Post by Alfreya on Oct 23, 2007 8:00:44 GMT -7
More of Elinea's creative writing !!
WARNING !! Reading of this material can be ADDICTIVE !!!
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Captives of Freeport – Chapter II – The Hunt (Part 1)
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The sun had not quite set in the Norrathian sky. Drinal had not yet risen. Evening Faydark sounds were just starting. And the twilight bats were starting their first meal forays of the night. A peaceful spring night was settling in on Felwithe. At the gates, the torches had long been lit and the evening changing of the guard had just taken place. There, in the ornate gate entrance, a father and daughter appeared.
He was tall for a Koada'Dal. With his red hair tied back, he was the picture of Felwithe pride in his High Council robe. The girl looked up at him. She was petite and had the same medium red hair of her father that she wore pulled back in a long braid. Soft sky blue eyes looked up at him. He looked down at his young only daughter, took a deep breath as he looked up again, and nodded to the guards.
The pair walked to the edge of the entrance, just as the forest met the outer border of the gate, and stopped. There was silence between them until her father spoke.
"Elinea, I have something I need to talk to you about. I would like you to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I tell you to do." He handed her a small package which she took with a question in her eyes. "Now before you ask any questions, first, just listen to me. We haven't much time."
Her father pulled something from out of the inside of his robe and gave it to her. It was a small paper wrapped package, inside which lay a small ornate gold hair comb.
"This was your Great Grandmother Einelinea's. I never saw her when she was not wearing it. It's not valuable. There are hundreds of them in Felwithe just like it, but this one was hers. She wished the first girl born in our family to have it. It has taken three generations after her to have that girl. Her only other requirement was that you be 'old enough to appreciate it' as she told me when she gave it to me for safe keeping."
"I believe you are old enough now."
There was a quiet time between them. Elinea knew her father wasn't finished, and she waited.
"I remember the first day she saw you and held you. She looked at you--then up at me----then back to you again. She did a curious thing after that. She said something to you in Old Elvish. Later, when I asked her later what she had said, she relied 'Grandson,' (I always knew I was in for a lecture when she called me 'Grandson') that is between Elinea and I; it is none of your concern.' That was the end of the conversation."
"Elinea, if a path of a wizard is the one you choose, like your great grandmother, then you must know and follow their code of honor."
Her father turned now and faced her.
"A wizard never kills for killing's sake. He never goes out of his way to seek a fight; but if one presents itself, he does not run. He will defend himself, and his comrades, to the death if needed. Again, let me restate this, Elinea; a wizard never, ever uses his power to kill others except in self defence or in defence of others. To do any other thing would make him something other than a wizard. No True Wizard would break this code."
When he finished, he stopped:
"Do you understand how important it is to follow these rules?"
"Yes, father." She replied.
"Good." He reached into his robe and brought out an envelope.
Elinea recognized the stationary. It was his own he used for council business. He held the letter for a moment and then handed it to her.
"This is a very important letter, my daughter. Listen to me very carefully and do exactly as I tell you to do. Understood?"
"Yes sir."
"You have always been the most obedient of my children. I expect you to be so about about this."
He waited for the nod of Elinea's head, and then went on.
"I do not wish you to open this letter until you turn fifty seasons, is that clear?"
"Father!"
"Elinea, I don't need any arguments. Time is running short. You are not to open this letter until you are fifty seasons and not a day before."
"Father, fifty seasons is forever!"
"Yes. I know. It seems like forever, but believe me, it isn't."
She lowered her head and whispered, "I won't open it until I am fifty seasons. I promise." She put the letter inside the small pack her father had given her earlier and looked up at him again. When she looked back up, he was staring off into the forest.
"Elinea, you are to leave Felwithe. Now. I don't wish to have any arguments from you. Leave and go to Qeynos. Go there as fast as you can, don't stop."
She started to protest, but he stopped her, "No arguments! Be an obedient daughter and go."
There was only the briefest hesitation in her actions. Then she seemed to make herself taller and started walking out into the Faydark. She had only gone a short way into the forest, when she turned around for one more look at her home and her father. But he was no longer there. He was already gone. It was then that she realized that there was no going home. She would never go through those gates again. Her life as she knew it had taken a definite turn.
Elinea stood and looked toward the Felwithe gate for a few moments, then turned and faced the forest of the Faydark. The fog was beginning to set in and the only light was that coming from the smaller of Norrath's two moons, Drinal. Even the shadow of the long ago lost moon of Luclin was nowhere in the sky. It was one of the darkest nights she could ever remember.
