Diane brushed some sand off of her sleeves. She chuckled at the elf's question.
“But they did not create this realm, Callius,” she told him. “Surely you know that? Whatever force created the universe also created the gods themselves, as shepherds of its work. Call it God or the Creator or whatever you like, but the old gods were meant to keep an eye on all of Creation, to make sure that it remained in perfect balance and harmony. The dark gods broke that trust when they attacked their brethren, seeking to take control of the realm. That is why the ley energy does not answer to them or their creatures. But you and I and every other mortal were formed by our world. We can touch the ley, where the gods cannot. Keep that in mind the next time you encounter evil. It is powerful, yes, but it is not invulnerable. Not to us.”
Callius appeared to be digesting this when Diane suddenly turned to the west and stared off into the distance.
“What it is?” the scryer asked, alarmed.
“Something is approaching us. Something dark and twisted. I can feel it crossing the dunes, coming straight toward us. It's moving very quickly.”
“What do we do?” Callius asked her.
He was clearly frightened, but Diane smiled calmly at him.
“We leave. This has been a good start, but you have done enough for now. We'll speak more when you've rested and had time to think about your experience. Now brace yourself. Whatever is coming is almost upon us.”
Before the elf could reply, Diane raised her staff and muttered under her breath. She struck the ground with the end of the rod and the two of them vanished in a flash of light and a rumble of thunder. Seconds later the surface of the sand dune exploded at the exact spot where they had been standing and black sooty tendrils burst out of the ground. They groped uselessly at the empty air for a moment and then blew away like smoke, leaving behind a jagged hole in the dune that began to fill up with sand again. If either Diane or Callius had still been nearby, they might have heard an angry moan rumble up from below the ground. But the only witness to the horror was the unending sky and the indifferent sun.
“Would you please tell us the next time you decide to take our young friend away at a moment's notice?'
Malfiess was sitting in his favorite spot in front of the fireplace. He was holding a thick tome in one hand while he looked sternly at Diane, who had just sent Callius to get some sleep and taken a seat across from the councilor.
She smiled at him as she settled into her chair and arranged her robe comfortably around her. Ethmira walked over to join them. She had been in her quarters when Diane and Callius returned.
Chase hurried over as well. She had been in the kitchen area when Diane had reappeared and now offered the mage a steaming cup of tea.
Diane smiled gratefully at the ranger as she accepted the cup.
“Ah, you're a lifesaver,” she told Chase. “This has been a trying day.”
She carefully sipped the hot liquid while Chase took a seat next to Ethmira. Then she turned her head to stare at Malfiess, giving him a curious look.
“What is the problem, my friend?” she asked him. “You all knew that I wanted to test Callius' abilities. Would telling you that we were leaving have made any difference?”
He looked exasperated.
“Well no, but after Callius' disappearance yesterday, and the events that we went through to get him back, we're all slightly on edge. Keeping us notified about what is happening would ease our minds a bit.”
Diane nodded slowly as she glanced at the rangers.
“Then I apologize, to all of you. Perhaps I'm too used to working alone and my social skills need some work. But when something needs to be done, I like to get to it immediately. If I have to leave again, for anything, I'll tell you. Good enough?”
Malfiess put his book on his lap and rested his hands on top of it. He smiled at the mage.
“Good enough. And please forgive my tone. I was worried about you both. The three of us,” he nodded at Ethmira and Chase, “are basically stuck here when you leave. We have no powers comparable to yours and we must try to be patient while we wait for you to return and tell us what is going on. It tends to make me a little anxious. Of course I cannot speak for my colleagues in this.”
Ethmira shook her head while Chase just shrugged.
“We are, perhaps, more patient because of our training than you are, Malfiess,” Ethmira told him. “We have pledged our service to Diane during this crisis and we will do what she asks of us. And if that means waiting here while she trains Callius, then that is what we will do.”
Diane looked at Chase, who smiled back at her.
“I agree with Ethmira,” she said. “You will call on us when you need us. Until then, we await your orders. It is as simple as that.”
Malfiess rolled his eyes at them.
“Well now I just feel foolish,” he grumbled. “I am used to waiting, of course. On the Council of Elders nothing is rushed, especially with Amelda in charge. What makes me most anxious is not knowing what is happening on Trillfarness. Are our people under attack while we sit here drinking tea and discussing ancient history?”
He picked up the thick book on his lap.
“While these tomes that you have are fascinating, they won't help us with the battles to come. But please, don't take my comments as criticism. They are not. I'm just not happy about feeling so useless, that's all. But that is on me, Diane. Not you.”
“You are far from useless, my friend,” Diane assured him. “Your knowledge and level-headed advice is of great value to me. You all have powers, you know. They may be different from mine, but they are just as worthy, I promise you.”
She sipped more of her tea and Chase could see how exhausted the mage seemed to be. There were dark shadows under her eyes and her skin looked quite pale.
“Are you all right?” she asked Diane. “You must have used a lot of energy in a very short amount of time today.”
