Chapter 5
The Trial Of Blood
Lorna had perhaps the shortest to
travel of all to reach her destination.
She rode to the northwest towards the
By the time twilight started most of
the fog had cleared and the hills bordering the forest came into view. A couple hours later, Lorna stopped her horse
upon reaching the forest edge. It was a
dark green wall, giving no signs of the people within. A wave of paralyzing terror passed through
her, she clenched the reins tightly and her stomach muscles coiled into a
ball. It was hard for her to swallow
down her suddenly dry throat. She wanted
to bolt, to run as far away as she could.
Within that forest was something she had been trying to avoid, her past.
Though she was an elf, by blood,
human parents raised her. She knew not
the slightest bit of elven culture. Couldn’t speak a word of their language, not so much as a single
custom was taught to her. In
short, her entire personality was human and as such could not understand the
elven people. However, she would now receive a crash course in her race's
culture, which she had never known.
At the edge of the forest she
tethered her horse to a tree. From her
saddlebag she pulled a deep hooded, full-length cloak. It was a dark hunter green, allowing her to
blend in with the forest which appeared to have already entered the night. As she entered the thick foliage she thought
back to her conversation with Dungar the previous night. While the others slept, she once again held
council with the battle-seasoned dwarf.
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“This is rich! An
elf wanting a dwarf to teach her elf etiquette.” Dungar laughed
heartily. “How ironic!”
“Look I’m only an elf by blood, I
know nothing about them. You’ve been
around awhile, so I need to know what I am getting into.” The dwarf stroked his long beard in
thought. With a heavy sigh he said, “The
only things I can tell you is something you won’t want to hear.”
“But I have to.”
“Very well. From personal experience I have learned that
elves can be vicious. I don’t mean they
look for a reason to be, but when crossed they are unforgiving. In general elves hate anyone not them. They have learned to tolerate humans, because
they breed like rabbits if for no other reason. Humans are okay, so long as
they maintain their distance. Dwarves on
the other hand are another matter. Our very presence is a hostile act.”
“Why?”
“Lass if I knew that I could change
the world, but I don’t. The fact
remains: they hate those who are not
elf. Here is the real hard part, they hate half breeds even more.”
“Half breeds?”
“Half human, half
elf. On the surface I can see
why. Most of ‘em
are born cause of a rape. They’re persecuted because of it and treated
lower than an animal. They only have one
chance of survival and that is among humans.”
“Gods! I
can’t understand that, it’s not their fault!”
“Aye, you’re right, but that doesn’t
change matter to them.”
“At least I’m full elf.” She saw a
very strange expression come upon Dungar’s face. “What?”
“It’s not quite that simple. Can you
speak elven?”
“You know I can’t.”
“The fact we're having this
conversation should show why I’m worried.
Though an elf by birth, your mind is human. Once an elf notices this they’ll raise a
ruckus.”
“Then how can I do this?”
“Quite frankly, I don’t know. You’re our best shot, our only shot for
getting this thing.”
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The conversation had left Lorna a
bit disturbed to say the least. She
couldn’t help but wonder about her life and what it might have been like had
she been raised by elves. Would she hate
the other races? What of Dungar? He said elves hate the very site of a dwarf,
would she likewise hate him? What
bothered her most was in relation to Darius.
Would she hate him as well? It
made her angry to think like this.
However, the thoughts continued none the less, even as she made her way
through the overgrown forest foliage.
Once Lorna came out of her reverie,
a peculiar thing was noticed. She was progressing
with relative ease, leaving very little trace of herself. Even as she continued the skill of her
movement was noticeable. It was almost
as if her body instinctively knew such terrain.
She glided effortlessly through the trees, like a ghost through
walls. After twenty minutes of travel
she stopped to survey her path.
Night had fully descended upon the
forest. Only a few meager rays of
moonlight broke through the dense canopy.
A human would have been forced to light a torch. However, Lorna possessed ability common to
all elves, which was a highly developed night vision. The first twenty feet around her were well
illuminated with the little light present.
Considering forests are the primary home to her race this ability was
necessary. Even in daylight, the thick
canopy of the forest trees blocked most of the light, making it perpetual
twilight on the forest floor. Again
Lorna was struck by the strange dual feeling of familiarity and foreigness. Her body
was at ease, though her mind was in turmoil, as if it was struggling to
remember something. She knew that if she
were to succeed it would have to be at night, so she moved onward.
