Legend Warrior
Page 22
"I'd give him some, because it might help the wound on his chest that looks infected—it could have been poisoned. But the potion does cause pain, and I fear that any more pain while he's still so weak would kill him," she explained. "Katie, you've done so much for me tonight. Get some rest. I'll show you to an empty room in the manor, or would you like to go back to the inn?"
"I'll go back to the inn," Katie decided, although she didn't like the idea of going out on her own in the dark. Bad things hid in the darkness in Allagandria, she'd learned. But her room in the inn was already starting to feel like home.
"I believe Reiltin is still awake," Aspeniel said. "Would you like me to ask him to escort you to your room?"
"Yes, please," Katie said gratefully. Aspeniel led her out of the manor and to the wall surrounding it. Just outside the door leading through the wall Reiltin stood guard. Quickly Aspeniel explained and asked if he would take Katie to the inn.
"Of course," Reiltin responded. "I understand. Night can be frightening sometimes." He offered her his forearm and hesitantly she grasped it, looking up into his eyes.
"Ever since going to Vernisgard I've been afraid of demons jumping out of every shadow," Katie admitted as they walked down the dark streets.
Reiltin nodded. "That's how it is for everyone when they see a demon for the first time. For Halthren it was especially bad; he had nightmares for days afterwards. Everyone thought that the demons had taken over his dreams."
Why does Halthren always have such terrible luck? Katie wondered. "Is there anything that helps?" she asked, referring to the fear of demons.
"Look up at the stars above you," Reiltin advised. "Those are the spirits of the elves who have gone before us. Even while they live in paradise with He who created them, they love their descendants enough to shine for us, giving us light when there is none. They are all watching over us, waiting for the day when, at last, we are reunited with them. To every elf in Kylaras, stars are a symbol of hope, love, and peace. Looking up at them makes us calm and renews our faith in all goodness. So when you are frightened in the darkness, look up, and be comforted. Know that you are loved."
Katie smiled and looked up at the small pinpricks of Light spiraling across the sky above her. Know that you are loved. And she did, although those who loved her were a world away. "Thanks," she murmured. They reached the inn.
Reiltin gave a slight bow. "Fear not, for the stars are watching over you," he responded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Katie. Good night."
"Good night," Katie murmured, turning and entering the inn.
* * *
Halthren's dreams were haunted by Dark images. A shadow with eyes like burning coals…a demon that towered over the rest…a man with a pale face and black eyes…
He writhed and moaned in his sleep as icy terror took hold of him. Nashgor could use the wound over Halthren's heart to get into his mind. And since Halthren was bound to the stars, Nashgor could now see what weaknesses the stars had and knew how It could exploit them. Halthren will die, It thought. Halthren will die.
Halthren heard the malicious thoughts as he dreamt; he trembled from terror and from agony. He could see the black knife that had killed his Light and the wound it had carved burned with pain. He whimpered in his sleep, tears streaming from his eyes as Nashgor sent bolts of fire into his soul. Smoke spiraled up from the wound over his heart.
And then a silvery elven maid entered his mind. She was a star. "Have peace in your heart, my son. You have a destiny to fulfill. Rest. Regain your strength. Much will be asked of you, and you must be ready. We love you, Halthren. Your pain grieves all of us, your father and I especially. Endure; your trials are almost over."
Halthren woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat, shivering and gasping for breath. Everything was dark; for a moment he suspected he was back in Vernisgard; then he remembered all that had transpired since his ill-fated battle with the Verdecolossal. He shuddered violently. I am broken. I am not whole; I am powerless…useless…broken…
* * *
In the morning Katie went to the library again. She asked the shy librarian what her favorite books were.
"Fantasy," the librarian responded quietly, walking over to the fifth row of books. "This is where all of the fantasy novels are. My personal favorite is The Voyage of Galthor. It's about an elf called Galthor, about his attempted journey across the Eternal Ocean. No one knows what's across it, and all who've tried never returned, so of course this is just an author's imagination of what such a journey would be like. There are krakens, flocks of elf-eating ravens, undead dragon skeletons…and of course a dashing hero who has a conflict that he must solve, and that's why he decided to cross the ocean in the first place."
"Wow," Katie said. "Do you mind if I read it?"
"Not at all," the elf replied.
"What's your name?"
"Milriana," she answered with a blush.
"That's a nice name," Katie grinned.
"Thanks," Milriana smiled. "Here; I'll show you where The Voyage of Galthor is." She pulled out a book with a cover made from canvas and handed it to Katie. There was a painting on the front with an elegant ship riding the top of a wave at sunset. An elf with bright eyes and golden hair stood at the prow, staring intently into the distance. I'm guessing that's Galthor, Katie thought.
