Salihn let go of my hand and started to crawl inside. When her legs were fully in, I pulled myself in as well. For a few seconds it felt like I was crawling through an old log. On either side I felt the rough bark rubbing against me. Then I was through the hole into the dark area inside. The only light was her red light.
“Let me close up the entrance and then we can have some light,” said Salihn in a slightly trembling voice. I wondered why she sounded like she was locked up with a wild animal that could kill her at any time.
The passageway that we had come through closed with the slight sound of twisting wood. Then I heard her mutter a magic spell which produced light from lamps on the wall. I was pleasantly surprised as I was expecting some grubby hole that was just bare wood, but what I saw was totally different. We were sitting on a polished wooden floor with a small winding staircase leading upward. This room looked like an entrance hallway one would expect in any home. There were even pieces of artwork on the walls.
I eventually focused on the beautiful elven face beside me. I was surprised to see a look of fear and trepidation still etched onto her face. When Salihn saw me looking she tried to make her expression more pleasant, but I could still see some lingering fear.
Not wanting this unpleasantness to continue, I said, “You seem to be uncomfortable in my presence.”
She gave a quick smile and asked, “What makes you think that?”
I tried to give my most reassuring smile to calm this woman, but it had the opposite effect as I said, “Just the look on your face. It’s apparent that you're afraid of something.”
“It’s been a long day already with your rescue. Let go upstairs - we can sit comfortably and have something to eat. I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” she said, and ran nimbly up the polished wooden stairs that twisted up like a helix. In a second she’d disappeared out of sight, so I just shrugged and climbed the stairway myself.
The room above was well furnished with wooden chairs and plush, comfortable cushions. There was a large dining table to one side of the room, with fruit growing on a small branch in the center. On the walls hung large tapestries, giving a homely feel to the room. I guessed that they all depicted scenes from history. One thing that was apparent was that gods and goddesses appeared a lot in elven history - or was it mythology? I guessed I would find out in time. What most interested me about the room was that there was a large bookshelf. Before I could be pulled by the siren call of knowledge, Salihn went over to a cabinet.
When she opened the carved wooden door, I saw that it was full of bottles in different types and varieties. Some of them were smoked glass while others looked to be made of crystal with dark liqueur inside. For a few seconds she rooted around amongst the bottles. She pulled one out, a plain, dark brown bottle that looked like nothing special. The second she brought out was an expensive-looking crystal flask that seemed to sparkle in the light.
She again gave me a nervous smile and said, “This will help increase your dexterity.”
She handed me the brown bottle, then found a glass that I could pour it into. As I went over to the table to sit and take a drink, I saw her approach with a glass and the crystal flask.
“Does your drink have any effect?” I asked, as it certainly looked like an expensive potion.
She blushed as she sat down in the elegant chair and said, “Let's just say that it will help with my nerves.”
With that, she smiled and uncorked the flask. She still had a glass in her hand but she didn’t use it. With one quick motion, she knocked back the contents in a single large gulp. The effect was immediate, as her body shivered and a silvery glow of magical power emanated from her. When she lowered the flask she was smiling, but this time it held more confidence.
She looked around the comfortable room and said, “Let me go and get out of this armor so I can relax more. You might want to clean up yourself as, well - you’re all splattered in blood. There’s a room over there with some washing facilities and clothing. Take what you want as you are in dire need of decent clothing.”
Salihn smiled and left the room by a small, arched wooden door that closed firmly behind her. I looked at my face in a mirror and saw the dried blood splattered all over my face. Considering just using a cleaning spell to deal with it, I got up instead. I was curious as to what type of luxuries elven society had for cleaning. Going through a similar arched doorway, I found myself in a bedroom. The bed was in the center of the room within a basket-like shape that hung from the ceiling. I could see clean, silky sheets on the bed as if it had just been made.
There was a side door that opened into what looked like a bathroom. Walking in, I saw that everything was shiny, polished, light-colored wood. There was both a sink and what looked like a bathtub. Curiously, I could see no taps or drains to allow the water into or out of either of them.
Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to use my cleaning spell, I thought. I am definitely not asking Salihn to come into the bedroom with me as she seems embarrassed enough just being with me.
Before doing so, I placed my hand on the sink and water started to ooze out of the bottom of it. Holding my hand still, I waited for a few seconds as it filled up. When I carefully placed my hand into the bowl, I felt warm, relaxing water that was at just the right temperature.
Now that I’d had success with the sink, I went over to the bathtub. When I placed my hand on it, it too started to fill with water. Thinking that it would be wonderful to have a relaxing bath, I left it filling up and ran to the door to the bedroom. Drawing on my magical powers within my pathways, I cast several immobilization spells on the door. I did this until I was sure that nothing could get in, and that included the beautiful dark-haired elf who had led me to this place.
