WolfHeart

by K. Allen Cross

  Tayan explained what he had found so far then added, “Trelem and Odif can move people en masse through one of their tree gates. We need to get this entire town out of here before they do attack. Those damn spears will turn this town to rubble.”

  Odif came up and tapped Tayan on the shoulder. “There's something wrong with those women,” she stated.

  That was obvious, but he had the idea she wasn’t talking about their state of mind. “What?”

  Glancing back at the refugees, who were now walking down the street with a guard of elven soldiers, she said, “They don’t feel right. It’s like they have no mind at all. Their life force is so weak I can barely feel it.” Stressing her point, she added, “Tayan, they shouldn’t even be able to walk.”

  Captain Fabarian approached them with a large troop of soldiers. Motioning for his men to stay back, he walked over to Tayan and bowed briefly.

  "Lord Tayan, the commander wishes to see you immediately."

  Tayan didn‘t have time for this now. He trusted Odif‘s instincts--if she said there was something wrong then there was.

  "Did the Commander say what this is about?"

  Eyeing Zodiac, Fabarian said, “This is a matter for Elrad, not druids.”

  “We’ll leave in a moment.” Tayan returned his attention to Odif. “Right now, concentrate on evacuating the town. Help Zodiac; I have to go see what the Commander wants.”

  “What about those women?” Odif asked.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he assured her.

  As they moved away from Zodiac and Odif, Tayan asked the Captain, “So, what is it?”

  The Captain moved closer so only he could hear.

  "M'lord, it is a very serious matter. You have been charged with treason."

  "Treason?" Tayan gasped in disbelief.

  “What was that?” Odif demanded, starting towards them.

  Fabarian gave Tayan a hard look. "We must do everything we can to keep the peace, but we will not allow your Lord Zodiac to free you."

  He held up a hand. “Odif, you stay with Zodiac, I’ll be back shortly. We’re going to get someone to check those women over.” To Fabarian, he said quietly, “I do not want to be freed. What I want is to face whoever has made this ridiculous charge."

  "Then come with me...M'lord." he replied, saying the last part with more than a bit of sarcasm.

  Tayan went, noting Odif was watched him closely. Thankfully, she did as he asked. On the way, he tried to get Fabarian to promise to send a couple of elven priests to look over the women Zodiac had brought in. Captain Fabarian, however, had only one thought in mind, and that was holding him prisoner.

  It was not lost on Tayan that the commander’s quarters was ringed with elves ready for battle, as if they were expecting druids to materialize out of the bushes. He was led to the second-floor study where Eldarin was sitting with the dragon handler who had delivered the messages. Eldarin dismissed the guards then had Tayan take a seat.

  Once the three were alone, Tayan asked, "What is this about?"

  Eldarin nodded towards the messenger. "He brought me the command. What did you write to our duke?"

  "Nothing that would warrant a charge of treason," Tayan told him. "Devernon, did you give the duke himself my message as I ordered?"

  The pale-faced elf nodded. "Yes, M'lord, handed it to him myself. He told me to give your message to the king with all speed, and I did. The king gave me a reply for the duke, which I rushed back to him. Advisor Galanthal gave me a message from the duke to bring to Commander Eldarin."

  A spark of recognition connected to that name. Tayan had met him somewhere before.

  "Galanthal? You are sure of his name."

  "Yes, M'lord, quite sure."

  Lifting a hand to rub his chin, Tayan tried to remember when he had met this Galanthal. He didn't think it was at court. The name brought up feelings of anger, as if he knew this man was not to be trusted.

  "Commander, could you talk to the duke and verify this order?"

  "Yes, M'lord, but I must hold you until I receive a reply."

  Shaking a finger, Tayan said, "Not a messenger, someone who is close to the duke and whom you trust completely. There is something wrong here. I was expecting the king might give me a strong reprimand or even an order to go before him to explain myself. You know as well as I do that I have done nothing treasonous here. My concern lies with these people who were about to be sent into the battlefield."

