The antlioch halted at silent instruction from their riders.
Alluin gestured to his left, realizing they were far off enough that the troll might not notice the light steps of the antlioch. They could simply go around it and continue on their way.
The sound of breaking branches far to the right drew his attention a moment later. Another troll revealed itself. It was an older male, its craggy skin like boiled leather. The furs draping its body left little to the imagination. Its drooping, bald head was turned in the direction of the other troll.
Alluin gestured left again. The antlioch began to move. If the trolls spotted them from this distance, they should be able to outrun them.
He cursed under his breath as another troll came into view, blocking their course. They’d ridden right up into the middle of their party, but the dumb creatures hadn’t noticed yet.
He patted the antlioch’s side for it to stop, then glanced over his shoulder past Saida. They would need to go back the way they came and find another way around.
Spotting no other trolls, he met Saida’s wide eyed gaze. Not wide-eyed because of the trolls, he realized, but because she was holding in a—
Achoo!
As one, three giant heads snapped their way.
“Go!” Alluin hissed.
Both antlioch turned the way they’d come and leapt forward, racing through the trees. Thundering footsteps followed, shaking the earth and sending birds fluttering up from the branches above. Saida wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, pressing herself against his back.
He glanced toward Elmerah and Merwyn, only to witness a massive log sailing right past Elmerah’s head.
One of the trolls let out a grunt—a grunt far too close for Alluin’s liking—then a fist-sized rock flew so close to his head it disturbed his hair with its momentum.
“Cursed Ilthune,” Elmerah hissed.
Alluin glanced at her again, shocked to see her toss Merwyn off her antlioch’s back, and right toward Saida. Merwyn screeched, then held on, managing to straddle the beast behind her.
Elmerah withdrew her cutlass as her antlioch skidded in the dirt, then turned toward the oncoming trolls. “Keep going!” she shouted.
Thunder boomed in the sky. His antlioch raced onward. He knew he should keep going. He should get Saida to safety. Oh cursed Ilthune. “Hang on to the antlioch!” he shouted.
Saida instantly removed her arms from his waist, and he vaulted from his seat, landing hard on the forest floor before tucking into a roll, then coming up to his feet again.
He charged back toward the trolls as a light mist coated his face, and lightning cut across the sky above.
Elmerah
Stupid, disgusting trolls, Elmerah thought, raising her cutlass toward the sky. She hadn’t wanted to stop, but one of her party would have soon been struck dead by a flying rock or log. She stood better chances of survival facing the trolls head on.
The antlioch pranced nervously beneath her as she faced the three trolls, now looking upward with small, red-rimmed eyes at the sound of thunder.
She held tight to the grip of her cutlass. She was about to use all her blasted magic again, leaving her defenseless when she needed it the most.
A bolt of lightning met her blade, raising the tiny hairs on her neck. In one smooth motion, she flung the bolt at the central troll, the older male.
The ugly creature shrieked, then stumbled backward, knocking into a tree with a deafening crack.
Not taking time to assess the damage, she flung another bolt at one troll, than another at the third. Smoke curled from their wounds, bringing with it a sickly sweet odor. While she knew she was being unwise, the unbeatable thrill of electric magic zinged through her. This was what she was meant to do, not hide in a swamp. The sky grew increasingly dark with her small summoned storm, bringing with it moisture to coat the earth. She tossed another bolt at the two standing trolls, striking one in the neck. She hesitated before flinging the next, then finally hurled it square in the chest of the other.
The sizzling trolls shrieked in pain, but it wasn’t enough. The two still standing set their sights on her and charged.
She called more power, knowing it might be the last thing she did. If she fainted in this wretched forest, she’d likely be eaten alive, but if she didn’t fend off the trolls, she would die anyway.
The air crackled around her. Holding tight to the antlioch’s wool with her free hand, she sent two more bolts, charged with everything she could muster, into the trolls charging her. The bolts knocked them back, sending them crashing against tree trunks. One slammed into the third troll trying to climb to its feet. She just needed to disable them long enough for her to flee without risking a rock to the back of her skull.
She sent a lesser bolt toward the trolls, inhaled sharply, then realized she’d gone too far. Her body went weak, and she toppled from the antlioch’s back.
Arms caught her, and she was cradled against someone’s chest, then the world went black.
Alluin
Alluin stared at the trolls for several heartbeats, cradling Elmerah like a child. A very tall, somewhat heavy child who possessed magic the likes of which he’d never seen. The remnants of it were still crackling overhead.
As the patter of rain increased, one of the trolls groaned.
Knowing he should be as far away as possible when the creature roused, he beckoned the nervous antlioch near, then hoisted Elmerah across its back on her belly. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable position for her should she wake, but it was the easiest way for him to keep her on the antlioch’s back. He retrieved her fallen cutlass, threading it through his belt, then climbed up behind her, moving his knees beneath her limp body.
With a final glance at the trolls, he urged the antlioch to trot. If Saida and Merwyn had continued running, they would be difficult to find, but he had a feeling they would have stopped and waited not far off.
He looked down at Elmerah’s back as they rode, wondering why she’d turned to face the trolls. Though it was true the beasts would have soon overcome them, he was surprised she didn’t take the slim chance that others would die and she would survive.
