Darkness has Fallen (Elf World Saga Book 2)

by Matthew Pequegnat

  Myst gave him a seriously hard look, “That’s long odds to help a dynasty that has never been very honorable toward my House…”

  Mars gave him just as hard a look, “He would track you down wherever you ran, and attaint and strip House Sunstar of everything it has or owns, and at best imprisoning your father, more likely having him ‘accidently’ fall from his high tower.”

  Myst nodded in agreement with the general's assessment.

  “No lad, your only hope is to prove your innocence, just remember you were the one who stuck his nose into this mess.”

  Myst looked up at the celing, “beautiful crown molding” he absently thought, “fuck!”

  “And,” the General went on, “I would have expected nothing less of you for following up on a threat to your people, and as much enmity as you rightly feel toward the Emperor, remember it is your people, and indeed all free peoples who are at risk from this plot from the Shadow. The loss of lives could be staggering.”

  Myst again nodded in affirmation to what the General had said, then gave a rueful smile, “Well as it seems I have no real choice in the matter… By the way I noticed, or more accurately did not notice any Constables or Watch on the street?”

  “The Imperial paranoia again, they have been deployed thickly around the palace and other key buildings, in case of a coup… it leaves much of the city unprotected.”

  “That’s, I was going to say unbelievable… but it's not.”

  “Oh,” Mars laughed quietly, “I have something of yours, check the cabinet over there,” he pointed to what Myst took to be a towel closet.

  Inside Myst found his sword that was taken earlier today when he was first detained.

  “I had it brought over to me before I was myself arrested. I figured eventually you would turn up, or I could have sent it to your father if you had been imprisoned or killed.”

  Myst truly smiled for the first time that evening, he quickly switched the short sword to his left shoulder and his Sun Sword he slung over his right, snugging them down and fixing them to his belt so they would stay in place.

  “I noticed that beautiful dark ruby set into the blade right above the hilt, is that new…?”

  Myst chuckled, “a surprise for any undead or whatever the Dark Lord is,” Myst told him grinning somewhat evilly, “a kiss of fire, that Professor Kelaborn enchanted into the already highly enchanted blade.”

  Mars nodded in satisfaction, “that was smart, very smart, and the old master magician is as smart as they come. But off with you before we get caught. You know where to find Elise?”

  Smiling Myst nodded, “Lussanbourg Gardens Spa if she's just back from an operation… She'll spend most of the night soaking in the water, until she decides on letting someone to take her home.”

  With that Myst went out the window and back onto the roof, once up he quickly retraced his steps to the double drain pipe and swiftly he was back at street level.

  “Ah, back to the other side of the canal, a good two and a quarter miles, well at least it has stopped drizzling, looking on the bright side whenever possible, that’s my motto… ok, well it should be, and from now on, soon as this is over.”

  He figured it was about three hours till midnight when he made it to Lussanbourg Gardens Spa, a former Royal Palace that had been converted to a spa, it was an elegant and lovely four stories of pale stone capped with the grayish blue roof, with a domed gatehouse creating a small front courtyard were fancy carriages disgorged wealth elves looking to take the waters...

  He strode up the wide set of steps into the grand entry hall, done in red and gold silk wall covering, set with pale marble walls, a vibrant ornate painting covered the inside of the grand dome, a scene of water nymphs and satyrs, Gods and Goddess frolicking in the waves... The large floor to ceiling windows overlooked the fifty seven acre garden of Elm trees and the massive outdoor pool.

  Myst paid the fee at the marble main desk, then walked over to an overlook area. A half floor below him, the indoor portion of the Great Pool had a dozen or so elves lazily swimming about, maybe twice that number were relaxing on lounge chairs around the pool, none of them where Elise.

  He looked thru the twenty foot glass wall that separated the indoor and much larger over an acer size outdoor portion of the pool, but the dark and frost made it impossible to see out, but he doubted she was out there on a night like this. He headed down to the changing room on the main level, changed into a towel, and headed down the corridor with the sauna rooms, dry on one side and wet on the other, getting hotter the farther you went, Myst went to the far end and the hottest dry sauna.

