by Clark Graham
"Yes, my Prince." Hemlot bowed and was off to assign the guards. He was going to ask about the singing part but he had been awakened by Sarchise yelling at the Valkyrie for singing the night before, so he held his question.
Sarchise settled in for a brief sleep. About half way through the night, he was awakened by Hemlot. "Nothing to report. It's our turn for the watch," Hemlot said.
After stretching, Sarchise nodded and got up. It brought back many memories being on watch in the forest. He heard sounds of the night, insects buzzing and owls hooting. He loved the smells of the forest. Sarchise strung his bow, just in case, and let his eyes grow accustomed to the night.
A few hours later, he heard someone approach him from behind. He turned to see that Fawn was awake and coming towards him. "Good morning," she said.
"It's not morning yet, but soon." Sarchise replied.
"You must think that we act like monsters after last night," she said.
"Not monsters, but temptresses. I do not need any more confusion in my life. I am already a man that lives in a foreign land, with a foreign wife, away from the customs and culture of his own people," Sarchise replied.
"I am sorry for the last two nights; it was irresponsible of me to play with you so." Fawn said.
"Yes, it was," he agreed.
She let out a giggle at that, "At least one always knows where they stand with you, Sarchise of South Fort."
Sarchise smiled, "I never like to let people wonder how I feel."
Fawn giggled again.
Soon the sun was just peeking out between the trees. Sarchise liked this time of day the best, when the multicolored birds would fly from branch to branch and the morning mist would start to burn off with the rising of the sun. The Valkyrie and Dwarves were soon scrambling to get up, eat and get ready for the day's journey.
When everyone had eaten, the group mounted the horses and started their ride through the forest. It was a warm, pleasant day and the trail was well groomed. The Valkyrie were pushing their horses a little faster than normal to avoid another night in the middle of the Westwood.
As the group rode, the trail grew wider and the trees flashed by. Sarchise would havepreferred a slower trip. Even though the forest was deadly to the unwary, he still loved it and would have enjoyed lingering. The Valkyrie seemed determined not to pause. Even when noontime came, they continued their fast journey, still pushing the horses hard. It was afternoon when the group arrived at the Ornamac tree and the fort that surrounded it. The Dwarves opened the wooden gate at the first sight of the Valkyrie, and Sarchise.
The Elf and the Ornamac Tree
Darnien, the commander of the fort, came out to greet the group. He bowed deeply, "I am Darnien, son of Dane, at your service." His dark brown hair was tied in a braided ponytail down his back and he looked like a typical Dwarf, except for his larger- than- average nose. Dark brown eyes peered out from underneath his silver helmet.
The group dismounted, and Sarchise returned Darnien's bow, "I am Sarchise, adopted fifth born of the King of High Mountain, Prince to the King of the Mountains of Iron."
Fawn also returned the bow, "I am Fawn of the Valkyrie. Thank you for your allowing us to visit and your hospitality."
"My pleasure," Darnien said to Fawn. "Sarchise," he said when he turned, "I have long wanted to meet you. Many songs have been sung around the bonfires in the all the halls of the Dwarf's mountain kingdoms of your exploits and heroism."
"You flatter me," Sarchise said with another bow.
"My army was held back at High Mountain during the last Gremlin war. By the time we were allowed to march, the war was almost over. I have been here garrisoning the Ornamac tree since then. I have not the battle honors that I was hoping for, but dealing with the Elf all this time should have made me a battle hardened veteran by now."
"Indeed a veteran, if not a great hero," Sarchise replied. Everyone laughed.
"Make yourselves at home; you are all safe within these wooden walls. I will have my cooks make you something to eat and drink after your long journey. Tell me what brings you to the Westwood?" Darnien asked.
"We must talk with the Elf to see if he knows the secrets of the Lost City and what evil abides there," Fawn said.
"I wish you luck in your endeavor," Darnien commented.
