Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5)

by Barry Gibbons

  "Why, thank you, milord." One of the elves smiled in surprised pleasure. "We were just saying how it seemed like we never get the appreciation that we deserve. We work really hard, you know, and it's nice to be told that we're doing a good job."

  "Yes," The old wizard nodded absently. "I'm sure you all worked very hard." He gave the elf a curious look. "So, were you the one who added the poison?"

  "Poison?" The elf looked confused. "I don't know anything about any poison."

  "How about you, my friend?" Damarius asked the next elf, who looked as confused as the first. He continued down the line until he reached one of the elven servers, who attempted to inch away, but found his way blocked by the old wizard. "Going somewhere?"

  "Yes," The elf replied immediately, a slightly dazed look in his eyes. "I was trying to sneak away without anyone noticing."

  "And why did you want to sneak away?"

  "I heard you questioning the others, and realized that my plan had failed."

  "Your plan?"

  "Yes," The elven server nodded. "One of my brothers came to me and told me that I needed to make a demonstration to prove my loyalty to Hetris. When I asked him how, he gave me a vial containing some poison."

  "Who was it?" Vlane asked, a hard expression on his face. "What was his name?"

  "I don't know." The elf shrugged helplessly. "He never told me his name."

  "What did he look like?"

  "I never got a good look at him." The elf shrugged again. "He was wearing a long hooded robe that hid his features, and he kept to the shadows."

  "You say that he ordered you to poison everyone at the feast?" Damarius asked curiously.

  "Not the queen." The elf shook his head. "I was told to make certain that Queen Serena remained unharmed. Everyone else was to be killed, though."

  "How could you insure that the queen wouldn't be killed when you poisoned all of the food?"

  "The food isn't poisoned." The elven server informed them with a snort of amusement. "I coated all of the silverware, except for the queen's, in poison. It was the only way to make sure that she would not be harmed."

  "Is that right?" Captain Harper stumped over to the table and snatched up a turkey leg, then took a huge bite.

  "How do you feel?" Dar asked after several moments.

  "Still hungry." The rascally old sea captain grunted, taking another bite.

  "What were you supposed to do after poisoning everyone?" Damarius asked the elf in a conversational tone.

  "I was supposed to assume an air of innocence, and pretend that I didn't have anything to do with the poisonings until it was time to reveal myself." The elf shrugged. "The plan was designed to shift the suspicion to the cooks who prepared the feast. There wouldn't be any reason for anyone to suspect one of the servers."

  "Where is Yrinn and the other blood elves hiding?" Dar asked intently.

  "Who?" The elf asked with a confused expression. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone named Yrinn."

  "Surely you must know him!" Anallia told him in bewilderment. "He is high priest of the blood elves!"

  "Is he?" The elf asked in genuine surprise. "I have never met another child of Hetris, at least, not until that elf appeared with the poison." His expression grew sheepish. "To be completely honest, I never knew that Hetris had accepted me as one of His own. I never even performed the ritual of offering."

  "Why not?" Damarius asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  "I just couldn't bring myself to kill someone." The elf admitted with a helpless shrug. "Just the thought of all of the blood makes my skin crawl!" He shuddered visibly.

  "If you never performed the ritual of offering, then how did the blood elf who gave you the poison know that you were a follower of Hetris?"

  "I never asked." The elf shrugged. "Hetris is a god. He has His ways of finding out who is truly loyal to Him."

  "Is that right?" The old wizard asked. "And you never mentioned your intentions to pledge your allegiance to Hetris to anyone?"

  "Of course not!" The elf scoffed. "I would have been killed on the spot!" He suddenly frowned. "But it did take a bit of asking around to discover what the ritual of offering actually involved. I guess the elf who gave me the poison may have heard that I was asking questions, and figured out my intentions."

  "Do you suspect anyone else in the Royal Tower of secretly worshipping Hetris?"

  No," The elven server shook his head. "but even if there are other blood elves here, I doubt they would reveal themselves, unless ordered by Hetris."

  "Do you know if there is any way of identifying a blood elf from one of Petra's followers?" Delilah asked intently.

