by Jeff Sabean
But throughout the trip from the southern city of Terminus to Harmonui, something had happened: she had looked past his heritage and seen the man he was inside. She had even sided with him and his people against her sister, the wicked queen of Harmonui, and when she died Gabrielle had become queen and instantly ended hostilities between their people.
He sighed as the wind blew gently across his face, enjoying the night air.
You don’t get breezes like this underground, that’s for sure.
It had taken him a while to be accepted by most of the elves living in the city. At first, they simply tolerated him because they didn’t want to anger their queen, but over time he had developed a rapport with them and now felt as if he were truly accepted by most.
That “dark deity” stuff was the hardest part to get over, he thought to himself with a smile. Sure, it was a great way to keep people scared of you by convincing them that your people want to sacrifice you to their evil ‘god,’ but when you want to make up and be friends with them it’s pretty hard to get past that.
His musings were interrupted by a soft knock on his door, and he rose silently to answer.
“Good evening, lady,” he said, opening the door and seeing Gabrielle standing in the hallway, flanked by her personal bodyguards. “Are you expecting trouble from me?” he asked mischievously.
Gabrielle sighed, but couldn’t hide the twinkle in her clear blue eyes.
“They insisted on following me when I told them I intended to walk with you in the gardens this evening,” she explained. A shadow crossed her face briefly before she continued a bit more somberly, “I have received reports of more turmoil in the city. It would appear that not all of my subjects agree with my proclamation that all should be judged by their actions rather than their heritage.”
“I thought that had all been taken care of,” Di’eslo stated slowly, watching her face intently.
“Everything was peaceful for several weeks after the battle, but then the honeymoon period ended and some of the old prejudices started showing their ugly faces again,” she explained, her smile disappearing entirely.
“Several weeks after the battle? But that was months ago! Why have you not told me of the unrest in the city before now? I was under the impression that everything was going well between our people!”
“I did not want to worry you. You have seemed so at ease here among us that I did not want you to know there were still some causing trouble. These troublemakers refuse to acknowledge the good you have done, and focus solely on your heritage. But do not worry, my friend, we will change the culture of this city, and over time we will reach out to the rest of Kartos until all know of your noble people...”
She paused, blushing a little as she made eye contact with the shadow elf.
“It is important to acknowledge that there ARE those of my people who have committed crimes against the surface dwellers,” he replied slowly. “Just as there are those of the surface world who have committed crimes against my people. All I ask is that I and my people be accepted based on our actions, and nothing else.”
The two stood staring at each other for a few minutes in the doorway of his room, neither quite sure what to say next.
A quiet chirping sound followed by a vibration on his wrist broke the awkward moment as the communication device given to him by the other-worlders alerted them to an incoming call. The device allowed for voice communications anywhere in the world, and included a small holographic projection of the speaker if desired, but Di’eslo was suddenly not in the mood to see anyone, so he tapped the audio only button on the device.
“Di’eslo, it’s Heishi,” came his human friend’s voice. “Can you talk?”
“Yes, my friend, I am here with Gabrielle and her bodyguards.”
“Bodyguards? What’s going on?”
“I am being arrested,” Di’eslo said, keeping his voice serious although a grin spread across his face as he answered.
“ARRESTED? What is going on over there?”
“Nothing my friend, it was simply a joke. We were about to take a walk together, and apparently that warrants protection from those who have yet to accept me as an equal.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment, then Heishi started laughing on the other end of the call.
“Ok, you got me. Sorry to hear there are still problems, but we expected more than you have actually had to deal with, so I suppose it could be worse.” He paused, then his tone became serious. “Are you sitting down?”
“No, I am standing. Should I sit to properly use this device?”
“Nah, it’s an expression really, it means I have some pretty serious news to give you that could make you go weak in the knees. Yeah, maybe you SHOULD sit down for a minute,” the human stated.
Di’eslo opened the door to allow Gabrielle and her bodyguards to enter his room. When they were all seated comfortably by the hearth, he asked Heishi to continue.
“I have some news for you that couldn’t wait. It’s about your brother...”
“Has Fion’s body been found?” Di’eslo interrupted.
“In a manner of speaking, yes. As you know, Gabrielle commissioned Tylo the Blue as an official ‘Gentleman Adventurer,’ with letters of marque to bring pirates to justice, dead or alive. He attacks this mission from the queen with a certain exuberance, although he always leaves one pirate alive to spread the word that he is coming for the rest. It’s a little psychological operation we came up with, and it has done a lot for thinning out the pirate problems in the area.”
Heishi paused, clearly attempting to decide how to continue.
“What have you discovered of my brother?” Di’eslo prompted, the impatience clear in his voice.
“We took down a pirate ship this evening. It is still burning as it sinks into the ocean as we speak. Zatus had charmed the captain to use in the fight against his own crew, and rather than being set adrift in a dinghy the captain offered information for safe passage to the closest port. His information is that Fion is alive and imprisoned in the city of Rattanda...”
“ALIVE?”
