The Merchant and the Menace

by Daniel F McHugh

  “Nothing, Kael. Just as Lord Ader said. Don’t worry. We will acquire your goods in the morning. You may pack up and get back to Kelky by the end of the day tomorrow.”

  Kael’s eyes narrowed at the old Elf and he scowled.

  “Well, at least tell me why you keep calling Jasper, ‘Lord Ader.’”

  Teeg paused and stroked his chin in thought. Finally, he smiled and looked into Kael’s eyes.

  “Kael, do you know the name ‘Ader’?” asked Teeg.

  “It is a common name in some of the lands,” replied Kael. “Some people give the name to a child for good luck or in reverence to the Seraph Ader.”

  “And who or what is the Seraph Ader?” questioned Teeg.

  “Well the myth is that the Almighty Avra created the Seraphim or Guides to watch over his people in times of trouble. They support Avra and perform his bidding.”

  “Good,” responded Teeg. “Brelg and Yanwin taught their sons well. However, what puzzles me is the use of the word ‘myth’.”

  “My mother and father trained us in all the stories of lore that they knew,” said Kael. “We were even taught to read using bits of the Delvin scriptures. But those were just stories, Master Teeg. Fables from the past.”

  Teeg turned and walked to the door. The old Elf smiled over his shoulder.

  “Kael,” said Teeg. “Every fable is based upon some amount of truth. The trouble is discerning where the truth ends and the fiction begins. You may discover more truth in those old fables then you ever thought existed.

  “Make yourself comfortable. Food and drink will be provided to you. Then I suggest that you get a good night’s rest.”

  Teeg left Kael in the royal guest chamber of the castle of Luxlor. The boy returned to the window and watched as light after green light appeared in windows and doorways throughout the palace grounds. The Elves’ lights burned strong and bright, banishing the darkness and calming Kael’s fears.

  Flaming red eyes glared in the darkness.

  “You failed me”, hissed the hooded figure on the dais.

  “No ... absolutely not my lord,...I ... it will take more time,” stammered the colonel. His vision swept to the corner of the cold, stone chamber where the body of his superior smoldered.

  “My servants do not fail me,” snapped the dark figure as he raised a hand toward the body in the corner. “Your general failed..... Do not join his fate.”

  Izgra the warlock slowly turned and motioned to a dark area behind the platform. A curtain rustled aside. Something even darker slid from beyond. The colonel gasped as the inky blackness coalesced into a nightmare and slowly bore down on him through the shifting shadows created by torchlight. His back met the rough wall of the chamber.

  “Please! Do not let it harm me, Lord Izgra!” cried the colonel. “I am useful and will continue to be so!”

  Izgra silently turned away and slipped from sight behind the heavy, black curtain.

  The creature prowled closer. Six yards long with a jet black, scaly hide. Its bulk was tremendous. Chest and shoulders larger than any warhorse the colonel ever laid eyes upon. Closer. The colonel slid down the wall, raising his arms to shield himself. The beast’s huge forepaws were tipped in razor sharp claws, longer than the dagger sheathed at the colonel’s side. Upon its back two gigantic, leathery wings lay folded across the ridged hide. The wings created an eerie, rasping noise that sounded strangely melodic. The nightmare crept forward, swaying to the rasping.

  The maw of the beast came into focus. A heavy, wide jaw held a row of long, pointed teeth. Deep set, angular eyes boiled red with an evil rage. Thick brows, encrusted with stone, supported a crown of blunt horns.

  It halted within a yard of the colonel. A guttering torch bled light onto its snarling muzzle and those crimson eyes held the army officer fixed to the wall. They inched closer and acidy drool spattered on the floor at the colonel’s feet, blackening the stone.

  “P-Please Lord Izgra .... spare me from this hideous creature .... I beg you,” the colonel cried as he fought to avert his eyes from the hypnotic gaze.

  The beast shifted its weight forward and hovered over the man. A guttural rumble issued from the depths of its cavernous chest. It threw its head back and a cold laugh boomed from beneath quivering lips.

  “Hideous creature. One day I will snap your bones and suck the marrow for those remarks,” growled the beast, “but today you are still valuable to my master.”