Her map was no more specific than the
others’ had been. It merely said it was
at the heart of the elven city. Where
that was she hadn’t the slightest clue.
She figured that if she went far enough she would happen upon the city
and then go from there. It would take
about two hours of travel before she would find her first clue: a small flame
burning in the upper reaches of a tree near her. It might have gone unnoticed,
however her vision had become so accustomed to the darkness that the tiny flame
burned like a sun. Lorna searched for
low branches that would allow her to scale the trees. The lowest one she found was a good twenty
feet above her head. Shaking her head in
frustration, she began to pace back and forth.
Her mind raced with ideas to help her situation. Seeing no other way she tried jumping to
it. The moment she pushed off the ground
a strange sensation passed through her.
Lorna felt as if her body was becoming lighter. With a deftness that was surprising yet
familiar she made it to the branch with ease.
Balance and agility were in perfect sync as she jumped from branch to
branch without stopping. She finally
came to a halt upon reaching the burning light.
It was a small torch built into the tree. When she turned behind her to see what it was
lighting, a breathtaking site greeted her.
Behind her stood an entrance to a
city built into the treetops of the forest.
Wood and rope bridges connected wooden platforms that ringed the tree
trunks. Thousand of small torches cast
an orange hue over everything. From her
vantage point she saw several people moving about deeper in the city. A handful of people walked out of one of the larger
trees onto a circular platform built out from the trunk. With an almost childlike wonder she moved
along a bridge to one of those trees to the door in its trunk. Looking down a bit more she saw a sign
hanging over a lower door, Lorna jumped down to a platform that ringed the tree
at this level.
The sign was adorned with long
curving characters that were accented with dots, commas, and dashes. She stared at the sign in awe. It might have been nothing more than the name
of a store, but it was beautiful to her eyes. Not a common utility, but a work of art. She felt saddened by the fact that she
couldn’t read it, but that fact also reminded her of the danger she was in. Turning to the nearest bridge she headed
deeper into the city.
As Lorna reached the inner area of
the city she encountered the main body of the elven population. Once again Lorna was overwhelmed by what she
saw and felt. Never before had she been
so immersed in her own kind. Her
dealings with actual elves have been slight and brief, nothing more than a
quick spotting. Now she saw dozens of
them, a few older ones, some her age, and even a few children. Some of them were tall, some short, a few had
reddish hair, others had shades of blonde and brown, and like her they all bore
the pointed ears that were the trademark of the race. The ears of a few were longer, others were more
rounded and blunt, but recognizable none the less. The sheer number of them was suffocating
her. She had to brace herself on one of
the railings to keep from falling down. She tried to calm her heart, which was
beating furiously against her rib cage. Lorna knew she would attract attention,
but still the overwhelming feeling persisted.
C’mon Lorna get
a grip! It’s just a crowd of people!
She slowly took a deep breath and forced herself back into the
crowd. She made her progress as fast as
she dared to without drawing attention to herself. Her eyes were constantly darting amongst the
people around her from beneath her deep hood.
As time wore thin so did the crowd, now only a handful of elves were
walking about. With fewer people around, she felt confident enough to check her
map again.
The map was an overview of the
forest. In the ocean to the left were
instructions on how to find the disc. “Travel to the city of elves, at the
heart of the city the disc is guarded.”
That was all that was written there.
But where is the gods blasted
heart? She thought agitatedly.
Growling in annoyance she put the map away. “Guess I have no choice but
to wander until I find the damn thing.” She muttered and resumed walking.
For a few more hours Lorna wandered
the deep labyrinth of the forest city.
It was hard to tell how far she had gone, one
area looked very much like the last. Even time seemed not to exist here. The thick canopy blocked the sky from view,
making the time of day impossible to tell.
Only the perpetual twilight created by the torchlight. These factors, as well as the pain in her
feet and back, were seriously corrosive to her mood. It was about this time she came across something
new.
Before her stood a
massive sequoia tree. The sheer
size of it blocked out everything behind it.
