“He is lying, Landis,” Seebaul warned, “He will kill all of us anyway. You cannot permit him to go free or else the world will suffer for it!”
“I accept.” Landis answered.
Seebaul was incensed by Landis’ decision, “You are a fool! You are destroying the world. You must tell the gate to close and not open it!”
Landis withdrew the Sword of Alexon and advanced to gate. As he approached it, Jaylen stepped before him, freeing both of his swords as he looked Landis in the eyes while blocking his path. “I cannot let you do this, son.”
Landis returned his father’s stare without showing any emotion. “Do you remember when you told me that I had to trust you back in Alexon when you submitted my name for the throne? You must trust me now.”
Jaylen paused, looking unsure as to what to do next. Then he returned his swords to their sheaths on his back and stepped away. As he passed the table he noted that Twaller Oakleaf was still breathing and watching what was happening with what little life he had left.
“Kill me.” Twaller begged in a weakened, raspy voice.
“And let you miss the show.” Jaylen spat as he continued by.
Landis stepped in front of the Gate of the Dragon, raising the sword up in his hand so that he could touch the end of the pommel against the broken pearl. His back was mostly to Artaexer as he held the pommel with both hands and slowly touched the white pearl in the hilt of the sword to the broken false pearl affixed to the gateway, ignoring both Seebaul and Natis’ pleadings for him to stop.
“Finally!” Artaexer cried in triumph as the two pearls touched.
“Close!” Landis yelled. As he spoke, Landis swung his body about clock-wise, thrusting the blade of the Sword of Alexon into the Gate of the Dragon just above the stone crossbeams. Artaexer’s eyes widened as the blade buried into his chest piercing his heart. The Elf Lord wailed at the realization that he had been defeated. The light from the gateway turned red and began pulsating. The magical portal began closing, trapping the sword between the two worlds. Landis was unable to release his grip on the sword as both realms struggled to hold on to the blade as the gate closed. The entire arch trembled, and Landis believed that this would truly be his end as he strained with all of his might to let go before being sucked into the Realm of the Dragon. The Green-Pearled Staff dropped to the floor, as did the broken pieces of the false white pearl on the left side. A sudden upsurge of energy propelled out of the arch, throwing both Landis and the sword half way across the room. Landis landed on the floor in a daze as the Gate of the Dragon went quiet.
“You have done it!” Seebaul said as he rushed past the downed half-elf to the Gate of the Dragon. “You have sealed the gate and killed Artaexer. He will never again bother this world.” Seebaul bent over and picked up the Green-Pearled Staff. “See all the trouble you caused by running off with that bad elf like you did.” He scolded the staff, returning to character once more.
“What do we do about that?” Natis said as he looked at the black scepter lying on the floor where it too had become dislodged.
“Oh, that scepter is useless now. The black pearl is not in it anymore.” Seebaul answered, pointing to the two sockets at the bottom of the stone crossbeams where the black and red pearl were still in place.
“Somehow, the sword caused the gate to malfunction. Once a pearl is put into the gate then it cannot be removed until all four pearls have been inserted. The true white pearl was never inserted. When Landis touched the true pearl to the false pearl, it created a link. That is how he was able to close the gate. But only the top two connectors released. That means that the red and black pearls will be forever a part of this dead gateway.”
“What about the white pearl?” Natis asked.
“I do not think we need to worry about it.” Weslocke said, bringing the Sword of Alexon over for them to look at. The cross-shaped pearl in the handle had a crack in it and the blade of the sword was broken off about three inches from where the tip should have been. There was also a thin crack running down the center of the blade. “The pearl and the Sword of Alexon are ruined.” Westlocke informed them.
Seebaul looked at the cracked pearl. “It may still hold magic, but it will never be as powerful as it once was.”
“That is just great.” Landis said as his father helped to prop him up on his elbows. The half-elf was sore from head to toe from his encounter with the forces within the Gate of the Dragon. “Well, I guess I cannot go back to Alexon with a broken sword. Petra will kill me.” Landis sat up, but was still dizzy. “Will the gate be safe down here, Seebaul?” Hearing no answer he looked to where the Elf Lord had been standing. Seebaul was no where in site. “Where did he go?”
Natis ran to the entrance and peered down the darkened corridor. “He has vanished.”
“And I doubt if we will ever see him again.” Jaylen said.
Katryn knelt beside Landis. She wanted to wrap her arms around him. She was afraid of how he would respond and she had too many questions of her own to begin to try explaining what she was to Landis or anyone else. She hated what she was about to do but believed that it was necessary. “Landis, I must go find him. I have to learn more about my past and he is the only way to do so. I promise you that I will return.” Before anyone could see her tears, Katryn rushed out of the room into the dark corridor. She withdrew the crystal that Seebaul had given her earlier, closing her eyes she whispered, “Seebaul.” When she opened her eyes she was standing in the clearing of the evergreens just north of the city. The woods were dark and she could see the moon breaking through the trees.
