Legend Warrior

by Liara Woo

  The battle ceased for one moment. The demons were startled by Relenthus's anguished yell, and they all turned to look at the grief-stricken elf, who was breathing heavily with tears glistening in his eyes. "No," he whispered. His shoulders slumped and he bowed his head.

  The demon responsible for Krenej's death laughed cruelly. All at once Relenthus looked up, his eyes burning with the fire of hatred. With an ear-piercing scream of utmost rage he lunged at the demon and stabbed it through the heart. At once the fighting resumed just as suddenly as it had stopped. Joran instantly found himself fighting seventeen demons at once—more than he had a moment ago. Relenthus was so angry that he easily cut down every demon in his path, but Joran was numbed and weakened by Krenej's death. That a life could be taken so cruelly… it was the first time he'd ever witnessed the brutality of the demons firsthand. He found himself unable to fight as hard.

  A demon behind him kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling in the dirt. Quickly Joran got to his feet, but instantly too many blows for him to deflect rained down on him. He couldn't parry them all and earned a cut in his side. He slashed out with his sword, but he could feel himself getting weaker and weaker as he fought as hard as he could while the demons exercised only a portion of their might. Panting, Joran tried to get on the offensive side, but every move he made was in defense.

  I think I might throw up, he thought as one of the demons punched him in the stomach. He felt none of the strength he'd had when rescuing Halthren and fighting the Verdecolossal. Something is stealing my strength. Something more powerful than the demons.

  At once a Dark voice entered his mind, cold, cruel, and full of evil. Yes, little elfling. I am so glad that I found you. Your stubborn silver-eyed friend was very unhelpful with that, believe me. But at least now I have the pleasure of sentencing you to a truly agonizing death. You should feel honored; not even your father was awarded this great death. His was disappointing…short and painless.

  A wave of Darkness washed over him, and Joran sank to his knees with a shout of pain, grasping his head. Get out… leave me alone…

  The demons were no longer attacking him, but the Darkness went over him again, and he collapsed onto his side, breathing unevenly.

  "Joran!" someone called. A familiar voice. Calling his name. It sounded far away, echoing in his mind.

  Face your death, elven princeling, the voice hissed again. The Darkness attacked for the third time, and Joran lost consciousness.

  Dawn

  Dawn

  "Halthren, Loriina's back there. Will she be alright?" Katie panted as they fought side by side.

  "Yes," Halthren answered, breathing heavily. "Only two things can pierce a dragon's hide: Dragon teeth and dragon claws."

  "Good," Katie said, dispatching two demons. This is tiring me out, she thought in distress. I'm not sure how long I can do this. Glancing at Halthren, the now-familiar worries about him set in again. He had another bruise, this one on his cheekbone, and his face was even paler from blood loss.

  The demon she was fighting nearly skewered her.

  Focus! Katie chided herself. She forced herself to think only about the battle. She demolished a large group of demons with another massive lightning bolt and led Halthren by his wrist to one of the trebuchets. Their plan was to use it against the demons.

  "I wonder how it works," Halthren said, studying the contraption. "I've never really used anything like this before."

  "Maybe you should read about war contraptions instead of legends," Katie joked. Halthren didn't laugh.

  "I never told you about my…obsession," Halthren said. "How did you find out?"

  "Joran told me," Katie responded, instantly regretting her weak attempt to lighten things up a bit. "Sorry; is that another bad topic?"

  "Not really…I'm just considered more than a bit odd because I'm so fascinated with old tales and prophecies," Halthren responded. "Most people would agree with you that I should have studied something they thought was actually 'useful.'"

  "I didn't mean it; I was just joking," Katie assured him. That reminded her of something, something at the very back of her mind…something that Starling had told her. But what was it? She kicked the dirt with her foot, uncovering something that was shining, still half-buried in the ground. Intrigued, she bent down and picked it up. It was perfectly circular and incredibly smooth, and even in the dark she could tell that it was white with small black specks in it. She could feel something in it…something magical that made her skin tingle from the contact. "Halthren…what do you think this is? Don't tell me it's an ordinary rock."

  She handed it to him. He held it close to his eyes. "It looks like a dragon's Stone. But if it belonged to anyone it would have a chain attached to it…"

  His voice trailed away and he looked at Katie. "I think you have some new powers. Dragon powers." He handed the Stone back to her.

  "Wow," Katie whispered, taking it and studying it closer. "What do I do with it?"

  "Dirt beasts, storm beasts, fire beasts, the ability to breathe ice, wind, and fire … almost all of them could win the battle," Halthren pointed out.

  Katie nodded. "I wish Loriina was here to teach me. As it is…" She looked down at her stone and back up at the stormy sky. Lightning flashed. Katie inhaled deeply and thought about flames. Then she let out a yell and a blast of fire shot from her mouth. Halthren jumped in shock.

  "Nice aim," he said as a demon in the distance caught fire. "We probably don't need the trebuchet anymore."

