by K. A. Lentz
Elvor flashed a bright, cocky smile before arrogantly stating, “Well then, cheer up, because that’s another bit of news I have to relay. I know where he went and I need you to find out why.”
Tahlan visibly perked and turned to face his king. The commanding wood-elf laughed aloud at this blatant act of interest, and then proceeded to tell the story of an attack on four ships’ captains, a reaper’s slave, and a reaper herself two years ago. Tahlan quietly sat through the entire recount. For a time afterward he continued to sit in silent contemplation. Elvor refused to wait for his friend’s reaction any longer and exclaimed in a flabbergasted tone, “Tah I know you’re stunned, but say something! I’ve been waiting to tell you this for two years.”
Laughing a little at his friend’s exasperation, Tahlan asked, “How could he possibly kill a reaper… alone? I do not know what to think. Has he been capable of killing reapers this entire time? Why did his master suddenly send him off to kill another of her kind? Do they not need each other to keep this world together? Great tree! What happened to Eltine’s domain? Was it… as the old stories tell?”
Shaking his head, the king replied, “The council and I have been seeking answers to all these questions since the attack, and we’ve only been able to find a scarce few.” Elvor’s face went desperately sad as his voice dropped to a mournful whisper, “Yes the old stories are true… her domain did indeed deconstruct, many of the beings caught within were lost as it collapsed. Most along the borders were able to flee, but the rest are considered beyond life now.”
The king paused for a fat second but then continued his recount with a business like tone to shove away the pain, “There were two serving girls within the cabin when Eltine was killed; one we questioned—gaining the bulk of the information we know from that night—and the other… committed suicide before we could find her. The surviving servant spoke of Eltine declaring war and Lesdaeonna’s slave killing her in response. I tell you, there is definitely something different than the rest about this one; Lesdaeonna did something the others did not when she created him. He may yet prove to be an ally against the reapers themselves.”
The last remark caused Tahlan to visibly stiffen. Elvor once again acted quickly to soothe his angered friend, “No, no my brother, don’t get upset. Think on it before you react with judgment and not wisdom. This one is unlike the others in all but one; he still does what he’s told. Never has this slave left a path of cruelty and death as the others have. With enough consistency to be counted upon, the marks he is after are often the only ones to die; rarely are the bystanders hurt or even killed. The council has wondered if he can be persuaded to divulge information. If there were…”
Interrupting his friend Tahlan incredulously stated, “You think I do not know all of this? Yes, I will agree he is not a complete butcher, but the fact still remains that if I come in contact with him… I will find a way to end him and reclaim Tahlen. I could never work with his murderer even for the betterment of all reality… I will reclaim my brother.”
Tahlan’s last words made the room turn cold. Threatening its occupants with total darkness, the chamber’s runes began flickering with a dim, blue light. Both looked around at the change before Elvor declared, “You’re upsetting the tree, Tah; you must calm your anger. We will talk on this later when you’ve had more time to think on all I’ve told you. For now, you’re to go see your mate and relax until morning. I shall summon you after midday; a briefing will be required before you depart on this next quest. Oh, and don’t say I didn’t warn you about Kaiyssa’s insistence. I do believe you will need to assign her a post for your journey. Now go, and that is an order.”
The subordinate wood-elf could do nothing but stand, bow, and exit the room. Elvor’s views on Lesdaeonna’s slave ignited a knot of worry deep within his stomach. If he was required to work with the murderous being now inhabiting his brother, he may truly defy his people for the first time. Inhaling a calming breath, he forced himself to give the council’s request a night’s contemplation. He would visit Kaiyssa and continue down the path he had chosen come dawn. His thoughts paused on his mate; he would have to talk her out of coming if he chose to accept the council’s quest. Tahlan felt deeply the sorrow of their continued separation and—same as she—wished they could always be together. However, he couldn’t allow it… despite his own strong temptations. In the end she would do as he asked and that pained him as well. Demanding his requests was not in his nature, yet in times like this he felt he must. His last thought failed to soothe the overwhelming guilt now churning within his soul.
