He tried to scream, “Follow me!” but wasn’t sure if he had in the din of the Flow. In the raging battle of magic, he could not make out any people.
Fire raked across the sky, blood red in his magic vision. His shield began to crack. He stepped backwards towards Sheyengetha, dragging the shield with him, praying the elves would follow. He stepped back again. Each step seemed to take an age. Sheyengetha’s light cooled his burning back, offering strength, calm and salvation in a world of chaos. He stepped back again. The shield fractured as the Under Flow thundered against it.
He stepped into Sheyengetha’s light and took a great breath of pure, cool air. The Under Flow could not enter Sheyengetha’s purity. He pulled the failing shield to him and poured the remainder of his energy and strength into it. Only he had the power to protect the elves fleeing from Baelthrom as they fled towards the gateway that was Sheyengetha.
Willingly, he lost himself to the Flow, pouring so much of himself into his magic that his body began to turn into light, losing its material, physical properties. The magical light filled him with ecstatic, tingling energy as he became a tunnel of living energy within the body of Sheyengetha.
He felt the first elf move through him, pass through the fibres of his being, into Sheyengetha and beyond. He smiled and sighed, a sound that echoed and soothed.
More elves passed and he began to cry with joy. The elves would survive, just. He would remain here for as long as it took to ensure Baelthrom and his horde would never make it through. He had to protect the elves and he had to protect the seers, just as they had protected great Sheyengetha and thus the Land of Mists for all this time.
‘I give my life to protect this place,’ Averen commanded in the Elven Voice, loud and booming in the light as he sealed his oath. ‘Sheyengetha and I are one. Only the Orb of Earth will have the power to release me. This I decree.’
With a cry, he sealed the gateway shut.
11
Elf in Limbo
DAWN brightened the skies.
Issa stared at the elves pouring through the most beautiful tree she had ever seen. With rich green leaves untouched by autumn, and a thick, strong, pale blue trunk around which flowers bloomed, it was the most perfect tree she had ever seen.
The stillness and beauty of the morning here in the glade was a stark contrast to the bloody, wounded and sobbing people that staggered onto the grass. Asaph’s arm around her shoulders tightened at the spectacle. The growing cries of agony made them leap into action.
It seemed all the seers in Maioria had come to help and hundreds of blue robed women and men of all ages rushed forwards to assist the injured, helping those too weak to stand and laying them on the grass.
Issa, Naksu and Asaph with the rest of the Trinity had been the first to arrive after Iyena. Iyena was telling her about Averen’s panicked arrival when the tree started shimmering and people began pouring through. Her dream and Naksu’s similar vision now all made horrible sense. The Land of Mists had been discovered by Baelthrom and attacked.
‘I don’t know what to do, there are so many of them,’ Issa said in anguish, opening her hands and feeling helpless as she watched Iyena direct the seers. At least a thousand elves now filled the glade and forest, and all carried injuries. She noted every face emerging through the light of the tree, but none of them were Daranarta, and none of them were Averen.
‘Issa, Asaph, help me,’ Naksu called, struggling to hold up an elven man nearly two feet taller than the seer was.
Blood soaked the cloth he held to his head, the bright red drops vivid as they splashed onto his pastel tunic. A small elf-girl clung to his leg, her dress covered in burn holes and her skin red and blistering.
Asaph took the man’s arm and wrapped it around his shoulders. Half carrying him, Asaph set the man down on the grass at the base of a tree. Issa hugged the child and lifted her up. Naksu went to work immediately, pulling everything out of her sack from bandages to candles to bottles and ointments.
Issa tended the girl whilst Asaph found his best use in helping carry those who could barely walk. The elf girl trembled all over and would only stare wide-eyed at the grass. Issa placed a hand on her sweaty forehead and murmured soothing words to calm her.
‘Now then, you’re a brave girl, because I bet you saw a Dread Dragon.’ Issa smiled as she hovered her hands over the girl’s burns. The girl nodded but did not look at her.
Issa directed the Flow from her hands over the girl’s skin. The most severe blistering burns soon calmed and the skin lost its angry redness.