The orcs would be out soon and Elinea knew traveling at night was going to take alll her knowledge of the forest and hiding skills she could come up with and use. Hiding in the Faydark was a talent all elven children learned early on from playing games. But she knew this time was different; this was no game. The Rending and the Great Cataclysms had sealed off the pass through the Butcherblocks long ago; with no access to Kaladim and the docks there, she was going to have to find another way off of Faydwer. She decided the best and safest way to do so was to go toward Kelethin, which she had gone to many times with her father, and then towards the coast to catch a ship taking on fresh water.
Further into the Faydark, Gerrath's men, now divided into two separate groups, were on their way to Felwithe and Kelethin. The party led by Gerrath was on its way to the Koada'Dal city. The other half of his men, led by his trusted second-in-command Arroc, was on its way to the Feir'Dal city. Both parties were accompanied by two Teir'Dal advisors and a healer. Neither Arroc nor Gerrath had approved of this idea, but knew their presence was unfortunately necessary. The advisors were there as a contact with Lucan's 'office'. They guided the parties to the girls. The healers, of course, were there in case of an accident. The agreed upon plan was to split up, capture the girls, and get back to the ship and home to Freeport.
"Simple enough." Gerrath had thought.
So far the only unpleasant aspect of their mission was the presence of the dark elves and the ocean voyage itself. On solid ground once more, Gerrath could put some space between himself and his advisors. The ship had been a bit too close. Not unpleasant as voyages went, but he was not particularly fond of the ocean, or the Teir'Dal. Gerrath's instructions were that the advisors were in charge of locating and guiding. Gerrath had, of course, gone along with this idea for the sake of his standing with His Lordship, but he was not happy about it. Being the good soldier he was though, he always followed his orders. He had decided the fight just wasn't worth the time or effort; not at this time anyway. So far they had not interfered with the command of his unit, and as long as it stayed that way.....
Gerrath's thoughts were abruptly invaded by a voice beside him......
"Commander."
Gerrath stopped and turned to face the head advisor, Zocien.
"Yes, what is it?"
"There has been an update on the girls location."
"Update?"
"Yes commander. It seems that both of them have left their respective home cities and are now in the Faydark."
"Sounds as if someone knew we were coming."
"No one knew, commander."
"Two girls alone and untrained, in the Faydark at night; sounds very likely someone told them to leave. Sounds as if you've underestimated the girls, Zocien."
It was a few moments before the advisor replied. "We have underestimated no one, commander. Least of all two untrained girls."
"So we stay split up into two parties. Agreed Zocien? One to find the Koada'Dal girl and the other is to locate the Feir'Dal girl."
"That would seem the logical thing to do, commander. Hopefully finding them before they find each other and 'team up' so to speak. Separate, they will be much more vulnerable. There is strength in numbers, commander. Even as small a number as two."
The fog had gotten thicker, and it was getting harder for Elinea to see in front of her. She stayed to the familiar path as best she could, but without a torch to guide her, it wasn't easy. "A torch would have been a bad idea anyway, it would only attract the Orcs." She stopped and realized that her voice was the only sound she heard; nothing else. There were none of the usual forest sounds she had grown up with hearing all her life.
She had seen a few Orc scouts out---not an uncommon site for the Faydark. She hadn't seen enough to alarm her, but she knew that sometimes they would go out and try to raid the Kelethin gates in numbers of three or more. Elinea was more afraid of the basiliks in the Faydark. They were lower to the ground and hard to see. With the ability to stun, they were just as dangerous as the Orcs and possibly even meaner. Suddenly, she heard a sound ---- a faint rustling and a smell. Orcs. Elinea froze and then dropped to the ground and rolled down into the nearest small ravine-like depression, quickly covering herself up with plant debris.
The smell of smoke and Orcs; they came. Elinea tried to count how many there were, but there were just too many, the most she had ever seen at one time. They were moving very fast, almost running. "Something must be making them run like that, " she thought. Suddenly a few stopped; and then more, right above where Elinea was hiding in the depression.