Tahlan had been adrift in an ocean of thought from the moment he left Elvor’s side. He paid no mind to the decorations and merriment lining every path of the great wood-elf grove. Many wished him a joyous festival as he walked by, hailing him by name for his return, but his ears were filled with words his mate would likely voice to plead her case. Choruses of songs were sung while elaborate magic tricks had been performed before his eyes, but Tahlan failed to see them, instead he walked the lonely streets of grief and worry right up to the front door of his house.
Nestled in a small grove belonging to his family, the tree Tahlan called home was not the largest, yet it was by far the most unique. Dwarfed from above by surrounding trees twice its size, Tahlan’s residence was a stout weeping willow from the odd origin of earth’s fifth-realm. Unlike other trees within the city, planted from seeds borne to each grove by their elvish ancestors, this tree had been a gift to Tahlan’s young grandfather shortly before the gate was sealed. Helped along with wood-elf magic, the weeping willow grew large enough for his family to live in and possessed a semi-actualized personality of its own. As he approached his beautiful home, the tree’s comforting spirit called to his soul.
Nervous to see her after three years apart, Tahlan froze on the front porch of his house. Unbeknownst to him Kaiyssa stood by a window just above, hiding from view. She stared down with excitement, and worry, as her mate remained stock-still with one hand raised to the door’s latch. He’s going to leave without saying a word. No sooner had she thought this worry before her fear came true. Flattening his palm against its polished wooden surface, Tahlan agonized over it all. I cannot do it. I cannot go in and inform her that I refuse to let her accompany me. Her pain would heighten mine and then I would be powerless to deny her. Mustering what strength he had to spare, Tahlan pressed two fingers to his lips and placed his ghost kiss upon the door to their beloved home. Sighing heavily, he turned and trudged back to tell Elvor he would accept the council’s quest and leave immediately.
This didn’t go as smoothly as planned. After a decided debate with his life-long friend, including a lengthy segment in regard to his total lack of disregard for orders, Tahlan set off in search of scouts to fill his traveling party. Along the way a former student-in-arms hailed him and requested to join the hunt. Knowing him to be a capable fighter, Tahlan issued his first order of business and sent the scout off to gather provisions for their journey. Walking on, he planned to hurry his way through the next task and get out of the city as fast as possible. Acting the coward weighted heavily on his mind, but it was better this way… or at least he kept telling himself that.
By midnight, Tahlan’s party of three left the City of Trees. In an attempt to cover as much ground as they could endure, the commanding wood-elf pushed his kinsman hard through the night. He knew if they made good time Kaiyssa would be unable to keep up… that is, if she had been so inclined to follow in the first place. Come supper time on the second day he announced a stop for the night, secure in his hefty lead. It wasn’t until the fifth day that Kaiyssa finally caught up with him. Her mate was bent over placing the wood-elf version of a fire—lacking any actual burning wood—when he heard someone saunter up behind him. Readying for combat, Tahlan jumped to his feet, yet relaxed as his nose inhaled the sweet scent of his mate gliding on the breeze heralding her arrival.
Turning to face her, Tahlan crossed his arms and said, “K
aiyssa, my love, you cannot come with me. You may stay this evening, however, by morning we set off in opposite directions. I will not hear you argue on this.”
Gazing up at her mate with an eyebrow raised Kaiyssa walked past without a word, acting as though nothing was amiss. Tahlan was not one to be routed from his topic. Continuing on he commanded, “Do not give me that look my love. You will only endanger us both if you accompany me. Elvor must have informed you where he is sending me. It is not safe for me… let alone the both of us.”
Kaiyssa listened to her love while removing a pair of rabbits from over her shoulder and tying them to a low hanging branch. Unsheathing a dagger in her boot, she set to work butchering their dinner. As he produced a litany of excuses requiring her to stay home, she pulled a spice box from her laden shoulder-bag, a handful of mushrooms, a pair of tubers, and then set to finalizing the prep-work of their meal. Tahlan got about halfway through his one sided debate when he realized it was just that. In an uncertain tone he sighed, “You are not listening to me are you?”
