1 State of Grace

by John Phythyon

  “That’s not enough,” Honeyflower said. “Silverleaf does not hold a position that can ascend to the presidency.”

  “Agreed,” Kenderbrick said. “He’d have to kill every member of the coalition government and be the last one standing to become president.”

  “That doesn’t sound too plausible,” Wolf said.

  “Oh, my god,” Honeyflower whispered.

  Wolf turned towards her. Her normally rich brown skin had gone pale.

  “What?” Wolf said.

  “I know how he’s going to do it,” Honeyflower said.

  “Do what?” Kenderbrick said.

  “Assassinate the entire government,” she answered.

  Wolf came fully to attention. Kenderbrick leaned forward.

  “How?” Wolf said.

  “The entire government is celebrating the Feast of the Revelation,” she said. “In a show of unity, the entire government will attend the sundown ceremony at the Temple of Frey. If the Sons of Frey were able to penetrate the temple, they could kill everyone there, including the government.”

  “The whole government is going to be at the temple at once?” Wolf said, incredulous.

  “Yes,” Kenderbrick replied. “President Spellbinder has been planning this for months. By getting Shendalis and Freyalans to participate in the same ceremony, she hopes to show the government is unified and that all elves can be as well.”

  “And,” Honeyflower added, “now that I think about it, Silverleaf has been very supportive of this particular initiative. He worked very hard to bring the Shendali members in line, especially Minister Lumendrake.”

  Wolf was horrified. The Temple of Frey could hold over a thousand people. He’d read about it in his research aboard The Shimmering Veil. Whatever Silverleaf had planned, he had to be sure he killed all the members of the government. That meant everyone in the temple had to die, just to be certain.

  “With the rest of the government dead, Silverleaf would be able claim power,” Kenderbrick said. “With no formal election process, he’d have to claim some sort of martial law, but it could be done.”

  “And because he’ll be able to blame the whole thing on Jifani terrorists, people will go along with it,” Honeyflower added. “They’ll be scared and looking for someone to protect them.”

  “And, due to his Jifani-hating background, Silverleaf would be above suspicion for the crime,” Wolf said.

  “My god,” Kenderbrick said. “But what about the Phrygians? What’s their connection to all this?”

  “Silverleaf must have some sort of deal with them,” Wolf said. “Probably they help support his claim to the throne. Maybe he’s promised to sell them magic instead of us. I don’t think it matters right now, though. We’ve only got a few hours to stop Silverleaf from killing hundreds, maybe thousands of elves.

  “Honeyflower, we’ve got to get back to the palace immediately. You find the president and warn her; make her call off the ceremony. Kenderbrick, you contact General Blackstone. Tell him to put our troops on high alert against a possible coup. Tell him why.”

  “Very well,” Kenderbrick said. “What about you?”

  “I’m going after Silverleaf,” he answered.

  “Now just a minute,” Honeyflower protested. “Silverleaf is my countryman, and he’s committing treason against my homeland. I’m in charge of security; I should be making the arrest. I think you should warn the president.”

  Wolf smiled at her indignation. She was a true patriot. He admired that.

  “Captain,” he said. “Under any other circumstances, I would agree with you. But I am persona non grata with the coalition government. There is no one in that body who trusts me or would listen to me. They all suspect I am here for nefarious purposes. Thus, my word against Silverleaf is worthless.

  “You, on the other hand, remain a highly regarded individual, whose patriotism is beyond question. President Spellbinder will believe you.

  “Time is short. We can’t afford to inform the president and then arrest Silverleaf. We have to make sure those two things are accomplished at the same time. Given that Silverleaf made sure I would be discredited, we have no choice but to split our forces this way. Either of us can stop Silverleaf, but only you can convince the president of his intentions.”

  She glared at him for a moment. It made him uncomfortable. Her beauty was as frightening as Silverleaf’s when she turned it against him. But, after a moment, she softened. She sighed heavily.

  “You are right, of course,” she said. “I don’t like it, but your logic is sound. All right, Wolf, we’ll do it your way. Just please help me save my country.”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “You’d both better get going,” Kenderbrick said. “Time’s running out.”

