Chapter 4
January 30, 2009 at 12:56 PM (Fantasy Stories, Guinivere)
The Stone of Alëndril
Do you fight?
Galdin walked quickly down the hall. The rage built up inside him gave him speed. Upon reaching the guardroom he threw all his weight against the door making it fling open with a bang. “Hin! You weasel! Where is he?” Galdin barked at the soldiers.
Corporal Hin stepped forward shakily. “Is there a problem my Lord?”
Galdin’s hand shot toward the unfortunate soldier, pinning him up against the wall. He bent close to the man’s face. “What happened?” He hissed at him. “Where is she?”
“D-dead my Lord.” Hin stuttered. “K-killed by the Watcher.”
Galdin’s dagger flashed near the man’s throat, its blade embedded in the wood to his right. “Insolate fool!” he snapped. “The watcher is dead.”
“Impossible!” exclaimed a soldier nearby. “Nothing can kill a Watcher.”
“Th-there!” Hin agreed. “You see? She is dead!”
Galdin snarled and pulled his dagger from the wall. With a flick of his wrist Hin was dead, the dagger now embedded to the hilt in his throat. Galdin stepped over the body, careful not to get the man’s blood on his robes. He came to a stop in front of the other soldier. “Clean up this mess.” he snarled, turning to the door. “Then bring me my dagger.”
Galdin marched out the door and down the corridor, a slinking shape following close behind. Galdin smiled his grim smile. “Ah, Snake-eye. What news of my sister?”
A stooped old man moved into step alongside his master. Snake-eye was old indeed; in fact he had to cling to a stick to keep upright. His left eye was a cold hazel while his right eye had the slit-like pupils of a snake. It was for this eye that he was named. This eye enabled him to see things far away. It was rumored that with this eye he could see dead spirits and detect lies. He could use it to see through plans and traps made by enemies. It made him a powerful ally. “She has met up with her people my Lord.” He told his master calmly.
Galdin growled deep in his throat but didn’t interrupt.
“It is most unexpected my Lord. They seem not to recognize her. They treat her as their prisoner, not their Heroine.”
Galdin smiled. “This little turn of events may work to our advantage yet. It gives us more time to gather our forces.”
“Yes my Lord.”
“General!” Galdin called.
A soldier appeared by his side at once. “Yes, Lord?”
“How strong are our forces?” They entered the throne room and Galdin sat down on the throne.
“About four score all told, sir.” The general replied. “With more coming in every day.”
“Not enough for a full scale attack. General? Round up two score of your men.” Galdin smiled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “We’re going on an elf hunt.”
“Yes, my Lord.” The general left with great haste.
“My Lord?” Snake-eye asked at Galdin’s elbow.
“We will generously offer to take their prisoner off their hands.” He explained. “And if they do not consent, we will take her by force!”
Yes, he thought, it might just work to their advantage.
~Ψ~ ~Ψ~ ~Ψ~ ~Ψ~
Jevaal sat alone in the guardroom, running a cloth along the blade of the ruby hilted dagger. Galdin had gone too far this time. Not only had he killed Jevaal’s father and now his older brother Hin, but Jevaal had been reduced to cleaning the whole guardroom. Jevaal’s loathing towards Galdin was great. As he ran the cloth over the blade again he pictured the hilt sticking out of Galdin’s back and Jevaal himself becoming Lord.
With this thought in his mind Jevaal signed his name among the two score of soldiers enlisted to go with Galdin to find his sister. Let Galdin worry about a little elf maiden. Pretty soon he wouldn’t be worrying about anything except how to get to the Black Caves of the dead.
~Ψ~ ~Ψ~ ~Ψ~ ~Ψ~
Throughout the following week Guin found a routine which consisted of getting kicked awake by Nors at daybreak, walking for a full day before being fed a small supper and told to go to sleep. Mal was left in charge of Wolf and any extra luggage. Guin was kept at sword point the whole time they were traveling. If she even so much as stumbled she was immediately surrounded by dozens of sharp swords. Mal would follow close behind, scowling at the child soldiers.
He felt somehow drawn toward the young she-elf, as if her fate was bound to his own. He was not sure if he liked the feeling either. That she was a female made it bad enough but to add the fact that she was an Elf? The sooner he left this band of Elves the better. He didn’t need to discredit his name any more than he already had.
At midday, approximately ten days from when they first found Guin, Nors called a halt in their ceaseless march. Guin moved gladly to the shade of a nearby tree and watched as the others drew their swords and paired up. Mal moved the animals to a tree near Guin and sat watching as the others sparred with their swords.
Guin’s eyes followed the soldiers as they went through their paces. Her attention glued to the swords as they flew through technique after technique. “You have a beautifully crafted sword.” Mal’s voice pulled her out of her trance. “Do you fight?”
“A little.” Guin smiled, “My Poppa John taught me a bit.”
“Who?” Mal felt a sudden surge of curiosity.
