Elf World Shadows Rising

by Matthew Pequegnat

  The females do most of the actual work in Orc society, and get none of the credit. Young females work the supply trains during the day and the army brothels by night. Adult females raise crops, manufacture goods, or build buildings. Older females raise the young, work as scribes, or clean the buildings. The only exception it seems were those females who had magic ability; they are utilized as healers or war witches, depending on which magic skill they possess. These magic using females actually have important status in the Orc society, and even power and command. The exception to the rule.

  The females Orcs also lay the eggs; Orcs, alone of the sentient humanoid races, do not give birth to live young. They lay eggs, which are immediately taken to the communal 'hatchery', and the parents never know their offspring. There the eggs are stored in a cold room for months until new Orc young were needed by the state. The eggs are placed in an incubator, and the gender of the child is determined by the environmental temperature.

  The hunger for conquest and dominion is the driving ambition of the Orc people. They are the eager storm troops of the Army of Darkness, and they serve their Shadow Elf overlord very well indeed. “Well when they are not trying to kill each other or their back stabbing Shadow Elf allies…”

  Slavery was an evil that Kayla was determined to change. One day, the slave trade would be stopped in the two Star Elven empires. Unfortunately, it seemed that the profits were more than the Star Elves could resist.

  Slavery, was highly institutionalized in Star and Shadow Elven societies. Shadow Elves see all other races as slaves, including other types of Elves. Star Elves thankfully forbid the slavery of Elves, but allow all others to be used as slaves, if taken legally. Frost and Wild Elves, Orcs, Goblins, and Ogres all have forms of slavery as well. The slavers make huge profits, and so the industry is wide spread.

  Sun and Moon Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves outlawed slavery in any form, and fight against this practice diplomatically with the Star Elves, and militarily with the others. But the profits and easy life had hooked the Star Elves. Kayla knew that there were other forms of doing things that worked better than slavery; paying for work, or even indentured servitude.

  The practice of indentured servants was allowed throughout the world; the terms of servitude usually ranges from ten to thirty years. Indentured servants, unlike slaves, do have rights under the law; they cannot be murdered, mutilated, raped, robbed, or seriously mistreated. The person holding the indenture must provide basic food, clothing, and care for the indentured. In exchange, the servant must provide twelve hours of work each day, six day per week. Half of any money made by the servant while under indenture, is given to the person holding the indenture. Adults may be forced by law into servitude for failure to pay debts, or as punishment for criminal offences. Persons may indenture themselves for the purpose of serving an apprenticeship in one of the trades if they can not otherwise pay for such training, or to gain protection or services, or lands, or any number of financial reasons.

  Kayla thought, that system could replace slavery in the Star Elven lands, if the price of the slave trade could be made too high for them to keep the status quo. But that was a problem for another day; today she was just trying to relax, but this shopping trip was a failure. She was more agitated now than when she left the embassy.

  The crowd had seemed to thin out; the traffic dwindled; the going got much easier as the customers seemed to disappear. It must be time for the afternoon break, Kayla reasoned. It was time for her to get back to the embassy. She had a meeting with the trade representative at four, and a formal reception at the Bregan Embassy tonight. That was at least something to look forward to. Those Bregan Dwarves were even less enamoured of the Kushians than she was. At least one diplomatic incident was likely to be played out at tonight’s festivities.

  “Grend, Kryth, It’s time to get back to work, fastest route to the office, boys.”

  “About time your Excellency; your shopping going to kill me I swear,” quipped old sergeant Kryth.

  Just then a small child ran up to Kayla and snatched away her belt pouch and ran into a stable that they were passing. Kayla ran into the stable after the child, her two body guards behind her calling for her to stop. Into the dark stable she raced.

  “Thoingk.....thoingk,” the sound of two crossbows firing and the immediate striking of flesh. The two Sun Elf body guards died before they even saw their killers, their bodies crashing to the floor.

  Kayla turned to run, she screamed, “HELP, please help!”

  Hands seized her and a bag was forced over her head, the smell of chemicals filled the inside, and she knew no more.

