by Sam Ferguson
The elf turned back to the window. He was quiet for a while, and then he asked, “What of the man he killed in Rasselin, did he steal anything from him?”
Kai shook his head. “No,” he said flatly. Kai omitted the note he had found on Gandle’s body. “He killed the governor and escaped just as I arrived.”
“Seldaric, you have a visitor,” Ulthgaron said from outside the room they stood in. Seldaric and Kai turned to see Ulthgaron standing in the doorway. He bowed out of the way to reveal a slender, long haired elf. She tipped her head to the side and walked into the room. She wore red robes with bright, golden lettering on the rim of each sleeve. Her silvery hair was neatly braided into a single plait which hung over the front of her left shoulder. A long scimitar hung over her back and a pair of curved short swords were fastened to her belt. She limped as she approached, wincing each time her left foot hit the ground.
Seldaric bowed his head. “I am at your service,” he offered. Kai pushed off from the crate and watched the exchange half-heartedly, occasionally glancing back out the window.
“Your grandfather’s death is a tragedy. He was a visionary elf, and an extraordinary ally to our cause.
“Thank you, priestess,” Seldaric offered.
“There is something you should know,” the female elf said. She clasped her hands before her and sighed. “Your grandfather also guarded a secret.”
“I knew it,” Kai muttered under his breath. He turned now with his full interest. “What did the assassin take?”
Seldaric lifted his head suddenly and shot Kai a disapproving look. “Forgive him,” Seldaric said to the female elf. “He is not familiar with our customs.” Seldaric turned to Kai and reproved him in a sharp whisper. “This is a Svetli’Tai Kruk priestess.”
Kai drew his brow in and shook his head. “Yeah, like Ulthgaron, I can see her red robes for myself,” he said.
“No,” the she-elf corrected Kai. “A priestess stands above the rank and file Kruks. I am the commander of the Kruks assigned to Jahre. As such, it is my responsibility to lead the investigation into Jahre’s murder and apprehend the killer, by any means necessary.”
“Show respect,” Seldaric chided out the side of his mouth.
The female elf arched a brow at Kai for a moment and then turned to address Seldaric. “Have you had any sightings?”
“Beyond the attack last week, we have seen no sign of the assassin,” Seldaric replied.
Kai interrupted again. “I may not know your customs, but where I am from, if you want help with an investigation, you share what you know. If you want our help, tell us what the man took.”
“One should not talk to a Svetli’Tai Kruk Priestess in such tones!” Seldaric growled through clenched teeth.
The female elf raised her hand and shook her head. “It is alright,” she said. “I sense in him that the assassin has done something to hurt our human visitor as well.”
Kai stiffened. “You sense what?”
The priestess moved in closer to Kai and held her hand out before the ex-ranger’s face. Kai pulled back slightly, but she held her hand up and stared into his eyes. “He slew a governor, is that right?” the female elf asked.
“Anyone could have told you that by now,” Kai said. “I said as much to Seldaric and to Ulthgaron over there about a week ago.”
The priestess nodded and extended her hand until it touched Kai’s forehead. “And you suspect he killed a friend of yours,” she continued. “You can’t prove it, but you are sure he is responsible. Am I right?”
Kai relaxed a bit and nodded.
“Svetli’Tai Kruk Priestesses have an ability to read minds and hearts,” Seldaric put in.
The priestess nodded. “We aren’t wholly telepathic, but we can sense thoughts and emotions. Those of us who are very skilled can sometimes gather other bits of information. That is what sets us above the rank and file Kruks. All of us are skilled warriors, but a priestess’ ability to discern thoughts gives us the right to command and lead. In this way, we can control our guards, and ensure that each Kruk remains true to our mission.”
“What is that mission, exactly?” Kai asked.
She narrowed her eyes on him and pulled her hand away from his forehead.
Kai nodded and then pointed to her leg. “Looks like you came face to face with the assassin.” he said.
The elf offered a faint smile. “He put a dagger in my thigh as I tried to chase him from Scholar’s Keep.”
“What was he looking for?” Kai pressed.
