by Bill Albert
“I’m ashamed,” Jakobus said with his eyes closed. “I saw them going past. I saw their faces and pointed ears and went after them. We always thought we were above them.”
“Maybe we aren’t so different after all. The pointed ears just triggered something,” Luvin said. Gallif slowly turned to look at him, but he kept his face down in shadow.
“Is that the way it will always be?” Blinks asked no one in particular. “We’ll see pointed ears and automatically hate them?”
“It’s become such a symbol of evil,” Gallif said trying to find her emotions. “Will we ever stop that?”
“Pleas say yes,” Lincilara sobbed. The horror in her voice snapped them all out of their own thoughts. There were tears flowing down her cheeks and she was shaking uncontrollably.
“Lincilara, it’s safe, you’re safe, we will protect you,” Gallif said desperately.
“You don’t understand,” Lincilara brushed her black hair back to reveal her pointed ears. She cried openly and managed to ask, “Will you protect me from people like you?”
***
No one spoke for a long time after that night. They all rested and rode quietly but it took a whole day before they could even look each other in the face.
Gallif took it the worst of them all. She was haunted by the thought that she had betrayed her friend and knew that the upset feelings inside her were not just from the tarna eggs. She was torn reliving the moment Anamita’s pointed ears had been revealed that day on Starpoint Mountain. Even the horror in her eyes then could not match what she had seen in Lincilara. Lincilara had been constantly by her side and now she flew above and behind them. Her absence was incredibly noticeable. Unable to speak to Lincilara she had no interest in speaking to anyone.
On the evening before they arrived in Outbound Blinks slowly wandered away from the camp and quietly sat on a downed log. After a while he heard the fluttering of wings nearby but saw nothing. “Lincilara?” he asked softly. “Is that you?”
Slowly she faded in to sight a few feet away from him looking at the forest floor.
“Please,” he said patting his knee. “Stay here so we can talk.”
Slowly she floated down until she was standing on the tattered armor over his knee. She said nothing but her adorable eyes were worn and tired.
“What happened the other day,” he said after a deep swallow. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean it that way. None of us would ever hurt you.”
“But what of my ears?”
“I know. It’s just that we haven’t gotten used to that yet. We’ve all been set in our ways a long time, but it won’t be that way with you. Nothing’s changed in our land for centuries and, until recently we were foolish enough to believe that it never would. We knew that there would always be a Starpoint Mountain and that all elves were evil,” he said, and his voice trailed off. “We believed that all giants were good.”
“What about the rest of us? My brothers and sisters all have pointed ears.”
“We are trying to rescue the rest of you. The pointed ears on the elves trigger that kind of reaction in us because it’s all we’ve ever know about them. The difference is we know so much more about you.”
“But can you protect them from the people who are frightened and angered by their ears?” she asked with watery eyes.
“I don’t know,” Blinks said with moist eyes as well. “I can only swear that I will protect you.”
“As will I,” Gallif said stepping from behind a tree trunk to sit next to Blinks. Jakobus and Luvin joined them but there was no need for them to say anything. They nodded and she knew in her heart that they agreed.
Lincilara looked at them with a grin and said “I have something for each of you. It’s the greatest gift a fairy can give.” She held her hands out and concentrated as the tint of the light emitting from her changed from green to purple. Her wings held at full stretch, but she was still able to bounce like a weightless bubble from one forehead to the other until she touched them all.
They stood peaceful and unmoving reliving the memories she had given them.
***
Lying in the southeastern corner of the Land of Starpoint, Outbound was considerably different from the other cities. Though it matched Dakteria in size it didn’t have the hustle and bustle of the busier city. Though it had the ethnic diversity of Atrexia it was not broken up into towns or districts but rather into neighborhoods. Though its climate was as temperate as Keometric, it was not directly on the coast, so it wasn’t a gateway to travelers
What Outbound did have was the highest percentage of giants and hobgoblin militia outside of the Rainbow Mountains. This was where the criminal element was sent. They either served their time in the detention cells and camps here or were shipped out to the prisons in the swamps on the other side.
