by Rick Brown
“Speak for ya self,” Orlik commented. “I was having a good ole time with those Dommerians.”
“I admit, we would not have lasted until you arrived without Orlik there,” the priest admitted.
“What happened with the trap door?” I asked.
“They started pushing it up!” Bri answered. “I was jumping up and down on top of the thing, but it was a big brute underneath. Lenux got off another couple of shots, and then joined me as we both jumped on the door, knocking whoever it was off the access ladder beneath the door. Lenux re-wedged his dagger and added a second one. While he was doing that, I checked on you guys. It was a good thing too, because I noticed Lee had his hands up. I raised my bow just in time to get the shot off at that priest.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize it was that close,” Lee said shocked. “I was talking a big show to that priest. It would have been embarrassing if that arrow hadn’t shown up.”
“You mean ya did all that jabbering without even knowing she was there?” Orlik exclaimed, then he broken into an uproarious laughter. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”
“What happened after that?” Lee asked, trying to take the focus off of him.
“Once the melee started, we removed the daggers and dropped down into the room below. There were just a couple of soldiers left in there, so we quickly dispatched them and grabbed any papers we could find.”
That caught Lee’s interest, “Anything worthwhile?”
Brianna shrugged. “Beats me, they are in my bag. I figured we could have Ryan check them when we get back to Illiner.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Lee nodded.
Farloc walked over and joined us from where the elves were sleeping. “I talked to my friends, and they are all anxious to testify before the council in your favor,” he said. “It seems their captivity has not garnered any love for Dommeran.”
“Did you warn them about the caverns,” Lee asked.
“Yes, none of them wishes to tangle with a troll. They all agree to move as quickly through the caves as they can.”
“Good, because I’m not looking forward to facing another one,” Barad agreed.
As everyone started to say goodnight, Lee came over and sat by me. “Are you doing ok?” He asked.
I nodded. “I’m doing better, thanks. Barad helped. He made up a story of you crying after your first battle.”
“Made up? That wasn’t made up. I wept like a kid that dropped their candy in the mud,” he said smiling, and then his expression turned serious. “I guess I’ve become jaded over the years. There’s been so many battles, I guess I no longer feel it like I once did.”
“It may be different, but I see you still feel for your people. When you saw Father Yagen was having trouble protecting the prisoners, you jumped over the wall and rushed through a crowd of Dommerian’s to go to his aid.”
“My, that does sound heroic, doesn’t it?” He said with a smile.
“I think so,” I laughed.
Without warning he leaned in and kissed me. Then all too quickly, he started to pull away. “Sorry, I…” I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him close, crushing his lips to mine. Letting the passion that I had kept locked away all these weeks we had spent together flood through our embrace.
When I finally released him, Lee smiled, leaning his forehead against mine. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” he whispered.
“I was hoping you would,” I said, reaching out and stroking his hair.
“We were all hoping he would,” Barad yelled out, “Now can we get some sleep.” Orlik started laughing.
Blushing I quickly pulled away from Lee, who picked up a rock and threw it at Barad’s blanket.
“We’ll continue this some other time,” he promised as he got up and walked back to his blanket.
I crawled under my own blanket with a big smile, knowing I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.
Chapter 32
(Ryan)
“And that was when my father found the pipe I had broke hidden behind his chair,” I tiredly mumbled.
“This is ridiculous!” Councilor Belkor growled. “We’ve been listening to this nonsense for two days now, I’m not even sure the boy is still awake. We might be hearing his delusional ranting in a nightmare!”
I ran out of things to say at some point during the first night. Since then I have been telling stories of my childhood or reciting any book I could remember. The audience had dwindled during the first day. Now the originally packed chamber sat empty.
“At least his elvish has improved,” One of the Councilors commented. “It was atrocious when he started. Now I can understand some of what he’s saying.”
“Well maybe you can explain it to me,” Belkor complained. “It would be doing us all a favor if someone would just shoot him with an arrow and let us vote.”
“Now, now,” Nenelin chastised. “Ryan has followed the rules. He has stood there since the session began, taking no breaks. To be honest, I have learned more about humans than I did when living amongst them. Had you paid attention, you might have noticed that they are not all that different from ourselves.”
“I know what this proposal means. With returning that stone we will be making a human into a god, I wouldn’t even trust an elf with that kind of power.”
“The power is his, he and his ancestors. We have no right to interfere. It was entrusted to us, and we are failing in that trust. His family has held this stone for generations, none of them have turned power hungry.”
“It doesn’t mean this one won’t, or even the next one. You cannot guarantee that it will never be abused,” Belkor countered.
“I cannot, but Alynon can. He created the stone, you don’t think he could prevent its abuse?” Nenelin argued.
“I don’t trust him either!’ Belkor spat.
“So, you don’t even trust the gods with the power of the gods? I pity you, councilman, for it is a dark world in which you live.”
