Satisfied, Kazin flew back to where the companions were to meet after the prison break. He thought his work for the night was over until he saw the dark objects running low to the ground below him. It was the wolves. Somehow they had broken free of Milena’s magical tree cage and were in pursuit of the fleeing centaurs.
A first Kazin was indifferent to the freed wolves. The centaurs were long gone. He looked to the south and suddenly noticed several injured centaurs on the horizon making their way slowly southward. They were unaware of the pack of wolves streaking toward them from behind. They would never outrun them.
Summoning the last reserves of his fading strength, Kazin flew to the head of the pack and blasted the bloodthirsty beasts with flames.
The wolves ran howling helter-skelter with their fur aflame. Some wolves still came bounding forward in the hopes of skirting around the dragon, but Kazin searched each of them out, clawing and burning the crazed beasts until they turned tail and ran back into their masters’ camp.
Unfortunately for the army, the wolves managed to set more tents on fire in their haste to have their own fires quenched. The beleaguered army had a bad night thus far, and it didn’t seem to be getting any better. Even mercenaries were departing the camp in large numbers. They didn’t want to be associated with this disgrace of an army.
Kazin flew wearily back to the base of the mountain and made his best landing as a dragon thus far. He transformed himself back into a human almost without thinking. He took two steps toward the safety of the woods but never got any farther. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Two figures crept from the woods and picked up the weary mage.
“He’s full o’ surprises tonight, ain’t he?” said one figure.
“What surprised me the most was that he lasted as long as he did,” muttered the other. “Let’s get him to the druid. He needs healing.”
“You bet, Zylor.”
“Not tonight, Rubin. Not tonight.”
Chapter 49
Kazin awoke with a start. His body jostled uncomfortably in some sort of stretcher. The sun shone brightly and winked on and off with the passage of thick, leaf laden branches overhead. Birds chirped merrily and flew from branch to branch, displaying their bright multi-hued plumage to the travellers below.
Kazin raised his head and tried to sit up, wrestling for balance. The first thing he saw was a treeman, bearing half the weight of the makeshift stretcher Kazin rode. He turned awkwardly and saw that the front carrier was also a treeman. They were faceless, speechless beings who did their job precisely and unemotionally.
A horse pulled up alongside with Sherman astride.
“Well, well, well!” he exclaimed. “Welcome back to the world of the living, Kaz!”
“Hi,” said Kazin. “Where—are we? How long—have I been out?” He stuttered the words in unison with the jolting treemen.
“Three whole days!” exclaimed Sherman. “When you decide to sleep, you sleep!”
“What?!” cried a voice behind them suddenly. A horse galloped up to the other side of the stretcher. Della slowed the unicorn and glared at the mage.
“It figures!” she said hotly. “I leave for only a moment and you decide to wake up right then.” Then the elf smiled softly, tiny dimples appearing in her cheeks. “Welcome back. I—we were worried about you.”
Kazin smiled back at her. “It’s good to be back.” He turned to Sherman. “Has it really been three days?”
“Yup,” said the warrior.
Kazin’s stomach growled loudly. He blushed. “I guess I’d better eat something.”
“Did you hear that?” called the big warrior back to the others. “The dragon mage is hungry.” He put emphasis on the word ‘dragon’.
“Run! Hide!” jested Rubin not far behind them.
Della giggled.
Sherman raised a hand and gave a halt command. Kazin awkwardly rolled back in the stretcher at the sudden stop.
“Whoa, there,” said Sherman, holding Kazin’s arm to steady him. “We wouldn’t want the ‘dragon mage’ to get mad,” he teased.
“Very funny,” said Kazin dryly, climbing from the stretcher. He had to stretch to loosen his stiff limbs.
Milena rode up to them and dismounted. She did a quick spell and nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Your energy level is now up to normal.”
“It better be, if I’ve been asleep for three whole days,” said Kazin.
“It was a necessary sleep,” said Milena. “If you were awake at all during that time, you would have been in severe pain while your wounds were healing.”
“Wounds?” queried the mage. Suddenly he remembered the wounds he had received as a dragon. “You mean—?”
“Yes,” answered Frosty’s voice inside his head. “The wounds you received as a dragon made themselves manifest in your human form. Likewise, any wounds you receive in your human form are transferred to your dragon form.”
Kazin gingerly pulled open his cloak and raised his tunic. On his chest were some scarred-over wounds. They were not as bad as he thought they would be, but he could well imagine how bad they were three days ago.
“Your back wounds were far worse,” said Milena. “A poison of some sort had begun to take hold in a couple of the gouges. It took all of my skills as a druid to remove all the poison from your body. I had to do a spell to put you to sleep for your own good. The poison’s effects were severe even so. All day you tossed and turned, and your intermittent screaming at night kept most of us awake.”
“We could tell you were getting better, though,” said Sherman. “Each night your screaming lessened somewhat. Last night you slept peacefully for the first time, and so did we.”
“That’s good,” said Kazin.
“Here,” said Della, passing the mage a pouch full of berries. “Eat.”
