Sky Elf: The Anti-Matter Chronicles (The Matter Chronicles Book 2)

by P. G. Thomas

  *******

  That night, the inn was full: sixty Earth Scouts, the dwarf clans, Earth Mothers, Earth Guards, Lauren’s friends—it was standing room only. All of the Earth Scouts thanked each Earth Mother for selecting them. They were the lost elves, separated from their forests and families for one reason or another. Their lives now filled with purpose, all were grateful.

  Lauren sat with John, Eric, Ryan, and Panry, as they watched the last Earth Scout leave the inn.

  “How many never return, Panry?”

  “Earth Mother, we need elf allies. Your Earth Scouts are necessary.”

  “That isn’t what I asked you. How many elves did I just send to their deaths? Of those sixty young, eager elves that I touched this day, how many will I never see again?”

  Panry could sense her torment, but he needed her to focus on the positive, “Count not the Earth Scouts that shall not return. Instead, count the lives that you will save. A few mayhap we will forfeit, but a hundredfold by a hundredfold you shall save.”

  “It doesn’t mean I have to like it,” replied Lauren.

  “Earth Mother, you heard their gratitude,” began Panry. “Lost they were, but Mother all they now serve. Great honor you bestow on them. The perils they will face compare not to the purpose you have gifted them.”

  “Eric, what do you think?” asked Lauren.

  His voice was emotionless, “Pride, honor, purpose, duty. Transformed them you have.”

  “It appears we’ve a special guest with us tonight,” began Lauren. “How’re you, Tranquil Fury? We haven’t heard much from you lately.”

  “I am well. Their change so pronounced. Such focus and determination. How? Magic?”

  “Magic it does not be,” replied Panry. “Earth Mother’s words inspire the Earth Scouts. A void she fills, and she challenges them to exceed their own limits.”

  Eric cocked his head to one side, “Words alone cause this?”

  Nur and Zack had wandered over, and Lauren had to do a double-take when she saw Zack, who was wearing a white shirt.

  “It’s not the words, Tranquil Fury,” began John, “each person needs to have a purpose in life, but a purpose needs direction, and that’s what Lauren provided them with.

  “Purpose, direction. That is not war,” advised Eric.

  “Dude, war is death,” Zack said, “Those words, they’re not just the opposite of death, they transcend life. A bug, bird, or furry little critter all have a life, and if anybody should know, it’s me. They need food, sleep, protection, and procreation. Beyond those basic needs, nothing motivates them. If they’re hungry, they look for food. Cold causes them to seek warmth. Danger causes them to seek safety. Okay, Dude, it’s a pretty simple Ying and Yang relationship. People have the same basic needs, but how you accomplish them, what drives you, not even in the same ballpark. Think about protection. Those mayors built this town, and yeah, it protects those who live in it. However, the mayors were motivated by greed. They didn’t care about the people here, only the gold they could squeeze out of them. Their ambitions, not righteous, they were foul and corrupt. Purpose, motivation, they’re like little machines in you that help you get to where you want to go. If you walk down the wrong path, you arrive in a place called evil where all of the other corrupt and foul Dudes live. Do the right thing, virtue and honor are your rewards.”

  “Virtue, honor. That is not war.”

  “This isn’t about war or death. It’s about life,” replied Ryan.

  Eric shook his head, “Hey, where did everybody go? What happened to my drink?” Everybody was heading back to the house with Eric chasing after them.

  As they walked along, Lauren wrapped her arm around Panry’s arm, “Are we good now? Are we friends or just two people on the same team?”

  “Earth Mother, the likes of you I have not met before. In weeks so few, you have done so much. Challenges so many and so great stood before you, yet each you defeated. The town is secure, and dwarf aligns with us. Now your Earth Scouts shall go forward to bring back elf allies. Communications with west we shall soon have. Not any other Earth Mother has accomplished what you have done. When I step back, looking at what you have done, I am in awe of Earth Mother.”

  “Are you still angry about Alron?”

