"It worked." I am so relieved, I can’t get the trapped air out of my lungs fast enough.
Talon
Elainne looks so relieved I think she will pass out. Or it could be that summoning the spirits so quickly in succession is overly tiring.
"This is the first time in millennia that humans have put magic in instead of taking it out."
Elainne wilts; I turn and know why. A dwarf stands there. An actual dwarf. Whitebeard, a small shovel, all brown leather clothing, covered in dust.
"I am the Queen of the Elvin kingdom, Elainne."
"Ahh, the light-bringer."
She looks almost annoyed. Or at least, I am annoyed on her behalf, so I can only imagine how she feels.
"Please tell me you do not believe the prophecy the silver dragon - now named Avren as my familiar - foretells to me all the time, in an effort to make me an empress."
Elainne sounds annoyed and I worry we will be attacked by men that go only to her hip - though they are very burly - for her sour disposition. Instead, the dwarf chuckles and pulls out a pipe. I don’t see him light it, but the second it is in his mouth it is lit and smoking.
"We do not pay much mind to what goes on above the ground unless it interferes with the soil. Centuries ago, a mage found a way to take earth power and mix it with his so he didn’t have to go through the stabilizing process and could increase his power. All of those since have done the same. We knew it would end once the earth died, so we let it. Now, however…"
"If you teach me how to do it the right way, so I will not explode and injure those around me and leave the earth magic alone, I will ensure all future generations know as well."
For some reason, though bigger, I find the dwarves less intimidating. I am able to speak this time. Which is good, because he seems to have a bad opinion of mages; one I need to fix if I don’t want Elainne to have to kill me and all future generations for the safety of those around us.
He looks at me with distrust. Elainne steps forward and goes down on her knees, so she can look him in the face without him looking up.
"All the mages are under my protection and are my allies. I swear Talon is trustworthy. On my throne, on my power, on my blood. He will ensure whatever you pass on to him will indeed pass on to all others."
She holds out her hand, which he takes and shakes.
"Very well. If you come to meet our leader, I will agree."
She sighs and repeats what she told the fairies.
He thinks about it, stroking his beard for what seems like hours but is only minutes.
"Very well. Come with me, boy."
I follow him into the shack, which is now a light brown wood, and no longer in pieces.
"Sit there, boy. You need to give the earth your magic, release it to her care. She has to take the chaotic magic born inside of you and stabilize it. Later, she gives it back. If you are not worthy, you will not get it back and she will release it into the world to find a worthier vessel. Are you worthy, boy?"
That sounds… well, completely insane. No wonder the ancestor did what he did. Stable magic is guaranteed to stay with you. Still, I understand morally it is wrong. You can’t take and give nothing in return.
"Did you throw in a stone, boy? To make a wish?"
"A coin."
He shakes his head.
"The earth cares not for your money. Throw in a stone, one you find that calls to you. All around the hut are stones. You release your magic, pick a stone, make the wish to be worthy of stable magic, go back to wait for her response."
"All right. How do I give her my magic?"
He sits down cross-legged and I follow suit. I can tell this is going to be a long, difficult process.
Chapter Four
Elainne
Talon and the dwarf, whose name we have yet to learn, sit inside the now renewed hut. Apparently, its appearance depends on the health of the land. I let them stay in there without my interference. I don’t fear the dwarf hurting Talon; I truly believe he wants to help the mages, so they won’t hurt the land again.
I know I should wait and calm down before contacting Avren, but I know I won’t. I need to get this out. I need to let go of this anger and I can’t right now.
"Avren, I successfully healed the mountain with the earth spirit. I am sure you are aware of what happened after."
It is not a question, but he treats it as such.
"Did the healing work completely?"
"You know it did. The mountain is lively and beautiful."
"You received some messages. Shall I read them to you?"
"Give me the summary."
"The fairies sent a missive with directions to reach the mound. It arrived on the air as a magical missive. Very elegant. I could only open it because of my familiar status. No one else can even see the ink."
"They certainly are speedy."
"Yes. Also, a missive came from your aunt. She asks for your support in her retaining the throne."
I pause, closing my eyes and letting the breeze ruffle my clothes and hair.
"Did she say it is urgent?"
"There was no mention of the urgency. She just requests you come to the assembly. It will be held in a court, to decide if she is truly the best person to rule. There is apparently some concern that, as an Elvin lady, she cannot possibly rule the humans justly."
I sigh. Of course, there is some concern. It appears now she will get a glimpse into my life and the prejudice against my existence. I hate that anyone else will experience it.
"Anything else? Is Aiden having any issues?"
"No one has argued with him."
That doesn’t mean there are no issues, just no public ones. Still, that is good enough for now. I am sure Avren's presence there will keep everyone in line. He is a good deterrent. I bet, if he read the letter from my aunt, it asks me to arrive on Avren to make a big show of it.
"How are the army and Viktor going? Is he having any issue with them obeying him?"