  Wolf nodded and got up. Honeyflower was already on her way out, her right hand gripping the hilt of her sword. Instinctively, Wolf did the same. He didn’t like the ceremonial blade he was wearing to complement his ridiculous ambassador clothes, but it was weighted correctly for his hand, and he could make deadly use of it. He secretly hoped Silverleaf would give him cause. The elf was responsible for Sara’s death. He wanted to make him pay dearly for it.

  Chapter 33: Arrest

  (One Hour, Fifty-six Minutes before Revelation Day)

  Wolf and Honeyflower arrived at the palace less than two hours before sundown. Everything was quiet. It was a stark contrast to his previous visits. Then, the palace was a bustling place. Elves moved about on various errands. Now, it was still.

  “Is it usually this quiet at this time of day,” he asked.

  “No,” Honeyflower said. “I don’t like it.”

  Wolf nodded his agreement. They hadn’t gone far when they encountered a patrol. Honeyflower stopped them.

  “Where is everyone?” she demanded.

  “Everyone is preparing for the Feast of the Revelation, Captain,” the soldier answered. “Many people are already at the temple.”

  “Where is the president,” she inquired.

  “I am not sure, Captain.”

  “What about Ambassador Silverleaf?”

  “The ambassador was in his quarters when I last saw him twenty minutes ago,” the soldier said.

  “Very well,” Honeyflower said. “Take Ambassador Dasher to Silverleaf and follow his instructions.”

  “Yes, Captain,” the soldier said, firing a crisp salute at her.

  “Be careful,” Wolf said as she prepared to leave him.

  “I will,” she said. “I think it would be best if you let the soldiers handle the arrest.”

  “No problem,” he said.

  They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. Wolf’s heart melted at the sight of her. Had the soldiers not been there, they would surely have kissed.

  “Good luck,” he said in Elfin.

  Her eyes grew wide. A smile spread across her face.

  “You speak Elfin?” she said.

  “Some of the time,” he answered.

  “May Frey guide you in all you do,” she said, also in Elfin. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, switching back to Urlish.

  She smiled again. Wolf tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing.

  Then she was gone, headed in the general direction of the throne room. Wolf stared after her for a moment. Then he turned back to the patrol.

  “Let’s get going,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” the soldier said.

  The patrol led Wolf wordlessly through the silent palace. The only activity he saw was other patrols moving past them en route to their duties. Occasionally, they would exchange glances with Wolf’s escort. Wolf watched them closely, but he couldn’t detect any kind of signal or silent message.

  At last, they arrived at a set of ornate doors. Wolf steeled himself. He’d hated Silverleaf from the moment they met. The ambassador was responsible for Sara’s death. It was time for some comeuppance. He put out his hand and knoc
ked as the guards flanked him.

  “Come!” Silverleaf called.

  Wolf threw the doors open and strode in. The room was sumptuous, not that Wolf was surprised. Silverleaf didn’t like to be uncomfortable. A large antechamber was offset by a sitting room and a bedchamber off to the left. There was ornate furniture throughout and rich tapestries depicting happy elves on the walls.

  Silverleaf was in the sitting room, going over some papers. He looked surprised to see Wolf.

  “Why, Ambassador Dasher,” he said. “I wouldn’t have expected to see you here.”

  “I’m sure you wouldn’t have,” Wolf said. “It’s over, Silverleaf.”

  “What is?”

  “Your little power-grab. We know all about it. Captain Honeyflower is on her way to inform the president. These gentlemen and I are here to arrest you.”

  Silverleaf stared at Wolf for a moment. He seemed flabbergasted. Then he started laughing.

  “Oh, my dear Mr. Dasher,” he said between guffaws. “You’re every bit as stupid as the rest of your race. You are far too late to stop ‘my little power-grab,’ as you called it. And it’s not a power-grab, by the way. It’s a righting of Alfheim. Before long, the land will be healing, and elves will be restored to their proper place in God’s plan.”

