He shook his head. “Still….” He didn’t have any other arguments.
“I’ll be careful. And I’ll be back before you know it.”
◆◆◆
The hours seemed to drag. Jarek sat for a few minutes and then wandered over to the edge of the woods and scanned what he could see of the horizon ahead—no Burns. He paced the small clearing, imagining the worst. The sun peaked and began its slow retreat into the west—still no Burns.
Finally, he could take it no more. “She should be back by now. She’s in trouble. We need to go after her.” He stood, arms folded on his chest in front of Mathias.
“Take it easy, Jarek. She’s good at this. She’ll be back.”
He turned and paced the clearing again and went back to the edge of the woods. He muttered to himself, “That does it. I’m not waiting any longer.” He strode over to the group leader. “I’m going to take a look from the top of the rise. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll stay right here.” Mathias kept an even, neutral look on his face, but his voice left no doubt that this was not negotiable.
“I’m not going into town. I just want to have a look from up there.” He thought about his options for a moment. Well, thought wasn’t quite the right word. His mind had begun to race. The worst possibilities assaulted him. “I’m going. If you want to stop me, you’re going to have to wrestle me to the ground.” He turned and stormed across the clearing toward the edge of the woods.
He had not taken five steps when a force from behind bowled him over. When he righted himself, he was face-to-face with Ran.
“Sorry. Mathias said no. Like it or not, he’s the leader.” The elf offered a wan smile, stood, and offered Jarek a hand up.
The Azyrean stood without help and dusted off his tunic. “It’s not right. You shouldn’t have sent her. And she’s been gone for hours. You can’t just let her….” He tried, without success, to banish the possibilities from his mind.
Before Mathias, or anyone else, could respond, a familiar voice rang out behind him. “What’s going on here?” Jarek whirled to see Burns with a quizzical look on her face and two paper bags in her hands.
He trembled as he composed himself. No one in the group spoke. Burns stood staring at him. He searched for a plausible explanation. Stuttering for a moment, he finally constructed an almost cohesive statement. “Uh, well, I was just saying that maybe we should….” He shrugged and felt like a fool.
Burns strolled over to him, fixing her gaze on his eyes. “I waited on a fresh batch of bread that was baking. I’m fine.” She nodded her assurance to him.
The moment ended. She eased past him toward the group. “Fresh bread and cheese everyone. And some good news. There didn’t seem to be any interest in the tavern and no one even gave me a second look.”
But all Jarek could feel was relief. Just moments before he had been certain that something dire had happened to her. He never wanted to feel like that again.
Chapter 71: Ebon Hills
They reached the wooded entrance to the old enclave by dawn the following day. Jarek recognized the place immediately. They had brought crystals up to the surface and positioned them so that beams from a full moon in the east would strike them. This would be different though. They had a waxing moon setting in the west. He surveyed the forest, trying to imagine how this would work. The horizon was open to the east but mostly obscured by trees in the other direction.
“We can’t do it here. There won’t be a clear line of sight to the moon.” He meandered around the clearing looking for a solution to the problem.
Brother Andrew’s attention seemed focused on the hidden access to the underground. “We shall have to relocate. But before we consider that, let’s locate the crystal we need.” A look of worry painted his face. “Do you think it’s safe to go down there?” He spoke, apparently to no one in particular.
“Only one way to find out.” Mathias joined him by the opening. “Ran and I will do a quick check.” He nodded at the elf and bent down, grasping the rickety wooden door by the rope handle. “Burns, keep watch up here, and don’t leave the immediate area.”
The pair were gone only a few minutes when the door popped open and Ran hauled himself out. Mathias followed, nodding down toward the opening. “Looks okay down there. In fact, I’d swear that no one’s been down there since the brotherhood abandoned it.”
Andrew craned his neck to peer around Mathias. “So, we can go down now?”
Mathias scratched his head. “I don’t know. West said for us to go down just before sunset. But things have changed. We know that, once we get the crystal up here, we still have to transport it to a new location. And I don’t know how far that will be. Also, the fact that the enclave hasn’t been disturbed is unexpected. I was sure that the king’s soldiers would have ransacked the place.” He shook his head.
Something teased at the edges of Jarek’s mind. “Is it possible that they were down there and intentionally didn’t disturb anything? Maybe it’s a trap.”
Mathias said, “It’s possible, I suppose. But I didn’t see anything. How about you, Ran?” He turned toward the elf.
“Not all things are visible. I have seen Dredwyn’s handiwork. A hidden trap would be nothing to him, considering some of the other things he has done.”
The leader nodded, considering the answer. “Still, if we can’t see the trap and we don’t know for sure that there’s one down there, nothing has changed. What we need is in the old enclave. Remaining above ground is not going to solve our problems.”
Ran shrugged. “Then I say that we should be about our work.”
“Yes. Okay. Andrew, you and Jarek go down and locate what you need. Once you find it, we can all help bring it up. Ran, I think I’d feel better if you went with them.”
◆◆◆
Darkness engulfed the passageways. Fortunately, Andrew had thought to bring a torch. “Let’s light the ones on the wall as we go.”
