“How long ago was this?” Trian asked.
“The alarm was sounded thirty minutes ago. We are not sure how much time may have passed before Commander Marlow made the initial discovery. We did find a dead guard behind the Keep. There was no disruption in the patrol, so it could not have been too long.”
“I will come at once.” Trian informed the captain.
“You are too far away.” McRawl objected.
“Not if I fly.” Trian replied.
McRawl remembered the dragon that the Warlord controlled. He had only seen it in the distance, and at night. The thought of coming any closer to the ancient creature was disturbing to the captain. “I can cross the Tilsaw and be there in a matter of hours.” Trian informed him.
“But won’t you risk missing out on capturing the sword?” McRawl asked.
“Do not concern yourself with that. Connik will oversee things here. We must recapture the princess before her escape becomes known. Otherwise our plans to locate all four pearls and the Dragon Gates will be jeopardized. Once we have located Megan, I can fly back here and still be waiting for Landis to bring me the sword. Now, stop wasting time, and get out there and search for Seebaul and the princess!”
Train’s image vanished from the orb.
Chapter Nine
Seth led Tessa and Doogal through the trees as they fled Ducaine. They had been running for more than an hour since their last stop, and still they could hear the sound of pursuit in the woods behind them.
“We need to start back towards the Tilsaw.” Seth called to them.
Tessa glanced back over her shoulder before replying, “We cannot risk leading the soldiers to the Sanctuary.”
Seth brought them to a halt. Doogal used the opportunity to lean against a tree and catch his breath. After Seth had brought his own breathing under control, he began to listen intently to the distant sounds. “We should have given Seebaul enough time to get Megan out of harm’s way. Once we reach the Tilsaw, the soldiers will be unable to follow us.”
“Why not?” Doogal asked.
Tessa used her hand to wipe sweat from her forehead. Her long ponytail was draped over her right shoulder. The Ranger flung it behind her before speaking, “The Tilsaw is enchanted. Seebaul swears that no one can find his Sanctuary, but if the soldiers are too close to us, then they might still be able to follow us.”
“I assure you that they will not.” Seth said.
Tessa jumped at the sound of a voice calling out, not too far away from them. “We better get moving.”
“You go on ahead. I will double back and look for McRawl.” Doogal told them.
“That is suicide.” Tessa objected.
“As long as I take him with me, I do not mind.” Doogal explained.
Seth would not accept the offer, “You must come with us. You can go after McRawl later.”
“He is probably coming after us. I may not get a better chance than this.”
Seth grabbed Doogal by the arm, “Do not be a fool. You do not even have a weapon on you.”
Doogal brushed Seth’s hand away. The boy’s words were true, as Doogal had left his sword behind to prevent it from getting in his way while scaling the Keep. “You can give me your knife, and your bow and arrows. I won’t be able to hang the son-of-a-troll, but I can still kill him.”
Tessa stood before the thief, “If you go, then I am going with you.”
“You are bluffing.” Doogal presumed.
“Do you want to find out? Or are you going to go with us?”
Doogal caved, “Fine, I will go with you. I do not mind risking my neck, but I will not be responsible for someone else dying for my cause tonight.”
“Then let’s get moving.” Seth announced, as he rushed off into the darkness, with Doogal and Tessa on his heels.
They crossed a shallow stream before Seth changed directions. Unlike their human pursuers, they were not slowed by the lack of light, making it easier for them to put more and more ground between them and the Lardashen soldiers. They reached a clearing and risked crossing. Seth and Tessa both recognized their location.
“It is not too far now.” Tessa informed Doogal.
The thief did not bother to respond as he followed his two guides. Then something caught his eye to their right. When he turned his head, he saw Seebaul standing amidst the trees. “Look.” He said, as he pointed to the elf.
Seth spotted the Elf Lord and veered off to meet him. As they came closer, they saw Reldoor and Megan. Shadow rushed out to greet Tessa.
