by Jeff Sabean
“I do hope we are far enough away from the city for that to not be noticed,” Zatus exclaimed, a worried look on his face. “It could destroy our chances of rescuing our friends if guards come to investigate and find us. These are not stupid Chondri guards, but high elves...”
“Oh, do stop worrying,” Ja’ade replied, a mischievous look on her face. “If any guards find us, we will dispatch them appropriately and continue to the city as if nothing happened. Even if this ‘Fion’ is lying and the people here are peaceful, it is not like a patrol has never disappeared in the wild lands before. It can never be traced back to us, and we will leave promptly after finding your friends.”
“Fair enough,” Aki replied as they reached the beach. “Besides, the Captain and cook of the Cattostrophy are still aboard, and if anyone finds the ship, they will likely assume there was a tragic accident and the crew was burned alive before being able to launch the dinghy.”
“My way is more fun,” pouted Ja’ade, unable to keep the twinkle out of her eye as she did so.
“Onward to Harmonui?” Aki asked, smiling at the young lady.
Before she could answer, a cloud fell over the group. Looking up, a black shape wrapped in shadows dropping directly above them, and they felt the wind of beating wings as it levelled out and came to land a dozen paces away.
On this bright and sunny morning, Aki and Zatus got their first look at a real live dragon, its massive head turned toward them with its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth slightly open. It was sitting up straight on its rear legs, wings unfurled to show the companions the full extent of its size. They could feel the hot breath from the beast, coming out in puffs of shadows, and were temporarily paralyzed with fear as they stared in awe.
Apparently unaffected, Ja’ade and Mialin each lit a fireball in the palms of their hands, the intensity increasing as they stared the dragon in the eyes.
“Such theatrics are unimpressive, Dracorex,” Ja’ade stated blandly, her emerald eyes never breaking their lock with the self-proclaimed Dragon King.
Laughing, Dracorex shook his head in disagreement, the sound of his laughter a sinister contrast with the impressive beast.
“That is not true, Lady Ja’ade,” he replied, his laugh turning to a smirk as he answered. “You should have seen the looks on the faces of your new companions. It was worth every bit of the theatrics.”
Her golden eyes glinting with desire to hurl the fireball in her palm, now glowing white hot, Mialin snarled at the shadow dragon as she spoke: “What are you doing here, dark one? This is no place for you.”
“Oh, I disagree,” Dracorex replied, letting his wings down so the companions on the beach could see his passenger. “I have someone who wishes an audience with your new...friends.”
With a flair for the dramatic, Fion swung his right leg over the dragon’s back and slid down his leg, landing in front of the foursome and dipping into a deep bow, his hood still covering his head. As he stood, the companions could see his red eyes glowing under his hood, and as he removed it, he revealed a shaved head, shadows curling around his black skin in the light.
“Fion, I presume?” Aki finally asked, barely taking his eyes from the dragon.
“That is a good assumption, other-worlder,” Fion replied, a smile parting his lips and revealing brilliant white teeth. “I do apologize for my entrance, but my companion could not contain his desire to make a, ahh, shocking entrance.”
“I’ve seen worse,” muttered Zatus, still staring at the gigantic dragon.
“I am sure you have, good gnome,” Fion replied with a wink at the sisters. “And you would be Ja’ade and Mialin, the infamous, ahh, sisters, is it?”
The fireballs still burning in their palms, both sisters nodded while continuing to stare at Dracorex.
“Have no fear, ladies, he will not be starting a fight with you as long as he is my partner,” Fion stated, shooting a glare toward his dragon companion.
“Partner in what, exactly,” Aki asked, now fully turning his attention to the strange shadow elf standing before him.
“In destroying the tyranny of the ‘high elves’ of Harmonui, of course,” Fion replied, as if the answer were obvious. “We have been building this plan for years...” he stopped abruptly, staring at the hilt of the sword hanging on Aki’s hip.
“Good human,” he stuttered a bit, staring at the hilt, “where, pray tell, did you acquire this blade?”
