Elemental Betrayal

by Toni Cox

  “My Lady?” Rothea said behind them, a note of panic in her voice.

  “It is all right, Rothea,” Maia replied and then laughed.

  They held hands for a moment while their horses circled each other, Rothea looking on in amazement.

  “What are you doing here?” Maia finally said.

  “I’ve come for you, of course. Do you know who you are following?”

  “No,” she replied, “but it is strange. I felt something from them that is not right and I am sure they have ill intentions. My father has ridden for Greystone, so we decided to follow them.”

  “I know who they are,” he said, “or rather what they are. They are the traitors that have been helping the Vampyres come through the Gate and outfit them with their equipment. I have met a few of them during the past few Quarters and they have some strange beliefs.”

  “They are only about a mile or so ahead of us. Will you come with us?”

  “I will lead the way,” he replied, “these people are dangerous.”

  He squeezed Maia’s hand before he let it go and then urged his mare into a trot. He felt Maia and Rothea follow him and heard them whispering behind him. It was clear that Maia had not confided in Rothea about what he meant to her and Rothea was visibly upset that Maia could be so relaxed in his company.

  Concentrating on the wet ground in front of him, he picked up the tracks of the people they were following. The spoor was easy to follow. Their horses’ hooves were leaving deep imprints in the mud. They were making their way deeper into the forest but, when the group had reached the wide forest path that led to Shadow Hall, they had crossed it and carried on even further into the forest and higher into the mountains. The forest could be a treacherous place and one could easily get lost. It looked like this group knew the forest well, for they wound their way through the trees with confidence and speed. He wondered why he had not come across this group before, but figured that these must have been the ones stationed close to Greystone and they were now fleeing in light of the fighting that had broken out there.

  “Is that Gothra you are riding?” Maia suddenly asked behind him.

  “Gothra?” he asked, looking back at Maia. “Is that her name? It’s ghastly.”

  Maia giggled. “No-one has ever been able to get close to her. She hates everyone. She suits you.”

  “I will pay for her,” he said, suddenly aware that he had stolen the horse, “but I will not give her back. She is meant to be with me.”

  “I can see that,” Maia replied with a smile that took his breath away. “And she is yours. Consider her a gift from me.”

  His heart skipped a beat at Maia’s proclamation.

  “If she is mine, then I shall call her Lilith. Beautiful and dangerous Lilith.”

  “My Lord, Lady Maia.” Rothea suddenly interrupted them, her voice anxious.

  Blaid quickly focussed his attention to what lay ahead. Being around Maia was distracting; he would have to be more careful. He squinted ahead through the rain; the forest now almost dark around them; and then saw what had caught Rothea’s attention. There was the light of a torch; just a flicker of it between the trees, maybe a hundred strides ahead. They would have to be quiet now, or they would be discovered.

  “Let us leave the horses here,” he whispered to the women. “We can get closer on foot.”

  He would have preferred to sneak up on them by himself, but he knew Maia would not listen. This was her quarry and he was only here to help.

  His boots squelched in the mud as he dismounted. Lilith stuck her head under his arm and he laid his hand on her wet forehead. “Stay here,” he whispered in her ear.

  He motioned with his hand to the women and then moved off towards the flickering light. Even though the rain, and now also the thunder, was muffling their footsteps, he was taking no chances and used every bit of cover to sneak up on the people who seemed to have stopped as well. He was glad to learn that, not only Maia, but also Rothea, were accomplished in tracking and walking silently. If he really thought about it, he had not expected anything less. Only the best would have been chosen to protect Maia and Rothea had given proof of her abilities on more than one occasion during the course of the past Moons.

  They were so close now, that they could hear the people talking. The forest was thick here with underbrush and there were plenty places for them to hide as they approached the small clearing the people had gathered in. He saw that he had guessed their number correctly at twelve, but one of them was injured and they had laid him down on the ground. Blaid could feel that the man was close to death and was not going to make it. He was probably the reason the group had stopped here.

  Blaid felt some emotion from Maia wash over him and he glanced over to her. Even though they were looking at their enemy, Maia’s urge to help the man was strong. He could see that she was struggling with a decision. He raised his hand to forestall any action on her part; he wanted to listen first and learn what these men were about. The man meant little to him; he had dealt with his kind before and knew that they would not be kind to them either.

  “We should just leave him here,” one of the men said. “There won’t be a safe place within a hundred miles by nightfall and I want to be long gone by then.”

  “Don’t worry. They will have their hands full with this first wave. No-one will be looking for us,” a second man said.

  “I am not relaxing my guard until we have reached Bron. It is still going to take us days to get there and the longer we stay in Grildor, the more dangerous it will become. You know the plans, Ergrin.”

  “Theodon is right. We cannot let our guard down. There will be warriors streaming in from all parts of the country to protect the Gate. Just because we know what is coming, does not mean we are safe.”

  “At least we know we can safely travel past Tarron Heights,” Ergrin replied to the third man who had spoken. “I must say, those people put up a good fight, holding off Lord Darken for that long.”