“What are you doing here?” Seth asked.
“Waiting for you, of course.” Seebaul replied.
Doogal confronted the Elf Lord, “You should not have risked the princess’ life by waiting.”
“I am risking nothing,” Seebaul explained, “The soldiers will not find us. The dryads will see to that.”
Doogal watched as six waiflike females appeared from the trees. They began spreading out as they headed off in the direction that Seth’s group had just come from.
Doogal could not believe what he was seeing, “What in the abyss…”
“They are dryads,” Tessa explained, “but I did not know that they could leave the Tilsaw.”
“Dryads can travel anywhere that forests exist.” Seebaul corrected. “They will use their power to confuse the soldiers into going in the wrong direction. They will actually believe that they are approaching the Tilsaw, while being slowly turned completely around.”
“We should still keep moving.” Seth suggested.
“I agree. Until we reach Sanctuary, we are still at risk.”
Megan looked at her atypical rescue party. She had tried questioning the bald elf and the Roolemian teenager several times as they fled Ducaine, only to be told repeatedly that “There will be time for answers later.” by the elf. Even while they waited here, she had been instructed to remain silent. Megan looked at the blond haired boy, and back to the olive skinned Roolemian, who she had heard addressed as Reldoor; they were no older than she was. Even so, there was something remarkably different about Seth. His pale skin and exotic facial features were like nothing that she had seen before. Megan wondered if he was some sort of elf. She could see that both Tessa and Doogal were half-elves, making Reldoor the only pureblood human in the group.
Raindrops began falling through the trees. “We are about to get wet.” Doogal warned.
“That will help us even more.” Tessa offered.
Doogal granted that she was correct, “But I still do not have to be happy about it.” He added.
Seebaul called for them to continue traveling through the forest. They pressed on as the rain began to fall more heavily. Megan had difficulty keeping up with her rescuers. She had believed that she was in very good shape, but after being the cause of the group stopping for a third time, she accepted that her conditioning was a deterrent. “I am sorry.” The princess offered, through strained breathing, as she rested her hands on her knees.
“Do not worry about it.” Tessa reassured the girl.
Shadow raised her head and began growling. Seebaul rubbed the dog’s head, as he too looked skyward. “Oh dear.”
“What is it?” Seth asked.
Doogal motioned for everyone to gather around him. “Huddle together and get down!”
Seth pulled Megan closer to the Elf Lord, pushing her down onto her knees, as he knelt beside her. Doogal watched as Tessa and Reldoor followed. Even Shadow gathered close. Heeding Seebaul’s command, he too knelt behind the elf, just as an unearthly cry echoed in the night sky overhead. Megan felt fear in the pit of her stomach, and could sense that she was not alone in her fright. Only Seebaul and Seth appeared to remain calm. Even Doogal—the man who had escaped death at the end of a noose, and spent years living a life of danger—looked petrified after hearing the sound.
“Stay down and do not look up.” Seebaul warned. He stood in the middle of the group, holding his staff up high. “It will not be able to detect us if we r
emain still. The staff will blind it to our presence.”
Megan dared to look skyward. Through the trees she spotted the shadow of something large and threatening flying overhead. The fear she felt made her want to vomit at the sight of the creature, and it brought about eerie memories of her capture.
“Look down.” Seebaul whispered.
Megan did not have to be told twice.
Everyone huddled together, too frightened to do anything else. The giant creature passed overhead several times during the span of a quarter hour, each time causing those crouched on the ground to believe that they would be spotted. Throughout it all, Seebaul remained standing, holding his green staff above them. The Elf Lord waited for several minutes after the final pass before lowering his staff. “It is okay, it has moved on. We need to keep moving.”
“What was that?” Doogal asked, as he climbed to her feet.
“A dragon.” Seth informed him.
Megan’s mouth hung open at Seth’s declaration, prompting Seebaul to say, “That is the same look that your mother had the first time she saw a dragon.”
“You know my mother?” Megan asked.
