The Elven Alliance

by J. A. Culican

  “Stay strong, my son,” Sila whispered in my ear as she let go of me. She turned towards Rylan, who had just joined us.

  “Prince Gaber is a noble warrior. It’s an honor to be trained by him,” Rylan nodding as he squeezed my shoulder.

  I shook my head, not sure of what to say. A noble warrior? He sounded like Jericho. I wasn’t sure I could handle two Jericho’s. I turned to Eva, who had already shifted into her impressive golden counterpart. Her gold wings flapped happily in the breeze as she spoke with Sila.

  “Shift,” Jericho growled, passing by me in mid-shift.

  He completed his shift before I had a chance to respond. His Woland stared down at me with piercing impatience enflaming from his eyes. I stood up straight and cracked my neck side to side as I called to my dragon. My transformation happened with ease now, each time a bit quicker. My colorful scales enveloped me as my powerful tail appeared and spikes flew up my back. With a quick exhale my wings exploded from my back, spread wide ready to fly.

  The Wolands around me began to shoot into the air, creating a perimeter for Eva and I to fly in. Again, I wondered where we were heading. Where would elves live? The only information I had overheard was that the eldens lived in a swamp. Training in a swamp didn’t sound like fun.

  “The Congo,” Cairo’s voice echoed in my head. “Central Africa.” With that he pushed off the ground and joined the other Wolands in the sky.

  Eva pushed off the ground then too, but did so with an air of grace. I took off and followed behind her. All I knew of the Congo was that it was a rainforest. A rainforest meant all types of bugs and snakes, both of which I hated. You would think growing up in Texas, snakes wouldn’t bother me, but on the contrary, they creeped me out.

  No one spoke for a long time. They were either lost within their own thoughts, or enjoying the flight. The sky irradiated a clear, bright blue as we made our way south, flying over the Atlantic Ocean towards our destination. I picked up quickly that the dragons preferred to fly over water than land. It was easier to keep themselves hidden, and there were less obstacles to mask themselves from.

  “Stay close to me once we land.” Jericho’s bark interrupted my thoughts. “Do not speak unless I tell you to.”

  “Okay. How much further do we have?” We had traveled quite far already. Water and clouds completely surrounded us; no land was in sight.

  “Not too much longer.” He paused in thought. “Prince Gaber will be waiting for us by the shore. He will escort us from there.”

  I tried to picture what he may look like. All I could imagine when I heard the word elf was Santa’s elves- tiny creatures with pointy ears. Something told me these elves would be much different, especially the Prince, considering the warrior status he held with Rylan.

  Jericho huffed from beside me; the Wolands around me had begun their decent. In the distance a large area of land, presumably Africa became visible. As the clouds parted, the rocky cliffs spanning along the shore were evident; no beach was in sight, like I had pictured. I saw no one as we approached. Maybe the Prince had changed his mind?

  “He’s there. I can feel him,” Jericho growled through my head.

  I attempted to open my senses to get an idea of how many elves waited for us. I steadied my breathing, shot my mahier out, and hoped I would feel something. Nothing. I sensed the dragons that surrounded me and even the sea life below me. But nothing on the shore.

  “He’s blocking you. Sizing you up,” Jericho said. “And he’s by himself.”

  By himself? What if we were here to harm him? I wasn’t allowed anywhere by myself because I was the Prince, and yet this Prince was sent alone to welcome a herd of dragons.

  The Wolands landed on the shore, quickly shifting back to their humanoid states as they fanned out towards the tree line. I touched ground beside Jericho, who stayed in his dragon form. He stood in a protective stance next to me, his ears back and his snout close to the ground. Cairo and Eva landed to my right, and Cairo took a similar pose as Jericho next to Eva.

  I blinked as an image began to form in front of me. In an instant, a man with blonde hair and bright orange eyes stood an arm’s length away. His hands were spread open in the air and his head was cocked to the side as he observed me.

  Fire formed beside me as Jericho noticed our intruder. The man held his hand high and shielded Jericho’s fire before it touched him. With a chuckle, he slapped his hand against the ground and the fire went out.

