The Legend of Elora: Book 1 A Queen's Quest

by K. M. Bonde

  Soon, they make it up to a plateau overseeing the pass and the tower, and it’s finally time to rest for the night. It’s a safe location for camp, with only one way up and one way down; it will be easy to defend if needed.

  Someone starts a fire, and it crackles and burns, sending its smoke high into the night sky. Still cold, Elora moves closer to the fire. She can see Felan on a nearby hill, glancing down at her. Elora grins and opens her arms toward Felan. He must have heard the commotion when the Warriors of Seramon arrived and has been waiting and watching from up here. He comes running down the hill and securely places his head on her lap. She pets him, letting her delicate fingers comb through his hair.

  Drake comes by and drops off a blanket for her.

  “Thank you, Drake,” she says quietly. “Don't you need to warm up at the fire?”

  “I have the first watch,” Drake says. “Together with two ale drinking dwarfs.” The thief sighs and walks away to his destiny for the night. Elora snickers.

  Darkness comes quickly, and the clouds seem to hurry their path over the sky, blocking whatever light the moon dares to produce this evening. Elora's dreams come quickly as well, and once again, she’s haunted by visions of war and ancient battle. This time, she’s not bringing forth fire and lightning over the battlefield. Instead, she stands still and looks at the person standing next to her. It’s a girl, much like her, with long beautiful hair blowing in the wind. This girl is holding out her hands and spreading fire and lightning over the battlefield. Suddenly, she turns her head and looks at Elora, never stopping the chaos and destruction from her hands. Her dark red eyes hold Elora’s gaze, and the mysterious girl smiles a warm and pleasant smile. She opens her mouth and speaks, but Elora can’t hear anything, there are no words, just emptiness.

  She wakes up and looks around. Everything is calm around the fire that is almost burnt out. Elora wipes the sweat from her face and hugs Felan next to her. That dream is so similar to my other dreams, she thinks. I know it means something. But why am I the observer? Why did that girl want to talk to me? Did she see herself or someone else... a shadow perhaps? There was some mysterious pull coming over Elora, and she felt an urge to find the truth behind these dreams. I must find this girl. I need to hear what she has to say.

  As the morning sun finally rises over the horizon, the birds have already taken air under their wings, soaring high above the mountains. Elora looks at the birds and then at Ryan and Felan. They are up, running and playing near the edge of the mountain wall. It seems Ryan is more comfortable with Felan now, as he scratches the wolf behind his ears. Elora smiles.

  Elof and Eadric are sitting on a rock looking out over the tower, eating what seems to be some kind of meat. Elora cannot help but think it is a little gross to see people tear of chunks of meat from a bone. It’s so animalistic.

  Arddun comes by and sits down next to Elora. “Are you finally up now?” she asks with a big smile.

  Elora knows that this means a whole day of practice again. Whenever Arddun is up and all smiles, she is thinking about magic. Elora gives a quirky smile back at Arddun. She notices Theo running around and measuring her party members.

  She calls Elof over. “What is he doing?” she asks, keeping her voice low.

  Elof looks at Theo and laughs. “He’s measuring you all for armor. He noticed that your armor is lacking and said he will create something nice for you once we get to his home. A gift for the Queen and her warriors.” Elof hands her a bone with meat on. “Here, eat some. We’ll leave soon for the greatest city in all the lands, Dal'Mora.”

  Elora looks at the bone, watching the fat and blood drip off the meat. It doesn’t even look like it’s been cooked enough, and she quickly loses her appetite.

  Instead, she throws the bone to Felan, who jumps and grabs it, happier than ever. The sun is warming her now, and she stands up putting her hands on her waist. She stretches and puts her small delicate fingers through her hair, letting her hair touch the air for what feels like the first time during this journey. There, on the edge of the mountain, standing tall with her firm and tender body in the sun, having her hair in the wind, she looks like a goddess descended on the lands. I can do this.

