Elemental Betrayal

by Toni Cox

  “I am glad you decided to join us, Princess,” Jaik whispered next to her.

  She gave him a scathing glance; her twin knew how she hated it when he called her that. He smiled at her disarmingly and kissed her on the cheek. She could not stay angry with him; she loved her brother. Jaik looked very much like her, but his hair was a little lighter and there was a grey tinge to his green eyes. Like her, he had almond shaped eyes and a sensual mouth; but, on him, it looked manly; where on her it looked very feminine. Today he looked so handsome in his Commander’s uniform; brass buttons, black leather, the elemental medallion engraved on the blue breastplate and his weapons strapped to his back; but she also noticed how he had aged. No, she thought, he has matured. Elves did not age like some other people did; hair seldom went grey and lines and wrinkles would usually only appear after one’s three-thousandth birthday. Therefore, it was not age, but maturity she now saw in her brother’s eyes and she had to remind herself that it was not just she that had a hard time of it after the war. As twins, they were very close, and she now realised how her state of mind must have made his winter Moons a misery for him. She felt instant regret and reached over to take his hand in hers. He smiled at her.

  Someone kicked a bench close behind her and it brought her back to the present. They were sitting on the lowest tier of the Elder Hall, closest to the speaker’s platform. The grand, eleven-sided hall was starting to fill up. The eleven Elders were seated to their left, also on the lowest tier. The Guard was sitting to their right, next to their Commander. The Commanders of the other Warrior Houses were finding their seats even as Maia glanced around the room and many of the Nobility were still filing in, finding their seats on the upper tiers of the hall. Her father, Lord Regent of Grildor, was standing beside Silas on the speaker’s platform, quietly discussing something. Her father would look up from time to time to scan the crowd that was gathering in the hall. Inadvertently his look would always find her and every time her heart broke a little more with the amount of worry she saw in his eyes. Jagaer was a stately man; tall, as most Elves were, but also well muscled. His hair was the same colour as Jaik’s, but his eyes were more grey; than green. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and straight nose, but the worry in his eyes made him look tired. She wished she could take some of the worry away from him, but she also knew that she was part of the problem. She fought the lump that was starting to form in her throat; somehow, she seemed to be the cause of everyone’s worry. Angrily, she sat up a little straighter; she would do whatever it was her father wished her to do, even if that meant spending Moons away from home to travel to the cities throughout Grildor. She had much to atone for.

  Soon everyone had arrived and the meeting began. Silas, as her father’s advisor, read the agenda for today before her father started the meeting. Maia was surprised by all the items that needed to be discussed; she had been so involved with her own problems and feelings, that she had neglected to pay attention to the internal mechanisms that made their beautiful city work.

  The Workers Lanes needed to be re-cobbled; they were some of the few paths in the city that were built on the ground and not in the air. An additional thirty-five foaling stables were to be built, as foaling season was upon them soon. The Smithy needed a new bellows; the Armoury was looking for workers; four bridges needed to be reinforced within their tree city and final arrangements for the Spring Feast Celebration needed approval.

  Maia paid close attention during the discussions of these fairly trivial matters; the affairs of her people should concern her and she felt guilty now that she was made aware of her lapse of interest.

  Then the discussions turned to the more serious matters that troubled their clans – Vampyres. Again, Silas read out the agenda of the items that needed attention.

  “The hunt for the Vampyres has already resumed, but we are still looking for more volunteers.”

  Silas briefly looked up from his paper and glanced over the people assembled before him. Maia heard the shuffle of feet and murmured conversations. Many had died during the war and their ranks needed to be replenished; it was an unpleasant task to replace those who had died. Silas continued.

  “Royander Dragonthorn has taken the place of Lenero Woods in the Guard, so no-one is needed there. There are still seven openings within the Regiment and we will take anyone who is willing to join the Legion. The Scouts and the Night Watch have also lost men. The Commanders of these Warrior Houses are to start enlisting with immediate effect and are to report to me with any developments.”