‘Now then, brave one,’ she said, picking up a tiny pot of Naksu’s balm. ‘The pain has lessened, hasn’t it?’
The girl nodded but continued staring at the ground.
‘It won’t come back either, but you’ll need to rub this on your skin morning and night until the burns are gone. I can’t promise they won’t scar but they should heal with time. Now, you see that lady over there?’ She pointed to a red-haired seer standing before a table laden with food and jugs of water. ‘She’ll give you food and water. Why don’t you go get yourself something whilst we look after your friend.’
The girl nodded again and Issa helped her up. On hesitant feet, the girl walked to the red-haired seer. Issa turned to help Naksu with the man’s ghastly wounds. He lay with his eyes closed, breathing lightly.
‘I’ve managed to stem the bleeding from his face and neck, but he’s not good,’ said Naksu, shaking her head as she began to stitch together the gashes on his face. ‘What you did with the girl was impressive. See what you can do with his burns. Some are very bad.’
The seer was right, carefully pulling off a piece of the man’s blackened tunic revealed a horrible mass of bleeding, weeping, burning flesh.
Issa took a deep breath and pooled the Flow into her palms until they glowed blue, then she ran the cooling energy over the burns, wherever she found them. The elf man visibly relaxed, his muscles no longer twitched and his breath came deeper and slower.
When they were unable to do more, they left him to rest. Iyena swiftly pointed them towards a young elf woman and her sister; both in shock and one with a broken arm and the other with fractured ribs. Naksu and Issa helped them to sit or lie down. Issa used the Flow to set the bone whilst Naksu splinted and bandaged them.
They worked without pause and with barely a break for food and water until the sun began to set. As soon as they had tended one person, they moved on to the next, and there were still many more to tend.
Whilst they worked, those elves who could walk were taken to the mainland where they could be sheltered, fed and watered more easily.
All through the day, seers, Asaph and any others fit and able to assist, erected tents down by the port. Slowly, all the people were moved through the forest to their temporary accommodation, limping, on stretchers or holding on to people.
Every time she finished with one patient, Issa looked to Sheyengetha hoping Averen would emerge any moment, but he didn’t.
When the last of the elves were finally carried away and dusk covered the forest, Issa stood and stretched her aching back with a groan. She watched the seers leave, reluctant to go herself in case anybody else emerged.
‘Come, let’s get some food,’ said Asaph, his face and clothes were smeared with blood and dirt, and he looked exhausted. ‘No one has come through since midday, and we need to look after ourselves, too.’
Issa, nodded, her stomach had been rumbling for a good hour. ‘Averen never returned. Does that mean he’s gone?’
Asaph looked away. ‘I don’t know.’
Issa walked towards the tree. It stood silent and serene, bathed in the soft light of the crystal. She couldn’t believe the High Wizard was dead, it just couldn’t be. Would the tree know? She was Daluni but it was said only elves could talk to trees.
‘Sheyengetha,’ she said the tree’s name and laid a hand on its pale trunk. She felt or heard it sigh as if it were weary and wanted rest.
�
�Is Averen still alive?’ Issa tried the Daluni mind-speak, wondering if it would speak to her. There was a long pause and a strong feeling of reluctance. She tried again.
‘Please tell me. I pray to Woetala that he is. Does he need help? Is he trapped in the Land of Mists? Does Baelthrom have him? If you let me through, maybe I can help.’
‘None but elves may pass,’ Sheyengetha replied in a deep sighing voice that was filled with sorrow. Issa leant closer to hear. ‘Averen and I are as one. We protect the gateway. Alone, I cannot. When the time comes, only the elven orb can part us.’
‘Is Daranarta with you? Is the orb safe?’ asked Issa, but the tree remained silent and still.
‘Thank you, Sheyengetha. May Woetala bless you.’ She felt an acceptance of her blessing but no more. She dropped her hands and looked at Asaph.
‘Averen lives, but within the tree. When the time is right only the Orb of Earth can release him.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Asaph, his brow knitting together.
Issa frowned too. ‘That’s all Sheyengetha said.’
‘Is the orb safe?’
