by Jack Porter
“We don’t know what he does with the elflings,” I brooded. Then, I shook myself. “In any case, let’s try to get some sleep, but we should keep watch just as we always do. And Sarina, if there’s any threat at all in the night, do not hesitate to use your advantages.”
She nodded, and while Ilana shifted closer to the door to keep the first watch, I laid down next to Sarina. To my surprise, Wren snuggled close to my arm once again, but I didn’t put it around her. There was still too much caution in me for that. And I still vividly remembered the dream I’d had about her. Sarina’s scent helped to calm me, however, and I pulled her close and put my nose in her hair before closing my eyes.
The sounds of dusk drifted through the walls. A bird calling out one last time before silencing itself for the night. A slight wind that rustled the leaves above our heads. The sounds of people saying goodnight to one another, and even the cry of a baby elfling. Someone began humming, and the baby hushed.
I felt like I was part of the earth, part of this moment in time. That my body was pressing into the mat with a heaviness that had nothing to do with my weight. It was comforting, like a favorite blanket that a kid might keep around. Perhaps this haven was truly that—a place where some people had found peace, no matter what their race or background. It gave me hope that Hell could be a better place if the Wraith King was vanquished, and not for the first time, I wondered what the name of this land had been before evil had taken over. And I hoped that one day I would find out.
And with that thought, I took a deep, satisfying breath of apple-scented air, and fell asleep.
19
I dreamed of blood and fire and the shimmering portal, all set in front of a backdrop of a black castle. I knew that castle by now, knew who lived there, and knew somehow it was my destiny.
I wanted to leave. To be done with this place. But I didn’t want to leave Ilana, or Sarina, or Nya and the others.
And I could feel deep in my bones, with the force of a thousand armies all marching, as if they were beating drums through my veins, that there was a war brewing. It was inevitable.
And I was going to be in the middle of it.
But that portal was just within my reach. I only had to stretch out my hand and touch the air between the columns. And I knew I would be sucked back to New Jersey, away from this terrible, violent place.
Yet I also knew that the Wraith King might find a way to bring me back, that he would keep trying, and that I would forever be locked in a terrible struggle with him.
And so, the answer was to kill or be killed. I wasn’t going to go through the portal. I wasn’t going to run. I was going to stand and fight the Wraith King. And the darkness that was always at the limit of my vision, always standing just outside my reach, just trying to wrap its hands around my throat, would have to be fought as well.
But I wasn’t going to succumb to it.
I was going to fight it too.
And I was going to win.
And at the same time, I knew that I was going to have to become destruction.
To become blood and fire.
And death.
20
I awoke from my dream with a start, sitting up quickly as if we were under attack. My hand was halfway to my sword before I remembered where I was. The sounds of the night were as they had been before, with the gentle stirring of the leaves in the canopy above, and the murmurings of the child that had woken in its sleep.
But I didn’t hear anything else, no reason to be alarmed, and now Sarina had taken up the watch. She looked over at me with a question on her face, but I shook my head.
I headed for the open doorway, and Sarina put a hand on my arm.
“We’re not to leave the hut, John,” she reminded me.
“I know that,” I said. “But I have to pee, and I could use some air. I’ll be right outside.” I crawled out of the doorway and stood, stretching my neck muscles and turning for the nearest tree. As I relieved myself, I heard Sarina shift inside the hut so that she could watch the surrounding area.
The dreams were becoming more frequent, and I was increasingly unable to block them out. For a moment, I doubted what I was doing. Were the dreams worse because I was going the wrong direction? Or were they worse because I was headed on the correct path?
Or were they only completely random, a consequence of the magic inside me?
I tucked myself back into my pants and turned, thinking that although I had promised to stay in the hut, this might be a good time to look around camp without being watched.
Just as I was about ready to sneak behind another hut, I saw the silhouette of one of the elves emerge from the trees. It was Willow, and she was still naked.
“I had been hoping to be able to speak with you,” she said softly.
“Yes?”
Willow walked toward me, and I felt the need to stay on guard just in case she pulled a dagger from somewhere. However, since she had nowhere to pull a dagger from, I figured I was safe. And anyway, Sarina was watching us from the doorway.
Willow put her hand on my chest and looked up into my eyes. Then, she pressed her entire body against mine, her intentions very clear. I took a step back.
“You don’t like what you see?” she asked.
“I didn’t say that,” I said.
Willow followed me, putting both hands on my chest now and running them up to my shoulders. “Will you lie with me? I want to know if you are the same as other humans.”
I took her hands and removed them from my shoulders. “The same as your human,” I said. “And I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Wouldn’t he be upset?”
Willow glanced back at our hut and saw Sarina sitting at the doorway. “Would your females be upset? Is that what you hesitate?”
“No,” I said. “But that’s not what I asked.”
Willow didn’t try to touch me again, but her eyes moved around the camp, and she crossed her arms over her chest almost as if she was cold. “I had hoped…” she began. “I wanted to talk to you.”
This time when she spoke, her voice was hushed.
