by Lana Axe
Essa led her troops out of the thicket to engage the enemy. The guards charged at the maidens, attempting to trample them with their horses. The maidens, however, were more agile than the guards had expected. They dodged gracefully to each side until the horses had charged past them and broken their formation among the trees. Now, the maidens charged the mounted guards, slicing at their legs and thrusting their long broadswords into their midsections. Within minutes, the battle was ended with only a handful of elves having to participate. The rest watched silently, lusting for a battle of their own.
Reylin strode toward the rearmost carriage. Drawing his knife, he flung open the door and peered inside. No living thing occupied the carriage. It was filled with luggage and a few small pieces of furniture. Moving to the middle carriage, he flung open the doors as a frightened, dark-haired woman began screaming. He glanced over his shoulder to his archers and smirked.
“Hello, ladies,” he said. A second woman sat within, her expression was stern as if with courage. Her breathing, however, was easily noticeable as her chest rose and fell, revealing her fear. The other elves gathered closer to the carriage as Reylin reached in to grab the dark-haired woman by the arm. He pulled her roughly from the carriage, but he caught her as she nearly fell to the ground. She stared at him, her eyes full of fear as he reached in to grab the second woman.
Lisalla recoiled from Reylin’s touch, refusing to be dragged from the carriage. “I can remove myself from the carriage,” she said defiantly. With all the dignity she could muster, she exited the carriage and stood proudly before her captors. “I am Lisalla, Princess of Ra’jhou. I demand to speak with your leader.”
Most of the elves laughed, but Essa remained silent. She approached Lisalla and said, “You are a brave woman. Not many human women would have the courage to make demands. Most of you just cower and bawl like this one here.” She pointed to Danna, who was sobbing and shaking with fear.
“Danna is my maidservant. She isn’t accustomed to having her life threatened.” Lisalla did her best to maintain a calm, regal appearance. In reality, she was terrified of these elves and the fate that might await her. Poor Danna was already terrified out of her wits. Lisalla hoped that by maintaining her own composure, Danna would feel a small amount of comfort.
“I say kill them and send their pretty corpses back to their king,” Reylin suggested. “Na’zorans should know better than to travel this area without an army.”
“I am not Na’zoran,” Lisalla replied. With as much pride as she could muster, she said, “I am the daughter of King Olin of Ra’jhou. I am traveling to Na’zora to marry Prince Aelryk.” As soon as she spoke them, Lisalla regretted her words. In her pride, she had given her enemy a good reason to kill her.
“Perfect,” Reylin said with a smile.
Essa held up a hand. “You will not kill this one,” she declared. “I don’t care about the other girl, but you will not kill this princess. She is brave. If her prince wants to save her life, he can stop the attacks on our people.”
“So now you’re the great negotiator?” Reylin looked at Essa with contempt. Shaking his head, he walked over to the lead carriage and flung open the door. Inside were two well-dressed men huddled together as far from the door as they could get. Reylin motioned to a nearby sword maiden and together they dragged the men from the carriage. Without saying a word, Reylin slit both of their throats. He would hear no negotiation for their lives. His hesitation in killing the women had caused enough trouble already.
“The women are yours, Essa,” he said, wiping the bloody knife against his pants. “You can keep them quiet while we continue to the Mountain Clan. Once we’ve reached their village, they can chose whether these two are allowed to live.”
Essa nodded, satisfied with his decision. The Mountain Clan could decide whether humans were allowed to enter as prisoners. If they refused, Essa would kill the women herself. “We will bind their hands and gag their mouths. They will follow us without a fight, or we will kill them.”
“We won’t be any trouble,” Lisalla promised. She knew that as long as she and Danna were alive there was at least a small chance of rescue. All she could do now was obey her captors and hope for a miracle.
Reylin loaded the corpses back into the first carriage and sent the horses running toward Na’zora. “That should let our handsome prince know that his fair princess has been accosted. All we have to do is wait, and he will ride gallantly into battle to save his lady love.” Laughter erupted from the elves as Reylin made broad sweeping motions with his arms. Humans had a romantic nature about them that was alien among the Wild Elves. They had use only for practical matters, not fairytale love stories.
The elves freed the carriage horses from their reins, allowing them to graze and roam at their pleasure. They left the two remaining carriages without bothering to rummage through their contents. The trivial belongings of a pampered princess were of no use to the elves.
Essa bound the two women’s hands with leather straps and gagged their mouths with cotton strips torn from Lisalla’s own skirt. The air was bitterly cold, and Lisalla wished she had the warm blankets from the carriage to comfort her. As it was, she had only a thin yellow dress to shield her from the cold. Danna seemed untouched by the winter air, as she was too distraught over her capture to notice the weather.
The party continued north in search of the Mountain Clan. This would take them to the outskirts of the Kingdom of Ra’jhou, but they had no intention of going any farther. Ra’jhou had never made war against the elves, and they had no idea their princess had been taken captive. If they dared to enter the war to aid Na’zora, Lisalla would be their first casualty.
