by K. M. Bonde
“Let's practice your water magic today,” Arddun says eagerly. “I know we haven’t had many opportunities to work on it.”
“Alright.” Elora holds out her hands and takes a deep breath, focusing on the water around her. You can create anything you want with water, she reminds herself. Just think. A small ice wolf forms in her palm, and Felan bends his head and stares at the creation in Elora's hand.
Arddun looks at it as well and smiles. “It’s amazing how strong you have become with water magic, you are on your way to mastering it. I believe your connection with the Stream must be a lot stronger now, stronger than I have ever seen before. It will be interesting to see how fast you can master fire once we find the stone. How does it feel?”
Elora makes the ice vanish and rubs her hands together. “It feels natural. I don't need to struggle as much as with the other elements. The obstacles clouding my path are being removed, one by one. It feels like I have had bumps in my path and curtains before my eyes, but they are slowly being erased.”
“You are experiencing the connection with the Stream,” Arddun says. “It is a potent and sometimes overwhelming experience, but it will always be with you and make you stronger. If you close your eyes and focus on the Stream, it will let you connect with others, like me for example. It can also show you things that you need to see. Let it guide you, and you will be the queen the kingdom needs and has prayed for.”
Nearby, Drake stands up and kicks Elof in the shin. Elof, snoring loudly and keeping one hand on his axe, startles awake.
“What was that for?” he snaps, glaring up at the thief.
Drake walks toward the water and looks over his shoulder. “Even Grimdar could hear you snoring. He’s probably halfway here by now just to shut you up.”
Elof throws a rock at Drake which he easily avoids with a swift turn of his shoulder. Eadric walks up to Elof and helps him to his feet. “Do you want to hunt down some breakfast?”
“Sure,” Elof says, grinning up at Eadric. “We’ll be back soon.”
Ryan and Kvenalon have made it to the water, and they each take a few sips. Then, they sit down with Felan and Drake to watch Elora and Arddun playing with magic near the water. Elora makes rings of water, and Arddun shoots fireballs through. As the sun begins to warm the air around them, Elora shoots a snowball toward Arddun, who destroys it with fire.
As they practice, Arddun instructs Elora. “Remember to always start a battle by casting protective wards. A ward can be the difference between life and death. It only takes one failed defensive measure and you're toast. The ward gives you a second chance.”
Elora nods and creates a ward. Arddun shoots a weak fireball at Elora, and the ward blocks it. “Perfect, Elora. Now, focus on the ward, make it stronger.”
Elora focuses, pouring her strength into the ward, and Arddun sends a much stronger fireball this time. The force is so strong that it pushes Elora back, and while she’s protected, she falls back into the water.
Drake and Ryan burst into laughter, and Elora flashes an angry face at them. “Really? You think that was fun? Here, join in the fun,” she snaps as she sends a wave of water crashing over them. Felan shakes off the water and runs to higher grounds, and the soaked Drake and Ryan stare at Elora in disbelief. Arddun doubles over with laughter.
“Ok, that’s enough for now,” the mage says.
They return up to their camp and find Eadric and Elof sitting there near the campfire, roasting a boar. Eadric looks at them and smiles. “Come, sit and warm yourself. You want some breakfast?”
Elora is quick to sit down, her stomach growling. Felan slowly comes closer, and while he usually stares at Elora, she sees his focus is on the food. She smiles at him. “You smelled the food, didn't you?” Elof throws him a big piece of meat, and Felan grabs it out of the air, laying down next to Elora to have his breakfast. Between bites, Elora turns to Eadric. “Do you have any more stories from the war? I like the stories, and it seems to connect me more with these lands. I should know the history if I will be the queen.”
Eadric takes another bite of his food, then begins his next story. “This is one of the earlier verses I have heard, a very old one.”
From the first volume, Endless Night.
The first night I saw it
Crawling out of their pit
Endless hordes of vile beasts
Help me oh dear priests
They had come for me
I stood on my knee
I was trying to prepare
Hoping to end the nightmare
“What does it mean?” Elora asks.
“It’s a story about being brave when all else is lost. On a vast battlefield, you might not have anyone to help you but yourself. Even if you fight among hundreds of fighters, a moment later, you might be all alone. The hardest fight is the one you fight by yourself.”
Elora thinks about it and it is a very special moment for her, until...
“Ha, I am never alone on the battlefield! I always have my axe with me,” Elof says, killing the moment of solitude and deep thought.
Everyone looks at Elof, and Eadric continues. “The story is more about feelings and people than weapons.”
Elof shrugs. “Who has time for stories when there is a battle to win?”
Typical Elof comment, Elora thinks. But we are a great team. Even though we’re all so different, we’re much stronger together. She silently hopes none of them will have to fight by themselves. She will protect them as a queen should do, and she knows that they will protect her too.
Chapter 32: The Beauty
The sun is still rising when Elora and her friends pack their things to set out for what is hopefully the last stretch of this long journey. Elora can't wait to be with the clan in the mountains, away from the fear of the Dark Forces. They cross the bridge, and Elora notices the post with signs, so much like the ones she’s seen everywhere else, and still beautiful to her.
