Lesser Prince (Guardians of Gaeland Book 1)

by Jamie McFarlane

  “Amber, help him to bed. The magic has drained him,” Marmy said sympathetically.

  Amber gently pulled Tig from the chair and led him up the ladder into the bunk room. Woodenly Tig ascended and collapsed onto his bunk, refusing to look at Amber. His eyes closed and he fell into an uneasy sleep.

  ***

  At some point later that day, Tig felt a gentle shake. The second he awoke, fear stabbed through his stomach. Tig rolled over and looked up at Amber.

  “Has there been another attack?” His voice was rough with sleep.

  “No. It's dinner time and Elder Triest is here. Marmy said we should let you asleep, but I didn’t think you’d want to miss it.”

  Tig thought for a moment and sadness overwhelmed him again. He imagined Elder Triest would want to know why he had been unable to save Captain Drenaux.

  “Yeah, great. Thanks.” Tig pulled on his boots.

  When he stood up, Tig noticed that Tempra was no longer in the room, but Keena was sleeping nearby. He ran his hands over her leg, curious to see what shape it was in. He was pleased that it hadn’t changed much from the night before. Tig was startled when Keena’s hand grabbed his wrist gently.

  “Thank you, young prince.” Keena’s voice was hoarse.

  “Er… yeah, good,” Tig had no idea how to respond.

  “I need to tell you something. Come closer.” Keena was working hard to talk.

  Tig moved in.

  “The demon was coming for you. He knows you are here. We fought hard and drove it away, but it will return.”

  Tig had no words, so he simply nodded.

  ***

  Tig, Sam, Amber and Marmy were the only ones to join Elder Triest for the evening meal.

  Triest didn’t waste much time. Shortly after a modest meal had been brought to the table, she began. “Tig we are grateful for your continued help. I fear that without it, both Tempra and Keena would now be dead. We are very much in your debt.”

  Tig didn’t feel much like a savior. “I am the cause.”

  “How is that?” Elder Triest responded evenly.

  “It is something that Keena said. They are coming for me. I am putting you all in danger,” Tig said plainly.

  Elder Triest replied, “We’re not certain of that, Tigerious, but even it proves true, it would change nothing. It is our duty to stand against evil. Perhaps we’ve been left alone until now because we had become too self-absorbed. The evil has grown and now, with the return of Blackhall, I fear we may be too late to combat it.”

  Later that evening after Elder Triest left, Sam, Amber and Tig sat around the table and discussed their predicament.

  “Do you really think it’s true, Tig? A demon attacked the Glade because of us?” Amber spoke quietly, leaning in so no one could overhear.

  “Yes. I think we are endangering everyone here,” Tig whispered.

  “What can we do about it?” Sam asked.

  “We have to leave.” Amber let her words sink in.

  Tig offered, “Our leaving won’t necessarily stop the attacks. And it is me they’re after. You should stay behind. I can draw them off.”

  “And die? That is not gonna happen. We have to find another way,” Amber said fiercely.

  “Funny you should bring it up, but I have an idea on that,” Sam said.

  Tig and Amber simultaneously turned to face him.

  “Seriously. Listen. Elder Triest told us demons can track the wind-walk,” Sam said.

  “And …” Amber responded impatiently.

  “That is probably what drew them, so all we have to do is wind-walk away from here. The demon will know we’re gone and won’t have any reason to attack the elves.”

  “That’s crazy. If you wind-walk, then the demon will chase us,” Amber interjected.

  “It’s not a perfect plan,” Sam agreed. He pulled the map from the bone case and rolled it out onto the table. “Check this out. This is Gestal, but it’s the same as Faire Town back in West Virginia.” He pointed at a town that was nearly halfway across the map.

  “What does Faire Town have to do with this? And how in the heck do you know that is Faire Town anyway?” Amber sounded unconvinced.

  “Glavious Shoth? The historian? The only person in the whole of Gaeland that Elder Triest thinks could help us? Hello? Is anyone there?” Sam mimed knocking on Amber’s head.

  “Don’t push it, pea brain,” Amber growled.

