by Liara Woo
"I found it," Loriina whispered after a while.
"Good," Katie responded quietly, joining the dragon as she pushed the brick inward, opening a narrow passageway in the wall. Katie felt a jolt of fear as she stared into the blackness before her. The tunnel was like the maw of a giant beast, ready to swallow her whole. Be brave. Joran went here, too. If he can do it, so can I. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. "Let's go," she murmured, leading the way into the total darkness. Loriina followed.
There was a lever just inside of the tunnel. Katie pulled it. The wall closed behind them, shutting the passageway.
"This way," Loriina hissed eagerly. "With all modesty, my night vision is better than anyone else's. Stay close."
And so it was that ten minutes after Joran, Fen, and Dewrion entered the passageway, Katie and Loriina came to the first lever.
"The third one leads to the tower," Loriina murmured. "That's probably where my Stone is. The other two levers lead to dungeon stuff."
"Let's follow the passageway," Ashely whispered. "At the top we'll see if we hear anything. If we don't then we'll go back down, pull the lever, and climb into the tower to get your Stone."
"Good plan," Loriina breathed. A few moments later she whispered, "We just passed the second lever."
They kept going, passing the third lever, and the tunnel became a frighteningly steep staircase that seemed to curve slightly and ended on a tiny platform. Katie squeezed herself into it, but there was no room for Loriina. "Wait at the bottom," Katie murmured. "When I come back down it means the tower is empty."
She couldn't tell in the darkness if Loriina had nodded or not, but she heard the dragon-girl descending the staircase. Katie breathed in deeply, trying to soothe her nerves, because there were people speaking to one another in the room beyond the wall she hid behind. She peered through a tiny slit between two bricks to see inside. Four tall torches stood on each corner of a small table in the center of the room, which was perfectly spherical. There was only one window, which was very small and blocked by thick iron bars. Only something really small could get out.
A map and Loriina's Stone were laid out on the table, and three figures were gathered around it. Two were demons, and Katie cringed as she got her first good look at them: impossibly tall and thick with muscle, with skull-faces and tiny yellow eyes and protruding teeth. They looked like dragons that'd been through acid and then covered in charcoal.
The third figure was not a demon. It took the form of a man with a hooded black cloak on. The hood was pulled up over his face, which was deathly white and looked like bone. In his hands he twirled a cruel looking knife as black as obsidian.
One of the demons was speaking in a guttural, hissing voice. "…spy said that the prince was in Velana."
The pale-faced man laughed a slow, cold laugh. "Fantastic. So he's decided to show up after all. I suppose he'd finally had enough of his loyal friend being tortured in his name. It took long enough; that prince must have more iron in him than I thought to do nothing to save his friend for two and a half months. Very well; Master Nashgor wants half of our troops marching on Velana as soon as possible. We will squash this little prince like a bug, but only after he sees all elves in Velana dying to protect him. He will die in misery."
The taller of the two demons snarled. "I wish we could have killed our prisoner in front of him. I admire that elf's loyalty; it didn't quail even in the face of total annihilation, eh?"
"Correct, Blacknack. My knife failed to break his mind of secrets open. He's useless to us now, especially since we already know the prince's whereabouts through our spy. That's why I'm having him fight Gorzog. That elf doesn't have enough strength to lift a feather; he won't be able to win. Unfortunately we cannot kill him; the stars are still stronger than Master Nashgor is. After Gorzog is finished with him we'll throw him back into a cell and wait for his last bit of Light to give out. I'm guessing it will take only one day, and the prince will die shortly after him. Then the elves will have no hope of success. Come; we must ready our forces. Soon my Master will engulf the world in Darkness…"
The voices faded away. Katie swallowed nervously and eased herself out of the hiding place. She felt her way down the rigid stone steps and rejoined Loriina.
"What did you see?" the dragon asked.
"You're Stone's in there," she replied. "And…I think Joran's best friend Halthren is a lost cause. There were demons in there and a creepy guy with shadowy robes."
"Was he all black and wispy, and were his eyes red like embers?" Loriina asked. "Lots of elves say that that's what Nashgor looks like."
Katie shook her head. "No, his face was white and looked like a skull. His eyes were black. Besides, from what I understood he kept referring to Nashgor as a master of some sort."
"That's odd. Do you think it's safe to enter?" Loriina asked.
"Yes; let's go back to the third lever," she answered. A sudden thought occurred to her. "There might be guards at the entrance to the door…"
"I'll beat 'em up if there are," Loriina hissed, rolling her sleeves up. Katie was almost tempted to doubt her; after all, as a human she looked small and delicate. Then she remembered Loriina's speed and endurance while running all the way to Kratchene. She nodded and felt the wall for the third lever.
Suddenly she froze. She heard footsteps. Tilting her head, she listened closely until they'd completely faded into silence. "Okay, ready?"
"What is that word, 'okay?' I've never heard it before."
"It means the same thing as 'alright,'" Katie whispered. "People say it a lot on Earth, at least in the region I come from."
