The Stone of Elsira

by Scott Kennedy

  Arna was interrupted by Vesser.

  “Why did you marry Magnus?”

  “Soon after I returned to Adlok and had given aid to my family, your grandfather insisted that for a revolution to take place, we'd need intelligence from the inner circle of the Royal Council. I thus got acquainted with Magnus for this purpose and eventually married him so that I could gain the deepest possible insights on the intel we needed. Although, to my surprise I ended up settling down with him more comfortably than I'd planned to.

  “I would have never guessed though, that you were working with grandfather? I mean you gave no sort of real clues with regard to this secret life you were living?”

  “I only provided intel for you grandfather for ten years. I'm not really sure what happened to myself following that, but I suppose the lifestyle we lived, you know... posh, wealthy and privileged in the inner district kind of turned me complacent and the revolution had made no real progress. But when I saw what Lord Auberon really was – that is what he has been this entire time – a vampire lord, my old self was reborn; a renaissance.”

  “A vampire lord?”

  “Indeed, my senses just picked it up – it’s almost like he was no longer caring to conceal his dark demeanour. The energy was also tremendous in the Longhouse, so much so that even a non-magic sensitive person would have been able to feel it. I fear he may have obtained a magical object of immense power, which he likely used to bewitch those civilians who attacked us earlier.”

  Vesser looked onwards, happy to have finally heard the truth, but also felt a little uneasy. Here was her mom, revealing a side of herself Vesser would have never imagined; talking about magic, elves, vampires... all things that Vesser thought were only mere fantasies.

  Arna pulled out her wand and displayed it to Vesser.

  “This wand was given to me by my Elven Master. I had it locked away in a safe this whole time; fortunately now it feels as good as ever.”

  “Do you think dad, you know... the real dad is out there somewhere?” Vesser asked, with an air of apprehension.

  “Maybe so, let’s not dismiss that hope, even though it’s been so many years. We ought to pass by the village sometime where I met him and see if he's still there. Firstly, however, we're going to seek refuge in Cross-river village, and see if we can find some magic-sensitive people there.”

  Vesser looked at her mother in slight disarray, “Magic sensitive?”

  “Regarding people who are conscious of things that other people aren't.”

  “Would you say that I am magic sensitive?” Vesser asked, looking forward in anticipation.

  “There are but a few people born into this world naturally magic sensitive. Most learn the art either directly or indirectly. Now that we are out of that miserable city, maybe I can teach you a thing or two.”

  Vesser continued to walk alongside her mother for the next few minutes and then was hit by an epiphany. She remembered what her mother recently told her; that she was now reborn, and that a renaissance had blossomed from within her. Vesser realised that the same thing had happened to her. She had not been her true self for the last two years. But now circumstances have forced her dormant true nature out again.

  Chapter 44

  The Elven Queen

  Zupher and the mages found themselves teleported before a giant door. They were now within the Elven castle.

  “We shall enter the throne room in a few moments. I request that you convey the utmost respect,” the Elven Guard captain said firmly, shooting a sharp gaze at each of the mages.

  Zupher had a glance around; they were in a large corridor with multiple pillars encompassing its edges. They were standing on a scarlet carpet that looked as if it had never been walked on. Before the throne door, there were two guards, dressed in different attire than the others. Unlike the standard guards, the throne guards wore no armour and looked to be powerful wizards.

  “Well, this is it,” Bellona said, her tone a little passive, which was unusual for her.

  Muriel was looking at the seal on the throne door.

  “I take it that is the seal of the Queen's House?” Muriel asked, generally.

  “Yes, you are right indeed,” one of the guards replied.

  The seal consisted of two pillars; with glyphs written on them and had a big star in the middle of the pillars, with four little starts above and below it.

  The Elven captain returned to the mages, “It is time”.

  He raised his hand towards the throne door; he then clenched his fist, which caused the outline of the seal to glow. The giant door then slowly opened.