“Poppa John.” Guin turned to face him. “One of the people who looked after me across the Void.”
Mal froze at the mention of the Void, a shocked expression on his face. Nors, who was standing nearby, just held out a sword to her. “Well then, let us see just how good you are.”
Guin reached out and grasped the sword handle. “Be careful.” Mal muttered from behind her. “He’s good.”
Guin and Nors moved to the center of the clearing, duelers moving aside to watch, and started circling. Guin kept her eyes on Nors and shifted the sword slightly to get a feel for its weight. Nors attacked swiftly and suddenly with such ferocity that Guin stumbled back a step, barely managing to ward off the blow. “Nors!” Mal cried out. “You’ll kill her!”
Nors ignored him, striking out at Guin with all his might. Guin regained her footing; blocking, evading and lashing out with equal ferocity, and quickly regained her lost ground. So it went on for many minutes until Nors, planting his feet firmly on the ground struck out and caught Guin’s sword with his own. The two blades locked and Nors gave a tremendous heave, using his strength to his advantage, and flinging Guin’s sword back into the trees. Guin stood there, her arms flung wide and grinning fiendishly.
Nors swung at her and just as his sword would have cleaved her in half Guin ducked the blade. Moving as fast as light Guin brought one hand down on his wrist and the other up against his hand… wrenching the sword from his grasp. Lashing out with her leg she tripped him and stood over him, his own sword pointing to his throat.
Nors stared up at her in surprise. “The first thing I ever learned,” Guin smiled, “Was how to disarm an opponent.”
She turned away, walking back to the tree with his sword. A small rustling sound came from behind her. She cried, “Alëndril!” twirling and lashing out with the flat of the sword. The clang of metal on metal rang through the clearing as Nors was knocked to the ground, a dagger flying from his hand. Her necklace gleamed a fiery red, illuminating her enraged form.
Nors fell to the ground hard, covering his face with his hands. Guin stood over him, breathing heavily with anger. The others gasped as she raised the sword. “The duel is over.” She said, flinging the weapon to the side.
She went back to the tree and collapsed against the trunk beside Mal. “Where did you get that necklace?” he asked her.
Guin let out a calming breath, the necklace dimming with it and turned to look at him. “It was in a bag at my Poppa John’s.”
Her eyes followed Nors as he sullenly picked up his sword and dagger and went about setting up his tent. “He scares me,” she muttered silently.
Mal watched Nors as he and his soldiers set up camp, his eyes tracing his every movement. Guin too, watched nervously as he helped set up tents and sent others out to find food and water. As the day wore on Mal drew Nors to the side. “Let her go, Nors.” He begged.
Nors shook his head determinedly. “I need more proof.”
Mal couldn’t believe his ears. “What more proof do you need? Only the true Guinivere can activate the stone of Alëndril. She’s your people’s only hope and you’re holding her here like a traitor.”
Nors shook his head again. “If I thought she was a traitor she would be dead. That is the punishment for turning. Still… she was out in the middle of nowhere with wild animals. She needs to be watched carefully.” He shrugged and grinned nonchalantly. “But why am I explaining myself to the likes of you? If I didn’t know better, Rith-boy, I would think you were getting too attached to this girl. You go rest, I’ll take over guarding her.”
Now it was Mal’s turn to shake his head. “After what you tried to pull today? You’d both be gone in the morning. Don’t think I can’t see through your little disguise.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a threatening whisper. “I know what you are and who you serve. You will not take her to him while I’m alive.”
Nors stepped back in surprise. Mal’s perceptive eyes flashed with fierce anger. “I do not know what you are talking about, but it sounds like treason to me.” Nors said, with one hand moving to the hilt of his sword.
Mal looked down in alarm and leapt to the side just as Nors whipped the sword out at him. In a flash of fur the grey she-wolf had a hold of Nors’s wrist and was growling ferociously up at him. Nors yelped in pain, drawing the attention of the other soldiers.
“What seems to be the problem?” asked one of the soldiers.
“Nothing.” Mal told him. “Is it treason when I follow a different rule than you?” he asked Nors as he walked away.
His wolf waited a few minutes, until he was a fair distance away, before letting go of Nors and following. Mal walked back to Guin’s tree and sat down, running his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. “What was that about?” Guin asked, emerging from the other side of the tree.
Mal sighed wearily. Guin had to get to the king and it didn’t look like this crowd was going to help her. He would have to take matters into his own hands. Man he was in for an earful when he returned home to the Counsel. But that couldn’t be helped. :We are leaving.: He said quietly.
Guin patiently waited for him to explain. He looked up at her. :Just us two.: He whispered. :Tonight.:
Guin nodded to Nors. :He’s a Dark Elf isn’t he?:
Mal nodded. “I have suspected it for quite some time. He has always been power-hungry.”
Guin shivered. “I could feel it. There’s a sort of coldness about him isn’t there? So you believe me?”
Mal nodded again. “Get some rest Milady. You will need to be strong and alert tonight.”