  With a shrug, Eldarin said, "You just described Devernon, M'lord. He is very loyal to me and has been to court. The duke knows him as well. If he says this came from the duke, I have no reason to think otherwise."

  "Is it possible for me to speak with King Alderlan?" Tayan asked. If he could sit down with Alderlan, he was sure he could clear up this misunderstanding.

  Eldarin took a halting breath. "Devernon, you are dismissed."

  The elf bowed and all but ran from the room. As he shut the door behind him, Eldarin brought out a scroll and pushed it over to Tayan.

  "Here is the order, M'lord. I was told to keep it from you; but under the circumstances, you have a right to see it. It is quite specific."

  Commander Eldarin,

  It is my sad duty to inform you that Lord Tayan of the court of Elrad has been charged with the horrid crime of treason. This saddens King Alderlan grievously, ashe has always looked upon him as a brother. I have been tasked by His Highness to handle this matter as quietly as possible, since Lord Tayan is greatly respected throughout the kingdom. It is his wish that the memory of Lord Tayan's good deeds not be tarnished with the people. Lord Tayan is to be imprisoned within the confines of the south tower and treated with all the respect due a member of the royal family. Should he be found guilty of treason, King Alderlan has pardoned him from death. The punishment shall be life imprisonment.

  Your duty, Commander, is to bring Lord Tayan to court to answer for this crime. I stress upon you that he is not to be harmed.

  Shalaren Quinlan, Duke of Elsanor

  Tayan felt like his heart had just fallen out of his chest. Tossing the scroll down on the desk, he flopped back in his chair.

  "It sounds like I've already been found guilty. King Alderlan will not even be present, will he?"

  Eldarin leaned forward on his arms. "I don't know, M'lord. I am only concerned about getting you there without having a riot here. You have become a hero to these people, and I know how close you are to those who live in Longforest.” Tapping the scroll, he added, "If this gets out, it will be like throwing alcohol on a fire. I would like nothing more than to ignore it, but I cannot."

  Tayan knew he was right. Even if Zodiac didn't rally the people, Amber, Glier, Odif and any they could gather together would be headed straight for Elsanor to break him out. He feared a war could very well be started over this. A war because of him. No matter how unjust he thought the charge against him was, he could not live with knowing friends on both sides would be dying for him.

  "Commander, I am going to ask you to trust me. On my word, I will return. I need to go inform Zodiac that this has been a ruse to get me somewhere that Alderlan needs me. It is the only way to keep the peace."

  Eldarin gave him a long look then nodded. "I see your wisdom, M'lord. Return before dawn--you will ride to Elsanor in the morning."

  No one tried to stop him as he walked back through the streets with Captain Fabarian at his side. He felt numb. Treason was the gravest charge that could be brought against anyone. In Elrad, it was the only crime that carried a death penalty. Even murder was only punishable by banishment, not that banishment was not serious. Someone wanted him dead, but Alderlan had already pardoned him. The proof must have been unquestionable for the king to give such an order.

  As Tayan pondered, the memory of the broken bodies of the elven farmers came to him. He had attacked and killed his own people. Maybe he wasn't guilty of whatever it was he was charged with, but he was guilty of murder. To kill elves dressed in Elradian uniforms was t
reason.

  Staring at the ground in front of him, he decided that if he was found guilty--and he was sure he would be--he would ask for the death penalty. At least then he would be with his beloved wife, and possibly she could find it in her soul to forgive him...for everything.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a tremendous blast. Ahead of them, the Riverside Inn spit fire from the door and downstairs windows just before the front of the building blew out into the street. As people screamed, the building collapsed.

  Those damn spears! Tayan’s eyes went to the sky to search for where they were coming from. The sky was empty, but another blast ripped apart the inn on the other side of the street. Screams filled the air.

  “Druid treachery!” Fabarian hissed as he drew his sword.

  Tayan grabbed his sword arm. “It wasn’t druids! Hoarcs use those weapons.”

  “I see no hoarcs!” Fabarian cried as he struggled to get free.

  Then Tayan did commit an act of treason. He punched Fabarian in the face, knocking him out. No one noticed him as he ran towards the site of the destruction.

