The Werewolves of Nottinghill

by J. J. Thompson

  “My new friends,” Shendal said in a thin, wavering voice. “We hate to come to you as bearers of bad news, just as we are reforging our old alliance with you, but I am afraid that this cannot wait. You are no doubt aware of the presence of goblins on your world?”

  “We are very much aware of them,” Tamara told him. “Up until now, we've been fairly safe here in England. The goblins do not like deep water.”

  “Ah, that is quite true,” the Elder replied with a slow nod. “And left to their own devices, I have no doubt that the foul creatures would have left you in peace for many years, perhaps forever. They ravage across this world and have more than enough territory to explore and exploit. They do not need this little plot of land. Unfortunately, the goblins are servants of the lords of Chaos and those evil beings have run out of patience.”

  Tamara looked at her brother, who in turn stared at Shendal in confusion.

  “I don't understand, sir,” Sebastian said. “The gods have run out of patience with what?”

  “With you, young man,” Shendal replied. “With all of you. Humans are tenacious. You thrive when you should have been wiped out, at least that is how the dark ones see it. Have you all forgotten that you lived through the return of the dragons to this planet because of an intervention by the lords of Light? You were, each of you, Changed by their powers. Your bodies were altered to adapt to the infusion of magical energies that poured into this world with the dragons' presence. This should not have been! The old gods meant to wipe out your race and reform this planet. They needed to change its very structure so that conditions would match what this world was once like when they existed in this universe, before the human race was created by the powers of the Light.”

  Shendal paused and smiled again, shaking his head.

  “Oh, how enraged they were when you survived. Merely a handful of you have managed to thwart their desire to return to this plane and reign over it. And every time they attempt to destroy you, you rise up and defeat them again. It is maddening to them.”

  “Like a nest of ants defeating a man,” Malcolm said with a grim smile.

  “Just so,” Shendal agreed. “But even as you have fought to survive in this world, the gods of Light have fought to defeat their dark brothers out in the Void. Slowly, steadily, they have been weakening the lords of Chaos. And so now those evil gods have begun to feel fear and have devised a new plan to squash you and the other pockets of humanity left in the world, before they are defeated by the Light.”

  Shendal sat down slowly, with an audible sigh, and Dianis stood up again. She put a hand on the old elf's shoulder and he patted it reassuringly.

  “The goblins?” Tamara asked the leader of the Elders. “That's the Chaos lords new plan? But those damnable things have been around for years now.”

  “Yes, they have,” Dianis agreed. “But as you have said, they are reluctant to cross large bodies of water and even the dark lords cannot change the goblins' very nature. And so the gods have given their servants the power to summon creatures that do not fear the sea, or anything else for that matter. And with these new allies, the goblins will invade this island, and the other isolated human settlements that have survived, and ravage them.”

  There was a momentary silence after this pronouncement and then Malcolm surged to his feet. He towered over everyone in the room, including Dianis, but he bowed slightly in respect before speaking, not wanting to appear threatening.

  “Lady, what are we talking about here?” he asked. “What kinds of creatures are the goblins going to summon?”

  Dianis looked down at Myklen.

  “Ogres,” he said in his deep voice. “Along with trolls, and giants. Also they will once again have access to the mounts they used back in ancient times, a disgusting bat-like creature that will enable them to fly long distances, including over water.”

  “Oh mon Dieu!” Sylvie exclaimed in horror. “Why have the lords of Light allowed this?”

  “They fight, lady mage,” Dianis told her. “They still fight, even now. But they remain weak from the dark gods' ancient treachery. There is only so much that they can do to aid you. But our presence here, now, is their attempt to save your race.”

  “I don't understand,” Tamara said in confusion. “The lords of Light are responsible for bringing you back to us?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” Dianis said with a nod. “Our worlds were not supposed to align again for many centuries. Somehow the gods hastened that alignment. It weakened them, but they felt that it was worth the sacrifice. They also passed along the information to us that we have just given to you. That is all that they can do, however. Your fate now rests in your own hands.”

  “As it always has,” Aiden stated loudly.

  “Hear, hear,” Daniel said fiercely.

  The blacksmith looked around the table.

  “The gods may have aided us,” he continued, “but each of us got here by standing on our own two feet, and we'll continue to survive the same way.”

  “Brave words,” Dianis said approvingly. “And you will need such bravery in the weeks and months to come. But we offer our aid to you, both as our allies and as the saviors of our world. We will fight by your side, if you allow it, and together we will push back this tide of darkness and make the dark gods fear both humans and elves once again!”

  Her ringing words ignited the room and people leaped to their feet, cheering and shouting their approval. Tamara smiled at Dianis and gestured at the others.

  “I believe that you have your answer, lady,” she said as the room calmed down again. “We welcome both your friendship and your aid.”

  At that moment, several of the kitchen staff walked into the hall carrying trays covered with plates and urns. They must have heard the cheering from outside and all of them were wide-eyed as they looked around the hall.

  “Just set the plates down anywhere,” Tamara told them with a reassuring smile.

  “Yes, ma'am,” one of them replied.

