by Hoyt, Joshua
Why was John not speaking for them like he had so many times before? Do they only respect women? It was as if John had sat back and become as invisible as possible to the elders. John showed no sign of being upset or taken aback by the situation and looked at Kristiana with complete confidence. Kristiana on the other hand had taken on an entirely different demeanor. She had become not only beautiful and powerful but very confident in her abilities at diplomacy.
Kristiana had paused for a moment as she glanced at Tanya. “The one you speak of has been a great help to us in a desperate time of need…” Kristiana paused as if she was looking for the exact words that needed to be spoken and then continued, “…We feel that without her aid in the current situation we would be lost and unable to complete the mission that you have set before us. We ask that during her trial her service not only to you but the service she has given us be considered.”
The woman that had been speaking for the elders grew noticeably more tense and glancing at her sisters to either side spoke, “Her sins are too grievous to allow her the chance to escape again. She will not be allowed to leave this village.”
Kristiana’s eyes grew hard and Tom noticed that her jaw tightened slightly almost imperceptibly. “Without her assistance we will not know our way around the city and will be lost. I see no way of us being able to accomplish the task that you have set before us without her help.”
“She abandoned her people long ago and has shown that she cannot be trusted. We can not trust that she will return.”
Tom noticed that a tear had formed in the corner of Tanya’s eye as she looked off at nothing.
Tiarra stepped forward and spoke, “Elders, there is a law in the book of truth, which states that one who is close to the accused may stand in her place. I now invoke that law and take the place of Tanya.”
Tanya grabbed Tiarra’s arm turning her to look at her.
Tiarra smiled faintly and turned back to the elders.
There was a long silence as everyone turned and looked at Tiarra. She was looking back at the elders with a face of stone.
“You can’t take my place sister. I did what I did and do not regret my actions. What was done had to be done. I will stand trial and accept the word of the elders,” Tanya said.
Tiarra looked at Tanya smiling softly. “My little sister I know that the decision you made was correct now that I see what you have become and I am willing to make a hard decision as well. Let me choose as you chose so many years ago to sacrifice my own well being for another. Your friend speaks wisely, without your help there is no way that they will accomplish the mission. You have been the only one that has ever been able to escape the city. If you can escape it then you can certainly make it back in.”
Tiarra hugged her younger sister. Tears rolled down Tanya’s face onto her sister’s back. The elders talked among themselves in elven.
“We accept your decision Tiarra but know that you must now stand trial unless the accused returns. If the accused is successful in the mission at hand we will allow that new evidence to be used in her trial.” The woman said.
Turning to Kristiana she said, “Is this acceptable?”
“We accept your terms and find them most gracious,” Kristiana responded.
“Good. Then we will now explain to you what must be done.” The woman turned to one of the guards in the room and nodded.
The guard left the room and the elves on the other side of the table sat quietly without expression. Tanya glanced at her sister occasionally and her eyes were still misted over. Tiarra seemed unmoved and looked forward without flinching she showed no emotion other than one single tear rolling down her face.
The guard returned to the room with a small box and several rolled up maps. The woman took the small box and the guard set the maps onto the table and left.
“This device must arrive in the central chamber of the palace and then be activated. It is a sun stone and upon activation will flash a brilliant light that the palace will magnify throughout the city. The flash will blind everyone in the city and should cause quite a bit of pain to the dark elves.” The woman spoke as she opened the box revealing a small white stone.
“Once we see the light we will know that it is time to attack. The light should give us the advantage we need to retake the palace and in uprooting our enemies.” The woman paused as she looked at the companions.
“Won’t we be blinded as well? How will we escape once activating the stone? We’ll be a bright light in a house made of glass,” John said.
The woman looked at John coolly. “You are correct, we have created masks that should protect you from most of the light but there will still be the problem of getting out unnoticed. We are hoping that after activating the stone there will be enough confusion to give you the time that you need to escape.”
Tanya stepped forward. “If the dark elves have come to the surface they must have some magic or resistance to light.”
The woman looked down for a moment and then looked at Tanya. “We fear that this may be true. If it is, the light will still cause some blindness and enough confusion to give us the advantage that we need. The real threat will be what has given them the ability to survive in the palace of light. We fear that they may have several witches working under the direction of the black widow. We also have reason to believe that many of our own people have joined them. I warned the other elders but they wouldn’t listen.” She looked at the other elders at the table a small frown on her lip, the first sign of emotion she had shown since meeting with the companions.
After a moment she unrolled one of the maps and pointed to several different places. “Do you recognize these places, Tanya?”
“Yes, they are the towers of power,” Tanya replied.
“We believe that they must have hit these places first and stopped the flow to the palace which enabled them to bypass the defenses. We need to regain control of each of the three towers. These other places…” she pointed to other locations on the map, “…are where we believe they are keeping our people who would not join them. We hope that if we could get in and free them then we would have another tactical advantage.”
Tanya studied the map for several minutes, running her finger along the different streets, tracing the best routes.
Suddenly a guard burst through the door. “Guiding Mother,” the guard said as he bowed in front of the elf.
