Ghosts Of Alfhaven (Book 2) (10 page)

Sawain cut in, “Or worse.”

The eyes of the living and dead turned to him. He hesitated for a moment, then took a breath and went on.

“If Captain Nerelis' scouts could not pick up a heat signature, that could mean they were already dead. That would also explain how they would even be a challenge to experienced rangers. I think it's safe to say that they were acting under the command of the Grey King.”

The ghost, Elder Haros, snorted, “Not this talk of undead giant kings again. Come now, boy. Giants are foolish oafs who can barely get along with the clans of four or five they travel with. No one giant can command such a vast force.”

Sawain ignored the ghostly skeptic and turned to Lady Tirinele, “It has to be him. If he is threatening the forest, I want to ride out and confront his forces. Mirehawk is ready.”

Tirinele shook her head, “No. Have you forgotten the reason you came here? We agreed to give you the training you needed to finish Turin's quest. Now, I personally don't think you're ready, but it seems your divine sponsor believes you are.”

Sawain was confused, “What does that mean?”

“
It means I'm officially recognizing Mirehawk team as the first squad of Outrider Rangers in over twenty years. It also means I'm appointing you as their leader. We don't have mounts ready for you, because we honestly weren't ready for you to leave so soon. You'll have to go on foot.. Your first mission as outriders is to go to Bitterdeep Bog to the  southeast, near the coast. There, you must seek out the witch named Sibilach. When you find her, she will most likely try to kill you. Just tell her Turin sent you. That should calm her down enough. To prove who you are, give her this.”

Tirinele pulled something from a pocket in her robes and stretched out her hand to Sawain. His heart raced with excitement over all he just learned. He strode toward the Director and took the trinket she held. It was a small lion carved from a bone. It was cylindrical in shape, with its legs pulled up to its body. It was attached to a silver chain. The lion itself fit in Sawain's hand. He looked at Lady Tirinele with curiosity.

“What's this?”

She smiled at him, “It's your next focus. This totem belonged to your mother. There is deep magic in it that only you can connect to. It should serve as a perfect icon for you.”

Sawain was shocked. He studied the totem again. He wondered how Lady Tirinele came into possession of it.

“
Where did you get this?”

Nerelis smiled, “That would be my doing. I've been doing some reconnaissance work lately. I wanted to try to find leads on any surviving Outriders in Jordborg. It hasn't been easy, with the hordes of undead roaming the fells.”

Sawain's heart skipped a beat, “You mean you've been outside the forest? You've seen the Grey King's army?”

Nerelis nodded slowly, “Aye, his influence is widespread. I could not get far due to the blockade, but I did manage to find the old farm you told me about. That's where I found the totem, it proves your story.”

Sawain's heart filled with joy, “You made it to Mistveil? How's Simir doing? It's good to know they're safe still.”

Nerelis looked confused, “Safe? The farm was abandoned and crawling with zombies. I killed a few dozen of them before I even found the totem in the main house. Not sure how it survived the gnoll looting you told me about. It was thrown on the bed. I guess they thought it was worthless. It's fortunate for us.”

Sawain's heart sank to his stomach when he learned the farm was abandoned and Simir was most likely a zombie. It made him physically sick. Tirinele cleared her throat.

“
Well, now that we have it, we need to make it work. Take it to Sibilach. She will help you unlock it's full potential. There is a good chance you will not be coming back to the city again, so keep that in mind. Take what you need, but travel light. May the ancestors of our people watch over you, my young rangers.”

Sawain had more questions for Nerelis, but it was clear to him that Lady Tirinele was ready for them to leave. He was curious about the creatures that must have followed Nerelis and his team back.

“What about those things that are still out there?”

Tirinele scowled, “I will see to them. You are not to seek them out. If you run into them, be careful, do not engage. If you are forced to fight, take them down if you can. If not, just run from them. If you die, all could very well be lost.”

Sawain nodded, not completely satisfied with the command. He glanced at Jatharr, who looked at him expectantly.

“
Oh! Lady, Tirinele, may I request the addition of one more to my team?”

Lady Tirinele raised an eyebrow. Sawain continued.

“I would like to add Jatharr of Underfell Town to Mirehawk Outriders.”

Jatharr perked up. He looked proud and ready to go. Tirinele glanced at him and sighed.

“Very well, request granted. He does have experience fighting undead. I had plans for him, but you will need him more. Now, go and get your affairs in order.. You leave as soon as you are ready. Your quest is too important to wait til the morning.”

Sawain nodded. He turned to leave when he was stopped by Nerelis' voice.