  CHAPTER 3

  Myst sat on the loggia of the small villa on the outskirts of the village of Oak Creek, only a few miles from the Kushian border to the south. The patio was cool now that the hot afternoon sun was drifting behind the low mountains on this side of the valley. At over five thousand feet the dry air cooled fast.

  A small green lizard ran up one of the loggia’s beams next to his chair. Myst watched it climb as he sipped on a large glass of sangria. The mix of fruit juices and wine was the preferred drink of the Sun Elves in the Province of Surin as well as the warm and sunny Provence’s of Drakar, Solmara and Aquitania, where wine and fruit trees are common. Across the border the Star Elves preferred pale beer or fermented cactus juice; no accounting for taste.

  The small villa set on forty acres was owned by Myst. He had bought it back when he worked with the Border Rangers chasing smugglers and border bandits. Fifty eight years of humping through the woods and bush, getting bitten by snakes, ambushing villains, and choking on dust. He had made captain working Oak Creek Canyon sector, before the war in Yagon broke out, and every available officer was transferred to that hell hole.

  God, he missed that simple life here in the high scrub oak woodlands. He loved what he was now doing, but sometimes the intrigue got tiring. The constant danger and new places that each operation brought could get old after awhile. He really needed these few months off. Having spent the first few weeks in the provincial capital with his father on the sunny beaches of that lovely seaside harbor town, he had come up here to the mountains to relax for his last week of vacation.

  “I wonder if I have time to stop off in Mentonferat on the way back”, Myst had not been back to his childhood and families ancestral home on the deep blue coast between Drakar and Aquitania in far too long, it was truly where his heart felt content. But it was only about as far away from military intrigue as any place in the Empire and not a likely posting. “Maybe it is time to retire, join the Mentonferat Constabulary… Drink wine and chase women? Find a wife or two…”

  Myst stripped off his tunic, leaving on only his cotton trousers and soft boots. He took up his Sun Sword and pulled it from its sheath. Stretching his arms and legs in the preparation of practicing 'The Way of the Sword', the ritualized forms of practiced fighting. With the grace and power of a mountain cat, he flowed from form to form, the sound of the blade cutting the air, there being only a deadly whisper.

  After an hour of practice with the sword, he re-sheathed the blade and returned it to the table. Now mostly unarmed, Myst breathed deeply letting the stress of the sword forms evaporate with his sweat. Suddenly he dropped into a deep crouch, weight on his right foot, left foot out stretched, arms and hand up like the wings of a bird. Holding that for only a second, he seemed to spring up, right foot kicking high, high into the air, now back into a spinning kick, now open hands beating the air at chin height. After twenty minutes of 'The Way of the Open Hand', the unarmed fighting style of the elite Border Rangers, Myst stripped down and headed in for a shower.

  That evening, he walked into town, about a half mile stroll. Quiet during the day, at night the few cafes and cantinas got wild. Through the night air drifted a variety of musical strains drifting from the night spots. Into one of the cantinas he went; the bar was full of soldiers and girls. He found a table out on the patio and sat down. He gave the prett
y young waitress his order for steak, fried potatoes and sangria.

  As he ate his thick juicy steak, the sun finally fully set; the mountains turned a mix of purples and blues, the valleys stood out as darkest blue shadows. Until only the tops of the mountains on the east side were still lit by the sun. The wonderful twilight of the high bush had come, and a magical peace descended on to the Valley of the Oaks.

  A loud crash from the other side of the patio made everyone jump. A table had been turned over by an amorous group who had sought a little privacy under the table cloth. The Elf lass and her two ‘friends’ hadn’t noticed that they were no longer hidden and were now the center of attention, or perhaps given what they were doing, they just didn’t care. The more than slightly drunk crowd began to cheer the three on as things got really wild; someone put a brightly colored parrot on the top of the head of the Elf who was on top of the show. The poor bird squawked and flapped its wings to try and stay on.

