Emerald of the Elves (3 page)

“You know your enemy well,” nodded Master Khatama. “It is Sarac’s weakness that he instills fear in his own followers. Arik should leave here before they come back.”

“I agree,” interjected Jenneva. “Let’s find out where the Sword of Heavens will take us and then depart.”

“There are two problems with that,” frowned Alex. “We dare not allow the unicorn’s to fly with the Black Devils so close. That means that we must ride to wherever we are going.”

“Good point,” nodded Tanya. “What is the other problem?”

“Bin-lu may be too wounded to ride,” continued Alex, “even if we did have horses for him and Wylan, which we don’t”

“Bin-lu and Wylan can travel with me,” offered Master Khatama. “It is more important that Arik be away from here before Sarac’s Ravens return.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and Arik took the glass bead from his pocket. As the Rangers gathered around the campfire, Arik tossed the glass bead into the fire. A large column of white smoke rose towering over the fire. The smoke swirled as it rose and then blossomed out into a sphere. A hazy image of lush green foliage filled the sphere. As the image increased in sharpness, the details of a verdant glade came into focus.

The trees and bushes had a brighter green hue than Arik had ever seen. The grass was lush, and a beautiful spring-fed pond sparkled next to a large gazebo. Through the trees, Arik could see a distant waterfall plunging off of a raised plateau. A beautiful female elf sat alone in the gazebo, her long pale hair reminded Arik of the soft light of the moon across a sandy stretch of pristine beach.

Musical voices came from an area outside the vision, and the elven woman rose to her feet. She walked to the steps of the gazebo and halted. Between her breasts, a large green emerald hung from a gold chain around her neck. A questioning frown grew across her smooth and narrow face, as she appeared to look right through Arik. Suddenly, other elves walked into the vision. Arik counted six of them besides the beautiful woman.

“What concerns the council this day?” asked the female elf in a lyrical voice.

“Several of us have felt a disturbance,” reported a member of the council, “a magical disturbance. We fear it may involve the Emerald of the Elves.”

“I felt it also,” nodded the woman in the gazebo. “I would not be concerned about it. While it was a great disturbance, it was a disturbance of healing. Why does this cause you to fear for the Emerald of the Elves?”

“It is something that we must always be concerned about, Queen Lyander,” replied the council member. “We know that the Ancient Prophecy is being resolved. The Emerald of the Elves will be required to fulfill it. I fear that the Children will be coming for it soon.”

“Let them come,” Queen Lyander said defiantly. “They will not find our glade. The Emerald of the Elves will not leave my person until our prophecy has been fulfilled. The Children of the Ancient Prophecy will have to wait.”

“We know that three of the gems have already been restored to the Sword of Heavens,” interjected another council member. “This disturbance is probably the fourth. We should make plans to prevent the Children of the Ancient Prophecy from getting near you.”

“We have already done so,” smiled the elven queen. “You reside in the finest glade in all the world, and yet you worry about these humans. It is not possible for them to find their way here. Let it trouble you no more.”

“But things are moving so swiftly,” frowned a council member. “Valon has not yet been born, and yet time is running out for these humans. I fear they will resort to force and trickery to obtain that which is ours.”

“Let them resort to what they must,” insisted the queen. “Nothing they can do will alter our people’s commitment to the Emerald of the Elves. First they must find us, and then they must destroy us all. I do not think there is any band of humans up to that challenge. Not even the Dark One’s minions have a clue as to where we hide. You fret too easily.”

“But…,” protested a council member,

“But nothing,” Queen Lyander declared sternly. “It is our task to safeguard the Emerald of the Elves. Perhaps a recitation of the Elven Prophecy is in order to remind my councilors of the only means that can force it from my neck.”

The councilors nodded solemnly as they joined the queen in reciting the Elven Prophecy.

  The Emerald green - the Emerald bright

  The elven people shall not die

  Saves us all from eternal night

  Beneath the Dark One’s inky sky

The vision winked out of existence, and the white smoke dissipated in the wind. The Rangers stood staring at the empty air over the campfire for several minutes before anyone spoke.

“So they know we are coming,” sighed Alex. “This presents a new challenge for us.”