  The room was barrel vaulted, taupe colored ties covered the floor, with highly veined marble walls the same color going four feet up the wall, then a narrow border of a dark burgundy marble that also was used on a series of columns that went to the vault, above the border a scalloped pattern tan tile continued up to about ten feet with the barrel vault continuing another five or six feet. The vault was done in tiles creating a scene of a woodland lake with flowering trees and cranes, with bright birds darting thru a azur blue sky.

  A dozen dark wooden slatted heavy chaise lounges lined each side of the room, at the far end of the room set into the wall, a half circle of stadium style taupe marble rows went up a half dozen levels. On the second row in the middle, a Moon Elf girl lay on a snow white towel. While the room could have held fifty people, this late at night she was alone, well until now...

  She had the pale creamy skin of the Moon Elves that never seem to really hold a tan, as well as beautiful thick wavy dark red hair that cascaded down to her shoulder blades. Myst knew if he was closer he would see the beautiful and rare amethyst color eyes that always held a gleam of mischief.

  Myst wandered over to her, as he approached Elise oh so innocently stretched her arms above her head, arching her back provocatively and made a soft moan as if waking up from a delicious little nap.

  She did not fool him, not for a second, as he was sure she knew he was there before he had finished opening the sauna door, but what she was thinking was always a mystery to him, well almost always...

  “Well, hello gorgeous, long time since you came to see me…” She pured like a lazy house cat who was considering pouncing on a naughty and tasty mouse.

  Myst climbed up to the row above her and spread out his towel and sat down. “I could have used you during the latest war Elise… Your talents were greatly missed.”

  “Ah precious, you say the sweetest things to a girl. I was stuck with that insurgency campaign farther east, it turned out to be so dull once the Nayan’s showed up to force the orcs out, nothing for me to do. I could have used your--- talents too for other things than war.”

  She turned over onto her side facing him, head propped up in her right hand, her left leg bent at the knee foot flat on the marble slightly behind her other leg.

  “Umm, subtle Elise…” he teased her.

  She laughed a pretty yet honest laugh. “It’s been a while Myst, I came back on a boat full of dwarves… and my needs have never been subtle of that I can assure you!”

  To prove her point she reached out and grabbed him, “That’s nice.”

  “I need your help Elise…”

  She sat up still with a firm grip on him, “Oh, and I need yours… me first.”

  Myst sighed as he knew she was to preoccupied to listen until she got what she wanted.

  Twenty minutes later, “Oh, oh Sacred Mother, mmuum!” she screamed into his ear as she finally slowed to gentle grind. She kissed him deeply for a few minutes before coming up for air.

  “Ok, thats better, now I can think straight, tell me what's the problem…”

  “Yah, let's take a cool shower first Elise.”

  She stood up and then pulled him to his feet.

  “Before you melt…”

  She took him by the hand and led him to the showers, then to a private cabana set into an alcove around the inside section of the Grand Pool, she orde
red a flagon of chilled wine, untied the white silk curtains to give them privacy and reclined on the soft white cushions... She had already rented one for the day expecting she would get some use out of it and she found it preferable than renting a hotel room, particularly when she was just going to spend most of her first night in town in the baths.

  Myst drank down most of his first glass of wine, poured another then reclined next to Elise.

  “You see Elise, this is what happened….”

  ~

  Chapter 13

  The next morning Myst woke with a start as Elise had decided to awaken him in a very friendly way. She looked up to see that he was awake, then scooted up to kiss him.

  “Good Morning Myst darling,” she way lying across his chest smiling at him, her eyes sparkling, “I’ve decided to help you, even though it will quite possibly prove fatal, certainly fatal to my career…”

  “Oh, that’s a relief…”

  She gave him a fake pout, “On the condition, you know what I want… It’s proper for a lady to beg.”

