Elpis

by Aaron McGowan

  “Hey, he’s up,” Borely said, standing up from a small wooden chair in the corner. Areo and Kitoh got up from their chairs and followed after him. They walked to the side of Terico’s bed and stood quietly for a few moments.

  “How are you doing?” Areo asked.

  “I’ll live,” Terico said. He glanced to the other side of the room and noted a second bed, which he found occupied by Suran. Save for the slight rise and fall of her breathing, she lay perfectly still beneath her blankets. Her eyes were closed, but she still looked exhausted.

  “What happened?” Terico asked. He was struggling to piece together everything that had happened. He knew he used the Elpis, and that he was chasing after Delkol...

  He tried to sit up, and Areo helped him position his back against the wall behind him.

  “Lanek found you just outside the castle grounds,” she said. “He brought Suran with him, and she’s still unconscious. It’s been about fourteen hours since the airship attack, but nothing has happened since.”

  Borely handed Terico a couple leather pouches. “Here’s your Nexi stones, and the Elpis fragments.”

  Terico opened the lighter of the two bags. “Two pieces of the Elpis. And now Delkol has the other two.”

  “The castle was attacked,” Areo said, “but we don’t know any specifics yet. Rilv said she’d explain the situation once you were up again.”

  “Everyone’s okay though?” Terico asked. “The three of you look well. And Lanek?”

  “He’s fine, but is... away,” Areo said. She looked down to Terico, her expression grim. “And Suran... The doctor is still concerned about her condition, I’m afraid.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Terico said, his memories of yesterday’s events starting to piece back together. “She was stabbed, but I healed her. I used the Elpis to save her.”

  “Explain more,” said a man’s voice. Terico turned to find a man dressed in the light green and black garb of a city hospital worker. He was a tall man in his forties, and had short, black hair and a full goatee. His ears were slightly pointed, perhaps marking him as a half-elf. “I need to understand precisely what happened to the patient.”

  Walking beside him was a woman only slightly shorter than the doctor. She seemed in her late twenties, and had sharp, thin eyes and silver hair that reached her shoulders. Terico inferred from the regal purple and white uniform that this was Rilv, the head servant of the royal line.

  “It was just as I said,” Terico explained. “The Brotherhood boarded our airship, and the two of us had to fight them all off. Suran was stabbed in the chest by one of them, but I used the healing energies of the Elpis to save her shortly afterward.”

  “There was no wound for me to examine,” the doctor said. “And no scar left behind.”

  “It disappeared,” Terico said. “And there shouldn’t be a problem anymore. She’s breathing fine, isn’t she?”

  “She’s alive,” the doctor said, “but she’s extremely weak. Barely able to maintain consciousness for more than a minute at a time, and with several hours needed to recover each time. Her brother said she was worn out from Nexi use, but if that were the case she should have recovered by now... Do you remember if there was anything peculiar about the sword used?”

  The questioned triggered Terico’s memory of the blade glowing gray. “There was a gray Nexi stone. He rubbed it against the full length of the blade, turning it gray.”

  “A gray Nexi stone?” Borely said. “What does that do?”

  Terico had never heard of a gray Nexi, let alone seen one used before. It must have been a very rare stone.

  “A poison,” Rilv said. “Incurable.”

  “Wh... What?” Terico cried.

  “She will not live long,” Rilv said, as terse as she was when she spoke via the teal Nexi.

  Terico turned to the doctor. “No, there has to be a way to heal her.”

  The man sighed and shut his eyes a few seconds. “I’m sorry, boy. The gray Nexi’s energy is the power of death. It seems you slowed the effect a bit with the Elpis, but she is still dying nonetheless. Had it been a regular poison of some kind, there might have been a chance—but the gray Nexi has affected her entire bloodstream, and in turn every vital organ in her body. I’m afraid there is no possible cure... It’s only a matter of time.”

