CHAPTER EIGHT
Koral had never ridden so hard in her life. She had seen the elven king give something to Swift to eat, but had no idea it would have this effect on him. They were moving so quickly she had felt like she was flying. Within a matter of hours, they were in the Cyprian Forest, a trip which normally would take at least two days.
Koral knew when they were getting closer. The trees began to take on more vivid colours. It was as if nature itself was coming alive in the presence of the elves. It was not long before Koral felt eyes watching her. Having read all about elves, and how easily they can blend in with their surroundings, she knew it must be them. She was about to ask Glavlin, just to be sure, when they came to an abrupt stop. Looking around, she could see nothing, but Glavlin did not move. For minutes, he did not move or talk. Suddenly a figure moved from the brush, and stood facing the two. It was an elf. From his stance and build, it was clear he was a soldier. It was odd to Koral to see him. He wore a tunic, which did not have sleeves and pants which were form fitting, showing his muscular tone. His hair was white and tied back. He turned his deep brown eyes to the princess, causing her to blush.
“How do you expect me to do my job with you gallivanting about the countryside?” he asked forcefully, turning his gaze to the king.
“Things were moving too quickly for me to alert you, Auroram.”
“I am aware of the situation. I will meet you in the village.” He said, then turned and was gone.
Glavlin spoke a word and the horses were off again, but at a much slower rate. After a few minutes of riding, they burst through the trees and stopped right before what looked like a village.
“Welcome to my home,” said Glavlin, reining in his horse.
Koral looked around, and was going to comment about the incident with Auroram when she suddenly felt ill, and fell forward on Swift.
“The feeling will pass princess. There must have been a tracking spell on you. No one who enters our realm can have spells on them. It is a precaution.”
The elf king was right, and after a few moments, she felt fine. Not wanting to dwell on who could have placed the spell on her, she decided to ask about the unusual elf.
“Who was that?”
Glavlin smiled. “That was Auroram. He is head of the
Protectors. They are in charge of the safety of the royal family. However, here, he is the only Protector.”
Koral was confused, but felt asking more questions would be rude. Instead, she decided to look around, and was surprised at how small the village was. There looked to be just a scattering of dwellings. “I had expected it to be much bigger,” she responded, disappointment apparent in her voice.
Glavlin, amazed at how quickly she pushed aside the tracking spell, laughed. “You are only seeing what we want you to see. Look into the trees and tell me this is a small village.”
Koral raised her head and almost fell off her horse. Hidden within the trees were at least a hundred houses, with rope bridges attaching them all together. Koral never would have noticed them had she not been told to look.
“This is amazing,” she said with awe.
“We have only a few houses down here, and living in them are our guards. It is a way to protect the actual village,” declared Glavlin.
“Village,” remarked Koral, laughing. “It looks more like a city. Even Klayhern is not this magnificent, and it is one of the biggest towns in the Central Lands.”
“I would get used to seeing large cities if I were you. Where we are going, you may have to go through one.” Glavlin stated, then jumped off his horse and motioned for Koral to follow.
It confused her as to why he would say such a thing. Klayhern was home to the king, there wasn’t anywhere larger than her town. Sighing, she let herself be led towards a large tree, and was amazed to see the bark move aside and reveal a lift. “This is how we get up to the village,” explained Glavlin.
“I can see this is going to be a very interesting visit,” replied Koral.
The elf king just smiled and closed the door, activating the lift. When they arrived at the top, it opened up onto a landing area. From this point, Koral could see just how vast this village was. From the ground she could see about a hundred houses, from here, it looked like three times that amount.
“I wish I could show you everything,” whispered Glavlin, “but we must catch your brother.”
Glavlin’s remark pulled Koral out of her state of awe, and she knew he was right. “Yes, we should get down to business.”
