“That would allow us to flee safely,” agreed the water witch, “but it might not accomplish what we have come to do. They must know by now that a water witch is guiding the Skate. They will expect me to use my skills to avoid the rocks falling down on us. If I do not do that, the illusion of the children fleeing may not pass the test. We cannot afford to leave them skeptical. They must truly believe that the children have gone to their watery graves.”
“And you are willing to die for that?” asked the captain.
“I am.” Haditha nodded. “A month ago I would have laughed at such sentiments, but I was ignorant of what was going on around me. Over the years I have grown selfish and self-absorbed, but seeing the joy in those elven faces has changed me. I no longer see your friends as competition for your heart. I understand them now, and I find their motives pure and wholesome. They truly are putting their lives on the line for other people, and I find that remarkable. I envy them for their clarity of purpose and their selflessness. They are the most noble of people, and I am glad to have been able to be a part of their lives.”
“There is nothing in your words that I can disagree with,” the captain said sadly, “but I am not ready to lose you.”
“When I spoke of your friends,” smiled the water witch, “I was also speaking of you. I understand now why you came to Zara, and I know the courage that must have taken. Garth was right. I fell in love with a man who held high ideals, and I tried to make him choose between me and those ideals. I was a fool, and I am sorry for that.”
“Nonsense,” smiled Captain Gomery. “You are too hard on yourself. You may have acted like you didn’t care, but you were always there when you were needed. The months we spent on the Isle of Despair were filled with idyllic wonder, but there were no other chores that we were needed for. When the time came, you were there for the asking.”
“And I am here now,” stated Haditha, “but you do not need to be. Grab an empty barrel and slip over the side before we are sighted. The currents are favorable right now. You might make it back to the island.”
“No.” The captain shook his head and put his arm around the water witch. “I am here with you, and with you is where I want to be, no matter what comes. We will weather this storm together.”
The lovers lapsed into silence for over an hour, but the coming dawn broke their solitude. Faint whistles sounded from the Cliffs of Ranool, and huge rocks started falling into the waters of the Needle. Haditha’s arms moved quickly as she guided the Skate over an erratic course designed to make the ship hard to hit. For several minutes she was successful, but the zoned defense of the Needle made it impossible to sail through unscathed. The first large boulder struck near the stern, and it ripped through the deck with an explosive force. The Skate shuddered under the impact and Haditha was thrown to the deck. Captain Gomery bent over to help the water witch to her feet, but another boulder struck amidships. The Skate groaned as the deck splintered and timbers cracked. The captain tumbled and fell on top of the water witch. Three more rocks hit in close succession, and the Skate split in two, the barrels of chum spilling into the sea.
Captain Gomery wrapped his arms around Haditha as the ship dragged them under. Barrel and crates, which had air trapped inside them, rose towards the surface, as parts of the ship with metal dived for the bottom of the deep channel. Some heavy wooden beams seemed to float under the surface, too buoyant to sink, yet too heavy to race towards the surface. Huge boulders continued to smash into the sea, like meteorites streaking out of a night sky. The turbulence caused by their passing tossed the couple around erratically, and the water witch fought to maintain her bearings. The sharks closed in for a feeding frenzy, but the barrels of chum offered little for them to feast upon. They glided through the murky waters around the sinking vessel in search of prey.
Haditha glanced around nervously and then put her lips to Gomery’s. She breathed air into the captain’s lungs and then returned her attention to the gathering swarm of sharks. While sharks normally did not bother water witches, such was not the case in a feeding frenzy. Several large sharks began circling with a bit too much interest in the water witch and the captain. Haditha raised her arm with the flat of her palm facing the nearest of the sharks. A sudden pulse of water hit the shark in its head, and the creature immediately turned away. The others, unaware of the fate of the first shark, moved in closer. Haditha struck again at the next closest shark, and it too retreated in search of safer game. After the third shark was rebuffed, the gathering retreated, and Haditha moved rapidly towards the Cliffs of Ranool.
Within minutes, they were far from the zone where the boulders continued to plunge into the sea. Within half an hour, they had reached an area of the cliffs that the water witch had been searching for. With Gomery’s arms wrapped around her, Haditha glided into a crevice in the rock wall of the Cliffs of Ranool. She slowed to a crawl as she maneuvered through the narrow cave. Eventually, she rose to the surface. Captain Gomery gasped for air as he looked around. A single beam of light coming from somewhere up above lighted the large cavern.
“Where are we?”
“A cavern where I used to play as a child,” smiled Haditha. “We will be safe from the Federation here. No one but a water witch would know that this cave exists.”
* * * *
Colonel Taerin walked into the office of Grand General Kyrga. He saluted and waited for the general to acknowledge him.
“What is it, Taerin?”
“I thought you would want to know. The Skate has been sunk in the Needle.”
“Really?” brightened Kyrga. “Were there any survivors?”
