by Lara Ann
There was a loud crack as the Elf fell to the ground. Vashti had hit him over the head with a leg from the table. I peered around the edge of the door. Luck was with us, two of the guards were talking and the forth was absent for some reason.
“We’re ready Ava,” I said grabbing the Elf’s staff that he had left leaning against the wall near the door.
Ava began to extend the darkness out into the hall. I felt my way along the wall and waited. The two Elves finally stopped talking as they noticed the hall leading to our room had suddenly gone dark. It was eerie; it was like there was a sharp line between the light and the darkness. It definitely wasn’t natural. It gave us a definite advantage as we could see them, but we were totally covered by the impenetrable blackness. I moved slowly until I was right on the edge of the darkened hallway. The Elves had brought their staves into a defensive position; I knew I would only get one chance. I swung the staff back behind me and quickly swung around aiming for the guard’s unprotected left knee. The staff briefly appeared in the light but before the Elf could react, it landed with a sickening crunch. The Elf collapsed to the ground with an anguished cry.
“Ulair! Help! Get reinforcements, the prisoners are trying to escape!” The remaining guard cried down the hallway.
Vashti used this distraction to take out the third guard with her table leg. She came over to the Elf who I had incapacitated and did something that stopped his whimpering and made him look like he was only sleeping.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I just used pressure points to make him lose consciousness.”
“Will he be okay?” I asked, nervous at the thought of causing someone so much harm, even if it was a life or death kind of situation.
“He’ll recover. You need to block it from your mind. If the alarm has been sounded, we don’t have much time.”
Ava and I followed Vashti down the hall; she led us through unfamiliar hallways. I could hear some running and shouting in the distance but we didn’t encounter anyone. After several tense minutes, we came to an ornate door. Vashti put her ear against the door listening.
“I think the way is clear – be ready,” Vashti said.
She pushed the door open and entered the room. I quickly followed and looked around. The room was beautiful; it was lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves. The wooden shelving was ornately carved with beautiful leaves, vines and flowers. Large arched windows let in plenty of natural light.
“Quickly Ashlee!” Vashti called from the far side of the room.
I ran across the room, lamenting the fact that I didn’t have time to stay and explore the amazing library. Vashti was doing something with the books, there was a quiet click and one of the shelves pivoted open to reveal a dark passageway. A secret way out! Part of me couldn’t believe I was actually involved in a real life adventure with castles and secret passageways. Mostly though, I was worried that we were going to be captured and thrown in the dungeon or worse. We entered the passage and closed the door behind us, leaving us in darkness once again.
A dim light suddenly appeared in Vashti’s hand. It looked like a small pebble, it wasn’t much light but it was enough to help us find our way.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It is a moonstone, very hard to come by. It harvests the light from the moon and shines when it is warmed in your hand. It’s why we had to come to the library before entering the tunnels. I knew there was a moonstone hidden here.”
“It’s beautiful,” Ava whispered reverently. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“We should be quite safe now, until we get to the lower levels and have to exit the castle. There’s an underground passage, but I know Rothlyn is aware of that and no doubt has it well guarded.”
Vashti led the way as the tunnel twisted and turned through the castle. Sometimes we had to go up narrow staircases before heading down once more. It was eerily quiet, not much seemed to penetrate the rough stone walls. I was glad Vashti knew the way as I was hopelessly lost. We had al-ready passed several doorways before I saw one that made my heart suddenly leap in my chest.
“Stop!” I called out. “We have to stop, Wyn’s here!”
“Wyndelleu is here? Are you sure? Did you hear him?” Vashti asked excitedly.
“No…I didn’t hear him,” I said suddenly feeling unsure. “When we passed that door, I felt his presence and I knew he was nearby. At least I think I did, I felt so certain, but now I’m not so sure...” I said trailing off uncertainly.
“That must be one of your gifts,” Ava said confidently.
“But I don’t have gifts – I’m not even an Elf.”
