Chartile: Prophecy

by Cassandra Morgan

  The sun was high in the sky now, and their work with the fire had made them all hot and sticky. They welcomed the break to refresh themselves in the little brook. Leo ran inside to retrieve some food for their midday meal and returned to find Dimitri and Jayson had paired off against Jack and Piper in a magical water fight. He left the fruit and bread beside the path and quickly joined in. An hour later, they sprawled on the grass, drying and sunning themselves on one of the last warm days of the season. Change was coming, not only the autumn season.

  A strange whistle echoed off the mountain from somewhere beyond their clearing. It was unlike any bird they had ever heard. They opened their eyes, and looked at one another. It sounded again, a bit closer this time, and the boys leapt to their feet. Dimitri put a finger to his lips and motioned them to follow. They crouched low ducking behind the trees, and watched as a dwarf in the ravine below them whistled again. His call was answered, and two elves appeared from deeper in the forest. As they drew closer, Jayson, Jack and Leo saw the same heraldry emblazoned across their gambesons as the soldiers who had been with Taraniz the day they arrived in Chartile.

  “What news have you, Maltori?” asked one of the elves. “What could be so important you could not have sent a messenger bird?”

  “I dared not risk it being intercepted, sir,” said the dwarf. He looked behind him so often, he appeared to have a twitch. “We have sent word to Tutaria via the Great Passage. The Diamonds have rescinded their agreement to help Princess Taraniz. Reinforcements will be on their way within a few days.”

  “I know him,” whispered Leo, “He’s one of the blacksmiths for the armory. He was a spy for the Black Diamonds. Kylani introduced me.”

  “We will need to move quickly then,” said the other elf. He pulled a small bag of coins from a pouch on his belt and tossed it to Maltori. “Thank you for your service. Our lady will be pleased.” The elves turned back toward the trees. Jayson fixed an arrow to his bow, and Jack pulled a throwing dagger. Piper, Leo and Dimitri readied fireballs in their hands and nodded to one another.

  “There is something else Princess Taraniz may wish to know,” said Maltori. The elves stopped, and the dwarf jingled the bag of coins. The first elf rolled his eyes and pulled another purse of coins from his pouch, tossing it to Maltori.

  “Speak,” the elf said impatiently.

  “Another heir has been discovered. The twin of Taraniz they claim. Her name is Eva Ruani, though she calls herself Piper.”

  The elves exchanged concerned looks, then turned back to Maltori.

  “You are certain?” the second asked.

  “She was presented to the Council by Valar. He was once King Aramor’s advisor, yes?”

  “Valar is a traitor. There is a bounty on his head, as well as the girl. What are their chances of capture?” asked the other.

  “Piper is never alone. She stays with the returned kings, and is always with the Empress’s retainer. Valar comes and goes. He is currently under the protection of the dwarves.”

  “We will inform our lady at once. I suggest you find refuge outside your mountain. If what you say is true, then Mount Kelsii will soon be under siege. Thank you, Maltori.”

  The elf had barely finished speaking when an arrow pierced his chest. He cried out, staggering backward. Maltori turned to see the group at the top of the ravine. His eyes caught sight of Piper, and he screamed, “It’s her!” Dimitri’s fire ball landed squarely in Maltori’s face as Jack’s dagger landed in the dwarf’s thigh. As one, the party hurried down the steep embankment. The second elf ran into the forest. Fireballs from Dimitri, Jack and Piper followed close behind him. Jayson, Leo and Piper stopped when they reached the fallen elf. Dimitri and Jack continued after the other. Between the thickness of the trees, and the smoke from their fire balls, Dimitri and Jack lost the man in short order.

  “NO!” cried Dimitri furious, and began swearing in Dwarvik, or at least that’s what Jack assumed.

  “We have to warn Nefiri,” Jack said. They ran back toward the mountain as quickly as the thickness of the forest allowed them. They broke through the clearing to find Piper, Jayson and Leo starring at their fallen foes. Dimitri’s fire ball had been more than effective against the traitorous dwarf. Maltori lay charred and unrecognizable in the grass. None of them could look at him. Instead, they crouched beside the injured elf who clutched at his chest and spoke through pained, wheezing breaths.