Chapter 29
Yori stood at the forge with his grandfather studying a scroll laid out on the workbench before them. They exchanged glances as voices began shouting from the center of town. A crowd began to form, and they were both curious to see what was happening. Cautiously, they approached the crowd where the Overseer was attempting to appease the other elves.
“Everyone, please calm down!” he shouted, flailing his arms in an attempt to catch their attention. “We must not act in haste. We do not know the purpose of these soldiers.”
“Soldiers?” Yori said quietly to his grandfather.
Darin shook his head and shrugged, unaware of the morning’s events.
Reylana shoved her way to the front of the crowd to stand directly in front of the Overseer. “Quiet!” she shouted at the elves. Her auburn hair seemed to flash with anger, and the crowd quieted down to hear what she had to say. “Less than an hour ago, your scouts spotted a large company of Na’zoran soldiers who appeared to be heading this way. They will attack you. You have no choice but to defend yourselves.”
Once again the crowd roared with many different voices. Clearly, the clansmen did not agree on which course to take.
“Calm down, please,” the Overseer said again. “It is true that the scouts have reported a large patrol in our area. However, the Na’zorans would never attack us this close to Al’marr. They would be risking a war on two fronts if they attempted to take land near Al’marr’s borders.”
“You are a fool and a coward as well.” Reylana spat her words at the Overseer. “You must fight!” She drew her sword and raised it before the crowd. Many of the elves cheered in response, while others remained silent.
Yori began to feel anxious at the thought of war. So far, the Sycamore Clan had resided in peace, far from the borders of Na’zora. The king’s ambitions must have increased dramatically to reach so far from his original borders.
Darin, being a highly respected elder member of the clan, walked to the front of the crowd. “Overseer,” he began, “we cannot expect Al’marr to come to our aid. If the Na’zorans don’t cross into their lands, they will not help us. We are nothing to them.”
“We cannot be too quick to act,” the Overseer replied. “If we arm ourselves and attack them first, we will only escalate the fight. They ar
e probably just patrolling the area and have no desire to fight with us. We have caused them no problems, and we have been no threat to their people.”
Many elves sounded their voices in agreement. Darin shook his head and returned to Yori’s side.
“I don’t think they’re just passing by,” he said. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Why would they travel so far from Na’zora?” Yori asked, hoping there could be another explanation.
“The only other reasons would be to attack Al’marr or convince them to join the fight against the elves. Either way, we are not safe.”
“Who is willing to fight and who is ready to run?” Reylana asked the crowd. “What harm will it do to ready yourselves for battle if they have no plans to attack? We don’t have to attack them first, but we have to be ready to defend ourselves. They destroyed my village as well as many others, and they have murdered our children. I will not sit here and wait to be killed. I will fight with every ounce of strength in my body.”
Over half of the crowd cheered at Reylana’s words. She spoke forcefully, and her words moved the elves. The Overseer shook his head, clearly disagreeing with the sword maiden.
“It will do no harm for the nursemaids to take the children into the woods for safety. Our warriors can arm themselves, but they must not attack the humans unprovoked. I do not wish to start a war over a peaceful passing of troops.”
“Those peaceful troops are the same ones who are murdering your kin just north of here. If you weren’t such a coward, you would arm yourself and lead your warriors into battle. We should slaughter these men for their crimes against all elves!” Reylana’s face grew red with anger. Clearly the elves were divided, and she was desperate to convince them to fight.
“You would have us run to the slaughter,” the Overseer argued. “There is no use in speaking with you.” He walked away and returned to his hut.
“Go on and hide then,” she called after him. “See if that hut will protect you from their magefire!”
Nat approached Reylana as the crowd began to argue amongst themselves. “Reylana,” he said. “There are many of us who would join you in battle. We agree the Overseer is a coward. We should have come to your aid weeks ago when we heard the rumors of war.”
Reylana nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Gather whoever is willing to fight. We will do what we can to defend the village.”
Nursemaids began leading the children deeper into the woods. They would take to the trees in hopes that the Na’zorans would attack the village and leave the forest untouched. A few of the elderly clansmen joined them, but the majority of the elves would stay in the village. Less than half of them were preparing to fight.
Yori followed Darin back to the forge. “What will we do?” he asked.
“I’m guessing those humans didn’t teach you to use a bow,” Darin commented. Yori shook his head in response.
“Can you swing a sword?”
“To check the balance,” Yori replied. “I’ve never fought with one.”
“Take a hammer, then,” his grandfather said. “You may need it.” Darin retrieved his bow from his hut. “I haven’t used this for many years, but I won’t let our village be destroyed without a fight.”
Lem came to Yori’s side and handed him a hammer. The young elf’s eyes were wide with fright, but he was prepared to fight as well. Yori accepted the hammer and squeezed it tightly in his hand. He tried to steady his breathing and stay calm, but his stomach felt as if it were turning cartwheels.
“Let’s hope they’re just passing through,” Darin said. “If not, we’re going to be glad we’re using runed weapons. Too bad we haven’t attached those runed tips to any arrows yet. Those would have been very useful.”
