by Brad Clark
Immerallis gave a slight shake of his head but moved towards the open archway of the exit. Brightness from the high midday sun blinded them for a moment as they passed from interior shadows to the bright light of the sun. It took only a couple heartbeats for their eyes to readjust to the light, and then their hearts sank at once.
Standing in a semicircle around the open space between the tower and the rubble of the city were more than a dozen Stone Ogres. They stood at attention with expressionless faces. Hundreds of goblins stood among the Stone Ogre’s feet, their jaws snapping at what was about to happen.
A voice came down from above them. “Did you think you could steal my precious dragon without me knowing?”
Marik and Hallendrielle turned their heads to look at the top of the tower where the Deceiver, still in the body of the former Taran Centurion Farrus, laughed down at them.
Chapter Nineteen
Walking along the outer edge of the courtyard, Marila watched the Elves come streaming through the open gate of Neffenmark Castle. Refugees filled most of the courtyard, shouting and cheering with boisterous joy. The soldiers of Karmon and Thell stood atop the wall. They too shouted and cheered at the arrival of the Elven army. Ranks of Karmon Knights stood stoically on either side of the marching Elves, swords drawn and presented in a ceremonial welcome.
Marila had taken the disguise of an older female. Not too old, else she would be coddled and treated as if she were frail. For some time she had used the disguise of a soldier to seek out the necklace of the Ark of Life, but even soldiers didn’t have access to the entire castle. Being unfamiliar with protocols and customs of the Human military, she found herself in compromising situations that could have revealed herself if she had not been a little lucky. As an unassuming older lady, she found herself able to gain access to parts of the castle that might otherwise be off limits. When she was challenged for being a place she should not be, she was politely and delicately escorted away.
With frustration mounting, she was on the verge of doing something desperate to find the Ark of Life. She knew it was near, for she had felt a strong pull on the Web of Magic that could only be the Ark. Even though she could not cast spells, her senses were tuned to the Web, allowing her to detect those who could cast spells and those objects that were imbued with magic. Unfortunately, her senses were not quite good enough to pinpoint the Ark’s location. She needed to wander halls and corridors until she could feel that it was close. Not only had she never gotten close to it, but she could also no longer feel it. Either someone had left with it, or it was hidden far away from wherever she looked.
If someone had left with it, the Deceiver would not be happy, and he would certainly take his anger out on her. There would be no excuse that would get her out of a painful end to her time in this realm. He was the ultimate liar and deceiver, and he would see through any attempt to deceive him. If caught in a lie or even a partial truth, her death would be long and painful. Even so, her mind spun through several scenarios that might get her out of being blamed for losing the necklace.
As she made her way along the edge of the courtyard, she caught a glimpse of a face she hadn’t seen since the first day that she arrived. Ilasha stood in the shadows of the wall, leaning against the cold stone. While those around her smiled and cheered, she stood with a grim look on her face. She started to approach when a thought crossed her mind. Pulling her thin shawl over her head to cover most of her face, she moved away from the crowd so that no one could see what she was about to do.
Changing her appearance was something that she knew how to do, but she didn’t know how she knew how to do it. It was like breathing. She just did it without thinking. Her skin tingled as it physically changed to match an image that she had in her mind. It was easiest if she saw someone that she could copy, but doing it from memory worked as well.
Before she turned to continue walking towards Ilasha, she glanced around to see if anyone noticed what she had just done. Everyone was preoccupied with the Elves. Although Ilasha stood alone and didn’t show any outward signs of interest, her attention was still clearly on the Elves. Once she determined that no one saw her change her looks, she walked towards Ilasha.
“Hello,” Marila said as she approached.
Ilasha glanced over, and it took a moment for her to recognize the face. Her obviously solemn mood suddenly changed. “Hi, Marila!”
Feigning excitement, Marila glanced over her shoulder and said, “Isn’t it wonderful that they have arrived!”
Ilasha smiled, but her eyes exposed her true feelings. Marila picked up on it and asked, “What is wrong?”
“Sir Marik is not with them,” Ilasha said softly.
“Sir Marik? He is your husband?”
Slight redness came to Ilasha’s cheeks. “Not quite. I am his lady, though. He left to look for the enemy days ago. I was hoping that he had come across the Elves and returned with them.”
“They are still marching in. Are you sure he is not with them?”
“A small party came in on horseback several hours ago. I had already asked them if they had seen him.”
“And?”
“They had, but he left with two of their kind before they marched north.”
“Left?”
“Something about going to South Karmon. The scouts did know why, but they took horses and supplies for a few days.” She paused to glance at the congregation of Elves in the middle of the courtyard. The scouts had been elusive in their responses as if they were hiding something. It didn’t help her anxiety.
Marila could see the angst on Ilasha’s face and cringed at what she was about to do, but she knew it was what one Human would do to another. With as much tenderness as she could muster, she put a hand on Ilasha’ shoulder. “He is a Knight, is he not?”
Ilasha nodded, holding back tears.
