First of Spears

by Billy Wong

  "Well, I don't know how you could tell all that from the very brief time you saw them."

  He chuckled. "True, I'm probably getting ahead of myself. But he did let her get rather scarred up for a princess."

  "That isn't to be blamed on their relationship. They're proud scars she wears."

  He winced to recall the nasty cut through her lips. As hardened as she must be, he couldn't imagine a woman didn't feel at least a tad uncomfortable with that. Even his own vanity would be threatened from being so marred. "If that makes her proud, you folk of High Waloros are more impressive yet than I knew."

  She touched her mouth with what might have been a queasy look. "It's not folk of High Waloros who are that way, just Camilla. Like I said, she's a sort of a brute."

  Theo thought she seemed a bit slender for the term, but supposed one didn't have to be big to be brutish. "Anyway, the Hierarch favors you and would be angered to see you in a bad state? All the more motivation for me to prove your innocence so I can get you out of here and to a better place to heal up, then."

  He expanded his investigation to merchants who sold weapons and anyone else with an interest in them, hoping to gather from them the information the smiths had lacked. Still he couldn't get a good lead on the origin of the curved sword, and began to grow flustered. Despite her attempt to put on a strong front, Claire's mood clearly deteriorated, and he feared it did so along with her physical health.

  One day as he walked back from the outskirts of town after questioning an old retired mercenary, he felt the assassin's blade vibrate in the ill-fitting sheath he'd put it in. He pulled it out and it moved of its own volition, dragging his arm up and sideways until it pointed south. It continued to exert a mild tug on him, as if urging him to go in that direction. He realized there was magic at work and it could well be a trap, and thought he should get someone to accompany him. But not knowing what he dealt with, he was afraid this might be the only chance he'd get, and if he didn't take it now it would be gone for good. He headed out of the city towards the forest while people looked curiously after him.

  "Your Highness? Where are you going?" a guard asked as he passed through the gate. The young soldier and his partner stared at the way he held the drawn weapon forward, letting it guide him.

  "Just need to look into something," he said awkwardly. He hoped they wouldn't think he was going mad, and try to detain him. In all truthfulness, he wasn't looking so great these days and...

  He managed to scurry out onto the road without being stopped. The blade pointed away from the path, so he stepped off it and into the forest. Walking in the dimness beneath the leaves overhead didn't scare him, as he had played and hunted in these woods since childhood, but the prospect of what or who he might find made him anxious. Nonetheless, he pressed on. Claire had injured the assassin, sacrificing much in the process, and it would be appropriate for him to finish what she'd started. He just hoped that if he was walking into a trap, he would be able to handle it.

  His journey brought him before a rock mound the size of a house. As he walked around it, the blade turned to continue pointing directly at it. Was this what it led him towards? When he got to the far side, he saw a opening in the stone face just large enough for a man to slip through. He turned sideways and squeezed inside, clenching his teeth as realized what he beheld. The interior of the mound resembled that of a hut, with shelves on which jars and vials rested and a bedroll upon the hard floor. Facing away from him sat a thin figure with white hair. The assassin? He sheathed the magic blade, slid his own sword carefully from its scabbard and drew it back, not caring to warn the killer of his brother and child before he avenged them. Before Theo could plunge it through his back, the fiend turned to regard him.

  "You're here," the masked one said. He stood, revealing himself to be several inches taller than Theo and even lankier than he'd seemed sitting down. His voice was very deep, incongruously so for his willowy build. "I've been watching you through my blade, waiting for an opportune moment to call you before me. I'm pleased to find you are indeed foolish enough to come here alone."

  "You murdered my brother, and caused the death of my unborn child!"

  "Yes. And now I'll send you to join them as well."

  Theo shifted his sword into a defensive position. "We'll see about that. But since we're already talking, you might as well tell me who you are before I kill you."

