“But then, what can be done?” Chase asked Diane helplessly. “Even if you and Callius can find and transport some of our people out of harm's way, eventually they will have no safe place to retreat to. Wouldn't you just be delaying the inevitable?”
Diane set down her teacup, leaned over and placed her palms on the map. She frowned at the chart, her eyes flicking from town to town as if she was counting the number of settlements.
Finally she stood up and nodded to herself, as if settling an internal debate.
“There might be a way to save at least some of your people,” she told the elves, all of whom were watching her anxiously. “But Callius and I won't be able to do it alone. We're going to need help.”
“What way, Lady?” Callius asked in confusion. “And help from where? As you have said, we are the only two who can use the ley energy to aid my people. There is no one else who can help us.”
“No one on Trillfarness,” Diane told him with a tired smile. “But Trillfarness is lost. The only chance your people have is if they leave the planet behind and settle somewhere else.”
“You are speaking of Earth? You mean to take them to your world?” Malfiess asked incredulously. “Is that even possible? And how safe is the Earth now? You've said that it is overrun with the old gods' servants. Goblins, ogres, and Mother knows what else. Not to mention dragons.”
“Any port in a storm, my friend,” Diane replied. “The dragons are not a threat if you leave them be. And as for the goblins and their minions, well, there is one place on Earth that they have not touched. One place where they cannot reach easily because it is surrounded by water, which they hate, and is too small for them to bother with.”
“What place?”
“A tiny country that was once known as New Zealand. I have visited it several times over the past decade because I knew it well in my past life. I am very fond of that place.”
Diane smiled as she dipped into old memories.
“It is a land of mountains and valleys. Green fields and ancient forests. Your people would feel right at home there, I think. And it would be much more easily defended than a place like Nottinghill Castle, which lies too close to Europe. The goblins cross the English Channel reluctantly to attack my people there, but they would have a very hard time reaching New Zealand. The closest land mass is Australia and they have not infested that small continent.”
“Why not?” Chase asked curiously.
“Because at least two of the dragon species, the blue and the brown, have claimed Australia,” Diane told her. “They hate the goblins at least as much as they hate my people. Maybe even more. But they seem to have no interest in New Zealand, so it is as safe a refuge as can be found on Earth, at least in my opinion.”
“But how do you know that the dragons won't one day decide to invade that place?” Malfiess asked nervously. “If my people settle there and the dragons learn of it, they may attack us.”
Before Diane could answer him, Ethmira slammed her fist on the table angrily.
“Malfiess, what do you want? Assurances that our people will be safe? Guarantees? Diane cannot give you those. No one can. She is offering us a chance to save our race. At least accept it with some grace!”
“I...”
Malfiess reddened at her rebuke and then nodded with a self-conscious smile.
“I apologize, Diane,” he said. “Of course Ethmira is correct. We have little choice if we want to save our people. But how can you and Callius transport so many? You've said in the past that Gating from Trillfarness to Earth requires a great deal of effort and a lot of energy. Now that the ley lines are corrupted, will just the two of you be able to do that for hundreds, possibly thousands of elves?”
Diane shook her head.
“No, we won't. That's why I said that we are going to need some help. The problem is that I do not know if that help is available. Callius and I should be able to get some of your people to safety. He can set up a stable portal to Earth, with my assistance, and then I will be able to Gate survivors to wherever that portal may be. But I am only one person and my strength will only go so far. And once I am exhausted, I will need to rest to regain my energy. We simply don't have the time to wait for that.”
She dipped a hand into a pocket inside of her robe and pulled out a small oval stone, the size of a small egg. It was milky white and appeared to be made of quartz.
“What is that?” Callius asked her.
“We call it a lodestone,” Diane replied. “It is a way to communicate over long distances, usually between magic-users. Each one is keyed to a specific person. This one was a gift, given to me to be used only in the most dire of emergencies. Well, I would say that this qualifies as just such an emergency. Let's see if the person who holds the mate to this lodestone agrees.”
She held the stone between her hands and breathed on it. The elves watched, fascinated, as the quartz began to pulse with soft light. It grew brighter and the pulses took on a steady rhythm, like the beating of a heart.
Diane stared at the lodestone for a moment. She appeared reluctant to speak and Malfiess shifted slightly as if he was going to say something. Ethmira motioned sharply for him to remain silent and the councilor bit his lip and nodded.
Finally Diane shrugged to herself and looked deeply into the stone, her mismatched eyes appearing to glow with power.
“Simon,” she whispered. “I need you.”
Chapter 25
Chase stared in awed amazement at the newcomer. A few minutes earlier, she and Ethmira had been sitting together in front of the fireplace discussing Diane's desperate plea for aid and then a man wearing pale blue robes had appeared out of nowhere. His head was covered by a deep hood that hid his features, but Diane seemed to recognize him immediately as she had turned away from the map of Trillfarness and greeted him with obvious relief.
The legend himself, Chase thought excitedly as Ethmira hurried across the room to take the man's hands in her own. Simon O'Toole.