  Myst swiftly rolled her onto her back, “I think that can be arranged, and then upstairs to the Spas breakfast buffet… I’m starving!”

  “And, oh that feels good…” Elise responded, “a swim, we have missed the morning ferry, ah yes… um, and the next one leaves at noon. So, no rush… none at all.”

  ~

  Later that morning, in the back of a hired carriage clip clopping thru the cobblestone avenues of Palantar, and under an almost painfully clear blue sky the two of them headed for the ferry docks, they felt sure any attack would happen after nightfall as many of the important guest were still arriving for this evenings Imperial celebration.

  Elise was now dressed in black riding boots, snug smokey grey silk breaches, a lighter stone grey silk dress shirt, and a riding jacket of dark grey brocade that had contrasting blueish grey shoulders and turned out wide lapels, a burgundy sash was wound around her waist, and over that her sword belt was fastened. She looked elegant and sophisticated, yet rather dangerous at the same time, so he thought she was well matched to her outfit.

  “Myst... “ she got his attention, “is there not a limit to the amount of troops a noble can bring into the capital…?”

  “Why, yes there is Elise, I see you have noticed the abundance of Duke Victor Venaia’s House Guards… I think for a Duke the limit is thirty armed retainers within the capital.”

  Elise was peering out the curtain, “well there is thirty just in the plaza, and I’ve seen ten times that number in the few miles we have come.”

  “It seems Duke Victor is up to no good,” he paused in thought, “or at least someone wants people to think that. I found out last night from our General that Duke Victor did not come for the Emperor's birthday celebration, apparently there was a boar hunting accident last week…”

  Elise turned to look at him, “That’s strange indeed. His family as well?”

  “No, his wife and children are here… The high nobles try to not give the Emperor any reason for suspicion.”

  She laughed, “Well bring what five hundred House Troops into the capital sure screws that up…”

  “More like a thousand, unless we just happen to pass everyone of them while traveling thru just these three districts…”

  “Does a Duke even have that large a private army,” Elise wondered?

  “A border Duke who risked invasion from Orcs or Wild Elves on a regular bases might… But Victor is from Savoue, the geographic center of the Empire, I would have guessed no more than a hundred professional soldiers at the outside.”

  She switched to the rear facing seats so she could see him while they talked, “Wasn't Savoue one of the last three kingdoms forced into the Empire, would that count for such animosity?”

  “Yes, Savoue, Everaux, and then my Andalis were the last three independent Sun Elf Kingdoms. And yes old resentment still lingers sure, but enough to form even a temporary alliance with the Shadow Elves?”

  The carriage slowed again as the crush of crowds forced them to little more than a crawl. The city must have had a million elves or more today for the celebration Myst guessed, and all of them were out enjoying the sunshine and unseasonably warm day, all signs of last night's nasty weather gone with the warm sunshine. Vendors were out selling food and drinks, and just about anything the merchants could think to entice the festive crowds in parting with their silver coins.

  Sunlight glinted of the water of the canal as they turned left on Count Orsay avenue so they rode along the water, the reflected light seemed to dazzle like firework sparklers… “Truly a rare and glorious winter day, so different than yesterday's wind, snow and drizzle…?”

  Elise turned to the window and asked casually, “So.., bringing me into this to work with Kayla, how is that going to work, I still don’t fully understand you Sun Elves and your peculiar relationship nuances…? If you remember she was rather annoid somehow with me, because I was your lover, and that was before you married her?”

  “I think that was because you and I have been lovers for years before I met her, and she was still uncertain of my long term intentions. But you can try what Zarra Alkirr the Star Elf assassin did, you remember her?”

  Elise perked up, “Of course I remember it’s only been a year! But tell me what did that little minks do?”

  “Zarra seduced her, so Kayla never seem to have a problem sharing me with her.”

  “It can’t be that easy….” Elise shook her head in exasperation.

