by Joshua Hoyt
Chapter 18:
Tom stood inside the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Glass covered every surface he could see, as if a giant glassblower had blown an entire building from his pipe. When the sun hit the glass, each facet dazzled a different color, sometimes a light pink, sometimes a bright red, other times brilliant orange. He saw blues, purples, and yellows and once the most amazing shade of green. Doors, columns even the furniture glittered in the sun. He walked toward glass stairs and followed them up to a glass landing above.
As he stood on the landing, he looked down to where he had just come from. A large round spot appeared that turned dark red, the color of blood. As he watched the spot, it grew and spread out toward the stairs, slowly climbing the stairs toward him. The blood stain reached the top of the landing. Tom backed away from the blood red color as it crawled toward him. The stain moved quicker and quicker and he turned and ran. He ran through glass doors and up glass flights of stairs but it followed him wherever he went.
He came to a room filled with his friends. They were laughing. They did not seem to notice the stain that had taken over the building. He yelled to them. They just turned and smiled at him and went back to what they were doing. He tried pulling on them to get them to leave the room before the stain reached them but they ignored him. Suddenly he saw Xantar.
Xantar approached Tom, showing concern for the situation. Tom told Xantar about the stain and that he couldn't get the others to listen to him. Xantar looked at the blood stain that approached them and then looked back at Tom. “You must trust me and allow me to help you when the time comes,” Xantar said.
Tom woke suddenly. He expected to be in a blood red prison made of glass. Instead he saw the room that he had fallen asleep in and felt the soft bed under him. He slowly laid back down into his bed, still shaken from the dream. He thought about the dream and wondered what it meant. He wondered about the strange dark elf, Xantar. Can we really trust him? Why did Teresa trust him so quickly? He finally slipped back to sleep. It was a sleep without dreams.
The next morning the companions woke early in order to prepare for the busy day ahead of them. Tom learned that they would need to travel for two days through dense forest in order to reach the palace; therefore they would be leaving early this morning. The wood elves prepared to leave as well. The plan called for the companions to get into the palace and move to each of the towers, disabling their defenses. For this step, they decided that it would be best if they split into three groups. Tom would go with Cody and Aithnea. They had spent many hours the previous night making sure they were adequately oriented to the city and the tower they were in charge of. Once the towers were deactivated, they would then need to detonate the sun stone as quickly as possible.
“Good morning, Tom,” Cody said as they put on the armor the elves had prepared for them. Tom had been given a light leather armor that had been dyed green in patterns to help with stealth. The elf who had given it to him said that it was one of their finer suits. Aithnea had been given a green robe with many brown symbols woven into it. The robe did not provide as much protection as the leather armor but gave her better movement, allowing her to cast spells without interruption. Aithnea had looked at Tom’s leather armor in doubt and commented on how he wouldn’t be able to move as freely. This may interrupt his movements when casting spells. Kristiana reminded Aithnea that Tom didn't need to use as much movements, but instead used more energy when casting spells. Cody had been given a chain suit that protected his upper and lower body. The elves explained that an ancient enchanter had enchanted the armor to make it silent. When Cody had shaken the armor Tom could hear only the tiniest tinkle of sound coming from it.
“Hi Cody,” Tom said, with a lot less enthusiasm.
“What’s wrong?”
Tom looked at Cody then back to the straps on his armor. “I don’t know. I think I’m just nervous.” Tom could see the excitement on Cody’s face.
Cody walked next to Tom, tightening a strap. “It’s good to be a little nervous. It will keep you on your toes. The problem is when it incapacitates you. Just remember that through most of the fight John and Kristiana will be by your side and they have been through countless battles. And anyway you know that you’re their most precious treasure. They won’t let anything happen to you,” Cody said clapping Tom on the back and smiling.
“I know that. It’s just that this is the first battle we are actually heading into as opposed to reacting to it.”
“Tom, that makes it that much better. We’re prepared, and we know where we are going. We don’t know exactly what we’ll be facing, but we do know more about the enemy than ever before. I’ll be next to you and helping you through it.” Tom felt more confident standing next to Cody and Tom gave a small smile. His stomach still churned, but he felt the strong bond that he and Cody had formed. It gave Tom the strength to keep his breakfast down. He wouldn’t want any other person standing next to him during a fight. Tom and Cody finished putting their armor on and strapped on their weapons belt. Tom had been given a well-balanced long sword with a sharp edge. Cody wore a dagger, long sword and a pistol. They both put on a green hooded cloak and left the room. In the path, adjusting their cloaks, stood Aithnea and Kristiana. Tom stopped in his tracks. Aithnea wore a green cloak over her green and brown robe. Her black hair cascaded down her back and her green eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight. She smiled at him when she saw that he stared at her. Tom turned and blushed. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Good morning, Tom,” she said sweetly.
Looking back at her, he heard Cody chuckling next to him. “Good morning, Aithnea,” Tom murmured.
