* * * *
“We have healers,” The elf said, his eyes pulled to the stump at the end of Willa’s arm.
Willa hugged her arm to her stomach, covering it with the other self consciously. “I’m fine.”
“I’m sure you are,” he said drolly. “But wouldn’t you be better if you had your hand back? Think how much more you could do. How much more useful you would be. How much more your large friend would think of you.”
Willa stared at him, her lip trembling. “What do you want?” She asked, her voice strained.
“I want to know where the others are,” he asked, repeating what he’d asked of Logan. “Don’t waste my time, human, I know that seven of you invaded my city. Where are the other three?”
“Why?” Willa demanded, sticking her chin out defiantly.
“You trespass and dare to act wronged?” He spat out. “Such impudence!”
He turned, took a breath that made his shoulders raise, then turned back to her. “Last chance,” he growled. “Tell me where she is and I’ll let you and your friends go free.”
Willa stared at him, her eyes glimmering with moisture. “My hand?” She managed to squeak out, missing on the reference to the ‘she’ the elf had mentioned.
“Yes, I’ll see it is healed,” he said, waving it away as though it was unimportant.
She looked down at her arm, still holding it against her belly in her lap. She remembered her life before the Voidhawk had come and knew that she would have welcomed death. Now? Now she knew how wonderful life could be. She knew what it meant to have pride; to have a place to be and people to share it with. And, most importantly, to have love. Was anything worth giving that up?
Willa raised her head back up to stare at him. “Go to hell!” She spat.
Yes, she was giving it up. Living with what she had glimpsed had been worth everything to her. She knew it was too good to last. Having tasted it, she knew that others deserved it to, and it was not her right to deny that to them.
The elf’s cheeks twitched as the muscles in his jaw worked. His eyes narrowed before he turned and stormed out, barely allowing the leaf-like door time to open before him. Willa watched him go then felt her legs shake. She sank down, a sob bursting from her throat even as the fine wisps of her hair covered her face and hid the shame of her tears.
*****
“You’re the lead bandit,” Accused the elven commander.
“Captain,” Dexter asserted.
The elf smirked. “Very well, Captain. Tell me, where are the rest of your crew? Hoping to steal from us, perhaps?”
“I hoped they’d get in some raping and pillaging while they was at it.”
The elf’s eyes narrowed. “I know who you are. I know who came with you,” he explained. “You’re going to die, Captain Silvercloud – you and all your crew.”
“I missed the point where you convince me to help you,” Dexter said.
“We’re past that now,” the elf snarled. “Your priest and the crippled girl show surprising loyalty. I wonder – will the warrior?”
Dexter tried to hide the narrowing of his eyes at the elf’s question.
“You worry? Interesting. Tell me then, Captain. Where is the Princess? You can’t truly believe she thinks you her equal? Her lover? Her mate? She’s an elf; your life is but a blink in hers. She’ll have forgotten you existed in a few days after you’re gone.”
Dexter shrugged. “Reckon I’ll be dead and gone, what’s it matter to me?”
He sneered. “So foolish and short sighted, you humans.”
“You make me wonder why you’re so upset she’s spending quality time with a human. Afraid maybe she’s found something no elf can give her?”
Moving faster than Dexter expected, the elf punched him. His head jerked to the side but he managed to avoid being staggered in spite of the surprise of the blow. Dex felt the burn of torn skin and a moment later the hot wetness of blood that slipped down his chin.
The elf snarled at him. “Hardly! I’m disgusted by any elf that chooses to dirty themselves with such a filthy, lesser race.”
“You can insult me all day long,” Dexter said with a smile in spite of his split lip. “I already know I’m better than you, so you’re just giving my people more time to do what they came to do.”
The elf looked at him, further enraged, then he started to laugh. “Zhirt’s people? Dead, of course!” He said, chuckling now. “I let him believe he might save them, he just had to provide us with fresh bodies. He’s not the only one we sent out to lure in fools like yourself.”
