“There are,” nodded Eltor. “Why else would we need laws and prisons? We will talk about it after we leave the jungle. I must remain vigilant for now.”
A short while later, a figure grabbed Eltor as he walked past a large tree. The elf turned to stare at his attacker. The creature was as large as an elf, but it was not an elf. It had smooth leathery skin and an odd orange tuft astride its head. Its ears were sharp and pointy, and its mouth was as small as a button. Eltor frowned at the strange creature. It did not appear to be threatening even though it had grabbed him. It mostly held him close while it sniffed the air around him. Suddenly, the creature opened its mouth to speak.
“Elf, Tokak!” yelled the creature. “I have an elf!”
Eltor saw the button of a mouth open to a wide cavern of long sharp teeth. The creature’s eyes gleamed with excitement, and spittle sprayed the elf. Eltor screamed and tried to back away, but the creature’s hold was too strong. Its sharp teeth descended towards Eltor’s neck.
“Tiny!” shouted Mistake. “Put Eltor down immediately.”
The creature turned to stare at Mistake, who had just appeared on the trail. Its mouth instantly closed to a button, and its forehead creased in confusion. Slowly, it released its hold on Eltor. The elf scrambled backwards until he was alongside Mistake. He started to pull his sword.
“Leave it sheathed,” Mistake warned softly. “Tiny is a friend. Aren’t you, Tiny?”
“I remember you,” Tiny said, still frowning with confusion, “but that was a different place.”
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Mistake knew what was coming, but Eltor did not. She took his hand calmly and squeezed it.
“Be polite,” she warned Eltor. “The mother is coming.”
Eltor tried to calm himself as he watched the huge creature push her way through the underbrush. Tiny looked expectantly and grinned as the massive troll emerged from the bushes and blocked the trail.
“Elf, Tokak!” grinned Tiny. “I smelt it real close. It is elf.”
Tokak’s large bulbous nose sniffed the air. Her large ears flapped, and her eyes stared at Eltor.
“Hello, Tokak,” Mistake said as she spread her lips in a broad smile. “How did you and Tiny get across the sea?”
Tokak seemed to notice Mistake for the first time. Her eyes shifted to the female elf and she shook her head.
“You said that you were not an elf,” Tokak said accusingly. “There is no fire to mask the smell this day. You are elf.”
“I didn’t know anything about elves before,” replied Mistake. “How could I possibly have known that I was one? I was raised by humans.”
Tokak did not reply. Her mouth yawned open, and Eltor twitched at the sight of massive sharp teeth. The huge troll seemed to be weighing some unasked question. Mistake decided to interrupt before the troll came to a decision.
“You have not greeted me as a friend,” sniffed Mistake. “Tokak declared that we would be friends for life. Doesn’t Tokak honor her word?”
Tokak frowned and stared at Mistake. Slowly she nodded her head.
“Mistake is a friend,” declared Tokak. “She will always be our friend, Tiny. You may not eat her.”
“I caught the other one,” pointed Tiny. “He is elf, too. Can I eat him?”
Tokak grinned broadly and nodded.
“Wait!” shouted Mistake. “Eltor is my friend. I would be very hurt if you ate my friend. Then we would not be friends anymore, and Tokak said we would always be friends. Therefore, you cannot eat Eltor.”
Tiny pressed her lips tightly together and began stomping her feet on the ground. Tokak frowned in confusion. She looked from Mistake to Eltor and back again.
“You are trying to trick Tokak,” the large troll said.
“I am just being friendly,” insisted Mistake. “A friend of a friend is a friend. Now Eltor is your friend, too. How did you cross the sea? And why?”
The troll seemed to accept the argument as she sighed, “Tyriks spread too far in the other jungle. Tiny almost ended up in a web. We could not stay there any more. Tokak built a raft and came here. No tyriks here. Tiny is very happy.”
“Many elf smells here,” Tiny nodded her head enthusiastically. “I like it here.”