It stood at least fifty feet from the platform she stood on, alone, and disappeared
into the overhead foliage. It seemed almost as wide. There were several large stained glass
windows set into the bark. Each was
composed of dark shades of red, green, blue, orange, as well as several
others. Scenes were depicted in each one
of elves in various settings. Probably bits from their mythology. Lorna mused.
She looked each one over in fascinated interest. Unlike the other things she had marveled at
this one left no strange foreboding in her.
Calmness came over her, a comfort beyond any she had known before
surrounded her. She walked closer to the
tree, continuing to gaze at each window as she stepped. She stopped at a pair of massive doors above
which was a circular pane of glass stained with only the color green, in all
its shades and hues which seemed to dance, each with its own inner light. It seized her mind; she felt drawn to it, it
whispered for her to come forward.
Without thinking Lorna slowly opened the doors and entered. What she saw would have been dazzling to any
eyes of any being.
The construction of the chamber was
immense. The interior space was large
enough to hold two columns of fifteen-foot long wooden benches. Each bench was connected to the floor,
perhaps grown from the floor would be
more correct. The window openings and
the support columns were like the benches, each one was grown into its desired
shape. Every indent, curve, groove, and
design was a natural mark. As impressive
as its physical construction was, it paled in comparison to the lighting
effected created by the stained glass windows.
Color rained down upon her and
everything else within in an unrelenting brilliance. Lorna glanced around at the windows she had
seen before entering. Each glowed with
life from the torches outside, but the strongest light came from overhead. Looking up for the ceiling, she fell to her
knees. A hundred feet up, a large dome
of stained glass containing every color imaginable glowed brightly. The canopy above must have been cleared. The dome amplified even the dim moonlight. She lost all thought in the maelstrom of
colors. There was only the beauty of the
light. For an eternity she might have
stayed there, however her admiration of the light ended with a sudden flare of
pain and the light was replaced by darkness.
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Lorna didn’t know how long she was
out. In fact she didn’t know much of
anything, save for the throbbing in the back of her skull. As she sat up and tried to gain her bearings,
the world swirled in front of her eyes.
After a couple of minutes the world began to slowly come back into focus. Far as she could tell she was in a hollowed
out tree sitting on a pile of hay, a single torch burned by the door. Slowly she rose to her feet and began heading
for the door where she tried to push it open but it wouldn’t budge. “Locked.” She sighed. Lorna nearly fell on her backside when the
door suddenly flung open. Four dark
cloaked figures entered the room. They
looked her over for a bit before two of them grabbed her arms. Desperately Lorna struggled against them, but
the others also grabbed a hold of her.
Between the four of them she had little chance. They bound her hands behind her back, covered
her eyes, and dragged her out of the chamber and through the elven city. She had no idea where they were going. All she heard was the rushed steps of her
captors.
With the sound of an opening door
her captors finally slowed their pace.
Another couple of steps later Lorna was tossed to the floor. She hit her shoulder hard against the solid
wood, letting loose one of the strongest swear words in the common
language. Her blindfold was ripped from
her face. She looked up to see her
abductors kneeling before a row of older elves.
A few strange sounds passed from them to one of the old ones. The old elf that made the exchange looked at
Lorna. He said something to her. The language had a fast musical edge to it,
but there was not the least bit of understanding for her. When it became apparent to the elf that she
wasn’t going to answer, he repeated the phrase with more annoyance. Again Lorna didn’t answer. The elf nodded to one of the kneeling
men. He rose, walked behind Lorna, and
then grabbed a shock of her hair. He
pulled it back causing Lorna to cry out.
Once again, the order was given and yet again she did not answer. The one holding her raised his hand to strike
her.
“ENOUGH!” A strong voice
called. All eyes turned to the elder
seated in the center of the row. This
elf, by far, was the oldest of all. His
hair was one long straight white sheet that spilled over his shoulders that
were surprisingly broad for an elf. His
eyes were the dark shade of oak. None
seemed able to speak. “It is obvious
that she doesn’t understand our tongue, so at least make your accusations in
common!” The accusing elder started to
respond in elven, stopping when the other gave him a look. He then started again in common.
“Who are you?”
“Release me.” She croaked.
“What!?”
“I said let me go!”
“You are in no position to…”
“Let her go.” The other said.
“Grand Elder!”
“Her request is reasonable.” The man
holding her hair let go. “Now what is your name?”
“Lorna La’Landroe.”
