Beneath a Desert Moon

by Mary Hamilton

Chapter 42: Crystal Sands

  Tovi, relegated to Ryshara’s care, waited and watched with the elf as the two groups made their approach to the wandering band. He found himself amazed at the coordination, the precision with which Virgil’s band moved. In his heart, though, he knew why. They had done this before. Fighting was what they did.

  Then he found himself considering the foes. They looked like ordinary humans, to the extent that he knew what an ordinary human looked like. They wore regular clothing, not uniforms. They bumbled along with no apparent caution, as though they either didn’t expect anything to happen… or didn’t care. “What do you think they’re doing here?” His words came as a whisper.

  Ryshara responded without taking her eyes from the unfolding event before them. “I confess that I know not. They are not military. They appear to move without purpose, almost as a herd of beasts in search of new grazing lands.”

  “Do you think the captain will try to keep from killing them?”

  That got the elf’s attention. She turned to stare at Tovi. “His words would seem to reflect that. I suppose that it remains to be seen whether or not his words mean anything.”

  An odd thought occurred to the Azyrean. “You don’t like him very much. Why not?”

  After a moment of silence, she turned her attention back to the humans. “I do not dislike him.”

  Tovi shook his head. Elves were so different from ogres. Klunk and Kharla, they said what they meant. Whether he agreed with them or not, they never hid their feelings. Ryshara and Elle, even Ran—they seemed to talk around things, never quite speaking what they felt. Not disliking someone wasn’t the same thing as liking them, was it? He wondered if Elle liked him or just didn’t dislike him.

  He felt more than saw Ryshara tense up. “There,” she pointed far to the east, well behind the converging band of Virgil’s men. “Something is moving back there.”

  Tovi followed the line of her arm as she pointed. “What? I don’t see anything.” He squinted in the bright sunlight, trying to discern movement or color or something against the harsh desert sand.

  “Coming over those small foothills. I saw red, and a glint of gold, like metal flashing in the sun.” She fell silent for a moment, all of her focus on the area to which she had pointed.

  “I saw it.” Tovi spoke louder than he had intended. “Wait, there’s another one.”

  Ryshara shook her head. “It’s a company of military. Those are uniforms they are wearing. Looks like ten, no, fifteen at least. This was a trap. Those wandering humans were simply bait.” She turned to him. “You stay here, Tovi. I must warn the captain.”

  And with that, she was off at a full run, unslinging her bow as she moved.

  Tovi had never felt such conflict, even in the cave with Klunk, Kharla, and Mugrok. He couldn’t just sit there while the captain and his men, and Ryshara were in danger… and Elle. He just couldn’t.

  Ryshara ran with a speed that Tovi had never witnessed… toward the rear group. This made sense—they stood between the band of wandering humans and the troop of soldiers that the elf had spotted. But Elle was in the forward group. She would be the one casting spells.

  Tovi bolted from his position behind the rocks and ran toward Elle. He had to warn… her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the rear group turn. Ryshara had reached them. Looking beyond them, he saw the fast approaching band of the king’s soldiers, apparently feeling no need for stealth. They had spread out and he could see that they wielded two-handed swords and axes.

  He refocused his efforts on Elle’s group and ran harder, paying no heed to his breath, which came harder. Up ahead, he caught sight of the elf’s brilliant blonde hair. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “Elle, wait, hold on!” He stopped for a moment, bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. Running again, he closed the distance. “Wait. There’s a bunch of soldiers coming up from behind. Rys says it’s trap.”

  Virgil, whom Tovi had not even noticed, stepped forward. “You mean king’s soldiers?”

  “Yeah, I guess. They were wearing red uniforms.”

  “Cavaliers.” He turned and motioned his men up from their crouching positions. “Weapons to the ready. He quickly surveyed the wandering group and then shifted his attention to the area behind them. “Ignore the first group. Engage the Cavaliers.” He knelt and put his hand on Tovi’s shoulder. “You wait here. I mean it.” He shot up and forward. “Let’s go.” He waved his arm, beckoning his group forward. They surged ahead at a full run, their weapons drawn.

