Moss Gate

by Alex Linwood

  Lady Harper finished her song, eyeing the man’s leg critically. The man himself let his eyes close and he drooped forward, seeming to fall asleep in the spot he was sitting.

  Zeck whistled under his breath. “Impressive trick there.” It was the first nice thing, or the closest thing to a nice thing, Portia had ever heard him say about either one of them.

  Lady Harper turned to eye him. “Trick? The man would slow us down the way he was. I fixed that.”

  “Or just helped him be ready to escape,” Lieutenant Jassock said. It was an excellent point, but even so he didn’t seem angry. “It’s good to not have people in pain. They do stupid things when they’re hurting.” He looked at Lady Harper closely. “How did you do that by the way? I’ve not seen that sort of magic before.”

  “It’s elf magic. Not for you humans,” Lady Harper said, a touch of haughty disdain in her voice.

  Zeck burst out laughing at this. “And there you go, back to being a stuck-up jerk.”

  “You think I’m saying this just to be rude? Let’s see what you can do,” Lady Harper said, challenge dripping from her words.

  Zeck held up his hands. “Not me. I have no magic to speak of. Why do you think I’m in the guards protecting you? But these others, some of them might.” He motioned to the rest of the guards and the captives.

  Lady Harper nodded at the challenge. “All right, let us see what we shall see.”

  The next hour was spent with Lady Harper trying to teach the rhythm and song to those around her. Only Portia was able to follow along closely enough to feel some tingles of magic along her neck. Belatedly, the admonishment to not show her status as Jack came back to her, and she intentionally made an error in her rhythm so her efforts would not be effective. When, in the end, not a single person was able to do the magic that Lady Harper had done, the elf merely laughed it off and said the lesson was over. Portia was not sure if Lady Harper had noticed what she had done.

  At the end of lunch, Lieutenant Jassock stood before the three captives. “It’s not for me to decide your fates, but I cannot let you stay here to harass travelers along this road. Come with us to meet with our captain and share what knowledge you have.” The men did not meet his gaze. “We can say honestly you did not attack us directly and will vouch for that to the captain. But he needs to know of these events if he is to do anything to help your people. Our people.”

  At their lack of response, he changed tactics. “And we will feed you as well as we eat ourselves while you’re with us. We will also help your families as much as we are able.” After a moment, the three men nodded grudgingly at this. Portia was not surprised it was the food that persuaded the men to cooperate. Trust was hard to come by, and the men had already lost so much, but sustenance was a necessity and must be had.

  They traveled further north and east on the road for the next several days without additional incident. The grassy plains gave way to the gentle slopes and then the steep rocky hills that marked the edge of a large mountain range. The mountains rose so high their peaks were topped in snow, even in spring. The horses struggled with the incline and the thin air as they climbed the hills towards the mountains ahead. Even Portia felt a little faint as they climbed higher and higher.

  Finally they came to a pass between two high mountain peaks. It looked handmade, carved through stone. Portia could not imagine how it had been done. The road upon it was so deep that it was in perpetual shadow with no sunlight ever reaching it directly. The men and horses rode through the dim passage filled with rocks and boulders and small bits of vegetation. Little could survive in the twilight.

  When they emerged on the far side of the pass, they looked down on a land spreading out before them. It was twinkling emerald green and bright under the spring sun. Portia felt like she could breathe again. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath through the mountains.

  One of the captive men gasped. Portia’s eyes focused more closely on the land down below, and she saw what he was reacting to: a huge structure ran along the base of the mountains between the rocky peaks and the lush land beyond it. It was as green as the land itself, but rose up several stories high, and was just as wide, if not wider, than it was tall. Inside its walls was another similar structure, just as wide, that ran parallel to it. The paired walls ran for miles and miles in each direction, disappearing into the fog of distance. Portia could see no end to it. Spires and peaks ran along both walls, providing places for soldiers and archers to lie in wait. Defensive battlements dotted the walls along their entire lengths. It was a structure of war—or of defense at least.

  It was an enormous barrier meant to keep someone out.

  Lady Harper drew her horse up alongside Portia’s. “The Eternal Wall. We are approaching the passage through it known as the Moss Gate. The wall is thousands of years old. It has fulfilled its function.”

  Portia looked to Lady Harper, her eyes wide with wonder. She had never seen anything like that in her life. “Why is it called the Moss Gate?”

  “Because it is covered with moss, but more so because it is a living embodiment of a race’s will. It protects from those who would do them harm.”

  “It protects humans?” Portia asked. Zeck snorted behind her.

  Lady Harper’s laugh burst from her chest. “No, you silly girl. It protects elves from humans. Elves built that.” She stopped laughing and stared at Portia, her large eyes fixed on Portia’s. Suddenly, Portia felt ill at ease with her escort. How did Lady Harper really feel about the people around her?

