Autumn of Elves

by Joanne Vruno

  The other elves resting on the ground looked at Silver as she walked around to each member of the group and personally welcomed them.

  Dolph came up behind Grandma and me and said, “Aly is not to go near the new village. What’s happened is a crime in the light elves’ world. With no contact allowed between the king and us at the moment, we need to figure out what new steps we need to take. These elves are now safe, but I’m concerned for others in that village. Koppor and Fredek are out of control. In time, a guardian will need to appear in their village or they’ll wonder what happened. We need to keep their village protected, but first we need a plan on how we’re going to handle this. You two can go home now. We’ll question more of these elves to get an idea of what’s been happening in that village. We need to know what the majority of the village elves think, if they agree with their leaders or are so afraid of them they just do what they’re told. Isolation’s maybe been too long. I’d never have expected this behavior from those two. Silver or I will contact you soon. Go eat and rest. Lunt will stay with us. I want his opinion also.”

  Grandma and I walked slowly back to the house. I could tell she was just as baffled as I was.

  When we were home, Emily and the two tomtes, Lina and Berg, were watching television in the den. All three came quickly into the kitchen. Grandma started a pot of coffee. When she really wanted to concentrate on a problem, she needed coffee. She ­believed egg coffee was the tastiest because the eggs took away the acid. She was in deep concentration as she filled an old-fashioned percolator with water, measured out the coffee and cracked a raw egg into the ground coffee before plugging in the percolator. Next, she took plates from the cupboard and set five at the table. The rest of us let her be, knowing this was her way of solving a problem. Working in her kitchen helped her thought process.

  I concentrated on the rhythm of the percolator as I, too, sought answers. I couldn’t get past the idea I was destined to be guardian of evil elves. There were probably also good elves in that band, but they weren’t the leaders.

  Emily finally broke the silence. “Did you two save the lost elves? Were they all right?”

  I said, “They’ll be fine. They were beaten up some but are healing in Silver and Dolph’s village. We were informed they were actually kicked out of their village for refusing an order from Fredek to kill three tree sprites.”

  “What?” Berg asked. “Why were they in danger from the sprites? Light elves don’t kill other creatures!”

  “Exactly,” said Grandma. “That’s why some elves refused the order. Fredek and Koppor took elves standing up for their beliefs as a sign of disrespect and gave them an ultimatum: they had to follow through with the order or they’d be exiled, along with their families. They stood their ground, and their guardian was ordered to send them away.”

  “That’s so wrong,” said Lina. “They could’ve died on their own!”

  “They were in really bad shape when they arrived. Grandma and I worked on each of them for quite some time,” I said. “Hopefully they’ll all have a full recovery.”

  “How’s Silver?” asked Lina. “It has to be heartbreaking to be reunited with her sister after so long and realize how much she’s changed. Is she doing all right?”

  Grandma said, “She went to each of the lost elves and told them they were part of her colony now and nobody would hurt them. I’m sure what’s happened hurts her, but, for Silver, the safety of her colony comes first. She’ll deal with her pain in her own way.” Grandma poured cups of coffee for herself, Berg, and Lina. She poured milk for Emily and me and started making sandwiches for all of us.

  “They should put Koppor and Fredek in jail!” said Emily. “They broke elf rules, didn’t they?”

  Grandma sighed. “It’s not that easy, Emily. With no communication with the Kingdom of Ijus, King Klas can’t be contacted to decide their fate. That’s his job. And we can’t just combine too many elves with Silver and Dolph’s colony. One giant colony makes it too easy for rock elves and dwarves to spot them. We also don’t know any of the elves in their colony, so we don’t know who could take Koppor and Fredek’s place. The colony has to have leadership!”

  “Aly could be the leader!” said Emily.

  “No I couldn’t,” I replied.

  “Aly’s right,” Grandma said, “she couldn’t take on leading a colony. She’s a protector, not someone to run the daily events in a colony. Elves who live there must run it.”

