“Mother, I need some coin to buy supplies for father. Can you bring me the ledger?” Morgan said, entering the house.
“What do you need coin for?” Gabby asked.
“Supplies. I know you heard me.”
“What supplies can’t wait till Father returns?”
“This is not your concern, Gabby. Having it here when Father gets back means less he has to do. Where is Mother?”
“Go find her if you want to know.”
Morgan got his father’s ledger off the shelf in the kitchen and leafed through the pages, looking for costs on the items he needed. He took ink and quill and marked them down on a torn piece of parchment and went to find his mother. He found her kneeling in her garden plot, planting seeds.
“Mother, I need to go to the blacksmith and general merchant to get some supplies for Father.”
“I know, Son,” his mother answered.
“You do?”
“I could hear you and your sister arguing out here. You shouldn’t be so short with your sister, Morgan.”
“She shouldn’t question everything I do. I have a list with figures from father’s ledger of how much I need.”
“Help get the rest of these seeds sown and I’ll get your money.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“You should take your sister with you.”
“No. I’m not leaving you here alone. Father wouldn’t be happy with me if I did.”
“Why? What did your father say?”
“The first thing he said was not to worry you or Gabby, so I won’t. Can’t you just ask him when he returns?”
“Your father and I have no secrets from each other, son. Now tell me what he told you.” Morgan squirmed. Being caught between his parent’s directives was not where he wanted to be. His mother standing before him, hands hips won out over his absent father.
“Goblins. Father said they are raiding the frontier towns, murdering the people and burning the buildings. He said they had never been bold enough in the past for anything other than simple thievery from the farms on the frontier. He left me a sword and bow. I’ve been trying to teach myself how to use them.”
Morgan was surprised when his mother turned away, staring out over the field. He studied the ground, disappointed in himself. His mother still hadn’t said anything, so he walked toward the barn to find some work to do. He wasn’t sure what was right or wrong. His father was right for not wanting to worry his mother with talk of killing and burning towns. Mother, though, seemed hurt and maybe she was right that she should have been told.
“Where you going?”
“Thought I would sharpen the hoe and break up more ground for your garden.”
“Come inside. Let me get you the money. But I still want you to take your sister. Now that I know your father’s concerns, I’ll stay in while you’re gone.” Morgan looked like he was about to argue again. “Those are my terms. Your sister could use a change of scenery. It isn’t often she gets to leave.”
Morgan sighed, knowing Gabby would want to gawk at everything in town and then she would feel bad that there was no money for her to buy anything. Getting away for a few hours would hopefully be enough.
The trip to Talons Station was uneventful. The day was warm and sunny and Gabby was quiet. He bought the supplies they needed and spent a copper on a piece of hard candy for Gabby. She had seemed to enjoy the day, but his sister’s strange behavior bothered him. Gabby was never quiet for long.
“What’s troubling you? And don’t tell me nothing because it’s clear there is something wrong.”
“Alexis is gone now, isn’t she. Why did you fight with her so much? I liked her and was happy I would have someone to talk to besides you, Mikkel and Jordi.”
Morgan had to think about his answer. Gabby didn’t know about Crystal and how he could hear her even though she spoke without sound. “I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I’ll try.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“You know how you were looking at the dress in the seamstress’ window today? You liked it, you wanted it, but then you remembered you have no money and had to walk away. It is something like that.”
“Because you have no money?” Gabby said seriously.
“Well, there is that, too, but no. Alexis is more than a ranger. She is a princess and she already has someone back at the capitol she is promised to marry.”
“She is a princess? Did she tell you that?”
“Yes, Gabby, she told me all of that. She also told me she is your friend. Maybe she’ll come back.” Morgan wasn’t about to tell her any details of the last few minutes he and Alexis spent alone. Morgan had spent a lot of time thinking about those last few minutes and knew Alexis was worried that another ranger saw what they were doing. He truly hoped Gabby would get to see her again, but his own insides were in knots; he didn’t know if he wanted to see her again.
Eleven
Alexis ran to the capitol road. Once she made it, she would pick up speed to put as much distance between herself and the goblins as she could. The wood provided more cover, she knew, but even with her skills it would still be slower. With luck, she would run into a patrol on the road and they would hunt the goblins down. Morgan was right. The goblins were using elven land to move about. Judging by their number, it looked like the whole raiding party had given chase. She was thankful for that. If it was true, then Morgan, Gabby and his mother were safe for the moment.
Crystal had been a welcome sight and she owed her her life. How she would repay that she didn’t know. First she would find safety, then she would give it some thought. An arrow streaked over her head. She didn’t need to look back. It appeared she would have to run through the wood anyway. She gauged from the sound of running feet there was less than half the number goblins giving chase as before. There was only one archer in the group; arrows flew past one at a time. She timed the arrows, moving from one side of the road to the other, ducking into the woods at the edge of the road when she timed the archer was letting an arrow fly.