"Okay," Loriina murmured thoughtfully, testing the word on her tongue. "Okay, let's go." She pulled the lever, and the wall before them opened outwards like a door. Katie cautiously stepped forward, peering up the torch-lit spiral staircase. Beckoning silently to Loriina, she started walking up, around and around and around until she reached the door at the top. There hadn't been any guards.
"There was a door at the bottom of the stairs," Loriina whispered. "There were demons stationed in front of it. Lucky for us, the elves who made the passageway put the entrance to these stairs past the guards."
"Yeah, elves are smart like that, aren't they?" Katie grinned, gently easing the door open. She approached the table and grabbed the blue Stone off of the table. Then she turned and handed it to Loriina, who instantly pulled it over her head. At once there was new strength in her green eyes. "Thanks," she whispered.
"No problem. Let's go," Katie replied eagerly. Then, out of nowhere, the creepy man's words reentered her mind: '…I'm having him fight Gorzog. That elf doesn't have enough strength to lift a feather; he won't be able to win…'
That elf was Joran's best friend. "Actually, Loriina…let's go to the arena before we go. I have a feeling that we need to." If Joran hasn't already, I want to save Halthren if I can, she thought.
Loriina shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go."
The two of them raced back down the stairs and reentered the secret passage. After many minutes of darkness and walking, Loriina stopped and pulled the second lever down. The wall opened into a large, circular arena with tall stone walls and a fenced off area for an audience. An elf dressed in a ragged tunic was lying motionless on the ground, bleeding profusely. Standing beside him was Joran; Katie felt a jolt of horror when she saw that he was bruised and his side was drenched in blood. Two other elves, a male and a female, were standing together near the side of the arena. The male had a nasty bruise on his forehead.
"It looks like you guys need a lift," Katie said, concerned.
Joran turned towards her, looking completely baffled. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Aspeniel
Aspeniel
Katie didn't answer him and raced towards the elf on the ground, feeling his icy, sweaty neck for a pulse. "He's alive," she concluded. Then she saw all of the bruises and cuts on his dirty skin, the deep gashes in his side, and his ribs showing th
rough his flesh.
"Oh…" Katie breathed, putting her hand on the unconscious elf's cold cheek. Sadness filled her heart. "This…he…he isn't Halthren…is he?"
Joran bowed his head. "He will die if he isn't taken to Velana immediately. But I must find out what Nashgor's next plans are, or else I'll have lied to Bloodthorne and Firdin."
"Loriina and I already did that," Katie responded solemnly. "They're going to attack Velana with half of their troops."
Joran's eyes widened. "They found out where I was! But…how? Halthren couldn't have known…"
"They said something about a spy."
Joran's shoulders slumped. "We must return. But I don't think Halthren will make it."
Loriina cleared her throat. "Umm, for your information, I can fly pretty fast," she pointed out.
"Meet Loriina the dragon, in human form," Katie added.
Joran smiled grimly. "Good. Dewrion, help me carry Halthren outside."
The male elf with the bruise stumbled towards him unsteadily. "Of course," he said dazedly. "Where are the…flowers…?"
"On second thought, sit down," Joran amended gently. Dewrion seemed only too happy to oblige. Joran sighed and looked at Fen and Katie pleadingly. "I don't think I'll be able to carry him, either. I feel kind of shaky…"
"Don't worry," Katie said. She glanced at Fen, who nodded. "We'll be able to take him."
Gently they lifted Halthren's shoulders and feet and carried him out of the arena through the passageway. His head lolled at a sickening angle.
Once they were outside of Vernisgard, Loriina transformed into a dragon again. This time she had wings, which were huge and powerful and made a sound like a thunderclap when she beat them down once, stretching them. "That feels infinitely better," she sighed, flexing her muscles. "Climb on. I'll take Halthren in one of my paws, but I don't want to hold him very tightly because that might hurt him worse…so…who'll sit in my paw with him to make sure he doesn't fall out?"
Her statement was met with a blank stare from Dewrion, skepticism from Fen, and uneasiness from Joran.
"I will," Katie volunteered.
The other three elves climbed up Loriina's back. Gently she lifted Halthren in her front paw, and Katie climbed up next to him, holding tightly to the dragon's wrist. With a few powerful thunderclap-wingbeats Loriina was airborne, sailing swiftly over the Dark Lands.
Katie peered intently into Halthren's face. He had an angular jawline and prominent cheekbones, probably due to starvation, and his nose was perfectly straight and not too large or too small. He had dark eyebrows and his hair was nearly black at the top even though it faded to a very pale blonde when it reached the middle of his back. His mouth was curved like a longbow lying on its side and he had lips that were just the right shade of pink.
His eyelids fluttered up, revealing bright eyes beneath. His irises were a dark blue, seemingly as deep as the waters of the ocean, but there was a silver ring around each pupil. He tried to say something, but eventually he gave up and closed his eyes again, falling unconscious.
He was the most beautiful creature Katie had ever seen, even with blood marring the left side of his face. The beauty she saw came from an atmosphere he seemed to bring with him, an aura of pure goodness. And even wounded he was extremely handsome—more so than any elf she'd seen before.