  “It’s Lord Drokan, Ergrin, and it still won’t be easy. That is heavy going through the mountains. I think we should rest here now and travel at first light. Sander is not going to be able to travel with us, so we might as well make his last few hours as comfortable as possible,” Theodon said.

  “Those royals all sound the same to me,” Ergrin sneered and then cast a derisive glance at the man lying on the wet ground. Then he went to his horse to take its saddle off.

  The others followed his example and began to erect some shelters.

  “The torch is almost out and there is no dry wood to make a fire.” Someone said.

  “No fires,” Ergrin said. “We don’t want to let everyone know we are here. Just everyone keep quiet and get what rest you can. And someone help Sander. His moaning is going to attract the wolves.”

  Blaid had heard enough. He signalled to Maia and then moved away from the clearing. Once they were out of earshot, they took shelter within a thicket.

  “What are we going to do with them?” Maia asked in a hushed voice.

  “They must not be allowed to leave,” Blaid replied. “I think we need to get what information we can from them and then secure them, so that your father might hold justice over them later.”

  “And how do we do that?”

  Blaid looked at her; her dark hair was in a wet disarray and she was shivering with cold. Rothea was hovering protectively by her side and was giving him dark looks. He needed to be diplomatic about the solution to Maia’s question, as he wanted Rothea to report favourably about him to Lord Longshadow. But how to capture these men without hurting them? Besides, he could still feel Maia’s urge to heal the injured man, Sander.

  “I think we will just have to ask them nicely. I have an idea.”

  Quickly he laid out his plans to the women and then they went to take up their positions.

  “Good evening, gentlemen,” he said as he stepped into the small clearing.

  Around him, the horses spooked as he let them see him f
or who he was. They pulled on their tethers and soon they were fleeing into the forest. The men, just as taken aback by the full force of his Eläm, reached for their weapons and huddled around the man on the ground.

  “What do you want? We haven’t done anything.” Ergrin’s normally derisive voice now had a note of fear in it.

  “No? I must be mistaken then. I thought you might be the ones who have betrayed our nation and sided with the Vampyres.”

  “We…certainly did not,” Ergrin said haltingly.

  “Well, I don’t believe you, so I will be taking you into custody and delivering you to Lord Longshadow.”

  “Ha, you and who’s army,” Ergrin said, suddenly more confident.

  As if on signal, an arrow suddenly buried itself into the earth just in front of Ergrin’s feet. He took a startled step backwards.

  “Even if I was alone, taking you would not prove difficult for me,” Blaid said. “But as you can see, I am not alone. Besides, it is not my wrath you should be afraid of, but hers.”

  Blaid indicated with his head to the right and just as the men looked in that direction, Maia stepped out of her cover. There was a moment of silence, before the men felt Maia’s Prime Eläm and realised who she was. Then two of the men dropped to their knees and averted their eyes. The others, including Ergrin, remained standing, but the fight had gone out of their eyes.

  “You have betrayed your country and your people and I herewith withdraw my protection over you. You are no longer my charges and I have a good mind to let Death do with you as he pleases.”

  Blaid almost smiled; she was truly magnificent when she was angry, even in her sodden state.

  “Kneel before me so that you may be judged,” Maia commanded and without fail, they all complied.

  In an instant, Rothea was in the clearing and started binding the men’s hands behind their backs. Blaid rushed to help her, while Maia stood before them, head held high and looking down at the men with disdain.

  “You will be taken to Shadow Hall. The dungeons await you there until the time that I have decided apt punishment for you. Tell us now everything you know about the Vampyres and I might be more lenient with my justice.”

  There was nothing the men could do; the force of the Prime Eläm radiating from him and Maia cowed them.

  It was easy to open oneself to let others see ones Eläm, but to push outward their Prime Eläm like this took incredible energy. Luckily, the men did not know this and so remained on their knees while Rothea secured them and then collected their horses. One by one, the men spoke to him about what they knew, while Maia healed the sword wound Sander had received to his abdomen. More than once Blaid heard Maia gasp at the atrocities that the Vampyres had planned as she listened in.

  Then, stripped of their weapons and tied to their horses, which were, in turn, tied to each other; Rothea led the men away towards Shadow Hall. Just before they were out of sight, she cast one last, worried glance back towards them. Blaid nodded to her and was pleased to see that Rothea acknowledged him with respect.

  “Easy now,” he said as Maia collapsed beside him.

  He knelt in the mud beside her and they hung on to each other for what seemed like hours. He could feel her shaking in his embrace; not just from the cold, but also from exhaustion. She leant her head on his shoulder and he savoured her closeness while they slowly regained their strength.

  Lilith finally brought them back to the present. The mare stood before them; Fire close behind her; and snorted, stamping her feet.

  “It is time to go,” Blaid said. “Time to save Grildor.”

