The Tears of Elios

by Crista McHugh

  “You must think I’m nothing more than a stupid human.” She heard some of her disappointment carry over into her voice, and she tried to make herself seem smaller than she already was.

  “Not exactly.” She waited for him to elaborate on his cryptic response, but after several minutes had passed, she realized he was keeping his thoughts to himself. She closed her eyes and willed the ride to end soon.

  Within an hour, the horse outran the rain, and by early afternoon, they had crossed the Great Cove and were beginning to climb the coppery hills that flanked the southwestern border. The horse slowed, careful to pick its way through the brambles and loose stones. Sparse trees dotted the landscape here, and the wind reminded her of the blast of hot air she felt every time she opened an oven. Winter had forgotten this place.

  They stopped in front of a cave. Galen surveyed the land, making sure this was the exact place he wanted to stop before he dismounted. Satisfied, he turned back to Kira. “Aren't you going to come down?”

  She tried to slide from the saddle to the ground, but her foot got caught in the stirrup, and she landed on her back.

  He came and freed her foot before helping her stand. “Are you always this clumsy?”

  She stopped brushing the dust off her tunic long enough to answer, “Not usually.” Only around you, it seems. She kept her eyes down, not wanting to see what he thought of her, and walked closer to the opening of the cave.

  It was similar to the other caves she saw around her. They all looked like holes punched into the dry clay of the hills, as though some giant had stuck his fingers into them before they hardened. She stood at its edge and peered into the darkness that stretched before her.

  He came up behind her. “You're not terrified of caves, are you?”

  For the first time that day, she found a reason to smile. “Master Tyrrus and I spent the last few years in the tunnels under Dromore. This cave isn’t terrifying at all.” She took a step forward, but he stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.

  “Here,” he said, extending his leather jerkin to her. “Put this on first.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it will offer you some protection in case you decide to fall and hurt yourself.”

  Kira took it with some hesitation and slipped it on. Even after she tightened the laces as far as they would go, the jerkin hung like a bulky robe from her shoulders. She modeled it for him. “It's a little big.”

  His eyes glowed with restrained laughter. “You don't say.”

  Sighing, she dropped her arms and tapped on the jerkin three times. With a flash of blue, it shrank in size until it hugged her modest curves. His mouth opened to protest the alteration to his clothing, but she cut him off before he had a chance to speak. “Don't worry. It will go back to its normal size once I take it off.”

  He didn’t seem to believe her, so she ventured into the cave before he could question her further. The opening was tall enough for her to walk upright without hitting her head, but Galen had to stoop to enter it. A blue spark appeared in the palm of her hand. It became larger, soon filling the whole cavern with light. The once ominous shadows cast by the stalactites and the stalagmites faded in the growing brightness.

  Galen came closer to her, for once not disappointed at her actions. “Impressive.”

  She felt as though her smile was as radiant as the light in her hand. At last, she’d done something to please him. She blew at the flame, causing it to form a ball the size of her fist and fly off to the opening of three different tunnels ahead. It stopped long enough to illuminate the first few feet into each of them. “Where to next?”

  Her floating blue light mesmerized him so much that she had to repeat her question. “The left tunnel, if I remember correctly.” The blue light sped to the opening of the indicated tunnel and waited for them to follow. As they entered the tunnel, it bobbed along a few feet ahead of them, lighting their way. “Where did you learn such a spell?”

  Kira’s cheeks ached from smiling so broadly. “It's just a simple illumination spell. All I did was animate the light so it acted like a lantern. It came in handy when I had my hands full in the tunnels.”

  “Very creative.”

  “How did you know which way to go? Have you been here before?”

  “Your silence would be more appreciated than your questions.”

  The smile slipped off her face. Kira fell into step behind Galen, trying to imitate his silent movements through the tunnel. She had to take care not to collide with him as he paused every few steps to listen for some phantom sound. His expression became more and more uneasy as they descended further into the darkness.

