A Story Of River (14 page)

As the sun broke over the horizon of the
Vale, Mel had already made his way back to the clearing where the dryads dwell.
The dark of the forest had not posed much challenge for him. With his gift
awakening, he could sense the placement of the trees and any other obstacles
that were in his path. He had stumbled only once when he strained to see with
his eyes instead of with his mind. It took very little to break his
concentration, but the dryads had told him that would mend with practice.

He sat at the center of the clearing,
meditating deeply. Deep within himself was a small spark. If he could reach it,
he could begin to practice his earth magic. For now, finding that spark was
difficult. With time, he hoped he would improve. The dryads had said eventually
he could do it without even thinking about it. He wasn't sure he would ever get
to that point, but he was willing to try. His world had been turned upside down
when his mate died, and he longed for a distraction from his grief.

Focusing all of his thoughts inward and
breathing deeply, he reached within his own essence. After several minutes, he
found what he was looking for. He opened his green eyes, and they flashed with
magical intensity. He looked directly at the tree far to his left, and out
stepped a silver dryad.

“You are improving quickly, young Mel,”
she said. She came forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Come with me,” she
said. She led him to the site of the attack on one of her sisters. “Can you
feel what has happened here?”

“No,” he replied.

“That's because you are only seeing with
your eyes and hearing with your ears. What does your heart tell you?”

Mel closed his eyes and took a few deep
breaths. Instinctively, he knelt low to the ground and placed an ear close to
the forest floor. A moment of silence passed before he sat up and looked at the
dryad.

“I see one of the wolfbeasts,” he began.
“I see a dryad being attacked. She did not survive.” He bowed his head in
reverence.

“Do you see the damage the beast has done
to these trees? We have not yet repaired them, as they were in mourning for our
fallen sister. The time has now come to heal them and bring them from their
sorrow.”

“I don't know how,” he said.

“Focus with your heart, and the magic will
come.”

He moved to the nearest tree and inspected
the wounds on its bark. He placed a hand on the wound, bowed his head, and
closed his eyes. Nothing happened. Taking a deep breath, he again tried to
focus, but still nothing happened. He looked up at the dryad, who was standing
patiently at his side.

“I don't know what to do,” he admitted.

“Let's sit a while,” she replied. Taking
his hand, she led him a few steps away from the tree. Together they sat
cross-legged on the forest floor.

Mel placed his head in his hands,
seemingly defeated. His eyes filled with tears. The dryad placed her delicate
hand on his back and said, “It's alright, young Mel. You need to allow your
sorrow to flow. You have lost that which is most dear to you, and that wound
does not heal overnight.”

“Will it ever heal?” he asked.

“You will carry it forever, but it will
become easier to bear. You will think of her every day, but it will not always induce
tears. Love is a deep emotion, and you can use it to help channel your magic.”

Taking her words to heart, he closed his
eyes once again and began to breathe deeply. His eyes still shut, he moved to
one of the wounded trees. Placing both hands on the wound, he focused his mind
to healing the tree. A green glow emitted from his hands. Opening his eyes, he
watched as the bark on the tree began to repair. Once it was intact, he removed
his hands. He stared wide-eyed at the freshly mended tree.

“Very good, young Mel,” the silver dryad
said. “You are welcome to heal the others as well.”

He repeated the same procedure to heal the
five other trees that had been affected during the struggle. When he had
finished, he felt light-headed and nearly fell to the ground. Just barely
catching himself, he managed to sit softly on the grass.

“The fatigue you are experiencing is your
power draining,” the dryad said. “That too will change with time. Your magical
reserve is low right now, but eventually it will improve. With rest, you will
regenerate more quickly each time.”

“Does this make me a sorcerer?” he asked.

“You would have to study many different
schools of magic for that title to apply. If you stay only with earth magic,
you are a shaman.”

“I have no desire to learn from the other
schools,” he replied. “I only want to protect my home in the forest. Maybe I
could lead my people back to the old ways when nature was truly revered.”

“That is a very noble ambition, young Mel.
You have a powerful gift that will aid you in such a task.”

Mel ascended into the branches of one of
the recently healed trees. “I think I'll rest here a while,” Mel said.

“Take all the time you need,” the dryad
replied. She nestled herself within the hollow of a tree opposite Mel. He
closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, soothed by the tranquility of the forest.

A few hours later he awoke with a start.
He was drenched in sweat, and his mind was racing. A vision had come to him of
the Forests of Viera. He watched as his village was raided by a dark sorcerer
and his minions. Many of his clansmen lay dead, and some of them had been
carried away towards Al'marr. In a panic, Mel ran to the sleeping dryad.

“The vision, is it true?” he asked
frantically.

“It is, but it has not yet come to pass,”
she replied. “If you hurry, you may still be able to assist.”

Without a word, he turned and ran as
quickly as possible back to the elven village. He had spent many hours in the
forest that day, and the light was already beginning to fade. He hoped River
and the king would travel with him, but if not he would travel alone.

Bursting through the doors of River's
home, he came first upon Mi'tal. “My village is going to be attacked,” he
cried, breathing heavily. “We must go and help them.”

“We must tell the king,” Mi'tal replied.

Aelryk was seated at dinner with River and
his family. “You've decided to join us for dinner?” River asked.

“No, my lord,” Mi'tal said. “There is an
urgent matter to discuss.”

