Demonkin

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “I won’t,” promised the elf.

  “Now,” said the baron. “Tell me something that will convince me of your earnestness, or I will send a runner to Queen Lyander and learn the truth about you. Are you Dielderal?”

  “Yes,” replied Morro, “but I am not your enemy. There is a group of Alceans in Zara who are spying on the Federation. I have been helping them for close to a year now. We had a method of contacting King Arik, but it no longer works. I am on my way to Tagaret to inform the king of a new way to communicate.”

  The baron opened his mouth to speak, but Morro shook his head and continued.

  “I know that you have many questions, but I dare not answer them. I assume because you rule a human city that you are aligned with King Arik, but how closely I am not sure. I will not reveal what I have come to tell him. If you must send a runner to contact anyone about me, send that runner to the king, not the Elderal. They would kill me without seeking answers. The feud between the Elderal and Dielderal goes back centuries. They will not know that the Dielderal have ended that feud.”

  “Ended it?” frowned the baron. “How could it be ended and the Elderal ignorant of it?”

  “Prince Rigal of Glendor accompanied the Knights of Alcea to Zara,” explained Morro. “He explained to the Dielderal that their histories were inaccurate. When King Elengal learned the truth, all hatred for the Elderal was eliminated. The Elderal, however, are unaware of this. The Dielderal are allies of Alcea now. It is imperative that you contact King Arik and tell him about me. Can’t you send a fairy to him?”

  “A fairy?” balked the baron. “What do you know about fairies?”

  “The Knights of Alcea use them to communicate,” frowned Morro. “Don’t you know about them?”

  The baron turned his back to Morro, and the elf gritted his teeth. He wondered if he had revealed too much to a man who might not really be allied with the king. He mentally kicked himself for mentioning the fairies. When the baron turned around to face the elf, Morro saw a fairy standing in the palm of the man’s hand.

  “What fairies do you know?” chirped the baron’s fairy.

  “I know Bitsy, Button, Twerp, Droplet, Pixy, Pebble, Mite, Runt, Squirt, and Sparky,” answered the elf. “And Peanut. There are others, but I do not know them all.”

  “I think that they are all assigned to Zara,” announced the fairy. “He is either telling the truth, or our people in Zara are in great danger. I must report this to the Bringer right away.”

  “You do that,” agreed the baron. “I will keep our guest in a cell until you return.”

  Chapter 23

  Discovered

  Morro sat in the small cell wondering what would become of him. He knew that word had been sent to King Arik, but he was not sure what Garth had told the Alcean king. He may have never mentioned the Dielderal and their cooperation, although Morro thought he would have. Still, that might not be enough to save Morro himself. While most of the Dielderal were now aligned with Alcea, some still were not. It would be easy for the human king to brand Morro as one of those Dielderal fighting alongside the Federation. Such a mistake could cost the elf his life. Looking back on his decisions, Morro realized that he had made many mistakes on the gamble to come to Alcea. The worst was losing Sparky. He hoped the little fellow was all right. While Morro was worrying about his mistakes, a loud banging on the dungeon door caused one of the guards to leave the room. He returned moments later and ordered all of the guards out of the dungeon. Morro followed their movements with curiosity.

  The door opened again and two people entered. One was male, and the other was female, but both of them walked with a confident posture, and their eyes were the eyes of deadly warriors. They both carried long, two-handed swords on their backs, and they strode directly to Morro’s cell.

  “Where are the elves going to hide in Zara?” asked the man.

  Morro stared silently at the questioner.

  “If you expect me to believe that you are Morro, you will answer the question.”

  “I will speak only to King Arik,” Morro said defiantly.

  “I am King Arik,” declared the man.

  Morro was not convinced. He had only been in the cell for a little over an hour. Even if the fairy could have reached Tagaret in such a short time, the king could not already be in Mya. Besides, the man looked rather young to be the great conqueror that Morro had heard so many stories about.

  “And I am King Drakarik,” the elf responded.

  “Where does King Drakarik live?” the woman asked.