Kristiana smiled at the two, then continued along the path toward the council tree at the center of the village. Cody hurried after Kristiana. Tom and Aithnea followed much more slowly. She grabbed his hand. “Are you worried at all?” she asked.
He looked at her, wondering if he should tell her the truth or not. He said, “Yes, a little, but I think that we’ll be well protected. John and Kristiana will be there. Besides, we’ve battled skeletons, and what can be worse than skeletons?”
Aithnea gave a weak smile. “I guess you’re right, but I’m still worried. I wish we had more time to prepare and to make sure that this is the best way to do this. Tanya said that things should go just fine and that with the help of the prisoners and Xantar we’ll have the support we need. But it's all kind of based on ifs isn't it.”
Tom looked up at the mention of Xantar. “I had an odd dream about Xantar last night,” Tom said.
Aithnea looked at him in surprise. “I did too. What was yours about?”
Tom only hesitated a second. “We were in a glass palace and it turned to blood… or the color of blood. I ran from it and then came to a room filled with all of you guys. When I tried to alert you to the problem, no one would listen. Xantar appeared and he told me to trust him.”
Aithnea looked down and then back up as Tom squeezed her hand as if to remind her to tell her story. “My dream was similar to yours.” Aithnea quickly turned away and Tom had the feeling that she hid something. But he knew that he would get no more from her so he didn't press.
The two reached the large building as Tanya and Tiarra arrived. Tom's curiosity about Aithnea’s secretiveness faded as they entered the large structure. Elves were everywhere, doing different tasks around the building. Several equipped with weapons and armor handed out weapons to other elves. Others studied maps and scrolls while others packed supplies for the journey. Tom still had not become accustomed to the elves and seeing them all together only increased the excitement.
The elves all wore green dyed leather armor and green cloaks with the strange brown markings interwoven in them. Those studying the scrolls wore similar robes to what Aithnea wore. Most of the elves had long bows that went from their heads to the floor. They also had at their side’s daggers and a few of them wore pistols as well. Another group bore both a long sword and a dagger. Tho
se with the long swords looked to be a little bigger than the others and their armor appeared to be heavier. As they entered Tiarra walked up to the group with the swords and spoke to them.
Tanya looked over at Tom, and said, “How are you doing today?”
“I’m doing ok. I slept… well a lot better than on the ground, that‘s for sure,” Tom said and laughed.
“Yes, sleeping in a bed makes me remember why I joined the white eagle clan instead of being a mercenary,” said Tanya. He noticed that Tanya had changed her armor and now wore armor similar to the other elves but her cloak had a darker green outlining of a tree. A green sword, that looked similar to the one she wielded, stood out below the tree. Tom frowned as he looked at her. She didn't smile as much and new lines creased her face. What happened to make her want to leave her people?
Tom saw that Cody and the others were across the room talking to each other, probably planning the upcoming battle. A hush suddenly fell over the elves, and they came to attention. He looked around and saw Teresa. She entered with two other younger female elves, each bearing a sword, and wearing the same armor as Tanya. The two elves walked a foot behind Teresa. Their bodies were stiff and their eyes darted left and right, constantly surveying the crowd for any danger.
Teresa came to a stop in front of the large crowd of elves. “My dear sons and daughters, today we head back to our homes to retake what is rightfully ours.” Her voice boomed catching Tom off guard. “We have been wronged, but we will now correct that wrong. Many of you will fall in the coming days but know that you are fighting for your family and for your liberties.” She lowered her hands and all the elves knelt except the two female elves next to her. She pulled from her robes a symbol of a white tree with a sword that went through the heart of it. She held it high in the air. In a language that Tom could not understand she chanted and the symbol glowed. After a moment longer of chanting white light burst from it.
Tom's soul filled with confidence and hope. He had no more fear of the upcoming battle, and he no longer worried about the outcome. All he cared about was doing his part and completing the mission. Tanya looked down at him smiling. “She has quite an affect doesn’t she? The blessing will enable your mind to be clear during the battle, and you will have a greater desire to succeed. The Guiding Mother will be with you and all of the elves over the next few days, lending strength where it is needed.”
Tom noticed that the two female elves standing next to Teresa had to support her as they walked out of the room. Teresa looked as if she was in a trance and the two elves were her only link to reality. “What happened to her?” Tom asked, still watching her leave the room.
Tanya, watching her go, replied. “She is now in a trance, and she has become one with the other elves in this room. She can feel their pain and their emotions. When you feel fear or hurt, she will take a small part of it and replace it with confidence. She can feel which ones need more help, and that is where it is given.”
He looked back to Tanya and saw that her eyes had misted over. “What’s wrong Tanya?”
She wiped her eyes quickly. “Nothing is wrong. I’ll be ok.” Tanya walked briskly toward her sister and gave her a long hug. Tom watched as the two embraced and then Tanya waved the companions to follow. With a few quick goodbyes they left the building. They walked along the high bridges to a ramp that had been dropped to allow them to descend to the forest floor. There Xantar waited for them.