“That's not true,” said the hunter. “I was just trying to make sure they had food and water. I was on my way to the empire and happened to come across these two. They looked like a bag of bones and I wanted to help them out.”
The Mage looked straight ahead as he nodded his head. “Stand in front of me Hunter. We need to be eye to eye.”
The hunter looked to the left and then to the right before climbing to his feet. The truth is, I actually felt a little sorry for him. Sometimes I was way too forgiving for my own good. Still, there was a little part of me that felt bad for him. Life was hard for everyone during these tough times, people were doing things they normally wouldn't do just to survive. Knowing this, I made a decision not to hold any grudges against the hunter.
As I took a step forward, I knew I could potentially save this mans life. “He didn't hurt us. Tell him to leave this area and to never come back. That is fair enough for us.”
A smile came upon the Hunters face as he nodded towards me with a sense of gratitude. “Thank you young man!” said the hunter with his hands together. “See, I knew they would tell the truth eventually. It's like the good book says, no good deed goes unnoticed. I'm just glad they are okay.”
The Mage seemed to lack any emotion as it was unclear how he felt about the situation. “We need to be eye to eye,” said the Mage. “Face me eye to eye. I will not ask you this simple request again.”
The hunter looked over at me as if he was waiting for me to say something. At this point, I wasn't sure what to say or do. His body was trembling as he faced the Mage eye to eye. There was a period of silence as the two remained eye locked. The cold air showed me how nervous the hunter was as there was a steady stream of smoke coming from his mouth.
“What is it,” the hunter asked. “You want me to tell you the truth eye to eye? Is that what we are doing?”
The Mage was frozen as there was no reply. Then, there was a booming sound as the man went flying into the air. Turning around, there was a large cloud of dust in the air. As the dust settled I could see that the man was now lying on the ground about a hundred feet away. His body seemed lifeless as there were no movements from him. It happened so quickly that he didn't even have a chance to make a sound.
Gavin got closer as we both couldn't believe what just happened. In front of us, the Mage pointed towards his wagon. “Get inside. I want the little one on the left with you on the right.”
Chapter Four
There were no words exchanged as we entered the wagon. After seeing what happened to the hunter, we knew better than to try and escape. There was no point. As we sat down the Mage took a seat across from us. Like magic, the white horses started to gallop as we were now on our way to who knows where. “Where are we going sir,” I asked.
The Mage held his watch into the air as it swung back and fourth. “Freedom is what you seek. Is that not correct?”
“That's correct,” I said. “It's not exactly easy being an elf nowadays. Everyone wants you for the wrong reasons. So, if you don't mind me asking, what is your reason?”
“Your people have suffered enough,” replied the Mage. “I see that and want to change it. How would you like to live just as you did before the war? Free and equal like everyone else. How does that sound?”
My body went up and down with each bump in the road as I didn't know how to reply. Glancing at Gavin, I wondered if he was as skeptical as me. Life had been so hard lately that I suppose I just expected more hardship. Perhaps I was becoming my own worse enemy though. My head gave a gentle nod as I tried my best to be optimistic. “That sounds amazing. How exactly does this work?”
“After the war, I gained control of the an entire kingdom. The Stonewood Kingdom to be exact,” replied the Mage.
“But, that was a kingdom of elves,” I said. “How did you gain control of an entire kingdom?”
“I know what you are thinking,” replied the Mage. “Don't worry. I didn't kill the elves myself. It was already infested with humans by the time I arrived. Didn't take much of an effort to get rid of them. They were half dead by the time I arrived. In fact, it was time that killed them more so than myself.”
“So time killed them all?” I asked.
“Well not all of them, but most,” replied the Mage as the wagon came to a halt. “It seems we have arrived.”
We continued to sit in the wagon as I noticed the Mage taking an interest in Gavin. “He doesn't say much does he? I suppose that is typical. Some of the greatest are usually short on words.”
Gavin looked up with a sense of urgency like a rodent who had just found his first meal of the day. “Some of the greatest? What do you mean by that?”
“Yes, there's no mistaken it. Those blue eyes are rare indeed. I can sense a fire that is burning deep inside of you. Like a tree that is waiting to erupt out of the wet ground.”
“Really?” Gavin asked with a look of surprise. “You really think I'm gonna do something great?”
“That's why I brought you here, the both of you,” replied the Mage. “I am the water for your tree. You just need to know when to water it. I am giving you both a chance of a life time.”
The Mage swiftly opened the wagon door as he signaled me to get out. Outside, was the most wonderful kingdom I'd ever laid my eyes upon. Tall walls made of stone that surrounded a large castle. Elves were everywhere. These elves were not like the ones we were use to seeing. They had purpose, a sense of life to them and were very well dressed. A stark contrast to the stragglers we would run across in the Greylands.
The wagon pulled away as I looked over at Gavin. “How about this? I told you we would find our freedom!”