  “I am still angry, but not with Earth Mother. My anger I direct at the black-clad, and my own failures also. Alron was a great friend, and when he died, it caused much hurt.” Panry stopped and looked at her, “I wish to apologize for how I treated you wrong in those days. My anger I misplaced, and you did not deserve my harsh words.”

  “I understand. Losing one that close, it hurts.” As they started to walk, Lauren smiled, “So, am I still your Moth Flame?”

  Panry returned her smile, “I doubt that shall ever change. You do burn brighter each day. Moths, they shall come, as your presence challenges them. If they were smart, they would flee, but I know they shall not. My steel is sharp, and I look forward to the day when in person I can greet them.” He squeezed her hand, “You are Earth Mother. Be that, all of that. I am Earth Guard, so worry not of moths or threats.”

  *******

  Checking with Pintar the next morning, Lauren was advised that all of the Earth Scouts had left on schedule. Mother, please protect your children and help them find the elves, but as a favor to me, please bring them all home. She wanted to wander through the town and talk to the shopkeepers and citizens but knew all of the questions would be about war. Once again, she was plagued by answerless questions, forced to wait for the events to happen. When Gingaar came down after breakfast, she asked Lauren if she would like to go out to the forest with her, and Lauren agreed. There was a way that Gingaar smiled, dancing barefoot in the forest, which cast a spell of relaxation on whoever watched her. Lauren decided that watching Gingaar dance would be less stressful than imagining a huge clock ticking off the seconds until the first attack.

  Chapter 25

  Pintar arrived early for the meeting, as he liked Gor’s breakfast better than his wife’s, and while they waited for the Earth Mothers and others to show up, he made small talk with Lauren and John about the post office, Earth Scouts, and Mountain Eagles. Once everybody was present, Pintar began, “The hub station workers are leaving in four days, so I want the expedition to leave with them to blend in.”

  “Do we need to be that careful?” asked Lauren.

  “They could have spies here still, or they could be watching the road. It will make it look less obvious than three odd wagons leaving. I have hired fifteen men all from the west, who are trappers and hunters who spend their days outdoors. We are procuring the supplies as we speak, and the nets will be ready in three days.”

  “What did you tell your crew? Did they not question why you wanted to capture a bird so large?” asked Panry.

  “I told them, when the Postal Service gets bigger, I will need a way to move letters faster, so I was going to start up an air delivery service. They thought I had lost my mind until it came time to barter their wages. Then my sanity and stingy habits reappeared.”

  “We need to send some more people,” John began, “to make sure nothing goes wrong. I think Aaro and Bor should lead the expedition since nobody will question their orders. We should also send Zack since he can scout from the air, and hopefully, find the Mountain Eagles faster. We’ll also need Del since he seems to know the lay of the land.”

  Nur spoke up, “I would like to go also. Do not look at me that way. It is not because of Zack. I am an Earth Mother now, and it is about time that I started acting on my own. When you five are around, all I get to do is watch.”

  The other Earth Mothers looked to Lauren, “Hey, she’s a big girl. If she wants to go, let her. I prefer to wake up in my bed,” but she wished that Nur did a better job of hiding her smile.

  “Should Logan go?” inquired John, “Birds and Sister. He may give us an advantage?”

  “I’ll talk to him,” advised Lauren.

  “There is only one issu
e left, the payroll,” advised Pintar, “In three days, I will have one hundred riders and twenty hub crews that will start to earn wages. I also need to send the payroll down to the two other post offices.”

  “How is our bank balance?” asked Lauren

  “The dwarves have been paid their latest installment, and the auction topped up our account. I’ve no idea how much gold is in the office because it would take forever to count it all. I’ll give Pintar the payroll once he brings a wagon over to put it in.”

  “What else?” asked Lauren.

  “There is nothing else to report, Earth Mother,” replied Pintar.

  “What of the townspeople?” inquired Lauren. “It has been almost three weeks since the attack—the proof of the invasion. Are any of them talking about starting a militia or army?”