"But not tonight, tonight I wish to eat, drink and then climb the Ornamac tree. I may even sleep up there," Sarchise replied
"Yes, I love the view from up there too. We have cut steps, so now, even we short legged Dwarves can easily ascend the tree. We never sleep up there though. We prefer to sleep on mother earth," Darnien said.
Soon food was brought out and the so was the best ale that the fort had. After everyone started eating the songs began.
Sarchise has come once again
To the fort he did defend
The battle was sore and blood did flow
But the Dwarves did defeat the foe
A "Hail, Sarchise," erupted from the crowd and Sarchise held up his ale, and then drained it along with everyone else. Then he bid the crowd goodnight and climbed up the tree He rolled out his bedroll at the top. The two lookouts just nodded at him while he stood there. He loved the view from up there. He could see the base of High Mountain, towering up in distance. The green canopy of leaves of the Westwood spread out at his feet and went for as far as the eye could see. He could hear the croaking of frogs in the distance. The birds were flying back to their nests, as the day neared its completion.
As he turned to towards his bedroll, he was surprised to see Fawn standing behind him admiring the view.
"I see why you love the forest so, it is so beautiful, and yet, so deadly," Fawn commented.
"It's only deadly to those who do not fear it." Sarchise replied. "One loves, but fears the Westwood, otherwise one dies here."
"I fear the Westwood, that is why I stay out of it whenever possible," Fawn said.
"It will take a part of your heart if you let it. I was just a boy when I first started roaming these woods. I had experienced men to show me how to survive here. Soon it was my turn to show people how to survive. My heart is thrilled to be back, especially here on the Ornamac tree. I can see so much of the forest from here."
"I will let you get your rest. Good night, Sarchise." She said and then climbed back down the tree to her bedroll.
"What are you doing?" Sharis asked as Fawn drew near.
"I was just talking," Fawn said defensively.
"We get what we need from them and then we move on. We do not get emotionally involved. You have not gotten what we need to replenish our race, and you won't let any of us to do it either. Now you are getting involved," Sharis said with a scowl on her face. "When your mother the Queen finds out, she will be livid. He is a great hero; we need the strength of his seed."
"He is a great hero, he deserves our respect. He deserves to be left alone," Fawn replied.
"This is not our way," Sharis said finally.
In the morning Sarchise made his way down to the base of the Ornamac tree, where Amlius lived. When he knocked on the door, he heard Amlius say, “Go away.”
“It’s Sarchise, I want to talk to you.”
“Go away, you have brought the Valkyrie with you. You are not welcome here,” came Amlius’s voice through the door.
“I didn’t bring the Valkyrie, they brought me,” protested Sarshise, “Besides, you are still indebted to me for calling the spiders down upon the Dwarves and I.”
The door slowly creaked open and Sarchise stepped inside.
The tall Elf had uncombed shoulder length blonde hair. He sat there with his arms folded and tapping his foot. His green tunic had badly mended tears in it. It looked as though Amlius had not slept in a long time. “So what it is that you want?”
“It’s good to see you, my old friend,” Sarchise smiled as he held out his hand.
Even Amlius could not resist the handshake from an old friend and uncrossed his arm to take Sarchise’s hand.
“It’s good to see you too, Sarchise of the Royal Scouts.”
“I’m no longer with the Royal Scouts,” Sarchise corrected.
“I know, but it is how I want to remember you,” Amlius said. “So what brings you out of your mountain and into my home? I heard something about getting rid of the evil of the lost city?”
“The Valkyrie want to take it back and claim it as their home, but every time they try, some of them start disappearing. They are wondering if the Elves cursed the city sometime during the last Elf-Dwarf war.”
“Did they search their records to see what forced them out of the city in the first place?” The Elf asked curiously.
“Those records were destroyed because of the peace agreement that the King of Ril brokered between the Elves, Dwarves, and the Valkyrie.” Sarchise commented.
“The Elves never destroyed theirs. Nor did they ever intend to. Our records make us who we are,” Amlius replied.
“Where are these records?” Sarchise asked.
