— Chapter Seven —
Lights in the Sky
Valanandir awoke in darkness. His circumstances were no better than the last time he had regained consciousness since his capture. He was in a small, wooden building with no windows and the bare ground for a floor. The walls were covered with hooks and shelves; all were empty. He wondered what this place was. It certainly didn’t look like a prison. He suspected it was a storage shed of some kind, hastily cleared out to hold him.
He ran gentle fingers over his temple and winced. How long had he been here? He didn’t know. Thus far, his stay had only been punctuated by visits from an imposing elf with white hair and dark green eyes that reminded him of Iadrawyn. He hoped she was all right. She was capable of taking care of herself, but the actions of the elf who had captured him weren’t rational. If he thought Valanandir was a spy, what did he think of Iadrawyn for taking care of him?
Each visit from his interrogator brought more insistent questions. There was no doubt the Wood Elves believed Valanandir was a spy. What Valanandir didn’t understand was what they thought he had done that was making them so agitated.
He sensed a growing desperation in his white-haired interrogator with each round of questions. Only once did the other elf slip and mention something about lights in the sky, but Valanandir was certain he must have misunderstood. Even if he had heard correctly, what could he possibly have to do with something like that? Were these elves that superstitious?
Then Valanandir remembered what Iadrawyn had said about the visiting drakhal swaying her people against outsiders. It was obvious the visit had been successful. Perhaps the lights the elf had mentioned were the work of the drakhalu. But that made no sense. They were creatures of shadow and darkness.
Valanandir directed his thoughts away from his idle speculations. How was he going to get out of here? He had to escape. He hadn’t survived a dragon attack at sea to be executed on land for something he didn’t do. He returned to his survey of his prison. There was only one door, and it was barred from the outside. Escape seemed a hopeless task.
The scraping of the wooden bar being lifted startled Valanandir to alertness. The door swung outward, revealing a narrow view of a large clearing lit by a strange light. This view was quickly blocked by the elf that entered, closing the door behind him. It was the one who had captured him.
Weaponless, Valanandir took a defensive stance as far back as space allowed. “What do you want?”
“I told you to leave Iadrawyn alone. She’s mine!” It was almost as if the other elf hadn’t heard him.
“What are you talking about? I’ve been in here the whole time!” Valanandir tried to control his exasperation. What did these people think he had done?
“Don’t act like you don’t know! The day I brought you to the village, a ball of fire appeared in the sky, along with some other lights. The rest of my people are terrified, thinking the end of the world is at hand. They blame Iadrawyn for sheltering you, but I know better.” The Wood Elf’s hands were balled into fists.
“What do you mean? I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“You expect me to believe this is all a coincidence?” the Wood Elf spat. “I know you must have charmed her somehow to get her to help you. Then when I take you captive and bring you here, you use your dark powers to strike terror into the hearts of my people. You probably want us to give her back to you and then you will use your powers to make us your slaves! Well, I won’t let that happen. Iadrawyn is mine!” He was trembling with fury.
Valanandir felt an icy wave of fear wash over him. Is that what these people thought? How could he possibly prove himself innocent of such charges? Valanandir knew if this elf’s beliefs were any indication of those of rest of the Wood Elves, his life was in grave danger. He decided it was time to change tactics.
“Let me go, and I will leave peacefully.” Valanandir’s words threw the other elf off balance.
“You will leave Iadrawyn?”
“Yes.” Valanandir hated to agree. His connection with Iadrawyn was special, but he had no choice.
The Wood Elf looked at him, considering. Valanandir knew he had to push him just a little more, but it was clear he was dealing with someone who was more than a bit mad, especially where Iadrawyn was concerned.
“If you keep me here, I can’t be held responsible for what might happen.” It was true in a way, but Valanandir still felt as though he were lying. “Think of Iadrawyn. She is a strong-willed elf. Who knows what she might do if she thinks she is protecting me?”
The other elf’s head snapped up, his violet eyes flashing and his nose pinched with fury. Valanandir sighed inwardly.
Too far.
His fears were confirmed when the Wood Elf’s fist smashed into his jaw, sending him sprawling. Valanandir’s left ankle twisted beneath him as he fell.
“I told you never to speak her name!” the Wood Elf shrieked, punctuating his words with kicks to Valanandir’s body. Valanandir huddled into a ball to stop the blows from landing on his stomach, but they continued on his back instead. He felt one of his ribs crack and gasped a wordless cry of protest.