“Then talk to me,” I said. “We don’t have to do anything else.” Willow looked up at me, and her eyes were a bit sad. But perhaps that was just the reflection of the red darkness shining against them. She had large eyes, beautiful eyes, and I couldn’t blame Maelon for favoring her.
I sensed that she was struggling with something, and once again I felt the hair rising on the back of my neck. Had she only come here on pretense of wanting to sleep with me? Was there something else bothering her?
“Would you like to come into the hut?” I asked, thinking that she would rather talk in there.
Willow shook her head and once again looked around. “Are you sure you will not lie with me, Jon?”
“I am sure.”
She looked like she was about to say something more, but then a grunt and a broken twig caught her attention, and we both turned toward the sound. The Hellpig had moved from its place behind the main hut and was chomping on something rotten nearby. I saw its dark outline, its bristly hair, and the faint white of its tusks. I was about to ask Willow if the Hellpig could understand what we were saying, but when I turned, she was already leaving.
I watched her go, taking a moment to appreciate her fine ass, knowing that I would never get a chance to do more than look at it. But that was my own choice, and I didn’t regret it.
As much as the hunger inside me burned for these females of Hell, I was much more wary than I had been even a few months before. And anyway, I had Sarina and Ilana with me at all times. Although the idea of fucking someone new was tempting, I also realized the dangers that posed.
Before I could turn around and go back into the hut, I saw something else that caught my eye. A shadow, a lone figure standing within the trees, looking at me.
It was Maelon. Had he been watching?
I had the uneasy feeling that he had sent Willow to tempt me. But for what purpose, I didn’t kno
w.
“Jon?” Sarina asked.
I looked at her and walked back into the hut. “That was odd,” I said.
She nodded and put a hand on my head, letting her fingers run through my tangled hair. I sat next to her and let her work out the tangles, her strong but gentle hands smoothing my hair and pulling it back into a short ponytail. She bound it with a piece of leather and then turned me around to kiss me firmly on the lips. I kissed her back, but she was keeping watch and it wasn’t time for anything else. Since we needed to get some sleep, I sent her back to the pallet and watched the rest of the night.
21
An hour later, I had another vision. This one was more nebulous than my previous ones, as if it couldn’t quite figure out which direction it wanted to go. I fought it, thinking that I needed to remain alert, knowing that if I sank into a dreamlike state now, I could open myself and the girls up to a possible attack.
But soon the pressure in my head became too much, as if it was being squeezed by a vice. I leaned over, putting my head on my hands, pressing the palms into my eyes to rid myself of the images that were slowly creeping in. Once again, I saw Ilana, Sarina, Nya, and even Wren, dead. They lay on the ground, their bodies torn open as if by wild animals. And I recognized the work of Hellhounds.
The pain associated with the vision was almost more than I could bear, but this time I knew it was fake. I knew that three of those four people were sleeping contentedly in the hut.
Finally, I leaned forward, putting my hands on the ground outside the hut so that I was on all fours. I had thought to stand, to exercise a bit and maybe shake it off. But when I tried to do that, a wave of dizziness passed over me, and I decided that staying closer to the ground was a better option. I was just getting ready to call out for Sarina when I heard a noise somewhere to my left. And this noise wasn’t part of the vision, for that had seemed silent. No, this noise was coming from outside the hut, and finally the threat was enough to help me move all the way out of my vision. I sank back, blinking my eyes in the darkness, and feeling the rush of images and sounds that came with nighttime in the forest.
Straining my ears, I listened again for the sound, wondering if it was just a crying child again. But I didn’t think so.
So instead of sitting there worrying about it, I got up and stealthily walked toward the sound. As I grew closer, it definitely sounded like a mature woman’s cry, interspersed with some moaning. Like she was in pain. I rounded the side of one of the huts, and a faint glow met me.
The greenish light jumped up from a fire pit, its flames dancing before the figure of an elf who was dressed only in leaves and moss. She even looked like she had a few twigs woven into her hair.
I didn’t remember seeing her at dinner. I was sure I would have noticed her, if she had been there.
No one else was around, so I stood there and watched for a minute, trying to figure out if she was in pain or if something else was going on. The woman rocked back and forth over the small green flame, her eyes remaining closed as she chanted something in an unknown language. She waved her hands over the fire and I saw shapes move out of the smoke, but they were indistinct and disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived.
Thinking she was in some kind of trance, I decided not to disturb her. I was just about turn and go back to my hut, leaving this woman alone, when the elf looked up and looked straight at me. Her eyes glowed faintly blue. They looked as if the stars of the universe were inside them.
She gazed at me intently, her moaning paused for the moment, but didn’t sound the alarm at finding me out of my hut.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” I said apologetically. The elf continued to stare at me, and I thought maybe she was still in her trance and wasn’t actually seeing me. So again, I moved to turn and walk away.
Then, she said softly, “Stay, human. Your presence is welcome.”