  “Look.” Sam pushed his finger onto the small town he’d earlier indicated, holding it there so it would zoom in. Tig and Amber both sucked in their breath as they recognized the picture that was presented. It looked almost like an exact replica of the Faire Village at Helicon.

  “Good job, Sam,” Tig praised sincerely. “I think that’s exactly what we have to do. The longer we stay here, the more danger the Glade will be in.”

  Amber finally relented, “When you put it that way, it makes sense, but I don’t think Mom or Dad would think it’s such a great idea.”

  ***

  The next morning came too quickly. Sitting quietly at the table eating the breakfast Marmy had supplied, Tig finally brought it up, “Marmy, we’re going to talk to Elder Triest this morning.”

  “Oh?” Marmy answered distractedly. “Did she invite you back again?”

  “Sort of,” Tig answered. “The thing is, we have to leave the Glade.”

  “No, you can’t!" Marmy faced them with her hands on her hips, a very annoyed look on her face. Gaeland is much too dangerous. We can protect you here. How would you survive out there?”

  Tig stood and placed his hand on Marmy’s arm, “Surely you understand that the demon is attacking the Glade because we’re here, don’t you?”

  “No. I see no evidence of that,” she said resolutely, tears trickling down her face.

  “It’s more than that, Marmy. We have to find out why we’re here and how to go home again. Staying here won’t help that. Plus, what if there’s more than one demon? They could gather for a larger attack if they know we’re staying put.”

  Marmy replied, “But you’re so young.” She cleared dishes from the table, unable to talk any further.

  Sam, Amber and Tig got up, donned their cloaks, and headed to the Council Chamber where they hoped to see Elder Triest.

  She met them at the door, “I have been expecting you. Please come in.” Once they entered the room, Elder Triest continued, “I believe you are here to discuss your departure.”

  Tig was surprised to hear her bring it up so matter-of-factly. “How did you know?”

  “We all have our gifts from Faerie, Tigerious. One of mine is the ability to read people. You were an open book last night. Now you and your companions have confirmed my suspicions by coming here this morning.”

  They heard a gentle knock at the door. Tempra entered the room. “Elder, I came as soon as I received word.”

  “Thank you, Tempra. I know you are still recovering, but I need a representative from the Guard. Our young guests are planning to leave.”

  “That would be suicide. The demon would track them down and kill them.” Tempra’s answer was short and to the point.

  “That is precisely why we have to go.” Tig responded, “I believe it is attacking the Glade because we’re here.”

  Tempra shot back, “We don’t know that.”

  “But, surely you suspect it. When we were last here, Elder Triest told us how demons can track wind-walkers. Maybe you heard that my wound was caused by Finias Blackhall’s demon blade. He chased us here to the Glade, wind-walking in our path. I don’t know what more proof you need.” Tig grew more certain as he spoke.

  Tempra frowned, “You’re right. I believe it must be as you say, but it is wrong to send an innocent into the forest for slaughter, even if my own life is at risk.”

  Elder Triest raised her eyebrow and asked, “What if it were to forfeit all of the lives of those in the Glade?”

  “You know the answer to this as well as I do, Elder Triest. We must
always stand for what is righteous. To do otherwise would be to dishonor those who have gone on to join Faerie.”

  Elder Triest smiled and turned to Tig, “You see, my friends? We do understand what we are up against.”

  Tig replied, “If we stay, I'm afraid the attacks will grow worse and many elves will die. Eventually, we would have to leave, even if you didn’t make us.”

  Elder Triest looked at Amber and Sam, who had been quiet up to this point, “And you? Are you convinced this must be done?” At their nods, she said, “Very well, you should at least benefit from our knowledge. Tempra?”

  “The safest and shortest route is through the Shadowed Forest, across the Swift River, back through the Blue Forest and behind Castle Parnassus, finally ending up at the Faire Towne. Even as unseasoned as you are for traveling, I believe you can make this in five days if you push yourselves. The woods have some danger in them, but it pales in comparison to a demon. Raien has already been given the word and has prepared your packs.”