  “My Prince, Keeper of the Dragons.” The man bowed his head to me with his hands out to the side. He shifted his eyes to Jericho, smirking. “I am Prince Gaber of the elves. I welcome you.”

  Chapter Five

  Prince Gaber’s orange, calculating eyes raked up Jericho and then Cairo, finally falling on Eva. His smirk turned into a full-blown grin as he outstretched his hand and lowered his head.

  “The Golden Dragon, it’s an honor to be in your presence,” Gaber shook Eva’s hand, grin firmly in place.

  “Release her hand,” Cairo growled from beside Eva.

  “If I wanted to hurt her, she would be hurt already,” Prince Gaber remarked, dropping Eva’s hand. “We are on the same side.” Gaber cocked his head to the side. “Or so I thought.” The orange in his eyes glowed, the light spinning around his pupil as he contemplated his next move.

  “We are,” Eva interrupted their stare down, glaring at Cairo and placing her hand on his chest.

  “Prince Gaber,” Jericho began, stepping in front of Cairo and Eva in an attempt to take control of the situation.

  With a wave of his hand, Gaber spun around and walked towards the tree line. “Keep up.” He glanced over his shoulder, his smirk firmly in place. “Prince Colton of Ochana,” he sang with a chuckle. “Walk with me, let’s chat,” he ordered with a jeer, never breaking his pace.

  I looked over at Jericho for some kind of direction. Jericho’s eyes were on fire as he glared towards Prince Gaber. With a huff of smoke and a nod, he directed me to catch up with the Prince. Eva began to follow, but Cairo pulled her back with a shake of his head.

  As I approached the Prince, my senses prickled. Someone or something was watching us. Gaber walked quickly beside me, leading us deeper into the trees in silence. I scanned the area around us. The further we walked, the harder it was to see. The dense jungle grew thicker, blocking what little sunlight was left of the day, leaving us in a gloomy cocoon of overgrowth and bugs.

  A nearby chuckle broke my attention away from the uneasy sensation that lingered behind me. “Relax. Your nervousness is driving me crazy.” He shook with laughter as he spoke. “You’re the only one who knows of my guards.” He tapped my chest. “It’s the tilium inside you that draws you to them.”

  “Your guards?” I asked as I scanned the area again, seeing nothing.

  “You don’t honestly believe I would be allowed to meet with the dragons alone, do you?” He shook his head. “We haven’t had dealings with the dragons in many years. I was quite surprised to hear from them.” He paused. “And quite intrigued.”

  “Intrigued?” I asked.

  “A dragon who possesses tilium. I never thought the day would come,” Gaber mused.

  “You heard how I took possession of it?” I hoped I wouldn’t have to tell the story. Queen Tana and the farros still haunted my dreams every night. Just knowing she was free put me on edge.

  “The farro.” He paused. “Queen Tana is a wicked one.” His laugh was almost appreciative.

  “You could say that.” A shiver coasted up my back with the thought of Tana and the farros.

  Prince Gaber stopped and turned to me. Only now did I realize our only source of light was coming from his eyes, which were now focused on me. With his hands spread out by his sides, Gaber observed me in silence. I broke eye contact with him, looking around for Jericho and Cairo. They were nowhere to be found. We were alone. Well, his guards were close because I could still feel them. My skin began to ripple and my breathing became irregular. My dragon
wanted out. Wanted to protect me. From what exactly, I wasn’t sure.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he said as his finger found my chin, bringing my eyes back to his. “The tilium inside you is very powerful. It sings to me. Which means it sings to her.” He paused. “And Tana will fight to retrieve what’s hers.”

  With those words, my body began to shift. I had no control over it. Gaber leapt into a nearby tree, his bright eyes illuminating through the jungle in an eerie glow. My shift was erratic, uncoordinated, feeling like the first time, a regression I hadn’t expected. Jericho and Cairo burst through the nearby underbrush, eyes wide in shock. Eva was close behind them.

  I stood tall in my dragonic form, now eye level with Prince Gaber, who looked on in awe from his place in the tree. From behind him emerged his guards with their arms out in front, knives in hand, ready to attack.