  Chapter 39: The Trail

  As they continue up the mountain trail, Elora thinks about the dwarven city and grins. Elof is talking her ear off, telling her about all the amazing things the mountains have to offer and the mining his clan has done in the mountain. Finally reaching the famed mountains and seeing the wonders they have to offer excites the young queen.

  “We ship minerals to all the lands, you see. The mountains are called Silvburgh, and it’s a twofold story behind the name. One, the peaks of the mountains are like silver arrows standing tall against the sky and sun. No matter where you are, you can always see the silver peaks. Two, there’s plentiful silver in the bellows of the mountain, ripe for mining. We have been mining here for a very long time, and the mountain has been kind to our clan.”

  As Elof describes the mountains to Elora, she senses her fire magic growing stronger. It feels like fire flows through her veins. Looking back, she sees Ryan walking not too far behind her, and she smiles.

  “Elof,” Elora says. When the dwarf looks up at her, she motions for Ryan to come over. “I need to talk to Arddun, but I know Ryan is really interested in hearing more about mining.”

  Ryan looks at her, eyebrows raised, but he gives her an uneasy nod. “Yeah, Elof,” he says finally. “Please, tell me more.” Elof grins and launches into another description about mining silver in the mountains.

  Elora takes a quick peek at Ryan and can see his distressed face as he tried to find a way out of what Elora tricked him into. She snickers.

  Ryan sighs softly and says, “Really? I didn’t know that.”

  “It is important to have the right mining tools at hand at all times,” Elof says with an air of authority.

  Satisfied that Elof will have a listener for his stories, Elora joins Arddun and immediately creates a fireball in her hand. It’s not those small firecrackers she had struggled with, but a ball of fire, big as a snowball, like the kind Elora used to through at Ryan in their home world. “Well?” Elora asks Arddun. “What do you think?” Her power seems to be even stronger here on the edge of the mountain.

  Arddun smiles. “The thing you are feeling is the closeness to the fire stone. I believe the red stone is hiding deep in the mountain, and once you obtain it, you will be able to release your full potential in fire magic.”

  “Arddun, what do you know about the ancient beast Morg'hue?”

  Arddun looks at her and sighs. “Not much at all,” she admits with a shrug. “Like all ancient beasts, there’s not much told or written about them. Not even Alric knows about them in detail. Only the Chosen One can meet them and until then, they remain a mystery.”

  The trail ahead of them is windy, and it constantly turns to make its way upwards, and the conditions make the hike more complicated than Elora expected. She must be on her guard here, careful not to fall over the edge. Aside from the treacherous wind and turns, though, the view the walk provides is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this, Elora thinks. I can even see Flaxan and the big tree near the portal. It felt so strange to be in this world at first, but now it feels like I’m home.

  The warriors ahead of Elora begin shouting, and they run off, axes raised in the air. She hears growling on the slopes of the mountain, and she and Arddun position themselves, ready to attack any enemy with magic.

  Elof walks by with Ryan in tow. “Don’t worry, ladies. There’s just some fine hunting up here, a few stray wild boars. They should fill our bellies once we grill them.” He rubs his belly and laughs in a way only he does when being happy about food.

  He looks up at Ryan before continuing. “Lunch is coming soon, and we still have a few hours left to walk. Where was I? Oh, yes, the tools... it’s very important to have the right tools when you mine silver...”

  As Elof goes o
n and on, Elora smiles at Ryan, and he shakes his head. He mouths, “You owe me,” then smiles at her.

  Soon, the merry party and their warrior friends have gathered around a newly made fire for lunch, a fire that Elora lit with her growing fire magic. As the boar grills, the group clamors and whines about being hungry.

  “Remember when we used to barbecue?” Elora asks Ryan as she sits down next to him.

  He grins. “Yeah, but it was never wild boar.”

  “Nope, just s’mores,” she says.

  “I miss those trips.” Ryan sighs and looks at her. “But at least this is some kind of adventure, right?”

  Elora’s about to reply when Elof returns, a haunch of boar meat in hand for Ryan. “So, we were talking about treating the mountain with respect…” the dwarf starts, and Ryan groans.