“Thank you for coming, Simon,” Ethmira was saying as Chase stood up and walked over to join them. “I know what a risk it is to your future plans to lend us your aid.”
“What choice did I have, old friend?” Simon replied in a pleasant tenor voice. “The future of the elves is at stake. I do not fight to protect just my own people, but all of the mortal races.”
He pushed back his hood and glanced at Chase and Malfiess, who was also walking over from the map table. His blue and brown eyes were startling, just as Diane's were, but Simon's eyes gleamed as if glowing with an inner light. His shoulder-length hair was dark brown, but it was generously sprinkled with streaks of white as well. And yet his face was as smooth as a boy's and he stood tall and straight as he greeted the others, a youthful energy evident in his every movement.
“Chase, it is good to finally meet you,” he said warmly. “I wanted to thank you for your efforts on behalf of the citizens of Nottinghill Castle. You and your fellow elves saved them from the goblin hordes, and I won't forget that.”
The ranger smiled as the mage held out his hand. She shook it firmly and was surprised at the strength in Simon's grip.
“We only lent them our aid, sir,” she replied. “The humans bore the brunt of the attacks. Their bravery was inspiring, both to me and to my people.”
He nodded silently and turned to Malfiess.
“Elder Malfiess,” Simon said formally as he bowed politely to the councilor. “I know of you and I commend you for helping Diane in this current crisis.”
“How could I not, sir?” Malfiess replied as he returned the mage's bow. “My people are threatened with extinction. I will do whatever I must to save them.”
“Well said.”
Simon finally looked at Callius. The young scryer had been standing behind Diane, staring at him in wide-eyed fascination. He swallowed nervously when the mage caught his eye.
“May I introduce Callius, a scryer from the tower in Alderthal,” Diane said with a smile of en
couragement for the young elf. “Callius, this is my friend and mentor, Simon O'Toole.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Callius,” Simon said with a grin. “I know of you and of your abilities. I have been keeping a surreptitious eye on events and you have acted admirably to defend your people. Well done.”
Callius bowed awkwardly and stuttered as he tried to reply.
“Thank you, sir mage,” he mumbled. “But I have done little. I wish that I had more skill in manipulating the ley lines. But now that they have been corrupted, there is very little pure energy left for Lady Diane and I to work with.”
Simon nodded, frowning in thought.
“You make a good point.”
He looked at Diane.
“Is that why you called for aid?” Simon asked her. “Because of the infestation at the core of Trillfarness?”
“You know about that?” she asked him.
Simon raised an eyebrow and she chuckled.
“Of course you do. Yes, that's part of it. But Lord Serris, the nexus of the evil that has infected the planet, told us that the corruption has already spread throughout Trillfarness. Elves are dying even as we speak, but the only ones who can transport them to safety are Callius and myself. Simon, we can't do it! We can't save all of them. And with pure ley energy so hard to find now, even the portals that Callius can open, and my ability to Gate around the planet to gather up as many elves as I can, is threatened. That's why I need your help.”
Simon sighed and looked around the hall. He noticed the map laid out on the table and walked over to it.
“I didn't know that there was a map of Trillfarness. Fascinating,” he said as he scanned the chart.
Diane hurried over to join him while the four elves watched the two mages silently. While Simon and Diane spoke with each other, Chase moved closer to Ethmira and whispered to her.
“I can't believe that I've actually met the legendary Simon O'Toole,” she said softly.
Ethmira smiled absently as she watched the two humans.
“Yes, that's him. He looks exactly the same as he did the first time I met him,” she replied. “Well, there's more gray in his hair, but he still looks like a teenager. A gift from the magic he wields, apparently.”
“Can he help us?” Chase asked under her breath.
Malfiess and Callius were listening to them and both elves were staring anxiously at Ethmira.
“I have no doubt that he can help,” the ranger replied. “But the question is, will he? Remember, the evil old gods still believe that Simon is dead. That is the one thing that has allowed him to gather his forces safely behind the scenes. If he openly lends his aid to us, that might reveal his presence to them and foil his long-term plans. Can he risk that? Will he? I cannot say.”
“But surely, to save our people...” Malfiess began.
Ethmira cut him off with a shake of her head.
“Malfiess, Simon intends to fight the gods themselves, to save all Creation. As much as our people mean to us, and to him, can he derail his grand design to save them?”
The councilor opened his mouth and then caught himself and sighed.
“I don't know. I know what I would do, but then we are speaking of our own people. It is a terrible choice that he faces.”
The elves all turned as one as Diane called to them.
“Would you join us, please?” she asked. “Simon has an idea.”
The group moved over to stand around the table. Simon nodded at them and then pointed down at the map.
“The town of Alderthal is still free of infestation,” he told them. “Diane's efforts there to destroy the corruption in the towers seems to have left it cleansed, at least for now. We will go there and Callius will open a portal to Earth. Diane has told me about her idea to transport as many people as she can to the former country of New Zealand. It is a good one. The dragons have no interest in such a small territory and the goblins will avoid trying to reach it because of its location.”
He looked at Malfiess and Ethmira.
