Slathbog's Gold

by M. L. Forman

  “Come,” Alex commanded.

  Calysto took a few quick steps toward him and then slowed once more.

  “I . . . I do not wish to go there,” Calysto said as she finally came to a halt. “If you will not return to the world of light and life, then please, do not ask me to join you in the shadowlands.”

  “Light and life.” Alex considered the words. “Warmth and friendship as well.”

  “Yes, those as well.”

  “The lands beyond the wall look so inviting,” said Alex. “So restful.”

  “It is not your time,” answered Calysto. “You have things to do in the world of light. You have promises to keep.”

  “Yes. I do.”

  “Then come,” said Calysto. “Please, return with me.”

  “I . . . I will come,” replied Alex, suddenly tired. “I have promises to keep.”

  Alex slowly climbed up the hill toward Calysto. When he reached her, he paused and looked back over his shoulder toward the shadowlands. Calysto reached out and quickly took his hand in hers. At her touch, he felt stronger and warmer as well. He knew he had made the right choice to return with Calysto, and he didn’t look back at the shadowlands again as they climbed the hill toward the light.

  “Return,” Calysto’s voice said softly. “Return and find

  happiness.”

  And then the light swallowed the dream.

  * * *

  When Alex woke again he was lying in a soft bed covered with a warm, green blanket. Looking around, he saw he was alone in a low-roofed room, his sword and his magic bag sitting on the table beside his bed. Pushing back the covers, he tried to sit up, but his body was too weak.

  “Not yet,” a soft voice said from the doorway. “You do not have your strength back.”

  Alex looked up and saw a beautiful woman smiling at him. She walked into the room, her long golden hair shining in the sunlight and her bright green eyes full of happiness.

  “You gave us quite a scare,” she said with a warm smile. “We thought we might lose you to the shadowlands, but it seems you have returned.”

  “The shadowlands?” Alex questioned.

  “The gray lands you saw in your dreams,” the woman answered. “You were close to crossing the wall when I called you back.”

  “I . . . I know you,” Alex whispered.

  “I am Calysto,” answered the woman. “I am the queen of the dark woods, and your very happy—and relieved—host.”

  “The elves of the dark wood—Arconn’s kinsmen,” murmured Alex, more to himself than Calysto.

  “Indeed,” Calysto replied softly. “And fortunate you were to find us so quickly. You would not have lasted the night without our care.”

  “Where are the others?” Alex asked, feeling more awake with Calysto in the room.

  “They are close,” said Calysto. “They will be happy to hear you are awake; they have been worried.”

  “How long have I been here? I don’t remember reaching the forest.”

  “You have slept for five days,” answered Calysto, looking into Alex’s eyes. “You spoke many things in your sleep, but that trial is behind you.”

  “What . . . what did I say?”

  “You should rest,” Calysto replied soothingly. “You have suffered much, and dark tales are best left for another time.”

  “But I’m not tired,” said Alex. “And I wish to know what happened after . . . after I fell asleep,” he added haltingly.

  Calysto moved to the far side of the room. She mixed something in a goblet as she hummed softly to herself.

  “Drink this,” she said, returning to Alex’s bedside. “It will help you rest. Tomorrow, all of your questions will be answered.”

  Alex took the goblet from Calysto’s hand, smiling weakly. The liquid seemed to warm him from the inside as he drank it, and he suddenly felt tired once more.

  “Rest, my young friend,” he heard Calysto say as his eyes closed. “Rest and dream happy dreams.”

  * * *

  When Alex woke again, he felt wonderful. Sunlight flooded the room and his heart felt light inside of him. The memory of the shadowy figures at Aunk had lost its terror, and the cold he had felt was completely gone.

  “You look much better,” commented Calysto, entering the room. “Though you will still be weak from lack of food.”

  “I feel wonderful,” said Alex, sitting up and smiling at Calysto.

  “After six days and nights of sleep you should,” said Arconn from the doorway.