Kazin took the pouch gratefully and ate hungrily.
“Hey! You told us you didn’t have any more of those berries left!” exclaimed Sherman. He reached for the sack.
Della slapped his hand hard. “You had your fill! These are for Kazin.”
“Ow!” yelped the big warrior.
The rest of the companions who had gathered around laughed at the look of consternation on Sherman’s face.
After Kazin had gorged himself, Milena dismissed the treemen. “There’s no more need for them anymore.”
Kazin rode Frosty with Della hanging on close behind; closer than she needed to. He asked her about Perenia’s whereabouts and was told she had returned to her realm with her father immediately after the battle. Frosty told Kazin Perenia had sent her heartfelt thanks to the companions for their invaluable help and hoped to see them again soon; even the minotaur, whom she had grown accustomed to, albeit with a lingering fear.
Kazin breathed in the fresh air deeply. The elven woods were so lush and invigorating. He could get used to living here, he thought. That last thought would have stopped him dead in his tracks if he wasn’t riding Frosty right then. What was he thinking? No non elves were permitted in the elven woods unless by invitation, and most certainly not to live there. He brushed the thought from his mind. He decided he wasn’t thinking right as a result of his weakened condition.
Then he suddenly remembered Zylor. He wasn’t going to help them gain entry if he looked like a minotaur. Kazin stopped the procession and called the minotaur forward.
Zylor sighed. “I know. It’s necessary.” He allowed Kazin to transform him and his talisman glowed faintly.
The companions continued their ride south along a winding trail for about an hour before Harran grumbled something about being watched.
Della looked around curiously and then relaxed. “It’s just the border guards,” she said. “They’ll be stopping us soon.”
True to her warning, the gua
rds swung down out of some trees and landed in the roadway, blocking further progress.
Sherman, who was in the lead, raised a hand to halt the party.
“Who are you?” demanded one elf. He was lean and tall for an elf, not much taller than Kazin. He had a pinched nose and penetrating brown eyes. His garb was mainly green and brown, giving him maximum camouflage.
“I am Sherman,” said the big warrior. He gestured behind him. “My companions and I are on our way to the king of elves regarding an issue of great importance.”
“State your message and I shall deliver it,” said the elf flatly but firmly. “Then be on your way.”
Della dismounted and came forward to confront the elf. “This message is for his ears only,” she said. “Let us through. It’s urgent.”
“State your message and tell them to leave,” said the elf, pointing past her. Obviously she was still welcome but the others were not.
“Let me handle this,” said Frosty. He had remained hidden behind Sherman’s horse until now and suddenly pushed himself to the forefront so all the elves could see him.
Surprisingly, there was no reaction.
“I thought you guys were supposed to respond when a unicorn presented itself to you?” said Della angrily.
The elf and his companions laughed heartily. “We’ve been watching you for a while now, elf girl,” said the tall elf. “That is no unicorn! It is only a horse made to appear like a unicorn! That horn is fake! We see false unicorns every year in our festival. This one is no different. Besides, a true unicorn wouldn’t let a human ride him, would he?”
Frosty gave Kazin a self-satisfied look. Then he looked back at the elf. “Then touch the horn,” commanded the unicorn.
“Wha—who said that?” demanded the elf.
“Me,” said Frosty. He turned to Kazin. “Would you mind dismounting for a moment, Kazin?”
Kazin obeyed.
Frosty walked up to the elf. “Touch it,” he repeated. “If it is not real, we will leave.”
The elf looked at his companions but got no support there. He grinned slyly. “I’m no fool!” he said. He reached up and touched the horn. A blast of magical energy suddenly threw the elf several yards back along the trail. He landed heavily and skidded to a halt. The other elves either gasped in surprise or raised their weapons in fear.
The tall elf rose and came forward slowly. His hands trembled and his eyes were huge. He looked at Frosty’s horn fearfully but the unicorn made no move. Then the elf drew a small horn out of his tunic and blew on it.
“Fall back and make way for the unicorn!” he cried loudly. Then he sprinted down the trail with several guards flanking him on either side.
Frosty looked questioningly at Della.
“He means we can follow him into my realm,” said the little elf. “Let’s go!”
The elf and mage mounted the unicorn and the companions followed the border guards for another hour through numerous winding trails and sub-trails and finally came to one of the elven towns.
“The town of Jandal,” explained Della.
By now the border guards were dozens strong and were shoving elves of all kinds aside to make room for the companions to pass through.
Kazin was interested in the fact that all the elves seemed to be young, even the older ones, who seemed to be merely in their fifties or so. But he knew they were much older than they appeared. Some elves were known to reach the ripe old age of two hundred, just like many dwarves.
They passed through a square and many elves milled about in curiosity. Several elves gave exclamations of surprise and awe and pointed at Frosty and the others as they rode by. Many had never left their realm, preferring to stay within the confines of their homeland, so these strangers were a curious sight.
Then the companions rounded a corner and approached a finely crafted dwelling adorned with colourful flowers and shrubs. It was a much larger dwelling than those around it.