“Yeah. Apparently, he somehow lived through the battle, and as Aldith was leaving Harmonui her crew saw him floating in the harbor and picked him up. If this pirate can be believed, he is being held hostage and that witch Aldith has been experimenting on him for the past six months...”
“Experimenting on my brother HOW, exactly,” Di’eslo asked, his voice icy.
“We aren’t sure. That is all the information this pirate had, or at least all he has given to us anyway. But I figured you would want to know immediately.”
“Do not let him escape. I would speak with him myself.”
“It will take us a couple weeks to return to Harmonui, and if this information is correct and Fion is alive in Rattanda it will take another week or two to reach that city,” Heishi replied carefully.
“Time is of no concern to me: I will speak to that pirate myself. You must return as fast as possible, and I will prepare to journey to this ‘Rattanda’ with you upon your arrival.”
“That’s what I expected you would say. Tylo is finishing up here, and has already given orders to head back to you, but I wanted you to know immediately what we had discovered.”
“There is a faster way,” Gabrielle said softly, causing Di’eslo to snap his head toward her in surprise.
“A faster way to do what?” he asked.
“A faster way to reach Heishi and his friends,” she replied, not making eye contact with her friend. “I cannot go with you, as I have responsibilities here, but if you are to leave me, I can teleport you to the Slip Away in a matter of seconds instead of weeks.”
“It pains me to leave you, lady, but this is something I must do,” he answered immediately.
“Then pack your traveling gear. In the morning, I will create a tunnel for you to travel through from here to our friends.”
“Why can I not go now?”
“It takes time to
prepare the portal, and a lot of concentration to open it. I will need to rest, and in the morning I will be ready. Normally, I would need a fixed point where I have been before to open such a portal, but if I can focus on the communication device Heishi uses, I will be able to transport you directly to his side. It will take more concentration to do it that way, and I will most likely sleep all day tomorrow from the exertion, but it will save you several weeks and bring you back to me all the sooner.” She stopped, her eyes misting a bit at the thought of his departure, but her face showed her resolve to help him any way she could.
“I thank you, lady. Heishi, I will contact you in the morning so Gabrielle can create this portal to you. In the meantime, please have Captain Tylo set his course for Rattanda.”
“Will do, my friend. I’ll see you in the morning, and hopefully I can gain more information tonight,” Heishi replied, then terminated the connection.
Chapter 2 – The Fall
Six months ago, at the Battle of Harmonui
Fion rode across the battlefield on the back of Dracorex, the monstrous shadow dragon. They were dodging attacks from the elven archers and spears launched by ballistae on both the battlefield and the walls of the city, but the demoralizing effect of a shadow dragon flying over the ground forces of Harmonui was almost as helpful to the fight as the dragon’s fierce attacks. Dracorex swooped low over a formation of foot soldiers, letting loose a blast of his acid breath weapon and reveling in the screams of pain as he lifted back into the skies.
The screams from below appeared to have the desired effect, and the giant green dragon across the battlefield sped up to intercept Dracorex and Fion.
As the green sped toward them, Fion looked down, grinned and reached out, feeling the energy surrounding the dead warriors below. As he focused on the corpses, he was able to raise them to their feet to fight against their living brethren.
“That is a cute trick,” Dracorex remarked dryly as he turned to intercept the green dragon headed toward them.
“It ought to keep them busy for a while, I would say,” the smug shadow elf replied, clearly impressed with his handiwork even if the dragon was not.
“Do you fancy yourself a god now, raising the dead?”
“No, they remain dead, I am simply controlling the bones myself, and you are interrupting my concentration.”
Grunting, Dracorex headed toward the green dragon, her rider waving his arms wildly on her back as he screeched out a war cry that was drowned out by the sounds of the wind whipping past and the battle below.
“Foolish mortal,” growled the shadow dragon as he closed the distance rapidly.
Just as Dracorex came in range of the green, a blast of acid breath shot toward him, which he was able to dodge easily. He turned toward Oldrino, the green dragon, but before he was able to attack her, he felt arrows bouncing off the armored scales of his belly. Knowing that elven archers had keen eyesight and could potentially find a painful gap in his armored belly, the shadow dragon beat his wings to lift higher above the battlefield, discharging another blast of acid toward those below and reveling in the screams of the wounded.
It appeared he would escape the arrows from below when Oldrino caught him, digging her teeth into his left leg and slowing him down. She whipped her head side-to-side in a violent manner, then tossed the smaller dragon to the side, disrupting his flight path and giving her rider, the wicked Ai’nzo Hiju’u a clear shot at Fion.
A blast of green energy leapt from the hands of Hiju’u and streaked toward Fion, who was able to deflect the blast at the last moment with a barrier of air that he brought around himself, sending the acidic bolt into the army gathered below. As the screams of the wounded reached his ears, Dracorex reveled in the misery as Fion’s concentration was broken and the skeleton army below dropped motionless to the ground.
“We need to get away from the battlefield or this fool will destroy our army as well as his own,” Fion called to his mount, who growled an unintelligible response. “I know, you do not care who is destroyed, but I want to win this war...”