“Sweet love, you know I’m always listening. I simply… don’t agree with your view on the matter and, as you can see, I’m fixing dinner.” After making such a bold statement Kaiyssa had the gall to gaze up with a contented expression on her face. Suddenly feeling defeated, Tahlan kneeled down and began helping with dinner.
When at home, the couple shared each household responsibility; working as a seasoned team to tend the daily chores. Yet after being gone so long, he had lost confidence and felt nervous even doing simple tasks beside her. Trying to relieve some of the tension building within, Tahlan looked over at his mate and asked, “So, how was it that you were able to not only catch up with me, but find time to hunt and gather dinner? I left the very night I returned and ran hard the first two days. I have been sustaining on rations gathered by young Gowan; we have not even stopped to hunt.”
Routing around his question she declared, “I knew that was the lad… and fine choice in Elliegan as well.”
With a knowing expression Tahlan questioned again, “Now my love… how was it you caught me and managed to hunt?”
“You’ve been gone for three years; I’ve gained a few skills along the way.” Eyes dancing with mischief she avowed in an impish tone, “I’m giving up my herbalist ways and have decided once again to focus on the better part of battle!”
Adding flare to her last statement, she stood tall with her hunting knife raised over head in triumph. Looking back down at her hunched mate, Kaiyssa flashed a beaming smile before adding a wink for charm. Laughing Tahlan exclaimed, “Your grandmother was a pixie!”
She sucked in a mock gasp asserting, “Why, my love, you wound me! Besides all will become clear in the morning when we set off for the front. Now don’t give me that look. I have an idea you might like if only you would sit… be quiet, and listen. Well in the morning that is!”
Tahlan made a quick grab for her but, female wood-elves being more agile, she dodged his grasp and left him grabbing air. Coming to the obvious conclusion Kaiyssa wasn’t going to listen tonight, he stood up, tucked in his chin, and gave chase. Caught up in the moment he was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to enjoy a night with his mate; tomorrow he would show her reason and send her home… as was best. Kaiyssa also came to her own conclusions regarding the course of the next day’s events. She figured they would spend tonight free from the pressures of the world, but tomorrow she would speak her mind and he would see the truth of her reasoning.
Neither got the chance to tell the other how they felt come morning. Near dawn Elliegan and Gowan shook both elves awake making silent gestures to remain quiet. The small group of four quickly worked to clear the camp, each driven to near panic by the need to flee an indomitable threat bearing down on them.
At the other end of their long, thin valley roamed a frightening party of reaper minions. Though usually small in number, their powerful leader made up for such shortcomings with its raw, unbridled magic. Born, bred, and trained by Reapers in the darkest arts, each villainous mage is sacrificed at the height of their magical prowess and endowed with abilities no revenant should possess. Like a vampire after blood, these malicious ghosts drain every spark of energy from their unfortunate victims by means of their fiery soul burning within. Retaining full necromantic power in the afterlife, a reaper’s lich excels at summoning wraiths to their side and may raise any corpse from the dead to serve their will for a short time. Unlike their lichen masters, however, these weak yet fiendish ghouls bear no shackle forbidding them from preying on cities and villages throughout the land. Thankfully a lich’s limited mental control restricts their deadly retinue to a few minions each, reigning in any bloodthirsty master from raising an army against the wishes of their reaper.
Hastily packing her few bags strewn about Kaiyssa stopped mid-stuff as her gaze darted to Tahlan, alarm marring her beautiful eyes. Catching their scent the raiding party had begun to hone in on their campsite, traveling as fast as their incorporeal existence would allow. Leaving whatever belongs still lay about, the party of four raced up the valley wall, hoping to fade into the woods on the other side of the mountain’s peak. All were nearly out of sight when Elliegan began to scream in agony. Stopping in his tracks, the wood-elf ripped and clawed at his charred, smoking skin. Seeing the horror their comrade was forced to endure, the remaining three fled with renewed haste. Lasting the full length of an excruciating minute Elliegan’s body assiduously burnt to ash, his conscious mind the last to be consumed by the lich’s magical inferno. When his murder was complete a light breeze slowly chipped away at the wood-elf’s cremated corpse and carried his crumbling husk into the forest as it raced his kin up the hillside.