  "No, there isn't." The elf shook his head again. "It's kind of a shame really. I've often wished that I knew another blood elf that I could confide in. Being forced to hide my affiliations has been rather stressful. It would have been nice to have someone to confide in."

  "I don't think he's going to be able to tell us anything else useful." Dar sighed as the elf continued to ramble on, the effects of Damarius's truth serum still in full effect. "Hetris seems to have developed a foolproof way of keeping His children from being able to divulge any sensitive information. By keeping them ignorant to everything, including the identities of their brethren, any blood elf who is captured will be unable to betray their brothers."

  "Some of them must know who Hetris's other followers are." Delilah frowned. "Surely Yrinn would know who they all are."

  "But Yrinn's still in hiding." Anallia pointed out with a worried expression. "If he's the only person who could identify all of the blood elves, we may never know who has been converted to the worship of Hetris."

  "I guess it's up to the Dragon Lord then." Queen Serena murmured unhappily. "He's the only one who even has a chance of locating Yrinn and the other blood elves. I just hope that he realizes exactly what he's up against. Just about anyone that he encounters could be a blood elf, and there wouldn't be any way of him knowing until it was too late."

  "Don't worry about Damion." Captain Harper snorted through a mouthful of turkey. "I doubt there is anything that the blood elves can do to catch him off guard."

  Chapter 15

  "So," Marken started, settling into a comfortable looking leather chair. "What exactly can old Marken do for you?"

  "I think you know why we're here." Brody told the old elf grimly. "The blood elves are wreaking chaos all across the island, and we're attempting to stop them."

  "And you tracked some of them here to Oakenvale?"

  "I'm afraid so." Damion told him with a nod. "We visited an old witch named Hetta in Willowdale who informed us that we would encounter someone here in Oakenvale who could aid us."

  "You went to see old Hetta?" The old elf laughed. "I'm surprised she's still alive! Does she still claim to speak with the spirits?"

  "It is no claim." Damion assured him. "Old Hetta may seem a bit unhinged, but there is a lot more truth to what she says than you may realize. The spirits speak through her, though what they have to say may not always make sense."

  "That sounds like Hetta!" The old elf laughed again. "I was only two hundred years old when I went to visit her to have my fortune read. She told me that I would outlive all of my family and friends, and become a cantankerous old elf who spends all of his time nosing around in other elves' business."

  "Wow," Brody murmured without a hint of a smile. "She hit that one on the head, didn't she?"

  "Ha ha." Marken grumbled, casting Brody a sour look. "You know that means that I'll outlive you too, right?"

  "You'll outlive us all." The elven ambassador chuckled. "You're far too ornery to die."

  "I certainly hope not." The old elf told him with a sigh. "It's taking me longer and longer to get out of bed each morning, and every day brings a new ache or pain. And besides, after seven hundred years of watching everyone around me depart to be with our beloved Petra, I find myself almost looking forward to the day I take the next step in my journey." He turned to l
ook at Damion. "So old Hetta told you that you would find someone that could help you here in Oakenvale?"

  Damion nodded. "She said that they would be able to aid us in locating Yrinn and the rest of the blood elves."

  "Yrinn?" Marken frowned. "I had heard rumors that he had returned to the island. So he is the one who is behind the blood elves returning?"

  "That's what it looks like." Shirk sighed heavily. "We have been attempting to track him down, but he has proven elusive so far."

  "We managed to capture a few blood elves, and forced one of them to talk." Raven informed the old elf. "It appears that the blood elves have a manor house somewhere here in Oakenvale where they meet to plan their attacks."

  "A manor house here in Oakenvale?" The old elf asked with a troubled frown. "Did they say where the manor house was located?"

  "Just west of the city's center." Brody told him grimly.

  "Just west of the city's center?" Marken's eyes widened in surprise. "But the only manor house in that area of the city belongs to Vlane Oakenshield, one of the Elders of Oakenvale, and advisor to Queen Serena! Are you sure that the blood elf was not lying?"

  "I'm sure." Damion nodded. "I have my ways of making someone talk."

  "I bet you do!" Marken let out gruff laugh. "But if he wasn't lying to you, then you have a big problem."

