A dozen armed elves passed by them, heading into the trees, and they exchanged nods and smiles. The sages were treated with great reverence by their people and were guarded like national treasures. The elves valued knowledge and wisdom above all things.
As they moved by the guards, Simon looked across the field at the largest building that he had seen on this world. He was as impressed by the sight now as he had been the first time he'd beheld it.
The Hall of Knowledge was built around the trunk of an immense old tree that soared hundreds of feet above the earth. The building itself was ancient and appeared to watch over the world around it with a knowing presence.
It was built of a cream-colored wood that seemed to have been grown instead of hammered together. It was all curves and smooth edges and drew the eye to its many windows. Intimidating and inviting at the same time, Simon always felt a thrill when he approached it.
A young elf dressed in the pale green tunic of a scribe hurried toward them as they approached the hall, an excited expression on his smooth face. Simon thought that the youngster looked familiar but he couldn't come up with a name to go with the face. Ethmira had no such problem.
“Good day, Arlis,” she said to the young elf as he stopped and bowed. He was almost quivering with excitement.
“Greetings lady, sir wizard,” he replied breathlessly. “I am honored that you remember me. Elder Arabetha sent me in search of you both. I am very pleased that I was able to find you so quickly.”
Simon and Ethmira exchanged a look.
“The elder wants us?” he asked. “Do you know why?”
“Oh no, sir wizard. The elder would never explain herself to a lowly servant such as I. As it should be,” he added stoutly.
“Of course,” Ethmira told him with a gentle smile. “I understand. Could you lead us to her please?”
“It would be an honor, lady. Please follow me.”
Arlis turned around and led the way forward. The wizard and the elf maiden followed along.
“Do you ever regret giving up your seat on the Council?” Simon asked Ethmira as they walked quickly. Arlis seemed to be in a hurry.
“Oh my, no. Why would I?” she replied with a surprised laugh. “Politics is not pleasurable for me, and dealing with the other councilors was always a balancing act, politically. Please one and you anger another. Placate that one and insult this one. Ugh. I'm lucky to have gotten away without making any enemies.”
She looked thoughtful for a moment.
“That I know of, that is. One never really knows what others are thinking behind their masks, does one?”
“True enough. I'm a bit dismayed that elven politics sounds so similar to what my people went through, before the world was destroyed. I was hoping that the elves were above that sort of political to and fro.”
They entered the hall through tall, heavy doors made of dark wood. Arlis turned to the right and headed for the stairs that spiraled up and around the outer wall of the Hall of Knowledge until they disappeared into the darkness above them. Elves hurried up and down the stairs, most dressed as scribes and most of them very young. There was a constant subdued hum of conversation throughout the hall that reminded Simon of the buzz of a beehive.
“And why would our politics be any different than yours, my friend?” Ethmira asked as they began climbing the stairs. “My people are emotional beings, as are yours, and political ambition exists in many of them. Happily I am not such a one. Let those who enjoy it take the reins. I'll happily live the rest of my life amongst the trees, guarding my people and caring for the forest. It is the role I am most comfortable with.”
The climb up the stairs seemed endless. Simon was in better shape than he had been since his Change and he was a young man, but before long he was panting and covered in a thin film of sweat.
“How much farther?” he asked breathlessly after a few minutes.
Ethmira smiled and pointed up ahead. They had climbed up and through a half-dozen floors but the stairs finally ended a few dozen steps above them.
“Almost there,” she reassured him. “You're doing well; much better than you could have when you first arrived in this world.”
“That's...” he had to take a deep breath. “That's good to know. I guess a few months of physical training and exercise has been good for me. Now, let's hope that I don't have a stroke before I leave.”
The elven maiden chuckled and shook her head without responding and they kept following Arlis.
The top floor of the hall stretched out before them. Towering shelves stuffed with books and scrolls were scattered artfully everywhere and scribes and a few elders wandered amongst them. They were reading or writing at long tables or chatting quietly together. It was a scene of calm research that Simon thoroughly enjoyed.
In a far corner a woman sat alone at a small desk, reading a yellowed, brittle scroll. She held it delicately to avoid tearing it and her eyes were narrowed as the candles on the desk flickered and danced. She was one of the few elves who looked old and Simon knew that meant that she was ancient indeed. Elves might be immortal but a long life took its toll regardless and often left its imprint on their faces.
This was the Elder, Arabetha. She was wearing a white robe with a starched mantle of light blue on top of it. She looked up as they walked toward her, gently rolled up the scroll and stood up quickly with an energy that belied her appearance.
“Here they are, Elder,” Arlis said with a deep bow. He looked both pleased with himself and incredibly self-conscious as Arabetha regarded him.
“You have done well, young one,” she told him. Her voice was deep and warm and Arlis almost seemed to wilt with relief.
“You may return to your duties.”
“Yes, Elder. Thank you.”
The young elf bowed again to all of them and walked away quickly. The elder watched him go with a fond look in her eyes. Then she turned to look at Simon and Ethmira.
