by Terry Spear
The king of the merman was having a fit too and sent a wave crashing against the shore in anger, trying to stop the blue elves from harming the woman. But it wouldn’t be enough to deter them.
There was only one thing Zorak could do as the spritely young woman wielded a sword, then thinking better of it, switched it out for some other device. Another kind of weapon? He’d never seen one like it before.
What intrigued him most was this woman had to have used magic to create the barrier. And since he was a magic user, a high elf, and no other elf had claimed this treasure, she was all his.
Then white, blue sparkly light shot out of the weapon, and every elf it hit fell to the ground—instantly.
That made him worry she might try that on him. He smiled. She could try. He would repel the power from the weapon with his own magic.
Then Zorak guided his dragon toward the beach, the shadow it cast, warning the elves they’d better cease and desist before the dragon released a rain of fire upon them.
The sky darkened above and several of the blue elves looked up. To her astonishment, Eloria saw a golden dragon carrying an elf dressed in blues, his form-fitting tunic trimmed in gold, sparkling in the morning sunlight. But his hair was dark and his skin was tanned, not blue like the elves who had stopped in their tracks.
"Shoot the high elf!" one of the blue elves shouted. Gold braid trimmed the blue elf’s military-looking jacket, and the way he was shouting orders, she thought he probably outranked the other men.
"But the arrows won't penetrate the dragon's scales," one of the men hollered back.
"That's why I said to shoot the high elf! Not the dragon, you slugeal!"
With the chance of making a hasty retreat, Eloria raced for the cliffs, and quickly grabbed for the first finger holds and footholds she could reach. As fast as she was able, she clambered up the rock face. Her speed and agility from all her continual combat training gave her a chance to evade the blue elves if they didn't follow her up the cliffs. Unless they turned to shoot their arrows or blow darts at her. To her shock, the dragon spewed fire down on the elves, and they quit shooting at the dragon's rider and dashed for the safety of the ocean.
The merman screeched to her, "Who are you?"
Thankfully, with their advanced technology, her inner ear translator was able to convert languages into something she could understand, and likewise, she could mimic their language so they could understand her. She considered the cliffs' crevices and how she could slip in between the jagged rocks, should the dragon turn his wrath on her next.
“I’m Eloria, good friends of Persephonice,” she shouted to the merman, assuming that since he had swept some of the blue elves off their feet by propelling a wave in their direction, he had to be on her side, and Persephonice’s.
Instead of shooting a stream of fire in her direction, the dragon swooped close, and she screamed. She couldn't help it. Screaming wasn't part of her warrior training, and she had always prided herself in not giving into girly reactions in a crisis situation.
Then again, she'd never had a dragon come after her either. He was immense, and his wings swept a rush of wind at her. The creature's golden scales shimmered in the early morning sun's rays, dazzling her, but it was the dragon’s green eyes, blue, red, and gold streams of fire, the wicked, tearing teeth, and just as sharp and wicked-looking talons, that sent chills racing up her spine.
"Eloria!" the dragon rider shouted. “I too am a good friend of Persephonice!”
She couldn't believe Persephonice knew this elf too, but were they truly friends?
"Let me help you. You're too close to the rock face for my dragon to reach you. If the elves use their darts on you, you’ll fall to your death. Move to a rock where he can swing around and grab you, and he'll carry you to the top of the cliffs and set you down. Then you can ride with me. How did you end up here? I'm sure Persephonice will be thrilled to see you."
She took the chance that he truly was Persephonice’s friend. The blue elves definitely weren't.
She climbed onto a part of the rock wall where it jutted out with a narrow ledge to stand on. The dragon made another pass at her. He was huge and his talons deadly looking. She let out her breath and waited for the pain she knew she'd feel as soon as he grabbed her.
He dove for her, wings folded, talons outstretched. She prayed this wasn't the biggest mistake of her life. The great golden beast grabbed her shoulders with his talons, and she was surprised to feel how gentle he was, though all at once it was both terrifying and exciting to be carried up and over the cliff, hanging free like that, not riding inside a shuttle craft, or a spaceship. Nothing short of amazing.
"Okay, we're out of the elves' range and he'll set you down here, and then you can climb onto the dragon behind me."
The blue elves were yelling from down below, shooting at the dragon rider, but their arrows couldn't reach the elf or the dragon. The arrows fell earthward, forcing the elves to race away to avoid being hit themselves.
But what would happen when the dragon rider learned her mission was to return Persephonice to her father? She hoped she could befriend him and learn where Persephonice was so Eloria could discover for herself if her friend wished to remain here in the elves’ world.
“Where is Persephonice?”
“With Dracolin, the shadow elf. They are married.”
Eloria’s mouth gaped. She couldn’t believe it! She was—not sure how she felt about the news. Happy for her? Afraid for herself? The emotions swamping her were mixed—glad Persephonice had found a lifemate all on her own, but afraid of what her father would do if he learned the truth. Send an army of warriors to return her to the ship? That’s what Eloria feared the most. Well, and giving the commander the news would be bad news for Eloria.
