“You were right to seek me out, Malfiess,” she told him. “Disrupting the ley lines could be the first step taken by our enemies before an invasion. An invasion that, as you said, might go unnoticed until the dark forces were ready to attack. This is even worse than I feared. It is also very clever. Whoever is behind this disruption is using basic divide and conquer tactics against you. Cut off your people's ability to communicate with each other and then strike while you are isolated and vulnerable.”
Chase stared at her in surprise.
“That hadn't occurred to me,” she exclaimed. “But you are right, Diane. We have very few large settlements. Our people prefer to live in smaller towns and villages rather than big cities like yours once did. And if a large army were to invade, they could pick off those towns one by one, like killing a tree by cutting off one branch at a time.”
“Exactly. That is what I fear they mean to do. The question is, how can we find out if our suspicions are correct?” Diane asked the three elves. “And do it without giving ourselves away to the enemy? As I said earlier, surprise is an excellent weapon. Our foes may be using it against us right now, so we must in turn use it against them to our advantage.”
“But, can't you just use your magic to find out?” Chase asked her.
Diane smiled at the ranger.
“I am only one person,” she replied. “And Trillfarness is a very large place. There are a dozen mages on Earth right now who have been scouting out the planet and looking for survivors for years. And they are still finding people. Do you imagine that one person, no matter how powerful, could do in a short time what they haven't been able to do as a group for several years? I'm sorry, but that is impossible. Unless I have some idea of where to look, I might never find the enemy. Assuming, of course, that our fears are correct.”
“Diane has a point,” Malfiess said dispiritedly. “How can we expect her to search an entire planet, most of which is covered in forests, and find our enemies? If they are there, we must assume that they will take great pains to ensure that they stay hidden and out of sight until they are ready to strike. It would be almost impossible in that case to discover them. No, we need another way, a plan that will get us our results more quickly, before our world is overrun.”
Ethmira had been sitting quietly, listening to the discussion and absorbing everyone's comments. Now she leaned forward and stared at Diane.
“Before we continue, I would like to ask you something rather...personal,” she said. “Please do not take offense.”
The woman raised an eyebrow.
“Ask whatever you wish,” Diane replied calmly. “I will answer if I can.”
“Thank you. Malfiess seems to think that you are a wizard, but as far as I know, the only human wizard in existence is Simon. Are you actually that powerful, or was Malfiess mistaken?”
Diane seemed surprised by the question and she looked at Malfiess curiously.
“Why would you think that?” she asked him. “Did I say or do anything to lead you to believe that I was as powerful as Simon?”
“Well, no,” Malfiess admitted. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “It was more that I sensed something, a power that was far beyond anything that I have ever experienced before. Diane, you know that we elves do not use magic the way that humans do. That is because we live within the power, we do not channel it and use it as you do. It is simply a part of our being. But that makes us more sensitive to its presence in other races. And I felt within you a concentration of magic that I have never felt before. It took me aback, to be honest with you. If you are not a wizard, then I would really like to know what you are.”
“Would you?”
Diane looked at each of the elves in turn. She smiled at their expectant expressions and shrugged.
“I consider myself to be a mage, because I don't know what else to call myself. Simon doesn't know either. He is unique, as you all know. And apparently so am I. You see, there was a specific reason that Simon sent me to Trillfarness instead of some other magic-user.”
She stood up, her robe rustling softly as she moved. She stepped away from her chair to stand in front of the fireplace.
“I can do something that no other human being can do,” she told the others.
Diane open her hand, palm up, and a sparking, glittering ball of blue energy appeared above it.
“I can control ley energy.”
Chapter 11
The three elves sat stunned as they watched the ball of blue fire bobbing up and down above Diane's palm. It lasted only a moment before the woman closed her hand and the energy dissipated with a loud sizzle. Then she smiled at Ethmira and the others and stepped back to her chair to sit down again.
“How is that even possible?” Malfiess asked her in amazement. “We have been taught for ages that only elves can touch the ley lines, and only those who spend their lives training to do so can control them; the keepers and the scryers. Humans aren't even exposed to such power. Are they?”
“Yes, of course we are,” Diane corrected him gently. “But the ley energy on Earth is much scarcer, much more muted than the wild ley power here on Trillfarness. It was never something that was used even in ancient times when magic was commonplace. With magical energy so readily available in the very air around them, the magic-users back then had no reason to try to tap into the ley lines. But they exist and they always have. When I Changed, over a decade ago, I did not tap into the magic that was flowing back into our realm. Instead, I began drawing power from the untapped ley lines deep within the Earth. I don't know why I did that, and neither does Simon. It's like I was designed for it. And because I am the only person on my world who uses that power, it is virtually limitless. I am not a wizard. I am something else entirely.”
She sighed wistfully as she looked past the elves as if staring into her memories.
“My story is similar to Simon's, you know. Our changes did not just allow us to use our new powers, they also altered us physically. He was middle-aged when he Changed into the young man that he is now. But I was much older than that. Much, much older.”