  Morro shrugged. To mention the name of the home of the dwarves would give nothing away to the Federation. “Tarashin.”

  “Welcome to Alcea, Morro,” grinned the man as he unlocked the cell door. “How did you manage to get here? The ships have stopped coming.”

  Morro frowned in confusion. “You really are King Arik? How could you possibly get here from Tagaret so quickly?”

  “We were not in Tagaret,” answered King Arik. “We were at a place not far from here. The fairies have an uncanny ability to find me wherever I go. Come. Let us find a more comfortable place to sit and talk.”

  Morro dropped to his knees and bowed low to King Arik. “Forgive my manners, Valon. I had not properly prepared for this trip to Alcea. I fear that my skepticism was a bit extreme when you said who you were.”

  “I am surprised that Garth would choose to send you,” frowned the king. “You are perhaps the most unlikely of people to appear. Rise, and tell me how you got here.”

  “Door number twenty-four,” answered Morro as he rose to his feet, “and Garth doesn’t know that I have come.”

  “You came through a Door?” gasped Queen Tanya. “How is that possible? We have people watching every Door.”

  “I have a gift of speed,” answered the elf.

  “Speed would not allow you to escape detection,” the queen said with suspicion evident in her voice. “Each Door is under constant surveillance. The only person reported coming through Door twenty-four in the last month was a human, and he was old and fat. Are you still hiding something from the king?”

  Morro fidgeted. He wanted to keep the hourglass a secret, but the queen was very perceptive. “I used a magical artifact to enable me to avoid detection. I would prefer not to discuss it or reveal its nature.”

  “Morro,” sighed the king, “we are not your enemy. You are already privy to many of our secrets. Do you not trust us?”

  Morro sighed and nodded. Now that he had mentioned the artifact, they could easily go through his belongings. The attempt at secrecy was not worth the mistrust he was allowing to grow.

  “The Mage gave me an hourglass,” declared the elf. “It suspends time. For the duration of the dropping sands, it freezes everyone except me. I used it to come through the Door.”

  “Interesting,” Queen Tanya said with a raised eyebrow. “That could have some wonderful applications.”

  “It does have potential,” smiled the elf. “In fact, it has allowed me to bring Door twenty-five to Alcea.”

  “Door twenty-five?” echoed the king. “Explain.”

  “There were thirty pairs of Doors made,” explained the elf. “They have only used twenty-four of them. Sparky and I used the hourglass to explore the Federation’s hidden valley. We found the unused Doors. Kalina said that having a Door to Alcea would be the greatest thing she could wish for. I have made that happen.”

  “Where is the Door?” asked Queen Tanya.

  “I have hidden it in a gully just east of the barn that I came out in.”

  King Arik turned and strode to the dungeon door. He opened it and issued an order to someone outside. He closed the door and returned. “Where is the matching Door?”

  “In Tarashin,” answered Morro. “No one knows about it except Karicon. He is a dwarven friend of mine. He is keeping the Door locked. It is in his personal chamber.”

  “So you have told no one except this dwarf about your journey here?” asked t
he queen.

  “That is correct.” Morro nodded. “Sparky also knows, but I managed to lose him on the way here. I do not even know what world he is in now.”

  “Why did you sneak through the Door?” asked King Arik. “Garth should have known you were coming.”

  “I did not want to reveal the hourglass to anyone,” sighed the elf. “I guess I was wrong, now that I look back on it, but Garth would have refused to let me go. I thought it was important enough to risk it.”

  King Arik nodded. “You need to have more faith in Garth. He understands acceptable risk. I have ordered a unicorn for you, but we will have to journey by horse until it arrives. We will go and find this Door of yours and then travel to Tagaret. We have much to discuss.”

  Morro nodded and followed the king and queen out of the dungeon. The guards all bowed to the royal couple, and the officer returned Morro’s items. They proceeded to the stables where Morro was given a horse. As they were riding through the city, Morro spoke softly to the king.

