by Mike Ezekiel
As they were finishing their supper, the Elves brought in a huge dish with sweets on it. Kerwyn loved sweets and finally took his mind off the girl of his dreams and scooped up one of the gooiest and delectable deserts that he had ever tasted. It was covered in a layer of thick honey and had pulverized sugar cane sprinkled over the top of a bread pastry. There was a hint of blended cinnamon and clover that he had never had in his life. This had to be the tastiest thing he had ever eaten in his life. Erlina, seeing Kerwyn had some of the honey running down his chin, reached over and wiped the corner of his mouth with her silk handkerchief.
Kerwyn not knowing what to do said around a mouthful of the wonderful sweets, “Ummm thank you, but I could have gotten that later. It is so tasty I would have made sure that I would have eaten everything to the last drop.” Realizing what he said, he blushed a deep crimson and looked down, feeling like a fool in front of this beautiful girl who also had honey coloured hair and the most magnificent blue eyes that could capture a soul and not release it for a thousand years. Kerwyn not knowing what else to do now reached up to take the silk handkerchief from her hand ended up somehow accidently grabbing her hand and pulled it to his lap. Not realizing that he still held her hand captive, she reached over with her other hand and placed it on his closed hands. Looking down he saw that he did not only have her one hand on his hand but that he was in fact holding her other hand in his.
With a mischievous grin she said, “I think you are a really sweet man but I think we should get to know one another a little bit better before we start holding hands in public, don’t you? Unless you would like to stand up and ask my mother for my hand in marriage?” Winking at him she started to giggle and blush. All the people sitting close enough to hear the bantering started to laugh and tap the table with merriment, calling for Kerwyn to ask for the princess’s hand in matrimony.
Kerwyn, unsure as to what to do, jumped up from the table, blushing for the entire world and looking like a ruby red tomato. He fled from the great hall an Erlina, realizing that she might have teased him a bit too far, got up and ran after Kerwyn.
Master Sernett turned to face the Queen for fear of her being insulted, but all she did was smile back at Master Sernett and say, “My daughter seems to be taken with your Kerwyn, Master Sernett. It has been a very long time since I have seen my daughter smile the way she smiles at your young wizard. I would give anything to have my daughter happy and laughing again. If only spending time with your young wizard would make that happen. I welcome you and your company to come and live with us for a time and learn all that you can from my people. Please accept our offer and be our guests for a while. We have never invited anyone to come and stay with us to learn our ways in a very long time. In fact, I think the last time was when your own Master was just a young wizard also.”
Master Sernett did not know that his Master had come here and stayed with the Elves. He had guessed at it many times but his Master would never tell him straight out if he was right or not.
Turning back to his dessert, Master Sernett had some thinking to do and not only about this quest that they seemed to be on. However, he now wanted to know what his Master had learned from the Elves and what he himself might learn regarding his own past. Breaking the silence and his thoughts the queen held up her hand and said, “Honoured guests and family; it is time for the festivities to commence. Let the singing and dancing begin.”
Leaning towards Master Sernett the Elvin queen said in a hushed whisper, “Master Sernett you and I need to have a talk in private very soon. Also, I would very much like to take a look at that staff you have. It almost looks Elvin made but it does not have the same type of magical presence about it. I am very curious who else could have forged such an amazing staff as that. I would very much like to hear your story and how you came to be with it.”
Nodding towards the queen, Master Sernett agreed to meet with her whenever she wished a private audience with him. Looking back over his shoulder he was wondering how Kerwyn was doing and then brushed the thought away as he knew the pretty blonde elf wouldn’t have any trouble turning Kerwyn’s bad mood to a happy one in no time at all.
chapter five
LEARNING ABOUT THE ELVES
Erlina chased after Kerwyn and caught up with him just outside of the Great Hall. Both of them entered the courtyard and each held their silence until they were at the very center of the courtyard where a huge fountain was running water from some exotic species of water sprite that Kerwyn was unfamiliar with. Staring deeply into the pool, Erlina finally broke the silence.