“In an underground vault, at the city of Tarlina,” replied the Elf.
“That city was destroyed in the last war,” Sarchise said.
“I doubt that the vault was found; it is buried deep within the ground. Even if it was, the walls were thick and the door strong. Neither the Gremlin nor the Minotaur would have the capability to open the vault. If the vault was destroyed, the records can still be had across the Stormy Sea, for a copy of all the records went with the Elves when they left. They left the originals in the vault in case the ship that carried the records sank on the journey to the Far Shore,” Amlius replied.
“”You can get into the vault, can’t you?” Sarchise asked.
“I know both where it is and how to get into it, but why would I?” Amlius was defiant.
“The Elves have gone, they have abandoned you, and there is no reason for you to keep their secrets. The Valkyrie have let you live here in peace all these years. It would be a sign of good faith to help them out. Otherwise they might not be so friendly towards you,” Sarchise said.
“Why do I feel that your explanation came with a veiled threat?”
Sarchise just shrugged his shoulders.
“Very well, since there are no elves left and I risk upsetting all the other inhabitants of this land by not helping, I will do as you request,” Amlius sighed.
"A very wise decision," Sarchise commented.
A Long Walk in the Woods
Sarchise and Amlius came out of Amlius's home. Sarchise announced, to the Valkyrie, "Amlius has agreed to take us to find the records of the Elves. He thinks the answer to the mystery of the evil of the Lost City is there."
Fawn was immediately displeased. "Those records should have been destroyed according to the treaty."
Amlius replied, "I know the Dwarves only destroyed their written record. The wall carvings that depict the Elf-Dwarf wars still remain."
"So the Elves kept all of his records, the Dwarf kept part of his; it is only the Valkyrie that abided by the terms of the treaty?" Fawn asked.
"It would appear so," said the Elf.
"I see," said Fawn through clinched teeth. "Very well, let's go find these records of yours, if they still exist after all these years. You will ride with me and show us the way. We will have to leave one of the Dwarf warriors here."
"No," Amlius stated flatly, "I will not ride on the same horse with a Valkyrie. I walk fast; I will show you the way. I have already compromised the history of my race and all its secrets by doing this, I will not compromise further."
"If we are to follow a walking Elf, then we need to get started right away. It is going to take us a lot longer." Fawn was even more displeased.
"Fine, saddle up and follow me," ordered Elf, heading out of the fort. The Valkyrie and Dwarves rushed to get on their horses and were soon in pursuit. It did not take them long to catch up with him.
Amlius led the way with his messy blonde hair and wrinkled tunic. His walking stick was taller than he was and he didn't seem interested in conversation with his present company. The Elf was making a good pace, but only about half of that they could have made had he been on a horse.
The forest was a million shades of green and brown, and the thick leaves and pine needles on the trail made the footsteps of the horses almost silent. They traveled through the day watching deer and elk give way to their passage. Sarchise could not help but notice that game was a lot more plentiful than the last time he was in the forest. It was a good sign that the Blackspot Spider population was under control. Still, there were other things in the Westwood that could eat you, and the Valkyrie were aware of this and kept an eye out for trouble at every turn.
Finally, Amlius came to a mound in the forest and announced, "We stay here for the night."
"It's not dusk yet. We can yet make more distance if we continue a few more miles," Fawn objected.
"There is not another Elf mound within a distance that we can make it to today. We will be safe here," Amlius explained. "Ask Sarchise, if you don't believe me. The Royal Scouts use these mounds all of the time."
"It is true, the Royal Scouts make use of the mounds," Sarchise interjected.
"Very well," Fawn said, "dismount and make camp."
The Valkyrie went out in search of roots and the Dwarf hunters managed to kill a couple of large, fat rabbits. Soon they had a small cooking fire going. It was against everything that Sarchise believed to have a fire going in the Westwood, but the Elf assured him it was safe, as long as they were on an Elf mound, but would not elaborate about the secrets that protected them.
