Demonkin

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Drink the tea,” the captain urged in a whispery, caring tone as he placed one of her hands around the mug.

  The water witch brought the mug to her lips with an unsteady hand, and Captain Gomery stepped away from the rail and turned towards the stern.

  “Make ready to sail!” the captain shouted to the crew.

  The crew all stopped what they were doing and turned towards the captain expecting further orders, but Chanz understood what the others did not. He took command of the crew and began issuing orders to take over for the water witch.

  Captain Gomery took the empty mug from Haditha’s hand and placed it on the deck. He put his arm around her and eased her away from the rail.

  “It is well past time for you to rest,” the captain said softly. “My men will take it from here.”

  Captain Gomery had expected an argument, but he did not receive one. Haditha didn’t say a word as the captain guided her below and into his bunk. She fell fast asleep, but the captain didn’t return topside for a while. He got a basin of water and began to clean Haditha’s face and hair.

  * * * *

  “Brace yourselves,” warned Cirris. “We are about to run up on the beach. It is nothing to worry about, but it will feel as if we have hit something, so find something to hang onto.”

  The elven children nodded in silence, and Cirris raced back up to the deck. He ran to the bow and stood next to the anchor as Captain Gomery ordered the sails lowered. While Cirris waited for the command to set the anchor, he gazed out at the assembled elves waiting on the beach. He saw their hopeful eyes scanning the deck of the Skate in search of their children. The elves were anxious, and the sailor could hardly blame them. The Skate slid onto the beach with a jolt and the captain ordered the anchor set. Cirris tossed the large anchor with a practiced ease. He leaped off the ship after it and set it snuggly into the sand.

  “What of the children?” King Elengal asked in a worried tone as the other elves stood in stony silence.

  “They are fine,” Cirris replied cheerily. “They are below deck and will start coming up in a moment. They were told to stay below until they were called for.”

  “How many?” asked one of the elven women, breaking the silence that the elves had imposed upon themselves.

  “We only have those from Farmin and Valdo,” Cirris answered, not understanding the true question.

  “How many?” the woman asked again, worry etching her smooth features.

  “All of them,” Chanz said cheerily as he jumped to the beach. “Every single one of them.”

  A loud collective sigh of relief ushered forth from the elves, and smiles split their worried faces. Some of the normally stoic elves started cheering, and the mood contagiously enveloped the whole beach. At that moment the elven children started filing onto the deck of the Skate. The older children carried the younger ones, and all of them gazed in wonder at the crowd on the beach. Elven parents rushed into the water to take the young ones being handed down by the older children. Cirris and Chanz moved into the water on the opposite side of the ship and climbed onboard, leaving the elves to their reunion. They went about securing the ship as Captain Gomery brought Haditha up on deck. The captain and the water witch walked to the bow and gazed down at the elves.

  “That is quite a site to behold,” Haditha said softly. “It is so long since I have witnessed such a display of family. I have forgotten the joy involved in it. I don’t think I have ever seen such a large group as happy as these elves are right now.”

  “The parents are happy,” commented Captain Gomery. “I think the children are in a state of shock. Look at them. They do not know what is happening to them.”

  “How could they know?” retorted Haditha. “They were taken as babies to live without parents. They do not even know which of those elves are their parents, but they will soon learn that a parent’s love never dies.”

  “Look!” Captain Gomery pointed to the entrance of the dwarven mine. Other elven children were emerging to see what was happening. “The ones from Despair must have made it as well.”

  “What of the ones from Giza?”

  “They will not be coming to the Isle of Despair. At least not right away. The Knights of Alcea have a different hiding spot for them, but eventually they will find a way to get them here. This is just the beginning of the elven reunion.”

  “This is just the beginning of many things,” stated the water witch. “The Skate must be readied for the second part of the voyage.”

  “She may not make it,” frowned the captain. “She took an awful beating in that storm. I cannot imagine those men taking her out again, especially on such a dangerous voyage.”

  “The men will not be coming,” declared Haditha. “I will take the Skate to its doom.”

  “What?” balked the captain. “I could never ask that of you. I am thrilled that you helped us gather the elven children, but you have done enough.”

  “No, Gomery,” smiled Haditha. “I was wrong and selfish by not wanting to help before. Looking at the faces of these elves tells me how wrong I was. There can be no finer meaning to a person’s life than to be part of something as wonderful as this. I will take the Skate to her death, and I will do it alone. You and your men deserve a rest.”

  Captain Gomery released Haditha’s hand and walked towards his crew.

  “You four have one more task to perform for the Skate,” the captain said. “Get your replacements onboard and positioned as we had planned. I also want as much of the children’s clothing as possible. Be quick about it. The Skate sets sail before dusk.”

  The four sailors nodded silently and sprung into action. Captain Gomery turned around and retraced his steps to the bow. He took Haditha’s hand again and smiled.

  “You’re not going ashore, are you?” asked the water witch.

  “A captain goes down with his ship,” he replied with a determined smile. “You’ll have to sink her to get me off.”

  “Then say goodbye to your men, Captain Gomery. We may not be coming back this way.”