They walked for some time and when she saw the structure rising up before them. Judging by the size of it, Koral knew it had to be Glavlin’s home. The tree molded to create doorways, hallways, and rooms. It was magnificent and fascinating. They went inside and straight to his throne room, or at least she assumed it was. Inside it there were many elves waiting to speak with the king. “Koral, could you please go into the room on your left. I will join you as soon as I am done here.”
Koral nodded, not wanting to speak in the presence of these creatures. She was still in awe when a guard approached her and asked her to follow him.
The guard took her into what appeared to be a library. The room astounded her. The books were unlike anything she had seen before. Their coverings were aged, but everything was neat and tidy as if put together that very morning. Running her fingers over some, she noticed they were not all written in elven. Gillock had shown her books of the different languages of Melarandra, so she was shocked to see there were books in languages from every creature that once lived in the Central Lands, and some were in a language Koral did not recognize. Her curiosity got the better of her and she pulled a book from a shelf. As she flipped through the pages, she could sense the magic within.
“That one talks about the prophecy, and many other things,” said a musical voice.
Koral turned to face the stranger. The elf before her was as tall as the king, but his features were very different. Where the king was fair-haired with violet eyes, this one had short brown hair and eyes, very plain looking for an elf. At least compared to the ones she had just seen.
“My name is Mekken,” he said, taking a step towards her. “My sister Darly and I tracked your brother and the little band for some time. It appears they are trying to elude someone, or something. We will have no trouble catching up with them.”
Koral felt quite intimidated by this elf’s presence. She was going to ask what he meant by little band when Glavlin and a female elf, obviously Darly by her features, entered.
“I see you two have met,” observed the king.
“Yes,” answered Koral. “I assume these two will be accompanying us on our trip?”
The king moved over to what looked like a desk. “Yes, they will be. They are my best trackers and will have us at your brother’s position within a matter of days.”
Koral was a bit stunned. A matter of days? Eric had a week’s lead on them. Glavlin, sensing her question, smiled. “We will be travelling rather quickly. Once we are past the borders of the Cyprian forest, we will have to travel without the aid of magic. Your horse will be fed some of our food and fitted with a special type of shoe.”
Koral did not know what to say. “When do we leave?” she asked, looking at the king.
“We will be leaving at first light,” replied Darly. “Do not worry about your things, they will all be ready for you when we leave.”
Koral was going to thank her, but she turned, motioned to Mekken, and left.
“Elves are very unusual,” stated Koral after the two had left.
“They have just seen much horror, and wish to see the prophecy fulfilled,” replied Glavlin.
“How will the prophecy affect your people? You appear to be thriving here?” questioned Koral
Glavlin sighed. “We are not. We are creatures of magic, without it we will not survive. What you did not notice was the fact that there are no children here.”
The remark was true. Thinking ba
ck, she had not seen any children.
“We are dying,” continued Glavlin. “There has not been a birth in many years. The magic of the earth is failing. If you do not succeed in bringing magic back to Melarandra, all will be lost to us.”
Koral wasn’t certain what to say. Gillock had always told her magic needed to return, but until now, she didn't realize how important it really was.
“I will do my best,” she told him, placing her hand on his. Koral suddenly realized she still had the elven book in her hand, and Mekken had said it spoke of the prophecy.
“What of this book?” she asked, handing it to him.
“It does not surprise me you were drawn to this particular book,” Glavlin responded. “It is the mate to the one you carry.”
Koral was surprised. She hadn’t told him she had taken the spell book from Gillock. “How did you know?”
“These books will be needed to fulfil the prophecy. I am not sure how, but they are a key of some kind.”
“Do you really think we will find Eric?” she asked quietly.
Glavlin took her hand. “There are many things standing in our way. We know Queen Malena is up to something and it must have to do with the prophecy. She will most likely try to send a spy into our midst. We also know the Order will not let what happened at Klayhern go unpunished, so they will be after us as well. All we really need to worry about right now is finding Eric and going as far south as possible.”
“Why do we need to head south?” questioned Koral. “And why did you tell me to get used to large cities?”
