“Sounds like we owe this Spirit Mother our thanks. I think,” he offered with a slight smile. He had no experience with fairies outside the two that he’d recently traveled with and had no idea what benefit or detriment they’d bring to the battle ahead. If they were like Trek, maybe they’d be useful, but an army of Brownies would merely be annoying and nothing more.
“Why are you so forthcoming? Are you not betraying your Queen?” Willow sneered, the last coming out strained and in a mocking tone. She then pushed forward to stare more closely at the floating fairy.
The tiny woman shook her head. “I do not answer to her, despite what she may think. I am an apprentice to the Spirit Mother and have orders of my own that supersede hers.”
“Orders? What kind of orders?” Amysta pursued, her voice tinged with anger. She had not liked how her husband had reacted to the Fairy Queen and he completely understood, he hadn’t liked how he had reacted either.
“I’ve been sent here to find an elf girl named Willow. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find her, do you?” the little fairy asked, her voice sounding resigned to some unknown fate.
II
The tracks were difficult to find and only with his magic had they finally found their path forward. They rode at a steady pace, but with a certain degree of caution, not wanting to walk into yet another ambush. Merlin’s eyes remained glued to the trail ahead, his mind wandering over different futures, unable to settle on any that showed any promise. He had, of course, heard of the Dark Elves, but they were rarely seen and never ventured from their mountain home to the north. That they had emerged this far south was troubling, as was their attack on the members of their party. What had driven them to such extremes?
They weren’t a peaceful people, but they hadn’t acted aggressively towards the other races either. Enjoying their isolation, they respected the boundaries of others and only dealt harshly with those that dared trespass upon their lands. Last time he checked though, that was limited to the caves burrowed deep within the mountain passes, and not the grasslands to the south. Had something within the mountain driven them out into the light of day? For that matter, why had they kept Kylee alive? Why take her at all? Why not just kill her and be done with it? It was a riddle he could not solve and that irked him beyond mere irritation. He did not handle the unexplained easily.
“You know, it seems to be one thing after another with you people,” Melissa remarked, as they paused to water their horses and give them a short break. “We get kidnapped and taken to Kershaw, then ambushed at Camelot. Tristan and Willow get taken by Earth Gnomes, and now your ranger has been whisked away by Dark Elves, is it just me or have your visions grown unreliable in anticipating such events?”
“It’s not an exact science and you know it,” he growled in response. He was tired of the rest of them glaring at him every time something went wrong. He was not omnipotent, he couldn’t keep an eye on all of them every second of every day. He would be nothing but a mumbling idiot if he even tried. “I can’t watch each individual future without missing something somewhere else. I’ve been focusing on the success of our mission and trying to steer us closer to that, without getting all of us killed in the process.”
“Well, you’re doing a bloody good job of it,” Melissa snarled. “Tristan was raped. I was nearly burned alive. The two love birds were almost eaten by cannibals. Jared and Tuskar are dead. Tell me oh wise one, what more must we all suffer before you start taking a better look at the lives of those around you that depend on your ability to protect them, instead of throwing them into harm’s way because it suits your purpose to do so?”
“First her, now you?” he blurted with frustration, motioning towards the black knight hovering nearby.
“The difference is, she chooses to be here, I was not given that choice,” the witch told him hotly. “You dragged me into this against my will and I have no other option than to continue on with this charade in a feeble attempt to save my own life. I was marked for death the moment you strode through my door!”
Merlin growled. “Erik has Excalibur, your part in this is over. You can leave anytime you choose.”
“You actually believe that, don’t you? That any of us can just leave? That the Phoenix won’t care about us anymore once your purpose for using us is served? Because we’re dealing with a rational and logical being, and not a self-serving hateful bitch! It’s not as cut and dry as you try to make it and you damn well know it!” Melissa snarled.
The truth of the matter was, he did. “I cannot do anything else. There’s only one job, one purpose; the destruction of the Book of the Dead. I will do whatever it takes to make that happen,” he told the witch, seeing the downcast look upon her face and he knew that the brutal honest answer was not what she had been hoping for.
“No matter how many of us die on the way?” Melissa asked softly.
He sighed. “It seems like I’m always being asked this question. How many times must I answer it? Yes, no matter what the costs. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care, that I’m not going to do everything I can to ensure that as many of us make it to the end as I can.”
“That’s not good enough,” she remarked softly.
“I know, but it’s all I have.” He hated to admit it, but there was no denying the truth, not with her. They had known each other too long, she would spy a lie the instant it was uttered.
The witch nodded with a grim smile. “Well, it looks like we’ll all be dead soon anyways, might as well go out in a blaze of glory, right?”
Merlin glared at the woman, unable to voice the frustration he felt at the recent turn of events. He shook his head and turned to his awaiting mount. There was no point in arguing further, all he could do was continue on and hope for the best. Climbing onto his saddle, he looked to the others and motioned for them to do the same. “Let’s get moving; we have a ranger to save.”