  Katie nodded vigorously. "And actually, I think I have an idea about how to create those beasts you mentioned." She stretched her arms straight out in front of her, parallel to the ground, and lifted her hands as if pulling or beckoning something from the ground. Two massive dirt beasts erupted from the ground and, without any encouragement, began crushing every demon in their paths. Katie felt suddenly dizzy; the next thing she knew she'd collapsed. Halthren caught her before she fell.

  "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

  "Loriina was right," she mumbled, gazing distractedly up into his eyes and leaning her head against his firm, muscular chest, feeling each of his breaths, hearing every beat of his heart. "It takes a lot of strength to summon those things." And then she was unconscious in Halthren's arms.

  * * *

  She awoke to horns in the distance, playing a long, harmonious chord. Katie opened her eyes and sat up. It was nearly dawn. Halthren was still holding her in his arms, sitting on the ground and staring into the distance, his eyes wide. Turning towards the sound of horns, Katie saw a massive elven army riding towards them with terrific speed.

  "The other three armies have arrived," Halthren murmured. "The remaining three lords are here." He stood up, helping Katie to her feet, and surveyed the scene before him.

  There were only about a thousand demons left, against over three thousand elves. There was no hope for Darkness this time.

  "Retreat!" one of the demon captains yelled. Halthren thought he recognized Blacknack's voice. Coward, he thought bitterly. But the other captains took up the cry. "Retreat! Retreat!"

  They didn't need to be told twice; they turned and ran back the way they'd come across the vast field. The elven horses were many times faster, but they didn't give chase, much to Katie's surprise.

  "Why don't we hunt them down?" she asked.

  "Because the battle is over," Halthren answered. "We've won. We don't need to kill anymore, and we certainly don't want to. It is dishonorable to defeat a retreating army."

  "Okay," Katie said, managing a faint smile. She relaxed, leaning against Halthren again, closing her eyes. The battle that everyone thought would be the end of the world had been won by the elves, and Velana was still standing.

  But as Katie looked towards the western side of the forest, she saw a sight to dampen her spirits. A silver-white horse, head down, was walking beside a dappled gray mare with a blond mane. She carried three elves on her back. One sat straight on the horse, his head bo
wed, and he held the other two in place.

  Halthren followed her gaze, and the relief on his face died instantly. "No," he whispered, sprinting towards the horses. "Please, no!"

  Katie raced after him, terrified of what she would find. As she drew near, she recognized the rider as Relenthus, but she'd never seen him looking so miserable. And when she saw who he carried she understood why.

  "Krenej is dead," Relenthus said in a choked voice. "Joran is alive, but he won't awaken."

  Halthren took Joran in his arms and laid him on the grass. "How could this happen?" he murmured, sounding as if he might cry.

  Katie felt as if the whole thing was simply a nightmare. It couldn't be real. She just needed to wake up. "Joran?" she whispered in a shaking voice. She looked up and saw Relenthus dismounting. He set Krenej's torn body on the ground and knelt beside it, head bowed in sorrow.

  "He was my greatest friend for my entire life," he whispered, tears streaming from his sky-blue eyes.

  Katie knelt beside him. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "It's my fault."

  Relenthus looked at her miserably. "Katie…the Forest of Mist…it's been destroyed."

  Katie gasped. Destroyed! But…that meant…

  I'll never see my parents again. Mom, Dad, my sisters, Nora, Cami, Flagstaff…never again. All at once the sadness she felt was too much to bear, sending chills up her spine and causing a hollow, empty feeling to spread slowly and painfully throughout her body. It was sickening. I'm trapped here forever. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her arms, tears spilling from her eyes. She tried not to make much noise; it would feel too conspicuous in the quiet dawn, but she couldn't conceal the hoarse whimpers that escaped, involuntarily, from her throat. More than anything, she wished that she could just open her eyes to find it was all a dream; she yearned and mourned for the loving embrace of her parents, now lost forever.

  Then there was a gentle touch upon her shoulder. Looking up through tear-blurred eyes, she saw Halthren beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

  "Is there anything I can do?" he asked quietly. All at once Katie wanted more than anything to lean on his shoulder, feel his comforting presence, his arms around her… Throwing aside all hesitancy, she flung herself on him, crying into his chest, clinging to him as if she was drowning and he was her lifeline. Gently, uncertainly, he put his arms about her.

  "It will be alright," he whispered. "We'll find another way for you to get back—I promise. There must be something that lives here and has hidden powers… perhaps the unicorns. We'll find a way to get you home."

  "Thank you," Katie breathed, her voice hoarse as she clutched at the soft material of his tunic.

  All across the field, other elves were mourning as well. They knelt beside those they had lost and wept for them, some holding hands, some embracing. Many had fallen; almost every elf had lost someone dear to them. Lord Bloodthorne had been severely wounded and his right arm would have to be amputated, but he would live. Firdin had been shot in the leg; he wouldn't be able to walk for a while but eventually he'd heal. Loriina was bruised but otherwise unhurt. However, Fen had been killed and Dewrion had a cut on his arm that had been poisoned. Reiltin had a possibly fatal gash in his side.

  The elves had won, but at a heavy price.