  “My Lord,” Commander Ridgewell, Commander General of the Regiment, spoke up,” I have a list of candidates ready if you would like to review it.”

  Commander Ridgewell was one of their most respected Commanders, commanding not only the first division of the Regiment, but overseeing all eleven regiments. He was older; probably in his eighteenth century; and had a wealth of experience. Maia enjoyed his company, as he was intelligent and shrewd, yet kind and respectful. His dark brown eyes contrasted starkly with his fair hair and it gave him an almost brooding look; if one did not know him, he could come across as somewhat intimidating.

  “Yes, Rowlean, please come and see me at the House of the Guardians after the meeting,” Silas replied to the Commander.

  Silas made a note on the current paper he was reading and then put it aside. Picking up a new sheet, he continued with the agenda.

  “Rathaés has reported two attacks during the last Moon. Both were within the forest surrounding their mountain, not close to the city, but five people died in the attacks. The incidents have sparked renewed fear that the Vampyres are spreading further. They have been quiet during the winter Moons, but now that the weather is getting warmer attacks are becoming more frequent. The attacks on Rathaés are not the only ones and it is because of this that we need to concentrate on renewing our stocks of weapons. The manufacturing of spearheads and arrowheads is behind schedule due to a shortage of steel. Caravans from the Crystal Mountains have been raided and Stoneloft is now wary of sending their goods across the lake. We are also training replacement horses for the ones that were killed during the war. There are plenty of young horses to replenish the ranks, but they are not ready for war. The Horse Guard is looking for anyone who will be able to assist in the training.”

  Silas shuffled his paper and then continued.

  “Communications with the Gates outside of Grildor are still active, but all Sirens have now been covered up again.”

  Maia was glad that the Sirens were not active anymore; she was the one who had seen to the Keepers after the war, as many of them had displayed signs of exposure; bleeding from the nose and ears, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and headaches. Activating the Sirens in the first place was what had most likely stopped the Vampyres coming through the other Gates; only Greystone was attacked, even though the information gathered back then by Somas was that the attacks were to happen at all Gates around the globe simultaneously. There were five Gates on Elveron; spread over the globe; and one could only communicate with the Keepers of the other Gates by the Sirens; large crystals mined from deep beneath the earth that emitted a certain frequency that could be interpreted by the Keepers. However, the frequency could be damaging to the body and long exposure was not advisable. During inactivity, the Sirens were housed in specially constructed structures that prevented the frequency from being heard.

  “And lastly, we need to address the matter of Good Will.” Silas finished and then handed the papers to her father.

  Lord Longshadow cleared his throat and looked at the congregation around him; worry distorted his handsome features. He then launched the discussion of the first item of the agenda. Maia again paid close attention and the more she listened, the more miserable she felt. The worries of the city and her people in general suddenly seemed so much bigger than her own problems. How had she been so self-absorbed right through the winter and not seen how much her people had needed her? She could have already helped in so many ways. When
her father finally began the discussion of Good Will, she sat up and leant forward, listening closely to what was expected of her. Even if she had a lapse of sense over the past few Moons, she now had a chance to redeem herself.

  “Many warriors lost their lives during the war and many families lost their loved ones,” her father began. “The winter Moons have so far prevented us from sending delegations to the cities, but now that the warmer weather has finally arrived, it is time that we show the people our Good Will.”

  A murmur of agreement went through the hall. Shadow Hall was the capitol city of Grildor as the seat of their Lord Regent and the other cities looked toward Shadow Hall for not only trade, but also assistance, reinforcements and every aspect concerning the state.

  “My daughter, Maia, will be sent as ambassador to the following cities: Thala Yll, Alea Yll, Braérn and Crook Harbour. My son, Jaik, will be sent to Tarron Heights and Rathaés.”

  Again, people voiced their approval, but Maia’s heart sank; she had hoped she would be able to travel with Jaik. She had not spent much time with him over the last few Moons either. She exchanged a brief look with her brother, but he did not seem surprised; as Commander of the Guard, he had been aware of the arrangements already.

