by Inlo, Jeff
While waiting for the dieruhne, Haven prepared a spell that would harness the dimensional aspect of golden power and utilize the magical flows between realities. Her control over light could overcome any darkness, and it was that power which would be used to remove the dieruhne as a threat.
The fiend staggered laboriously through the forest, its wound finally beginning to show some effect on its stamina. Its strength, however, had not diminished, and it knocked over a few well-rooted trees that blocked its path. Grunting through heavy breaths, it leapt down the slight banks of the dry creek bed, but it showed no sign of concern. If it sensed the surrounding elf guards, it took no defensive posture. The monster remained fixed upon the trail of the elf it followed.
Birk Grund gave the signal, and the elf archers fired arrow after arrow down upon the raging beast. They were not surprised to see flashes of lightning erupt from the monster's trident to repel the attack, but they would not cease their barrage.
The dieruhne revealed fleeting uncertainty. It had previously ignored the presence of other elves, but the sudden attack forced the demon to reconsider its approach. The beast was not vulnerable to further injury from the barrage. It had placed the enchantment of its spear at the ready before it began its hunt, and so, the lightning from its trident fired repeatedly the moment the first archer released an arrow.
The magical flashes that turned away each razor-tipped shaft became a brilliant display of sparkling energy. The barrage was nothing more than an annoyance to the dieruhne, but it wondered if it should vent some of its fury upon the other elves who dared attack it. That critical instant of indecision proved to be its undoing.
Haven had no desire to physically attack the dieruhne. While she could have sent a golden wave of pure energy directly through the spears of lightning, she felt such aggression would only feed the burning hostility within the white eyed monster. Instead, she decided to remove its evil presence from Dark Spruce, from the land of Uton entirely.
With the monster unmoving in clear space, Haven Wellseed cast her spell quickly. The yellow power of light could be utilized to cast illusions, increase the speed of movement, burn away evil intentions, and create magical connections that could not be resisted. It also coalesced with the transitional aspects of ebony energy to portray the very depth of existence. While black magic ruled over the transition from one state of being to another, the magic of light highlighted the realities within the distinct planes of existence.
The yellow triangle that briefly formed around her wrists shot off of her arms to envelop the dieruhne. The golden energy pulled upon the overlapping layers of existence within the space it occupied. Tearing at a seam in one reality, it opened a hole into another. It created not so much a portal between dimensions, but rather a break in the veil between life and death. She merged the light of two separate existences into one and created an overlap between the two realms as opposed to a bridge that would connect them.
The dieruhne's essence was already preparing for the transformation that death would eventually bring. Its diseased spirit understood the quickening step toward the end of its physical existence. Wishing to be free, the essence of the demon looked to hasten its journey into the next realm. With the curtain pulled aside, the transition became that much simpler, and the dieruhne's twisted spirit willingly dashed into the temporary fold. As it did, the fiend's body crumbled, dead before it hit the ground.
The captain of the elf guard called for a halt of the barrage before the lightning magic drained out of the spear. Birk leapt to the ground and examined the body. He was pleased with the results.
"Well done," Birk called to the elf sorceress. "No one was harmed and hardly a struggle."
"Thank you," Haven offered as she collected any loose magical energy that might have remained caught within the curtain between existences. "If you do not mind, I would like to stay here for a while to ensure the layers separate completely without any residual influences."
"Do what you must," the elf captain replied. "I will leave several guards to watch over you, but I must return to camp and make a full report to the elder."
After Haven nodded, Birk leapt back into the trees. He redeployed his guards to protect the sorceress, to patrol several paths back to the elf camp, and to return to the cave entrance of Dunop. With his orders complete, he raced off through the branches. He passed through the outer patrols and then made his way to the center of the elf camp. He immediately met with Shantree Wispon who had just finished a brief but tense meeting with yet another dwarf emissary.
Birk was surprised to see a dwarf appear so soon after the encounter with the dieruhnes. The timing raised several questions, but his overriding duty was to the safety of the camp. He needed to inform the elder of the status of the demon and of the deployment of his guards. Rather than question the elder about her meeting with the dwarf, Birk offered an immediate report.
"The dieruhne has been eliminated. No other casualties involved. There is no sign of the other demons that arrived with Petiole, but I have deployed additional guards to patrol the trails that lead to our camp. I have also sent elves to return to the entrance of Dunop to check on Petiole and the remaining demons."
"I was just informed that the dieruhnes and Petiole have left the area," Shantree explained.
"The dwarf emissary gave you this news?"
"Along with some other disturbing reports. The dieruhnes killed two dwarf sentries, but they lost one of their own as well. A proclamation from Petiole was left upon one of the dead sentries. An elf arrow was used to affix it to the dwarf's face."
Shantree went on to explain what the proclamation entailed.
"They realize he has no authority to make such a claim?" Birk asked.
"They would not abide by such an order even if they believed he spoke for all the elves in Dark Spruce. That much was clearly indicated to me. They also will not recognize the first proclamation issued by Petiole."