  “No,” Terico said, pushing aside his blanket. “No, that’s wrong. I can use the Elpis.” He struggled to turn himself so he could get out his bed, then strained himself to walk over to Suran’s. He held on to the side of her bed to keep from falling to the ground, and had to take a couple slow breaths to recover.

  “You can barely stand,” Rilv said. “You can not use the Elpis again in this state. And with only two of its four pieces, you won’t be able to last long. You will kill yourself.”

  “I have to try!” Terico yelled. “I’m not going to just let her die!”

  “You healed one wound,” Rilv said, “but can you heal every organ in her body? On top of this, her entire bloodstream has been infected by the Nexi energy. You would have to heal every drop of blood in her body.”

  Terico thought over how long this would take him. Hours, he realized. The agony would be unbearable, and he likely would die if he made such an attempt.

  No. I can’t just do nothing. Not again. Not now. I have half the Elpis. I can save her. It has to be possible. I’m not going to lose her now!

  He took his Elpis fragments and placed one in each of his hands. Though he felt half-dead himself, he had to try. There was energy in the Elpis that could strengthen him—if he could access that energy right away, he might be able to hold out long enough to find a way to heal Suran.

  “Stop,” Rilv said. “You must rest.”

  Terico ignored her and gripped the Elpis pieces tight. His body filled with a hundred energies, each of them destroying him from the inside. He screamed, but forced himself to clasp the Elpis pieces tighter. All the wounds across his body erupted with searing heat, as if a tremendous fire was rushing out each of his cuts and pushing against each of his bruises.

  Terico collapsed to the ground, sitting against the side of his bed. He fell into sudden gasps of slow breaths, his lungs heavy and dense.

  Rilv walked to him, bent to one knee, and wrenched the Elpis fragments from him. Terico couldn’t fight back, barely even conscious of what she was doing.

  “I will return these to you after you recover,” she said. “You probably need to rest at least a day before using the Elpis again. It is pertinent you regain your strength before Delkol’s armies close in on the city.”

  Terico took long, shivering breaths. His body felt cold and tight, as if he were buried beneath a frozen avalanche. He couldn’t respond to Rilv. He couldn’t argue. He couldn’t yell. He couldn’t scream at the sheer wretchedness of his situation.

  Suran is dying, and I couldn’t do anything.

  “I need to explain the current situation to you,” Rilv said.

  Suran is dying.

  “I will be brief, as I have many matters to return to,” Rilv continued.

  Why is this happening?

  “Delkol Shire has obtained the castle’s Elpis fragment. He escaped with the remnants of his Brotherhood, which has joined with the Shire armies in preparation to invade Setar.”

  Just when we were back together... Just when things finally started to look up for us...

  “Using the power of the Elpis, Delkol killed nearly every royal guard he came in contact with. Before escaping the castle, he murdered the king and each of the royal dukes. At that point, every soldier and servant he caught sight of was killed.”

  I have the power to save her... I have so much power, and yet I’m failing her!

  “Fiefs Kingdom is now without a leader, and the Shire armies will likely be ready to invade within the next two to three days.”

  Why can I not do this one thing? Suran needs me more than ever... She needs me, and I can do nothing.

  “The traitor within th
e royal guard has escaped with Delkol, who now has half of the Elpis. It is likely that it was through this agent that Delkol was able to enter the castle in secret. He is likely also responsible for Delkol learning about your father and the Elpis fragment in Edellerston, as well as the likelihood of an Elpis in Vursa.”

  I won’t stop. I won’t stop trying to save you, Suran. As soon as I can, I’ll use the Elpis to heal you. I’ll destroy the poison. You’ll be healthy again, and live a long, wonderful life. I’ll heal you, no matter what it takes.

  “It is up to you, Terico, to use your half of the Elpis to defeat Delkol. If you can kill him and retrieve his two Elpis fragments, this war can be stopped before the city suffers extreme casualties.”

  We can still be together, Suran. I can heal you. There has to be a way to heal you.