“The gods have been kind to us, kind to my father,” I called out, my strength renewed by the debate. “Ayisha herself has taken his soul into her care. He was killed in an assassination attempt on King Kendrick, an attempt that would have succeeded without the intervention of King Eberon. He protected Vaelin’s Lords with his magic. Fighting in their defense until he collapsed. That was in the heart of Vaelin. Do you think that you’ll be safe from Gorath here in your mountains? Do you think that, once he has taken the human kingdoms, he will be sated? That he will be leave you be?
“You cannot beat his armies on your own, and neither can we. We must unite or we will be defeated. We must follow the might of King Eberon if we are to survive.”
“Thank you, Ryan,” Lee’s voice rang out from the back of the room. “I’ll take it from here.”
I spun around to see Lee, still covered in blood, standing in the chamber entrance.
“I apologize to the council, I seem to have missed the changing of the meeting date, but I have been away for a few days.”
Belkor’s mouth hung open in shock as Lee walked forward, followed by our team. Behind them stood eight elves, all of which looked like they had seen better days.
“I was busy gathering witnesses for testimony,” Lee continued to explain.
“What has happened to these elves?” One of the councilors asked.
“These are our missing elves,” Councilor Nenelin explained, a big smile on his face. “Captured by the Dommerian’s. King Eberon arranged a rescue mission to retrieve them. It appears to have been a successful one.”
“But how?” Councilor Belkor stammered. “You couldn’t have possibly made it there and back in time for this meeting!”
“You knew of this?” A councilwoman asked. “Is that why you rushed us into this session? So that King Eberon would not be able to testify on his own behalf?”
Councilor Belkor leaned back in his chair, refusing to answer. Behind the elves, people starting filing back into the chambe
r. Soon the room was overflowing.
“I apologize to the council. I cannot speak elven, unlike apparently, my assistant,” Lee said, as he glanced at me. “I hope it is acceptable that I speak in the human tongue.”
“I think we councilors can manage,” Nenelin responded.
“Today, I have brought forth what could be the most current testimonies of Dommeran’s power. The eight soldiers that stand before you were, until two days ago, held captive by a force of over fifty Dommerian soldiers, as well as three of Gorath’s priests.”
There was a murmuring in the audience as Lee explained where he had found the captives. “I wish I was able to bring back more. Sadly, Gorath’s priest had already taken their knives to four of Illiner’s elves. Cutting open their chests and stealing their hearts for their god. We found their bodies dumped in a trench near their camp.”
Lee paused as a chill went through the watchers. The elves were a proud people. No one wanted to hear of an elf abused in such a manner. “I could continue, but I think the testimony from your own might be more beneficial. The prisoners were all given an opportunity to go to the hospital for additional care, but insisted on testifying before you today.”
With that, Lee stepped back and allowed one of the elven prisoners to step forward. He continued to step away until he was standing beside me. “Zarcharus found us as we were coming out of the caverns. I’m sorry, we came as quickly as we could.”
“Seeing this makes it all worthwhile,” I said grinning. “Though, I hope to never speak in public again.”
“After that speech you made?” Lee said smiling. “Oh, I don’t think I can allow that to happen. You’re just too good.”
As the elves gave their statements, the crowd grew more and more agitated. It seemed they were ready to march on Dommeran today. The council allowed each elf to speak, then adjourned for the day. Agreeing to meet back in the morning for a vote.
We all returned to the tower, exhausted. We started sharing stories of our time apart. Bri returned from the bath, allowing Abigail to go next, as each waited their turn. “So, Ryan. When did you learn to speak elvish?” She asked.
“I don’t really know. I’ve been reading nothing but elvish books since we arrived. I guess I learned from doing that.”
Lee smiled. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the gods helped you out. Seems like the sort of thing they like to do. I’m glad for it too. I believe the speech Ryan gave may be as swaying as that of the prisoners. I was very impressed.”
“Arthur will be proud when he hears about it,” Bri said, raising her wine in a toast to me.
“I spoke with my father,” Farloc added. “If it were not for you, the vote would have taken place and we would have had no chance to get the stone.”
“We haven’t got it yet,” Orlik warned. “That council’s still got to meet tomorrow. Don’t underestimate the orneriness of the councilmembers, especially that Belkor. He was always a nasty one.”
“You knew him from before?” I asked.
“Oh aye. We dwarves couldn’t do all our dealing with Nenelin. Sometimes we had to talk business with others. Belkor wasn’t looking for fair. He was looking for besting his competitor. I don’t blame one for favoring his own, but he seems to dislike any that ain’t elf.”
“Well, all races have those,” Lee said, waving off the concern. “So long as the rest of the council is fair, I think we’ll be ok. The people are certainly behind us now. I don’t believe the council can rule against us without a riot.”
“Aye, maybe so, But I still don’t trust’em,” Orlik growled.
“Well, if the rest of you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep,” I said as I got up.
“Goodnight,” they each called out as I walked back up the stairs, grateful to have my friends back.
Chapter 33
(Lee)
It was extraordinarily hard to get out of my nice soft bed this morning. After spending a week hiking and sleeping on rocks, it was a luxury I was unwilling to give up easily. Still, today was the day of the council meeting. Seeing that it was the reason I traveled all the way here from Vaelin, I finally convinced myself to get out of bed. I opened my pack, and I pulled out my best blue outfit that Crowler had made me.