The Wood Elf continued his attack, his stream of furious words devolving into something barely coherent, save for Iadrawyn’s name. Both elves were so distracted, they didn’t notice the sound of the door opening. It wasn’t until the room flooded with light that Valanandir’s attacker pulled back to shield his eyes. A shadow stood in the doorway.
“Eruvalion! What have you done?”
The Wood Elf froze. The voice was Iadrawyn’s. Valanandir had never heard a sweeter sound.
“Iadrawyn!” Valanandir’s attacker squinted against the light. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be under house arrest!”
“I really don’t think you have the right to question my actions right now. I’m not the one beating a defenseless elf!” Although Valanandir couldn’t see Eruvalion’s face from his vantage point, his shoulders slumped at Iadrawyn’s words before tensing once more.
“He has bewitched you! He has to be stopped!”
“You couldn’t wait for the council to decide his fate, could you? You just had to take matters into your own hands.”
“The council’s decision is a foregone conclusion. The lights in the sky appeared after he was taken prisoner. The people will not stand for him to live when he brings the destruction of the world! I had to question him first to see if there was a way to free you from his spell.”
“I’ve tolerated you following me around and watching me all these years, but this is getting out of hand. I am not your property, Eru. I do not belong to you.” Even Valanandir winced at the coldness in Iadrawyn’s voice.
A moment of silence followed as Eruvalion absorbed her words. Then he sprang into action, lunging toward Iadrawyn’s shadowed form. His hands were around her throat. “He’s controlling you! You are mine!”
Valanandir tried to pull himself to his feet to help, but he was too slow. His wounded body refused to obey. On hands and knees, he dragged himself closer, staring up at the scene before him.
The light from outside was so bright, Valanandir could hardly see what was happening. All he could make out were two grappling shadows. He could hear Iadrawyn struggling to breathe. The sound filled him with panic. She was going to die, and he was helpless to stop it. He grasped at Eruvalion’s leg in desperation, but it proved only a distraction at best. The other elf shook him off easily.
Determined to do something, Valanandir grasped the leg once more, wrapping his arms around the calf. Eruvalion couldn’t shake him off. Valanandir pulled his face toward Eruvalion’s leg, his mouth open wide, baring his teeth. They were the only weapon he had.
Just as he was about to sink his teeth into Eruvalion’s calf, there was a dull thud of impact. Eruvalion doubled over in pain. Iadrawyn had kneed him in the groin. Although Eruvalion still had his hands around her throat, the unexpected blow must have caused his grip to loosen. Iadrawyn
twisted, hitting him hard across the temple with the hilt of her knife.
Valanandir was forced to roll out of the way as Eruvalion slumped to the ground. The Wood Elf landed in an unconscious heap. Valanandir tried to look up at Iadrawyn, but the bright light was too much. His eyes watered and he was forced to close them.
“Here, let me fix that.” There was a shuffle of movement as Iadrawyn closed the door.
Valanandir opened his bruised, swollen eyes carefully. At first he was confused by what he saw. Iadrawyn was crouched before him, but her eyes were bound by a strip of cloth, giving her an alien appearance. Something of his confusion must have shown in his expression, since she pulled back the blindfold to reveal herself.
“I forgot I had it on,” she said with a smile. Her voice was hoarse from Eruvalion’s attack. She gave Valanandir an amused look as she crouched beside him. “Were you really going to bite him?”
Valanandir flushed. “I had to do something.”
“Let’s clean you up.” Iadrawyn pulled some strips of cloth from her pack, along with a waterskin. She bathed his wounds and bound them as she spoke. “He really doesn’t like you, does he?” Valanandir tried not to wince at her gentle ministrations. It felt good to be close to her again.
Valanandir gave Eruvalion’s unconscious form an involuntary glance before noticing the marks on Iadrawyn’s neck. “Not half as well as he likes you.”
“This has been a long time coming between us. I’ve always wanted to hit him. I’m glad he finally gave me the excuse.” She gave Eruvalion a disgusted look and handed Valanandir her waterskin and damp cloth. “Here, finish up. I want to take care of him before we leave.”
Valanandir bathed his remaining bruises as Iadrawyn went to work on Eruvalion. She bound him hand and foot, and gagged him for good measure before rolling him into the far corner of the makeshift prison.
“That should keep him busy for a while.” She glanced over at Valanandir. “Are you well enough to walk?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of here.” Valanandir pushed himself to his feet, groaning as he felt his injured body protest.
Iadrawyn dug around in her pack and pulled out another strip of thin cloth. “Here. You’ll need this. It helps shield your eyes from the light.”