“The mayor’s house,” said Della. “I wonder why we’re going there? We wanted to see the king, not—oh!” she exclaimed suddenly.
“What is it?” asked Kazin. He was looking at the multi-hued trees on either side of the mayor’s entrance.
“There are royal guards at the mayor’s house!” said Della excitedly. “The king must be nearby! We may have lucked out!”
“It would save days off our journey,” said Frosty.
The border guards stopped at the mayor’s entrance and the tall elf spoke urgently with one of the royal guards, pointing occasionally in the unicorn’s direction.
The guard nodded and entered the mayor’s house. He came out momentarily and was followed by the king and what was presumably the mayor. Following them were two centaurs.
“Perenia and King Mython!” exclaimed Della.
Perenia spotted them in an instant but was temporarily hemmed in by the two kings in front of her. She had to be content with a wave for the moment.
Mython talked to the elven king urgently and the king nodded. Then both kings made their way over to the waiting companions.
“Welcome to the Elven Nation, friends,” said the elven king. “I am King Wenzel of the elves.” He indicated Mython. “This is King Mython, as some of you may already know. He owes his life to your selfless act of rescuing him and his warriors. What’s more, you caused a threatening army to be disabled before it could strike at the Elven Nation. My gratitude is therefore extended toward you wholeheartedly.”
Della flushed at her king’s praise and clutched Kazin tightly.
The king noticed the elf’s movement and looked at her curiously. “Ah!” he said, his eyes observing her keenly. “You must be the elf maiden I’ve been told about. There were some elves in my service who reported your sightings of a unicorn to me, but they all claimed that you must have been mistaken or were making false claims. It appears that you were right all along. You have brought the unicorn into our midst and made us look foolish because of our disbelief.
“Furthermore,” continued the king, “you have shown remarkable courage in the face of overwhelming odds. My subjects can take an example from your bravery. You have done well. I am proud to have such a loyal subject. I will see to it that you are rewarded.”
“Th-that’s not necessary—,” began Della.
“Nonsense,” said King Wenzel firmly. “Since I don’t have my treasury with me, I will give you a writ at tonight’s supper, requiring me to pay you in any way you choose. Within reason,” he added.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” said Della breathlessly.
The king looked at Frosty. “It appears the time to act has come, as it is written in our ancient texts. Welcome, unicorn, and advise us well in our objectives and our obligations to the other races.”
“It’s about time,” muttered Frosty to Kazin alone. To the king, he said, “Thank you, King Wenzel. I look forward to our discussions in the very near future.”
The king gave a short bow. “Please, come into the mayor’s house and we will discuss momentous events.”
The mayor, a short, wiry elf, wrung his hands nervously. Apparently, he was not accustomed to having four legged animals in his home. First it was centaurs, now it was a unicorn. In his opinion, humans and a dwarf were not much better, either.
Perenia pressed up against Milena’s horse. “Where’s the minotaur?” she asked.
“Right there,” said Milena, pointing at the attractive looking warrior behind her.
Perenia’s eyes widened. “What—?”
“Magic,” said Milena. “The fewer who know who he really is, the better.”
Perenia hid a giggle. “My mouth is sealed.” In spite of herself, she took another look.
The companions dismounted and left their horses in the care of the guards outside, and Perenia and Frosty le
d them into the mayor’s attractive house.
Inside was a large hall decorated with many musical instruments—apparently the mayor collected them—and the walls and ceiling were decorated in gold. In the middle of the hall rested an intricately carved wooden table with chairs on three sides. Perenia, her father, and Frosty stood at the remaining side facing the others.
The companions waited until the king of the elves was seated and had given his invitation for them to sit and make themselves comfortable at the table.
Kazin studied the elven king. He had silvery hair and dark brown eyes. His frame was rather heavy for an elf but by no means was he overweight. His clothes were silky smooth and had a silvery sheen to match his hair. There were laugh wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but these were the only sign of his age. The rest of his complexion was smooth and sun-browned.
When everyone was settled and introductions were made, King Wenzel cleared his throat. “It appears events in the human realm to the north have resulted in war. How such a thing happened, I’m not certain. I have received several letters from the Tower of Sorcery for aid in this matter, but as you know, we do not engage in the affairs of other races without some sign that we should take an active part. Many have put pressure on me to act sooner, but often these things are not as severe as they seem and tend to blow over after a short period of time.
“When the centaurs began to have increasing difficulties with raiders a few weeks ago, we were concerned, but not alarmed. The centaurs are a resilient race and can deal with such matters effectively.
“When things began to worsen for the centaurs and more and more of them sought refuge within our borders, we began to encounter some of these raiders ourselves. Due to the advanced warning of the centaurs, we were prepared for this eventuality and managed to drive the intruders off each time.
“However,” continued the elven king, “I received increasing pressure to act—to strike out at these unknown raiders—and destroy them before they became more powerful.” The king cleared his throat. “As you know, elves revere life, and to take life when it is not necessary is sacrilege. Only if we receive a sign that something drastic should be done do we respond. It has been that way for our race for thousands of years, and is so written in our ancient texts.
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 50