  "Why is that?" Raven asked.

  "Because Vlane is one of the most respected men in the city." The old elf told her in a serious tone. "He is loved by all of the people. You will need undeniable proof that he is a blood elf before you accuse him of secretly worshipping Hetris."

  "The only way for us to obtain the evidence that we need is for us to break into the manor house where they have been plotting their attacks." Shirk murmured with a frown. "With the crowd of elves that's been following us around, I doubt we'd be able to slip into the manor house without being noticed."

  "Even if you did make it inside, I doubt it would do you any good." Marken informed them in a knowing tone. "Vlane is far too shrewd to leave anything incriminating just laying around. Besides, he's in Celestia for the Spring Dawning, as are the rest of the elders of the ancient families."

  "We need to find out if Yrinn is still hiding out here in Oakenvale, or if he has moved on elsewhere." Damion told him seriously. "If he is still here in the city, we need to find him before he can disappear again."

  "If Yrinn is here in Oakenvale, he is certain to already know of your presence. There is very little chance that you'll be able to catch him unaware." The old elf's eyes narrowed in thought. "I would suggest that you forget about subterfuge. The blood elves will see you coming from a mile away. I would try the direct approach. I doubt that they would expect you to just march through the manor gates and kick in their doors."

  "That can be done." Brody smiled. "The Dragon Lord is very good at the direct approach. Do you have any other suggestions that may aid us?"

  "If you cannot locate Yrinn here in Oakenvale, I would advise you search Celestia." Marken suggested in a knowing tone. "If he is here on the island, I would bet a sack full of gold that he is hiding out somewhere in the capital city."

  "What makes you believe that?" Raven asked curiously.

  "There were numerous rumors that Yrinn had fallen madly in love with Queen Serena, and that he had her husband, King Elvon, poisoned."

  "Those were just rumors." Brody scoffed dismissively. "There was never any proof that the king was poisoned. The healers all agreed that he died from tainted shellfish."

  "But what if they were wrong? What if Yrinn poisoned the king to get him out of the way?"

  "I thought that Yrinn was banished for attempting to overthrow the queen." Shirk objected with a confused expression. "Why would he do that if he was in love with her?"

  "I think he believed that if he had a large enough army, he could force the queen into marrying him to avoid a civil war." Marken told the scruffy bandit in a confiding tone. "He was attempting to gather enough support to openly face the throne when he was captured and banished."

  "And you think that he is still in love with Queen Serena?" Brody asked his elderly friend.

  "Undoubtedly." The old elf nodded. "Yrinn was willing to plunge his homeland into chaos to have her before. I doubt that has changed over the last century."

  "So you think that he will return to Celestia and try to get close to the queen?" Damion asked, considering the elderly elf's theory.

  "I'm almost sure of it. I think that Yrinn's love for the queen will drive him to get as close as he can to her. He may even attempt to contact her."

  "We cannot allow Yrinn to get anywhere near Queen Serena." Brody said with a hint of alarm in his voice. "If he has fled Oakenvale, we'll need to return to Celestia as quickly as we can to warn her."

  "I guess that means we have little choice in the matter." Damion sighed. "We'll have to investigate this manor house to find out if Yrinn is still here. If not, we'll return to the capital and pick up our search there."

  "When do you plan on visiting Vlane's manor house?" Marken asked curiously.

  Everyone turned to look at Damion.

  "Tonight." The huge warrior decided immediately. "There shouldn't be as many elves about to warn Yrinn of our approach."

  "Be cautious, my friends." Marken warned them. "The blood elves are devilishly cunning adversaries. Do not underestimate them. It might be the last thing that you do."

  It was just after midnight when they emerged from Marken's manor house to find the platforms constructed throughout the treetop city largely empty, save for a few elves that were still lingering here and there.

  "I think it would be wise for us to circle around to the west, and avoid the city's center." Brody suggested in a quiet voice. "There will still be a fair number of locals out on such a clear night. We elves have always enjoyed staring at the stars."

