by Noah Layton
I slammed to the ground, landing on my front, as darkness closed in all around me.
Chapter Nine
I shuddered awake in the darkness.
I was lying on bedsheets drenched in sweat. My head throbbed as I sat up. Touching the back of my head I felt the source of the pain; a large lump that had formed after…
After…
Shit.
I jumped from the bed, feeling about in the darkness until I found the walls of the room I was confined to. The wood grazed against my fingertips until I found a door, turned the handle, and burst through.
I was still on the land of the sun-elves. It was night, and the large space they called home had been lit by hundreds of torches, but rather than the graceful and civilised society that I had found when I first arrived, the place looked like it had been hit by a bomb.
Buildings were destroyed. Fires had only just been put out. Bodies laid under sheets and sobs from mouths that had been stoic when I had arrived were now commonplace.
‘Tall-man!’
Elera appeared from my left, wrapping her arms around me tightly.
‘Elera… What the hell happened?’
‘We were terrified for you! I have never been this connected to a man before and… Well, I did not think you would wake up.’
‘Well, I did,’ I said, wrapping my arms around her tightly then pulling her away and looking into her eyes. ‘Where are the rest of the girls?’
‘Umm…’ For the first time Elera showed some inhibitions and some sense of reluctance.
‘What?’ I asked, feeling the colour drain from my face as the hairs raised on my arms. ‘… Are they all right?’
Elera looked up at me with wide eyes that became wet in the moonlight. Those few seconds in which she paused were some of the longest in my life.
‘Lara and Ariadne are fine, but…’
‘Santana?’ I said sharply. ‘Where is she? Don’t… Don’t tell me she’s…’
Elera paused again, swallowing deeply.
I wanted to scream at her to tell me, but it was a struggle to even muster the words to ask. I didn’t want to know.
‘Is… Is she dead?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘What? How can you not know? Are the sun-elves looking after her?’
‘No.’
‘Then what?’
‘The wood-elves have taken her.’
I processed the words slowly, feeling stunted in my understanding of them. It felt like my brain had slowed down beyond my control in order to stop me from going crazy on the spot.
That was worse than my wife dying. If she had been killed it might have been quick, might have been merciful…
But right now she was out there, kidnapped by a feral tribe – and they could have been doing anything to her.
‘Oh, God…’ I felt my breath catch in my throat. A brutal, searing rage filled me immediately. ‘Where’s Artrix?’
‘They are meeting nearby to organise a party to head out in pursuit of them.’
‘They still haven’t headed out? Are you fucking kidding me? Where are they?’
‘That way.’ Elera pointed towards the tree at the centre of the land, and no sooner did I set off sharply towards it.
‘Wait!’ Elera called after me.
‘I haven’t got time to wait,’ I growled. ‘Every second that passes right now is bad. We have to get moving.’
‘Tall-man, stop and listen to me!’
Elera was usually playful, but her voice had taken on a vicious cry. I turned and looked back at her.
‘What is it?’
‘Santana is not the only one who has been taken.’
‘Who else?’
‘Artrix’s daughter, Mariana. They took both of them.’
Despite the blinding rage that obscured my senses, the thought of them both being taken was even worse.
I gave Elera a final look and hurried across the land towards the tree. On the way I passed bodies covered by blankets, the injured being tended to alongside their covered dead kin.
The silhouette of the tree loomed gigantically ahead, Artrix’s home upon this land, just like mine back at my own land.
I stormed towards it, and in my mind a flash of the rage I had felt back at Werger’s land before I had slaughtered his tribe struck me.
If I didn’t keep control of my actions, my rage could have gotten the better of me.
I was at serious risk of doing something really, really stupid.
There were no lights in the reaches of the treehouse as I arrived, but as I glanced around through blurred vision and shaking breaths I saw the flickers of light from a large nearby building.
I hurried to it and pushed through the entrance. The moment I set foot inside, five bows were raised and pointing in my direction.
‘Lower your weapons,’ a familiar voice said sternly. I looked in its direction to see Artrix glaring over at me with emotions that I had yet to see him express; anger and angst. ‘This man is not our enemy.’
Four sun-elf guards lowered their weapons, as well as Ralos, who maintained an expression similar to his father, minus the angst. His enraged face mirrored my own.
‘Master Jack!’
From nearby in the room, Ariadne and Lara hurried up to me and wrapped their arms around me. Their clothes were torn and ripped, and aside from a few small scrapes and bruises, as well as hair that was messy, dishevelled and scattered with dirt, they seemed fine.
I held them tight, beyond elated to see them, but the dwelling terror of Santana’s abduction lurked constantly in the back of my mind.
‘Where is she?’ I said, turning to Artrix as my wives pulled away. ‘Where have they taken her?’
‘Do you not think that we would have set off in search of them yet if we knew that?’ Ralos said bluntly. There was a harsh twang in his voice. ‘And there are two citizens missing, if you had failed to count.’
‘I’m well-fucking-aware of that,’ I said sharply.
‘Then recognise that we have lost just as much as you have, tribe master.’
‘Hey, I don’t need to take a lecture on morals from some headstrong daddy’s boy.’
