A quick stop, in and out.
Talon
Even without hearing her thoughts, I know she is thinking that the last time she went on a quest everything had gone upside down and left her queen of a country, full of almost immortals who hate her. I can’t do much to make her feel better about it. However, I might be able to make this more like a holiday than a quest and cheer her up a bit.
"So, once we get up here we should find a small rundown temple…"
"How rundown? We shouldn’t let it fall if it's important. I can fix it up if need be."
She uses magic to do most things now. Not because she prefers it, but because she has so much to do and so little time to do it. She knows the backlash will drain her after so many hours, but she accepts it. As long as she can solve issues for her people quickly, she is willing to take the hit.
Her status as queen is tenuous, at best. The elves have started to accept that she is the best possible ruler they could have, and are becoming happy with her rule. Really, most just need to get past her being half-human. Once they do they take a look at what she is doing and judging her on that no one can hate what she does for the people. It is everything.
"We shall see. I am not sure magic can interfere with it."
"Hmm…"
She says nothing else, just follows behind me silently keeping track of our path and any signs of a threat, be it human or animal. She has trouble realizing, as queen, we are to guard and care for her not the other way around. It is what makes her so annoying to guard, but ultimately what makes her the best kind of queen. No one deserves more loyalty and care than someone who puts everyone before themselves.
Chapter Two
Talon
I wake slowly, feeling no danger around me. Elainne still snores silently. What woke me? It is not quite dawn and we have been walking for days. We were finally so exhausted that we decided to hunker down for the entire night. Only a couple hours of sleep off and on throughout a twenty-four-hour period make for a very cranky queen and her extremely cranky guardian mage.
I never realized how much of a grump I am without proper sleep. It is better, for both of us, when busy. We don’t have time for grumpiness. But when walking along, doing nothing else but staring at the same scenery for hours, lack of sleep makes you spiteful; me more so than our young queen, but who is keeping track?
Looking up, I see the swirl of silver. Magic. Someone, Avren if the silver is any indication, is looking for us. A message. Likely some emergency, saying we need to return right away. Elainne can, but I have to do this before I explode from my own power.
"Elainne, I think that is for you."
She is instantly alert and following my line of vision. She scowls and stands, walking a few feet from me before kneeling down to accept the message. I turn slightly but keep my eyes on our surroundings. This is painful and I hate watching it, but I still need to keep her safe.
She doesn’t scream anymore, but I see the tears fall as the message enters and temporarily overtakes her brain. This is a barbaric way to communicate, but it is the quickest and safest. I still don’t like it.
"Come Talon, we should move out."
She says nothing about the message or its contents, but shoulder her pack and move along the way we’ve been heading. It is not bad enough for her to go back, that, or she is avoiding going back even if it is dire. I won't push… for now.
Elainne
Avren sent me a message saying my uncle died. He’d only been my uncle by marriage, but he is still family; not close, after all, he hated me as well, but I am not him. I won’t hate him for his prejudice. People like that are to be pitied because they are not smart enough to see that we all have so much to learn from one another.
I know what this means for my aunt's kingdom. Unrest, civil unrest. There is no longer an heir. My uncle, the rightful ruler, is dead. As she is married into the royal line, my aunt is not a viable choice for the throne. She can try, but she is not. She is too strong to let go though. My entire family is like that.
My father refuses to be a patsy ruler and left to go 'visit' my aunt. He has yet to return. I am sad that he can’t understand what I am doing for his kingdom, but I understand his pride would not allow him to stay. I am also relieved that he is no longer in danger from Avren and Viktor.
Now my aunt will face civil war. She will have her supporters, who have known her influence on my uncle and her capabilities as a ruler. The others won’t want an Elvin queen and will demand a new human ruler be chosen. I can’t imagine the next few years will be easy for the kingdom.
I wonder if Viktor knows and worries for his family, or if he has written them off entirely. I hope he will invite them to stay with us. No matter his father's crimes against their family, his half-sister doesn’t deserve to suffer for it.
Talon
"You will have to tell me what the message said eventually, so I am not worried you are skipping out on important duties."
She smiles sadly at me.
"I am not needed yet. For now, my aunt will have to grieve and petition to keep her place. Until it is decided if she will take over or not, I can do nothing."
So, her uncle has died. I disagree with her assessment. The people know of the improvements in the Elvin kingdom under her rule. No doubt Avren and Viktor hope she will return so they can stage a takeover while she grieves with her aunt. She is not returning though. She is not looking to expand her empire, but I don’t think they will hold off forever.
They will find a way the same as they had done before. Avren and Viktor are determined she will become an empress with an empire that covers all the known kingdoms. Likely, some of the unknown as well.
"You don’t want to be with her while she grieves?"
"No. If I am… after hearing how I took my father's kingdom… well, I am afraid she would not welcome my sympathy."
So, she knows it as well. She knows why they want her to return. I feel bad for her and her forced situation. I agree she is the best to rule, but free will should apply to everyone, including her. It shouldn’t be bestowed on some and skipped over for others. If it is, it is not truly free will.