“How old?” Ethmira asked softly.
Diane smiled at her.
“I had out-lived my own children and their children were as old as Simon had been back then. To wake up one day with my youth restored, with all of my aches and pains gone, with my vision clear and my strength returned...oh, that was truly a miracle.”
The elves all smiled at the joy in Diane's voice.
“I am happy for you,” Malfiess told her sincerely. “Do you think that your maturity at the time helped you deal with your new powers?”
“Absolutely. Having a lifetime of experience behind me allowed me to handle the shock of my Change. And it certainly kept me level-headed after I discovered that I had abilities that I once thought only existed in fairy tales.”
“And your ability to use ley energy is the reason that you are here now?” Ethmira asked her.
“It is. Simon is powerful, but even he cannot shape and mold ley energy the way that I can. So he thought that I should be the one to come to Trillfarness and keep an eye on events here. Magical energy is much rarer on your world than it is on Earth, but ley energy is abundant. So now you know my story. I hope that I have answered your question, Ethmira.”
“You have. And I thank you for that,” Ethmira replied, her tone warmer than it had been. “I had my doubts about you, I must admit, but you have allayed them. And I now understand why Simon would send you to us rather than another person.”
“As do I,” Malfiess agreed. “But Diane, since it is obvious that you were unaware of the disruption to the ley lines because you were here in the Void, what do you think we should do now? Can you use your abilities to discover the cause?”
“I believe so,” she replied. She absently ran her fingers over the gold stitching on her sleeves as she spoke. “But I must be very careful. Whoever or whatever has affected the energies beneath Trillfarness may sense me if I am
not cautious enough. I will have to be as subtle and as delicate as I can be, but I do need to get to the bottom of this. Your people need the ley lines, both to travel around the planet and to sense any danger to your world. If there is a way to restore those energies, it would thwart our enemies before they could do any lasting damage. That is certainly worth risking being discovered by them.”
“Can they use ley power?” Chase spoke up. “I mean the forces of darkness like the goblins? You say that humans cannot draw from it, except for yourself. But can any non-human races do that?”
“I don't believe so,” Diane told her. “Which makes this disruption all the more mysterious. How was it done? And by whom? That must be my first priority, finding answers to those questions.”
She stood up again and smiled at her guests.
“I am being a poor host,” Diane said. “Allow me to offer you some refreshment. Please relax in front of the fire. I won't be long.”
She walked off toward the kitchen area across the hall and the elves watched her for a moment before they looked at each other again.
“So what do you think?” Malfiess asked Ethmira softly.
“Of Diane?”
He nodded.
Ethmira glanced over her shoulder before answering.
“I like her,” she told Malfiess. “I wasn't sure about her at first, but I believe that she has answered our questions honestly. I just wonder what she can do to help us. If some force is at play on Trillfarness that is neither human nor goblin, what could it be? And can Diane's powers counter it? I admire her determination to try to aid us, but if she is putting herself at risk, I worry about that.”
“We're all at risk now,” Chase reminded her. “I am very happy that Diane is willing to try to help. Obviously she knows what the risks are, certainly more than we do. All we can do is wait to see what happens next. But I for one intend to do what I can to defend her while she fights for us.”
Both Ethmira and Malfiess smiled at her determined statement.
“I will as well,” Ethmira agreed. “We may not be magic-users, but we can protect Diane from physical attacks, if she wants such protection. I really have no idea what she will need from us, if she needs anything at all. She may just send us on our way after this meeting. And if she does, we may never know what happens going forward.”
Malfiess frowned at her.
“After traveling as far as we did, surely you want to continue with our mission. Don't you?” he asked Ethmira.
“Yes, of course I do. But how do you expect us to do that if Diane tells us that she doesn't need us?”
He seemed to be struggling to find an answer to her question and finally he just shrugged and sat back in his chair.
“Nothing, of course. We now find ourselves lost in a strange forest, with no clear way out. We'll have to wait and see what she says, I suppose.”
The three of them quietly contemplated the dancing flames in the fireplace. Chase wondered what would happen next, but she had to agree with the others. Diane was now the one who would plot their course going forward. And if she told them that they weren't needed, then that would probably be that. She desperately hoped that would not be the case. Chase wanted to help Diane protect Trillfarness, whatever that meant now. To be sent home instead would make her feel like she'd failed them.
“You're all very quiet.”
The elves looked away from the fire to see Diane approaching carrying a large tray. She smiled at them and set the tray down on a low table next to the fireplace.
“I've made us all some tea. It's chamomile. I brought some with me from Earth. I hope you like it.”
They all stood up and poured themselves cups of steaming liquid. It was golden in color and had a light, fruity scent. When they were seated again, Diane looked at all of them curiously.
“Why so gloomy?” she asked them. “I know that we have a daunting challenge ahead of us, but we don't really know what that challenge is. Surely you haven't assumed the worst, have you?”
Ethmira sipped her tea and then smiled in reaction at its flavor.
