Emerald of the Elves

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Sometimes,” sighed Boris. “Other times I do not.”

  Jenneva frowned and removed her hands from Master Khatama’s head. She opened her eyes and smiled at Boris.

  “What can I do to help you?” Jenneva asked.

  “You have seen what I cannot,” replied Boris. “What does this darkness look like that surrounds my memories? Is it a solid black? Does it have form or shape?”

  “It looks like a dark cloud,” shrugged Jenneva. “As if you were gazing skyward from someplace still under the Darkness.”

  “Interesting,” mused Boris. “A cloud that blocks my memories as the Darkness blocks out the sun and the stars.”

  “So you can not see this cloud?” asked Jenneva.

  “Not in my mind,” Boris shook his head. “It is as if the size of the hole in that cloud is what changes my ability to remember.”

  “I heard that your memory improved greatly on the way to Tagaret,” posed Jenneva. “Then it turned around at some point. When did you start forgetting things again?”

  “Sometimes it is hard for me to realize when my memory is getting worse,” admitted Boris. “It was sometime after crossing the Southern Mountains. I am pretty sure of that because of the strange stares that I get from the people around me when I do forget something.”

  “And how bad was your memory earlier tonight?” inquired Jenneva.

  “Bad I am afraid,” frowned Boris. “I was not even sure where we were traveling to. Niki was guiding our path.”

  “And piercing the Darkness has reversed the situation,” mused Jenneva. “The Diamond of Edona cleared the skies almost to the Southern Mountains.”

  “So you are saying that my memory is affected by the Darkness that Sarac created?” asked Boris. “I can see why you are proposing that, but I have lived under this Darkness since the Collapse. My memory loss has never been this severe before.”

  “I do not have an answer for that,” shrugged Jenneva, “but I do think there is a correlation between your memory and the Darkness. It is the only thing that makes sense.”

  “I have to agree with you,” Boris finally conceded. “At least we now have a path to pursue in my quest to make sense of it all. We shall have to dwell upon it for a while. Maybe we can find out how the Darkness affects my memory, and why it does.”

  “I am eager to find the source of the problem,” smiled Jenneva. “Tanya could help, too. She is a very smart lass.”

  “Yes, she is,” smiled Boris. “There is something that you must know about her.”

  Jenneva wrapped her arms around Boris and hugged him tightly. “We already know,” grinned Jenneva. “Oscar figured it out when you mentioned Ora and Beka. I cannot thank you enough for taking care of our daughter. Nor I could I ever think of anyone else that I would rather have had raise her. Thank you.”

  “I am glad that I found her,” smiled Boris. “I am sorry it took me so long to get you reunited with her. She is a very special person.”

  “All that matters is that you kept her safe from harm,” replied Jenneva. “You have brought much joy into my life, Egam.”

  “It has been a long time since anyone called me Egam,” grinned Boris. “Like yourself, I found it safer to appear dead to my enemies.”

  “Then you should continue to do so,” suggested Jenneva. “There are still times when your anonymity can benefit us. At least you can keep Niki safe from Sarac. I do not think that he is sure that she is his descendent yet”

  “Nor am I,” responded Master Khatama.

  “Oh?” questioned Jenneva. “What causes you doubts? She has Aurora’s cloak.”

  “She does at that,” nodded Master Khatama. “Still, the type of magic she possesses is rare. It is not the type of magic that Aurora had. I find it hard to believe that Niki is the one we seek.”

  “Then we have more work to do,” frowned Jenneva. “There is still one Child running loose somewhere. There are only three gems left to restore the Sword of Heavens. We do not have much time to find her.”

  “Or him,” corrected Master Khatama. “I will attempt to do that while you guide Arik on his quest for the gems. You have assembled a rather unique group of followers.”

  “They are unique,” Jenneva nodded. “It is hard to keep track of them and keep them alive. We have lost Tedi and now it appears that Bin-lu will not be going with us.”

  “Tedi is not far away,” Boris stated as he rose and faced south.