  Smiling wickedly, Elora gets up and joins Arddun. When they finish eating, they join Eadric, who is sitting on a rock a little further away from the rest scribbling something in a small book of his while eating.

  “What are you doing?” Elora asks.

  He looks up at them and then continues his scribbling. “I write down stories about our adventures for my son, Remus. He would like to hear all about it later.” He looks down to the ground and says softly, so only Elora and Arddun can hear, “I also write down how much I think about Myrna and miss her, she likes to read that... and it keeps me from getting a good smack with a wood piece later. When I’m out and about on my journeys, she always thinks the worst will happen, and I need to keep her calm. Telling her the stories and how much I miss her does the trick.”

  Elora and Arddun smile at Eadric. “Well, we’ll leave you to it,” Arddun says gently. “Let’s go visit Theo.”

  “Theo, I heard that you will make me something special,” Elora says with a hint of gratitude as they approach the master armorer sitting near the fire.

  Theo looks up from his food. “My Queen! I will make you the finest armor the lands have ever seen, and another set of armor for everyone in your party. It will be my gift to our new queen.”

  “Thank you for the kind gift,” says Elora. “I'm looking forward to seeing the armor. I’ll leave you to your lunch.”

  Then, Elora walks over to Drake and Felan, with Arddun still at her side. Arddun has more and more become her protector, and it’s rare for the mage to leave her side these days.

  Drake gets up as soon as he sees Elora. “My Queen, how are you enjoying these rocky and dusty trails? Far from the splendor of the green oasis below, I assume?”

  Elora smiles at him and pets Felan. “It’s different. I hope we have a chance to return to what’s below one day. It was so beautiful.” She looks up toward the peaks. “Ahead of us lies nothing but rocks and snow, I fear. How do you fare with snow, Drake?”

  Drake looks up at the peak and smiles. “I can only wonder what amazing things lays beyond the peaks. I have never set foot up there, but I am up for the task. My feet are light and snow should not slow me.”

  Elora smiles. “That’s good. We’ll see soon, I guess.” She walks up the trail, Felan now following closely.

  Everyone else is done, or almost done with their food. Slowly, they all start following Elora and Arddun. They slowly but safely make their way up the last portion of the trail, and soon they see the trail leading toward a big gate in the distance.

  Elof grins. “Home!” he shouts, and all the warriors join in.

  The warriors move faster toward the gate, eager to get home to meet their families. Elora can’t wait to see what this city has in store for her and the journey.

  All I have to do is find the stone, then we can continue, she thinks. Easy, right? Elora and Felan move closer to the gate, and she admires the beautiful decorations on it in the form of small clan members with axes standing in front of a big mountain. The gates open slowly with a dull, creaky sound. All the warriors including Elof runs through the doors as soon as they can fit. Elora and Felan enter the city first, followed by the rest of her party.

  Chapter 40: The Greeting

  The city of Dal'Mora is inhabited by the Mountain Clan, and they live in houses made of stone and wood. They are mostly small houses with stone walls and roofs made of wood. As Elora enters the city, she is amazed to find so many cute houses along the side of the path leading in to what seems to be the city center. She looks at all of them as she walks by, they are all on the left side of the road. The other side has no houses, it is only rocks and sand toward the edge of the mountain.

  “Look at how the houses are built into the mountains!” exclaims Elora as the party makes their way into the city. The whole place reminds Elora of the sandstone ruins she learned about in school back in the other world, though this place is much colder.

  “I do love the cobblestone streets,” Elora says to no one in particular. It’s a good thing the paths are wide enough for their large party.

  “They remind me of the old streets in Europe,” adds Ryan quietly.

  “Well, I don't know what Europe is, but most everything here is made of stone,” replies Elof. “It's the way of the Mountain Clan.”

  Elora and her party reach the city center, or at least what seems like the center. It has the way-point signs that Elora has gotten familiar with, pointing in many directions. Elora walks around and reads each one of them. They say, Tower of Uthgar, Lake Uriel, Winterhaven and The Pit. Elora looks at the sign, knowing she’s visited the first two. She’s heard Winterhaven is the large city beyond the frost lands where they are eventually heading.

