After a couple of hours, the two groups started to return just before dawn. Plode ordered everyone to huddle up close. He pressed his hands down on the wet ground and with a rumble the earth beneath them started to move. It suddenly became completely dark, but the rain had stopped.
One of the Elves used his wand to create a light, which illuminated a makeshift cave around them with a small vent at the top.
The floor and walls were dry and the men moved all the firewood and timber into the centre of the cavern and then set it ablaze. The flames soon grew and illuminated the cave. The warmth was welcome to everyone, who spread themselves around the edges of the cave. Everyone was so exhausted, but the fear of being discovered and the nightmare of the battle kept them awake.
Iris awoke to the smell of cooked food. Liamar and her husband sobbed from the loss of their child, which was still held in Liamar’s arms.
The King decided that they were safer to travel in the cover of darkness, and would wait until nightfall.
By the end of the day, most of the group was well rested, the dwarves made a small remembrance stone for Liamar’s child. Liamar and Koruko placed their child’s body on the open fire and prayed for his soul to find peace. The Kijiar were a religious race, and their souls would only return to them if they were killed under no magical circumstances. This made them fierce and relentless in battle.
The entire group paid their respects to their fallen comrades and Plode removed the cavern. He cast another spell and revealed the night's sky and forest again. It still rained heavily and the sodden ground around them would be difficult to travel through.
It was a further two days until they got to their destination, which they hoped to make their new stronghold until they could rebuild. Mireylon and Iris bonded on the journey, they shared stories of their past and concerns for the future.
Despite the fact Mireylon was fifty years older than Iris, this was not much of an age gap for Elves. Elves often lived a long life and had been known to survive for almost two thousand years.
It was dark when they arrived, but the rain had stopped and the moon was bright that night. The ruins of Yardwick were situated in the middle of a massive green meadow, illuminated by the blue glow of the moon.
This was not the only thing that lit the old ruins. There was a small campfire, which meant that there were already people there.
They decided to let Mireylon go alone to try and scout out those camped there. One of the Elves, who had particularly good eyesight, mentioned that he could see two figures arise in front of the fire and another approached them, which they assumed was Mireylon.
A short while after, the fire went out and the three figures casually walked towards them, it was Mireylon and two small foxes.
"So, I hear that you wish to reside here in the ruins of Yardwick," one of the foxes said to the group. "I am afraid that will not be possible. But, we have a place here where you may stay for now until you resolve your issue. Follow me" the fox said. He spoke in a very polite manner and seemed very friendly.
The fox led them across the fields and past their camp, the embers still glowed within the bed of the fire. The group followed the two foxes into an opening of one of the ruins. The opening led down a steady ramp into an underground tunnel. One of the foxes picked up a torch with his mouth and carried it along the tunnel. The group followed them for several minutes, down a long, straight tunnel made from ancient stone.
They eventually reached a dead end, which was not made of stone, but of tree roots. The other Fox placed his paw on the wall of roots, and the roots started to move like they were alive. The roots revealed a small archway and the group made their way through the gap one by one.
"Welcome to Haven," one of the foxes said proudly. As each person went through, they stood in awe of the sight they could see.
Through the archway was the inside of an enormous hollowed out tree. It was easily big enough to fit an entire town in. They stood at the top of a ledge, made of elegantly carved wood which gracefully made its decent around the outside. What was most striking was the tree which stood in the centre of the entire place.
The tip of the tree touched the top of the ledge where the group now stood. It was like a great oak, but the leaves were blue and they emanated out a beautiful sky blue light.
All around the inside of the hollowed tree they stood in were hundreds of giant, house-sized acorns, all with doors. Each acorn was connected with the elegant woodwork walkways that weaved throughout. Every walkway bustled with the life of all different races.
The two foxes led the group down the walkways, which swirled their way down around the outside. Iris glanced inside one of the tiny windows of one of the acorn houses to see a Dwarf couple happily eat a strange fruit the size of a pig.
After half an hour they arrived at the bottom. To the right they could see the trunk of a huge magic tree, which gave off a gentle warmth. To the left was a large square archway that led out into more of the ancient Elven ruins.
Straight in front of the group was a single acorn house, much bigger than the others. The two foxes led them inside the large house, which was full of an assortment of strange objects and relics.
At the rear of the room was another fox sprawled out on a large cushion. He glanced up at the group and stood up hastily. His legs were much longer and thinner than the two smaller foxes that led the group inside and he walked with a slight limp.
"Welcome to Haven travellers, my name is Sir Beckton Pannett, but most here just call me Stilts. Is there a leader among you?" The tall fox asked in a very well-spoken and dignified manner.
"That would be me." Dartis said and he stepped forward in front of the group.
"And who might you be?" Mr Pannett said.
"I am Dartis, King of the Legion of the Silver Snake, and these are the loyal troops of the Legion," The King said. He walked through and named each and every person in the group.
"And what brings you here?" Mr Pannett asked.
"Our stronghold was attacked and overrun, we believed these ruins to be abandoned, so we made our way here for refuge" The King explained.