She was undoubtedly the most confusing woman he’d ever met.
Elmerah groaned, then started squirming.
“Stay down for a moment,” he instructed, raising his voice over the patter of rain. “I want to make sure we’re far from the trolls before we stop to reseat ourselves.”
“Says the man without a mouth-full of antlioch wool,” Elmerah’s muffled voice replied, hitching with every bounce of the antlioch’s gait. “The trolls survived?”
“At least one did. I didn’t stay around long enough to check for heartbeats in the other two. Your magic is—”
“Pathetic, I know,” she grumbled. “It used to not drain me so dramatically, but I’m out of practice.”
“Pathetic was not the word I was going to use,” he muttered.
They continued trotting, but there was no sign of Saida or Merwyn. He didn’t want to take the time to dismount and track them, lest the trolls rouse themselves and catch up. Hopefully they hadn’t changed course.
They rode on in silence, far enough that he doubted the trolls would follow, even if they were able, then he finally allowed the antlioch to slow.
Elmerah pushed up from her belly and tried to wriggle her left leg onto the other side of the antlioch’s back, but she paused her movements halfway through, seemingly dizzy.
She started to sway, so he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her the rest of the way to a seated position in front of him.
“You can let go of me now,” she grumbled, clinging to the antlioch’s wool.
“Can I? You seem ready to fall on your face.”
She didn’t argue, indicating to him that her condition was more serious than she was letting on.
He kept his arm around her waist, and eventually she slumped her back against his chest.
“Does your m
agic drain you like this every time?” he questioned.
“No, just the lightning. It’s more difficult to summon and control than fire, though as you’ve seen, it’s far more effective.”
“You know, such powers could protect many in the coming war.”
She snorted. “I’ll be drained now for days. I’m truly not much use to anyone. Never have been.”
“Then why does your sister want you so badly?”
She sighed. “Rissine is far more sentimental than I.”
“So you really intend to just leave?” he pressed, unable to let the subject drop.
“This isn’t my home,” she grumbled. “You cannot expect me to feel the same way about the people here as you. Now can we please stop talking about this? If we’d actually had a morning meal, I’d be losing it right about now.”
“Fine,” he sighed. He’d spotted Saida and Merwyn ahead anyway. As he’d suspected they’d stopped to wait for them. Both were dismounted, standing silently beside the antlioch.
Saida’s head whipped in their direction as they neared. Her eyes wide, she hurried toward them.
“Are you well?” she asked, looking up at Elmerah.
“Hmph,” Elmerah replied, going limp against his chest.
He gave her a light shake, but she did not reply.
“She’s unconscious,” Saida scolded, reaching up toward Elmerah. “What happened?”
He leaned Elmerah’s torso toward Saida, who grasped her beneath the armpits and dragged her from the antlioch’s back. Once she had Elmerah down, she couldn’t quite hold her, and they both slowly toppled to the forest floor.
Merwyn hurried forward to join them, helping Saida roll Elmerah off her. Saida stared at Elmerah’s unconscious face.
“She used her magic to disable the trolls,” Alluin explained, sliding off the antlioch. “Though we must keep moving in case one of them wakes up. They are excellent trackers. Not to mention the other things this deep in the woods.”
Saida nodded, her attention mostly on Elmerah as she checked the pulse at her neck, then felt her forehead, for what little good it would do. “Her heartbeat is strong, and no fever. I imagine she’s just exhausted. She was a bit like this when we escaped our kidnappers, though she did not faint.”
“We must keep moving,” he said again. “Perhaps she’d be more comfortable if you ride with her.” He flicked his gaze to Merwyn, not enjoying the notion of riding with the smelly Akkeri, but he knew Elmerah was displeased with him. She’d not appreciate waking up in his arms once more.
“No,” Saida argued. “You’re as tall as she is. You can better hold her aloft.”
He looked at the Arthali witch sprawled on the forest floor. It was hard to believe such powerful magic came from such a crude, blustering woman.
“Alright,” he sighed, crouching to lift her. “She’ll have to go back on her belly though. It’s easier to hold her steady that way.”
Saida nodded. “Perhaps we can get her back to the—” she cut herself off, glancing at Merwyn. “The place where you took us before. She needs proper rest and care.”
Alluin thought it over. The hideout would be the best place for her . . . “But she doesn’t want to go back to the Capital,” he argued.
Saida placed her hands on her hips. “She just risked her life to save us, now she needs us to return the favor. She’ll be defenseless until she regains her strength.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, though he hated the idea for more reasons than one. While he didn’t want to deal with Elmerah’s whining once she awoke, he also knew bringing her back with him would put her in danger. It was one thing if she went willingly, ready to risk her life to save others, but it was quite another if she had no choice in the matter. If the emperor captured her, it would be entirely his fault.
“Help me get her back up,” he instructed. He took hold of one limp arm, while Saida took the other. They hoisted her, then with her feet dragging between them, they walked her toward the antlioch. When they reached it, he had to take Elmerah by the waist and lift her, as Saida was not tall enough to be of much help. Once he had her situated, he climbed up behind her, while Saida and Merwyn mounted the other antlioch.
