Richard Tuttle - Elvangar

When another hail of arrows ripped through the trees, the elves responded with arrows of their own. Two screams came from the forest followed by a number of shouts and the sounds of movement. The sounds grew dimmer.

“They are running away,” shouted Eltor. “Let’s track them.”

“No,” groaned Emperor Marak as he rolled over and stared up at Mistake and MistyTrail. “Tell the elves to stay here.”

“Eltor! Caldal!” shouted Mistake. “Come here quickly.”

The elves halted. The looked first at Mistake and then locked eyes with each other. Eltor finally shrugged and walked towards Mistake. Caldal followed his example.

“Why would you not let us track them?” asked Eltor.

“Because they would lay a trap for you,” the Emperor said as he sat up. “I want the two of you alive to return to Elvangar.”

“How is it that you survived the attack?” asked Caldal. “I saw you struck down by two arrows.”

The Emperor smiled and extended his arm towards Caldal. The elf grabbed the arm and pulled the Emperor to his feet. Gunta and Halman were also getting up and standing.

“The thin cloth that you wear under your tunic is armor,” smiled the Emperor. “It has tremendous abilities in stopping most attacks to the torso.”

“That thin black cloth?” frowned Caldal. “You can’t be serious. That stopped the arrows?”

“I am sure that I have a couple of puncture wounds in my back,” nodded the Emperor, “but no serious damage was done. It sure does hurt, though. I won’t mind a night in a nice bed.”

“That is amazing,” remarked Eltor. “Maybe we should put ours on,” he added as he looked at Caldal.

The Emperor looked from Caldal to Eltor and frowned. “You aren’t wearing yours?”

“We thought it was some human fetish,” Eltor shrugged embarrassingly. “We didn’t know it was armor. How can it protect you and still be so light?”

“It is made of Tyrik silk,” explained the Emperor. “It is then coated with carganite. Not much gets through it.”

“The Chula ran off during the fight,” frowned Caldal as he sought to provide a distraction from his embarrassment. “I guess that is to be expected from one who hides his face.”

“He is trying to capture our horses before they scatter,” explained the Emperor. “Without them, we are truly dead. The enemy would have time to congregate and greatly outnumber us. Do not make the mistake of thinking that Axor is a coward. You will find that Chula shamans are capable of great feats of destruction. As for hiding his face, someday you will learn why. Let’s walk towards the inn. I am sure that Axor will be along shortly with our horses.”

“What about the enemy?” asked Eltor. “We killed a couple of them I am sure of it. Shouldn’t we search the bodies?”

“You can try if you wish,” shrugged the Emperor, “but I doubt that you will find any bodies. Even if you killed them, they will rise again.”

“Hellsouls?” frowned Mistake.

“Hellsouls,” nodded Emperor Marak. “I had word before leaving Khadoratung that thousands of them are being shipped out of Motanga. This will not be the last attack upon us. Somehow Vand must know that I am making this trip.”

“Couldn’t it just be some stray Jiadin?” asked Mistake.

“There are stray Jiadin that could be bandits,” shrugged the Emperor, “but I doubt that they would waste their time attacking eight people who carry no goods. The Jiadin would also prefer to attack on horseback. That is the favored method of fighting in Fakara.”

“You are right,” nodded Mistake. “Jiadin would not hide in the woods and attack from a distance. They would charge down the trail with their swords raised high. It is a cultural thing.”

“One I hope to change before Vand arrives,” smiled the Emperor as Axor came into view and rode towards them.

“I was not able to capture them all,” apologized Axor. “Two of us will have to double up.”

“My horse was struck with an arrow,” offered MistyTrail. “I will ride double with Caldal.”

Emperor Marak and his party arrived at the Western Woods Inn slightly after dusk. Gunta and Halman dismounted and swept into the inn while everyone else waited. A few moments later the two Torak soldiers emerged and nodded their approval.

“There are no other guests this night,” Gunta reported. “The innkeeper is actually quite excited to have company. Halman and I will care for the horses.”

The party dismounted and entered the inn while Halman and Gunta took the horses around to the stables. The innkeeper and two serving girls stood in the common room waiting for the guests.

“My name is Crawford,” the innkeeper announced cheerily as the guests entered the common room. “Do you require rooms for the night?”

“Four private rooms if they are available,” answered the Emperor.

“Not a soul around tonight,” smiled Crawford. “You can have your pick of the lot. All rooms are sparkling clean as the inn is quite new.”

Emperor Marak smiled at the old man and handed him a small pouch of gold.

“Take what is customary,” the Emperor said. “You must lead a boring life out here on the frontier without customers. Do you like it?”

The innkeeper opened the pouch and extracted four gold coins. He held them up one at a time so that the customer could see how much he was charging for the rooms.

“I like it very much,” answered the innkeeper. “I like the solitude, and I also enjoy the occasional company that comes along. I used to serve under Yojji in the Kheri tribe. After the battle at the Valley of Bones, I realized that I was getting on in years. I can’t fight as I used to. Besides, the days of warfare are over.”

“Did you take enough for eight meals?” asked Emperor Marak. “We are looking forward to sampling your cooking.”

“One gold apiece for two in a room,” nodded the innkeeper. “That includes two meals, the evening meal and the morning meal. If you are wanting trail rations when you leave, that will be extra.”

“Your prices are reasonable,” nodded the Emperor. “We shall sit down and unwind while you prepare the meals.”

“You have a choice,” Crawford said as he walked to the tables and waved his hand as if ushering his customers to their seats. “We have fresh wasooki and clova. Both come with a bowl of vegetable soup and bread. Pitchers of ale are included unless you consume a great deal.”

Emperor Marak slid along a bench at the farthest table from the kitchen. He sat in the corner with his back to the wall as others in the party sat down. Axor sat directly across from the Emperor, while the other four sat at the open end of the table to leave room for Gunta and Halman nearer the Emperor.

“How can you make a fair profit at such prices?” he asked the innkeeper. “In Khadora the tally would be much higher.”

“It is what Rejji has demanded,” answered Crawford. “Fakara has had little in the way of inns. Most travelers still choose to camp along the way, but Rejji wants Fakara to grow into a traveler-friendly place. He keeps the prices low to encourage travelers to get used to staying at the inns. He currently provides gold to the girls and me each month so that we can keep the prices low. When things pick up, we will be free to raise our prices sufficient to survive on the travelers.”

“Clever,” grinned the Emperor. “I think I will have the wasooki.”

Halman and Gunta arrived before the innkeeper had finished taking everyone’s orders. One of the girls brought two pitchers of ale to the table, and the other brought eight mugs. Caldal looked across the table at Axor. The Chula shaman sat silently, his hood still covering his face.