  “Follow me; I do not want a word from any of you without permission from the queen. You must also bow as soon as you see me bow and address her as your highness. Do I make myself clear?” Bellona and Muriel said yes, however, Racer and Zupher gave no such confirmation. The Elven captain walked right in front of Racer and Zupher, with a face full of contempt.

  “I asked if I made myself clear?”

  “Yes,” Zupher and Racer affirmed.

  The Elven guard proceeded to make his way into the throne room. The room was colossal in size – it had a white marble floor with an aesthetically arched sealing. Behind the throne there was a wide window sill, which had crystals all throughout its edges. There were beautifully carved statues situated in the parameter of the room. The mages saw the Elven Queen seated on her throne. She, unlike the rest of the Solmer, had a pale-silver skin. Her hair was a darker shade of silver and was so long, it went down to her knees.

  “Your majesty,” the Elven captain said, while bowing. The mages followed soon after.

  “Are those humans, you have brought to me captain?”the Elven Queen asked, her voice soft, yet clear.

  “Yes, your majesty. We found them to the west of the range.”

  The Elven Queen then made a gesture with her hands, and the Elven captain proceeded to stand by the side of the throne door.

  “Come forth,” the Elven Queen said.

  The mages walked closer to the throne, and stopped once they found themselves in a circle.

  The Elven Queen was looking very closely at Bellona.

  “You look rather different from your friends.”

  “Yes, your highness. I am half Elven,” Bellona responded, feeling very nervous.

  “Half Elven?” The Elven Queen's tone shifted to a more deeper and threatening pitch. “You dare approach me in such a disposition?!” The Elven Queen eyed her captain. He then instructed the mages to make their way out. But your highness please! Just hear us out!” Bellona cried.

  “Humans alone are filthy enough, but now you present yourself as a half blood to me. I'm afraid I cannot entertain such matters.”

  The mages reluctantly turned around and started to make their way out of the throne room, when suddenly the Elven Queen beckoned her captain to instruct them to stop.

  “You there,” the Elven Queen had her gaze fixed on Zupher. “That wand attached to your waist. Show it to me.” The Elven captain then pushed Zupher toward the throne, and he made his way to the circle again. The Elven Queen headed over to Zupher. She did not walk, or run, but levitated off the floor. When she reached him, she released his restraints with a click of her finger and presented her hands; Zupher placed the wand gently on them. The Elven Queen proceeded to study the wand. “Where did you get this from?”

  “Prior to coming here, we spent some time at Glaszmer village. It was there that I encountered a wizard, Xarthox. He gave me this wand.”

  “Xarthox?” the Elven Queen uttered. She then eyed her captain again and he instructed the rest of the mages to make their way back to the circle. Upon rearriving at the circle, the Elven Queen released the restraints off the rest of the mages.

  The Elven Queen again directed her gaze at Bellona.

  “Where were you born, and under what conditions?”

  “Glaszmer plane, your highness. My mother is Glaszmer and my father is human.”

  “Did you n
ot know that in-breeding between elves and humans is strictly forbidden?”

  “Not necessarily, your highness. The only area I lived in was Glaszmer Plane.”

  “I see,” the Elven Queen replied with her eyes slightly narrowed.

  “Well, since your friend here...” The Elven wove her hand in the direction of Zupher, “Was able to gain the respect of one of my most highly esteemed wizards, I shall hear you out.”

  Zupher proceeded to explain the mages' situation. Immediately after he uttered “vampire lord” the Elven Queen commanded him to stop.

  “So the sorrowful state of Elshira is caused by vampires?”

  “Yes, your highness, without a doubt.”

  The Elven Queen retreated into her thoughts. Vampires were ancient enemies of the elves. She thought vampires had now been centuries in extinction. It appears someone had rediscovered the dark, forbidden art of pact-making.

  “What makes you so sure that this 'Lord Auberon' is a vampire?”

  “It is the means he has used to gain the power he has. Being mages, we can sense this,” Racer replied.

