by Karleigh Bon
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Even Eijlam had to brush up on his use of the common tongue to communicate better. He was fairly good at it, but Naalin was a quick learner and surpassed him within weeks.
She was not one to talk very much even when she could. Naalin was the watchful and usually silent type. They all decided she was reserved because of her past, working for King Ellinduil. They discovered just how skilled Naalin was with her blades. She had some impressive aerial stealth techniques that even Roe had never witnessed before. She could leap on top of a target, hitting it fast and hard before an enemy could see her coming. “You could demonstrate this technique to the men and see if they can master it," Roe said as he wiped the sweat off his brow.
“Humans are too slow and clumsy,” was all she said as she twirled her blades in her hands and sheathed them along her thighs in one motion.
As time went on the couple discovered they had both fought many battles throughout the third age. Naalin was in the service of King Ellinduil as a young adult around the time Roevash left Eldelórne. As the war against the evil one drew closer, they may have even fought side by side, not realizing it. They were both battle-hardened and understood very well the real horror of fighting face to face with an enemy.
Someone sounded the alarm at the gate, signaling Dakein and his men made it back from their initial scouting mission. The dragon they found there was a half-grown drake with scales black as coal and closed eyes.
“It may have been sleeping or just pretending. We did not engage the animal.” Dakein reported. “There was no sign of movement, or of any controlling humans at its location, so the talk of a cult seemed unlikely.”
“Then we should kill it quickly and be done with it.” Eijlam had a serious look on his face as he wondered how mighty a half-grown dragon could be.
“The tunnels go down further,” Dakein explained, ignoring EJ’s enthusiasm.
“We had to turn back because we were too many for what needs to be a stealthy scouting mission. There is a need to see what is far below,” Dakein firmly put forward, “the direction suggests the path leads toward the old goblin kingdom far under the mountain.”
“I see your point Dakein. Something could be festering in those old caverns,” Roe agreed.
“Fionna and I will go then,” Eijlam volunteered.
“You and Fionna have not seen anything like the monstrosities that I have experienced. I will go,” Roevash said in all seriousness.
“Naalin could come with me if she so wishes. She too knows the atrocities of war. If there are any signs of something growing in the darkness, she will see it.”
“You are too large a target,” EJ cut him off in protest.
“I am battle seasoned Edhellen little brother. Do not fear for me,” Roe assured him.
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Roe had to concentrate on deflecting Naalin’s attacks during their training workouts. She wanted to go with him on the dragon scouting mission, so she wanted to prove her skill. He felt assured that she would be able to take care of herself if an enemy should present itself.
“Are you certain you want to do this?” Roe asked seriously one last time, “You would be following me into what could be mortal danger.”
“Together, we are stronger. We can only try our best,” was all Naalin said on that subject.
“Besides, you are too slow and clumsy,” she teased him. “You need me!” she shrugged innocently, and they both laughed. For some reason, the accent in her voice was driving him crazy, and she knew it.
He gently ran his big hands down her shoulders, easing some of the pain she felt from their session.
She grinned, seeing the look on his face as he gazed at her longingly. “I think this practice has done well enough for us... yes? Do you think it, my love,” she blinked her eyes sweetly. Roe didn’t need to be convinced. He swept her up into his arms and kissed her passionately.
She found herself being carried swiftly away to the cool shade of the riverbank below the fort for a private swim.
Heart of The Matter
Chapter Thirty Two
Fionna was still not back to her old self even after the journey to visit her papa. She had an air of seriousness that EJ had seen before. He knew better than to pressure her for answers, so he patiently waited for her to come to him.
“Ej, what is going to happen to us?” she finally said one evening when they were alone in their room.
“What do you mean beloved?” he asked, taking her hands in his and ducking low to see into her averted eyes.
“I want to have a family someday, live a boring village life for a time, but there are no more elven villages! We may be thrust into fighting,” She spoke faster with each word as her jumbled thoughts came blurting out, “And what if the true death will take us both before we ever get a chance…”
“Oh my Fionna. We can only live here and now. Happiness is our choice. Let us not lose that to despairing for the future we can not yet see.”
“This is why I love you so,” she said as they hugged each other tightly.
“Do you understand I was brought back to this realm to be yours, Fionna?”
She stared at him with a great love shining in her eyes.
“You are my reason... look at how I am like a moth that flies into your flame,” he said as he reached up and stroked his fingers through the edge of her hair.
“We live in a changing mortal realm of humans.” He kissed her. “We may have a small one someday. I will be joyed to find it is true when the time comes Fionna. I will not lose what precious time we do have to worry and wondering.”
He hugged her and stroked her long hair away from her face.
“I love you so much,” was all she could say.
“I am sorry you were cheated and never got to live as elves do,” EJ said.
“I do know many helpful things. Your mother’s house was so comforting, and I do miss it,” she said wistfully
“Yes, you will turn a battle in our favor with your magics, my love, and we will visit many more amazing places.”
“I guess we will be who we are ... wherever and whenever. Our life seems so confusing sometimes,” her face scowled thinking about it.