  The ground was crawling with the foul vermin and he did not know where to fly first. He had lost sight of Bright-Shining-Silver-Star, but felt no danger for her. He scanned the plains below. The Vampyres’ tactics had changed from the last time they had been here. There were not only a lot more of them, but they were also better equipped and more organised. More than once their anti-dragon weapons had pricked his skin as he flew too close. The spears they used were tipped in steel and, although they could not inflict serious damage on him, they were still annoying. The other dragons, however, did not fare as well. The little dragons that were so tame and loyal, yet brave beyond compare, did not have his tough hide and the steel-tipped spears punctured their wings and soft under bellies and brought them down in droves. It infuriated him. He circled overhead once more and then commenced his destruction. He had spent the past few hours trying to destroy as many of the anti-dragon weapons as he could, but sometimes it was difficult, as he did not want to hurt any Elves that happened to be nearby.

  He now screamed his fury and dove on a crowd of Vampyres that were loading spears into a weapon. He heard their screams as they saw him approach, but it was too late. His dragon fire engulfed the machine and the Vampyres alike and he savoured the smell of their burning flesh as he sailed over them.

  She was cold, wet, muddy, and worried, yet she could not have been happier. Riding towards the battle beside Blaid gave her the kind of hope that she had longed for all these past Moons. Things would be all right now; they would win. They had the information they needed and all they had to do now was deliver it to her father so that they could take appropriate action. There was no doubt in her mind that there would still be fighting, but now it was a fight that they could win.

  Their horses’ hooves squelched in the mud as they cantered through the driving rain. Maia’s hair was plastered to her face and she was shivering. Fire had his ears laid back and she knew he was not enjoying this weather either. Blaid’s horse, on the other hand, had her ears pricked forward and Maia felt an excitement from her that the mare was barely able to control. Blaid patted her neck often and there was a joyous grin on his face, even though he was as drenched and as muddy as Maia was. She wondered how the two had found each other. She would have to ask Blaid later; but it was plain to see that they belonged together. Strangely, Maia felt a small jab of jealousy as the thought crossed her mind.

  “There is trouble ahead,” Blaid suddenly shouted across to her.

  At the same time, she felt Fire tense and she squinted through the sheets of rain to see what lay ahead of them. They reined in their horses and proceeded more carefully.

  “It seems to be a small group,” Blaid said. “No Werewolves.”

  Maia nodded. Vampyres’ Eläm was faint and so different from their own that she often had difficulties detecting it, but she did not need to see their Eläm to know they were there. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and lit up the dark sky, briefly illuminating the plains ahead of them and exposing the group of eight Vampyres huddled together about five hundred paces ahead. It seemed that they had not noticed them approach.

  “Let us get closer.”

  Maia urged Fire on to follow Blaid, who kept his mare to a slow walk. Darkness almost as black as night cloaked them, but if the lightning streaked across the sky again, they would also be exposed. For now, the Vampyres were unaware of their presence. Somehow, she felt that whatever these Vampyres were doing here might be of importance and she agreed with Blaid’s unspoken decision to find out what was going on first, before they attacked.

  Afraid that they might be discovered before they could learn what was going on, Maia made the decision to hide their presence. Going to Naylera had enhanced her ability with Air and even in this rain, she now felt confident that she would be able to hide herself and Blaid, as well as the two horses. Slowly she let the energy spread and for a moment the wet air shimmered in front of her. Fire gave a soft snort as he felt the magic take effect and then he stopped, his limbs stiff and his muscles quivering.

  “It’s all right,” she said soothingly, stroking his neck. “Trust me.”

  “Are you doing this?” Blaid asked with what sounded like admiration in his voice.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I am not sure how effective it will be in this rain, but the layer of air around us is thin, so most of the rain should fall through it. How is Lilith? Fire seems
to be a little scared.”

  “She is brave. She will go wherever I guide her.”

  Maia smiled; she had no doubt that the horse would do whatever Blaid asked of her. She gave Fire another pat and sent him some reassuring thoughts. She felt her stallion relax and he was soon walking calmly alongside Blaid’s black mare.

  Lightning flashed across the sky once more, followed almost immediately by a crack of thunder. In the brief light, they saw that they were now only about a hundred paces from the small group. As they neared, Maia noticed how miserable they looked; it seemed rain did not agree with them. Soon they heard them speaking in agitated voices. Hearing them reminded Maia about what the General had said before her father had him executed. The General had called her the Princess of Light and Blaid the Prince of Darkness. They were terms she had never heard before, but they seemed appropriate. She suspected that the Vampyres knew more than they gave them credit for. They should proceed with caution; it was clear that orders had been given to eliminate both of them and even this ragged group would know who they were.

  “Do you know what they are saying?” Blaid asked quietly.

  “Not all of it,” she replied. “It seems they are arguing about which route to take. They have a map.”

  As lightning flashed overhead again, she was glad she had taken the precaution to hide them. They were now only about thirty paces from the little group and in the bright light of the flash, they would have surely been discovered. As it was, the Vampyres remained oblivious of their presence. Both horses sensed the need for caution and were silent. Maia tried to make out what they were discussing, but it was difficult. The driving rain, the thunder and her haphazard understanding of the language made it difficult for her to follow the conversation. They were also arguing and often more than one was speaking at the same time. She was getting frustrated, but eventually all the different pieces fell into place and it started to make sense. She lightly touched Blaid on his arm to let him know to follow her to a safer distance. Even that brief touch sent tingles along her fingertips.