  “I am conducting every possible effort to bring in all the reinforcements I can, but time is short. Delkol has amassed a large, well-trained army, and many of our most valuable resources have been undermined. On top of this, the death of the king has hurt the morale of our troops. The massacre of at least half the royal guard and over a hundred servants has also been a terrible blow.”

  I won’t fail you, Suran.

  “Terico. Do you understand how vital you are to the preservation of our kingdom?”

  Terico looked up at Rilv, his vision blurry. He realized his eyes were clouded with tears, and wiped them out right away.

  “Do you understand, Terico?” Rilv repeated.

  “You’re being too harsh,” Areo said. “You can’t order him around like this right after being so blunt about Suran’s condition.”

  “He must understand that there is no hope for that girl,” Rilv said.

  “No hope?” Terico said. “You’re wrong! I still have the Elpis. There’s still hope for Suran. Just give me some time, and I’ll heal her.”

  “She is a lost cause, and you need to move on,” Rilv said. “You must understand that you are the only one who can defeat Delkol with the power of the Elpis. You will be one of the most important factors in this war, and your success or failure will greatly affect the outcome of this battle.”

  “Why?” Terico yelled. “Why am I the one who has to do this?”

  “Do you not want to kill Delkol?” Rilv asked. “He is the leader of the Brotherhood, and therefore the one responsible for this girl’s state.”

  “I know!” Terico said. “But why? Why is it just me and Delkol who can use the Elpis?

  Rilv tightened her dark, knifelike eyes a little further. She stared down at Terico a few seconds before responding. “You have royal blood. Only those descended of the royal Fiefs line are capable of accessing the power of the Elpis. You and Delkol are both descendants.”

  “Royal blood?” Terico asked. “My parents weren’t royalty. We lived in Edellerston.”

  “Your grandfather was King Levae Fiefs. He had an illegitimate child—your father. To keep him a secret, your father and grandmother were moved to the remote village of Edellerston. Your father adopted the last name of his mother. He grew up and had a connection to the Elpis hidden there. The royal head servant who preceded me deemed it pertinent to have someone watch over your father, just in case it ever became necessary to gather the Elpis together. Eventually Jujor was the one assigned to Edellerston, and he deemed you to have an even greater connection with the Elpis.”

  Terico struggled to believe such a story, though the more he thought about it, the more everything started to make sense. And yet his whole life he never suspected a thing. His parents never acted anything like royalty. Nobody in Edellerston had even been to Setar, as far as Terico ever knew. He hardly ever knew a thing about the current events of the Fiefs government. The very notion that Terico was connected to all this was incredulous.

  And he wasn’t just connected to it.

  “I’m... a member of Fiefs royalty,” he said. The very fact these words were coming out of his mouth seemed ridiculous. He had never aspired to any such thing. The thought never crossed his mind—not even once.

  “And the king is dead,” Rilv said. “This means you are the only heir to the throne.”

  Terico shut his eyes and clenched his forehead. He couldn’t believe this was happening. It didn’t make sense.

  “I have no intention of being king,” Terico said.

  “Of course. Now is hardly the time to instate you as king,” Rilv said, folding her arms. “You have not been prepared for such a responsibility, and the threat of Delkol’s invasion warrants greater attention. I will lead the armies for the time being. In the meantime, you must rest in preparation to fight Delkol. Focus on killing Delkol and retrieving the full Elpis. Once that is taken care of, we can deal with matters of royal succession afterward. It is best we focus on our very survival for the time being.

  “Give me back the Elpis,” Terico said. “I’ll only use it once I’m ready.”

  “You will die if you use it too soon,” Rilv said. “It would be unwise to take that risk.”

  “I may not be king, but I am royalty,” Terico said. “As the royal head servant, you must comply with my demands.”

  “My greatest priority is the safety of the kingdom,” Rilv said, standing up a little taller. “I strongly suggest you allow me to hold the Elpis fragments for the time being. I will return them to you once you have recovered.”

