“I would not say it is impossible,” Darielle stated thoughtfully. “My brother is a reasonable elf. There is a chance he can be persuaded, though I admit the chance is very small. Traven, if my son trusts you, I will trust you as well. However, I will need to know the specifics of why you think you need the armband and what you plan on doing with it, both during and after the battle.”
Traven decided to be completely honest and upfront about all of the details surrounding his desire to retrieve the armband and his plan for using it. Darian’s father appeared to be in a position to help him achieve his goal. If he truly wanted the elf’s full trust and help, he would need to fully trust the elf in return.
He began by explaining about his visions of the armband. He then described his encounter with the galdak wielder and his inability to match the galdak’s strength in the ambience. Traven also shared his opinion that the humans would be overrun by the galdaks if the galdak wielder wasn’t defeated. He finished by saying he would use the armband of endurance to defeat the galdak wielder. He would then continue using it for as long as the elf king allowed in defending the humans against the invading creatures.
“Interesting,” Darielle stated when Traven finished explaining his plans. “If your visions truly point to the importance of having the armband of endurance, it is hard to argue that you do not need it. Have you had visions in the past of other important things?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It has happened multiple times, and each time I’ve followed my visions, they’ve never failed me.”
“They have been matters of great consequence?”
“They have saved lives,” Traven responded.
“Life is indeed a matter of great consequence,” Darielle stated. “The elves have no great love for humans or galdaks. However, we have never been known to help the galdaks while in the distant past we did fight alongside our human brothers. I will do what I can to help you, but you must understand that it is the king who will have the final say.”
If Darian’s father was willing to help, Traven knew there must be a chance of success. Perhaps the meeting with the elf king wouldn’t be as hopeless as he had thought.
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “I appreciate all the help you can offer.”
17
Traven stepped out into the courtyard. His stomach was full and his hopes were high. He had found an ally in Darian’s father that he hadn’t been expecting. Surely the opinion of the king’s brother would be valuable in convincing the king of his need for the armband of endurance. At his side, Darian exuded relief and joy as well. The fear of losing his family that he had harbored ever since swearing devotion had at last been alleviated.
“Other than the mob at the outskirts of the haven, things have gone wonderfully,” Traven observed.
“Do not get too excited,” Darian replied. “I believe we will face more resistance tomorrow morning than we did today.”
“Maybe,” he replied, “but tonight we can rejoice in our current successes.”
Darian smiled and leaned back against the wall of his childhood home. Traven continued out into the center of the courtyard. The sky was growing dark, and he felt like retiring to his room for the night. However, he knew that the more he practiced wielding the ambience, the stronger he would become in it. If he somehow wasn’t able to obtain the armband of endurance, he wanted to be as strong as he possibly could the next time he had to face the galdak wielder. He had no illusions that he would be at the ancient wielder’s level anytime soon, but he knew the stronger he grew, the better chance he had of surviving another encounter.
He stopped in the center of the courtyard and cleared his mind. After taking a deep breath of the clean, forest air, he began wielding the ambience. He ran through many of the same exercises he used to run through at Faldor’s Keep. It was somewhat monotonous, but he knew it was beneficial. He repeatedly created small spheres of ice, moved them around with wind, and then melted them with fire. Each time, he added one more as he went through the sequence until there were ten floating around at once. He was tired and about to stop but decided he would do a little more practicing before going to sleep. Celeste had arrived to watch with Darian, and he wouldn’t mind impressing her. He took a deep breath and concentrated.
* * * * *
Darian looked on as Traven practiced wielding the ambience in the center of his family’s courtyard. While growing up, he had never imagined something like this would ever be taking place. He took a deep breath of the cool forest air that smelled of redwood and pine needles. Darian felt better than he had in a long while. He had not realized how deeply he had feared seeing his family for the first time after taking the oath of devotion. To have his family accept his choice and welcome his visit was more than he had hoped for.
His father had always been calm, dignified, and thoughtful. Darian had worried about his disapproval most of all. When his father had confirmed his fears by refusing to speak to him and calling him a servant, it had hurt him, but it had not been unexpected. He now realized his father had merely been giving him another chance to reflect on his choice and its possible consequences.
He turned as his sister came outside and stood next to him. She smiled in greeting and began to watch Traven. It was strange seeing her all grown up. She had only been twenty when he left to become a guardian. Now, she was a full grown woman. He was surprised she had not married yet. As beautiful as she was, he was sure there must be plenty of elven warriors seeking her attention.
“That is so amazing,” Celeste said with wonder.
“He is only practicing minor exercises,” Darian stated. “He can do things far more incredible than that.”
“Really?” she said as she glanced quickly at him before turning back to watch Traven. “What all can he do?”
“You would be surprised,” Darian said to his sister.
He cocked his head as he watched the faint glow around Traven that was becoming more visible with the coming of night. He still did not understand why he could see the almost imperceptible glow. He looked back at his sister, wondering if she could see it too.
“Celeste, do you see a glow of light around him?” Darian asked.
“No,” she replied.
“Do you feel anything in your blood as you watch him wield the ambience?”
“What do you mean by that?” she said with an embarrassed chuckle.
“The burning,” Darian explained. “For me it felt like fire was racing through my veins. I have not felt it since I swore my devotion. Now, I always feel a calming sense of pride when I see him wielding the ambience.”
“I suppose I feel drawn to him,” she said carefully. “But I do not think it necessarily has anything to do with the burning.”
It took a second for Darian to grasp the meaning of his sister’s words. He turned to her with a slight frown.
“He is a human, Celeste,” he stated.
“I know, but he is also a wielder.”
“You do not have to remind me of that,” he countered. “Traven is young, and his emotions are strong. Please do not play with them.”
