Emerald of the Elves

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “You need to use your bow for this fight,” Arik said to Prince Darok as he eyed the dwarf fondling a throwing axe. “There will be no time to retrieve your weapons.”

  The dwarf prince nodded sadly as the sky began to darken. Arik suddenly raised his arm and pointed northward. The Rangers followed his gaze and saw two riders coming towards them along the beach.

  “That is exactly what happened when Tedi and I ran away from Lorgo,” commented Arik. “It will not be long now. As soon as those two leave the beach, watch the road.”

  Within minutes, the two riders left the beach and Sarac’s Ravens appeared on the road in the distance. The Dark Riders halted. Arik peered through the dim light and saw three of Sarac’s Ravens talking and pointing towards the rise. He wished he could hear what they were saying.

  “No,” Klarg shook his head. “If they are up there, it is a trap. Trust me. I have fought on that rise before.”

  “A trap?” blustered Hagik. “They are the game, not us. We are the hunters. Do you really expect me to believe that they are going to make a stand and fight Sarac’s Ravens? That is preposterous.”

  “I agree with Klarg,” interjected Calastano. “If we have learned anything about this group, it is that they do what we do not expect them to do. I advise caution.”

  “Fine,” snarled Hagik. “We will attack them cautiously, but I am still the leader of Sarac’s Ravens. I will have our mages blast that rise into the sea while Klarg’s men rush it.”

  “Rushing it is just what they want us to do,” retorted Klarg. “They want us to act hastily so they can take advantage of our foolishness. We should approach slowly and confirm that they are there.”

  “You are a coward,” snarled Hagik. “My magicians will obliterate that rise before your men even get close. Attack it now. That is an order.”

  Klarg spat on the ground in disgust towards Hagik and whirled his horse. He called to his Dark Riders to follow him as he galloped down the road towards the rise. He wished that Hagik were dead.

  “You are unwise to forsake Klarg’s advice,” Calastano shook his head. “He has experience in this area. I am going to follow him. Perhaps I can lend my shields to his men.”

  “Go then,” scowled Hagik. “My Black Devils will not require your help.”

  Calastano rode after Klarg. He smiled inwardly as he watched Klarg’s gallop slow down in caution. He figured that Klarg just wanted distance between him and Hagik before he disobeyed orders and fought his own way. Hagik did not notice the change in speed of Klarg’s men. He was busy addressing his magicians.

  “That rise is our target,” informed Hagik as he pointed towards the rise. “I want everything that you have to rain down on the position. Those of you with shorter ranges, move forward until you can be most effective. Make sure that you stay out of bow range.”

  Most of the Black Devils stared at the rise before moving forward. Some moved only slightly closer, while others rode quite a distance down the road. When the Blacks Devils halted, Hagik sent the first lightning bolt streaking towards the rise. It was the signal to begin the battle. As the sky darkened into night, the lightning bolt illuminated the dome of shields protecting the Rangers. The Black Devils shouted as they sent fireballs and lightning bolts towards the rise. Hagik watched intently to see if the shields were weakening. He was so intent on watching the shields of the Rangers that he did not notice the figure in black approaching the road behind him.

  Alex averted his eyes from the illumination caused by the magical assault of the rise. He slipped a myric quill into a reed and moved stealthily until he was in range. He blew on the reed and sent the poisonous quill flying into Hagik’s back. The Black Devil immediately fell to the ground. Kaz stepped out of the trees and seized the reins of the unburdened horse. He led the horse into the forest as Alex dragged Hagik’s body into the trees. Alex paralleled the road as he moved forward to the next Black Devil.

  Near the rise, Klarg ordered his men to dismount as the first of the Rangers’ arrows flew into the group of Dark Riders. His men scrambled for cover and began returning fire.

  “Their shields are only magical,” Calastano observed as he moved next to Klarg. “They expected a barrage from the Black Devils. Jenneva is putting all of her energy into maintaining just a magical shield. It will last longer that way, but that also means that your arrows will be effective if you can get men close enough.”