For what seemed a very long time, they stood over where she lay, and talked. Elinea understood none of it of course, but they seemed to be arguing. She lay absolutely still and almost quit breathing altogether. Then as suddenly, they moved on and and started to run again. The last ones were running by and she lifted up her head to see if she could tell the direction they were going in. They were going to where she had come from; back toward home, toward Felwithe. "No, not Felwithe!", she screamed in her head. Elinea jumped up and started to react to her first instinct---go back home. But she stopped and had time to remember what her eldest brother, Jerek, had told her years before; "Orcs always leave a few stragglers behind the main group to catch any prey that might have been hiding from the main hunting party. So remember Eli, if you see a hunting party, hide and then wait for the stragglers to go by before you get up and go on." She did as her brother had taught her, and got back into the safety of the ravine.
As Jerek had told her, a few minutes later, three more orcs came by; again stopping right beside where Elinea had hidden herself. "That's very strange. Two groups stopping right here by me", she thought.
While she lay there waiting for the Orcs to leave, she had some time to think about what she was going to do next. It was best to stay as far away from Felwithe as she could; taking the long way to Kelethin. This meant staying out in the forest more than she would have liked, but there was no other alternative Elinea could see at this time. After a few more minutes, and after the Orcs had been gone for awhile; she got up and went on, heading out to the forest with the idea of circling back to Kelethin.
She had gone quite a ways in to the forest, when she heard fighting. "Orcs; not again....", a mental sigh slipping through her thoughts. But the next sound was different, very different. A loud painful scream and then silence---Elinea knew someone was in trouble and started to run toward the sound.
Just as she reached the source, a sharp pain went through the back of her neck and she collapsed. She turned over to her back and looked up into the face of a very large Orc warrior. He had an ax poised above her head and a smile on his face.
The next thing Elinea knew, he was dead; killed by a lighting bolt of some kind that came out of no where. Or so it seemed to her, because all she could understand was that she had raised her hand in an instinctual gesture of defence and saw a bright light. The next thing she saw was a dead warrior and nothing else. No one else was there, but the Orc's companion standing over a Feir'Dal girl about Elinea's age.
The Orc had her pinned down in a small depression. She was in obvious pain and holding her ankle, but she was still alive. However, her captor had a large ax above her head also. The Orc was speaking to someone in his language,and suddenly realized his friend wasn't answering his questions. He turned to find him dead,noticed Elinea and came toward her with his ax ready. Instinct took over; Elinea looked at the Orc face to face and then casted. She didn't really think about what she was doing, but it worked. A very large lighting bolt seemed to come out of nowhere again, and struck the Orc. He was knocked to the ground, but still alive. He came toward her again. This time she understood a little more and again casted. This time had a little more purpose. The bolt hit him, he crumbled to the ground and didn't move.
Elinea walked over to the other girl and knelt down. The Feir'Dal girl was silently rubing her right ankle and had a large laceration on her forehead.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what I mean; the lightening thing."
Elinea was silent for a moment; "I'm not sure exactly. It just kind of happened."
"What do you mean it 'just happened'? I don't know much about it, but one doesn't cast lightening and not know how they did it."
Elinea's temper was begining to flare some, "Look,I just got the Orcs off of you and almost got killed myself. You're not exactly in a position to complain or fuss. What does it matter if I don't know how I did it? I did it. Besides, what are you doing out in the Faydark anyway?"
The other girl was thoughtful for a moment and then replied; "I don't really think it's any of your business, but my mother told me to leave Kelethin and go to Qeynos."
Elinea's temper was about to lose it's control; "Alright, so that's the way it's going to be, fine. Just be obstinate. I just happen to be going to Qeynos too. If you hadn't been so rude, I'd say let's travel together. But I won't ask now. Stay here and be Orc food; I'm leaving."
Elinea got up, turned and walked off. She suddenly stopped, gave a sigh, and turned back around: "Look, I'm sorry. This is ridiculous. We're both going to Qeynos and we need each other for some small protection of some sort. It'll be safer if we go together. Agreed?"
There was an uncomfortable silence between them -- then Elinea bent back down, put out her right hand in a gesture of friendship and spoke again; "By the way, the name's Elinea."
Blue/green eyes that were a shade darker than Elinea's looked up and she quit rubbing her ankle; her hand went out, "Kaefir. And yes you're probably right, two travelers together are definitley safer."
"Right then, let's go before the Orcs wonder where their friends have gone to and come to look for them." Elinea stood and continued to hold out her hand to help Kaefir up.
"Umm, that's a problem. I can't walk."
"Oh, that's just great. You sure? Have you tried?"
