Elf world the complete s.., p.17
Elf World : The Complete Series, page 17
The room was dark with a high ceiling, and the solid black tile floor made the room appear even darker. My jaw dropped when I set eyes on the large black pot sitting right in the center of the room. A cauldron? Really? “Ha! See, I told you. I—” I said, pointing at the giant kettle with some warped sense of victory. But no one seemed particularly interested in my gloating. Man, I just needed a win, and I was grasping at straws.
Ursula circled the cauldron once before taking her position on the opposite side. “Come closer,” she said, leaning over the lip so far that I thought her tits were going to come spilling out. The way they were teetering right on the edge, I was tempted to come around and tickle her. It wouldn’t take much... Hell, one good sneeze and those puppies were free!
We stepped up to the cauldron as Ursula slipped a slender hand down her front and went digging around in her cleavage. Given the size of those fun bags, she could be searching for a parked car for all I knew. A pinch of this, a dash of that. I had no idea what kinds of powders she was tossing into the dark blue water directly from her cleavage. It would appear that her rack...doubled as a spice rack.
“Much has happened since the three of you left Ethue, I’m afraid,” she said as the water began to churn. There were little flashes of light as the imagery started to take shape. “I confess that I considered holding off until the human’s issues were settled. But I no longer believe we can wait that long. This is too important.”
The swirling waters smoothed out as the imagery became clearer. It was Ethue, at least the outer border of it near the tree line.
The leaves on the brush began quivering. A head popped through the leaves, then another, and another. The ugly little creatures sniffed the air, their noses crinkling as their tusks bobbed up and down.
“Olgoks,” Neia gasped. She reached over and gave my hand a firm squeeze as she glared into the magic waters.
Suddenly, the herd of creatures broke through the vegetation in a jailbreak-type charge. Snorting and grunting, they whirled their clubs and axes up above their heads. Oversized, often nearly as long as the wielder was tall, the weapons they used were completely enormous relative to their size. But they didn’t seem to have any difficulty wielding them, a clear indication of just how strong these stout creatures really were.
The oversized armor they wore was almost humorous. Thick, fluffy slabs of leather were pieced together like pillows all over their upper bodies. The bloated suits made them look like they were competing in one of those Japanese game shows.
The elves assembled like lightning, racing to the edge of town with their bows in hand. It was a full-on sneak attack, yet the elves’ smooth counter formation made it seem like they were given days to prepare. I suppose being at war for decades teaches a rare level of battle readiness.
Waves of arrows rained down into the charging olgoks, but the pillow-like slabs of armor absorbed them like sponges. And now with feathered shafts protruding from everywhere, the olgoks looked like a pack of charging porcupines.
The charging creatures hammered up against the front line of elves, their oversized weapons coming down with incredible force. Such heavy blows couldn’t possibly be blocked directly. But there was no need as the nimble elves’ smooth dodges made evasion look easy. It seemed like the olgoks might rush straight into the second and third lines of defense, but instead they just circled back as their buddies came in from behind to repeat the single-minded attack.
The strange, repetitive assault carried on with little to no ground being gained by the olgoks. But their weird, inflated armor proved to be a double-edged sword, so to speak. Although it absorbed the arrows with unmatched efficiency, the cumbersome suits handicapped any ability to engage in melee combat. The back-and-forth battle was more or less a stalemate.
“It’s a distraction!” Ilenia whispered, recognizing the stalling battle tactics for what they were.
“An astute observation,” Ursula said as the corner of her lip turned up in a half smile. “Your people would have been better served had someone noticed that as well. Keep watching.” The image rippled away as another image materialized in its place.
The scene shifted to a view from inside one of the elven homes. Xannor’s home... Shielded by his personal guard, they formed a line in front of him as the door bowed inward from a heavy blow coming from the other side. “Protect the elder!” one of the guards shouted. With all their forces already allocated to the front line, the tactical error left Xannor and his handful of personal guard hung out to dry. No one had detected the smaller force moving in from the eastern border, and now they had descended on his home.