Issa shook her head. ‘I don’t know. What if it’s stuck beyond the tree? If Baelthrom has captured another orb…’
She felt faint at the thought and must have looked it for Asaph pulled her close. He didn’t say anything though. What could he possibly say to ease her mind under such dire thoughts? He put an arm around her shoulder and turned her towards the path.
‘Raven Queen,’ Sheyengetha whispered in her mind, in a voice filled with knowing. Issa paused and looked back but the tree said no more.
The next day, Issa and Asaph were up before dawn to help the refugees. Of the three thousand or so elven souls who had made it through Sheyengetha, scores had died of their injuries in the night. The sorrow of it was swept away by the sheer number of others who needed their help.
At least they passed away peacefully on Myrn with the seers at their sides, and in as little pain as possible. Thankfully, those remaining were mostly recovering or at least stable.
At daybreak, the wizards arrived. Issa hurried over to them as they stepped off the boat on to the main dock at Oray. It was a relief to see Freydel’s friendly face under the dire circumstances. The wizards stared, aghast at the temporary tents filled with elves stretching up and down the coast, and clustered around an exhausted Iyena, their purple robes a compliment to her pale blue one, as she explained everything that had transpired. Issa came to stand beside her.
‘Where is Averen?’ asked Freydel, worrying his beard.
‘We’ve tried to reach him but can’t,’ Drumblodd shook his head, planting his axe between his feet.
‘He’s in the tree,’ Issa said, just as Iyena was about to speak.
Everyone looked at her. Iyena had also been shocked when Issa told her about Averen and that the tree had spoken to her. Usually, only seers trained in Tree Whispering could do so—which had left Issa wondering all evening whether her mother been a trained Tree Whisperer and maybe even spoken to Sheyengetha herself all those years ago.
‘In great Sheyengetha,’ Issa continued. The wizards murmured, eyebrows raised, except for Domenon whose face remained impassive. ‘The tree told me. It was the only way Averen could both keep the gateway to the Land of Mists open long enough for the elves to escape and then seal it shut against anything bad that might follow. Only when the time is right and with the elven orb will he leave the tree.’
‘The orb,’ Freydel gasped. ‘Where is it?’
Issa looked at the ground, that same terrible feeling rising in her stomach. ‘We don’t know.’
‘None of the elves have it and they don’t know where it is,’ said Iyena. ‘Unless they are hiding it to protect it.’
‘We must find it,’ said Haelgon, his face drawn.
‘It could be trapped within the Land of Mists,’ Issa tried to sound hopeful.
Freydel took a deep breath, turned away and leant on his staff. ‘If we lose another… It’s all over. It is barely hanging on as it is.’
Iyena laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘We must hope for the best, that’s all we can do. Come now, there are hundreds of injured people who desperately need the help of wizards.’
‘We will ask Truth Questions as we help them,’ said King Navarr, looking determined.
Freydel nodded and rubbed his eyes. Iyena led him away and the wizards followed, except for Domenon.
‘Did Sheyengetha say anything more about the orb?’ asked Domenon, an intense look in his eyes.
‘Don’t you care about Averen?’ Issa spoke her thoughts aloud and immediately wondered why she’d said it. She was tired and emotionally wrung out from all the pain and suffering, but still, the wizard’s lack of caring never ceased to irritate her. He gave a surprised half-smile.
‘Averen is more than capable of looking after himself, but the orb is not.’
Issa tutted. ‘It may not be so obvious to the other wizards but it’s obvious to me that your loyalties don’t lie with the Wizard’s Circle. I just wonder if you care about anyone else in this world other than yourself.’
A flicker of anger passed across his handsome face and was swiftly replaced with a cool smile. ‘I’m pleased that you think of me so much, Raven Queen.’ He gave a slight bow, whether mocking or not, Issa couldn’t tell.
‘As a Master Wizard it is my duty to help the needy. Like King Navarr suggested, I will ask every elf I treat about the orb and consider their responses. They won’t be able to hide the truth from me. Later today I would like you to take me to Sheyengetha so I can get a feel for the situation, if it’s not too much to ask.’ He turned away to follow the other wizards without waiting for a response from her.