“Yes,” the elf said raising him with her hand.
“A dark elf has come, asking for an audience with you.”
Tiarra quickly removed her sword and stepped toward the door. “It may be a trap, Mother.”
The elf put her fingers to her chin and closed her eyes.
“Bring the elf here, we’ll see what he wants.”
The guard left with Tiarra and after a few moments returned with what appeared to be an elf but his skin was very dark and he had black hair that ran half way down his back. Tom almost gasped when he saw that the elf’s eyes were a light red. Several guards led the dark elf, Tiarra walked behind with her weapon drawn. The elf’s hands were tied and he had no weapons that Tom could see.
“I have come to ally with you and your people,” the elf said, when the guiding mother had turned and acknowledged the elf. He continued haltingly, “I have been waiting for an opportunity to speak with you for several days. But only now have I been able to close enough to speak with you.”
She sat in her chair examining the dark elf for a long time. “Your thoughts are guarded and I am unable to read them completely,” she said.
The dark elf smiled slightly. “That would be expected considering I have been training for many years to be able to block mind reading abilities.”
The guiding mother focused on him again for several minutes and sweat began to trickle down the dark elf’s forehead. He cringed then fell to the floor with his hands over his head.
“You are very strong and I do not know of any who could block my power,” the guiding mother said haltingly
as her breathing had become heavy.
The dark elf stood slowly, regaining his composure. “I’ve been training because the black widow uses similar powers as you. Not all of the dark elves are evil just as not all of the wood elves are good.” The dark elf smiled at his remark and the guiding mother nodded in consent.
“In order for my group to remain unnoticed we had to train our minds to resist the power of psionics. The black widow has an elite force trained in psionics and they frequently walk the streets looking for unbelievers. One day a man found his way among my people looking for treasures and also looking to study the psionic ability. I wondered how he was able to get past the black widow’s elite guard and he promised to share his secrets with me if I would share with him the secrets of psionics. I studied with him for many years and then began to form a resistance.” He looked down at the table as if considering how to continue, “The Black Widow found a way to attack you by forming an alliance with someone within your elders,” he paused again, “the rebellion was still to new to resist her. The attack... on your people gave us the opportunity to grow stronger.” The dark elf paused looking for support from those around him.
Tom saw that the guiding mother was concentrating intently upon the dark elf and seemed to pay little attention to his words but more to his face and emotions.
“If you are speaking the truth why will you not open your mind to me?” the guiding mother inquired.
Tom noticed a brief moment of hesitation in the dark elf. “Because I have trained for so long the defense has become part of me. It would be as easy for a dragon to remove her scales as it would be for me to remove the defense that guards me.”
The guiding mother looked at the elf with her brow furrowing slightly. “How will I know that this is not a trap and that you speak truth?”
The dark elf nodded at one of the guards. “He has within his possession a map that shows all of the defenses of my people within the palace.”
The dark elf looked sad when he said this and Tom wondered if he still had love for his people even though he disagreed with them.
The dark elf looked up shortly and continued, “I wish there was another way to free my people from the grasp of darkness that enshrouds them. But the only way I see they can be released is by betraying them. I have spent many years trying to fight against the influence of the black widow but I have had very little success. My group awaits a time where we can once again have peace with our brethren.”
“I accept your alliance,” the guiding mother said.
Clearly to everyone’s surprise, for many gasps escaped the mouths of the other elves.
“I don't think we can trust him. We have been at war with them off and on since time began. You can not trust his kind; they have always been distrustful.” One of the elders shouted, pointing at the dark elf.
The guiding mother turned on the elder. “Too long we have lived with prejudice of others. Too long we have lived in our forests while the world turns around us. We must take our place in this world and we must be able to accept those around us. We must unite with all those who will help us if we are to regain our homes. I will not turn him away because of age old grudges that we do not even remember what they are about.”
The dark elf knelt down in front of the guiding mother and bowing his head said, “I pledge my life to your protection. You’ve trusted me when there was no real proof to trust me. You have trusted me despite false grudges and preconceptions of me and my people.” The dark elf looked up with a tear in his eye. “There are good among us who yearn for freedom from the evil and we’re grateful for your support.”
The guiding mother, stunned by the behavior of the dark elf, paused for a brief moment then put her hand under his chin and raised him to her level. “I accept your pledge and pledge to you that your people will be considered our brethren from this time forward. You will no longer need to fear the light.”
The mother turned on the other elders at the table who after a brief pause all stood before the dark elf and speaking simultaneously said, “We pledge that you will be from this day forward called our brethren.”
The elders sat back down and the guiding mother slipped a small knife from the folds of her robes and cut the bands that were around the dark elf’s wrists.
Rubbing his wrists, he said, “Thank you.” He sat at the table where the guiding mother directed.
“You can call me Teresa, what do you call yourself?” she asked.
“You may call me Xantar,” he said as he nodded his head toward her.
She nodded back and turned back to the map. “I think it would be best if Xantar was to go with you…” Teresa began.
