Elemental Betrayal

by Toni Cox

  A murmur went through the assembled people. The topic of sending the warriors home was obviously a difficult subject.

  “As we have solid information, gathered by my daughter, that there is, indeed, an army assembling at the Gate, we simply cannot take the risk of withdrawing our armies from there. But that leaves us with the problem of defending our cities. The Lords are anxious and are awaiting a decision.”

  “We are prepared to leave our Legion at Greystone, but would like to withdraw our Guard and at least half of our Regiment to return to Thala Yll,” Commander Arkenbay said.

  “Thank you, Commander Arkenbay,” her father replied. “How many Battle Dragons would that leave us with?”

  “We would provide you with at least one hundred dragon mounted Regiment. Some of the Legion is horse mounted, but most are on foot.”

  “Horses we can provide,” Jagaer replied and he nodded to Silas to make a note before he continued. “I believe this to be a fair plan of action. If everyone agrees, then we will send birds immediately to everyone to make the necessary arrangements.”

  Maia got the feeling that they had been discussing this for some time already and this had come out on top as the most practical plan of action. She saw men nod all around her.

  “But if the cities are already under attack, then will the warriors get there in time if they leave now?” Commander Ridgewell asked.

  “We do not know, Rowlean,” Jagaer said, “but they have to try. Rathaés is well fortified and they can probably last the siege until their reinforcements get there. Tarron Heights also has good defences and their warriors are already on their way. The other cities, well, we can only hope that we are not too late.”

  “Father,” Jaik asked, “will we be doing the same here at Shadow Hall?”

  “Yes, I want the Guard to remain here, as well as Maia and Midnight. The entire Night Watch and the Sentinels will remain here, but we will keep the Legion and most of the Regiment at the Gate. Most of them are already there and the rest will leave in the morning. Commander Ridgewell already has his orders.”

  A shudder ran down Maia’s back and she suddenly had a vision of cities overrun and people lying dead in the streets. The Vampyres were attacking on multiple fronts and there was nothing she could do about it.

  “I agree,” Jaik said, “it seems like our best option at the moment. I hate to be dividing our forces like this, but there is nothing to be done about it.”

  “Aye,” someone else agreed and then the call was taken up by everyone assembled.

  “Silas, I trust you to get these messages out with all urgency,” Jagaer said to Silas, then turned back towards the men. “Commander Arkenbay, Commander Hollowdale, I wish you speed on your return and hope that your city is safe. Please let us know the situation as soon as you arrive.”

  “Yes, My Lord,” Rowlean and Evandeor replied in unison.

  “We will not detain you any longer then. Fly true and may the Mother be with you.”

  Jagaer dismissed them and the men rose and left. Now present in the room were only the Commanders of Shadow Hall and Jagaer continued to give his orders. The city was now on high alert and her father was leaving nothing to chance.

  Maia’s head reeled; Riker dead, almost losing Midnight, her nation under attack. It was too much. By the end of the meeting she was shaking and so weak she could barely stand. Rothea escorted her home and put her to bed. Wolf came to lie on her bed and she stroked him absently as she drifted off to sleep.

  In the morning, though, things did not look any better. She felt a little stronger, not so tired, but the ache within her was a constant reminder of her loss. There was a piece of her heart which had belonged to Riker and it was dead now.

  With a heavy heart, she donned her black leathers, buckled her boots, and strapped on her hunting knife. Somehow, she felt stronger in her riding gear than if she had worn a dress. The burial would be held out by the Burial Grounds, a sacred place about half a mile into the forest up the slope of Shadow Peak. It was where they had buried their dead for millennia.

  It was a sombre procession that wound its way through the forest that morning. Her father was in the lead, which bespoke the respect he had for the men to be buried. Riker, carried by four men, was directly behind him. Then followed the two men that had been assigned to escort Kanarel. These were also carried by four men each. The rest of the city walked behind. Most of the people were singing, but Maia could not find the words; her throat was thick and tears were threatening her eyes. She barely noticed where she was going and she stumbled often. Jaik and Rothea were by her side, guiding her along.

  The Burial Grounds were a wondrous place, full of flowers and colour. They did not make use of grave stones or such items, but each time a person was buried, a tree or flower would be planted over the place where the person had been laid to rest. It looked more like a beautifully maintained garden, than a place where one could feel such sorrow.

  Maia had been asked to choose a plant for Riker; his parents had been aware of his feelings for her and it was an honour that they had elected her to make that decision. She had agonised over the decision for a while, but then Midnight had reminded her that Riker was Calm-Blue-Waters and the choice had been simple.

  The procession split into three and each man was lowered into the ground in the place that had been chosen for them. Every person present took part in covering the bodies with soil; always singing; and when the time came, Maia stepped forward and knelt to plant the seeds of eleven Lumina above the heap that was now Riker’s grave. As the crowd fell silent, Maia started to sing. It was hesitant at first, but as the tears started to flow freely, her voice became stronger. It was a song full of mourning, but also full of love and life.