“You are an elf?” The accuser said,
stepping back into his questioning.
“Yes.”
“Then how is it that you don’t know
our language?”
“I was raised by humans.” A loud
murmur ran throughout all of the elders.
Only the grand elder remained silent.
The accuser approached her. Using
his thumb and forefinger he grasped the underside of her chin. He turned her face left then right, examining
her like she was some piece of livestock.
Lorna was angered and sickened greatly by his touch. The feeling of those long fingers was akin to
spider legs holding her face. With a bit
of a hard push he let go. He turned away
from her, “Such a waste.” Lorna’s eyes burned with fury. “Elders our ways are quite clear on
this. This girl has polluted our city
with her presence; you know what must be done.”
The grand elder said something in elven, leaving his fellow elders
speechless. The accuser stammered a bit,
but finally gave in. The grand elder
looked at Lorna, not with disgust, but with an expressionless gaze.
“If you are released from those
bonds will you be violent?”
“The fact that he still lives is
your answer.” Lorna returned nodding at the accuser. She brought her hands around front, holding
the remains of the rope they had used to bind her.
“How…?” The surprised accuser
uttered. Twisting her wrist slightly
Lorna caused a small silver dagger to appear.
She held it aimed at the accusing elder for a moment, then with a deft
motion she returned it to its hidden sheath.
“I never miss either.”
“Why are you here?”
“I was sent from the guild of
Trendon.” The grand elder’s attention
was piqued at the mention of the guild.
“For what
purpose?” The accuser demanded.
“I can’t say.”
“It doesn’t matter,
I know what she is here for.” The grand elder responded.
“Grand Elder leave all else aside
the fact remains that our society does not allow ones such as her to enter our
city. She is even worse than a half breed.”
The elder spat. “She is nothing but trash!”
“You arrogant bastard!” Lorna yelled. “You don’t even know me, yet you judge me.”
“Just out of curiosity, how did your
human parents come to adopt you?” The grand elder asked.
“As far as I’m told I was found by
my human parents. They lived in Salin. One day they found my mother dying with me
nearby in a basket. Apparently my mother
had been attacked. She died later that
day, so the humans who found me raised me.”
“Most likely they killed your
mother.” The accusing elder said.
“You really do enjoy showing your
ignorance. My mother was wearing elven
plate armor and had wielded a rapier whose blade must have broken off; I have
seen them myself, so she knew how to fight.
She had a massive wound in her side, the mark
of it was still on her armor. The humans were farmers and they raised me with
as much love as if I was born to them.”
“Raised you
human!” He accused.
“What the hell do you expect? They were humans. That’s all they knew.”
“And now that’s all you know. That makes you worthless to your own people.”
“Dungar was wrong,
there is nothing inadvertent about your hostility!”
“Dungar? That’s a dwarven name, you associate with a
dwarf!?”
“Yes, I do. I judge by the soul, not the body.”
“Fellow elders it is obvious that
the humans’ influence has poisoned her mind beyond repair. She is an abomination to Gaea
and had defiled our temple by entering it.
The law is clear on this, she must be executed!” There was another clamor from the
elders. During the heated altercation,
the grand elder stared at Lorna. He once
again called for silence.
“You entered our temple?” He asked.
“I guess that’s what it was.”
“What did you feel when you first
saw it?”
“Like it was familiar yet I never
saw the temple before. I felt that about almost everything I saw in this city,
except….” She hesitated for a moment
“Go on.” The grand elder urged.
“Except when I saw it, I wasn’t
afraid. The closer I got the more I felt
pulled to it, like it was calling to me.
The inside of the temple is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“It appears she has been called by Gaea herself. This
means she is not too far-gone. She may
become one of us.”
“Grand Elder!”
The accusing elder yelled. “What do you mean?”
“The Blood Trial.”
“But that trial is reserved for
elves who wish to join our tribe, not…not this!” He
gestured at Lorna with disgust.
“None the less that is how we shall
proceed.”
“She needs someone of good standing
in this tribe to vouch for her. Otherwise there will be no trial.”
“I shall sponsor her.” The roar of the other elders was strong
enough to shatter glass.
“Grand Elder, you realize that if
she loses and dies, you’ll be banished.”