  “I am glad we didn’t charge the rise,” scowled Klarg. “I would have lost scores of men by now if we had. Will Jenneva use any magical spells on my men?”

  “I don’t think so,” reasoned Calastano. “She needs to maintain her shields or they will all die in the magical barrage. Still, she can’t hope to shield them all night long. Eventually, the Black Devils will wear her shields down, and she has to know that. We are missing something in their plan.”

  “Perhaps they just plan to kill my Dark Riders,” growled Klarg as he watched another of his men fall to a Ranger arrow. “They have the advantage of height and a restricted path up to the rise. There is little chance that we can overwhelm them from below.”

  “I would think that they would be more anxious to eliminate the Black Devils,” mused Calastano. “Without our magicians, she could attack your Dark Riders with magic.”

  Klarg twitched as two more Dark Riders fell at the same time. He turned to stare wide-eyed at Calastano. “Hagik!” he exclaimed. “There is nobody protecting the magicians. All of my men are tied down assaulting this fool rise.”

  “I will go,” offered Calastano. “Hold off your assault until the mages break through those shields.”

  Klarg shouted orders as Calastano ran back to the road. He peered into the darkness towards where he had left Hagik. He saw a line of Black Devils stretching along the road towards Lorgo. He saw no bodies on the road. He slowed down and sighed in relief. As he walked back towards where he had left Hagik, he saw one of the Black Devils fall to the ground. He stared in amazement as a black horse and a man crept out of the woods and removed the horse and body from the road. He hastily threw a fireball towards them. The Black Devils halted their attack on the rise and turned to see what Calastano was attacking. By the time they turned around, the there was nothing to see but empty road.

  “There is an assassin,” shouted Calastano as he pulled one of the Black Devils off of his horse. Calastano mounted the horse and addressed the Black Devils. “Two of you come with me. The rest of you continue the attack.”

  Calastano waved the two men to each side of him as he rode cautiously towards the spot that he had seen the Black Devil fall. He heard movement in the trees on the seacoast side of the road. He hastily tossed a tree mine into the trees. It exploded in a shower of wooden splinters, but he did not hear any screams of pain. He signaled his men and the three Black Devils turned and entered the forest.

  Suddenly, Calastano halted and frowned. “A unicorn,” he spat as he sensed the flying spell of the unicorns.

  Calastano charged through the trees to the beach. He threw a fireball at the fleeing figure of Alex and Kaz as they winged out over the sea.

  “He is heading out to sea,” commented one of the Black Devils as Calastano’s fireball came up short and plunged into the sea. “Perhaps we can get him when he tries to come back to shore.”

  “He would not be that foolish,” Calastano shook his head. “He knows that we can down the unicorns. He will not come close to us. I suspect that the other Rangers are already retreating.”

  Shouts from the road confirmed that Jenneva’s shields had fallen. Calastano shook his head in defeat.

  “I will be assuming control of Sarac’s Ravens,” declared Calastano. “Let’s find out how many magicians we lost.”

  * * *

  Wylan, Bin-lu, and Sheri sat in a corner of the abandoned factory. A young redheaded girl approached them and sat next to Sheri.

  “Sheela,” greeted Sheri. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “I have been in
the sewers,” responded Sheela. “I am still concerned with other people using our sewers.”

  “Our sewers?” giggled Sheri. “Why should people using them bother you? It is not like we need to hide any more. Those days are over.”

  “Maybe so,” frowned the little girl, “but somebody thinks they need to hide. Why else would anyone be using the sewers?”

  “She has a point,” interjected Wylan. “Then again, maybe it has to do with preparing the city for attack by Sarac’s forces. The army could be making sure that the sewers will handle the city’s needs.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” nodded Sheela. “I guess I am worrying over nothing. The people do seem to be coming from the Royal Palace.”

  “The Royal Palace?” echoed Sheri. “I didn’t even know the sewers extended to the Royal Palace.”

  “Oh sure,” grinned Sheela. “That is the oldest part of the sewers. They are much narrower than the rest of the system. I know the sewers better than anyone.”