“I'm fine, thank you,” the mage replied with a tired smile. “But I will admit that I will sleep well when I go to bed later.”
“So what did you learn about Callius today?” Malfiess asked her. “Does he actually have any talents beyond the ability to touch the ley lines as a scryer?”
Diane set her cup down on a side table and sat back with a sigh.
“Indeed he does,” she replied. “In fact, I am astounded by his potential. My ability to tap into the ley energy of a planet and shape it to my use is unique, or so I believed. But Callius can do it as well. However, there is a crucial difference between us that may actually make him even stronger than I am, if he receives the proper training.”
“Stronger? Really? That's astonishing,” Malfiess exclaimed.
“What is the difference between you?” Ethmira asked her.
Diane stared into the crackling logs burning at the heart of the fireplace as she answered.
“I use spells to direct my powers, fueled by the ley lines. Spells...organize that energy, give it a definitive objective. Wild ley energy, as you all know, is incredibly dangerous and unstable. I can touch it even without my spells, of course, but I would never dare try to channel it without focusing it with a spell.”
She looked at the three elves, who were watching and listening with great interest.
“Callius doesn't do that. At least he didn't do that today. I took him back to Earth to test him, thinking that it might be safer for him there. Less ley energy is available on my world and it seems that the dark gods are concentrating more on Trillfarness than they are on my planet these days. But even with less power to draw upon, Callius was able to touch the ley lines and manipulate them without the use of spells or incantations.”
She shook her head in wonder.
“Do you understand?” she asked her listeners. “He doesn't need the framework of spells. He can channel raw ley energy through his body without being consumed by it! This is something that, until today, I didn't believe was possible. Well, I am a believer now.”
“But what does that mean for Callius and for us?” Chase asked her. She looked confused. “If he uses ley energy the way that you believe he does, wouldn't that limit his abilities? A mortal body can only channel so much power before it fails, isn't that correct?”
Diane rested her head against the high back of her chair and looked up at the high ceiling.
“Normally, yes,” she admitted. “We are fragile vessels in many ways. Humans and elves share many of the same weaknesses. Dwarves, well, dwarves are a lot tougher physically than the rest of us, but that's a topic for another day. Anyway, if Callius was using his own physical body as the medium between the source of his power, ley energy, and what he wants it to do, then he would probably fail. But that isn't quite what he does. Without even knowing that he is doing it, Callius weaves the energy around his body, not through it. I learned this when his first attempt to consciously manipulate that energy resulted in a massive vortex. He mimicked what was happening when the ley energy rose from beneath the earth and passed over the surface of his body without touching it. I believe that is also what happened in the scryers' tower when he saved himself from the attack of that corruption. It swirled around Callius and destroyed the infestation because that is how he interacts with it. And now that I know this, we can move forward together and work to hone his abilities to the point where he can direct that energy at will. At least I'm hoping that we can. It all depends on that young elf and his strength of mind and will. I still don't really know him or how strong he is. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose.”
“That sounds hopeful,” Malfiess observed.
“Yes, hopeful,” Diane sighed. “And hope is all we have now. I am only one person, after all. If Callius can learn to use his abilities quickly, and if he has the potential that I believe he does, we will at least double the strength we have available to fight the incursions on Trillfarness. If not, well then we are back to square one. We'll see.”
The group was silent for a moment and then Ethmira cleared her throat loudly.
“Diane, you have pushed yourself to your limits today,” she said kindly. “Please, get some rest. You are the most important person here and we need you to take care of yourself. Don't worry, we'll keep our voices down while you sleep.”
The mage chuckled wearily and pushed herself to her feet.
“Yes ma'am,” she said with a wan smile. “I think I will do just that. Feel free to use the kitchen if you are hungry or thirsty. I conjured up some food if you feel like cooking. I sleep like a stone and you won't wake me if you make noise.”
“Rest well,” Malfiess told her.
“Thanks, I intend to.”
As she crossed the hall, walking toward her bed, Chase leaned closer to Ethmira.
“I'm worried about her,” she whispered in concern. “She is overexerting herself. Without Diane, we will fail in our efforts to stop the Darkness.”
“I know,” Ethmira replied under her breath, with a quick glance at Malfiess who was listening closely. “But what can we do about it? She is the only one who knows her own limits. We certainly can't dictate what she can and cannot do. All we can do is advise and support her.”
Malfiess nodded in solemn agreement and the three elves lapsed into silence again, each of them lost in their own troubled thoughts.
Chapter 22
The entire group was standing in the center of the hall and staring at a shimmering ball of blue fire. The globe, six feet across, hovered just above the floor and hummed softly with power.
“What are we going to see, Diane?” Malfiess asked the mage as he stared warily at the fiery orb.
He was standing with Ethmira and Chase on one side of the globe while Diane and Callius stood opposite to them. Both the mage and the scryer were staring into the heart of the ball of energy. She was wearing a dark green robe and holding her staff topped with the blue gem, while Callius wore his usual red. They were a colorful pair in the light of the pulsing ball of energy.