“Wait, I have something for you and Nara.”

Sawain turned back around. Nerelis was on his feet. He had in his hand an object wrapped in linen. He limped over to them and offered it to Sawain, who took it with a slack jaw. He unwrapped it. Inside was a fingerless gauntlet that looked like it was made of bark. Nerelis spoke as Sawain looked it over.

“That is an Ironbark Gauntlet. All of the rangers from our clan wear them. You don't have to act so shocked, I'm sure Nara told you by now, as close as you two are. I never expected her to hide it for long. Anyway, this particular gauntlet was your mother's. It has her personal rune on the wrist plate. I found it at the ambush site after... well, we don't really have time for that now. I know your mother would want you to have it, and to carry on our clan's legacy.”

Sawain felt his heart well up with a mix of emotions. It swelled so much that the emotions overflowed from his eyes in the form of tears. He turned his face in shame. He felt Nerelis' hand clasp his shoulder for a moment.

“There is no shame in shedding tears in memory of your mother, my nephew.”

Sawain turned back and nodded, “I will carry on our legacy and I will avenge the crimes against our clan and our people.”

Nerelis nodded grimly, “I know you will.”

The elf captain then addressed his daughter while he removed his own Ironbark Gauntlet from his arm, “Nara, I want you to have my gauntlet. Do not worry, the magic will conform it to your arm. These gauntlets can be used as powerful shields. As their name implies, all you have to do is think it, and they will become hard as iron and quickly cover your arm in a tough bark hide. May their magic keep you safe on your journeys, young ones. I know you will bring glory to the Briaredge clan. Someday, may it adopt one of your names.”

Sawain and Naralei smiled at each other. Sawain noticed she was as emotional as he was. He spoke for all of Mirehawk.

“
We will not let you down. We will prove to everyone that we are the heroes you need us to be.”

Sawain turned with his head held high and strode out. The rest of his Outriders followed him out. Lady Tirinele spoke one last time to Sawain.

“You are Hammerhold's best hope for stopping the Grey King. Keep your eyes on the path. If you find yourself straying from it, remember who you are.”

Sawain nodded. He felt confident. He felt important. He felt like a hero.

Chapter 10

Sawain, Tobi, and Naralei walked quickly across the lawn to the front gate of Rowan Circle Fortress, with Jatharr not too far behind. Tobi sighed, a smile on his face. He sounded slightly out of breath as he mused aloud.

“I'm so glad we have the Director's blessing to go out. I was worried we would get kicked from the program, and now we're actual rangers!”

Sawain noticed that Naralei was looking at the ground as she stalked along. There was something in her eyes that made Sawain feel uncomfortable. He decided to question her about it.

“Something wrong, Nara?”

She jumped slightly, as if she was shaken from a dream. She shot him an uneasy glance.

“Well, it's just that I wonder if we realize what we are getting ourselves into. I mean, I've heard stories of Bitterdeep Bog. They say there's no solid ground at all in the area. Most of it's vacuum-like mud that will swallow you up in an instant if you fall in. It's called Bitterdeep because there's no bottom to the bog. At least, that's what they say.”

Sawain was still feeling confident, “So, we'll stick to the trees. We've had plenty of practice with that before. That shouldn't be a problem.”

Naralei glared at him, “Well, what about The Dark Elf Tribals? That's on the edge of their territory. Fighting our way through there will be different from fighting the illusions in the training thicket. Also, do you even know how to get to Bitterdeep Bog? Because I don't.”

Sawain's heart skipped a beat. He stopped and scowled at Naralei.

“Wait, you mean you don't know how to get there? You grew up in Alfhaven.”

Naralei returned the scowl, “I grew up in the city of Alfhaven! I've never gone more than a few hundred yards outside of the dome. It's too dangerous out there for young ones to travel.”

Sawain sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes and tried to think of a solution.

“
Well, Tobi, you know a lot of random things. Please tell me you know where to find a guide.”

Tobi scratched his scalp and twisted his face for a moment. Sawain was concerned that he might think too much and burst. Finally, Tobi's face returned to normal, with a big smile plastered across it.

“I know what to do! We can get a map!”

Sawain and Naralei stood in impatient silence as they waited for Tobi to go on with his plan. A few seconds passed and Tobi's proud smile faded into a look of confusion. He looked from Sawain to Naralei, then back to Sawain.

“What?”

Sawain sighed, “Tobi, where do we get the map?”

Tobi perked up again. Excitement filled his features.

“
Oh, yeah! I know exactly where to go! We can get one from the old Cartographer, Xilthen.”