“Ah, this takes me back,” she said to Diane. “The first time I met Simon, he served me chamomile tea in his tower. I was delighted with it then and I still am now. Thank you for this.”
“You're very welcome.”
“Now, as to why we look gloomy, if that is the correct term. It is because we want to help you defend our world. As rangers, Chase and I swore to protect Trillfarness and the lives of our people. And Malfiess, as a member of the Council of Elders, is also committed to caring for them. We do not want to step aside and leave that burden to you alone. But we are worried that you may not have need of our services going forward. Do you?”
“Do I need you?” Diane asked her. She sounded surprised at the question. “Of course I do. You, Chase and Malfiess know your planet and your people far better than I ever could. I may have to travel all over Trillfarness in my quest to find answers to what has happened there. I will have to interact with elves that may have never met a human before. They will have very little reason to trust me, but if I appear with a couple of rangers at my back, as well as a member of the Council of Elders? Well, I expect that will open doors for me and gain me acceptance that I could never find on my own.”
Chase and Malfiess looked relieved at her words and Ethmira nodded at the mage gratefully.
“Thank you. I am very pleased to hear that. Do you know how you want to proceed?”
“I think so.”
Diane drank some tea and then frowned down at her cup.
“I think that we should travel back to Imrathstal and speak with the keeper there. You told me that you noticed the ley lines acting strangely when you traveled from there to Alderthal.”
“That's true,” Ethmira replied. “Fiad, the keeper, said that the portals had become unstable and the one that he opened for us only lasted for a few moments. Chase and I were fortunate that we passed through it before it collapsed. It was soon afterwards that the ley lines failed entirely.”
“Yes, I think that might have been the moment when the ley energy became totally unusable to the keepers,” Diane told her. “And because of that, the keeper there may have insights that I could use.”
“Well, at least we won't have to walk all the way back,” Malfiess said with some relief.
Diane chuckled.
“No, we won't. Whatever has happened to the ley energy hasn't affected my ability to tap into it. Obviously the way that your people use that energy is different from my own. And that may be our one advantage in the conflict ahead. Our mutual enemies cannot know that my powers are not diminished by whatever they have done to the ley lines. In fact, I hope they don't even know that I am present at all. The longer I can keep my identity a secret from the dark gods, the better for all of us.”
“Well, I can assure you that Fiad will be circumspect,” Malfiess told her. “The keepers are legendarily independent and work in isolation from our society. They stay in touch with each other, but they answer to no one but themselves. I suspect that he will be quite intrigued when he meets a human who can actually use ley energy.”
“No doubt he will be,” Diane replied. “I just hope that he is not offended by the idea of someone from another race being able to use the ley lines. As you know, the keepers are a fickle bunch. If Fiad takes offense for whatever reason, I may get little or no cooperation from him.”
Chase stifled a laugh and the others looked at her in surprise.
“What's funny?” Ethmira asked her.
“I was just thinking that Fiad will probably fall all over himself trying to help Diane,” she told her. “The one thing that makes the keepers unique is their ability to tap into the ley lines. That ability is now gone and Fiad and his brethren are essentially useless. Don't you think that he would do anything that would allow him to use that power again?”
Diane grinned mischievously at her.
“Now that is a very good point,” she tol
d the ranger. “Without the ley energies, Fiad is just an ordinary elf, not unique, not powerful and without purpose. I agree, Chase. I imagine that he will offer his aid to us if there is even a slim chance that he will get his powers back.”
They all finished their tea, chatting amiably about other, less serious topics. After they were done, Diane carried their cups back to her sink and then returned with a question for her guests.
“Do you wish to rest for a while, or shall we get on with our mission?”
Malfiess shook his head.
“Speaking for myself, I am eager to get moving. Every minute that passes is a minute lost. We still have no idea about our enemies' plans or if they are even on Trillfarness at the moment. Time is not on our side now and we shouldn't waste it.”
“I understand your eagerness,” Diane assured him. “But in this place, time does not operate the way that it does in the mortal realm. In the hour or two that we have been speaking together, only a few minutes have passed on Trillfarness. We don't need to rush off in a panic.”
The councilor looked amazed.
“Truly? That is remarkable! It reminds me of the time differential that occurred when Trillfarness was separated from the Earth. Many years passed on our world for every one that passed on yours.”
“That's true enough, except that the time dilation between the Void and the mortal realm isn't quite that extreme. Anyway, since we do have the opportunity, do any of you wish to rest or eat something?”
Ethmira and Chase exchanged a look. The younger ranger shook her head and Ethmira smiled in agreement.
“We are of the same mind as Malfiess,” she told Diane. “Let us get moving. I am more than ready to take some action to thwart our foes.”
“As you wish. Then please gather your things and join me in the center of the hall.”
Diane left her cloak hanging from the back of her chair and walked away. The elves quickly stood up and picked up their packs. They hurried across the room to stand with Diane beneath the highest point of the dome above them.
The Fall of the Elves Page 14