Guin lay on the ground next to Wolf and smiled to herself. It felt good to finally have a companion and quite possibly a friend in this desolate forest she had landed in. He seemed nice enough, when he opened up a bit. And he had a wolf as well, so he couldn’t be all that bad could he? “Call me Guin.” She said with a smile.
Mal smiled back. “Good night Milady.” He said, ignoring her request.
Mal sat in the dim evening light, watching the camp activity draw to a close. Guin lay peacefully beside him, curled up with her wolf against the tree trunk. Nors sat by the fire glaring out at Mal and nursing his bandaged wrist. As the night grew darker Nors and the others retired for the night. Nors knew he wouldn’t get another chance at Guin that night.
Mal waited for the camp to be dark for an hour before sneaking off to the storage tent, Brighteyes following close behind. Slinking around behind the tents Mal could hear Nors’s voice within one of the outer tents sounding very scared. “It is not my fault, my Lord!” Mal stiffened at the mention of Galdin. The Betrayer was here? How did he sneak past the defenses? Nors whimpered but went on. “It is that Mit-Rith the old captain favored. He knows, and he is guarding her.”
Mal crept closer just as Nors let out a soft cry of terror. Peering through the mouth of the tent Mal saw Nors, doubled over on the ground as if bowing to an invisible person. The Betrayer was nowhere to be found. Nors had a sock stuck in his mouth in an attempt to stifle the screams that were issuing from his mouth. He stopped screaming and removed the gag from his mouth. “I am sorry my Lord.” He muttered to the empty air before him. “I will do better.” His whole body shook and he lowered his head right to the floor. Mal recognized the Dark Elf submission position. “I will bring her to you. And I will kill anyone in my way.”
Mal moved quickly away from the tent and moved silently to the supply tent. Stealing through the food stores he quickly filled a sack with enough food for a couple days. Grabbing Guin’s belongings he ran back to the tree. Only then did he realize that Brighteyes wasn’t with him.
~Ψ~ ~Ψ~ ~Ψ~ ~Ψ~
Guin awoke to a thump on the ground next to her. Her eyes shot open and she looked around her. Mal stood next to her, his eyes scanning the camp anxiously. “What’s wrong?” she asked groggily, moving into a sitting position.
“Nothing.” He muttered, his eyes scanning over the camp once more before coming to a rest on Guin. “Head back into the woods. Keep your sword at ready and don’t stop for anything.” He turned to Wolf. “Stay right with her. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
Guin scrambled to her feet. “What about you?”
“I have to go back.”
“Brighteyes!” Guin gasped, scanning the camp.
Mal nodded slowly and let out a long shaky breath. Guin’s ears picked up a low rustling sound from the woods behind them. She whirled around, drawing her sword as she went. The sword reacted to her sudden fear by flaring up. The fiery glow of the blade illuminated the advancing form of Nors.
Nors halted just out of sword’s reach as Mal turned to face him. “What have you done with Brighteyes?”
“Your wolf?” Nors sneered. “She’s safe… for now.”
Mal frowned, studying Nors’ face with his hawk-sharp eyes. Nors just smiled back. “I propose a trade.” He smirked. “Your wolf for the Elf-girl.”
Nors watched their reactions with private glee. Guin’s grip tightened on her sword and Mal’s gaze sharpened. “Over my dead body,” he growled.
“That could be arranged.” Nors grinned evilly, drawing his sword. “It really should not be that hard a decision for you. You Riths are raised with your Familiars. You have only known this girl for a few days, and you are not really sure that she is who she claims to be.”
Guin started forward but Mal’s hand on her shoulder stopped her advance. “Let me handle this,” he muttered grimly. “You get out of here, I’ll be right behind you.”
Guin paused, looking up at his determined face. She opened her mouth to argue but Wolf stopped her. :Now is not the time Guin.: He said, grabbing her tunic in his mouth and pulling her in the direction of the woods. :This is Mal’s fight. He needs to do this.:
Guin nodded slowly and, grabbing their packs, took off into the shelter of the trees, Garnet and Wolf following close behind. When she was sure that the young men couldn’t see her she doubled back. Wolf tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen. She was worried about Mal and his Familiar. They were the only two who had shown her even an inch of kindness. She was determined not to leave them behind.
She circled the camp as silently as she knew how until she found Nors’s tent. She snuck up to the door and slipped inside. She surveyed the tent, her Elf eyes adapting quickly to the dim light, and saw a large bundle near the back corner. Sheathing her sword she moved slowly toward the bundle. As she neared it let out a soft whimpered. She flung herself down next to it and drew back the blanket. Brighteyes gazed painfully up at her, bound tightly around the muzzle and paws.
The wolf was covered in cuts that Guin could only guess were from Nors’s blade. She quickly cut the bonds and Brighteyes was up and out of the tent before she could blink. Smiling, Guin turned back to the woods and went to see how Mal was faring.
