by Steven Drake
With his mind made up, Darien continued into the courtyard. It was still deserted, but the gate was now closed. Jerris and Leianna followed cautiously behind. He ran straight to the gate, where the portcullis had been closed at some point, so without hesitation, he used small shadow voids to consume the bars between their intersections until a gap was formed large enough to pass through. Just as he finished, he heard a sound. "Who's that at the gate?" One of the guards had spotted them, finally.
"Go," Darien urged Jerris and Leianna. They stepped through the opening in the gate and he followed. They stood outside the gate until he urged them again, "Don't wait for me. Run! Jerris knows the way. Stay off the road and run." Then he conjured a large shadow void, the largest he had attempted since that day… It was exhausting, especially after so many years with little practice, but it was large enough to get the job done. He hurled it toward the gate, and the heavy iron bent, twisted, and collapsed. The stone above the gate crumbled and fell around the twisted and broken iron, as it all fell to ruin in a groaning, grinding, crunching, creaking, cacophony of destruction.
Then he turned away from the castle. Jerris and Leianna had already run on into the forest out of sight, and he too, headed off into the forest toward the secret room. His mind ran even quicker than his feet, racing to come to grips with the new reality that stared starkly at him. He gathered his thoughts even as he negotiated the trees and bushes of the wood, soon catching up with his companions.
I will have to move quickly since the Master has picked up my trail, but on the other hand, it’s fortunate that I discovered it this way, so now I can prepare. If I act quickly, I might escape to some other far off corner of the world. The matter of Jerris, his mother, and the starstone, will have to be resolved quickly, as it is no longer my primary concern.
Chapter 10: Leianna's Legacy
Within a few minutes, the Duke’s castle had receded behind the three fugitives, becoming only a distant light atop the hill. They moved quickly but quietly by the gentle moonlight filtering down through the trees. Jerris and Leianna were unexpectedly quite adept at moving stealthily through the moonlit wood.
Once they had gone far enough from the castle, Darien signaled a halt. "Hold a moment. We've put some distance between us and the castle now, so we can afford to slow down. Now we only need to proceed quietly and carefully. We should have no trouble so long as we aren't seen." Jerris nodded in agreement, and they stopped for a moment to rest. The lad gave no indication of wanting to discuss anything that had happened at the Duke's castle. He stayed silent, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of shock, or perhaps he sensibly recognized that reaching a safe hiding place took precedence over other concerns.
When they began walking again, Darien kept a slower pace, mindful that Leianna had likely not run this much in a very long time. After hearing what the Duke had said, he did not anticipate a vigorous pursuit, or even a search. The Duke hadn’t appeared too concerned about losing his consort. Furthermore, the Duke knew his enemy, and wouldn’t throw the lives of his men away by sending them against the Executioner.
As the walk continued, it became apparent that Leianna was not well. Her breathing became loud and irregular, and she began sweating, even though the night air was chilly and her dress should have provided only the slightest warmth. After an hour or so of plodding through the woods, the trio reached the entrance to the hidden room. A small fir tree and a dense covering of leaves and needles concealed the wooden trapdoor. Darien opened it, Jerris climbed down, then the two together helped Leianna down the ladder, and finally Darien followed them down after taking one final look around to see that no one had followed them.
The torches lit up at the wave of the mage’s hand when the trio walked into the central room. Jerris helped his mother to the bed, and she laid down, now sweating heavily and coughing regularly. Her breathing had become quick and shallow, while her face had turned ghostly pale. Something was clearly wrong. Jerris tended to his mother, bringing her water and asking what was wrong. She did not respond, apparently asleep already. Darien simply stood facing the wall with his head down, taking a few moments to gather himself and decide how best to proceed.
"Don't just stand there," Jerris said. "There's something wrong with mother. She's sick or something."
"Calm down, Jerris. I can see that. Prop her head up with whatever you can and give her water. That is all we can do for the moment." Jerris seemed satisfied, nodded, and turned back to his mother. Darien walked over, to see if he could tell what was wrong. He had very little experience tending to injuries other than his own, and little knowledge of diseases. It would be unusual for a pure-blood elf would to so quickly succumb to any illness. Elves, by their very nature, were resistant to the illnesses and plagues of man, which left poison or magic more likely possibilities. Though he could not cure diseases, the Executioner had extensive experience with the sorts of spells and enchantments used on prisoners. He placed his hand upon Leianna's arm, and tried to sense any magical energy. He found what he was looking for, a devious combination of enchantment and poison, used upon her over many years, and designed to keep her captive without locks or bars. This could not have been done without her knowing; what would have been the point?
"Can you tell anything?" Jerris asked, interrupting Darien's thoughts
"I can't be certain. I'll need to talk to her." Darien evaded the question, uncertain how the distraught boy might react. If she woke up, she could explain it herself, and if not, it wouldn't matter anyway.
"Will she wake up? Will she be OK?" Jerris asked, his voice trembling with fear.