Gavin smiled. It wasn't his new typical smile that I'd grown use to within the last few months. It was a real smile, one that was fueled by actual happiness. It was a subtle difference, but one I recognized. He held his hand in the air giving me a thumbs up like he would when we were kids. “I always believed you. I knew one day we would be free again! I wonder if this place has any buttered dough balls? Wouldn't that be amazing?”
I laughed as I put my hand on top of his head. “That's the first thing you want to find out here? If they have buttered dough balls? Trust me, those are the last things you need.”
He shook his head as he ran a little circles around me. His excitement reminded me of how Gavin was before the war. After our parents died, he put some of the blame on himself. But, I think he blamed me the most. It's true, I should have been home during the attack. Distractions happened though. Well, she was the girl I loved. If I'd known there was going to be an attack, I would have stayed home. It's something I regret every single day.
As Gavin continued to run around me, I wondered if he still held any resentment towards me. Round and round he went until the Mage grabbed his arm making him come to a halt. He wrapped one arm around Gavin while pointing towards the castle. “That is where I live.”
“Wow,” replied Gavin. “You live in that castle? Are you a king or something?”
“I suppose you could say that,” replied the Mage. “These are the beginning stages of my kingdom. There are many elves here who go on to become great knights. Some even know magic.”
“Magic? How do elves know magic?” asked Gavin. “Can you teach us magic? I would like to become the most powerful elf in the world!”
The Mage laughed as I wondered what Gavin meant exactly. I had never seen Gavin show such an interest in magic. Though, I suppose we never knew much about magic to begin with. It was something that was separate from the life we knew. Something that came from the north and should stay in the north. That is what we were told anyways.
The Mage looked at me as he signaled me towards the kingdom's entrance. Tall stone pillars that seemed unusually clean. Green grass as far as you could see covered with small stone homes. Elves were everywhere and they actually seemed happy. “This place is rather amazing sir. Where did all of the elves come from?”
“I found them,” replied the Mage.
“They belong to me. These elves have proved themselves. Just like you two will do.”
“Proved themselves?” I asked. “How exactly did they do that?”
He came to a stop right in front of a small stone house. “Look closely at this stone. Do you see how it glistens in the sunlight?”
Tilting my head to the side, I noticed some sparkles that grew in intensity with each movement I made. “Yes. There are little golden sparkles everywhere. Is that real gold?”
“When an elf proves himself, I make sure to take care of him,” said the Mage. “If you prove yourself, you too will have a home like this. You will become a permanent member of my kingdom. How does that sound?”
As I looked around I noticed several dozen of these homes. In the back of my mind, I could not help but wonder how exactly we must prove ourselves though. Something told me it wasn't going to be easy. “It sounds good sir. Must I slay a dragon or something to live in one of these homes? I might not be the best person for that if so. But, I am sure me and Gavin can be of use to your kingdom.”
“If you could slay a dragon you would be a special elf,” replied the Mage with a chuckle. “You will see soon enough what it takes to live here.”
Then, the Mage pointed towards a worn out wooden building in the distance. In fact, it seemed to be the only wooden structure in the kingdom. As we walked towards the structure we were met with many curious eyes. Some elves gathered around following us as we continued to walk. They didn't say anything, but it seemed it was something they were use to seeing. I waved my hand as I tried to look as friendly as possible.
As we entered the structure, I noticed two separate areas. One side of the room had a large bookshelf while the other was divided with bars. Inside the bars sat a small elf. The Mage pointed towards the barred room. “You will wait here.”
“Here?” I asked. “But this looks like some sort of prison. You said we would be free.”
His hand extended out as his watched dropped dangling in mid air. “You don't have much time. Inside you go.”
Gavin walked over to the metal bars as he examined them. “You are going to cage us up? I thought you were different.”
Placing both hands on Gavin's shoulders, the Mage looked him straight into the eyes. “It is only temporary. Trust me, it is for the best. The powerful will find a way out. You said you wanted to be the most powerful elf in the world. Was that not correct?”
“I meant it,” replied Gavin. “I really do wanna be the most powerful elf in the world.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” replied the Mage. “Now go ahead and step inside. This is the first step to your freedom.”
Chapter Five
Following Gavin into the cell, I wondered what was going to happen next. After entering, the Mage was gone. He had vanished without us even seeing it. In the corner sat a small elf. His arms were wrapped around his knees as he seemed a bit nervous. Rocking back and fourth, the elf started to mumble. It was hard to make out what he was saying. “Excuse me there,” I said.”Are you talking to yourself?”
The elf jumped to his feet and threw himself against the wall. “Leave me be! Just let me sit in my corner. All I wanna do is sit in my corner. Is that too much to ask?”
I signaled Gavin to the opposite side of the cell as the elf seemed pretty unpredictable. “Easy. We just want to properly introduce ourselves. We didn't mean any harm by it.”
