Alliances

by B. T. Robertson

  He raced back the way he had come. He joined Aerinas and the others gathered on the road. The road itself had been badly damaged, rendered useless to all future travelers until it could be repaired.

  "These hills are no longer safe,” Aeligon muttered, angered at what had just transpired. “We must make haste. Aerinas, can you signal Wesnoc. We need a closer watch. What stalks near us is far more treacherous than what may lie ahead. Tell him to report only as far ahead as we will travel in a day's time, while remaining close by to spot danger."

  Aerinas passed Foran on his way to do as he was ordered. Foran ran up to Aeligon and the others, gasping for breath. “Aeligon...there was... something out there...controlling...the golem,” he wheezed. Aeligon laid a hand on his shoulder.

  "Calm yourself, Foran. Tell me what happened again, but slowly. My mind is weary."

  Foran composed himself, then continued. “There was a small creature hiding yonder in the rocks casting the spell. It looked like a goblin, but it was smaller and had stranger looking features. Its nails and ears were longer than a goblin's, not to mention it could cast magic."

  "A Lyymhorn. Foran, you may have encountered a Lyymhorn."

  "A Lyymhorn? What on Vaaluna is that?"

  "A fairy tale creature,” Aeligon said. “One thought to never exist. According to legend, you're one of the few people in Vaaluna to have encountered one."

  "I do not understand,” Ithyllna said, confused. “If they are thought not to exist beyond the realm of mythical stories, then why were we so fortunate as to be paid such a visit, if this was, in fact, a Lyymhorn? And why now?"

  "I don't know. We are witnessing occurrences never before recorded; only in children's stories do these things occur."

  "That is not all, Aeligon. It gets more troubling. I threw a rock at it to dislodge it from the underside of the overhang. The rock striking its wrist brought it down. But, when it spotted me, it waved, as though taunting me..."

  "So what?” Aeligon interrupted. “You're not the first elf to be taunted by another creature."

  "I'm not finished,” Foran snorted. “I know this sounds crazy, but it reached its hand into the air, opened an invisible door, and stepped inside!"

  "What!” All of them turned and looked at each other with confused faces.

  By the look on Foran's face and the sincere shaking of his head, Aeligon knew he spoke the truth. “Foran, you have witnessed what no one else has. This is more serious than I thought, and it's getting worse the closer we get to Lunathar. We must get to the Wizard City before it's too late. I fear evil is stirring; one deeper and darker than Haarath and his warmongering minions. These happenings remind me of myths, legends and theories I have studied. Come, let's go. We will travel by night if we must.” He used Pux to push himself up.

  Tristandor paused, and so did the others. “Aeligon, what is the matter? What else do you know?"

  Aeligon took a few weary steps, then turned to face the group. “I believe the Lyymhorn used magic to open a portal in time. It seems simple enough, yet I fear it's much more complicated. The creature most likely was sent across the Planes to attack us. Lyymhorns are chronicled in the theoretical accounts of wizards of a different age, but no one has seen one since then...until today. And what does it choose to do but attack the only group of beings willing to challenge Haarath and whatever else aligns with him? Quite peculiar, don't you think?"

  "But Aeligon, you said it yourself: the Planes are only a theory, a myth,” Tristandor argued.

  Aeligon looked at him with tired eyes and admitted with shame, “I may have made a terrible mistake in leaving it only at that, Tristandor. And now, we are playing catch-up to what Haarath may already know. I wonder why I couldn't sense the Lyymhorn's magical presence. The reason goes beyond a simple time warp, which uses magical energy to create the window in time. I didn't sense the Lyymhorn's magic until it unleashed the golem upon us, nor at the end when it apparently opened a Planar door to escape. I stress again: there is something darker at work here than Haarath, and now we must race against him and his army to Dunandor."

  Tristandor lowered his eyes. The others looked around at each other, confused. Aerinas’ face flushed with anger, but the cold beat the color out of his cheeks. If only his father hadn't suppressed him all his life, they might have found all this out sooner than they had. He contained his anger; it would fuel him later when the time might be more appropriate.