“Arlis is a good lad,” she said as she waved them to a nearby group of chairs.
The three of them sat down, Simon sighing with pleasure; his legs were sore.
“He's a great, great, something grandson of mine,” the elder continued.
She wrinkled her nose at Simon and he grinned at her expression.
“One loses track over the centuries,” she told him. “The hazards of living a very long life, I suppose. Now, to business. First of all, thank you both for answering my summons so quickly.”
“No need to thank us, elder,” Ethmira told her. “We were returning to the hall anyway. Our wizardly friend here wanted to see if any progress had been made on opening a portal back to his world.”
“Ah yes. Of course. Well then, you will be pleased with the reason I sent for you. We have indeed found a way to sync the two worlds and send you back home, Simon O'Toole.”
The wizard sat up abruptly. He smiled widely at the elder.
“That's fantastic! When can I leave?”
She held up a thin hand ropey with veins.
“Not so fast, young man. Not so fast. Such a crossing isn't as easy as one of your magical Gates, you know. And as the two realms drift farther and farther apart, a portal becomes more precarious to create and to use. As I said, we will be able to open the way for you, but not here and not now.”
Simon frowned and sat back again.
“What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what I said,” Arabetha replied pertly. “You cannot cross over from this area. Ethmira will have to guide you to the only location that we can open a portal. And she will have to do it within the next seven days.”
“Seven days?”
Simon looked at Ethmira. She was watching the elder with a puzzled look on her face.
“And if we arrive after that time?” she wondered.
“Then our friend here had best get comfortable because he will be with us for a very long time.”
The wizard felt a shiver of foreboding crawl up his spine.
/> “How long?” he asked nervously.
“Decades, our time. Centuries back on your world. In that time the old gods of Chaos will probably re-enter your universe. And if that happens, you had better remain with us.”
“Oh my God,” Simon said weakly. “Are you certain that this is my only chance to get back?”
“It is. As I've said, you may be able to return again one day, but that will be a long time coming.”
“Then we will get you to the portal within the allotted time, Simon. I promise you that,” Ethmira assured him. “Elder, where do we need to go?”
“Dellis Varna,” the elder told her.
Ethmira made a surprised noise in her throat and Simon looked at her.
“What is it? What's wrong?”
“Dellis Varna is an old fort in the mountains to the north. It's long been abandoned. My people used it hundreds of years ago when we were warring with our northern neighbors. After we agreed on a peace that both of our peoples could live with, the fort was emptied and it has sat unused ever since.”
She looked at Arabetha.
“Why there?”
The old elf shrugged.
“Because it is at that spot that the fabric between the two worlds with be thin enough to bridge. Our sages here will open the portal at exactly this place and at exactly this time.”
She handed a small folded square of paper to Ethmira, who opened it and read it quickly.
“Be there at the proper time and you, sir wizard, will be able to cross over. Miss that time and place by as little as a few minutes and be prepared to live as an elf.”
“Just like that?” Simon growled angrily.
“Just like that,” the elder replied calmly. “I cannot change the laws of the universe, sir wizard. We are giving you your chance. Take it, young man. Or let it pass you by. It is your choice.”
Before he could say something rude, Ethmira reached forward and tapped his knee.
“We will get there, Simon. I know the way and a week is more than enough time to reach the fort. Don't worry about it.”
She stood up and looked down at Arabetha.
“Thank you, elder, for this. I know the cost in time and resources that creating a portal can take, and I appreciate your efforts on our friend's behalf.”
Simon stood up as well, feeling embarrassed by his momentary anger. He was reminded of how hard it was for the elves, who were not a magic-using people, to open a rift between their world and his.
“I thank you as well, Elder Arabetha,” he told her. “And I apologize if I was rude.”
The elder laughed lightly as she got up. She still stood tall and straight and caught Simon's gaze with her own.
“My people are indebted to you, Simon O'Toole, and we always will be. You saved us from the primal brown dragon. This is the least we can do in return. I only wish that we could send you home from this location. But Ethmira is correct; the journey to Dellis Varna is easy at this time of year and you have more than enough time to reach it. I wish you both safe travels.”
Simon and Ethmira thanked her again and turned away to walk back to the stairs.
“Are you sure that we have enough time to reach this place?” he asked as they began walking down the steps.
“Quite sure. We will have to set a steady pace but you are more than fit enough to make the journey. It should only take five days to get there, so we have a buffer in case bad weather or something else slows us down a bit.”
The wizard relaxed a bit. It didn't sound quite so bad when Ethmira put it like that.
“In that case, let's get moving. I'd rather be there two days early than a minute late.”
Chapter 3
“Why didn't your people ever domesticate any animals?” Simon asked as he adjusted the pack on his back yet again. “I mean, horses would be a handy thing to have right about now, don't you think?”
Ethmira continued to lead the way through the never-ending forest, but took a moment to glance over her shoulder and give him an amused look.