‘Pick a weapon and we shall see how well your words match to your fighting skills.’
‘SILENCE!’ Artrix yelled the word so loudly that it sent a pang of silence through the entire Map room. ‘Gentlemen… This is hardly an effective or efficient use of our time. The longer we wait in pursuing these kidnappers the less chance we have in catching them.’
I managed to hold myself back for a few seconds longer, crushing the quivering pace of my breathing.
‘Where have they taken them?’ I asked, trying to control my tone.
Artrix looked down at the map, and I joined him in doing so. It was only then that I realized the true extent of the knowledge he possessed in comparison to mine.
The Map room back at my land showcased all the land that I and members of my tribe had traversed once they had become an official member of the group. It showcased trails, routes and paths, as well as towns and villages and sections of forest that we had come across.
Looking down at the map that belonged to the Sun-Elves of Morelia, I realized just how rudimentary my own was in comparison.
Artrix must have had scouting teams mapping the land, because much of it in a fifteen-mile vicinity was rigorously explored and chronicled.
And, as I looked closer, I realized that something was present that I didn’t feel comfortable with.
‘Is… Is that my land?’
‘Now that you have said that, it would appear so. My apologies for not making you aware of the fact. We had been aware of Master Marlo for many years, but did not feel the need to interfere as we did not deem him a threat. That said, we were unaware that you were a new presence there.’
‘Okay…’ I said, trying to feel a little more relaxed about the matter before directing my thoughts back to Santana. ‘Where have the wood-elves taken them?’
‘We have never delved deep enough into their territory to determine the true nature of their dwellings. But…’ Artrix leaned over the board and held out a hand, directing an unmapped patch of land twenty miles further south. ‘This is where they reside.’
‘What do you mean by their territory?’ I asked.
‘Based on our knowledge they possess a great deal of control over large portions of the forest in the area. Their ways are… Uncivilised. Feral, even. They are more akin to animals than beings that stand upon two legs. You have seen the damage they have done to our people here. When their spears leave their hands, they resort to using their sharpened teeth upon the necks of their enemies.’
Images of Santana being butchered by the wood-elves instantly flashed through my mind. My stomach turned at the thought.
I had done terrible things, spilled blood, had blood spilled upon me, but the image alone of her being slaughtered, conjured up by nothing but my mind, almost sent me throwing up.
I fought to keep my meal from earlier down.
‘So we do know where they are,’ I said quickly. ‘What are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we be heading out now? Raising your people and getting out there to butcher them?’
Artrix took a long, drawn breath.
‘I do not deny that such a course of action would be pleasing to me at this present moment,’ he said slowly, a growl almost simmering within his voice. ‘… But such a plan provides us with two key weak points. Firstly, it puts the lives of many of my people at risk. We number just over 300, and that was before this attack, but by our approximations there are likely over 600 wood-elves out there. Greater numbers could overwhelm us easily, not to mention our landing being undefended. The second issue is simply tactical; at this present moment, the tribe master of the wood-elves has us, as I once heard a man say, over a barrel. He took Mariana and Santana because he knew they were of great importance to us. If he becomes aware that we are approaching in great numbers, he will use them as a bargaining tool, which would put our women at greater risk, as well as the rest of our people. It will be seen as an act of war.’
‘But why would he take them?’ I asked.
‘Two beautiful young women?’ Artrix said. ‘There are many reasons, but I imagine you can determine one for yourself.’
My body tensed at the thought.
If they had laid a single finger on my wife…
I hated to admit it through the haze of anger that dominated my mind, but Artrix was right about everything. We had to be discreet, and that meant there was only one approach.
‘A small team is the only way to do this, then,’ I replied.
‘Precisely,’ Artrix said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Six will suffice.’ He looked around at the room. ‘This is a joint effort between our tribes, and thus will consist of joint numbers. Three of your own, and three of mine. Ralos, you will lead, and Moran and Nox-’ The sun-elf master turned to a pair of the guards within the room – ‘You will join.’
The sun-elf guards both nodded, and Artrix turned to me.
‘Master Jack, decide on two of your own to join you. The moment you have, the six of you will arm and head out.’
‘Father, I must protest,’ Ralos said, looking rapidly between Artrix and myself. ‘We know the area better. Bringing along an outsider, nonetheless one less experienced in warfare, will only hinder our progress.’
‘Son of mine, your vision is no doubt clouded by rage in these circumstances. Your sister, my daughter, has been taken, but do not assume that you are the only one here to have lost someone… Do you have a problem with that?’
Even if Ralos was the heir to the throne, even if his father was dying and he would soon take over, I had never seen Ralos look more shut down in the short time that I had known him until now.
‘No, father.’
Even grown men could be put in their places.
‘Good. Now, your journey will take you along this route.’ Artrix returned to the map and trailed the tip of his finger along the shimmering blue sea of locations and forests. ‘This is the densest part of the forest and will no doubt provide more apt cover. But the thicker the forest, the more peculiar the creatures. Keep a watchful eye for anything that may try to best you. Once you arrive at the bridge of Keltamir, you will bring yourself to their territory.’
