Champion

by Francheska Fifield

  "I have never seen one with so many pieces before."

  I tried to ask what that meant, but I was overwhelmed and nothing came out. Elainne was 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 wasn’t sure if they were dangerous, so I wasn’t sure if Elainne should be talking to them like that, but she would do as she pleased. She could command me to shut up… not that she had to right now.

  They huddled and I heard chatting in a language I did not understand, before they floated around us. Some came up and felt my hair and Elainne's. The communicator, or leader, stayed 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 looked both exhausted and worried at that moment.

  "You know of what Avren speaks…"

  This conversation was quickly veering into territory I could not follow. What did Elainne mean? What was 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 nodded and the fairies once again turned invisible. I felt the wind blow and ruffle us. It faded and Elainne relaxed.

  "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 wanted to disagree, but it was pointless as we both knew better. So, I said nothing. Our adventure had turned into something that must be hurried, so she could go on a diplomatic mission to find the beings of the elements. Air and fairies, earth and dwarves; she had already met and destroyed the merpeople, and fire… fairies I could accept, dwarves as well. But were firebirds really a thing? Would they really exist and be able to communicate? Could Avren communicate with them, if not? This couldn’t be good.

  "We should go, Talon. We do not want to be late for your sake."

  I nodded and off we went. I couldn’t help but feel that this was going to turn into much more than I had thought.

  Chapter Three

  Talon

  We arrived at the top and there was barely a structure, and absolutely no sign as to what I was to do. I went over and tossed a coin in the well and made a wish. I had been told a wish, with financial incentive, was to be made and from there I would know what to do.

  "Nothing is happening."

  I sighed, looking at Elainne. She was circling the well and depilated structure.

  "Talon I am not letting you go in there… it looks on the verge of collapse."

  I nodded. It looked like the magic was gone. Elainne leaned down and put her bare hand to the ground by the well. She whispered an incantation; brown and black specks swirled around her. She dropped 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 was that possible? "What… how?"

  She sighed and avoided 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 were the reason the mountains were dying. No wonder food had been so scarce before moving. No wonder Elainne had had to put her power into our soil to make things grow.

  "How do we fix it?"

  She looked 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 nodded and started setting up. She went back down the path a bit, to where the earth was not sick, and summoned Avren in a call that brought him in spirit only. I didn’t eavesdrop, I felt too guilty to face Avren. I wasn’t entirely sure his curse on my people - before Elainne saved us - was partly because of this. I sat down and contemplated what I could do to fix the problem which my race had 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 rubbed my eyes and forehead. I was getting a massive headache. "We have to do something. The death 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 didn’t want to. I had a terrible feeling about what would happen if I did. After the air spirit, I was suspicious of Avren. However, he was right. I had no other options right now.

  "Of course. I will let you know how it goes."

  He nodded and his image disappeared. I rose and brushed my pants off. I walked silently up to the spot where the sickness was the worst. Talon watched me, making no noise. I knelt down on my hands and knees, putting my forehead on the ground. I started my chant and dirt, lifted circling me. I felt the earth spirit enter me and hold my body. It melded with my own spirit; I could feel its pain and sorrow at the sickness it could feel all around.

  I… we… sat up, cross legged, hands on the earth at our sides and chanted. Power left us and entered the earth. Black bile poured up from the ground and pooled around us. We released more power into the bile; it rose and swirled around, mixing into something new. Something healthy and good for the soil. When it was a bright lime green, we released it back into the land. Power poured from us into the ground once again, mixing the power fertilizer with the land, bringing it back to life.

  The earth spirit felt joy as the land's life returned and I released her back into the ether. I opened my eyes to see the mountain flourishing. Everything had been brown and dying before. Now it was 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 followed Talon's pointing and saw a field of heather. It rustled in the wind. Beautiful. It flowed like a swell in the ocean, but much more striking with purple and green blending, to be a sight for sore eyes.

  "It worked." I was so relieved, I couldn’t get the trapped air out of my lungs fast enough.

  Talon

  Elainne looked so relieved I thought she would pass out. Or it could be that summoning the spirits so quickly in succession was overly tiring.

  "This is the first time in millennia that humans have put magic in instead of taking it out."

