by Edward Brody
“You should offer no apology for love,” he said.
I sighed. “I know that Adeelee and you have a past; that you were once set to marry.”
“So, Keysia told you?” he questioned.
I shook my head. “No, Adeelee did.”
Donovan pursed his lips. “Of course. Of course, she would tell her new suitor.”
I waved my hands in front of me. “I think you have the wrong idea. Adeelee and I aren’t lovers or anything. I…I—” I stuttered. “We might have some… um… There might be some feelings there, but right now, it’s nothing more than that.”
Donovan’s face was blank. “Who am I to judge? I am but a dark elf.”
I sighed loudly. “I hate when you guys say stuff like that. You’re more than just a dark elf.”
“Am I?” Donovan asked. “Adeelee once loved me, but that love was lost the moment my skin turned.” He lowered his eyes and spoke slowly. “I don’t blame her for that; any High Elf would’ve done the same…” He slowly lifted his head back up. “But to think the Princess would choose a human… That’s a surprise.”
“She hasn’t chosen me,” I refuted. I wasn’t sure how to continue defending our relationship—or lack thereof. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted a relationship with her. I couldn’t deny the fact that I had strong feelings and I was extremely attracted to her. And after our kiss on the hill, I was certain she felt something for me, unless she was just having a vulnerable moment.
But there were just too many questions to answer to know what I wanted with Adeelee or if a relationship with her was even possible.
I took a deep breath and asked, “Do you still love her?”
Donovan paused and stared at me for a moment before saying, “I’ll always love Adeelee.”
I wasn’t sure what response I was expecting, but his words were said with so much conviction that it almost made my feelings feel trivial. I was speechless.
He lowered his eyes. “It hurts me, but I wish Adeelee happiness, no matter who or what she chooses. I will continue to protect and serve her and support her when she becomes Queen. My fate has been determined, and I can do nothing but accept my wretched life as a dark elf.”
“You’re more man than I’ll ever be, Donovan. You’re kind. You’re loyal. You have a great heart.”
“But I’m a dark elf.”
“Fuckin’ quit saying that,” I cursed as I rattled my head. “There’s nothing wrong with being a dark elf. I don’t know why people keep telling me these bullshit stories about dark elves killing randomly, killing their own people, when it’s totally untrue.”
“It’s true, Gunnar,” Donovan countered pointedly.
I looked up at him in disbelief and shook my head a little. Though Donovan himself had told me stories of dark elves turning on their own, over time I had convinced myself that it was all some sort of fabrication.
“It’s true,” he repeated. He frowned and took a deep breath. “You have yet to see a dark elf go mad, but you will… I cannot lie to you. If you work with dark elves, eventually one will lose their mind. I’ve seen it several times, mostly on the battlefield.”
“Well…” I mumbled, still feeling a hint of disbelief, but having no way to counter his argument. “You’re still more than a dark elf. You’re my friend.”
“Of course…” Donovan said low. “Friends.”
“Friends!” Trynzen cried and started scurrying around again. “Donovan friend. Gunnar friend.”
“Yes, Trynzen,” Donovan said. “Friends.”
“And Donovan,” I said. “I’d still love to have you as a member of Unity. Everyone likes you, and I’m sure they’d all be excited to have you join.”
Donovan sighed and turned slowly to his side. He looked off in the distance and crossed his arms. “I may be a dark elf, but I still feel emotion, Gunnar. When you asked me to join your guild the first time, I declined because I sensed there may be something between you and Adeelee. While I’m more than happy to help your guild after all you’ve done, it would pain me to serve under someone who is…” He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and for a moment I was afraid he was going to break down.
“Donovan…” I muttered.
He raised his head back up, took a deep breath, and regained his composure. He turned back to me and smiled. “I’m afraid I’ll have to decline, Gunnar. But thank you for the offer. I hope our friendship, however, remains unchanged.” He looked over to Trynzen and raised his chin a little. “Let’s find you some place to clean up.”