“You are going to see many things, and hear many rumours,” he began, then paused as if he were carefully choosing his words. “Keenley is one of our destinations. There you will see a great many things, one of which is a magnificent castle. That castle is the true home for the king of the Central Lands.” He stopped, giving Koral some time to think about what he had said.
This news surprised her. “Then why do I live at Klayhern?” she asked.
“Maget tower may be close to your home, but Keenley has a town all its own just southwest of it which is home to many Magima and Maget soldiers. It was the Tower’s way of always keeping an eye on the kings of the past. They were certain some of the royal family possessed magic, but could never prove it. Your father, knowing how powerful your mother was, moved them into Klayhern.” Again, Glavlin paused to let Koral take in everything he was saying.
“Duke Dubar runs Keenley, as you know,” he continued. “But what you do not know is that he feels since he lives in the king’s true home, he should be king. Our going there may cause many problems. You may even have to wear a disguise.”
Things were starting to make sense. The reason why her father did not want any of his children, not even Brin, who is next in line for the throne, to go with him to Keenley.
“There is another problem. The Magima town is near exactly where we need to go, and magic may be needed for us to pass.”
Koral just stared at Glavlin. He had explained many things to her, but also created more confusion within her.
“To answer your second question, we need to go south because we have to pass through Death’s Boundary.”
Koral was getting even more confused. Nothing had been said about the boundary, but then again Gillock hadn't even told her anything about Keenley, or the trouble brewing. Glavlin, seeing her confusion, decided to take her to her quarters. It was late and Koral needed to be well rested for the trek tomorrow.
Once Koral settled in, she decided to try to learn more from her book. This time it took less concentration to get it started, but it ended up being more confusing. She saw images of herself and Eric standing in a very peculiar looking hall. At the far end was a door and try as she might she could not make herself move towards it. Eric, on the other hand, had no problems walking towards it. She could hear voices yelling, but could not tell whom they were or what they were saying. Then, everything went dark and she came out of her trance. It took her a few moments to compose herself, and she realized the book had not shown her spells, it had shown her images of what may come to be. With things moving even more quickly now, she decided to get some sleep.
Sleep didn’t come easy. Her dreams were filled with betrayal and the images the book had shown her. When Glavlin awakened her the next morning, Koral felt she hadn’t slept at all. The entire dream had felt so real. As Darly had said the night before, her things were packed and already on Swift. Leaving made her feel sad. Koral wanted to see more of the elven town, but there were too many things happening. Koral couldn’t believe how safe she had felt, and now they were leaving the forest area, a strong feeling of trepidation was creeping in. It was as if something very evil was surrounding her. She was going to mention it to Glavlin but decided against it. It was probably just her dream from last night affecting her judgment.
It took Koral a few moments to get used to how fast they were travelling. They had ridden for mere moments, but had travelled half a day. They had headed south from the moment they left the forest surrounding the elven town. Koral wished she could figure out what in the south could be so important. Glavlin had told her about the boundary, but she knew there was more. Deciding enjoy the scenery before things got hectic, she let the idea slip from her mind.
Glavlin, riding behind Koral with Darly, had been watching her closely. He could tell she had not slept well and was curious as to what could have plagued her dreams.
“You have not told her what is in the south, have you?” asked Darly.
“No,” he answered. “Gillock does not want her to know quite yet.”
Darly frowned. “Keeping things from the one person who may be able to restore us is very unusual.”
Darly’s comment was an accurate one. It confused Glavlin as to why they needed to keep this information from her. Gillock had been quite adamant about letting her know too much about the Wizard’s School. Glavlin, knowing Gillock as well as he did, knew there was a very important reason and he would reveal it when he felt it was prudent.
“Do not worry, Darly. She will know when the time is right.”
Darly just shrugged her shoulders and rode to the head of the group to speak with Mekken.
They rode all day and made camp in a clearing. “We are almost out of the Cyprian Forest,” stated Glavlin to Koral.
“Already,” she responded, shocked. “I thought you said it was at least three days from your village to the south edge of the forest.”