  Relenthus drew a large ball of Light from within himself and sent it into Krenej's body, which gleamed brightly before becoming an even larger sphere of Light, shining as bright as the sun and shooting upwards into the slowly lightening sky until it was far away, as small as a star.

  Katie looked at Halthren through eyes blurred with tears. "Wh-what was that?" she asked shakily.

  "Look up at the sky. Every star you see is an elven spirit. When we die our bodies do not go in the ground. They dissolve into Light when another person's Light touches them, and then they become stars, watching over us from paradise."

  "What about the moon and sun?" Katie wondered.

  "That is where our spirits come from when we are born," Halthren answered softly. "Elves are never born during eclipses or nights of the new moon. Come with me, Katie; we must bring Joran to the cavern of healing. Perhaps Aspeniel can do something for him."

  Together they carried Joran across the field, through the eerily deserted streets of Velana, and back to the mansion. Aspeniel was already administering purple potion to at least twenty elves lying in various states of injury in the healing cavern. When she saw Joran she shook her head. "He'll be fine," she said.

  "But he's cold as ice," Halthren whispered, holding Joran's hand in his own. "And if he doesn't wake up, he could die. Is there anything you can do to free him?"

  "He must awaken on his own," Aspeniel told him.

  "What do you mean?" Katie asked, confused.

  Halthren spoke up. "Nashgor has trapped him in the Dream Kingdom— which, according to the stories from before the elves even came into existence, is a perfectly realistic alternate reality in one's mind. The Dream Kingdom was created by Darkness, so there are no elves within, and the residents are highly biased against us. Nashgor can bring the mind of any living creature inside of it, and that is where Joran is. Right, Aspeniel?"

  The healer nodded. "Yes. Now I know why they call you Legendheart."

  Halthren blushed and looked at the floor. "But what about Joran? How will he escape?"

  "I cannot say. But there is no known power that can help him."

  Halthren's eyes widened. "Known power? Are you suggesting the unicorns?" He glanced at Katie.

  Aspeniel smiled. "They are said to have incredible magic that elves can only dream of."

  Katie frowned, still confused. "Wouldn't I have some of that magic, then?"

  "The unicorns aren't Allagandrian," Aspeniel responded, shaking her head.

  Halthren dipped his chin in agreement. "According to the records of the Great Elves, the unicorns came from Earth through a portal of their own making near the beginning of Earth's life. But no one knows where they now live."

  "So the unicorns can help Joran?" Katie asked.

  Aspeniel shrugged. "We do not know. The Great Elves died before they could reveal what they'd learned about the unicorns to the rest of Kylaras. So perhaps they can, and perhaps they cannot. It does no harm to try. And… Halthren… I would advise you not to share your knowledge so readily. Someday it might be worth something, but now it just makes you look like an obnoxious know-it-all."

  Halthren recoiled as if slapped. Katie stared at Aspeniel in horror. She'd never been so rude before. "So how do we get to the unicorns?" Katie asked slowly and deliberately, trying to change the subject.

  "No one knows, but elves can feel the presence of foreign magic, so you'll need to bring one along with you. As for getting around quickly, I recommend you fly with Loriina," Aspeniel said, attempting to seem wise. Instead she sounded condescending.

  "So what do I do?" Katie asked.

  "The one thing that is known about unicorns is their one great flaw: their pride. They are haughty because they think being from Earth makes them better than anyone else. Thus, according to legend, they refuse to speak with Allagandrians. Since you are from Earth, they might listen to you."

  "Okay," Katie said. "Where should we start looking?"

  "Not in Kylaras. We know this land well," Halthren said hesitantly, fearing another retribution from Aspeniel. "There are no unicorns here."

  "So that narrows it down to the land on the other side of the Ocean of Storms, right? Should we leave immediately?" Katie asked, turning back to Aspeniel.

  "No; let me prepare a few satchels for you to take. One with healing potions and one with food and water. And you need to choose which elf to bring with you for added protection. I highly recommend Relenthus; he's experienced, wise, and a fantastic warrior." She glared at Halthren as if to say, And you're not.

  Katie's eyebrows drew together in concern. Why does she dislike him so much? "Thanks, I'll…um…think about it," she said awkwardly. "I'll go ask Loriina if she'
ll come, then." She turned to leave and looked back at Halthren, who looked absolutely pitiful, bruised and bleeding and covered in mud as he was. "Are you coming?"

  Halthren glanced from Joran to Aspeniel. Knowing very well by now that the healer didn't want him in the same room as her, he said, "Er…yes." He followed Katie out of the cavern.

  When they'd left the healing cavern behind and were walking up the stairs, Katie asked, "Why was she so rude to you?"

  Halthren didn't meet her gaze. "Two reasons. One, I'm obsessed with legends and myths and tales of magic. Most elves consider that a waste of time, so I've always been somewhat of an outcast once people realize that I'm the crazy 'Legendheart' who cares nothing of the present and dwells always in the past, in fairy tales with no basis in reality. Now I suppose I'll be alienated even more because I have no powers. And an elf without any powers is considered useless by most creatures in Kylaras, some elves included. And that's the second reason." His voice was unusually bitter. Katie had never heard him speak with such hostility before.