The priestess shook her head and backed away two paces so she could more easily address Seldaric. “I am known as Liloriel,” the elf said. “I studied under the sage, Jahre. The Scholar’s Keep holds many secrets. Among them, there is one that is extremely dangerous to all of the elf races upon the Elven Isles.” Liloriel gazed beyond Kai and Seldaric to look out the window. Then she stepped in close to Seldaric and looked into the elf’s eyes. “Did your grandfather ever tell you of the Tomni’Tai scroll?”
Seldaric’s eyes narrowed. He nodded once. Liloriel sighed and shifted her eyes to the floor.
“Your grandfather carried it with him. This is what the assassin sought.”
“For those of us who are not versed in the subject, and can’t read minds, would you mind explaining what this item is?” Kai called out.
Seldaric started to say something, but Liloriel held a hand up to silence him. “It is one of three relics that will open a gate to the Netherworld. If the assassin succeeds in opening it, he will unleash an unspeakable evil upon the Elven Isles, and it could mean our destruction.”
“What will it release, exactly?”
“A horde of Sierri’Tai. The remnants of the last clans that nearly destroyed us during King Lemork’s reign.”
Kai nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “No offense, but why would a human care about a group of banished drow?”
Seldaric spoke, almost in a whisper. “Because they shall subjugate themselves to whomever releases them. He would become their king.” He shook his head and wrinkled his nose. “Most of the elves do not talk about it. After the Sierri’Tai were banished, we never spoke of them openly again. I only know about it because my grandfather told me some of the history.”
“And yet, I am sure he withheld most of the information, even from you,” Liloriel said. “The Kruks are entrusted with the guardianship of this secret. We are trained from birth, selected by the elf high council, to be adept warrior-scholars with the singular aim of preventing any from attaining the relics. However, beyond the cursory knowledge that most elves have, we Kruks know every detail about the history of the Sierri’Tai, and the mysteries of the Netherworld Gate. We guard our knowledge to ensure no one learns more than they should.” Liloriel turned a hard eye on Seldaric. “I know that sometimes Jahre told too much to individuals at different times. I could never prove it, but I know he had confidantes beyond the Kruks. What did he tell you?” Liloriel stretched out her hand to touch Seldaric’s forehead.
Seldaric agreed with a respectful nod. “He only told me a portion of it,” he admitted. “But it was enough to understand the havoc the Sierri’Tai would unleash upon us if they were ever to be freed. He told me that we were losing the war, and that the Sierri’Tai would have enslaved or slain all of us, had it not been for their banishment. He didn’t tell me any more than that.”
Liloriel pulled her hand away and nodded with a solemn expression across her face. “Thank you.”
Kai whistled through his teeth. “And you are sure he was after this scroll that lets these drow free?” he asked Liloriel.
The elf nodded again. “I am certain. I came here after investigating the attack in Medlas. Whoever this man is, he is the most deadly force I have ever seen. He tore through the Scholar’s Keep like child’s play, without raising the alarm. I only escaped because he said he wouldn’t kill a woman.”
“He killed the other Svetli’Tai Kruks?” Seldaric asked incredulously.
Ulthgaron cut in. “I explained what happened there,” he called out from the doorway.
She sighed once more. “We must stop him before he finds the other relics.”
“Do you know where they are?” Kai asked.
Liloriel nodded.
“Are you going to tell us?” Kai pressed.
“No,” Liloriel said with a single shake of her head. “As I said, only the Kruks know all of the secrets from that era. It is my duty to find the assassin now.” Liloriel turned back to Seldaric. “Thank you, for your information. I will take my leave now.”
“Where are you going?” Kai asked.
Liloriel didn’t respond.
Seldaric moved and put a hand on Kai’s shoulder, but the man shrugged it off.
“You are wounded. You can’t possibly expect to defeat him by yourself. I have seen this man fight. If you know where he is headed, then let us come with you.”
“You don’t understand what you ask,” Seldaric said through gritted teeth.
Liloriel turned around and looked at Kai. “Is your lust for revenge so strong?” she asked.