  “I had a problem before I got to Mya. I ran into some elves from Elderal. They know that I am Dielderal, and evidently, they are not aware that our feud has ended. They may be waiting for me outside the city.”

  “Not many people in Alcea are aware of what is going on in Zara,” replied the king. “I feared that information might get back to the Federation. Do not worry about the Elderal. We will be protected.”

  The king nodded silently to the queen, and she nodded in response. The shields erected by the queen were invisible, and Morro was unaware that they had been erected. He was still nervous when the gates opened. The royal couple and the elven thief exited the city and turned into the rising sun, but the gates did not close. Morro turned and looked back. Four soldiers rode out of the city, but they did not turn eastward as the king had. The soldiers continued straight and disappeared into the forest. The gates closed behind them.

  “Will the soldiers attack the Elderal?” Morro asked softly.

  “The Elderal are our allies,” answered the king. “There is no reason to attack friends.”

  Morro frowned deeply. “Is Alcea so safe that the king can ride alone? Where is your escort?”

  “You saw our escort leave the city,” smiled the queen. “King Arik prefers not to ride with a large escort. It only brings attention to the fact that an important person is about, and we do not want to show much interest in a place where one of the Doors is located. We will have help if it is needed.”

  King Arik led the way eastward. He was familiar with the location of Door twenty-four, and he headed towards it. The trail eastward ran near the Boulder River and when King Arik rounded a bend, the way was blocked by a band of elves. Morro tensed, but the king rode forward and halted directly in front of the elves.

  “That elf is Dielderal,” one the elves declared as he pointed at Morro.

  “I know,” replied King Arik. “He is known to my people. He has been working with Prince Rigal of Glendor.”

  “You know him?” the elf asked in surprise. “I thought he was lying.”

  King Arik smiled at the elf leader. “I am glad that the Elderal are vigilant, but this particular Dielderal is no threat to Alcea. If you would carry word to Prince Garong, tell him that I request his presence in Tagaret.”

  The elves nodded and parted for the king and his group. Morro felt uncomfortable exposing his back to the Elderal elves as they rode by, but he refused to turn around and look back. When the trail turned away from the river, King Arik led the way up a tall hill. Morro finally glanced back and deep furrows etched his brow. He called for a halt.

  “What is it?” asked Queen Tanya.

  “I have been on this hill,” Morro replied. “I remember looking down at the city.”

  “You would have come this way from the farm where the Door is,” stated King Arik.

  “I did,” replied the elf, “but I thought I was traveling east at the time. I must have been heading west instead. The Door that I hid is between here and the barn.”

  “Why did you think you were heading east?” asked the queen.

  “The rising moon,” answered the elf. “There is something about using the Doors that distorts time. When I left Zara, the moon was rising, but here it was setting. I got confused.”

  “It is not the Doors that distort time,” explained the queen. “You are very far east of your homeland. The moon rises much earlier here in Alcea.”

  “So you mistakenly headed west from the farm?” asked the king.

  Morro nodded. “The gully should not be far from the base of the hill.”

  “Lead us to it,” said the king.

  Morro took the lead and led the royal couple down the hill. Within minutes they were in the gully where Morro had hidden the Door. King Arik stirred Prince Midge to life. The little green man glanced around before speaking. He noticed the dark elf, but said nothing about him.

  “Good morning, Bringer,” Prince Midge said cheerily. “How may I serve you today?”

  “There is a Door buried here,” explained the king as he pointed to the spot that Morro had indicated. “I want it picked up and delivered to the Royal Palace in Tagaret. No one is to know that it is a Door. Have the Rangers use a wagon and have some visible cargo that is easily identifiable. The Door must remain hidden. I also want a fairy to watch over this Door until it is delivered to me. It must not be lost or damaged.”

  “I shall see that it is delivered to you in Tagaret promptly,” saluted the fairy. “You can count on the fairies.”

  Prince Midge darted into the air and disappeared.

  “They are amazing creatures,” commented Morro. “I wish I knew where Sparky was.”