“Which room are the crystals in?” Ran led the way, looking back frequently for directions.
“Sadly, they are not on this level. They are stored in the deep archives, two levels down. The stairway is just ahead on the left.”
They descended, Ran out in front with the torch. Jarek and Andrew followed close behind. The dim light and the angle of descent filled the Azyrean with foreboding. He did not recall this place being quite so threatening the last time. But it wasn’t just the light and steepness. There was something else. But its nature eluded him.
They kept moving, ever downward, in silence. Finally, they exited the crude stairwell into a short passageway. Andrew broke the silence, “It’s just ahead, to the left.”
They reached the doorway. Ran gave it a push and it swung open.
A brilliant flash of purple light blinded Jarek. As it faded to a dull glow, a voice emerged—a voice laced with sweet, threatening venom. “Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”
Chapter 72: Crystal Sands
“Do you have to go back today? Can’t you wait one more night?” Marzi missed Elle already, and the elf hadn’t even left yet.
“I am needed at the portal site. We know not when the humans will come through. But when they do, all of us will be needed.” Ellemareth sat beside Marzi’s pallet and held her hand.
“Maybe I should come with you.”
“No.” Elle forced a laugh. “You get into enough trouble here.” She grew more serious. “When the time comes, it will be dangerous. Valyn told you that you are not here as a warbringer. Heed her words, Marzi.”
“But I miss you and Rys. And with Ran and Tovi gone, there’s no one here to talk to.” Marzi could hear the selfishness in her words even as they came out.
“If it helps, Saryn is remaining here. I think that Corhymin wants the support in dealing with the ogres. He is supposed to help them organize.”
Marzi’s thoughts turned to Kharla, the ogre battle leader, and others. “Do you think they’ll have
to fight? Maybe the elves and humans will win the battle at the portal.”
“It is possible, I guess. But if we fail, the battle will most certainly come here. And the ogres, while they do not have the weapons or skills of the human army, they do have vast numbers. If they prepare, they could prevail.”
◆◆◆
“I regret that we have had little chance to speak over the past week. It seems there is always something that requires my attention.” Saryn walked across the compound, his hands behind his back as Marzi struggled to keep up.
She understood and there was little she could say. The weight she carried seemed oppressive. It must be doubly so for Saryn and the others. After all, they would have to fight when the time came. She didn’t even know what she was supposed to do.
The sun hung low in the western sky, offering the last rays of light in the face of the impending darkness. As they approached the enclave of elven tents, Marzi heard a loud crackling, like wet wood crackles when ablaze only louder and sharper. She turned to see a purple shimmering light forming in the middle of the compound. The ogres gathered and stared.
“I see that my words have gone unheeded.” Dredwyn’s image appeared in the center of the eerie purple light. His eyes blazed with brilliant red fire, and tendrils of feathery white light reached out from the middle of the image. He spoke with exaggerated movement of his mouth. Spikes of cobalt, ruby, and white light shot from his lips. “You, ogres of Crystal Sands, you have chosen to join with the treacherous elves and human rebels. They will deliver you to the depths of defeat and death.”
Marzi glanced up at Saryn, who appeared unfazed by the demon, his attention more focused on the reaction of the ogres.
Klunk stepped forward, his eyes blazing with determination. “You have come back with more words. You lied in the caves, you lied to us before, and you are lying now. You are made of lies.”
Dredwyn smirked, the image of his mouth curled in contempt. “What do you know of truth and lies? You have lived in the shadow of an old human who has done nothing but bring you to weakness. You, who have never truly worked and suffered the shame of bondage, what do you know of life and death? You try to speak for the chiefs, and yet you have no idea of what you are saying. You are but a child and your words will bring them death.”
Marzi felt a surge of courage. She stepped forward and stood beside Klunk. “And I have seen your lies as well. You lied to the elves in the Quel’dethain Mountains. You tried to poison their spirit. And yet they live, they join together, and they fight. You couldn’t defeat them there, and you cannot defeat them here.”
“Ah, yes. The tiny Azyrean girl, here to save the ogres.” The demon chortled. “You would be well served, my little one, to slink off and hide lest I lose my patience and choose to destroy you here and now.”
“You cannot hurt me. You can talk, you can threaten, and you can even appear as you want. But you cannot hurt anyone here. I know that.” She gestured toward the ogres. “They know it. And you know it. That’s why you talk so much.”
“Do not be too sure of yourself. You may feel much bravery here in the company of others who can protect you. But when they are all dead, who will stand for you then? Yes, that’s right, small one. You and I will have a reckoning. It is only a matter of time.” The image vanished with a brilliant magenta light, and silence fell over the compound.
Chapter 73: Crystal Sands
“You don’t seem that upset about Dredwyn.” Marzi stood by Saryn in the center of the camp as night deepened. The ogres had all retreated into small groups around a large fire in their area. The Azyrean could only imagine the discussions occurring in those small gatherings.