Sliding down the wall, the elf collapsed back into his sitting position as he began rocking back and fourth again. “I don't belong here. Don't you know that? You'd have to be blind not to see it.”
“I'm sorry about your situation,” I replied. “But may I ask, why are we here? There must be a reason we are here. Can you tell us?”
His head shook back and fourth with intense speed. “We? Everyone is here for the same reason. You really don't know?”
“Well, yes. Kinda. I know we must prove ourselves,” I said. “How does the Mage sort out who is worthy and who is not?”
Like a rabid animal, the elf started to laugh uncontrollably as he displayed his sharp yellow teeth. “What's so funny,” I asked.
“You are,” replied the elf. “I'm sorry. It just amazes me to see you so calm right now. I just can't believe how calm you and your little friend are.”
“We are brothers,” I replied.
“Brothers?” asked the elf with a look of curiosity. “Oh dear. I shouldn't be laughing. That is indeed sad. I have never seen two brothers fight before.”
The word “fight” echoed in my head as it left his lips. “What do you mean fight? How could the Mage possibly expect us to fight? We are brothers.”
The elf stood up as he walked closer to me. He put his hands on my shoulders as a serious look came upon his face. “The Mage doesn't care. All he cares about is growing his kingdom. You are just a piece of time to him.”
“A piece of time?” I asked. “How are we just a piece of time?”
“He has a schedule,” replied the elf as he took his hands off my shoulder. “Why do you think he is so obsessed with that watch of his? Every single day he travels to the Greylands hoping to find new members for his kingdom. He gives everyone a single day. That's it. You have one day to prove yourself.”
The elf paced back and fourth as it seemed he was starting to make some sense. Looking back at Gavin, I didn't see much of a concern from him as I would have expected. “There's no way he's gonna make us fight Gavin. Don't worry, when he comes back we will talk to him.”
“Talk to him?” asked the elf. “You think you can talk some sense into him? Is that it? There is no backing out. You either fight or die.”
“Fight or die?” I asked. “Are you serious? You have seen this happen or have only heard about it?”
Walking over to the metal bars, the elf dragged his finger across them as there was a rattling sound. “Am I serious? Oh, I am just making this all up in my head. Of course I am serious. As a matter of fact, I was here once before. I fought. I was victorious. The crowd cheered for me and life was good.”
“So what happened?” I asked as I took a seat on the dirty brown floor. “Why must you prove yourself again?”
The elf took a seat next to me as he said, “There was a female. She was out there waiting for me. I suppose love is a strong force. The thought of her seeing another elf was just too much for me to bare. So, I tried my best to escape. Of course, that Mage with his pesky magic powers knew about it. As punishment he locked me up here.”
As we continued to talk I realized the elf was not as crazy as he first seemed. Instead, he was an elf full of sadness and lost hope. As we got deeper into the conversation, I worried what Gavin was thinking about in the opposite corner. His behavior seemed a little odd to me. “Come over here Gavin,” I yelled. “Don't you want to hear what we are talking about?”
Gavin got up as he slowly made his way towards us. Sitting down, he looked right at the elf. “What's your name?”
“They call me Herbert,” replied the elf. “Your a full blood aren't you?”
“That's what they tell me,” replied Gavin as if he didn't care. “My mother was a human while my father was an elf. Guess I didn't get any human qualities like Edmund did.”
I scratched my head as something bit me. “Great. Does this place have fleas or something?”
Herbert stood up as he let out a creepy little laugh. “You are worried about fleas? You do know that you two will be fighting within hours don't you? Only one will survive. That's the way it always is!”
Then, the door slammed open as the Mage entered the room. His black robe seemed to glide over the floor as he made his way in front of us. His small black eyes were directed right at Herbert with a high level of intensity. Suddenly, there was a loud popping sound as Herbert's body slammed against the bars. “What have I told you about talking to the guest? It was a very simple request wasn't it?”
Lodged against the cold metal bars, Herbert struggled to speak. “I'm...I'm
sorry. I didn't know not to say that,” he said while struggling for air. “Honest. I was just trying to be a good cell mate and make them feel welcomed. That's all it was, I promise.”
The Mage laughed as he held his hand into the air. Moving it to the left, Herbert followed as he was dragged across the bars. “Oh Herbert. First you try to escape and now this? It wasn't long ago that you showed some of the most potential in this kingdom. How could that be? Can you tell me what went wrong Herbert?”
Herbert's voice broke up as he could barely manage to speak at all. “It was a bad judgment on my part master. I didn't know how lucky I was to have a master like you. I was a fool to ever want to leave such a lovely kingdom.”
Herbert fell to the ground as the Mage lowered his hands. “That is much better. A happy elf is a better elf. That's not so hard to remember is it?”
Mage Fade Page 2