War Of The Wildlands (19 page)

T
he stars shone
bright silver against the black sky as Yori stared up at the heavens. The ship
would arrive at the Sunswept Isles by morning, and he was enjoying the fine weather
as he sailed. The closer they came to the isles, the warmer the weather became.
Winter, it seemed, held no sway over islands full of sorcerers.

He finally returned
to his cabin, hoping to catch some rest. The following day was sure to be a
busy one, and he didn’t want to appear tired and dull before his future
teachers. As he drifted to sleep, he dreamed of a strange red land where no
other life existed. Alone he traveled, searching for another living soul. A red
wasteland stretched endlessly before him, and the sky reflected the red of the
earth. Streaks of hot red lightning filled the sky above him, and he felt the
heat on his skin as they struck the ground beside him.

He awoke with a
start and shook his head. It was nearly dawn, so he went back out onto the deck
to observe their approach to the isles. In the distance, he could see land.
There were two separate islands that he could make out, and behind one there
was a huge cloud of smoke. He wondered briefly if there was a third island
which was currently on fire. Shaking the thought from his head, he continued to
watch as the islands grew closer. The ship’s crew was preparing to dock, and
Yori’s anticipation rose.

No one spoke to him
as he departed the ship. Heading down the ramp to dry land, he hoped to spot
someone who could point him in the direction of a teacher. Master Yarion did
not sound like the friendly sort, but perhaps he had a servant or two who was
more willing to chat.

Yori took a moment
to observe his surroundings. Tall stone spires rose high into the sky
everywhere he looked. There were no trees to be seen, and the earth was covered
in flat stone, preventing any grass from pushing its way to the surface. Though
he had grown up in a town filled with people, he was used to seeing the forest.
In Enald, trees grew in various places within the town, and grass was no
rarity. Here, it seemed, the Enlightened Elves had no use for nature. Gulls
mobbed the shore, but no birds could be seen as he moved farther away from the
sea.

He spotted a tall
elf giving orders to some of the dock workers and decided to try his luck at a
conversation.

“You stink of Wild
Elf,” the tall elf said. “Don’t come too close.”

Yori stopped in his
tracks in disbelief. His previous assumption had been right. There would be no
fooling these elves into thinking he was one of them. “I’m looking for training
in weapons enchantment,” he said.

The tall elf began
to laugh and shook his head. “That’s very amusing. Now off with you!” He
stopped laughing and waved Yori away.

“I wasn’t joking,”
Yori called out. “Do you know where I can find a smith?”

The tall elf
laughed again. “You’re a funny little thing.”

Yori stared back at
the elf. Everything he had been told of the Enlightened Elves was true. This
was the first one of their kind he had ever met, and he could already tell the
elf thought Yori was beneath him. “Look, can you tell me where to find a smith
or are you not smart enough?” Yori thought he’d try giving the arrogant jerk a
taste of his own medicine.

The smile came off of
the elf’s face as he said, “Try the city square.” He pointed over his shoulder,
stuck his nose in the air, and walked away in a huff.

Insulting their
intelligence seems to work
, Yori
thought.
I’ll have to remember that.
As he located the city square, he
found the most immaculate marketplace he could ever have envisioned. Everywhere
was white stone, and there was no hint of trash or dirt on the streets. The
merchant stalls were small versions of the tall towers that filled the skyline.
Bronze-skinned elves dressed in long, colorful robes strolled lazily about the
market, casually inspecting goods as they passed by each stall. No one seemed
to be in any kind of a hurry, and no one was yelling over the crowd to
advertise their wares.

There was little noise,
and Yori thought he would easily hear the sound of a hammer should he come near
a smith. To his disappointment, however, he heard nothing of the kind, and no
smoke could be seen coming from a furnace. He was beginning to wonder if these
elves had some magical method of crafting weapons that did not require a forge.

With a sigh, he
began to browse the long line of stalls for any sign of a blacksmith. The elves
eyed him suspiciously and moved away from him as he passed. He was failing to
blend in among such tall elves. Everyone here was at least a head taller than
him, despite the fact that he was average height for a human. He supposed it
was easier to look down on other races if you literally had to look down at
them.

His clothing
probably did not help matters. He was dirty from his travels, and it had been a
while since he had a bath. Seeing what appeared to be an inn, he wondered if
they had a “no Wild Elf” policy. Finding a place to stay might prove difficult.
He decided he might fare better if he had a bath and some decent Enlightened
Elf style clothing to wear. Luckily, he saw a shop selling robes nearby, and a
pretty young elf maiden stood within.
She looks friendly enough
, he
thought.

As he approached
the stall, the girl’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at Yori without saying
a word.

“Hello,” he said.
“Do you accept coins from the Kingdom of Na’zora? I have silver.”

“Um, yes,” she
replied, glancing to each side. “Aren’t gold and silver coins accepted
everywhere?”

Yori had no idea
they would accept the same currency. “I need to purchase something to wear,” he
said.

“What color do you
take?” she asked.

“It doesn’t
matter,” he replied. “Whatever fits will do.”

Again the girl’s
mouth dropped open. “It certainly does matter!” she protested. “You must have a
specialty.”

“Specialty?” Yori
asked, wrinkling his brow.

“Yes,” she replied.
Seeing that Yori still didn’t understand, she added, “Your magical specialty.
These robes enhance your abilities.”

“I see,” Yori said,
trying not to sound like an oaf. “Is earth magic an option?”

The girl giggled
slightly with her mouth closed, and she lowered her head. Once she had composed
herself, she said, “Of course it is. Green or brown?”

Good grief
, he thought. “Green, I think,” he replied. Green
would match his eyes, at least.

