War Of The Wildlands (20 page)

D
ashing into
town at top speed, Mi’tal finally arrived back at the palace. Without a
moment’s rest, he stabled his horse and ran into the palace to the prince’s
chambers. Inside, there was only a young page, tending to the prince’s bed
sheets. The boy paused and looked up as Mi’tal burst through the doors without
knocking.

“Where is the prince?” he shouted to the boy.

“He’s at the barracks,
sir, practicing drills with his troops,” the boy replied.

Mi’tal raced off
down the corridor and back outside the palace. The barracks were nearby, but he
was already beginning to tire from his sprint through the palace. Mustering all
of his strength, he raced down the path to the barracks. He could hear the
sound of swords clanging in the rear of the building and made his way to the
source of the noise.

The prince was sparring
with a soldier as Mi’tal arrived. “Your Highness,” he called. “I bring urgent
news.”

Aelryk immediately
lowered his sword and rushed to Mi’tal. His opponent bowed as he walked away.

Moving forward to
meet the prince, Mi’tal said, “The elves have indeed taken Princess Lisalla.
They say there will be no peace until the king is dead.” He made no mention of
his declaration to the elves.

“Was she hurt? Did
you speak to her?” The prince asked hurriedly.

“No, my lord,” he
replied. “I was bound myself and was not given the chance.”

“We must rescue
her,” Aelryk replied. “My father isn’t going to do anything to help. He will
only attack the elves and make her situation worse. If they want my attention,
they’ve got it.”

“What do you
propose for a rescue?” Mi’tal asked.

“I’m not sure,” he
began. “Do you think you can locate their camp again?”

“Yes, my lord, as
long as there isn’t a heavy snowfall. However, I wouldn’t expect them to stay
in the same place. They know I’m aware of their location.”

“Then we’ll have to
act fast before they can move far.” The prince’s dark eyes narrowed as he
asked, “How many soldiers do they have?”

“I couldn’t say for
sure. They made mention of other clans that had joined them, so there could be
many more than there were. If all of the clans have joined forces, our own
numbers could be outmatched. I have no idea how many might dwell west of the
river.”

A guard from the
palace marched purposefully toward the prince and bowed. “Your Highness, the
king has requested your presence in his council chambers.”

With a nod, Aelryk
said, “I’m on my way.” He gestured for Mi’tal to follow him as he walked back
to the palace. He walked slowly, not caring if he kept the king waiting. As
they reached the council chambers, Aelryk said, “Wait here. It shouldn’t be
long.”

Inside the council
chambers, the king sat casually in his high-back chair. The councilors stared
at Aelryk as he entered.

“Now that you’re
here, we can begin,” the king said. “I have received a message from King Olin
of Ra’jhou. He has heard that his daughter was captured by outlaws and is
threatening war with Na’zora if she is harmed. He says we are responsible for
her safety, and if we do not secure her release, he will declare war.”

The councilors
murmured to one another but did not raise their voices loud enough for the king
to hear.

“What are you going
to do about it, Father?” the prince asked.

“Nothing,” he
replied.

The stunned
councilors looked at the king in shock. Glancing at each other, they wondered
which of them would speak first. Failing to find their courage, the men
remained silent.

Staring at the councilors
with contempt, Aelryk said, “I will tell you what these fools will not. You
cannot risk open war with Ra’jhou while you are still fighting with the elves.
What if the elves return Lisalla to Olin in exchange for his alliance?”

“Then I will just
have to crush Ra’jhou as well as those elves,” the king said dismissively. The
threat from Ra’jhou clearly meant nothing to him.

“How do you expect
to win such a fight?” the prince asked.

“I have
reinforcements on the way. They will tip the scale in our favor once and for
all.”

Aelryk had no idea
who the king might be speaking of. “Are you going to elaborate?”

“No,” he replied.
“You’re dismissed.”

“Father-” the
prince began.

Domren cut him off,
shouting, “Dismissed!”

Knocking his chair
over as he stood, the prince replied, “I will find Lisalla, and I will secure
her release. If you continue your reckless fighting, it will be the death of
this kingdom.” He stormed out of the room, leaving the cowardly councilors
behind.

Mi’tal followed the
prince away from the council chambers.

“Could you hear
that?” the prince asked.