"No, I've just been sitting in this hole here waiting for the Orcs to kill me--course I've tried. Trust me, it's not going to happen."
"Try again -- come on; I'm just a stubborn, stupid high elf, you know. Humor me."
Kaefir looked at Elinea with tired eyes, "Well, if you wish to waste your time and if you insist...." She took Elinea's hand and stood up on both feet. A look of amazed surprise crossed her face. "I don't know....this isn't right."
"What?" asked Elinea
"There's no pain, it's gone. I promise, I couldn't stand up before." Kaefir replied
"Oh well, you mean it's gone now? How did you do that?"
"Elinea, I didn't do it."
"You must have because I cast, I don't heal. You mean you don't know how you did it?" Elinea asked.
"Ok,I did it,I must have. Maybe when I rubbed my ankle? Humm, well ok let's just say we seem to have gifts we didn't realize till now. Kind of scary."
Elinea's face lit up in an amused smile. "Oh, now you see how I felt. Scary is definitely the word here, Kaefir. Not sure I like this gift either. Ok, let's get out of here. Now."
The party from Freeport had stopped to rest, and to give the advisors time to 'meditate'. "Whatever that is supposed to mean....." Gerrath thought. He was truly begining to have had enough of the Teir'Dal input on this mission. Just then he heard a rustle and saw his second in command, Arroc, come through the trees with the other half of the party.
"
They say they need to 'meditate', commander."
"Yes Arroc, I know. Teir'Dal and their ways....." his voiced trailed off to a quiet whisper.
The silence was finally broken by Zocien, "Commander, the targets have apparently found each other and are now traveling together."
"Not a very good development, Zocien."
"No Commander Gerrath, it is not. But we will have to deal with it now."
"Then the two parties are staying as one; we hunt them together."
Elinea and Kaefir had been traveling for some time and had gotten to know each other a little better. The tension between them had gone and they could now even enjoy each other's company.
"Have you noticed how quiet this night has been, Eli?" Kaefir inquired.
"Yes, way too quiet. Really kind of scary, like something is waiting to happen." Elinea looked over at Kaefir and noticed she had stopped and was looking at her very strangely. "Yes I know, strange observation, but it's just too quiet, Kae."
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(see next post for continuation)
WARNING !! Reading of this material can be ADDICTIVE !!!
________________________________________________
Captives of Freeport – Chapter II – The Hunt (Part 1)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun had not quite set in the Norrathian sky. Drinal had not yet risen. Evening Faydark sounds were just starting. And the twilight bats were starting their first meal forays of the night. A peaceful spring night was settling in on Felwithe. At the gates, the torches had long been lit and the evening changing of the guard had just taken place. There, in the ornate gate entrance, a father and daughter appeared.
He was tall for a Koada'Dal. With his red hair tied back, he was the picture of Felwithe pride in his High Council robe. The girl looked up at him. She was petite and had the same medium red hair of her father that she wore pulled back in a long braid. Soft sky blue eyes looked up at him. He looked down at his young only daughter, took a deep breath as he looked up again, and nodded to the guards.
The pair walked to the edge of the entrance, just as the forest met the outer border of the gate, and stopped. There was silence between them until her father spoke.
"Elinea, I have something I need to talk to you about. I would like you to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I tell you to do." He handed her a small package which she took with a question in her eyes. "Now before you ask any questions, first, just listen to me. We haven't much time."
Her father pulled something from out of the inside of his robe and gave it to her. It was a small paper wrapped package, inside which lay a small ornate gold hair comb.
"This was your Great Grandmother Einelinea's. I never saw her when she was not wearing it. It's not valuable. There are hundreds of them in Felwithe just like it, but this one was hers. She wished the first girl born in our family to have it. It has taken three generations after her to have that girl. Her only other requirement was that you be 'old enough to appreciate it' as she told me when she gave it to me for safe keeping."
"I believe you are old enough now."
There was a quiet time between them. Elinea knew her father wasn't finished, and she waited.
"I remember the first day she saw you and held you. She looked at you--then up at me----then back to you again. She did a curious thing after that. She said something to you in Old Elvish. Later, when I asked her later what she had said, she relied 'Grandson,' (I always knew I was in for a lecture when she called me 'Grandson') that is between Elinea and I; it is none of your concern.' That was the end of the conversation."
"Elinea, if a path of a wizard is the one you choose, like your great grandmother, then you must know and follow their code of honor."