  “They are fearless and resourceful,” smiled Queen Tanya. “I am sure that Sparky will be fine.”

  “We need to get to Tagaret now,” stated the king. “There is much to do.”

  * * * *

  One minute Sparky was safely in Morro’s pocket and the next he was staring up at the night sky. The fairy immediately realized that he had a problem. He saw the pile of Doors nearby and quickly darted behind them so the soldiers would not see him. He peered around the corner of the stack of Doors and watched the soldiers carefully. There was no sign of alarm in the camp, and the fairy breathed a sigh of relief. He next counted the Doors in the stack and verified that Morro had taken one. Seeing that the elf was not between the stack of Doors and Door number twenty-four, the fairy surmised that Morro had made it through to Alcea. Still, he waited for over an hour before leaving the area.

  Sparky flew through the dark forest to the secret door of the dwarves. He eased into the spy hole and crawled into Tarashin. Not wanting the dwarves to see him enter the mine, the fairy decided to wait until no one was looking towards the secret door. While he was waiting, King Drakarik entered the chamber with a couple of visitors. Sparky swallowed hard when he recognized Garth and Kalina Shado.

  “There is a spy hole,” the king stated, “but it is rather dark out right now. You will not be able to see much.”

  “Will I be able to see enough to tell if anyone is near the door on the other side?” asked Garth.

  “It is best to use a fairy,” offered one of the dwarves in the chamber. “They can fit through the hole.”

  Sparky watched as Garth put his finger in his pocket. Sparky quickly crawled backwards, but he was not quick enough. Before he reached the valley end of the hole, Bitsy was butting heads with him.

  “What are you doing here?” Bitsy demanded to know. “You are in my way.”

  “Shh,” urged Sparky. “Now is not a good time to enter the valley. Just go back and tell that to Garth.”

  “And forget to mention that you were blocking my way?” scowled Bitsy. “What are you up to? Is this another one of your pranks?”

  “No prank,” promised Sparky. “I was just out there, and I saw soldiers.”

  “What were you doing out there?” asked Bitsy. “I did not see Morro in the chamber, and I doubt he w
ould let you go flying around the valley on your own.”

  “He knew I was in the valley,” Sparky replied nervously. “Just go tell Garth that now is not a good time.”

  “I have not seen any soldiers,” Bitsy replied defiantly. “I think perhaps you should tell Garth yourself. I cannot report what I have not seen.”

  “No,” Sparky bit his lowed lip. “He will ask too many questions. You tell him.”

  “Very well,” Bitsy grinned mischievously. “I will tell him that Sparky says there are soldiers out there.”

  “No!” Sparky said worriedly. “He will be angry.”

  “So you have done something that you shouldn’t have,” Bitsy replied knowingly. “I thought as much. Pranks are one thing, Sparky, but we do not keep secrets from Garth about important things, and this valley is important. You better explain everything to Garth, or Prince Midge will ground you.”

  Bitsy started to back up, but Sparky called her imploringly.

  “Wait. You win. I promise that I will tell Garth everything, but not in front of the dwarven king. I don’t want Morro banned from Tarashin.”

  Bitsy hesitated, and Sparky pressed on.

  “Distract them while I get out of here. I will meet Garth in Karicon’s chamber, but make sure that the king does not go there, too.”

  “This had better be good,” warned Bitsy. “Garth wants to go into the valley while it is dark, and you are wasting time.”

  “There is no need for him to do that,” promised Sparky. “Trust me just this once. Please.”

  Bitsy did not reply. She backed out of the hole and flew to Garth’s shoulder. She whispered in his ear while everyone looked on with curiosity. After a few moments, Bitsy took to the air with an acrobatic leap off Garth’s shoulder. She soared around the chamber up near the ceiling and then darted down the tunnel. Everyone watched her display and their eyes followed her progress until she disappeared.

  “I guess now is not a good time,” Garth said to the dwarven king. “I think I will go visit with Morro for an hour or so. I will come to your quarters before I venture into the valley.”