“Yes, my lord,” he
replied.

“My father is a
fool,” Aelryk began. “Ra’jhou has a massive army, and they have defeated us in
battle in ages past. Risking war with them is irresponsible. If they ally with
the elves, there may be nothing left of Na’zora or her people.”

Mi’tal nodded
sympathetically. “I agree that is a risk we should not take.”

“We must find
Lisalla and get her to safety before the elves can bargain her to King Olin.
There is no other way.”

“Of course, my
lord,” Mi’tal replied.

“You look like
you’ve ridden through a nightmare, my friend.” The prince managed a weak smile.
“I will have one of my father’s lieutenants prepare my troops and round up as
many mages as he can find. You should go and rest. We’ll head out in the
morning.”

“Do you plan to
attack the elves?” he asked. “They may harm the princess if they see you
coming.”

“They allowed you
to live long enough to speak with them. I’ll have to hope they do the same for
me. I will insist on her release and only attack them if she has been harmed.”

“My lord, I fear you
are risking your future hopes for peace by riding into their forests. Wouldn’t
it be better if you stayed behind?”

“Only Lisalla
matters now. Peace can wait.”

M
aster Eldon led
Yori to the back of the shop where jewels were laid out on white marble tables.
Blades, hilts, and pommels lay strewn about the table in various stages of
completion. “I think you should focus on the simplest gems. Red, blue, green,
and clear is a good start.”

Yori stared up at the elf, a blank look on his
face. He had no idea what Master Eldon meant by the colors.

“Shall we take a step back then?” the elf said,
noticing Yori’s puzzled expression. “You come to me wearing a green robe,
meaning you know a thing or two of earth magic. Your gem of choice would be an
emerald. Red represents fire which would require a ruby. Blue is water and uses
a sapphire. Clear is the air, and it requires a diamond. That being said, there
are all sorts of variants in gem colors, and each has its own purpose. You
should stick to the basics.”

“For now,” Yori replied.

The old elf eyed him curiously. “Indeed.” He
seemed to be considering whether Yori would ever be capable of learning more.
“One thing you should know right away is that any color in between will not
work in the hands of a human or Wild Elf. Those enchantments would be far too
strong for anyone other than an Enlightened Elf to control. Any shade of violet
is going to have the most kick to it. Human mages have died trying to wield the
power locked within those stones.” He shook his head and chuckled to himself.

“So orange, yellow, white, and all the other
colors are off limits?” Yori asked.

“Yes,” Eldon replied. “You will not be able to
enchant your own gems. That is a task for those of us who have spent long years
studying the arcane sciences. Any gem you require will have to be enchanted
here and shipped to you from the isles.”

“You’re assuming I won’t be staying here,” Yori
pointed out.

Laughing, the elf replied, “I know it to be a
fact.” He lifted a ruby from the table and passed it to Yori. “What do you
think of that?”

“It’s hot,” he replied, feeling the heat emitting
from the stone. Holding it up to the light, he inspected its facets. “It’s
beautiful,” he commented.

“Of course it is,” the elf said. “I enchanted it
myself. You can watch as I set it in the hilt I’ve prepared for this sword.”
Taking the gem back, he sat it on the table, his hand hovering slightly above
it. The gem began to glow red, and sparks shot from its center. Untouched, the
gem moved along the table to the hilt of a sword. Extending his other hand
slightly higher than the first, he directed the gem to place itself inside the
hilt of the sword. The metal glowed red for a moment before cooling back to a
silver sheen.

Yori looked at the elf in amazement. “I’ve never
seen anything like that. How did you craft the metal?”

“In nearly the same manner,” Eldon replied. “We
don’t need hammers or forges. We use our own knowledge of the arcane to heat
the metal and shape it to our whim. Few of us are truly masters of this craft.”
He held his head proudly in the air, looking down at Yori.

“How long does it take to learn all of that?” he
asked curiously.

“It can take up to a thousand years to learn the
process correctly,” he replied. “You won’t live that long, I’m afraid.”

“I didn’t know anyone lived that long,” Yori
remarked.

“I am two thousand and four years old. That is
considered elderly among my people. Many are killed by their own experiments or
in disputes with other sorcerers well before they reach my age.”