  “The delegations will leave within a fortnight, shortly after the Spring Feast celebrations and if anyone wishes to accompany either one, they are to please put the request in with Silas so that arrangements can be made. Notices will be put up in the morning; in the meantime, the Commanders can please spread the news to their respective commands. Each delegation will have members of the Guard, Scouts and Regiment travelling with them, so they will be well protected. A list of the warriors accompanying the delegations has already been set up and is available on request.”

  As her father droned on about the finer details of the ambassador missions, Jaik took her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze.

  “It will be all right,” he whispered. “I have overseen the detail for your guard myself and you will be pleased with your companions.” He kissed her on the forehead. “We will not be apart for long.”

  “Oh, you have to take the white dress, it is so beautiful,” Jasmin chirped and danced back towards Maia’s wardrobe to fetch the said dress. It was still a few days before her departure; only after Spring Feast; but Jasmin had insisted on helping Maia pack.

  Wolf lay on the sheepskin rug in front of the bed, watching the two girls and excitedly wagged his tail every time Jasmin had another idea.

  Maia smiled at her Human daughter; she was always so cheerful. Blue eyes, blond hair and a mouth that looked like she was permanently smiling made her look as if she was always happy. Although bringing Jasmin, and her brother, as well as their father here, had been an accident, she was now glad it had happened. Jasmin was a joy to be around, her brother Luke was intelligent and funny and she had even learned to accept Aaron, even if it was only as a friend. They had been husband and wife back on Earth, but the love they had shared there had not come back with them to Elveron – at least not for Maia.

  It had taken the Humans some time to get used to their new surroundings and all the strange people and creatures they had only known from their myths and legends, but in the end, they had come to feel at home here and Maia knew they were happy now.

  “Do you know for how long you will be gone?” Jasmin asked.

  “I am not sure. It all depends on our travelling conditions and on the people. Some might want us to stay longer. But if all goes well, we should be back before the end of Watchers Moon.”

  Jasmin stuck the tip of her right index finger between her lips while she thought.

  “So, you will be gone for almost two Moons then?”

  “That’s right. I am glad you have finally learned your Moons.” Maia smiled at her.

  “Do you know that we have been here for fourteen Moons already and in another four Moons we will have been here for a year? That means we will have been away from Earth for ten years. It is incredible how time moves differently here on Elveron. I sometimes wonder what the people there think happened to us.” She smiled mischievously.

  Maia smiled back at her, but when her Human family spoke of Earth, she still felt a twinge of guilt every now and then. Time moved differently between the planets and for every one year here on Elveron, ten Earth years passed. Also, what she had done; bringing them here; was called Soul Reaping and was said to have some terrible side effects. They had been monitoring the Humans for any signs of these side effects, but none of them had displayed any in the entire time they had been here. Maia was hopeful, but Silas cautioned that it might yet happen. However, he also said that when Maia had brought them here, she had wrought some changes within the Humans that should not have been possible. They immediately spoke the elven language, were healed of all their ailments, and were slowly adopting the physical traits of the Elves. Even Aaron’s dark grey hair was slowly turning back to its original dark brown colour. Silas reasoned that this was because of Maia’s extraordinary power, which came with being a Life Elemental, and, whether she had meant to or not, she had instinctively done the Crossing correctly. Maia heeded Silas’ advice and always kept an eye out for any changes in the Humans’ behaviour, but deep down she felt that everything was all right.

  “Do you still miss it?” Maia asked.

  “You know I don’t, Maia. I love it here and so do Papa and Luke. I would not go back, even if it was possible.” Jasmin folded another item of clothing that she thought Maia had to take on her journey and added it to her bag. “But I must say that your winters are far worse than anything we have ever experienced on Earth. I have never seen snow like that; it truly is beautiful. The blizzards and the hail were frightening sometimes, but I love the thunder echoing off the mountains during a storm. Besides, your long summers make up for the cold winters. Your world is truly beautiful.”