"I don't know. I think it is the effect of an enchantment, rather than a sickness, but I don't know how serious it is. You must remember she was held captive a long time, and she is very weak. The exertion of our flight from the castle may be making her condition appear worse than it actually is," Darien responded. It was not a lie, at least not entirely.
The shade searched his mind for a few minutes, before remembering something that might help. He went over to the chest of drawers, and found the tiny vial of pale green liquid. Darien sighed. He had gone to considerable lengths to acquire this magical antidote, a potion to nullify the effects of certain magical poisons, especially the kinds used by other shades. The potion would probably not be strong enough to save the woman’s life, but in his guilt, Darien felt he had to make some sort of attempt. At the least, it should allow her to recover for a few hours, long enough for her to make peace with her son, and more importantly, to divulge whatever secrets she might hold about the starstone.
"Here, give her this, but be careful not to spill it. I have only this and no more," Darien said as he handed the vial over.
"What is it?" Jerris asked.
"It is a potion, obviously. It grants resistance to enchantments and magical poisons. It may help her recover."
"Th-Thank you," Jerris stammered. Jerris slowly poured the potion down his mother's throat, being especially careful not to spill a drop. Darien sat down in the chair and once again became lost in his own thoughts.
A few minutes passed. Leianna's breathing became more regular, and her coughing subsided. It appeared, for the moment, that she might have recovered. The older half-elf sat quietly, already working over the situation in his mind, deciding where to flee, and choosing the safest route to take. He was finally jolted out of his concentration by Jerris.
"She's waking up!" Jerris exclaimed. "She's gotten better. Praise the Light."
"Jerris," Leianna said. "It is so good to see you. I haven't run so far in so long, it must have tired me out." She spoke with a lighthearted carefree tone. The shade, however, realized that her overly cheerful tone served only to hide the lie on her lips, but she could not hide her lie from him. The pace of her speech had quickened slightly, and the pitch slightly elevated, sure signs she was concealing something. She knows exactly what's wrong with her, he said to himself. For the moment, however, he said nothing, deciding to allow them a few
minutes of happiness. Though usually indifferent towards such sentiments, he found himself strangely relieved at this reunion. He thought for a moment of his own mother, and how differently that had ended. He shut his eyes and forced the memory back down into the recesses of his mind.
Jerris and Leianna cried and embraced, enjoying their reunion. They would have questions soon enough. The Duke's words had raised many that would have to be answered, questions about Darien's identity, and about the nature of Leianna's captivity. After several minutes had passed, he finally decided the time had come to clear the air.
"We have much to discuss. There's no point hiding it any longer. You both heard what the Duke said to me."
Jerris turned around, and Leianna looked over at Darien. The look on Jerris' face was one of doubt and concern, while Leianna appeared nearly terrified. "Is it true? Are you… who he said you were?" Jerris asked with trembling hesitation.
"I am," Darien replied, "or rather I was. I serve the Demon King no longer, which is why he hunts me."
"Why not tell me. It wouldn't have mattered. I would still have accepted your help. Didn't you trust me to keep your secret?” Jerris voiced his frustration.
"It was never a question of trust. I hoped to avoid putting you in danger. Those who hunt me will not hesitate to use you to get to me. Now you both face the peril I had hoped to avoid," Darien replied. "I apologize to you both. Though it was never my intention to do so, I have dragged you both into my own problems. I can do little but ask forgiveness."
Leianna's fear seemed to have subsided, and she and Jerris looked at one another. Then they whispered quietly to one another for several minutes. Deciding whether to continue to trust me or simply run, Darien reasoned. After a few minutes, Leianna turned to him, and spoke, "I understand why you hid your past from us. If you served that terrible tyrant, you must have done many terrible things, but you have acted honorably toward me and my son, so you still have our thanks. We owe you a debt that can never be repaid." Darien nodded, grateful to be past the uncomfortable moment.
"Did Jerris tell you about our arrangement?" Darien asked, wondering if she would still be so grateful knowing that her son had agreed to give up the starstone.
"What arrangement?" she asked. Darien only looked sternly at Jerris. Better if she heard it from her son.
"I agreed to give him my talisman, the one you gave me," Jerris said hesitantly.
"Jerris, you can't. That talisman is more precious than you know. It has the power to restore our ancient kingdom, to give all our kind a home. It's worth more than anything, more than my own life. You must live, and pass on that talisman. I told you this before you left. Why… Why didn't you listen? Why did you even show it to him?" Leianna sounded desperate, and Darien could understand why Jerris had thought her mad, but he did not think so himself. He had learned how to read well the faces of those he interrogated, even without magic, and he knew the difference between a madman repeating his own delusions and a desperate man trying to hold on to a single purpose in the face of pain and fear. Leianna appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Please, Darien. You've helped my son so much, but you cannot ask this. You do not understand what you ask."
"If I do not understand, then perhaps you should explain it to me," he replied coldly. "I do not make hasty judgments without understanding the situation, but the situation is different now. The Duke will set my pursuers upon you as well as myself, and I cannot allow the Demon King to get that stone."