“Sounds like a dangerous place,” Yori commented.
No sooner had the words escaped his mouth than the ground began to shake
beneath his feet. He looked up at Eldon, his eyes wide with shock. “Did you do
that?”

The old elf laughed again and shook his head. “No,
that was our dear friend Yelaurad. He is mightiest among our gods and lives in
the volcano on the Red Isle.”

“The Red Isle?” Yori asked.

“Yes, it is a barren wasteland of red, scorched
earth. The only thing that lives there is Yelaurad in his volcano. He likes to
send us messages from time to time just to remind us he’s still around. He
belches smoke and rattles the ground. A rather obnoxious sort of god, that
one.” Eldon shrugged and turned his attention back to his work.

“How will I set these gems into the metal without
your magic?” Yori asked.

“That is where the experiment comes in,” the elf
said, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes. “I assume you can read Ancient Elvish.”

Yori nodded, eager to prove his abilities.

“I have some scrolls in my tower that you should
look over. They’re rather elementary in their writing, of course, but I don’t
think that will bother one such as yourself. We use them to teach children, but
perhaps you will find them useful.”

Yori chose not to be insulted by Master Eldon’s
words. He was, after all, a child when it came to learning this new type of
magic. He wasn’t sure he would be able to learn it, but maybe with help from
the runes he could figure out a way.

“You may stay with me during your studies,” Eldon
said. “I have apprentice quarters to spare.” Shooing Yori from the shop, the
old elf turned and cast a spell over it, sealing the entrance with stone.

“I take it you have no use for mechanical locks
around here,” Yori commented.

“No, those would be far too easy to break. It
would take all of a sorcerer’s power to break into my shop, and even then he
would find the weapons inside useless. They will only respond to their master
until I tell them to do otherwise.”

This bit of information intrigued Yori.
Enlightened Elf magic must be entirely different from any magic he would find
in the forests. “With all the power you have, why do you need a conventional
weapon?” he asked.

“We do not have an unlimited supply of power,
though some of us have more than others,” Eldon replied. “A weapon can carry
hefty enchantments that are too draining for a sorcerer to conjure at a
moment’s notice. Also, you wouldn’t want to cast a spell that could drain your entire
magical store. Carrying a sidearm is the best way to go if you fear you may be
attacked.”

“Do attacks happen often?” Yori wondered out loud.

Master Eldon laughed. “All day long, young man.”

He continued to laugh as they made their way down the
street towards one of the stone towers. Each tower looked basically the same to
Yori, and he wondered how people could tell their homes apart. He decided they
must use magic for that as well and entered the tower behind Eldon.

The interior of the tower was breathtaking. The
expanse of the room was surreal. What had seemed like a cold stone spire was
warm and inviting. All around him, he saw ornately carved wooden furniture,
white marble sculptures, and brass lamps shining brightly on every wall.

“There are quarters for you on the seventh floor,”
Eldon said, pointing at the spiral staircase. “Third door on your left. I trust
you can find it yourself. I’ll have one of my apprentices bring you those
scrolls.”

“Thank you,” Yori said as he ascended the stairs.
Arriving at his room, he was once again impressed. It was easily twice the size
of the room at the inn, and it had multiple rooms for his use. There was a
sitting area with tall bookcases lined with hundreds of different books, a
laboratory room with vials, flasks, and all sorts of other equipment, and a
large metal table with a glowing orb at its center. The bedroom held an
enormous bed topped with deep red velvet cushions. Never in his life had he
slept anywhere so fancy. These quarters were finer than any in the king’s
palace in Na’zora.

Setting down his leather bag, he headed to the
window to take in his surroundings. From this height, he could see far into the
distance. The sea lay before him, gleaming in the sunlight. Despite being only
midday, few people could be seen moving about the streets. Perhaps most of them
had returned home already as Master Eldon had done.

A knock sounded from his door, and an elf in a red
robe stepped inside. Under one arm, he clutched several scrolls. “These are for
you,” he said, placing them on the large wooden desk. “Master Eldon says to
tell you a meal will be prepared in the next ten minutes. You’re invited to
join us.” With a huff, the elf turned and exited the room.

“Thanks,” Yori called after him. Clearly not
everyone was thrilled about his presence here, but being snubbed didn’t bother
Yori in the slightest. He had come here to learn, not make friends.