“Yes, too much darkness.”
Chapter 29
Casperi woke in the back of a wagon.
“Lord Casperi,” said Nathe, who sat next to him with Aryz Coun. Both held injures, Aryz Couns’ head was wrapped heavily. Casperi looked to his friend.
“Don’t worry. He assures me that there is nothing in there to fall out,” said Nathe.
Casperi looked around. Thais slept soundly, a young woman and old man in cream togas sat next to her.
“The surgeons are looking after her. She is yet to wake.”
“And the others?” finally quizzed Casperi.
“All surprisingly alive my Lord,” offered Nathe. “Daak has lost part of his side, Soze carries a stomach wound, and Prince Birger has lost the use of one arm. The thief Arzon, although injured herself, is taking care of him. I think there is something more going on there,” he smiled and winked.
“Temar Bolyl has lost another of his twenty lives, but lives, and Jotnar is complaining about the food,” added Aryz Coun as he stirred.
A few hours later they arrived back to Corone. Thais slept all day and night. Emperor Trajunus had set aside a section of the Palace for his guests and assigned guards to ensure their privacy whilst he busily set about gaining order and reestablishing his family in rightful rule.
Carey raced the tunnels, reporting back to the garrison commander anyone that didn’t seem to be where they were supposed to. By the end of the day four spies, including two from Narthal had been arrested, and one senator had also been jailed.
The commander had never been as effective in flushing out infiltrators within the palace walls. Trajunus sent messages to Masterstone, Achaea, Veii and Corpea informing the senators and merchants of the current status of the capital and the war.
The next morning, Thais woke as Casperi and Nathe sat around the bed with her. She said that she felt energized although remembered little from the battle. Her deep brown eyes had turned a golden hue.
She picked up her Black Rim dagger, Ulaa, and the hilt burnt her hand as Thais drew back, dropping it to the floor. Both men knew the implications.
A few days later Trajunus visited Agrippa. He met with Shigeru and drew up a truce. Agrippa had fallen to the Narthal and a line had been drawn. Both forces were exhausted and battles were now short affairs between two sides of weary troops. Shigeru allowed Agrippa residents to stay, or be moved to Banias.
He had commandeered the best of the merchants’ dwellings as his own, a lavish estate that spilled across a full block, with views of the river to the south. The house was that of Trajunus’ late uncle. With all the merchants now gone, the factories had been closed during the invasion, with Shigeru’s soldiers using the larger ones to setup a city garrison, and a small post where the adversaries had installed gates either side of the bridge of the River Corone.
The neighborhood on the Morean side of the river quadrupled in size overnight. A lot of the displaced populous had been factory workers and Trajunus had started buying rations from the farmers coming in to Banias to ensure that the people of southern Agrippa were kept safe and well fed. The Emperor was presented with a range of challenges in maintaining the morale of his people. As much as they applauded his ascension to the throne, he would need to ensure that they were treated in a way to maintain their belief in him.
The Chancellor called for a senate on behalf of Trajunus. Although most of the court of Corone was still away, it was important to commence establishing order in the capital. Trajunus was presented with Casperi’s ceremonial sword. As beautiful as it was, he knew that it would sit in a cabinet in Catheridge, only to be viewed once every ten summers, if that, were he were to take it home with him. It was more valuable as a symbol of the bond between their lands, and re-enforced to those of the court that had returned, the strength of their relationship.
After the ceremony, Thais and Casperi sat in the gardens of the palace.
“To think that it is snowing back home now,” she said. He looked at her, rubbing her arm.
“We will need to leave in spring to take them home.”
She nodded, head bent slightly forward in sadness.
“I know what has happened to you Thais, as does Nathe,” added Casperi. She gave him a questioning look. “The eyes. It’s easy to tell.”
“I’m almost ready,” she replied. Thais was dressed in a simple white toga. Although not entirely comfortable, she accepted the clothes for their relaxing flow.
“So, what do we do?”
“I don’t know. I think either concentrate or just let it happen.”
“No better spot than here,” he offered, his hand indicating the space around them.
“What? Now?”
Casperi nodded.
Thais stood, stepping to the center of the area in front of their garden seat. She turned to face Casperi. She closed her eyes, her hands by her side. She gently breathed in and out.
“It’s working,” she whispered, less than ten seconds later as she crouched down. “You’d better get back further.”