“That is my Fionna. She is master of mind and staff,” he blinked his lashes suggestively with a playful look in his eyes.
“My Eijlam, mighty conqueror of the heart,” she whispered as her clothes magically glided off like liquid over her curves onto the floor.
They both smiled as time slowed and they tumbled in an embrace onto their warm bed.
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Naalin and Roe were gearing up for stealthy exploration into the caverns that were guarded by a dragon. They brought the wizard’s fire repellent and water breath salves just in case. They would be traveling light, so there was no room for niceties.
“There may be more dragons down below. We may be running out of the place fast if it proves to be true,” Roe told the men as they packed their gear.
“Are we giving up on finding any more elves in the territories?” Fionna asked, walking up into the group.
“I think we can still search. The question is, where do we look from here,” Roe said while sheathing his father’s cleaned and sharpened sword; buckling it into his shoulder armor next to his daggers.
“I think maybe we should go see the Northshire folk past the town of Breenway. They might have heard something,” Fionna said.
Roe looked like he was thinking, and then he answered, “Yes, that is a good idea. Pray this assignment goes well, and we only have one dragon to contend with then we will plan it.”
Fionna looked relieved that he was not going to ignore her ideas again. Roevash did seem more kind and thoughtful since he has been with her sister Naalin.
“He even calls her his little bird. How sweet they have become,” she thought to herself.
They mounted horses for the long ride into the valley. The guard brought the supplies to make up camp so they could regroup and rest if
needed.
“Better yet,” Roe stopped and turned to Fionna, “send out runners and see what they can bring back. Tell our runners to keep watch for word of this strange human religious cult too.”
“Yes,” Fionna was excited by the excellent suggestion. “Now we can get something started,” she trilled and bounced around in anticipation.
“Yes, now you can be in many places all at once,” EJ winked at her.
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The dragon looked like an eerie stone statue made up of black onyx. The beast seemed to be asleep in the dark cavern entrance.
“This does not seem right. Dragons need to eat, and they hunt. This lack of normal behavior is not a good sign. Something or someone has to be controlling it.” Roe whispered. He had to disagree with Dakein’s observations on this one. The dragon was unshackled as it lay in a state of hibernated for some unknown reason.
“The monster has flown in from somewhere and just stopped,” Naalin whispered back.
“I have patrolled this area of the valley many times and do not remember seeing a cavern entrance here before,” Roe’s skin crawled as he said it.
He inspected the strangely carved look of the walls.
“Do you think the beast dug this,” Naalin suggested as they crept past it, deeper into the cave.
Being Edhellen, Roe and Naalin could see in the dark, which gave them an advantage over men, but it had its limitations.
“I am afraid to move quickly lest we meet with a trap or drop off a cliff in this darkness,” Roe cautioned. He moved against the wall sideways with one arm back towards Naalin. They walked along at a slow pace for what seemed to be hours. The tunnel ran mostly straight west and was smooth and arched as if hewn from the rock by some unknown tools. Roe extended his hand up and could touch the height of the center of the arch.
“It would have taken years for mere humankind to dig something like this,” Naalin whispered.
“Not so long for goblins though, but they tend to use the tunnels they find and not dig new ones,” Roe said.
They felt more confident as their path never changed, so they hurried along faster. What Roe and Naalin did not notice is the incline of the trail was dropping gradually into the lower depths of the mountain range.
“Will we never find the end?” Naalin thought to herself.
“Did you notice,” Roe said, “…there is no life.”
“Yes,” Naalin answered quietly.
There were no bats or rats or moss, not even mold or roots anywhere. Roe started to feel the hair on his neck rise as in battle readiness, but he did not know what he sensed in the darkness.
“How many leagues?” he asked.
“We have gone at least five and curved very slightly to the right.”
Roe unfolded a small parchment. “That puts us ... in the center of the mountain range,” she was amazed at the thought of it. “According to this map we are moving towards a location that would be near the Etten Fields or under the mountains where the ancient goblin rulers once lived,” he pointed it out to Naalin.
“Maybe goblins have come back,” she said.
They both cringed at the thought.
“We will soon find out,” he replied as they pressed onward.
“We are going to have to rest Naalin,” Roevash finally said after another hour of trudging down the empty dark corridor, “I grow heartsick in this oppressive darkness.”
Naalin reached for his hand and squeezed it. Roevash dug in his pack for something. He was searching for his starlight finial. It was a star, magically captured in a jewel-like bottle, that was given to him as a youth. He didn’t like to use the star very often, for fear it might wear out. Right now they needed it so badly. With one touch, the light flared into the familiar bright blueish glow that he had always known.
“It is good to see your face in the light again,” Roe already felt the tension ease as he kissed her and looked into her shining eyes.
They shared a meal of weybread, some fruit, and sips of a tea that Fionna had packed for them.
After they finished eating, Naalin and Roe checked their packs and the dirt floor around them to make sure they were still all together just in case they had to move out fast.