  They followed the elven ambassador through the treetop city for the next hour, passing dozens of elves who were out enjoying the cool night breeze. The elves watched as they passed with curious gazes, but chose not to follow the companions, who hurried on without slowing.

  "We're getting close to the manor house." Brody finally murmured to Damion as they hurried across a long suspension bridge. "We should be cautious. The blood elves are certain to have lookouts watching for anyone who attempts to approach the manor house. We need to be ready for almost anything."

  They hurried onto the next platform, then Brody abruptly stopped. "There it is." He told them, gesturing to an enormous manor house which had been constructed around the trunk of a massive oak tree. "It's the ancestral home of the House of Oak."

  "It's huge!" Raven murmured in disbelief. "How are we going to find Yrinn in there?"

  "We'll just have to do our best." Damion told her grimly. "Hopefully our arrival will be enough to draw Yrinn and the other blood elves out."

  A giggling laughter suddenly drew everyone's attention to a group of small elven children who were gleefully hurrying across another nearby platform, knocking over chairs and tossing refuse about as they frolicked.

  "What are children doing out this late at night?" Raven asked in confusion.

  "I don't know." Brody frowned, watching as the giggling group continued to scamper about happily. "They couldn't be no more than twenty or thirty years old. They shouldn't be out here playing alone."

  They watched as the children hurried up to an elven man who was walking alone across the platform, and then gasped in surprise as the children suddenly swarmed all over him and dragged him down, still giggling in maniacal glee. The elf released a single scream of horror which was cut short as a dozen tiny daggers flashed in the moonlight.

  "Dear gods!" Raven's eyes were wide with disbelief as the giggling elven children hurried on, leaving their victim in a pool of his own blood. "What kind of children are they?"

  "I don't know," Damion frowned, watching as the elven children dragged down another elf who had appeared to investigate the disturbance. "but the
y don't appear to be very friendly."

  The giggling children quickly finished butchering the helpless elf, then began to hurry across another hanging bridge towards the platform where the companions stood watching.

  "What should we do?" Shirk asked as they charged forward with maniacal smiles, their tiny faces dripping with the blood of their victims.

  "Kill them!" Brody exclaimed in panic, struggling to notch an arrow in his bow.

  "We can't kill them!" Raven cried in horror. "They're only children!"

  "Do you have any other suggestions?" Shirk asked as several of the elven children rushed towards him armed with tiny daggers. He nimbly skipped backwards, then drew one of his heavy broadswords and began to wave it back and forth to keep them at bay.

  "These are not normal elven children." Brody told her, firing an arrow at the closest of the giggling children, who easily avoided the skillful shot.

  "Normal or not, we don't slaughter kids!" Raven told him fiercely, snatching the bow from the elven ambassador's hands with an angry expression.

  One of the elven children suddenly sent their dagger whirling end over end through the air, narrowly missing the young woman's face.

  "Hey!" Raven exclaimed with a furious expression. She ducked as another dagger sailed towards her, then tossed Brody his bow and reached for her own. "Forget what I said! Just kill the little monsters!"

  One of the elven children, a tiny boy with wild eyes and shockingly blond hair, gave an insane laugh, then charged forward with his tiny dagger poised to strike, but Shirk forced him back with several skillful swipes of his broadsword. Another child, a young girl with long brown hair arranged into adorable looking pigtails, launched herself forward with a screech of laughter, but was hurled violently backward as one of Brody's arrows slammed into her chest. She fell limply to the platform and was immediately trampled by the other elven children, who merely continued to giggle madly.

  Damion skipped backwards away from the elven children, his expression doubtful. "I'm not so sure I feel entirely right with striking a child." An elven boy suddenly scrambled nimbly up the huge warrior's leg and attempted to drive his tiny dagger into Damion's chest, though it failed to penetrate the dwarven armor. "Stop that!" He swatted the boy away, causing him to crash to the platform with an angry snarl. Two more elven children latched onto his legs, while a third boy sank his teeth into Damion's hand. "Ouch!" He shook the boy loose from his hand, then snatched a hold of the two children who were trying desperately to drag him down, and heaved them both back into their giggling companions, sending them all crashing backwards in a tangle of arms and legs.