Tahlan had a tight hold on Kaiyssa’s hand and was all but dragging her up the mountain. Gowan had taken off in the opposite direction, running as hard from the other two as his legs would allow. With her free hand, Kaiyssa started haphazardly rummaging through the large haversack hanging across her chest. Tahlan heard her chirp of triumph just before she dug her heels into the forest floor. In reaction he simply threw a brief glare over his shoulder and commenced trying to pull her along. Kaiyssa, in turn, tugged hard at her hand and, when he finally turned again, waved a delicate horn in front of his stunned face.
Upon seeing the horn, Tahlan stopped in his tracks and proceeded to stare mouth agape while allowing her to make use of it. Taking in a large breath, she pressed the horn to her lips and blew out a note that began in a series of liquid warbles and ended with a resounding whistle. Tahlan deemed the one call sufficient and instantly resumed their flight through the woods. Kaiyssa did her best to continue blowing the horn as they fled, yet at a run it proved a challenge. She managed two more, solid calls while her eyes desperately searched the skies.
Crashing through a hedge of thick brush, they came upon a game trail that hadn’t seen traffic for some time. Tahlan turned sharply onto the welcoming path and made a break for the meadow visible through a hole in the dense foliage; Kaiyssa also spotted the clearing ahead. Trying to blow the horn once more with clarity, she took in hurried gulps of air and expended each one to the task. As the elves broke through the last barrier of underbrush and into the lea, two shadows loomed overhead growing larger by the moment. Turning in fear, Tahlan was struck by the sight of two, mature lanius griffons landing between them and their previous path. As big as draft horses, the griffons tore at the ground with their massive front talons in a clear display of their eagerness to leave. Quick as they could, Tahlan and Kaiyssa made their way to each griffon and started mounting their only safe exit. Kaiyssa was just about to jump atop hers when the unfortunate creature loosed a horrible screech, thrashing and clawing at her surroundings. Tahlan’s griffon took a step toward his mate, but could only watch as she suffered the same fate as Elliegan. Pawing hard at the ground, the lone griffon threw its head back and let loose a furious screech.
Fear speeding her movements, Kaiyssa leapt behind Tahlan and gripped tight t
o his waist. Giving one more infuriated roar at his dying mate, the griffon reluctantly pushed off and climbed high into the air. Hoping to get a glimpse of the horror that pursued them, Kaiyssa careened around to diligently watch the clearing. Just as it threatened to vanish from sight, her efforts proved true and their enemy stepped into the meadow’s light. It was a single raiding party boasting the rare leadership of two liches. Enduring a horrible shiver racing down her spine, Kaiyssa tightly hugged Tahlan and closed her eyes against shocked relief that they managed to escape.
The trio flew southeast until the sun was highest in the sky, and then turned south for yet another hour before unexpectedly stopping. Barely touching down, the griffon violently shook his elvish passengers from his back and took to the skies once more. Tahlan yelled after him, but it was no use, the beast was rapidly shrinking into the distance toward the western mountain range.
Coming up behind her mate, Kaiyssa put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Don’t fret my love, he’ll be back. I’m sure of it. He goes now to mourn his mate upon the peaks of the mountain. They’ve been mated for two hundred years now… she was a beautiful griffon.”
Turning to face his love, Tahlan quietly stared down at her tear streaked face for a minute before speaking, “How is it you came to know this pair? And, more interestingly, how did you acquire a griffon horn?”
Dabbing at her eyes, Kaiyssa gave him a faint smile before answering, “Well, about twenty-two years ago, I was in the western kingdom, treating the wounded from the southwest Reaper front…”