Dexter was confused. Conceding his curiosity he asked, “Why so bent out of shape about Jenna?”
“That was luck,” said the elven commander. “There’s a reward for her return. It will take some time, years perhaps, to rid her of the filth your influence and contact has corrupted her with. We believe she can be saved.”
“Saved? Aye, it’s a rotten disease – freedom,” Dexter said.
The elf shrugged, smiling. “If not it is no matter. I benefit by returning her.”
Dexter scowled at him. “All those years and you don’t know any better.”
The elf looked at him and then laughed again. “I’m going to enjoy feeding you to the Garden, Captain Silvercloud. I may even watch it consume you personally.”
The elf laughed again, his eyes smirking at Dexter. He turned and left Dexter alone with his thoughts and worries.
*****
“Your friends are foolish,” The elf said to Rosh before the large man could launch himself at him.
Rosh glared at him, weighing his chances of overpowering the elf and making it out the door.
“I’ve offered a chance at freedom to each, and they spurn me. What’s your price?” The elf probed.
Rosh continued to glare at him, but somewhere in the back of his mind he heard the elf and started to wonder. “What do you want?” He asked before he could stop himself.
“The Princess.”
“Who?” Rosh asked, blinking.
“Your first mate, Princess Jenna Windchaser.”
“She’s a princess?” Rosh ejaculated. It didn’t make sense to him, why would a princess be running around the ass-end of the void with a bunch of losers like them. “Wait, you got the wrong girl, our Jenna’s named Darkmoon.”
“One and the same,” he stated. “Tell me where she is. What is her quest?”
“A princess,” Rosh mused, wondering what that meant for him.
“What do you want, human?” The elf asked, misunderstanding Rosh.
Rosh looked at him, ready to tell him to go float in the void when thoughts began to occur to him. Rosh wondered briefly at the thin smile on the elf’s face, but the concern was lost as possibilities began to occur to him.
“A ship. My own ship. Willa too,” he said, rattling things off as he thought of them. A moment later he quickly added, “And gold! I’ll need it to hire a crew.”
The elf smiled. “Finally a human willing to be sensible. We have a deal, Captain. Now tell me what I want to know.”
Rosh smiled in spite of his dislike of the elf. Being called a captain stroked his ego in a way that not even the most talented of woman could reproduce. He thought back to what little he knew. Dexter had not bothered to tell him of splitting them up, so he had no real idea what Jenna was doing. He had a hunch though, and if he was not quite right, he didn’t figure it mattered. As long as he was close he’d have his own ship and not have to take orders from anyone anymore!
Rosh smiled at the thought of being his own man and opened his mouth to share what he knew.
Chapter 2 - Secrets
With the Captain and majority of their crewmates behind them, Jenna, Bailynn, and Xander headed up the hallway until Jenna’s ears caught a faint sound echoing down the passage ahead of them. Biting back a word she learned working as a sailor, Jenna motioned frantically to her charges to retreat. They slipped into a side passage, Bailynn going first while Jenna fell behin
d to listen for pursuit. Her heart was beating so rapidly it took her a moment to catch the sounds even with her sensitive ears. The noise of a small group of people moving grew louder and closer. She was about to head further down the passage, gathering Xander and Bailynn and pushing on blindly.
The echoes changed. Jenna held her breath, listening, and then let it out in relief when the wandering elves passed by. She turned and motioned to Xander, who was close enough to see her. He turned and made a motion as well, summoning Bailynn. Jenna fought hard to control her smile into something tight lipped and nodded for them to follow her.
“Xander, cast your spell,” Jenna whispered to him when they returned to the junction with the main passage.
In as quiet a voice as he was able to use to invoke magic, he muttered his spell and, in a few moments, instead of the gaunt human standing beside them he resembled a gaunt elf.
Jenna looked him up and down and then nodded. “You’ll pass,” she said, then led them back out into the main tunnel.