  “A good number fled the shantytown the days following the attack,” began Pintar, “but I do not know where they headed. I am uncertain if it is good or bad, but they will spread the word of the invasion. As I understand it, the people in the town think that protecting them should be included in their taxes. War is new to them, Earth Mother, and they have no idea on what they should do.”

  Arora looked around, but everybody was quiet, “The meeting only takes ten minutes? This is new.”

  “We made plans to be here all day,” agreed Brook. “What happens now?”

  “We wait,” replied Lauren, “We wait for the first post deliveries. We wait for the Mountain Eagles to return. We wait for the Earth Scouts to find allies, and we wait for the black-clad to attack. We wait. I don’t know what we can do in four weeks. If anybody has any ideas, don’t be shy,” but all were quiet.

  *******

  The next day Lauren made a dinner date with Logan, as it had been a while since they had spent any time together, and Gor prepared a special meal for them. It was after that when she brought up the subject of the Mountain Eagles.

  “Do you and John think you can capture and train one of those birds? Seriously, Lauren, you call me a birdbrain, and then you come up with this lame idea.”

  “John makes a good point. If we had a view from the sky, we could find where the black-clad hide and make better plans. You’ve seen the war map, and they have so many different ways to get to us, most of which we probably don’t even know about.”

  “If what I heard is right, they’re humongous, or at least really big. I applaud your insincerity, but I don’t think you stand a chance.”

  “Ingenuity, not insincerity you bird brain. John and I both had the same idea. If we could only find somebody who understood birds, maybe had a connection with them? You know, like maybe a Sister?”

  “Okay, who’s that?” asked Logan.

  “You, you dumb ass. Those field birds answered your call when we were being chased. I was hoping you might be able to do the same with the Mountain Eagles?”

  “Look, sister, I have no control over what Sister does. It isn’t me, it’s all her.”

  “We need you to try. If you can help us capture and train even one of those birds, it’ll be like John said, and give us air supremacy. It’ll change everything.”

  “What would I have to do?”

  “We figure it’ll take about a week to locate them, maybe a little longer—”

  “Not interested, Lauren.”

  “Why?”

  “Two weeks away from you, too much could happen.” Logan thought of the words the Earth Mother had whispered in his ear, how her life was in his hands. He already didn’t like the amount of time he spent watching the mayors, but he also felt the need to protect them. Being away for two weeks or more, he had no interest in it.

  “Logan, two weeks could save two years, thousands of lives, even hundreds of thousands. If we fight smarter, the battle will be shorter.”

  “Send somebody else.”

  “Nobody else can do what you can do with birds.”

  “Let me think about it,” but Logan had already decided he would not leave her for such a long duration. He needed to put together a story or a lie so that she would tell him to stay. As he was trying to figure it out lying in bed that night, his forearms started to tingle. An image came to him of him standing beside a bird that dwarfed him, “Yes, Sister, I’ll fetch your bird. You had better make sure that she stays safe.” Then he shook his head, “This is payback for how I tormented her back home, isn’t it.”

  *******

  The following days were quiet in the new town of Alron, but the town did bustle with activity. With all of the inns filling, people shopped in the stores, as prices came down with the reduction in taxes. It was a different town, a better town. Lauren commissioned a large sign carved for the front gates that welcomed all to ‘Alron, Heart of the West.’

  *******

  The front gate was bustling with activity when the Postal Service headed out. It almost seemed like a parade: twenty-three wagons and one hundred riders rode their way through the town to the east gate. Family and friends lined the streets to wish all well, throwing flowers, and cheering them on. Watching from the east town wall, Lauren with Panry easily spotted the Mountain Eagle Expedition mixed in with the wagons.

  Aaro, Bor, and Del rode in the front wagon. Nur, Zack, and Logan rode in the second wagon, and Ryan had joined them who needed time to figure out what was happening to him. In each wagon, five of the hired men rode. Seeing Earth Guards mounted on stags may have raised questions, so Nur’s Earth Guards waited outside of the town for her. Once all of the wagons and riders were outside of the town, they divided into the north and south groups.