  “Could they have an election?” I asked.

  “Maybe, if we knew who was running for the position and if they were capable. The lead elves were chosen by the king. They all were strong leaders and warriors. They knew survival skills, land and earth healing skills, birding skills, and were completely loyal to the kingdom. They were honorable members of the kingdom. It’d be difficult for King Klas to replace them unless he sent a set of new elves from the kingdom. But the king has no idea what’s going on, just as we didn’t. Not just anyone can take on that responsibility,” said Grandma.

  The kitchen fell into thoughtful silence as we all ate our sandwiches.

  Nineteen

  I decided I was more like Grandma than I knew. I needed to stay busy while I processed all this information, so I talked Emily into joining me in yard work. We found some rakes and went to work cleaning up the first golden-orange leaves that had fallen from the large maple tree. Soon we had a giant pile of leaves, and I saw the twinkle in Emily’s eyes right before she dived into them head first. Laughter soon replaced the worry and for several hours we raked, jumped in the leaves and played.

  Lunt showed up with garbage bags for us to fill. Emily spoke to me in my head, “Aly, let’s dump handfuls of leaves on Lunt, instead of putting them in the bag.”

  I smiled at the idea, but as we both picked up armfuls of leaves, Lunt disappeared. Both Emily and I looked around. There was no sign of him. Foiled, we put our armfuls of leaves into the bags. When we were almost done packing the bags full of leaves, we were bombarded suddenly with a solid stream of leaves directly on top of us. As we brushed away the leaves, we saw Lunt on a branch laughing at us. “You two deserved that. I’ve watched you since you were small children and studied your expressions. Did you really think you could throw leaves at me?” he asked.

  We both smiled sheepishly, and he came down the side of the tree and offered to help with the last leaves.

  It wasn’t long before the job was completed, and Lunt became serious again. “Aly, we need you to go to Koppor and Fredek’s village. They’re going to start to wonder where you are. The village still needs your protection. We need you to stay strong and act as though you know nothing of the exiled elves. I’ll go with you. They won’t know I’m there, but I promise I’ll be watching you carefully. They shouldn’t really be a threat to you. They need you. Without a guardian, they’ll be in major trouble. They may try to bully you, but don’t let them boss you around. If they see you’re not weak, they’ll respect you, maybe even fear you a bit. After all, a guardian has the stronger power.”

  I never thought of it like that. I actually had more magic than they did. “When should we go?” I asked.

  “As soon as possible. I’ll leave now and meet you there,” said Lunt. He vanished.

  I went into Grandma’s house and brushed my hair to eliminate the leaves. I could tell by everyone’s faces that Lunt had already spoken to them.

  “Well, here I go!” I said with as much bravery as I could muster. “Send me to Koppor and Fredek’s village. Send me to Koppor and Fredek’s village. Send me to Koppor’s and Fredek’s village.” Poof! I was standing on the hill watching the elves still busily constructing their buildings.

  From behind me I heard Koppor’s voice. “Aly, we were wondering when you were going to pay us a visit.”

  “I wanted you to settle in at your new location. I know the nights are going
to get chilly soon, and I wanted all of you to have shelter. The village’s looking very nice,” I said, viewing all the construction done in a day.

  “So, are you ready to become our guardian? I know you said you’ve only been in training since last spring.”

  “I’m up to the task, though I don’t own an amulet. By any chance do you have the one from your old guardian?” I asked.

  “We do. That was how we contacted King Klas to tell him we were in danger. Here, let me get it for you,” said Koppor as she headed for a large building in the center of the village. She soon reappeared with Fredek at her side. Together they seemed like formidable foes. I just kept reminding myself I was more powerful than they were.

  “Here it is,” said Koppor as she handed me the amulet with the same carved picture of the midnight sun on its chain. “The tomtes of our past guardian brought it to us. She was in a terrible car accident. We really didn’t ever think we’d get another guardian. Do you know how to use it?”