I walk over and put my arm around her shoulder. She is so much shorter than me, it is easy.
"Well, for now, we are on an adventure! Let's have some fun and make some mischief."
She smiles and skips ahead, laughing. Sometimes I want to let her be the girl she is instead of the queen she has to be.
"All right, Talon. I will race you to the top of the bluff there."
I know she has her Elvin abilities, but I use magic to speed my way. So, I naively agree, thinking I can easily outpace her. I am so very, very wrong. At the top, we are both panting holding our knees so we don’t fall over.
"You… cheated…"
The breathlessness prevents full sentences. She smiles and takes a deep breath, ending her wheezing. Definitely cheated.
"You forget I have been trained to be an Elvin warrior since birth. Also, I train with Avren and Viktor. I knew the second you tugged even the slightest on your magic. So, I summoned some of my own. Not much though. If I flew it would have been really cheating."
She gives me the cheekiest answer one can give. I have to wonder if she really can use magic to fly now. That would be amazing. I always wanted to be able to fly as a kid. Maybe she can teach me.
"Let's go, Talon. We have an adventure to embark upon."
"We already embarked."
She smiles and her eyes twinkle. Oh no, I am in trouble.
"But it hasn’t been fun. Now it's going to be."
She closes her eyes, does some swift hand gestures I don’t recognize, mutters some words I don’t think should actually be able to come from human vocal cords, and when she opens her eyes she throws her hands up and up she goes. She lifts into the air, smiling down at me. Holy cow, she really can fly! Her eyes are blue and white, swirling like the clouds in the sky.
"That is most definitely cheating!"
Avren, being her familiar, has given her access to magic that died out with the ancient races. She and Avren alone have access to them.
She smiles and waves a hand. I lift into the air, tethered to her by a cord of cloud. I move around, waving my arms and legs, moving around in the air like a baby bird on its first flight. She laughs and lets me. When I reach ten feet from her I reel back until I am only a couple of feet from her. The wind holding us up is warm so I don’t feel the cold of the mountains. I try diving and the same thing happens. Up I go, back to her side. Still, even if she is in charge, this is the coolest thing I have ever experienced.
"Don't tell anyone I can do this."
Her voice is slightly deeper than normal and has a slight echo. She has summoned some kind of air sprite to share her body with her. That is not something to be taken lightly and yet she acts as if it is completely normal. What are she and Avren doing while off alone studying? What is he teaching her?
"Sure."
She starts to smile but then freezes. Quickly I am thrust as close to her as possible, and the wind around us turns dark. The wind turns to full-blown clouds and I can hear crackling in them. Is lightning really going to shoot out?
"I mean you no harm."
The voice is small and weak sounding, but I figure Elainne's reaction to the new presence, which I still can’t see, means it is more than it sounds. Elainne pulls back on the magic a bit but I can still feel a storm brewing.
"Show yourself and prove it."
Elainne's voice is even harsher now. I try to move in front of her, but the magic holds me in a protective tornado. Blocking me from whatever lurks outside.
"No one has seen our kind for a long time. No one has sensed us even if we were right on top of them. You must be special indeed. In fact, I know you to be, because a dragon is tied to you… and by choice."
That shocks us both. I feel the lurch in the protective spell around me. I am able to push my way out, and when I do, I am glad it is Elainne controlling the magic that is holding me in the air. I would have dropped the spell had I been in charge.
In front of our eyes, the air shimmers and seems to almost part, showing little miniature beings with wings. They vary in hues of white, blue, and yellow. The wings are all bright and shining. Almost like they are made of sunshine. I can’t believe it. Are these really fairies? I have heard tales, everyone has heard of the legendary creatures. Dragons, dwarves, fairies, and more.
Elainne puts us on the ground and dismisses the wind spirit. The fairies follow us down and float, eye level with Elainne. She is the more interesting of us, to be sure.
"I have never seen one with so many pieces before."
I try to ask what that means, but I am overwhelmed and nothing comes out. Elainne is not to be intimidated though.
"I am half-human and half Elvin."
"With a familiar tie to a dragon. That requires a blood bond. So many pieces."
"Why do you follow us?"
I am not sure if they are dangerous, so I am not sure if Elainne should be talking to them like that, but she will do as she pleases. She can command me to shut up… not that she has to right now.
They huddle and I hear chatting in a language I do not understand before they float around us. Some come up and feel my hair and Elainne's. The communicator, or leader, stays eye level with Elainne.
"We felt someone summon the wind's spirit. It has been many millennia since anyone could do this. We were curious."
"I am Elainne. Queen of the Elvin kingdom. The silver dragon is my familiar. He has been named Avren by me, at his behest."
"You are the light-bringer."
Elainne looks both exhausted and worried at that moment.
"You know of what Avren speaks…"
This conversation is quickly veering into territory I cannot follow. What does Elainne mean? What is Avren speaking of?