  The eagle expedition party rode north for a week with the caravan. Each day they would see one of the hub-building crews heading back to Alron. Each night they would camp with the caravan, but the next day, one wagon less they would head north. After seven days, they only followed the last wagons for half the day, and after lunch, instead of going north, they turned into the forest to make camp. Here they would wait until Zack advised them of Mountain Eagles locations.

  *******

  The day after the caravan left, Fodu had secured space at a local goldsmith shop, working long hours in secret. How we missed transforming simple metal into awe-inspiring beauty, which stole the breath from those who looked upon it. Having worked out the details of the amulets that John had requested, he quickly carved out the molds. Retrieving the gold from the vault in their house, he borrowed enough to rent the space in the goldsmiths’ shop, a few pieces for the amulet, and enough to purchase the platinum, which he bought directly from dwarves.

  *******

  Nur was growing worried about Zack since she had not seen him for two days, but on the third, she heard his familiar squawks. He reported seeing large birds in the sky one day’s ride north but closer to the mountains. He advised of trails into the woods, leading to a large clearing about a half-day’s march into the forest. The next morning, they continued north until they found Zack, the eagle, sitting on a tree waiting for them. Making their base camp, the next morning they left three men to guard the wagons before starting the long march to the clearing. The trip took longer than expected, as they had to clear a path for one wagon to carry the large bird back. As a result, it was dark before the tired crew finally made it to the selected spot.

  *******

  Behind the mountains, to the east, the suns were rising fast, but in the west, the range blocked the arrival of the new day. With the darkness gone but the day still arriving, Aaro woke the crew, sending them to cut down long limber trees. Trimming off the upper branches from the main trunk, they buried the thick ends in deep holes. Using ropes to bend the treetops to the ground, they tied them to large iron spikes pounded deep into the soil, pulled them taunt, until it seemed like they would break. In between the trees, they attached the large nets, and shortly they had three spring-loaded traps ready for the mighty birds. When ready, Nur and her Earth Guards returned from the forest with six roped and nervous deer. Her flute playing helped to calm them so that they coul
d stake them between the nets, preventing them from running off when the large shadows appeared on the ground.

  As the first sun peaked over the mountains, Aaro called the men to take cover in the forest, and then they waited for the huge birds to take the bait. As the air warmed up, they saw large shapes take flight from the mountains, and from that altitude, the clearing with the deer would be easily seen by the great birds. Shortly they saw one circle high above the clearing, losing it in the rising suns, but as it dipped below the mountain profile, they had their first decent look at it, wondering if their nets would be big enough. With powerful wings pushing it through the clearing, the tail lowered, making its final approach adjustments. As the massive legs dropped, the mighty talons opened, which were longer than a dwarf stood tall. Heading for the deer, the eagle flew so fast they missed it with the first net. However, unable to avoid the second, slamming into it with tremendous force, the posts snapped, sending it tumbling into the next net also. Calling to the men, they ran to the trapped bird with the extra net. John had advised them if they could cover the eyes of the great bird, it should calm down. Aaro looked up at the eyes, which towered fifteen feet above him, being the size of a dwarf dinner plate, mounted above a beak that was two feet long. Aaro wished John were present, being curious to see how he would get by the massive talons, climbing onto the back of the dancing terror filled bird, avoiding the enormous beak, and then place the hood that was too small over the head. As fear overtook the eagle, with its squawks so loud, it drowned out the orders that Aaro and Bor called out. Being afraid if they were unable to subdue it quickly, the eagle might suffer a heart attack, Bor and Aaro were uncertain of what to do, having never imagined a bird so large or angry. It was at that moment that all noticed the circling eagles overhead, which started to land in the clearing, causing the hired crew to retreat to the forest. Looking around at the eagles landing and at the trapped bird, Aaro realized all of the plans they had made just flew away.