  The air grew stale. It wasn’t long before she began to hear the shuffle of footsteps behind them. She directed the light to see what was making the noise.

  In the faint light, a grotesque form began to take shape. It was shorter than her, but wider. A long hooked nose stood out from its profile, accented by floppy dog-like ears. She increased the amount of light emitted from the ball, and a guttural cry came from the creature is it turned away from the brightness. She could now see its yellow, fissured skin and gnarled fingers. More worrisome, however, were the shadows that multiplied behind it.

  “Run!” Galen grabbed her arm and pulled her further into the tunnel. The light whizzed past them to illuminate the twists and turns ahead. A chorus of raspy voices echoed off the rock walls behind them, followed by the high pitched whistle of arrows.

  She struggled to match Galen's long strides, but the light raced to keep up with him, leaving her to stumble over rocks in the dimness. The creatures gained on her as he moved further ahead. Their bowstrings twanged, and fingers jabbed into the back of the thick jerkin.

  Galen disappeared behind a curve in the tunnel, and she turned around to see how close their pursuers were. She never saw the rock that sent her sprawling into the gravel. As she slid, the tiny stones grated into her palms and cheeks.

  A flash of blue streaked overhead. At first she thought the light had returned to her. Instead, the magic exploded behind her, causing an avalanche to cascade on the yellow skinned creatures. The rocks piled on top of each other until a wall blocked the tunnel completely.

  The glow of the floating blue light was murky from the thick dust, but she could see Galen standing a few feet in front of her. He grabbed her by the jerkin and pulled her to her knees. “Get up! It won't take those goblins very long to dig their way through.”

  He turned and took a few steps before ground crumbled beneath his feet. His body tilted forward and disappeared into the sinkhole the explosion created.

  A surge of energy raced through her body and shot out of her fingers, forming a golden beam of light that snaked over the edge and plunged down into the darkness below. She grabbed the beam before it escaped her grasp. It solidified into a rope in her hands. A sharp tug threatened to dislodge it, but she held on as it dragged her along the ground. Her leg caught the edge of a rock, and she wedged her foot against it, jerking to stop mere inches from the precipice.

  Kira gulped the air to ease the pounding of her heart. She was so consumed by her own escape from death that it took her a moment to remember Galen. Still clinching the golden rope, she peered over the edge. “Galen?” she asked, her voice shaking. She held her breath until she heard a grunt from below.

  He dangled like a pendulum from the golden rope wrapped around his chest. His boots hovered only a few feet from the stalagmite spears that lined the floor of the cavern below. She thought he was unconscious until his head rolled to the side and he groaned.

  Kira shimmied away from the edge and tried to stand up. She pulled the rope closer to her chest but cried out as it slipped past her raw hands. She dived to catch it. Only a few inches had escaped. When it snapped tight, another grunt echoed from below. “Don't worry, Galen, I have you.” Her words sounded hollow, meant more for her than him.

  “And who has you?” At least he was well enough to be sarcastic. “It seem
s my life is in your hands.”

  “Maybe now you'll learn to trust me,” she muttered while she crawled away from the edge, sending down a shower of pebbles in the process.

  “It seems I have no other option at the moment.”

  She froze, embarrassed that he’d overheard her. She didn’t think she had been speaking that loudly. The pause gave her a few seconds to think about how she could get him out of the cavern since she lacked the strength to pull him up. She searched through her spells before settling on a basic levitation spell. “Ready? On the count of three—”

  “What?”

  “One.” She tugged at the rope. “Two.” She gave a second tug, and a shimmer of blue coiled along the golden rope. “Three.”

  She pulled with as much strength as she could muster while the spell burst from her hands. A dark form collided with her and knocked the air from her lungs. Her back hit the ground, followed by Galen's body landing on top of her.