  They left the trays on the conference table and walked out again, looking back dubiously as they did so.

  “Everyone, please help yourselves to refreshments,” Tamara told the group. “I do believe that this meeting is adjourned for now.”

  People began standing up and the hum of conversation grew louder.

  “The servers must think that we've lost our minds,” Malcolm said with a bark of laughter as he and Aiden got up to get some food.

  Aiden grinned as they lined up to serve themselves.

  “We probably have. The idea of battling ogres and giants, not to mention fighting back against the dark gods, is lunacy. But we have no choice, I suppose.”

  They waited until Tamara had served their guests tea and sandwiches before getting their own and sitting down again. Chase sat next to them and they all ate together.

  “I wonder how one battles a giant, anyway?” Aiden asked thoughtfully as he slowly ate a beef sandwich.

  “You must take them down from a distance,” Chase told him. “If you allow them to close on your position, you are doomed.”

  “Wait a second. You've actually fought a giant?” Malcolm asked in awe.

  Chase smiled as she sipped her tea.

  “Giant creatures, yes. Not a giant humanoid like the ones that the goblins will command. But I believe that the tactics would be the same. On our world, there are many beasts, or monsters as you might call them, that are very large and aggressive and must be dealt with occasionally. We have beaten them back from our settlements before and we've learned a few things in the process.”

  “Well, we could certainly use your expertise on these matters,” someone said.

  The three of them hadn't noticed Tamara walking down the length of the table to join them. She stood behind Malcolm and rested her hands on the back of his chair.

  “I don't pretend to know how we are going to defend ourselves from ogres and giants, let alone goblins mounted on flying creatures, but we'll find a way,” she cont
inued. “We haven't survived this long and come this far by giving up.”

  “Agreed,” Aiden said firmly. “We'll make it through somehow. What we need to do is begin preparing immediately. We've been fortunate to get an early warning from Chase and her people. Now we have to take advantage of it.”

  “And we will,” Tamara assured him. “Chase, I'm going to set up another meeting for tomorrow, after you and your Elders settle in to your new quarters and have a chance to rest and get used to your new surroundings. We need to discuss strategy and tactics. Do you think that Dianis and the others will want to join us?”

  The elf had turned in her seat to listen to Tamara and she nodded as she set down her cup.

  “Yes, of course they will. We've been sent here to help you in any way that we can.”

  She glanced quickly down the table at the other elves, who were all chatting amicably with Sebastian and the other mages.

  “And our aid isn't completely altruistic, to be honest,” she added in a lower voice. “In helping your people, we elves help ourselves.”

  “How so?” Malcolm asked her.

  “As much as the lords of Chaos hate humans,” Chase replied heavily. “They hate my people even more. We fought against them millennia ago, along with the lawful dragons and the gods of Justice, and thrust them out of this universe into the Void. The dark gods do not forget and they do not forgive. If they destroy mankind and return from the Void, their next target will be the elves. So stopping their servants here and now not only saves you, but it saves us as well.”

  Tamara nodded thoughtfully.

  “Two birds saved with one stone,” she said with a small smile. “I like it. I'll speak to the Elders right now and arrange another meeting. In the meantime, Malcolm, if either you or Aiden could show Chase to her new quarters? We've assigned her to the guest suite in the east wing, the one on the second floor facing the sea. Do you know the one?”

  “I do,” Aiden spoke up. “I'll be happy to show her the way.”

  “Excellent. I'll speak with you later, then,” Tamara said to the elf.

  “I look forward to it, lady mage,” Chase said sincerely as she stood up. “And thank you for your hospitality. I think that my people and I are going to like it here.”

  Tamara smiled and nodded and walked back toward the Elders.

  “While you're showing Chase to her rooms,” Malcolm said as he got to his feet, “I'll re-tune the schedule for the guards, now that we know that the elves aren't planning to attack us.”

  Chase stared at both men.

  “Seriously? You actually believed that we were a threat?”

  Aiden rose as well, looking a little embarrassed.

  “No, we thought that you might be a threat, and we took precautions. There's a difference. I'm sure that you would have done the same if our positions had been reversed.”

  She seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding.

  “Yes, of course. Your home and people must be protected at all costs. I feel the same way about mine. At least you don't still believe that we are a danger to you. Do you?”

  Malcolm grinned as the three of them walked toward the door.

  “No, now we're hoping that you're a danger to our mutual enemies,” he joked.

  After he had posted a revised schedule for the castle's guardsmen, Malcolm decided to take a walk through the front gates and down the slope to check out the elven warriors' camp. He didn't want to interfere, of course, but he was curious. How did the elves set up a camp? What was the everyday elven grunt like? He'd met high ranking elves now, but he'd never spoken to a regular, run-of-the-mill warrior before.

  The path from the castle's gates ran down the gentle slope a hundred yards or so to the fields beyond. The elves had located their encampment off to the side of the path between the bottom of the hill and the edge of the cultivated fields where the humans were growing their crops. It was a wide swath of land that could have accommodated hundreds of elves, not just the two dozen who were setting up camp.

