Legend Warrior

by Liara Woo

  Joran looked at his friend with deep concern. "How did you escape?"

  Halthren was leaning desperately on his sword, holding it with its pommel in his armpit and the tip of the blade digging into the crystalline floor. He looked as if he might faint at any second. "The unicorns ran off as soon as the ceiling started to fall…" he mumbled. He sounded exhausted. "Let's get out of here…"

  Relenthus shook his head in astonishment. "How many times now have you been beaten to a pulp and yet live to tell the tale?"

  Katie grimaced. He had a point. Since the day she'd met him, he'd rarely been uninjured. Gently and somewhat timidly she approached him and felt the pulse in his neck; his heart was beating almost as fast as a rabbit's. We need to get him out of here, quickly, so that he can get some proper rest. But…

  The image of a severed chain filled her mind's eye, and suddenly she wondered what would happen if all of the unicorns were released from their bonds. But she didn't know if she and her companions had time to free them, especially if the situation in Kylaras was as dire as Nashgor's Shape-Shifter had claimed.

  "Well, about leaving," she began. "And…about the unicorns…" She looked at the one remaining unicorn in the stadium, the one she had freed, who was leaning on his spear some distance away. Relenthus followed her gaze.

  "Is that a unicorn?" he growled. "He lacks the beard and proud stance of the others. He looks almost as bad as Halthren."

  Halthren frowned, but he looked too tired to say anything.

  "My name is Acinoron," the unicorn said in a weak voice. He held up a severed chain. "Your friend…she saved me from a life of slavery."

  Joran frowned, his blue-green eyes narrowed. "Slavery? What do you mean by that?"

  Acinoron gestured to the chain. "Surely you have seen similar chains around the necks of my kin. Rune is far older than he looks. He's been around for several millennia—long enough to have had every unicorn child's neck chained. The eldest among us, besides the king, remember their great-grandparents with these chains. When our necks our bound in iron, we are prevented from doing anything Rune wouldn't want. We cannot remove the chain; if we try, great pain is set upon us." A terrified look came into his wary black eyes. "In all my seventeen years I have tried to free myself five times. Each time the agony nearly cost me my life. Your friend saved me from bearing the torment any longer."

  Halthren, having somewhat caught his breath, turned to Joran and Katie. "We can do some good here. Perhaps we can free all of the unicorns."

  "Not all of them. Not Gorion," Acinoron protested with a shudder. "Even if he didn't have a chain, he is devoted to Rune. Whatever you do, don't free him!"

  "Wait," Katie said firmly. "I'm not at all against saving the unicorns. But remember what Nashgor said about Kylaras? Like you told me, Joran, elves are dying as we speak."

  "Speaking of Nashgor, where is It?" Relenthus asked, the fear returning to his voice.

  Halthren proceeded to tell them everything he'd told Katie only minutes ago. When he finished, he was out of breath again. Katie felt a pang of pity for him, and she put her hand on his solid shoulder. He glanced at her, and something imperceptible flickered within the dark blue depths of his eyes.

  "The Sword of Light," Relenthus said, awed after hearing the tale. "I hate to say I've never heard of such a thing, but it certainly seems like something that could defeat Nashgor."

  "Right; well, it sounds like all of you have a mission of your own," Acinoron said. "Perhaps I could set the unicorns free myself; freeing one who in turns frees others. In little time, we'd all be free, and I believe I can convince everyone else to fight for your cause. Whenever you send for us, we will come."

  They exchanged amazed looks. Loriina smiled gravely and growled, "Well…I don't think you elves have a choice in this matter. Katie needs to find the Sword of Light by going to the griffins, with me, of course, so neither of us will be in Kylaras to protect you. You need reinforcements."

  Relenthus nodded in agreement. "As long as the unicorns don't act like the pompous softies that they seem to be, I'll accept their help."

  Halthren looked at his comrade reproachfully, through eyes devoid of all energy. "It's no use pretending, Relenthus. We're desperate. And insulting those who would help us is no way to act. Joran, you're our leader. We will follow your command. Do we accept Acinoron's help?"

  "Yes," Joran answered almost instantly. "In fact, Acinoron, don't wait for a signal. Just come. Do you have ships? You may need them…"

  Acinoron laughed. "What for? All we need to do is gallop south, and we'll reach your land."

  "Good news," Loriina said. "And now that we've settled this unicorn business, let's go, before Halthren loses consciousness."

  "Good idea," Katie said, relieved. With the unicorns on their side the elves had a much better chance of survival, and now they knew that Kylaras lay in the south. They knew where to go.

  But the conversation had lasted far too long for her comfort. She hated to think of the fierce brave elves in Kylaras, like Lord Bloodthorne and Firdin, being killed at this very moment. She was the first to climb up behind one of the thorns on Loriina's back. Joran followed her swiftly, leaping with incredible grace to sit behind her. Relenthus followed, jumping lightly and grabbing onto a spike, pulling himself up. Katie noticed that he was wincing; her eyes were drawn to the angry red whiplashes on his back. They were still bleeding. She bit her lip. Could I have prevented this if I hadn't fallen under Rune's spell? Is everything that happened my fault?