  Terico stared at Rilv’s placid eyes for several long seconds. This obstinate woman was going too far.

  What, does she want the Elpis for herself? What is going through that head of hers?

  He wondered if he could really trust her. There was no way to be certain where her loyalties lay.

  “You failed to protect the Elpis piece held in this castle. I won’t risk you losing these two pieces as well.” Terico held out a hand. “Return them to me, head servant.”

  Rilv simply stared at Terico, as stone-faced as ever. Terico thought she wouldn’t comply, but she at last responded with a small, curt bow. After setting the Elpis pieces back on Terico’s bed, she turned and walked out the door, swift and proper.

  Terico lay back in bed, each minute feeling like hours. Areo and Borely tried to keep Terico company for a while, but Terico simply had nothing to say. They eventually left with Kitoh when Terico stopped responding to their inquiries. He couldn’t care for any of the things Rilv had revealed.

  His family was Fiefs royalty all this time. He was now heir to the throne. The king and dukes were all murdered. And all the armies of the Shire Kingdom were closing in on the city.

  And Terico didn’t care. It all meant nothing to him. Not when Suran was dying.

  The doctor said she likely had at least a day left to live. He would come back from time to time to check on her, but he never said anything more to Terico regarding her condition.

  Hour after hour passed, and all Terico could do was lie still and watch Suran. With each passing minute, he wished to try to use the Elpis once more, but he knew he wasn’t ready yet. His body would just crumple beneath the torment of the Nexi energies if he accessed the Elpis’s power again too soon. He had to be patient.

  It was the hardest thing in the world, watching his greatest love slowly die right before his eyes.

  He gazed at her shut eyes, and over her face in general. She lay so quiet and still, Terico constantly worried if she were alive or not. He would get out of bed from time to time to check on her. When it looked like she wasn’t moving at all, he would check her pulse. He placed an ear over her heart and listened for its faint, distant beating. The pulse of her small, weak heart was slowly fading away.

  It was still too early for him to attempt using the Elpis again. He stroked her long red hair, then felt the outline of her thin, pointed elf ear. It brought back a childhood memory of when he was about five, when he first played with Suran.

  She was the first elf his age he ever played with, and after they finished climbing a tree he asked if he could feel her ears. She let him, but only if he let her feel h
is ears. His short, rounded ears made her chuckle, and Terico couldn’t get her to explain what was so funny. His ears were normal, he told her. It was her ears that were funny. Of course, she didn’t think that way, and Terico had to learn for himself how much a different perspective could change things.

  Terico lay back down and thought of all the people he had come in contact with since leaving Edellerston. He wondered if he had been able to see the point of view of each person he encountered. Turan, Jujor, Febraz, Areo, Borely, Kitoh, Lanek, Suran. Everyone had encountered a great deal of suffering since that fateful day Delkol attacked. They all found ways to cope. They all found ways to move on. They all struggled and fought and gave their all for what they believed in.

  But Delkol. What was his perspective? To some degree, all the misery Terico’s friends and associates had suffered was a result of this one man’s quest for power and domination.

  Why? Terico wondered. How does this drive him to murder countless victims?

  If Delkol could use the Elpis, then it meant the Shires were descendants of the Fiefs from centuries back. Terico knew the Shire Kingdom was founded when the Shires were exiled from the Fiefs Kingdom and conquered some of the surrounding territory, but he didn’t know the Shires were royalty. Perhaps Delkol simply felt he was the rightful ruler of the Fiefs Kingdom.

  It was all so ridiculous, and Terico didn’t want to think about it any longer. There could never be a legitimate excuse for Delkol’s actions. He had to be stopped—there just was no way around that.

  But the time to face Delkol would come later. If what Rilv said was true about the gathering Shire armies, it wouldn’t be long before Delkol would make his move. But the more pressing matter was Suran and how to save her.