Her father turned now and faced her.
"A wizard never kills for killing's sake. He never goes out of his way to seek a fight; but if one presents itself, he does not run. He will defend himself, and his comrades, to the death if needed. Again, let me restate this, Elinea; a wizard never, ever uses his power to kill others except in self defence or in defence of others. To do any other thing would make him something other than a wizard. No True Wizard would break this code."
When he finished, he stopped:
"Do you understand how important it is to follow these rules?"
"Yes, father." She replied.
"Good." He reached into his robe and brought out an envelope.
Elinea recognized the stationary. It was his own he used for council business. He held the letter for a moment and then handed it to her.
"This is a very important letter, my daughter. Listen to me very carefully and do exactly as I tell you to do. Understood?"
"Yes sir."
"You have always been the most obedient of my children. I expect you to be so about about this."
He waited for the nod of Elinea's head, and then went on.
"I do not wish you to open this letter until you turn fifty seasons, is that clear?"
"Father!"
"Elinea, I don't need any arguments. Time is running short. You are not to open this letter until you are fifty seasons and not a day before."
"Father, fifty seasons is forever!"
"Yes. I know. It seems like forever, but believe me, it isn't."
She lowered her head and whispered, "I won't open it until I am fifty seasons. I promise." She put the letter inside the small pack her father had given her earlier and looked up at him again. When she looked back up, he was staring off into the forest.
"Elinea, you are to leave Felwithe. Now. I don't wish to have any arguments from you. Leave and go to Qeynos. Go there as fast as you can, don't stop."
She started to protest, but he stopped her, "No arguments! Be an obedient daughter and go."
There was only the briefest hesitation in her actions. Then she seemed to make herself taller and started walking out into the Faydark. She had only gone a short way into the forest, when she turned around for one more look at her home and her father. But he was no longer there. He was already gone. It was then that she realized that there was no going home. She would never go through those gates again. Her life as she knew it had taken a definite turn.
Elinea stood and looked toward the Felwithe gate for a few moments, then turned and faced the forest of the Faydark. The fog was beginning to set in and the only light was that coming from the smaller of Norrath's two moons, Drinal. Even the shadow of the long ago lost moon of Luclin was nowhere in the sky. It was one of the darkest nights she could ever remember.
The orcs would be out soon and Elinea knew traveling at night was going to take alll her knowledge of the forest and hiding skills she could come up with and use. Hiding in the Faydark was a talent all elven children learned early on from playing games. But she knew this time was different; this was no game. The Rending and the Great Cataclysms had sealed off the pass through the Butcherblocks long ago; with no access to Kaladim and the docks there, she was going to have to find another way off of Faydwer. She decided the best and safest way to do so was to go toward Kelethin, which she had gone to many times with her father, and then towards the coast to catch a ship taking on fresh water.
Further into the Faydark, Gerrath's men, now divided into two separate groups, were on their way to Felwithe and Kelethin. The party led by Gerrath was on its way to the Koada'Dal city. The other half of his men, led by his trusted second-in-command Arroc, was on its way to the Feir'Dal city. Both parties were accompanied by two Teir'Dal advisors and a healer. Neither Arroc nor Gerrath had approved of this idea, but knew their presence was unfortunately necessary. The advisors were there as a contact with Lucan's 'office'. They guided the parties to the girls. The healers, of course, were there in case of an accident. The agreed upon plan was to split up, capture the girls, and get back to the ship and home to Freeport.
"Simple enough." Gerrath had thought.
So far the only unpleasant aspect of their mission was the presence of the dark elves and the ocean voyage itself. On solid ground once more, Gerrath could put some space between himself and his advisors. The ship had been a bit too close. Not unpleasant as voyages went, but he was not particularly fond of the ocean, or the Teir'Dal. Gerrath's instructions were that the advisors were in charge of locating and guiding. Gerrath had, of course, gone along with this idea for the sake of his standing with His Lordship, but he was not happy about it. Being the good soldier he was though, he always followed his orders. He had decided the fight just wasn't worth the time or effort; not at this time anyway. So far they had not interfered with the command of his unit, and as long as it stayed that way.....
Gerrath's thoughts were abruptly invaded by a voice beside him......
"Commander."
Gerrath stopped and turned to face the head advisor, Zocien.
"Yes, what is it?"
"There has been an update on the girls location."
"Update?"
