Reign of the Dark Elves

by Andrew G. Wood

  Stretching back no more than ten or twelve paces and only just high enough to stand up in, it was still a useful place to camp. Not only would it shut out the wind that seemed to be getting stronger by the minute, but it would also stop anyone seeing their fire. Having already bypassed a Dark Elven outpost earlier that day, they did not want to draw attention to themselves. While Liana would never count herself as a genius, even she was aware that the flames from a campfire could be seen from miles away.

  Both youngsters sat down and watched Brenion start the fire by clicking his fingers and producing a small flame. Liana had begun to wonder why the man did that if using magic caused him suffering, and not use the flint as any normal person would have done. A question she was about to ask until Ari asked a question instead, interrupting her train of thought.

  “I see the mountains getting larger in the distance. Do we have to climb them?”

  Brenion sat back, leaning up against the side of the cave, “Part of the way up, yes. Don’t worry I know a path, but the route is quite steep and hard work on the legs, although not as bad as you might think.” While Liana didn’t complain, the thought of more exertion in the morning was not something she was really looking forward to. Having walked endless miles already, surely they couldn’t have much further to go?

  With the food in their packs now almost used up, Liana was thinking about rationing what she had left. A few crackers, although much nicer than the ones she was used to at home, a little cheese and a piece of stale bread. In addition, she did still have two apples left, one of which she decided to eat for supper after she had drunk another cup of that hot drink Brenion made, called coffee. While she still thought the taste still left much to be desired, the aroma it gave off somehow compensated for it. More importantly though was it was hot, and anything with a bit of heat was quite welcome after having to endure the cold chilly winds.

  With the small fire struggling to take hold and letting off very little heat, Liana huddled up as closely as she could to Ari in an effort to keep warm. Thankfully the cave did afford them some respite from the biting cold wind that now howled across the hillside outside in the black of night. Being so close to Ari and having his arm wrapped around her somehow made Liana feel safe, giving her an inner comfort in the knowledge he was there. With sleep difficult to come by, Liana spent most of the night fidgeting which probably wasn’t helping Ari sleep either. Suddenly her small bed at home in Tepton did not look such a bad place to be. Although very basic, it provided some comfort, and with a thick woollen blanket, it also kept her warm during the cooler nights.

  Liana’s eyes flickered open as she could hear the sound of movement beside her, and realised Ari’s arm was no longer there. Lifting her head slightly she could see the sky outside the cave entrance lightening slightly and knew it would soon be dawn and that she had slept after all. With the minimum of fuss, she sat up and was immediately handed another cup of Brenion’s coffee. Deciding that a single cracker would suffice for her breakfast, Liana ate that before drinking. Before going out, she aimed to make use of the spare clothing in her pack and put her spare shirt on over the one she was already wearing. Stupid it may have looked, but being warm was far more important as far as she was concerned.

  After putting out what was left of their meagre looking campfire, the group ventured back outside. Liana was expecting the biting cold wind to hit her straight away but was pleasantly surprised it had died down a little from that which she had heard during the night. Even so, it was still a little chilly, and wrapping her cloak tightly around her was thankful for the extra layer she had put on. Brenion led them up the slope of another hill and once at the top Liana could see the large steep slopes of the mountains in the near distance.

  “We should get there by mid-day if we can keep a good pace,” Brenion told them.

  Stopping only very briefly for a drink of water, the three of them crossed the open land between the rolling hills they had left behind and the base of the steep cliffs ahead of them. Home to little more than a few hardy shrubs with small purple flowers that Liana thought looked quite pretty, it was at least quite level to traverse. She gazed up at the sky and noticed a flock of birds flying over heading the opposite way to which she was going, “Think you’ve got the right idea,” she mumbled to herself thinking it was much warmer the way they were going. Brenion stopped suddenly and stared upwards in the direction they were heading. At first, Liana wondered what he was doing then noticed that he was just getting his bearings and locating the section of the cliff they needed to be at to find this path he had mentioned.

  As they reached the base of the steep rock face, standing at least several hundred feet upwards, Liana was beginning to think they had gone as far as they could. She turned her head left and right and thought the wall of rock continued both ways for as far as she could see. Brenion, however, pointed them to a clump of large rocks, “We climb up there,” he said. “Watch your footing it can be a bit slippy sometimes,” he warned them.

  Brenion led the way, clambering up one of the large stones before dropping his arm down to help Ari, who in turn did the same for Liana. Once on top of the rock, Liana could now see the path that Brenion had mentioned, although it seemed quite short and seemed to disappear into what she thought was another cave.