‘There’s a bridge out there?’ I asked.
‘One that has been left deliberately dilapidated to deter beings from crossing. It allows passage over a crack in the land where the great river flows. Once you pass this point you are within the unmapped territory…’
The sun-elf master pointed to a large splotch of emptiness on the map.
‘And you guys really have no idea what’s out there?’ I continued.
‘Whisperings and rumours are all that we know, but the further you move from the land of a civilised tribe, the more terrible things you are likely to find.’
The words were spoken like a savant predicting a dark future. Maybe Artrix possessed more than just the ability to read me like a book – could any beings in Agraria truly predict the future?
‘That is everything,’ Artrix said, looking around the room. ‘Bring our people back, and spare no limb or throat until they are returned to us. Head to the armory when you are ready and get moving.’
We all nodded in agreement. Ralos and I shared a look of acknowledgement before heading outside into the night once again.
I intended to go straight to the armory with my wives, but suddenly I remembered the one person I hadn’t checked on; Alorion.
Elera joined myself, Ariadne and Lara, and together we hurried to the stables.
To my relief our wagon had been largely untouched, and our horses were sleeping peacefully nearby, being tended to by my imp.
‘Master Jack! I am so glad to see that you are awake!’
He looked like he was going to hug me, then remembered how awkward it had been the last time we had been that close and stopped himself.
‘I’m fine,’ I said. ‘Don’t worry about me. Right now we need to get moving.’
‘We are leaving?’ He exclaimed. ‘What about Santana?’
The very sound of her name sent a crippling dread through me, but I managed to hold it together. If I wasn’t a leader in a time of need I didn’t even deserve to hold the title of tribe master.
I relayed the plan to Alorion and the girls, even my wives who had been present.
‘Lara, Elera, you’re coming with me and the sun-elves. Ariadne, Alorion, I need you two to head back to the land and make sure that everything is safe.’ I turned to Lara and Elera. ‘Get to the armory. I’ll meet you over there shortly.’
They took off, and I took Ariadne aside.
‘You’ll be okay, won’t you?’ I asked her. ‘You know how to run the land, and I need somebody back there to keep morale up while I’m away.’
‘Of course, Jack,’ she smiled, pressing her hands to my chest as her fox-ears twitched. ‘I am capable of being without you… For a short time, at least.’
I wrapped my arms around her and we kissed passionately, running our hands into each other’s hair before our lips pulled away and we pressed our foreheads lightly to each other’s.
Ariadne was my first wife, the woman I had saved from a life of slavery, and who had saved me with her knowledge and skills more than a few times in this dangerous land.
For us to be apart was one thing, but deep down I knew there was a chance that this might be the last time I would see her.
‘Defend our land,’ I said to her. ‘Your word is law while I’m away. Explosives, blades – whatever it takes. Keep the tribe safe.’
‘I will,’ she replied. I turned to go, heading to the armory. ‘Jack?’
I turned to look back at her one last time. In the moonlight one half of her face was shrouded in shadow, but I could see the determined glare gazing back at me from her focused eyes.
‘What?’
‘Bring her back, and kill ever
ything that gets in your way. I do not care if they are men or women or innocent civilians. If they block your path, cut them down.’
Any other time and the prospect of killing innocents would have turned my stomach, but right now the kidnapping that the wood-elves had carried out against my tribe was the only thing that mattered.
I gave Ariadne a single nod and left her and Alorion there, setting off to meet Lara and Elera.
Artrix was smart, but he had been wrong about one thing; mustering a small army of sun-elves and bringing them to the front door of the wood-elf tribal land wasn’t an act of war – kidnapping our women was.
War had already been declared. We were just retaliating.
***
I met up with the rest of our group at the armory. It was a large stone building near to the stables that was in a complete state of disarray. Sun-elves would have had weapons on their persons, but they had been handed out ad-nauseum during the battle.
Three sun-elves who ran the armory were categorising weapons, while the third was assisting Lara, Elera, Ralos and his two guards with getting equipped.
‘Pleasant of you to join us, Master Jack,’ Ralos said flatly.
‘Then let’s start,’ I said, staring him down.
We already had our specialist weapons equipped and stashed; what we really needed was the secondary equipment.
Another set of lightweight leather armor was provided to each of us – form-fitting and tough, able to stop the swipe of a blade but not a direct stab or the speed of an arrow.
Potions came our way, too. I tried not to act impressed by the sheer extent of what was casually delivered, but in no time our inventories were stacked with potions of strength, healing and haste.
Then came the items respective of the armory itself.
The armorer provided us all with two small stacks of explosives.
‘Quickfire and delayed,’ the armorer told us. ‘The first explode within five seconds of activation. These do not operate in the same fashion as explosives on tribal lands operate with citizens. They will explode regardless of where they are at the moment of activation, and they cannot be deactivated once triggered. Then there is the other item, the delayed explosives. The same rules apply, although they will only ignite after one minute has passed. They both possess an immediate blast radius of five yards, with a propensity for additional damage up to fifteen yards. If you decide to use one, make sure that the conditions are suitable.’