  “You are tracking him?” questioned Jenneva. “I should have known. The spell on the cloak and the necklace, that was you?”

  “It was,” nodded Boris. “Tedi now carries a staff with a tracking spell on it. And I think Bin-lu may survive his difficulties if the dwarves can find those akatids.”

  “What do you plan to do with the akatids?” inquired Jenneva. “How can poisonous spiders restore the use of his hands and feet? Surely the poison would kill him.”

  “The elves have a spell for restoring burnt flesh,” explained Master Khatama. “They must get him soon if it is to work, though. They will not poison the lad. They will extract the venom sacks, and then make a poultice of the akatid shells. I do not remember the spell enough to perform it, but I am sure that the elves of Sorelderal will know what to do.”

  Suddenly, shouting from the campsite drifted into the forest. Master Khatama and Jenneva rose quickly and ran back to the campsite. Boris halted as he came into the clearing. Niki sat on the ground with the four tins in front of her. The tins were open and the akatid spiders were on Bin-lu.

  “No!” shouted Master Khatama. “Put them back into the tins.”

  “That is exactly what I am doing,” frowned Niki as she instructed the spiders to return to the tins. “You don’t have to get upset. I already took care of the problem.”

  “She let the akatids bite the lad,” cried Prince Darok. “The bite from just one is enough to kill him for sure. They bit each of his hands and feet. I tried to stop her.”

  “Dwarves don’t understand magic,” pouted Niki.

  “They do understand akatids, though,” frowned Master Khatama as he raced to the wagon.

  Boris pulled a blanket out of the wagon and tossed it to Price Darok.

  “Wrap the lad in that blanket and hurry him to Sorelderal elves,” instructed Master Khatama. “Explain that he was bitten and that they need to save him before they restore his flesh. Hurry.”

  Niki frowned as she replaced the lids on the four tins. Master Khatama bent down and scooped up the tins and handed them to Prince Darok.

  “The elves will need the akatids as well,” added Master Khatama. “Tell them to spare no effort to save the lad. Tell them that the Mage will visit them shortly to review their progress.”

  Prince Darok shouted instructions and his men bundled Bin-lu in the blanket. Four dwarves grabbed the corners of the blanket and the four tins and raced into the forest.

  “They weren’t supposed to bite him?” Niki asked timidly.

  “No,” sighed Master Khatama. “Your thoughts were well meant, Niki, but in this case, you guessed wrong.”

  Niki started crying, and Tanya wrapped her arm around Niki.

  “The elves will save him,” soothed Tanya with more conviction than she felt. “It is amazing how the spiders obeyed you. How do you do that?”

  Niki threw off Tanya’s arm and ran into the woods to cry.

  “Let her be,” suggested Master Khatama. “She needs to understand the consequences of acting without thinking things through. She will survive.”

  “I hope the same can be said for Bin-lu,” frowned Wylan. “I would like to go to this elf village and be with Bin-lu. Is that acceptable?”

  “I think that would be good,” Alex said softly. “Can you have someone guide him, Prince Darok?”

  The dwarf prince nodded and motioned for a dwarf to guide Wylan to the elf village.

  Chapter 2

  The Hidden Glade

  Arik walked over to the campfire and stared at the flames as
he fingered the glass bead in his pocket. His thoughts dwelt upon Bin-lu and he almost missed the feather-light touch of Prince Midge as the fairy settled onto his shoulder.

  “They are several leagues away,” reported the fairy prince. “They appear to be very disorganized.”

  “At least for now,” frowned Arik. “I think we can be sure that they will attempt to kill me again.”

  “They may think that they have already succeeded,” interjected Alex as he stepped softly next to Arik. “They may not know about the Breastplate of Alcea.”

  “It won’t take them long to figure it out,” retorted Jenneva. “If Arik were to die, Sarac would be released from his prison. In fact, any action that causes the fulfilling of the Ancient Prophecy in our favor to fail will free him.”