Kristiana interrupted her. “I don’t think it would be wise to have him with us. We don’t know him and he may not only jeopardize the mission but our lives as well.”
Teresa looked up from the map toward Kristiana. “I think that if he is to be of use to us he will need to be in a position where he can help. I am hoping that he will be able to get his band together to help the attack.”
“I think I’ll be of most help if I go with you. There isn’t much I can do outside the city,” Xantar said looking at Kristiana. “I understand how it’s hard to trust me, but trust me you must. Your plan will be useless without my help and you would be detected within a few hours. I have enough psionic ability to cover a small group from the detection of the black widow’s patrols,” Xantar said.
Kristiana turned to John who nodded his consent and then she nodded in Xantar’s direction.
Teresa continued to explain the plan to the others as Tom drifted off. He thought about the dark elf and his psionic ability. He had heard of people with the ability to do things like move objects and sometimes see what card someone was holding. But this was all new to him. He didn’t understand how a person could read another person’s mind or detect them without seeing them. He wondered about Teresa and her own power and how it made Xantar sweat and feel pain.
The elves, Kristiana, and John continued to discuss the plans late into the evening. Other elves would come in occasionally bringing food and drink. Tom loved the different fruits and breads that were brought in to eat and the nectar, to drink, that was from an unfamiliar fruit. He ate as much as he could and later realized that his stomach was beginning to ache from the rich food.
After many hours of deliberation, the group of humans and elves came to an agreement on a plan. It was finally time for rest. The companions were shown to another home where they were given warm baths and clean clothes. A warm bed was prepared for them to sleep in.
Tanya and Tiarra went in a different direction. Tom could see the sadness in Tanya’s face and how she would constantly hold her sister’s hand. Tiarra, on the other hand, had become very quiet and showed little emotion. Still, on many occasions, he saw how she would look at Tanya and give her a quick smile when she thought no one else was looking.
For the first time in what seemed like forever Tom fell asleep in a soft warm bed without feeling any fear of harm or danger. That night as Tom slept the dreams came again.
Chapter 19:
He was in the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Everywhere he looked was glass. It was as if a giant glassblower had blown a building out of glass and then placed it on the ground. He saw that when the sun hit the glass in different places it would turn different colors, sometimes a light pink and other times a bright red. He saw blues, purples, and yellows as well. As he looked at the building he saw that the stairs were also made of glass. He began to walk up the stairs toward the glass landing above.
When he got to the top of the landing, he looked down to where he had just come from. He saw the floor had a spot as big as him. It was suddenly dark red, almost the color of blood. As he watched it, it began to grow and start to come up the stairs. It reached the top of the landing; he started to back away from the blood red color that came toward him. The stain began to move quicker and he turned and ran from it. He ran through glass door
s and up glass flights of stairs but it still seemed to follow him wherever he went.
He came to a room that was filled with his friends and saw that they were laughing. They did not seem to notice the stain that had begun to take over the building. He yelled to them. They just turned and smiled at him and went back to what they were doing. He tried pulling on them to get them to leave the room before the stain reached them when suddenly he ran into Xantar.
Xantar approached Tom, showing concern for the situation.
Tom told Xantar about what was happening.
Xantar looked at the blood stain that was approaching them and then looked back at Tom. “You must trust me and allow me to help you when the time comes,” he said.
Tom woke suddenly, expecting to be in a blood red prison made of glass. Instead he saw the room that he had fallen asleep in and felt the soft bed under him. He slowly laid back down into his bed, still shaken from the dream. He thought about the dream and wondered what it meant. He wondered about the strange dark elf, Xantar. Can we really trust him? Why did Teresa trust him so quickly? He finally fell back to sleep without dreams.
The next morning the companions woke early for the busy day ahead of them. Tom learned that the palace was a good two days travel into the dense forest and they would be leaving early this morning. The wood elves were preparing to leave as well. The plan was for the small group to get into the palace and move to each of the towers, disabling their defenses. With this step they decided that it would be best if they split up into three groups. Tom would be going with Cody and Aithnea. They would then need to detonate the sun stone as quickly as possible. Tom, Cody and Aithnea had spent many hours the previous night making sure they were adequately oriented to the city and the tower they were in charge of.
“Good morning, Tom,” Cody said as they put on the armor the elves had prepared for them.
Tom had been given a light leather armor that had been dyed green in patterns to help with stealth. The elf who had given it to him said that it was one of their finer suits. Aithnea had been given a green robe with many brown symbols woven into it. The robe was not as protective as the leather armor but gave her better movement, allowing her to cast spells without interruption. Aithnea had looked at Tom’s leather armor in doubt and commented on how he wouldn’t be able to move as freely. This may interrupt his movements when casting spells. Kristiana reminded Aithnea that Tom was different and that she noticed that Tom used less movements and more energy when casting spells. Cody had been given a chain suit that protected his upper and lower body. The elves said that the suit was very special. An ancient enchanter had enchanted the armor to make it silent. When Cody had shaken the armor Tom could hear only the tiniest bit of sound coming from it.