Thais bowed her head as a ball of light enveloped her, so bright that none could look at. The nearby guards could be heard at the corners of the garden, yelling and calling out. Within another thirty seconds the light faded, and the Golden Dragon stood magnificently in front of Casperi. Trajunus and several of the others had entered a courtyard on the edge of the garden, only able to see Thais head over the leaves of the olive groves.
Nathe smiled as he slowed in his approach. She was a young dragon, possibly best described as an adolescent.
“Thais?” queried the Emperor.
Casperi turned and smiled at him.
Thais examined her wings.
“You always wanted to fly, sis,” Casperi suggested to her. She didn’t wait, launching up into the sky. Thais circled the city, understanding the layout of the immaculately laid out plan of streets and intersections. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind under her wings as she glided, flapped, and then glided again, surveying the landscape.
She suddenly felt the presence of the Green Dragon and returned immediately to the Palace, slowing her herself for an awkward landing, feeling fearful.
Everyone gave her space, and after another flash of white light, this time half as long as the first, she knelt in the middle of the path in a golden toga. She gave Casperi a concerned looked.
“I think my sister needs to rest,” Casperi quickly announced and Trajunus joined in in re-enforcing the need to give her space. Over a hundred people had gathered and they were quickly dispersed by the guards. The Hardular nodded and signaled to each other, retreating in various directions.
Ten minutes later, Trajunus entered Thais rooms, where Casperi and Nathe had escorted her back.
The Emperor indicated for the servants and guards to clear the room. Thais slept in the next room, Aryz Coun and Soze were asked to guard her.
“The Green Dragon is not happy with Thais’s transformation,” Casperi informed the Emperor.
Two days later Sabate arrived with her entourage. Her rooms had been prepared although she was more interested to see her son and Hardular visitors.
Within the hour she sat on the verandah of Trajunus’s new rooms with her son and the Catheridge siblings. She was relieved that he was safe, even moreso having taken back control of the Empire. The Chancellor was busily organizing squires and correspondence, ensuring that the invaders were made welcome as much as all the merchants and senators were kept at bay until a routine had been maintained.
Casperi pretended that nothing had occurred with Sabate in front of Thais, and the unsaid was answered with smiles. She had been able to almost completely repair the wounds of Daak, Soze and Birger who now walked around the palace with new leases on life.
After a time Casperi discussed two issues that needed to be resolved. Thais would need to visit Elvem to maintain peace with the Green Dragon and the maintenance of the Hardular bodies needed to be addressed as they were already decomposing.
Sabate offered to have them embalmed in the fashion developed by the Imuhagh, which would allow the corpses to be preserved until the return home sometime during the next few months.
The funerals of the Salararius had already commenced, and Trajunus ensured that each of them received their respective military burials in lieu of the service they had provided to the Empire. As much as their loyalty had become clouded with recent months, their careers enabled them to be respected throughout Morea.
Chapter 30
Thais approached the edges of the Elvem forest. The dark trees rose more than two hundred feet above her. She rode with Casperi, Soze, Nathe, Temar and an elf that he had convinced to take them. Aryz Coun had ridden on to Masterstone to make preparations for them with Jotnar. They dismounted, looking at the small fjord of rocks and pebbles that allowed them to cross the river. The rapidly flowing river careened down from the mountains towards the southern sea in riding distance of either direction, discouraging any potential visitors. The elven forests were both famed for their magical power as much as the elves were known to be staunch protectors of their realm.
The shadows moved stealthily around them as they crossed, and it was obvious to all that they we being watched, even if they couldn’t see their opponents.
“Maybe we have snuck in unseen or don’t expect anyone to come through their forests from this direction?” suggested Nathe optimistically.
“Oh, they’ll know that we are here, it’s just a matter of when they will show themselves,” offered Temar nervously.
He looked at Casperi and they both turned to Thais. They now all felt movement.
“This place has eyes”.
“Yes, this place does have eyes, but none that we seek to harm, Princess Thais,” announced a slightly older elf as he stepped out from the shadows in front of them.
Casperi, Soze, Temar and Nathe unsheathed their respective Black Rim swords as they all dismounted. The blades seemed to sparkle as the elf that accompanied them uneasily looked on.
“None may enter our forests uninvited as our magic both warns us and protects us from intrusion,” suggested the older elf without trepidation.
“I wish to speak with Sedna,” Thais stepped forward, as the elf measured her. He considered his next words.
“Yes, of course,” he agreed, indicating for them to follow him. “Leave your horses here. They will be well kept.”