  “Yes,” I said with more confidence than I felt. I held it toward the sun and whispered Grandma’s words. A sudden flash showed me I’d just made the village invisible to others.

  “Well, Koppor, I think we’re fortunate to have this new guardian. She seems quite capable in protecting us!” said Fredek, smiling at me.

  I smiled back. I’ve accomplished step one. They know I’m powerful!

  I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting elves. I cautiously studied each one’s eyes as I had been taught to do and was pleased to know they were all light elves.

  The afternoon went well. The elves were pleased to meet me, and I realized they were similar to Silver and Dolph’s band. As I was got close to leaving, two giant swans appeared in the stream of Battle Creek. I knew from their appearance they were part of Alvit’s flock, and were also swan maidens. I felt compelled to walk down to the creek to meet with them now that I knew they were loyal to King Klas. Koppor joined me. On the way down the hill, Fredek called after us, “You two shouldn’t go down there. You’re showing yourself to unknown creatures!”

  I looked into Koppor’s face. “Are you coming?”

  She might have hesitated just a bit, then said, “Yes. If it wasn’t for their sister Alvit, you wouldn’t have known our colony was without a guardian. In a way, she brought us together. I believe Alvit’s safe, so I have no reason to distrust her sisters.”

  The swans looked up when we were within ten feet of them. “Are you Aly, the guardian?” one said.

  “I am,” I said with a bow of my head, “and this is Koppor. Where is your sister Alvit?”

  “That’s what we’d like to know. She came here to help some light elves find you. I see that was accomplished, but she hasn’t returned. We sense she’s in trouble. When was the last time you saw her?” asked the other swan.

  “I sent her back to the village. Koppor, did she arrive there?” I asked and looked into Koppor’s face.

  “She came back a bit flustered and confused, stayed for one day, then left that night. I never saw her again because we were transported here,” said Koppor.

  “They’re both telling the truth, sister.” said the first swan. “How strange for her to leave at night. We don’t ever travel at night. I sense foul play. Where were you?” the largest swan asked Koppor.

  “Outside Montreal, in Canada.”

  “It’ll take us a few days to fly there. I hope she’s all right. I hate to think of her in trouble,” said the smaller swan.

  “Wait,” I said. “Let me help. I could summon Alvit here. I’m not sure I have enough power, but I could try.”

  “Would you, guardian?” asked the smaller swan.

  “Send Alvit to me. Send Alvit to me. Send Alvit to me.” Poof! A naked lady appeared holding a shredded blanket of feathers against her skin for warmth.

  “Sister, sister are you all right?” The two swans flew to the lady, who lay still on the ground at my feet.

  I bent down and felt for a pulse. It was weak but still there. I quickly started using my healing powers over her body. She didn’t move. I only had one option. “We need to take her to my grandmother’s house. My powers are too drained to cure her. With both of us working on her, we may be able to save her. Can you lift her in the air if I help get her onto your back?”

  The largest swan nodded. “We’ll take you as well.”

  I pulled the limp woman onto the larger swan’s back. With the blanket of shredded feathers, I climbed onto the other swan’s back. “It’s only a few miles away.”

  “Sister, fly slowly so Alvit doesn’t fall off.”

  I quickly flashed the amulet to hide us from any other creatures. It was impossible not to notice the great size of these swans. Their wing span must have been close to twelve feet. I tucked myself down on the swan’s back. With a great flapping of wings, we slowly left the ground. I gave directions as we followed Battle Creek to Grandma’s house. We gently landed in the back yard. I flashed the amulet into the air to hide the yard before I ran into the house to get Grandma. Together, Grandma and I lifted Alvit to a blanket Emily had laid down on the ground. Grandma and I worked our healing powers over Alvit. Soon her breathing became stronger. Grandma noticed her arm was broken and focused all her power on it. We watched as Alvit’s bones moved together and her skin color returned to normal.