“Hunting elves is dangerous,” warned Mistake. “There are thousands of them here. Eating them may cause them to hunt you down. I would not like to see that. I don’t want my friends hurt.”
“Thousands?” Tiny echoed gleefully.
“Elves are a delicacy,” shrugged Tokak. “Too many is not good for trolls, but they are tasty. We will be careful.”
“Right,” Mistake nodded as she swallowed hard. “Well, we need to get going. Maybe I will come back and visit if that is alright with you?”
“Mistake is a friend,” smiled Tokak. “You come back, and we will eat together.”
Mistake pulled Eltor along as she moved cautiously past Tokak.
“Mistake bring elf snack when she returns,” shouted Tiny. “No bring friends.”
Mistake and Eltor moved swiftly along the trail. When they were a decent ways beyond the trolls, and long out of sight, they began running. They ran for half an hour before Eltor stopped to catch his breath.
“So that is where the raft came from,” Mistake said.
“I cannot believe that you talked our way out of that,” Eltor shook his head. “Their teeth would slice right through our bones. Where did you meet them?”
“The first day we were in the Qubari Jungle,” answered Mistake. “Rejji, Bakhai, and I were asleep. Bakhai had set a trip wire around our camp. Tiny stumbled over it. We were trying to revive the little one when the mother showed up. They are really quite nice once you get past their desire to eat you.”
“I think that I will stay away from the jungle from now on,” replied Eltor.
“How much farther to go?” asked Mistake.
“Just a little bit,” answered Eltor. “If I shouted right now, we would have company soon. In a few minutes of walking, the guards will notice us. We might as well get this over with.”
Eltor turned and began walking along the trail. Mistake followed at a distance in case something else jumped out and grabbed Eltor. A few minutes later, Mistake thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. When she looked back at the trail, Eltor stood facing two heavily armed elves. She walked forward to stand beside her friend.
“You have long been feared dead,” smiled one of the guards. “You are in trouble, but we welcome you home. Who is the female?”
“She is my friend,” answered Eltor. “Her name is Mistake, and I owe my life to her. She rescued me from the Island of Darkness.”
“Then she is welcome in our village,” nodded the guard. “Come and visit while the elders are informed of your return to Elvangar.”
The guards led Mistake and Eltor out of the jungle and into a glade. The villagers watched with curiosity as the visitors were escorted into the village. Mistake gazed about and wondered where the village was. She saw children running around and playing, and older people walking to and from a well. Eventually she looked up. The homes of the elves were built within the stately trees of the glade. They were hard to notice unless you were looking for them. They seemed to blend into the canopy.
A rope dropped from one of the homes. Two young male elves a little younger than Eltor slid down the ropes and rushed to greet Eltor. He greeted them fondly. Soon, others appeared and a crowd welcoming him home surrounded Eltor.
Chapter 17
Morada
MistyTrail sat on the raft with her legs wrapped around the mast. It was the only dry spot on the entire raft. Caldal did not seem to mind the water washing over his feet as he steered the craft. He had his boots tied around his neck and whistled as the waves constantly shoved the raft.
“Here we go,” Caldal called as he turned the raft towards the coast.
MistyTrail gazed at the coastline and thought that Caldal might have been in the sun too long. The
thin strip of beach before the jungle was unbroken, yet Caldal was heading for it. MistyTrail hugged the mast and braced herself for the crash that she knew was to come.
Suddenly, the beach was gone. The jungle was far to each side of her as the raft floated along a wide canal. She stared ahead and saw a cliff in the distance. As they got closer, the cliff towered above them. A narrow passage was cut straight through the rock of the cliff. MistyTrail gazed upward at the tops of the cliff. She could see nothing up there, but she was sure that Caldal had told the truth. There were assuredly elves up there watching the raft approach the narrow channel.
As the raft entered the narrow defile, she felt the wind roar through it. The sail filled and Caldal moved swiftly forward. He adjusted the sail to make it smaller and then returned to the tiller. The raft moved swiftly through the channel, and as Caldal had predicted, two ships were waiting for them.