  The Elven Queen glanced at the mages and gave a light grin, “Mages, you say...”

  “Yes, your highness. And when we last encountered Lord Auberon, I was able to acquire some of his vampire dust.” Racer reached into his pocket and revealed a small satchel. He beckoned it over to the Elven Queen, while bowing his head. The Elven Queen received it and untied the satchel. Upon opening it, she did not even have to feel it or test it; she instantly knew what it was.

  There was silence for a few moments. Racer then bravely broke the silence. “Your highness, may I add that Lord Auberon has come across a stone of unprecedented power. If he learns how to access the full spectrum of its latent potential, it may be the end of Elsira as we know it; also for the Elven Kingdom. So we come before you, your grace, in the hope that you will aid us in putting a stop to this vampire menace.”

  The Elven Queen eyed her captain and he retired out of the throne room. Moments later, he returned with one of the wizards who was standing guard outside the throne door. The wizard approached the Elven Queen. “Your grace.”

  “My human audience speaks of a magical stone of immeasurable power. Have you ever come across something of this nature?”

  The wizard turned his head toward the mages and asked, “What is the stone called in your land?”

  “The Stone of Elsira,” Zupher replied.

  The wizard briefly glanced at the Elven Queen and uttered lightly, “Why do they say it like that?”

  The Elven Queen grinned, and remained silent.

  “There is not much written on it, but from what I can remember it was cited as a legend. A light-bearing ebony stone, apparently housed on an island in the northern sea of Elsira. Created by Astral Entities, and if I recall correctly, it was gifted to the humans who worked with these entities.

  The Elven Queen sighed. “I should have known. Humans have a tendency to get overly curious with spirits.” She then stood up and walked towards the window sill. “I am willing to offer my help, now that you have made clear to me the true causes. It would be great to see elves and humans friendly with one another again; we are similar in many ways, wouldn't you say?”

  “Why then is it forbidden for elves and humans to mix?” Bellona asked.

  “Similarity doesn't necessarily entail the need or use to mix. It only results in the destruction of both of the original kinds to make the hybrid. We elves, have great pride in our Elven blood. Well, I speak on especial behalf of the Solmer... but anyway, I want you to retrieve a little something for me. It should be within your power to do so, since you consider yourselves to be mages. If you are successful then you'd have gained my favour and I'd be happy to help, however, if you are unsuccessful, do not bother returning to my castle and consider yourselves banished from the Elven Kingdom.” The Elven Queen eyed her captain. He then beckoned the mages to exit the throne room.

  “The longer we leave Lord Auberon to the stone, the stronger he'll get!” Racer asserted.

  “Believe me, if anyone should be concerned, it's yourself and the rest of the humans. Now, make your way out and my captain will inform you of what you need to do.”

  Before Racer could protest again, the Elven captain held is arm with a piercing grip, and whispered, “Time to leave. Don't try your luck here.”

  The mages made their way out of the throne room and stood before the Elven captain. He was standing before four woolly winter garments. He pouted at the mages and said, “Well you're going to need this if you hope to last even a few minutes where you're about to go.” He then pulled out a map from his pocket and pointed at it, “We are currently here, at the edge of the central mountain range. In the northeast there is another mountain range; as you can see it encompasses a larger area than this one. That area of the Elven Kingdom is home to the Gealmer, who primarily live within an enclosed vale. We are not all too friendly with them and our sources gather that a Gealmer who is known as “Rubeus Vox” has a magical shroud that belongs to her majesty’s father. So you are to gather what intel you can on him, locate him, and retrieve the shroud. The shroud can be identified by its purple glow.” The Elven captain reached into another one of his pockets and pulled out a satchel that contained the same vanishing powder he'd used earlier. “You can administer this powder to transport you to and from the Gealmer mountain range.” He shot a quick glance at each of the mages and then handed the satchel and map over to Muriel. “The map has been enchanted; when you want to teleport, make sure all parties are standing in close range. The person who administers the powder must then place his finger on the part of the map they wish to travel. Throw the powder on the ground and you will be transported to that place. There is only enough for two trips, so make sure you do not spill or lose any powder.” The Elven captain retreated a few steps from the mages and nodded quickly at them. The mages put on their garments and gathered within close range of one another. Muriel pointed her right finger on the northeastern mountain rage, then threw half of the vanishing powder on the floor, and the mages vanished in

  an array of sparks.