  Maia gave her a rueful smile. Winter had been tough for her with her self-imposed isolation, so she had not given much thought as to how her human family was faring with the harsh Grildor winter. She was glad that Jasmin could accept everything so easily.

  “And I could never leave you; you are my mother, no matter what.” Jasmin smiled. “Or Wolf,” she added as an afterthought and scratched the large, shaggy Forest Wolf behind his ear, making his hind leg twitch.

  Maia blushed. Technically, it was true; she had given birth to Luke and Jasmin during her stay on Earth. Spending twenty Earth years there had been her final test before becoming an Elemental; but here they were of an almost equal age and it seemed strange that they should still think of her as their mother.

  Maia took the few steps that separated her from her daughter and took her into her arms. The feelings she had for Jasmin were hard to describe; there was an almost maternal love there, but also the love of true friendship and that of siblings. She could not imagine her life without Jasmin. Wolf; whom Maia had rescued as a pup and who had grown up in the city; seemed to feel the same and he gave a short howl as the girls embraced.

  “Come, let us finish packing. It is a beautiful day and we should spend it outside.”

  Wolf wagged his tail in agreement.

  Later that evening, Maia and Jaik were summoned to the Hall of the Guardians, the command centre for everything relating to their armed forces. Wolf trotted ahead of them as Jaik and Maia made their way to see their father. It felt good to be walking with her brother, holding his hand, and she wondered how she could have gone so long without it. Sure, they had spent time together over the past few Moons, but although she had been present in body, her mind had been elsewhere. She realised now that her brother had attempted to bring her out of her depression, but he knew his sister too well and had not pushed the matter. He knew the damage she could cause when she was angry.

  She felt guilty now that she had neglected him so. Then she realised that guilt was probably her most prominent emotion at the moment. She seemed to feel guilty about everything and wondered how a Life Elemental
could do so much wrong. She bit her lip as they entered her father’s large chamber. Her brother felt her tension and gently squeezed her hand before guiding her to one of the chairs in front of the large, oaken table her father used as his desk. A large map of Grildor was spread upon it, weighed down on the corners with miniature horses made of stone.

  “Thank you for coming,” Jagaer said to the twins and brushed his right hand through his thick, dark hair. “You are scheduled to leave just after the Spring Feast celebrations. I assume you are ready?”

  Maia looked at her brother and Jaik nodded. They had done their preparations and were ready to leave at any time. Maia still smarted at the fact that she would not be able to travel with Jaik, but she had been given the manifest of her caravan and was pleased by the people that would accompany her. In addition, she now saw the necessary separation from her brother as one of the many punishments she decided to inflict upon herself; she felt she had a lot to make up for.

  Travelling arrangements had already been confirmed. For obvious reasons, she would not be able to take her dragon, Midnight, but would ride on her stallion, Fire. Midnight; a Soul Dragon; was one of the largest species of dragons on their planet and although she thought he was beautiful, he was a truly fearsome looking creature. He was pitch black, with spikes all over his body, large, leathery wings, and a long tail with a razor-sharp caudal blade at its tip. The people of the other cities would feel uneasy with him around.

  The rest of her caravan would also be mounted, with two teams of horses pulling their supply wagons, which were suspended by materium; a crystal that reversed the effects of gravity and was such able to elevate heavy objects off the ground.

  One Elder and four Nobles were assigned as her aides to attend the meetings with her. Seven other people had requested to come along, so that they could visit family in other cities. Riker Moonswain of the Guard had been assigned as her personal escort. Commander Rowlean Ridgewell and ten of his warriors of the first Regiment and two Scouts of Commander Mellowood’s command were to accompany them as their security detail. Four Horse Masters from Commander Kastenbrink’s command were assigned to look after their animals’ wellbeing during their travels. It was a good group; she had met most of them at one time or another and as far as she knew, they were all good men and women. It also pleased her that Riker would be her escort. He was one of her brother’s finest Guard and good company. He would make it his personal mission to ensure that nothing happened to the sister of his Commander.