  Chapter 9

  They rode down the far side of the mountain pass in silence. The approach to the Eternal Wall took most of the day. Portia noticed with trepidation that the structure was even bigger than it looked the closer they came to it. It was more impressive than the palace in Coverack. The scale was beyond anything she had ever seen before. When they finally reached the bottom of the road leading from the mountain, she felt impossibly small compared to the vast structure laid out ahead of her. What was she doing traveling into the lands of a race that created this? Fear bit the back of her throat, stronger than it had been at any time since she had taken the test of elf magic to get here. She hoped it was not all a mistake. If the elves who had created this were afraid of the future, then what possible horrors could be in store with the coming of The Splintering? Her stomach quailed at the possibilities.

  Even the normally jocular guardsmen were silent as they approached the soaring outer wall of the Moss Gate. Four arches marked the opening in the wall, rising several stories above the rest of the wall itself. The entire thing was dripping in moss and vegetation. It looked like a living creature laid low upon the land, waiting for those who would defy it.

  Lady Harper rode to the front of the group as they approached the arches of the main gate, her back straight. Portia thought Lady Harper’s chin was higher, her bearing more regal, as they approached her homeland.

  Four elf guards rode from the gate to meet them. They wore uniforms of green, brown, and black. If not for their horses, it would have been hard to distinguish them from the green wall in the background. It was clever camouflage.

  At the sight of the approaching soldiers, Lieutenant Jassock called for the group to halt. Lady Harper turned to him, her face tight with irritation, but she also stopped her horse to wait for the advanced guard. As they waited, Portia could smell the dew on the grass and feel the sunshine on her shoulders. It was a welcome change from the dry air in the mountains and the lack of sun in the deep mountain pass.

  When they were within hailing distance, the leader of the elf group wasted no time on niceties. “State your business,” he said, his tone brisk. He eyed the humans but addressed his words to Lady Harper. His eyes flicked from human face to human face. Portia thought he was uncomfortable with so many of them in front of him.

  Lady Harper held her hand up to Jassock, forestalling any possible response on his part. “It is royal business. I am Lady Harper of the Meadows.
I am surprised to not be recognized.” The last part was said in reproach.

  The guard’s eyes focused on her, recognition coming slowly. He sucked in a breath and then looked around the group again only to return to her. “Where is your convoy? We were expecting nine.”

  “Things have not gone well. Indeed, I am indebted to these humans for their escort and their adherence to our treaties.”

  These words surprised Portia. They were true, no doubt, but she did not expect Lady Harper to so easily credit the humans.

  They also apparently surprised the elf guards as well. His eyes widened slightly and then he nodded. “Come to the gate then.” He raised his arm and waved twice quickly to the guard in the tower behind him. The audible creak of gears and chains and a massive iron gate raising followed quickly.

  He led the group, elves and humans alike, towards the gate. Once there, Lady Harper and Portia dismounted. The animals were jumpy. Portia could feel magic emanating off the walls of the structure and the gate itself. She thought perhaps the animals were aware of it as well, even if they did not understand what was making them uneasy. It was difficult to control her horse, and she held on to the reins tightly, hoping it did not decide to bolt.

  Lady Harper came to her and took her reins and led both horses to Lieutenant Jassock, who was still on his horse, as were all the other humans. Lady Harper looked up at him, tilting her head. “You aren’t coming in?”

  Lieutenant Jassock looked around at the vast structure, then back to Lady Harper. “No, I think it’s best that we go. I’d not be comfortable going inside those gates, treaty or no.” His face turned a little red as his eyes flicked to the elf guards.

  Lady Harper stared at him, pursing her lips. Finally she spoke. “Very well. I’ll give you our horse, in addition to the negotiated payment for the second one. It would be unkind to keep ours here. It is not used to… this setting.” She dug in her bag and handed over the gold coin. “I wish you luck with these bandits. Please let your captain know our king and queen would be very grateful for any information of those with the diamond tattoos. It is of utmost importance.”

  At the mention of the diamond tattoos, the captives’ eyes flared. Between their jumpiness and the panic of the horses beneath them, it looked like they might bolt off at any second. It was only the discipline and control of the guards sharing the horses with the captive men that kept this from happening.

  Lieutenant Jassock looked at the horses’ reactions and the strain it was putting on his men, and his brows furrowed. He took the coin and the reins from Lady Harper, nodding curtly. “I’ll consider the horse advance payment for the information we will provide you.”

  They rode off without another word, leaving Lady Harper and Portia on the gravel pad in front of the enormous gate. Portia swallowed. She was surrounded by elves, and was in a land she knew nothing about except what little she had learned in history class. And that was not much. At that moment, she wished Mia was there with her lifelong education of the world. Portia realized ignorance was not a comfortable place.

  The elves on horseback waited for Portia and Lady Harper to walk in the gate. They passed under the overhang several stories above them. The cool air from the leaves and the structure above them washed over Portia. The air was thick with moisture in the scent of green plants and rich earth. It reassured her. It was so different from the noise and the dirt and the smells of Valencia, where she had spent most of her life. To her surprise, she realized she would rather be here, even with this scare of the unknown and the challenges ahead.