  He reached up, grasped his mask and lifted it off. The white hair came with it, revealing a bald, black-skinned head with pointed ears. So he was a dark elf. He looked to be of middle years, whatever constituted that for his race. "I am the feared enemy of your nation, whose plan will soon culminate in its downfall... I am Manuiel."

  Chapter 10

  Theo gaped. "But didn't Sophie kill you? And you were tall—even taller. Did you switch bodies somehow?"

  "Predictable rudimentary reasoning from you, jumping to the less likely of conclusions. I was simply never killed. The one you saw die was my overzealous pupil, who couldn't resist the allure of testing your country's defenses as King Grail urged. Hundreds of years of life, yet unable to attain greater patience than an ephemeral human. What a waste."

  "You sacrificed your student? That seems low even for someone like you."

  The dark elf smirked. "What do you know about 'someone like me?' But that aside, his failure was not certain. I merely felt it too much of a risk to commit myself yet. So I allowed him to borrow my identity, which might weaken your resolve with fear. You passed that test well, albeit with help from High Waloros. Alas, when you are unable to vindicate your woman after your death, Egrent will no longer enjoy support from them."

  "So your plan was to frame Claire all along... makes me dislike you even more."

  "Don't fret. You won't have to dislike anything for much longer." He extended a hand. "Return to me." The curved blade flew out of Theo's sheath, startling him, and into Manuiel's grasp.

  "We'll see if you can back up your talk, then!" He slipped out the entrance so he would have more room to swing his longer sword and waited for his adversary to follow. Despite his brash words his pulse pounded in his neck, and sweat already beaded his forehead. All those human lifetimes' worth of experience... did he really stand any chance? But Sophie had beaten one of their kind, somehow. Yet even the one she killed seemed younger than Manuiel. He prayed there was some limit to how much a person could refine their skills like she'd implied, if not a hard limit, that at least the dark elf would have stopped making drastic leaps at some point.

  Manuiel's form filled the crack in the mound. Theo thrust at him, only to find his blade deflected with a lightning parry and jump back from the even faster riposte. The tip passed just before his eyes, and he felt a slight sting on the bridge of his nose. He touched it to see a drop of blood on his fingertip, and shivered at how close he had already come to blindness and death. He hoped Manuiel didn't see the way the hilt shook for a moment in his hand, but didn't hold out much hope for that.

  "Confidence already gone?"

  "No!" Theo put a foot forward to charge, then hesitated. Going on the attack might well be playing into Manuiel's hands. Maybe he would be better off defending and waiting to see if his foe might make a mistake in his arrogance. But then, he might be overwhelmed before-

  Manuiel advanced, giving him no time to make a decision, his blade a whirlwind of slices. Theo dodged as best he could, scrambling back, almost tripping over his own feet in his frantic attempt at defense. He felt a burning pain across his bicep and realized one of the blows had gotten through. Another step back, another pang in his hip. Manuiel didn't smile, but his eyes brightened as if to taunt Theo with the knowledge of his imminent defeat. No, he couldn't let himself go down without even a fight... he dropped back and to the right, cutting at Manuiel's leg while he missed with a slash. The dark elf hopped away easily, what Theo had thought an opening a mere illusion he had seen in his desperation.

  "Do you have any last words you wish to speak?" Man
uiel asked.

  Instead of answering, he lunged. Even if the odds were severely against him, he would fight for Claire and his homeland to the last. He feinted a thrust, slashed at Manuiel's belly. The elf blocked it with a laugh and slid his blade up to slice Theo's forearm, making him drop his sword. He backpedaled, and Manuiel stepped quickly after him. What should he do, was there anything he could do? He forced himself to stop clutching his wound, drew his dagger and parried a stab at his chest. But he didn't have the reach now to swing back effectively, and before he even could a boot slammed into his gut. He doubled over struggling for breath, the wind driven from him. Manuiel's blade streaked towards him. He thought he should throw his dagger or something, but couldn't even find the strength to lift his arm...