  “Please,” he called desperately. “Please help me.”

  “We have to get him to the healers,” said Jayson’s shaky voice.

  “Absolutely not,” Dimitri replied, “He is a traitor. He can die like one.” The sneer in Dimitri’s voice was unlike what his friends had come to know.

  “He might have information that could be useful,” said Leo. He bent to examine the wound in the man’s chest. The elf coughed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Leo pulled back quickly, looking rather gray. “I think his lung is punctured.”

  “It is clear now,” heaved the elf, his eyes wide. “I did not know, but she has us all.”

  “He’s in shock, or something,” said Jack. “Come on.” He reached down to help Leo lift the man. Jayson stepped forward, dropping his bow and quiver and reached a hand under the man’s arm.

  Dimitri snatched up the bow and quiver and raised an arrow to the string, pointing it at the elf’s head.

  “I will see him dead before his treacherous soul sets foot in my mountain.”

  No one moved. Only the sound of the elf’s labored breathing broke the silence.

  “Dimitri, the boys are right.” Piper placed a hand on his arm. “He may have valuable information that could help us in the coming battle. Or possibly a way of breaking into the castle.” She had never seen Dimitri so full of rage. She forced her hand not to tremble against his skin.

  “Did you forget he wanted to kill you?” Dimitri shrugged her hand off his arm and kept the arrow pointed at the elf.

  “His actions do not give us just cause for the same,” said Piper calmly. Her green eyes stared at Dimitri, though he would not look at her.

  “No, please,” said the elf. “I did not know, but, I still— my wife, my son. Send me to them. Let her burn me no longer.”

  “We can get you help,” said Jayson, and he squeezed the soldier’s hand, his voice cracking as he fought back tears.

  “She will find a way back in.” The elf squeezed Jayson’s hand back weakly. “My mind is mine again. I must atone for my actions.”

  “Enough. If it is death he wants—” said Dimitri, but Piper reached forward and snapped the end from the arrow. Dimitri finally turned to her. The anger in his dark eyes meeting the fear in hers. He threw the bow to the ground. “Fine! If this is how you want to do this, he’s your kin. I am no elf.”

  The man closed his eyes, his breathing became slower and forced. Piper knelt beside him, and the boys followed suit. She placed a hand on the man’s brow and spoke softly. “What is your name, brave soldier, that I may speak it to the stars tonight and pray you find your way home?”

  “Tathias,” he whispered.

  “Tathias, can you tell us what you mean when you say she will find a way back in?”

  Tathias released one long exhale. His hand went limp in Jayson’s palm and his body relaxed, all the wrinkles leaving his pained face.

  Jayson, Jack, Leo and Piper silence for nearly a full minute, lost within their own thoughts and feelings. Finally, Piper rose, looking down at the elf before her. “Did you catch the other one?” she asked Jack. The boy shook his head and Piper nodded. “Then we need to report this immediately. Come.”

  They stood to follow Piper. Jayson bent to retrieve the bow Dimitri had thrown to the ground. He stopped before his hand tightened around his bow. He had killed someone. The arrow that had pierced the man’s lung was his. He had meant to aim for the elf’s shoulder. He couldn’t understand how he had missed. His visions had come true. He had actually killed someone. Jayson ran
to the nearest tree. He fell to his knees, trembling, crying and vomiting. Leo, Jack, Piper and even Dimitri scrambled back to him.

  “Jay, are you okay?” Leo asked from several feet away.

  “Are you hurt?” Jack asked. He stood beside Leo, the two exchanged looks of concern.

  Jayson said nothing. He rocked back and forth, his arms clutched tightly across his chest and tears spilling down his face.

  Piper pushed past Jack and Leo and knelt beside him. She wrapped an arm around him and he fell into her, his tears almost instantly soaking her tunic where he buried his face in her shoulder.

  “It’s alright,” she whispered, and stroked his hair like her mother once did for her.

  “It’s my fault,” Jayson choked, “I did it. I k-killed—”

  “No,” said Piper. “No, do not talk that way.” But she knew he was right. Even if Dimitri had cooperated, Tathias would not have survived the trek across the mountain to the healers. Jayson had acted out of instinct to the prophecy as a King and what they had been training for. But, he had also been the one that had cut the cord on Tathias’s last breath.