  Sheri tensed and Wylan felt it in her hand. “What is the matter?” he asked. “You feel like you are scared.”

  “I am,” Sheri said haltingly. “The assassins at the Royal Palace were noticed because their boots were wet. They were never able to find the assassins either. I think that they used the sewers.”

  “That means that they still have access to the Royal Palace,” frowned Bin-lu. “Arik could be in danger when he returns.”

  “Or Prince Oscar right now,” fretted Sheri. “We must tell someone.”

  “I want you to show me where the sewers go, Sheela,” stated Bin-lu. “I have friends in the palace that will like to know about this.”

  Sheela looked to Sheri for advice as Bin-lu rose. Sheri nodded her head vigorously, and Sheela took Bin-lu’s hand and led him away.

  Chapter 23

  Poor Hagik

  Rhula ran across the glade and halted, panting, at the foot of the gazebo. Queen Lyander rose, concern etched into her ageless face. Garong gazed about the glade and cautiously approached Rhula.

  “Take a deep breath,” he advised the other elf. “State the problem when you are ready.”

  Rhula nodded as she gasped for breath. Finally she sighed and stood erect. “There are Black Riders and Black Devils outside the glade,” she exhaled. “There are thousands of them.”

  “Are they just marching through?” inquired Queen Lyander.

  “No,” Rhula shook her head vigorously. “They are searching the forest.”

  “Looking for what?” questioned the elf queen.

  “Us,” replied Rhula. “They are searching for the elves to destroy the Emerald of the Elves.”

  “Destroy the Emerald of the Elves?” echoed the queen. “Never. We shall never let them near it.”

  “They have magicians with them this time, Mother,” Garong said worryingly. “This is not just a band of Dark Riders or rogue bandits. They will have the ability to pierce our illusion.”

  “But the Emerald of the Elves will protect us,” insisted Queen Lyander. “The prophecy promises us that protection.”

  “We have argued this before,” sighed Garong. “The Emerald of the Elves protects us from the effects of Sarac’s Darkness. I still believe that that is all it does. That is not the same as protection from Sarac’s people.”

  “But we are sworn to protect it with our lives,” retorted Queen Lyander. “Surely it is more important than just protecting us from the Darkness.”

  “It has great importance,” agreed Garong, “but I think its importance lies with the Sword of Heavens. I believe it was given into the care of the elven people to safeguard it until Valon came to collect it. That is how I read the eleven prophecy.”

  “But Valon was supposed to be an elf,” countered Rhula. “Not some human boy.”

  “The prophecy does not say that,” argued Garong. “I will admit that I also believed what you are saying, but I cannot dismiss the mark upon the human’s chest. There can be no doubt that he is Valon.”

  “Not until he returns with the Book of Things,” Queen Lyander shook her head.

  “I disagree,” declared Garong. “He is Valon. He just doesn’t get the Emerald of the Elves until he fulfills our prophecy. Instead of seeking to dismiss him, we should have encouraged him to succeed. He is our only salvation according to the prophecy.”

  “Whether he is or isn’t Valon,” interrupted Rhula, “matters little right now. We must figure out what to do about the humans invading our homeland. It is only a matter of time before they stumble across our illusion. We must ready the people to fight.”

  “Our healing magic will not fare well against the dark magic of the humans,” frowned Queen Lyander. “If we were only facing thousands of Dark Riders, our archers might have a chance, but with the Black Devils, our people will die in this coming battle.”

  “And we will end up losing the Emerald of the Elves anyway,” nodded Garong. “We must send for help.”

  “Help from where?” scowled Rhula. “The elves of Sorelderal would arrive after we are all dead.”

  “Perhaps the elves of Dielderal?” posed the queen. “They are much closer.”

  “And would love to see us extinct,” Rhula shook her head. “The Dielderal will not come to our aid.”

  “I was thinking of the humans,” Garong declared. “The armies at Klandon recently battled another human foe. Wouldn’t they offer us help if they knew about Valon?”

  “Was Valon involved?” questioned the queen. “If so, which side was he on?”