  Once inside the gate, they walked into a large courtyard and then crossed to a building nestled on the side of the inner wall, the wall she had seen from above. Elven soldiers walked in and out of the building, conducting normal business. One or two spied Portia and stared at her curiously, but they did not stop on their errands and continued on. Portia looked up at the battlements and saw elf archers staring as well from both walls, inner and outer. They were in a no-man’s-land between the two structures. Portia tried to calculate how many soldiers they had if the walls were manned all along their length—it would be an incredible number to do so.

  Entering the small building, Lady Harper walked purposely to the back corner where a decorated soldier sat behind a desk, an underling whispering furiously in his ear. By the number of black and brown bars on his uniform, Portia guessed he was the ranking officer. It surprised her that his desk was in the open area along with all the other soldiers—yet another reminder that elves were not the same as humans. They might do things much differently.

  At Lady Harper’s approach, the soldier waved away the underling and rose, giving Lady Harper a deep bow. He walked around the desk to her. “Welcome back, Lady Harper. My condolences, and concern, at the lack of your guard.”

  Lady Harper nodded her head in acknowledgment. “That is appreciated. However, time is of the essence, and I must make my report to the king and queen. We require mounts.”

  “Understood,” the soldier responded. “The ones that your convoy brought have been dispersed for the resupply, but we have two that we can spare for the moment. We were not expecting you for another month yet.” Stark curiosity showed on his face.

  But Lady Harper was not of a mind to indulge his desire to know exactly what happened. She spoke briskly. “My apologies. Our plans have changed, and it was not within our control to stop. We were both more successful and yet sadly, as you can see, much less successful than anticipated. We have secured the help we need but with conditions.”

  The soldier looked at Portia, then back at Lady Harper, his eyes narrowing at the possible connection between Portia and conditions set forth by the humans. He inhaled to speak again but thought better of it and exhaled, dropping the pen he had been holding on his desk. “Let it not be said I did not assist you for all possible success.” He motioned to the door and led them out.

  They walked around the building and along the inner wall to another gate. It was just as tall and wide as the outer gate, but without the complex carvings, overhang, and decorative greenery that made the outer gate so intimidating.

  But they did not go through the large gate this time, instead going through a small door set into the wall next to the larger opening. The door was constructed of thick, one-foot-wide wood beams, reinforced on both sides with steel. Elf guards stood by on either side of the wall. At their superior’s approach, they opened the door. It took considerable strength, and one soldier had to dig his heels into the earth as he leaned back to pull the door open on its hinges. Just before they went through, Portia looked up and saw a spout high in the wall above her. She knew enough of castle design from history class to know how the spout was used—boiling oil could be poured down it onto any invaders who made it to this part of the wall. This was a functional wall. It was meant to be used for defense.

  Once inside the inner wall, Portia looked around and sucked in her breath at the beauty of the land in front of her. It was a deep, lush green. Plants grew with abandon. Even the fields themselves were thick with a variety of growth. It was a sharp contrast to the dry, dusty plains they had passed through on their way to the mountain pass. Herds of deer wandered around grazing on the fields. Portia’s eyes could just barely pick out a fence at the far end of the field containing the animals.

  The ranking soldier motioned to the inner guard by the door, drawing him close. Portia could not hear what he said to the guard, but the guard soon ran off to the building to their right. He returned moments later leading two deer. The deer had odd saddles attached to them, with long leather sleeves hanging down on either side. Portia’s eyes widened. She looked to Lady Harper, who did not react as if anything odd was happening.

  “Thank you, Commander. Your generous assistance is most appreciated,” Lady Harper said.

  She took one of the proffered sets of reins from the soldier and handed him her pack. She mounted the deer quickly, putting her legs into the long leather tubes on either side of the sadd
le and pulling tight laces that ran up along the back of them. A second soldier approached, taking the pack and strapping it to the back of Lady Harper’s deer.

  Portia found herself facing a small elf holding the reins to a deer. Horses were bad enough, but these deer were another thing entirely. Beyond the soldier she could see the deer running in the field. And leaping. They could jump their own body height or more. Would they do that with a rider aboard? This was not an animal she wanted to ride.

  She looked askance at Lady Harper, but the elf’s face was impassive. She motioned in irritation for Portia to mount her steed.

  Portia swallowed and looked at the dark brown eyes of the deer. It could be worse. They could ask her to ride something more ferocious. At least the deer didn’t want to eat her. She forced herself to breathe in deeply. She handed her pack to the waiting soldier, willing her hands to not shake. He showed her the mounting stirrup on the saddle, while the other elf soldier held on to the bridle of the deer to steady it. Portia was grateful she was not expected to handle the reins while trying to get into the saddle.

  With a hop, Portia got one leg over the saddle. She had just settled down into the seat, her legs on either side of the animal, when the deer bucked. It jumped wildly and dumped Portia on the ground then leapt away, breaking free of the elf holding it.

  Portia landed with a thump on the dewy grass. It knocked the breath out of her. She lay there staring up at the blue sky and feeling the water seep into her clothes. Dimly, she heard Lady Harper laughing. Portia groaned. She was definitely not a skilled rider.

  “My young friend, you must get up,” the commander said with a friendly smile as he leaned down and held out his hand. Portia took his hand and got to her feet, brushing grass and water from her backside.