  “We should not move her at this moment,” Grandma said. “We need more blankets to warm her. She needs rest and warmth now to finish healing. Emily, will you bring me the quilt off my bed?”

  Emily ran to the house and returned with the quilt. Grandma tucked it around Alvit like a cocoon. “How did she get hurt?” asked Grandma.

  “We don’t know. Her sisters showed up at Koppor’s village. I could tell they were distressed. Koppor and I went to talk to them, and they informed us Alvit was missing. So I transported her to us. I tried healing her myself, but my powers were drained. I knew we needed to get her to you,” I said.

  “I’m glad you did. What’s this blanket of shredded feathers?” Grandma asked.

  The larger swan said, “It’s her swan feather cloak. Something must have attacked her. I don’t know if we can fix it. Without her cloak of feathers, she can’t become a swan again. She’ll have to stay in her human form.”

  Tears formed in both the swans’ eyes. Mine too. A swan maiden that could never be a swan again. The thought broke my heart.

  “Grandma, I need some food. What do we have? I need to get my strength up. Grandma, you and I are going to heal this cloak of feathers! After all, it’s part of a living creature, so it must be able to be healed. Right?” I asked.

  “Maybe. We can at least try. Can I bring you two any food or water?” Grandma asked the swans.

  “Water would be nice,” said the larger swan. “Do you really think the cloak can be healed?”

  “We’ll try. That’s all we can promise,” said Grandma as she hurried to the house.

  The smaller swan nuzzled close to Alvit. “Thank you for your help. She already looks better, but she’ll never be completely healed unless her cloak is fixed.”

  “So with your cloak you can turn into a swan and without it you turn back into a human?” asked Emily.

  “Yes. We live in two worlds, a human one and a magical one,” replied the larger swan.

  “Aly, they’re like us! We don’t change our form but we do live in two worlds every day. By the way, I’m Emily,” she introduced herself to the swan maidens. “I’m so honored to meet you.” I could see Emily was completely star struck. It was obvious the swan maidens intrigued my little sister.

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Emily. I’m Olrun and that is my sister Svanhit. We usually don’t get to meet humans. We live secluded lives with our husbands and children in a place called Murkwood, isolated from human civilization. We’re protected there and only ve
nture out when asked by someone needing our help.”

  Grandma came out with a huge platter containing apples, sunflower seeds, cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the last of the chocolate chip cookies. She set the tray down on the ground and returned for water.

  Emily and I each took a sandwich, while the two swans shared the bowl of sunflower seeds. “I thought everyone needed some nourishment,” said Grandma as she settled down on the ground and picked up an apple.

  “Thank you. We were a bit hungry. When do you think Alvit will awaken?” asked Olrun.

  “It’s hard to say. Everyone takes healing differently.” Grandma said. “It looked like she had been hurt for a day or more. Her body seemed very weak, so the healing may take awhile. She’s safe here. Nobody can see you from the sky or ground. If she doesn’t wake up by tomorrow, we’ll need to try to give her some water. If she wakes today we can help her eat. She needs nourishment, but we need her to swallow for that. Her coloring is better and so is her breathing.” Grandma paused. “I wonder what happened to her. Whatever it was, she may need some time to heal emotionally, too. It’s good you two are here. Family love is the best medicine of all. Let me know what your regular diet is. I can get whatever you need. You two also need to keep your strength up.”

  “Thank you for being so kind. We would have lost her without your help, guardians,” said Olrun.

  “I’m Alice,” said Grandma.

  “Grandma, this is Olrun and Svanhit,” said Emily.

  The three nodded to each other.

  “Tomorrow, we’ll try to fix her cloak of feathers. Aly and Emily, we should go in. The sun’s setting. Can I bring you two some blankets? I’ll leave the apples and sunflower seeds for you,” said Grandma.

  “Thank you again. A blanket would be nice,” said Olrun, “We could all use rest. It’s been a stressful day.”