  Elle turned to him. “Do what he says, Tovi. Remain here.” She grasped her staff and moved forward but at an angle to the movement of Virgil’s troops. As Tovi watched, he realized that, being a magic caster, she must be moving to a position where she could use her ranged weapon. But that would mean that she would be alone.

  But he was supposed to stay right there. That’s what Virgil told him. That’s what Elle told him. But she would be alone. He watched her recede as she opened the distance between them. Taking a deep breath, he broke into a full run, following her.

  With his short legs pumping, he didn’t gain on her at all. But he did manage to keep pace. And then he saw it… something—not red or gold but maybe brownish green, movement… maybe, off to the left. He stopped and stared—nothing. And then, yes, movement, something. Rising up from the desert sand, three figures clad in woodland colors moved slowly toward Elle, whose attention was focused solely on the emerging battle. She would be hit from behind without warning.

  Tovi panicked. He stopped and shouted with all the breath he could muster, “Elle, look out, behind you!”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, the three invaders turned in his direction. One of them drew his bow. Tovi, stood, as though paralyzed, and watched as the man loosed his arrow. It moved in slow motion, covering the distance between them, until it tore into his upper leg. He stared at the piece of wood protruding from his skin, blood spreading on his pants. It hurt… but it didn’t. The world grew dark. His head spun. He heard something. “Tovi!” It was distant, muted. He smiled. He had saved Elle’s life. Darkness swept over him. Then nothing.

  Chapter 43: Crystal Sands

  The pain came before the sound, which came before the light. The pounding in his body, mostly in his right leg, felt as though the entire world shook. And then the voice….

  Feel the warmth

  and see the light

  fight the dark

  and stay the night

  Tovi come

  into the day

  Back to us

  forever stay.

  He knew that voice. “Klunk?” He could hardly get the word out. He struggled to open his eyes.

  “Be easy, Tovi. You are hurt, but you will be well.”

  The gray became brighter. His eyes blinked open. “Klunk, is that you?”

  “I am here with you, Tovi.”

  The Azyrean felt a rough hand on his forehead. The memory came back. Elle, turning toward him, the human ranger firing an arrow, the odd-looking stick in his leg. The pounding refused to relent. Elle! “What about Elle? Is she okay?”

  Klunk guffawed. “Of course, she is. You saved her life.”

  Tovi felt warm inside. He had saved Elle. The darkness closed in once again.

  ◆◆◆

  Klunk’s hand was a lot softer. The darkness faded as Tovi felt the gentle caress on his forehead. “Klunk? Is that you?” He opened his eyes to a blurry world.

  “It is I, Tovi,” The voice sounded as though laced with honey. “Ellemareth.”

  He closed his eyes again and savored the feel of her soft hand on his brow. “Hi. Are you okay? What happened to everyone?”

  “Thanks to you, I am safe. And all returned without injury, well, except for you.” A soft laugh followed the words. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, this time with words imbued with a somber tone. “But you were supposed to wait, out of danger. You were not supposed to follow me. You are lucky to h
ave escaped with your life.” She continued to stroke his forehead.

  He sighed. “I know. But, well….” How could he explain? What could he say? How did the driving pain in his leg compare with the feeling of having saved her life? He smiled.

  A new voice invaded the conversation. “You scared me to death, Tovi. You better not ever do anything like that again. I’ll tell Mom for sure.”

  “Marzi?” He laughed despite the throbbing. “We have to get home first.”

  He felt her take his hand. “I’m just saying. You can’t do stuff like that. You’re just a kid.”

  But he knew better. Myhrren had already told him. He was more than just a kid. “What happened out there, I mean, after I got shot?”