Bailynn studied him a moment longer, shivered briefly at some repressed memory, then followed Jenna. Xander followed silently.
“How do you know where to go?” Bailynn whispered after they’d caught up to her.
“We want to go up,” Jenna answered, as though it was obvious. “Elves grow all their cities. The bottom is the roots and base, the top is where the elves live and do business. The trees are fashioned to make houses and buildings, the limbs crafted into roads and ramps.”
The passage they were in led upwards. It curved gently to their right, only noticeable because of the increasing levels of light that allowed them to see further ahead. Soon the brightness gave way to a distant opening.
They emerged cautiously, staring out at the ground level of Fort Prudence. The earth beneath them was a combination of dirt and roots. Around them they saw little of interest, aside from the massive trunks of trees that rose around them to stretch to heights above them. The trees were twice as wide as a man was tall, some even thicker. Their branches equally massive and intertwined, making pathways as Jenna predicted. In other places the trunks had hollows in them, making room for elves to live or hold business within.
Far above the trees limbs braided together to make the shipyards the elves were known for. The very fruits of the trees were nurtured and coaxed into growing, with magical aid, into the elves void sailing vessels.
Only a few elves were on the ground, more moved above them, traveling across the arboreal paths from tree to tree. The great trunk offered a curving path along its mighty circumference. Without more than a hesitant pause, Jenna led them up this circular ramp to find the first of many paths among the trees.
Xander gaped at the site. He even raised one hand and began to trace the paths some of the branches made. Jenna looked back and, with a scowl, hurried back to grab his outstretched arm.
“Stop you fool! You’ll give us away!” She hissed at him. Jenna fought the urge to glance around. She knew what to do, the hard part was doing it and convincing the others to do the same..
“It’s a glyph,” he murmured, letting her lead him. He regained his senses, though he continued to stare about. “A magical symbol,” he explained.
“The limbs follow the lines of magic in this place,” he said as they climbed. “It’s amazing. Powerful too,” he added.
“Great, now shut up,” Jenna growled.
She led them up the path and, in no time, they were passing other elves. Bailynn stayed hidden as much as possible, shielding herself with Jenna and Xander. Xander stayed quiet as well, deferring to Jenna at all times even though his cheeks burned red at the frequent lack of clothing many of the elves wore. Jenna would nod, smile, or even speak to the elves they passed. Once she was caught up in a short conversation, and both Xander and Bailynn were largely ignorant of what passed. A gesture to a path high above them was all that gave them any clue before they set out again.
She led them toward the path the elf she had talked to had pointed at, and once they were on it they were soon climbing towards the upper limbs of the tree city. Ahead they could see the tree limbs that had been fashioned to serve as docks.
“See any you think you can fly?” Jenna asked Xander in a voice so soft he barely heard her.
The wizard looked at the ships, studying them and marveling. Many were in stages of construction that could hardly be called construction. The ships were being grown before their very eyes. The process was too slow to see any change taking place, but it was nevertheless obvious that in a matter of weeks or months a ship could be created. Some were complete or near enough. These ships had smooth flowing lines and used great leaves for doors and sails. Vines served as rigging.
Growing impatient, Jenna was spared from rebuking him again when he tore his eyes away from those under construction and looked to the other docks. There were ships there as well, including a few that bustled with activity. Three ships in particular looked to be making ready to set sail. Two of them were smaller and clearly scouting class while the third was a little larger than the Voidhawk and seemed designed for quick and decisive strikes.
“He was right,” Xander whispered, indicating that Dexter’s fear of a trap seemed to be true.
Jenna nodded, her eyes tightening while she tried to make a plan.
“One of the scouts,” Xander said, answering her earlier question.
She muttered a word in Elvish that Xander blinked at. “It means Stingray,” she whispered, naming the type of ship for them.
“We’d better hurry,” Bailynn whispered, peering over the edge of the limb they walked upon.
A glance later and Jenna and Xander both understood what she meant. There were elves moving back and forth rapidly. Some even running. From their height they resembled a nest of angry insects. In this case, armed insects.