As they walk by, Eadric says, “This one is called the three-way post.”
“But we’ve seen other three-way signs,” Ryan says, stopping to read.
“True, but this one’s been given that name,” Eadric says with a shrug.
The signs point in the direction of each destination: Island of Virana, Tower of Uthgar, and City of Bor'lansh.
Elora smiles. The artist that made these would do well in my old world.
Elora and Ryan walk out on the bridge over the river, closely followed by the rest of the party. It’s not a wooden bridge like they’ve become accustomed to. This one is made of stone, and it’s quite large and sturdy. As soon as they come to the end of the bridge, they are greeted by two enormous statues on each side of the bridge, one holding a great sword and the other a great axe.
Elof walks up, mesmerized. “Ah, sure feels good to be closer to home,” he says, looking up at the statues. “These represent two famous clan warriors from a long time ago. The statues mark the entry into the clan’s territory. Unfortunately, the war took a toll on the lands between here and the mountain, reshaped it, and split it up into multiple small islands of land between new rivers.”
Eadric puts a hand on Elof’s shoulder. “It’s not all bad. It’s become a fabulous place of beauty, and many people come to visit for its green and plentiful fauna. The war used so much magic that it basically shattered the lands and split it. Now, the water has found new ways to reach the lake below, and after all these years, it has created this.”
Elora grins, hoping to see more. She continues down the road and soon emerges where the land opens up in front of her. She can see the tower in the distance, but just ahead of her lays the most amazing green and blue delta. Elora sits down and just stares at it. Before her eyes lays a land filled with small rivers, old ruins that are overgrown with green plants, and so many trees and waterfalls. Some of the waterfalls even run through the ruins. She spots the many bridges built over the small rivers before them, though some look like bridges created by nature itself.
Elora eagerly gets up and starts walking down the road, passing ruins and trees and flowers of all kinds. The tree roots have overgrown the ruins, and the scene reminds Elora of something she saw in books about temples deep in Asian jungles back home. The vegetation isn’t as dense, but the trees are as beautiful as in those books, she thinks. Of course, there are no temples here, only ruins of old shelters and barracks. It seems most of them were two floors, with the top floor open, probably so the warriors could keep watch. Now some have crumbled from old age and the weight of the trees.
“We have some places like this back home,” Elora says to Arddun before spotting Kvenalon.
He walks off on his own, mumbling, “I need to pick some flowers and herbs for my potions.”
He seems like such a loner. Elora frowns. We need to make him feel like he’s part of our team.
Soon, they come to another bridge, this time a wooden bridge. It seems most bridges in these lands are wooden and that the stone one they crossed before was an anomaly. Elora looks down from the bridge; there’s a beautiful waterfall right under it. Green bushes and trees grow on the sides, leaning in over the water like they’re reaching for something, or maybe protecting something.
Elora looks down the waterfall and listens to the sound the water makes crashing down the slope. When she looks up, she can see all the way to the lake and the island. It looks very tiny from here, like a small dot trying to hide in the water. I hope Biddlewim is okay without Kvenalon. She sees Kvenalon picking some flowers nearby but doesn’t want to mention it to him. Maybe he misses his friend.
“We should move,” says Eadric, “to make it to the tower before night. That will be the last resting place before we climb the road to the mountain village.”
Some people pass them on the bridge, some on foot, some on horses. One of them stops and shouts, “Hurry to safety! The Dark Forces have been spotted near Bor’lansh. You need to get back to the city and if you can't, you can make it for the smaller villages near the lake. We are heading there now.”
“Why don't you hide with the Mountain Clan?” asks Eadric.
“We are not equipped for that journey,” he says. “Climbing those windy mountain roads is not an easy task, and we don't want to leave our families behind.” They hurry past Elora and her party.
Elora looks at her friends, her jaw square. “We need to hurry before the army reaches us.”
Arddun sits down and meditates, her eyes closed.
Elora looks at her. “What are you doing?” she asks, annoyance creeping into her voice. Why is she sitting down when we need to leave?
“I'm trying to connect with Alric,” Arddun replies quickly.
Elora looks at Arddun curiously. “Oh. How do you do that?” Was this what I experienced with Felan earlier?
Arddun answers without opening her eyes. “If I concentrate hard enough, only focusing on Alric, I can open a pathway via my mind through the Stream, and he can hear my thoughts. I can hear his as well if he decides to open his mind to me. It is like a two-way communication link.”
Elora nods and leaves her be, then approaches the rest of the team.
“We need to have some kind of strategy,” she says. “Some kind of plan.”
“You’re right,” says Eadric.
“We need to make it to the tower, it will be easier to defend ourselves there if we need to,” adds Drake.
Ryan frowns. “Defend ourselves? How many can we expect?”
“Not more than a scouting party, perhaps twenty at the most,” says Eadric coolly. “Grimdar won’t waste too many resources.”
But then, Arddun runs up to them. “Way more!” she yells. “Over a hundred beasts are headed here!”
The party looks worried, but nobody makes a move. Arddun sighs and continues. “Alric told me that they are marching toward the tower quickly, and they are being led by an Azurghoul.”