  “Stand down,” Prince Gaber commanded with a wave of his hand. His guards lowered their weapons, but never took their eyes from me. “Has this happened before?” he asked.

  “Never like this,” I projected my voice towards Gaber in hopes he could hear me.

  He broke his eyes from me, cocking his head towards Eva. “What did he say?”

  Eva looked up at me, puzzled. “He said, never like this.” She slipped from Cairo’s grasp and stepped aggressively towards Gaber, putting herself between the elf and I. “What happened?” She looked around fearfully, an expression I’d never seen before on her face.

  A smirk appeared on Prince Gaber’s face as he looked down at Eva. “Can you shift back? Night is approaching, we must get you to safety.”

  I closed my eyes and thought of my human form. The shift came quickly, in the inhale of a breath. When it was over, I was surprised to find myself panting on the jungle floor. What had just happened?

  Eva grabbed my arms and pulled me up to a seated position. She rubbed my back, glaring daggers at Prince Gaber. Jericho and Cairo approached me from behind, both emitting smoke.

  “Explain. Now,” Jericho roared at Gaber.

  Gaber and his guards jumped down from the tree with ease, showing off their agility. They marched towards us but a growl to my side stopped their approach.

  “The tilium is strong within him. Too strong,” Gaber explained.

  “What does that mean?” Eva asked.

  “It means, we really should keep moving. He will be safer surrounded by my elves.” Gaber gestured to his guards to lead the way.

  Eva helped me to my feet, keeping her arm looped with mine. Her feet stayed planted to the ground, holding me hostage. Gaber looked back over his shoulder at us with an eyebrow raised.

  “You’ll keep him safe?” Eva asked, her voice breaking at the end.

  Prince Gaber walked towards us with eyes trained on Eva, hand held over his heart. “With my life,” Gaber exclaimed, his eyes flashing bright before dying down to their normal orange.

  “Why?” I asked. “I’m no one to you.”

  “No one?” Gaber repeated. “You are the Keeper of Dragons.” He punctuated each word. “The one who is destined to save all true beings.” He tilted his head as he scanned the both of us. “You are the only known dragon to ever possess tilium. Not just any tilium, but that of over a hundred farro. Very potent, very dark tilium.”

  “Dark.”

  Gaber nodded towards me. “Unstable. Unpredictable.” His pointy ears twitched. “We must get moving. The night is among us.” He turned and walked once again deeper into the jungle.

  We followed silently behind Gaber and his guards, senses on full alert. It was clear Gaber didn’t care much for the night, and judging by his pace he was in a hurry to get to wherever we were going.

  We crested a slight hill and broke through the tree line. Before me, a turquoise lake with small waterfalls flowing from nearby streams rested between what looked like treehouses high in the sky. Each treehouse was connected by rickety walkways swaying in the gentle breeze. Soft yellow glows permeated the air from the tiny windows above us.

  “It’s beautiful,” Eva breathed beside me.

  Gaber turned and gave us his full attention. “Welcome to our home.” He spread his arms wide and did a little twirl. “The elven swamp.” He laughed.

  “Swamp.” I stammered, taking in the sight before me.

  “I never understood it myself. All you creatures,” He waved our directions. “You just assume us elves live in a swamp.” He shook his head. “The eldens, they live in a swamp. A black hole. Us.” He twirled again. “We live in-”

  “Paradise,” Eva finished.

  “You and I are going to be good friends,” Gaber announced, pointing towards Eva. “Interesting you would call our home that, for this is Paraiso. Which means just that, paradise in Galician.”

  “But-”

  “A story for another time,” Gaber interrupted with a wave. “Let me show you around.” He gestured for us to follow, then stopped, laughing. “It seems my elves are very captivated by you already.”

  I followed his eyes to the bright yellow lights dancing in the sky above us, the only lights shining on this moonless night. “What are those?” I asked, looking up.

  “Those,” Gaber pointed, “are my elves.” He flashed his own orange eyes to shine a spotlight on me.

  I squinted in confusion. Another orange glow grabbed my attention as I looked beyond Gaber at a young woman approaching us. She had long brown hair and eyes identical to Gaber’s. She was petite, but I had no doubt the girl could defend herself.