Feeling a bit awkward, Aki looked down to remind himself what blade Fion was referring to.
“Oh, that? We raided a pirate treasure room just outside Eskanda, and this blade was part of the treasure. Why, do you know it?” Aki asked, trying to read the look on Fion’s face.
Drawing the sword from his right hip with his left hand, Fion lifted it for the companions to view. The handle was wrapped in black leather, and had sapphires inset in the cross guard, exactly like the blade Aki wore. The jet-black blade with a blue edge burst into blue flame as they watched.
“Your blade you wear is the companion to this one, made for me by a legendary sword smith in my city of Zylsandoral, several miles beneath the surface of Kartos. Does it not match my blade exactly?” Fion asked, never taking his eyes from the hilt of Aki’s sword.
Drawing the blade, Aki held it out for the elf to examine.
“Not exactly. As you can see, this one has a red handle, although that would be easy enough to change, but the blade itself has these veins of blue running through it which match the rock of the room where we discovered it,” he stated, holding the blade up for Fion to examine.
“May I?” Fion asked, holding his right hand out for the blade.
Shrugging his shoulders, Aki flipped the sword in the air, deftly catching the blade and presenting it to the elf handle first.
As Fion gripped the handle, the blade burst into blue flame, with the marbling of the blade glowing more intensely. As he stared at the blade, shadows curled from his arm, down around his hand, and the red leather of the handle turned black. He brought the two blades together in front of him, and the sapphires of both cross guards began to glow brightly.
As he stared at the recovered blade, his eyes grew wide with surprise.
“Someone has added to the power of this blade since I, ahh, misplaced it during an attack by the elves of Harmonui on my home. Yes,” he muttered, never taking his eyes from the blade, “underwater breathing. A useful enhancement for the surface world...”
Satisfied, Fion finally tore his gaze from the blade, duplicated the sword flip Aki had performed, extending the handle to the surprised human.
“Why are you giving me back what is clearly your blade?” Aki asked, not reaching for the handle.
“I would not presume to take the blade from you, as you acquired it fairly,” replied Fion, his eyes once again locked on the blade in his hand.
“A trade, then?” Aki proposed, nodding to the sword still in the sheath on Fion’s left hip.
Smiling widely, Fion flipped the sword again, catching the handle, then stabbed the blade into the sandy beach. He drew the other sword, which was also exquisitely crafted with a solid black blade, handle, and crosspiece, and presented it to Aki.
“This blade will serve you well, human. And you have my undying gratitude for returning my lost blade to me,” Fion stated, as Aki accepted the sword and slid it into the sheath on his hip.
Fion retrieved his blade from the sand and stared intently at the blue marbling of the blade. The shadows from his hand curled around the handle and down the blade, but the blue pattern remained. Frowning, he slid both blades into their sheaths and returned his gaze to the group in front of him.
“Now that we are all friends,” Ja’ade said dryly, still staring at Dracorex, “What are you doing here?”
“Ahh, yes, Lady Ja’ade,” Fion replied, snapping out of his pensive stare. “Refresh my memory, which one of you is the dragon?”
Shocked, Aki and Zatus both took a step back and snapped their heads tow
ard the sisters.
Growling again, Mialin tossed her fireball over her shoulder, blasting the Cattostrophy still burning offshore, her eyes never leaving the shadow dragon in front of her. As the others watched, she moved back from them, and her image began to shimmer in the light, coming in and out of focus. Each time it flickered, she grew a little more, until she stood closer to twenty-five feet tall, then shifted into the form of a beautiful golden dragon. She continued to stare hatefully at Dracorex, her mouth now opened a bit, wisps of smoke drifting from the corners of her mouth, as a small flame appeared in her maw full of teeth.
“I knew there was something off about her,” Zatus muttered to Aki. “Such an amazing illusion, I couldn’t see through it, but I knew something was off...”
“Magnificent,” Fion breathed, staring at the gold dragon. “You have my word, lady, that Dracorex is not here to do battle with either of you. He has agreed to assist me in destroying Harmonui, thus protecting my people from these disgusting surface elves.”