Yori turned to his grandfather and said, “Can’t we just throw them? The scrap metal exploded when you threw it.”
“You’re right,” Darin said, laughing. “I suppose we could. We won’t be hitting any fancy targets, but we’ll give them something to remember.” The trio dashed behind the workbench to retrieve the sack full of runed arrow tips. Gently emptying it onto the table, Darin said, “Toss these into the center of a group of those bastards and see how they like it.”
“Reylana mentioned mages,” Yori said. “I’ve never seen them in action, but I hear they are ruthless in battle. We should try to take them out first if we can.”
Darin nodded and said, “If we survive this, you might consider becoming a warrior.”
“If we survive this,” Yori replied. “I will continue etching runes until the day I die. I want no part of war, now or ever.”
“Sometimes we don’t get a choice,” Darin replied quietly. “We do what we must.”
Yori turned his attention to the east, where the forest lay quiet and still. Somewhere within those trees, an army was approaching. He squeezed the hammer in his hand and hoped he would not have to use it.
Chapter 30
Prince Aelryk stopped his horse and held up a hand signaling his troops to halt. Mi’tal joined him at the head of the company to receive his orders. “I’ve changed my mind about entering their village with a small force,” the prince said. “We will send everyone in and fully overwhelm the elves. Perhaps when they see our numbers, they will be more willing to negotiate.”
“They may begin the fight before we reach the village, my lord,” Mi’tal pointed out. “Wild Elves are extremely stealthy and frequently hide among the trees.”
“I’m aware of that, Mi’tal,” Aelryk replied. “That’s a risk we’ll have to take. I won’t slaughter an innocent village that has yet to attack us. If we have to kill a few for starting the fight then so be it. No one is to draw their weapons until we are fired upon. I want them to see that we have come peacefully.”
Mi’tal gave the prince a nod and proceeded to spread the message to the lieutenants. The company had nearly a thousand mounted troops as well as seven war mages. The mages required constant protection as they had become the main target in every battle with the elves. Mi’tal wondered if the elves would begin the fight simply because the mages were present.
As he returned to Aelryk’s side, his hand went instinctively to his war hammer. After all, they were about to charge into enemy territory where his prince would be vulnerable to attack. Though a sword had very little chance of blocking an arrow, Mi’tal still wished the prince would draw his sword for protection. Losing Prince Aelryk would be a disaster for the people of Na’zora.
Nat crouched low upon a branch and watched as the company passed through the trees. Their pace was no faster than a trot, and not a single man had drawn a weapon. He made note of the mages in red cloaks near the rear of the company. After the last man passed by, he hurried back to Reylana and the warriors.
“There looks to be a thousand of them. They’re moving at an easy pace and haven’t drawn their weapons. They will reach the village within minutes.” He had never been in battle, so he trusted Reylana to lead his clansmen.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Reylana replied. “They must be trying to trick us.”
“Could they really just be passing by?” one of the archers asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Were there any mages with them?”
“Yes, there were seven of them,” Nat answered.
“I can’t imagine them traveling with mages if they don’t intend to fight,” she said. “We should follow them and see if they enter the village. The mages always stay near the back of the company, and we can take them out first if we aren’t seen.”
The warriors followed Reylana as they made their way into the trees surrounding the village. The Na’zorans were indeed heading straight for them. They were vastly outnumbered, but Reylana was determined to take at least a few of them down, even if the village was lost.
As the prince entered the village, he noticed that none of the elves were fleeing in terror as the other clans had done. The elves visible in the village stood their ground, each
of them clutching a weapon. He slowed his horse to a walk and lifted both hands in a gesture of peace.
“I have not come with the intention to kill,” he declared. “I have come to speak with you.”
Hearing these words, the Overseer left his hut to speak with the prince. “I am the Overseer of the Sycamore Clan,” he said. “For what reason have you brought an army into our village? We have done you no wrong.”
“I have come at the command of my father King Domren, but I will not fulfill his wishes. I would have the continuation of peace between Na’zora and the Sycamore Clan.”
“You have a strange way of showing it,” the Overseer said, looking up and down the ranks of the prince’s army.
“Forgive my intrusion, Overseer,” the prince said. “I did not know what awaited me in the Wildlands, and it is not safe to travel without an escort.”
“This is much more an army than an escort,” he replied. “You are bringing war upon us.”
Reylana listened closely from the trees, focusing her eyes on the mages. At the slightest movement from one of them, she would order the archers to attack.
“I have come to issue you an order,” the prince continued. “You must vacate this village and move across the Blue River. There you will find safety from my father and his war. If you do not agree, he will send another army to annihilate you. I am giving you the chance to live in freedom and will do everything in my power to stop my father from ever crossing the river.”
“Even if we agree, you cannot guarantee our safety?” The Overseer was clearly shaken by the choice before him.
“I do not control my father,” Aelryk said, “but I will not allow him to send troops across the river. He plans to extend Na’zora’s borders all the way to its eastern bank, and any elves in his path will be killed. Your only hope is to cross the river.”