Elvangar

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “How is the rear?” the Torak shouted as the hellsouls retreated from in front of him.

  “They are being cautious,” Wyant shouted back. “They are still following us, but not closely.”

  “Do you carry Sakovan stars?” the Torak asked DarkBlade.

  “I do,” the Sakovan warrior answered.

  “Get some ready,” instructed the Torak as he sheathed his sword. “You too, Gunta and Halman. They will not vanquish these creatures, but they will buy us time as we approach the temple.”

  The warriors sheathed their swords and filled their hands with Sakovan stars. Mobi kept his spear ready. Marak could see the temple a little over a block away. There were only a few hellsouls visible, but he knew that the open plaza would be filled with them.

  “The temple is the large building on the right coming up,” Marak said loudly. “Rejji, I want you to lead the group up the steps and inside the building. You will run as soon as the way is clear. Make sure the mages are with you. They can cover for the warriors when we have to retreat.”

  The Torak heard Rejji giving orders to the mages and turned his attention to the approaching plaza. He was thinking so much of what might await them in the plaza that he did not feel the warming of his sword. A hellsoul leaped out of a doorway on the left of the procession. DarkBlade immediately spun and threw a Sakovan star at it. It struck the hellsoul in the center of its forehead. Mobi raced towards it before it had completed its fall to the ground. His long spear sliced cleanly through its neck. As the empty cloak fell to the ground, Mobi returned to his position. DarkBlade smiled and nodded at the Qubari warrior.

  As the procession reached the plaza, Emperor Marak ordered the warriors to wheel to the left, leaving a path to the steps of the temple open. Axor tossed a light blade across the plaza at the hellsouls that were heading toward the group. The spell sliced into the bodies, but none were decapitated. Several of the creatures fell to the ground.

  Loud shrieking filled the plaza as the group emerged from the avenue. The Torak tossed a Sakovan star at the closest creature. As the hellsoul collapsed to the ground the other warriors started throwing stars. Rejji broke into a run and raced towards the steps of the temple. Lyra, Bakhai, LunarSigh, Temiker, and Axor raced after him. Wyant joined the warriors as they moved slowly to their right, edging closer to the temple.

  Rejji ran up the stairs and pushed the doors of the temple open. Bakhai raced through the doors, his long spear ready for anything that might already be inside. As Lyra and LunarSigh ran up the stairs, a hellsoul stepped out from behind a column supporting the porch roof. Rejji turned and slammed his staff viciously into the hellsoul. It struck the hellsoul on the side of the head. The creature disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  Axor was the next to arrive. Instead of entering the temple, he stood alongside the door. Temiker, panting from exertion finally climbed the steps and stood on the opposite side of the door. Rejji turned and followed Lyra and LunarSigh into the temple.

  Axor gazed across the plaza as the warriors continued to inch closer to the temple. Four of the warriors threw Sakovan stars whenever a hellsoul tried to approach. Wyant and Mobi stood ready to dispatch any creatures that came closer.

  “Now we provide the distraction,” Axor said softly to Temiker. “Are you recovered enough for this?”

  “I will live,” retorted Temiker as he inhaled deeply. “It has been a long time since I had to run. Let’s do it.”

  Axor nodded and tossed a light blade over the heads of the warriors. Temiker followed the example a little further to the right. Both light blades tore into the hellsouls, sending body parts flying in a mist of tissue and bone.

  “Now,” shouted the Torak. ‘Retreat swiftly to the temple.”

  The Torak stuffed the stars into a pouch and drew his sword. Gunta and Halman followed suit and flanked the Emperor. Wyant, Mobi, and DarkBlade turned and ran several dozen paces before stopping. DarkBlade pulled his sword and shouted a word to the Torak. The three Khadorans turned and ran past the other three warriors, stopping at the base of the steps of the temple and turning to protect the retreat.

