Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0)

by Jacquelyn Smith

  — Chapter Thirty-Five —

  The Point of No Return

  Iadrawyn knew from the set of Valanandir’s shoulders as he entered the glade of the Quenya that he had thought of a solution for their predicament. Night had fallen over the forest. Andirlynia held the magical barrier intact while Iadrawyn waited to step in when she weakened. By some unspoken agreement between Lodariel and Daroandir, Lodariel had attached herself to Andirlynia’s side, while Daroandir shadowed Iadrawyn. The guard around the perimeter of the glade had been doubled. Somehow, the dark creatures had found Melavalion, despite all the elves being sworn to secrecy and bound by the Quenya. Did treachery come from within?

  At this point, it mattered little. Their situation was dire. Iadrawyn’s only concern was how to survive it. She could only hope there would be time to solve the mystery later.

  Valanandir joined them on the grass, his eyes filled with a wild gleam.

  Iadrawyn reached across to grasp his hands. They trembled in her own. “What is it?”

  Valanandir took a deep breath. “What would happen if the Quenya were used for destructive ends?”

  Iadrawyn rocked back, aghast by the question. “I—I do not know. I suspect it would eventually turn against the wielder. It would be suicide. There is also no way to know whether the world could handle that kind of force. It may destroy everything. The Quenya was not meant to be used that way.”

  “What are you thinking?” Daroandir asked.

  “We have tried running and hiding from the dark creatures.” Valanandir ran a hand through his hair. “We have fought them with our own scruples and still it was a stalemate. They will never stop. No matter where we go, they will find us. Their hunger for the Quenya spurns them to hunt us down. If we are to move on, they must be destroyed.”

  “If we do as you propose, we will be destroyed with them. The backlash would be fatal.” Iadrawyn’s voice was numb with shock.

  “What is the rest of your plan?” Lodariel asked. She understood tactics best. Iadrawyn seized onto the hope there was more to Valanandir’s plan.

  “Yes, using the Quenya against the dark creatures would be suicide, but only for those who stay behind.” Valanandir took another shaking breath. “The Sea Folk have told me of a continent to the west. We can have Malarin and her kin and the remainder of our fleet bear our people and the Quenya across the sea to start over. Those who choose to remain can work together to use the Quenya to create a maelstrom that will wipe Ralvaniar clean. None of the dark creatures will be able to follow.”

  A deep silence filled the glade. Finally, Iadrawyn could bear it no longer.

  “Valanandir, I can see your plan would work and I would sacrifice anything for our people to survive, but I cannot bear the thought of using the Quenya for violence. I don’t think I could do it.”

  Valanandir shook his head. “I didn’t mean you would be the one to stay behind! Did you really think I would advocate a plan that would result in your death?”

  “I am the strongest of all the elves with the Quenya. I will not ask anyone less able to do what I will not.”

  “Haven’t you been training groups to tap into the Quenya together? If all of them worked to use it for a single purpose, wouldn’t it be stronger than anything you could manage?”

  “I will not send my students to their deaths! That is not what I trained them for. I don’t care if they would be more powerful. If this thing must be done, if it is the only way, then it will be me who does it!”

  “Are you so eager to leave me and everyone else who loves you behind?” Valanandir’s expression was anguished.

  “Of course not!” Iadrawyn dashed tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “But something must be done.”

  “None of the elves will go, you know.” Daroandir’s voice was maddeningly calm.

  “What?” Valanandir said.

  “If Iadrawyn stays, you will not leave her. If both of you stay, none of the elves will make the journey to the new continent. Who would lead them?” Iadrawyn struggled against Daroandir’s logic, but knew he was right.

  “Has the Quenya given you no sign?” Lodariel asked in a gentle voice.

  “The Quenya has been silent,” Iadrawyn said, hanging her head.

  Valanandir perked up at her words. “Ah, but the Quenya has not been silent! Remember the vision you had before we came here from Melatelari?”

  Iadrawyn searched her memory. She had seen the forest they lived in now and named Melavalion, but there had been another wood. She and Valanandir had left Melavalion behind, but Lodariel and Daroandir had refused to join them. She felt a sinking dread as she remembered.

  Another memory floated to the surface. The first time she had communed with the Quenya, it had shown her a history of the world. In the beginning, there had only been one continent, but then some sort of cataclysm broke it in two. The legend of the Sea Folk of a western continent was true.

  “If you talk to the elves you have trained, I think you will find most of them will want to stay behind,” Lodariel said. “Many of them have lost their families to the war. They are grieving and desperate to find a way to make those deaths meaningful. It is too late for them to start over in a new place.”

  “All the elves should be given a choice,” Daroandir said. “For many of them, it may be their destiny to sacrifice themselves so the Quenya and the rest of the elves can be saved.”

  Iadrawyn did not like the brief look Daroandir shared with Lodariel as he spoke. She would deal with them later. In the meantime, it was clear this was the path that had been laid out by the Quenya. Since Valanandir had reminded her of her vision, she felt it in her bones. Now that she knew, there would be no fighting it. Perhaps if her mind hadn’t been so sleep deprived, she would have realized this earlier. She squared her shoulders and said the words she knew she must.

  “Let it be done.”