Then Leianna looked curiously at Darien, no longer with any fear or uncertainty, but rather with unexpected familiarity, as though she were remembering something from long ago. "I cannot tell you," Leianna replied sternly. "I am bound by sacred oath never to tell any but those of our blood the secrets of the stone."
"Mother, he's a half-elf just like me," Jerris interrupted. "That's why I thought it was alright to show it to him. I just showed it to him. I didn’t tell him the rest of it." The sharp mind of the Executioner leapt to attention at the words. So, there was more he was hiding that my shadow sight failed to draw out, but I suppose that doesn’t matter now, he reflected.
Leianna looked at the cloaked figure, appearing skeptical. So, he lowered the hood of his cloak. The elf woman’s expression shifted, but the doubt remained. Darien sighed and rubbed his temple in frustration.
“If you won’t believe your eyes, what will you believe?” an exasperated Darien grumbled.
Before she could respond, however, Jerris took out the talisman from his shirt. Understanding his purpose immediately, Darien put out his hand to it. The light of the gem shined bright, brighter than before, drowning out the light of the torches. Why is the light brighter now, he wondered? He could only guess that it was because of the presence of the pure- blood Leianna.
"So he is," Leianna said, and smiled. "A half-elf. Hmmm… Even so, what I am about to tell you is the most closely guarded secret of our people. You must swear by your elven blood never to reveal any of this to outsiders."
"Secrets are an advantage. I do not give them away, with or without an oath. That is not my nature, but I will swear to it, if I must."
"Alright, I believe you." Leianna continued, "Fate has brought you to us, or us to you, as it may be. I did not always live in Duke Parham's castle. For centuries, I wandered the world, but even before that, I lived in a small elf village in what is now the Black Forest. I was the daughter of the village elder, and his father before him was elder, and his grandfather was the elder as well. I did not understand why until I was older. When I was a young maiden, our village was attacked unexpectedly. There were soldiers in black, humans wielding magic, ogres, orcs, goblins, and worse beasts. We were few, and no match for them."
"Who attacked you?" Darien interrupted, suspecting he knew the answer already.
"It was a human sorcerer. It must be the same one who now calls himself the Demon King, but I can't say for certain," Leianna replied.
"I see, Do you know why he attacked you?"
"My father only told me that the sorcerer was looking for starstones to make himself more powerful. Is that important?"
"Maybe. I suspected that was the reason, but I wanted to be sure, and anything you remember might be helpful, no matter how insignificant it seems. Now, please continue."
"Well, my father summoned me to the village hall and told me the secret of our family. Our family were not village elders because we were chosen. He told me our family name was Tolmirran, and that we were descended from the last kings of the elves from before the demons destroyed the great city of Karasan. This talisman is called the Star of Kings. It is the symbol of the kings of the elves, and identifies our family. My father told me to take it, and showed me a secret path out of the village. He told me that there was another sanctuary, greater than ours, the hidden city of Kadanar. He said there was a loremaster there, the last loremaster, and that he had a staff. The staff of the loremaster fits together with the Star of Kings somehow. He would have told me more, but there wasn't time. The last thing he told me as he pushed me down the secret passage was that no matter what happened, I shouldn't let that sorcerer ever get his hands on it. He told me his name, but after so many years I have forgotten."
"Varias," Darien said. "His name was Varias. Few now know his human name, or remember that he ever was human. He took the title of Demon King because he wanted all the races to fear him, and there is no figure living or dead more terrifying than the ancient enemy of the elves."
"Varias. Yes, that was it!" Leianna exclaimed as she suddenly sat up straight on the cot.
"Did he tell you anything else, like how to find this sanctuary?" Darien leaned forward in his chair and narrowed his eyes.
"No, he said that the location was never revealed to anyone. It was a secret place, so secret that not even we could find it before the time of the prophecy."
"Do you know why the two were separated?" Darien asked. "The talisman and the staff, I mean."
"Not exactly," Leianna replied.
"The attackers came upon us without warning. Father spoke so quickly, and I was so frightened. He said something about a prophecy. The loremaster was supposed to wait for a time when the prophecy would be fulfilled. Then the new King would appear with the Star and would lead the elves back to glory. The heir has to take the Star of Kings to the hidden city. He wrote it down for me in a book, it was a history of our village. It's written in the old language, and I can't read it.”
“Yes, Jerris told me as much.” Darien leaned back in his chair again, crossed his arms over his chest, and sighed with frustration. I wonder if this elf woman had any information beyond old legends and prophecies, he thought to himself. “Unfortunately I can’t read it either, and very few in the world can read in elven.”
“I wish I could be more help,” Leianna said, perhaps sensing the shade’s growing irritation. “I can tell you that there was one part my father made me memorize from the time I was a little girl.”
#
With enemies at his back,
the orphaned child shall carry the great Star
The ancient power shall rise within him,
and with it he shall fell many foes
King he shall be to them,
and all of the children of the light shall bow to him
#
"I see, Well that’s better than nothing I suppose.”
"I'm sorry, the book hadn’t been written in for generations, and no one in the village knew how to read the old language. I'm not sure my father even knew, but that part of the prophecy was passed down from memory"