No one really knew just how massive the swamps were. There had been several attempts to chart the swamps over the years, but no expedition had ever been able to do so. Either they returned defeated or not returned at all. Even the Giant Lords had organized extensive expeditions into the swamps to expand their knowledge; they had only met with disaster as well. Three large prisons and five smaller ones had been constructed inside the swamps. Each prison had a contingent of guards and the main roads were heavily monitored.
Spiders, snakes, alligators and other deadly creatures lived naturally in the wilds. The Others also lived there and all of them combined were a deterrent against escapes. Everyone considered only the incredibly stupid or desperate would want to escape into the swamps.
“I just hope we don’t fall into the incredibly stupid category,” Blinks had mentioned when they discussed their next move.
“I believe neither applies to us,” Jakobus had sternly informed him.
They had found an abandoned restaurant when they arrived late one afternoon. After settling in, Jakobus, Blinks and Lincilara had gone for more supplies. They had guessed correctly with the warmer weather that some places would be open late in the day for them to buy or barter items. One thing on their list was a good-sized bag of salt.
Gallif’s belly was rumbling and she had the same sickening feeling she had felt before. She found a dry spot in the deserted building to sit on the floor with her back against the wall. Luvin sat by her but kept a respectful distance.
“Here,” he said passing her a smaller bag of salt. “It’s all I’ve got. I checked this storeroom out and they’re pretty empty. There wasn’t much left.”
“Sounds like our luck,” she said flatly and swallowed a mouthful of salt.
“I’m sure they’ll bring more back.”
“Me too, plus all the other stuff we’ll need.”
“When we get into the swamp, we can start looking for the cure. The salt just keeps them dormant, but it doesn’t remove them. There is a plant in there that can do that.”
She stared eastward trying not to think of how small the chances were of them finding the plant. When she was very young her father had once asked her where the best place to hide a tree was. After a week and every guess imaginable he had finally told her, and she been inspired by how obvious it had been. Now they needed to find a plant growing somewhere in the middle of a swamp.
“Do we really need to take the horses?” Luvin asked to break the silence.
“I’m afraid we do,” she said after taking another gulp of salt. “I don’t see how we could not take them. There is no way we could carry all of what we need on our backs. It could take weeks to contact the Others.”
“We could do it if we had your backpack with us,” Luvin said angrily at the thought. “He really sold us out the first chance.”
Gallif nodded. “I’m not really sure what to make of him.”
“He likes being the Keeper of the Faith for the Giant Lords. What’s to consider? Even being his assistant was enough to start to seduce me.”
She shrugged, yawned, then laid her head back against the wall with her eyes closed.
“Wha
t memory did you get?” he asked afraid to look at her.
“Home,” she said keeping her eyes closed. “Mom and Dad. They gave Veret a bow and arrow set for his fifth birthday. A nice bow with a dozen dulled arrow tabs, the little square ones. He was determined to be the best shooter anyone had ever seen so he practiced on squirrels and rabbits. He never even came close, so he figured he’d just hit bigger targets.”
“Like his big sister?”
“Like his big sister,” she giggled. “He hit me once, just once.”
“Where did he hit you?”
“He grazed my rear from point blank range,” she giggled again. “He felt so guilty about it he never shot at me again,” she smiled and yawned. She closed her eyes and the childlike giggling was replaced by the steady rhythm of her breathing.
Luvin sat unmoving and listened to her sleeping for some time as he kept a watchful eye to protect her. He had remembered the day she had left the school. Despite the sadness of the event he remembered the incredible bond that was there when they held hands before she left. It had also been the day he had known that he would die for her.