  Its weight shifted backward.

  “Know that you speak to Sulgor, Lord of the Malveel. As old as the mountains. Immortal. Guides and Guardians tremble at our sight. Obey me and you shall live.”

  As the creature spoke its mouth curved into a wicked smile, exposing the massive black fangs that dripped with spittle.

  “The General failed to secure our quarry,” Sulgor glared at the charred body in the chamber’s corner. “You will start where he left off. You will return to the city of Zodra and spread the story of a cowardly ambush by the Keltaran giants of the West. The giants waylaid you and the General while you rode on a scouting mission. The General fought the giants bravely, but his decision to ride with only his aide-de-camp and no troop escort was a foolish one. It cost him his life.”

  The creature paused.

  “You suffered grave injury but were able to escape death.”

  The colonel remained trembling near the floor of the chamber during this exchange, his eyes caught in the charmed gaze of the Malveel King. However, the news of his impending release emboldened him. His mind raced through different ways to achieve the deception suggested. It would be difficult to convince the king’s military staff that the General was killed and that he, Colonel Udas, somehow escaped a dozen Keltaran giants. A grave injury? How might he feign a grave injury?

  The Malveel hovering above him smiled as it saw recognition enter the colonel’s mind.

  “How am I to ...?” muttered the man slowly.

  With lightning speed the creature’s claws slashed down upon the colonel’s forearm, severing it from the elbow. The armored limb spun through the air and clattered off the stonewall ten yards away.

  Three hulking Ulrog stone men rushed into the room. One sprang forward and threw a powerful chokehold about the colonel’s neck stifling his screams of agony and terror. The second clumsily looped a noose around the stump of the man’s right arm, pulled the noose taught and stabbed a searing hot torch onto the gushing wound. The third lumbered forward with a pair of bulky, military saddlebags, dumping them at the restrained man’s feet and spilling the contents across the chamber floor.

  Even through madness and terror the Zodrian colonel recognized a small fortune in gold and precious stones. The Lord of the Malveel sneered at the struggling human.

  “When you recover, collect your treasonous bounty and attend to my master’s business!”

  CHAPTER 5: UP THE WINDING STAIRCASE

  Kael tossed and turned the entire evening and did not feel rested when he woke before sunup. He was worried how Aemmon fared during the night in the Nagur. He dressed quickly and moved to the doorway. What was he to do? Was he allowed to roam the castle without an escort? His hand shook as he grasped the handle and pushed the door ajar. Kael inched forward and pressed his eye to the opening.

  The green glowing jars radiated light throughout the castle. The corridor was empty and Kael’s sharp ears picked up no sound of activity. The boy slipped from his room and silently moved down the hallway. The blood raced through his veins and his senses were on full alert.

  He let those senses direct him. He crept past portraits of dignified Elves and displays of ornate weaponry, pausing only briefly to ponder their beauty. Each step provided a new wonder hidden in an alcove or resting on a pedestal of intricately carved white wood.

  A sudden turn in the corridor and Kael stood before the opening to a winding staircase. He stepped in and looked up the center of the stairwell. It appeared to rise forever. His curiosity was piqued again. He nervously glanced a
round and then ascended the staircase.

  At first he proceeded slowly, expecting to find a guard or opening around each turn. With every step his courage grew and he raced up the staircase. Glass jars rested in iron mountings on the walls, radiating greenish light up and down the stairwell. Finally, Kael spied an opening above him and slowed to investigate. He stepped into the center of a small, square room. Shutters were set in each of the four walls of the room. A mosaic set into the floor displayed a large compass.

  Kael walked to the shutters above the “E”. He threw their latch back and they noiselessly opened. He gasped. Below him the palace and its outbuildings lay spread across the circular clearing. The tops of the gigantic white trees swayed below him. Beyond and still further below the ring of white sentinels lay the green canopy of the Nagur, stretching out in waves of lush forest to the eastern horizon. Mist rose out of the forest rooftop, as the sun burned the early dew from its foliage. The sky to the east was aflame and a sliver of sun peeked above the horizon. As Kael gazed to the East, he saw the outlines of snowcapped mountains.