  Before the sword could pierce his body, Manuiel's eyes grew wider and he spun to the left. Theo didn't realize what was going on until his enemy raised his weapon to defend and was thrown back by a giant leaf-shaped blade striking it. Sophie! Theo watched the sturdy girl, wearing her champion's mask, hammer at Manuiel's guard and drive him back. At the same time, he didn't know if she could win. Already the elf was adjusting, getting his footing back under him, and would probably soon mount a counterattack. But then a particularly heavy blow from her sword crashed against his blade and sent him reeling. He stumbled, almost fell waving an arm for balance. Sophie sprang after him, bringing her sword down in a great arc.

  Manuiel did a ducking sidestep out from underneath it, much less clumsily than he'd looked a moment ago. He slashed Sophie's flank and she gasped. Tricky bastard. Finally mustering the will to move, Theo threw his knife. Swift as always Manuiel deflected it with his blade, but Sophie took the opportunity to punch him in the face. He staggered back, truly off balance now, and her sword swept down. He leaned away in the nick of time to avoid being cloven through the shoulder and chest, but still received a long gash down his front. Recovering shortly nonetheless, he parried her backswing and put distance between them.

  He spat. "So an oversized damsel has come to the white knight's rescue. But do the two of you children think you are enough to stand against me?"

  Theo tensed with doubt, but then remembered something. "Claire fought you off after you murdered Damon, didn't she? She isn't that far above Sophie, especially while being pregnant. The two of us can definitely beat you." Still, he wasn't completely confident. Claire's speed and agility might have made her a better match for Manuiel, and maybe she'd even caught him off guard. He hoped Sophie bought into his bravado, though.

  "Want to beg for mercy, dark elf?" she said. "But why should we grant it, when your corpse should be all the proof we need."

  Manuiel shifted his gaze from Sophie to Theo and back. "It does not matter if I kill you now or later. If you cannot acquit the lady knight of her crime, you are all doomed either way." He turned and dashed away. Theo and Sophie gave chase, but there was a boom and smoke filled the air around them. They backed up out of the cloud, coughing and choking. By the time the smoke cleared enough to see, there remained no trace of Manuiel.

  "Should we follow him?" asked Sophie. "I know he left no trail before, but maybe this time he will, not having had time to prepare."

  They searched around in the direction they had seen him go for a bit, and to their dismay found no sign of where he'd gone. Manuiel did have time to prepare while spying on him via his blade, Theo supposed. "Damn," he muttered, "he got away." He looked to Sophie. "How did you know to find me here?"

  "One of the guards saw you acting strangely, walking out of the city with a sword held in front of you, and ran to the castle to report it. Good thing you entered the forest before getting out of view of the wall, or I wouldn't have known where to start tracking you from."

  He squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you for coming. All the help you've given me despite what I put you through, you're a real fine person."

  "I'm the king's champion. Of course I should protect his son."

  "Even so. Are you alright? How is your wound?"

  She touched her bloodied flank and grimaced. "It's just a scratch. You have more."

  The cut on the bridge of his nose was hair shallow, though it unnerved him to think how much worse it could have been. His arm and hip were worse, but still not enough to badly hinder movement. "They're not deep. Let's go back and tell of what we found."

  They returned home, where Theo brought Sophie with him to his father in the throne room. "We've discovered who Damon's true murderer is," he said, "so you can let Claire go now. The assassin used magic to lure me into the woods, where he planned to kill me as well. He turned out to be a dark elf, the real Manuiel as the one previously slain was a fake. Sophie reached us before he could finish me, but unfortunately we weren't able to stop him from escaping."

  The king regarded them dubiously. "And do you have proof of what you say?"

  "Sophie saw him too, right Sophie?" She nodded and Theo continued, "See, she wouldn't lie just to help me clear Claire's name, if she might in fact be guilty."

  Darius directed his gaze towards Sophie. "You are a good champion, who I trust in most things. However, you are still the betrothed of my son, and even if he may not return your affection, I know yours for him is such that it might sway you to do things you otherwise would not." He looked back to Theo. "I still require evidence beyond your word."

