by Liara Woo
"The spirits that live in trees. There are naiads in the water, and fairies in every other plant."
Katie shook her head incredulously. "I'm going to have a lot to get used to."
Joran smiled. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. "Come, Katie," he said softly. "Let me show you my home."
Home. Her family and her house were far, far away. She had no idea where Flagstaff, Arizona was in regard to Allagandria. Nora and Cami weren't here to be her friends. But Joran was. And perhaps others, like Halthren, would be as well.
Katie looked around again, at the tall trees, the moss, the ferns, the waterfalls. The clear, blue sky and the bright yellow sun. The dark gray sand of the beach and the elf standing next to her, still gently clasping her hand.
Perhaps Allagandria can be my home as well, Katie realized. I think I'd like that.
Joran looked into her eyes. "Light will live on," he said in a voice bright with joy and hope. "Thank you, Katie."
Katie grinned at him. "Light will live on," she echoed. Then, silently she added, It must.
Velana
VelanaAshley awakened to a delicious smell, like strawberries and raspberries combined. She opened her eyes and saw Joran cutting up a large purple melon. During the week or so she'd been in Allagandria, she'd seen several other melons like it. They were called glasgoch, according to Joran, and they tasted like some sort of delicious berry ice cream to Katie.
"Good morning," Joran said, running one hand through his long golden hair. "Are you bored of glasgoch yet?"
Katie shook her head and accepted a slice from him. "Not at all. But glasgoch isn't the only edible thing that grows here, is it?"
"No, but it's the most plentiful here, in the east—especially in the autumn." Joran had already explained that because of the distance between Earth and Allagandria, there was a time difference of several weeks or maybe two months between them. It could have been years, but the powers of magic kept the time difference as small as possible.
Katie looked at him. "And...did you ask a fairy for it again?"
Joran wouldn't meet her eyes. "Yes," he said slowly.
Katie pushed his shoulder playfully. "Oh, come on, Joran! You know I want to see a fairy! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Fairies are shy folk," Joran responded with a shrug and a teasing grin. "Besides, I want Halthren to be there to see the wonder on your face the first time you see a fairy. He's the one who set all of this in motion, as you said."
Katie sighed. "My patience might go away overnight," she warned. "I know you care a lot about Halthren, but remember, this is an entire new world full of magic and magical creatures and so far all I've seen of it is purple fruit!"
"I've asked the fairies and naiads and dryads to hide themselves from you," Joran told her, smirking.
Katie glared. "Joran, you can be impossible."
"Sorry. But if elves were solemn and quiet all the time we'd be pretty boring. Sometimes Halthren can be like that. Probably because he's had a rough life." Joran stood and looked towards the south. "We've been too long in getting to him," he murmured.
"But we've been travelling as fast as we can," Katie protested. "I bet we've hiked fifteen miles a day, and it was two weeks ago that you even came to Earth. We've been making great time by my reckoning."
"Come on, then," Joran said, walking off into the west, brushing aside ferns and tall grass. "We should reach Velana tomorrow morning."
"What's Velana?" Katie asked, standing and following him.
"It's a city," Joran explained. "One of seven major cities. Kylaras is governed by a king, but there are seven lords, each representing one of the seven cities, to assist him in his rule. Bloodthorne is the name of the current lord of Velana. He is a good friend to me and my father, and he was impressed by Halthren when they met. I'm certain he'll help me find him."
They hiked in silence through a group of cedars and aspens, then through a narrow ravine as rain clouds passed over the sky. The stone walls of the gorge were a dark reddish-brown, partially hidden by thick, spongy moss. Short yellow-green grass grew along the bottom, with a few purple wildflowers scattered here and there.
It began to rain lightly, and a cold breeze whisked through the forest as Joran and Katie climbed out of the ravine. She felt somewhat bad for him; he still hadn't regained a tunic since losing his in the Ocean of Storms. At least she'd grown kind of used to the very distracting sight of his gorgeous bare chest… Focus! she chided herself. They trekked through a large field and Katie felt her mind began to wander.
What will the other elves be like? she asked herself. She was certain that they'd all glow faintly at night, and that they would all have pointy ears and slender builds…but after that she had no idea. She looked up at Joran. He was kind, intelligent, honorable, and loyal…would the other elves have those same traits? And will they all be as attractive as Joran?
She blushed. Joran had a straight nose and large, expressive blue-green eyes. He had full, pink lips (Katie felt her cheeks redden as she remembered kissing them) and high cheekbones. Katie could always tell what he was feeling since emotions were easily displayed on his features. He was tall and lean; his chest, back, and arms were firm and muscled. He was, overall, incredibly handsome.
They passed through a burned out section of woodland. Katie shivered; the once-graceful, beautiful trees were charred skeletons and the ground was littered with ash and charcoal. There was even a small ruin of a home. She'd seen burned-out woodland before, of course, but there was something about this place, cold, dark, and forlorn, that sent shivers down her spine. "What happened here?" she asked.
"Demons," came Joran's one-word reply. He kept walking.