  Time to go Myst thought; he paid his bill and headed out into the late twilight. The dense stands of sycamores, cottonwoods and scrub oaks that followed the small river up and down the valley, was ghostly in the darkening night. Once back outside of town and away from the bright street lights, millions of stars burst bright in the heavens. He felt a pleasant light breeze blow down from the mountains, and heard the wild cry of a Red Wolf greeting the rising moon.

  Walking up his cobbled drive, he caught the sight of movement near his front door. His left hand surreptitiously found the long dagger strapped to his back, his right hand lightly laid across the hilt of his sword. Breathing quickening, muscles coiling to spring, time slowing to a crawl.

  “You got a job sweetness.”

  He relaxed slightly. “Elise, you nearly caught my dagger, don’t hide on my door step.”

  “I wanted to surprise you sweetness,” responded a pouting Lieutenant Elise Starwood. “You would have missed anyway.” She walked out from the shadows putting her arms around his neck. “Miss me?”

  “How’d you get here?”

  “Flew, it was a long flight and I need a bath. Care to join me; you can wash my back and I can wash you’re...”

  “Must be important if they paid a dragon to fly you here.”

  “Later, bath and fun first,… sir.”

  Myst opened the door and led her to the bathing chamber. He started the heating rocks under the great stone tub.

  Elise stripped off her loin cloth and halter and stood under the large copper shower head to wash down before entering the tub. She soaped herself, and when Myst came to join her she gave him a quizzical look holding up the bar of soap.

  “Carry on lieutenant.”

  “At your command sir,” and she did.........

  ~

  Next morning as the sun was just starting to rise over the mountains on the east side of the valley, again Myst sat out on his patio. He was drinking his orange juice and eating fresh baked croissants with blackberry jam, his part time housekeeper having dropped the food off earlier.

  A naked Elise walked out under the loggia, stretched up on to her toes as if reaching to touch the sky. The sight of the five foot five inch, curvaceous, one hundred and fifteen pound, red head, was a stirring sight in the soft morning light. She dropped down into the chair across from Myst and began playing with her rich dark red hair.

  “Sleep well, Elise?’

  “I did until I found myself alone this morning,” she pouted.

  “Tell me why you’re here.”

  A shapely foot crept up his leg and under his short kilt. He pushed her foot away and reached forward and grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her off balance. “Time for work now, if you’re good we might play later.”

  Obediently she responded in her most professional voice, but with a most depraved gleam in her eyes; “Two mornings ago, our Ambassador to the Empire of Kush was kidnapped and her two body guards killed. The embassy’s chief of intelligence sent a flash message by the embassy’s magic communication gem. General Trendel paid for a dragon to fly me here and then to fly you into Kush. You are to proceed with haste, to Zengara city, and if possible rescue the ambassador. If not, find out who was responsible and exact due retribution.”

  “The High Command wants the persons responsible terminated even if you rescue the Ambassador. The policy is for overwhelming response to operations against us, as you well know.”

  “Who is my contact in Zengara?”

  “A dwarf named Moss Blackforge; he is working at the Hotel Imperial as a bartender in the pool lounge.”

  “Good, I know Moss. I recruited him into the Service a few years ago.” Myst looked pleased; he had been getting bored and this sounded like a reasonably easy job.

  “The dragon said it would be here at noon,... in about five hours,” Elise hinted.

  “Have I been a good girl?” Elise smiled her standard impish grin.

  “Are you sure you’re not part Nymph,” he asked as he pulled her up and on to the table.

  ~

  Myst went over to his bed, picked up his sword and sat down. Drawing the naked steel, he inspected the blade for any nicks or dulling, not expecting to find any, but the ritual checking was part of a professional’s life. Indeed, the sword was literally a warriors life, and if he was smart he took great care of it. As usual nothing was wrong with the blade; the blue green runes just above the hilt kept the sword in good condition, for that indeed was the standard purpose for magical enchantments after all. The Earth Magic runes, added undulling sharpness, internal strength, and quick lightness to the weapon. Besides the magic rune, Myst's sword looked much like any other Elven 'Sun Sword', the preferred sword of Sun Elves; hence the name.