"Yes commander. It seems that both of them have left their respective home cities and are now in the Faydark."
"Sounds as if someone knew we were coming."
"No one knew, commander."
"Two girls alone and untrained, in the Faydark at night; sounds very likely someone told them to leave. Sounds as if you've underestimated the girls, Zocien."
It was a few moments before the advisor replied. "We have underestimated no one, commander. Least of all two untrained girls."
"So we stay split up into two parties. Agreed Zocien? One to find the Koada'Dal girl and the other is to locate the Feir'Dal girl."
"That would seem the logical thing to do, commander. Hopefully finding them before they find each other and 'team up' so to speak. Separate, they will be much more vulnerable. There is strength in numbers, commander. Even as small a number as two."
The fog had gotten thicker, and it was getting harder for Elinea to see in front of her. She stayed to the familiar path as best she could, but without a torch to guide her, it wasn't easy. "A torch would have been a bad idea anyway, it would only attract the Orcs." She stopped and realized that her voice was the only sound she heard; nothing else. There were none of the usual forest sounds she had grown up with hearing all her life.
She had seen a few Orc scouts out---not an uncommon site for the Faydark. She hadn't seen enough to alarm her, but she knew that sometimes they would go out and try to raid the Kelethin gates in numbers of three or more. Elinea was more afraid of the basiliks in the Faydark. They were lower to the ground and hard to see. With the ability to stun, they were just as dangerous as the Orcs and possibly even meaner. Suddenly, she heard a sound ---- a faint rustling and a smell. Orcs. Elinea froze and then dropped to the ground and rolled down into the nearest small ravine-like depression, quickly covering herself up with plant debris.
The smell of smoke and Orcs; they came. Elinea tried to count how many there were, but there were just too many, the most she had ever seen at one time. They were moving very fast, almost running. "Something must be making them run like that, " she thought. Suddenly a few stopped; and then more, right above where Elinea was hiding in the depression.
For what seemed a very long time, they stood over where she lay, and talked. Elinea understood none of it of course, but they seemed to be arguing. She lay absolutely still and almost quit breathing altogether. Then as suddenly, they moved on and and started to run again. The last ones were running by and she lifted up her head to see if she could tell the direction they were going in. They were going to where she had come from; back toward home, toward Felwithe. "No, not Felwithe!", she screamed in her head. Elinea jumped up and started to react to her first instinct---go back home. But she stopped and had time to remember what her eldest brother, Jerek, had told her years before; "Orcs always leave a few stragglers behind the main group to catch any prey that might have been hiding from the main hunting party. So remember Eli, if you see a hunting party, hide and then wait for the stragglers to go by before you get up and go on." She did as her brother had taught her, and got back into the safety of the ravine.
As Jerek had told her, a few minutes later, three more orcs came by; again stopping right beside where Elinea had hidden herself. "That's very strange. Two groups stopping right here by me", she thought.
While she lay there waiting for the Orcs to leave, she had some time to think about what she was going to do next. It was best to stay as far away from Felwithe as she could; taking the long way to Kelethin. This meant staying out in the forest more than she would have liked, but there was no other alternative Elinea could see at this time. After a few more minutes, and after the Orcs had been gone for awhile; she got up and went on, heading out to the forest with the idea of circling back to Kelethin.
She had gone quite a ways in to the forest, when she heard fighting. "Orcs; not again....", a mental sigh slipping through her thoughts. But the next sound was different, very different. A loud painful scream and then silence---Elinea knew someone was in trouble and started to run toward the sound.
Just as she reached the source, a sharp pain went through the back of her neck and she collapsed. She turned over to her back and looked up into the face of a very large Orc warrior. He had an ax poised above her head and a smile on his face.
The next thing Elinea knew, he was dead; killed by a lighting bolt of some kind that came out of no where. Or so it seemed to her, because all she could understand was that she had raised her hand in an instinctual gesture of defence and saw a bright light. The next thing she saw was a dead warrior and nothing else. No one else was there, but the Orc's companion standing over a Feir'Dal girl about Elinea's age.
The Orc had her pinned down in a small depression. She was in obvious pain and holding her ankle, but she was still alive. However, her captor had a large ax above her head also. The Orc was speaking to someone in his language,and suddenly realized his friend wasn't answering his questions. He turned to find him dead,noticed Elinea and came toward her with his ax ready. Instinct took over; Elinea looked at the Orc face to face and then casted. She didn't really think about what she was doing, but it worked. A very large lighting bolt seemed to come out of nowhere again, and struck the Orc. He was knocked to the ground, but still alive. He came toward her again. This time she understood a little more and again casted. This time had a little more purpose. The bolt hit him, he crumbled to the ground and didn't move.