  Gaber looked over his shoulder towards the girl. “Ah. Let me introduce you to my sister, Princess Clara.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Clara.” Eva outstretched her hand towards the Princess.

  Instead, Clara pulled her into a tight embrace. “No, the honor is all mine, Golden Dragon. And please, call me Clara. Just Clara,” she said with a shake of her head and a sigh.

  “Clara,” a gruff voice came from behind me.

  “You,” she pointed towards Jericho, “may call me Your Highness. Next time show your due respect.” Her strong voice rang of authority.

  “Of course, Your Highness,” Jericho sighed through gritted teeth.

  Jericho’s eyes were now firmly on the ground and his jaw was twitching. I had never seen him act so subdued. Clara held her head high; her orange eyes held a fire aimed directly at Jericho. There was definitely some kind of history between the two of them.

  Gaber cleared his throat, “This ought to be—”

  “Interesting,” Cairo provided as he tilted his head to the side, also noting Jericho’s odd behavior.

  “Come, let me show the two of you your quarters.” Clara beckoned with her hand.

  I looked back at Jericho once more, meeting his eyes. A somberness was found in the depths of his red gaze, a gaze that normally frightened me. With just a nod, he retreated towards the tree line.

  “You’re safe here,” Cairo reassured as we both tracked Jericho. “Jericho and I will stand watch with the other dragons. Realm five has set a perimeter.” His eyes scanned me then Eva. “Stick close to Prince Gaber. He gave an oath. He will give his life for the both of you,” he said quietly. “It seems the dragons are now in an elven alliance.” He paused. “To the death.” He walked towards the trees that Jericho had just disappeared behind.

  Death. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  Chapter Six

  Clara leapt onto a low branch sticking out of a massive tree. Climbing quickly towards a wooden walkway about twenty feet off the ground, her feet landed swiftly on the bridge. She crouched low, her orange eyes gazing at Eva and me.

  “After you,” Gaber insisted from behind us with laughter in his voice.

  Eva sprouted her golden red wings, and with a quick push, she bounded upwards to land gracefully next to Clara. She smirked and winked at Gaber. I bet he had expected both of us to flounder. Hate to disappoint, but just I would fail this test.

  The branch was two feet above me, taunting me from
a distance. I reached my arms above my head, and though my fingertips grazed the bottom of the branch, there was no way I would be able to jump high enough to pull myself up. Not to mention that if by some miracle I did find myself on said branch, I then had to scale the tree another ten to twelve feet.

  I sighed in defeat, turning towards Gaber. I prepared myself mentally to show my weakness within minutes of being left alone with the elf. He stood only a few inches shorter than me, a characteristic that bewildered me. I expected the elves to be much smaller, pixyish, like the fairies. Instead, they stood just shy of average. If it wasn’t for their pointed ears and iridescent eyes, they’d pass as human.

  “The tilium inside you is at war with your mahier,” Gaber pointed to my chest. His fingers were longer than the average human, with nails sharpened into cutthroat points. Following my gaze, he lifted his fingers and laughed. “Defense mechanism. They aid in climbing. Trees, rocks, mountains,” he said with a shrug.

  I looked down at my own hands. Average, short rounded nails. Not made to climb trees. I looked back up to Gaber with a raise of my eyebrow. I hoped he had another way up the tree.

  “Nope. If you plan on sleeping tonight or any other night, you will climb this tree,” Gaber explained with a serious note in his voice.

  A sigh of defeat blew through my lips. I was about to search out a nice pile of leaves to settle on for the night when Gaber grabbed my hand. He placed it on the trunk of the tree, his hand on top of mine.

  “You are the Keeper of Dragons. You protect all that is true.” He pointed with his other hand. “This tree is true. It will grant you safety”

  I looked at my hand entwined with Gaber’s, pushed flat on the rough bark. Dragon and elf. It was my job to protect him and all his elves. All true beings. The weight of my destiny fell heavy on my shoulders. I rested my forehead on the tree as I calmed my breathing from what was sure to be an epic anxiety attack.

  “Release your energy. This tree will store it for you,” Gaber whispered close to my ear.