III
“I still don’t understand. Why are you looking for me?” Willow asked the fairy. They had gone to the dining room after leaving the throne room, deciding further discussion was best made over lunch.
The fairy looked at those gathered around the table and looked uneasy talking in their company now that her charge had been found. Revan had joined them, and Tristan wondered if it was the druid’s presence that was making the sprite nervous.
A yowl erupted from behind him and he was surprised to see Trek pouncing their way. He hadn’t seen the shapeshifter in days and had been wondering where the fairy had gotten off to.
“Trek?” the sprite cried with joy, as she flew off the table towards the approaching feline.
“Hello Shirl, what brings you here? I didn’t think anything could drag you away from home,” the cat purred curiously.
“The Spirit Mother sent me,” she replied with a mournful tone.
Trek came to a stop and yawned, stretching his back and taking a seat on the marble floor. “Is she not happy with me? Are you here to replace me?”
“No,” Shirl told the feline as he began to clean himself. “She wants you to continue as you are. She just thought you might need a little help.”
“There’s—no—need,” Trek said between licks. “I’ve—got this—under—control. You—can go—home.”
The sprite’s wings fluttered faster as she shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
Willow coughed. “Don’t the two of you think I should have a say in this?” She had grown irritable being discussed when she was right there in the room.
He could sympathize.
“No,” both fairies replied with one voice and Willow found herself at a loss of words. A worthy feat even he hadn’t been able to pull off just yet.
The door opened on his left and Pendoran emerged into view.
“Ah, Pendoran, thank you for joining us,” Erik greeted the thin knight. “I apologize my dear, but we need to table this discussion temporarily. There are matters we need to discuss.”
Pendoran made his way t
o the table and a server brought him a plate of food.
“Are you feeling any better?” Amysta asked the knight with concern. The elf’s progress remained slow, despite the clerics’ constant attention to his health.
“No, but it is what it is,” the knight responded softly, taking a sip of wine and poking at his food.
Erik lifted his goblet and took a drink, eyes drifting to the sprite as she landed on the table by Willow; promptly taking a seat near the princess’s right elbow. “Now that you are both here,” he began, looking to the druid, then the newly seated knight, “I have a job for the both of you. I need you to ascertain the skill levels of our new friends and determine if there is an area that requires improvement. And as needed, begin their training in earnest. I want to make sure they are as equipped as possible for the battle that’s ahead.”
“Sire, I’m hardly in any shape—,” Pendoran began.
Erik cut him off. “This is as much for you as it is for him. You command the knights, use them to help train him. But I need your eyes and judgement on how best to proceed.”
“Yes, Sire,” the knight bowed his head with in sullen agreement.
The druid eyed Willow as if taking her measure. “I’ll begin immediately my Lord.”
Erik nodded to both the elves and smiled. “Let’s let them finish their lunches first, then we can begin. Now, where were we?”
“Training?” he asked, confused.
“You have both committed yourselves to helping us out. I need to know what you can do, so I know in what capacity to best make use of your abilities,” Erik informed them. “I don’t want to toss you to the wolves if you don’t have the ability to slay them before they eat you; so to speak.”
He huffed. “That’s comforting.”
Erik only smiled in return and looked to the elven princess by his side. “You won’t need the fairies’ protection if you can learn to take care of yourself. That spellbook that you were given by the Lady of the Lake, you should show it to Revan and see if the two of you can begin deciphering its contents. She gave it to you for a reason, let’s honor her sacrifice by seeing it through.”
“I’ve tried reading it already, other than the illustrations, it’s gibberish to me,” Willow replied with disappointment. “Merlin told me he’d help me when he gets here.”
“And we don’t know when that will be,” the king replied grimly. “We can’t afford to wait. He may not arrive until it’s too late and if I can help speed up things up, then that’s what I’m going to do. Now, Shirl, is it? Can you tell us why your Spirit Mother sent you here?”
The sprite shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“You—can’t?” Erik pursued, leaning forward and glaring at the sprite. “These two saved my lives. I will not repay them by letting an unknown into their midst without confidence that no harm will be visited upon them. There’s enough danger in the world right now without foolishly bringing it on ourselves through our lack of vigilance.”
“I mean, I can’t tell you,” Shirl corrected. “That doesn’t mean I won’t tell her, in private.”
Erik shook his head. “If you think that just because you appear small and helpless that I would allow you—”
“I’ll speak with her alone,” Willow interrupted the monarch’s surprising tirade.
While he appreciated and sympathized with the king’s view, Trek obviously knew the sprite, and he had proven more than once where his loyalties were. Even though the mystery behind where the shapeshifter had come from was slow coming to light, he had grown to trust that the cat’s intentions were good. He had plenty of opportunities to do them harm if he so wished, and so far, nothing had happened.
Suddenly, Willow got up and pushed her plate forward. “I will be back. Shirl, shall we?” The sprite leapt to her feet and took to the air. As Willow moved off, the tiny figure flew by her side, both of them exiting through one of the rear doors to the room and disappearing from view.
“What—?” he directed towards the feline.