  Misery filled her heart. Of course it is.

  "Come, Halthren," Relenthus said.

  Halthren shook his head apprehensively. "I cannot jump or climb up there. I have a broken arm and cracked ribs and a sprained ankle. Probably some crushed toes, as well. And the unicorns took the sack that had the healing potion in it."

  "I'll carry you," Loriina said, carefully lifting him in her forepaws, seeming not to notice the color draining from his already pale cheeks.

  "Have a safe flight," Acinoron said, looking up at them with a smile on his pale face. Loriina, beating her wings hard, jumped up and flew through the hole in the ceiling, her massive wings not even brushing the sides as she soared away. The snow had stopped falling, and the wind was blowing to the south. The gust had driven the clouds away, baring the stars and the nearly full moon. Katie's heart sank as she remembered that the last time she'd seen a full moon, she'd been in the White Mountains, in Arizona.

  "You didn't ask Acinoron if the unicorns could send you home," Joran said softly. "I'm…surprised. I thought that you would."

  Katie wasn't sure what to say. Eventually she replied, "I guess…I was busy worrying about Firdin, and Bloodthorne, and…and Halthren." She remembered the sickening feelings of dread filling her heart when Halthren had stumbled out of the tunnel, beaten up for the umpteenth time, hardly conscious. There was an ache of sadness when she realized that someday she'd have to choose…between the good, handsome elven warrior, along with her other friends in Allagandria—and her parents.

  "Katie, are you alright?" Joran asked gently.

  "I'm just homesick," she replied with a deep sigh. "Don't get me wrong; I love Allagandria. It's beautiful and unpolluted and pure and clean—well, most of it. The bad things from Earth have no power here, and I guess that's why I love it so much. And I have more friends here than I've ever had on Earth. But I miss my home. The beauty of my hometown is different from the beauty here, but it's beauty nonetheless. What if the unicorns can't send me back?"

  "Then we'll find another way," he replied determinedly. "All of Kylaras will search for another way. You're saving us, Katie, even though you may not realize it. Every one of your actions is saving the Light in the world."

  Liandres

  Liandres

  As Loriina continued gliding on the southern wind, the coldness steadily became less prominent until the temperature felt pleasant. The white, snow covered ground was replaced by dark boulders and pale green fields
, and then by snow-capped mountains covered in dark, mysterious pines. After that were rivers, apple trees, maple trees, cherry trees, and all other kinds of fruit trees.

  "These are the orchards of Kylaras," Joran said. "They are tended by dryads and the elves of the village known as Liandres, just west of here."

  "Any chance of pausing there for a snack?" Loriina asked. "Flying for twelve hours straight is pretty arduous. At least in the Ocean of Storms I could pause and grab a fish or two every now and then."

  "We probably should head to Liandres," Joran consented. "Perhaps someone there can help Halthren."

  Loriina banked westward, descending swiftly. Katie grinned; she loved the exhilaration that came when the dragon flew with her wings almost vertical as she sailed closer to the ground. She could feel gravity trying in vain to pull her downwards; the world was a blur of color—the greens of the earth below and the bright blue of the sky. After a few moments Loriina righted herself, and the forest was much closer. Enjoying the thrill, Katie leaned over one side and looked down at the trees and fields swiftly fleeing past beneath her. She also saw Halthren grasped in Loriina's forepaws, his eyes closed tight and his teeth clenched. He looked pale and sick and…terrified. Katie suddenly realized that he was afraid of heights, and she almost laughed. How is it, she wondered, that he can kill one of Nashgor's puppets, survive a hoard of unicorns, and still be afraid of heights?

  "Land here," Joran called. "And don't forget that you're holding Halthren!"

  "I won't," Loriina laughed and banked again, beginning a near-vertical spiral dive. Katie's grin widened as the treetops and flowers below rushed up to meet them until, at the last possible moment, Loriina righted herself and flapped her wings hard, angling herself so that her hind feet touched the soft yellow-green grass first. Gently she laid Halthren on the ground and allowed her feet to come down just to the right of his body.

  Katie dismounted and hurried to his side, cringing at his appearance. The flight certainly hadn't been good for him; his blood-drained cheeks had a sickly green tint to them, and his eyes were half-closed. He rolled onto his knees, drew his sword, and used it to pull himself to his feet. Wincing, he limped over to a nearby apple tree and leaned heavily against it, breathing hard.

  Relenthus dismounted and approached him. "Sit down and rest," he advised kindly. "We'll go get help."

  Joran slid to the ground. "Loriina, stay here and guard Halthren. Relenthus, Katie, come with me. Liandres is only two miles from here."

  "Okay," Katie replied as Loriina settled down in the grass, flicking wildflowers with the tip of her tail.

  Katie began walking away to where Joran and Relenthus already waited. But she paused and looked back at Halthren, who had slid to the ground and was obviously fighting to stay conscious. I hope he'll be alright, she thought anxiously, walking over to the other two elves.