  “Piper,” said Dimitri. His voice had returned to its soft and caring tone once more. “We must inform the Elders.”

  Piper nodded and turned back to Jayson.

  “We will always remember Tathias,” she said and held Jayson at arm’s length. “His sacrifice has allowed us the chance at the upper hand against Taraniz. We must inform the Elders. If we are able to save more people with this information, then we can right this wrong.”

  Jayson breathed deeply and wiped his face on his shirt.

  “It’s what we’re supposed to do anyway,” he said. His voice was stronger and steadier.

  “Only if you want to,” Piper reminded him.

  “For Tathias,” Jayson whispered. Piper hugged him and pulled him to his feet. Dimitri handed Jayson his bow and quiver, an unspoken apology in his eyes.

  The group tore back through the door to the Black Diamond’s mine. Those in the central trading square looked up as they dodged passersby in a panicked frenzy.

  “Jentar!” Jack cried to the man who sold them their weapon supplies. “Where are Kylani and Brande?” They skidded to a halt in front of the merchant. Jayson fell on the smooth floor, but no one took notice.

  “I do not know,” said Jentar with a shrug. “In the main armory, perhaps?”

  “Send someone to find them. Have them meet in the Crystal Quarter. It’s an emergency,” said Leo. Jentar nodded and the group took off again.

  The one time they wished the corridors were full of guards was the one time the tunnels were completely empty. They ran as fast as they could back to the Sapphire Quarter. They hoped to find one of the Royals or Elders currently in residence.

  Two guards stood at attention outside Una’s rooms. They shouldered out of the way, bewildered when the five stopped before them, panting, clutching cramps in their sides and even coughing.

  “We need to speak to Queen Una immediately,” puffed Dimitri. “Please, Ketill.” The guard looked suspiciously at the faces staring up at him.

  “I am sorry, Dimitri. I cannot,” he said.

  “Please,” pleaded Jayson. “There was a spy for Taraniz. We just heard him talking to her guards. One of them got away. They’re gunna attack Mount Kelsii before the soldiers from Tutaria get here.”

  The guards sighed and exchanged looks of regret. Before either could speak, the door opened. Una, dressed in a robe and her hair tied up in a towel, scowled at them.

  “What is the commotion out here?” She fell silent when she saw who stood before her and glared. “What are you doing here? Causing more trouble, I presume. I thought the kings were supposed to right the wrongs of our land, not cause more.”

  “Una,” said Piper, pushing past the guards. “You must call a meeting of the Elders and commanders. We have less time than we thought before Taraniz attacks.”

  “Why should I believe you, elf?” Una spat. “I do not care what Nefiri believes. You are no Queen. Not now and not ever. A title and a crown does not make you a Royal. Go! All of you!”

  Una moved to slam the door. Ketill reached past Piper and stopped the door with his spear. Everyone caught their breath as Una looked at Ketill wide eyed.

  “Forgive me, my Queen,” he said. “I love my people too much to have these words of caution go unheeded. If it is nothing, then we still have nothing to fear and we may proceed as planned.”

  “I should have you stripped of your titles, Ketill,” Una breathed. “You are unfit to live as the second hasana of such a noble house as Aulfr. How dare you speak to me in such a way. How dare you speak to me at all!” She lifted her hand to strike him, but Leo jumped between them.

  “Stop!” Leo cried, holding up his hands. “This is exactly what Taraniz wants. The more we fight amongst ourselves, the weaker we become!”

  “We?” shrieked Una. A few Elders had unlocked their doors to peek at the uproar in the hall. “You are not one of us, Leonardo DeHaven! You have no right to speak to me in this manner.”

  “What is going on here?” Frejah folded her arms before her as she approached Una.

  “We need to call an emergency meeting,” Jayson cried. “Taraniz is going to attack us sooner than we thought!”

  “This is absurd. Absolutely ridiculous!” said Una, throwing her hands up.

  “I will inform Nefiri at once,” said Frejah, and she hurried away. Una stared after her, her jaw clenched tight. She turned on Leo, who still stood between her and Ketill.