Each elven ship had a score of archers ready to fire. Caldal came forward again and lowered the sail completely. He had already prepared a line and tied it to the bow of the raft. Now he lifted the coil of rope and held it high so that the elves could see it. One of the elven ships came close, and Caldal tossed the coil of rope to one of the seamen. The seaman secured his end of the line to the stern of his ship. Caldal sat down alongside MistyTrail.
“Soon we will be at the docks,” Caldal sighed as he watched the second elven ship pull in behind the raft. “Do not make any threatening moves. The guards may demand your weapons. If they do, surrender them all. You have broken no laws yet. Do not start now.”
MistyTrail nodded and gazed about the harbor. The harbor was large, and many sailing vessels were anchored in it. The city appeared to wrap completely around the harbor with docks almost everywhere. Beyond the docks she could see portions of tall buildings, but the trees were abundant and blocked the view of most of them.
“It looks larger than I thought it would be,” MistyTrail commented. “What is it called?”
“Morada,” answered Caldal. “It is the capital city of Elvangar. It is the home of the queen and the elders. It is fairly large, comparable to the Khadoran cities that we went through. I have never felt comfortable in it.”
“Why not?” asked MistyTrail.
“I am a village boy,” answered Caldal. “In Etta, we live in the trees and know most of the other people in the village. Here most people are strangers to me, and they live in buildings on the ground. I just prefer the village.”
“I find large cities exciting,” replied MistyTrail, “but I do not think that I would enjoy living in one. I like the open country and living under the stars. StarCity was fine, but that was because I knew everyone there I guess. What will happen to me here?”
“You will probably be taken to see Queen Alycia,” shrugged Caldal. “Remember to tell her what Emperor Marak wants her to know. He is a good man and deserves an answer from the elves.”
The raft bumped against the dock where a squad of elven soldiers waited for them. Caldal and MistyTrail stepped onto the dock, and the soldiers immediately took their swords and Caldal’s bow.
“Who are you, and where are you from?” asked one of the soldiers.
“I am Caldal, and I am from the village of Etta,” answered Caldal. “I violated the law by sailing past the Barrier Islands. I am here to surrender. The woman is not from Elvangar. She saved my life after I was captured on the Island of Darkness. Her name is MistyTrail. She has not violated our laws.”
“Follow me,” the solder said as he turned and walked away from the dock.
Caldal took MistyTrail’s hand and followed the soldier. The rest of the soldiers followed them. MistyTrail gazed at her surroundings as they marched through the city. Morada was a beautiful city. Trees were everywhere and parks were abundant. The streets were spotless, and the people well groomed. Citizens did look to see whom the soldiers were escorting, but they were polite with their curiosity. They neither glared nor scowled at MistyTrail.
The group entered a stone plaza and then a building off the plaza. Caldal and MistyTrail were told to sit and wait while the soldiers continued to stand guard around them. A few minutes later, Caldal was called away. MistyTrail sat silently, trying not to stare at the soldiers. A long time passed before Caldal returned. He sat next to MistyTrail.
“We must wait until Eltor and Mistake are brought in,” Caldal said softly to MistyTrail.
“There is to be no talking,” one of the soldiers said harshly.
Caldal nodded and stared at the floor.
* * *
Most of the villagers sat around Eltor as he told the story of what happened to him and Caldal since they left the village. He had just reached the part where Mistake and MistyTrail had helped him rescue Caldal from the Chamber of Horror when the elven soldiers arrived. Eltor frowned because he knew that the messenger could not have possibly run that fast to Morada. Still, there was nothing for him to complain about. He would have to finish the story later.
Eltor and Mistake rose. The soldiers took their swords and Eltor’s bow and ordered them to follow the lead soldier. It was late in the day when they finally reached Morada and met up with Caldal and MistyTrail.