"You are all welcome to stay here for now, but let me say this..." Mr Pannett’s tone changed from calm to authoritative. "The residents here live in peace, should any of you threaten a single person here, you shall have to answer to me."
Dakho, the Dwarf Commander, gave out a small chuckle.
"Don't try me!" Mr Pannett barked and with a strange spell, Dakho flew through the room, slammed through the doors and landed on the floor outside.
"That being said, let me show you all around and to where you will stay for now," Mr Pannett said.
He limped through the middle of the group and out where the large magical tree stood. He took the group through the archway Iris noticed earlier. Through the archway were rows and rows of stalls that had bizarrely shaped fruits and vegetables.
He led them past the stalls and to a long hallway. Iris peered into one of the rooms down the hall to see various races attack each other with wooden swords and weapons.
"Many people here are veterans of wars and battles, and they asked for somewhere to retain their battle prowess. When we found these empty rooms in the ruins it seemed the perfect place" Mr Pannett explained.
The group carried on down the hall into what looked like an even older part of the ruins.
"This is my proudest work here in all of Haven itself," Mr Pannett said. Inside was a room filled entirely with books on several different floors. The books rose up impossibly high, and bookshelves filled almost every space.
"This is the largest library ever to exist in the known world, you are all welcome to explore, just please be careful."
"You really are THE Sir Beckton Pannett aren't you?" Mireylon said astonished. He picked up a book and looked at the spine "I love your work, is this all yours?" Mireylon asked.
Mr Pannett let out a small chuckle "No my friend it is not. The books on this lower level are
mostly mine, everything higher is collections from all around the world. Many are the only copies, but it is getting late, and I'm sure you are all tired. I shall show you to where you will stay."
Mr Pannett led the group to various empty acorn rooms. Many had to share with two or three people. Mireylon, Iris and Zelkith shared a room together. They were surprised at how spacious the inside was, enough space for a soft bed and somewhere to eat. The three of them talked late into the night before they slept.
Iris woke up a few hours later, she was restless and decided to get up and walk around. She stepped outside the Acorn room, Zelkith and Mireylon were still fast asleep. She closed the door quietly behind her and hoped that she did not wake them.
The leaves on the tree were now a darker blue, but still bright enough to see.
Iris descended the winding walkways when she noticed the door to the large acorn house open below her. She stopped and hid behind the handrail. Iris watched curiously as a figure emerged from the door.
Mr Pannett slowly walked over to the base of the magical tree and sat next to it.He sat calmly for a minute before he let out a soft, quiet howl. Iris got closer to see a tear roll down his cheek, and he whimpered softly.
Iris walked up to Mr Pannett, knelt down and stroked his back. The sorrow in his face was unhidden, a face that yelled out for relief. Iris attempted to give him a comforting smile, but he turned away.
"No matter how hard I try, even with all the people I have helped. Without her, I truly am lonely" Mr Pannett sobbed. He did not hold back the sadness in his voice.
"Who was she?" Iris asked softly.
"We buried her here after we were cursed."
"Cursed?"
"We were Elves once, the two foxes you saw and me. We were cursed to live like this for eternity."
"That doesn't sound like much of a curse."
"We had our loved ones tortured and killed in front of our eyes, we had our homes destroyed. Just living to us is a curse, but she kept us strong and warm even after her death" Mr Pannett explained. He placed his paw on the trunk of the tree. Iris did not say anything but gave a curious look.
"To escape our enemy we hid down in these ruins, we discovered an enormous hollow tree and found this area of dirt. We decided to bury my wife here and in her place this magical tree grew, which provided us with warmth and light."
"She sounds exceptional," Iris said.
Mr Pannett paused for a few moments "May I show you something?" he asked and Iris just nodded.
Mr Pannett wiped the tear with his paw and limped off back into the large acorn house. He showed Iris his private study and waited for Iris to step inside. He pushed the door closed with his nose and leant onto the bookcase the other side of the room.
He pushed one of the books from the bookcase and with a small rumble it split in two and moved out across the wall. The hidden door revealed a small room, with nothing but a desk at the back. On the desk sat a single black leather bound book and a little pot with soil inside. Iris glanced at the book to see the word 'Amateru' on the front.
"It means shining in heaven, I guess it was not just a name" Mr Pannett said.
Mr Pannett walked over to Iris with the small pot of soil in his paws. He asked Iris to place her hands inside. Iris did what Mr Pannett asked and she put her hand upon the soil gently. She felt a surge of warmth shoot up her. She released her hand to see a plant sprout with incredible speed.
The plant was a few inches tall and had two stems, one stem bloomed a single bright yellow flower, which illuminated the small room. The other stem had an abundance of dull yellow leaves.
"I never thought this day would come," Mr Pannett said in amazement. He cut off the stem with the dull leaves. The flower withered into a black ball and the rest of the plant died. The cutting that he held in his paw was still as colourful as before. He took the cutting and placed it into Iris's hands.
"Will you take this and protect it with your life?" Mr Pannett asked.