“I knew that you would come.” Seebaul said to her. The Elf Lord was leaning against a tree holding his staff in his right hand.
“Where do we go now?” Katryn asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Nowhere just yet; this land has been spoiled for three centuries. It needs to be healed and I know just the two who can do it. Once our friends leave we will begin work. Then I will take you to the Eastland and teach you about your mother’s race.”
* * * * *
Eric and Bix were relieved to hear Weslocke’s voice calling from the darkness below, informing them that they were preparing to climb out. Bix could sense from the brief chatter coming from the well that, while they had been successful, there had been losses. It was only when all had managed to climb topside that the two men learned that the absence of Katryn and Seebaul had not been due to death. Landis’ injuries were gone, thanks to Katryn’s healing powers. Weslocke had to be assisted out of the well by Jareel. Once above ground, Natis insisted on re-examining the dwarf’s injury and properly bandaging it. When questioned, Eric and Bix both insisted that neither Seebaul nor Katryn had exited the well.
“They left by magic.” Natis said.
Landis was not so sure. He wanted to go back down to search for them, but Natis had reminded him that, unlike Seebaul, they had watched Katryn run into the corridor leading only to the well. The General and the Prince of Birhirm insisted on hearing every detail of the battle below ground. Seeing that the others were not in the mood to tell war stories, Jareel relayed the tale of all that had happened. Uncharacteristically, he chose not to elaborate on the details or use any of his normal colorful techniques. There would be time for that later, but tonight the wounds were too fresh.
“What do we do now?” Eric asked.
Natis addressed the Prince of Birhirm. “Eric, your family kept a great secret for a long time. I think that you will now have another one on your hands. It would be best if that well was completely filled in and all evidence of it removed. No one should ever know what lies below.”
“I will inform my father and we will send engineers out here to not only fill in the well but to cave in the tunnels beforehand.” Eric offered.
“Perhaps I can turn those two prisoners over to your father instead of taking them back to Alexon.” Bix suggested.
“Weslocke and I will ride with you as far as the Birhirmian Road, t
hen we will head home.” Eric said. “I am certain that we will find a Birhirmian patrol unit to turn them over to before then. And my father will gladly have them escorted to Queen Petra on your behalf.”
“I will go to Alexon as well,” Natis agreed, “and from there seek passage from one of the Magician’s Guild ships north to the Tower of Lonia. I will have a lot of explaining to do when I get there,”
Jareel fingered his uncle’s Tale-Weaver ring. “I need to return to my homeland and tell the stories of Konik’s adventures.”
“I would suggest that you spend the winter in Alexon learning more about him from Trevor Kahn,” Jaylen told him. “Plus, I am certain that Queen Petra will want to reward you for your efforts. You can return home with a pouch full of gold as further proof of your stories.”
“How can I turn down such an offer?” Jareel agreed.
Jaylen looked up into the night sky. “I suppose that I will go as far as Birhirm with you and Weslocke and offer my thanks to Jobez for all of his help. Perhaps I can smooth things over concerning Landis’ part in the breaking of your betrothal to Petra.”
“That would be helpful,” Eric replied, “What about you, Landis. Do you want to come with us?
Landis did not answer. They looked about only to discover that the half-elf was not among them.
“Where did he go?” Eric asked in alarm.
Jareel and Natis arose to begin searching for him.
“Leave him be.” Jaylen told them. “I saw him sneaking off a few minutes ago when he thought I was not looking. He needs to be alone for a while. Do not worry about Landis, he will show up when he’s ready.”
“He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, would he?” Bix asked.
“It would not be the first time.” Jaylen answered.
The elf’s eyes fell on Weslocke, letting the dwarf know that he was fully aware of the private conversation his son had had with him as they made camp.
Weslocke nodded to Jaylen, acknowledging without words that Landis had indeed headed out on his own. While the others were busy, Landis had approached Weslocke out of earshot of the others. He handed the dwarf a rolled up blanket that Weslocke could feel contained the broken Sword of Alexon.
“Hold this until I return for it so that I can take it to Petra with my apologies.”
Saying nothing more Landis slipped off into the darkness. Weslocke patted the blanket at his side and told everyone, “I am certain that he is just heading off on another adventure.”