“Go!” Jenna ordered. “Take the stingray, Wait for me if you can, but don’t be fools.”
Xander nodded and pulled Bailynn after him. Bailynn looked at Jenna, her eyes wide with worry, then she was forced to look away by Xander’s tugging. Jenna smiled grimly at them and followed, then turned on the first limb she could and headed up to higher reaches, to the massive unfinished warships that were above them.
She encountered few elves along the way. Workers and servants, based upon their dress and behavior. She reached back into herself to remember her past. It made her cringe to bring up the memories of a life she had though forever behind her, but she knew she had to do it. It was easier than she thought it would be, dropping back into her old self.
Her posture and mannerisms changed, her stride becoming more arrogant and aggressive. Instinctively the elves she encountered deferred to her, moving out of her way and averting their eyes. Jenna nearly laughed at how easy it was, even though it made a part of her cry in shame and disgust.
She reached the first ship with ease. Jenna suspected the massive vessel was intended to be either a new warship or perhaps something even larger like a fleet command ship given its multiple decks and platforms where weapons could be affixed. She studied it carefully before boarding it, judging it near completion.
The elves aboard the ship confirmed her suspicions. They were putting decorations and supplies on the ship, as well as loading what appeared to be personal effects for either officers or high ranking dignitaries. Jenna hid her sadistic grin behind a thin smirk and asked for directions to the bridge.
Once there, she looked around and saw two workers putting some finishing touches on a large table. Another man was observing them and studying the bridge itself with a skilled eye. Jenna marked him as someone important, not a mere worker, and went straight to him.
He turned to face her as she approached, a curious look on his face. Jenna smiled at him, her expression conveying superiority that confused. He opened his mouth to address her, but never had a chance to speak. Jenna lunged forward, her short sword leaping from its sheath with the help of her hand and spearing so deeply into his chest that the p
oint emerged from just beneath his shoulder blade.
The two workers turned, wondering at the sudden commotion. Jenna left her blade in the dying man’s lung and ripped the ornate pistol from his belt. She turned and pointed it at the workers, spitting at them in elvish to stay where they were. Behind her the former Captain of the vessel shuddered on the floor and wheezed out his final breaths.
“Put the table in front of the door,” she told them.
They hesitated, but then hurried to obey when she cocked the hammer back on the pistol. While they were working and distracted, she reached down and yanked her sword free of its bloody sheath, then walked closer to them as they finished blocking the door.
“If you shoot one of us it will be heard. You’ll have nowhere to hide,” one of them pointed out.
Jenna looked at him, eyes narrowing. “Yes, but you’ll be dead so what good does that do you?”
His mouth snapped shut. The other one spoke up, drawing her focus. “What do you want?”
“You to leave,” she told them. She pointed with her bloody sword to one of the large many pained windows in the front of the room. The bridge was just slightly below the center of the ship, allowing the forecastle above them to actually extend overhead. Below the windows was open void and Fort Prudence below.
They stared, at her confused and scared.
“One…. Two….”
Realizing she was going to stop counting and start shooting, they both ran to the windows. They stopped, confused again. One of them kicked the window but his foot bounced back from the magically reinforced glass and he grimaced in pain.
“Break the framing, you idiots!” She snapped.
A few more kicks at the thin wood connecting the window panes together yielded success. Four pieces of glass fell free after several long seconds of kicking and prying. Then both elves, with a last fearful look at Jenna and the dead captain, leapt through the hole towards the tree limbs below.
Shaking her head, Jenna turned and went to the helm. She sat down in it and grimaced as the unfamiliar sensation of attempting to merge with a ship came over her. She fought back the revulsion that had always accompanied sitting in a ship’s helm and forced herself to breathe through it. Finally she allowed herself enough of a connection that she could feel the ship’s status. It was finished, as she’d surmised.
Voidhawk: The Elder Race Page 4