Birk kept his surprise in check, but he needed to verify the assumption that could be drawn in the face of such information.
"Petiole has appeared in the forest before this?"
"Just beyond the edge of the forest, in the center of the human outpost of Pinesway. He arrived via teleportation and instructed the humans to cease all logging in Dark Spruce as well as all illicit trade with the dwarves. He informed both the humans and the dwarves that the elves would protect the forest."
"Are you certain of this? This is madness, even from Petiole."
"No, I am not sure, but that is what I was just told by the dwarf emissary. I was also told there were hundreds of witnesses, including humans in Pinesway. So while I am not certain, I have no reason to doubt it."
"Did the emissary say anything else?"
"We were instructed to remove all elf guards from entranceways to Dunop. Queen Therese of the dwarves believes our surveillance is adding to the crisis. She believes that her sentries would not have been killed if our guards were not there."
"She might be right. I should recall the guards I sent to check on the dieruhnes."
Shantree would not let the order stand.
"You will do no such thing! Surveillance will continue. My caution was not the cause of this. Although Petiole is clearly bent on creating chaos, he was not our responsibility. The dwarves allowed him to escape, and then they blamed us."
Birk did not wish to argue with the camp elder, but he remained uncomfortable with monitoring the dwarves. The actions of Petiole pointed to complex circumstances and potentially devastating consequences. Every instinct within him raged against further inciting the dwarves.
"This is not simply about Petiole, not with dieruhnes by his side. Certainly you must see this?"
"Of course I do."
"Then why would you continue to place elves and dwarves in situations which might create further conflict?"
"You believe they are correct in blaming us?"
"What do I care for blame? I care about defusing a tense situ
ation. Dwarf sentries were killed by dieruhnes. We must give them some latitude."
Shantree, however, was not ready to relinquish her concerns.
"And just as dwarf sentries were killed by dieruhnes, innocent elves were killed when something opened a crater beneath the center of our camp. Or have you forgotten that mishap?"
"No, I have not." Birk replied with a hint of indignation.
"Then you should realize that caution remains important. You may wish to side with the dwarves, but I do not have that luxury."
Shantree caught herself. She was criticizing the elf captain openly, going well beyond acceptable behavior, and she knew the reason. She calmed herself and offered an explanation.
"I am sorry," the elf elder stated sincerely. "I do not wish to sound so critical. I had to show great restraint with the dwarf emissary, and I believe I am now taking out my frustrations on you. You simply showed up at the wrong time."
"I understand. Apologies are not necessary, but I also have to be honest with you. I believe you have placed far greater concern upon the dwarves than has been warranted. I have made that clear from the beginning."
"And I have appreciated your honesty, but from the beginning, I have sensed that this is as much about the dwarves as it has been about Petiole. Look at what has happened. Petiole appears in Pinesway and then outside Dunop. He is being guarded by dieruhnes. As a captain of the elf guard, what does that tell you?"
"That someone is targeting the dwarves, trying to incite them."
"And you believe that my actions have only added to that, correct?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Assume I did nothing, kept all guards away from the dwarves. Do you think the individuals responsible would have ceased their attempts to provoke the dwarves, that everything would simply return to normal?"
"Perhaps not," Birk allowed, but he felt it necessary to view the situation from an even larger context, "but consider the news just brought to us by the emissary. Therese is concerned that we are adding to the tension with our suspicions."
"How much more suspicious would we look if we simply ignored the entire situation and appeared ignorant of everything that has happened? Do you believe the dwarf queen would be satisfied with our behavior, or would she start to question our aloofness?"
Birk began to see the implications of the elf elder's concerns.
"I believe she might have been more suspicious of us if we showed no concern," the captain admitted. "She would have wondered if we were hiding something."
"I agree."
"Then there really was no alternative," Birk conceded with a nod. "You had to suspect the dwarves from the beginning."
"Actually, there was a choice. I took the path that would hopefully appear the most reasonable. I would rather have the dwarves angry with our suspicions than have them believing we were behind everything that has happened. To that end, you must remain concerned with the security of this camp. That means you need to verify that the remaining dieruhnes have indeed left the forest, even if it means angering the dwarves. Better that than have them suspecting our intentions."
"Very well, but if the dwarf emissary's report is accurate, then there are only two dieruhnes remaining. With Haven Wellseed's talents, we were able to remove one without difficulty. I see no reason why we could not handle two more in similar fashion."
"At least that has gone right," Shantree noted thankfully, but then she turned her attention to another growing problem. "What is the latest word on the dark army?"
"Burbon has fallen to the goblin horde. The town was overrun completely. Any soldiers that failed to evacuate would have either been captured or killed by now."
"I thought the town was cut off by bloat spiders," Therese stated with obvious surprise. "How could the soldiers have left?"
"Through tunnels. This may explain the underground activity we noted around Dunop. My guess is that the dwarves were opening their end of tunnels that led to Burbon. They were assisting the humans."
The revelation surprised the elf elder even further.
"The humans soldiers marched to Dunop underground?"
