“Thank you, my lady.”
“You’re welcome.” Elva placed the tray on top of the table before she returned through the door.
“Thank you, Elva, for the food.” Shutting the door as she turned the lock to hear it click. She made her way to the table, sat as she grabbed half a sandwich, took a bite, activated the spell before taking the top book of the pile to read.
Several hours later, the sun was setting. This book was taking forever to finish; it was dull as a blank piece of paper. Her body was letting her know it still needed to recover from her travels. Closing the book, she called it a night.
It had been a couple of weeks now since she had arrived at Valorin. She had done well with getting into her daily routine. However, today should prove to be exciting since a mysterious guest is coming. Ivoka won’t budge in tell her who this guest is that will be visiting. Not sure why she was keeping the identity of their guest a secret. She bounced down the hallway in search of Ivoka. Arriving at the balcony, El expected Ivoka to be sitting at the table. Instead, Ivoka was standing next to the table. She walked over to stand by her side.
“Good, you are here. What is missing from this table?”
She looked at the table, scanning over everything. It didn’t take long for her to realize, “Two glasses,” she pointed at the empty spots, excited she’d pulled it off.
“You are correct, well done.”
“Elva, we need two more glasses.”
Ivoka turned to El, “Did you sleep well, my child?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Elva had arrived with the glasses placed them on the table in their appropriate spots.
Ivoka seeing the glasses were in place, walked off. Leaving El to follow her down the hall, they entered the library.
Lessons were short and sweet today. It seemed Ivoka wanted to cover the essential things before their guest arrived like Royal Etiquette, followed by the Rules of Court.
“Good job, you are doing well with your studies.”
“Thank you,” she didn’t feel the confidence in which Ivoka had expressed.
“Come, we need to get ready for our guest’s arrival. Seeing Ivoka rise from her chair, she did the same. They left the room headed down the hall.
As they entered a large room, it was the one she had come into on her first day when she met Elva. There was a group of chairs located in the back far side of the room. It was a rather large sitting area. It contained several wooden high back chairs placed around a wooden coffee table. Shields, along with tapestries with the symbol of the kingdom, hung on the wall about the room. She hadn’t remembered seeing this area the day she arrived.
Ivoka took a seat, “Please El sit here,” she motioned to the chair to her right.
“Thank you,” sitting she realized this would be her place on Ivoka’s right-hand side. Well, until she became Queen, which she hoped wasn’t for a long time.
As time went by, she shifted from side to side. While Ivoka looked utterly relaxed as she talked to a guard about the security of their guest's arrival. She was having trouble not fidgeting from being anxious as to their guest’s arrival.
A horn blew. El about jumped out of her seat. She looked at Ivoka, seeing her run her hands along her dress to make sure she looked her best. She was intrigued as to who their guest was.
In walked a large group of people escorted by their guards. The guards parted to reveal their guest who walked over, standing several feet away, from the Queen, he bowed, “Good to see you again, your majesty.”
“Thank you, King Oberson.”
“You’re most welcome.” He smiled a genuine smile displaying his charm.
“Please take a seat and join us.” Ivoka made a hand gesture toward the chairs opposite hers.
“Thank you.” Oberson sat in the chair across from Ivoka.
Doing her best to stifle a laugh—it was her birth father.
“How were your travels?”
“A little rough due to the weather. There was a couple of days with bone-chilling cold with enough rain to soak a drowned rat.”
“Sorry to hear. Would you care to freshen up before we visit?”
“No, thank you, I took the liberty this morning to freshen up before my arrival.”
Elva arrived with a tray of refreshments she placed on the table. She poured each person a glass of wine before she handed them out, along with a small plate of snacks. The task now completed, she left the room.
“Wonderful, tell me, Oberson, how is your kingdom?”
“We are doing rather well this year; our crops have been bountiful plus our hunt this year has given us plenty of meat to last the winter and then some.”
“How are you fairing this year?”
“Our plants have done extraordinarily well; we have plenty of meat within our smokehouses.”
“This means if a crisis should occur, you’ll be ready for what is to come?”
“Yes, we are well stocked with weapons plus other essentials in which we would need.”
“How about you?”
“We are good for the most part. We’ve had a sickness hit our Kingdom about a month back. Lazeen used most of our Coneflower.”
“Well, you are in luck. We have a bountiful growing on the outer field of our walls. I will have some gathered for you.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Ivoka.”
“Tell me, what news did you hear on your travels?”
Oberson looked over and winked at her, “The only news I have heard recently is from Lazeen, he will be arriving within in a day or two.”
“How is the crazy old wizard?” Ivoka chuckled.
Wizard, would he be training her in magic, or is there another reason for his visit.
Oberson joined in the laughter, “He’s doing well, aged slightly, but otherwise, he is as strong as ever.”
“Glad to hear. Lazeen is a good friend to have. We need all the help these days.”
As they kept talking about various things, she looked around the room expecting the guards to be discussing amongst themselves. Shocked, not a single guard had been talking. Instead, it was like they were statues as if no one else was in the room. She had to give them credit for the discipline they were displaying. She wasn’t sure she could stand still that long and not saying a word.
