by Lana Axe
“Of course, my lord,” Mi’tal replied.
“You look like you’ve ridden through a nightmare, my friend.” The prince managed a weak smile. “I will have one of my father’s lieutenants prepare my troops and round up as many mages as he can find. You should go and rest. We’ll head out in the morning.”
“Do you plan to attack the elves?” he asked. “They may harm the princess if they see you coming.”
“They allowed you to live long enough to speak with them. I’ll have to hope they do the same for me. I will insist on her release and only attack them if she has been harmed.”
“My lord, I fear you are risking your future hopes for peace by riding into their forests. Wouldn’t it be better if you stayed behind?”
“Only Lisalla matters now. Peace can wait.”
Chapter 41
Master Eldon led Yori to the back of the shop where jewels were laid out on white marble tables. Blades, hilts, and pommels lay strewn about the table in various stages of completion. “I think you should focus on the simplest gems. Red, blue, green, and clear is a good start.”
Yori stared up at the elf, a blank look on his face. He had no idea what Master Eldon meant by the colors.
“Shall we take a step back then?” the elf said, noticing Yori’s puzzled expression. “You come to me wearing a green robe, meaning you know a thing or two of earth magic. Your gem of choice would be an emerald. Red represents fire which would require a ruby. Blue is water and uses a sapphire. Clear is the air, and it requires a diamond. That being said, there are all sorts of variants in gem colors, and each has its own purpose. You should stick to the basics.”
“For now,” Yori replied.
The old elf eyed him curiously. “Indeed.” He seemed to be considering whether Yori would ever be capable of learning more. “One thing you should know right away is that any color in between will not work in the hands of a human or Wild Elf. Those enchantments would be far too strong for anyone other than an Enlightened Elf to control. Any shade of violet is going to have the most kick to it. Human mages have died trying to wield the power locked within those stones.” He shook his head and chuckled to himself.
“So orange, yellow, white, and all the other colors are off limits?” Yori asked.
“Yes,” Eldon replied. “You will not be able to enchant your own gems. That is a task for those of us who have spent long years studying the arcane sciences. Any gem you require will have to be enchanted here and shipped to you from the isles.”
“You’re assuming I won’t be staying here,” Yori pointed out.
Laughing, the elf replied, “I know it to be a fact.” He lifted a ruby from the table and passed it to Yori. “What do you think of that?”
“It’s hot,” he replied, feeling the heat emitting from the stone. Holding it up to the light, he inspected its facets. “It’s beautiful,” he commented.
“Of course it is,” the elf said. “I enchanted it myself. You can watch as I set it in the hilt I’ve prepared for this sword.” Taking the gem back, he sat it on the table, his hand hovering slightly above it. The gem began to glow red, and sparks shot from its center. Untouched, the gem moved along the table to the hilt of a sword. Extending his other hand slightly higher than the first, he directed the gem to place itself inside the hilt of the sword. The metal glowed red for a moment before cooling back to a silver sheen.
Yori looked at the elf in amazement. “I’ve never seen anything like that. How did you craft the metal?”
“In nearly the same manner,” Eldon replied. “We don’t need hammers or forges. We use our own knowledge of the arcane to heat the metal and shape it to our whim. Few of us are truly masters of this craft.” He held his head proudly in the air, looking down at Yori.
“How long does it take to learn all of that?” he asked curiously.
“It can take up to a thousand years to learn the process correctly,” he replied. “You won’t live that long, I’m afraid.”
“I didn’t know anyone lived that long,” Yori remarked.
“I am two thousand and four years old. That is considered elderly among my people. Many are killed by their own experiments or in disputes with other sorcerers well before they reach my age.”
“Sounds like a dangerous place,” Yori commented. No sooner had the words escaped his mouth than the ground began to shake beneath his feet. He looked up at Eldon, his eyes wide with shock. “Did you do that?”
The old elf laughed again and shook his head. “No, that was our dear friend Yelaurad. He is mightiest among our gods and lives in the volcano on the Red Isle.”
“The Red Isle?” Yori asked.
“Yes, it is a barren wasteland of red, scorched earth. The only thing that lives there is Yelaurad in his volcano. He likes to send us messages from time to time just to remind us he’s still around. He belches smoke and rattles the ground. A rather obnoxious sort of god, that one.” Eldon shrugged and turned his attention back to his work.
“How will I set these gems into the metal without your magic?” Yori asked.
“That is where the experiment comes in,” the elf said, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes. “I assume you can read Ancient Elvish.”
Yori nodded, eager to prove his abilities.
“I have some scrolls in my tower that you should look over. They’re rather elementary in their writing, of course, but I don’t think that will bother one such as yourself. We use them to teach children, but perhaps you will find them useful.”
Yori chose not to be insulted by Master Eldon’s words. He was, after all, a child when it came to learning this new type of magic. He wasn’t sure he would be able to learn it, but maybe with help from the runes he could figure out a way.
“You may stay with me during your studies,” Eldon said. “I have apprentice quarters to spare.” Shooing Yori from the shop, the old elf turned and cast a spell over it, sealing the entrance with stone.