"He has earned the loyalty of at least seventy percent of the army. He is starting to integrate the mages and pick his commanders. He also wishes your approval to start a spy network. Aldamon agrees with his grandson about its existence. Aiden refused to give permission. He says they must wait until you return. They are displeased but I have told them he is your mouthpiece, so they must listen and ask again once you return."
I am peeved enough that they are trying to influence and take control of my life, but to try to use Aiden while I am away and can’t stop them… At least Avren has the decency to protect him. That is about all I can be thankful to him for recently.
"Good. Tell them I said that if they mention it again, even in passing to one another, before I return they will both be banished. Anyone that mentions it will be. My kingdom will not be built on underhand background deals and decisions. Everything will be in the open. You and Viktor already forced me down this path in the most underhanded way possible. That will be the last of the secrets that garner power. If you want me to rule, it will be under my terms. Is that understood Avren?"
"Yes, my queen. I will be sure they know it and enforce your decision."
"Good." I have to remember that Avren responds to commands, not suggestions. He has always been that way. Not because he is stubborn or disloyal, but because he has been pushing me to be the queen he wants me to be since we met. He wants me to take a firmer hand in leading. Orders, not suggestions, are what is needed.
"I need you to tell the mages that Talon will be in charge of everyone that has yet to take their test to cement their power. His new rules are to be obeyed as law. The elders are to write it as record, anyone that disobeys will be stripped of their power by me."
Avren looks almost shocked that I would go that far. I gave my word to the dwarf and it will be kept.
"Yes, my queen."
"Anything else?"
Avren hesitates. He never hesitates. It tenses me right up. Oh, what can it be?
"Yes… there wa
s another missive. Aiden refused to let anyone open it before you returned unless you gave permission."
"It's personal not… work… I assume."
"Yes. It is from your father."
He is with my aunt. Is it insight into what is actually going on over there? Or is it personal? I am not sure what to say… or what to do. If it is about the situation in my aunt's kingdom, I want to know now; but if it is personal… well, Aiden is right, I want to read it alone.
"Wait 'til I return. Thank Aiden for me. He is being a wonderful steward."
"He is quite logical."
From Avren, that is a compliment. It may sound cold, but he is a great believer in logic over emotion. Though he loves my caring for my people and the lengths I will go to for them. I guess together we are a great match. If only Viktor could stop with his attitude. I miss our closeness and mutual support.
"All right. If there is anything else, send me a message."
"Yes, my queen."
Talon
The power rushes back into me and it feels… fresh. It is so pure and stable. It feels like… more than it has felt before.
"It feels different."
"Yes. You can use spells without incantations. That is why it feels different."
I look at the dwarf, Argyle is his name, in shock.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, boy, you think the spell and it will be performed."
That is impossible. There are stories of mages past that could do it, but that skill has been lost for so long… of course. It is a gift from the earth and once we started raping her bounty she took the gift away. This is much better than a little power boost. Instant spells… it is something most can only dream of. It is an impressive advantage in a fight.
"That is amazing."
The dwarf nods.
"It will allow me to protect Elainne better. She has so many enemies in her own kingdom. Not to mention the human kingdom and the merpeople."
"Yes, we received word of her Kemp destroying the merpeople's army. They have always dreamed of a foothold on land to expand the waters onto. The council tried to warn them."
"Council?"
He looks at me in acceptance. I guess I am a suitable liaison.
"The council of ancients. The merpeople, the dwarves, the fairies, the firebirds, and the unicorns. We each have a representative. We have talked, since Elainne was born, on our stances on the matter of the prophecy. The fairies wish to join her court. They miss being accepted in the open. She will hear from them in an official capacity soon."
"What about the others?"
"We dwarves live to build, carve, create. We care little for the issues of those topside."
"Elainne would welcome your talents, and pay you for them."
"We care not for money. We are not dragons. We wish simply to live."
"Then trade for food perhaps? It must be hard to grow underground."
He harrumphs but doesn’t disagree.
"You said firebirds and unicorns. Do they really still exist?"
"The firebirds live in a volcano quite far away. The unicorns built their own dimension connected to this one, the way Avren did. Part of this world but not accessible without permission to enter. Likely, all will be sending missives once word travels to the council of what transpired here. All of the kings and queens of each court will invite her to visit and talk treaties."
Wow. Elainne might not be chained up as much as she thinks. Though likely this will just be another nail in the coffin. She can’t escape her fate now. The ancient races are involved and she cannot ignore that. Nor will she. Too late to pass the throne to Aiden and walk away. I am not sure if she truly thought of it, but it will neither surprise nor shock me. Nor will I hold it against her. Her life is no longer her own if it ever had been.
"Boy, you are loyal to her. I can sense the blood tie. Why do you tie yourself to one of Elvin royal blood? Have the mages and Elves not been enemies since long ago?"
I think about it for a moment, before unbuttoning my shirt and tilting my head so he can see the scar.