  "This way," Joran said, striding in a southwesterly direction. Katie frowned; she couldn't see a trail of any kind. How could he be so certain?

  "Don't elves make paths through the woods?" she asked.

  Relenthus chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not. Cutting down trees and grass for our own convenience is a terrible thing to do. Killing dryads and fairies —"

  "Fairies?" Katie said eagerly. "I haven't seen any of those yet." She glared at Joran.

  "Yes, you have," Joran replied quickly, blushing. "Just as dryads are tree spirits, fairies are the spirits of everything else: bushes, grass, flowers, shrubs…everything except for rock and dirt. Those are inanimate and have no life."

  "I know what fairies are," Katie grumbled. "You've just purposefully kept me from seeing any. And that reminds me—how is it that I've already heard of Allagandria's inhabitants in Earth's mythology?"

  Relenthus grinned. "You'd have to ask Halthren. While everyone else studied art, music, literature, and nature, he studied mythology. Legends. Everything that had to do with magic, the Forest of Mist, the Great Elves, connections to other worlds…"

  Katie smiled, feeling warm and sunny on the inside at the thought of him. "I know."

  The birds sang in clear, high voices—songs with rhyming lyrics, melodies, and even steady tempos. Katie marveled at that; birds in Flagstaff would sing, but they weren't real songs. They were conversations with every word having its own pitch. These birds were actually singing, with harmonies and choruses.

  Combined with the quiet hum of insects—buzzing bees and the low drone of cicadas blending with the soothing chirps of crickets—the forest sounds made Katie feel calm and safe. After the wild flight on Loriina's back, the roar of wind in her ears and the whipping of the wind, the forest was a soothing peace that eased her worries. For a time, no matter how small, she was able to forget the deaths she'd caused, to forget her mistakes in the unicorn realm, to surrender to the peace offered by the nature all around her.

  The three travelers walked out of the woods and into a field, near a herd of white deer. Rather than skitter away, the deer hurried to join them. "Prince Joran of the elves," one of the stags greeted them proudly. "What is your destination?"

  "Liandres," Joran answered.

  "You cannot go there," the stag warned.

  "But we must!" Relenthus exclaimed. "Our companion is gravely injured and we need to bring him a healer!"

  The stag lowered his head apologetically. "I am sorry to have to tell you this, but the residents of Liandres have been attacked, and their numbers are too few to hold the demons at bay for very long."

  "An even greater reason for us to go," Joran said. "We can help."

  "I know you have a youngling of great power with you," the stag said, looking at Katie. "But three people can do nothing against such an attack."

  Katie's thoughts were racing. What if we had Loriina? "Relenthus, how fast can you run?" she asked. As the tallest and strongest of them, the task would naturally fall to him.

  There was a glint in his eyes. "As fast as necessary," he answered determinedly.

  Joran looked at Katie, realization dawning in his eyes. "Relenthus, you must go back and get Loriina."

  "Of course," he answered, breaking into a sprint and dashing away.

  Joran turned to the stag. "Can you spare anyone to carry my companion?"

  "I will do it myself," the stag answered with a dip of his head.

  "Get on," Joran said to Katie.

  "Why can't you ride one?" she asked.

  "It is the duty of the elves to protect the deer, and all other animals, and to give them assistance as we see fit—not the other way around," Joran answered. "Only in times of dire need can we ask a small favor of them. You can't run as fast as I can, when speed is essential, so the need is dire enough."

  "Fine," Katie responded, somewhat stung by his words, although she knew that they were true. She climbed onto the stag's back and held tightly to his horns. Joran set off at a swift jog through the woods, his hair flying behind him. Katie had no time to contemplate his speed as the stag bounded ahead, his jolting gait threatening to unseat her. She had to focus her entire concentration on holding on.

  When horses trotted, the rider was forced to endure a highly uncomfortable ride—unless they could post. Posting was when a rider gently pushes himself up and down in the saddle in time to the horse's one-two gait. On the beat of 'two', the horse naturally pushes the rider back up and lessens the jarring bouncing of the trot. Katie had received a few lessons on posting, so she applied the same principles to the deer's leaping gait. This is only my third time riding a deer. I'd say I'm doing pretty well, she thought.

  The forest whizzed by in a blur of various shades of green, yellow, and brown. Occasionally the bright sunlight peering down through the leaves stung her eyes for an instant. To her left, Joran was also a blur, his pale hair sporadically catching her eye. It occurred to her that in the sunlight, elves didn't glow at all, and at night the light emitted from their skin was as much as a two-day-old Glow-Stick, which wasn't very much.

  It wasn't lon
g before she could hear clatters and yells in the distance along with the chattering of birds and the soft crunches as the stag stepped on dry leaves and twigs. The battle wasn't far away. "Joran!" she called. "You don't have a sword!"

  "I hadn't thought of that," he replied. "But Nelaara always fights with two swords. Hopefully she can let me borrow one."

  "Who's Nelaara?"

  Joran laughed, but there was a note of tension in his voice and Katie could tell he was nervous. "The greatest warrior in Kylaras besides Halthren."