Seebaul smiled, “I most certainly do. I helped to raise her; and your father too.”
“Seebaul.” Megan spoke the name in awe. She had not placed the name before this moment. Megan had heard many tales of this ancient elf, who had served every royal family since King Alex had ascended the throne: The very elf who had turned out to be the last living Elf Lord.
“In the flesh.” Seebaul bowed.
Megan pointed skyward, “I think I saw that dragon before.”
Everyone looked quizzically at the princess. “Perhaps I misspoke. I did not see it, but I am certain that I was on it. When the man claiming to be Landis’ son kidnapped me, he took me by horseback until nightfall. Then he forced me to drink something that made me go to sleep. I do not remember much after that, but I do recall waking up for moments at a time, and feeling deathly chilled. When I opened my eyes it appeared that I was tied to the back of a giant flying reptile, high above the ground below. I became so frightened that I passed out. The next thing that I knew, I was here in the Eastland.”
Seebaul appeared to be looking afar off as he spoke, “Ah, you soared across the sky on the back of a dragon. I have fond memories of such experiences.”
“There was nothing fond about it.” Megan corrected.
Seebaul eyed the princess, “Under the circumstances, I guess not.” He directed Megan’s attention to the fair skinned, blond young man. “Seth, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Princess of Alexon: Megan Sergius, daughter of Queen Petra Sergius, and Landis Half-Elven.”
Megan was quite surprised that Seebaul had included the latter name. The expression on Seth’s face was one of wonderment.
Seebaul continued, “Princess Megan, it is my pleasure to introduce you to your brother.”
“My brother?” Megan asked in alarm.
“Landis is the father of you both.” Seebaul stated.
“My mother is Katryn.” Seth explained. “I was conceived not long after you.”
Megan recalled the name. According to the story, Katryn had been a druid who betrayed her master to side with Landis, when the Pearls of the Elf Lords had been stolen by Twaller Oakleaf.
Seebaul swayed back and forth, holding his green staff in his left hand, while gripping his left elbow with his right hand, “I never thought that I would see Landis’ daughter. I knew that your mother was with child the last time that I saw her, but I did not believe that we would ever meet.”
Megan could not tear her eyes away from Seth. “You really are my half-brother?”
“Most certainly.” Seth assured her.
“Seth is more special than you can imagine.” Seebaul began, “his mother was conceived by one of my creations: a dryad, and another magical being. I would not have thought it possible, for I created dryads with very limited reproduction abilities. Never-the-less, Katryn was born. And great power she has. I was not surprised that she conceived with Landis, but I was absolutely shocked when Seth was born. Dryads can only bear females. Yet I assure you, Seth is a male; the first and only son born to any Dryad offspring in history. I am certain that the magic of the white pearl in the Sword of Alexon had something to do with that; and his abilities.
“Your mother was in possession of the sword when she mated with Landis. Did it bestow any abilities upon you?” The Elf Lord asked Megan.
The princess shrugged, “I don’t think so.”
Seebaul grinned as he looked at her, instinctively recognizing the magic within her. “Yes, I see that it has. You are a truth seeker. You can tell when those around you are lying. I also sense healing abilities as well.”
Megan stepped back. “That is true, at least about the lying. I have always been able to detect lies. I believed it to be something from my elven heritage. I do not know about the healing part though. And I may not be able to detect lies anymore either. That half-elf who kidnapped me claimed to be my brother. I do not believe him, yet I detect no falsehood in him.”
Seebaul rested his right hand on Megan’s shoulder, “Your ability is not gone, girl. Your kidnapper has a mighty power, and is able to mask his thoughts from others, even those that employ magic. But I swear to you that Trian is not your brother.”
“Was that really a dragon?” Doogal interrupted.