  Chapter 46

  Illusions

  General Fortella led the Second Corps into the Heart of Elfwoods. He halted his horse in the main square of the elven capital and gazed around the deserted village. Not an elf was in sight. He shook his head with disbelief and then set his gaze on Colonel Tamora.

  “I want every building in this village searched. Make it quick. The elves are fleeing to somewhere.”

  The colonel saluted and rode off, shouting orders as he rode the entire breadth of the column. He then led his own company to the southern sector of the village, and his men started searching buildings there. Colonel Tamora was riding slowly along the perimeter of the Heart, watching the progress of his men when he saw the beaten path. He stared at the wide dirt trail heading southward and nodded with understanding. Leaving his men to search the buildings, the colonel returned to the general’s side.

  “I think the entire nation of elves ran southward. There is a wide beaten path that is quite fresh. It is unlike anything I have ever seen in Elfwoods.”

  “Show me,” commanded General Fortella.

  The two officers rode to the southern edge of the Heart and halted at the start of the trail. The general dismounted and knelt next to the dirt path.

  “They are indeed on the run,” the general declared as he rose and mounted his horse.

  “But to where?” frowned the colonel. “Shark Point is the obvious destination, but there is nothing but death awaiting elves who go there.”

  “I doubt that they are going there to worship their dead.”

  The general put a whistle to his lips and blew hard. Within moments, all of the company commanders had gathered around him.

  “I want two companies to ride westward in search of elves,” ordered the general. “Go as far as the Barrier and then return to the Heart. Two more companies will ride eastward to the Badlands and return. Colonel Tamora, you will take four companies southward to Shark P
oint. I want all elves returned to the Heart.”

  The company commanders rallied their men and departed the Heart. General Fortella remained behind with two companies in case the elves were trying to lead the soldiers astray.

  Colonel Tamora led his companies along the dirt path at a frantic pace, trying to catch up to the elves before they reached the coast. He stationed a rider every three leagues so that he had the means to send a message back to the Heart quickly if it was needed. He was not sure why they were heading towards the shark-infested waters, but he knew instinctively that Shark Point was their destination, and he did not have a good feeling about it.

  * * * *

  The Federation soldiers poured out of the forest onto the wide sandy beach. The soldiers reined their horses to a halt, but Colonel Tamora continued riding through them. He stopped at the very edge of the surf and gazed out over the sea. He shook his head in disbelief as he saw the ships sailing away from Shark Point.

  “Where are they going?” asked one of the soldiers.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Colonel Tamora, “but wherever it is, the Federation will be chasing them. Emperor Jaar will not stand for being defied.”

  The colonel dismounted and called to one of his men. “I want a message sent back to the Heart immediately. Describe the sailing vessels to General Fortella, and let him know that we will be returning to the Heart after a short rest for the horses.”

  The chosen rider turned and started back the way they had come. The rest of the soldiers dismounted for a meal break, but they also left the beach after a short while. When all of the soldiers had left, giggling could be heard high up in the palm trees.

  “That was our best illusion yet,” chirped one of the fairies.

  “Your ship was traveling too fast,” complained another fairy. “It was not a race, you know.”

  “You should talk,” retorted the first fairy. “I saw your ship rise out of the water. It is a good thing the soldiers weren’t paying close attention.”

  “It’s a good thing the soldiers didn’t have an elven scope like Alex,” offered a third fairy.

  “Don’t use that name in Zara,” frowned one of the fairies. “He is Garth Shado here.”

  “Oh?” retorted the offended fairy. “And talking openly about the illusions is okay? Who makes the rules around here? An ogre?”

  * * * *

  Grand General Kyrga stood before a wall map with Emperor Jaar standing next to him. Colonel Taerin stood behind them both and held his tongue as the two leaders discussed the state of the elves.

  “Farmin was hit a day before the others,” Kyrga was saying as he pointed to the city on the map with a long pointer. “I believe this was done so that the same ship could pick up the children in Valdo.”

  “But Queen Samir reported that the children escaped only because the storm tore apart the reeducation center. Are you saying that the storm was not at fault?”

  “I am not surprised that Queen Samir would seek to deny any responsibility for the escape,” replied Kyrga, “but I have received other reports from Valdo. The Skate was in that city briefly on the night of the new moon. That is no coincidence.”

  “I agree,” stated Emperor Jaar. “I shall have a talk with our uppity queen the next time she visits. What about Giza and here in Despair. Surely the same ship is not accommodating all four cities.”

  “Not Despair,” agreed the Grand General, “but it is possible for Giza. Not directly of course, as no ship is capable of such a feat, not even with a water witch at the helm, but remember that the area east of Giza has been used by the rebels before. All they had to do was get the children from Giza to some point on the coast near the Pyres. The Skate could then pick them up on the way to the Needle.”

  “The Needle?” balked the emperor. “And then to where? Do you really think they plan to sail through the Needle to get to Elfwoods? That is absurd.”

  “They are not going to Elfwoods,” stated General Fortella as he entered the room.

  Everyone turned to look at the Commanding General of the Second Corps.

  “Elfwoods is deserted,” the general continued. “We found a well-beaten path to Shark Point, and my men saw ships sailing away to the south.”