Epilogue
Landis sat on the hillside overlooking the sunrise. He had walked throughout the night, putting as much distance as possible between his father and friends, hoping that they would not be searching for him. He trusted Weslocke to keep his secret. The dwarf had been a good friend and ally for years and Landis doubted that any of that would change now. He was just as certain that Weslocke would keep the sword hidden until his return. Landis was not as concerned about explaining the damage to the sword to Petra or anyone else. He was concerned about the white pearl. Seebaul had said that it would still contain magic so Landis believed that it should be kept safely hidden for now. And having it on him was not going to be the best way to keep it safe. He had taken a sword off of one of the dead mercenaries they had fought with in Sedau so that he would not be unarmed. He still carried the ivory colored bow that had once belonged to an Elf Lord. He detested the source of the bow but was not about to just toss it aside now.
As the sun rose before him Landis was thinking about a lot of things and a lot of people. He thought of his father. He was happy to have shared in this adventure with his father and was happy that his father would soon be returning home to Delindea. Landis longed to return to the homeland of the elves, but thought that this was not the time. He had other things to do first.
Landis thought about his other companions. Natis was growing into a competent wizard. He would soon be spending more time at Lonia and thus would not be around to travel with Landis. So leaving him behind was a logical decision. Weslocke was a true friend, but he was getting older and had responsibilities of his own in Birhirm. He had considered telling Jareel of his plans after crawling out of the well. The plainsman would probably be willing to travel with him. But Landis sensed that he needed to return home to take Konik’s place as Tale-Weaver for his clan.
Landis would miss Konik. He only knew the big plainsman and Trevor Kahn for a few weeks, but they had both made an impression upon him during that brief time. Konik’s death would likely be a story told for many years to come. He knew for a fact that he would sing of it from time to time whenever he worked as a bard to pay his way. And Landis had little doubt that Trevor Kahn would succeed as his father’s replacement as Sword-Master of Alexon.
He hoped that General Bix would feel redeemed after this trip. He had misjudged the man at first; Bix was a good man and loyal to a fault. Much worse could be said about someone.
Landis regretted how things had turned out with Twaller Oakleaf. He had trusted the druid and believed him to be a friend. Twaller had chosen his path and as such sealed his fate. Landis would not lose sleep over his slow, agonizing death. Nor would he regret the death of Diabolis, yet another friend who had parted ways and taken a darker road.
He thought of Jandelie Nightingale. His life with her had its ups and downs over the years. In the end he had found happiness with her. Perhaps it would not have lasted, but that no longer mattered. He was satisfied that his last days with Jandelie were filled with fun and romance. He no longer dreamed of her demise and was comforted that he had helped her to cheat a fate worse than death in the long run. And he had avenged her death as well.
Then there was beautiful and innocent Petra, the new High Queen of the Westland. Landis had fleeting thoughts that he could find love with her. He was smart enough to know the truth. Petra may love him but he would cost her too much. It was best to leave things the way that they were. He would have fond memories of his brief time with her. He knew that Petra would find true love elsewhere. He even believed that he knew where she would find it; it was obvious that Jordan Jarobohim was in love with her. Landis could see it in the boy’s eyes every time he looked at her. And they had been spending more and more time together before Landis and his companions left Alexon. Landis would not be surprised to eventually learn that Jordan would become her husband and Prince Regent. Good for them. He thought.
And finally there was Katryn. He did not know what she truly was. But he knew who she was. She had been there when Jandelie had left him the first time. He had been a fool to let her go to join the druids and felt fortunate that she had returned with Twaller when she did. She was there for him throughout all that had transpired recently. She used her skills to heal the trouble and pain he felt following Jandelie’s death. She rejected Twallers beliefs for him. She saved him from Triana and healed him yet again after that conflict. Katryn might be a creature of magic. But she was also a woman. She promised him that she would return, but Landis was not going to wait. He did not know where he was going but he knew the direction. Seebaul was going to return to the Eastland and Katryn was going to follow him to get the answers she needed. So that is where Landis would go too.
Landis had rested long enough. He stood and welcomed the warmth of the sun on his face and began traveling to the east.
About the Author
Richard E. Saunders lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Teresa. He works in Information Technology for a Healthcare Provider, and also as a Professional Pastoral Counselor. In his spare time he enjoys motorcycling and performing as a magician and clown.
Visit StoneGarden.net Publishing Online!
You can find us at: www.stonegarden.net
News and Upcoming Titles
New titles and reader favorites are featured each month,
along with information on our upcoming titles.
Author Info
Author bios, blogs and links to their personal websites.
Contests and Ot
her Fun Stuff
A forum to keep in touch with your favorite authors,
autographed copies and more!
Elf Lords: 01 - Pearls of the Elf Lords Page 33