Elvenshore: 02 - The Lost Cities of Elvenshore

by Clark Graham

  "Greetings, Sarchise," the King called out.

  Sarchise instinctively stood up and bowed; the King and Hemlot replied with a bow each.

  "I do have warriors that could man this post. You don't have to do it yourself," the King commented.

  "I like the fresh air. It's not in my nature to be living under rocks," Sarchise responded.

  King Cazz and Hemlot sat down on the stone bench, "First things first, we have gone over this map that you gave us and the city of Vil Loree does not exist. We have been in the passageway many times looking for it. The second thing is, I have message from the fort at the Ornamac tree," he said as he handed it to Sarchise.

  Sarchise read it.

  'King Cazz,

  There is still no news on the Efl. We have sent parties though the Westwood to search for him, and they have not located him.

  Signed Darnien, in the service of the King of High Mountain, and commander of the fort at the Ornamac tree.'

  The King continued, "Hemlot and I feel that he is hiding from the Dwarves, and that is fine, if he wants to, but we must know if he has been captured or not. If he had the secrets to breeding of the Gremlins, then we have a huge problem. We want to send you to look for him. It has been long enough to you to have grieved for Ammlee."

  "My heart cannot read dates on a page. It just knows what it feels. I was not there for her when she got wounded; I was not there for her when she got sick. Now I am about to abandon her sons. It just does not seem right," Sarchise replied.

  "It is the way of the Dwarf. Death is part of life; they are intertwined in our thinking and in our actions. We want to know that the ones we leave behind will carry on. We do not know how the Humans grieve, but the Dwarf will want those we leave behind to continue on with their lives and do great deeds to honor us who went before. We honor our dead by living," Hemlot explained.

  Sarchise thought for a moment, "You are right, she would have not wanted me to be sad and sit idle for months. I will go and find the Elf."

  The King smiled broadly, and Hemlot seemed pleased.

  Traveling Through the Plains of Zor

  Sarchise packed lightly for his trip. He knew he must go alone, that one man could do more than a whole Dwarf army. He went downstairs to the cooks and gathered up some dried meats. He had taught the Dwarves how to make dried meats to take on the trail, but they had changed to recipe to make it more palatable for the Dwarf warrior.

  They had prepared some for his trip and after talking with the cooks, he packed the meat in his pack. He then made his way back up to his living quarters and kissed his sons goodbye. The nursemaids were there to reassure him that the twins would be fine. Lessla was delighted he was getting out, but he could tell by the look in Shira's eyes that she was going to miss him and that she was worried about him.

  He kissed his infant sons goodbye and walked down to the gate. Fawn was there to meet him. The King had asked her to take Sarchise on her horse to the eastern end of the Westwood, and drop him off. The Elf didn't like the Valkyrie either so she would not stay. It would save Sarchise weeks of travel time.

  "I'm so sorry for your loss," Fawn said to Sarchise.

  Sarchise looked at Fawn; she was no longer the mesmerizing beauty that had bewitched him when they first met. He wondered if he had changed, or if she had. Maybe she was just turning off the charm. He didn't know. "Thank you," Sarchise responded.

  They both climbed up on the horse and headed south towards the King's road. They were much faster than the previous journey because there were only two of them and they didn't have dwarves precariously balanced on the back of the horses.

  She headed for the fort on the plains. The rolling grassland flew by them in what seemed an effortless trot from the graceful white horse. They stopped by a small stream and ate lunch; Sarchise didn't speak much as he was lost in his thoughts. Fawn could tell he was hurting very deeply. He started to relax more than he had in a long time the rest of the day. He could feel the wind in his hair as the horsed trotted along the green and growing landscape. Fawn’s hair was tied in a ponytail but sometimes strands blew in his face. He didn't seem to mind. As it headed into afternoon, the fort came into view in the distance. The gate swung open to allow the two of them entrance.

  Oswin was there to greet them again, "Hello, Sarchise and Fawn, welcome back."