  “Arconn!” Alex exclaimed happily. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “I have never been far,” replied Arconn, smiling and bowing at Alex’s warm greeting.

  “And he would have been closer, if I’d allowed it,” added Calysto, smiling at both Alex and Arconn.

  “Only your word could keep me from his side,” said Arconn, bowing to Calysto.

  “More like my word and a few threats,” replied Calysto with a happy laugh. “Though the threats were more for the others than you.”

  “You are most kind, lady, and even your threats are music to my ears,” said Arconn, laughing.

  “You may rejoin your friends,” said Calysto, handing Alex a goblet to drink. “They will be pleased to see you feeling so well.”

  “Thank you,” said Alex, draining the goblet. “You have been very kind.” Calysto smiled and left the room so Alex was alone with Arconn.

  “She seems so strange,” Alex commented, after Calysto had gone.

  “How so?”

  “I don’t know. It’s like happiness flows out of her.”

  Arconn laughed and agreed with Alex’s comments. He helped Alex pull on his boots and walked close beside him as they left the room and the small house.

  Alex was glad Arconn was close because he felt a little awkward on his feet. More than once he stumbled and Arconn had to catch him before he fell. Arconn led him slowly across a green meadow to another wooden house close by. Alex felt much better after the short walk, and even his legs felt stronger.

  “Alex!” Thrang’s voice boomed as Alex and Arconn entered the house. “Thought we were going to lose you.” He rushed over and gathered Alex into a bear hug.

  The rest of his companions crowded around, slapping Alex on the back and hugging him warmly as he moved into the room.

  “Thought we’d lost you that time, little brother,” Skeld laughed, lifting Alex off his feet in yet another hug. “But our elf friends seem to have cured you.”

  Alex felt truly happy as he returned the hugs of his companions and laughed with them. They all made a great fuss about making him comfortable and then rushed around the room, bringing out food and something for him to drink.

  “That was close,” said Bregnest, sounding relieved. “We were lucky to find Arconn’s kinsmen so quickly.”

  “You all seem to know what happened to me, can you tell me what happened to you?” Alex asked as he started to eat the food Thrang placed before him.

  “On the night you fought the shadows, we were all overpowered by sleep,” said Thrang, eager to tell the story. “Even the noble Arconn succumbed to the wraith’s spell. That’s why there was no watch when you woke up.”

  “I wonder why they didn’t use the same magic on me?” Alex questioned, slightly puzzled.

  “I think they must have tried to put the spell on you as well,” said Arconn, taking a seat across from Alex. “But for some reason you were able to shake it off.”

  “How many wraiths were there?” Andy asked. “I mean, if you can remember and don’t mind talking about it.”

  Alex closed his eyes and thought for a moment. “I’m not really sure. At first I only saw one, but the voice kept saying, ‘join us,’ and, ‘we are your friends.’ After I touched Moon Slayer, I saw there were several of them—maybe a dozen? I didn’t take the time to count.”

  Andy looked surprised. “I’ve only ever heard of one or two wraiths together.”

  “I would have been much happier wi
th only one or two,” Alex said, shuddering at the memory.

  “Once you’d defeated them, we all woke up,” Thrang went on. “We found you pretty quickly, but your body was stone cold. We were worried we were already too late.”

  “I remember hearing you call,” said Alex, looking at Arconn. “I could hear your voice calling from a long way off.”

  “If your spirit had traveled much further, you wouldn’t have heard me or been able to return,” said Arconn. “You were nearly to the wall, and I was afraid you wouldn’t answer.”

  “The wall,” said Alex, thinking back to his dreams. “Yes, I remember the wall and the soft gray lands around it.”

  “We’re all glad you did not cross that wall,” Thrang said. “If you had, we wouldn’t be talking now.”

  “What did you see beyond the wall?” Tayo asked in a slow, quiet tone, his expression troubled. “Did you see people there? Friends? Family?”

  “I don’t remember seeing anyone on the other side of the wall,” Alex replied after a short pause. “I only remember feeling that if I crossed the wall, all my troubles would disappear.”