Viator had heard of the redheaded mermaid who didn't have a fishtail, but he'd only learned of her from a shadow elf they'd taken prisoner. Of course, they assumed the shadow elf was making up tall tales because no one in the Darkland Forest where his people dwelled had heard of such a thing. The elves had traveled to other realms, had sailed across the seas, and never had they seen anything like it.
He’d been on the most important of missions—to do outstanding feats of heroism to make his wings transparent. For now, he was just out hunting wild boar when he heard the blue elves' shouts below the cliffs, the calling of the merman king, and saw the high elf prince upon his dragon, heading straight for the cliffs. He'd never seen anything like it, as if he'd intended to crash into the rock walls. What in the world was wrong with him? Was he mad?
Yet, Viator had it in mind if he saved the high elf prince, that could be one of his outstanding feats of heroism.
Viator was at the fringe of the dappled forest, racing to the edge of the cliff, bow in hand, hoping to catch sight of what had all the different peoples so riled up. He heard the prince shouting to the woman, Persephonice, the same woman their shadow elf prisoner had said was the redheaded mermaid with legs, but something more. She could communicate with wild beasts and made them work together, something no one had ever been able to manage.
So he had to see if she was truly for real. Just as he reached the cliffs, the dragon swooped again next to them, and lifted, then came in to set the creature down. She truly had red hair and green eyes that nearly knocked him down they were so unbelievably beautiful. She was staring at him as much as he was staring at her.
The dragon set her down on the ground and quickly released her. Then he settled down near her. "Come to me and I'll help you onto my companion—" Prince Zorak said, then paused. "Are you part high elf like Persephonice is? I'm Prince Zorak and pleased to make your acquaintance. And you are her friend?"
"I am," the woman said, her voice as melodic as the sirens of the sea. Just like Persephonice’s was purported to be. “I mean, I’m her friend.”
Viator just couldn't get over what he was seeing: a red-headed, green-eyed, land-walking mermaid.
No way could he let the
woman get away. And he certainly wasn’t going to allow the high elf the pleasure of taking her to his mountain castle. Viator had to share this treasure with his rulers right away. She might be real trouble if these unusual creatures kept showing up, since from what the prince said, she was the second one in their territory. This one wasn’t Persephonice. But maybe she could be important enough to his people that it would help him on his heroic quest.
Securing his bow and unsheathing his sword, he dashed out of the cover of the forest, attempting to reach them before anyone was aware he was there. Before anyone saw him, he raced to her side through the tall meadow grasses, knowing using his wings would catch the dragon and Zorak’s attention. He grabbed hold of the woman before the prince could respond and have his dragon turn him into cinders, or the prince used some of his magic on him, or anything else. His sword drawn, Viator had the woman under his command now. He threatened to kill her with his sword if the high elf dared to try to take her from him. No, that wasn’t heroic, but saving her from the high elf could be.
Then he ran back the way he had come through the thick of the Darkland Forest, pulling her with him. He was supposed to be hunting boar for the nooning meal, but he figured what he caught was even more important than that.
"Do you know Persephonice?" the woman asked him, not fighting him, just going along as if she didn't mind that he was taking her prisoner, and that had him a little worried. Was this her plan? To learn where his people were settled and then…unleash her magic upon them? If she had any.
"Are you her kin?" he asked.
"Friend." She was staring at his wings as if she had never seen anything like it. He wished he could make them invisible. Before long, if he had his way, he could.
"She is with the shadow elf Warrior Chief, Dracolin Rossover."
"Who are you?"
"Alroy Aristotelis Viator. And you?"
"Eloria."
"Just plain…Eloria?" He couldn't believe such a beautiful creature would have such a short name.
"Eloria Cresthaven"
"What does it mean, this Eloria?"
"Brave one.”
“Are you? Brave?”
“I am.”
He glanced down at her and raised his brows in question. He didn’t think she would be so brave when she had to face all of his kind.
“And what does your name mean?"
"Regal, intelligent, traveler."
"Are you?"
He gave her a dark smile. "I am. I took you as my prisoner, didn't I?"
"Maybe I let you."
That's what he was worried about. "Where are you from?"
"From out there." She motioned with her free arm to the sky.
He glanced back, aware now that several of his brethren were watching from the dark woods, not making a sound, just observing the creature with him. "The ocean? You don't have a tail. If I throw you in our lake, will you swim or drown?"
"You would have to try it and see."
"We don't swim. If you didn't, you'd drown and I'd lose my hostage."
"Why can't we be friends?"
"I don't even know what you are." He had no intention of being friends with the creature. She was a treasure they could use, hopefully, to gain power and could use her abilities for something useful.
"A friend, if you wish it." She glanced back at Prince Zorak, flying near the woods on his indomitable dragon, scowling.
Did she see the few dark elves observing her? They were like the shadow elves, blending in with their surroundings, priding their ability to remain unseen, yet she seemed to look at each of the men and women he'd spied as if they were fully visible.
"So where are you taking me?"
"To Pembrokish."
“Do you know where Persephonice is now?”
“With Dracolin. Last I heard, she was trying to settle the disputes between the snow giants and the ice dragons of the north.” His people were impressed with the creature. He wondered if this one would help them in the same way as Persephonice helped the shadow elves. She could be valuable, but he suspected they’d have to keep her under lock and key, just for their protection.