“Don’t ask me, nobody ever tells me anything,” Trek answered, then promptly put his head on his paws and closed his eyes.
IV
They were at the base of the mountains and the trail they were following led up a narrow pass on their left. “Weel, Ah guess we gang oan fit frae haur,” Riska remarked as his cougar lowered and allowed him to dismount.
“Come up with a plan yet?” Melissa asked him as Merlin slid off his horse and retrieved his white staff from its place on his saddle.
Merlin nodded. “Go in, find Kylee, get out.”
The black knight snickered. “You’re starting to sound like the brainless barbarian over there.”
The large orc grunted and flashed her a fierce look in response.
The witch sighed. “So pretty much business as usual. Run in headfirst and hope no one gets killed. Right, well, let’s do that! Because that’s totally worked for us in the past!”
Reyna strapped her shield on and drew her sword. “Quit your bellyaching. If we are going to do this, then let’s do it. The faster we get it done, the quicker we are on our way east. Unless you all have forgotten, there’s going to be an army marching this way soon, and I would like to be gone before they get here.”
“Kore find Elf,” the orc chimed in, bringing his large greataxe around and looking towards the northern pass.
Merlin nodded his head and motioned for the warriors to take the lead once more. Kore started forward, with Reyna close behind. Riska reached down and freed his axe, gave the mages a look, then followed after the other two warriors beginning their trek up the mountainside.
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” Merlin muttered softly, then began to make his way upward.
“I know I’m going to regret this,” Melissa commented.
“Waaat do Oi do?” a small voice suddenly spoke up as she reluctantly followed the mage.
She turned and looked at Bleak, who was standing on the horse’s saddle, watching as the others departed. “Stay here and guard the horses.”
“Waaat? 'Oy de 'ell scon Oi gonna do dat?” the brownie hollered, but Melissa was already walking away and couldn’t hear the little man’s screams of confusion.
“You know, you didn’t have to leave him behind,” Merlin told her.
Melissa shrugged in response. “He wouldn’t be much use to us anyways.”
He sighed. They weren’t sure what they would need and leaving someone behind was not how he wanted to go forward. Bleak’s the one that pointed out that they were looking for Dark Elves, seemed to have some experience with them, and might have offered pertinent intel once they were inside. She complained about going into things blind and just pulled a blindfold her their eyes.
It was obvious that she could read his thoughts as she looked away with disgust. “So, I’m not so willing to throw him into danger needlessly. He may be noisy and a pain in the ass, but he’s been my friend for centuries, and this is the best way I know how to protect him should things go to hell.”
“He’s been here before, he might have known something more about what we’re facing,” he returned, frustrated.
“Bleak’s told you everything he knows, he had nothing further to offer,” she responded.
He had to bite his tongue. There’s no way they could have known for sure, there might have been something that the brownie had missed; some hidden knowledge that might have come to light through visual recall. Still, it was too late to argue, and he decided it was best to let it go.
“Cae ahead,” Riska told them, relaying a message from the two warriors waiting for them above.
He nodded and climbed the rest of the way up the trail to the cave entrance above. “You want to take the lead here?” he asked the stout man by his side.
“Wa?” Riska returned, eyeing him curiously.
“Because you’re a dwarf?” Melissa answered for him, a hand on her hip to show her displeasure in having to respond to what should hav
e been an obvious suggestion.
The dwarf laughed. “Ah grew up in a forest an' I’ve ne'er bin near a cae in mah life. Mah ancestors micht hae dwelled within in ancient times, but those arenae skills ur abilities handed doon ben some magical means frae generation tae generation. Ye ken mair abit what’s aheid than Ah dae, wa don’t ye tak' th' leid?”
Kore growled, took his axe in hand, and disappeared into the shadows beyond. Reyna shook her head, tightened her grip on her sword, and followed quickly after.
“Weel, looks loch that’s settled,” Riska commented dryly before turning to enter the cave as well.
Melissa was about to summon her magic in order to cast a light to illuminate their way and he immediately reached out and interrupted her before she could finish. “We don’t want to draw attention. Best to leave off that until we have no choice.”
She wasn’t happy about it, but she nodded her head. Standing by his side, they stepped into the cave and got swallowed instantly by the awaiting shadows.
Chapter 18
Shadows
I
He found Willow in their chambers, the sprite nowhere to be seen. He had come after his armor as Pendoran had requested and was surprised to find his fiancé wiping her cheeks in an attempt to could hide the sorrow on her face. What had that little sprite said to upset her this much? He looked around the room with anger, hoping that the fairy had been foolish enough to remain behind, so he could exact revenge for the emotional turmoil his lover was experiencing.
“What is it?” he asked, coming to sit by her side. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close.
She shook her head. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“It can’t be nothing. You wouldn’t be here crying if it were,” he responded, trying to get her to open up.
“Truly, it’s nothing for you to worry about. She just caught me off guard, that’s all,” Willow replied quietly. She refused to look him in the eye when she said it and he knew instantly that she was lying. She had never done that before and it pained his heart that she felt like she had to.
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