“I am well aware of the ritual law. Prepare for the trial.” One of the hooded men asked something in
elven. “The girl will be released into
my care.”
“Master,” the accuser, said, “Who
will choose her opponent?”
“Since you were the one who made the
charge, you will choose.”
“As you say.”
He and all the others began filing out of the room. Soon only Lorna and the grand elder remained.
“Now my dear it is time for you be
prepared.”
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The grand elder took Lorna to his
personal home, which was not too far from the tree temple. The inside was furnished beautifully, yet
modestly. He had Lorna sit while he
treated her injured head. After that he
gave her a glass of wine, the Grand Elder began to relate the situation she was
in.
“The ritual of blood is a very
dangerous one. As you witnessed,
outsiders are not welcomed.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Yes I suppose it is. Not all of us
are like that, not even most.”
“Speaking of which, why are you
helping me?”
“Well I don’t want to see you
harmed, but I would be lying if I said that’s the reason. You’re here for the disc, the one that binds Kagero’s soul.”
“How did you know?”
“All the elves in this city know
about the disc, but only I know what its true purpose is. Almost since its creation the elves of this
forest have guarded it. Its magic
influences the soil and plants. Its power
helped us to build this city without harming the trees. Over the centuries we have grown to see the
disc as a religious relic, rather than a magic tool. The Grand Elder was always made to understand
the true purpose and to await the emissary of the guild master. If I had been the first to find you, or at
least one of the elven guard loyal to my views, I
simply would have given it to you and let you be off.”
“Why can’t we still do that?”
“Now it’s a public matter and
banishment is not something I want, so we must play this out.”
“What am I facing?”
“The trial of blood is a ritual in
which you face one of our warriors in combat. There is only one certain way of
victory; your opponent must be killed.”
“That’s the only way!?”
“That’s the only unquestionable
way. The opposing side may choose to yield, in this case I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“I don’t want to kill anyone.”
“It won’t be that easy. He will pick one of our best warriors and
they have never been defeated.”
“Are there any rules governing this
fight?”
“Just two, stay within the arena and
survive.”
“Why is this so brutal? If this is for anyone who wishes to join your
tribe, why make it so difficult?”
The grand elder sighed deeply, “This
is a result of the Elven clan wars long ago on Nepana. It would take too long to explain now. Suffice it to say that this is how it must be.”
“So unless I kill this opponent, I
fight ‘til they give up?”
“Basically, or at least until the
warrior's sponsor does. In this case,
that is the elder that was making the accusations. He may also make any offer to you he wishes
to bring an end to the battle. Your only
choice is to fight ‘til you win, or accept one of his offers.”
“Great! The same
man that wants me dead.”
“Tell me can you fight well?”
“I’m not unskilled, but I’m not an
expert. I am an expert with throwing
daggers and have had some martial arts training.”
“Any magic?”
Here Lorna hesitated. She looked at the
elder; he sat with the same expressionless face. She took a breath and decided to come clean.
“I can sing and do something like
magic.”
“Sing?” He said raising an eyebrow.
“It’s like an instinct. I just start singing and something happens.”
“Like what?”
“One refrain I know makes men
completely enraptured by it, but women become hostile. Another one can make people fall asleep.”
“Amazing!
How do you do it?”
“I don’t know it just happens.”
“That may be your best chance. Use your sleep song and he will be at your
mercy. That way it would be foolish for
him not to yield.”
“Let’s hope.” As the pair continued
to talk they were unaware of an extra pair of eyes watching them and a pair of ears
listening to them.
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After three hours, they were alerted
to the fact that the ritual was ready.
All of the elders and their guards gathered at the tree temple. A guard moved to blindfold Lorna, causing her
to respond with a threatening gesture.
She would only allow the grand elder to touch her and even then she was
tense. From there on the grand elder
held her arm as they moved through the city.
It was a strained quiet walk with only the sounds of their boots and
cloaks. As they moved the grand elder
would ask one or two things in elven. However, each time he was met with
silence making him more and more agitated, finally he
got what sounded like a curt answer.
“Why won’t they answer you?” Lorna
whispered.
“They must not think anything of
your abilities. They’re acting as if I’m
already banished.”
“Disrespectful
bastards!” She muttered. Her
offense must have surprised the grand elder, because it surprised her. She vowed that, win or loses; she would show
them a good fight. Then they finally
came to a stop.