  Two more light blades flew into the plaza. More gore misted into the air along with a few puffs of smoke. As the other three warriors raced up the stairs, the Khadorans turned and followed them. When everyone had entered the temple, the doors were slammed shut. There was some debris inside the door that had been used on a previous visit. Bakhai and Rejji pushed a long table up against the doors and began piling things on top of it. Lyra grabbed an old torch and snapped her fingers. A flame danced on the end of her fingers and she applied it to the torch, illuminating a small area in the entry foyer. Others scrambled to find other torches and light them from Lyra’s. Soon the entry foyer was illuminated.

  “Gunta, Halman,” ordered Emperor Marak. “Search the building. Make sure that we are alone.”

  Each of Marak’s shadows took a torch and disappeared. Everyone else settled down to calm their nerves while they waited.

  “Those hellsouls do not appear to be very fast,” commented Wyant. “It was not as dangerous as I thought it might be.”

  “They do not depend upon speed,” replied the Torak. “They kill by mass numbers and poison.”

  “Poison?” frowned Wyant.

  “One touch of their blade can bring death,” replied Mobi. “Our first trip here we lost Grank and almost lost Voltak. Both were superb warriors. “Grank died in the palace from a head wound, but Voltak only had a small cut on his hand. It would have killed him if we had not rushed out of the city and transported him to the village for healing.”

  “We were fortunate today,” added the Torak. “While they discovered us early, they did not appear to understand our movements.”

  “You made them think we went the other way,” grinned Mobi. “That was smart. You come up with new tricks each time we come here.”

  “Never being predictable is a good way to stay alive,” interjected Axor. “The Chula learned that early.”

  “Why did we enter the city so late in the day?” asked LunarSigh. “Wouldn’t it have been better to enter at dawn? We will be stuck in this temple all night.”

  “That is what we want,” answered Rejji. “The hellsouls now know that we are in the temple. They will gather other creatures from all over the city. We want as many to come to the plaza as possible so that the Qubari army can attack them in a group.”

  * * *

  “This waiting outside the city is frustrating,” complained MistyTrail. “Do they expect us to actually sleep out here while the gate is open? Those creatures could come out at any time.”

  “We should have been taken into the city,” nodded Eltor. “Why wait until morning when we could be reading in the library of the palace. Those records are the ones that supposedly tell of the relations between the humans and the elves.”

  “I know how you feel,” frowned Mistake. “I feel left out, too. I have survived Angragar before. There is no reason that I should be out here.”

  “Except you now have elven friends,” Caldal pointed out. “Perhaps you are being punished because of us. They probably don’t want us to have too much time to peruse the library. Maybe those records don’t really exist. I am sure that they will find some excuse to keep the elves out of the city in the morning when the army enters.”

  “They will not keep us out,” Eltor shook his head. “Do not make such foolish statements. They have no reason to exclude us, and even if they wanted to, we are elves. We could sneak in without being heard or seen.”

  “We are elves, aren’t we?” Mistake grinned mischievously.

  “Uh oh,” frowned MistyTrail. “I have seen that look in your eye before. What do you have planned?”

  “We could use the time wisely in the library,” shrugged Mistake. “We are quiet and know how to move unseen. I also happen to know exactly where the temple is. I bet we could sneak in there unnoticed while Marak is leading the others. They would attract all of the hells
ouls while we dash to the temple.”

  “But they have already been gone for a while,” MistyTrail pointed out. “We could never catch them.”

  “Emperor Marak moves slowly and cautiously,” grinned Mistake. “He does not just dash into the city and run for the temple. He methodically marches down the street daring the hellsouls to attack. We could do it.”

  “How would we even get into the city?” asked Caldal skeptically.

  “The gate is open,” shrugged Mistake. Entering is no problem.”

  “The gate may be open,” agreed MistyTrail, “but the Qubari will not let us go in. They have orders to wait until morning.”

  “Orders have never stopped me before,” Mistake grinned broadly. “Get ready to go. I will get us through the gates.”