Elinea walked over to the other girl and knelt down. The Feir'Dal girl was silently rubing her right ankle and had a large laceration on her forehead.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what I mean; the lightening thing."
Elinea was silent for a moment; "I'm not sure exactly. It just kind of happened."
"What do you mean it 'just happened'? I don't know much about it, but one doesn't cast lightening and not know how they did it."
Elinea's temper was begining to flare some, "Look,I just got the Orcs off of you and almost got killed myself. You're not exactly in a position to complain or fuss. What does it matter if I don't know how I did it? I did it. Besides, what are you doing out in the Faydark anyway?"
The other girl was thoughtful for a moment and then replied; "I don't really think it's any of your business, but my mother told me to leave Kelethin and go to Qeynos."
Elinea's temper was about to lose it's control; "Alright, so that's the way it's going to be, fine. Just be obstinate. I just happen to be going to Qeynos too. If you hadn't been so rude, I'd say let's travel together. But I won't ask now. Stay here and be Orc food; I'm leaving."
Elinea got up, turned and walked off. She suddenly stopped, gave a sigh, and turned back around: "Look, I'm sorry. This is ridiculous. We're both going to Qeynos and we need each other for some small protection of some sort. It'll be safer if we go together. Agreed?"
There was an uncomfortable silence between them -- then Elinea bent back down, put out her right hand in a gesture of friendship and spoke again; "By the way, the name's Elinea."
Blue/green eyes that were a shade darker than Elinea's looked up and she quit rubbing her ankle; her hand went out, "Kaefir. And yes you're probably right, two travelers together are definitley safer."
"Right then, let's go before the Orcs wonder where their friends have gone to and come to look for them." Elinea stood and continued to hold out her hand to help Kaefir up.
"Umm, that's a problem. I can't walk."
"Oh, that's just great. You sure? Have you tried?"
"No, I've just been sitting in this hole here waiting for the Orcs to kill me--course I've tried. Trust me, it's not going to happen."
"Try again -- come on; I'm just a stubborn, stupid high elf, you know. Humor me."
Kaefir looked at Elinea with tired eyes, "Well, if you wish to waste your time and if you insist...." She took Elinea's hand and stood up on both feet. A look of amazed surprise crossed her face. "I don't know....this isn't right."
"What?" asked Elinea
"There's no pain, it's gone. I promise, I couldn't stand up before." Kaefir replied
"Oh well, you mean it's gone now? How did you do that?"
"Elinea, I didn't do it."
"You must have because I cast, I don't heal. You mean you don't know how you did it?" Elinea asked.
"Ok,I did it,I must have. Maybe when I rubbed my ankle? Humm, well ok let's just say we seem to have gifts we didn't realize till now. Kind of scary."
Elinea's face lit up in an amused smile. "Oh, now you see how I felt. Scary is definitely the word here, Kaefir. Not sure I like this gift either. Ok, let's get out of here. Now."
The party from Freeport had stopped to rest, and to give the advisors time to 'meditate'. "Whatever that is supposed to mean....." Gerrath thought. He was truly begining to have had enough of the Teir'Dal input on this mission. Just then he heard a rustle and saw his second in command, Arroc, come through the trees with the other half of the party.
"
They say they need to 'meditate', commander."
"Yes Arroc, I know. Teir'Dal and their ways....." his voiced trailed off to a quiet whisper.
The silence was finally broken by Zocien, "Commander, the targets have apparently found each other and are now traveling together."
"Not a very good development, Zocien."
"No Commander Gerrath, it is not. But we will have to deal with it now."
"Then the two parties are staying as one; we hunt them together."
Elinea and Kaefir had been traveling for some time and had gotten to know each other a little better. The tension between them had gone and they could now even enjoy each other's company.
"Have you noticed how quiet this night has been, Eli?" Kaefir inquired.
"Yes, way too quiet. Really kind of scary, like something is waiting to happen." Elinea looked over at Kaefir and noticed she had stopped and was looking at her very strangely. "Yes I know, strange observation, but it's just too quiet, Kae."
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(see next post for continuation)