Glavlin smiled. “I told you we would be travelling fast.”
“So how long until we meet up with Eric?” she asked.
“If we could keep riding like this, we would be passing by a dwarf mining town just before we make camp tomorrow.
Unfortunately, starting tomorrow we will have to travel at a normal pace. It may take us five or six days, if the weather hits. Still, with any luck, someone there will have heard something,” he replied.
“I am certain General Traug has dispatched someone after us,” remarked Koral. “I just hope my parents are all right.”
Glavlin could see the pain in her eyes. She had no idea where her mother had gone and her father may be in prison by now. “Well, you should get some rest. Tomorrow could get interesting.”
Koral smiled. “Yes, I will see you in the morning.”
Glavlin watched her walk to where she had set up her area. She looked very worried, and he hoped tomorrow would bring some good news.
The next day was very gloomy. Rain was a definite possibility, which did not please the group. It would most likely hinder their efforts to reach the dwarf town. They packed up camp, and were preparing to leave, when there was a shout from the front. One of the elves came up to Glavlin. “There is a woman up ahead. She looks like a gypsy. She has asked if it is alright to ride with us.”
Glavlin was suspicious. “Bring her back here. I will speak with her.”
Koral was worried. What if this was a trick? Her s
uspicions disappeared once she saw the woman. She was not much older than Koral. Her deep brown hair sat braided down her back, and her eyes showed signs of worry.
“Your highness,” she said as she approached Glavlin. “My name is Adora. It would be a great honour if I could ride with you as far as Keenley.”
“How is it you know that area is our destination?” asked Glavlin, still suspicious.
“The trail you are on only leads to Keenley. You are either going to the dwarf town or heading to Keenley. It was an obvious deduction,” she replied.
Glavlin smiled. “You may ride with us, Adora, but stay close. We may have some trouble headed our way.”
“Thank you greatly,” Adora responded with a slight bow.
Koral was not sure what to make of this woman. For some reason, Adora made her feel at ease, and the fact disturbed her greatly. Sighing, Koral decided not to dwell on it. It had started to rain, and it threatened to push back their arrival at the dwarf town.
The rain came down hard so they made camp early. While Koral was unpacking her things, she could feel something strange. It was as if someone was staring at her. She looked around the campsite and everyone, including Adora, appeared to be busy unpacking. “It must be my nerves,” Koral muttered to herself. Laughing, she turned back to continue unpacking her things and almost fell over. Sitting on Swift’s saddle was a squirrel. It was completely grey and looked to be quite interested in her. She tried to shoo it away, but the little creature wouldn’t budge. “So you are the one who has been watching me,” she stated. The squirrel tilted it is head sideways as if acknowledging her, then ran off towards Adora. Koral watched as Adora let the creature climb onto her hand. It looked as if she was talking to it. When Adora noticed Koral was watching, she scooped up a few things and went off into the forest.
“There is something odd about that woman,” said Glavlin's coming up behind Koral.
Koral turned to him. “Yes, but it does not appear to be anything evil.”
“I know,” he remarked. “And that is what bothers me.”
Koral smiled and went back to work unpacking. It was going to be a long, wet night.
“My queen, I have something to report,” came a call from her mirror.
“Yes Moray, what is it?” asked Malena.
“We are nearing the dwarf town, I expect us to be there within a few days,” replied the demon.
It had been four days since the group had started their journey, and Malena was wondering if they were ever going to make it. She thought the elves foolish to ride at a regular pace.
“Call me again once you have arrived. I am sure Glavlin means to ask if he can travel through their mines to Elma’s Pass,” she stated.
Moray did not share her assessment, but said nothing. “I will report to you as soon as the plans are revealed.”
“Have you met up with Eric yet?” she asked.
“No, my queen,” he responded, and he could sense she wasn’t happy.
“Inform me at once should you find him,” she spat, then let the mirror go dark. Apparently, she had not slowed down the prince and his band as much as she thought.