"Thanks," she said. She left the library and returned to the inn, where she lay down on her bed and read the book. It was very long; at midday she'd only read perhaps a fourth of it. Her limbs were cramped from staying in one position for so long, so she went outside and walked around, eventually wandering back to Bloodthorne's manor. She went down to the healing cavern and was surprised to see Halthren stirring. He opened his silver-blue eyes and looked around. "What time is it?" he asked weakly when he saw Katie.
"About noon," she responded. "If you can't sleep there's some potion I can give you…"
"No," he whispered. "Not yet. I have to tell you something…something I accidentally learned while in Kratchene."
"About Velana being attacked? We know about that one," Katie said as gently as she could.
"No…" he murmured. He coughed weakly and tried to sit up, but he wasn't strong enough. "Nashgor didn't know where Joran had gone. Therefore It didn't know that I'd sent him to the Forest of Mist to bring you here. It doesn't realize that you're already here, so It wants to destroy the Forest because It doesn't want us to be able to bring an ally out of it. Except we already have." The way he worded it was confusing and muddled; it took Katie a moment to figure it out.
"But…but if he destroys it then I'll be trapped here!" Katie exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"I know. But we have a chance to save it. I just don't know how to convince anyone to try. As far as anyone else is concerned, it's a useless gathering of ancient dryads who wove a spell to send anyone who disturbed them away. The magic used to create the spell will be lost if they are destroyed, and yes, you will not be able to return to your family if that comes to pass."
"How did you know why I want to leave?"
"I guessed," Halthren responded. "You must be homesick, in an entirely different world, with probably not many friends, and none of the comforts that you used to have. In your place I'd be desperate to get back to my parents."
"That's exactly how I feel," Katie said, surprised. None of the other elves had shown kindness to her in this way. They'd all been thinking of how she'd save them and stay in Kylaras forever. None of them had put themselves in her place and shown actual sympathy. None of them had really mentioned her parents, either. "Well, I am homesick. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't abandon everyone here, but I need to get home! It's just that… with the demons coming towards Velana…"
Halthren nodded. "No one can really be spared to fight for the Forest of Mist. Is that it?"
"You read my mind," Katie smiled sadly. "How do you keep doing that?"
Halthren shrugged. Then he winced and weakly moved one hand over his heart. "I'm just saying how I'd feel if
it was me in your place. And with half of Kratchene's demons attacking it isn't hard to guess that no one can be spared. I wish I could help you. But I'm of no use to anyone right now, especially without…"
He dropped his gaze and didn't look up. "Without…without my Light."
"Your words help," Katie said kindly. Halthren glanced up at her and smiled briefly. It was more of a twitch of his lips than an actual smile. I can only imagine what he's going through, Katie thought. To have part of his soul destroyed… "Do you know what powers I have?" she asked suddenly. "Because I have no clue and Joran said you'd know."
Halthren looked into her eyes. "I do. But would you mercifully save that conversation for later? I'm…a little tired."
Katie smiled. "Only a little? Even after almost dying and all?"
"Alright, I'm really tired. I didn't want to sound rude."
Katie went to the storeroom and retrieved the jar of yellow potion. "Here," she said, kneeling down and handing it to Halthren. "This is what Aspeniel told me would help you fall asleep."
"Thanks," Halthren murmured. He drank a sip of the potion and after a few seconds went limp, sleeping peacefully. Katie took the potions from his hands and gazed at his face until she heard Aspeniel's voice from behind her.
"If you were to become a healer, I'd advise you not to become emotionally attached to your patients."
Katie turned red. "I'm not…we weren't…I wasn't…I'm fifteen! He's a hundred!"
"He will never appear to age past twenty-five," Aspeniel informed her quietly. "And since you are part Allagandrian, I believe you can choose to remain one age forever. It could be possible for you and Halthren to be together, if that is what you truly wish."
Katie felt hope rise up within her, quickly overshadowed by sadness. Outlive her family…all her friends…they'd age and she wouldn't. Did she really like Halthren that much? She'd only just met him. I'm being stupid, she told herself.
"But I'd advise against marrying an elf with no powers," Aspeniel added. "Halthren is a disgrace."
* * *
The next morning Katie told Joran about the Forest of Mist.
"Good," he said when she'd finished. "They could have picked any of the forests in Allagandria, and they just happened to choose to burn the very one that no one likes. And that way demons won't be able to enter your world and cause havoc there as well."
Katie frowned. "And how will I get home?" she demanded.
Joran bit his lip. "Well… actually, I was kind of hoping you'd stay. I mean, it's very nice here, and everyone would miss you if you left."
"Sure, it's pretty," Katie admitted. "But you know how you felt when you wanted so desperately to get to Halthren? Well, I miss my parents the same way you missed him. I'm not planning on leaving any time soon, but eventually I'd love to go back, and I can't do that if the Forest of Mist is destroyed."