"That is the only destination that makes sense. Our magic casters have been continuously probing deep beneath the grounds to search for both dwarf activity and rock beetles. We are certain the human guards who escaped Burbon are traveling west within tunnels that were dug by dwarves many seasons ago."
"Does this not concern you?"
"Concern? No. It appears to be a sound tactical plan. The humans could not hope to defeat the dark army..."
"Enin could have," Shantree interrupted.
"Apparently he chose not to."
Shantree tried to place everything in perspective. Certain pieces seemed to fit together logically, but overall, she sensed a persistent wave of turbulence bent on causing confusion.
"Again, this is so much more than it seems. Burbon had no relations with the dwarves. Now, they have been forced to retreat to Dunop. I am not certain if this would benefit the dwarves or create even more tension."
"The dwarves have stable relations with the humans from Connell and Pinesway."
"This is true, but now Petiole has threatened Pinesway. That could bring the dwarves and humans closer together, or drive them apart. And what of Enin's decision? He has done much to develop relations between humans and dwarves. He chose not to come to Burbon's aid, but now human soldiers from that town are marching toward the dwarf city."
Shantree folded her hands behind her back as she tried to place all the pieces in some kind of rational order, but very little made sense. She looked back at the elf captain and revealed her fears.
"Your reluctance to blame the dwarves has been a tribute to your instincts from the very beginning. Unfortunately, I believe that there is a force working upon us that will simply press beyond your instincts. Hopefully by now you understand I have been treading carefully. I believe if I showed reluctance to suspect the dwarves, whoever is behind this would have simply caused even greater conflict. The human town is now in the hands of a dark army and the dwarves are becoming more agitated. There may be no way to avoid a conflict with the dwarves, for I believe that is where this is headed. It may not be what any one wants, but it may also be something that cannot be avoided. I suggest you take whatever precautions are necessary to prepare for such a conflict."
Chapter 22
While racing through the forest, Ryson bit down hard on his grief, swallowed it, and walled it off. He buried it in a place where he could control it, at least temporarily. He couldn't allow it to distract him, not when there was important work to be done and hazardous terrain to be crossed.
He wasn't really concerned about his own safety. Dark Spruce remained a perilous region, but he could avoid any danger in the forest. As for the dark creatures from Burbon, they couldn't catch him, not even the hook hawks.
Still, the delver would not allow his emotions to betray a trust which was suddenly more important than ever. It was Sy's last wish to see to the safety of his soldiers. In light of that understanding, Ryson needed to ensure they made it through the underground tunnels. For that, he had to reach the dwarf city as quickly as possible, and rather than take the time to mourn the loss of a friend, the delver would honor Sy's memory by securing safe passage for the guard. It was the only thing he could do that made any sense... and that kept the pain at bay.
Ryson reached the entrance of Dunop after a dwarf battle squad had secured the cave and retrieved the bodies of the sentries killed by the dieruhnes. Ryson could not ignore the signs of a struggle near the entrance or the increased activity of dwarf warriors, but he also had to respect the privacy of the dwarves. He was encroaching upon their territory. He could not afford to pester them with delver inquiries to satisfy his unending need for answers.
He also had more important considerations. He had to ensure the dwarves had cleared the tunnels that led from Dunop to Burbon. Just as he did with his grief, Ryson clamped down on his delver curiosi
ty and pushed it aside. He respectfully addressed the dwarf warriors and requested entry into the city.
Despite the circumstances, not one dwarf questioned the delver's intentions. Ryson Acumen was no stranger—not like the half-delver—and though they were angered by the death of two sentries, they showed proper respect of their own. The dwarves did not bar Ryson from entering Dunop, but they did request he report immediately to the queen, a request to which the delver happily agreed for it would serve his own purposes as well.
Without requiring an escort, Ryson rushed down the long tunnel to Dunop and then through the streets to the palace at the center of the underground metropolis. He was granted entry into the castle and directed to a quiet chamber where he could meet with the queen in private.
"You received my message?" Ryson asked immediately as Queen Therese entered the chamber but bid her advisors to wait out in the hall.
"We did," the dwarf queen confirmed. "Had it come from anyone else, I probably would have dismissed it. Opening access to sealed tunnels is not something we do at a casual request."
"But you did open them, didn't you?"
"Do not fear, Ryson Acumen. The soldiers of Burbon will not be allowed to perish in blocked tunnels. Still, I want you to understand the gravity of the matter."
"I appreciate that, but it was necessary to save lives."
"I understood the severity of the situation. We monitored the activities of the dark army in the forest, saw that they marched upon your village."
Therese saw a hint of surprise in the delver's eyes and felt the need to explain.
"Yes, I knew Burbon was in danger, and I did not take the information lightly. I considered many avenues to assist you, but my advisors reminded me that we do not have official relations with Burbon. I was not satisfied with that, but then Enin appeared. It was a rather strange visit, but your message allowed me to assist your home as you assisted mine."
"Then you cleared the way?" Ryson asked one last time, hoping to gain a direct answer on the disposition of the tunnels.