“We already suspect you have Elven blood,” said Vashti. “Perhaps all this time in Alora has strengthened it enough for you to have some small use of the gift.”
“I can’t believe you both believe me,” I replied smiling.
“This changes our plans, if Wyndelleu is here, we need to find him! We can’t have Wyndelleu and the other Elves searching the Castle for us if we aren’t here, they’ll all be killed or captured.”
“Are you sure you want to risk going out there, just on my feeling?”
“Do not doubt yourself Ashlee. I believe in you. We will take this exit, if this is where you felt Wyndelleu, I believe he’ll be nearby.”
I pushed open the door slowly. It opened into a nearly empty room, there were several wooden crates stacked against one wall, as well as a few rolled up rugs and odd bits of furniture. Dust covered everything; it didn’t look like anyone had been in here in quite a while. The door closed seamlessly behind us. Vashti was already opening the far door leading us out onto a wide staircase.
“Which way?” Vashti said looking at me expectantly.
“Umm.... I’m not sure.”
“Close your eyes Ashlee and tell me where Wyndelleu is.”
I closed my eyes; not sure it would work and thought of Wyn, his sparkling green eyes and beautiful smile. I felt a pull again above me and to my right.
“That way,” I said excitedly pointing up through the ceiling.
We raced up the stairs, I led the way up and then along a wide hallway before I became uncertain once again. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my feelings for Wyn.
“This way!” I said confidently running down the hallway again. We came to another wide stair-case. Sounds of fighting drifted down the stairs.
We raced up the stairs. As we rounded a bend, we were suddenly thrust amongst the fighting Elves. I recognised Argus duelling with a large Dark Elf, whose back was to me. I raised my staff and jabbed the Dark Elf as hard as I could. He grunted and Argus quickly dispatched him.
“Perfect timing Ashlee!” Argus said quickly, before turning back to the fighting.
I glanced up the stairs through the fighters. My eyes were drawn to an Elf who moved with amazing speed and grace. His blond hair swung around his face as he duelled with an Elf.
“Wyn,” I breathed. I knew better than to call out and distract him. The last thing I wanted was for him to be hurt if he lost his focus. Instead, I looked to the nearby duelling Elves to see if I could use my staff to help again.
The two Elves fighting nearby were both strangers. I watched their staves whirling and thudding together in a fast and intricate dance. I had no idea which one I should be helping. Ava crouched cautiously behind me. Vashti had disappeared into the melee, probably to help Wyn and let him know she was here. One of the Elves landed a sharp blow to the side of the head of his opponent. The Elf went down and didn’t move. I watched the victor turn my way. The sly smile and dark gaze told me everything I needed to know, this was no friend of Wyn’s. I moved slowly back-wards down the stairs. He mirrored my movements, following me downwards. We came to a flat landing and I stopped and brought my staff in front of me in a defensive position. I wished Wyn had been able to teach me more about stave fighting. I was hopelessly outmatched. This Elf would be faster and have way more training than I did. Still, I was dete
rmined to go down fighting. Maybe I could hold my own long enough for help to arrive.
The Elf advanced cautiously, I wondered if he was just playing with me. I waited, not wanting to speed up the process; it was to my advantage to delay things as long as possible. He came closer so I stepped to the side, as he continued to advance; I continued to stay out of reach. We slowly circled each other. Perhaps he was trying to lull me into a false sense of security or something. I tried to stay alert, watching his body for any sign of movement. Wyn had taught me that if I watched the body rather than the arms or legs, I would be less likely to fall for any tricks. I just hoped I would be fast enough to respond.