Hang on just a moment, Katie scolded herself. He may look only a few years older than me, but he's not! He's an entire century old! Nothing could ever work out…
She didn't finish the thought and looked away from him. She turned her gaze to the ground, where groups of demons prepared for war beneath her, their torches gleaming like fiery orange stars. Katie swallowed nervously. There are so many of them…too many.
* * *
Halthren felt wind rushing past him…massive warm fingers were wrapped around him…other than that everything was pain, pain, and more pain. He was cold…he could feel blood leaving his body, abandoning him in his time of need… despite the cold he was drenched in perspiration… he felt as if he were drowning in it.
Mustering all of his strength, he opened his eyes. Through his blurred vision he made out the shape of a woman with hair like flames and eyes like bright summer leaves. On either side of her shoulders he could barely make out two wings beating above him…Is she an angel? Halthren wondered. Trembling, he opened his mouth and tried to gather enough breath in his lungs to ask her, but the effort proved too much for him and he lapsed back into unconsciousness.
* * *
Loriina was swift while running, but she was even faster while flying, and her
Stone gave her greater strength and endurance. In less than an hour she was landing on the roof of Bloodthorne's mansion in Velana. They'd left Kratchene far, far behind. It would probably take the demons at least a week or two to arrive.
Bloodthorne and Firdin quickly came out of the trapdoor to greet them. When the lord of Velana saw Halthren, he looked horrified. "Those monsters… those foul, rotten fiends… Firdin, get Aspeniel, as fast as you can," he ordered. Firdin ran down the trapdoor and the spiral staircase beneath. Bloodthorne turned to Joran, who was leaning on Loriina's foreleg, clutching at his wound. Dewrion didn't look very good either.
Katie met Bloodthorne's gaze. "You have to fortify the city. Half of Nashgor's forces will attack as soon as they can get here. They want to kill Joran."
"So they knew he was here," Bloodthorne mused. "Halthren was unable to endure, then?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Katie exclaimed. "He was going to be left in a cell to die because he wouldn't tell them anything. They have a spy of some sort."
Bloodthorne put his head in his hands. "That doesn't help. There could be any number of animals who saw Joran here…many elves who, in talking to a neighbor, were snooped upon. But Halthren didn't fail; that is a good thing, at least. Yet it would be a shame for him to endure so much only to die now."
Joran knelt at Halthren's side and grasped his cold, pale hand.
Bloodthorne turned to Fen. "Would you bring news of the oncoming attack to Striasil? Tell him to begin preparations."
Fen nodded once and then she was gone, racing down the stairs. Bloodthorne looked at Joran. "Please tell me what happened."
"I wanted to save Halthren, who was fighting a massive green dog creature to the death. He was already so weak, and the dog was going to kill him, so I went in and attacked it. Fen and Dewrion followed out of loyalty. Please don't blame them, my lord. It was my fault entirely that any of us are wounded."
Bloodthorne laughed. "You speak as if I am your superior! I am in no position to blame anyone. But I beg you not to blame yourself. I would rather you congratulate yourself for a noble and heroic deed." He looked at Halthren, who was lying face-up on the ground, taking short, ragged breaths.
"He will live, won't he?" Joran asked anxiously.
"Aspeniel's powers are great," Bloodthorne answered. Then, for Katie's benefit, he added, "She isn't an elf, but she is both a naiad and a dryad."
As if in response to his words, Firdin reappeared and crawled out of the trapdoor, leading a small child with bluish-green skin, long, dark-blue hair, and a gown that was blue at the top but green at the bottom. She wore a laurel wreath on her head.
"I brought her, my lord," Firdin panted. Apparently he'd run the whole way.
"Good," Bloodthorne approved, watching the young girl anxiously. She was gently running one long, slender hand over Halthren's face and down his neck and chest to his heart.
"He's alive, but only just," she whispered in a soft, gentle voice. "It will take a while for him to recover entirely, even with my potions. I will need at least a few hours to prepare the right brew to heal his injuries. After that he will need to work hard to regain strength. He has been without nourishment and the light of sun, moon, and stars for too long. Even after I do all that I can he will always bear some wounds that I cannot heal." She looked around the group, her gaze eventually resting on Katie. "Ah. The Earthling
. Will you help me prepare the potion I need?"
Katie grimaced at the use of the word 'Earthling.' Then she looked at Joran, who was staring at her expectantly. She glanced down at Halthren, dying on the ground. "I…uh…sure," she answered uncertainly. "What will I need to do?"
"Gather materials," Aspeniel responded. "Only days ago did I receive the dragon tears necessary for brewing the potion I believe will work on Halthren. Bring the materials to me, and I will combine them properly."
Katie nodded slowly. At Aspeniel's instruction, she lifted Halthren's shoulders and Bloodthorne held his feet as they carried him down the spiral staircase. Joran and Dewrion followed them down to the caverns beneath the mansion and into the cave with the mattresses on the ground. Gently they set Halthren down on one of them; he moaned quietly but otherwise didn't react. Joran and Dewrion sat down and leaned against the wall. Relenthus was asleep this time; his face was still a sickly green color.