  “For your sake, I pray this is no trick.” She slammed the door behind her, leaving those at her door silent, and the onlookers in the hall whispering amongst themselves.

  “Thank you, Ketill,” said Dimitri softly.

  “She will dismiss me,” said Ketill, and he shifted his spear from hand to hand nervously. “I have defied a woman, and my Queen at that. I will be called a Black Diamond for my actions. I will never find work in the mountain again.”

  “Gemari won’t let that happen,” said Jack.

  Ketill looked at Jack, who stood nearly as tall as the dwarf. Jack nodded and followed his friends up the hall.

  Frejah and Nefiri wasted no time in gathering the Elders and Royals. And, thanks to Jack’s quick thinking, even Brande and Kylani were present. Una continued to protest against them, but most everyone was in agreement they could not risk waiting for the Tutarian reinforcements to arrive. Plans were made to begin evacuating Mount Kelsii immediately and send them along the Great Passage to the Tutarian Mountains.

  Jack, Leo and Jayson had briefly heard of the Great Passage from Gemari. As they ate a small meal before joining the soldiers helping with the evacuation, Dimitri explained further.

  “The Great Passage is a tunnel that leads from Mount Kelsii, under the Great Plains, and nearly all the way to the Tutarian Mountain range. It comes up in the foot hills of the mountains and is about a day’s journey from the front gates of the mountain. It is often used as a major trade route between our peoples. It is a straighter and faster way, and we are sheltered from the elements as opposed to travelling above ground.”

  “How far is it from here to the Tutarian Mountains?” Leo asked.

  “If you travelled by The Great Passage I would expect it would be about a week, perhaps two for our evacuees as they will have undoubtedly burdened themselves with unnecessary trinkets.”

  “Dimitri, you can’t blame them.” Jack popped a spiced mushroom into his mouth, chewed quickly and continued. “They may never come back here again. If Taraniz is successful, all of this could be destroyed.”

  “She won’t destroy it,” said Piper. “It’s too valuable of an asset. She may repurpose it, but the mountain will still remain, more or less anyway.”

  “Let us hope,” said Dimitri. He bit off a piece of mountain boar jerky and stared quietly at the wall.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Change and Stubbornness

  The day
seemed to fly by in a frenzy of screaming children and absolute, utter chaos. As easy as it should have been for the citizens to pack a few essentials and proceed calmly to the Crystal Quarter for final preparations, it apparently wasn’t. The dwarves could not leave their treasures behind, and carried bags full of jewels, paintings, and fancy cutlery in lieu of clothes and blankets. Once a home was evacuated, it was searched by the Kelsii soldiers. Any food left behind was taken to the Crystal Quarter for redistribution or storage for the trip ahead. There would be hundreds of mouths to feed, and many had conveniently forgotten how necessary food was for the long trek ahead of them. Once the quarter had been pronounced clear, guards were stationed at its entrance to ensure no one reentered, and the citizens were escorted from the Crystal Quarter to the Great Passage with considerable more food and far less silverware.

  Jayson, Jack and Leo worked through the night ensuring the homes in each quarter were empty. The dwarves had offered them a bitter tasting energy bar of sorts that kept them wide awake. It reminded them of chocolate, and they ate as much as they could until they were positively buzzing with energy. They were assisting in a final sweep of the Ruby Quarter when the door to a homestead Jayson had just searched closed behind him. He tapped Jack and Leo on the shoulder and motioned for them to follow.

  Jayson fitted an arrow to his bow and stepped quietly to the door. He listened for a moment then kicked in the door, bow aimed and ready to fire. Jack and Leo stood waiting on either side of him. A little girl, no more than six years old, dropped a stale crust of bread that had been left behind. She ducked behind a table in the front workshop of the home, and the boys all lowered their weapons.

  “It’s alright,” Jayson said putting his arrow back in its quiver. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

  “We didn’t mean to scare you.” Jack said in the same voice he used to sooth his baby sister. “You can come out. We’re here to help.”

  Bushy black hair and big brown eyes slowly peered over the top of the wooden work bench. She looked at them for a few moments, her eyes darting back and forth between them. Very slowly, she crept from behind the bench and handed Jack the other half of the bread she had been eating.