I watched as the Elf swung his staff up towards me. Rather than the speed I was expecting, everything seemed to slow down, like it was all happening in slow motion. It gave me plenty of time to bring my staff up to block his. The thud when the two pieces of wood connected was much greater than I had anticipated. The blow forced me back towards the railing. I watched as the Elf followed up with a swing towards my right side. Everything still seemed to be happening incredibly slowly, which is the only reason I managed to block the next blow. The force sent me to my knees and I knew I couldn’t keep this up. I got my feet back under me just in time to see another blow coming from above. The Elf was using his greater height to his advantage. I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to withstand another attack. I bent my knees to help with the impact and moved my staff above my head. The blow sent shockwaves through my arms and my legs collapsed from un-der me. I felt myself falling backwards. I tried to relax my body to ease the impact. My shoulder took the brunt of the fall and I rolled down several steps before coming to a halt sprawled across the stairs.
I felt woozy and my head was ringing. A sharp pain radiated from my shoulder and I knew I was done. I didn’t even have the staff anymore, I must have let it go as I fell. Things seemed to have returned to normal speed. I watched the Elf advance towards me slowly down the stairs. He still hadn’t said anything and my one remaining hope was that I could distract him by engaging him in conversation.
“What are you going to do with me?” I asked trying to sound more confident than I felt. I pushed myself up into a sitting position.
He didn’t respond, just smiled at me with his creepy smile.
“Why do you follow Rothlyn when Wyndelleu is your true King?” I asked desperately.
“Wyndelleu is an ignorant pup, he has no idea how to achieve true power,” the Elf sneered.
“What do you mean?” I asked, eager to keep him talking.
“He would be content to focus on his paltry “gifts,” as if speaking to beasts is even a gift,” he sneered. “Rothlyn understands that there is far more power in this world if you’re willing to take it!”
“You mean like hurting innocent children?”
“Sometimes sacrifice is necessary.”
“You really believe imprisoning kids is okay? Don’t you want to have your own children one day?” I asked, trying to get through to him. I knew the other Elves believed many of these Dark Elves could still be saved.
“I would not let my child be used in such a way,” the Elf admitted.
“What is your name?” I asked, stalling some more.
“Bilaine.”
“Do you really think Rothlyn would spare your child, if it showed a particularly useful gift Bilaine?”
“You don’t think I could protect my family?” Bilaine said sounding annoyed.
“The same way those other Elves were able to protect their children from being taken?” I responded, guessing that they had fought to the death for their children.
“You talk too much,” Bilaine said, advancing again.
I had managed to push myself back against the railing as we talked. I looked through the stair posts and wondered if I could jump down to the next level. Only if I didn’t mind breaking a leg, I thought ruefully. I turned back around and watched in horror as Bilaine slowly raised his staff. Frantic thoughts tumbled through my mind. I’d never see Wyn again, feel his hand in mine, see his smile, know his kiss. My poor father would never know what happened to me...
As the staff began its downward arc a dark shape leapt through the air and tackled Bilaine. Their momentum carried them both down the stairs and away from me. There was a sickening crunch as Bilaine’s head connected with the wall at the bottom of the next landing. I pushed myself shakily to my feet and hurried down the stairs. Now that they had stopped moving, Wyn’s shape was immediately recognisable. He lay sprawled alongside the Dark Elf who was unmistakably dead, his head at an impossible angle.
“Wyn, are you alright, can you hear me?” I asked crouching down and feeling for a pulse. I felt it immediately beating strong and sure beneath my fingertips. Relief surged through me. I brushed his blonde hair back off his face.
“Mmm,” he murmured. “That feels good.”
“You must have another concussion,” I joked.
Wyn sat up and put his hands gently on either side of my face. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been. When you disappeared at the ball, I thought I’d never get you back. Are you hurt – are you really okay?” Wyn spoke softly.
“Much better now,” I replied. With Wyn right there, the pain of my shoulder seemed to fade away.
His eyes looked into mine as if trying to assess the truth of my words. He must have decided I was okay as he moved slowly closer until his lips softly touched mine. I felt energised by the feel of his lips, something I had never expected to feel again.
“Trust Wyndelleu to get out of the fighting early,” a loud voice joked.
We broke apart quickly to see a group of Elves rapidly descending the staircase.