“None,” answered the colonel. “We were correct about the elves being onboard. The slick of debris stretches out for almost a league, and the gathering of sharks is the largest the watchers have ever seen. There is also a lot of elven clothing, especially in sizes fit for children. There can be no doubt that the Skate was hauling the elven children.”
“And the water witch? Are we sure she didn’t survive?”
“Inconceivable,” answered Colonel Taerin. “Even after the Skate went down, the batteries continued to pepper the sea for half an hour. Besides, nothing could survive the swarm of sharks that amassed in the Needle.”
“What about the other ships?”
“There has been no sign of them. They have not tried to run the blockade off the coast, and the patrols sent to search for them have not had any luck. We don’t know where they are.”
“Have the patrols keep searching,” ordered Kyrga. “I also want reports of any signs of wreckage. Elves have never been good sailors. I would not be surprised if they manage to sink those ships all by themselves.”
* * * *
The elves who were parents of the children held in Giza filed into the large chamber as King Elengal had requested. Their faces were long as they expected to hear of some disaster befalling their children. They were the only parents who had not been reunited with their children, and while they had been given assurances that the children were safe, they secretly harbored doubts. They could not understand why their children had not been brought to the Isle of Despair like the others. When they were all seated, King Elengal entered the chamber and stood before them. Perched on his shoulder was a fairy, and the elves marveled as the tiny woman smiled at them.
“This wonderful little woman is called Bitsy,” announced the elven king. “She has asked me to assemble all of you. She has something important to say.”
The elves were anxious, but the fairy’s cheerful demeanor was disarming.
“I actually have very little to say,” smiled the fairy, “but there are words that you need to hear. Watch closely as I present a vision for you.”
The air before the elves shimmered, and an image of a large common room came into view. Seated at the tables in the common room were hundreds of elven children. The elves gasped as the children came into focus, but they remained leery of what was to come. As they watched, one of the childre
n rose from his chair and walked towards them. He grinned as he introduced himself. Squeals of delight came from the parents of the boy as other elves patted them reassuringly. The elven boy went on to tell about himself before returning to his seat. Immediately another child rose and introduced herself. For several hours, the fairy kept the image showing as each elven child was given a chance to step forward and identify himself. When the image finally winked out of existence, the elves were chatting happily with one another, talking about their children and how they had grown. Bitsy was exhausted, but she waited patiently for the group to quiet down. Eventually the elves noticed the fairy again and began to thank her for carrying the images of their children. Bitsy bowed and smiled.
“I am very tired now,” announced the fairy, “but I have another treat for you. It will have to wait until after I nap, but I would like to do the same thing here that I did in Aranak.”
“Do you mean that you will carry images of us back to our children?” asked one of the elves.
“That is exactly what I mean,” smiled Bitsy. “You can introduce yourselves and tell your children whatever you want to, but I must be fresh to carry the images.”
“Then you should rest long and well,” grinned the elf. “We will need some time to think of the right words, but we have much to say to our children.”
“And to the people who helped free them,” added another elf. “To those heroes, we are eternally grateful.”
THE END
Maps and information can be found at http://www.rstuttle.com/
You can contact the author at: [email protected]
Table of Contents
Our story so far…
Prologue
Chapter 1
Claws of Alutar
Chapter 2
Illusionist
Chapter 3
Gypsies in Giza
Chapter 4
Historic Clues
Chapter 5
Wandering Mage
Chapter 6
Death of a Mage
Chapter 7
Smirka
Chapter 8
Dangerous Game
Chapter 9
The Bargain
Chapter 10
Fairy in a Rock
Chapter 11
Elves in Despair
Chapter 12
Emperor’s Man
Chapter 13
Scorpion
Chapter 14
Traveling Elf
Chapter 15
Unwelcome in Valdo
Chapter 16
Gem Merchant
Chapter 17
Blind Man
Chapter 18
Breakthrough
Chapter 19
Vengeance
Chapter 20
Poisoned
Chapter 21
Full Circle
Chapter 22
Door Twenty-Five
Chapter 23
Discovered
Chapter 24
Summit
Chapter 25
To Olansk
Chapter 26
Teamwork
Chapter 27
First Link
Chapter 28
Death in Waxhaw
Chapter 29
Colonels
Chapter 30
Covert Moves
Chapter 31
Wine Merchants
Chapter 32
Unborn City
Chapter 33
The Skate
Chapter 34
Setup
Chapter 35
Nocking the Arrow
Chapter 36
Bending the Bow
Chapter 37
Snap of Release
Chapter 38
Arrows Fly
Chapter 39
Gamblers All
Chapter 40
The Sting
Chapter 41
The Deluge
Chapter 42
Ghost Rider
Chapter 43
Loose Ends
Chapter 44
Morning After
Chapter 45
The Storm
Chapter 46
Illusions
Demonkin Page 59