  The Sun Sword is what it is sometimes called, a 'hand and a half sword', in that it has a longer hilt and can be wielded with one or two hands, depending on need. Physically the swords somewhat resemble the Katana long sword; the difference being that the Sun Sword's blade was minimally thicker and only slightly curved. Also, the Sun Sword's hilt was more ornate, with the hand guard being larger and thus giving better protection.

  Myst could feel the magic deep in the heart of the sword; power and strength radiated from the cold steel. Like all Elves, Myst had the link to Earth Magic that gives the Elves so many wonderful gifts. Most Elves have the skill only passively, and so can not tap into much of what their magic could do. A few, like Myst could manipulate the magic slightly, and even fewer still could strongly exploit the magic; they were the world’s powerful mages.

  Myst shrugged on his dark grey long coat and finished packing his kit bag, picked up the Sun Sword and slung it across his back and walked out the door. He walked up to the hills above the valley. Elise, in sandals, followed behind, watching out for assorted thorny plants as well as the grand variety of vipers.

  “I’m going into town and picking up some boots.”

  “Makes sense you owning a set of boots, being in the Army and all.”

  “Funny, I keep forgetting that.”

  “So I’ve noticed.”

  A rock bounced of Myst’s head; he didn’t bother to turn around.

  “Sorry Sir, I must have slipped,” though she did not sound sorry at all.

  It was mildly unusual for a Moon Elf female to be in the Imperial Sun Elf army, but Elise was a very unusual girl.

  They came to the top of the hill and sitting there under a Canyon Live Oak tree was a Great Dragon. It had copper colored scales across his back and pale ivory ones on his chest. The dragon had a body about the size of a small Clydesdale with a nineteen or twenty foot tail. Its large wings were folded to its body and out of sight, but Myst knew that if unfolded they would have been bat shaped and at least thirty feet wide.

  Myst did not really like Dragons, they acted and behaved differently than other sentient races, more mysterious and unpredictable. They were also the race that Myst knew the least about, having not spent much time around them. He knew that they communicated telepathically and that t
hey were a race of sentient reptiles, and according to his Sentient Biology professor back in college, there were four different races of dragons. Also that they and Fairies were the only races to have innate magic skills tied to Air Magic.

  Remembering from the class; the mightiest of the four types of Dragons are the Great Dragons, being highly intelligent and attracted to shiny objects and tend to be greedy. They live solitary lives and gather only to mate. It is believed by his Sentient Biology professor, that many Great Dragons live on the tops of high mountains.

  The smallest of Dragons are the Fairy Dragons. They have small heads and long necks, with their body and wings about the size of a large eagle, and long whip like tails. Fairy Dragon’s bright coloring ranges from blues, greens, purple, to red scales. They can be very playful, friendly, and loyal, supposedly making good companions, but somehow Myst doubted that, “freaking cats with wings...”

  Land Dragons (aka-Sand, Rock, Marsh Dragons) are wingless, and slightly smaller than the Great Dragons. They have horns on their heads, and darker color scales on their backs and lighter scales on their undersides. Not very bright, they are 'low level sentient', but they do tend to be top level predators, and very territorial.

  The meanest and stupidest of Dragons are the Wyverns. Half the size of a great dragon, and without the front legs other dragons have, but with a poison stinger on their long tails. Like the Land dragons, they are barely sentient, and they tend to be mean, vicious, and hungry.

  “* Well Elf are you ready, * ” Telepathically the dragon thought to the Elf.

  “How much is this ride costing the Crown?”

  “* Two hundred Golden Marks per day. * ”

  “Ouch! That was 4,000 silver Crowns, no wonder no one can afford to fly.”

  Myst did not understand dragons, and so were exceedingly wary of them. But then no other sentient race understood dragons, probably not even dragons themselves. Mercenary and greedy are the two most commonly ascribed attributes associated to dragons. Although quixotic, temperamental, inscrutable, and amoral were all usually mentioned as well. Most people agreed that it was most likely a good thing that there were so few of them around.