  The descent down the mountain pass was unexpectedly easy. Fortunately, the road was traveled often and was wide, flat, and had few barriers to avoid. Wesnoc helped more than in the past, since Aerinas had delivered Aeligon's request. The giant bird had even moved a huge boulder out of the road ahead, which saved the party a considerable amount of time, avoiding the need to circle around it. The worst part of the journey was the thick fog shrouding the mountains. They were all saddened because they wanted to see Salanthanon and Lunathar from afar. Nature didn't allow it.

  After a tiring two-day march with little food and even less rest, they emerged from the Farrin Mountains for good. They were all relieved when they made camp in the forested section at the base of them. There was much-needed rest to be had before they trekked the distance to the Wizard City. Fog still limited their sight, and they were wondering silently if an unpleasant surprise awaited them on the plains of Salanthanon.

  Over the next day, the group took it easy. Tristandor and Pux watched over Aeligon, mostly in silence. The Healer's mind had been through a lot since the catacombs and being on Lunathar's doorstep meant he had to be sharp. None of them knew what to expect. Fearing the worst, Aeligon again cursed the gods for his lack of foresight.

  Foran, Lynais, and Farrin the Giant talked about war and theorized on what was going to happen next. A few arguments ensued, which typically ended up with Farrin emerging as the winner. A swift strike to the ground with his axe settled the matters quickly and efficiently. Afterwards, Lynais and Foran trod carefully when they spoke of the evil spreading over the land. Farrin was sensitive to it. Both of the elves knew why: Farrin had been through one war already in which evil sought to destroy the civilized nations of Vaaluna.

  It was Ithyllna and Aerinas who stole away from the rest of the group to walk through the misty trees of Salanthanon's only forest. They talked more easily with each other now that they had the time. Tristandor was preoccupied with caring for Aeligon. Conversation was light, but Ithyllna took the chance to probe Aerinas’ mind—the skills of the Vrunyn Guard went beyond the physical.

  "Why do you seem so distant all the time?” she asked abruptly while they were casually shuffling through the damp foliage. Winter's kiss was present, but not nearly with the bite that it had in the mountain heights. The snowfall of the previous nights had melted.

  A winter tree frog had caught Aerinas’ attention, but he looked up sharply at the elf maiden. Realizing he'd reacted too “like Tristandor” he shook his head. “I am sorry about that. Every time I hear a question concerning the way I am, I am reminded that my father constantly questions my motives and, worse, my abilities. I don't know why I'm distant. I didn't even realize I was being distant, Ithyllna."

  Ithyllna was caught off guard by the sudden casualness of his speech. “Well, you are being distant. Back in the catacombs, you barely gave me a second chance to come with you to look for Aeligon before you snatched up Pux and took off. I could have assisted you. Two pairs of elfin eyes are better than one. And my knives would have helped too.” She smiled sarcastically, revealing one of the blades.

  Aerinas pursed his lips, irritated. “They wouldn't have helped anyway. What I saw down there wouldn't have been destroyed with an elfin weapon. My sword did nothing either. Aeligon's magic, his song, is what saved his life. Not me. You wouldn't have helped."

  "Gods curse you, stubborn elf,” Ithyllna snapped. She stopped and folded her arms across her chest. “You forget I was a member of the Vrunyn Guard before I was recruited to come on this journey. Do not hastily dis
regard my skills or my loyalty to my people. You take me too lightly, Aerinas, and I hardly appreciate it. I could whittle you before you had the chance to lift your sword to me, I assure you.” She stomped off, leaving Aerinas gaping, speechless.

  "Wait, Ithyllna!” Aerinas called after her. After a few more steps, she stopped, but didn't turn around. She crossed her arms again and tilted her hips. “I am sorry,” he said, “I did not mean to offend you.” She tensed as she felt the sincerity flow from his lips like honey, his speech returning to the schooled status of the Krayn elves.

  She whirled on him again, anger in her eyes. “Why are you shunning the ways of your own people? Why are you so resistant to becoming what everyone thinks you are to be?"

  "Because none of you have Tristandor for a father. None of you have the highest Elf-Lord in the entire world for a father. Do you have any idea how hard that is? Do you know how many times during my early years I had to defend myself against other elves who teased me and looked down on me for being his disappointment of a son? Do you know what it is like to have something as important as magical ability hidden from you all of your life, only to discover it in a blind rage brought on by some spirit creature who haunts your dreams?” Aerinas grew more disturbed, firing question after question at Ithyllna, which she neither expected from him nor could answer. She learned more from him in that short time than she had learned of him the entire trip thus far.