“Please forgive me, Master Kerwyn, I was only teasing. I did not mean any offence and if I have offended you I truly apologize. I have been alone for a long time and to have a person around that looks to be about the same age as I am, I guess I went a little too far with my teasing. The problem about being an Elf is we live for so long that children are very few and far in between.”
“Princess, I took no offence from what you had said. You are a princess and a royal Elf. You are allowed to speak to a common human any way you would like to and I wouldn’t take any offence to what you had said,” Kerwyn said, still afraid to look up from the pool of the fountain.
“Master Kerwyn, you are anything but a common human. I overheard my mother say that you are the most important human in the entire world and anything that we can do for you we are to do. So again, please accept my apology and let’s start over,” Erlina said reaching out her hand to shake Kerwyn’s.
Smiling at the gesture, Kerwyn reached out and shook her hand. Finally making eye contact, Kerwyn’s smile faded from his face as her eyes captured his every thought and his soul. Startled and maybe a little embarrassed, Kerwyn tried to release her hand, but found that his hand was firmly stuck in her hand and that she would not let him go.
“Kerwyn, why do you resist my contact with you? Am I not pleasant to touch? You look upon me as though you are afraid that I am an Ogre in disguise. True that I am an Elf and you are a human but we are still young adults and I know that you have looked upon me and we have felt the spark touch our souls. You are a very handsome man and I know that even though you are a human, my mother would approve of you courting me.”
Embarrassed, Kerwyn coughed and started to have trouble breathing. Erlina realized that he could not breathe and released his hand to pound him on the back and try to dislodge whatever was making him choke. Kerwyn unable to stop, tried to move away from her where he could regain his composure and backed up, holding up his hands for her to stay where she was.
“Kerwyn, what is the matter, what can I do to help you? Do you need me to go and get your Master or one of our Elvish healers?” Erlina asked, concerned for his well-being.
The coughing fit finally subsided and Kerwyn slowly regained his composure. He stood for a moment just breathing in and out slowly while he thought about what he needed to say to her.
“Erlina, what do you mean your mother would approve? You and I are not spoken for. You are an Elf and I am just a mere mortal human. How could we ever be together as you will live forever and I will die?” Kerwyn asked.
Laughing Erlina reached over and patted him on the cheek and said, “Just a mere mortal human are you? And here I thought that you were a mighty wizard. One who might just end up being the Legendary Wizard of long past come back to save the land once again.”
Now it was Kerwyn’s turn to laugh, “You think I, an apprentice wizard could really be the Legendary Wizard of long ago?” Kerwyn started to choke again from laughing at the thought of it. Slowly regaining his composure, he looked into Erlina’s ice blue eyes and stopped laughing instantly. Realizing that she was not laughing with him and she was looking very seriously into his eyes like two daggers going straight into his head.
“Erlina, I am just an apprentice wizard, I am nothing like the Legendary Wizard from so long ago. From what my Master tells me, he was an All Powerful Wizard and was able to defeat the Dark Master in battle. I have never been
in a fight without my Master there to save me.” That was not entirely true but Kerwyn did not want to think about it.
“Kerwyn, do you take me for a fool? I am 198 years old; I am not just a girl. I have been trained by some of the most powerful Elvish wizards in the world. I know when I can feel the One Power in someone who has an immense control over it. In addition, I know from overhearing my mother that you have the grace of Mother Nature herself. That the power you have at your command makes even our master wizards look small in comparison. Why do you want to make me think that you are some weakling? I can see with my own eyes that you are much more than just a mere human wizard.” Crossing her arms, Kerwyn could tell that she was getting upset at him. Shaking his head, he started to say that he really was just an apprentice when the alarm gong started to sound.
“Kerwyn! We have to get inside fast. Somehow something has breached the protective barrier. Let’s go back quickly.”