  MistyTrail, Eltor, and Caldal looked at each other questioningly as Mistake moved close to the gate. The Qubari warriors stationed there suddenly stiffened. Mistake turned her back to them and began talking.

  “Of course everything is fine here,” Mistake said loud enough for the warriors to hear. “Yes, the gate is still open. No, not a single hellsoul has been seen yet. How about inside where you are?”

  The Qubari frowned and stared at Mistake. Voltak moved closer to her and looked past her to see if she was talking to someone he could not see.

  “MistyTrail is still here,” continued Mistake. “Yes, yes, Eltor and Caldal as well. What? Are you sure? Well, I could ask them if they would join you. Order them? I understand. Yes, I remember the way to the temple. All right, I will get the three of them and go through the gates immediately. Where should I meet up with you? All right. Yes, I remember the way. All right. We will leave immediately.”

  “What is this all about?” Voltak asked with concern.

  “The elves,” Mistake replied. “The Torak wants the elves to meet him at the temple. MistyTrail and I are to escort them.” She turned towards the elves and called loudly, “MistyTrail, Eltor, Caldal. Come here quickly. There is no time to waste.”

  “But no one is supposed to go through the gates until morning,” protested Voltak as Mistake’s three friends came running. “Those are the orders.”

  “I heard the orders,” nodded Mistake, “but I cannot refuse the Torak. I dare not try to contact him now so that you can speak to him yourself. He was practically whispering to me. I suspect there might be hellsouls nearby. My voice might give away the Torak’s position. Are you sure you want me to try an air tunnel to him?”

  “No,” Voltak said nervously. “Do not endanger them with an air tunnel. I do not like this change in plans, but I will not put your life above the Astor’s. I hope you know what you are doing.”

  “I do,” smiled Mistake as she stepped through the gates and waved her three friends through.

  Voltak shook his head and turned away from the gates. He spoke to another Qubari warrior and told him to keep watch on the gates while he grabbed some food. Voltak marched back along the road several hundred paces to where the campfires were burning. He grabbed a bowl of stew and sat down to enjoy it.

  The elves had been gone around five minutes before the first hellsoul appeared. It saw the open gates and shrieked loudly. Soon, a large group of hellsouls gathered and stared at the Qubari warriors. The jungle fighters all became alert, their long-bladed spears gripped in their hands. They waited for the hellsouls to attack.

  All at once the hellsouls charged. Qubari warriors stood in the open gates and slashed with their spears. The first wave of creatures was sliced quickly. Several puffs of smoke rose and even more creature bodies dropped to the ground, only to arise again. The Qubari warriors did not have sufficient room between the gates to swing their long spears, so warriors shoved the spears instead. While that did little to vanquish the hellsouls, it did keep any of them from escaping. Eventually the creatures realized that they could not escape. They stood just outside the range of the spears and stared at the Qubari.

  Unexpectedly, one of the hellsouls picked up a rock and threw it. It struck a Qubari warrior in the head. The hellsouls shrieked in victory and scrambled to pick up stones. One of the Qubari warriors hurried forward, his long spear threatening the closest hellsouls. He grabbed one of the gates and swung it shut. Another warrior saw what the first was doing and pulled shut the other gate. Once the gates were closed, the creatures dropped their rocks. Slowly the crowd dissipated until there were no hellsouls left. Voltak came running along the road to see what the commotion was.

  “That was close,” exhaled one of the Qubari warriors who had closed the gates. “If they started throwing stones, they might have gotten out. We should have brought shields with us.”

  “There is only one problem with your actions,” sighed Voltak as he stared at the closed gates. “You closed the gates. How are we supposed to get through them in the morning?”

  “We will tell the Astor that we need them reopened,” shrugged the warrior.

  “And how will you do that?” asked Voltak. “Do any of you know how to make an air tunnel?”

  “Mistake does,” answered a warrior.

  “So she does,” frowned Voltak, “but she entered the city a few moments ago. We have a problem. Our Astor is expecting us to attack the hellsouls in the morning. We are not going to be able to do that.”

