Taylon (3 page)

The wizard fumbled with his hands nervously.
“Well, we were at a crucial part, and I didn’t think a cure for
Lillyworm wart was anything that needed my immediate
attention.”

Snow simply stared at Ynob, a full-blown
you’re-full-of-it
stare. After a long moment, she went back
to chopping an onion. “You’re going. Pack a bag.”

It was Gantha’s turn to stifle a laugh, which
he did with a greater effort when he saw Snow glare at him. The
wizard began to rebuke the order, but Snow’s look cut him off. He
dropped his head and moved to gather things.

Gantha watched him go, and then realized he
should be doing the same. “Oh, and if you don’t hurry you probably
will have to spend the night at Niava’s Niche,” Ra’na said
offhandedly as the elf passed. Gantha’s instant reaction caused the
girls to finally laugh. The elf bolted for his things, knocking a
table, skipping over a bowl on the floor, then ultimately tripped
by a stool.

“Make sure you get there in one piece,” Snow
yelled and giggled again.

***

Kara found the nighttime to be comforting in
Willow Haven. Everything came alive to her after sunset. The glow
bugs appeared out of nowhere, guiding fellow travelers with their
built-in lanterns. Stars decorated the dark sky—and if allowed to,
she would stay there for hours gazing up at them.

Tonight was no different. She lay in the
grass looking skyward. Jesset hadn’t come back yet from his
deliveries. Her father had gone with him. It was nothing too
concerning for her. Sometimes they would stop and talk on end with
friends and neighbors. That was one of the reasons why Kara stopped
accompanying them on their shipments.

It wasn’t that she was a hermit and hated
talking to people; she wanted to be alone and away from the castle
and town life. Too much had changed in the last year; actually, it
wasn’t even a year yet. That thought made her remember even more. A
tear snuck out her left eye and ran into her hair. She let it go,
but then the other eye followed with its own expression of sadness.
Kara sat up and hugged her knees.

The air was suddenly cool, and tugged at her
hair. She rubbed her eyes and looked out along the field. Her eyes
found the graves, two right next to one another. Two great friends
she had only known for a short time.

A horse and cart came rattling down the lane.
Kara quickly swiped at her eyes again, not wanting Jesset or her
father to know, and stood up. Jesset was directing his horse toward
her. He waved, and she ran to meet him.

“Sorry I’m late. Got caught talking again.
Help me put the cart away.”

Her father emerged from the back. “We’ve got
news from the castle.”

It took them five minutes to store the cart
and unhook the horse. Jesset whispered to the animal, it neighed in
response. Her father set a pot of water on the fire for some
tea.

Ruff, ruff, ruff!

Birch ran from somewhere in the woods. He was
into exploring the forest more, rather than hanging out at Kara’s
side. But whenever Jesset was home, Birch was sure to be close
by.

“Hello, Birch. Settle down.” Jesset put out
his hand trying to stop the little dog from springing up and down.
“I did bring you a treat. From the butcher.” He withdrew a bone
freshly cut with flesh still hanging from it. Birch locked his jaws
on it, barked his thanks, and ran off.

“You spoil him too much,” Kara said with a
laugh.

Jesset nodded. “He tells me I spoil
you
too much.”

“I can see that.”

Her father snuck an arm around her to give a
squeeze.

Once they took a seat, a cup of tea each,
Jesset told her of his day. Most were trivial details, but he got
around to the important news he wanted to share.

“Something’s up at the castle. Something’s
different.”

“How do you mean?” Kara leaned in.

“There’s talk about Euphoria going off to
war.” The words came out as if he wasn’t sure they were
correct.

“War? With who?” Concern started to roll into
her words.

“From what my connections say, it’s the
Territories. The other races.” Her father watched for Kara’s
reaction.

Kara sat back, and sipped her tea.
“What?”

Jesset shook his head and laughed. “That
action you just did, with the tea, reminded me of the wizard,
Ynob.” Kara shot a slight disapproving look at him. She hadn’t
cared too much for the wizard, even if he had given almost
everything to save her.

“Is it back?” She asked in a whisper, knowing
Jesset and her father knew to what she referred.

“How can it be? The mirror was broken. Taylon
and the queen were going to dispose of the pieces.”