  “We should not speak of such things,” said Bregnest. “It will bring worry and darkness to us all.”

  “I don’t know,” said Alex, thinking about it. “The wall didn’t seem like a place of worry. It was more like a place to start a new adventure.”

  Tayo’s troubled look seemed to fade a little at Alex’s words.

  Alex continued to eat. The food tasted wonderful and he could feel his strength returning with every bite. He could see how happy his friends were that he had recovered and that reassured him the wraiths had been lying to him.

  “Once you had answered my call and had come partway back, we rode as quickly as we could toward the dark forest,” said Arconn, continuing the story. “I knew that when darkness returned, you would be tempted to go back to the shadowlands. I had called you back once, but just barely. I feared I would not be able to do so a second time.”

  “I remember you saying something about the forest being near,” said Alex. “But everything was dark, and all I wanted to do was sleep.”

  “Yes, the sun had gone down and you were returning to the shadowlands and the wall,” replied Arconn. “Luckily, we found some of Calysto’s people as soon as we entered the forest. I explained what I could about your battle with the wraiths, and they rushed you to Calysto without asking questions.

  “At first they tried to put you on one of their own horses, but Shahree wouldn’t let them,” Arconn continued. “She was determined to carry you herself, as though she was afraid they would not get you here fast enough. In the end, my kinsmen took Shahree’s reins and led the two of you here as quickly as they could.”

  “And it was lucky they did, because you were almost gone when you arrived. You were speaking softly in your dreams about the gray land and wanting to see what was beyond the wall,” Thrang interjected.

  “And then Calysto called me back,” Alex said quietly.

  “It was more like a demand than a call,” said Arconn, looking suddenly grim. “I have never seen so much power used to call someone back from the wall. For a time . . .”

  “For a time, what?” Alex questioned.

  “For a time it seemed that you would take Calysto across the wall with you.” Arconn’s face was grim.

  “I almost did,” Alex said, remembering his insistence that Calysto come with him.

  “Indeed you did. I do not know how it was possible,” Arconn said, his eyes distant, “but it seems that in the end you wanted to come back and Calysto seems happy that you did.”

  “As are all the elves,” said Thrang with a laugh and a smile. “Gives them a reason to hold a feast.”

  “There’s going to be a feast?” Alex asked happily.

  “Tonight,” Arconn replied. “In your honor.”

  “My honor? Why?”

  “You defeated the wraiths,” said Thrang, refilling Alex’s mug. “You’re something of a hero around here. Not to mention the elves are all impressed with your sword.”

  “But you’ll need to take a bath first,” said Skeld, laughing. “Or the elves will be disappointed in their hero, and the rest of us will need to stay upwind of you.”

  Alex laughed and threw a bit of bread at Skeld before asking where he could take a bath. Skeld led him to a smaller room at the back of the house where a huge tub was already filled with hot water. Fine new clothes and polished boots were sitting to one side of the tub.

  The hot water felt wonderful and Alex relaxed, alone with his thoughts. He wondered how Calysto had managed to call him back, and why Arconn had said that her call had been more like a demand. The food and the bath helped clear his thoughts, but he couldn’t seem to remember exactly what had happened after the company reached the forest. He felt like he should remember, and the fact that he couldn’t troubled him.

  The sun was sinking into the forest when Alex returned to his friends once more. They all seemed excited for the feast to start, and pleased that the feast was in Alex’s honor. Alex was slightly embarrassed by it all, thinking that he hadn’t really done anything worthy of a feast. As shadows covered the meadow, a tall elf appeared in the doorway of the house. He smiled and asked them to follow him to the celebration.

  “It will be a grand feast,” said the elf as they walked into the woods. “Our people have been arriving all day. From what I hear, the kitchens have pulled out all the stops as well.”

  Alex laughed at the elf’s excitement, which reminded him a great deal of his young friend, Thrain. He wondered how old this elf might be, before remembering that elves did not age like men or dwarfs. He glanced at Arconn who was walking beside him, remembering how old his friend had looked after calling him back from the wall the first time.