  “To the south?” echoed Kyrga. “To where?”

  “I do not know,” answered General Fortella as he walked towards the wall map and stared at it, “but it is clear to me that their destination is not Elfwoods. They do not ever plan to return there.”

  “How can you be so sure?” asked the emperor.

  “Because they slaughtered over a thousand of our men,” replied the general. “The changing of shift for the mines in the Badlands coincided with the new moon this month. The elves took the opportunity to attack the center and the mine detail at the same time. They have no intention of ever returning to the Elfwoods.”

  “They are heading for Alcea!” exclaimed the emperor. “Are they so stupid as to think that we will allow them to ever reach it?”

  “There is one ship of children that will not be making the voyage,” snarled Kyrga. “Colonel, send a message to the Needle. I want the Skate sunk, and I will hear no excuses for failure. I don’t care if they are sailing without sails or floating through in a dense fog. I want that ship sunk.”

  Colonel Taerin hastily scribbled a note and handed it to one of the door guards with instructions to send it to the Needle. He did not want to miss any of the conversation, as the generals and the emperor were speaking freely as they seldom did when others were around.

  “That will doom three-fourths of the children,” frowned the emperor, “but what about the rest? The children were supposed to keep the elves in slavery. Who will toil at the mines now?”

  “You could start with the men of the V Corps,” suggested General Fortella. “I am sure that there will soon be others to join them.”

  “True.” Kyrga nodded. “The incompetence of the guards at the centers is quite disturbing. Perhaps some lessons are in order.”

  “Incompetence is not limited to the guards at the centers,” Emperor Jaar said angrily. “The rebels have managed to strike all over the Federation with impunity. Why is that, Grand General Kyrga?”

  Kyrga was caught off guard by the verbal slap. His face reddened as he turned to see Colonel Taerin still in the room.

  “You were given a message to deliver, Colonel,” scowled Kyrga. “See to it now. And you are dismissed, General Fortella.”

  The two officers left the room, General Fortella closing the door behind them.

  “If you must criticize me,” Kyrga complained, “please do so in private. It is hard to maintain loyalty when you humiliate me in public.”

  “I do not need an underling to tell me how to behave,” retorted the emperor. “I think at times you forget your place in the scheme of things. You were nothing before I promoted you, Kyrga. I can easily return you to the lower ranks, and I become tempted to do so when problems like these arise. Why are these rebels able to waltz into our cities and do whatever they want to?”

  “I will get to the bottom of these escapes,” promised Kyrga. “My investigation will be thorough. I promise you that.”

  “Wonderful,” replied the emperor, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Then when I have Samir, Harowin, and Anator here, I can tell them the reason why Despair suffered the same fate as their cities. I am sure that will make them feel sufficiently cowed.” The emperor glared at Kyrga and continued in a more threatening tone. “I hold the upper hand in the Federation because we are constantly able to point out the weaknesses of the other rulers. Your ineptitude here in Despair is jeopardizing my position, Kyrga, and I will not put up with that. How are you going to rectify this problem?”

  Grand General Kyrga stared at the wall map to avoid the gaze of the emperor. His mind raced to think of a way to blame the escape in Despair on one of the other monarchs, but he could not think of one. Suddenly, the solution struck him, and he smiled at its simplicity.

&n
bsp; “I do not understand the problem,” offered Kyrga. “I have heard nothing about any escape in Despair. As far as I know, the elven children are still safely ensconced in the reeducation center.”

  The emperor blinked in confusion, but only for a moment. Slowly, he sighed and nodded in agreement.

  * * * *

  Captain Gomery stood at the bow rail alongside the water witch. A tiny sliver of a moon hung over the Cliffs of Ranool as the Skate slid silently through the calm waters of the Needle. The tiny lights of other ships showed in all directions, but Haditha was skilled in avoiding any close contact with the other vessels. Every so often, the captain would dip a ladle into a barrel of chum lashed to the rail. He would then toss the mixture of raw meat and fish scraps into the sea. Invariably, he would turn to see if he could spot the telltale fins of the sharks that were surely following the Skate through the Needle.

  “We are getting farther away from the Isle of Despair with each hour,” frowned Captain Gomery. “Why not let them see us now?”

  “You seem to be anxious to have huge boulders rain down upon you,” retorted Haditha. “Just because I have the ability to breathe under water, that doesn’t mean that we are going to survive this journey. When the Federation finally spots us, they will throw tons of rocks onto this ship. When they are done with their barrage, you would be lucky to find a piece of wood as large as your body. What makes you think those rocks will miss hitting us?”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought of that,” frowned the captain. “I figured that they would sink the Skate, and we would merely return to the Isle of Despair like we did when we sunk the fleet in the Sea of Tears.”

  “We left the fleet burning on the surface,” stated Haditha. “This will be far different. The rocks that will be raining down on us will continue downward until they strike the bottom of the channel. Where do you expect us to hide?”

  “Then let us abandon the ship now,” urged the captain. “There is no need for us to be on the Skate when it is struck. We have the mannequins in place. The ship will appear to be crewed. Let us go now.”