  They climbed off the horse and Sarchise gave Oswin a bow. Owsin reciprocated.

  "Thank you for your greeting. How are things since we were last together?" Sarchise asked.

  "Things are well, the army from the Kingdom of Ril, led by the King himself, overthrew the rebel Gregor and his cutthroats. He packed them away in chains. My wounded have since healed after the battles," Oswin answered.

  That night they had a modest bonfire and sat around and talked and ate. Oswin told him about the Dwarves that had been hurt by the ghoul; all of them now had snow white hair, but otherwise seemed perfectly healthy.

  When it became time for sleeping, Oswin took Sarchise aside and asked, "Do I need to lock you in the guard house again?"

  "No, I to trust her now, but if you or any of your men hear singing, you wake me right away. Just to be on the safe side."

  Sarchise slept fitfully that night. He would hear someone calling him in his dream, when he would look to see who it was, there were only dead Dwarves and Elves to look at. The dead were strewn across a battlefield that had seen enormous destruction. Uncontrolled fires raged in the background, and the unfamiliar, yet once beautiful city he was standing in was mostly destroyed. At one point it woke him and he got up. It was then he noticed Fawn had come in and was sleeping in the stone bed next to his in the bunkhouse. She had opted to put pillows over the smooth stones also. He stared at her for a moment. She was quite beautiful in her sleep. Her long blonde was off the side of the bed and almost touched the floor. Her skin was smooth and blemish free.

  Sarchise walked out of the room into the night air. The two guards patrolling the grounds bowed as they passed him by. He returned their bow. He then sat down at the fire pit, where the fire was smoldering, but the flame had gone out. There was a chill in the air, but he endured it. Going back to sleep was not an option. Once the nightmares started, they would continue all night. The only way to free himself of the nightmares was to wake up.

  To his surprise, Oswin sat down beside him, "Some nights I start fighting the old battles in my sleep. You seem to be having demons in your dreams also."

  "I see piles of dead, but they are not any battle that I have fought in the past. I hope they are not the battles that I will fight in the future. I have seen too many battles in the past. I am hoping never to see one again," Sarchise said.

  Oswin could not stand seeing a fire pit without a fire, so he blew on the coals after adding wood and kindling, and soon a small fire was taking away the night's chill.

  Fawn was the next to make a showing, coming to sit next to Sarchise, "Doesn't anyone sleep around here?" she asked. "I had dreams of Dwarves making fires in the night and woke up to find my dreams were a reality."

  "We may as well get an early start," Sarchise said. Fawn nodded and went to ready the horse.

  Oswin looked at Sarchise and said, "Be careful on the King's road. It is not well patrolled by the Kingdom of RIl and there are highway men and outlaws along the way. The tavern at the crossroads is about the safest place to spend the night, I am told. Even there, they do not like Dwarves in that part of Elvenshore. A Dwarf Prince would be a target, if they figure out who you are."

  "I will keep that in mind," Sarchise responded. Fawn had the horse ready by then and they both climbed on. When the gate swung open they were on their way.

  Tavern of the Crossroads

  When they got to the King's road, Fawn turned east and followed it.

  The King's road was once the pride of the Four Kingdoms, but had fallen into disrepair during and after the Gremlin wars. The Kingdom of Ril was trying to maintain it, but all they had, money and effort wise,
was just enough to repair only the worst parts of the road. The cobble stones were loose along both sides of the road and grass was growing in the middle. It looked as if the prairie was trying to reclaim the roadbed. Still it was mostly even and the fastest way to travel in the Kingdom.

  Sarchise watched as the Mountains of Iron got further and further in the distance. They stopped for a midday meal at a clump of trees along the roadside. While they were eating, Sarchise asked, "You travel this road often, I hear."

  "When I go to the Kingdom of Ril, I only take the road until it passes the bottom of the Mountains, then I head north, across country. This road is full of bandits, who would think that a women travelling alone would be easy prey. I did get attacked once, but they found out quickly that they had made a mistake."

  Sarchise smiled, "I bet they did."