"We knew the prophecy as well. We did not believe it as easily as the old dragon did. They have always followed that which is written in the stars. We didn’t believe one could be born of diversity and create unity. You have taken the Elves though… perhaps… perhaps it is to be. You must come to our lands and speak to the Queen."
"We are on a quest that must be completed, or my man - Talon there - will die. After that, I will return home and let Avren know we are to journey to your kingdom. Can you tell me how to get there?"
"Come here when you can. Summon the air spirit and we can lead you from there. You might want to ask the old dragon about summoning other spirits in other places. You might be shocked at what you find."
Elainne nods and the fairies once again turn invisible. I feel the wind blow and ruffle us. It fades and Elainne relaxes.
"Avren taught me that spell, for all the elements. He wanted me to use them. So I would summon the creatures of old back into the world. He still thinks to make me an empress."
I want to disagree, but it is pointless as we both know better. So, I say nothing. Our adventure has turned into something that must be hurried, so she can go on a diplomatic mission to find the beings of the elements. Air and fairies, earth and dwarves; she has already met and destroyed the merpeople, and fire… fairies I can accept, dwarves as well. But are firebirds really a thing? Will they really exist and be able to communicate? Can Avren communicate with them, if not? This can’t be good.
"We should go, Talon. We do not want to be late for your sake."
I nod and off we go. I can’t help but feel that this is going to turn into much more than I thought.
Chapter Three
Talon
We arrive at the top and there is barely a structure, and absolutely no sign as to what I am to do. I go over and toss a coin in the well and make a wish. I have been told a wish, with financial incentive, is to be made and from there I will know what to do.
"Nothing is happening."
I sigh, looking at Elainne. She is circling the well and depilated structure.
"Talon I am not letting you go in there… it looks on the verge of collapse."
I nod. It looks like the magic is gone. Elainne leans down and puts her bare hand to the ground by the well. She whispers an incantation; brown and black specks swirl around her. She drops the spell, repeating it by the falling structure which used to be a shelter.
"The earth here is dying. It needs… something. Maintenance. It's sick. It needs a healer."
How is that possible? "What… how?"
She sighs and avoids looking me in the eye.
"Tell me."
"When the mages came here to cement their power… they were drawing the stabilizing power from the earth. You guys do not reach your full potential like this - you are born with it - you are just losing control upon your twenty-first birthday. Every time a mage took the earth's power, it killed it, bit by bit."
So, the mages are the reason the mountains are dying. No wonder food had been so scarce before moving. No wonder Elainne had to put her power into our soil to make things grow.
"How do we fix it?"
She looks at me, almost in dread.
"Power has to be fed back into it. I do not know anyone with enough earth power… maybe… I need to contact Avren to discuss this. We need to set up camp for now."
I nod and start setting up. She goes back down the path a bit, to where the earth is not sick and summons Avren in a call that brings him in spirit only. I don’t eavesdrop, I feel too guilty to face Avren. I am not entirely sure his curse on my people - before Elainne saved us - was partly because of this. I sit down and contemplate what I can do to fix the problem my race created.
Elainne
"Avren, you didn’t warn me. The mountain, the entire mountain, is so sick. The mages all need to return here now and put their power back into it."
"It will not be enough. It has happened for many generations. Too many. They couldn’t hope to fix it."
I rub my eyes and forehead. I am getting a massive headache. "We have to do something. De
ath will spread. It started in this area, but the whole mountain is feeling its effects and is sick. It will just keep spreading."
"Summon the earth spirit. Perhaps you can heal it by using some of my power. Or at least stop its spread so we can find a solution. Once upon a time, the dwarves' magic healed injured land. I know of nothing else."
I don’t want to. I have a terrible feeling about what will happen if I do. After the air spirit, I am suspicious of Avren. However, he is right. I have no other options right now.
"Of course. I will let you know how it goes."
He nods and his image disappears. I rise and brush my pants off. I walk silently up to the spot where the sickness is the worst. Talon watches me, making no noise. I kneel down on my hands and knees, putting my forehead on the ground. I start my chant and dirt lifts, circling me. I feel the earth spirit enter me and hold my body. It melds with my own spirit; I can feel its pain and sorrow at the sickness it can feel all around.
I… we… sit up, cross-legged, hands-on the earth at our sides and chant. Power leaves us and enters the earth. Black bile pours up from the ground and pools around us. We release more power into the bile; it rises and swirls around, mixing into something new. Something healthy and good for the soil. When it is bright lime green, we release it back into the land. Power pours from us into the ground once again, mixing the power fertilizer with the land, bringing it back to life.
The earth spirit feels joy as the land's life returns and I release her back into the ether. I open my eyes to see the mountain flourishing. Everything had been brown and dying before. Now it is green and lush, with wildflowers of all kinds sprouting up everywhere.
"It's beautiful. I've never seen the mountains like this. Look at the heather."
I follow Talon's pointing and see a field of heather. It rustles in the wind. Beautiful. It flows like a swell in the ocean but much more striking with purple and green blending to be a sight for sore eyes.
Champion Complete Series Page 42