A Story Of River (10 page)

Tu'vad headed up the twisted dirt path
leading through the gray rock. All of the commotion he was hearing had better
be for a good reason, otherwise the mine supervisor would answer to him for not
quelling the disturbance. Nearing the mine entrance, he saw a group of miners
all huddled around a small table. The supervisor caught his eye and waved.

“Lord Tu'vad! You must come and see!” he
shouted.

Tu'vad continued his approach as the miners
cleared the way for him to see the prize laying on the table. A deep purple
gem, as large as his head, lay before him. His eyes widened, and his jaw
dropped slightly in disbelief. All the times he had reassured Master Ulda that
they were searching diligently for larger stones had just been a farce. Of
course they were working hard, but he hadn't truly believed gems this size
existed. Ulda was going to be very pleased with him indeed.

“This must be brought to Master Ulda at
once,” Tu'vad said.

“Right away, sir,” one of the miners
responded.

“Not you,” Tu'vad said, noticing a young
woman emerging from the mine. “You there,” he shouted to her. “Grab a cart and
load this gem inside it.”

The young woman nodded and obeyed quickly.

“Follow me,” he ordered, and the two of
them set off down the path. It was only a fifteen minute walk to the palace
entrance, but the heat of the summer sun was intense. Tu'vad observed the woman
as sweat beads rolled down her neck and dampened her hair. She was quite
lovely, despite being rather dirty.

Together they entered the palace and
proceeded to Ulda's laboratory. A young slave boy stood watch outside the door.

“His majesty has commanded that he not be
disturbed,” the boy said.

Ulda stopped in his tracks and slapped the
boy across his face. “You don't give me orders, slave. Get out of my way!” He
shoved the boy away, knocking him to the ground. Flinging open the doors he
shouted, “Your Highness, I've come on most urgent business.”

The laboratory was in disarray and smelled
of burning metals. The room was dark except for the light emitting from the orb
within. All was silent, and there was no sign of movement.

Tu'vad spoke again. “Forgive my intrusion,
sire, but I have brought with me that which you are seeking. It's a gemstone,
majesty. It's the largest one I've seen.” He heard what sounded like an iron
bar being dropped to the floor. The orb's light faded, and with a snap of his
fingers, Ulda flooded the room with a soft white light.

“Bring it to me,” he said.

Tu'vad grabbed the cart from the woman and
waved her away. He pushed it inside the lab and smiled triumphantly.

Ulda gaped at the enormous gem. This was
indeed a great find. With the proper shape, this would suit his purpose
perfectly. “Take it to my master jeweler. I will follow shortly with the exact
details of the cut I need.” As he spoke, he fiddled with the gemstone necklace
he wore. Tu'vad noticed what appeared to be a face embedded within the gem. It
swirled within a white mist, and he could just make out the features of the
Soulbinder who had disappointed Ulda a few days earlier.

“I will take it to him personally, sire,”
Tu'vad said. He bowed and pushed the cart out of the lab.

Ulda began rummaging through a stack of
books laying on the floor near his enchanting area. Grabbing a red volume in
his hands, he flipped quickly through its pages. Arriving at the correct page,
his eyes read the instructions hungrily. It would have to be oval-shaped and
contain hundreds of facets. The gem was sufficiently large, and he did not
doubt he would have the power to use it. With this stone and the extra power he
gained from his former Soulbinder, he should be able to control all of his
troops. They would fight without question and be incapable of fear.

Energized, Ulda ran out of his laboratory
clutching the red book in his hand. He ran down the stone corridor and burst
through the door to the jeweler's workshop. The old man looked stunned as he
saw Ulda appear.

“Your majesty,” he said, bowing. He was
shocked but not so much that he forgot his manners.

Ulda slammed the book down on the
jeweler's table and opened it to the page specifying the precise details needed
for the gem. “Follow these instructions to the letter. I cannot afford to have
this gem destroyed.”