Kai stepped closer, fighting through Seldaric as the elf tried to stop him. “You need us.”
Liloriel laughed. “I am a Svetli’Tai Kruk priestess. I have command over other Kruk warriors.”
Kai shook his head. “No, you said you were the leader at Scholar’s Keep. That means all of your warriors are dead, killed by the assassin we all seek. You want him dead as much as I do.”
“No,” Liloriel said with a shake of her head. “I want him dead much more than you do.”
Kai sniggered and grinned slyly. “Then let us come.”
The two of them stood there for a moment, arguing silently with their eyes. At last, Liloriel nodded.
“Very well, you shall be allowed to accompany me. Get some rest, for tomorrow we shall head out to sea. I have contacts within the city. I will arrange for a crew in the morning and we will be on our way.”
Kai noticed the grim glance that Seldaric shot him before bowing to Liloriel. “We would be honored,” Seldaric said. “When do we set out?”
“In the morning,” Liloriel replied. “I suspect that the human assassin knows already where to go to find the other items. If you have not seen him for the last week, my guess is that he has managed to escape this land unnoticed.” She turned to leave. Kai watched how the robes gently swayed with her form as she walked. Liloriel paused in the doorway with a hand resting on the doorjamb. She turned and narrowed her eyes on Kai. The man shifted his weight and let out a self-conscious chuckle as he turned away and ran a hand through his hair. The Svetli’Tai Kruk priestess turned to Ulthgaron. “I visited Medlas after the attack on Scholar’s Keep. Priestess Syndriel gave me permission to take you with me.”
Ulthgaron bowed. “I am at your service, priestess.”
“You should know, Syndriel was most pleased with your actions. She commends you for your honor. She wanted me to tell you that the other Kruks in Medlas are busy rebuilding the city. She trusts that you will continue to show the same dedication you did on that day when you chased the assassin here to Bluewater.”
“I will serve until my dying breath,” Ulthgaron swore.
Liloriel gestured to Seldaric and Kai. “As you are the only true Kruk here, Ulthgaron, I entrust you will keep an eye on them for me until we are underway tomorrow?”
“As you say,” Ulthgaron replied dutifully.
Liloriel nodded and then left.
Ulthgaron stood in the doorway with his arms folded and his eyes on the floor as he muttered something about the cursed dark elves. He approached Seldaric and offered a hand to the elf. “Are you sure you want to come along?”
Seldaric nodded. “Kai is right, you could use our help, and Jahre was my grandfather.”
Ulthgaron smiled. “I am sure Liloriel will inform your superiors about your resignation from the Bluewater guard.”
“Resignation?” Kai asked. “Why resign? We are just going after one man.”
Seldaric shook his head and slapped a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “The way of the elves are different, my human friend. We are going to be in the service of the Kruks now. Bluewater will need a new captain of the guard.” Seldaric let his hand fall from Kai’s shoulder and he pointed to the window. “Come, let’s keep watch.”
“The priestess said the assassin was most likely already gone,” Ulthgaron put in.
Seldaric nodded. “Even if he is, if this is my last night as a Bluewater guard, then I prefer to spend it watching over the city.”
Kai and Seldaric went back to watching the streets below. After a short while, they moved to sit upon the roof, to gain a better vantage point than what they could survey from the window. The pair waited for hours watching the area with no sign of the assassin, or of anybody else except for the occasional trio of guards on patrol. Seldaric sighed in desperation as he looked down to his boots, watching them dangle as he swung them lightly over the edge of the roof on which he sat. Kai sat next to him, but did not move, he kept completely still scanning the area about him
“You are quite patient for a human,” Seldaric said after a long while.
Kai smiled in return, but did not say anything.
“Quiet too,” Seldaric noted. “Most peculiar for a human.”
“I have done my share of waiting,” Kai whispered.
“What about killing?” Seldaric asked pointedly.