Her parents stood, seeing them El did the same. She followed them down the hall arriving at the balcony they took their seats. They had waited only a few seconds before the food arrived. Even the guards had joined them on the balcony taking their place around the walls plus the balcony rail.
Feeling the hair stand up on the back of her neck, El looked around to see where her concern was coming from when she noticed the slight movement of his eyes. She tried not to stare, but she couldn’t help but trace his features. His shoes were muddier than the rest of the guards, and although he held the same pose, there was something about his face that was different. His eyes were deep in thought like he wasn't focused at all. His large hands held differently. It was then El noticed the shiny red burn mark crawling from his fingers to his wrist. She looked away.
The mid-day meal lasted for several hours. Now over, they headed down the hall to enter another room, which was a smaller sitting room, which had several high back chairs. A large table centered on an area rug, which looked to be of woven grass, located in the middle of the room. There was a window to allow sunlight to shine through, which lit the room. Much to her surprise, the guards stayed outside the door. The door shut with Ivoka did her usual routine before she turned, smiled, “Your turn, King Oberson, or should I say, Father.” Her parents laughed.
“Good to see you doing well, Fay. I take it you’ve been learning a lot with Ivoka.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, be adding to your lessons which I will be teaching you about the Fairy language and history. We’ll start tomorrow; it has been a long day.”
“Who is the guard with the prying eyes for me during our meal?”
&n
bsp; “You caught him, good. He is one of my P-squad.”
“P-squad?”
“Yeah, it’s a personal squad of my top warriors whom I trust with my life. I formed it after the incident involving the potion with Ivoka and myself.”
“It’s getting late. We should call it a night, Oberson.” Standing, everyone walked out the door and went their separate ways.
Chapter Three
RHONDA ENTERED THE throne room. There was always a distinctive smell she hated within this room. It was a large open room with ample space. In the middle of the room, there was a tier of stairs, which led to the top, which contained two brown high back chairs. The room was round with heavy brown drapes on the windows. The floor was bare, though the walls had a couple of tapestries with different symbols. She felt this room wasn’t welcoming; it was draft like a dungeon. Why her Grace, AKA Alice, the ruler of this establishment which had been called the Keepers in the Barvicia Forest, didn’t do more to make it more inviting, she didn’t know. Alice might get more people to visit her halls if she would decorate the place. Spruce it up with some color to make it more relaxing more enjoyable. She wasn’t looking forward to interrupting Alice’s visit, knowing she didn’t get many visitors. Though she feared the consequences if she didn’t relay the important message would be far worse.
“Sorry for the interruption, your Grace, but I need to relay a message to you as soon as possible; it’s essential.”
Alice gave Rhonda a how-dare-you look before she turned to her guest. “Pardon me, Jen, but could we possibly finish this discussion over tea this afternoon? It seems there is a matter of great urgency I must attend to?” Jen was of higher stature among the witches, not to mention she had Alice’s ear.
Rhonda wasn’t as lucky since she was a lower stature witch. Since the servants were scarce, it fell to the lower-class witches to do the dirty work within these walls.
“Of course, your Grace!” Jen didn’t want to disrespect Alice by refusing.
“Great, I will send one of the servants to fetch you when I am ready for tea.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jen stood from the chair, grabbed one side of her dress as she descended the tier of stairs. As she passed Rhonda, she glared at her with a look that could have killed. As soon as Jen left the throne room, Alice turned back to Rhonda, “Now, what is so important you had to interrupt my morning visit?”
“Your Grace, I was told by Cyn, she needs to see you right away, it’s important.”
“Thank you,” Alice stood, shaking out the skirt of her dress before she descended the stairs ignoring Rhonda as she crossed the room going out the door. She edged along the long corridor, which grew colder with every step. Ignoring the goosebumps creeping along her arms, marching onwards with her head held high.
As Alice opened the door, she saw the Seer looking into a large pot on the far side of the room within the fireplace; the Seer was stirring some liquid inside of the stockpot as she added some ingredients. “What is it that you have seen, Cyn?”
Cyn didn’t turn away from the pot, she answered, “She’s here!”
“Who’s here?” Feeling more frustrated than she did before entering the Seer’s room.
“The one with the special powers!”
“Really, well, this is good news. When and where has the girl been seen?” Alice walked over to stand by the fire to help with the chill she was feeling.
“She’s in the Kingdom of Valorin. As for when she showed, I am not sure.” Cyn looked over, smiled at her friend.
“How does she look? Is she healthy? Has she shown any powers yet?” Alice was impatient; she wanted info.
“She looks healthy for an Elven, as to her powers, nothing yet.”
“What’s the name she’s going by?”
“El, Your Grace.”
“Thank you, Cyn, keep me posted!” Alice left the room. As she neared the main living area, she started to yell, "Gurk!"
It didn’t take much time before Gurk had arrived at her side, “Yes, your Grace?”
“Good, you are here. I need you to go to the Kingdom of Valorin. You need to fetch a young Elven maiden going by the name of El! You need to bring her back here unharmed. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, your Grace.”
