One of the two remaining Ellvinians cursed. “What is this?”
“You better check it out,” the other suggested.
Jala watched the Elf carefully come out into the hall and cautiously follow the whistling Kane headed in the opposite direction of the first.
She almost giggled out loud when a third image of Kane peeled away from the shadows of the hallway and stepped up to meet the lone Ellvinian still guarding the door. This is fun.
The Elf, undaunted by the obvious magic he was witnessing, approached Kane. “Come here, boy. I have a song for you.”
Kane backed away and ran, and the Ellvinian gave chase without looking at her.
After a quick glance both ways, Jala ran for the door and pulled it open. A musty scent filled her nose and all she could see was a set of stairs leading down into semi-darkness. Like her father, she did not like tight, closed places, but she promised Kane she would find out what was behind this door.
Taking a deep breath, she called forth a ball of light and started down, relieved when she saw Kane slip in the door behind her. She jumped the last few rungs of the steps, landed hard and rolled across the dirt floor.
Before she could get to her feet, someone with strong arms reached out and lifted her up. Someone with a long, black beard and thick braids on both sides of his head.
“Dallin!”
With unexpected emotion of her own, it touched her to see tears in the Iron Fist’s eyes as he gazed at her. “Oh, Kali, thank the Highworld you are safe!”
She hugged him tight. “It is good to see you, Dallin.”
Sensing movement behind Dallin, she peered around him into a root cellar filled with wall-to-wall people. Some sitting, some standing with their shirt sleeves rolled up and dirt covering their faces. Some even sleeping. Elon, Haiden, Gregor, servants and, if the silk trousers were any indication, visitors from the island of Hiberi. She even spotted a pair of giant Cymans standing in the back by the wall.
They finally found everyone, and her heart soared. “Where is Izzy?” she asked Dallin desperately.
He gave her a curt shake of his head. “Izabel is not here. I have not seen her.”
Elon heard the exchange and her face fell. It was obvious that she had been hoping that Jala knew where her charge was.
Suddenly, the cellar door slammed shut, and she heard the sound of a bolt lock thrown closed.
Jala sprinted past Kane up the stairs and tried the door. “It’s locked! We’re trapped!” She hurried back down into the cellar and addressed the people. “We need shifters! How many shifters are here?”
“None,” Dallin answered.
“None?”
“The Ellvinians took the shifters with them. They were able to somehow, for lack of a better word, sniff them out. Then, they persuaded all of us to go along with their orders through song. I can’t explain it any better than that.”
Jala held a hand up. “You don’t have to. I know firsthand what the Ellvinians are capable of.”
Haiden Lind rushed to Kane’s side. “Your Grace! I should not be so bold, but I beg for your forgiveness in failing in my duty to you.” The Royal Saber fell to his knee in front of Kane.
Kane stood there with the sword of Iserlohn clenched in his fist, his face an unreadable mask.
The silence tore at Haiden. “Prince, you must forgive me,” he pleaded. The Saber moved his shoulders uneasily, and the entire cellar went quiet as they waited to see what the Prince of Iserlohn would do.
Finally, Haiden could not take any more and reached out to grab his Prince’s arm.
The moment he did, Kane disappeared in a puff of smoke.
* * * * *
Kane crouched in a hidden alcove on the second floor of the mayor’s estate. Through his shifted illusion, he ran with Jala down into the root cellar. He watched her reunite with her guard, Dallin Storm, but his eyes were already scanning the rest of the faces. With relief, he found Haiden and Gregor and Elon. Cora the cook was there, looking very angry. He searched for Izzy or Alia, but neither was in the room. Demon’s breath! The watershifters were not there either. If they had been, they would have been very ill by now from being out of the water for so long.
He listened in to Dallin explain to Jala about the Ellvinians taking the shifters from the cellar. What did they want with the shifters? It would make more sense to keep the most dangerous individuals locked up in the cellar not the other way around.
“Prince!”
Haiden walked over to him and knelt. Kane wanted to reach out to him and tell the Saber that there was no reason to apologize. He wanted to assure his protector that he was not at fault for their separation, but Kane could not tell him any of these things. It was just an illusion that the people in the cellar were looking at.
“Prince, you must forgive me.” Haiden reached out to grab Kane’s arm and the contact destroyed his shifted image. The abrupt release from his magic caused Kane to fall back against the wall where he was crouched.
He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He knew they were glowing fiercely right now. It would take a few moments for them to resume their normal—if you could ever call his eyes normal—golden color.
Now, more than ever, he realized the immediate danger the island was in. If the Ellvinians were successful in occupying Northfort, it would give them a strategic advantage in challenging the royal seats of Bardot and Nysa next.
With Kirby and Kellan completely enthralled by the Ellvinians, Jala now confined to the cellars, and Izzy still missing, it was up to him to figure out a way to stop them.
Then, he swallowed as a sudden realization occurred to him. Since becoming caught up in the tightening tentacles of subterfuge from the Ellvinians here in Northfort, he neglected to remember an important detail. His parents were sailing directly for their sinister jaws.