“I might have a
green one in the right length,” the girl replied as she searched through a pile
of clothing.

As the girl
continued to search, an older man appeared from behind the booth. “Are you
looking at my daughter?” he asked, eyeing Yori suspiciously.

“No, sir,” he
replied, shaking his head.

“You should be!”
the elf shouted. “She’s rather beautiful. Just don’t touch her, or I’ll melt
you.” The man’s eyes flashed red, suggesting the truth behind his threat.

Yori nodded
quickly, not knowing what to say.

The girl offered
Yori a plain green robe and smiled. “My father is only teasing,” she said. “See
if this is the right size.”

Slipping the robe
over his clothes, Yori could tell it was a perfect fit. “It’s perfect,” he
said. “How much do I owe you?”

“Five silver,” she
replied. “I thought you’d want the cheapest one.”

“Thank you,” he
said as he handed her the coins. She was correct in her assumption. He did not
want to spend much on clothing, but this robe had cost him five times the price
of his journey by ship. There was little choice, however, if he intended to
blend in among the locals.

He made his way to
the inn to inquire about a room and a bath. It was nestled within one of the
tall towers, and he was anxious to see what the inside looked like.

Within the tower
was a polished marble floor and several tables made of white stone. A long twisting
staircase led high into the tower. Behind the stone bar, an elf was busy wiping
down crystal clear, long-stem glasses. “May I help you?” the elf asked.

“I need a room,”
Yori replied, approaching the bar.

“Goodness, how did
you get to be so short?” the man asked, looking him up and down.

“Spell went wrong,”
Yori lied.

The elf nodded
sympathetically. Apparently, not all Enlightened Elves could smell his mixed blood.
“You can have a room on the third floor for three silver,” the elf said.

“Thank you,” he
replied, handing the elf the coins. “Where can I find a bath?”

The man seemed
puzzled by the question. “Each room has its own, of course. I trust you can
heat the water yourself.” He went back to wiping the glasses.

Yori walked slowly
up the stairs, preparing himself for a cold bath. As he entered the room, he
could not believe its size. For only three silver, the room was nearly as large
as his uncle’s entire cottage and had indoor access to water. This place was
beyond belief.

Removing his
clothes, he slipped into the tub and turned on the water. It was freezing cold
and his entire body tightened as it splashed on his skin. An idea came to him,
and he climbed back out of the tub. In his leather bag were three chisels
gifted to him by his grandfather. Choosing the medium-sized chisel, he climbed
back into the tub and began to etch fire runes into its stone surface. His eyes
flashed green as he focused on the runes. Suddenly, the water began to heat as
it reached the level of the runes. Smiling, he sat the chisel down outside the
tub and sank deep into the warm water.

After twenty
minutes of scrubbing, he declared himself clean enough for anyone and tossed
his dirty clothing in the tub to soak. If only he could etch runes into cotton,
his clothes would always be clean.

Wearing his new
green robe, he exited the inn and strolled through the marketplace once again.
He walked for nearly a mile before he came across a stall selling weapons.
Beautiful, gem-inlaid daggers were spread neatly on a marble countertop. Inside
the stall were a variety of jeweled swords, some of them with colored blades.
They were marvelous to behold, but he did not dare to touch them. They might
hold strange enchantments that he was not prepared to handle.

An older,
white-haired elf greeted him. He was tall and thin and wore a dark red robe. “You
aren’t from around here, are you?” he asked with a smile.

Yori detected no
arrogance or disgust from this elf. “No,” he replied. “I’m from Na’zora.”

“I thought as
much,” the elf replied. “I visited there once, a few hundred years ago.”

Yori had no idea
these elves lived so long. “Did you enjoy it?” he asked, trying to make casual
conversation.

“Not one bit,” the
white-haired elf responded. “Are you looking to purchase a weapon?”

“Actually,” Yori
said, “I’m hoping to learn about enchanting them.”

Yori expected the
elf to laugh, but instead he replied, “Interesting.” Silence followed.

“Do you know where
I might learn?” Yori asked.

“Let me guess,” the
elf began. “You forge weapons with a large furnace and a heavy hammer.”

Yori nodded.

“That isn’t how we
do things around here. Here, we use magic in all aspects of the craft. I’m
afraid you lack the necessary skill.”

“What skill would
that be?” Yori asked curiously.

“For starters, you
don’t have the correct blood. It takes an inborn magic that your kind do not
possess.” The man hesitated a moment before continuing. “That isn’t meant as an
insult. I am merely stating a fact.”

“Then it’s
impossible for me to learn?” Yori was beginning to wonder if the entire journey
was wasted.

“I didn’t say that,
exactly,” the elf replied, considering the question. “You couldn’t possibly
forge the weapons using our method, and you could not enchant the gems.” He
scratched his chin as he thought. “You might be able to use our gems to
complete the process, though. I’d be interested to see if it works.”

Yori stood silent,
confused by the man’s words.

“I’m not sure an
unenchanted sword could support the gem, though,” he said, thinking out loud.
“It would probably destroy it.”

“I can craft a
runed sword,” Yori stated proudly.

The elf’s eyebrows
shot up. “Indeed!” he exclaimed. “That might work. I’d be interested to see the
results.”

“I’d be interested
in working with you,” Yori replied with a smile.

“Excellent,” the
elf replied. “You will find that most of my people prize learning and study,
though not all will be so keen to have you as an apprentice. For now, you will
be an amusing little experiment.” The old elf chuckled. “You may call me Master
Eldon.”

Yori wasn’t sure he
liked the sound of being an experiment, but the man seemed decent enough. He
had not treated Yori as an inferior being, and he seemed genuinely curious about
combining the two magics. He was glad to have found someone willing to work
with him, at least for a while.