“I take it you have no use for mechanical locks around here,” Yori commented.
“No, those would be far too easy to break. It would take all of a sorcerer’s power to break into my shop, and even then he would find the weapons inside useless. They will only respond to their master until I tell them to do otherwise.”
This bit of information intrigued Yori. Enlightened Elf magic must be entirely different from any magic he would find in the forests. “With all the power you have, why do you need a conventional weapon?” he asked.
“We do not have an unlimited supply of power, though some of us have more than others,” Eldon replied. “A weapon can carry hefty enchantments that are too draining for a sorcerer to conjure at a moment’s notice. Also, you wouldn’t want to cast a spell that could drain your entire magical store. Carrying a sidearm is the best way to go if you fear you may be attacked.”
“Do attacks happen often?” Yori wondered out loud.
Master Eldon laughed. “All day long, young man.”
He continued to laugh as they made their way down the street towards one of the stone towers. Each tower looked basically the same to Yori, and he wondered how people could tell their homes apart. He decided they must use magic for that as well and entered the tower behind Eldon.
The interior of the tower was breathtaking. The expanse of the room was surreal. What had seemed like a cold stone spire was warm and inviting. All around him, he saw ornately carved wooden furniture, white marble sculptures, and brass lamps shining brightly on every wall.
“There are quarters for you on the seventh floor,” Eldon said, pointing at the spiral staircase. “Third door on your left. I trust you can find it yourself. I’ll have one of my apprentices bring you those scrolls.”
“Thank you,” Yori said as he ascended the stairs. Arriving at his room, he was once again impressed. It was easily twice the size of the room at the inn, and it had multiple rooms for his use. There was a sitting area with tall bookcases lined with hundreds of different books, a laboratory room with vials,
flasks, and all sorts of other equipment, and a large metal table with a glowing orb at its center. The bedroom held an enormous bed topped with deep red velvet cushions. Never in his life had he slept anywhere so fancy. These quarters were finer than any in the king’s palace in Na’zora.
Setting down his leather bag, he headed to the window to take in his surroundings. From this height, he could see far into the distance. The sea lay before him, gleaming in the sunlight. Despite being only midday, few people could be seen moving about the streets. Perhaps most of them had returned home already as Master Eldon had done.
A knock sounded from his door, and an elf in a red robe stepped inside. Under one arm, he clutched several scrolls. “These are for you,” he said, placing them on the large wooden desk. “Master Eldon says to tell you a meal will be prepared in the next ten minutes. You’re invited to join us.” With a huff, the elf turned and exited the room.
“Thanks,” Yori called after him. Clearly not everyone was thrilled about his presence here, but being snubbed didn’t bother Yori in the slightest. He had come here to learn, not make friends.
Chapter 42
“Why are we waiting for dawn?” Sal asked. “Why not attack now, while the villagers are still sleeping?”
“Essa insisted,” Reylin replied. “Since our weapons are much better, she insisted we at least wait until the people were awake.”
“Ah,” Sal said. “She’s a true warrior, then. She wants them to put up a fight.”
“It still won’t be much of one,” Reylin commented. “But two attacks happening at once will certainly send a message to their king. Essa and Nat will attack Duana with the rest of our army this morning, and we will burn Enald to the ground. Domren is going to think it’s an invasion.”
A thousand elven troops hid in the trees just outside the village of Enald. They waited for sunrise, when the villagers would begin to emerge from their homes. Children would not be attacked directly, but every adult was a fair target. The houses and shops were to be destroyed, forcing the humans out of their homes as the elves had been.
“I’m surprised this village has no lookouts,” Sal remarked. “Do they not realize there is a war taking place in the woods?”
“They’re going to realize it today,” Reylin replied.
The snow had held off for the night, providing clear paths for the elves to make their way to Enald. By now, Essa’s troops would be in position, allowing the elves to attack both cities at once. King Domren would be forced to retaliate and bring the war back into elven territory. Once there, they planned to have an even greater advantage.
As the sun finally began to peek over the horizon, the elves began descending from the trees. The shadowy figures of Enald’s citizens began to move about the streets, preparing for their daily chores. The sword maidens readied the charge as the archers spread out to cover three sides of the town.
Reylana had agreed to lead the sword maidens while Essa went north. She waited a few moments to ensure the archers had reached their posts before giving the order to charge. Just as the streets began to fill, she lifted her sword, signaling the maidens to attack. They charged toward the city just as arrows began to fly through the air.
Screams erupted from the citizens followed by panic and chaos. The runed arrow tips hit their marks, causing homes and shops to burst into flames. Terrified citizens ran from the burning buildings, not realizing they were under attack. They ran straight into the charging sword maidens and were quickly cut down.
Reylana turned away as a woman dashed from her home cradling a small child in her arms. She could see no way of killing the mother without harming the child, so she did not pursue. The maidens broke formation, chasing fleeing citizens in every direction. The archers focused their fire on the town, destroying as much as possible.