  Intrigued as to where she was being led, and knowing they were getting close to the lands of the Free Folk, Liana suddenly felt nervous. Not a scared type of apprehension, more a feeling of excitement at the surprises that might be just ahead. Brenion led them towards the cave entrance and before going inside turned to face them, “This is it!” he said with a smile before heading into the darkness beyond. Liana and Ari looked at each other for a few moments, before quickly hurrying after Brenion. Although dark, Liana felt the cave was actually quite easy to navigate. The ground seemed to slope down a little, of that she was sure, and placing her hand on the walls she thought how unusually smooth they were; unnatural almost. Having walked for little more than a couple of minutes, they turned a sharp corner, and the daylight from beyond the exit was clearly visible to them.

  As Liana’s eyes readjusted to the daylight, she was somewhat surprised by what stood in front of her. Built up just thirty paces apart were two tall stone walls, one on either side and a third directly in front of her with a large set of wooden gates barring any further progress. Brenion explained this was their means of stopping any unwanted visitors, and built this side of the rock face, so it was out of view. Liana shrugged thinking that made perfect sense and was so surprised by the fact that humans had built this grand, imposing structure she failed to notice two men appear at the top of the wall in front of them.

  Ari watched as Brenion gave them a wave and some kind of hand signal, presumably he thought some kind of indication as to who he was as he noticed one of the men atop the wall replying with the same. There was suddenly a loud creak that echoed in the confined space between the walls as one of the large gates opened just enough for them to pass through. Realising that Ari and Brenion were already moving on without her, Liana jogged just a few paces to catch up as they were all allowed to pass through and see what was beyond.

  “Wow! Was the first word from Liana’s lips as she ignored the sound of the gate slamming shut behind her.

  There was a small stone building beside the gate that had a couple of men wearing uniforms standing outside of it, all armed with swords and bows. While that in itself was a sight she had never seen before what lay in front was something from the world of dreams. Rows of fields and pastures were dissected by straight tracks that all led to the impressive looking settlement at the centre. With towering walls around its perimeter, it had clearly been built with defence and protection in mind.

  “Welcome to Insgarth!” Brenion announced waving his hand in front of them.

  As they strolled along the track that led from the gate to the entrance to the city, Liana noticed the people in the fields. A few glanced up from what they were doing to loo
k over in their direction, and while they might have been working just as she had done back home, they did not appear so downtrodden. For one their clothes appeared to be far better than anything she had owned, and secondly, they did not appear so thin, perhaps a sign they ate a little more than she was used to. Turning to her right, she then saw something else new as she watched two large farm horses pulling some strange device behind that appeared to turn the soil over. Noticing the look on her face, Brenion smiled. It was often the same whenever he brought new people back that even the smallest things he probably took for granted seem to cause the utmost amazement with those that had never seen the like before.

  As they approached the outer wall of the city, they had to cross over a wooden drawbridge that covered a water-filled moat, just another thing to add to the ever-growing list of things Liana had never seen before. This in turn apparently led directly to a lake just a short way further north of the city and was itself filled by the many streams that brought water down from the mountains off in the distance. Liana afforded a smile as her boots made a strange echo sound when the crossed the drawbridge and passed under a large stone archway.

  She noticed two more soldiers, again wearing the same uniform as those she had seen by the main gate and both once more armed as they had been. As soon as they stepped foot onto the strange looking cobbled stone road, both Liana and Ari were hit by a wall of noise and unfamiliar smells. People seemed to be bustling around, some chatting with others as they went but all with a purpose in their step. Those she passed were smiling, talking and laughing something that did not happen where she was from, and Liana knew then that there was still a life worth living. A life where oppression was gone, and the thought that humans could be much more than the mindless slaves they had become under the Dark Elves. Seeing it now for herself Liana felt the seed of freedom now firmly planted in her mind and a new determination to help make things right for those still suffering beyond this utopian city.

  Chapter 10.

  Although it was evident one or two people knew Brenion, waving a hand in greeting as he passed them by, most folks seemed content to go about their own business. Along the tree-lined street were rows of tall stonebuilt houses, all well maintained and looking as if they had been built only yesterday. Clearly, these people took pride in the city they lived in, probably knowing how lucky and fortunate they were not be residing on the other side of the mountain wall that separated them from the outside world. The streets were clean, and the air fresh with just the occasional aroma of cooking smells drifting upon it.

  At the city centre was another walled building, which Brenion referred to as the Keep, and home to the ruling council of Insgarth. Although originally ruled by a single ruler, they had changed the way the city was run about fifty years ago, although more down to the fact the ruler at the time had left no living descendant to follow his rule. As a result, a council of seven city members was formed and had governed ever since. While no form of leadership was ever perfect, the council appeared to operate as had been originally planned, and Insgarth had continued to grow under its command.

  With council members only being permitted a two-year stint and elected from everyday city folk, it ensured a constant flow of fresh ideas, though not all of them were enforced or particularly good ones. All children aged between five years and twelve were schooled in writing, reading and the use of numbers and then after that age given various jobs. Everyone worked, except those that were deemed not healthy enough to do so, usually the more elderly in society, who to be fair had probably already committed to a lifetime of working anyway.