  Elder Triest handed a small leather pouch to Tig. “Prince Tigerious, I have placed a small sum of coppers and silvers into this bag for you. It is not a fortune, but it may be useful.” Tig took the bag and tied it to his belt. “Also I ask that Tempra accompany you. She is a skilled warrior.”

  “Thank you, Elder Triest. I expected this to be harder. We are very grateful for your offer, but Tempra cannot come with us.”

  “Oh?”

  “Sam can only wind-walk two additional people.”

  “Don’t you understand? You cannot wind-walk, it will draw their …” Elder Triest stopped in mid-sentence. “I see,” she concluded. “That is either very brave or very foolhardy. As you are so young, I imagine it is both. Your mind is made up then?”

  The three of them nodded solemnly.

  Elder Triest held up her hand facing her palm toward Sam, Tig and Amber and said, “Be safe young travelers. May you receive the blessings that Gaeland has to offer.”

  “Thank you, Elder Triest,” Tig responded. “We need to say goodbye to Marmy before we leave.”

  Tempra replied, “I will meet you at the Quartermaster’s tree.”

  Tig, Sam and Amber made their way back to Marmy’s, dreading the conversation, but Marmy finally sent them off after extracting their promises to return when they could.

  Tempra met them at the Quartermaster’s tree where Raien had prepared three soft leather packs. She walked with them down the now familiar bridges to the edge of the small tree village and listed the various items that had been thoughtfully stowed in their packs. Just before turning away she pulled six long, sheathed daggers from beneath her cloak.

  “You should know that Castle Parnassus is on your way. It has not been occupied by your family for two centuries, but still holds great magic. If you find that you are in danger, you only need to enter through its gates. A prince of Parnassus and his companions would find much protection there.”

  Tempra handed Tig the staff she carried. “This oaken staff has been a part of my family for centuries, it will protect you. Faerie magic is part of it.”

  Tig considered refusing it as he felt it was too great of a gift, but the look in Tempra’s eyes dissuaded him. Tempra, having said what she needed to, walked back into the village. The three of them stared after her for a few moments. And then Tig let out a big breath, “Ugh, well, here we go.”

  Sam took his cue and stepped between Amber and Tig. He grasped their hands and gently eased them into the nearest breeze. Pure exhilaration coursed through him as he directed the others into shadowed forest. As Sam pulled their ghostly bodies through the pines and around boulders, he couldn’t imagine any greater feeling.

  But then, something raised Sam’s hackles and he looked behind them. Through the smoky haze, which was a natural part of the wind-walk, he saw a bright point of light in the distance. Somehow he knew it was a wind-walker, an evil one, in pursuit and that it was headed straight for them.

  Filbert

  Sam estimated the demon would take at least half an hour to overtake them if they were to stop. He continued for another ten minutes, pushing as hard as he could and then turned to check their pursuer’s progress. He’d maintained the distance. Sam released the wind-walk spell and the three of them came to a stop in a small clearing in the forest.

  “Did you see that?” Sam nodded to the south as he pulled the map’s tubular case from his belt and started walking confidently out of the clearing.

  “Yeah, that can’t be good. Uh, how do you know where we are going?” Tig asked as he and Amber caught up with Sam.

  “If you look at the map, there’s actually a little symbol on top of the white circle that indicates where we are and there's a faint line that shows where we've been.” Sam handed the open map to Tig.

  Tig accepted the map and inspected it closely. “Yeah, heck yeah!”

  Sam continued, “Also, there is something about when I wind-walk, I can feel stuff, like where we are in relation to the mountains and rivers and stuff. Can you sense our position too?”

  Tig shrugged.

  “I definitely could. Once I figured out how to hold the map so the words were right side up, the rest was easy. If the mapmaker followed a normal convention, then up on the map is north, to the right is east, etc. It really doesn’t matter what they call it here, it's just a reference, but my point is, look at the map again. See the mountains?” Sam sounded like one of Tig's teachers.

  “Okay?”

  “That's due east. See how they pretty much run the entire length of the continent or island or whatever we’re on?”