I turned back toward the green flame and saw that she had gestured to a place across from her. Although I didn’t want to leave my companions sleeping and unattended, I didn’t think that anyone had seen me leave the hut, so I walked over and knelt across the fire from her.
The elf’s intense blue gaze drew me to her, and I felt somewhat akin to her, as if we had always known each other. “Who are you?” I asked.
“My name is Kali,” she said. “And you are Jon.”
I nodded, and wasn’t surprised that she knew my name. I was a guest in the small camp after all.
Now that I was closer, I saw that she had blue hair to match her eyes, like Willow’s, but more intense, and that her skin, like other elves, was smooth and flawless. It caught a bit of the greenish glow from the fire, however, and gave her a bit of a sickly look. “Are you performing a spell?” I asked.
She shook her head no. “Merely offering up a prayer to help my friends.”
“And who are your friends?”
“I have many,” she said. Then she closed her eyes again and leaned over the green flames, inhaling the smoke. She began chanting and rocking back and forth once more, and I thought perhaps our conversation was done. Still I sat there watching for a few more minutes, slightly entranced myself, at how peaceful and calm she seemed. She didn’t take up her wailing anymore, just the low melodic chanting and the steady stream.
Finally, she opened her eyes and looked around. “You should not be here, Jon,” she said. “Go back to your companions and keep them safe.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” I asked. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe the only reason she would offer her prayers in the evening or at night when everyone was asleep was because she couldn’t do it in the daytime.
Kali didn’t answer my question, however. Instead, she smiled sadly. “It is not prudent for us to be together in the dark, that is all. I wish you safe journeys on your travels, Jon-man.”
I raised an eyebrow. No one really called me Jon-man unless it was Ilana and sometimes Sarina or Nya. It was sort of a pet name they called me, a term of endearment that I rather liked. Why had the elf chosen that term?
She continued to stare at me and finally motioned with her hands for me to get away.
Realizing that I could be outstaying my welcome, I stood and nodded to her, and moved back around the huts to find our own quarters. My girls were still sleeping soundly, none of them disturbed by my departure or arrival.
Still, for the rest of the night, I could not remove the image of Kali from my mind, of an elf chanting over a green fire, with twigs in her hair and sadness in her eyes.
22
The next morning, we were greeted once again by one of Maelon’s harem. This time however, our reception was not as gracious as the night before. The strange elf bid us to gather our things and told us we would soon be leaving the village.
Looking at Sarina and Ilana and Wren, who quickly woke, I shrugged. I wanted to be on our way anyway, and we had no reason to linger. We still had to find the seer and the wood elves. Overnight, the mystery had cemented in my brain, and all I wanted to do was get to the bottom of this so we could continue on our search for the Elfstone and the related prophecy. And since we hadn’t really found anything out at this village, it seemed prudent to move deeper into the forest and look for the wood elves.
After watching carefully for Kali, I was disappointed that I didn’t see her again. So I turned my mind to our road ahead.
“Are you sure the seer was with them?” I asked Maelon over a breakfast of cold, dried meat.
“Aye,” he said. “I have not seen her, but Brightlight assures me that the seer exists, and may even be able to cast a spell over those she lives with. So you would be wise to be careful.”
He regarded me seriously, and I wondered if he knew about my chance meeting with Kali last night. And then I wondered if he’d was angry that Willow had come onto me. But Willow was her own woman and could do what she wanted. Although I resolved to ask Sarina and Ilana about it as soon as we got the chance.
Maelon continued to
watch me as I finished eating, but since he didn’t ask any questions and I didn’t volunteer—because I wasn’t that big an idiot—neither one of us said much else.
I nodded, and that was all that was said until we left the camp. Thanking the man for his hospitality, we guided our horses through the forest with an escort of two naked elves who were going to take us to the edge of their dominion.
23
The gloom in this part of the forest was just the same as the gloom in any other forest of Hell. And yet, I felt less oppressed here, as if the elves living here we were somehow protecting us. And it was possible that was exactly what was happening. I thought to ask Wren about it, but I was always asking her questions, and she had seemed unusually quiet since we left the camp. Since I wasn’t sure whether it was my rejection of her or something else, I decided to give her some space.
Before Maelon’s elves left us, they pointed us toward the south. “There you will find the wood elves, although do not expect a warm welcome from them,” one of them said. Then, they left, disappearing back into the forest as if they had never existed. Indeed, I almost asked Ilana if they had been real, to make sure it had not been another vision. But since no one else seemed to have lost any time, and someone had recently brushed down the horses, I concluded that it all must have been real.
Something wasn’t quite sitting right with me still, and I felt it had to do with Maelon. But I had seen no traces of deception even if I had felt them, and he hadn’t provoked any sort of argument or altercation, other than holding Sarina for trespassing, and I could hardly use that as an excuse to harm him.
And none of the elves had seemed under duress or scared, and the children had seemed happy and well-adjusted.
So, what was bothering me?
As the day wore on, and we saw nothing but trees and roots and branches and dirt, and the smell of the horses and sweat, my thoughts grew darker. I started to feel I should have killed the man when I had the chance.