  "We're injured... do you think we slashed each other up to support our story?"

  "I do not know. In any case, your unsubstantiated claims are not sufficient to release the possible murderer of your brother."

  Theo figured his father had warned by the queen to be wary of attempts to free Claire from him. But why did his parents have to mistrust him so, to the point they thought he might pull an elaborate deception to help someone who might actually be responsible for Damon's murder? "I found him in a cave, where there were potions and things in various containers. If some of those are magical, wouldn't that support what we say?"

  "I suppose it would. Then, I will send some soldiers to bring back these objects for examination."

  Since Theo couldn't remember well enough to give them exact directions to where the mound had been, he had to lead them there and spent a few hours wandering around in the forest before they found it. The annoyed men removed the contents of the dwelling and brought them back to the castle. Unfortunately, the herbs and juices in Manuiel's jars and vials turned out not to be evidence of sorcery, but mundane ingredients for medicinal brews. "This does not prove a dark elf resided there," Darius said after being informed of the results.

  "But somebody lived there," Theo protested. "If they've disappeared leaving everything behind, doesn't it seem likely they had a reason to flee?"

  "You could easily have paid some hermit to abandon their makeshift home."

  He balled his fists tightly in frustration. "Father, why must you put so much credence in Mother's suspicions towards me? If there was a possibility Claire did kill Damon, do you really think I would overlook that and defend her so blindly? I'm not a fool or liar, I saw what I say I did and to continue placing the blame on Claire is to overlook our dangerous true enemy!"

  Darius frowned. "We will keep our wits about us in the event she is not the murderer, and the true villain roams free. But we also cannot release her while she remains the primary suspect."

  Theo stormed off in an impotent rage. So close... he had proven for a fact to himself and Sophie that Claire was innocent, yet couldn't convince the person they needed to of it.

  After gathering himself some, he went to visit Claire in the dungeon. A heavy weight rested on his soul knowing he would have to tell her the bad news. She looked even worse than before, pale and haggard from her ever lengthening imprisonment. "How are you holding up?" he asked, fearing the answer.

  "Not well." Her newfound bluntness further worried him, as it hinted at the worsening of her mental state. "How goes the search?"

  "We... we found the assassin. He was the true Manuiel, with the one slain by
Sophie being an impostor."

  "The dark elf? So why don't you free me?"

  He looked down. "He ran, and we couldn't gather conclusive evidence of his existence much less him being the killer. Thus my parents refuse to take me and Sophie on our word and release you."

  "Do you think you'll be able to catch him?"

  "His magic lets him be pretty slippery." He paused. "Unless he chooses to show himself again, I have my doubts."

  In a soft voice, she said, "But you were going to save me."

  "Claire, I'm sorry! I wish with all my heart I could do more. If you want me to help you break out, I could-"

  "No, don't. I told you I didn't want you to endanger Lily. But, I'm disappointed..."

  He didn't fault her for feeling that way. She who had done so much, such a powerful and awe-inspiring person, just needed help this once, and the man she loved couldn't give it to her. "I'll keep trying to find a way to prove your innocence. I have to believe, I will do it."

  "There may not be much time. Haven't you heard? The guards were talking... they said High Waloros has finished taking over Fian. Soon, I predict the Hierarch will come for me."

  Theo wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Hopefully my parents will be willing to release you then."

  "Do you hope for that? If they bend without resistance to the Hierarch's will, they'll show the weakness of your country."

  "It's not like we're keeping you for a just reason. Regardless of anything else, I want to see you free."

  "I want to be free too. But I doubt your parents give me up that easily. Yet if they insist on defying him, his response..."

  She didn't have to finish for Theo to know what she was implying. He too had trouble seeing this working out well for Egrent. "I'll try again to persuade them to let you go, even if only to avoid a conflict between our nations." But he didn't much like his chances of success.

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