Grumbling, Dracorex turned and bolted down the West side of the city, straight toward the ocean. He was faster than the larger green dragon, and was able to avoid any more unpleasant confrontations with her while continuing to dodge ballistae bolts as they swooped low enough to rain destruction on the high elf army below. As they retreated to the sea, an arrow came in too close for Fion’s comfort, ripping through his cloak which was billowing out behind him in the wind.
“We did not think this through very well,” Fion shouted from his back as he sent gusts of wind to blast projectiles away from them as quickly as he could.
“This was your idea elf: I wanted to kill everyone,” the dragon shouted back, his voice rumbling like thunder.
Behind them, Fion could hear Oldrino laugh and he turned his head just in time to throw up another shield to deflect a blast from Ai’nzo. “Just do something fast,” he replied.
The two were granted a temporary reprieve as an explosion rocked the northern wall of the city. The ground shook from the force of the explosion, and the archers below were distracted long enough for Dracorex to reach the harbor and spin around to face his attacker.
“The northern wall is on fire, and it would appear the defenses are down,” he called down to the dragon as they bolted for the coast. “The orcs should breach the wall any time now, but we must dispose of this dragon before we can assist!”
“Maybe you would like to take over the flying and I can sit on your back and complain!” Dracorex roared at his passenger. “Just keep Ai’nzo occupied long enough for me to kill that wench he rides!”
As they completed the spin to face their attackers, Dracorex let loose a blast of his shadow breath, catching Oldrino off guard and entangling the green dragon in the shadows. Her wings were immobilized by the tangible shadows, and she dropped toward the ocean below, screaming threats the whole way down.
Ai’nzo Hiju’u jumped from his saddle as the shadows closed around her body, running down her back to stand on her tail and let loose a massive ball of acid. Caught off guard by the attack, Dracorex could do nothing but close his eyes and mouth and let the blast hit him dead on. Immediately he began to smoke as his older scales melted under the assault, leaving patches of inky skin showing. He screamed in pain and dove toward the water below, never giving a second thought to his passenger.
As Fion stripped off his smoking cloak, the pain of the acid searing into his flesh, he screamed at Hiju’u, “You have killed me, you wretch!”
“Well, you’re not wrong!” Hiju’u shouted back, a sneer on his lips as both dragons plummeted toward the ocean, with both riders expecting to meet their doom at any moment.
Fion had fallen several hundred feet before realizing that the acid had melted the straps of his saddle and that he was dropping free of his dragon mount. Over his shoulder, he saw Oldrino shaking off the shadows and recovering from her freefall as Dracorex dove into the waves beneath him. Assuming he was about to die, the shadow elf created a barrier of air around himself in a last-ditch effort to survive the fall, then slammed into the water below.
The darkness enveloped him immediately as he crashed into the waves, the pocket of air he had created as a cushion being ripped away immediately as his body was propelled down into the depths. The last thing he saw as he lost consciousness was the shadow of Dracorex above him turning and heading back to the battle.
Kill them all, Dracorex. Destroy everything they love, he thought as he sank lower beneath the harbor.
Chapter 3 – Reunion
Six months later
After a night of restless sleep, Di’eslo awoke with the sun, eating a quick meal and packing his bag for travel. His bag contained an extradimensional space which allowed him to put large items into a very small space, thus keeping him from having to lug around a full-sized rucksack like a peasant. He then donned his armor, taking the time to inspect each piece of gear before putting it on. H
is plate armor was as black as the darkest night, his shield the same color except for the purple web design that glowed with power unless he consciously subdued the glow. He swung his flail a few times before slipping it into place on his back, the spikes of the flail glowing purple with the same energy coursing through his shield. Last, he pulled on the new traveling cloak Gabrielle had given to him. His old one had been solid black and used to hide his heritage, but this one had a purple liner that matched his weapons, and with a thought he could use it to turn invisible if he stood still. He hoped he wouldn’t need it, but was grateful for the ability to do so if necessary.
Once he was dressed and his bag packed, he sat down by the hearth in his room and waited impatiently for Gabrielle to call for him. He understood how taxing it would be for her to create a portal across the miles between the castle and his friends, so he didn’t want to rush her, but his desire to learn the truth about his brother weighed on him.
How could he have been so stupid? They had never found his brother’s body, and yet he had just accepted his death. Dracorex had told him of the battle above the harbor, and how Fion had fallen to his death after a blast of acid had eaten through the saddle, and he had never questioned the validity of the story.
Could Fion have lived through the fall the dragon had described? He didn’t think so, but his brother was capable of many things that shouldn’t be possible. Di’eslo was adept at using the Art to heal people, knitting broken bones and severed body parts back together, but Fion was able to manipulate the air itself. Was it possible that he had been able to stop his fall from such a height and live through it? If he had, then how had this human woman, this Aldith person, captured him?
When his human friends had encountered Aldith on the docks the day after the battle, they had discovered that she was the one who had opened the portal between the planes of existence, but had been unable to chase her at that time because the rudder of Tylo the Blue’s ship had been disabled in the night. Was it possible that she had found Fion as she left the harbor and shanghaied him?