Ja’ade bristled a bit at that, her free hand moving her curly red hair back to reveal the pointy ears underneath.
“My lady please forgive me, I had forgotten the stories,” Fion apologized, performing another sweeping bow before the sisters. “You are of the woodland elves, yes?”
Nodding, Ja’ade intensified the fireball in her palm, which now glowed a brilliant hue of blue, causing everyone around her besides her sister to take a step back from the heat it emitted.
Dracorex maintained eye contact with Mialin as his body began to shift and shrink until he appeared to be a shadow elf standing before them.
“You have my solemn oath, ladies, that I will not attack you if you choose to assist Fion in his destruction of the so-called ‘high elves’ of Harmonui. If that is acceptable, you must agree now, as I will not watch over my shoulder for an attack from either of you.
“You know, lady,” he continued, staring at Mialin, “that my word cannot be broken, the same as yours. Give me your word here and now or attack this moment. Either way, I will be present for the burning of Harmonui, with or without you.”
Dracorex reached out his hand toward the golden dragon, shadows curling around his arm and hand.
Mialin began to shrink back to her human form, wisps of smoke still sneaking out of the corners of her mouth as she became a woodland elf to match her sister. Nodding her agreement, she stretched out her arm and took hold of his hand, flames jumping from her palm to meet the shadows of Dracorex. Both nodded their agreement, then stepped back from each other.
“Waste of a good fireball,” Ja’ade muttered, tossing it over her shoulder to add to the blaze of the Cattostrophy, which had all but sunk below the waves by now.
Chapter 4 – Meeting the Queen
Four days prior...
The Slip Away, the ship belonging to the “gentleman adventurer” Tylo the Blue, gracefully slid into the harbor of Harmonui, the city of elves. Heishi and Tiane stood at the bow of the ship taking in the massive city before them and trying not gawk.
Di’eslo and Gabrielle silently walked up behind the other-worlders and stood in silence for a moment.
“Is this your first trip to Harmonui, Master Di’eslo?” Gabrielle asked, a bit too formally in Heishi’s opinion.
“Yes, lady,” the shadow elf cleric replied, pulling up the hood of his cloak. “My people are not exactly welcome in this city...”
“You have nothing to fear, my friend,” the beautiful high elf replied, a twinkle in her bright blue eyes. “My sister is the queen of the city, and when I introduce you as my savior, she will accept you as I have.”
“I admire your confidence, lady, but my experience with surface elves has been somewhat different than you describe. In case you have forgotten, you hated me still as I healed your wounds in the chamber of Sgel the Nasty...” he let the words fade away as he continued to stare at the city, ever looming closer.
“Then allow me to enter the city first, with Heishi and Tiane. I will speak with my sister, and when she is convinced of your good heart, I will bring you to her myself,” she replied, looking hurt at the reminder of her attitude toward this remarkable shadow elf.
Heishi turned to look Di’eslo in the eye and nodded his head.
“That is excellent advice, my friend. We will go meet the queen, and let your actions speak for themselves. I understand the mutual hate between your races, but sometimes all it takes is one man to make a difference, and I believe you are that man,” he said, reaching out to shake the shadow elf’s hand.
“Let’s not get all ‘Saturday morning special’ about this, Top,” Tiane interjected from the side, a grin on his face. “How about we just go meet this queen, you can charm her, and we’ll all live happily ever after...”
“And once again,” Heishi replied with a laugh, “Staff Sergeant Tiane ruins the moment before anyone even gets a hug out of it!”
“I am glad you are all finding humor in this,” Di’eslo answered soberly, breaking the mood. “Be prepared to find me after I escape when they come to arrest me.”
“Have faith,” Gabrielle answered, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. “My sister loves me, and I... well... I am rather fond of you. She will not deny you the opportunity to prove your worth to her.”
“We shall see, lady, we shall see,” the shadow elf replied, staring at the approaching dock. “If anyone needs me, I shall be below deck, out of sight, and hoping your optimism wins your sister over.”