“There are no horses on this world, Simon. And what good would they do anyway? There are very few large open spaces where such a creature could run. All we have is the occasional meadow or field. As I understand it, the horses on Earth evolved to run on huge plains, did they not?”
Simon pushed a thick branch out of his way as he rounded the thick bole of a tree. The path that they were following was as thin as a thread and wound in, out and around many old trees. The heavy scent of pine, or something that smelled almost identical, was delightful but the trek itself was exhausting.
“That's true,” he answered and wiped sweat out of his eyes. His leather clothing was comfortable and protective, but it didn't really breathe and his body was slick with sweat. As usual, Ethmira looked cool and walked lightly in her natural environment.
“But there must be other animals that you could have domesticated to ride on or at least carry packs for you, aren't there?”
“Perhaps it never occurred to my ancestors to do that,” she replied, her voice muffled as she ducked under a thicket and disappeared from view.
“But as you've seen, we do not even keep animals for meat. We hunt for what we need and let all creatures live free, as they were meant to.”
“It wouldn't have killed you elves to keep a few chickens,” the wizard muttered to himself. “I really miss eggs for breakfast.”
Either Ethmira didn't hear him or chose not to answer because they continued on in silence. They had been on the trail for three days now and, if it wasn't for the elven maiden, Simon would have been totally lost. The sky appeared through the thick foliage only rarely and even after living here for several months, he still couldn't identify which roots and plants were edible and which ones were poisonous, and there were a lot of those.
But Ethmira led them steadily and harvested food as they traveled, so there was always enough to eat when they stopped for a meal. She had also caught and skinned one of the small animals call a croop on their first day on the trail. It looked something like a rabbit but had black fur and tiny ears. There was enough meat on the animal to last them for a few days once it had been cooked and wrapped up properly.
They had had to stop several times a day to allow some of the forest's more dangerous predators to pass by. Once they had both scampered up a tree that fortunately had low branches when a massive kravon had crashed through the forest, indifferent to the noise it was making. The monster must have been thirty feet long or more and probably weighed several tons. It had stopped below the tree they were in and growled low in its throat, a deep rumble that vibrated in the air.
It snapped its jaws together, bright white fangs flashing in the shadows, and then moved on. Simon barely breathed until it was out of sight and then he sighed loudly with relief. Ethmira looked after the kravon grimly and shook her head.
“We may see more of those creatures as we approach the northern border. They like to hunt where the forest meets the mountains.”
“Dellis Varna is in the mountains?” Simon asked in surprise as they slowly climbed back down to the ground.
“Just on the edge of them. The Varna mountains are the greatest range in the world and have been a natural border for our country for what seems like forever. Dellis Varna was one of a series of forts build along the mountain range's edge millennia ago. It is a ruin now, which I've mentioned to the Council more than once. I believe that the forts should at least be maintained, just in case.”
They reached the ground and started off again, fortunately in a different direction than the kravon.
“You're worried that your peace treaty won't hold?” Simon asked as he adjusted his pack.
“No, but it doesn't hurt to be prudent. I have convinced some of the councilors and intend to convince them all eventually. Peace can be a fragile thing and every time our northern neighbors go through a change of government, I wait anxiously to see if things remain stable.”
She made an odd gesture wit
h one hand, as if she was pushing something away.
“So far so good,” she added as she did it.
Simon didn't answer, but smiled to himself as he followed the elf. Sometimes Ethmira and her people could be just as superstitious as humans. He recognized her gesture as a ward against bad luck. Then his smile faded. Considering his upcoming attempt to cross back over to the Earth, he wondered darkly if maybe he should start using it too.
On the fifth day, they broke camp for the last leg of their journey. Ethmira said that Dellis Varna was only a few hours away but unfortunately it had rained all night and continued to do so as they set out.
The forest floor was soggy and slippery and the air was heavy with the smell of the rich soil. It made it rather hard for Simon to catch his breath and, when Ethmira noticed, she slowed down her pace somewhat.
“Don't worry about it,” she told Simon when he noticed. “We have plenty of time. And you are panting so loudly that it might draw unwanted attention. We'll take it slower and arrive in one piece.”
Simon stopped and took a moment to catch his breath.
“Sorry. I still don't have a lot of stamina. Skinny wizard boy, that's me.”
The elf laughed and looked at him fondly.
“It's okay, my friend. You will never be a long distance runner, or a warrior for that matter. You were created to use magic the way a great singer uses their voice. It's as natural to you as breathing is to me. Don't apologize for it.”
He'd never heard his skill described in those terms before and smiled at her gratefully.
“Unfortunately, in your world this singer has lost his voice, making me fairly useless.”
They began walking again, more slowly this time.
“Ah but wait until you return home, Simon. Then your voice will soar.”
He thought about his magic wistfully. He'd never quite realized how much he'd miss it until it was gone for an extended period.
“I hope so.”
Of course, he'd lost his powers once before, but it had been for a very short time. Here in the elven realm, months had passed and, unless this attempt at bridging the gap between worlds worked, it might be years or possibly never before he could use magic again.
The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7) Page 3