When Elves Die : Episode One (7 page)

Ravalynn raced ahead with Tholan through the valley
until finally taking refuge a few miles away. The Dark Queen
dismounted her horse and drank heavily from a flask of alcohol.

“Stole it from their kitchen,” she said, offering
the drink to Tholan.

The barbarian took a sip. “Not bad.”

“I cast spells on their wine and food,” she said.
“It is only a matter of time.”

CHAPTER 11

Carella awoke long before the roosters crowed. She
fingered through the pages of the book of Arcanscape until throwing
it on the ground in frustration.

“Carella?” Zanfire called to her outside the
tent.

“Come in.”

“I was hoping you would be up early. Where is
Iangold?”

“He went back to his home in Triloft,” Carella
shrugged her shoulders. “He wanted me back at the castle. To live a
life cloaked in an illusion of comfort with him. I cannot do
that.”

“I see.”

“But he may be right about what we're doing. Maybe
we are placing these elves in mortal danger by having them join us
at Graceonna.”

“The Dark Queen will not give them mercy,” Zanfire
said. “They have no defense against her. We have castle walls to
protect the old and young. And soldiers that defend those
walls.”

“So we know what is best for them?”

“It’s best for all of us. And after yesterday, they
don't look like they need any further convincing. How you exorcised
the demon out of that man was nothing short of a miracle.”

“I don't know how many miracles I have left,” she
said. “And I don't want to become like you.”

Zanfire went quiet and looked
down, hurt.
Spotting her Arcanscape on the
ground, he picked it up and began thumbing through it.

“I didn't mean that the way it sounded,” she said.
“You do these things and it raises expectations and pressure and
the elves want more and more from you. And when you can't deliver
anymore they discard you like an old scarf.”

“I used this spell,” he said, pointing at a page in
Arcanscape. “To make an object levitate. Used forks and spoons
mostly. I used it as a crutch after my healing ability was gone. I
wanted the elves to think I still had a gift.”

Zanfire closed the book of Arcanscape and laid it on
Carella's belongings.

“I never told anyone I had the gift,” Carella said.
“I had everyone, even Iangold, thinking that I was merely casting
spells from this book. I remember when I first discovered I could
heal. It was when my cat was missing. Woodrin. I called out for him
and heard all of this squealing near the pond. So I ran over and
there he was, biting down on a rat's neck. But the rat was still
alive and was trying to squirm his way free. Woodrin was a really
small cat and I was worried that the rat would hurt him so I tried
to pry him free and then Woodrin loosened his hold. But then the
rat clawed Woodrin in the neck with his hind feet. His claws just
ripped his throat. He howled in pain and convulsed, choking on his
own blood. So I laid my hands on him and petted him and didn't know
what to do but then it happened. My hands felt like they weren't my
own anymore. I felt...this heat...I looked down and my cat's throat
just healed itself. Within a few moments he was up and purring like
nothing ever happened. Then he ran back to the pond to look for
more rats. I thought I was imagining things. But it became real. I
knew I could heal by touch.”

“Excuse me,” a woman poked her head in the tent. “My
name is Megwyn. I'm here with my daughter, Krislynn. May we have a
moment of your time please?”

The princess nodded her head and Zanfire waved her
in.

Megwyn wore a long brown gown with a sleeveless
tunic. She ran her fingers through her hair, self-conscious about
her appearance. Krislynn, nine years old, wore a long sleeved white
tunic over a blue dress. She clutched a small knitted bear with
both hands.

“I'll be outside,” said Zanfire as he stepped
out.

“I'm so sorry to bother you,” Megwyn said. “But
yesterday, before you healed that man you sang a song so that was
so sweet. It did something to me...It was so soothing... But my
daughter is deaf. I was wondering...I mean...I heard rumors that
you can heal afflictions...I was wondering if you can make my
daughter hear again.”

“I don't know,” Carella said.

“Please.” Megwyn handed Carella a small pouch of
emeralds. “I wish I had more to offer. I am a widow but my husband
left me with some jewels he bought in-”

“Stop.” Carella waved away the woman's gift and
motioned for Krislynn to come forward. As the girl walked toward
her, Carella knelt down and they looked at each other eye to eye.
She tried to take hold of the bear but the girl resisted.

“She reads lips,” Megwyn said.

“Can I hold him?”

The girl hesitated but then let Carella take away
the toy. The princess planted a kiss on the bear and the girl
smiled. Carella placed the toy on the ground and then covered the
girl's ears with her own hands.

“Close your eyes,” Carella said, her face a mirror
of the girl's own playful smile.

Krislynn shut her eyes.

“When elves die,” Carella began singing. “The birds
all cry...”

A line grew outside of Carella's tent. Zanfire
thought he should send all of the elves away and tell them that
Carella had come down with an illness. He did not want the entire
elven world to come to the princess looking for a miracle.

A blind woman stood waiting, arm in arm with her
son.

“My mother can no longer see,” the woman's son said
to Zanfire. “We heard that Carella is the giver of miracles. Is
this true?”

“It is,” bellowed a deep voice from the back.
Zanfire recognized the man as Xavros, the half-breed that Carella
healed of vampirism. “I want to thank her. There was a demon inside
me that I couldn't control. It was so strong. I just gave in to it.
But with one touch. With one touch she freed me from the possession
of the evil one. Is she in there?”

Laughter could be heard coming from inside Carella's
quarters. Megwyn ran out of the tent with Krislynn's hand in
hers.

“My daughter has been healed!” Megwyn said. “She can
hear! She can hear!”

The line that gathered in front of the tent
gasped.

“Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Krislynn?”

A joyous smile crossed the girl's face as she
nodded.

A sparrow landed on a tree branch to the side of
them. It chirped and hopped before flying off again.

Krislynn pointed at the sparrow.

“Bird,” she said.

“Yes!” Megwyn hugged Krislynn, tears welling in her
eyes.

“A miracle worker is here!” Xavros cried out.

The elves began pushing forward to the tent.

“Hold on a moment, please!” the cleric said to the
raucous crowd.

Zanfire went inside the tent and closed it shut.

“There are a line of elves out here,” Zanfire said
to Carella. “And they all want a piece of you.”

“You're kidding?” Carella opened her tent and closed
it with a shudder after seeing the amount of elves that had
gathered around.

“They are all out there. Blind elderly. Crippled
youth. Every infirmity imaginable.”

“What if my gift just stops without warning?”
Carella said. “Like it did with you?”

“Carella?” a male voice shouted. “Please heal my
son!”

“Princess!” a woman's voice yelled out. “Come out
and heal my daughter! She cannot walk!”

The assorted pleas for help increased in volume
until becoming one loud cacophony of pain and need.

“There is nothing special about me.” Carella looked
down at her hands. “Why me?”

“Don't try to make sense of it,” Zanfire said.
“That's what I did. And then I tried to cling to it. And when I
lost it, I wanted to die.”

“I don't know if I can go out there,” she said.

Zanfire opened the tent.

“You didn't choose the gift,” he said. “It chose
you.”

“But what if it is a curse?”

Carella stepped out of the tent and surveyed the
crowd of elves. She felt all of their eyes on her. Young children
carried by their parents, unable to walk. Deformed elves with large
goiters on their necks. Blind elderly barely able to stand. They
all yelled out for her attention, their voices coalescing into one
collective cry for help.

Holding up her hands, they went silent after a few
moments.

She took a deep breath then laid her healing hands
on the elves, one by one.

I would like to invite you to check out the
rest of season one, now available on Amazon.