A Story Of River (9 page)

King Aelryk had perched himself on the mayor's
seat in Duana's city hall. It was a surprisingly large wooden building with
quite an elaborate meeting room. The beams and supports were all decorated with
scrolling patterns carved into their surfaces and several fancy brass
candelabras fed light into the room.

“Your majesty, I present our elven
comrades Mel and Thinal of the Silver Birch Clan,” Mi'tal said gesturing toward
the two elves.

They stood motionless, awaiting the king
to commence speaking. They would not bow as humans do. He was not their king,
and they did not plan to bow before anyone.

Aelryk observed the pair and judged Thinal
to be quite lovely. She had a friendly nature about her, unlike her companion.
He appeared standoffish and distrustful.

“I hear you two put up quite the fight against
the invaders. You have my thanks for saving the lives of my citizens.”

Mel stood stone-faced as he did not care
to hear this king's appreciation. He was no hero, and he had not set out to
save human lives. He was preserving his own life and that of his mate and
nothing more.

“We're glad to be of assistance, your
majesty,” Thinal said politely.

Aelryk glanced at Mi'tal who stood
silently next to Mel. “Mi'tal has told me that you have some news of a
situation in Al'marr?”

After a few seconds of silence, Thinal
nudged Mel with her elbow.

“Yes, I do,” Mel began reluctantly. “They
have not allowed us elves to enter their markets for the last few months. The
last time I was there, few villagers were still in the area. I heard rumors
that the royal family had been murdered, and a sorcerer from Ral'nassa had
seized the throne.”

“You didn't mention that to us before,”
Mi'tal said, a little surprised.

“You didn't ask,” Mel replied casually.

“That is grave news indeed,” Aelryk said.
“Do you have any knowledge of who this sorcerer might be?”

“I never heard his name. All I heard was
that he had some inside help to take the throne, and the people were
frightened. I have seen the wolfbeasts returning through the Wildlands to the
borders of Al'marr. Today is the first I've seen of the spiders.”

“What of the sorcerers? Is this the first
you've seen of them?” Aelryk leaned in while asking the question.

“Yes. The creatures I saw were only
accompanied by the Na'zorans they had taken.”

“Your people did not try to stop them?” the
king asked.

Mel sighed, “No, we didn't. It wasn't our
fight. We might lose half our clan to save a few of your people. Who would be
left to protect our children when the monsters started coming for us?”

A brief silence followed.

“You do make a good point, Mel,” the king
replied. “In wartime, we must do what we can to protect our own. Sometimes it
involves making difficult decisions. I am grateful you have come and have given
me this information. Perhaps there should be more communication between our two
peoples.”

“That shouldn't be difficult seeing as you
own all of the land surrounding our forests. Send someone to shout toward the
trees from time to time and see if anyone responds.”

Aelryk decided it was best to ignore the comment.
Relations between Na'zora and the Wild Elves were still very much strained, and
he knew the matter deserved his attention. A more pressing matter, however, was
brewing far south in Al'marr. His people were being murdered and others taken
prisoner for some unknown purpose. Until his citizens were safe again, he would
not bother with any other matters of state.

“Shall we go and have a look at these
beasts?” Aelryk asked as he rose from his seat.

“I think we've seen them close enough,
your majesty,” Thinal answered respectfully.

“Then we will speak again very soon.” He
nodded at the elves. “Mi'tal, Willdor, and Morek with me.” The three men headed
for the door.

“Highness,” Magister Utric called. “For
posterity, I would like to see them as well. I would like to describe them in
our chronicles.”

“Come along,” the king replied.

Mel and Thinal waited until the men had
left to make their own exit. Outside, the townspeople were busy cleaning up.
The crowds running away from the attackers had done quite a bit of damage to
the marketplace.

A young girl in a pink smock was
struggling with a heavy barrel. Mel ignored her, but Thinal cleared her throat
and inclined her head towards the girl. Sighing, Mel walked over, grabbed the
barrel, and set it upright.