  Chapter 11

  Best Laid Plans

  Mistake led the elves along the wide boulevard leading to the central plaza. She saw a hellsoul appear a dozen blocks ahead of her and dashed to the side of the street. The others quickly followed her lead.

  “Do you think it saw us?” asked MistyTrail.

  “I don’t think so,” replied Mistake, “but we must be more careful. If Emperor Marak is drawing all of the hellsouls to this avenue, we might be better off approaching the temple from a different direction.”

  “But we will not catch up to the other group if we detour,” Eltor pointed out.

  “Did you see anyone ahead of us?” scowled Caldal. “I think Mistake has underestimated the speed with which the humans move. We are not going to catch up to them.”

  “Do you wish to return to the gates?” snapped Mistake. “I do not need anyone to follow to reach the temple, but if you are afraid, I will escort you back so you can wait outside.”

  “Let’s not fight,” sighed MistyTrail. “We all agreed to go to the temple. Let’s just do it. Lead the way that you feel is best, Mistake.”

  Mistake nodded and hugged the buildings as she worked her way up to the next intersection. She looked both ways before turning to the right onto a narrower cross street. The elves moved silently along the narrow street until they came to the next intersection. Again Mistake peered around the corner, but she quickly ducked back.

  “There are several of them,” she whispered. They are still quite a few blocks away.”

  “Can we get across the avenue without them seeing us?” asked Eltor. “I don’t much care to be on this small street with hellsouls on both sides of us.”

  “I think we can,” Mistake nodded. “Perhaps one at a time is safest. They might notice four of us quicker than just one.”

  “You go first, Mistake,” suggested MistyTrail. “I will go last.”

  Mistake peeked around the corner again. She inhaled deeply and then dashed across the broad avenue. Eltor stepped up next and repeated the procedure. Caldal and MistyTrail soon followed.

  “They seemed pretty intent on something in the other direction,” remarked Eltor. “I don’t think any of them saw me.”

  “I saw flashes of light when I crossed,” offered MistyTrail. “I think it was magical in nature, but I can’t be sure.”

  “That would mean the humans ran into a battle,” frowned Caldal. “It would be rather dangerous for us to come up behind the hellsouls if the humans are attacking them.”

  “Caldal is right,” MistyTrail said begrudgingly. “We have no chance of catching Emperor Marak at this point. Let’s find a path that is free of hellsouls and make our own way to the temple
.”

  Mistake agreed and led the way along the narrow street. At the next intersection only two hellsouls were visible. The elves repeated their method of darting across the avenue one at a time. By the time they reached the fourth broad avenue, the sky was beginning to darken. Still Mistake could make out the forms of hellsouls blocks away.

  “We will have to cross this one, too,” frowned Mistake.

  “That seems to bother you,” Eltor pointed out. “Why?”

  “The second avenue led directly to the temple,” answered Mistake. “Each avenue that we cross is taking us farther away from our goal. We are doing a lot of traveling without getting any closer.”

  “Perhaps,” shrugged MistyTrail, “but not if our goal is to reach the temple safely. I do not mind going out of our way if it decreases our risk. Lead on.”

  The elves continued moving through the ancient city while the sky grew dark. Each broad avenue seemed to have at least one hellsoul on it, although they remained many blocks away.

  “How many blocks have we traveled?” Mistake asked. “I have lost count.”

  “I am not sure,” replied Eltor, “but the last four avenues were not as broad as the first ones. I think we are moving into a lesser area of the city.”

  “We need to move along one of these avenues,” sighed Mistake. “How can there be so many hellsouls? I expected them to be gathered in the plaza by now, but we keep seeing them on each avenue.”

  “Perhaps we should find a place to sleep for the night,” suggested MistyTrail. “The hellsouls are going to be awfully hard to see in the dark.”

  “Sure,” retorted Caldal. “We can just choose a building and curl up for some sleep and a nice dream. How could you even think of sleeping in this city?”