“What a beautiful grove that was,” chirped Prince Midge. “I have not seen anything so green since before the Collapse. Do you think it is in one of the areas where we cleared away the Darkness?”

“Not necessarily,” answered Jenneva. “I think it is a magical garden. It is obvious that the queen and her council are all magicians. Fairly adept ones at that, if they felt the disturbance of the Sword of Heavens.”

Arik held the Sword of Heavens out before himself and turned slowly in a circle. He halted facing north.

“It is a fair distance away,” Arik reported. “Perhaps twice the distance between here and Barouk.”

“Around central Targa then,” posed Alex. “We have a long ride ahead of us. We should get some rest before we leave. Is there someplace that the dwarves can put us up for some sleep?”

“You shall have fine accommodations,” grinned Prince Darok. “The dwarves will keep constant vigilance while you rest. That will give me time to find one of those foul beasts you ride on.”

“Are you sure you wish to go with us?” asked Arik. “It really is not necessary.”

“Bah,” scowled the dwarven prince. “Of course it is necessary. We will never let the Garala out of our sight now that we have found you. I should bring a hundred men with me to protect you.”

“I think just yourself will be fine,” smiled Alex. “There may come a time that your Garala will require an army, but this is not it.”

“I will rest with you,” announced Master Khatama. “When you leave I will check on Bin-lu and Wylan.”

“Where will you go?” questioned Tanya.

“I think we will head south to find Tedi,” answered Boris. “He has been lost for too long.”

“How does your tracking spell work over such great distances?” asked Jenneva. “And how is it that nobody else can use it?”

“You must know the key,” smiled Master Khatama. “It is fairly simple really. I associate something fairly common with each item that I wish to track. For Niki’s cloak I used banana bread.”

“Banana bread?” giggled Jenneva. “How? Why?”

“Picture a freshly baked banana bread in your mind, Jenneva,” instructed Master Khatama. “Now execute a tracking spell.”

Jenneva nodded and immediately turned to face the woods where Niki had gone off to be alone.

“Amazing,” commented Jenneva. “Not only the direction is known, but the distance is clear as well. That is most ingenious, Boris.”

“And simple,” chuckled Boris. “For Tedi’s necklace, I used crab cakes.”

“And his staff?” inquired Jenneva.

“Fresh blueberry pie,” grinned Master Khatama. “It has always been one of my favorites.”

Jenneva conjured up an image of blueberry pie in her mind and cast a tracking spell. She faced south and smiled broadly.

“I shall have to remember your fondness for blueberry pie,” laughed Jenneva. “Do you always think of food?”

“Food is something that I have not forgotten,” frowned Boris. “It was a wise choice in hindsight.”

* * *

“They are no longer pursuing us,” advised Klarg. “I was afraid that I would be blinded for life. What happened back there?”

“What happened,” scowled Calastano, “is that they have more than one mage with them. Not even Jenneva could affect all of those spells at the same time. We have underestimated our enemy once again.”

“What are you talking about?” retorted Hagik. “We eliminated the Prince of Alcea. That was our mission. Who cares about anything else?”

“Have we eliminated him?” posed Calastano.

“I saw him hit at least twice,” insisted Hagik. “Nobody could survive that.”

“Perhaps,” mused Calastano. “Still, I would not be in a rush to report our victory to the Dark One. I want to see Arik’s body before I stick my neck out any further. How many men did we lose, Klarg?”

“There are fifteen unaccounted for,” replied the Dark Rider. “It could have been a lot worse. All of the men were blinded, and some of them lost their mounts.”

“The horses were blinded as well,” nodded Calastano. “It was a very effective defense.”

“You sound like you admire them,” spat Hagik. “You had best reserve your praise for the forces of Sarac.”

“Do not lecture me on my thoughts,” warned Calastano. “I know well where my loyalties lie, but I prefer a rational approach to analyzing events. What the Rangers did to repel our attack was brilliant. Even more so because I am sure that they did not plan it beforehand. They reacted with instincts that were honed during battle. We must keep that in mind the next time we are forced to engage them.”

“There will be no next time,” Hagik shook his head. “Arik is dead.”

Klarg turned as one of his Dark Riders approached. “What is it?” he asked.

