The Axe's Edge

by Summers, Derick J. M.

  That morning he shared his idea with the group. Raeth immediately warmed to the idea. She had encountered Dark Elves in the swamps, though she’d only had limited contact with them. As a people, they preferred to keep to themselves, as did the changelings, and they did their best to avoid contact with other races, but she was familiar enough with them that she could easily take their shape. El’dreathia gave the matter much thought, and after a great deal of consideration she came to the same conclusion as Lan. Though not a perfect solution, Raeth taking the shape of a Dark Elf would offer her the best chance of acceptance by the Elves.

  Before their eyes, Raeth adjusted her height and body shape to resemble an Elf. She had already masqueraded as El when she had assassinated the former king of Tael so the shift was easy for her. With El’s guidance she adjusted her skin tone, hair colour and eyes to the nearly midnight black of the Dark Elves. El took a moment to study the result and finally nodded her approval.

  Of course, with all this discussion about inter-racial relationships, El couldn’t help but consider her own situation. All Hades was likely to break loose when her father and the rest of the clans found out about her and Logan. Unfortunately, though blessed with many gifts and abilities, there was no way he could simply change his shape. No, there was no way around it, it was going to be difficult to say the least, and El was happy to put off that confrontation for as long as possible.

  With the issue of Raeth’s shape settled, final preparations did not take long. The companions were used to traveling light and most of the delay had been a thinly veiled opportunity to drag out their final hours together.

  By mid-afternoon a week later, Lan’thor and a dark skinned Raeth were ready to head north into the Great Southern Forest and on to the Elfin village. Logan felt bad that he wasn’t able to give Lan a better idea of how long the trip would take. He himself had been barely conscious the first and only time he had made the journey. He’d had no sense of direction or time, just the single-minded intention to head north. Lan tried to reassure him, and explained several times that he wasn’t worrying and neither should Logan. Both he and Raeth knew how to travel through the wilderness and they had a general idea of where they were going. Both were more than capable of taking care of themselves and Lan’thor was certain that when he got close enough he would recognize the area. After all, he had explored much of the Great Forest as a kid, and had made his passage to adulthood deep within it. Besides, he’d pointed out with a laugh, Elves don’t get lost in the woods. It was just one of those unwritten rules, and he sure as Hades wasn’t going to be the first Elf to break it. Logan had shared the laugh and wished him luck anyway.

  In the end, the hardest part of the preparations was the message that El wanted Lan to relay to her father. She knew that her father’s magic would’ve kept him informed of her general location and well-being. She had no doubt that he knew he had a vague notion where she was and that she was alive, but she also knew that wouldn’t be good enough. He’d had no direct contact with her in well over a year and she’d left without his permission. Specifically, she’d left against his express wishes to the contrary.

  She was certain that he would be angry and, if she were being completely honest with herself, she knew he had every right to be. He would want to know exactly where she was, exactly what she’d been doing and exactly when she’d be home. She was actually a bit surprised that he hadn’t tried to contact her during her absence, though she was also somewhat relieved about that. She figured it was safe to assume that the lack of attempted contact was a solid indicator of exactly how upset he really was with her. With a deep sigh, she realized that it would do nothing for his temper when she didn’t return with Lan’thor.

  For several days, she was at a complete loss for what to say in her message home. Finally, she decided to keep things as simple and to the point as possible.

  Da,

  I am sorry that I left against your wishes, but it was something I felt I had to do. I am doing well and have had so many exciting adventures that I look forward to telling you all about. I’m not sure when I’ll be coming home and I hope you understand.

  All my love, El.

  With the message written, she rolled the parchment, sealed it with wax and gave it to Lan to pass along. She warned her friend that her father wouldn’t be at all happy with the message and apologized in advance for any trouble she was causing him. Lan had laughed and hugged her.

  “No worries, El,” he replied with a laugh. “It won’t be the first time I’ve faced your father’s displeasure.”

  El had laughed at that and hugged him closer.

  “Yes,” she answered. “But, then it was your own fault, and you probably deserved it.”

  Logan knew the turmoil that El was dealing with but knowing about it and knowing what to do about it were two entirely different things. He was at a loss. El’s letter to her father would not be sufficient to ease the senior Elf’s temper. He knew it wouldn’t have been enough for him or his own da. Logan sighed deeply. There really wasn’t anything he could do about it. For now, he’d have to settle for hoping for the best and saying goodbye to his friends. After all their trials and travels, it would be very strange not having them with him. The ache in his chest told him just how much he would miss them.

  In typical assassin restraint, Raeth stepped forward and extended her arm to him. Logan clasped it to his in a warrior’s greeting. He looked up into the tall assassin’s eyes and met a gaze as serious as his own. Logan tried to hold the solemn look, but when he saw the corner’s of Raeth’s eye begin to crinkle he couldn’t hold it. A smile finally broke across his face.

  “You’ve got to be kidding? Come here,” He laughed and pulled her into a bear hug.

  Raeth stiffened momentarily and then relaxed, returning his embrace.