“Thank you, milord,” the girl said with a
curtsey.

Mel laughed and said, “Lord?” He looked at
the girl and shook his head.

“Forgive me,” she replied. “Are you a
prince?”

Thinal couldn't help but laugh a little at
the question. Mel grinned and continued to shake his head.

“We have no lords or princes, sweet
child,” Thinal said. “We are just ordinary people like yourself. We're all
equals. No princes, and no lords or ladies.”

“But I saw you fight. Surely you are
highborn knights!”

“Your people call us Wild Elves,” Mel
said. “We are elves of the woodlands, and we all learn to fight this way. It
keeps us safe in a dangerous world. You could learn to fight as well.”

“Girls aren't allowed,” she said, looking
at the ground.

“Women are just as capable in battle as
men. We may play different roles, but you can see that my blade is no different
from the ones your men wield.” Thinal drew the blade and handed it to the girl.
She reached out with one skinny arm and took the sword by its hilt.

“I can barely lift this,” she said. “It's
very pretty, but I could never be a swordswoman.” She extended the blade back
to Thinal, who took it and placed it back in her scabbard.

“You could some day. You just need to work
on your strength. Don't ever let anyone say you can't do something just because
you're a girl. When they say that, you punch them right in the nose.” Thinal
punched a fist into the palm of her other hand and nodded. The young girl
laughed and nodded back.

“A knee in the crotch works well too,” Mel
added, winking. Turning to Thinal he asked, “What do we do now?”

“Let's get something to drink,” she said.
“A large something.”

“Fine with me as long as it's also
something strong,” he replied.

*
* * * *

Aelryk knelt and leaned closely towards the
deceased spider. The apothecary had laid it on a bed of straw in the store room
of his shop. A pale greenish pus still oozed from its severed leg and head. He
dipped a finger in the substance, smelled it, and immediately shuddered.

“I have collected samples of the pus, but
I haven't yet had the time to test it,” the white-haired apothecary said. “It
smells quite foul, and it could possibly be toxic.” He handed a small towel to
the king, who graciously accepted it.

Duana's physician stood near the body of
the fallen sorcerer. “I have examined the body of the sorcerer, your majesty,
and have determined nothing significant. He is a member of the Enlightened Elf
race and probably rather young by their standards, but I don't see anything unusual
about him. The wildcat appears to be quite ordinary as well. It is very
surprising he was able to tame it, but these magicians can work their illusions
on people and beasts alike.”

Court Mage Willdor rolled his eyes. Most
physicians did not have respect for mages. They believed magic consisted of
tricks and devilry and offered no real solutions. “If everything here is so
ordinary,” he began, “why did they bother to attack this city?”

“They're madmen!” the physician replied
heatedly. “They summoned these evil creatures with one of their illusions.”

“What do you make of the purple beams
reported by the witnesses?” Willdor asked.

“They used some sort of magical energy
attack. I examined the bodies of the guards, and apart from spider bites, they
have no marks on them. These are vicious magical elves intent on murder for
their own pleasure.”

“It was elves who saved this town,” Mi'tal
injected, to the dismay of the physician.

“Willdor, what do you make of the purple
light?” Aelryk asked. “Was it an attack? Witnesses said the guards were already
down when the spell was cast.”

“I can't be certain, majesty. Had it been
an attack, it would have left a mark on the skin. The color of the magic would
suggest they were absorbing something.”

“They probably absorbed their energies to
power more dark magic,” the physician spat.

“Thank you, physician,” the king said.
“Thank you as well, apothecary. Mi'tal, I'd like to head out in the morning if
at all possible. I think it would be best to send Loren back to the palace. He
can inform our generals of the new threat.”

“And he isn't much fun as a traveling
companion anyway,” Mi'tal added with a grin.

“There is that as well,” the king agreed.