“Clean?” Trynzen asked, frowning. “Trynzen want play game.”
Donovan pressed his lips together firmly and slumped his shoulders. “Well, I suppose we can make it into a game somehow.” He reached for the apple that Trynzen was holding and flung it towards the deep of the forest. Trynzen’s eyes followed the elf’s motion, but when I looked down, Donovan was still holding the apple in his hand, behind his back and out of Trynzen’s sight.
“Where!?” Trynzen cried. “Cannot see.”
“Did you hear that?” Donovan asked, holding his free hand up to his ear. He pointed in the direction of his fake throw. “I think it may be somewhere over here!”
“Oh! Yes! Trynzen find!” The leper Barbaros started scurrying toward where Donovan was pointing.
“Careful of goblins and orcs!” Donovan shouted. “Stay on guard in case you need to attack!”
Trynzen rattled his head erratically as he ran. “No, no… Trynzen and orc no fight. Barbaros and orc peace.”
Everyone who heard Donovan’s warning perked up and reached for their weapons, but Donovan raised his hands and pointed towards Trynzen. “Nothing to be alarmed of. I was just cautioning him.”
I felt a bit scummy after my discussion with Donovan, but I also felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The air had finally been cleared, and I knew how he felt, but I hated to be responsible for more of his pain. He was a great guy, no matter what kind of elf he was. I hoped one day he would realize that.
Chapter Seven
2/18/0001
“Any updates?” I asked, approaching Shal.
Shal shook his head as he stood looking outward from the edge of our village. “It’s quiet.”
I rubbed my chin. “Maybe this is the beginning of the end to all the chaos…”
“Or the calm before the storm,” Shal warned.
I shrugged and sighed. “Perhaps. I think it’s time I seek more information.” I patted our head guard on the shoulder. “Keep up the good work.”
Shal nodded as I started to walk away.
“Ahem,” I heard when I had taken only a few steps. Arryl approached me with his arms crossed. “Ambassador…”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes, but I want to revisit our discussion from yesterday. If you won’t be updating the Queen regarding our current status, I feel I should send a rider, at the least. She must be aware of our proximity to the swarm of dark—”
“Don’t worry,” I interrupted. “I’m heading to Mist Vale today if nothing interferes.”
Arryl raised his chin but said nothing. After a moment, I simply turned and continued on in the direction I had been walking.
I trod across our clearing where several Unity members had started sparring to let off some steam. Aaron was by his house, sawing a piece of wood—something he was likely going to use to repair our damaged homes.
“Hey, man,” I called out casually.
“What’s up?” Aaron asked as he looked up from the wood.
“I’m outta here for a bit. Hold down the fort, will ya?”
“Where are you going?” he asked. “Do you want me to let the others know?”
“Only if they ask, I suppose. Now that the craziness has died down, my plan is to recall to the Mages Guild to see if I can get a better handle on what’s going on. I’ll make a pit stop at Mist Vale as well.”
“Aiiight…” Aaron said with a nod. “Mayor Sizzler will handle
the jurisdiction while you’re out.”
“Hey, you’re not Mayor yet,” I reminded him.
Aaron smirked and winked. “Yet… right?”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Anyway, I’ll be back soon.” I held out my fist and we exchanged bumps.
“Say hello to Princess thottie.”
I lowered my chin and glared at him. “Did you say thottie?”
Aaron shifted his gaze to the left a little as if he could see someone who wasn’t there. “Thottie? I said ‘hottie’. Princess hottie.”
I smiled and shook my head a little bit. I knew him well enough by then to be sure he was just trying to push my buttons. “I’ll say ‘hi’ if I can remember.” I paused and put my index finger up to my lips. “Hey, isn’t it a bit weird that your hottie girlfriend still hasn’t shown up in the village?” I shook my head. “I mean, it’s almost like she doesn’t exist. But you wouldn’t lie, right? Dating a non-existent NPC…No, of course not. That would make you a total loser, which absolutely isn’t true.” I shrugged and nodded at the same time. “I really can’t wait to meet this busy, busy girl.”