  "I...I am so sorry, Aerinas,” Ithyllna said, lowering her arms to her sides. She lowered her head, but raised her eyes to him. He was breathing heavily, but quickly shook it off, coldly pushing the memories aside again.

  "I am fine, I guess. I just get upset talking about him. He is constantly breathing down my neck. Back in the catacombs, when we were fighting those blasted Cray, I tried to help him, but he shoved me away. He treated me worse than he would have treated anyone else, and for what? I am supposedly his heir, his only son, but this is how he acts toward me? That is not how a leader of Mynandrias should act toward kin."

  "And that is why you will make a much better leader than your father,” Ithyllna said, almost bursting with excitement at the opportunity she had to say so. “Being able to notice his flaws enables you to surpass him, to be better than him. We all love Tristandor as a leader, as someone who will always defend Mynandrias to his death, but what he is doing to you sickens me."

  Aerinas pondered. “Would he really defend Mynandrias, no matter what?” He took another step closer to her. A grouse beat its wings rapidly nearby, which he paused to listen to momentarily before continuing. “I worry about whether he really holds our city in such high esteem."

  "What do you mean?” Ithyllna asked.

  "I mean, he knew about my magical abilities, or noticed I possessed something of rare quality. For what reason would he shelter me away and keep me from learning it? It would have only benefited the city in so many ways. Look at how magic has aided us all these years. Where would we be without it? Why would I pose such a threat by having it, when even he uses it—my father! His blood is my blood and then some. My mother diluted his for me, so if the magic is so strong in me, it should be that much stronger in him."

  "Maybe you have discovered the answer, Aerinas.” They started walking together again now that she had him talking calmly. “Maybe he is afraid because he is afraid of his own power. Did you even ask about what happened between him and Aeligon during the war?"

  "No, no reason to."

  "You have reason now. Your father is afraid of something inside you. Maybe the union of your mother and him made the magical bond stronger in you, not weaker. Maybe the dilution was the intended outcome, not the resulting product, which would explain your harbored life."

  "So it seems. I'm just not sure. I suspect he joined our journey because even more is going on, hidden from me at present, and has yet to be revealed. I can barely get ten minutes alone with Aeligon before Tristandor interrupts and puts me on some silly assignment. Aeligon senses it too, and I think he is getting cross with my father."

  "Strange,” Ithyllna noted. She pulled out one of her throwing knives and began toying with it. Aerinas looked at her and smiled. Having observed her over the past few weeks, he recognized her habit of playing with the daggers while pondering.

  After a brief stint of awkward silence, he piped up again. “And, I think my mother knows more too.” He was testing Ithyllna and wanted her to take the bait. She just shrugged.

  "I do not know,” she lied.

  "She talked to you up on the Grand Terrace. She must have told you something important because I saw you shake your head. Not to mention the trinket she passed to you."

  "Your eyes miss nothing, it seems,” she said, surprised. “Very well done, and a quality the Vrunyn Guard looks for in a Krayn elf."

  "Oh yeah?” he laughed. “And what other quality do they look for?"

  With blinding speed, Ithyllna whipped the dagger she was holding at his shoulder. Before he could flinch, it was past him.

  "Whoa! What was that all about?"

  She picked up the dagger and held it up for him to see. A small globular creature was writhing and dying on the tip of the blade. “This is a Globulus, a forest leech. If it would have come into contact with your skin, not only would it feed on your blood, but it would also inject a poison rendering you unconscious and paralyzed until it drained you to death. Some leeches havehealing powers because they remove toxins from the blood; these do the opposite. Plus, these survive the winter, so the threat is year-round."

  Aerinas, thoroughly frightened by the unwanted guest, quickly looked over his body to make sure there were no more attached to him. “I should be glad winter is upon us and I had more clothing on me."

  "They fall from the trees, so you were just unfortunate to be in its path. They crawl very slowly, so you have nothing to fear but your own bad luck.” She winked at him, and the way she did it made Aerinas’ heart pound.

  They changed the subject and finished their walk. And just in time. On their way back, Foran caught up to them. Aeligon had called a meeting. According to Foran, he had recovered!