“Persephonice is serving as a mediator?” Eloria asked.
Persephonice was supposed to be an unobtrusive observer of the different worlds, a collector of information for the archives, but Eloria had always suspected she had a talent for mediation because when fighting broke out between crew members on the ship, Persephonice had always been in the middle of it, settling the dispute. She hadn’t tested out for the ability though and Eloria wondered why not.
“We are Darkland Forest elves. What manner of creature are you?”
“A langolar from another world.” She stared at his wings.
He folded them flat behind his back as if he didn’t like her seeing them, but she was fascinated with them. She wished he’d hold them out for her to touch.
“You are from down south?”
She had to remind herself the people inhabiting this place were primitive and probably had no knowledge of space travel. She had hoped Persephonice had passed along the information about their kind and paved the way for Eloria, but it appeared that wasn’t the case. She might have had to resort to telling them very little about their world beyond this one.
“You are friends with Dracolin and Persephonice, correct?” Prince Zorak seemed to be. And the merman too. Persephonice seemed to have made a lot of friends.
“Me? No.”
She frowned at him. “I thought you and Prince Zorak were friends of Dracolin and Persephonice.” She began to slow her step, and he tried to speed her up, tugging her along.
“Prince Zorak is a high elf, a magic user. I doubt after I took you from him, he will be feeling any…friendship toward me. And Dracolin is a shadow elf.” Viator said it as though she was simple-minded not to realize the winged elves of Darkland Forest didn’t have anything to do with any of them.
Something snorted in the nearby brush. She studied the dark mist draping the forest, but couldn’t see what was making the noise. “Climb,” Viator whispered, pulling her to the nearest tree. “Just watch out for the pixies.”
“The what?”
But Viator was shoving her at the tree, insistent. “If you don’t want to be skewered, climb the tree!”
Something sauntered out of the bush, poking at the ground with its nose. It was dark brown, hairy, and wearing enormous tusks on each side of its snout, that looked like it could spear someone. She’d never seen anything like it.
She wanted to run through the woods and back to where Prince Zorak might still be, but she figured Viator was right. She quickly grabbed a sturdy branch and pulled herself into the tree and climbed upward until she was high enough to avoid the creature. His ivory tusks shone in the sunlight filtering through the tops of the trees. He lifted his head and sniffed at the air.
Viator hadn’t climbed after her. Immediately, he pulled an arrow from its sheath, nocked it, and readied to kill the beast. Three arrows fired in rapid succession took the beast down.
“Supper,” Viator said, considering the huge size of the animal.
“What is it?”
He frowned at her. “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen one before. It’s a wild boar.”
She was about to scramble down from the tree and run off when something buzzed past her ear. She narrowed her eyes, assuming it was a large, annoying insect, but instead it was a human-like creature with wings, fluttering about her.
“Pixies,” he said as one grabbed his hair.
The winged creature caught sight of his pointed ear and dropped his hair. “A Darkland Forest elf,” the pixie said. Her voice carried throughout the forest as if the trees could echo the sound. The pixies carried her word all over the woods.
The green-eyed pixie reached for Eloria’s hair, but she covered herself in her invisible protective dome. The pixie flew backwards as if she had been swatted away. She hissed, then dove into the branches higher above. After sha
king a branch, several leaves showered down over the bubble.
“Not an elf,” the pixie whispered.
“I don’t wish you any harm, pixie,” Eloria said.
Viator was staring at her. “What magic did you use on her?”
“What are you going to do with that?” She pointed at the dead creature, ignoring Viator’s question.
“We will eat the boar.” He again looked down at it, and she wondered how he thought he could manage to take her and the dead boar with him.
She quickly scrambled down to the ground, and she didn’t hesitate to run off, hoping she could reach the edge of the forest and the meadowlands where purple and yellow flowers were blooming in profusion. Maybe Prince Zorak was still in the area, and he could swoop down on his dragon and rescue her from Viator, since he was certainly not taking her to see her friend.
Before she got very far, she realized the elves hidden in the ferns at the base of the trees were still there and had been following them all along.
She was suddenly surrounded by men and women carrying spears pointed at her. No one spoke a word to her. Their fierce expressions said it all. If she moved, she’d get speared, probably several times by several different spears. With them circling her, she couldn’t use her stun gun on those in front of her. Too many of them anyway.
Then some of those behind her ran off. She was going to pull out her stun gun when she saw a shadow from above the trees. The golden dragon.
“Prince Zorak!”
But he couldn’t reach her for the trees, and someone grabbed her arm, startling a shriek out of her. Viator. “You are going nowhere. My king will want to see his new prize.”
A prize? No way was she going to be some elf king’s prize.
“The others will carry the meat home for the meal. You will go with me. We’ll cut through to the underground river. We’ll get there much quicker that way.”
Maybe Prince Zorak would come with dragons and other elves to free her. Unless she was alone with Viator and could use her stun gun on him, and free herself. He hadn’t seen her use it down below the cliffs on the beach while dealing with the blue elves. And he hadn’t removed it or her sword. He must have believed she couldn’t fight him and win.