Richard Tuttle - Elvangar

“Are you telling me that my advice is rejected even though he knows that I am right?” asked the dark mage.

“Vand doesn’t want your advice,” replied Lady Mystic. “He wants you to be excited about his projects. Oh, your advice might be desirable when it conflicts with his other advisors as that makes for an interesting exchange, but he will not alter his methods because you think your ways are better.”

“So he is going to send these thousands of hellsouls to the mainland just for excitement?” questioned Aakuta.

“Mostly,” nodded Lady Mystic. “Oh, Clarvoy will make good use of them no doubt, but it is the excitement Vand desires. Think about it. It is really a brilliant plan. Thousands of assassins roaming the mainland causing death and destruction, and they will not be able to be killed. Imagine the havoc this will cause. It almost makes me want to go and watch.”

“How does Vand get his excitement from this?” inquired Aakuta. “What gain does he get when he cannot witness the havoc?”

“He can somehow,” frowned Lady Mystic. “I do not understand it, but he has a way of seeing what happens. I think he gets visions in that chamber behind the throne room. How the visions come, or how accurate they are, is unknown to me, but he usually has a good feel for what is going on in the mainland.”

“Interesting,” mused Aakuta. “I truly wonder what exists in there.”

“Do not even think about it,” warned Lady Mystic. “You saw what happened to the commander. Your curiosity will be your death, or worse.”

* * *

Rhoda rose from her bed at Raven’s Point and walked to the window. The breeze was coming off the ocean as she leaned out the window. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes as the wind gently blew her long black hair back into the room. As an air mage, Rhoda loved the feel of the wind upon her face. She remained frozen for several minutes as she felt the soft caress of the breeze. Eventually, she opened her eyes and stared into the predawn darkness. The stars overhead twinkled brightly, but she could smell the faint tinge of fog in the air. She pulled back from the window and slipped on a robe.

Rhoda padded softly through the mansion so as not to disturb those who were still sleeping. She nodded to the sentries at the rear door of the mansion, as she did every morning, and pranced out into the darkness. She raced down to the waterfront and ran along the wooden boulevard until it ended. As she leaped onto the sandy beach, she felt the soft sand flow over her toes. She squealed softly with joy as she ran along the beach, away from the mansion. When she reached her favorite cove, she halted and spun in a circle, letting her arms fly out from her sides.

She inhaled deeply again and closed her eyes. The breeze was almost nonexistent in the cove and a frown fell over her face. As an air mage, she loved the feel of the wind. She stared upward and could not see the stars. The smell of fog was strong, and she looked down and gazed upon the sea. She could just make out some wisps of fog just offshore. She sighed with resignation and began to take off her robe for her morning dip.

A foreign sound echoed softly through the fog, and Rhoda froze. She tilted her head as if to hear better, but the sound was already gone. She remained unmoving for several long moments, hoping to hear it again.

Suddenly, she heard the air ripping apart to her right. She whirled to face the noise, her mouth opening to scream, but it was too late. The freeze ball slammed into the air mage, instantly halting any movement. Her open eyes stared through the ice as she watched helplessly. Several men dressed in dark colors ran towards her. She could barely make out the shapes moving in the darkness, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Four men seized her frozen frame and lifted it off the beach. They carried her swiftly along the beach to a waiting boat. She saw two other men already in the boat as her capturers lowered her to the floor. The sounds that filtered through the ice were grossly distorted. The men spoke briefly, but she could not understand what they were saying. What she did understand was that her life was about to change, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

* * *

“Great shot!” congratulated Huckel. “Both of you are excellent archers.”

“It was a fair shot,” grumbled Caldal as he held the bow away from himself and stared at it. “If you humans had a decent bow, I would show you what an elf could do.”

“If you can tell me how to make a better bow,” offered the Khadoran trainer, “I would have on made for you.”

“These bows will do,” replied Caldal with a shake of his head.

“Aye,” nodded Huckel, “you do well with them. Anyway, it is time for you to head up to the Emperor’s office. “Come back when you have time. I would like to learn how you shoot so well.”

Caldal did not reply as he turned and strode off. Eltor ran to catch up to him.

“Why were you so cold to Huckel?” asked Eltor. “He was kind enough to you.”

“He just wants to learn our elven secrets,” scowled Caldal. “I will tell these humans nothing.”

“Your mind creates enemies where none exist,” scolded Eltor. “These humans do not hate us, and Huckel was just genuinely interested. He was not trying to pry secrets out of you when he offered to make you a bow. He was trying to please you.”

“And what about learning our secrets of accuracy?” retorted Caldal. “You heard him say that he wants to learn how we do it.”

“Of course he does,” Eltor shook his head in frustration. “If you saw someone doing something better than you, wouldn’t you want to learn how it was done? Huckel trains soldiers from all over Khadora. If he can learn better ways of doing something, he is eager to do so. I admire him for that. He really cares about teaching his men the best that he can. Your rudeness to him was insulting.”

“Insulting?” balked Caldal as he halted outside the rear door to the Imperial Palace. “How did I insult him?”

“You insulted me,” Eltor corrected. “After your performance towards him, I am ashamed to be known as an elf. I can only imagine what that man thinks of us now. I suppose he will see all elves as being rude, arrogant, and egotistical.”

“What does it matter what he thinks?” shrugged Caldal. “It is against the law to interact with humans. We are not supposed to be here, and he will never be allowed into Elvangar. Who cares what a human thinks of us?”

“I care,” admitted Eltor. “I know the hatred that was shown to us by the humans of Motanga, but we have seen none of that here in Khadora. In fact, just the opposite is true. Emperor Marak has opened up his palace to us. Our every request is instantly fulfilled. He has given us fine animal-skin clothes and weapons to call our own. Even though you attacked him when we first met, he lets us go armed and unescorted. That is not the mindset of an enemy.”

“But the law…” Caldal began.

“I know the law,” Eltor shouted. “The law also said that we were forbidden to pass the Barrier Islands,” he added more calmly, “but we did so knowingly. Do not hold up the law to me when you willingly break the portions that you want to. We will already face punishment when we return to Elvangar. I will not mistreat these humans for fear of the punishment that I will receive. In fact, I want to learn what I can from them. This is a golden opportunity, Caldal. No one in our lifetime has interacted with these humans. Their entire understanding of elves will be based upon what you and I do here. Do you really wish to create more enemies for our people?”

“But they are humans,” frowned Caldal. “There will never be any relations between them and our people.”