Diane shook her head without taking her eyes off of the globe.
“Don't ask me,” she replied, speaking over the deep hum coming from the large ball. “This is Callius' party.”
“Callius? What has happened?” the councilor asked.
Several weeks had passed since Diane had first tested the young elf's powers and then had begun training him on the safest way of using them. Callius had caught on quickly and was an eager student. As a result, he could now use those powers in a way that complimented Diane's. But he had also exceeded her skill in a way, because he had no need to use spells. He simply focused on what he wanted to accomplish and just did it. The large globe that everyone was staring at was further proof of that. Diane did not conjure it. It was constructed by Callius himself.
“I was doing a deep dive into the ley lines within Trillfarness,” Callius replied as he remained focused on the globe. “The way that we used to when I worked with my fellow scryers in our tower. You let the energy take you along its rivers and tributaries to where it wants you to go and then look at what it wants you to see.”
“You're speaking as if the planet itself is alive and sentient,” Ethmira said with a frown.
“Yes, of course it is alive, Commander,” Callius replied respectfully. “It isn't sentient, not exactly, but every living thing will react when it is threatened and that includes our world. When I was trained as a scryer, we learned to allow the flow of the ley to take us to where it needed us to be, to see what threatened it. That is what I was doing and that is why I asked Diane to gather you all together.”
He raised his hands and the sleeves of his red robe slid up his arms revealing his slender arms.
Chase gasped as she looked at Callius. Lines of blue fire were etched into the skin on his forearms, like glowing tattoos. They were formed into intricate patterns like complicated spider webs and disappeared beneath his clothing.
Diane took her eyes off of the globe and smiled reassuringly at the ranger.
“I see that you have noticed the new marks on Callius' skin,” she said to her. “Rest easy. As we began to hone his talents, the ley energy marked him. The patterns are benign and simply help him to focus the power. It seems that the ley is pleased with him and wants to help him in his work.”
“Again you are speaking as if it is sentient,” Ethmira observed. “I don't think that I'm comfortable with that idea.”
“Try not to think about it too much,” Diane told her, sounding slightly amused. “I have learned not to categorize such things. Simply accept that the ley energy works with us against our enemies, both on your world and on mine. We need not fully understand it to use it in the fight against the Darkness.”
Ethmira nodded reluctantly.
“As you say. You are the experts here, not the three of us. So what are we going to be seeing, Callius?”
“I'm not sure,” the scryer admitted. “I was directed to a certain location by the ley and I wanted all of you to see it at the same time that I did. So if you are ready?”
“Go ahead,” Diane said. “Show us what has drawn the ley's attention.”
“Very well. Here we go.”
The blue lines on Callius' arms flared for a moment and then the globe began to spin and throw sparks out in all directions. Malfiess stepped back in surprise and then caught himself and glared at the ball of energy as its hum became louder and higher pitched.
“You are safe,” Callius said loudly over the sound of the spinning globe. “The energy will not harm you.”
“Easy for him to say,” Malfiess muttered as he glanced at Ethmira and Chase.
The rangers both gave him quick grins and then the three of them watched the globe, waiting to see whatever it was going to show them.
An outline began to appear in the midst of the azure ball of light. Shadows and light merged into a landscape and the elves stared enthralled at the emerging image.
Mountains rose high in the distance, row upon row of high crags reaching skyward. Dist
ant specks swooped and glided through the thin mountain air, birds riding the many currents and eddies. Chase imagined she could hear the wild cries of those birds, but the scene was completely silent.
Nestled in the middle of the rough stone slopes of the mountains was a massive edifice, an ancient castle of epic proportions that rose proudly out of the shadows of the cliffs and ridges around it. Its gray walls were cracked in places and many stone blocks were missing from its ramparts, but still it displayed a majesty and a strength that must have survived for many years, possibly for centuries.
“A castle?” Malfiess exclaimed in amazement. “Is that on Trillfarness? What mountain range is that?”
Ethmira turned quickly and hurried over to the table in front of the bookshelves. She picked up the map that she and Chase had been updating and came back to stand next to Malfiess.
“It looks like...” she muttered as she scanned the large map.
Chase looked at the map for a moment and then pointed at a spot in the northern hemisphere.
“There. The Caliphas Peaks. That has to be it. They are one of the most ancient mountain ranges on Trillfarness and the most remote. I remember hearing stories in my youth about a fortress built there over two thousand years ago by our last monarch, Lord Serris Amthellan.”
“Amthellan, yes,” Malfiess said softly as he stared at the map. “The Mad King. His reign was so chaotic and brutal that it convinced our people to never again allow one person to rule over us. I don't remember any tales about him building a remote castle though.”
“I do,” Ethmira said as she looked at the image looming in front of them. “According to history books that I read as a child, Lord Serris disappeared before he could face punishment for his many crimes against our people. No one ever saw him again, but it was believed that he had retreated to a hidden fortress where he died alone, waiting for an attack by his subjects that never came.”
The Fall of the Elves Page 28