  Insgarth, kept just a little over one hundred soldiers on a full-time basis, although two hundred more citizens were kept as reservists should they ever be needed. These were given the basic training required to use a bow or sword and to be called upon in the time of dire need. While that had never happened since the inception of the idea, that did not mean the Free-Folk took it any less seriously. Other people were allocated jobs depending on their skills, whether that was merely working the fields or teaching the city’s children, everybody played a part in keeping Insgarth operational and more importantly, safe.

  As they entered through the large wrought iron gates that barred the way into the yard around the tall stone keep, Brenion stopped to explain something important to them. Both would need to sit before an assessor to determine their role in society, and it was very likely that they could find themselves split up. Being as Liana had shown she possesses magical powers, even though very basic, it was likely she would not be given one of the more menial tasks often handed out to newcomers. In fact, as someone capable of magic, it was likely she would receive the best treatment afforded any of the citizens and given a position and home befitting that status. While most in the city were treated fairly and the same, dispensation was given to those very select few that could wield powers such as hers.

  “I thought you said I could be her protector,” Ari asked realising he was once more being pushed aside.

  “I said you could be her protector for our journey. We have now arrived,” Brenion replied.

  Ari felt deflated, although he wanted to argue, he knew there was little he could do or say that would likely change Brenion’s mind. With his background in farming, it was quite likely that he would be sent to work in the fields as he had done since a small child in his home village. Liana, with whom he thought he had made a special connection would be treated differently, and move among those in power, far out of his reach. Maybe in a year or two, she would pick a young man who perhaps held a similar status, while he would be left forgotten and no more than a distant memory.

  Ari and Liana were both shown into a room inside the keep. It had a stone floor, and a window in the far wall although it let in very little light. If not for the two lamps burning on the other wall, they would probably be sat in darkness. Aside from the two chairs in which they were sat, there was a large table with a further seat the other side of it. A small stone hearth had the embers of a dying fire within it, suggesting that whoever had been using the room had left an hour or two ago. A large painting depicting the figure of a man hung on the wall just above the hearth, dressed in strange looking clothing but wearing a sword at his waist. Whoever it was, Liana assumed it must have been somebody important.

  Feeling somewhat nervous as to what lay ahead, both Ari and Liana turned when they heard the door behind them opening. Brenion stepped into the room, followed by two other men, one much older and the other probably not much older than eighteen or nineteen years of age. The older man did not even cast them a glance as he walked past them and sat down in the other chair behind the table. The younger man then placed a piece of parchment down on the tabletop and took up a position just behind. Brenion remained standing off to one side, just leaning against the wall as if this were just another day for him.

  “Names?” The old man asked abruptly, picking up a quill and dipping it in a small pot of ink that sat on the tabletop.

  Ari and Liana looked at each other, and after a gesture with his hand, Ari indicated for her to go first.

  “Liana,” she said the word almost struggling to get it out, such was the nervousness she was feeling at that moment. While this was everything she had ever dreamed of and more, the idea that one old man sitting behind a desk could decide what she did for the rest of her days was surely little different from the life she had just left behind.

  “And you are the one with magical ability?” the old man asked, keeping his somewhat short, sharp tone.

  “Yes, she is,” Brenion interrupted. “She will be trained further by Osrik,” he added.

  The old man looked up from his parchment, glaring Brenion’s direction. “That is not your decision to make,” he snapped, evidently not best-pleased someone was telling him how to do his job.

  “Name?” The old man asked again.

  It took Ari a few moments to answer as he hadn’t realised the man had moved on to him and finished discu
ssing Liana. This delay, albeit only a very short one, only appeared to irritate the man further, “Well, you do have a name, boy?”

  “Ari,” he eventually replied, still feeling the bright future he had envisaged was suddenly going to come crashing down.

  “You worked in the fields?” the old man asked.

  Ari nodded his reply, although that apparently was not good enough and had to speak it after the old man snapped at him again.

  Although to his credit, Brenion did say that Ari was quite useful with a sword and that he had helped in protecting Liana on their travels to Insgarth, the old man appeared none too impressed. After scribbling down far more notes than Ari thought were needed, the old man tore off a piece of parchment. “Report to this man, he will show you to your room, and where to go to start work tomorrow.”

  “As a soldier?” Liana asked, hoping the young man she had deep feelings for was getting what he wanted.

  The old man made a scoffing kind of sound before laughing, which was quickly mimicked by the younger man still stood obediently behind him.

  “We don’t put boys in our army, my dear,” the man sneered. “He will work the fields.”

  Liana turned to look at Ari and noticed his shoulders drop and she could sense that all the hopes the two of them had shared since first meeting on the track to Sarton were fading away. The dreams of the young man beside her were being dashed, and that was something she was not going to let happen.