  “Tis a beautiful sight is it not?” said a soft voice behind him.

  Startled, Kael turned to find Queen Eirtwin standing in the center of the room.

  “Your keen sense of hearing must come and go,” she laughed.

  “Pardon me, your highness,” said Kael. “I didn’t mean to trespass.”

  “You haven’t. The observatory is for all to use. I must admit however, at this early hour I’m customarily the only one up here,” said Eirtwin. “You see, most Elves love their forest home. I do as well, but there are times I long to see the blue skies and feel the rays of the sun.”

  “Do you come up here often ... my lady?” asked Kael.

  “Yes, it’s a habit from the days of my youth. When I was young, my sister and I stole up here and whispered dreams of our future. Now I sit here alone, burdened by the thoughts a ruler must ponder. The concerns of my people. Their wellbeing. Food. Shelter. Protection.”

  “Your sister no longer joins you?” questioned Kael.

  “Unfortunately no,” answered the queen. “She passed into the hands of Avra.”

  “I am ... uh ... terribly sorry,” said Kael, his vision dropping to the floor.

  The pair stood in silence for a few moments. The queen’s gaze penetrated the boy as he ran his hands through his hair and shifted on his feet. Finally, she turned and focused on the sun as it crept up over the horizon. Its light was dazzling and the Nagur blazed in green. Flocks of birds swirled from treetop to treetop. Snow white clouds drifted lazily overhead and occasionally a circling hawk cried out.

  The queen smiled and turned north. She unlatched those shutters and swung them open. Kael caught his breath again. The massive forest fanned out beneath them. He walked to the opening and looked to the palace grounds below. The dizzying height gave him an appreciation of his earlier climb. He guessed they were perched over forty yards above the forest floor. The castle and its surrounding buildings filled the hollow in the forest.

  “Your home lies almost due north of Luxlor, approximately there,” pointed the queen.

  “You know my village?” asked Kael.

  “The happenings in Kelky are always of an interest to us,” replied the queen.

  “Why do you care about our little trading town?” asked the boy.

  “Kael, you will learn that all towns down to the smallest hamlet, including every person in that hamlet, affect the overall. Everything contributes to the whole, and without that tiny addition the whole changes dramatically.”

  “Even someone like me?” said Kael.

  “Especially someone like you,” laughed the queen.

  “Your majesty?” came a distant call from below in the stairwell.

  “Lord Teeg searches for me ... or perhaps you,” said the queen. “We must go.”

  She leaned over and kissed Kael’s cheek. He blushed furiously as Eirtwin led him down the stairwell. Teeg and Ader stood at the bottom of the observatory tower.

  “I was looking for Kael and came across Lord Ader here,” stated Teeg. “He informed me that both of you were up above.”

  “Eavesdropping is not one of your duties is it, Lord Ader?” said the queen arching a brow at the old trader. “Fear not, your wishes are being followed.”

  “My lady does me an injustice,” replied Ader. “I merely searched for the boy. He leaves with Manfir and I in one hour. We will escort him to his brother and then home to his father in Kelky.”

  “I packed a horse with the goods he sought and other things which may interest his father,” said Teeg.

  Kael hastily pulled a pouch from around his neck and untied its drawstring.

  “I carry only enough money for a few vials of almar chinchur and some lengths of rope,” said Kael.

  “The goods are a gift from the queen,” said Teeg putting a hand on Kael to stop him.

  “You were a guest traveling to our lands and were treated poorly at my son’s hands. Please accept my gifts, Kael,” added Eirtwin.

  “My mother always said ‘Never take something for nothing, you will lose more than you get.’” said Kael and he handed the pouch to Teeg.

  “Your mother taught you well. I approve,” said Eirtwin. “Farewell, Kael Brelgson.”

  Queen Eirtwin turned and gracefully moved down the passageway out of sight. Kael’s spirits dropped upon her departure.

  “She is a woman of great presence,” said Ader sensing Kael’s mood. “When she enters a room it becomes filled with light. Her spirit is strong.”

  “Indeed,” concurred Teeg and he waved to the boy. “Kael, follow me.”