  “And where is that, Silverleaf?” Wolf said. “Murdering hundreds of your own people? Committing treason? Is that the message of Frey? Is that what God intended for elves?”

  “Don’t you presume to lecture me, you infidel,” Silverleaf said, turning savage. “You are both a human and an atheist. You have no understanding of the Divine Plan.”

  “I know it doesn’t involve slaughtering your own people,” Wolf shot back. “I may be an infidel, Silverleaf, but you’re a traitor. The Jifanis were right to cut off your hand. You lead elves astray.”

  Silverleaf looked shocked. Then his black skin turned nearly crimson at the insult. His eyes threatened to bulge out of his head.

  “You dare!” the big elf swore. “You will suffer for that.”

  “I don’t think so,” Wolf said. “Guards, arrest him. He’s a traitor to Alfar and to elfkind.”

  No one moved. The guards glanced back and forth between themselves and Silverleaf.

  “Did you hear me?” Wolf said. “I said, ‘Arrest him.’ You have direct orders from Captain Honeyflower to do as I tell you.”

  Silverleaf snapped his fingers. The two soldiers seized Wolf by the arms, holding him fast.

  “I’m afraid, Mr. Dasher,” Silverleaf drawled, “Captain Honeyflower isn’t giving the orders anymore. I am.”

  Wolf didn’t waste any time. It was obvious Silverleaf had the upper hand. He had to get away and warn Honeyflower.

  With each guard holding an arm, it was simple to put both feet in the air. He kicked out at each elf. His right foot connected with a guard’s knee shattering it. The elf screamed and fell to the ground releasing Wolf in the process. The left foot missed the knee, but Wolf was still able to drag it down the guard’s leg, barking up his shin in the process. He too released Wolf, who planted his feet on the ground and drove an elbow into the elf’s face, knocking him out cold.

  Wolf wanted to turn on Silverleaf, but his instincts were telling to him to get the hell out of there. He wasn’t going to be able to bring Silverleaf to justice on his own. He needed Honeyflower, and he needed to warn her. If the guards were in on the coup, she was walking into a trap.

  He turned to run and found himself face to face with Ravager. Wolf was so surprised he froze for an instant. The Phrygian Shadow smiled broadly. Then he punched Wolf as hard as he could in the nose.

  Pain exploded across Wolf’s face. His eyes teared, his vision blurred, and blood ran into his gaping mouth. He was knocked backward. Somewhere in the back of his head, he wondered if Ravager had broken his nose. He stumbled and tried to get his bearings.

  Then something hit him across the back of the head. The last thing he saw was Silverleaf standing triumphantly over him with a sap in his left hand. Then the world went black, and he knew nothing.

  Chapter 34: State of Grace

  (Two Hours, Three Minutes before Revelation Day)

  Mustique Starfellow’s eyes gleamed. His heart raced. His breath quickened. He just couldn’t help it. Everything he’d been trying to accomplish for four years was at hand. The Sons of Frey stood on the cusp of victory.

  He tried to stay calm. He didn’t trust Viktor Krilenko. The Phrygian Shadow was not interested in the purity of the message of Frey, and Mustique strongly suspected he didn’t even believe in God. He was a heathen and an infidel and a human. He had no interest in the Sons of Frey’s objectives.

  But whomever he worked for did. The mysterious benefactor wanted a Shendali government that, like the one in Jifan, understood the importance of adherence to Scripture. The revolution begun years ago in Jifan would come to its conclusion tonight in Alfar.

  That excited Mustique. At last, Alfheim would be reunited, with the principles of Frey guiding it again.

  Twelve martyrs assembled before him. He looked over their faces. Their dark skin was no longer stained with the dirt of poverty. All of them had bathed and made themselves as physically pure as the actions they would take. He saw fear and joy mixed together in their expressions. They knew they were going to die, and that frightened them. But they also knew they were martyring themselves before God, and that would earn them eternal reward in Heaven. They’d prepared themselves for this. This was the moment their lives had been leading to.