“I have had a vision,” Mel began. “My village
was under attack. The dryad told me I might still be able to help.”

“Then we must leave at first light,”
Aelryk said.

“I will bring my troops,” Isandra chimed
in.

“This will be no place for a lady,” Aelryk
replied.

“Just try to stop her,” River said. “She
is a warrior at heart, and she will not be left behind.”

“Very well, then,” Aelryk said. “She is
your daughter, and you know her far better than I.”

“My troops will remain here,” Rogin said.
“Otherwise there will be no one to protect the Vale, especially if father is
going with you.”

“Yes, Rogin, you should remain here,”
River said. “See that our horses are prepared at dawn and waiting for us at the
riverbank.”

“I will, father,” Rogin said.

“It seems the road to Na'zora will be a
bit longer than expected,” River said to Aelryk. They continued their meal in
silence as each of them pondered the events to come.

When it was time to retire, River took
Lenora by the hand and walked beside her to their chamber. “It seems I will be
leaving you for a time, my love,” he said.

“Just be sure you come back to me soon,”
she replied.

“I will return to you, my love,” he said.

They embraced, and he pressed his wife
close to his heart. His passion for her was undiminished despite centuries of
marriage. She was his soul mate, his light, and his world. They made love long
into the night before succumbing to fatigue in each other's arms. The night was
silent as the stars closed their eyes, leaving the Vale in darkness.

As a pale pink dawn broke over the Vale, River
hastened his morning ritual. He could not leave without a blessing from the
Spirit of the river. Lenora waited on the bank as always, but today her mood
was melancholy. Having received the Spirit's blessing, River returned to her.
She helped him don a blue and silver robe which she had crafted for him
herself.

“I will miss you,” she said.

“And I you, my love,” he replied.

He took her arm, and together they headed
down the bank to meet the others. Alyra came bounding towards her parents, a
small gray bag clutched in her hand. “These are for you, Adda,” she said,
handing the bag to River.

He peered inside and saw a pile of
almonds. “To remind you of home,” she added.

“Thank you, sweet child,” he said. He
knelt down and clutched her tightly in his arms. Releasing her, he added, “You
must take good care of your mother while I'm away.”

“I promise,” she said.

Magister Utric walked slowly toward the
meeting spot near the bank. “Your majesty,” he called to the king. “I request your
permission to stay here in the Vale. I am too old to assist in battle, and I
would very much like to continue writing my accounts of these marvelous elves.”

“Permission granted,” said Aelryk. “You
will be greatly missed at court. When travel is safe again, I will send a party
here to collect your writings. You are most welcome to return at any time you
wish.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” he replied. “I
bid you safe travel.” He bowed and returned up the bank to the village.

“We are all assembled then,” Aelryk said.
His own party was joined by Isandra and ten warriors of the Vale. “I don't see
any boats to take us across the river.”

“Today you will not need them,” River
said. “You may walk across.”

Aelryk glanced back at the water which
still appeared to be quite deep. He looked again at River, who smiled and said,
“Trust me.”

River and Lenora embraced one last time.
“Safe journey, my River,” she said. He kissed her lips and caressed her face
with his hand. Tears filled her eyes as he turned to leave, and she clutched
Alyra tightly to her side.

Approaching his horse, a dapple gray
stallion with a silver mane, he brushed a hand along its neck. He led the horse
across the river as if it were no more than a few inches deep. The rest of his
party followed suit, and within minutes, the entire group stood safely on the
east bank.

Isandra rode to the front to speak with
her father. “Two of my scouts will ride ahead and check for signs of trouble.”

“All will be well, Isandra,” River said.
“I have seen our road.”

“Things can change in an instant, Father.
It's best to proceed with caution.”

“If you insist,” he said. “We must travel
with all speed.”

Mel touched the side of his horse's face.
His eyes flashed with green as he tried to convey the need for haste to his
steed. The horse whinnied and patted the ground with one hoof. The other horses
responded likewise, and the party set off at a thunderous pace.

The forests rushed past as they raced
southeast towards Mel's home. As they traveled, a clear path opened up before
them. Mel was taking advantage of every bit of skill he had learned in his very
short time as a shaman. His desperation to save his clan gave strength to his
powers. The scouts had proven unnecessary, as Mel could sense every creature
within their path.

They did not pause until late afternoon.
There were no signs of water near their campsite, but the horses were tired as
were their riders.

“This will just have to do,” Mel said.
“There are no creeks or lakes within several miles of us.”

“The horses need to drink,” General Morek
said.

“That won't be a problem,” River said. He
waved a hand over the ground in a circular motion. Water began to pool from the
ground until it erupted into a fountain. The horses walked forward one by one to
satisfy their thirst.

Mi'tal stared at River in amazement. “How
did you do that?” he asked.

“There is water everywhere. I just asked
it to join us.”

“It is much appreciated,” Aelryk said.

There was little time for hunting, so the
travelers began eating the trail rations they had brought for themselves.
Perhaps the opportunity for better food would present itself later. For now,
they were content just to have full bellies.

Mel took a seat next to River and asked,
“Do you have the gift of foresight?”

“The Spirit shows me things when there is
something I should see,” River replied.

“Tell me the truth,” Mel said. “Will we
make it to my village in time?”

“We will make it in time to save many
lives. However, we will not arrive at our destination before our enemy does.”

Mel nodded and remained silent.