  Myst shrugged in response. He did not tell her Zarra had seduced her the day before they met him, when he saved both their lives from a band of Ogres slavers sent to kill them. Truthfully understanding female motivation made him doubt what it was that would happen when the two women met again, but as there was no reason to borrow trouble he simply kept silent.

  The carriage had finally made it to the open ‘Fields of War’, the green lawns used as a drilling and marching grounds by the Imperial military, and for frequent picnics of the cities citizens whenever the sun was out. There today must have been ten thousand elves out promenading with lovers or playing with their children.

  They picked up speed going away from the Fields of War and soon were about a quarter mile from the docks.

  “Are you also thinking that there may be a problem at the docks,” Elise ask?

  Myst nodded, “You're reading my mind again.” He banged on the carriage roof.

  Elise leaned out the window and shouted up to the driver, “Driver, stop at Mirabeau Bridge, we’ll walk from there!”

  Myst made sure that his hood was up as he exited from the carriage.

  They walked the last quarter mile to the west dock harbor, as they approached the number of House Venaia’s troops in the very distinctive heavy double breasted leather long coats dyed a dark burgundy color with three vertical rows of large round brass buttons across the chest, seem to increas.

  Myst and Elise edged over to the canal bank out of the press of pedestrian traffic, seemingly just a couple enjoying looking at the water.

  “I’ll go in first and check,” Elise told him.

  “Good, they aren't looking for you Elise, well not yet at least, and this feels like a trap.”

  “Damn right it does, the skin on the back of my neck buzzing…”

  He laughed softly, “Tingling… the skin on the back of your neck tingles.”

  She punched his shoulder, “Mine buzzes, yours can do whatever it wants, damn Sun Elves...” With that she disappeared into the crowed.

  Elise past thru the gate to the harbor, and yes there were guards looking at everyone's face who entered the area. She wandered over to the ticket booth and bought two tickets for the ferry to Twilight Keep, then did a slow circuit of the docks before returning to Myst.

  “Yes, it's a trap. Guards checking at the gate and hidden on the roof of the ticket building at least a half dozen crossbowmen, and some plain clothed watchers scattered throughout the dock area.” />
  She was smiling naughtily, “I paid the extra and got a private cabin for us on the trip over… It’s the middle on the side opposite of the dock.”

  “Shit… Well don’t get your hopes up, I’ll be too frostbite to entertain you.”

  Elise giggled, “But think of the fun I shall have warming you up… Behind those barrels? Better hurry the boat sails in twenty minutes.”

  He gave her a resigned look and went behind a stack of barrels that hid him from view.

  A couple minutes later, Elise was hurrying to the boat, Myst pack with his weapons and clothes slung over her shoulder, she was humming a happy little tune as she scampered up the gangway.

  Down in the small cabin she opened the porthole and looked out, “I bet that water is freezing…” she smiled delightedly.

  From Myst satchel pack the took out a short length of silk rope, tied a series of loops into it as his hands likely would be too frozen to grip well, then tied it off to a bracket on the bed, that folded into the wall when not in use, then stuck the tip out so he could tell where to go to, and waited.

  Elise heard a soft whistle seconds later and she let the rope down.

  Quickly, a naked Myst climbed thru the porthole and fell shivering onto the bed.

  “Ah, I’ve must have caught a Frost Elf, your skin is tinted blue,” she teased him as she rubbed him dry with a towel, and got him under the covers of the bed. Swiftly she striped and joined him in the bed, wrapping herself around him to share her body heat.

  “I… never want… to do that… again!” He shivered.

  “I take it no one saw you. So it worked out fine,” Elise told him just as a knock came from the cabin. “Stop being such a baby…”

  “Tickets,” came a voice from the hall.

  Elise scrambled out of bed, grabbed a long dagger in her right hand and the tickets in her left, looked over at Myst to see him sliding a weapon under the covers and then placing his arm across his head obscuring his face from view.

  Elise stood to the side of the door incase it was kicked when she answered it, then opened the latch letting it swing partially open.