--
Five minutes later I was all washed up, looking at the dirty bathwater drain away through no apparent hole in the solid wooden tub. Putting all my questions on how this worked to the back of my mind, I put on the clothes that I had been given by the elven guard. I looked through a cupboard in the bedroom, but everything seemed a bit too fancy to just take for myself to use. At the rate I was going through clothes, it seemed a pity to destroy something so fine so I left the clothing options alone and just put on the plain gear.
Now that I was clean and more relaxed than I had been in a while, I remembered all the books out in the lounge room. I quickly released the magical spells on the doorway blocking off the bedroom and looked out, checking it was all clear of any strange elven women. They were getting to be more and more of a mystery to me. This was concerning, as now I was alone in a house with one, but the option of going into the dark and dangerous ground level of the forest was just not appealing at the moment.
With this in mind, I walked over and started to browse the bookshelf. I picked up a few magical books that I thought might be good to read, then moved over to the table to await any developments in my situation. While I waited for whatever was about to happen, I heard the door make a muffled, crackling sound, like that caused by the movement of wood.
Looking up, I saw a very different-looking Salihn emerging from the doorway. She was certainly not wearing any armor.
Well, that must be a good sign, if fighting is not part of her plan, I hoped.
Instead of the dented armor she was wearing a graceful gown. It was as dark as the black night outside, but had a sheen that looked like the night sky. I could see all the curves of her body that was shown off by the beautiful gown. It ran down her long legs, ending in a slight flare that showed her bare feet.
I was surprised to see that she was still trembling slightly. This again showed that she was nervous of me - or of something.
I hope it's not me, I thought. Why did she not just come out in her armor if she is afraid of me?
Moving her head slightly, she flicked her black hair over her shoulder and slowly walked over. She seemed to want to make the most of it, as if she was on display. She moved to the chair next to me. I was staring at her w
ith wide eyes; I’d thought she was beautiful before, but this transformation was stunning. If I had been back in the world I came from, she could have picked any rich man and gotten him to do what she wanted. This made me wonder why I was the target of such attention.
When she sat down, she placed both of her hands on mine and smiled, with a strange look in her eyes, a mixture of desire and terror. This broke me out of the enticing spell I had been under since I first saw her enter the room. Moving her hands from mine gingerly, I spoke softly as if I was reassuring some kind of frightened creature.
“Maybe some explanation about what’s happening here?” I gave her a kind smile, sure that I was in no danger from this woman. Quite the opposite, it seemed, which was confusing as I was not that much of a prize, considering all the elven men looked like they came straight out of a photoshoot while I was rough and a bit coarse-looking.
She lowered her eyes and placed a hand on my chest. “What do you think is happening? Don’t you think that I’m beautiful?”
When she spoke, I looked directly into her eyes and saw the same panic that had been there since the start of the strange rescue after falling to the bottom of the forest.
I smiled, but said, “You’re acting one way, but your eyes betray a look of sheer terror. It's been in your eyes whenever you’ve looked at me since last night’s incident!”
The terror subsided a bit, replaced by slight shock as she removed her hand and placed it in her lap. “You don’t know why? I’m trying to... how do I say this? Win your heart.”
“To me it seems a bit more like seduction than winning my heart. All I really know is that all the elven women I’ve met have this type of reaction when they think that I’m a Valkin, whatever that is,” I said.
She looked intently into my eyes, trying to gauge whether I was deceiving her, but as she saw no deception her eyes softened. This caused the terrified looked to falter slightly, but not disappear. Standing up, she moved with grace and poise to the bookshelf. I looked at her again, admiring her beauty that was enhanced by her sleek, clinging dress.
After reading the spines of a few books, she pulled one small volume out.
With a shy smile on her face as if she was wondering if she was doing the right thing, she sat next to me again. I could feel the closeness of her body next to me as it seemed to radiate desire.
“This is not a very comprehensive history of the elven dealings with the Valkin, but it will do for a start,” she said. “It’s a story of elven women who ruled the world for a long time.”
The book was visibly old, with some strange creature’s skin forming the cover. When Salihn’s slender hand opened the tome, I saw that the writing was in a cursive text. It must have been written a long time ago as the ink was fading in places. She flicked through a few pages and I saw that there were pictures.
She stopped flicking through the pages at one of the first pictures, and pointed to a man in the picture. He was standing with no armor on him but a large axe in his right hand. Beside him was a beautiful elven woman with a baby in her arms, and dressed like a queen with elegant and expensive-looking jewelry. I was surprised to see that there was even a crown on her head.
The large man beside her was wearing normal, commoner’s clothing as if he didn’t need any robes of state to declare who he was.
Salihn placed her delicate finger on the man’s image. I notice that her nail had been painted to look like stars were glinting on its surface. She said, “This is an image of a great Valkin from our history. For some reason there were never many of them, but there were enough to completely rule this world. The lore tells that this was a golden age for the people of the world. I really don’t known but many of the monsters that roamed the world today had been driven back into the most isolated parts of the world.”