Marila continued with words that were not completely her own. As she had walked through the halls and corridors of the castle, she had kept her ears open to the conversations around her. One such conversation had been between two ladies not unlike themselves. Trying not to simply recite the words, but putting some emotion into them, Marila said, “Then, he is strong and brave. If he loves you half as much as you love him, then he will fight through all that the Deceiver could throw at him to get back to you. He is a soldier and a warrior, and he must do his thing. It is us ladies that must stay behind and worry about them.”
Ilasha leaned forward and brought Marila into a hug. Marila fought the urge to push her away. The thought of a Human touching her sent shivers down her spine. All she wanted to do was rip the flesh off Ilasha, but she knew that her mission was bigger than her own desires. She would have to fight through the disgusting idea of being so close to a Human and work it to her advantage.
Gently, Ilasha disengaged from Marila. “Thank you,” Ilasha said. “I know I should be stronger, but I had been alone for so many years, and when Marik came along, I just fell for him. I guess I fear the pain of being alone and never want to go through that again.”
“Alone for many years?” Marila said with a soft laugh. “You are so young.”
Ilasha smiled. “I know. It is my little secret.”
“Oh?”
“I am not supposed to talk about it. Hargon made me promise.”
“Hargon? Who is this Hargon?”
“Do you remember the other day when we met? He was the man in the black robes that talked to us just inside the gate.”
“Oh, yes! I remember, now. He made you promise to keep a secret?”
Ilasha’s eyes darted around. No one was paying them any attention. The procession of Elves had finished marching through the gate, and now the crowd was moving away from them and towards the Elves.
“You must promise to never tell a soul. If Hargon found out I told someone…” Her voice trailed off as she gave Marila a long look. “But I know I can trust you.”
Marila smiled. It was the first time she did not have to pretend to smile s
ince she had taken Human form. “Your secret is safe with me. You can tell me anything.”
Ilasha leaned forward and whispered. “I have lived for almost fifty summers.”
“What? How can that be? You look so young!”
Continuing to talk in a soft voice, Ilasha said, “Have you ever heard of something called the Ark of Life?”
Marila’s heart started to pound, but she did her best to remain calm while she shook her head. “I have not. What is it?”
“It is a magical necklace that can heal people and mages can use it to cast spells.”
Marila let out a laugh that she hoped sounded like disbelief. “What? Seriously?”
“Yes! It was hidden in a hot spring near my home, and it is what kept me young. Every day I bathed in it, and I did not age one day. And when Sir Marik was struck by fire from a dragon, I used it to heal him. I pulled him into the water, and the waters healed his skin and kept him from dying.”
Marila struggled to sound surprised. “Really?” She tried to think how a Human would react. Would a Human take her words as truth, or would a Human not believe such a farfetched story and laugh at her tall tales? She went the route of disbelief.
With a forced laugh, Marila said, “You are not serious, are you? Such a thing cannot exist!”
“Have you not seen dragons or the goblins? Hargon can throw fire from his hands. Have you not see that?”
Marila shook her head. “Actually, no, I have not.”
A flash of confusion swept over Ilasha’s face. “Did you not see the dragon that destroyed your city? You did say you were from South Karmon, right?”
A tightness constricted Marila’s throat as she realized she had made her first major mistake. She had not known that dragons still existed, much less destroyed the city she was supposed to be from. “Yes, I am from South Karmon, but there was so much death and destruction…” She let her words trail as she put a hand to her mouth to pretend to stifle a cry. “I never saw what it was. I know others said they saw it, but I did not, could not believe it.”
“Well, believe it. The dragon almost killed my Sir Marik, and when he returns I know he will hunt it down.”
“Will your Sir Marik use the Ark of Life to kill the dragon?”
“He does not have it,” Ilasha said. “Hargon has it. After he and I came to the castle, Hargon took it. He used it many times when the goblins attacked us. Without him and his spells, the goblins would surely have come over the walls and killed us all!”
“What does it look like?”
“It is a necklace with a pendant hanging from the end of the chain. There is another part of the Ark of Life that is a black gem. Marik told me all about it, and that is what this war is all about.”
“A necklace? This war is all about fighting over a necklace?”
“No! Not just that. The Deceiver wants it to use it to help take over the world. It is so powerful that in his hands, all our armies could not go against him.”
“We have such a large army, though! With all our soldiers and now the Elves! We will easily win any fight with them!”
Ilasha smiled at her new friend. She had thought about her some over the past few days hoping that she had been able to build her fire and stay warm. There was not much to occupy her time and having a friend to be with would certainly keep her mind off Marik.
Marila responded wither her own natural smile. It was becoming easier and easier to feel and think like a Human. The more she interacted with them, the more she understood them and the more she was able to pretend to be one. The physical change that her body was able to accomplish was an innate ability that came from just visualizing the form that she wanted to take. However, to fully become that which she morphed into, she must understand them on an emotional and personal level. The first step was to do her best to pretend, and the next step was to let it happen almost instinctually.