As they started to run back along the same way that they had come, a dozen giant figures stepped out in front of them. All had enormous hands and Tree stumps as clubs. These dead, brownish tree like creatures were the Wood Trolls Master Sernett had taught Kerwyn about but it made no sense to see so many of them together. Was it mating season for them? Usually only mating trolls would ever group together unless there was something different going on. The biggest wood troll pointed at Kerwyn and roared. Hearing it, the rest attacked, running at Kerwyn and Erlina. Kerwyn tried to think of a spell. Erlina put up her hand and called out “Veneficus Require!” and six magic missiles shot from her hands and slammed into the nearest troll. Unfortunately, these did not seem to have much of an effect on the oncoming trolls. Kerwyn thought really hard and then instinct took over and he yelled “Incendia Orbis!” out flew a fireball that was three feet wide and burning with the heat of the sun. It slammed into the closest troll and it burst into splinters and burned in the air for a few seconds. The other trolls were scared of fire and stopped where they were and wondered what they were going to do with a human who was able to hurt one of their own with magical fire.
Erlina seeing that fire was the way to go cast her own fireball spell at the trolls. “Incendia orbis!” and an orb about one foot in diameter flew from her hand and caught another of the big trolls, not blowing it up like Kerwyns had but at least setting it on fire.
The trolls, not liking the fire, started to advance again and were going to put the fires out by using the human and elf’s blood.
Just then arrow after arrow began slamming into the bark of the Wood Trolls with a thump, thump, thump! If these beasts were not magical the rain of arrows would have ended their existence quickly, but since they were magical creatures, the normal elvish arrows had little effect. Elvin warriors jumped out of the trees and started to attack the trolls but this too was met with little success. Running through the clearing the Cyclopes joined in the battle. Baldred pulled out his new bow and arrows and started shooting the trolls. Magic arrows seemed to make the trolls stop and feel the pain as they penetrated the hard outer skin and bite into the softer meat underneath. About half of the trolls that were already in the fight turned away from Kerwyn and Erlina and started to engage the on coming elves in battle. Celie and Byamee took out their new swords and began chopping at the nearest trolls. Their new swords were cutting the trolls and were hurting them. This made the wood trolls fight back with much more hatred and anger. Elden took out his new spear and was stabbing the nearest troll to him. One wood troll got a lucky shot in with its own club to Elden’s head and knocked him unconscious. Durin watching his companion go down jumped into the fight with all the passion and gusto that only a dwarf could possess and started attacking with his new silver hammer. Whack after whack went the hammer Durin beat the troll away from Elden, breaking off huge chunks off the troll’s tough skin. Backing it up into the line of fire, Baldred finished off one more troll and sent it to its death.
From the edge of the clearing five fireballs flew towards the trolls, hitting their targets. The wood trolls screamed and the smell of burning wood and flesh fill the air. Master Sernett was one of the fireball hurlers along with four other elvin wizards.
Kerwyn, seeing four of the trolls still advancing, felt panic rise in him. Looking over at Erlina his fear increased as one of the trolls had made it almost close enough to touch her. Without even realizing he had done it, Kerwyn had drawn on the One Power and had cast a spell. The troll closest to Erlina started to dissolve into a puddle as acid was sprayed upon it from Kerwyn’s open hand. Screaming in agony, the troll tried reaching out toward Erlina for the final kill before it died. She was ready for it and cast one of her own spells, “Igneus Manuum of Incendia!” Fire erupted from her fingers and sprayed the troll in a bath of super hot flames ending its life before it could do any damage to anyone.
With three trolls left to deal with, Kerwyn was getting mad and cast another spell at one of the other trolls that had just hit one of the elves with a sickening smack that made him fly away to hit a tree and land in a heap at the base of it.
“Chain Levitas Offendo!” Kerwyn yelled, taking in all the trolls that were still moving around trying to get him and kill the elves. All of a sudden from the sky came an explosively loud noise. “Boom, zzzz, boom, clap, zzzz.” Chain lightning started striking all of the trolls and they all burst into flames. The elves backed off from their advance, mesmerized at the shear power of the chain lightning attack. Within moments all of the trolls were turned into burnt puddles of ash and goo.
Silence, the aftermath of the attacks has turned the clearing into total silence. No one wanted to say a word, move, or make any sound at all. Kerwyn was the first to speak, “Well that went better then I had hoped for. Who knew that so much chain lightning would rain down and bring death to every one of the Wood Trolls? These creatures should not be here anyway. I wonder how they got through the elvin barrier?”