When Lorna’s blindfold was removed
she finally saw where they had been leading her. They stood at the entrance to a large
circular clearing. Above would be more
accurate, the forest floor was a good hundred feet below them. To their left was a path with benches secured
to every outer tree. It looked just like
what the grand elder called it, an arena.
Lorna couldn’t help but wonder how many elves soaked the ground with
their blood--just simply to belong. The
elders and guards filing to their seats interrupted her musing. Only the grand elder, herself, the accusing
elder and one of the hooded guards remained.
Once the last person was seated the accuser began to speak. “We are
gathered here to judge the worthiness of this girl to enter our tribe. The battle will be confined to this arena and
shall continue until I rule her worthy or one of them dies. Now we will prepare the arena.” The accusing elder began to speak a language
Lorna recognized as magic. A bright red
glow filled the clearing up to where they stood. When he was finished the grand elder took up
his own chant. The red was replaced by a
pale green. Once everything was settled
the glow remained.
Lorna turned to the accusing elder and his
challenger. A male voice asked something
in elven to the grand elder. “He wishes to speak with you, may he?” Lorna
nodded.
The young man removed his hood. He looked not much older than Lorna and of
the same basic height and build as she.
His eyes were the same shade of light brown that his hair was. Removing his cloak he revealed his sword,
which had a long and thin blade. “My real name will be hard to pronounce
without practice, so you may call me Tarvis.”
“It is a sign of respect when an elf
gives you his name before battle.” The grand elder whispered. Lorna bowed to him and said, “I am Lorna La’landroe.”
“This battle will give me no
pleasure, beyond the challenge that is.”
He looked to her hip. “You don’t carry a sword?”
“I didn’t think I would need one in
this city.”
He turned to the accusing elder and said something
in elven, which was met with agitation.
He repeated it again with more force.
“I will not fight an unarmed opponent!” He said it once more in common when
the accusing elder still didn’t move.
Finally the accuser gave in and motioned for one of the guards to come
forward. Standing before Lorna he laid a
small sliver of steel in her hand. Closing
her hand, he began reciting magic words and a strange effect resulted. That little sliver grew into a sword whose
blade was longer and thinner than Tarvis’s. The hilt and crosspiece were only slightly thicker
than the blade itself. As soon as it was
fully formed Lorna grasped the grip. She
felt a strange sensation as she made a few practice swings with it. It didn’t feel like a weapon, more like an
extension of her arm. “That is an elven rapier.
It is made for a specific elf.
You will notice you have a natural skill with it.”
“Thank you.”
“I only ask that if you live to
remember this moment and know not all elves are full of stubborn and blinding
pride like the elder.”
“That is quite enough Tarvis.”
“He is right,
from this point on I am your enemy. I
will not hesitate to use lethal force and neither should you.” Lorna
nodded. Tarvis drew his sword. Placing the edge of the blade on his palm, he
closed his hand and slowly slid it upward.
A small cut bled freely.
“You must do the same thing.” The
grand elder whispered to her. Lorna
repeated his actions. After drawing her
own blood she looked at him.
“By blood I bind myself to the rules
of the trial.” He placed his bleeding hand out to her.
“By blood I bind myself to the rules
of the trial.” She grasped his hand. The
green aura intensified for a second than returned to its normal glow. They found themselves on the forest
floor.
The voice of the grand elder was loudly heard. “Both
of you will now be made aware of the arena’s enchantment. Here gravity is different. You may jump as high as you want and even
float in mid air. The barrier will block
any of you from leaving, should either of you touch it a shock will go through
you leaving you stunned. Also, Lorna
your thoughts will be opened to us, so we may better judge you. The trial begins, NOW!”
Lorna and Tarvis backed away from
each other. As they circled each other
Lorna sheathed her sword through her belt.
Tarvis brought his right hand up in front of his mouth in a defensive
stance. Lorna took a deep breath and
began to sing. Her voice was quickly
rising, but was suddenly cut off. All above leaned forward to gain a better look. Lorna’s hand went to her throat. As she pulled it back, there were drops of
her blood coating a gray thorn. She
looked to Tarvis; he opened his hand and a small bamboo tube clattered to the
ground. The accusing elder’s laughter
echoed throughout the arena.