I looked at the sketched picture of the man, who seemed to resemble me a bit. He was slightly more muscular than I was and looked mostly human. Compared to the elven woman he looked about as tall as I was. This made him taller than anybody I had seen on the planet so far.
“So, what makes you and the rest of the elves think that I’m a Valkin?” I asked.
She looked at me with a shy smile and blushed slightly. “Well, you certainly have the height and the good looks. For some reason the lore says that most elven women find the Valkin attractive. Some of the lore says that we even bred that way over many thousands of years.”
“Whatever do you mean, ‘bred that way?’” I asked.
She blushed a bright red color that complemented her dark hair. “The Valkin were the masters of the whole world. The elven races were their servants, or if you look at it more unkindly, their slaves.”
When I frowned at the mention of slaves, she said quickly, “Don’t get me wrong, it was an honored position amongst the races. While they served the Valkin they were also the de facto rulers of the world, because there was such a small number of Valkin.”
“What else indicates that I’m one of these Valkin that you're talking about?” I asked. “Surely there are plenty of tall and handsome men that you find attractive.”
She laughed a bit at that, and for the first time I saw a true smile that reached her eyes and sparkled. “You'd be surprised at how much tall and handsome men are in short supply.
“But it was also your healing ability that indicated to me what you are. When you got stabbed and just pulled the knife through your hand, all without magic, that showed everybody what you were.”
I nodded as I remembered that Alea, the other elven woman that I knew, had been upset by my healing. But then if I remembered correctly, she was always upset with me anyway.
“OK, but surely that doesn’t mean that I must be one of these Valkin!” I said.
She smiled shyly again, as if she was about to make a confession. With a deep breath of determination, she said it anyway, despite her fear. “The lore says that the Valkin at their full power are immortal and heal instantly from any wound, even dragonfire.”
I looked up sharply as she said ‘dragonfire.’ She continued. “The fact that you survived a fall from the top of the canopy to the bottom of the forest indicates that you are immortal as well.”
She dropped her head, looking nervous, and I wondered something. Tensing slightly, I asked, “Did you have anything to do with me being pulled off?”
A flash of fear entered her eyes as she looked up. “Yes. I was desperate to find out if you were truly a Valkin. I also wanted to get you away from the other women before they got their claws into you.”
“For what possible reason would you want to get me to yourself?” I asked. “It can't just be based on you finding me attractive - all the trouble you went to!”
She blushed and placed her hand on mine, looking seriously into my eyes. “It’s the other part of the story of this woman. Elven women who marry a Valkin and are lucky enough to have a child who is a Valkin as well, become immortal too. It’s very rare in history, but it does happen.”
She flicked through the pages to more pictures of the woman, where the child looked older.
She said, “This is a famous love story in our culture and the woman is honored in the history of the elves. I don’t exaggerate by saying that most elven women would love to be in her shoes.”
I looked at the pictures that she was flicking through, thinking it was just a soppy love story. “Well, am I some Prince Charming to be won, then?”
She smiled at me as she looked into my eyes. “Well, that is part of the story that this book tells. But I also think that the possibility of power and immortality that comes with it is a big pull.”
“Is that what you want?” I asked. “The power?”
She flushed deep red at that point and said, “Of course, that’s what I think I want. My whole life I’ve been hearing about this wonderful queen of the world. Who would not want to be like her? She is one of the most renowned rulers in the whole of elven history. The Valkin were never much interested in the affairs of t
he planet as they seemed to have greater things to do, but she was different. She was one of us, who looked after her own people.”
When she finished, she looked into my face with determination, but still had fear in her eyes.
“Why the look of fear, then?” I asked, trying to comfort her by placing my hand on hers.
She looked at me and said, “This a dangerous pathway to tread. You could just outright reject me and kill me for what I’ve done.”
I shook my head and said, “There’s no way I’m going kill you. Perish the thought that I would ever become that kind of person.”
She flashed me a smile and nodded in thanks. “The other problem for me and you is other elven women. Do you think that some of the higher elven women are going to let a dark elf like me stop them from getting what they want? The only hope I have is to win your affection quickly so that I’m under your protection. Even with that, if you cast me aside, they’ll kill me just to make sure that I’m not a problem in the future.
“That's why I gambled and acted now, to get to you before you reached the royal court. When you get there you’ll soon understand who you are. It will be a potential bloodbath of intrigue!” she said with a frown.
Shocked, I asked, “You really think so?”
She laughed a light, airy laugh that didn’t reach her eyes. “You saw the look on the high noble elf’s face when she was searching for you. I saw that you were about to shout, but after seeing her face you stopped. My bet is that she’ll be one of the women who is less of a threat. That’s why she was acting quickly - to get her claws into you before you got to the royal court.”
Dirty Rotten Seizure Page 7