“Then why this war? That doesn’t sound like
the Euphoria that walked out of here that day. What’s different?”
Kara said. She stared into Jesset’s eyes, hoping to find some
answer, but the old man had nothing. She looked to her father, but
also didn’t find a response.

After another sip of tea, Kara spoke again.
“Should we go find out?”

Jesset thought about this, but shook his head
slowly. “I don’t think we should go to the castle. The army’s
leaving soon, or so I have heard. Maybe we should try to go find
Hambone or Snow. Warn them.” His suggestion was simple. Kara had
been through the death of her mother, a kidnapping, and the death
of two friends. And throughout the whole time she had been at
Willow Haven, she spoke very little of any of it.

Kara sat back and pondered the situation. She
now had a mixture of emotions to sort through. Her uncle watched
and waited. “Okay.” The word felt like a boulder, but she had
decided. This time in the Territories, she would be with family at
least, and her friends again.

She just hoped what she dreaded was not true.
But something told her it was so.

Chapter Three

The whole spire was in an uproar that
morning, even Lachad. Perhaps it was because the council was
meeting and they were shy two members. Ever since the prophecy, the
citizens of Shalaydis had been on edge not knowing what to believe
or trust. Was this just some silly political game, or was the
dooming prediction true? The elves did not know, but it only took
the elf mind a day to put trifle things aside and deal with the
tasks at hand.

“Where is he? And for that matter, where is
Da’Lynn?” Barth burst through the doors unceremoniously. He made
his way to his chair and sat down like a stubborn child. Currently
in the room, Lachad, councilman for the Wuiltrea Tribe, lounged in
a chair looking bored. The head of the council, Outhsola, remained
at peace.

“Patience,” was all Outhsola said. He sat
there calmly as if all was right in the world. Barth could not be
still.

They waited, but Lachad spoke up. “Should we
not talk of the rumors about the humans?”

Barth sat up and looked at Lachad and then at
Outhsola. “What rumors are these that they need to concern the
council?”

“Patience.” The leader’s tone was the same,
but came with a stern underlying message to obey. Barth sat back,
knowing his place.

A knock came at the door, and an elfin guard
entered. He bent and whispered something to Outhsola, waited for a
reply, and then exited. When the guard left, Outhsola unfolded his
arms and spoke.

“They are here. Gantha has sent word he just
entered the city.”

“And Da’Lynn?” Barth asked, but the doors
burst open. All members of the table looked at the party that
entered.

“Present.” Behind her, Katrena brought Fret
in followed by another elf, hooded and head bent low.

Barth’s outrage showed upon his face, but
Lachad spoke up. “This is highly irregular to have outsiders in our
council meetings.” He blurted out trying not to sound rude.

Outhsola waved a hand at him. “Da’Lynn, we
welcome your guests. I see your daughter is of your essence.”

Katrena bowed her head, accepting the
complement.

“But why this human?” Barth asked, his words
dripped with hate.

Da’Lynn smiled as she made her way around the
table. “I found us a human prophet to train in the Palace of
Nine.”

Lachad gasped, unable to stop himself. Barth
chuckled. “A human prophet? And why would we allow it into the
sacred palace?”

Before Outhsola could interject, Da’Lynn
stopped the leader. “If I may address his concern?” Outhsola
nodded. She turned back to Barth. Her eyes showed a bit of
malevolent enjoyment that angered Lachad even more. “Because, this
boy will be our salvation from the prophecy.”

“Again, where is the proof? You speak a good
game, but how can this mere human be our savior?”

Lachad watched as Da’Lynn walked behind
Barth. She bent down low. “He wears the ring the prophecies spoke
of.”

On cue, Katrena raised Fret’s hand for all to
see. A gold ornate ring shone from his index finger. Light
reflected back from it in flashes of brilliance dipped in
shadow.

The table was silent as all looked at the
boy’s hand. Lachad looked on dumbfounded, while Barth still
appeared to hold his contempt. Outhsola was emotionless. No one
spoke, at least for the moment.

“What trick is this? So the human has a ring.
A little elfin magic to sparkle it up. Make it
mystical
.
That is no proof to allow this outsider in.” Barth scoffed as he
turned to look at Outhsola for some confirmation. The leader did
look at Barth but said nothing, only listened.