  Soon the first green shoots started to break the ground before her and she closed her eyes, concentrating on the plants before her. The shoots grew taller and the stems thickened. Then, with the final notes of her song, the buds opened to reveal the beautiful, lily-shaped, white flower that she knew would glow a calm blue during the night.

  It was difficult for Maia to leave the grave and it was her brother who eventually took her in his arms and walked her back to the city, with Wolf’s mournful howl echoing through the forest.

  “I am so sorry, Maia,” he said gently. “He was a good man.”

  “Yes, he was,” she said, “and he deserved better than to die at the hand of a traitor.”

  Angrily she wiped the last of the tears from her eyes; there was a lot to do and she had to distract herself.

  There was a rush to get the city’s defences reinforced, which left little time for mourning and Maia spent the next two days working relentlessly beside her people to get everything ready. Most of the preparations had already been made, but in light of a direct attack on Shadow Hall, new precautions had to be taken. Maia was suddenly painfully aware of how vulnerable to fire their city was as she assisted in placing buckets in strategic places around the city; she almost wished they had a mountain stronghold like Stoneloft or Tarron Heights.

  At one point, she found herself working alongside Aaron and she found his quiet company strangely comforting. He was aware of what had happened to Riker and although they had been rivals, Aaron treated the matter with a measure of respect and sadness that startled Maia. Aaron had turned into a strong, yet sensitive and sensible man and she was glad she could call him her friend. They sat for hours around the fire that evening discussing their present situation and his confidence in her abilities helped her over the worst of Riker’s death.

  On the third day since their return Maia met up with Silas. She had only seen him briefly during the burial, but had then been so busy with keeping herself distracted, that she had not been to see him since. His cave; always warmly lit by lanterns and candles, had always given her comfort and she now longed for his reassuring presence.

  “Matters of the heart are always the most difficult to deal with, Maia,” he said as they sat around his fire.

>   She sipped her tea and nodded. Silas had known how she had felt about Riker, even before she had realised it herself. She was now sorry that she had never told Riker the truth. But maybe he had died happier believing that Maia might have been his one day. She just wished she would have not ordered Riker to capture Kanarel and then he might have lived. Or, if she had been strong enough, maybe she might have been able to repair his injuries and restore life to him.

  “Do not blame yourself,” Silas continued as if reading her thoughts. “It will not help bring him back. There was nothing anyone could have done for him. You are meant to create and heal life, not bring that which is already dead back to life. It is not meant to be.”

  “I know, Silas, but I almost feel that I could do it, if only I was strong enough.”

  “It has never been done, Maia. It is not possible.”

  With a single tear rolling down her cheek she finished her tea and then put her cup on the bench beside her.

  “Everything is a mess,” she finally said. “I thought the information I brought back from Naylera would be enough to win us the war, but now we know that it was only a small part of their plan. How have they managed to bring through so many of their warriors?”

  “You said they used invisibility.”

  “Yes, I believe that to be true and for someone who can manipulate Air it would be a simple matter to smuggle in a person here and there. But we are talking about whole armies. How did they do it? I was not even aware that the Vampyres possessed magic.”

  “They do not. They have their speed and their strength, but they are not magic users. It was Elves that helped them with this.”

  “It is a thought too horrible to contemplate, Silas. Why would our own people turn against us?”

  “I can only assume, Maia, but I believe that most of them were forced. Only a few, like Kanarel, have their own agendas, whatever they might be.”

  “I wish he had not escaped,” she said sullenly.

  “I am sure justice will find him in the end.”

  “I hope you are right. He deserves death.”

  As she said it a shiver went through her and a brief vision of Kanarel lying on the ground, burnt and bleeding, came to her. It was so brief she wondered if she had only imagined it, but somehow it felt too real. Unbidden, the image of Blaid’s face came to her mind and she suddenly felt utterly lonely. How were they ever supposed to overcome these odds?

  “Maia, are you all right?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she mumbled, but Silas was not fooled.

  “Talk to me, Maia. What is it?”

  She was silent for a moment then. Silas knew more about the things that had happened between her and Blaid than anyone else, yet he was also against it and she felt that she could not talk to him about it. But he was her mentor and she had no-one else to share this burden with. She needed to tell someone.

  “I miss him, Silas.”

  Silas’ forehead wrinkled for a moment as he thought about her statement. She realised that they had been speaking about Riker and then Kanarel and maybe she should have been clearer. But maybe it was better if Silas thought she was talking about Riker; maybe taking about Blaid had not been such a good idea after all.

  “Maia,” Silas said and took her hand in his, “you know it can never be. We have been over this. The law forbids it and the people would never allow it. And even if there were a way, you know it could only end in death. That is the way. There can be no happy ending.”

  Silas pulled her close and she sobbed quietly into his shoulder. He held her for a long time until her tears finally dried up. She knew the law. She had read the scripts. And she knew how her parents felt about the matter, even though Silas had explained to them that it had been because of the magic and not of Maia’s free will.