“You may leave at once. I mean it — not a single hair on that girl's head is to be harmed. Otherwise, it will be a slow death for you.”
"Yes, your Grace." Gurk quickly turned around and headed for the kitchen. Once there, he grabbed a burlap sack, placed several pieces of different fruit, vegetables, herbs, a lot of dried meat, plus several loaves of bread. Thinking this should last him a while, especially if he hunts on the way and uses the rest sparingly. He might hit the Elven’s food stash for his return trip, so he’d have plenty of supplies for him as well as the young Elven to eat along the way.
Arriving at his quarters, he grabbed his favorite pack he loves to travel with; it was a significant size so he could carry many things. He stuffed some essentials needed for an extended period of time, plus the burlap sack, which contained the food. Then he grabbed his bedroll, rolled it up, then tied it to the bottom of the backpack before swinging it onto his back. He hated doing these missions for her Grace but found her treatment better if he stayed on her good side, so this was his goal. Grabbing his cloak, he wrapped it about himself as he headed out the door.
Even though it was late morning the air was fresh, he pulled his cloak around him tighter as he walked over the drawbridge that leads from the palace, he walked down the path passed the stone wall onto the main road. He knew it would be a good month of travel to get to Valorin. That’s if he didn’t run into trouble or bad weather along the way. Entering the tree line, he would stay on the main road through these woods called the Barvicia Forest, for they are cursed. Many good folks had disappeared in these woods. The rumors have been around for years; he heard it as a wee lad from not only his mother but others as well about the evil within these woods. He feared one day he would become a statistic to be added to the tales. The trees were silent; not a bird was singing a song.
It was a little past mid-day when Gurk reached a crossroads, which led in all four directions. There were three paths he could take to reach Valorin. He decided to take the route with the least amount of traffic. Which also was the direct route out of these woods. Looking to the sky, he could see the position of the sun through the trees. He had several hours before nightfall would descend upon him.
The night was drawing near. He knew it would be wise to make camp while he could still see in the fast-fading light. He hated to go off the main path, but he had no real choice because it was more dangerous than if he stayed on the trail. Many people on horses and wagons travel these roads even at night, for they feared these woods, so many didn’t stop. He didn’t want to meet his maker from being trampled by a horse or buggy. Two steps from the road were as far as he would go. It provided safety from the road and was still close enough if he needed to jump back onto the road he could do so; this has been his usual routine when traveling through these woods.
He gathered wood from the tree line along both sides of the road to ensure he had plenty. Digging a hole, a foot in diameter, he placed sticks together, which looked like a small roundhouse with his hot ember in the middle. He blew on it, in a matter of seconds the wood caught. He laid out his bedroll next to the fire, sat on the blanket. Added another log to the fire as the night air rolled in, he welcomed the warmth. Grabbed the bag with the food and reached in, pulled out a couple of pieces of dried meat to fill his belly.
The fire had plenty of hot embers to keep it going. It was small, but it blazed well enough to keep the night air off him, as he climbed into the bedroll he rested more than slept for every noise he heard his body was on full alert. Laying there, he watched the fire flicker from the slight breeze that blew. He remembered the day his mother died; it had been the day that sealed his faith since his mother was good friends with Alice, she brought him to the palace with h
er after his mother’s funeral. She placed him in the care of Derik, who trained him in the ways of being a fetcher. He proved to do well with this line of work, which gave him favor with Alice. Though he loathed this job, it provided him with a way of life.
Rolling over onto his back, he knew he had several days more to travel within them. He thought about this El person he was to apprehend and bring back to Alice. What purpose she wanted her, he had no idea nor any clue about who she was. All he knew was she at the Elven Keep, which was in the middle of the mountain fortress.
Jolted awake, he realized he had fallen asleep. Listening, he heard a snap of a branch not far from him. He jumped off the ground, grabbed his gear while he stomped out the fire as fast as possible, ensuring no embers were left to rekindle another fire. Quickly, he jumped the two steps back onto the main path. He would walk the remainder of the night. The noise was getting louder; it was as if it was following him. Looking at the woods, he saw large glowing eyes. He ran as fast as he could, not daring to look back again. Once he no longer heard whatever it was following him, he slowed his pace, to catch his breath, his heart still raced as he continued down the path, ready to put these woods behind him. He needed to make somewhere else his home, but he knew Alice would only send her guards to retrieve him. He’d be in trouble for she’d be pissed. He knew what happened to people when she was pissed; everyone heard their screams. It was as if it echoed off the walls.
Nearly two weeks had passed since Gurk set out on his mission. He walked through the night to rid himself of these woods. The sun had come over the horizon when he exited the woods into a meadow. He walked onward for another mile when he saw a small group of trees off the path. It would be an excellent place to make camp—laying his bedroll under the thickest part of the tree to shade him from the sun. Now in his bedroll, he pulled the cover over his face to block out the light to get some much-needed sleep. Since he hadn’t gotten but a couple of hours sleep here and there while in them cursed woods. He had no clue what had been after him in the Barvicia Forest. However, this set of woods one had to respect; otherwise, it would be the last thing they’d ever do.
Dragon Fusion Page 4