  Elainne wilted; I turned and knew why. A dwarf stood there. An actual dwarf. White beard, small shovel, all brown leather clothing, covered in dust.

 
"I am the Queen of the Elvin kingdom, Elainne."

  "Ahh, the light bringer."

  She looked almost annoyed. Or at least, I was annoyed on her behalf, so I could only imagine how she felt.

  "Please tell me you do not believe the prophecy the silver dragon - now named Avren as my familiar - foretells to me all the time, in an effort to make me an empress."

  Elainne sounded annoyed and I worried we would be attacked by men that went only to her hip - though they were very burly - for her sour disposition. Instead, the dwarf chuckled and pulled out a pipe. I didn’t see him light it, but the second it was in his mouth it was lit and smoking.

  "We do not pay much mind to what goes on above the ground unless it interferes with the soil. Centuries ago, a mage found a way to take earth power and mix it with his, so he didn’t have to go through the stabilizing process and could increase his power. All of those since have done the same. We knew it would end once the earth died, so we let it. Now, however…"

  "If you teach me how to do it the right way, so I will not explode and injure those around me, and leave the earth magic alone, I will ensure all future generations know as well."

  For some reason, though bigger, I found the dwarves less intimidating. I was able to speak this time. Which was good, because he seemed to have a bad opinion of mages; one I needed to fix, if I didn’t want Elainne to have to kill me and all future generations for the safety of those around us.

  He looked at me with distrust. Elainne stepped forward and went down on her knees, so she could look him in the face without him looking up.

  "All the mages' are under my protection and are my allies. I swear Talon is trustworthy. On my throne, on my power, on my blood. He will ensure whatever you pass on to him will indeed pass on to all others."

  She held out her hand, which he took and shook.

  "Very well. If you come to meet our leader, I will agree."

  She sighed and repeated what she had told the fairies.

  He thought about it, stroking his beard for what seemed like hours but was only minutes.

  "Very well. Come with me, boy."

  I followed him into the shack, which was not a light brown wood, and no longer in pieces.

  "Sit there, boy. You need to give the earth your magic, release it to her care. She has to take the chaotic magic born inside of you and stabilize it. Later, she gives it back. If you are not worthy, you will not get it back and she will release it into the world to find a worthier vessel. Are you worthy, boy?"

  That sounded… well, completely insane. No wonder the ancestor had done what he had done. Stable magic guaranteed to stay with you. Still, I understood morally it was wrong. You couldn’t take and give nothing in return.

  "Did you throw in a stone, boy? To make a wish?"

  "A coin."

  He shook his head.

  "The earth cares not for your money. Throw in a stone, one you find that calls to you. All around the hut are stones. You release your magic, pick a stone, make the wish to be worthy of stable magic, go back to wait for her response."

  "All right. How do I give her my magic?"

  He sat down cross legged and I followed suit. I could tell this was going to be a long, difficult process.

  Chapter Four

  Elainne

  Talon and the dwarf, whose name we had yet to learn, sat inside the now renewed hut. Apparently, its appearance depended on the health of the land. I let them stay in there without my interference. I didn’t fear the dwarf hurting Talon; I truly believed he wanted to help the mages, so they wouldn’t hurt the land again.

  I knew I should wait and calm down before contacting Avren, but I knew I wouldn’t. I needed to get this out. I needed to let go of this anger and I couldn’t right now.

  "Avren, I successfully healed the mountain with the earth spirit. I am sure you are aware of what happened after."

  It wasn’t a question, but he treated it as such.

  "Did the healing work completely?"

  "You know it did. The mountain is lively and beautiful."

  "You received some messages. Shall I read them to you?"

  "Give me the summary."

  "The fairies sent a missive with directions to reach the mound. It arrived on the air as a magical missive. Very elegant. I could only open it because of my familiar status. No one else can even see the ink."

  "They certainly are speedy."

  "Yes. Also a missive came from your aunt. She asks for your support in her retaining the throne."

  I paused, closing my eyes and letting the breeze ruffle my clothes and hair.

  "Did she say it is urgent?"

  "There was no mention of the urgency. She just requests you come to the assembly. It will be held in a court, to decide if she is truly the best person to rule. There is apparently some concern that, as an Elvin lady, she cannot possibly rule the humans justly."