  Chapter 45

  The Gealmer Library

  The mages were immediately forced to pull back their hoodies after being teleported straight into a blizzard. Racer squinted his eyes in response to the ice wind and made his way a few paces forward. He nearly walked over a steep edge only after a few paces and barely stopped in his tracks to avoid falling. He tried to gauge what was beyond the edge, but the line of sight was heavily fogged out. Racer stretched out his hand and soon after, a glowing orb projected outwards. The fog within a large radius of the orb then started to clear. The rest of the mages walked up to Racer and had a look at the sight before them. They were standing before a mountain vale. There was a stone path not too far from their right, which lead into the vale.

  “I suppose the Gealmer live within this vale,” Racer said.

  The mages proceeded to make their way down the path and kept within close range of one another. The fog started to substantially clear the further they ventured into the vale. After a few minutes, they were approaching a settlement; Racer signalled the other mages to temporarily halt.

  “There doesn't seem to be anyone around. Zupher and I ought to do a scout of the place to make sure we don't get caught off guard. We don't know how these elves will react to our presence here. You guys ought to remain within a safe distance until I give you a signal.”

  Bellona shot a dissatisfied look at Racer, “You're lucky that I know fire spells to keep Muriel and I warm. Don't expect us to remain here though; we're still far out of sight. You two better not take long as well.”

  Racer nodded in response, and let out an awkward smile. He turned his head over to Zupher, “You've still got a bottle left of invisibility potion?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good, you're going to need it later, now follow me.”

  Racer and Zupher made their wa
y into the confines of the settlement. Most of the structures were carved out of stone. No one seemed to be around in the exterior of the settlement due to the freezing weather. Racer had a scan around his environment, unfamiliar with Elven script he looked for hieroglyphs and pictures. He soon noticed a building with a tome-looking hieroglyph on it. “Let’s check out this place,” Racer said, while making his way toward the building. Zupher followed, sticking near Racer. Upon reaching the door, Racer said, “We should use a captivating charm on ourselves. Typically it would only last a few minutes, but with that wand of yours the duration will easily triple and it'll be more potent.” Zupher drew his wand and presented it to Racer.

  “Now, now lad, you're going to be conducting the charm. It’s your wand after all and you need to be as familiar with it as possible.”

  “What is the charm?” Zupher asked.

  “Sruth Emrall,” Racer replied. “You must muster up intense emotions of confidence before using the charm. Place your hand on my shoulder as you conduct it.”

  Zupher took a minute or two to focus his mind with breath and then closed his eyes. He then placed his hand on Racer's shoulder and uttered the charm. An emerald aura filled their nearby proximity for a few seconds and then faded within them. Zupher proceeded to glance into Racer's eyes and noticed a glare. Racer's face was also glowing and his aura became more magnetic.

  “Well, you certainly seem more captivating, I must say!” Zupher said, while laughing with Racer.

  They then entered the building and were hit with a relieving rush of warm air. The building appeared to be a sort of library. Zupher and Racer saw dozens of Gealmer Elves seated reading and browsing the multitude of books in the library. The Gealmer were nearly snow-white in complexion and had much shorter and less pointed ears then the other elves. They were also significantly shorter; the average Gealmer being only five-foot tall. As Zupher and Racer made their way within the library, they were greeted by a the matron of the library. She looked up at them, maintaining steady eye contact with her feet turned inward and asked, “Could it be – humans walking in these very halls?!”