A thundering blow bowed the door in again, this time knocking the top hinge clean off. “Get ready! Prepare to fight to the last man!” Arrows were drawn, and those in front dropped to one knee. The next blow shattered the door in a bloom of splinters as choking dust rolled in. “Loose!” A torrent of arrows fired into the cloud with a whistling snap.
Two olgoks came stumbling through the cloud, spinning onto their backs with their bodies looking like pin cushions. The elves notched more arrows and waited as they peered into the billowing dust. Suddenly, a counter wave of arrows came streaking back at them. Elite guard seemed to sprout arrows from nearly every square inch of their bodies before they could blink. Several of them plunged forward, dead before they ever hit the floor.
An elf pushed back up to one knee through sheer will alone, his arrow-riddled body refusing to die just yet. I recognized him as asshole sucker, the elf who told me about the Arkala impostors popping up all over Nelirius.
He crawled toward Xannor like a wounded animal, gimping along on his knuckles while dragging his leg. “Sir...” he croaked, just before belching out a wad of blood. “We have failed you. I...have failed you.” More blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes still burned with fire and determination. “I will buy you what time I can.” His voice suddenly gained strength as that fire in his eyes burned hotter. “Xannor, you must run. Go now!”
The elf sprang to his feet, swords drawn. A dead man walking, it was difficult to believe his arrow-riddled body had anything left to give. He roared, a deep bellow as he charged against the dust cloud. He made it two steps deep before flashing steel crisscrossed his chest. He dropped his blades and stumbled back, glancing down at the deep X on his chest as it leaked red down his front. He hissed out a disappointed sigh, his last breath leaking away as his eyes rolled back in his head. He fell onto his back, never to rise again.
Xannor suddenly snapped out of his horror-induced trance and turned to run. Reflexively, his hand came up and smacked the stinging burn on the side of his neck. He withdrew his hand and glared at the black dart pinched between two fingers. Then the room began to spin.
He dropped to one knee as his vision grew hazy, turning his attention toward the beaten-down door. Shadowed figures came stalking through the dust like ghosts through a graveyard fog.
“No,” Neia whimpered through her state of teary-eyed torment. “No, it can’t be. Why?”
An elf stepped through the dust and slowly made his way toward Xannor. Tall for an elf, or even a human for that matter, his bleached hair was pure white. His sharp, dark eyes were too close together, accentuated even more by his long, pointy nose.
The tall elf glared down at Xannor. “My oh my, how the mighty have fallen,” he said, his voice light and airy, a touch feminine even. “Down on your knees like a groveling slave. The position suits you.” More sun elves stepped through the doorway, swords and bows in hand as they took up positions around the room. One of them was holding a roped collar which he dangled tauntingly over the downed elder.
Xannor glanced around at his fallen guard, many still with their lifeless eyes wide open as they stared up at nothing. “You slaughtered these men in cold blood,” he said, his fading mind attempting to fight against the drug-induced sleepiness. “And yet their only crime was staying loyal to me right until the end. Mark my words, Adamon, you will pay a steep price for this betrayal.”
“I think not,” said the blond elf, barely giving the threat a second thought. “Secure him and take him away,” he ordered to the man holding the collar. “And please, be gentle with the kind old elder.” He shrugged. “Or don’t... Makes no difference to me.” Xannor’s eyes blazed as he fought against the fog overwhelming his consciousness. He even rose up off one knee, which made Adamon take a step back. But then he fell forward, his chin bouncing off the floor.
Adamon laughed at the failed last-ditch attempt. “Sleep well, old friend. Your day of reckoning will come soon enough.”
The visuals rippled away as the water turned back to dark blue. “I just thought you should know what happened in your absence,” the witch said softly as the elf sisters sobbed. “It is...most unfortunate. What to do moving forward is now up to you.”
I felt so helpless as I watched my friends cry. Would things have been different had they not taken the time to bring me here? Would their presence during the attack have changed the tide and altered the outcome? My heart ached for the sisters, but what could I really do about it?