Aaron’s face went red. “Hey, my girlfriend isn’t fake! We’re in the middle of a war! How can she—”
“Yeah, anyway,” I interrupted. “Really, really gotta run. Time’s a wastin’.”
As I turned around, I could nearly feel the steam pouring out of Aaron’s ears. I felt a little bit mischievous roasting him the way I had, but if he couldn’t take the heat, he shouldn’t dish it out as often as he did.
I shuffled over to my home, opened it, and locked the door behind me. I groaned when I looked up at the hole that was still in the ceiling and a gap between two burned wooden panels of the wall. Aaron had been working to fix some of the damage in our village that morning but had yet to make much progress. In the meantime, my things weren’t as safe as they normally were.
I grabbed my rune for Mist Vale, placed it in my bag, then focused on the Mage’s Hall runestone I had lined up on my shelf. I usually left all my runes at home to avoid losing them, but since I had planned to visit two locations, I didn’t want to waste any time trekking through the forest and back to the village to recall a second time. Taking a rune with me was a bit risky, but it would simplify the day.
As I started to dematerialize, I hoped that I wouldn’t end up recalling into some sort of unknown chaos. When we left our encounter with the Dark Hand, I had definitely seen orcs heading for Highcastle, and relatively few orcs had made their way into Edgewood. Was it because the Scourge had focused more attention on Highcastle or was there another reason? And if they had attacked Highcastle, had Highcastle managed to hold them back? I’d soon find out.
The room was dark when I manifested inside the Mage’s Hall. It was silent, and I heard no ambient noise from outside the room; I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.
I raised my hand, casting a Divine Sight spell on myself and turned to survey the area.
“Well, hello there,” Liam said, as soon as we made eye contact. He was sitting at the study desk with a quill in his hand.
I jerked a little at the sight of him, but he just smiled.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Liam asked. “I’m reading and taking notes, of course. We study here, don’t we?” He pointed to a large book that was open in front of him.
“In the dark?” I asked.
“I pulled the shade over the windows, leaving just the slightest light to shine inside. An overly bright room hurts my eyes when I’m reading. Too many dives into dark dungeons and caves have made me sensitive, I suppose.”
“Well, sorry to interrupt your session,” I said. I turned my head to each side, listening for any commotion. “Is Highcastle okay? The Scourge didn’t attack?”
“Oh, they attacked alright,” Liam said. “Today was the first peaceful day Highcastle has had in a bit.”
“So then the Scourge is defeated? It’s over?”
Liam shrugged and already looked bored of my questioning. “Paused, retreated… I’m not sure. But where have you been?”
“I’ve been in Edgewood trying to protect my guild from the Scourge.”
“I thought you had some silly mission with an ancient weapon and a dragon? Did I hear you wrong before?”
“No, I did…”
“And?” Liam asked. He closed his book and leaned forward on his desk. “I need details, Gunnar…details.”
“I got the weapon, but that’s all over now.”
“Drivel.” Liam leaned back and grinned. “Let’s see your ancient weapon. Where is it?”
I waved my palm out in front of me. “It’s a long story. Can we talk about the Scourge?”
Liam groaned and slouched in his chair. He rolled his head from side to side and rubbed his finger against the desk as he spoke. “There’s not much to say… The Scourge launched a substantial attack, and it’s anyone’s guess where it’s going from here.”
“But they’re gone for now?” I asked.
Liam shook his head. “No, of course not. Go have a look for yourself.” He pointed up to the next level of the tower.
“Alright, I’ll have a look.”
I started to walk away, but as soon as I took a few steps, Liam called out to me. “Wait a minute.”
I turned to him. “What?”
“Have you forgotten your promise?”