Naralei smiled, “Great! So, where does Xilthen live?”

Tobi looked away from his friends and ran a hand along the back of his neck.

Sawain began to grow impatient, “Well, Tobi?”

Tobi jumped at the severity in Sawain's voice. This made Sawain's heart sink. He didn't mean to scare his friend. Tobi's gaze wandered back to Sawain.

“
He's an old druid. He lives out in the forest.”

Of course, he does.

Jatharr shook his head, “What is the point of being a cartographer if no one can find you?”

Tobi perked up again, “Oh, but wait! He comes into town from time to time to trade with Poa, the owner of the Verdant Goods General Store. She might have some of his maps on hand!”

Sawain smiled, “Great, why didn't you say that before?”

Tobi shrugged, “You know how genius' minds work sometimes.”

Sawain clapped his friend on the shoulder, “You're a natural.”

Tobi's face shone like the sun that Sawain had not seen in far too long, “You mean that?”

Sawain grinned and nodded, “Sure do. Now, let's go get a map and find the rest of the Outriders.”

The others nodded in agreement. They left the fortress together and followed Tobi to the general goods store he mentioned before. Sawain could sense that Naralei had something on her mind by the way she was walking. He bumped his elbow into her shoulder lightly, just enough to jostle her.

“You look like Banthan on a drill day. What's wrong?”

She shot him a mock glare, “Every day's a drill day. I was just thinking. Maybe we should rename the Outriders. I mean, Mirehawk was just a random assignment name. It doesn't really have much more of a meaning than 'oh, look, you're still recruits, fresh out of the Fortress'. We need something that defines us as a team.”

Sawain nodded slowly, “Okay, well, what do you have in mind?”

She shrugged and stared up at the interweaving network of living roads above their heads, “I'm not sure, but maybe we should start thinking about it.”

Sawain nodded again. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Tobi pointed ahead of them and shouted triumphantly.

“
Aha! I found it! Verdant Goods! Dead ahead!”

Naralei grit her teeth and glared at Tobi, “Will you keep it down, Tobi? We're rangers now. We don't go announcing to the whole woods our goals!”

Tobi shrank back, “S-sorry, Nara.”

Sawain nudged his cousin again, smiling at her, “You sure you're not good enough to be team leader?”

She hesitantly smiled, but did not look at either of her friends, “What can I say? It's in my blood.”

The trio walked into the general store. It was inside a hollowed out tree, like a majority of the buildings in the city. The inside was very spacious. The round walls were lined with pegs and racks. A wide variety of goods dangled from the displays. Sawain saw bundles or rope, lanterns, carpenter tools, unlit torches, clothes irons, and knives, which were just a few of the things he noticed. There were also crates sitting at the foot of the wall. They were filled with more assorted items, such as soap or blankets. Sawain noticed that Jatharr took a fancy to the torches.

“We should get some of those.”

A round counter closed off a small section at the back of the room. It looked like the counter was part of the tree as well. An elf maid with long, lavender hair and matching eyes sat at the counter, which was also lined with goods. She looked half asleep to Sawain when they entered. She perked up quickly, once she realized that she had customers.

“Welcome to Verdant Goods! We have anything that you might need, and if we don't, we can get it!”

Tobi shuffled in from behind Sawain and smiled sheepishly at the elf maid, “Hi, Poa.”

Poa grinned at Tobi and leaned forward on the counter, batting her eyelashes, “Well, well, if it isn't my favorite customer. I haven't seen you in a while, Tobi. Where have you been? I have a book for you that's been collecting dust for nearly a year now.”

Tobi looked puzzled, but then had a flash of recognition run across his face, “Oh, right! My book on wildflowers! Oh, umm, I mean, yeah. That book. Well, I do want it. We're actually here to buy something else. We need a map of the forest.”

Poa tapped her lower lip with her index finger as she hummed for a moment, “Hmmm, Oh, I think I have what you need. I just got a load of maps in from old Xilthen a few weeks ago. They're not really in high demand, since most folks don't care to wander outside the Dome. I mostly take them as a charity act for the old Druid. Tell ya what, you pay for this book I've been holding onto forever, and I'll throw in a map for a discounted price. One gold piece.”

Naralei looked incredulous, “An entire gold piece for a piece of paper? That's robbery!”

Poa gave her a condescending wink, “But it's a piece of paper you need, if you're going outside the dome, my pretty.”

Naralei turned red and grit her teeth hard. Her hand wandered dangerously close to one of her knives. Sawain quickly intercepted it as discreetly as possible and gave it a squeeze with enough force to serve as a warning. He didn't have to say anything. He could feel the tension leave her arm. She took a deep breath and yanked her hand away from Sawain. She didn't speak again while they were in the store.