CHAPTER 18
THE ISLAND OF ELLVIN
“There it is!” Beck announced over shouted orders of Captain Wilden that sent sailors scrambling up into the rigging to manipulate the sails. “The island of Ellvin!”
Kiernan squeezed his arm. “It’s beautiful.”
She was right. The water leading up to the island was a crystal clear turquoise so still it looked as though you could walk along its surface. The port city itself was nestled in the midst of stunning white beaches and mangrove trees. Further inland in the background was a mountainous array of sea caves that Beck guessed might have once been part of a large volcano.
“Hey, fireball! Why don’t you treat the Ellvinians to a display of your considerable talents?” Airron suggested.
Rogan crossed his arms at his chest and quickly shook his head. “No. We don’t know how these people feel about magic. It is best to not flaunt it in their faces.”
“What are you saying? If the Ellvinians choose to seek aid from a magical island, my friend, then they are going to see magic.”
Kiernan turned away and stifled a chuckle as Airron began to peel off his clothes.
“Stop that right this instant, Airron Falewir!” Melania yelled at him.
Airron ignored her as he hopped on one foot to pull off a leather boot.
“Almost forty years and he still acts like a child,” Rogan groused.
“It is called fun, you little sourpuss, and it is something I have very little of these days. Oh, yes, I’m going in.”
Melania continued to plead with her husband, but it was no use. Airron was determined to bodyshift.
Janin laughed out loud when he finally managed to shed everything he had been wearing and jumped up onto the ship’s railing stark naked.
“What a bloody fool,” Rogan murmured.
“Let him have his fun, Kal,” Janin admonished.
Airron pointed a finger at Rogan. “See! I knew I liked your wife, torch, and now I know why. She’s brilliant!” With that, the Elf launched himself off the railing of the dinoque in a graceful dive into the tranquil blue ocean.
Beck looked over the side of
the boat. The water was so clear that he could see Airron underneath the sea bodyshift into a dolphin.
Kiernan and Janin laughed at his antics while Rogan and Melania scowled. Beck watched on in good humor as Airron leapt in and out of the water, but his thoughts were now on this visit to Ellvin and completing their business as quickly as possible so he could get home to his family.
Captain Wilden took a moment from his critical watch over the sailors to approach Beck. “Your Grace. You better call the bodyshifter back on board. We have been given the signal to come ashore.”
“Very well. Thank you, Captain. Will you be joining us on the island?”
The Captain’s leathery face crinkled up into a smile. “I am a seaman, Your Grace. We will stay on the ship if that is acceptable to you. Never know when we might need a hasty retreat,” he said with a wink.
Beck smiled. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about here, Captain, but the choice is yours.”
The Ship Captain bowed at the waist and went back to his duty.
Beck looked over the side again wondering how he was going to get Airron’s attention, but it turned out he did not need to. Beck ducked as the dolphin jumped straight into the air and landed on the deck. The gray mammal flapped around for a moment and made a strange keening noise before Airron shifted back.
Melania threw her cloak at him. “Hurry and get dressed. We’re almost there.”
“That’s what your worried about, isn’t it? You don’t want the ladies to see me naked!”
“It has been awhile,” Janin commented to Kiernan.
“Over a year now and I’ve thought of little else,” Kiernan teased.
“You’re not helping me here,” Melania scolded the wives, hands on her hips.
Airron laughed and got to his feet. He unabashedly let the cloak fall from him as he picked his clothes up off the deck and walked behind one of the wooden food crates to dress.
Beck shook his head and turned back to watch the sailors expertly maneuver the ship to a dock that extended far out into the ocean. Ellvinian port workers rushed forward to assist the crew and while Beck waited for the gangplank to be lowered, he gazed toward shore and the large throng of people that awaited them there. Hundreds of Ellvinians shouted and waved excitedly. A smaller group of five Elves stood before the crowd, and Beck assumed they were the higher-ranking Ellvinians.
Before departing, he had a lengthy conversation with Lars Kingsley and knew something of the Ellvinians’ style of dress and physical appearance. Dark elves, Lars called them. The only question in Beck’s mind was whether or not the darkness was confined to the outside.
* * * * *
“What do you mean it’s missing?” the Premier hissed at his Adjunct.
The small Elf drew him away from the committee waiting to receive the Massan representatives. “The Vypir is nowhere to be found, Your Eminence. The glass of the observation room was found completely shattered and the Vypir gone.”
“How could it get out of there? I thought that was reinforced glass? Unbreakable, the technicians assured me.” He thought back to all of those times he stood at that very window thinking he was safe.
The Adjunct gulped nervously. “Since kill…I mean, draining the watershifters, the Vypir has grown extremely strong. We looked everywhere for it and cannot—”
Hendrix turned his back on the disembarking guests and grabbed the Adjunct by the throat. He knew that some of the people in the crowd could see him, but his control snapped. “If you looked everywhere, Adjunct, you would have found it. Now, how in the Netherworld am I going to get my blood? Tell me!” He pointed behind him. “More magic users may be getting off that ship at this very moment and I have no way to extract their blood!” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “I should kill you for this.”
“Aye, Your Eminence,” the Adjunct managed to say around his constricted windpipe.
“Fortunately for you, I still need you. You will, however, kill the technician that allowed this to happen.”