  Teeg led Kael and Ader through the corridors of the palace to a large wooden door. The doorway led to a courtyard. On the other side of this courtyard stood the stables. Manfir walked out leading three horses.

  The first of these horses was a large black stallion. The powerfully built horse wore battle armor across its head, chest and flanks. The silver armor was polished to a brilliant shine. Kael was struck by the animal’s ability to inspire both beauty and fear. Ader left Kael with Teeg and went to speak to Manfir. Kael noticed one of the horses carrying burdens.

  “Are we going to ride to Kelky?” asked Kael.

  “Of course,” answered Teeg.

  “I ... I don’t carry enough money to pay for a horse,” broke in Kael nervously.

  “No sense in arguing. The pouch you gave me was to pay for the gifts from the queen, and the mare is one of them,” said Teeg.

  “I didn’t think her gifts included a horse. I can’t accept such a gift. My father would be furious,” said Kael.

  “Tell him a bit of gold goes a long way in Luxlor,” laughed Teeg. “I’m sure he’ll understand Elven generosity.”

  Kael frowned and realized his arguments were useless. He shook his head and changed the subject.

  “Is that beautiful stallion Ader’s mount?” asked Kael.

  “No,” replied Teeg. “That is Manfir’s warhorse.”

  “Oh. Makes sense I suppose. It takes a young man to handle a horse like that,” said Kael.

  “Ha,” laughed Teeg. “I say again. Fables are built on fabulous truth and life is full of surprises!”

  Ader finished talking to Manfir and walked toward them.

  “Kael, you will ride the chestnut with the packages on it. The other is for Aemmon when we reach him.”

  Ader turned toward the stables and a look of concentration crossed his brow. Kael heard a deep whinny and the stamp of a hoof. Another stallion pranced from the stables. Kael stood mouth agape. Manfir’s black stallion was huge, but Ader’s steed stood a full two hands taller with considerably more bulk. The horse pranced over to Ader and nuzzled his chest. The stallion was dark gray in color and bore a strange, five-point marking upon its forehead.

  As Kael stood marveling at the beauty of the creature, it turned and eyed him. Its huge nostrils flared and it took in the boy’s scent. The horse let out a low
rumbling whinny, approached Kael slowly with its head lowered and nuzzled his chest. Kael’s body was rigid and his arms lay locked to his sides. The boy’s wide eyes danced between the giant stallion standing before him and the amused grins of his companions. Slowly he raised his hands, took the huge head into his arms and gently stroked it.

  “I’ve never seen Tarader allow any other to handle him but you, my lord,” said Manfir approaching the group.

  “It seems he is intrigued by the lad,” said Ader smiling.

  “Truly remarkable,” stated Teeg.

  Kael released the horse and mounted the chestnut mare, a fine Erutre horse in its own right. Manfir mounted the black stallion and moved toward Ader. Ader spoke briefly to Teeg then turned to Tarader. The horse dropped on its front knees and the old tinker mounted. With no effort at all the horse rose and moved toward the opening to the street beneath the castle walls. Kael and Manfir followed.

  “Thank you for everything,” called Kael over his shoulder to Teeg.

  The old Elf smiled and bowed.

  The trio created quite a stir as they traveled through the city streets. Elves, young and old alike, bowed heads and placed their hands on their hearts. They finished their greeting by extending their palms upward. Ader’s face remained stern and occasionally the trader bowed his head, extended his right hand and mumbled something. The Elves smiled and bowed in gratitude, but Kael swore he heard the words “ridiculous” and “nonsense” in Ader’s ramblings.

  They passed through the gate in the wall of giant white trees and through the outer city streets. Soon they were out of Luxlor and on the Nagur path. They made excellent time to the bridge and dismounted to lead their horses across its narrow expanse. Kael glanced about the woods and after concentrating was able to discern at least a dozen figures hidden within its shadows. He noticed Diom covered in his Elven cloak, motionless amongst several brambles to his right. The Elf’s face was colored to match the patterns of the brush.

  Kael smiled broadly at the Elven soldier and waved heartily.

  Diom remained like a statue save for the tightening of the muscles in his face. The trio reached the northern side of the Efer and mounted to ride on.