◆◆◆
Heishi and Tiane followed Gabrielle through the winding streets of the city, marveling at the cleanliness. The buildings were all constructed of a brilliant white colored stone that was similar to marble, and they showed no signs of dirt or decomposition.
Gabrielle explained as they walked that the city was ancient, and that no one really knew when it was built.
“Elves have an extremely long life compared to the lesser races,” she explained, then blushed as she realized she had referred to her friends in such a manner. “What I mean is, compared to most other races of Kartos...”
“Do not worry, lady,” Heishi replied, no trace of anger on his face. “We understand completely, and our skin is thicker than to be offended by such things.”
Baffled, Gabrielle stopped and stared at Heishi, attempting to discern the thickness of his skin.
“I saw you wounded, and your skin did not appear to be any thicker than my own, human,” she stated hesitantly.
Laughing, Heishi nodded his head, understanding her confusion.
“It is a figure of speech, lady. It simply means that we let some things roll off our backs easily,” he began, then paused again as another confused look crossed the elf’s face. “I apologize, that is also a figure of speech. They both imply that we are not easily offended, so there is no need to be embarrassed if your previous misconceptions of our race slip into normal conversation.”
“You are very gracious, Master Heishi,” she replied, dipping her head in a slight bow. “My sister is going to love you.”
They continued to walk, admiring the architecture and listening to the history of the city. According to Gabrielle, the elves of Harmonui valued harmony above all else, and prided themselves on accepting any who came to the city.
“Except shadow elves,” muttered Tiane, his cynicism as to the city’s acceptance of his friend slipping out.
Gabrielle paused, and after taking a breath she nodded her head in agreement.
“There is much hatred between our people and those who live below the surface. We are taught from a young age that the shadow elves are inherently evil, and that they raid our cities, enslave and kill our people, and are utterly ruthless. I had never actually met one before Di’eslo saved my life, so there is much to consider.”
Heishi looked around as they drew near to the castle in the center of town and noticed something that struck him as odd: in the market, there were people of every race imaginable, just as in Terminus. Here, furt
her into the city, he saw nothing but the very light skinned elves, and caught more than one staring at the two humans.
“I thought all were welcome here, well, other than shadow elves,” Heishi exclaimed, turning to look Gabrielle in the eyes. “I cannot help but notice, lady, that Tiane and I are the only non-elves present.”
“I should clarify, Master Heishi: all are welcome to trade in Harmonui, and even to stay in the inns that are adjacent to the market district, but only residents are allowed in the city proper. You are being allowed passage because I am accompanying you, but typically no outsiders would be allowed this far into the city. It is a great honor,” she replied, smiling sheepishly at first, her smile getting broader as she explained the honor being bestowed on the outsiders.
“Very...harmonious,” was all Heishi responded as they were admitted at the castle gate.
◆◆◆
Gaining an audience with the queen was a much faster process than the humans would have thought, and before they knew it, they were standing in the throne room. The hall was long but rather narrow, with pillars every twenty feet or so stretching from the enormous double doors all the way to the foot of the throne, sitting several hundred meters away. Each pillar emanated light, although the humans could not discern the source of the lights: it was is if the marble pillars themselves glowed.
Queen Linnie turned out to be a spitting image of her younger sister, with golden hair and blue eyes that reflected the light as she looked the humans up and down. Her dress was a beautiful shade of violet, with intricate designs of flowers woven into the material in golden threads. On her brow sat a delicate crown of white gold, with diamonds inset that caught and reflected the light each time she turned her head.
Her bodyguard, a massive man who reminded the humans of a Viking warrior, stood behind her and to the left, watching their every move. He appeared to be almost as tall as Yutri, wearing a plaid kilt with a wide leather belt around his waist. He wore no shirt, showing his finely tuned muscles and tribal tattoos covering his chest. Over his shoulder, a bear pelt was visible, its head worn directly over his right shoulder, its eyes replaced with rubies. He held a massive two-handed axe, the shaft measuring at last six feet long, with a nasty looking blade that curved from the top back almost halfway down the shaft.