“I am concerned, of course.” With his boot, Saryn drew an arc in the dust. “Let us be honest, though, he said nothing that he has not said before. You said it yourself; he cannot physically hurt anyone here, so he uses words. Back in the Quel’dethain Mountains, he attempted to influence us using a false image of Valyn. His words were lies then. They are lies now. That he intends to send troops through the portal is a worry. But we are moving to counter that. My focus at present is on the ogres. What bothers me most is their inconsistency. First, they don’t want to fight. Then they find their courage and jump into the fray. Now, after a visit from the demon, they again engage in conversation that, unless I missed my mark, includes the question of fighting. Elven blood will be spilled in these desert lands. The lives of the human rebels are also at risk. And yet, these are ogre lands. One would think that they would be the first in queue to fight and defend their homes.”
“I think they will fight when the time comes. They don’t really have a leader, at least not in the sense that the elves and humans do. Each of their villages, their kraals, finds their own way. Getting them to talk and decide ahead of time just doesn’t seem to be working. But, when the humans attacked, the ogres fought.”
Saryn nodded. Marzi could almost feel him smiling. “You seem wise beyond your years, Marzi. Yes, I agree. We will likely not know anything for certain until the time comes. But you raise another good point. The humans that attacked here, they were apparently already in this land when we arrived, since no one has come through the portal since then. How many more groups are out there? We have seen several bands of uniformed soldiers as well. Are there more of those than we know? While the elves and humans are waiting at the portal, any combatants already here are free to roam about, killing and plundering as they choose. What is most disturbing is that they do it without any rational plan.”
This had also been weighing on Marzi’s mind. “I know. And, if you remember, that’s kind of what the humans that you captured back in Menalor were doing. They fought their way north with no regard for anything, including their own safety.”
The two fell silent and Marzi expected Saryn to return to his tent. Instead, he continued to stand and move the dirt around with his feet, apparently deep in thought. When he spoke, he changed the subject. “The old human, Myhrren, I wonder about him. What is he doing here in Crystal Sands? Why does he not live with his own people back in Caravast? And why do the ogres view him with such reverence? I understand that he offers wisdom with his words. It is just that the arrangement makes no sense to me.”
She recalled her discussion with the old man, well, the god to be more accurate. And she had to admit, without the knowledge of what he really is, his presence didn’t make much sense. Still, it wasn’t her place to confide in Saryn. One thing she had learned was that confidences should not be betrayed. When Myhrren was ready for the elves to know, he could tell them himself. She shrugged and remained silent in response to Saryn’s questions.
◆◆◆
Night passed and morning brought the desert heat. But it also brought a sense of drudgery and complacency for Marzi. The elves and humans waited at the portal. The ogres milled about, keeping their camp in order and having whatever discussions they had. Saryn remained huddled in discussions with Elondiel, Ariessa, and Saige.
Sitting in front of her tent with the remains of her breakfast, she saw Arien emerge from the medical tent. She hadn’t spoken to the elven healer for some days. Marzi set her plate on the ground, then stood and walked over. “Hi. I was just thinking I haven’t talked to you in a while. How is Corhymin doing?”
Arien smiled. “She is recovering. She certainly has her sense of duty back, as well as some humor.” The pleasant look faded. “She will need it in the time to come. Her injuries are, well, they will never truly heal completely. Her walk will always be painful.” She set out toward the oasis. “Could you help me get some water from the pool?” She handed Marzi two oversized leather skins.
“Sure.” Marzi took the containers and fell into stride beside the healer. Together they traversed the compound, headed toward a distant set of trees.
“Hey, wait for me.” The familiar voice emerged from behind the pair. Marzi turned to see Klunk, bounding across the sand.
“Hi, Klunk.” Marzi offered him a wide grin.
“I need to haul some water.” He held up the ogre version of a water skin. As he matched their stride, he continued, sounding more serious. “The ogres are once again worried about Dredwyn and the possibility of fighting.” He shook his head. “It is hard to get them all to agree on anything.”
Arien turned her head to respond without breaking her gait, “That is why the elven people have leaders. We know that different ones of us have different ideas at different times. Elondiel, Saige, and Ariessa keep us on track, even as our minds wander.”
“The ogres have no leaders, at least not like that. Each kraal has its own chief. But even the chief must listen to his people. It works most of the time, I guess. But sometimes, like right now, it would be nice if someone could just make a decision and stick to it.”
Arien laughed. “That is the problem, isn’t it?”
Klunk stopped and turned to his left. “What’s that over there? The dust?”
Marzi peered into the desert heat. “I don’t know. Maybe the wind?”
“No. There is no wind. The air is still.”
Arien noted, “Perhaps it is a herd of wild animals.”
“I don’t think so. The large animals don’t travel in herds. And even those that move in groups, move slowly in the desert heat to conserve strength. If they are animals, then something has spooked them.”
Out of the shimmering heat that lay on the surface of the sand, Marzi made out shapes—humans from the look of it. “Let’s get back to the camp.”
She felt herself lifted into the air as Klunk plopped her upon his shoulders. “Let’s run.”
Arien bolted out in front of Klunk. “I will raise the alarm.”
Before they had moved five meters, though, another group of humans rose from the sand. They had apparently been lying face down, ready to ambush. The three were cut off from the encampment. The group far to the left closed quickly. The group just ahead spread out, as though to prevent any escape.
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