  A pack of soldiers and townsmen were gathering in the street. Some pulled the wounded back while others lined up to form a bucket brigade to put out the burning remains of the inns. Unnoticed by them, one of the hollow-eyed women walked into the middle of the chaos and raised her spear high.

  In a flash, he knew where the explosions had come from.

  “Stop her!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as he charged the woman. He was too far away. Helplessly, he watched her slam the spear on the ground.

  The blast cleared the street as it sent bodies in all directions. He flew back as the blast knocked him off his feet, ears ringing. The bright orange glow dominated his vision. Stumbling up, he shielded his face from the inferno that now engulfed the center of town. Dropping his eyes to avoid the horrid sight, he saw the body parts littering the ground. His stomach churned violently. Dropping to his knees, he vomited by someone’s scorched arm.

  Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block out this madness. “Dear Odin!” he cried. How were they going to stop this insanity?

  He felt hands grab him and pull him to his feet. Odif dragged him down a side street, where he saw another ragged woman beating at an elven soldier, who was trying to keep her at bay as he cried for her to stop. Odif left him propped against a hitching post and ran up behind the woman to break her neck. As the body fell, she barked at the soldier, “They’re zombies, kill them!”

  The soldier gaped at her blankly as she ran back and got Tayan moving down the street.

  Tayan came to his senses as they were nearing the edge of town. The Company had formed a ring. In the center, Duncan, JoJo and Entaurus worked together to cast a spell that send a blinding white sphere rising up into the sky. The sphere streaked towards a flock of dragons heading towards them, their claws full of spears. A dragon flamed it and turned away. Unharmed by the dragons’ fire, the sphere turned with the creature and struck. The detonation vaporized that dragon and set off the spears two others beside it were holding. The giant fireballs knocked a few other dragons about, making them drop their loads. The rest of the dragons turned back as the spears blasted apart an empty field.

  “The women were a diversion,” Tayan breathed as the ground shook from the concussions.

  “Right, and we’re surrounded,” Odif told him. “It’s only going to get worse.”

  Having just seen innocent people blown apart, he had a hard time trying to think what was worse than that. “We have to evacuate this town now.”

  “No shit, and you're in trouble,” Odif said drily. “Come on, we got a lot to do. Zodiac is in that barn right there.”

  Zodiac sat on a bale of hay with Zit standing on one side of him and Amber on the other. Odif perched on a nearby bale, watching him intently. To the other side was a halshaken shaman sitting on his haunches. All wore serious faces.

  Tayan knew Odif had told Zodiac about his being arrested. He did his best to sound convincing.

  "Lord Zodiac, I am needed in Elrad. What happened outside was done to trick any spies that may have been watching. I'm sorry if Odif got you upset."

  Zodiac looked over at Odif. She gave him a very slight shake of her head. "Make yourself ready," he told her.

  Tayan didn't like the sound of that. "Ready for what?"

  Folding his arms over his chest, Zodiac ignored his question. "I have been thinking very much about all that's happened. We can’t fight these things without more help. I believe your arrest was engineered to add to the confusion and make damn sure no help will come.”

  It made sense, and Tayan knew in his heart that Zodiac was right. He felt bad that he couldn't stay and help. If he tried, it would only add to the chaos. "I agree, except for that last part. I have to be in Elrad--I'm sorry I can't tell you why."

  Zodiac went on like he hadn't heard him. "I am tired of beating back evil as it decides to appear. We have to go after the source. Duncan has found it, and it will take a combined effort to eliminate the threat. Tayan, you are known at every court. I need you to travel to Paladnia, Tolina and Zayton to gather arms."

  "I am needed in Elrad," he insisted.

  "Amber will go with you. Odif or Zit will find you when we are ready to move."

  "You aren't listening," Tayan told him firmly. "I have to be in Elrad!"

  From behind him, Odif said in a deep voice, "I'm ready--put him out."

  Tayan turned to see himself standing there holding Odif's staff. It was like he was looking in a mirror. Before he could open his mouth to demand an explanation, flashes of light sparkled in his eyes. He fell to his backside then the world went black.