“Indeed it was.” Seebaul assured him. “A black dragon, and it was searching for us—well, technically, he has been searching for me—but we are safe. My staff kept us hidden. That is a peculiar fact about the Pearls of the Elf Lords. When one or more of the Dragon Gates is opened, dragons can detect any of the pearls, wherever they may be, but when the gates are all closed, they cannot locate any of the pearls, or those in possession of them, a fact that I am certain they were not aware of when they created the pearls. When the gates are closed, one needs to be in possession of one of the pearls in order to track another, and that only works if you know what you are doing. So as long as I possess my green staff, the dragon cannot locate us, unless he visibly sees us, that is.”
“That is good to know.” Doogal said. The thief felt naked without his sword.
Seebaul giggled like a child, “This is just priceless, Seth; your sister has been rescued. You have no idea how much that upset the Warlord’s plans. Now we must get moving if we are going to reach safety before sunrise.”
Chapter Ten
Weslocke plopped down onto the wooden chair, grateful that they were no longer onboard the ship that had brought them to the Eastland. “My stomach is still spinning.” He complained.
“You cannot still be sick,” Natis proclaimed, “I have never seen so much come out of someone so small. I am surprised that you did not spill your heart and lungs over the side of the ship.”
The mage ordered a mug of ale from the barmaid.
“Nothing for me,” Weslocke informed the girl, “I couldn’t keep it down.”
“You need to drink something.” Natis cautioned. “Besides, the trip wasn’t that bad.”
Weslocke glared at the mage. “Easy for you to say; you can probably use magic to prevent seasickness. That storm last night came right out of the abyss. I thought for sure that we were going to capsize or get washed overboard.”
“Only one man was washed overboard, Weslocke, and they were able to rescue him.”
“He was a human.” Weslocke reminded Natis, “Humans do not sink like rocks; dwarves do. You have never seen a dwarf swim have you?”
“I cannot say that I have.” Natis concurred.
Weslocke rubbed his stomach. “How long do we have to wait here? I would like to find someplace to rest.”
“Eric said to come to this inn as soon as we disembarked, and wait for the contact he has arranged. If no one meets us by noon, then I am to start asking for a man named Creel.”
“You called?” Someone said from behind them.
Natis turned around to find a w
iry man in loose fitting clothing standing there. His hair was disheveled and he had a jagged scar on his left cheek. “I am Creel, and you must be the mage seeking a guide to the old Wizard’s Keep in Rooradan.”
“That I am.” Natis replied. He offered Creel a seat.
The newcomer sat down and waited for the barmaid to bring him a drink—at Natis’ expense—before continuing in a low voice. “Your friends arrived yesterday afternoon. Their ship was slowed down by storms.”
“We got the tail end of them.” Weslocke said.
Creel continued, “They wasted no time in purchasing horses and heading for Cathaar. I wish that they would have waited the night. Then I could have told them the same news I have for you.”
“What is that?” Natis asked.
“I just received word from a very reliable Network source that the princess has escaped.”
“Escaped?” Weslocke spoke a little too loudly.
“Rescued would be more accurate; but yes, she has been freed, although no one knows where she is now. What we do know is that her captors are actively searching for her. So she is not safe just yet. We have also learned that she was being held by one of the Lardashen Warlords.”
“She was taken by one of the rebel groups?” Natis queried. “Have you sent word to Eric?”
“Of course,” Creel answered, “but I cannot be certain when he will receive it.”
Weslocke breathed a sigh of relief, “The girl is not being held prisoner. Now all we have to do is find her.”
“Easier said than done.” Natis reminded him.
Creel continued, “I have also heard that whoever it was that kidnapped the princess is planning on trying to trick your friends into handing over the ransom anyway. They will probably be murdered in Cathaar if you do not get word to them.”
“Have you sent word to warn Landis?” Weslocke asked.
Creel shook his head, “By the time that I learned this, they were beyond my reach. We have no contact within Cathaar, it is a very close knit town. We have placed two spies in there in recent years and both were dead within a month’s time.”
Elf Lords: 02 - Last of the Elf Lords Page 7