  “You take care, Logan,” She whispered in his ear. “If you ever need me.”

  “You too,” he replied. “And take it easy on those poor Elves.”

  They broke their hug and Raeth quickly turned away. Logan could have sworn he saw tears in the assassin’s eyes. Logan smiled to himself and shook his head, it couldn’t be.

  “You be careful, Logan.”

  “Me?” he asked in mock outrage as he turned to face Lan’thor. “You’re the one always getting into trouble. Only now you won’t have me to save your hide.”

  The Elf gave him a look of disbelief, which promptly evoked a laugh from both of them.

  “Just remember,” Logan continued more seriously. “If you need me, just get me word.”

  Lan’thor nodded as he stepped up and hugged his companion.

  “The same goes for you, my friend. The same goes for you.”

  Pulling Themselves Up By Their Bootstraps

  Several months had passed since Raeth and Lan’thor left their companions to return to the Elfin village, and things around the Hammersmith homestead had changed significantly. At El’s request the new house had not been rebuilt on the burned out clearing of the original home. Instead it now lay in the tree line at the northern edge of the property. And, much to Tanel, Smash and Logan’s awe, it wasn’t really ‘built’ in the traditional sense of the word. El had suggested that they forgo the traditional human building techniques in favour of the Elfin way, and with their agreement she had used her magic to encourage the forest trees to grow into a suitable dwelling.

  Instead of taking saws into the forest and cutting away more trees to build their home, they watched El commune with the nature that surrounded them. That initial conversation took hours as El introduced herself and her companions to the forest. El taught her friends that trees had long memories and that they did indeed remember and miss the Hammersmith family. Tess, Tanel and Logan’s mother, had been a particular favourite to these forest spirits with her natural approach to herb lore and they had been filled with sorrow at her passing.

  When El finally asked if the trees would be willing to form a home for them, the trees had readily agree
d and El explained their specific needs. The process began with little fanfare as El fed magical energy into the trees and encouraged them to reshape themselves into the needed structure. The process was relatively slow, though building a house always was, and the companions had had to make do with a long term camp until, by the end of the second month, the home was formed enough for the four of them to move in.

  Thankfully, once the initial process started, the house had been able to grow mostly on its own with only periodic attention from El and her magic. This meant that the four friends were free to pursue the myriad other tasks that needed to be done to re-establish the homestead. With the near total devastation that had preceded their arrival, there was plenty to keep them busy.

  One of the first things that El and Tanel set to work on was supplementing the herbs and plants that still grew wild in the woods where Tess had originally planted them. The two spent hours scouring the forest to determine what was growing close by and what they would need to order from traveling merchants. Logan couldn’t help but smile as he watched them work. He knew that Tanel was anxious to return to her medicines and herbs. It was the life she had been so forcefully torn from almost two years before, and it was good to see her focused and happy. She threw herself into her vocation with passion. Much like Logan’s own urge to create, she was excited at the prospect of tending the living and helping things grow.

  As for El, she was nearly as anxious as Tanel to get back to practicing her magic and not just using it as a means of survival. Her travels had strengthened her abilities and she had grown significantly as a mage, but now she finally had the time to truly explore her abilities. She used the mundane, day-to-day tasks as an opportunity to explore the nuances of her magic, enjoying the mental challenge of figuring out the best application of magic to assist life’s natural processes.

  Logan was proud of both of them. It had been a hard couple of years and it was good to see them embracing the future.

  Aside from the joint pursuits of herbs and establishing a home, the two women also found a great deal of pleasure in each other’s company. They could spend hours exchanging ideas and information about their understanding of nature and how it affected their respective specialties. Many an evening found the boys bedding down and the fire little more than embers while the two women discussed the magical and medicinal properties of some new herb or plant that one or the other had discovered in the area. Human and Elfin views on life did not always mesh, but the two had managed to find a common bond in their love of nature, the world around them, and their willingness to listen to each other’s perspective.

  While Tanel and El worked on their specialties, Logan and Smash busied themselves with their own tasks and chores. The home was growing by itself, but that didn’t mean that there still wasn’t a thousand and one things that needed doing. The biggest task the two decided to tackle was the rebuilding of the forge. Though Logan tried to stay true to the spirit of his father’s original design, he couldn’t resist the urge to incorporate some of the innovations he had encountered during his visit to the Dwarven city in the Dragon’s Spine. The Dwarves were the undisputed masters of the forge on Tir’an. The runic war axe Leveller, that Logan wore across his back was a testament to their abilities. He figured his father would appreciate the new features.

  Maybe, just maybe, he thought with a wry smile. There might be some benefits to traveling the world.

  The most fundamental innovation Logan incorporated into the new forge was the use of clay and straw to build rather than the traditional earth and mud. He mixed the new ingredients into a semisolid mass and baked it in a homemade mould in the summer sun. The Dwarves called the rigid block that this process created a ‘brick’ and these bricks allowed him to create a far stronger and more durable building. The bricks also reflected the heat more efficiently, allowing greater temperatures with less wood and coal. His new forge was tougher and harder than his father’s had been, and Logan figured there was little chance that this one would either burn down or be worn down by the elements.