As she pursued a man through the streets, Reylana caught sight of a stable full of horses that had caught fire. Seeing no reason to harm the animals, she ran inside and quickly opened their stalls, allowing them to run freely. Pausing for only a moment, she hoped the beasts would someday run free in the forests, should the forests manage to survive the war.
A large man with an iron bar approached her from behind. He grunted as he lifted the weapon, catching her attention just in time to step out of the way. Swinging the heavy bar again, he aimed for her head. Rolling to one side, she narrowly avoided the weapon, which struck the ground with a heavy thud.
The man was no fighter and was beginning to tire already. With difficulty, he tried to raise the bar once more over his head, but Reylana was too fast. From her lowered position, she swung her blade forcefully, striking the man in his thigh. Blood gushed from the wound, and he fell to one knee, clutching at his injured leg. From the amount of blood spraying from the wound, Reylana could tell it was fatal. Instead of wasting her time watching him die, she turned and ran back out into the streets.
The archers began to close in as the city burned. Catching sight of Sal and a few other silver-haired archers, Reylana ran to his position. “Where has everyone gone?” She had not seen a single citizen since coming back out of the stables.
“Most of them are running east,” Sal replied. “It’s been chaos since the moment we attacked. If we’d attacked them in their beds, I think we would have killed more of them.”
“You’re probably right about that, but destroying the town was more important than casualties.” She left Sal and pursued the townspeople who had fled. Several sword maidens ran ahead of her in the distance. Unsure how far it was to the next town, Reylana hoped the women would not pursue too far. They were already dispersed and vulnerable should there be an army ready to retaliate.
Corpses lay strewn in her path as she continued to run. Apparently the elves were faster than Enald’s average citizen and had managed to catch quite a few of them. The sun rose high in the sky, and Reylana decided it was best to regroup. She raised her sword, reflecting the sun’s rays in her runed blade. A white light projected hundreds of feet ahead of her, and the sword maidens stopped running as they caught sight of it.
“Regroup!” Reylana shouted as loudly as she could. She hoped the maidens who were farthest away had gotten her message. She continued to shout until she could see the women returning to her position. “We need to get everyone back together,” she said as the women approached. “We’ve spread out too far, and we should get back to the archers.”
One by one, the women returned to Reylana. Once they had all gathered, they ran back to Enald to rejoin Reylin’s troops. Reylin strode through the center of the town, a large smile on his face. The entire city was smoking, and there were no signs of any of its citizens.
“How’s that for forcing people from their homes?” Reylin asked as he approached his sister.
“I just wish we had more of those arrow tips,” Reylana replied. “We should gather any metal we find for our smiths.”
“Good idea,” Reylin said. “I saw a smithy just at the edge of town.” Reylin pointed to his left.
Nodding, Reylana took two of her sword maidens and headed for the smithy. The rest of the elven army regrouped at the center of the town. They cheered their victory and dared the king to send an army for them to fight. Their blood was running hot, and they were eager to continue the battle.
Chapter 43
Smoke filled the sky over the city of Duana as Essa rallied her troops to the edge of town near the forest. Their dawn attack had taken the city completely by surprise, sending its panicked citizens running in all directions. Their marketplace was completely destroyed, and the elves had grabbed anything they deemed of value. They had found a few new weapons as well as a small store of arrows.
Nat and his archers had discovered a merchant stall full of lamps and oil which had provided the fuel to burn the city. Not only had they saved runed arrows from waste, but they had also been able to toss the burning lamps at the mobs of citizens who tried to flee. No elven lives had been lost, and the town was destroyed with very litt
le fighting.
Essa raised her sword in victory as her troops gathered at the tree line. They were still eager to fight, and they cheered loudly as they raised their weapons high in the air. The celebrations came to an end as the high pitched whinny of a horse broke through the air. An army had come to pursue the elves.
“Reform the charge!” Essa commanded, turning to face the sound of hooves. Through the smoke, she could just make out the silhouette of horses coming their way.
The archers quickly ascended the trees and waited for a clear shot. As the horses broke free of the smoke, the elves loosed their arrows. Fire rained down upon the Na’zorans as the runed arrows exploded. Frightened horses threw their riders and fled. Many of those riders were quickly trampled by the horses still coming from behind.
The archers continued to shoot, sending more riders to the ground as their horses were struck with fire. The maidens stood ready behind the trees, hoping for their chance to join the fight. Once the remaining horses reached the tree line, they wouldn’t be able to stay in formation. Their riders would be at the mercy of the elven blades.
Prince Aelryk and Mi’tal had managed to stay on their mounts despite the fire from the elves. Their mages were somewhere toward the back of the line, probably stumbling over fallen soldiers as they tried to rejoin the group. Aelryk had not expected to find Duana under attack, and he didn’t realize the elves had acquired such weapons.
The elves continued to fire relentlessly from the trees. Aelryk turned his horse and signaled his troops to follow. The mages needed to blast the elves out of the trees if his troops were to have a chance at fighting them. While they remained aloft, he could not hope to advance.
Near the rear of the line, he found the mages. All of them still remained on their mounts, awaiting the prince’s orders.
“I need you to concentrate fire on those trees. We have to take care of those archers.”