Elora's mind is wandering toward a dark and cold place. Azurghoul? Where have I heard that name before? She can’t shake the thought, and she frowns.
Eadric stomps his foot in the ground. “This shows that Grimdar is serious about removing Elora. Otherwise, he wouldn’t send an Azurghoul.”
Unable to figure out where she’s heard the name before, she turns to Eadric. “What is this Azurghoul?” Her voice is small as she asks.
Eadric’s eyes turn sad as he looks at Elora, and his gaze wander between the party members. “It is one of the vilest creatures you can imagine. The kind that gives you nightmares. It has no feelings, no regrets, and only seeks violence and destruction.”
Drake sighs. “We need to get Elora to safety. If he sends a beast like that, it’s not to capture. It’s to kill. An Azurghoul never leaves anyone alive.”
Ryan steps up and grabs Elora's hand. When he looks down at Elora, she sees fear in his eyes. “I agree with Drake. We must make sure Elora is safe. We can't let this beast find Elora.”
Eadric pauses, then grins at the rest. “I thought I saw something that we need, I'll be back,” he says as he runs off.
Soon, he comes back with a horse. “I saw one of the people visiting leading a horse down the road. I bought it from him. Elora, take the horse and ride to the Mountain Clan. You will be safe there. Just follow the road past the tower and Death Pass. After that, it’s just up the mountain. There is only one road; you will not get lost.”
Elora shakes her head. “I will not leave you. We protect each other and you need me if there is a fight. I can freeze things now, remember? And I can use wards.”
Drake turns to Elof. “Elof, do you think the Mountain Clan would come to our aid if asked by the Queen?”
Elof nods. “The clan liked the old king a lot and have nothing good to say about Grimdar. But how will we get a message to them?”
“Take the horse and ride,” says Drake. “Ride without stopping, ride until you arrive at the gates of your city and get them to come to the Queen’s aid before dawn.”
Elof looks at Elora, and Elora nods to him. He gets on the horse and rides off quickly, focused with only one thing in his mind. He must save Elora and his friends.
While watching Elof ride off, Eadric mutters, “I still think it would have been better for Elora to ride to safety. Her life is more important.”
“We are stronger together,” Elora says, trying to project a firm voice. She’s terrified, but she can’t tell her friends that. “We need to move now so we can make it to the tower and prepare to defend ourselves.”
They run for the tower, taking short breaks. Night is coming, and it’s getting colder, far colder and darker than any other night Elora’s been here. They light torches and continue through the lush green path ahead of them, crossing bridge after bridge until they can finally see the tower rise against the mountains behind it.
“We made it,” Ryan says, barely able to catch his breath.
“And hopefully Elof has made it up that mountain,” Eadric adds.
They walk up to the big stone bridge leading to the tower. It’s a long bridge, leading to a small piece of rocky land where the tower sits, and it continues on the other side, crossing Death Pass.
Elora stands there for a while, looking at the tower in front of her. It looks dark and unfriendly, almost foreboding with the birds circling it. Elora takes a first step out on the bridge with the rest of the party following her. She glances back over her shoulder, and she sees a brave party showing a mix of emotions.
They’re scared, just like me, she thinks. But I must lead them through this. I’m their queen. This might be the first real fight agains
t the Dark Forces and the last time she sees her friends. It scares her. What if something happens to Ryan? What would she do then? What if no one leaves the tower and they all die in there? Then what will happen to this world?
Elora’s shoulder sink as she continues down the last stretch of bridge to the tower. I guess we’ll find out soon.
Chapter 33: The Tower
“At least the gate is still operational,” Eadric says motioning to the mechanisms used to close and lock the big gates.
“Too bad there’s no drawbridge,” Ryan says.
Drake shrugs. “This will help to keep the beasts out. It’s better than nothing.” Ryan nods, and as soon the party makes it inside, Eadric, Drake, and Ryan begin to close the gates. They lift the heavy beam and put it in place, effectively locking them.
“There,” says Eadric. “That should keep them out for a while, even an Azurghoul.”
They look at the gate that opens the path toward the mountain, and then they look at each other.
Drake looks around with intense eyes as if scanning for clues. “Do we need to close that one as well or leave it open as an escape route?”
Eadric shrugs. “We might as well close it. I would feel more secure, even though there is only one path to the mountains and it’s impossible for anyone to sneak by at any other place than the bridge we stand on.”
Elora stands still at the center and looks around. The layout of the tower is quite sparse. There is a stable for horses and some weapon racks with weapons still in them. They’re only spears, but it’s something. A walkway circles the outer wall, making it easier to defend the tower. There are some hay bales in a corner, most likely for travelers with horses passing by. The tower itself has a few windows, but they’re more like holes in the wall. And there’s only one entryway in the form of a solid door.
Elora makes her way up the few steps and opens the heavy door with the help of Eadric. It creaks as it swings open. A bird flies out, scaring Elora half to death.
The tower smells old and musty, and dust and dirt coat the place. Nobody’s been here for a long time, she thinks. The small room has a wooden table and some chairs, a stove in a corner, and some wooden logs next to it. There’s a staircase in another corner going up to the next floor.