***
Several hours later Luvin awoke her as he heard the sounds of horses approaching. They jumped up and were looking for a vantage point when Lincilara presented herself to them and promised it was okay. Luvin went ahead to meet the other two at the stable and Gallif stayed looking at Lincilara’s sweet smile. It was their first chance alone together since that fight in the forest and Gallif wanted to speak with her even though she was unsure of what to say. She held a handout near her face so Lincilara could stand directly before her.
“I just wanted you to know,” Gallif started in a whisper.
Lincilara held a hand up to her lips so Gallif would stop talking. She had felt the need to say something but was having just as much difficulty finding the right words. Lincilara put a hand to her heart and without unlocking her eyes from Gallif’s placed her palm on Gallif’s chest. Neither of them felt the need to speak anymore. They just nodded.
They joined the rest in the stable and took inventory of their belongings. It had been a successful trip and Jakobus commented on how skilled Blinks was in bartering and dealing. Not only had he gotten them all the supplies they needed, and two extra donkeys to help carry them, but also a new suit of armor that was almost a perfect fit for him. It was not cast armor but much better than he had started with. They were even more surprised that Jakobus was also without his original metal armor with sturdy black leather armor as well.
“Well done,” Gallif congratulated them all. “We’ll wait and enter the swamp in mid-afternoon. Then we can travel during daylight and find some high and dry spot to stay the night.
“It might not be so easy to wait,” Lincilara said suddenly. “Someone just went into the restaurant where you were hiding. I can smell them; but I can’t smell who it is. Last time it was like that was in the Burial Grounds.”
With weapons in hand they ran back to the shell of the restaurant. They stepped inside and fanned out behind her. They were in the same room Gallif had slept in; there was very little furniture or shadows for someone to hide in.
After a close inspection Gallif led them into the main reception area. Several desks and closets plus a bar on one side offered many places to hide. Gallif nudged Luvin and nodded at the closets. He nodded and started to work his way in that direction. With flame and frost swords ready Gallif took a silent step toward the bar. Jakobus started to follow her, but she signaled for him to wait and watch the way they had entered.
Gallif stepped slowly and deliberately toward the bar while keeping her attention split between Luvin’s path and her own. When she was at the end of the bar she paused briefly, then boldly stepped forward to fight. The cast light of the swords pushed away the darkness under the flat top of the bar and revealed nothing. Luvin emerged from the closet area and shook his head indicating they were empty as well.
At the other end of the bar Gallif waved the others to join her. Once there Lincilara took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She bobbed up and down a few times and excitedly pointed to the kitchen.
Gallif looked through the windows into the darkened kitchen. The walls, shelves and counters were all made from thin sheets of metal and in the far wall were cast iron stoves. Though they were dirty and abandoned and there was enough cleared surface to cast odd reflections and glares. Gallif used her elbows to open the doors and stepped inside using the swords to light her way. Jakobus and Blinks prevented the doors from swinging closed and Lincilara and Luvin came in behind them.
They had barely adjusted to the new environment when they heard movement ahead of them. Gallif swung her weapons up and forward to illuminate as much of the kitchen as possible when the all too familiar shape of Acrufix could be seen standing between the tables before them. He stood tall and boldly, but his arms were crossed, and he held no weapon.
“Shiny Guy,” Blinks howled in anger and hurried around the table on the left while Luvin took up a position on the right. Gallif sprinted up the middle straight at him and ordered them to stop.
“What the hell are you doing?” Blinks asked.
“He betrayed us,” Luvin added.
“Wait,” Gallif ordered them again through clenched teeth. They stood back but kept their weapons raised. Gallif looked into the blackness behind the helmet and asked, “Are you the one we met before?”
“Yes,” Acrufix said as he removed his helmet to reveal his familiar olive colored face. “Yes, I was with you in the Burial Grounds.”
Lincilara fluttered close to Gallif and whispered, “Don’t trust him. He doesn’t smell right.”
“Before, at the farmhouse,” she spoke glaring him straight in the face. “Why?”