Kai turned a keen eye on Seldaric and arched an eyebrow. “When it has been necessary,” he replied evenly. He turned to watch the streets below. A deep pang of guilt overcame him as the current conversation dragged up the memory of killing his former comrades. He winced as he recalled the brutal way in which Jimik died. Kai tried to convince himself that it was self-preservation that had brought about their demise, but he couldn’t rid himself of the empty, wretched guilt. Deep down, he knew that such an excuse might be given by a bandit who found himself in a life or death situation. Self-preservation didn’t always prove innocence. The real question Kai wrestled with was not whether his former friends would have killed him if he had let them. He knew that Jimik and Gainer, two of the best Rangers Kai had known in Rasselin, would most definitely have killed him if given the chance. They believed him responsible for Governor Gandle’s murder, as well as Captain Lador’s. No, the real question Kai couldn’t answer was whether his life was worth more than both of his former friends’ lives.
Perhaps that was why he was so driven to find this assassin. Maybe through bringing Governor Gandle’s and Captain Lador’s true killer to justice, he could finally purge himself of the guilt he felt hanging around him so heavily. Then again, as he thought about that prospect he had to wonder if it would have any effect on his shame whatsoever. He had helped eradicate the last of the men involved with his sister’s kidnapping, but that had done little to assuage his guilt.
He took in a deep breath, and as he exhaled he conjured up Boots, Daren, and Calhoun in his mind. He felt no guilt for them, or any of the other rogues who had found their way to the afterlife through him. Yet they didn’t lessen his guilt either. He couldn’t justify killing Jimik and Gainer by reasoning that Boots and the other leader of the human smuggling ring were caught only after Jimik and Gainer had been slain. Yet, the mere thought of the men connected with his sister’s kidnapping ignited the same hot fire in his chest that had come to life at the inn in Rasselin the night his sister disappeared. Even now, after those responsible had been brought to justice, Kai’s rage gave him a barrier to sit behind and hide from the guilt over his fallen comrades. He recalled then that Kelden had said that even the Rangers were suspect in the kidnapping. He let his rage push his guilt out of his mind.
Kai’s thoughts were disturbed when Seldaric tapped him on the shoulder. Kai looked up to see a small, dark figure hobbling throug
h the streets near the docks, apparently headed in their direction. Kai could scarcely make out the cane that the slow, hunched over being used, but Seldaric could see much more clearly with his superior sense of sight.
“Is it him?” Kai whispered. “He seems kind of small to me. Doesn’t look like the same man.”
“It is not him, but it is not any elf I know either,” Seldaric replied. He then silently rolled to his side and crawled to the far edge of the building to let himself down. Kai went to the opposite side of the building to make his descent in order to flank the hobbling stranger. A few moments later they were sneaking up to him slowly, each man with their hand on their sword handles, but with their swords still in the sheaths.
If the stranger saw them flanking him, he showed no signs of slowing down. Kai kept a close eye on Seldaric as they closed in, trying to take his cues from the guard captain. As they approached, Kai felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. There was something about this elf that was different from any other elf Kai had seen in Bluewater. Suddenly the cloaked elf stood straight and let his cane fall over to the ground. He smiled wickedly and pulled back his hood to reveal a head of long, white hair framing his pointy nose and angular jaw.
Seldaric froze instantly. Kai, noting his companion’s sudden stop, did not step any closer. He instead drew his sword and waited for the elf’s command. After many seconds of waiting for a cue which never came, Kai turned to Seldaric and shouted. “What are we waiting for?”
“Has the pride of the fair elves fallen so low as to render them speechless?” the stranger mocked. “Look upon the legacy of your sins!” A small circle of flame rose out of the ground, encircling the three beings. Each of them still stood without moving. They just looked at each other, waiting for the first move to be made.
Kai felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he watched the flames rise three feet into the air, forming a bright wall and ringing them all in together. Kai glanced nervously at the ring around him. He had heard of magic before, but he had never before seen anything like this. He wondered suddenly whether it was a demon which had come among them. The orange and red flames danced around them all, illuminating each of their faces. Kai noted the surprise on Seldaric’s face, and then glanced to the stranger. He had not been mistaken. It was an elf, from what Kai could see, but his skin was old, leathery, and gray.