The sunlight streaming through the trees dimmed—a cloud had passed overhead—and then it cleared far too fast to be a cloud. Something then dropped into the narrow clearing created by the road and it was coming straight at her. She dove for the ground as it flew overhead, belching flames, followed by screams that didn’t stop for what felt like an eternity. Standing up slowly, she looked to the sky first, then down the road. Earth, trees and bodies burned. It wasn’t just along the road, either. The dragon must have been turning its head from side to side as it belched fire. The wood burned for twenty paces on either side of the road.
The whoosh of great wings drew Alexis’s attention to the sky above. She tried to see beyond the trees, but it was almost impossible except for in the narrow clearing where the road cut through. The dragon turned, revealing a rider sitting at the base of its neck. Her pale body glowed in the sun; wild blue-green hair trailed behind, dancing in the air. Alexis paced herself. She ran for hours until the great city was in sight. Only then did she slow to a walk. Crystal and the dragon had never reappeared. Her slower pace gave her time to think on what the future might hold. She dreaded the reunion with her family and betrothed and would take a fight with goblins over it any day, but the king had requested her and her father was not one to trifle with.
When she arrived, she would go to him immediately and tell him of the goblins, then he would send out more than enough soldiers to deal with them. She would also tell him of the fate of Morgan’s father and brothers at the hands of the goblins. He would not be moved by their deaths, but the information may prove useful.
The guards at the first gate stopped her. Upon finding out who she was, though, they saluted and let her pass. Her dread for the upcoming reunions did not extend to the city itself. She loved Thor’Dunae. The great elven capitol lay at the foot of Mt. Dunae, with the palace itself carved into the side of the mountain. An outer and inner stone wall surrounded the city, but the use of ston
e for building was almost non-existent after that. The inner-city elven population occupied ancient trees connected by walkways of wood and vine and platforms. Stone pathways were woven around the trees throughout the whole city. The elves were no different than other races; the division of wealth and power grew the closer you got to the palace. The nobility, wealthy merchants and high-ranking soldiers occupied the forest area just outside and around the palace. Many owned multiple trees that were set up as family compounds.
Gardens could be grown at every home, but livestock had to be kept outside the city. A market situated between the walls, lining both sides and extending all the way around, sold everything the people could want: clothes, fruits and vegetables, meat, bows for hunting, and arms and armor for soldiers. There were inns for travelers and restaurants that catered to all races, for most living between the walls were not elven. Like with the inner-city housing, the shops closest to the palace supplied the finest items. The sights and smells made Alexis smile. The wind carried the fragrances of many flowers and in one home someone cooked a meal that made her mouth water. Maybe after a long bath and a proper meal she would feel better about being called home early.
*****
Morgan unloaded the wagon and watered the horses. He looked at the supplies he had piled up in the barn and hoped his father would be happy with his foresight in buying them. Washing his hands in the trough, he then wiped them on his shirt and felt something in his pocket. It was the piece of candy he bought for Gabby and had forgotten to give to her.
“Gabby, can you come out here for a minute?” Morgan yelled and walked back into the barn. A minute later she walked in.
“You need help unloading the wagon?” she asked.
“No, I got you something and forgot to give it to you.” He pulled the piece of candy, wrapped in twisted wax paper, of his pocket and held it out to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you more. You should eat it out here or wait till mother is in bed and eat it later.”
Gabby looked at it but didn’t take it. Instead she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her brother. “I’m sorry about Alexis and for being selfish about her friendship.”
“It’s ok,” he said. “It would have been harder on both of us if she stayed.”
“Um, Morgan.”
“Yeah,”
“Why is there a very tall, almost naked woman with odd-colored hair standing in our barn?”
Morgan groaned and turned around. Crystal stood in the shadows, her face solemn. She walked toward him. “Morgan, I need to talk to you. Would you come with me?”
“Um, sure. Gabby, I’ll be right back.” Morgan followed Crystal a dozen paces from the barn. Crystal wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead and his cheek. He felt her lips next to his ear and she began to speak softly. He heard the words and froze. She squeezed him tighter when his knees got weak and spoke words of comfort, but they had little effect.
“I have to go,” he said and pulled free, running for the wagon. Gabby’s face was clouded with concern and he heard her say his name as he leaped into the wagon. Ignoring her, he screamed at the horses while shaking the reins. The startled horses took off and almost turned the wagon over in the sharp turn out of the barn.
“What is wrong with Morgan? Who are you?”
“Come, child, let me hold you,” Crystal said, wrapping her arms around Gabby. She spoke softly in her ear and caught her when she fainted. Lifting her like she weighed no more than an infant, she carried her toward the house.
“Who are you and what has happened to my baby?” Cecilia asked.
“Where can I lay her?” Crystal replied, ignoring the questions.
“In here, on my bed.”
“Come with me into the other room. Gabriella is fine. Sit here.”
“I prefer to stand. Strike me down if you must but I will not sit while my child lies in the other room.”