  Malcolm didn't want to intrude, so when he had approached to within earshot of the busy group, he stopped and watched them working. Other people might have felt awkward to just be standing and watching a group of strangers, but Malcolm had never been like that. He wasn't shy or reticent when it came to meeting new people. Aiden, on the other hand, was more socially awkward.

  He does make friends easier than I do though, once he gets to know people, Malcolm thought ruefully. Everyone loves Aiden. Me? I grow on folks over time.

  The elves had marked off a rough square on the ground where they were building their camp, and had stationed several guards around the perimeter. It was a precaution that Malcolm approved of. Until they were sure of their security, the elves were wise to play it safe.

  The rest of the warriors had removed their armor and were now wearing leather tunics and leggings, clothing that was cooler and easier to work in. They had already transported piles of long, thick branches and the stripped trunks of young trees from the forest and were in the process of erecting temporary shelters.

  Malcolm was intrigued to see that the buildings were reminiscent of native teepees that he had learned about when he was a kid. He watched, fascinated, as a bundle of long smooth branches was tied together at one end and then raised up. The elves pulled the branches apart and twisted them at the same time, so that the top ends overlapped and made the structure more stable.

  Several of the warriors were unrolling what appeared to be tanned skins and, while other frames were being raised, they began wrapping the erect frames with the skins, making them watertight. Malcolm noted that they left a gap open at the top of the teepee. He assumed that would allow smoke to escape when they made cooking fires inside.

  Eventually one of the elves left the group and walked over to where Malcolm was standing. She was taller than most of the others, only about six inches shorter than Malcolm, and her long blond hair was braided and hung down her back almost to her waist.

  The woman had a jagged, faded scar across her right cheek and her eyes were so pale that they were nearly colorless. Like most elves, she had a pleasant face, but she definitely looked hardened and professional as she approached the big man.

  “Good day, sir,” she said as joined Malcolm. “My name is Nersalla and I am the ranking warrior of my troop. May I help you?”

  Malcolm smiled and nodded in a friendly manner.

  “Good afternoon, Nersalla. I'm Malcolm and I am the commander of the castle's guardsmen.”

  The elf's eyes widened at this news and she bowed slightly.

  “It is a pleasure, sir. What can I do for you?”

  “Nothing, thanks. I just wanted to observe your people to see how you put together a temporary camp. We occasionally send out patrols that journey far enough from the castle that they have to build camps and I wanted to see how your people did it. I must say that it never occurred to me to build teepees. And you folks do it so quickly. Obviously you've done this many times before.”

  Nersalla frowned as she looked from Malcolm to her bustling camp and back again.

  “Teepees? I am not familiar with that word. You speak of our shelters?”

  “Yes, I do. Our native peoples built structures very similar to yours for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. They were nomadic and followed migrating herds of game, so they had to be able to set up and tear down their camps quickly.”

  “Ah, I see,” the elf said with a smile. “A wise and talented group, your native people. Did any of them survive the return of the dragons to this world?”

  Malcolm shrugged sadly.

  “Impossible to say. So few of us made it, humans I mean, that there is no way to know. Plus, most of us Changed so much that someone of aboriginal heritage might be unrecognizable now.”

  They watched as another shelter was erected. While the builders were working, Malcolm saw a handful of elves crossing the fields, returning to the camp. Hunters, obviously, as several of them wer
e carrying rabbits and two of them were walking in step together, the body of a large deer swinging on a pole between them.

  “Your people are efficient,” Malcolm said, with a nod at the hunters.

  “If we want to eat today, we have to be,” Nersalla replied. “And we know the forests very well, whether on this world or on our own. We keep no animals in captivity, nor do we have pets, as I believe your kind does. Instead, we take only what we need from the wilds and then leave it in peace. We live in harmony with nature, never taking more than what we require.”

  Malcolm thought about that for a moment. Humanity had always taken what it had wanted from nature, and the world had suffered for it. The grand irony of the return of magic and monsters to the Earth was that the planet was returning to the pristine condition that it might have had, if his people had only lived as the elves did. It was a humbling thought.

  “May I ask you a question, sir?” Nersalla said, interrupting Malcolm's musing.

  “Certainly. What would you like to know?”

  She looked at him closely.

  “I have noticed that you are different from the other humans that I have seen here, or heard about in stories. You are quite large,” Malcolm grinned at that comment, “and your skin is very dark. Did you look different? Before the Change, I mean?”

  The big man's grin faded at her observation, but the elf was obviously just curious.

  “I'm black, Nersalla,” he replied evenly. “My ancestors originally came from southern lands, where they adapted to the harsh conditions over thousands of years. That's why my skin is dark. As for my size, that happened when I Changed. I gained height and weight and was suddenly able to use weapons and tactics that I certainly did not have knowledge of before. So the person that I am today is a mixture of the old me and the new me.”

  “I see. That is interesting. Our world is very much the same in the north as it is in the south, so my people look similar no matter where they come from. Thank you for the information.”

  She glanced quickly toward her camp and lowered her voice.