  Aerinas couldn't get back to the camp fast enough and also appreciated Ithyllna's elf-light feet. They found the rest of the group gathered around a warm fire, with Aeligon the only one standing.

  "Please, sit down, Ithyllna and Aerinas,” Aeligon asked, motioning to the empty space between Farrin and Lynais. “I have been weary long enough, so I wish to stand now for a change."

  Pux piped up, “That's his way of telling you to sit down, shut up, and don't bother asking him if he wants to rest more.” He smiled, Aeligon turned and grimaced, and the others sniggered, holding in their laughs as best they could.

  "As I was saying,” Aeligon continued, “we are on the brink of the great land of Salanthanon.” He leaned heavily on Pux, who groaned a bit. “I must warn you: the easiest part of our journey together is behind us. You have no doubt noticed the dense fog layering the land ahead, preventing the view of the great wizard city of Lunathar. This troubles me greatly. I don't know what lies before us, but I can only offer you this: we must stick together, or else the fog will swallow us."

  "At least the fog will hide us from prying eyes,” Lynais offered.

  "You assume wrongly,” Aeligon said. “Magic can penetrate mountains, so what prevents someone from seeing through a mere mist? Wesnoc will be rendered useless from the sky. Besides, our own eyes will deceive us. My strength will not last long enough to use my own magic to open a path before us. Pux and I will do what we can, but we also have to preserve our energy for when we reach the city."

  "How long until we leave, Aeligon?” Tristandor asked.

  "We leave in the morning. At least with the dawn comes a new sun and, with any luck, high winds. I don't know if the fog is natural; I can sense magic. Of course, that may just be because we're close to Lunathar, but I can't take any chances. Our guard has to be up."

  "Aeligon,” Aerinas ventured, “do you suspe
ct something is wrong in Lunathar?"

  Aeligon turned to Aerinas and smiled, shaking his head. “No, Aerinas, more suspect is the evil sweeping across our world, which has either destroyed or severely weakened the Light of Arunir and the wizards who still remain in the Order there. Our goal is to unite them and mount a magical defense against the army being sent by Haarath."

  "Do ya’ really think that Haarath will be that stupid ta’ attack Vaaluna?” Farrin balled his hands up into fists when he spoke the name of the wicked sorcerer. “He's no Hydrais, mind ya'."

  "No, Farrin, he's no Hydrais, but this makes him even more dangerous than we thought,” Aeligon said wearily. “I believe that Hydrais, while banished, is still alive. Apparently Ashinon's intended prison for the Evil Dweller has been turned into some sort of haven for him. I don't know if this is in fact true, but I intend to find answers that Ashinon may have written before his death. Lunathar is a city of many secrets and hidden chambers."

  "I call an end to this meeting at once, Aeligon,” Tristandor said, standing. “We need our rest, according to you, and we all need to be sharp and alert tomorrow."

  Aeligon nodded. “We need to set a watch, though, Tristandor. We can do it in shifts. Pux and I need to conserve our magical supplies until we reach Lunathar."

  Tristandor agreed and pointed out a rotation amongst the elves and Farrin. Even the Elf-Lord gave himself a shift, which surprised Aerinas, but he kept his mouth shut. All of them returned to their beds and fell asleep quickly. Farrin took first watch.

  The night progressed without incident, and before long the sun brightened the eastern sky. They hadn't seen the sun rise in weeks. After being shut away in the catacombs of Gudred, choked in the claustrophobic mountains, and now enduring the incessant fog plaguing the land before them, they probably weren't going to see the sun again any time soon.

  After they ate a hearty breakfast, dowsed the fire, and packed their things, they headed directly north. Aeligon had a compass, but so did Aerinas, so between the two of them they had a pretty good bearing on where they were going, despite the mist. Fortunately, the miasma didn't render them completely blind or shrouded in utter darkness—only limited them. They could barely see twenty feet ahead, so they had to tread very carefully to avoid pitfalls and other obstacles. They couldn't afford injury, not now, not when they were within a day's walk. It relieved them when Aeligon reported that the plains of Salanthanon were, for the most part, flat and easy to traverse. Though the fog quieted their spirits, their steady progress northward urged their confidence along.