Ulda turned to leave as the old man began
poring over the book. This was meticulous work that would take some time to
complete. He had no doubt he could do what the sorcerer commanded, but he
feared what purpose it might serve. However, he was in no place to question
him. That would only lead to his death, and someone else would step up to serve
instead. He sat at his bench and began the tedious work.

Three uneventful days had passed as the
companions headed for the Western Vale. The morning of the fourth day was heralded
by the birds singing high in the trees. They chipped and sang and played on the
wind without a care for the troubles of men.

Long days of riding were beginning to wear
on the group. King Aelryk had insisted on haste, which left little time to rest
or stretch the tight muscles that were forced into the same position for hours
at a time. The horses were much more comfortable than their riders.

The summer heat did not help matters as it
lay heavily in the dense forest. The humid air was filled with the scent of
leaves and bark as if the trees themselves were sweating.

Mel led on throughout the morning as the
others followed silently. The night had not spared them from the heat, and they
were all still a bit tired. Finally, the trees gave way and a clearing lay in
front of them. The sparse trees gave way to brilliant sunbeams, lighting the
path to a meadow of purple flowers.

Mel dismounted to have a closer look at
the ground. He was uneasy leading the group out into the open without first
being sure it was safe. Seeing no signs of any disturbance, he signaled the
others to wait while he scouted ahead. Once he had surveyed the area, he
remounted and motioned for the others to follow.

Despite the lack of shade, the meadow was
cooler than the forest. A cool breeze was swirling all around them as the
wildflowers danced in delight. An open field lay ahead in the distance.

Mel turned his horse to speak with the
king. “There is open field ahead. That means no cover should there be anything
looking for us.”

“What are the alternatives?” he replied.

“We could detour north. The Oak Leaf Clan
has a settlement about a day's ride from here.”

“I fear we would lose too much time. Let's
cross here as quickly as possible.”

They set out across the field of endless
golden stalks. What had appeared to be small enough to cross quickly turned out
to be deceptively large. This crossing was going to take over an hour at a good
pace. Far in the distance, another forest beckoned to them.

Mel felt as if he had held his breath
throughout the crossing. Once the forest's edge was in sight, he felt safe
enough to take a deep breath. Here under the cover of trees, he was at home. He
halted immediately upon entering the forest. It was quiet here-too quiet. No
sound of bird nor scurrying of foraging creatures could be heard. The grass was
still and his horse neighed nervously.

Suddenly, a blast of energy surged toward
them, knocking them all from their mounts. The horses reared and bolted through
the forest in a panic. Mel drew his bow as the others drew their weapons. He
knocked an arrow and released it at the oncoming noise of running footsteps. An
inhuman yowl went up as the arrow found a target. “Wolf monsters! “ he cried as
one stepped into view. The sorcerer, still unseen, let loose another blast of
energy that scattered the travelers in all directions.

Quickly, they scrambled back to their feet
and readied their weapons, spreading apart for their own safety. Staying close
to each other for this fight would only make them easier targets for the
sorcerer.

Thinal moved towards Utric, who was
unarmed. “Stay down, and I'll protect you!” she shouted as the enemy advanced.
The terrified old man obeyed.

Mel loosed another arrow, finishing off
the wounded beast who had moved into view. A flash of light sped his way as he
rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding it. Blindly, he fired another arrow at the
source of the light, hoping it might find its mark. Willdor crouched low to the
ground and released an energy blast of his own. Yelps arose from the monsters
as they had not expected the hit.

“Now!” Aelryk cried to his men as the
three of them rushed the stunned creatures. Thinal followed closely behind,
leaving Utric well hidden in the tall grass.

Mel raced up a tall tree nearby to get a
better view of the sorcerer. Reaching a wide branch, he crept out onto it and
caught sight of the elf. He was mounted atop a wildcat and protected by four
giant spiders. More wolfbeasts were closing in as well. There were at least a
dozen of them, to Mel's count.