Tobi rummaged in his pack and pulled out a satchel that jingled with the sound of coins. He opened it and withdrew twenty one pieces of gold, counting each one out on the counter.

“
I knew I was saving this gold for something! Here you are, Poa. Twenty one gold pieces for one book and one map of Alfhaven.”

Poa smiled broadly. She slid her hand over the counter top, toward herself, and swept the coins into her other hand.

“Right, one map of Alfhaven and one... book. Let me get your things.”

The elf maid twirled around and pushed open a door behind her that Sawain did not notice before. It was the same pattern as the wall it occupied and was nearly seamless. Poa emerged a moment later with a scroll of parchment and a small, dusty brown tome. She handed them to Tobi and gave him a wink.

“If you ever need any more reading material, I'm your girl, Tobi.”

Tobi blushed and grinned at her, “I wouldn't go anywhere else.”

Naralei grabbed Tobi and Sawain by the crooks of their elbows and pulled them towards the door, “Come on, you two. We have a lot to get done.”

Sawain could hear the murder dripping from her tone. He allowed her to pull him to the door. Tobi was not really strong enough to resist. He turned and gave Poa another smile and waved before the door slammed behind him. Jatharr, who had an armful of torches, shouted in protest.

“Hey!”

Naralei let go of the boys and stomped off. Sawain and Tobi had to pick up their pace to keep up. Tobi looked confused.

“Nara, why are we moving so fast? We need to look at the map, make sure it's the--”

Naralei stopped in her tracks and turned on Tobi. A rage all too familiar to Sawain was burning in her eyes. It made him wonder which side of his family his own rage came from. Naralei took in a deep breath.

“Don't you dare tell me what to do, Tobi! You dragged us into that shop so you could flirt with your little girlfriend and pick up some stupid book! You are wasting our time! We are on a very important mission! If you want to sit around and catch up on your reading, you'd be better off staying in the city!”

Tobi looked as if he had just taken a dagger to the chest. The pain on Sawain's friend's face was too much for him to bear. Tobi gulped back tears.

“But, I--”

“
But you, nothing!” Naralei cut in, “You are such a burden to this team! If I were leader--”

“
But you're not!” Sawain shouted, “I am, and you would do well to remember it! You are out of line, Nara! Tobi got us a map so that we would know where we are going. You need to go ahead. Take some time to cool off. You're not thinking straight.”

Naralei puffed out her chest and opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated and grit her teeth. She dismissed them with an angry wave and stormed off in the direction of the city gate. Tobi's gaze was stuck to the ground. Sawain's heart sank farther. He placed a hand on Tobi's shoulder. Tobi looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

“What did I do?”

Sawain sighed and shrugged, “I dunno. Girls are just weird. Don't let her get to you. You are important to this team. You're also my best friend. I wouldn't dare go on this insane quest without you.”

Tobi smiled broadly. He already looked much better. He wiped his eyes and sniffled.

“
Thanks, Sawain, that means a lot. So... what do we do now?”

Sawain shrugged again, “Follow Nara to the gate, at a very safe distance. The other team should be meeting us there soon. Let's hope they didn't have any problems.”

Tobi nodded. Sawain clapped him lightly on the back and pursued Naralei. Tobi followed at his side. Sawain noticed a new spring to Tobi's step. He prayed to Turin that Nara's harsh words would not tear a schism in the team's dynamics.

They walked for an hour through the winding forest of streets and towers. Sawain admired the elven architecture one more time. He had a strange feeling that he would not see it again for a long time, if ever again. It served as home for the past year, and gave him a family. He knew this truth in his heart though: It was not his real home. He longed to return to Anvilheim. He thought about the open air markets, the rhythmic beating of steel on iron that rang through the city like a heartbeat. He thought of Dawnstar Manor and his friends and mentors who lived there. He missed it all so much, as well as the people, that it hurt. It hurt the most when he thought of Kyra.

He tried to push it from his mind as they approached the city gate. The gate was massive, even larger than Anvilheim's. It was also made of living thorns, like the rest of the dome. In fact, the only thing that differed was the pair of towers on either side, manned by two druids, that served as a sort of magical portcullis.

Sawain saw Naralei talking to the other team. He was relieved to see that they were already done with their mission. Sawain heard the rustling, clanking sound of someone in armor running from behind. He turned to see Jatharr huffing and puffing, with a red, irritated face.

“Hey... What's yer problem, lad? You just left me! I thought I was a part of your team!”