Oh yeah, Katie thought. I almost forgot that this place was at war. Other than this burned out vale, Kylaras was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen, relaxing and peaceful. She could hardly believe it was at war.
Katie sighed. And Joran and all of his kin want me to end it!
When the sun reached its highest point, the rain let up for a while. Joran and Katie rested briefly beside a small spring. The elf stretched out on the grassy ground with a faint moan of relief and Katie glanced sideways at him, feeling her cheeks grow warm at the sight of his smooth athlete's body. Quickly she looked away and knelt by the spring, drinking from the cool water.
"Sorry," Joran said awkwardly. "Umm… about the tunic thing. I can tell it makes you uncomfortable. Sorry."
"Oh, no, it's fine," Katie blurted, her face going hot. "It's not your fault at all-don't worry about it."
There was a long, awkward silence as birds chirped in the distance. "W-well…" Joran began tentatively. "Elves normally aren't… shirtless. So… I guess… don't worry."
"Okay," Katie responded, not sure what else she could say. "Uh, are you ready to keep going?"
"Yes, absolutely," the elf said, sounding immensely relieved. He got to his feet, reached down and pulled her up beside him, and they continued to walk through the woods.
Joran climbed up a steep rocky hill and stopped abruptly when he reached the highest point. His face split into a broad grin. "We're a day ahead of what I thought!" he called down to Katie. "Come look!"
Katie headed up the treacherous incline, her heart thumping faster at the prospect of seeing an actual elven city. What will it look like? Log cabins? Stone walls? Thatched roofs? Or will it look modern or futuristic-shiny chrome surfaces? Flying cars? Her feet slid on the loose stones and she inhaled sharply, her heart skipping a beat. Focus! She used the thick boulders and the small, deeply-rooted shrubs to pull herself to the top, astonished that Joran had simply bounded up like a mountain goat.
He grabbed her wrist and helped her the rest of the way up the hill. "Thanks," Katie panted, gazing at the large, flat plain that lay before them. There were mountains in the far distance; trees spread down from their lofty heights and blanketed the land before them for miles all around them, broken up only slightly by a tall gray wall encircling se
veral hundred brown buildings.
"That's Velana," Joran said, walking forward. "Let's go."
Katie followed him, half-sliding as she stumbled down the hill. It doesn't look like much, she thought disappointedly. Instantly she scolded herself. It's exactly like an old medieval town! How many other girls on Earth get this chance?!
And anyway, she'd get to meet more elves.
Grinning at the thought, she broke into a run at the bottom of the hill to catch up with Joran. The grass was surprisingly tall; it reached all the way up to her armpits. And Katie wasn't short.
As she slowed to a fast walk at Joran's side, she felt suddenly nervous. Butterflies and worms wriggled in her stomach, doing acrobatics. On Earth, a scientist had captured Joran because he was strange. And I'm definitely different from elves. Will they capture me? Or want to examine me? She shuddered.
"Umm, Joran," she began uneasily, "how will the elves react to a human?"
"They'll probably treat you like a queen," Joran replied with a grin. "Your hair will stick out, though, just in case you were hoping to blend in."
Katie wound a few strands of her dark red hair around one finger. "So elves don't have red hair?"
"We all have darker hair at the roots and lighter hair at the tips. Normally it's some shade of brown and blonde, but Halthren's the exception. He has black and then really pale blonde—almost white. He blends in just as much as you will."
Katie smiled. Good; I'm not alone. "And all of you have blue-green eyes?"
"We all have some shade of blue," Joran responded. "Halthren's eyes…well, you'll see. I have a good feeling…like he might be waiting for us here. He's a talented escaper; I wouldn't be surprised…"
But Katie could hear an underlying note of worry in his voice.
A high wall built from massive gray bricks encircled the city of Velana, its eight sides rising far above the two traveler's heads. Joran led Katie around the enclosure to two huge wooden doors held together with five thick iron locks and bolts. A lovely spiraling design that reminded Katie of eddies in a stream was carved into the doors, and two figures clad in shining silvery armor stood guard, each holding a spear and armed with swords. Katie saw long yellow hair spilling out from under their helmets.
They gasped when Joran approached them. "My prince!" the one on the right exclaimed in a smooth, kind voice. He sounded as if he were in his mid-twenties.
"Is that really you?" the other one gasped.
Joran smiled. "It's great to see you again, Firdin, Reiltin. What brought you to Velana? I thought you'd have been stationed in…"
"It was the war," Reiltin answered. "Dedina was burned to the ground by five hundred demons a month ago. We fought them off—"
"—and only lost one of our own," Firdin cut in.
"—but we were left homeless," Reiltin said with an annoyed look at Firdin. "Velana was the closest of the seven cities, so we went here and told Bloodthorne of our plight."
"Our forces were dispersed across the kingdom, most of them going off to the weaker villages. Reiltin and I were lucky enough to stay together in Velana," Firdin finished.
"What about you?" Reiltin asked anxiously. "We received word that an assassination battalion had attacked the castle, killing all inside. Seeing you here, two and a half months later, makes no sense."
