The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 01 - Elseerian (24 page)

As she led him to some wooden chairs next to a small stone table, he finally voiced the question he’d been wondering since the moment he laid eyes on the magnificent city: “Who
built
Azertorn?”

She nodded as if she’d expected the question. Reaching into a carved cupboard fitted with a wooden door, she responded, “Azertorn was built by the dwarves as a gift to the elves in return for some service, although no one is sure what that service was. The entire city took more than a decade to create, so whatever the elves did for them must have been invaluable.” She paused to place bread and cheese on the table with some wine. “Eat, and I will give you some background.”

Taryn complied with her request with gusto. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

Leaning back, she settled into a comfortable position and started with some history. “Most believe the city was carved about ten thousand years ago. It was built specifically as a place where the elves could go, because their home had been destroyed by someone—and before you ask who it was, I don’t know. I
do
know that whoever it was affected both of the human kingdoms as well. In fact, back then there was only the one kingdom, Talinor.”

“Some great calamity drove the elves out of their ancestral homeland and divided the humans. The kingdom of Griffin formed in the east, while Talinor maintained the south. Other factions also broke off at that time, like the barbarians and the amazons of the deep south. The strange thing is that whatever happened, it must have been catastrophic, but there are very few records that recount anything about it.”

Taryn cut in with a question. “Wait, some
one
drove them out? The elves used to live in the forest between the two kingdoms, right? Orlkani—no, that wasn’t it. Orláknia?”

Liri nodded and indicated for him to go on.

“Then what people would have driven them out? If it were the humans, or any other normal race for that matter, it would have been recorded, wouldn’t it?”

Liri interrupted him, “I don’t think it was something . . .
normal
.” Her tone implied something dangerous—and whatever it was, it bothered her that no one knew. She continued while he was still mulling over her words. “I really don’t know much more about the ancient elves’ migration. All I know is that they came here and that the dwarves built this city for them.”

“How
many
dwarves?”

“I think . . . all of them,” she said. “Most of the buildings and rooms were carved out by magic you know, although some of it was crafted by hand.”

“How far into the shelf does it go?” Taryn asked with his mouth full of bread.

She smirked at his muffled question, but answered it without commenting on his manners. “Several miles at some points, but then only a fraction of all the caverns are in use. Most of the deeper chambers just gather dust.” She stifled a yawn before continuing, “The queen lives and governs from the palace—”

 “—The large building on the top level?” he interrupted with a shrewd guess.

“Umm, sort of,” she replied. “In reality the city has ten levels. Seven tiers form the bowl you saw from the bottom of the cliff. Two are below Le Runtáriel and house most of the army. The last level is actually above the cliff and comprises the wall and the top barracks. Ayame Ser’Tármaril, our queen, rules from the palace on Tier Nine. The House of Runya and House of Keserian are the other two ruling houses, and are almost as large as the palace.”

“What do you mean ‘the other two ruling houses’?”

“Azertorn is governed by a queen and a council comprised of five members: the respective heads of the army, the home guard, the magic guild, and the Houses of Keserian and Runya.”

“Now are you going to explain the princess part?” Taryn asked with a smile as he reached for his glass.

Sighing, she answered, “Whenever a queen passes, the new one is chosen from among the daughters of the Houses of Runya and Keserian by a majority vote of the council. I am one of the daughters of Runya and am eligible with four others. I have two sisters, Arianna, the oldest, and Erianna, in the middle. The house of Keserian has two daughters and two sons, but only the daughters can be considered for the crown.”

Swallowing, he asked, “So who is the House of Tármaril?”

“When one becomes queen, they take on the name, as does the rest of their immediate family. Grandchildren return to their original name and house.”

“So what are your chances of becoming queen?” Taryn asked innocently. He watched her expression darken and her thin lips tighten before he continued, struggling to keep his face serious, “You know I like to have friends in high places.”

She burst out laughing, a high musical sound that lightened his heart as only Liri’s voice could.