I wondered briefly about the tailor, by now he might be a wealthy man, with all the business we were sending to him. The clothes looked just as good as the day I picked them up. I tied my hair back up with a leather tether. I really needed to find someone to cut it short again. It was just one more thing to deal with each day.
I paused briefly to pray, once to Alynon and once to Ayisha. Asking both that the vote go in our favor. Opening the window, I got my first look at the day. The trees were no longer completely covered in snow. I thought that might be a good sign that the passes may clear soon. As much as I enjoyed my stay here, there were things I must do.
As I walked down the stairs to the gathering room, I stopped by Ryan’s room to wake him up. “Ryan!” I called as I banged on his door. “Today’s the big day, meet me downstairs.” I got a moan of a confirmation from the room, so I continued downstairs.
Father Yagen was up and already making breakfast. “Morning Father,” I greeted as I sat down and poured some coffee.
“Good morning, Your Highness. I’ve cooked a breakfast fit for the man holding Alynon’s Tear,” he teased as he handed me a plate of eggs and bacon. The priest was a fair cook, far superior to Barad, anyway. “Are you feeling optimistic for the day?” He asked.
I paused for a moment to consider. “I felt more optimistic last night, but that might have been the wine,” I answered with a smile.
“After what I heard yesterday, I cannot imagine them turning us down,” the Yagen stated.
After a few minutes, Ryan plodded down the stairs, almost falling into his chair. “I didn’t even drink last night, but I feel hung over,” He complained as he took a cup of coffee from the priest.
I nodded. “Staying up will do that to you. Still, it’s an important day, I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”
“Just us?” he asked.
“Let’s let them sleep. Today is just the vote. I don’t think we’ll need everyone for that.”
As we finished our breakfast, Councilman Nenelin arrived to escort us to the meeting. “Good morning, Your Highness. Excited about the day?” He asked as he sat at the table, pouring himself some coffee.
“I have to admit some butterflies,” I replied.
“I think after the testimony of the prisoners, as well as the stirring speech of this young man,” he said, pointing to Ryan, “that the odds are finally in our favor. This should all end up favorably.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I know all the evidence looks that way, I guess that’s why I’m afraid.”
Nenelin nodded. “A soldier’s instincts. When things are looking up, always watch for something to go wrong.”
After breakfast, we started our walk towards the Councilor’s Tower. It was a beautiful, late winter day. There were even hints of early spring in the air. Still, this early in the morning the brisk cold of winter could still be felt. I would never tire of the beauty of this elven city. The mixture of nature and community seemed in balance. I watched a tree as some snow near the top slid off a branch, falling to the ground in a thud.
“How long do you estimate until the passes are open?” I asked.
“Some weeks yet,” Nenelin answered. “It depends on which pass, of course. The route south would usually thaw before those to the east.”
“We need to get to the dwarves and Spellion,” I said, considering the possibilities.
“Well, through Alsselya would be the fastest route. Of course, there is much peril in choosing to go that way.” I nodded in understanding. Still, it may be our only choice.
As we arrived at the Councilor’s Tower, we found it filled with people. Apparently, word of yesterday’s drama had spread through the city. Everyone wanted to see what would happen today.
&nb
sp; Councilor Nenelin forced a path through the elves, signaling us to follow. As we breached the opening before the councilor’s seats he turned to speak with us. “Wait here, we will start the vote shortly,” He instructed. I nodded in understanding, and Ryan and I found a place to lean against the wall. Looking up, I saw a ring of elven faces looking down on us from the balcony above. I guess being the first humans to visit in three hundred years made us quite the novelty.
“And I thought there were a lot of people here the other day,” Ryan said in awe. “It looks like they removed all the pews so they can cram more people in.”
I nodded. “We made a lot of fuss yesterday, I guess they are waiting to see if we pull out any more surprises.”
Everyone went silent as the Council’s clerk banged his gavel.
“Everyone rise for the Elven Council,” He barked. I thought it was rather silly, considering that everyone was already standing.
A path was cleared through the crowd, so that the council could make its dramatic entrance. The councilors were wearing their dress robes as they walked out onto the floor. One after the other they paraded passed the crowd to take their seats at the front of the room. I was amused to see that Councilor Nenelin and Councilor Belkor sat at opposite sides.
Councilor Nenelin rose and stepped forward. The crowd grew quiet as he raised his hands. “Today we are here for one simple thing, an up or down vote. There will be no more debates on this issue. Master Henlen, the council clerk, would you please take the vote?”
I looked up at the councilors who held our fate. Councilor Belkor sat glaring at me. I suppose it’s a good sign that he’s not happy, I thought to myself.
The Council’s clerk stepped forward. “Today we are here for a vote on the matter of Alynon’s Tear. It has been entrusted with the elves since the fall of Alsselya. A request has been filed by Councilor Nenelin that the stone be returned to King Eberon.”
The clerk paused a moment, then spoke again. “For those in favor of returning Alynon’s Tear to King Eberon, please raise your hands.” The crowd was silent as the clerk counted.