  His face came into focus above hers. She blinked a few more times, trying to clear the silver haze that lingered on the periphery of her vision. His eyes were glazed, and he made no effort to move away from her. On the contrary, his face inched closer to hers, his breath brushing against her lips. She lifted her mouth to meet his.

  Unfortunately, her lungs burned for air, and she gasped as her more primal need to breathe overtook her actions. The first few breaths rattled her whole body. The fire in her lungs spread to her face as she remembered what she had just been thinking. She turned away and attempted to slow her breathing. “You can get off me now, please.”

  Galen raised himself to a sitting position and rubbed his face. “What was that?” he asked, his voice dazed.

  Kira rolled over, wincing at the new soreness in her ribs that she discovered with each movement. “I think that was me saving your life.”

  His brows pinched together. “No, that's not what I—” The sound of debris scattering on the ground behind them diverted his attention. He stood and helped her to her feet. “Those goblins are more resourceful than I thought. We need to keep moving before they get through those rocks.”

  The blue light flashed on something buried in the wall of the cavern as it whizzed ahead. She took a few steps toward it, still aware of the digging and scratching on the other side of the rocks to her left. The ball of light intensified to illuminate a small crystal orb embedded in a rocky ledge just above her head. “Galen, look.”

  “No!” Galen blocked her from grabbing it. “You can't touch it.”

  “Why not?” Kira tried to reach around him, inflaming the pain in her ribs.

  “Because you're not of elvan blood.”

  “But I found it!”

  “That still doesn't change the fact you can't touch it.” A large boulder lurched forward, and the guttural voices of the goblins became louder. “Give me your cloak.”

  She barely had time to untie it before he yanked it off her shoulders. With his other hand, he pried the orb loose from the ledge. Once it was free and in his hand, a white light as bright as the sun filled the cavern. He peered into the center of the orb, his lips moving silently. The light was doused, and the cavern plunged into darkness once again. He wrapped the orb in her cloak. “I'm glad we were able to find it.”

  Another boulder tumbled to the ground, followed by the hiss of an arrow. He grabbed her by the jerkin. “Time to go.”

  A shock pulsed through her body, followed by a blinding blue light. Kira’s limbs became weightless as her body dissipated before her own eyes. Panic filled her as she tried to reach for Galen and felt only an updraft as the blue light flashed and faded. A sudden surge downward followed as her body resubstantiated. The ground became solid under her feet, and she stumbled, colliding with Galen. His heart sounded so calm compared to hers.

  She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight and saw the horses in front of them. “What just happened?”

  “You've never experienced teleportation before?” he asked as he stowed in the orb in his saddlebag and returned her cloak to her. She shook her head, and he smiled. “And I didn't think your eyes could get any larger. I suppose I'll have to teach you that spell one day.” He lifted her onto the horse and mounted it in front of her.

  She liked the prospect of Galen teaching her new spells. Although he would never be as jovial as Master Tyrrus, he at least seemed to be more at ease with her now than he was before.

  Her pleasure was short lived as soon as the horse sped into a gallop. The pain in her ribs became unbearable, and she cried out. Galen pulled the horse to a stop, causing the black splotches that filled her vision to dance in front of her eyes. She slumped forward and tried to resist her growing nausea.

  “Kira, are you hurt?” His hands moved over her arms and legs before reproducing her cry of pain when they came to her chest. “Ah, a few broken ribs. Easily enough fixed.”

  A soft, gentle warmth from the white glow of his hands replaced the burning pain as they brushed over the injured ribs. She leaned forward and sighed with relief.

  “Why didn't you mention them earlier?” His breath created a light breeze against her hair.

  “There wasn't time.”

  “Are there any other injuries I should know about?”

  She shook her head. Yes, her palms were raw, and she was sure there would be some fresh bruises in the morning, but nothing that needed immediate care. A note of urgency filled his voice, and she didn’t want to cause any more delays. She desired to stay in his good graces as long as she could.