There was a fine line, though. For if she let herself become too immersed, it was possible that she would actually believe that she was Human. The easiest solution would be for her to stay away from Ilasha and not let her pretend Human emotions take over. From a distance, she could easily maintain her separation. However, she needed to get close to Hargon. Using Ilasha as a mutual friend, she would get close to him and then overpower him before he could use his spells. A quick slash across the throat would take care of that.
***
Elissa was mostly protected from the cold winds, and the heat of Myllia’s belly kept her from freezing, but she was still cold. For most of the journey, she had kept her eyes closed and tried not to look down at the ground as it sped past. Myllia made a sudden drop, which caused Elissa to let out a gasp as it seemed as her stomach suddenly was in her throat. She opened her eyes to see only the mountains. For a heartbeat, she felt impatience at them still being so far away from the castle. She was tired, hungry, and cold. Even though she knew it was the thought of a spoiled queen, she also desired a long, hot bath. Then Myllia banked left, and Elissa’s eyes followed. Coming into view was the tall wall that protected Neffenmark Castle. As she continued to look, she could see the inner courtyard was filled with people.
“Fortuitous arrival,” Myllia said in Elissa’s head.
Elissa still thought it was weird how the dragons communicated only through thoughts, but she was getting used to it. She strained her head as she looked at the people that were gathered in a large mass. There was something odd about the crowd, but she couldn't quite figure it out.
“Look closely,” Myllia said as if she had read Elissa’s thoughts. “In the middle of the crowd.”
Elissa knew that the dragon could not hear what she was thinking, for if she had, the dragon would certainly not have become an ally. Her anger at the dragon had almost been too much to overcome, but she believed that Myllia was true in her heart to change and help them.
She did try and look closer, but still couldn’t see anything different about the middle of the crowd. “What is it?” Elissa asked. “We’re still far away.”
“I had forgotten how weak Human eyes are,” Myllia said. “The Elven army has arrived at your castle. I will circle for some time so that our arrival is not a surprise. I would not want your bowmen to try and shoot at me for fear of accidentally hitting you. Plus, the Human mage is there. He might try and attack me, too.”
Elissa watched as Myllia began a slow turn to the left to circle the castle.
***
King Illichian saw it a moment before everyone else did. The entire crowd let out a single gasp an instant before pandemonium struck. Elves, trained as warriors, refused to show fear and stood their ground while the refugees and soldiers of the Human army ran for cover. Some shouted at their cowardice and demanded that they stay and fight, but King Illichian could not blame them. The dragon was a fearsome beast that had helped destroy two of their cities and killed countless innocent civilians.
Although there was apprehension filling his thoughts, there was no fear. If the dragon were really going to attack them, it would have already happened. He stood patiently, watching the dragon slowly circle high above them.
“It does not appear to wish to attack,” a voice said behind him.
King Illichian turned towards the Karmon Knight who approached. He was a hulk of a man with sad, tired eyes. The king had seen that look many times. Mostly in the mirror.
“I am Sir Gossmire,” the man said. “I command the Karmon Knights.”
King Illichian glanced around the courtyard. Not only were the Elves standing their ground, but there were also a hundred or so well-armored men. A few had drawn their weapons, but most stood firmly, looking up into the sky, waiting for the attack.
“I am King Illichian of the Elvenkind,” the king said in greeting.
Looking up at the dragon, Sir Gossmire said, “It seems your grand entrance has been ruined. I even had a speech I was supposed to make.” A slight smile crossed his face. “I hate making speeches.”
King Illichian in
stantly liked this man. There were many defenses against fear and humor was one one of them. Fear could never be suppressed. It could only be controlled.
A few Karmon Knights came running from the stables carrying bows. Sir Gossmire shouted for them to hold fast. Such weapons would be of no use.
“Your castle will be safe with us here,” the king said. “We may not be able to defeat it with our spells, but we can defend against its attacks. However, if we can get it on the ground, a well-placed spear between its scales will harm it. If we can strike through its heart, we can kill it.”
Sir Gossmire shouted for his bowmen to return to their barracks and fetch spears. He also commanded his men into defendable clumps. There was no use for them to be in the courtyard, but he was not going to command them to run away. They would have refused, anyway.
“Why does it not attack?” Sir Gossmire asked.
“The beast came to us when we were camped along the shore of the sea. It offered us a deal that we couldn’t refuse. One of yours and two of ours went into your city South Karmon to try and free the other of its kind.”
“What kind of deal is that?”
The king shook his head and looked at the ground. “We had no choice. It had taken your queen and threatened her life if we did not do as she asked.”
“What! It has Queen Elissa!”
“Your queen is safe,” a strange voice said in Sir Gossmire’s head.
Sir Gossmire jumped and looked around. “Who was that!”
“It is the dragon,” King Illichian replied. “They speak not in our ears, but in our mind.”
“What devilry!” Sir Gossmire drew his sword out of instinct. He pointed it at the dragon and shouted up, “Come down here and face us!”
“I am coming down, but I have your queen with me. Anything you might try and do to me might end up hurting your queen.”
“How can she do this? Magic?” Sir Gossmire shook his head and looked around for someone close by. He pointed his sword at a nearby knight. “You! Sir Or! Find Hargon! He should be out here! Now!”