"And who is this lovely friend of yours?" Firdin added, gesturing to Katie.
Katie blushed, biting back a smile.
"I must see Lord Bloodthorne," Joran responded. "I have found reinforcement."
Reiltin gasped, his eyes widening as he looked back at Katie. "The legends…Halthren was right, then?"
Joran nodded gravely. "As always. We were wrong not to take the ancient prophecies seriously, as he did. This is Katie Smalls, the Earthling with Allagandrian powers."
There was that 'Earthling' again. But Firdin and Reiltin sank to their knees before her. "My Lady," Firdin murmured respectfully, a note of awe in his tone. "I am honored."
"We never imagined that this day would come during our lives," Reiltin added in amazement.
Katie felt herself blushing. "Umm…the honor is mine," she said, thinking that it felt right to say at the moment—even if it was a bit too formal for her liking.
Firdin got to his feet and removed his helmet. Katie's eyes widened as she got her first real glimpse of his face. He had a sharp, angular chin and eyes like the ocean on a sunny day. "Keep watching the door, my brother Reiltin," he commanded with a teasing grin. Then he turned back to Joran. "Come with me, my prince." He stepped briefly into the guardhouse built into the wall and brought out a thin gray tunic. Joran pulled it on quickly, his cheeks reddening as he murmured his gratitude. Firdin only grinned and took a ring of keys from a small leather pouch hanging from his belt and unlocked the two huge doors. Katie gazed after him with wide eyes.
Joran tapped her shoulder. "Er, are you alright?"
She jumped at his touch, her face burning with embarrassment. "Y-yeah, I…I'm fine," she said in a high-pitched voice.
"Follow me," Firdin called out, heaving the doors open. Katie was delighted to obey.
Within the walls that encircled Velana there were four wide main roads leading from each corner to the center of the city. Important buildings lined each of the main roads, and residences filled in the rest of the space. Joran excitedly pointed out each tall, wooden structure as they walked along. "That one's the library, and on the other side of the street is the inn, and beyond that is where artwork is made and given away—paintings and sculptures and ink drawings and just about everything you could think of—and after that are the buildings where food is given out…"
The buildings were tall, made of wood with steep thatched straw roofs. Curved beams with intricate designs carved into them rested at the top of most buildings. They reminded Katie of drawings she'd seen depicting medieval Viking dwellings; it was a very new and different feeling be seeing them up close, real enough to touch.
Despite this, her eyes were more drawn to the elves in the road. They were all exceedingly beautiful in different ways; they were tall, slender, and fair. The females had waist-length hair woven into braids, and their tunics were more like short dresses, whereas the males had hair that reached at most halfway down their backs and tunics that went to mid-thigh. All of them had eyes some shade of blue and blonde or brown hair that was darker at the roots than at the tips. The sound of their high, clear voices filled the air, whether they were chatting amiably, greeting a friend, or gently scolding little elven children about manners. Katie felt self-conscious; as she and Joran walked by most of them turned to look at her.
At the end of the long main street they came to a colossal rectangular wall built out of stone. The road encircled it, and Katie could see other roads branching away from it. Firdin led them through a gate in the wall and into the courtyard of a large mansion built from orange-brown stone. There were two tall towers on either side of a long main building with hundreds of windows. Flowers surrounded the base and lined a white stone path leading from the gate to two tall doors with no visible doorknobs or locks.
Firdin led them up the path and pushed the doors open, leading them down a spacious hall spanning the length of the mansion, with a rich dark red carpet lining the floor. Between tall, glass-paned windows hung vibrantly colored oil paintings depicting trees, meadows, lakes, and waterfalls. There were also brackets set into the stone wall, but they obviously weren't meant to hold torches since they were closed on the bottom, sort of like a small basket made of iron.
"Hey, Joran," Katie whispered. "What do you put in those brackets on the wall?"
"Spheres of Light," he answered. "We draw them out of our souls and use them to brighten places at night."
Katie gave that some thought. It would be nice to have a light source with her wherever she went. "Do you think I could do that?"
Joran shook his head. "You'd have to be made of Light," he responded. Katie frowned, disappointed.
Fird
in stopped at a tall wooden door on the right side of the hall, intricately decorated with the same eddying designs Katie had seen on the even larger doors leading into the city. On either side of the door were paintings of maple trees in autumn, their red leaves in stark contrast against the blue sky behind them. Beyond the door, at the end of the hall, was a tall stairwell leading both up and down, carved from dark oak.
Firdin raised his fist to knock on the door, but all of a sudden it burst open of its own accord and a tall, thin elf in a regal red tunic and a long billowing violet cloak hurried out. He came to an abrupt halt when he saw Firdin, fist still raised to knock, standing before him. "Pardon me," he said in a rush. "Loriina's due to arrive any minute with the swords and…"
The thin elf paused and turned his gaze to Joran, realizing for perhaps the first time that Firdin was not alone. His crystal-blue eyes widened. "You're alive!" he exclaimed, clasping Joran's hands and falling to his knees.