  Elle’s voice came again. “Ryshara warned the rear guard in plenty of time. They killed all of the attackers except one. We captured the entire group of humans that were wandering around. They did not even put up a fight.”

  “What about the ones that were going to attack you? The other ones.” Tovi remembered how they looked different from the red-coated ones, the cavaliers Virgil had called them.

  Elle fell silent for a moment. “I dealt with them.”

  The meaning of the words hit Tovi hard. She had killed them, probably with her magic spells. He studied her face and saw no joy there.

  He nodded and understood. He had seen fighting and death, more than he ever thought possible, since being dropped into this land. Even in victory the killing seemed to bring no happiness. And yet Myhrren had told him that there was more to come.

  Chapter 44: Ebon Hills

  Jarek braced himself for the storm that he knew was coming. Truthfully, he questioned his own sanity. Upon reflection, he realized his idea was beyond crazy.

  West shook her head and propped herself up on an elbow. “On balance, not your best offering, Jarek. Trusting Ben to remain down here with the brothers is one thing. But sending him back to give misinformation to Bart, that’s an entirely different thing.”

  “I realize it’s risky, but—”

  The commander cut him short, “Risky? That’s a vast understatement. You’re talking about a kid that has been a virtual slave to this guy for years. You’d trust him to go back and tell a lie on our behalf, deliver the information to the king’s men, and then escape and return to us?” She smirked. “I’d say we’re better off doing nothing.”

  Jarek had to admit, when she described the idea, which she did accurately, it did sound preposterous. Still, they had a problem. “I know, I know. And maybe my idea isn’t the best one. But that doesn’t change the hard reality. Remember, we encountered an assassin just before we entered this forest. That information has most certainly made its way back to the king by now. We encountered two more, plus some rangers, near the Dubois estate. Again, Wyndred probably knows about that. They will have the place searched and most likely find the underground areas. When they discover that we’re not there, though, they’ll turn their attention back to these ruins. It will only be a matter of time before they either find their way in or one of us gets caught on the surface.”

  “But by then, perhaps the war in Crystal Sands will be won and the entire issue will be irrelevant.”

  Jarek shot back, “Or not. We have no idea what’s going on there. In fact, we don’t even know for sure that Wyndred has sent his troops yet.”

  West lay back. “That may be true. But the potential reward—buying us time—doesn’t seem to justify the risk. We need to find another way.”

  The others—CeCe, Burns, and Corny along with Brothers Martin and Magnus—had remained silent to this point. But Jarek could feel the disapproval oozing from them… until CeCe spoke up.

  “Maybe Jarek is on to something.” She stood and paced the room. “Before you say anything, hear me out.” Turning and facing them, she began, slowly and softly, “Yes, it is risky. And I agree that everything you say about Ben is true. But remember, you trusted me after I betrayed all of you. I nearly got Jarek killed. And yet you gave me a chance. I realize it’s not the same thing. But there is power in trust, believe me. And truly, his job would not be that difficult. He would simply tell Bart the story. The old man would write the note, as he always does, and have the boy deliver it. Whether or not Ben is telling the truth, the soldiers never question him. He gives them the paper and then returns to the house. If we time it right, this could all happen at night. After that, with Bart asleep, the boy could slip out. We could accompany him, at least to the vicinity. If something did go awry, we could raise the alert here before the king’s men came.”

  The initial response from the group was silence. After a moment, Magnus spoke, “I believe in the goodness of man. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be in this business. But I regret that I agree with the commander on this issue. We are putting a lot of lives at risk and it all falls on the shoulders of this young lad, of whom we know little. And that which we know about him does not inspire confidence.”

  Brother Martin’s voice entered the conversation, “How much time would we gain from this?”