  She stayed with Silas until long into the night and, when she went home, she took with her the scripture that contained the writings of the Elders about the story of the Life and Death Elementals that had killed each other. She read it seven times; by candle light so as not to wake Rothea; and the more she read the clearer the story became.

  Life and Death; no names were mentioned in the story; had come together to save their people from an evil that had arisen to eradicate them. For many Moons, they had battled that evil and, in the end, they had defeated it. During those Moons Life and Death had become close and they had consummated their love in the sacred forest. The people had learned of this and had persecuted them, driving them away from the sacred forest. It was then told that once Life and Death had left the sacred forest, their true natures had taken over and, in a rage, they had killed each other, destroying the land around them in the process. It had taken that nation over a hundred years to recover from that destruction.

  Maia now believed that they simply were not able to live without each other and, instead of living apart, they had chosen to die together. She was unsure if the destruction of the land had simply been the effect of the death of two Primes or if they had chosen that destruction to punish the people. But she was sure that they had not killed each other out of hate, but out of love.

  She finally put the scripture away and put her head on her pillow. Understanding the story gave her peace in her head, but no peace in her heart. How would she ever be able to make her people understand something that was so fundamentally different from what they believed? For millennia, the people of Elveron had lived by this law; who was she to change it now?

  “Lord Hazelwatch has sent word,” Jaik told her in the morning. “The Vampyres have attacked all the outlying settlements of Thala Yll and killed anyone who stood in their way. They have been battling them for two days now and are holding them off from the city, but he says there are at least a thousand of them and their Werewolves. They are struggling and are being pushed closer and closer to the city.”

  “Is there nothing we can do to help them?” Maia asked.

  “Father is considering all options, but even if we were to send a Regiment, it would take them at least five days to get there. It could all be over by then.”

  “Midnight could get there within a day,” Rothea said.

  “What? No, Maia will not be going there alone. Besides, we could be attacked here at any moment.” Jaik looked horrified at Rothea’s suggestion.

  “I don’t think it is such a bad idea,” Maia said. “We have no confirmed sightings of any Vampyres in our area yet and I can’t just sit here knowing that the people of Thala Yll are dying. I have to do something.”

  “No, you cannot go. You are needed here. And what would you alone be able to do against a thousand Vampyres and their hounds?”

  Jaik looked smug as he said it, but Maia countered him.

  “I would not be alone, Jaik. I have Midnight and I would have the force of Thala Yll’s warriors and their dragons behind me. And I do not need to go alone. Rothea can accompany me.”

  “This is crazy, Maia. I will not allow you to go.”

  “I think I should try. They are my people too.”

  “Father will never allow it,” Jaik grumbled.

  “Why don’t you speak to him for me? It is a good plan and Father cannot help them any other way. They have come to our aid when we needed them. Now they need us and we cannot desert them.”

  “Maia.”

  “Please, Jaik, speak to Father.”

  “All right, but he will not be happy and I doubt he will approve.”

  Maia watched as Jaik took his sword from the hook by the door and then left the house. She listened as he took the steps down to the Gathering Grounds.

  “Let us pack quickly,” Maia said to Rothea the moment she could not hear his footsteps any more.

  “My Lady?”

  “My father will never allow me to leave. We need to get out of here before Jaik gets back. Pack lightly, only what you need to fight in.”

  Together they ran up the stairs and quickly donned their leathers. It was easier to wear their armour than to carry it, so when they
eventually stepped out of the house, they were dressed for battle, with their weapons slung over their backs.

  They took the few steps up to Lofty Run and then ran along it all around the city to The Crags. They were less likely to be seen this high up in the city and, although it took them a little longer, they made it there unnoticed.

  Midnight already waited for them on the small clearing close to The Crags and he graciously allowed Rothea to fly with him in light of the urgency of the situation. Maia felt Midnight’s excitement; he was a dragon after all and loved to fight; and she felt her own excitement grow. Finally, she was doing something that would help her people.

  With a few powerful strokes of his mighty wings Midnight rose into the air and then angled north over the forest. No-one in the city saw them leave and no-one could stop them now. Maia savoured the wind in her face and, after a while, even Rothea lightened her death-grip on Maia’s waist and seemed to be enjoying the flight.

  It was over two hundred miles to Thala Yll, but at top speed Midnight could reach it in under an hour. Unfortunately, it was impossible for him to fly that fast with people on his back, so it was almost noon by the time they reached the outskirts of Thala Yll. From the dragon’s back they could clearly see the burnt homesteads. The fields were empty of livestock and Maia wondered if the people of Thala Yll had managed to drive them to the city or if they had been eaten by the Vampyre army. She shuddered and asked Midnight to angle east and make for the city.

  Soon they noticed a dark smudge stretched along the fields before them and, as they flew closer they realised it was the approaching army. It was difficult to tell how many there were, but Maia estimated there to be at least five hundred. They were marching unopposed towards the city and she wondered why no-one was fighting them. Then Midnight noticed something further in the distance and he let her know that the main battle was raging a few miles ahead of them; below them were just the reinforcements.