Celeste let out a startled gasp as a bright light suddenly sprang up in the center of the courtyard. Darian squinted towards it and saw Traven wrapping a large pillar of flame around himself. The flames began roaring and letting off intense heat as they swirled around the young wielder and reached up into the air. The slight chill of the cool night disappeared as the air in the courtyard swiftly began climbing in temperature.
“Perhaps you should ask Traven not to play with my emotions,” Celeste mumbled as her breathing began to increase rapidly.
Darian shielded his face from the heat and light. The flames were expanding outward as they swirled faster and faster around the center of the courtyard. They had also extended upward far above the height of the walls. He hoped Traven stopped whatever he was doing soon. If he made the flames any hotter, they would turn into liquid fire. There was no telling what damage such a large amount of the intensely hot liquid would do to the courtyard and surrounding buildings.
Darian and Celeste were unexpectedly shoved backwards against the wall as the light disappeared and an intense burst of steam suddenly emanated outward from Traven with a loud hiss. Darian stared towards the center of the courtyard curiously, waiting for his eyes to readjust to the dark. All was now silent except for the rapid, heavy breathing of his sister at his side. The steam cleared and the cool night air fell into the courtyard once again. In the very center, Traven stood with his hand on his chin as if deep in thought. He noticed Darian staring at him and smiled.
“I feel it,” Celeste whispered shakily. “I feel the burning.”
She hastily turned and ran into the house. It was nice to know he was not the only elf affected by Traven’s wielding. Darian watched with interest as Traven slowly made his way towards him. He could tell the young man’s legs were not as steady as they had been earlier.
“What was that all about?” Darian asked.
“The pillar of flames?” Traven responded. “I just wanted to try something new.”
“You are lucky you did not catch anything on fire. You do realize almost everything here is made of wood?”
“I know,” Traven responded. “I probably let it go too long before putting it out. I was just curious how big I could make it.”
“I am sure there were plenty of elves outside these walls who saw it. If they doubted the rumor that a wielder is staying here, they will now believe it,” he said. “I wonder what they are thinking.”
“What did your sister think?” Traven asked with a smile.
“She was quite impressed,” he replied. “She said it even made her blood burn.” He watched as Traven’s smile grew larger. “You should not have done that just to impress her.”
Traven shrugged as his face reddened. Darian shook his head. His master had nearly set the compound ablaze in an effort to impress an elven maiden. He suddenly remembered that the two of them had met before dinner. A suspicion crept into his mind.
“What happened when you and Celeste met earlier?” he asked pointedly. “How long were the two of you alone?”
“Nothing happened,” Traven replied. “We were only alone for a moment or two before your family’s servant showed up to lead me to my room.”
“And nothing happened in that moment or two?” Darian pressed.
“I introduced myself to her, and she asked me to wield the ambience for her.”
“Did you?”
“Yes,” Traven replied. “I created a small flame above my hand.”
“So you started wielding the ambience for a complete stranger the moment you met her? Why would you do that?”
“Why not?” the young wielder responded with another shrug. “An attractive woman asked me to do something, and I did it.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I did feel compelled to go along with her request,” he added thoughtfully. “Is that strange?”
That was it, the word Darian had been looking for. Traven had just said he had felt compelled to do as Celeste had asked. His sweet, little sister had used the compulsion on Traven. No wonder he had tried to impress her just now so recklessly.
“That little vixen,” Darian mumbled under his breath.
“What?” Traven asked.
“Let us sit down,” he said. “You look like you are about to fall over.”
He led Traven inside the house and back into the gallery. Darian ashamedly realized he should have explained all of this to his master before they had even entered the haven. He felt bad that he had not thought of it earlier. The histories told of elven maidens creating all sorts of mischief among human men. At the same time, the histories told of elven maidens confusing the burning devotion with love and seeking the affections of wielders. He should have realized the implications of bringing a young human wielder in contact with elven maidens such as his sister.
“Master, I should have warned you about elven maidens before we entered the haven. I suppose I was more worried about other things at the time. Please forgive me.”
“Warn me about what?” Traven said with a chuckle. “That they are all so beautiful?”
“No,” Darian said with a smile. “If that was all, it would not be such a problem. Elven women posses a certain kind of magic called the compulsion. We do not know why it only manifests itself in the women and not in the men. Regardless, it is much more than the usual sway a beautiful woman can have over a man. We all know men will do strange things when they are in love. The compulsion takes that desire to impress a woman a step further. It clouds the mind of a man and causes him to do almost anything he is asked to.”
“Yes,” Traven replied with a wrinkled brow. “I believe I was feeling that earlier when I met your sister.”
“She should not have used it on you,” Darian stated. “All elves are taught about it when they are young, so it is perfectly acceptable for elven maidens to use it on other elves. However, it is unacceptable to use it on an unsuspecting human. I will rebuke her.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Traven said with a smile. “No harm was done. Now that I know, I’ll recognize it if it happens to me again. Hopefully, I won’t be forced to do anything too crazy.”
“It is easy enough to resist,” Darian continued. “One only has to break eye contact.”
“That’s good to know,” the young wielder responded. “Are there any other magics the elves possess that I should know about?”
“No,” he responded. “You already know all of our natural abilities. Just be wary of the bright eyes of elven maidens.”
“I will,” Traven answered with a smile. “I think I’ll retire to my room for the night. I’m tired and want to be sharp when we meet with the elf king.”
“That is a good idea,” Darian stated. “Be careful with your hammock.”
He watched as Traven chuckled and stood up. The young man’s legs already appeared steadier as he walked towards the door. Traven was about to leave the room when Giselle unexpectedly walked through the door. Darian’s mouth instantly went dry. He had not anticipated seeing her tonight.