  CeCe responded, “Maybe three or four weeks, depending on the story we come up with. Here is what I propose. Ben followed Jarek and company here and then down to my family’s estate, which is all true. From there, have him say that he followed us south, across the River Kralyn and into the Tannin Foothills. The area south of that is rugged. Travel is difficult. And most of the population has migrated north into Ebon Hills. That would be a perfect place for a small group on the run to lose themselves, especially if they felt they were being hunted. Which makes all of this a perfectly logical story. If the king chooses to investigate, it will take weeks to comb over the area, maybe even months depending on how large a force he dedicates to it.”

  At this point, Corny weighed in. “And there’s something else. If you give us a head start, Burns and I can make our way down in that direction and leave some signs, you know, campsites, tracks, and the like. We could create a trail right up to the river and even make it look like we were trying to cover it up.” He folded his arms on his chest, a grin painting his face.

  “Maybe I should have a conversation with Ben before this goes any further. He may not even be willing to do it.” West brought the meeting to a close. “I’ll meet with him and get back to you later.”

  Before the group could disperse, though, a brilliant red flash blinded them. As their sight returned, they stared, transfixed on a translucent figure cloaked in a ruby aura. “Good. I can see that I have your attention.”

  Chapter 45: Ebon Hills

  Jarek knew the voice immediately. Despite his familiarity with the god, he slunk back against the wall, fear building in his gut.

  “In case you are wondering, I am Aristan. I return to you now for several reasons. First, you—this particular group—have proven yourselves decent, honorable humans. Pity that the same cannot be said of most others in the kingdom.” The brilliance of the ruby tint faded.

  “Second, you are at a critical juncture. The decisions you make next will matter a great deal. Before I go on, though, I want to clarify something for you. As the commander has so admirably figured out, the Azyrean—Jarek—is here for a reason. You have dispatched your troops to Crystal Sands, which was also a wise move. But make no mistake, the war will be won here in Ebon Hills. And the small one will be at the heart of it. Others will come to this fight—an elf and another Azyrean along with one of your own. They too are crucial. Listen carefully to what they say.”

  The group sat in stunned silence as Aristan floated across the room and turned to face them. “Now, to your present dilemma. Jarek’s idea is sound, although I’m not certain that he did a good job of presenting it.” The image smirked. “But it will buy you the time you need to finish this. Be certain though, that the outcome will rest with you, not with your troops in Crystal Sands. They will also be buying you time. When the newcomers arrive, the Azyrean among them—Tovi, he is called—will have a mission. Your job is to make sure that he has ev
erything he needs to complete it.”

  The senior brother stood and bowed. “I am Brother Magnus. With me is Brother Martin. And others of the order are down here as well.”

  “I am quite aware of who you are, Magnus. You have done well. But now, you will be tested in ways that perhaps you have not imagined. Your first challenge will be that of trust. You must place your faith in one who is untried.”

  Magnus spoke with his gaze lowered, “Yes, I know. But this would seem to put our entire brotherhood at risk, not to mention the others who are with us.”

  “You are at risk, no matter what you decide. The enemy that you face will stop at nothing to destroy you. Your only salvation will come with victory. Young Ben can help you in that respect.”

  “He is untested and but a few days free of his master. Can you guarantee that he won’t betray us?”

  A laugh bellowed forth from the scarlet image. “That is priceless. A guarantee? Hardly. I am not in the habit of giving guarantees. That is why it is called faith.” Aristan grew quiet for a moment before continuing. “Time is not on your side. The one you call King Wyndred is only a face, a disguise. You are dealing with a rogue god, a demon named Dredwyn. He will stop at nothing to destroy you and anything or anyone associated with you. Your salvation lies in the hands of your allies, which at this point, are these rebels, the Azyrean, and young Ben, as well as the multitude of elves and ogres gathered in Crystal Sands.”

  Magnus’ bow deepened. “As you command.”

  “And know this, I have never been apart from you. It is said that I abandoned humanity. I did not. I merely left you to your own devices. I have been with you every step of your journey. And when this is over and peace is restored to the kingdom, you and the other ‘priests’ will once again take your place in the light of day.”