“Who...” I struggled to even ask the horribly timed question.
“His name is Adamon,” Ursula answered for them. She was the only one in any shape to speak. “He is the sun elf prince. And from what we’ve just seen, it would appear—”
“That he is a damn traitor!” Neia blurted out before her heavy sobs resumed. She turned and ran from the room with Ilenia giving chase.
“Wait,” Ursula said, grabbing me by the arm before I could go after them. “You saw what happened. Their emotions run high, and I think they may need a moment to let it sink in.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.” I sighed, looking back at the doorway. “Ursula, I... Would this still have happened if they had not been here with me?” I asked, fearing the answer. “Would they have been able to stop him if...”
“I am not a fortune-teller.” She slid her hand down the length of my arm and took my hand. I nodded with a sigh. I suppose even a witch has her limits as to what she knows and doesn’t know. “What is done is done, I’m afraid. They will now have to sort this through for themselves. But what does it matter to you?” I gave her a questioning look. “Soon, this will all be over. A dream that was never real to begin with. You can finally go back home and live a normal life without ever having to deal with olgoks or crazy elves again. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes, I...” I replied absently, my eyes still on the door.
“Good. Then I will prepare the portal that will send you back to Earth.” I felt her hand cup my cheek as she turned my face away from the door. “Isaac,” she said, her dark eyes demanding my attention. “There was nothing you could have done. Just let it go, okay?” She gave my cheek a few light slaps for emphasis, then smiled at me. “Go on then. Hurry up and say your goodbyes.” She pointed to the door with her chin and made a clicking tsk sound. “But hurry, we don’t have much time.”
I stepped into the other room and paused. There were my elf companions crying their eyes out. What could I possibly do or say to ease their pain? With my head hung, I slowly made my way over to them when Neia noticed my approach. She turned and ran straight into my chest, throwing her arms around me in a hug so tight, I thought she might break a rib.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered in my ear. Her tear-soaked cheeks were moist against mine as she quivered in my arms. “I’m sorry I dragged you into our world. I’m sorry I put you through all this.” She reluctantly pushed away from my chest, and even forced a little smile. Watching her put on this brave face just for my sake was heartbreaking.
“Hey.” She tipped her head and palmed a tear from her cheek. “Remember your promise? You won’t forget me, right?”
“I will never...ever...ever forget you,” I rasped, forcing each word past the lump swelling in my throat.
“Isaac.” I flinched, reluctant to turn around. “It is time.” Ursula waited in the doorway.
“Have a safe trip.” Neia quickly turned away, not wanting me to see the pain welling up in her face again.
Ilenia stepped over and allowed her sister to rest her head against her shoulder. She held the back of Neia’s head and glanced up at me. Thank you for trying she mouthed silently before leading Neia away. Those two had a lot to discuss.
“Isaac, the portal has already been activated,” Ursula said, her voice tingling with irritation that time. “We can wait no longer.”
When I followed her back into the room, there was a swirling portal suspended over the cauldron. Waves of blue and orange radiated outward from its center in a pulsing light show, and the image at its center was all too familiar. There was my old rust bucket Corolla sitting in the college parking lot, right where I left it.
But what I hadn’t left were the cop cars and policemen surrounding it now. There were flashing lights, and most of the area was sealed off with police tape. I imagined I had probably been reported missing by this time, and this was basically a crime scene now.
Yup, I was going to have a whole lot of explaining to do.
I stepped up the edge of the cauldron and backed into the portal. “Remember, it was all just a dream, Isaac,” Ursula said as she kissed the palm of her hand and blew it to me. “Just a dream.”
Here we go. Time to go back to my boring life of being a nobody. Back to a world where I’m practically invisible. And in the meantime, I’ll just abandon my good friends just when they need me most. Maybe things will workout for them, maybe they won’t, because in the end...it was all just a dream.