The Adjunct nodded, no longer able to speak.
Hendrix let go of the man’s throat and his hands began to shake. “I need it, Adjunct. I need the blood.”
The Adjunct placed his hands on his throat. “I’ll find the Vypir,” he said hoarsely.
“Go! Now!”
The Elf pulled up the sides of his tongor and raced away.
After taking a deep breath, he turned back to his Seconds, Anah, Balder and Jarl. “We need to talk. The Vypir is missing.”
“What? We have to do something!” Anah cried in a panic. Hendrix looked into her gaunt face and red-rimmed eyes and wondered if his own appearance mirrored hers. It probably did. Since the blood, he could not remember the last time he had eaten. While the blood gave him sustenance and strength, his body still required food to survive. He would have to tell the Adjunct to make sure he ate on a regular basis once the blood supply resumed.
How ironic that after all these centuries of caring for that monstrosity, they finally find a land of magic and the Vypir escapes their grasp. If Emile were here, he would know how to find the Vypir he called Tolah, but Hendrix sent him and the Battlearms to Massa. Another cruel quirk of fate.
Balder started to question him further, but Hendrix cut him off. “Not now! We have guests.”
Hendrix turned toward the dock and the six people walking toward him. He sniffed at the air and almost fell to the ground from the strength of magic these people possessed. Composing himself, he walked forward with his arms outstretched. “Welcome to the great island of Ellvin! You cannot begin to know how thrilled we are to have you here.”
* * * * *
Kenley smiled as she accepted the wild flowers Kirby handed to her. The strong breeze ruffled his blonde curls causing them to be even more disheveled than normal. This, along with his rosy cheeks from the wind-swept valley, made him look so young and carefree.
She loved this Kirby.
He grabbed her hand and they sprinted together over the hills and dips in the valley floor. At one point, Kirby abruptly stopped their headlong race to swing her into the air by her waist. She threw her head back and laughed, content to be in the arms of the man she loved more than anything. He kissed her forehead and desire flooded her body as he drew her down onto the carpet of verdant grass.
Kenley! Why do you have that dress on! Take if off right now!
Kenley rolled off Kirby and stood at the sharp words from her mother.
But, it is my wedding day.
No, Kenley, it is not your wedding day. Your grief is playing tricks on your mind.
It is my wedding day, mother!
No, Kenley.
She pointed behind her. Just ask Kirby! He will straighten this out.
Her mother crumpled a white cloth in her hands and looked down. Kirby is dead.
What?
You are too late, daughter. Kirby is dead.
Her head swiveled to the ground. Blood seeped from Kirby’s mouth and his unseeing eyes glazed over as he lay in frozen death on the valley floor.
She screamed.
Bolting upright, she covered her face with trembling hands and fought to get her breathing under control.
Another dream? Baya asked.
Yes.
Try to go back to sleep.
She sat unmoving for a long time, unwilling to surrender herself to the dream once again. Finally, having no other choice, she groaned and fell back to the ground. Pulling her cloak over her head, she snuggled into its warmth and tried to empty her mind of all thought. In her semi-conscious state, a noise jerked her back into awareness. It sounded like pebbles hitting a cobblestone road, but how could that be in a rainforest? Too tired to care about the answer, she closed her eyes once again, but the noise continued to peck away at her consciousness until she could no longer ignore it.
With a growl, she lifted her head from out of the cloak. Baya sat in the middle of their prison with her eyes on the grate above.
What is that
noise, Baya?
A crow.
A crow?
Yes. It is a type of black bird.
She snorted. I know what a crow is. I hate crows.
Why do you hate crows?
She shrugged mentally. Everyone knows that when you see a crow, something bad is going to happen.
Do you really believe that, Princess? There are many crows in the world. If each one was a portend of evil, we would have very little good in existence.
Diamond once told me to heed all warnings from crows.
Baya turned her green eyes on Kenley. Heed all warnings does not mean that they are all dire.
Kenley stood and peered up at the grate. Sure enough, a very large crow was perched in the center, pecking away at the iron grid.
“Unless you can open that grate, bird, get lost,” Kenley shouted up at it.
The bird squawked angrily at her words.
The crow’s appearance made her think back to the pier in Northfort when she saw one just like it and the old woman with white eyes.
She shuddered.
A tortured rasp cut through the quiet of the rainforest, and before Kenley could wonder at the sound, the grate ripped away from the hole.
Kenley gasped in surprise, but not wishing to waste the opportunity, she sprang into the air and shot out of her prison. Hovering several feet off the ground, she looked down in shock. Standing at the edge of the hole was the very woman she had just been thinking about and perched on her shoulder—the crow.
Baya scrambled out, her dragon talons easily allowing her to scale the dirt walls.
Kenley flitted down to the ground. “It would seem that my sincere gratitude is in order,” she said to the woman with a bow of her head.
The old woman gave her a toothless smile. “I am wondering why you wallow in Haventhal, Princess, when others need your help.”
Wallow? Really? Kenley dusted the dirt from her clothes. “What do you mean? Who needs my help?”
“An enemy has arrived on Massa’s shores.”
Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children Page 13