"Elainne gave me this. About a year ago she came to us with Viktor, her Kemp. His mage magic was out of control. He came into it suddenly as part of a wish from a magical orb. She wished us no harm; she didn’t make any aggressive moves. She is Elvin though, and we could sense it so we attacked her magically. I was the one that was sent to test her. I fought her with a magical creation, seemingly safe in my home while she was on the mountain, just trying to make sure Viktor wouldn’t be destroyed by his own magic. While we battled, the others placed a curse on her that would make her breakdown and kill herself. She defeated my creation and the backlash did this to me."
I button up my shirt and push my hair out of my face. It is hard to admit my faults but I am trying to be a worthy champion. Elainne values honesty.
"Once the curse was working, three were sent to kill her. She blocked her Kemp off so he wouldn’t feel the pain of the attack inflicted on her. Her brain was shutting itself down. She did not end up dying. She was able to fight back with Viktor's help and she entered the town, allowing us to cap her magic so she couldn’t use it; trusting us to let her be while Viktor trained. His power back lashed out during training and she was blamed. She couldn’t have done anything; she couldn’t touch magic, let alone draw on it and use it. She was tossed into the dungeon and tortured. When her Kemp awoke - after a week - she was dying. He tried to save her but he was far outnumbered.
"It was Avren, the silver dragon, that saved them both. He cursed us for what we did to her. Later, she returned and healed our land, and our people, freeing us from his curse. She asked for nothing in return and offered us an alliance. Once cursed, many innocents felt our wrath when trying to climb the mountains. She promised us immunity and a place when she took her place in the human court. She didn’t take us over, though she could have. She didn’t destroy us, though we would have deserved it. She simply asked for a mage presence at court with her to represent the alliance.
"Rather than alternating mages in court, I offered myself as a champion. I hated and distrusted her, and told her so. Still, she accepted and trusted me. I did nothing to deserve it, but she granted me many honors and made me part of her family. She valued my opinions and helped me. She is worthy of devotion because she devotes herself to all those that fall under her protection. She is not like other rulers. She is truly worthy. Even Avren tied himself to her as her familiar. A dragon has never done such a thing, as far as I know."
"Never. She is special. I could tell from the moment I felt her heal the mountain. Still, what interaction we have with her is up to the dwarven families. We are ruled by a council of the oldest families. She will have to take up a treaty with them."
I nod and stand, stretching. I have been sitting for hours if the darkening sky outside is any indication.
"I must check on Elainne. She has been alone for some time."
"She is not alone. The Fairies follow her. I am sure she can sense them."
I stand, a bit more worried now. Argyle said the Fairies wish to join her court, but that is no guarantee that they truly wish to. When I get outside she is sitting on a rock, looking up at the sky. I can feel the sorrow coming off of her. The air is thick with tension and pain.
"Elainne?"
She turns to look at me and her pale, beautiful face is lined with tears. They stream down her cheeks, making her look both young and ancient. It is the face of eternal youth, one that has experienced far too much from life for far too long. I go over and sit beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into me.
"You don’t have to always be strong, Elainne. Let it out. Viktor, your uncle, Avren, your aunt, your father, your life. Everything has become too much and you don’t have to accept it all without breaking down. You are a queen, not a rock. You have feelings too and they are just as important as anyone else's."
She lets me do as I wish, and talk as I wish, but she doesn’t
respond. She just looks at the setting sun and lets me hold her while tears stream silently down her face.
Suddenly, fairies appear and sing. It is magical. You can almost see the elements dance harmoniously in the air around us. Colors swirl like performers, shimmering in the twilight. Argyle comes and sits on her other side. He takes one of her hands and holds it. A branch twins their wrists and hands together. Still, she says nothing. The tears do stop though.
"It is all right, young one. You are not the first to be pushed by destiny and you will not be the last. It is okay to hate it sometimes. Just do not let it make you bitter, so you do not blame those that have no control over it. The prophecies come from the gods. They appeared to the dragons and unicorns because they represent the magic and soul of the world and everything in it. It was their duty to see it through. Your familiar is simply doing as the gods bid him. He is as entangled and forced as you. No dragon likes to give up his freedom and flight. He is required to do it, as the last, to ensure the future of the world. Just keep in mind - while you fight against all you have been told - that you are not the only one suffering."
Argyle stops talking and joins the fairies in their song. It is one of sorrow, loss, and acceptance. I can’t be sure, but I think it is saying farewell to what remains of Elainne's innocence. Her life is not her own, but none of ours really is. We are all being led by destiny. We are all in this together.
"Yes. I will remember. All of those before me. I will make the world a better place, so all those after me need not worry about destiny calling on them."
The dwarf pats their twined hands with his free one and smiles. He pulls out his magic pipe and smokes, while the fairies finish their song only to start a new one. This one of celebration and cheer. The branch around Argyle and Elainne's hands dissipates, but he doesn’t release her hand. They hold hands and watch the show. I keep my arm around her as well. We are here, as support, for the most important being in the world, while she gives up the last of her resistance to ruling and will proceed to become the queen she is meant to be. Maybe one day, maybe, she will be an Empress as Avren wishes.
Champion Complete Series Page 43