Acrufix took a long slow breath and said, “There were dozens of them. They outnumbered you at least three to one and they were hungry for the chance to defeat a legend even if it wasn’t one to one.”
“He sold us out for his own rewards,” Luvin growled.
“If any one of you had fought all of you would have died,” Acrufix argued with them. “I had to make sure you knew you couldn’t win.
“I don’t believe him,” Luvin continued. He was so tense sweat was pouring down his face.
“You didn’t completely betray us,” she said simply.
“Of course, he did,” Blinks protested. “Thanks to him we were all...” his complaint trailed off as he realized what Acrufix had not said when they were captured. He let his arms drop a bit but kept a tight grip on his broadsword.
Luvin was also seeing why she held them back and glanced at Jakobus for confirmation. Jakobus nodded and then lowered his axe.
“I hoped the fairy would be able to help you,” Acrufix said. “You still had her on your side.” He reached behind him and pulled a brown backpack from the shadows. He tossed it forward and it landed at Gallif’s feet.
She looked down and knew instantly that it was the backpack Rayjen had given her. She could see the familiar stitches and the marks as she held it and comforted it between her arms. To her it was like the return of an old friend.
Lincilara wasn’t convinced and swept down to the backpack. After a few deep breaths she flew up to Gallif’s shoulder and whispered, “It smells like you,” to her ear.
“Why?” Luvin was the first to ask.
“I don’t like being a murderer. Working as Acrufix was so simple. I could destroy evil and help keep the public’s faith in the goodness of the Giant Lords. I believed that I was doing what my god would want me to do. Destroy evil and promote the good, as simple as that. All the rest, all the things that came with it, were rewards. Doing good by destroying evil. When you told me the truth about the elves, I suddenly wasn’t sure which was which.
“I was humiliated, disgraced, and ashamed to show my face to you. They were waiting for you at the cave’s entrance and, for a brief time, fighting for the good of the Giant Lords was easy again. I slipped back into the role
I had been hired to play.
“When we found out that you had taken a different route and escaped, I got on my horse and rode as hard and as fast as I could. I broke down and begged my god to show me guidance, to give me a chance to be forgiven for all my sins.
“I found myself in a small garden and watched some children playing nearby. They spoke of you, Gallif; they spoke of their admiration for you. I believed that was a sign from my god. If I save you and your friends, and help you remove the curse on the elves, I believe my sins will be forgiven,” he finished and bowed his head to wait.
Gallif looked him up and down several times. She saw the heavily armored body and was reminded of the glory of Acrufix the Eleven Killer. Everyone’s hero. It was a striking difference from the sad look in his eyes. Finally, she returned the swords to their sheaths.
Jakobus returned his cast axe to the loop on his belt. He had been studying Acrufix as well and could not deny what he was saying. Like he had changed his own ways many years ago Jakobus knew that the man was now fighting for his soul.
Blinks and Luvin followed their actions but neither of them could bring themselves to remove their hands off their weapons.
“Lincilara,” Gallif said not ready to take her eyes off Acrufix. “We need a way to get to the swamps without being spotted. As fast as possible.” She could hear Lincilara’s wings flutter away and she slid the backpack on to its proper place on her shoulders and walked out.
One by one the rest followed.
***
Gallif sat on a bale of hay in the stable waiting for Lincilara to return. Snow stood nearby occasionally munching on some grass, but mostly just waiting for her. Once in a while he would nudge her, and she would reach up and scratch his nose or ears or his pure white mane.
She had steadily applied a layer of powder to each of the horses. She explained to them that it may be uncomfortable and smell terrible for the first few days, but it would help keep insects and other unlikeable creatures off their coats. She also looked each horse in the eyes and told them that this journey was not going to be easy. Snow had snorted and nodded to her. She could sense he was nervous about it and couldn’t deny she shared both his nerves and his desire to get moving as soon as possible.