Once the new wave of wolfbeasts had moved
into his view, Willdor unleashed another blast. His power was draining quickly,
and his potions had been carried away by his frightened horse. Human mages do
not naturally regenerate their magical powers as elves do. In a matter of
moments, he would be completely useless in this fight.

Mel loosed arrows at the spiders, hoping
to take out a few before they reached his companions. As his arrow hit one
spider between its head and neck, Mel was stunned to see it glance off without
injuring the beast. Unwilling to waste another shot, he aimed for the tiny eyes
on the top of its head. At this distance it looked like a speck of dust, but it
was his only hope. He held his breath as the arrow flew through the air. In a
matter of seconds, the arrow landed, piercing straight through the eye of the
beast. It flopped over immediately, its legs curling inward as it fell.

The enraged sorcerer began blasting
fireballs in Mel's direction. Luckily, he was hidden by leaves and took the
opportunity to take down a second spider. Another fireball hit the tree near
his level sending smoke into his face from the wet foliage. No longer able to
see his targets, he hopped down from the tree, stashed his bow on his back, and
drew his knives from his belt. He joined the others as they slashed at the
wolfbeasts.

As the creatures were defeated one by one,
General Morek noticed a clear path to the sorcerer. Only one spider was still
in position to protect him. He charged at the monster, slashing wildly at its
legs. It recoiled under the weight of his sword, but its flesh was not cut. The
Soulbinder sent a burst of energy directly at Morek, shoving him backwards
violently. Striking his head at the base of a tree, he lay motionless on the
ground.

Aelryk, seeing his friend was injured,
left himself wide open for an attack from an advancing wolfbeast. It slashed
his side with its razor-sharp claws before he could turn to face it. Thinal,
who was close by, rushed to his aid. She stabbed the monster in its spine,
dropping it to the forest floor in an instant.

“My lady,” the king said, nodding at
Thinal.

She smiled and nodded in response as they
both turned to fight two more wolfbeasts. Mel finished off a beast and caught a
glimpse of the final spider moving to flank Thinal and the king. He dashed for
cover in the tall grass and drew his bow to fire at the beast. In an instant it
lay dead, oozing green pus from one eye.

As she slew the final wolfbeast, the
sorcerer unleashed his wrath on Thinal. A loud pop filled the air as a
lightning bolt hit her in the chest. She dropped to the ground and was
immediately encircled in a purple light. Aelryk charged toward the sorcerer.
Before he could reach him, the elf toppled from his mount, an arrow sticking
out of his eye. His wildcat fled swiftly into the forest.

Mel rushed to Thinal's side and took her
in his arms. “You can't leave me,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. She was
already gone, killed instantly by the blast. He buried his face in her neck and
wept. The others stood silently by as Mel grieved for his love.

After a moment, Aelryk knelt next to Mel
and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She was a valiant swordswoman. Her death
could not have been more honorable.” Mel did not respond.

“Shall we prepare a grave for her?” Morek
asked, clutching a handkerchief to the wound on his head.

Mel looked up and said, “We do not place
our dead in the cold ground. I will place her in the trees as an offering to
the sky.” He placed her gently over one shoulder and ascended the wide-branched
tree nearby. He laid her on her side atop a sturdy branch and placed her hand
beneath her head as if she were sweetly dreaming. Kissing her softly on the
cheek one last time, he bid farewell to his mate. Silently, he descended the
tree.

“I think we may be losing our guide,”
Aelryk said quietly to Mi'tal.

“I'll track the horses,” Mel said as he
reached the ground.

The others looked up in surprise. “Does this
mean you will stay with us even though your reason for coming along is gone?”
Mi'tal asked.

“I promised her I'd see it through,” he
said flatly.

“I'll come with you,” Willdor said. “I'm
no physician, but I know some herbs that might help our wounded.” He trotted
along after Mel, who was barely listening. His heart was far too heavy to think
about much else. Thinal was gone, and his world would never be the same.