The portal snapped shut, collapsing down into a tiny glowing dot the size of a marble. Ursula turned away, about to go back to the elves, when she stopped in her tracks. Puzzled by something, she turned back to the still-hovering glow that would soon wink out at any moment. The air around it began to bulge and flex, and then suddenly...
I burst back through in a spray of golden sparks, landing on the far side of the room. “Isaac, what are you—” She shook her head in disbelief. “What have you done? The magic is spent. That was your one and only chance. It will be at least a week before I can construct another portal.”
“Then that is a week longer than you’ll need, because I’m not going anywhere!” I rose from my crouched position and stormed back into the other room.
When the elves saw me, their jaws dropped, and they stood there in stunned silence. “Isaac?!” Neia slowly shook her head, not sure what to make of my sudden return. “What happened? Why are you still—” She glanced up over my shoulder, suspecting something must have gone wrong with the spell.
Both began talking at once, but I started waving my hands before they could get rolling with all their wrong assumptions. “No, no, nothing went wrong,” I assured them. “This was my choice, and my choice alone.”
“Isaac, what are you saying?” Neia asked as she clasped her hands over her mouth. “Why would you... I don’t understand.”
I pointed back to the cauldron room. “What do I have to go back to? There is nothing waiting for me there.” I spread my hands out to them. “You two are the best friends I’ve ever had, and I’m supposed to just turn my back on you when you need me the most? Fuck that. No, seriously, fuck that!
“Look.” I lowered my voice. “I’m sorry I’m not the guy you were hoping for. I wish I could change that, but I can’t. I’m not special... I’m not powerful... But you know what? I will still fight like hell for those I love! That’s worth something, right?”
“Oh, Isaac,” Neia whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. “You have given up everything for us? Words fail me...”
I grabbed my staff from off the wall and gave it a whooshing whirl over my head. “I haven’t given up a damn thing. In fact, I’ve gained more than you will ever know. Now come on, we have work to do. Let’s go rescue your father.”
Chapter 14
Ursula’s luxury cave had no shortage of food and supplies for us to stock up on. The hot witch wished us luck and we were on our way.
Ugh, these stupid steps! Looking down made them seem even worse than I remembered. As we worked our way down that steep climb, I was reminded once again just how fucking human I really was. I was tempted to crawl backward on my belly like an infant, but I knew I’d never hear the end of it.
Better to risk a brutally painful fall to my death than embarrass myself in front of the ladies. Yup, that’s how our priorities usually line up. A guy’s inner wiring is all messed up like that.
But my elf companions were still so emotional that they hardly seemed to notice me creeping down the steps like a frightened kitten. It was a relief when we finally reached the main trail and I hadn’t cracked my head open. I’ll take small victories wherever I can get them.
With her usual tough-girl persona gone right out the window, Ilenia began crying all over again. “What if we’re too late?” she wailed. “What if they’ve already killed him?” Her emotional outburst got Neia all wound up, and she started crying too. They were not in the frame of mind for this mission, but there wasn’t any time to wait for them to settle down. I knew it wasn’t fair, but life rarely is.
“Shh... Shh...” I tried to calm them both down. “Look, he’s not dead, okay? He’s fine.”
“How can you be so sure?” Neia asked, red-eyed and sniffling.
“Because I’ve seen too many movies not to know how this works, that’s how.”
“Mo...v...ie?” Ilenia repeated with a puzzled look.
“Yes, movies. Trust me, they are a very reliable source for teaching us how the world works,” I lied. But I was still pretty confident with the theory I cooked up. “If they wanted to kill your father, he would already be dead. Their plan was to take him alive, possibly for ransom or something like that. I can’t say the reason for sure.
“The point is your father is most definitely still alive...for now. But we need to get to him as fast as possible.” The elves still wouldn’t stop crying, and I needed them to snap out of it and get their heads in the game. “Shh... Shh... Calm down, both of you. I know you’re shaken up, but all we’re doing now is wasting precious time. You have to calm down and listen to me, understand?”