  The rest of the day was a pleasant journey. That night they camped far off the road. It was not good to camp next to it as you would be attacked in your sleep. Sarchise put out his bedroll and Fawn put hers right next to his. He looked at her for a moment and she smiled, "Do not worry, Sarchise, Prince of the Dwarves, I will not seduce you in the night. I am here only to transport you to the Westwood, and then I will be on my way."

  Sarchise nodded and lay down. He knew that someday he might be disappointed to hear her say that, but now, it was too soon, after the death of his wife Ammlee, for drama in his life. He then turned over and went to sleep.

  The night went well, with no nightmares. He woke up refreshed in the morning.

  She started a small cooking fire and then went hunting, after about an hour she had a small rabbit for their breakfast. They did not have as far to go this day, because they had decided to stay at the Tavern of the Crossroads that night.

  After breakfast the both climbed on her white horse and rode out. Going was easy along the road and they made good time. The sun was shining and the weather was finally pulling out of springtime and headed in to summer.

  They didn't stop for lunch that day and headed straight into the city and arrived there by late afternoon. The crossroads had been a large city before the wars. Having been destroyed during the wars, it was a natural commerce area, being at the border of three out of the four kingdoms. Goods and food items crossed through there from all the kingdoms of the Humans, and now that the Dwarves were starting to trade between their kingdoms and the kingdoms of men, their food and goods were also going through there.

  The city had been rebuilt and was thriving. Along with prosperity, there were those that want to take what others have, and the cast offs of society seemed to settle there in large numbers. This gave the city a dark side too. The King's sheriff and his men kept the commerce areas of the city safe, but large ignored the seedier side of the city, especially at night.

  It was a here, at the borderline of the commercial district and the bad part of city, that the Tavern of the Crossroads sat. It served clients from both sides of town. It was also a favorite watering hole for the Royal Scouts.

  The nights could either be calm at the tavern with discussions of the best way to transport goods between South Fort and the Kingdom of Ril, or they could be wild brawls with broken tables and broken bones. One never knew what they were getting into when they entered Tavern of the Crossroads.

  The tavern was also an Inn with comfortable safe rooms and a stable that was watched over by several large men. It was the place to stay while traveling between the various kingdoms and forests.

  When Fawn entered the tavern she saw the large room with large timbers supporting the roof. There was a huge fireplace with a large fire in it. The walls were made of highly polished wood paneling. The bar was against the far wall and the large, overweight and balding innkeeper was behind the bar whistling as he polished his mugs. When they approached, the innkeeper looked up and yelled, "Sarchise, my old friend, it's good to see you!"

  There was a group of five rough looking men at a table near the bar. One of them recognized Sarchise's name and stood up and pulled his dagger, "Look boys, I'm going to skewer a tall Dwarf."

  Fawn drew her sword, but Sarchise reacted first, grabbing the man’s hand that held the dagger. He twisted it until the dagger fell out, then he hit the man straight in the nose. Blood splattered out of the man's nose when he did so. Then Sarchise hit him with a left to the gut, the man doubled over in pain, and then Sarchise's right to the jaw knocked the man out cold and ended the brief encounter.

  The man's four buddies were not happy with the outcome and jumped up and after Sarchise, but another table had three Royal Scouts sitting there, and they also recognized Sarchise's name. They still considered him one of their own and were not going to let the lopsided battle happen.

  Soon fists went flying in every direction, but the battle was not equal as Royal Scouts have a long, intensive training in hand to hand combat and enjoyed practicing it in the Taverns and Inns along the King's road.

  Two of the attackers lay against the bar in heap, the other two lay in the middle of smashed table. Fawn had sheathed her sword and had stood, leaning against the wall, as she watched the short brawl, shaking her head, as if to say, 'I will never understand men.'

  The innkeeper looked at the smashed table, ignoring the five unconscious men, and said, "That's going to cost you."

  Sarchise turned to him and asked, "Will a keg of Dwarf ale cover the cost?"