  “I do not know if the conflict involved Valon,” admitted Garong. “I guess I was hoping for him to have been involved because of the closeness to us of the human army.”

  “How do we find out if that army will be friendly?” inquired Queen Lyander. “Klandon has been a good neighbor, but I do not want to invite humans into our land unless they are allied with Valon.”

  “They may be his people,” admitted Rhula. “When this party passed through our lands long ago, they made a comment about having a friendly neighbor to our south.”

  “That is right,” Garong nodded excitedly. “It was the human called Alex that spoke. He said to tell King Galever that when Alcea rose, he would have a good neighbor to the south.”

  “That sounds to me like Klandon is not the good neighbor that he envisioned,” frowned the queen. “We must find out where Alcea is. We must send a party out of our homeland to find Alcea. It appears to be our only hope.”

  “Not a party,” Garong shook his head. “One elf alone will go. It will be me.”

  “Why you?” questioned Queen Lyander. “Why should we risk our prince on this mission?”

  “Because I am one of the best warriors that we have,” declared Garong. “It will take a warrior to slip past Sarac’s minions. Besides, I think that I understand the humans better than anyone else here. Whoever we send will have to enter the human’s cities. That is why I must go, and why I must go alone.”

  “He is right,” conceded Rhula. “A party of elves would be easily noticed. Plus, Garong has studied the humans along our border with Klandon. He knows how they think.”

  “Then you shall go,” nodded Queen Lyander. “You cannot offer the humans anything for their assistance. You must convince them to help us out of compassion for our plight.”

  “You mean that you will not give up the Emerald of the Elves,” smiled Garong. “Nor would I. I know the prophecy well, and I will live and die by its words.”

  “There is still the problem of getting you out of Elderal,” frowned Rhula. “You will have to pass through thousands of the enemy. You may not make it at all.”

  “We shall seek volunteers to create a diversion,” offered the queen. “While they call attention to themselves, you can slip by.”

  “Volunteers?” questioned Garong. “You mean that you want my brethren to commit suicide so that I have an easy chance of escaping. I cannot abide by that.”

  “There is no other way,” insisted the
queen. “Even with the diversion, your chances will not be easy. All of your skill will be required to evade such an army.”

  “She is right, Garong,” nodded Rhula. “I have seen their numbers. They are all around us. Even your skills will be severely tested. I will volunteer to lead the diversion.”

  Queen Lyander’s normally composed face was stricken with fear. Garong shook his head vigorously.

  “Absolutely not,” Garong stated sternly. “I may indeed have a hard time getting out of Elderal, but my mother shall not lose both of her children in the same day. I shall go alone. I neither want a diversion, nor will I accept one. You both need to have more trust in me and my abilities. You, Rhula, must prepare our army for battle in case I am not successful.”

  “There will be no shortage of volunteers,” objected the queen. “I do agree that Rhula must not be one of them, but many others love and admire you. They would consider it a privilege.”

  “No, Mother,” Garong said adamantly. “I will not have their deaths on my conscience. I need my mind free of burden and clear of thought to escape Elderal. Let me do this my way.”

  “Very well,” sighed Queen Lyander. “Your grandfather would have been proud of you. You have inherited his stubbornness.”

  “Among other qualities,” grinned Garong. “Do not fear for me. The humans are no match for my skills in the forests of Elderal.”

  * * *

  The Rangers rode tentatively into the deserted city of Toresh, the abandoned headquarters of Sarac’s minions. The ride was unsettling as they passed through once-bustling streets and gazed upon lifeless buildings. The only things moving were a few stray dogs and an occasional bird overhead.

  “This is spooky,” remarked Arik. “It is easy to imagine this city full of Dark Riders. It makes me feel uneasy.”

  “And so it should,” responded Tanya. “Sometimes things are not what they appear to be. We must use caution here. Maybe Sarac’s people have not all left.”

  “More likely we will find other scavengers,” commented Prince Darok as his large nose sniffed the air. “There is a smell of human about this place, and recent, too. In fact, it smells familiar.”