"I don't understand, what is this? Why give it to me?" Iris asked utterly confused.
Mr Pannett said nothing, and let out a small sigh. "You won't understand unless I tell you a few things, but these words must not leave this room," Mr Pannett asked.
"Your secrets are safe with me," Iris replied.
"When we buried my wife Amateru, the tree outside sprouted in her place and gave us warmth and light. What everyone else did not know is that she was pregnant before she died, and when the tree sprouted, it gave just one single seed. I took the seed and placed it into this pot we see here." Mr Pannett had tendered and watered the pot for so many years, yet nothing at all happened, until this day when Iris turned up.
"But why give it to me?" Iris asked.
"From the moment you walked into Haven, I felt the same warmth as I did from my wife. I always believed that the child would be reincarnated in some way" Mr Pannett insisted.
"Mr Pannett I can't take something like this," Iris said. She held out her hand for him to take it back.
"And why not?" he argued. "There is so much in this world which I still do not understand. I do however know that these events do not just happen by chance. One way or another, you and you alone were destined to have that" he said. Mr Pannett pushed Iris's hands back toward her.
"But..."
"There shall be no argument," Mr Pannett said firmly.
"Thank you, Mr Pannett, so much," Iris said with a smile on her face.
"Please, just call me Stilts."
Iris just smiled again and looked down at the cutting in her hands. She placed it in a pouch that she had hidden under her shirt.
"I heard your King tell you all to meet up in the morning, you should get some rest" Stilts suggested.
Iris walked back to the acorn room and crept back inside. Iris laid down next to Zelkith and fell to sleep.
Iris woke the next morning, alone in the room. In no rush to get up, she waited a few minutes. She hid Limbo and the cutting around her waist and fastened the amulet around her neck before she covered them with her dark black cotton shirt.
She opened the door and glanced down to the bottom of Haven. She noticed The King faced the remaining troops from the Legion, Zelkith and Mireylon among them. Iris watched until the meeting had finished.
Everyone left and dispersed in several different directions. The King approached Mireylon and Zelkith and after a short talk, the three of them approached Iris. Mireylon stepped in front of Iris and took hold of her hand.
"It seems we must part, I have some things I must see too, we will speak again soon" Mireylon spoke gently.
He stepped away and walked off with a smile on his face. The King and Zelkith approached Iris after.
"I have a mission for you, and it is of the utmost importance" The King requested. Iris and Zelkith nodded but did not say anything.
"With the events of the recent battle, I now have a task that needs doing urgently. The two responsible for the attack have been spotted nearby and need to be dealt with accordingly,” The King said.
"You mean to kill them?" Zelkith said.
"Yes. If the Legion is to survive, we must stop the corruption from its source. Are you both willing to do this for the Legion?" The King asked.
"Why us? I'm hardly assassin material" Iris argued.
"You have two advantages over the others in the Legion. The targets won't know that you are one of us and you are Dark Elf like our targets. They won't suspect you as much."
As much as Iris hated to admit it, The King did have a good point, but she did not think that she could kill someone in cold blood.
"The balance of the Legion is counting on the success of this mission. We must put a stop to this once and for all" The King pleaded. With a sigh, Iris reluctantly agreed.
"Thank you, both of you." The King said sincerely. He handed Iris a small satchel and a small pouch of money. "Inside there is a map, and some food to last the journey. The targets were recently seen in Alphaport, north of here
, you'll need that money to get a boat across."
Once they arrived, they were to scout out for two Dark Elves. They were spotted at an auction, the only information they had obtained was the taller Elf had a golden earring in his upper ear.
Mr Pannett personally led them out of Haven and left them with a saying that he lived by.
Never judge a book by its cover or a person by their face. There's no knowing what it could behold.
Iris and Zelkith walked off into the distance, map in hand both eager to get this mission over and done with.
Chapter 6
Iris and Zelkith made their way down the road and towards the small port town that would take them to Alphaport. It took three days to walk, but it was an easy route along the cobbled road and they made good progress.
They arrived at the small port town at dawn on the third day. It had no more than thirty small houses and a single tavern. The small port had around seven small fishermen’s boats moored up. They approached the first boat, which was the largest boat there. Iris walked up to a large burly man who stood beside the vessel. Iris guessed he was the captain.
"Good day Captain. My companion and I are seeking a voyage to Alphaport. We have coin and will not disturb your crew" Iris asked in as polite a manner as she could muster.
The large burly man looked down at Iris with a look of disgust "I wunt ave sumin like you on my ship ever! Shove off!" the man said with a growled expression.
Iris was taken aback by the blunt rudeness, but she did not respond and instead turned around and left. They went along the harbour and asked each captain, in turn, only to get the same response. Iris kept up hope, and she approached the last boat on the dock.
"I wunt be takin you anywhere lass, be gone!" the captain had said before Iris had a chance to open her mouth.
"But this is the last...."
"No one wants your kind ere lassy," the captain said. Disheartened, Iris and Zelkith returned along the harbour.
Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1) Page 6