She shook her head, feeling strangely that he’d been both flirting and arguing with her. He was a confusing man; powerful yet sowing discord wherever he went, handsome and mysterious and yet irritating and dangerous. No wonder Freydel found him so difficult. Perhaps she would take him to the tree later…and perhaps she wouldn’t, she thought with a grin.
For the rest of the day, she busied herself by healing the injured; changing bandages, easing pain with the Flow, salving wounds, distributing armsful of new clothes—the list was endless. She only stopped to rest when Asaph brought her a sandwich in the afternoon. She raised herself from the woman whose bandages she’d been rebinding and smiled at him.
‘I’m so tired,’ she sighed, thanking him for the sandwich as they walked towards seashore.
‘Me too. I’ve erected at least twenty tents this morning and my shoulders are aching.’
They sat down on the edge of a jetty, their feet hanging over the water, and ate lunch. Ehka swooped down from the trees to join them. Issa crumbled up some of her bread for him. He gobbled it down in moments and looked up at her for more.
‘I saw all those wizards arrive,’ said Asaph. ‘They looked impressive.’
Issa laughed. ‘Well, it’s mostly show, but they are nice enough, apart from Domenon. He’s just so odd.’
‘The dark-haired one?’
‘Yes.’
‘He’s the one who hurt you.’ Asaph glowered.
‘Well, not really. He grabbed me and Ehka went crazy, but he didn’t hurt me. He was just… emotional. He’s not so bad, really, just difficult.’
‘Hmph,’ was all Asaph said, though his scowl remained.
‘He wants me to take him to Sheyengetha later, to see if he can reach Averen. I’m not sure if I’ll go, though.’ Issa brushed the crumbs from her lap to Ehka.
‘I’ll come with you if you do,’ said Asaph, finishing his sandwich and staring across the harbour. ‘I’ll make sure he keeps his manners.’
Issa smiled to herself, liking his protective nature.
Driven by intrigue, Issa decided to meet Domenon at the dock. The wizard was dressed in his usual thin, black leather trousers and boots, white shirt and dark purple wizards’ cloak. He watched her approach, dark eyes never once blinking o
r wavering.
Issa self-consciously tightened the collar of her robe, wishing she’d worn her Dread Dragon armour. It just didn’t feel right to wear her armour and sword here in this sacred place amongst the simply-robed seers. Neither Ehka nor Asaph were anywhere to be seen, annoyingly. At least the raven could have come. Maybe he was busy doing his favourite thing; bothering the crabs as they scuttled over the rocks.
A squeeze of her talisman tucked into her belt reassured her. She had the orb too, but she wished she’d left it at home, knowing how Domenon desired it. That time he grabbed me was a one off. He’s not going to harm me, she reassured herself, feeling silly and almost guilty for assuming he had ill intentions.
‘I had to help someone,’ she said by way of an apology for keeping him waiting, then stopped. She didn’t need to apologise for anything.
‘On the contrary, I was early,’ Domenon said with a smile. ‘Shall we?’ He offered her his arm and she hesitated before taking it, thinking of Asaph.
‘Asaph wanted to come. He won’t be a minute.’ She didn’t think Asaph would like her holding Domenon’s arm, but the wizard laid a hand over hers and she felt it would be rude to pull away.
‘Unfortunately, I don’t have any time to wait. I must be back within two hours for a meeting. I’m sure he’ll understand.’
Issa glanced behind them. Scanning the tents, Asaph was nowhere to be seen. He knew where she was going and he could catch up. Besides, she was more than capable of looking after herself, and this Master Wizard had a reputation to uphold. He’d never really done her harm other than just be irritable. She sighed and let him lead her away.
A middle-aged boatman with long brown hair tied back with a cord, dressed in a shirt and simple woollen jerkin helped them into the small boat and hoisted the little sail. There were many little boats and boatmen and women always ready to take people to any of the other four islands. Their services were free whilst they received teaching and learnt skills from the seers.
Dragons of the Dawn Bringer: The Goddess Prophecies Fantasy Series Book 5 Page 13