“These make us invisible to enemy eyes.” Roe set Farghal’s wizard runes around them in a half-circle. “I would not have believed it, but we tested them at the fort. Wizard magic always holds a fascination for me.” Roe mumbled from fatigue.
The couple sat up against the wall out of the way. There was no escape from either direction if anyone should come near them. Roe rubbed his neck, still feeling the tingle of battle alert.
“I feel something too,” said Naalin seeing him fidget, “it is as if we are being watched.”
Roe handed her his star. “Keep this for us. When you gaze upon it, be assured that I always love you from the deepest depths of my heart.” He kissed her solemnly as he handed over his first and most precious possession. Her face looked soft in the glow of the blue light. With a touch of his finger, Roe turned the starlight off, and they were in darkness again. Naalin then carefully stuffed the finial safely inside her belt pack.
She crawled up the front of him and lay her head gently on his chest. “I am always safe in your arms.” She smiled at the comfort she felt there. He put his back against the stone wall, happy to wrap his arms around her.
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Fionna sent out runners to gather information. They traveled west towards Northshire and Atto’s Landing. Another two ran southeast towards Caras Eldarhon in the Rahedan Forest. It would be weeks before any would return so all that was left to do is wait.
“We should celebrate the old elven calendar,” Fionna suggested to EJ, as she worked on something at Roe’s desk.
“It might help us feel more grounded,” she thought out loud, proofreading the page she just wrote.
“I liked the stars of the autumn thing… Yavanni Elenea, with King Ellinduil. It seemed like a good tradition,” she mumbled.
“I do not know Fionna,” Eijlam said, “thinking about this makes me feel so alone in this human place. I am glad you are here with me.” He went around the desk and hugged her around the shoulders as she sat crosslegged in the big chair.
She did not realize that EJ and his family attended many such traditional gatherings in their village as elflings. He knew what it should be, and now what it could never be with all the Edhellen gone.
“Maybe we could honor long memories by making our own traditions,” he suggested to her.
“You mean we could keep with the king and follow the seasons, but we could have our own as well. Like birthing days... have you ever celebrated the day of your arrival into this realm?” she suddenly stopped. “Oh, that might be a tough one.” She cringed as he pivoted the chair slowly around to face him. She was glad to see he was still smiling.
“Ah Fionna, we are still making our own long memories in this place,” he said softly as their eyes met. He leaned in for a kiss when the door latch clicked open, and Roe’s ensign interrupted them.
“Oh, sorry, uh,” he marched forward and dropped a scroll carrier on the desk. It was a message meant for the commander when he returns. The young man saluted and then awkwardly bowed not knowing what to do, so he quickly just turned around and left the room.
“Humans are strange,” Eijlam stared at the door where the man had exited.
“What is this?” Fionna picked up the tube-shaped canister.
“I do not think we should…” EJ didn’t get to finish his sentence before she slid the end off to reveal the rolled-up message within.
“Hmmm, Dakein is apparently officially recognized as your brother’s replacement should he be detained elsewhere on “family business?” Wow, this is old news since we are already returned from the south long ago.” She scowled at the paper in her hand.
“Too bad they do not have Edhellen carriers to speed up their messaging,” EJ shook his head.
“The good news is Dakein i
s in charge, having been drafted as a senior officer.” She smiled as she thought about how old he really was compared to the forts young recruits. “I wonder if Dakein ever had a birthing day celebration?” she said, rolling up the paper and jamming it back into its holder.
“Just getting a promotion from his high king would be reason enough for humans to celebrate,” EJ added as Fionna tossed it back down on the desk.
The two looked at each other knowingly as they sprinted for the door. They were off to the kitchen to make their new, commander in charge, a feast to remember.
Ruination of Men
Chapter Thirty Three
Air grew thick with the smell of hot sweat as Roe and Naalin slept. The prisoners stumbled along the path dragging their bare feet with the heavy shackles around their ankles. Chains ran up the front of them and fastened around their necks and wrists.
Roevash woke clutching Naalin tighter to himself. Wakening with a start, she let out a small gasp. They both sat silently as the line of humans stumbled past. They were so close one kicked a rune, and it went flying. The stone clanked further down the tunnel. The rune magic held as they sat quietly unseen in the darkness. One of the guards heard the clatter and swung his torch around searching but saw nothing, so they just kept going without hesitation.
Naalin looked at Roe with huge eyes. They could only watch and wait until all had passed down the tunnel far enough not to hear them.
“We must follow. We cannot be too far from something now.” Naalin whispered.
“There is some dark sorcery at work here,” Roe whispered back.
“Did you see the guards? They are goblins; tall hybrid ones! That means the monsters are breeding!” Naalin scowled in disgust at the thought.
They picked their way along the wall. Naalin found the last rune and stuck it in her pack with the rest. They both kept their blade hands ready as they moved forward into the darkness. They soon came into an opening in the cavern so large it dwarfed even Ellinduil’s palace.
“It is the ruins of the ancient goblin ruler,” Roe whispered, his eyes methodically checking every edge and crevasse for signs of life. “We are deep under the mountains.”