  “That does not mean that they will know,” argued Fredrik. “They would have to report to Sarac about their progress to learn if the Dark One is free or not. From what I know of the Black Devils, none of them are too anxious to report to Sarac. I think they will attempt to recover Arik’s body before reporting in.”

  “You know your enemy well,” nodded Master Khatama. “It is Sarac’s weakness that he instills fear in his own followers. Arik should leave here before they come back.”

  “I agree,” interjected Jenneva. “Let’s find out where the Sword of Heavens will take us and then depart.”

  “There are two problems with that,” frowned Alex. “We dare not allow the unicorn’s to fly with the Black Devils so close. That means that we must ride to wherever we are going.”

  “Good point,” nodded Tanya. “What is the other problem?”

  “Bin-lu may be too wounded to ride,” continued Alex, “even if we did have horses for him and Wylan, which we don’t”

  “Bin-lu and Wylan can travel with me,” offered Master Khatama. “It is more important that Arik be away from here before Sarac’s Ravens return.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and Arik took the glass bead from his pocket. As the Rangers gathered around the campfire, Arik tossed the glass bead into the fire. A large column of white smoke rose towering over the fire. The smoke swirled as it rose and then blossomed out into a sphere. A hazy image of lush green foliage filled the sphere. As the image increased in sharpness, the details of a verdant glade came into focus.

  The trees and bushes had a brighter green hue than Arik had ever seen. The grass was lush, and a beautiful spring-fed pond sparkled next to a large gazebo. Through the trees, Arik could see a distant waterfall plunging off of a raised plateau. A beautiful female elf sat alone in the gazebo, her long pale hair reminded Arik of the soft light of the moon across a sandy stretch of pristine beach.

  Musical voices came from an area outside the vision, and the elven woman rose to her feet. She walked to the steps of the gazebo and halted. Between her breasts, a large green emerald hung from a gold chain around her neck. A questioning frown grew across her smooth and narrow face, as she appeared to look right through Arik. Suddenly, other elves walked into the vision. Arik counted six of them besides the beautiful woman.

  “What concerns the council this day?” asked the female elf in a lyrical voice.

  “Several of us have felt a disturbance,” reported a member of the council, “a magical disturbance. We fear it may involve the Emerald of the Elves.”

  “I felt it also,” nodded the woman in the gazebo. “I would not be concerned about it. While it was a great disturbance, it was a disturbance of healing. Why does this cause you to fear for the Emerald of the Elves?”

  “It is something that we must always be concerned about, Queen Lyander,” replied the council member. “We know that the Ancient Prophecy is being resolved. The Emerald of the Elves will be required to fulfill it. I fear that the Children will be coming for it soon.”

  “Let them come,” Queen Lyander said defiantly. “They will not find our glade. The Emerald of the Elves will not leave my person until our prophecy has been fulfilled. The Children of the Ancient Prophecy will have to wait.”

  “We know that three of the gems have already been restored to the Sword of Heavens,” interjected another council member. “This disturbance is probably the fourth. We should make plans to prevent the Children of the Ancient Prophecy from getting near you.”

  “We have already done so,” smiled the elven queen. “You reside in the finest glade in all the world, and yet you worry about these humans. It is not possible for them to find their way here. Let it trouble you no more.”

  “But things are moving so swiftly,” frowned a council member. “Valon has not yet been born, and yet time is running out for these humans. I fear they will resort to force and trickery to obtain that which is ours.”

  “Let them resort to what they must,” insisted the queen. “Nothing they can do will alter our people’s commitment to the Emerald of the Elves. First they must find us, and then they must destroy us all. I do not think there is any band of humans up to that challenge. Not even the Dark One’s minions have a clue as to where we hide. You fret too easily.”

  “But…,” protested a council member,

  “But nothing,” Queen Lyander declared sternly. “It is our task to safeguard the Emerald of the Elves. Perhaps a recitation of the Elven Prophecy is in order to remind my councilors of the only means that can force it from my neck.”

  The councilors nodded solemnly as they joined the queen in reciting the Elven Prophecy.