  When the building was finally finished, a new challenge presented itself. It was time to start the task of making new tools. All that remained of his father’s forge was the anvil and the heavy hammer that Logan carried with him. If Logan hoped to start blacksmithing again, there were certain tools he couldn’t be without. Thankfully his father, Hagar, had taught him that the true miracle of being a blacksmith was that you could pretty much make anything you really needed, as long as you had the materials and a little bit of imagination. Unfortunately, that was where everything came to a grinding halt. Imagination Logan had in abundance. What he didn’t have was materials, specifically metal stock. Simply put, with no metal, there could be no forge.

  Logan needed merchants. Right now, he needed them to provide him the resources to work his craft. Eventually, he would need them to carry his completed works to the rest of Tir’an. Unfortunately, the traders that his father had dealt with in the past had written off Solan Bay after its visit from the slavers and it would take time for word to spread of its revival. It could be months before the people of Solan Bay saw merchants again.

  Logan’s situation was far from unique. All of the residents of Solan Bay were encountering a similar dilemma and, in a surprising act of forward thinking, the town’s people had reached the decision to send a messenger with orders to the nearest merchants. Logan was pleasantly surprised to find the Hammersmith homestead had actually been included in this plan. And when the messenger came up the road to see if it’s occupants needed anything, he was shocked to find Seli Tanith had volunteered for the job.

  While Smash and El offered Seli refreshments after her long walk from town, Logan and Tanel had quickly drawn up a list of needed supplies and used some of the coin that King Jarod of Tael had sent with them as thanks for their efforts in freeing his city. Logan didn’t like paying first, it went against everything Hagar taught him about negotiation, but in this instance there was little choice. They needed to make the trip worth the trader’s time and the only way to do that was to show him the colour of their coin. Still, they’d have to rely on the negotiating skills of the messenger and the good faith of the merchant to ensure they weren’t robbed, but knowing Seli was going to be doing the negotiating he had cause to hope for the best. He knew from painful experience that she could be persuasive and convincing. Hopefully this time those qualities would be used for the greater good.

  Along with the money, they sent a detailed listing of exactly what they needed and an estimate of what they thought it should cost.

  That had all taken place several weeks ago and the supplies and the items requested were expected to arrive within the next few days. With the new forge completed and ready to go, Logan figured the timing couldn’t be better.

  Three days later, Logan was on the road to Solan Bay to collect their order.

  Something Wicked This Way Comes

  Something wasn’t right. El’dreathia knew that for sure.

  She just didn’t know exactly what it was, yet. She had woken up that morning with a queasy feeling in her stomach, but initially thought it was simply women’s trouble or that she was missing Logan, who had set out for Solan Bay very early that morning. She had used the herbs that Tanel mixed to ease such issues, but as the morning progressed she realized that they were having no effect. In fact, the queasy sensation seemed to grow stronger as the day aged and by mid-morning she realized that something else must be causing her discomfort, she just couldn’t put her finger on exactly what that something else might be.

  Alone in her room, El closed her eyes and allowed her own steady breathing to lull her into a light trance. Focusing on the discomfort she felt, she slowed her breathing and allowed her consciousness to move away from her physical body, following the feeling that was upsetting her stomach. The source of the discomfort was still quite faint, but she was now certain it was external and she was able to gather a general direction. Whatever or whoever
it was, she knew it was coming from the north.

  Well, at least I know it’s not Logan, she thought.

  Solan Bay lay to the south of the Hammersmith homestead and she could feel Logan in that direction. Part of her wanted to believe that she was just being paranoid, that whatever was giving her this feeling of unease was miles away and might very well have nothing to do with her or her friends. But, she knew in her heart that that wasn’t the case. Nope, something was coming for them. It just might take a while for it to get here.

  Did you need me to come home? Logan’s voice asked in her head. She smiled. He was getting much better at picking up her thoughts, and at a distance at that.

  No, whatever’s coming is still a long way away. We should have time for you to finish things there and still get home.

  Alright, I’ll finish things up and get home as soon as I can. Let Smash and Tanel know what’s going on and make sure you let me know if things change. Love you.

  You too, she replied with a smile.

  Sighing to herself, she again pushed the discomfort to the back of her consciousness and went to warn the others before getting back to the unfinished chores around the house. Goodness knew that there were still more than enough things that needed doing. They didn’t have time for whatever this was. Between her and Tanel, they had been able to add significantly to the wild herbs that Tanel’s mother had originally planted amongst the trees of the surrounding forest. El was pleased to discover that the deceased woman had shared the Elfin philosophy that plants really did grow better in the wild, rather than in the human’s more typical field and farm approach. The field and farm approach required the clearing of the forest and the removal of its residents first, before the new plants could be sown, wreaking havoc on the spirit of the land. El found it pleasing that the human woman who had adopted and raised Logan had held some very Elfish views.