The four adventurers sat silently until Caldal and Eltor were ordered to follow a soldier. They were marched along a corridor and shown into a large room. At one end of the room was a long table. The twelve Elders of Elvangar sat behind the long table, and Eltor and Caldal were led to a spot in front of it. Soldiers stood on both sides of them.
“You are accused of violating the laws of Elvangar,” stated Malid, the Head Elder. “Caldal, you have already stated your guilt. What say you, Eltor? Are you guilty?”
“I am,” nodded Eltor. “I intentionally sailed beyond the Barrier Islands. I have returned to Elvangar to accept my punishment.”
“Accept your punishment?” asked the elder. “It is my understanding that you snuck into the village of Etta, while Caldal entered Morada and immediately confessed. How is that surrendering?”
“I surrendered to the guards in Etta,” replied Eltor. “They immediately sent a runner to Morada. I was awaiting an escort when the soldiers showed up.”
The elder looked perplexed. He summoned a soldier and whispered in his ear. The soldier nodded and withdrew from the room.
“Why did you not return with Caldal?” Malid asked.
“I suspected that my punishment would keep me from my friends and family for some time,” answered Eltor. “By surrendering at Etta, I had a small amount of time to say goodbye to those I love before being sentenced. I assure the elders that escaping justice has never entered my mind. Caldal and I have been through a terrible ordeal since leaving Elvangar. We are thrilled to be back in our homeland, even if it means punishment.”
The soldier returned and whispered in the elder’s ear. Malid nodded and stared blankly at the two accused elves.
“It is said that you were imprisoned on the Island of Motanga, Eltor,” continued Malid. “Is this true?”
“It is,” Eltor nodded. “We sailed too close to the island and were captured. We were forced to work in the shipyards. Caldal and I tried to escape. We were caught. I was sent to work the mines, while Caldal was sent to the temple for torture and death.”
“And yet here you are,” frowned the elder. “How is that?”
“I was rescued from the mine by two female elves,” explained Eltor. “Their names are Mistake and MistyTrail. They are being held outside this room.”
“I know about them,” scowled the elder. “Tell me of Motanga.”
“They rescued me from the mines,” frowned Eltor. “I told them that I could not leave the island without Caldal. They agreed to help get him out of the temple. The three of us snuck into the temple and rescued Caldal from the Chamber of Horror. We evaded their patrols and creatures and managed to sail away from the island without being captured.”
“Creatures?” asked one of the other elders. “What type of creatures?”
“They are called kruls,” answered Eltor. “The best description that I can offer is this. They stand at least twice our height, some thrice. They resemble giant apes, yet they have the ability of speech. They are incredibly strong. I believe them to be magical beings.”
“And this is what inhabits Motanga?” asked another elder.
“No,” Eltor shook his head. “Humans inhabit the island. The leader is known as Vand. Anyone who sails near this island is captured and put to work. There are hundreds of elves imprisoned there. Humans, too.”
“Hundreds of elves?” scoffed Malid. “How is this possible? Not that many elves have gone missing.”
“Some of the elves were born on Motanga,” replied Eltor. “There are several generations of elves living there. Their ancestors may have been captures years ago.”
“Did you say Vand?” asked an elder. “Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yes,” Eltor nodded exaggeratedly. “He is reportedly an ageless magician of the dark arts. He takes new bodies over the course of time, but it is said that he is immortal. He is the leader of the Island of Darkness.”
The elders were obviously alarmed. They ignored Eltor and Caldal and whispered excitedly among themselves. Finally, the Head Elder broke away from the whispering group.
“We must know everything that you can remember about Motanga,” declared Malid. “This information is vital to Elvangar. Because of the information that you bring, your punishment will be less than normal. The fact that you both willingly surrendered is also to your credit. You will be required to report here each day to talk about Motanga until we have gotten all of the information that we can get. You will be housed in the prison until your sentence is completed.”
“There is more that I must tell you,” Eltor said. “We also traveled to Khadora and Fakara. Emperor Marak has asked us to deliver a message to Queen Alycia.”
Elvangar Page 22