Joran didn't meet her gaze. "I'm sorry, Katie. Nashgor is sending half of his forces to fight at Velana. We need every available warrior." He gave her a sheathed sword. "That includes you."
Joran turned away from her and left.
Bitter hopelessness filled Katie's stomach. There was no way for her to get home. Even though Halthren wanted to help, he was still so weak and starved that he'd be worse than no help at all. He wouldn't be able to fight, let alone lift a sword. Joran had problems of his own to deal with, so of course he couldn't help. The Forest of Mist would soon be gone, and she'd have no way back home.
Halthren was awake when Katie reentered the cavern. He looked much stronger than he had yesterday; he could sit up if he leaned against the wall. He wore a long gray robe that was partially hidden by the blankets over his legs. "Good morning," he said in a weak voice.
"How are you feeling?" Katie asked, sitting beside him.
"Alive," he grinned. "If I were strong enough I'd…I'd…well, I'd do something besides just sitting here doing nothing. You'd not believe how boring it is."
Katie smiled back. Then curiosity took hold of her mind, nagging her. "So…about my powers," she prompted.
"Right. Well, the dryads who cast the spell upon the forest they lived in wanted to get rid of anyone bothering them by sending them to Earth. They didn't realize that the spell would also transport magic to Earth. Apparently over the centuries enough magic had been transported to attach itself to a living being—you. And that's how you got your powers."
"And…what are they?"
Halthren raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Umm…the best way to go about this would be to go through the different beings of magic in Allagandria. Elves, of course, can speak to any living thing regardless of what language it speaks, so I suppose the same goes for you. And I don't know about Light or not, but… Anyway, the white stags can breathe underwater, the north wolves can withstand any amount of cold, the elven horses can run for long distances, and fairies can grow or shrink, so…I suppose if you ever wanted to be short or extremely tall, you could do that. Then there are dryads, whose powers include balance and climbing; and naiads, which probably means if you needed to you could swim really fast. And of course both of them have healing powers. That covers most of the world…
"Griffins can call down lightning and summon storms; Joran told me you can do that. Dwarfs can identify any mineral and tell what its worth is, and they're good at bargaining. And…I believe that's everything…oh, and dragons. You'll need a Stone to use their powers, though, and Stones only reveal themselves when the time is right. Once you have yours you will be able to summon fire, water, acid, and ice; and you can control the wind. You'll have to ask Loriina about the specifics, but other than that, I believe I've covered everything."
"Wow," Katie said quietly. "That's…a lot. I'll try to remember all of those…"
Halthren smiled. "If you want I can write them down…"
Katie laughed. "You don't have to. Thanks for offering, though." She leaned against the cold stone wall and looked sideways at Halthren. The sharp angles of his face hadn't gone away, and the robe he wore was loose on his thin, starved frame. "So…what's the deal with that cut on your chest?" she asked hesitantly.
Halthren turned his head and looked into her eyes. "I've already told basically all there is to know about it. It was carved by a Dark knife enchanted with powerful spells of evil. It will stop bleeding eventually, but it will never heal completely, and once it finally scabs over it could start bleeding again at any moment."
Katie blinked. "It hasn't stopped bleeding yet?"
Halthren shook his head and pointed to a small spot of blood on his robe. "The flow is very slow at the moment, and it will continue to slow down, but again, once it stops it could start again at once."
Katie grimaced. "That's not fun."
Halthren nodded. "Definitely not. But it doesn't matter very much. Er, Katie…would you mind…telling me about Earth?" he asked in a rush. He seemed eager to change the subject.
Katie smiled. Then she told him all about her hometown, her school, her friends, her home… but when she'd finished she felt even more homesick than she had before. Somehow Halthren could tell.
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have," he said quietly, reaching over and lightly touching her hand. Katie looked up at him.
"Sooner or later someone would have asked," she murmured. "At least now I'm prepared."
Halthren clearly felt awful for bringing up her home. His regret was plainly revealed on his fair face. "What would you rather talk about?" he asked.
Katie focused on the sensation of his slender hand upon her own. "Well… I was talking with some other elves, and apparently you get into trouble a lot. Why?"
Halthren averted his gaze. "Er…I have… an unfortunate childhood," he said awkwardly. "I…well…let's just say we're even. I asked you about your home and you asked me about why I'm…why bad things happen to me often. So now we're even."
Katie blinked. Halthren's cheeks were red with embarrassment and there was a faraway look in his eyes. "Sorry," she said uncertainly.
* * *
Joran felt terrible. There must be something I can do, he told himself, pacing back and forth in the large room Bloodthorne had lent him.
Katie had been his only friend on Earth, and she'd saved his life several times. And…he hadn't really repaid that debt yet. Looking out of his bedroom window, he could see hundreds of armed elves in the streets, many from nearby villages. It was quite possible that the coming battle would be their last stand.