She pulled her blindfold over her eyes, securing it in place. Valanandir followed suit. In the dim shed he could hardly make out anything through the fabric.
“Ready?” Iadrawyn’s disembodied voice asked.
Valanandir caught himself nodding before he remembered she probably couldn’t see him either. “Let’s go.”
There was a slight creak as Iadrawyn opened the door, allowing the strange light to flood in. Even with the blindfold on, it took Valanandir a few moments to adjust. When he finally did, he noticed the profusion of green on the ground and the tops of the trees. The snow was gone. The air felt strange on his skin.
“It’s warm!” he said, holding out his arms.
“Many things have happened since you were taken hostage,” Iadrawyn said. “Here. I got you a pack and knife as well.” She handed them to him from where she had left them outside the door, which she closed and barred behind them.
Valanandir shrugged on the pack and stuck the knife in his belt. It felt good to be armed again. He took another look at his surroundings. It was his first time seeing any part of the Wood Elf village. There were other buildings of branches and mud scattered throughout the area, blending with the trees. The village seemed empty.
“Where is everyone?”
“The light seems to come and go in a cycle. This is when it is strongest. Not only is it difficult to see, but the people are afraid. They are all holed up in the council hall, arguing over our fate. Once the light fades again, it’s only a matter of time before a frightened mob comes here looking for vengeance. We need to leave.”
“You’re coming with me? Won’t that make them more suspicious?” Valanandir was excited by the prospect of Iadrawyn coming with him, but he knew if she did, she would never be able to return.
“I cannot stay here.” Her voice was sad.
“You could just claim I put some kind of spell on you, like Eruvalion seemed to believe.”
Iadrawyn shook her head. “This whole situation has only made it clear to me I do not belong here. Even if I did as you suggest, I would always remember how my own people, my own family, treated me. And even if they did believe I had been bespelled, they would only keep me here as a prisoner to ensure it didn’t happen again. My father would marry me off to Eruvalion without my consent, since I’m clearly not capable of making rational decisions. I would be living a lie.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe you should have just left me on the beach. Although, I’m glad you didn’t.” Valanandir gave her a rueful smile.
“Don’t be sorry. I regret nothing. For some reason, I feel as though this is what I was meant to do. I knew the day I found you on the beach something was about to change. I also don’t believe the lights in the sky have anything to do with you. They would have appeared whether I helped you or not. My people would still be looking for a scapegoat for their superstition, and I am an easy target.”
“Where will we go?” Valanandir was curious to hear her answer. He had no ties on the mainland. He also knew she had never ventured outside the forest.
Iadrawyn sighed. “I would say we should go to one of the other elf tribes, but it’s too dangerous in these suspicious times. Who knows what kind of welcome we would receive?” She squared her shoulders. “I have heard the lights originated from Vila Eadros. I think we should go there.”
“Why? Do you want to find out what happened there?” Iadrawyn’s answer struck a nerve for some reason. Valanandir felt compelled by her suggestion, but at the same time, it would make more sense to find someplace to go into hiding and start a new life instead of chasing trouble.
Iadrawyn hesitated before answering. “I don’t know… I just feel drawn to that place, in the same way I was drawn to help you. I know that sounds strange and I cannot explain it, but I get these strong feelings sometimes that I just can’t ignore. I need to go there.”
Valanandir considered her words. Although her explanation seemed illogical, he couldn’t deny he felt as if he belonged with her. Not in the possessive way Eruvalion did, but at her side. He couldn’t explain that either, and he had never felt such a thing before the day he woken in her shelter. It went beyond simple attraction. The thought of parting with her seemed painful, frightening, and wrong.
Could he really discount Iadrawyn’s intuition? It wasn’t as if he had anywhere he could go, unless he found a ship.
“All right, we’ll go to Vila Eadros. If we can’t find anything, we can look for somewhere to go into hiding.”
Iadrawyn smiled. “Thank you.”
“It might be dangerous,” Valanandir warned. “Whatever created the lights must be very powerful. And I’m sure we are not the only ones who are curious enough to investigate.”
“We had best leave now to put some distance between us and the village before the light fades,” Iadrawyn said. “Are you sure you are well enough to walk?”
“I’ll manage.” Valanandir’s body ached, but he was determined to fight through the pain.
Iadrawyn nodded. “Let’s go.” Squaring her shoulders, she led the way from the village and into the trees without so much as a backward glance.
Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0) Page 12