Alluin glanced at the Akkeri, then to Saida. “You know we cannot bring him there.”
“I know,” she sighed as their antlioch began walking. “Merwyn and I will accompany you as far as we can, then you’ll have to take Elmerah the rest of the way on your own.”
“You’ll need supplies,” he argued, his own mouth quite dry, and his belly painfully empty. “If you can wait a day before departing for Faerune, I can bring them to you.”
“It would be appreciated,” Saida agreed. “I fear my chances of making it to Faerune are slim enough as it is.”
He could not argue. Chances were slim for them all. He only hoped Saida could reach Faerune to warn them before it was too late. They were the only possible ally the Valeroot elves had left.
Merwyn cleared his throat, drawing Alluin’s attention past Saida. The Akkeri’s chin drooped. His eyes darted about.
“If you have something to say, then say it,” Alluin ordered.
“I know of the tunnel into the city,” Merwyn admitted, “and of the Valeroot settlement.”
Alluin’s mouth went dry, and this time, not just from thirst. “W-what did you say?”
Merwyn avoided eye contact. “I have been in these woods a long time. Explored much. I followed Saida from the start.”
“You couldn’t have come through the tunnels,” Alluin balked, having to grab Elmerah before she slipped from the antlioch’s back. He’d been so distracted, he’d forgotten to brace her.
Merwyn shook his misshapen head. “No, not through the tunnels, but not hard to tell where they ended. The water flows through. I follow the water.”
He must have meant the stream flowing through the cave system. “So you figured out where the tunnel ended, but how did you enter the Capital unseen?”
“I’m small,” he explained, “like a child. With my face covered, no one questions a child.”
Alluin shook his head in disbelief. Or, not quite disbelief. The Akkeri had managed to follow Saida into the emperor’s castle. For someone so adept, entering the city gates would be easy.
“So you know about the tunnel, and the settlement,” he breathed. “Yet they have both still remained a secret.”
Merwyn shrugged, still looking down. “Why would I tell? I have no reason to tell. No reason to harm the friends of Saida.”
Alluin shook his head and turned forward. The Akkeri were age-old enemies of both Valeroot and Faerune elves, and now one knew of the hidden settlement. Yet, it hadn’t brought others of its kind down upon them.
“We will head straight for the settlement,” he breathed. He glanced at Saida. “It will be faster for you to resupply directly, and you can take one of the fed and rested antlioch to speed you on your journey.”
She smiled softly. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he muttered. “My uncle may very well have us all killed upon arrival, but I suppose it is a risk we must take.”
Merwyn seemed to wilt like a flower, trying to make himself as small as possible. It was odd seeing one of the normally blood-thirsty Akkeri acting so cowed, but Alluin supposed anyone would act in such a way when cut off from their kind. With the emperor’s new treaties, they were all just one step away from becoming like Merwyn. Cut off from their kind, and waiting for the final blow to fall.
Elmerah
Elmerah awoke in a hut full of elves. Something cold and wet was on her forehead, and a heavy blanket covered her body.
Unsure of where she was, she kept her eyes closed to mere slits, and shifted her hand beneath the blankets to her belt beneath her opened coat. Her cutlass was gone.
The four elves present, two males and two females, had their backs to her. Two other beds against the opposite wall were empty.
“We cannot let her go on her own,” one o
f the female elves whispered. “She’ll never make it.”
“Protecting our own kind is more important than warning Faerune,” one of the men argued. “We cannot spare any of our scouts for such a long journey, not when tensions are so high.”
“Perhaps we should just turn her in,” the other female elf whispered. “She’s the reason our kind are being questioned, after all. Just give the emperor what he wants, and perhaps he’ll leave us alone.”
Elmerah shot up in bed, tossing aside her blankets before grabbing a broomstick and holding it before her like a quarterstaff. A soggy wash cloth plopped from her head to the hard-packed earth floor. “You won’t be giving me to the emperor,” she growled.
All four elves turned startled expressions toward her.
The hide flaps serving as the hut’s door parted, revealing Alluin. “Ah, you’re up. We have much to discuss.”
She hurried over to him, broomstick still clutched against her chest. “Yes, we do. Your friends are talking about delivering me to the emperor.”
Alluin sighed. “No,” he said, giving each of them a cold look, “I imagine they are discussing Saida. All Valeroot elves in the Capital are being questioned by the militia on the whereabouts of a young Faerune priestess. A reward is being offered, as well harsh punishment for concealing her.”
Elmerah raised an eyebrow at him. “Is no one looking for a beautiful Arthali witch?”
He shook his head. “No, they are only asking about Saida.”
She glowered. “I faced the emperor and lived, and I don’t even get a bounty?”
He glanced at the four elves, now watching them quietly. “Perhaps we should discuss this outside.”
He held open the hide flaps for her, and she ventured out ahead of him. The soft purple and pink hues of dusk waited for her. Just how long had she been asleep?
Alluin joined her, then gestured for her to accompany him across the settlement toward the antlioch pens.
The Witch of Shadowmarsh (The Moonstone Chronicles Book 1) Page 16