  “Are you troubled?” Arconn asked, noticing Alex’s glance.

  “Not really,” Alex replied. “I was just wondering why you looked so old the morning after the wraiths attacked me.”

  “It was not age you saw,” said Arconn with a faint smile. “You saw me after a great effort, an effort that took me to a place few elves ever go.”

  “I am sorry I took you there,” Alex said softly so only Arconn could hear him.

  “Do not be,” said Arconn. “I have long wanted to see the wall, and now I have. Though having seen it, I would not willingly return. Enough of this talk, we have arrived.”

  They walked into a vast meadow lit by hundreds of silver lamps. The meadow was crowded with elves sitting at long tables or carrying serving trays. Off to one side, a choir of elves sang happily, while more elves appeared from the trees around the clearing.

  “The lady Calysto bids you all to her table,” said the tall elf, bowing.

  Alex and his companions followed the elf through the crowded meadow toward Calysto’s table. As they walked, many of the elves stopped what they were doing and bowed to the company, while others simply smiled and nodded.

  Calysto’s table sat above the others on a raised wooden platform so that it overlooked the other tables. Chairs ran alongside one side of the table, and in the center chair sat Calysto, smiling as her guests approached.

  “Welcome, my friends,” said Calysto in her musical voice. “We are pleased you could join us.”

  “The honor is truly ours,” replied Bregnest, beginning to bow but then stopping himself.

  Alex barely had time to wonder about Bregnest’s unfinished bow before he and his companions were shown to their places at Calysto’s table. Alex sat on Calysto’s right; an important-looking elf sat to his right. Calysto introduced him as Delinus, the chamberlain of the dark forest.

  “Let the feast begin,” said Calysto as soon as Alex had taken his seat.

  The feast was as good as any he’d ever attended, and it was not only the food that took away his troubled thoughts and worries. The happiness on the faces of the elf host, mixed with their singing and fair voices laughing, left Alex feeling like nothing bad c
ould ever happen again.

  Looking along the table, Alex saw Skeld joking loudly with the elves beside him. Andy was trying to sing an elfin song, and even Tayo smiled as he sat listening to the elf choir singing. All too soon the feast ended, the plates and food cleared away, and the elves grew quiet.

  “A final toast,” said Calysto, rising from her chair. “To he who vanquished the shadows!”

  “To he who vanquished the shadows!” the elf host shouted, raising their cups and drinking.

  Alex turned bright red at the toast, but managed to hide his embarrassment by drinking from his own cup. The elves all cheered again and started to sing as the feast ended. Alex remained seated, listening to the happy voices all around him and wishing that this night could go on forever.

  “Will you walk with me?” asked Calysto, leaning close so that only Alex could hear her.

  “As you wish,” said Alex, rising from his chair.

  Calysto smiled and, taking Alex’s hand, led him away from the meadow. They walked in silence for a time, and the happy voices faded behind them.

  “You are still troubled,” said Calysto softly as they walked through the trees. “You feel that something is missing. That you have forgotten something important.”

  “You see much,” answered Alex, looking at Calysto.

  Her face seemed to shine with an inner light, as though a hidden fire or power burned inside of her.

  “So, it seems, do you,” she replied. “Do you remember what has passed between us?”

  “Do you mean after I woke, or before?” Alex asked, afraid of what her answer would be.

  “Before,” said Calysto, her smile still in place.

  “I do not remember everything,” answered Alex. “Though I feel that I should.”

  Calysto stopped walking and turned to face Alex. For what seemed like a long time there was no sound at all, just Calysto looking deeply into Alex’s eyes. Then Alex felt as if a light had suddenly been turned on inside his head, a light that showed him the darkest corners of his own mind.

  Alex blinked several times before speaking. He felt like he’d just woken up, but he knew he had not. He looked at Calysto’s face, remembering her as he had seen her before, when she met him at the edge of the shadowlands.