Dawn fell over Duana, bringing with it a
pink summer sky. The air was already hot and thick. Roosters were crowing while
merchants once again began reopening their shops. The previous day's events
were all but forgotten as the citizens strove to go about their daily lives.

Mel and Thinal headed out of the inn to
meet up with their group. Thinal wished there was time for another glass of
tea, but Mi'tal had been adamant when he informed them to be ready to leave at
dawn. She wondered how many days it would take before they reached the Vale.

Arriving at the meeting point at the edge
of the woods, they were spied by Mi'tal. “Good morning,” he said cheerfully.

“Ah,” said Aelryk, peeking around his
horse. “Good morning. I'd like a word with you both before we set out.”

Mel ignored him, went over to his horse,
and began placing items into a saddlebag.

“He's not much of a morning person,”
Thinal said apologetically.

“I can tell he's quite obstinate,” Aelryk
replied. “I hope that won't pose a problem in our travels. We do need his
help.”

“Yes, you do. I'm no tracker, and it
doesn't appear you've brought any other archers with you.”

“Tell me, my lady. What do you know about
the Vale?”

“Just what I've heard in fairy tales,
majesty,” she giggled a little. “I never even dreamed the place actually
existed. The legends say it is home to Mistonwey, one of the gods our people
worshipped in ancient times. We still revere all of nature, of course, but we
don't actually believe the old gods exist. I wouldn't mind meeting one, though,
if it's actually there.”

“I don't think we're going to be finding any
gods,” he replied. “As a matter of fact, I'm going to find a river.”

“Well, the Blue River is the largest, and
the Vale supposedly lies on the distant bank. How do you plan to cross it?”

“I'm not entirely sure.”

“It's always nice to travel prepared,” Mel
interjected as he moved to stand next to Thinal.

“You're our guide, Mel,” Thinal said. “How
do we cross the river?”

“Build a raft,” he replied.

“Problem solved then,” Aelryk said.

Mel looked at the king and asked, “Are
all
of these people coming with us? We need to move light.”

“I think you should take a small army with
you, your majesty,” Loren offered.

“A big group is going to stand out and
make an easy target. We should try not to draw attention to ourselves,” Mi'tal
chimed in.

“I'm inclined to agree,” Aelryk responded.

“Good,” Mel said. “Now we just have the
thunder of steel boots and horses galloping to ruin any chance at stealth.”

“We cannot walk there, master elf,” Aelryk
said. “It is a seven day journey on horseback, and I will not bear any delays.”

“Majesty, I can offer some assistance in
covering our noise and tracks,” Court Mage Willdor said. “I am bringing a good
supply of potions to provide you with ample magical assistance.”

“Let's hope that's enough, then,” Mi'tal
replied. “Who will be travelling with us, your majesty?”

“Loren, you will head back to the palace
with two guards of your choosing. The rest of my guards will remain here in
Duana to provide protection to my people. Mi'tal, Willdor, Morek, and Utric are
with me.”

“My apprentice-,” Utric began.

“Is too young and unable to fight for
himself,” Aelryk finished. “You are also unable to fight, and we do not need
more people to look after. Send him back to the palace with your information on
the spiders.”

“Yes, my lord,” he replied without
arguing.

“Mel, do you know how to find the Vale?”
Mi'tal asked.

“I think it's at the end of a rainbow or
something,” he replied sarcastically. “I can get you to the place where it
supposedly exists.”

“Good,” Aelryk replied. “Let's get
moving.”

The men said their goodbyes to those who
were heading back to the palace. Byord grinned and waved goodbye to Mel as he
mounted his horse. He blew a kiss at Thinal, who rolled her eyes and shook her
head.

The seven of them set out west in search
of the Vale. Upon entering the woods, Mel pointed out the tracks left by the
fleeing sorcerer and spiders. They headed off south, just as he expected. The
forest was unusually quiet, and they pressed on as quickly and quietly as
possible.