Soon the spicy stew and cooked rabbits were ready to eat. Sarchise preferred the rabbit over the stew and so did Amlius. The two of them swapped old war stories as they sat around the fire. The Dwarves were happy not to be eating the dried meat that Sarchise always had them bring on a journey of this length.
Amlius told him they would all be safe sleeping at the same time, but Sarchise put out guards anyway. Half way through the night, he took his turn at guarding the camp.
The next day it rained, which made the slow progress of the Elf even less agreeable to the rest of the party. At first it wasn’t bad as the canopy of leaves sheltered them from the worst of the weather, but as the leaves began to be soaked, large water droplets were falling everywhere. By midday the group was very wet. Some of the party wanted to build a shelter and wait out the storm, but Amlius would have none of it and kept going. The group was forced to follow. It was getting dusk as the group neared another Elf mound so they stopped. Being miserable and wet didn’t help their temperaments. There was talk among the Valkyrie, of tying up the Elf and slinging him over a horse, but they decided against it because they would need his cooperation when they reached their final destination. Sarchise and the Dwarves made two small shelters to sleep under, thatching the top with pine boughs The group crawled under them. It was too wet to make a fire, so they had to satisfy themselves with eating the dried meat.
All of the other Valkyrie slept under one shelter but Fawn lay down next to Sarchise in the second shelter. He was a little uncomfortable with that, but with Hemlot on the other side of him, he felt better about it.
In the morning, the sun shone through the leaves and trees. Amlius had managed to start a smile fire and was cooking three rabbits and some long green stalks over it.
“Good morning,” Sarchise said with a yawn.
“Morning,” Amlius responded, “This is Dungas grass. It is one of the secrets of the forest that not even the Royal Scouts have figured out yet. It looks like any other grass until you roast it then it turns juicy and sweet. Here, try some.”
Amlius was holding a stalk out to Sarchise, so he took it and tasted it. “Delicious,” Sarchise said in a surprised voice.
The others had heard them talking and were starting to stir. One by one they came over to try the food. Even the Dwarves liked the Dungas grass and they usually are not fans of sweet things. They were even happier with the rabbits however.
“Is this found throughout the forest?” Sarchise asked.
“It is in the swampy areas,” Amlius replied, “It has a purple bloom in the spring and summer. That is how you can tell them apart from the other grasses.”
“It’s good to know of another food source in the Westwood,” Sarchise said.
“The Elves kept this secret for themselves. They didn’t want everyone else eating up the food of the forest, but since they are no longer here, it doesn’t matter anymore,” Amlius explained.
“I thank you for sharing this with us, it will be a big help in the future,” Sarchise commented.
Soon after breakfast the Valkyrie and the Dwarves mounted up and Amlius again led the way, walking stick in hand.
After they had gone about two hours, they rounded a corner. There, in the middle of the trail, was a razor bear. It was half again Amlius's height and had thick black fur. Immediately Sarchise Jumped down from Sharis’ horse and grabbed his bow, while the Valkyrie drew their swords, but Amlius held up his arms for them all to stop. He walked over s closer to the bear and with a quick swing of his walking stick, smacked the bear in the ear, then swung again and smacked the bear in the other ear. The bear shook his head violently, and then lunged for Amlius, but the Elf was faster and with two quick swings, hit the bear again in both ears.
The bear had had enough at that point and retreated into the woods. The Valkyrie sheathed their swords and Sarchise put his bow away. "No sense in killing it," Amlius said to the group as he headed further down the trail.
As he clambered back onto Sharis’ horse, Sarchise marveled, "Never seen anyone use a walking stick like that before."
Besides the encounter with the bear, there was little excitement that day. When they made camp that night, everyone's spirits were up. They were dry and well fed.
Sarchise sat and watched the fire. Fawn sat down beside him. She didn't say a word. Hemlot came over and sat down on the other side and said, "It's only a half-day’s journey from here to the Elf capital city of Tarlina. What do you suppose we will find there?"