“What promise?” I asked.
Liam scowled. “My yellow belt. You need to tell Darion you’re ready to be trialed for a yellow belt. I’ve been waiting for some time.”
“Oh yeah,” I acknowledged, rattling my head. “I didn’t forget. I just haven’t thought about it due to the attacks. I’ll make sure to tell him when this is all over.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed, and his voice turned demanding. “Today, Gunnar. We had an agreement that is in no way related to this war.”
I sighed. “Okay, fine... Just let me just have a look around first.”
Liam pushed his book away and stood up from the desk. “I’ll go with you to make sure you don’t recall or slip away to somewhere else. This is very important.” Liam stepped in front of me and scanned me up and down before turning for the ladder. “Where’s your belt? And your robe is covered in filth. Don’t you ever wash?”
“I really just haven’t had time,” I said. “And as far as my belt goes, I’m pretty sure I lost it at Dragon’s Crest. To be honest, I don’t remember. It’s been a rough week.”
He wrinkled his nose and looked at me as if I smelled funny. “You must wear your belt, you know?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, motioning my hand towards the ladder. “I understand.”
I followed Liam as we climbed higher, and once we were on the roof of the tower, I stood up straight, guarded my eyes from the sun, and looked around, scanning the surrounding land.
Across the Freelands, I could see plumes of smoke rising from random places, and in particular, there was a large plume and lots of movement around Newich. The rolling green hills of the Freelands showed clear signs of foot and fire damage, and there were numerous large tents and campfires scattered about. I even saw what appeared to be a wooden, makeshift fort being erected in the distance—not far from the Edgewood border. Orcs were hovering near the camps, and there were a few goblins running about as well.
“What the hell happened?” I asked.
“Well,” Liam began, “the Scourge broke through the defenses that Highcastle had mounted at the Wastelands entrance, and from there, their horde flooded into the Freelands. The attacks seemed random and scattered the first day or two, but once Highcastle’s army was distracted, a strong legion pummeled Newich. Many on both sides are dead already.”
“But what’s all this?” I pointed towards the various tents and campfires.
“Camps, obviously.”
“What’s the point of them building camps?” I questioned.
“Taking a break? Staking the
land?” Liam shrugged. “I don’t know what the Scourge is doing exactly, but they’ve started setting those camps all across the Freelands. It almost seems like they think it’s their home now.”
“No shit?” I questioned.
Liam groaned. “Newich is in their control now, actually.”
“What? No way!”
I had yet to visit Newich myself, but from what I heard, it was a small, somewhat developed town in the same vein as Thorpes—lots of buildings, lots of people. The idea that an entire town the size of Thorpes fell to the Scourge really emphasized how serious the situation was.
“The sheer number of Scourge were too much for Newich to defend against. Everyone who could get away fled, mostly here to Highcastle or Thorpes.”
“Wow…” I said in awe. “But they didn’t try to take Highcastle?”
“There was some damage to Outer Highcastle,” Liam explained, turning and pointing to a few blackened homes at the edge of Highcastle gates that were visible from where we were standing, “but the Highcastle soldiers mustered enough strength to push all the Scourge back. They never made it to the inner walls.”
“So, what’s Highcastle’s plan now?”
Liam looked out across the Freelands and pointed to a ruined home in the far distance. “I’m not a member of the Highcastle army, so I couldn’t possibly know, but I imagine cleanup of this magnitude could take months… maybe longer if the fighting continues. Who knows?” He moved his finger to a point right outside the gates. “They have patrols roaming up and down the roads to keep some trade flowing in, and they’ve sent out companies of men gradually to engage the camps. It’s quite dangerous out there.”
I looked to where he was pointing and could see a six-man unit of human soldiers, all decked out in plate armor, riding away from Highcastle on horseback. They each held a weapon in one of their hands as if they were already ready to engage.
“Is the Mages Guild helping?” I asked.