  “My friends,” he said. “I envy you. Tonight you will face evil head-on, and you will conquer it. No more will this corrupt coalition government lead our people astray. Tonight they will be vanquished, and it will occur at your hand.”

  They cheered. It was a little half-hearted. Their fear still had mastery of them.

  “My friends,” he said, smiling at them, “the path of righteousness is never easy. Long before Frey received the Revelation, he was a simple elf just trying to get along in the world. Scripture tells us he befriended an elf named Halfmoon. Halfmoon was a very accomplished magician, and he promised to teach Frey his secrets in return for seven years of servitude. Frey agreed and spent the next seven years of his life toiling as Halfmoon’s servant – cleaning his house, purchasing his supplies, even acquiring women for his master to defile.

  “As time went on, Frey thought to himself this could not be right. Halfmoon certainly didn’t live in a very godly manner. Not only did he debauch himself with women, he used his magic solely for personal gain. But Frey acknowledged he made an agreement with Halfmoon, and he wanted the knowledge he had been promised for his service.

  “Finally the day came for Frey to end his servitude and begin his tutelage. ‘Master Halfmoon,’ he said, ‘I have done all you required. Please teach me your secrets now.’

  “‘Very well,’ Halfmoon replied. ‘There is just one more thing I require.’

  “As it turned out, Halfmoon was working on a very special wand, and he needed a key component – the silk of a Silver Spider. But Silver Spiders were unknown in that part of Alfheim, and there was but one elf who had the required silk. His name was Gildenspar, and he was an upstanding elf. He refused to sell or give any of the silk to Halfmoon, because he knew Frey’s master was vile and had no good end intended for his new wand.

  “So Halfmoon instructed Frey to steal the silk from Gildenspar. ‘Do this last service for me, and I will teach you all I know,’ Halfmoon instructed.

  “Frey’s heart was heavy. He did not wish to have labored for seven years in vain, but he could not bring himself to wrong the upright Gildenspar. He refused the task.

  “Predictably, Halfmoon was furious. He threw Frey out of his house and refused to teach him anything. Despondent, Frey left Alfheim in search of something better.

  “And he found it. After wandering for years in the wilderness, God rewarded him. God gave Frey the Revelation. Frey’s own quest for grace was born of his d
isgust at the actions of his master.

  “My friends, we are walking in the very footsteps of Frey. We have given ourselves in service to our people only to be rewarded with wickedness and villainy. This corrupt coalition government is no better than Halfmoon. It makes promises to the people, but it never fulfills any of them. It endorses ungodly, wicked behavior. This is not what Frey commanded. He instructed elves to build a state of grace – a nation of God.

  “Only through righteousness can we bring ourselves before God. Just as Frey was willing to sacrifice his reward to find God’s real message, so will we sacrifice our lives to bring that mission back to Alfheim. Each of us is walking in the same path Frey did. God does not ask us what we would like to sacrifice to fulfill his plan. He only tells us what must be done.

  “My friends, God has spoken! He has made clear his displeasure with this corruption. Look around you. The land dies! This is God shunning us for our sin.

  “But he will take us back if we sacrifice ourselves as Frey did. If we lay down everything we have and everything we are owed to find his grace, he will reward us, just as he did Frey.

  “Tonight, you will bring Alfheim back together. You will end the tyranny of this foul coalition government and set us on the path of reunification with our righteous brothers in Jifan. Tonight, you will build the foundation of a new, proper state of grace!”

  Mustique’s voice had risen until he shouted the last sentence. The reaction was immediate. His martyrs roared in approval. Their faces shone with the very light of God. They were ready. They were holy instruments – holy weapons that would cleave the Freyalan heresy from the face of the Earth.

  “All of us here understand God’s true message,” he continued. “All of us embrace the teachings of Shendal and reject the false message of Freya. We denounce this coalition government that supplicates itself to the whims of a hundred self-serving mongrels who betray their own race; that both seeks and endures the presence of humans in our country; that makes servants of elves to humans rather than the proper relationship Frey intended; that meets daily to make decisions but does nothing for the people it claims to represent; that causes the very corruption destroying our beloved Alfheim.”