“Hush and prepare yourself. Your husband and sons are dead, slain by a goblin raiding party. Morgan has gone to see to the bodies.” Cecilia started to swoon, and Crystal put her hands on her shoulders and guided her to a chair. “I will leave you and return in two days to check on you. Pack your things. It may not be safe here anymore.”
Crystal let herself out and walked toward the well. She could travel faster that way. Heart-wrenching sobs followed her down the well, and even when she couldn’t hear them any longer they echoed inside her.
*****
Morgan drove the wagon like a demon. He pushed the horses, never letting up. He was lucky the horses knew exactly where they were going, and he didn’t have to control them, or he would have been lying somewhere, a broken mess along with the wagon. He sobbed nonstop and choked on the air rushing at his face. In the distance he could see the clearing and began trying to slow the horses down. Birds and vermin flew or ran away from the sound of the wagon. When the horses entered the clearing, Morgan leaped from the moving wagon, leaving it to the horses to decide what to do next.
He saw his brothers first, fifteen paces apart. Insects unphased by the wagon’s entrance continued to crawl over their pale, bloated bodies. He put his hand over his mouth and walked around the large tree trunk they had been working on. His dad lay on his back behind it. Even with arrows piercing his guts, his face looked only to be sleeping. Morgan fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his dead father’s neck and sobbed. Neither the smell nor the insects would keep him from spending a few moments holding his father.
A few moments were all he had before the spasms hit and he crawled away on his hands and knees. He retched violently while sweat erupted all over his body. The spasms washed over him, squeezing him until he felt like his insides would come out next. To his relief, the convulsions finally subsided. He breathed in and out, trying to calm himself enough to stand. He couldn’t take back his father and brothers, couldn’t let his mother and sister see them like this, so he decided to bury them on the land they worked so hard on.
Taking another deep breath, he let it out and thought about his situation. He had left without taking a tool of any kind and pictured the shovel standing in the corner of the barn. He would have to make do with an axe and his hands. Morgan picked up their blankets from their camp and covered them, more for him than anything else. He couldn’t bear to keep seeing them like that. Walking over to an area they had cleared last summer, he picked a spot and traced out grave wide enough for three bodies and then took the axe and started working the soil. He chopped it like he was hoeing a garden, then knelt to pull all the dirt to the side.
Time passed and he had the whole thing shaped, but had not dug down deep enough, so he started the process over again. Halfway through, he needed to stop for some water and to sharpen the axes while he rested for a few moments. After drinking his fill, he took his father’s sharpening stone and, before the first pass across the edge was done, he vowed to hunt down and kill the goblins and anything that got in his way. Completing his vow would have to wait until tomorrow, though, when he had finished the heartbreaking task of burying half his family.
*****
Jarol and company knew they had found the border of the Black Mountain elf kingdom when two rangers stepped into the road ahead of them. One held up his arm, signaling them to stop, while the other had an arrow drawn and pointed at him. The archer had a hard look about him. He had killed before.
“What business do you have in the Black Mountains? State it quickly before my companion’s fingers grow tired of holding that arrow and accidently let it fly.”
“We travel on Queen Verlainia’s business, seeking an audience with your king and queen. What that business is, is none of your business.” Jarol smirked and looked at Theralin, who sat on her horse beside him. “Did that make sense?”
“In an ignorant sort of way.”
“Just giving him the business.”
“Maybe I should speak to them and you just sit quietly.”
“Yes, let the traitor speak. Step down, Lieutenant, a
nd explain to me why we should let you pass,” he sneered, giving all the elves from the north a hateful glare. Many summers had passed since the former rulers were driven north, taking loyal followers with them. Not long enough for the prejudice to dispel, but long enough to forget who the traitors really were.
“It’s captain, but you already knew that. How many soldiers do you have waiting down the road? Thirty? Forty?” she asked.
“I’ll be upset if it’s not at least forty. Any less would be an insult to us. What do you think, Stonehead?” Jarol asked.
“Aye, a huge insult. Trobar and I could handle at least thirty-five ourselves. The rest of you could handle five, I think,” Stonehead bragged.
“We aren’t here to fight or trade insults,” Theralin said. “Escort us to the capitol if you must, but let us pass in peace.”
“And if I don’t let you pass?” the ranger asked. Theralin knew he wanted her to threaten him and his companion, but she wouldn’t give him what he wanted.
“Then we return home. Queen Verlainia will send a message via bird to your king and queen—whom I’m sure are awaiting us, thanks to your spies, just so they can have the privilege of denying our request. How do you think they will feel when they find out some unknown ranger has taken that privilege for himself?”
“I am not unknown. I have been to court and received the king’s thanks.”
“I have a feeling there will be no thanks for a job well done if you turn us away, and you will be unknown after your king and queen find out.”
“Aye, you should listen to her,” Stonehead said. “If you’ve been to court, you know royals is different than the likes of us. They could be sitting on their thrones right now, salivating over throwing us out on our asses.”
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