  I sighed. Of course there was some concern. It appeared now she would get a glimpse into my life and the prejudice against my existence. I hated that anyone else would experience it.

  "Anything else? Is Aiden having any issues?"

  "No one has argued with him."

  That didn’t mean there were no issues, just no public ones. Still, that was good enough for now. I was sure Avren's presence there would keep everyone in line. He was a good deterrent. I bet, if he had read the letter from my aunt, it would have asked me to arrive on Avren to make a big show of it.

  "How is the army and Viktor going? Is he having any issue with them obeying him?"

  "He has earned the loyalty of at least seventy percent of the army. He is starting to integrate the mages and pick his commanders. He also wishes your approval to start a spy network. Aldamon agrees with his grandson about its existence. Aiden refused to give permission. He says they must wait until you return. They are displeased but I have told them he is your mouthpiece, so they must listen and ask again once you return."

  I was peeved enough that they were trying to influence and take control of my life, but to try to use Aiden while I was away and couldn’t stop them… At least Avren had the decency to protect him. That was about all I could be thankful to him for recently.

  "Good. Tell them I said that if they mention it again, even in passing to one another, before I return, they will both be banished. Anyone that mentions it will be. My kingdom will not be built on underhand background deals and decisions. Everything will be in the open. You and Viktor already forced me down this path in the most underhanded way possible. That will be the last of the secrets that garner power. If you want me to rule, it will be under my terms. Is that understood Avren?"

  "Yes, my queen. I will be sure they know it and enforce your decision."

  "Good." I had to remember that Avren responded to commands, not suggestions. He had always been that way. Not because he was stubborn or disloyal, but because he had been pushing me to be the queen he wanted me to be since we met. He wanted me to take a firmer hand in leading. Orders, not suggestion, were what are needed.

  "I need you to tell the mages that Talon will be in charge of everyone that has yet to take their test to cement their power. His new rules are to be obeyed as law. The elders are to write it as record, anyone that disobeys will be stripped of their power by me."

  Avren looked almost shocked that I would go that far. I had given my word to the dwarf and it would be kept.

  "Yes, my queen."

  "Anything else?"

  Avren hesitated. He never hesitated. It tensed me right up. Oh, what could it be?

  "Yes… there was another missive. Aiden refused to let anyone open it before you returned, unless you gave permission."

  "Its personal not… work… I assume."

  "Yes. It is from your father."

  He was with my aunt. Was it insight into what was actually going on over there? Or was it personal? I wasn’t sure what to say… or what to do. If it was about the situation in my aunt's kingdom, I wanted to know now; but if it was per
sonal… well, Aiden was right, I wanted to read it alone.

  "Wait 'til I return. Thank Aiden for me. He is being a wonderful steward."

  "He is quite logical."

  From Avren, that was a compliment. It may sound cold, but he was a great believer in logic over emotion. Though he loved my caring for my people and the lengths I would go to for them. I guess together we were a great match. If only Viktor could stop with his attitude. I missed our closeness and mutual support.

  "All right. If there is anything else, send me a message."

  "Yes, my queen."

  Talon

  The power rushed back into me and it felt… fresh. It was so pure and stable. It felt like… more than it had felt before.

  "It feels different."

  "Yes. You can use spells without incantations. That is why it feels different."

  I looked at the dwarf, Argyle was his name, in shock.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, boy, you think the spell and it will be performed."

  That was impossible. There were stories of mages past that could do it, but that skill had been lost for so long… of course. It was a gift from the earth and once we started raping her bounty she took the gift away. This was much better than a little power boost. Instant spells… it was something most could only dream of. It was an impressive advantage in a fight.

  "That is amazing."

  The dwarf nodded.

  "It will allow me to protect Elainne better. She has so many enemies in her own kingdom. Not to mention the human kingdom and the merpeople."

  "Yes, we received word of her Kemp destroying the merpeople's army. They have always dreamed of a foothold on land, to expand the waters onto. The council tried to warn them."

  "Council?"

  He looked at me in acceptance. I guess I was a suitable liaison.

  "The council of ancients. The merpeople, the dwarves, the fairies, the firebirds and the unicorns. We each have a representative. We have talked, since Elainne was born, on our stances on the matter of the prophecy. The fairies wish to join her court. They miss being accepted in the open. She will hear from them in an official capacity soon."