Several other elves appeared and a few minutes later they made their way along a path that widened to take three wide less than two hundred paces from the river. The elf that had brought them to the edge of the forest had disappeared.
A subtle magic crept through each leaf, each branch, each tree, each flower such that the whole place seemed illuminated no matter what time of day. Thais was fascinated and brushed the palm of her hand against the glowing greenery as she walked by.
Several hours later they arrived in a small clearing. A garrison of sorts had been created by tying together the branches of trees so that over time they had grown together. Archers could be seen focusing on them. The garrison commander stood at the center of two large branches that ran horizontally across their field of view.
“We need to take them to see the Queen,” indicated the old elf.
“I have prepared the mounts,” replied the thickly set elf.
The elf looked at Casperi.
“There is magic here,” Casperi remarked.
“There is magic in everything,” the elf acknowledged. “We have felt the magic of your sister for a long time and that of your mother before her. But now she is completely different, possessing magic like none of us have ever seen, except in that of Sedna.”
Casperi smiled to him and bowed slightly.
“Your mounts are ready,” he indicated as a group of beautiful white horses seemed to dance into the clearing. An elf dismounted from each and stood ready, awaiting their guests. The old elf that had brought them to this part of Elvem vanished as they turned from him.
Thais and the others walked up and climbed onto the steeds. Nathe gently rubbed the neck of his horse which seemed to enjoy the attention. Soze and Temar looked about as they briefly waited.
“You been here before?” asked the mercenary. Temar looked about.
“A long time ago, and not this way,” Temar replied. Soze laughed, “What, they had you in chains or something?”
Temar shifted uncomfortably as they started to leave. “Something like that.”
They rode through the forest trails, faster than any horse they had ever ridden. The white steeds seemed without any loss of energy as they galloped at pace for over an hour, easily leaping large logs that would have otherwise blocked the path.
“Where is the old elf?” Soze finally asked.
“I don’t know,” replied Casperi. “Actually, I don’t see any elves.”
“I hope that these animals know where they’re going then.”
“They do,” replied Thais in all of their minds. They all looked at her suspiciously as she continued to look forward as they rode. The sense of something different continued to grow. Casperi had felt it in his sister for most of his life, and also knew of his mothers’ talents. He knew that magic had been weaved through the tunnels he had become lost in, and that the environment he now traveled through was laced in some magical way.
An hour later, a clearing opened out to an expanse of giant trees whose boughs disappeared into the foliage above. The whole area seemed to possess a ceiling, where the feet, and occasional legs of people could be made out walking
above. The leaves were green and hid people well, although the space seemed to be lit by an illuminated fountain made of rough cut stones in a small central clearing. The water sparkled iridescently as it bubbled to the surface.
They looked around and could make out many stairways carved into the trees that spiraled up around the boughs and into the ceiling of green.
The horses slowed and stopped near the fountain. By the number of feet that had stopped above it was obvious that they were now the center of attention.
A young elf, seemingly around the same age as Thais, approached them from behind a bough. He smiled and bowed slightly as he stopped ten paces from them.
“Welcome, our guests. My name is Nowé, son of Valinar, and Prince of Elvem. Mae govannen. We speak so little of your tongue and hope that our words will be satisfactory.”
Casperi and Thais looked to each and back to him. Thais bowed, and Casperi tilted his head slightly.
“Thank you Nowé. It is a pleasure to be greeted by you,” the elf that had traveled with them from Banias had taught the formal greetings of Elvem. “I am Lord Casperi Catheridge of Hardular, and these are Princess Thais Catheridge, Sir Nathe Peterson of Catheridge, Sir Soze Wayne of Catheridge, and Temar Bolyl of the Imuhagh Dominion. Your Hardular is better than our Elven, so we have you to thank for your words.”
The Elvem prince smiled and indicated for them to follow him.
Nowé led the way up the wide wooden staircase, carved from the bow. Small leaves and white flowers sprouted from the corners of each step, adding color to them yet not interfering with the path. As they climbed up the stairs they came upon long flat top branches that crisscrossed each other and acted as broad pathways. One walkway, made up of multiple branches, was almost four men wide and lead across the top of the clearing to the bough of the giant main tree.
Many elven people walked passed them, dressed immaculately in long silken robes and with jewels sewn into their hair. The platform now passed through an archway to the left, and a large room. A small alcove separated off to the right where several elves passed onto a smaller branch.