  Zodiac turned to Amber. "He's all yours, take care of him."

  Amber took out the magic bag and shook it open. Tucking his feet inside, she drew it over him as Odif helped by lifting him up. Although the bag looked too small to hold a whole person, they encased Tayan completely. The two-foot square still appeared empty after he was inside it.

  Putting the bag into her robe, Amber looked closely at Odif. She had duplicated Tayan's looks perfectly--even her eye color was the same hazel hue as Tayan's.

  Odif clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Take care of him, and remember to take him out once you are east of Capetown."

  Amber nodded, amazed that even the voice sounded like him. "I will. May the gods be with you."

  Odif/Tayan grinned. "And may nature guide you.”

  Satisfied Tayan was now safe for the time being, Odif left her staff and walked out to find Captain Fabarian waiting just outside their defense ring.

  Seething in anger, the elf growled, “Lord Tayan, we must return to Commander Eldarin right now!”

  Odif gestured for him to lead. “Of course.”

  ***

  In the wake of the mid-town explosions and the dragon attack, Commander Eldarin decided it was best to get Lord Tayan out of town as quickly as possible. He watched his dragon take to the late-afternoon sky with Devernon and Tayan aboard then went to deal with Lord Zodiac. On the way, a stunned soldier told him how one of the druids had murdered an elven woman who was half out of her mind. This didn’t surprise him. Druids were known for bouts of malicious cruelty.

  He was beginning to feel overwhelmed--first raiders then hoarcs and dragons, and now this. If he managed to hold this town together for another day, it would be a miracle.

  Asking directions of townsmen as they fought the fires and cared for the wounded, Commander Eldarin found Zodiac beside a large oak behind one of the houses off the main street. Trelem and Barkum stood together; Zodiac and the mayor, who was still in his dirty traveling clothes, faced them.

  The mayor looked at the tree and shook his head in wonder. “We can evacuate the whole town through this tree?”

  Trelem nodded. “One at a time. The exit tree is in the courtyard of Castle Zodiac. Once you go through you can go to Elrad, Capetown, or stay there, if Lord Zodiac allows you.”

&n
bsp; “How long will it take?” the mayor asked.

  Barkum shrugged. “We don’t know, exactly. How soon can you get people here? For a town this size, at least half a day. I will keep the door open at this end.”

  They all turned as Commander Eldarin strode up to them with his escort of twenty soldiers. “What is going on here?”

  Zodiac crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re evacuating the town. Once that army gets here they are going to destroy this place.”

  Bowing to Eldarin, the mayor said with anger in his voice, “You wish us out of Elrad. You should be happy we are leaving.”

  Eldarin nodded. “I am pleased. Before you go, Lord Zodiac, I want the female druid who murdered a woman a short while ago. I believe you call her Odif.”

  “She’s gone,” Zodiac told him. “Left not an hour ago.”

  “You lie,” Eldarin snapped.

  Zodiac frowned at him. “Check for yourself. While you look for her, I’m going to help the mayor evacuate this town.” Turning to the mayor, he said, “Women and children first, the men stay behind to keep up a defense until everyone else has gone through. When we’re down to the defenders, we’ll try to keep up the appearance of being ready.”

  Eldarin cleared his throat. “I am in command of this town, not you.”

  Trelem tipped his head to him. “And we will leave you to your own. Instead of fighting with us, I suggest you get ready for an attack.”

  “A real big one,” Barkum added.

  The mayor held up his hands. “Please! Commander, surely you can see Lord Zodiac is trying to save our people.”

  “I see he is running away,” Fabarian spat.

  Turning stiffly, Zodiac said to the mayor, “Spread the word as fast as you can. People are only to bring what they have on. There will be no time to pack.”

  Turning to Trelem, the mayor asked, “When do we start?”

  “By the time you get people moving we’ll be ready.”

  Eldarin motioned to the mayor as he told Fabarian, “Help the mayor collect his people. The sooner they are gone, the better.”