***
The small army stopped their roving convoy through the desert to rest at a small oasis. ?The desert princeling gauged the distance ahead with a naked eye. He estimated they had a few days yet before they reached the magical, forbidden forest. ?His steward approached him with a nervous edge that was quite unlike his usual calm demeanor.
"What troubles you, Lisiek?" the princeling asked.
"Our destination, sir. ?How will we enter the realm of the elves with an entire army? ?What's more, what do we look for once or if we get there?"'
"Humans have entered the Forest before."
"Rumor tells us that they have. ?I've not seen any proof," his steward insisted.
"Lisiek, have you any proof that we cannot enter the forest?"
Lisiek only shifted uncomfortably, unconvinced.
"The Blind Seer has revealed the secrets to me. ?She has shown me the way and what we are looking for."
"What about Kanetalm?"
"We will not go through Kanetalm. ?Why risk worrying Prince Brenin? ?We will ride for the mountain instead. ?Trust me on this, Lisiek. ?The Seer gave me all the answers."
"There's something else, my lord," Lisiek volunteered uneasily.
"Oh?"
"There was a deserter. ?At least, we thought he was. ?Further investigation proved he was an undercover agent of the Chthonic Order. ?I would wager he attempted to escape to warn others of our plans."
"How did you discover he was of the Order?"
"The tattoo, of course. ?It was behind his left shoulder."
"Is he elf or human?"
"Human. ?You know there is only one elf of the Order."
"Bring me to him, Lisiek. ?I wish to speak to him."
Lisiek led him through the encampment of soldiers, many of whom took refuge under stunted, malnourished trees, the only kind that grew in the desert. ?They all dropped their gaze to the ground appropriately as the princeling passed. ?The Chthonic prisoner was chained between two of these trees near the camp's center, beside the watering hole but just out of its reach. ?The prisoner did not move and only hung his head submissively in accepted defeat.
"What is your name?" the princeling asked. ?The prisoner lifted his-her face.
"Macha," she said in a strange, lilting accent. ?She had short, black hair that fell over her face and ice blue eyes.
"Lisiek, I thought you said the prisoner was a he."
Lisiek was not concerned with the issue. ?"A trivial detail, my lord."
"Where are you from, Macha? ?Umfeld, I would presume."
"I was born in the Baetic Mountains," she said curtly, glaring at Lisiek all the while.
"While you are being cooperative, may I ask how you infiltrated my army?" the princeling asked. ?Keeping her eyes trained on Lisiek, Macha's glare turned into a smirk.
"Your security detail is not as fortified as you may wish."
"And when you attempted to escape, where were you planning to go?"
Macha didn't answer, only continued smiling at Lisiek with a malevolent gleam to her eyes. ?The princeling began circling her and he saw the exposed tattoo on her left shoulder blade.
"Tell me how you received this tattoo, Macha," the princeling tried instead. ?He pointed at it with his sword, catching her skin in the process. ?Macha inhaled sharply with the pain, and the princeling moved again to face her.
"It is the mark all of my people are given once they reach the Age."
"What age is that?"
"It is different for every person. ?My sister was nineteen. ?I was sixteen."
"I don't quite believe that, Macha. I know that tattoo isn't the mark of a people. ?It is the mark of the Order," said the princeling.
Macha grinned. ?"And who do you think my people are, my lord?" she hissed.
The princeling wasn't sure what she meant. ?He asked, "I'll try once more, but my patience wears thin. ?Where did you plan to go once you escaped here?"
"There are only so many places I can go. ?But I will show you."
Macha convulsed into herself, shrinking, and with a swirl of black smoke and feathers, she transformed into a raven. ?The chains slipped from her wings, and Macha took off towards the east. ?The princeling growled and chased after her a few feet before stopping.
"Follow that bird!" he screamed. ?A handful of soldiers around him took up their horses and chased Macha the crow. ?A few archers tried to bring her down with their arrows. ?He knew it was a futile attempt just as calm Lisiek stepped up beside him.
"You appear better now," the princeling snarled at him.
"She made me nervous," Lisiek replied simply. ?"It's best that she's gone. ?There's not much she can do to change things."
"Your confidence may be back, but you've lost your reason. ?She will spoil our surprise. ?She will warn him."
"Even if she does warn Feraan Auvrearaheal, there's not much he can do to stop your army. ?If you do not even know what we're after yet, there's little chance he does either."
"I'm not so certain, Lisiek. ?But remember why we are here. ?I do not want to risk anything to chance."
Lisiek looked at him gravely. ?"My lord, you are relying on the Blind Seer. ?Everything has been put to chance. ?The elves do not call her the Traitor of the World for nothing."
Archer of the Lake Page 21