  “Okay, map-boy. We get it. You know where we're going.” Amber sounded a little perturbed.

  “No, this is good, Amber.” Tig defended Sam.

  Sam pushed on, “The Glade is south and east of us. We’re almost due west of where the portal dropped us in the meadow. If we continue heading west and just a teeny bit south we’ll run into Parnassus Castle. I don’t know what’s there, but I am hoping it's somebody friendly.”

  Tig replied, “Yeah, good. That’s definitely the plan. I nominate you map-boy from here on out, okay?”

  Sam smiled, “Good choice. Bert would have us back at the Glade if we let her.”

  After walking for several minutes, Tig stopped and turned to face the direction they’d come from.

  “What are you doing?” Amber asked. “We need to keep moving. Whatever’s chasing us will be here soon.”

  Tig twisted his hands and pronounced, “Plento Swanum.” He moved his hands back and forth in front of his body. A wind blew, picking up snow and leaves, filling in their tracks behind them.

  “Holy buckets!” Sam said startled, “What the heck was that?”

  “I learned that from a friend. It's something all elves can do. It is one of the reasons no one can easily track an elf. I wish she was here with us now.” Tig sounded wistful.

  “You’re an elf?” Sam asked.

  Tig chuckled, “Haven’t you been listening? Good chance you are too, pal.”

  Sam scrunched up his face at Tig’s answer but didn’t argue.

  The forest wasn't dense and they found game trails to travel. Periodically, Tig turned to cover their trail. After trudging through the forest for a couple of hours, not having spotted a pursuer, Tig signaled a stop. "I think we can chance a rest break. I'm hungry."

  Amber and Sam didn’t object. Even as farm kids they weren’t used to walking this long, especially with packs.

  “Can you show me where we are?” Tig dropped his pack and sat down next to Sam.

  Amber rifled through her pack and found a bag of jerky and some leaf-wrapped granola-type bars. Raien had told her that the leaf around the bar was also good for them, so she passed around the food and knelt down on Sam’s other side.

  As he ate, Sam described where they were, pointing out locations on the map. “We made good time and aren’t too far from this river. We can probably make it to this meadow by nightfall.” Sam made a fa
ce as he took his first bite of the leafy bar Amber handed to him, “Ugh, this tastes like spinach wrapped around cereal.”

  “Eat up, midget. In case you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t any Taco Bells out here,” Amber admonished.

  Tig stood and picked up his pack. “Sorry guys, but we should probably put more distance between us and whatever was following us.”

  Sam pushed the jerky into his belt and crammed the rest of the bar into his mouth. He made a show of chewing and swallowing, but didn’t feel compelled to complain further.

  “Alright, let’s roll.” Sam grabbed his pack and swung it over his shoulder.

  The trees in the forest varied considerably as they walked. The sun had difficulty penetrating the canopy, especially as the afternoon wore on and pushed towards evening.

  Sam finally piped up, “That’s different.”

  “What’s that?” Tig asked.

  “Sun is setting over there.” Sam pointed to the east. No one else responded.

  Finally, Amber broke the silence. “And?”

  “It’s just that we're used to it setting in the west - no biggie.”

  “Thanks, dork.” Amber said sarcastically.

  Tig chuckled. “How far do you think until we hit the clearing?”

  Sam responded without looking at the map, “Can’t be far. I’ve been expecting us to break free of the trees for a while now.”

  And as if on cue, they walked right up to the edge of the forest and stood in front of a snow-packed meadow. Clumps of grass stuck up through the snow and they could hear the far off sound of rushing water. The sun was low enough in the sky that its rays no longer reached into the meadow.

  “I think we should find a place well off this trail on the edge of the forest and set up camp,” Tig suggested.

  Amber nodded, looking as tired as they all felt.

  Sam led the group along the edge of the forest. “That river looks pretty big on the map. I think there is a way to cross up north here.”

  After they had traveled less than five hundred yards, Tig stopped and put his pack down next to a boulder. “Perfect. This will do. Anyone know how to set up a tent?”