  The Emerald green - the Emerald bright

  The elven people shall not die

  Saves us all from eternal night

  Beneath the Dark One’s inky sky

  The vision winked out of existence, and the white smoke dissipated in the wind. The Rangers stood staring at the empty air over the campfire for several minutes before anyone spoke.

  “So they know we are coming,” sighed Alex. “This presents a new challenge for us.”

  “What a beautiful grove that was,” chirped Prince Midge. “I have not seen anything so green since before the Collapse. Do you think it is in one of the areas where we cleared away the Darkness?”

  “Not necessarily,” answered Jenneva. “I think it is a magical garden. It is obvious that the queen and her council are all magicians. Fairly adept ones at that, if they felt the disturbance of the Sword of Heavens.”

  Arik held the Sword of Heavens out before himself and turned slowly in a circle. He halted facing north.

  “It is a fair distance away,” Arik reported. “Perhaps twice the distance between here and Barouk.”

  “Around central Targa then,” posed Alex. “We have a long ride ahead of us. We should get some rest before we leave. Is there someplace that the dwarves can put us up for some sleep?”

  “You shall have fine accommodations,” grinned Prince Darok. “The dwarves will keep constant vigilance while you rest. That will give me time to find one of those foul beasts you ride on.”

  “Are you sure you wish to go with us?” asked Arik. “It really is not necessary.”

  “Bah,” scowled the dwarven prince. “Of course it is necessary. We will never let the Garala out of our sight now that we have found you. I should bring a hundred men with me to protect you.”

  “I think just yourself will be fine,” smiled Alex. “There may come a time that your Garala will require an army, but this is not it.”

  “I will rest with you,” announced Master Khatama. “When you leave I will check on Bin-lu and Wylan.”

  “Where will you go?” questioned Tanya.

  “I think we will head south to find Tedi,” answered Boris. “He has been lost for too long.”

  “How does your tracking spell work over such great distances?” asked Jenneva. “And how is it that nobody else can use it?”

  “You must know the key,” smiled Master Khatama. “It is fairly simple really. I associate something fairly common with each item that I wish to track. For Niki’s cloak I used banana bread.”

  “Banana bread?” giggled Jenneva. “Ho
w? Why?”

  “Picture a freshly baked banana bread in your mind, Jenneva,” instructed Master Khatama. “Now execute a tracking spell.”

  Jenneva nodded and immediately turned to face the woods where Niki had gone off to be alone.

  “Amazing,” commented Jenneva. “Not only the direction is known, but the distance is clear as well. That is most ingenious, Boris.”

  “And simple,” chuckled Boris. “For Tedi’s necklace, I used crab cakes.”

  “And his staff?” inquired Jenneva.

  “Fresh blueberry pie,” grinned Master Khatama. “It has always been one of my favorites.”

  Jenneva conjured up an image of blueberry pie in her mind and cast a tracking spell. She faced south and smiled broadly.

  “I shall have to remember your fondness for blueberry pie,” laughed Jenneva. “Do you always think of food?”

  “Food is something that I have not forgotten,” frowned Boris. “It was a wise choice in hindsight.”

  * * *

  “They are no longer pursuing us,” advised Klarg. “I was afraid that I would be blinded for life. What happened back there?”

  “What happened,” scowled Calastano, “is that they have more than one mage with them. Not even Jenneva could affect all of those spells at the same time. We have underestimated our enemy once again.”

  “What are you talking about?” retorted Hagik. “We eliminated the Prince of Alcea. That was our mission. Who cares about anything else?”

  “Have we eliminated him?” posed Calastano.

  “I saw him hit at least twice,” insisted Hagik. “Nobody could survive that.”

  “Perhaps,” mused Calastano. “Still, I would not be in a rush to report our victory to the Dark One. I want to see Arik’s body before I stick my neck out any further. How many men did we lose, Klarg?”

  “There are fifteen unaccounted for,” replied the Dark Rider. “It could have been a lot worse. All of the men were blinded, and some of them lost their mounts.”

  “The horses were blinded as well,” nodded Calastano. “It was a very effective defense.”