“Wyndelleu, are you hurt?” Vashti asked, looking back and forth between us, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Never better!” Wyn replied jumping to his feet and quickly pulling me up.
I gasped involuntarily as my shoulder burned at the sudden force.
“You are hurt Ashlee,” Wyn looked at me crossly. “You said you were fine.”
“It’s nothing,” I replied noticing everyone else seemed to have their own injuries. One of the Elves was even unconscious, a makeshift bandage around his head. He was being supported by two Elves. I did a double take, that face looked awfully familiar.
“Dad?” I asked hesitatingly.
Chapter 22
The blood rushed to my head, Dad was here? He must have come with Wyn.
“There’s no time to explain now Ash,” Wyn spoke quickly. “We still need to escape from the castle. I promise I’ll explain everything once we’re safe.”
“But...is he alright?” I asked the Elves supporting my father.
“He’ll be fine. Tomman is as tough as they come. Don’t worry Ashlee, we’ll take good care of him for you,” Callum said.
Before I could reply, Wyn had grabbed my hand and was pulling me down the staircase. I quickly glanced over my shoulder; Callum and another Elf were helping Dad swiftly down the stairs behind us. Why had he called him Tomman? They seemed to know him. I was beginning to think my father was going to have a lot of explaining to do. There was no time to think about that now though; we were still in grave danger. I hoped the other Elves had a good plan to escape the castle. We’d been planning to use Ava’s darkness gift to confuse things.
“Ava?” I said coming to an abrupt halt. “Where is Ava?”
“Don’t worry, she’s with the Queen,” Wyn reassured me, quickly pulling me forward again.
I followed Wyn down several flights of stairs and through a series of rooms and hallways. We passed several Elves, but they all looked like workers rather than fighters. None of them called out for the guards. I guessed not everyone was happy with Rothlyn’s rule. We passed through a familiar corridor bordering the kitchens.
“It’s Queen Vashti!” An Elf from the kitchen shouted.
Uh oh, I thought, looks like we’re going to have to fight our way out. Wyn had stopped nex
t to me, suddenly his face split into a huge grin.
“Wistari my old friend, are you coming with us?” Wyn said reaching out to hug the Elf.
“Of course! I go with my Queen,” Wistari exclaimed eagerly, looking at Vashti.
“I will welcome your cooking dear fellow,” Vashti said. “What about your family?”
“I’ll get a message to them, don’t worry about that. They will be out of the City before us, I’d wager.”
We continued on. I looked behind and it seemed that not only the cook but all the kitchen workers had joined us. Hopefully, Rothlyn would have no one left to cook for him. That would be a small victory at least, I thought.
I recognised the door we had first used to sneak into the Castle. I guessed Wyn planned to get us back out under the wall. I wasn’t sure how we were all going to get out that way. It would be slow going. The Elf in front pushed open the door and was immediately confronted by two guards, who must have been on guard outside the door. Wyn dropped my hand and rushed to his aid.
I held my breath as I watched the fight, but I needn’t have worried. Wyn quickly dispatched his opponent then swung nimbly around to help. The second guard was quickly subdued. I ran out the door to catch up to Wyn. He was searching the garden to see if there were any other guards pre-sent. There were quite a lot of us now I noticed. As well as the kitchen staff, it looked like some of the other Elves that worked at the Castle were eager to escape Rothlyn’s rule. Wyn led the way through the garden and among the trees. When we approached the tunnel, he stopped and signalled for Ava to come forward.
“How much of the garden can you bring darkness to?” Wyn asked the young Elf.
“Probably all of the wooded area, but not all the way to the Castle,” Ava said confidently.
“Excellent, start now if you please.”
As the world started to go black, Wyn pulled my locket out from under his shirt.
“You’ll need this Ash,” Wyn said, quickly pulling the chain over his head before gently placing it around my neck. Wyn reached down and opened the Jaega. Its light shone clear and bright even as the world darkened around us.