  “Good. I want to be as far away from here as I can get before nightfall.”

  They rode until the moon rose high overhead. Dozens of questions occupied Kira's mind, but she dared not voice them. They stopped at a grove of trees in the center of the Cove, a place Galen considered far enough away from the cave and its goblins. She felt a slight degree of accomplishment as she dismounted without getting tangled in the stirrups or stumbling, which he appeared to notice as well.

  He carved a circle into the dirt around them as he did the night before. “You're unusually quiet.”

  “Why should I ask questions you're unwilling to answer?” She started a fire and began to unfasten the jerkin. As soon as she shrugged it off her shoulders, it returned to its original size. She held it out to him.

  He exchanged the jerkin for a few pieces of dried meat and journey bread and inspected it. His fingers poked through several holes in the top layer of the leather down to the thin metal plates under it. “Perhaps you should continue to wear this in case you decide to designate yourself as a pincushion for goblin arrows again.”

  She nearly dropped the food in her hands. At least a dozen holes punctured the back of the jerkin. If I hadn’t been wearing it… She pushed those thoughts from her mind with a shudder.

  “For someone with your abilities, you have quite a knack for nearly getting yourself killed.” He folded the jerkin at his feet and stared into the fire. “I never thanked you for saving my life.”

  Kira drew her knees tighter to her chest, unsure how to respond. Her thoughts dwelt not on the rescue but on the moments after. She scolded herself for almost kissing him. If she wanted to be of any use to the Resistance, she needed to push those thoughts from her mind. “Consider it repayment for all the times you've saved me from my clumsiness.”

  He turned to her, and she became aware of his visual dissection. “How is it that you can summon complicated spells like that golden rope, yet you cannot use any basic defensive spells?”

  She remained silent. She had no explanation to give him and grew more uncomfortable under his inspection. She stayed focused on the fire, fearful he would peer into her soul again if he could see her eyes.

  He finally turned away. “There seem to be some serious gaps in your education. I will have to speak with Master Tyrrus about this when we return.”

  “Please don't be too harsh on him. He was willing to take me on as his apprentice, even though I was a girl. Maybe t
hese gaps you speak of are due to the fact he had to teach me in secret.”

  “Perhaps, but there's more to it than that, I think. Tyrrus may be a Master, but he has his faults and limitations.” His gaze flickered over her once again. “I have several concerns about you that I need to discuss with him.”

  She pulled her legs tighter, trying to form an impenetrable ball where she could be safe from his criticism. “Such as?”

  He didn’t reply. Perhaps he knew he had said enough or sensed that his words were upsetting her, but she appreciated his silence. Instead, he pressed another piece of dried meat into her palm. “Eat.”

  When she swallowed the last bit, she lay down, and he covered her with his thick cloak and tucked it around her. He ran his fingers through her short hair, sending a shiver of delight down her spine. By the Goddess, did he have any idea what kind of effect his touch had on her?

  His gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, and she glimpsed some kind of internal conflict warring inside him. Then he turned away and crawled back to his bedroll. “Hopefully, you won’t have visions of the Azekborn tonight.”

  CHAPTER 10

  From the safety of the bushes, Ranealya watched the occupants of the camp. It had grown since the last time she was here—tripled in size, by her estimates. At least the password remained the same.

  Before Anilayus ordered the Clearances, she rarely saw elves living among dwarves and humans, yet they all clustered together here in this tent city. She wondered how much of this was due to Galen's influence. He’d always insisted the different races needed to work together if they wanted to achieve anything.

  She willed herself into a smaller, more acceptable form. As her body shrank, her ears became longer, and she hopped out from the bushes once her transformation was complete.

  “Bunny!” a small child cried out, and he began to run after her. She darted side to side through the maze of tents, but other children soon joined in the chase. She allowed it to continue until she spotted an older child loading an arrow into his bow and taking aim at her. Then she turned and opened her mouth with a roar, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.