Da’Lynn straightened, clearly unhappy with
Barth’s mocking. Her smile still graced her lips. Just as she was
ready to speak, the doors opened. Gantha walked in, head down. The
wizard was still in the hallway.

“I’m sorry I’m late, but I do bring good
news. I brought the wizard…” He stopped as he ran into Da’Lynn’s
hooded servant.

As soon as the doors opened, a human dressed
in odd robes—the referenced wizard, Lachad assumed—drew back, his
hands raising, his face filled with surprise and determination. He
locked eyes with Da’Lynn, surprise filling his, while anger and
bloodlust filled hers.

Her hand came down upon Barth’s shoulder
quickly, and from her side she drew a knife.

“Fool!” All happened so quickly, no one had a
chance to react. Da’Lynn slit Barth’s throat, a spray of elf blood
coating the table and Lachad. Her hooded servant cried out as well,
throwing back the disguise.

“Kerlick.” It was the first reaction to come
out of Outhsola.

Ynob shouted something that was lost in
Lachad’s cry. The wizard quickly began chanting. Kerlick threw
Gantha to the ground as he rushed toward the fallen Councilman.

Da’Lynn laughed. She licked the knife’s blade
before throwing it at Lachad. It pinned him to his chair by his
clothes. He cried out, flailing his arms and legs wildly. Outhsola
rocked back in his seat, chanting.

Gantha began to rise, when a bolt of
lightning sizzled through the air above him. He quickly dropped
back down to the ground.

“Gantha, stay down.” Ynob yelled as he
conjured a fireball. It flew at Da’Lynn, who easily sidestepped the
blast. The spell struck a nearby chair, turning it into flaming
shrapnel. One fiery piece hit Fret’s upper arm where Katrena
gripped him.

Katrena let go of the human. Fret screamed,
and ran blindly into the chaos. His shirt started to smolder as he
ran from the room.

“I have no time for you, wizard.” Da’Lynn
waved her arms and the doors slammed shut. She quickly turned her
attention to Outhsola. “Give me the pass I need, old man.”

Outhsola finished his chant moments before.
He sat, placid in the chair even though lines of worry and fear
told a different story. A smile, ever so slight slid among the age
lines. “It is too late. The Palace of Nine is locked.”

Da’Lynn stalked toward the leader. His hands
went up in a feeble protest, but her hands grasped the side of his
head. There was a twisting snap.

Da’Lynn stood there, panting, holding the
leader’s head. She quickly fed upon Outhsola. Minutes later,
nothing remained but a pile of clothing.

Kerlick still clutched the fallen body of
Barth. Katrena stood frozen in the corner. The remaining council
member stared on in complete horror.

Lachad watched as Kerlick slipped against the
wall. Katrena’s passive demeanor changed to one of shock. The
Councilman glanced back toward Da’Lynn. She closed her eyes,
standing a little straighter. Instantly, Kerlick stood, and
Katrena’s terrified look disappeared.

“We must prepare for the guards. I will need
to recharge.” Da’Lynn placed her hand over Lachad. His scream never
came.

***

After his fireball, the wizard simply ran.
Gantha wasn’t too far behind. At least he was on the outside of the
meeting room doors. He wasn’t too sure what was happening, but if
the wizard was running from it, then it had to be bad. He heard the
creature, the wraith, yell something and slam the doors but he was
too busy descending the steps to care. As the elf was getting to
his feet, the boy ran by screaming, his shirt smoking.

Smoke made his next move for him. As he
turned, the human was running in circles, accidentally encouraging
the ember on his shirt. A small fire appeared, and then a much
larger one. Gantha quickly went in to smother that flame. He
tackled the boy to the ground, in an attempt to choke the fire.
Unluckily, a smoldering sleeve came too close to an old tapestry on
the wall. Old and slightly decaying, the fabric caught instantly.
Gantha gasped and pulled the boy to the floor. The shirt fire went
out after a couple of rolls on the ground.

Gantha stood, and picked up the uncooperative
boy who was still in a bit of a panic.

“Are you…okay?” Gantha asked panting a
bit.

“Uh…ahhh….”

“We’ll get you fixed up, but we’ve got to
go.”