  The innkeepers eyes lit up, "I get three gold coins for every mug of that ale. That would cover every table and chair in here."

  "Then it will cover the Royal Scouts breaking of table and chairs for the next few years," Sarchise said.

  "Royal Scouts, are you joking? it will only cover a couple of months’ worth with that lot."

  Sarchise and the scouts laughed. Fawn was still shaking her head.

  One of the innkeeper's helpers came running in to see what all the commotion was. When he looked down at the five men laying on the floor, the innkeeper told him, "Take out the trash, will you?" The boy nodded and started dragging men, one at a time, out the back door.

  "How can I help you, my friend," the innkeeper asked Sarchise.

  "We need rooms for the night, and two meals, dinner and breakfast," Sarchise answered.

  "I can do dinner now, if you care to be seated, but I am sorry to tell you that I only have one room left, you will have to share."

  Sarchise looked at all the keys behind the innkeepers head. 'He thinks he is doing me a favor,' he thought to himself.' He didn't want to call his old friend a liar so he just nodded and sat down. Fawn sat down at the table too.

  The Royal scouts bought the two of them a round of drinks, and they all settled in for good food and drink and the swapping of stories with the three Royal Scouts.

  Sarchise ordered beefsteak and potatoes. He loved the food of the Dwarves, but they didn't eat a lot of beef, and sometimes he just craved a good steak. Fawn ordered the venison stew. They were also given out a loaf of fresh baked bread, still warm from the oven. After dinner they went up to the room. All of the rooms were upstairs, above the tavern.

  When the entered the room, they noticed that there was only one bed. They were so used to sleeping next to each other at this point, that there was no discussion about one of them sleeping on the floor. They both just took off the outer layers of clothing and climbed into soft comfortable bed. Both of them were soon asleep.

  Battles Fought in Dreams

  Sarchise tossed and turned, he saw dead Dwarves and Elves at his feet, fire and destruction all around him. His sword was dripping with a dark red blood. So dark was the blood it was almost black. A war horn of the Elves roared out, followed by one of the Dwarves’. Another wall was being breached. Sarchise ran to where the solid wood and stone wall was. There were both Dwarves and Elves running alongside him. The realization that the two races were running and fighting together, and not against each other, woke him from his dream.

  Fawn was sitting up and looking at him. He was dripping with sweating. "All you
alright?" she asked. "So many nights I see you troubled in your sleep. Do you still fight the battles of old?"

  "No, it's not any battle I have ever fought before, except in my dreams," he said as he got out of bed. He walked over and took off his undershirt. Pouring water from the picture in a basin he washed the sweat off his face and head. He did not hear her coming up behind him, but felt her hand as it touched his arm and traced down the scar of his old war wound.

  "I didn't know you were so badly wounded," she said.

  "I wasn't, not when compared with most of those I led into battle. They walk the Great Hall of their forefathers, when not haunting my dreams. Who blames them, they died young, too young," he said.

  "You were badly wounded, it is your soul that has been cut and torn. The wounds you cannot see, but cannot escape from. The spirits of the dead, they do not haunt you. They tell you of the future, they beckon you to a great battle," she said.

  "I don't want to fight that battle; I lose that battle night after night. The enemy is so powerful, so evil that he cannot be beaten. He is so awful to look upon, when I even start to turn in his direction, I wake up in cold sweats," Sarchise said, as he made his way back to bed.

  Fawn followed. "You have a chance to figure out how to win this great battle before you fight it. There is a strategy or a key to victory that you cannot see. Find it."

  Fawn slipped into bed and put both of her arms around him. He was going to complain, but he it felt so good, he didn't say a word. He was soon in a dreamless sleep.

  By the time Sarchise awoke, Fawn was already up and dressed. He stretched and then got out of bed. While getting dressed he looked out the window at the weather. It was foggy, but not raining. The two of them headed downstairs to breakfast. It was a large breakfast of eggs and bacon and potatoes, fried in rich butter. Fresh bread and milk also made their way to the table.