“Of course it’s
possible
, but not too likely. I am fourth in age, behind my sisters, who are first and second, then one of the daughters of Keserian, and then me.”

Letting some mock disappointment show in his face, he grumbled, “Fine, I guess I will have to
settle
for a princess.” Then his expression turned serious as a thought occurred to him. “Why couldn’t you have vouched for me when we got to the city? Or at the river?”

She leaned back and furrowed her brow. “I wasn’t sure they would have known me, or remembered what I looked like. In either case, it’s been a long time since I have been home. I also didn’t have my emblem to show who I was—and with the way they were acting, I didn’t think it would have been enough proof anyway.”

He sighed, accepting her explanation and shaking his head at the memory of the hard faced elves. 

Suddenly Taryn yawned and Liri smirked. “OK, that’s enough history. Now it’s your turn. How did you get in?” She leaned towards him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Taryn briefly shared the tale of how he’d climbed the cliff and escaped the elven sentries. At the point in the story where he knocked the elf into the river she interrupted, “You didn’t hurt any elves did you?”

“Of course not,” he responded and explained how he’d saved the elf's life. She calmed and relaxed, allowing him to continue, but when he told how he’d run down the cliff and jumped the waterfall she leaned back with an incredulous smile.

“Only
you
could
ever
think of something like that!” she exclaimed in open shock of his feat.

He shrugged in chagrin. “I almost didn’t make it.” He lifted up the torn sleeve to show her the bloody line on his shoulder where he’d almost been hit on the cliff top.

Her eyes sharpened and she leaned in. “
Curse this fear
,” she muttered, reaching out to touch the red line.

“Ouch,” he said, pulling back at the sting.

“Big baby,” she said airily. “It’s just a scratch.”

He grinned and showed her the cut on his hand. “True, but I received this at the hands of your guards outside.”

He caught a glimpse of her lip tightening as she stood and moved to the sink. Dabbing a piece of cloth in water, she returned and without meeting his gaze, began to clean the shallow wounds.

Although it stung, the water felt good against his open skin, but when he thanked her, she only murmured an apology.

“What do you have to apologize for?” Taryn asked. “You didn’t do it.”

She glanced up at him and he saw the guilt reflecting in her eyes. “I am sorry that you are hurt, that’s all.”

He laughed. “Like you said, it’s just a scratch. Not even worth a healer’s time.”

Her lips pulled into a grudging smile. “You’re probably right,
baby
.”

They laughed together and the tension eased. A moment later Liri added, “I still can’t believe how you got into the city.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I guess I just saw an opening and took it.”

Her expression turned speculative. “You know . . . the reason no elf or human has ever climbed the Giant’s Shelf is because no elf or human has the strength or endurance to do something like that . . .”

She trailed off with one eyebrow raised and her head cocked to one side.

“Where
did
you get your strength from?” she voiced her question.

The silence in the kitchen stretched into several minutes as the two of them contemplated possibilities. Taryn’s chewing sounded loud, so he swallowed and shook his head—both to himself and to answer her question. He had no idea.

“Well, you have the hair and stamina of a dwarf,” she broke the silence with a smirk, “but I’m glad you don’t look like one.”

He laughed and the mood lightened, “Any more questions, or can I get some sleep?”Liri nodded and stood. “No, I think we are done for tonight. We can talk more tomorrow while I show you the city.”

Putting the dishes away, he turned around at her suggestion of a tour. “Will the city guard allow me to pass?”

“Sure, I will give you our house crest and you won’t be bothered.”

“Thanks, I appreciate your house’s protection . . .
princess
.”

She glared at him but couldn’t hold it for long and shook her head in exasperation. “OK,
dwarf-man
, let’s go find you a bed.”

He grinned broadly at her response, and followed her back into the maze of corridors, grateful for a safe place to sleep.

Chapter 14:
Tallendale

Trin leaned on the rail of the
Sea Dancer
and looked at the approaching city of Tallendale. It had been less than a day since he'd watched Taryn and Liri disappear into the dark waters of the Blue River, and it already seemed like a week. Glancing back at the setting sun behind him, he found himself wondering if he would ever see his friends again.