With that last comment, Kerwyn noticed that everyone was looking at him. Not a sound could be heard coming from any one of them. They were all just standing there staring at him as if he was some sort of god. Feeling uneasy, he called out to his Master, “Master how are you; are you well? The trolls didn’t get to you did they?”
As fast as all had gone quiet so too was the speed by which all became noisy again. The elves started tracking down their wounded and helping them. From the fight, they found that there were fourteen elves seriously injured and one elf had been killed by one of the raging wood trolls with a lucky swing of his club. This Elf had been the one who Kerwyn saw hit and crash into the tree. He had seen the elf go down into unconsciousness, but the elf had succumbed to his wounds as he had internal bleeding that could not be stopped in time.
Byamee started calling out orders for his Cyclopes warriors to go to Elden and find out how badly his injuries were. Turns out Elden was hit in the head and was knocked unconscious but his new elvish helmet that had reminded Kerwyn of a peacock had saved his life and the helmet did not even have a dent or scratch on it. Shaking his head, Elden started to come around and everyone knew that he would be ok.
Kerwyn turned to see that Erlina was all right but saw that she was sitting on the ground crying. He went over and sat down beside her.
“I knew Auberon since I was born,” she wept, “He used to babysit me when I was just a youngling. He was a great warrior and a close friend of the family. I cannot believe that wood trolls have killed him. How did they get through the barrier? Auberon should still be alive. He was like a father to me.” Erlina broke down and was crying harder now. Kerwyn, unsure of what else to do, reached out and put his arm around her, pulling her close to him. Erlina needing the comforting hug snuggled into his chest and continued to cry. Kerwyn wrapped his other arm around her and sobbed quietly, feeling her grief and the grief of all the people present in the clearing at losing one of their own.
“My people, we need to get to the barrier and find out how those foul wood trolls found their way through our protection, �
��the Queen started away towards the barrier without a second look back as she knew that at least her personal guard would follow her. Being who she was, she was never left alone, as she had been their beloved Queen for the last thousand years.
Erlina hearing her mother’s words grabbed a hold of Kerwyn’s hand and told him to get up, that she wanted to be there when they found out what had happened to the protective barrier. Heading toward the barrier, Kerwyn took one last look at the charred remains of the wood trolls that he had killed and felt a little sick as he had killed most of them without a second thought about taking some evil creatures life away.
As they were walking towards the barrier, the queen said in a loud voice, “My people; we are not alone. There are goblins in our...” The queen stopped talking suddenly as there was a goblin arrow sticking out from her shoulder and dripping with her blood. Erlina screamed and summoned the One Power. She cast the same light spell that Kerwyn’s Master had taught him. Light filled the area where the barrier used to be and there hiding in the undergrowth and all around trees and all over the place were hundreds of goblins. Kerwyn filled himself with the One Power and cast his fireball spell at the nearest group of goblins, engulfing about twenty of them in flames. Hearing their death screams, the goblin hoard attacked. The light spell now darkened as arrow after arrow was let loose to fly towards the elvin group. One of the elvin wizards cast a protective shield spell and the first wave of arrows bounced harmlessly away. Hearing the sounds of battle, all the elves came running to join in the battle. The elvin archers took aim and let fly their own arrows. Goblins tumbled on top of each other as they were impaled and died. Another elvin wizard cast a spell of sleep on a group of them and they fell to the ground snoring. Master Sernett cast his light spell as well, trying to blind and spook the goblins back into the darkness, as they do not like bright light. The elves taking advantage of this kept shooting their arrows killing the goblins as they went. Kerwyn thought back to what his master had taught him about goblins and remembered a creature that hates goblins. Gathering the One Power into himself, he channelled the spell into the summoning spell of his choice, “Vocal a Redondo of Mudpuppies!” With and audible sucking in of the air and a loud pop, there was now a hundred mudpuppies on the ground. These three to four foot long creatures, which are a member of the dragon lizard family and they absolutely hate goblins. Kerwyn watched as the mudpuppies started to attack the goblins and realized that he not only was able to summon that many mudpuppies, but that he had remembered what his master had taught him about goblins.