“Another of our men has returned from the battle,” reported the Dark Rider. “He was thrown from his horse during the attack and hid when the dwarves pursued us.”

“So we only lost fourteen then,” mused Klarg.

“Yes,” nodded the Dark Rider, “but what he saw may affect our plans.”

“Report,” Klarg ordered crisply.

“Arik rose after the attack,” declared the Dark Rider. “He appeared to be unscathed by the assault.”

“Preposterous,” snarled Hagik. “He could not have survived at all, never mind unscathed.”

“Is there anything else?” asked Klarg.

The Dark Rider shook his head, and Klarg dismissed him. “I think the Price of Alcea is living a charmed life,” frowned Klarg. “We will have to attack again.”

“You believe this report?” Hagik asked incredulously.

“My men have no need to lie,” glared Klarg. “Whatever the reason behind Arik’s escape from the attack, there is no doubt that he survived. Perhaps we should try to kill him by more mundane means the next time.”

“That makes sense,” nodded Calastano. “Perhaps one of the Rangers maintains a magical shield around him at all times. I cannot think of any other way for him to have survived.”

“But the shield did not go up until the second set of fireballs was already streaming towards them,” protested Hagik.

“That shield covered the entire campsite,” explained Calastano. “That does not preclude a smaller shield being constantly maintained around Arik. Whatever the reason for our failure, I tend to agree with Klarg. The next attempt on Arik’s life should be a physical assault. A magical shield will not save him then.”

“Then we should regroup and attack while we know where they are,” decided Hagik.

“You want to initiate an attack while he is surrounded by thousands of dwarves?” questioned Klarg. “We were very fortunate to get away with so few losses tonight. Losing all of our men will not get us closer to succeeding in our quest.”

“I agree,” frowned Calastano. “The dwarves will not be leaving with Arik when he goes. The hard part will be making sure that he does not escape entirely.”

“If he escapes this time,” warned Hagik, “Sarac’s patience will be wearing thin. Are you really prepared to suffer that?”

“Given the choice between Sarac’s anger and certain death,” responded Calastano, “I will suffer the Dark One’s wrath for a short time. In the end, all that matters is our eventual success, and I feel confident that we will be successful.”

* * *

Konic Clava paced the floor of the Council Chamber in the Royal Palace of Tagaret. He stopped once more in front of the large wall map and frowned in frustration.

“You are going to wear the floor out with your pacing, Konic,” admonished Oscar Dalek.

“I can’t help it,” shrugged Konic. “It seems like everything is happening at once. We cannot continue to fortify Tagaret and still aid Mya and Tor at the same time. We just don’t have that number of men at our disposal.”

“Then it is a matter of priorities,” suggested General Gregor. “Obviously, Tagaret has to be our first priority, but aiding Mya and Tor may actually help save Tagaret. I agree that we cannot do both at the same time.”

“How are our preparations proceeding here in Tagaret?” asked Queen Marta.

“They are progressing as well as can be expected,” answered Oscar. “That is assuming that we have time to complete them before one of the attacking armies arrives on our doorstep. Do we have any idea if Azmet’s or Sarac’s armies will get here first?”

“I suspect that Azmet will be first,” responded General Gregor, “although I have no specific intelligence that says so. Our latest reports indicate that Azmet has solidified his command in Klandon. He could dally there for months or he could decide to leave for Mya in the morning.”

“What of Sarac’s army at Tor?” asked Alan Markel.

“There has been no further attacks at Tor,” answered General Gregor. “What bothers me is the movement of Dark Riders from Toresh. They have abandoned Sordoa and appear to be moving towards Tor. They do not appear to be in any hurry, though.”

“Do you think Azmet is working with Sarac?” questioned Konic.

“I have nothing that would indicate that,” declared General Gregor. “There can be little doubt that Sarac knows of Azmet’s movements, though. He manages to keep well informed about such things.”

“Then I think you are correct about the order of things,” nodded Konic. “He will let Azmet’s army take the brunt of the losses and only attack if Azmet fails. Sarac does not care to occupy Tagaret, after all. He only seeks to prevent Arik from assuming the throne.”

“That is how I read it,” nodded General Gregor.

“So we should offer assistance to Mya then?” asked Queen Marta.