  She turns to Arddun. “Do you know what the Pit is?”

  But before she can get an answer, they are greeted by a clan member who points them in the direction to the right of the sign. “The clan master will see you now.” There is only one house on that side of the road, awfully close to the ledge. It’s a large building resembling a church, or at least a mix between a church and an old Viking chief home. Out comes a small party of dwarves of whom the one in the middle wears a mantle of bearskin and a big gold medallion around his neck.

  He quickly walks up to Elora and bows to her. “My Queen, it is a great honor to have you as our guest. We have been waiting for you.” The others bow, too.

  Elora appreciates their kindness. “Thank you for the kind words and for your help in these harsh times.”

  Another dwarf walks up to Elora and greets her. “Well met, my Queen,” he says, his voice gruff. “I am the Elder of this clan, and Alric told me of your journey. Come with me, we have much to discuss.” He holds out his hands, motioning for the group to follow him.

  Elora asks him as they walk. “When did you talk to Alric? I thought he is still at Flaxan?”

  The Elder smiles at Elora. “Oh, my dear, he is. We connected through meditation for a long time, and he told me everything.”

  Elora looks at Arddun and remembers what she said about meditation and connecting through the Stream. “Oh, right,” she murmurs.

  They walk toward the big house and enter. Inside, warmth radiates from a multitude of candles lighting up what seems to be every area of the room. There is a large rectangular table in the middle of the room and a throne at the end of the room with two large columns on each side. The columns look like they have had their fair share of battle, cuts and cracks decorating the stone. The Elder points slowly with his hands to guide Elora to the head seat of the table. Elora sits down, followed by everyone else.

  Two beautiful large chandeliers hang above the table, attached to the ceiling with thick chains. There must be at least twenty candles in each, casting a very pleasant light on the table.

  The Elder begins talking, slowly, still a little grumpy and with a low, deep voice. “Your journey has just begun, and you have already had your first taste of the Dark Army below at the tower. For this, I am sorry. You should not have had to deal with that this early in your training.” He pauses briefly, and Elora nods at him, though she feels no ill-will. “I understand that Arddun has been mentoring you and teac
hing you how to control and utilize your powers. They will grow stronger, and you will become much more powerful as time passes. You must allow me to help with your training before venturing into the frozen lands beyond our mountain. You need fire, and fire must bow to your will before you can completely tame it. This can be accomplished in the Pit. There, at the edge of the world, where the air from the sky meets the fire from the mountain, you must conquer your fears and subdue the fire burning in the mountain.”

  Elora looks at Arddun, hesitating, then back at the Elder again. So that’s what the Pit is, she thinks. A proving ground for magic wielders.

  The Elder continues, “An ancient beast lays dormant below us in the mountain, deep in the mountain, and you are the only one who can awaken him and ultimately defeat him. To do this, you must learn to control fire. The beast below is of rock and fire and will not bow to your will unless you can subdue what he is made of. This you will have to do on your own. Only an Elder or the Chosen One can enter the Pit and get out alive. The fire would consume anyone else.”

  Murmurs spread around the table, everyone trying to speak, trying to protest, as they need to protect the queen.

  Elora puts her staff on the ground with a firm hand, and the sound echoes sharply through the room. The few birds that were sitting in the windows are now gone, scared away by the sudden and loud noise. Elora stands up, and everybody goes silent. She puts her staff down on the table and walks over to the columns by the throne, touching them as she circles. Everyone's eyes are looking at her and following her, not daring to leave her.

  Finally, she looks around and speaks. “If this is what I need to do for the success of our journey, and for the freedom of our land, then I shall do it.”

  The clan leader gets up from his chair and walks over to Elora. He takes her arm and leads her to the throne. “Please, I know it is nothing like your father’s throne, but have a seat, and let us celebrate you before your journey continues.”