Although he had lived on Sri Rosen for most of his life, he still remembered his older brother and father, his mother having succumbed to a fever when he was just an infant. On the training island, he had lived in one of the southern villages, and only had barely known Taryn and Liri. Mae he’d known only slightly better. But somehow, over the last few weeks of travel, the three of them had become like family to him, and he found that he missed them already.

It was a feeling he wouldn’t have admitted to anyone.

Below them, the fading daylight cast long shadows on the water as they glided over the mirror surface reflecting the city. To the south, Tallendale sat on a small rise adjacent to the river. Directly beyond the hill, the Blue Lake stretched in a vast expanse to the eastern horizon. With several islands in the distance and the sheer expanse of calm water, it could easily be mistaken for an ocean.

“Worried about Thacker and his family?” Mae asked, appearing at his side.

“Nah, I think they will be all right,” he said, sniffing to hide his emotions. “And it’s good to be free of the little rascals.”

In an effort to avoid further problems, Thacker and the captain had chosen to drop them off a few miles outside of the city, so they had disembarked an hour ago. It had been a sound plan, but one that meant the family would camp outside the walls of the settlement for at least one night. To his credit, the captain had suggested a fishing village a few miles east of Tallendale that might be a suitable place to settle. Trin had also caught him dropping a handful of coins into the fathers pack.

Mae shifted and caught his eye, her expression unreadable. “I didn’t know you were so good with young ones.”

Trin laughed, unwilling to admit how much he had enjoyed their company. “Maybe it’s because I am one.”

“That I won’t argue,” she said, but her expression was still thoughtful. “Did you see the elves to the north?” She asked.

He nodded without turning around, but his perpetual smile didn’t have its usual warmth. The enduring fear had taken a toll on him just like everyone else and for the first time in his life, it took effort to be relaxed. His calm attitude was not reflected by most of the sailors on the ship, who cast worried glances to the north side of the river. The small elven settlement set into the woods would have normally been inviting—but not with the veritable army of elves in view.

Although docks extended out over the water from both the elven and human sides, it could clearly be seen that neither one was allowed on the other’s side. Elven sentries with naked blades in hand patrolled the few piers that had not been destroyed, ready for battle at a moment’s notice.

For their part, the humans of the southern kingdom had their share of soldiers as well—albeit less organized and armed. These ragtag groups patrolled the south bank with suspicious looks at their fair neighbors—glares which were returned frequently.

“’Tis a sad day to see them like this,” Sabriel spoke behind them, and they turned. His expression was somber as he looked at the two sides of the river. “Goods used to be ferried back and forth without a sword in sight not six months ago.” He shook his head and sighed. "Aye, 'tis a sad day indeed."

Then he turned as the captain called out to his crew, “Make ready to dock boys, we should be welcome here, but be prepared just in case.”

“Sad indeed,” Sabriel whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear as he walked away.

The crew's response to their leader’s orders was quick, but they set about their duties cautiously.  With weapons nearby and ready, they maneuvered the
Sea Dancer
towards the human waterfront. Gliding over the water, they slid into a pier without incident. Just as ropes were being tossed back and forth in the failing light, Mae leaned close to Trin. “I’ll be below until we leave,” she said, her tone resigned.

Before he could disagree, she disappeared and Trin didn’t go after her. She was right, as usual. There would be no way the humans would allow them to enter the city with an elf, and they needed supplies to cross the lake.

“Let’s go, Trin; we might need an extra sword the way things are going,” Erix said as he clapped him on the back. Reluctantly he followed the captain down onto the dock and tried not to notice the sharp looks in their direction—but was unable to suppress the desire to tread softly, as if every footfall could light the explosive atmosphere. In an effort to avoid scrutiny, the small group that Erix had selected to get supplies hurried up the slope and through the gates into the city.