“Your people will be able to settle there and they will be as safe as they possibly can be, considering the constant assault on the mortal races. Is that acceptable to you?”
“I hate the thought of abandoning our ancient home,” Malfiess said heavily. “But if it means the survival of my people, then I will support it.”
“I agree,” Ethmira said firmly. “The elves are not a place. We are a people. We bring our traditions and history with us. And whether we live on Trillfarness or on Earth, we will endure.”
“Well said,” Diane told her.
“But how many can we save?” Chase asked the mages. “Do we know where the survivors are? If time is of the essence, you cannot just Gate randomly from town to town, hoping to find whoever is still alive.”
“I can help with that,” Simon told them. “Please step back from the table. I will need some room.”
Everyone moved back a few paces, including Diane, and they watched Simon in anticipation, wondering what he would do.
Simon raised his right arm and a staff appeared in his hand, its twisted length covered with thousands of tiny runes. He laid his left palm on the map and stared down at it while chanting in a strange tongue.
“That's ancient elvish,” Malfiess said softly to Diane. “Isn't it?”
She smiled and nodded.
“It is. Back when your people actually used magic.”
At his startled look, the mage chuckled softly.
“It's a long story. We'll discuss it in detail one day. For now, Simon is using an old spell created by your own people to mask his presence from the evil gods. If they detect that spell, they will be confused. His powers are so strong that, even in the Void, his spells cause a ripple that might be sensed by dark entities.”
“Clever,” Malfiess said with obvious admiration.
“Yes. Don't let Simon's appearance fool you. Like me, he was old before he regained his youth. And he is very wise. Let's hope that wisdom will help him remain hidden while still allowing him to aid your people.”
“Come and see,” Simon said as he stopped chanting and leaned on his staff. “I believe that I have found the survivors.”
The group moved back to the table and looked down at the map. Callius gasped and Diane smiled as they gazed upon it.
Little dots of light glowed across the surface of the chart, specks of blue that glittered like jewels.
“Those points of light represent groups of elves,” Simon told them. “I'm sorry that I cannot pinpoint individuals, but the planet is just too big to do that. At this moment in time, those are the places that hold the largest groups of survivors. Diane and I will Gate to each location and bring the survivors back to Alderthal, where Callius will open a portal to Earth and hold it open until we have rescued as many as we can.”
“But sir, I don't know how to do that!” Callius objected.
Simon turned to him and the young elf blushed.
“Don't worry about it,” Simon reassured him. “Diane will help you open the portal and lock it onto a safe clearing in New Zealand. Your task will be to keep the portal open for the duration of our rescue efforts. Can you do that?”
Callius clenched his fists and nodded convulsively.
“I will do my best, sir,” he replied.
“I know you will. Diane, Alderthal is centered on the map, so we'll split our efforts right down the middle. I count thirty locations highlighted across the planet. You take the fifteen to the west of Alderthal and I will take the fifteen to the east.”
He shook his head sadly as he pointed at the chart.
“Nothing is lit up to the north of the town. That can only mean that the elves who lived in the northern part of Trillfarness have already fallen.”
“All of them?” Malfiess asked incredulously. “But there must have been several thousand people living in the northern reaches.”
“I know,” Simon told him. “And I am sorry. Evidently the corruption is sp
reading at an alarming rate. Which means we have to move quickly. Diane, do you need the map?”
“No, I have the locations memorized,” she replied. “Thanks to the tricks you taught me, back when I was learning to ready my spells ahead of a battle. Remember how much I complained during those lessons?”
Simon laughed lightly.
“I remember a lot of cursing,” he said with a grin.
Ethmira and Chase both smiled at his comment.
“At any rate, we'd best get moving. We'll go to Alderthal first and you and Callius can open that portal. Then we'll begin.”
“What can we do?” Malfiess asked Simon. “Or should we just wait for you and Diane to bring our people to the portal?”
“No, we will need your help,” Simon told him and the rangers. “Chase, I'd like you to gather all of the inhabitants of Alderthal and get them through the portal as soon as you can. I'm guessing that the Council members will need some...persuading before they are willing to leave their tower.”
“I can do that,” Chase assured him. “Amelda may be stubborn, but she isn't a fool. Once she knows what the situation is, she'll want to lead our people to safety.”
“Good. Malfiess, you will travel with Diane when she goes to round up survivors. Your presence as a Council member will hopefully convince them that they must leave their homes if they want to survive.”
“Leave it to me,” the councilor said firmly. “I will simply tell them the truth. We elves know when we are being lied to.”
“What about me?” Ethmira asked Simon.
“You will come with me,” Simon said with a smile. “Having you by my side will add weight to my efforts to gather up the survivors. You are known all across Trillfarness and your people trust you.”
“Ah, just like old times,” the ranger told him fondly.
“Yes, just like old times. But this threat is far greater than the invasion of the brown dragons. This time Trillfarness has already fallen and we can only try to save as many of your people as possible.”
She nodded gravely.
“I know. So let's get going. Time waits for no one, even here in the Void.”
The Fall of the Elves Page 32