“We received some advanced warning
about your little ability. The poison on
that thorn was developed to paralyze the vocal cords. Don’t worry it will only last about twenty
minutes, you on the other hand are another matter.” Lorna’s face contorted in a mask of feral
fury. With surprising speed Lorna jumped
up and as she soared she whipped out her sword.
She locked all of her rage onto the accusing elder. She might have kept going until her sword
tasted his blood, but Tarvis appeared before her. Their swords clashed in a storm of bluish-white
sparks.
“You must remember that for now I am your enemy.” Tarvis said. Lorna glared at him through the swords. They broke apart and came at each other
again. They clashed sword strikes like
that for a good while, floating between the forest floor and the spectators.
Lorna rushed at Tarvis with her
sword blade pointed to her right side.
She brought the blade up in a wide arch; it was stopped by Tarvis’s level blade.
His palm was laid on the flat of the blade and his other locked on the
hilt. This left an opening for
Lorna. She immediately kicked his
stomach, shoving him back. She then went
into a downward strike, which Tarvis barely deflected, then quickly went into a
roll. After putting some distance
between himself and Lorna, he risked a look back. A silver streak was about to hit him, luckily
he was able to move his head quick enough to avoid it. He landed on his feet and looked to
Lorna. She stood with her arms to her
side; face locked in an impassive gaze.
As he watched he felt a warm wet sensation on his check. When he touched it his fingers came away red.
“It appears you’ve drawn first
blood.” He said wiping his fingers on his pant leg. Once again the pair squared off. This time Tarvis led the charge. The sound of steel on steel resounded
throughout the arena like a thunderclap.
The two stood with gazes and swords locked against each other. I can’t lose! Lorna thought. Forget that damn disc, the guild; forget the
whole damn world for that matter! If I lose now so do Darius and Vincient, and
I won’t fail them! I WON”T! With a
sudden shove, Lorna overbalanced Tarvis, pushing his blade into the
ground. Lorna let go with her left hand
and brought her elbow up, striking the underside of Tarvis’s
chin. As he staggered back she charged
him once again. Expecting the attack
Tarvis pulled out of his stagger, side-stepping her and brought his sword
down. He hit the spot right between her
shoulder blades. Lorna screamed and
stumbled forward. Whirling on the balls
of her feet she turned in time to meet his next attack. Tarvis and Lorna stood blade to blade for the
millionth time.
She shoved herself back in order to
make another attack. Tarvis blocked, countering with a deft motion of his wrist
he caught her blade and yanked it from her hand. Lorna was left completely off-balanced by the
move. Tarvis now had the opening he
needed. Quickly moving behind Lorna, he
was able to catch her as she righted herself.
The flat of his blade was placed against her neck. Lorna felt frozen by the feeling of the cold
steel.
“I am sorry to see it end like this!” He whispered in her ear. She knew he meant it.
“Stop!” The
voice of the accusing elder echoed. All
looked to him as he stood staring down at the pair. For almost a minute he stroked his chin in
thought. Then at last he spoke, “As much
as I hate to admit this, your skills are impressive. Very few have lasted this long against
Tarvis. As such, I now exercise my right
as the one opposing you, to make you an offer.”
The assembly leaned forward in interest.
“Reject your human life. Renounce
the memory of your foster parents, of this brother Vincient, and above all the
human Darius. Your fondness of him is
the most distasteful of all. Forsake them and I will concede you the
victory.” She stared up in shocked
amazement. A low growl was issued into
her ear. Out of the corner of her eye she Tarvis’s face locked in anger. “Think of it! You can finally learn of your
people, your culture, your history, everything!” Lorna’s mind was filled with rage and
revulsion at the ideas he proposed, however another part of her thrilled at the
prospect. Both emotions were vying for
control. Never before had she given this
much thought to her elven heritage. This
sudden immersion in it had awakened these hidden desires greatly. She struggled with the desires, all the while
the accusing elder fed them. “We know
your struggle. You long for this, yet you resist. Why?
You can belong to your people once again. You can have it all,
it will only take one word to get it.
Just say yes.” She was no longer looking at the accusing elder.
Yes, it would be simpler to say
yes. She could end it all with one
word. To continue to talk with the grand
elder about history and life, to bathe in the beauty of the temple again, to
have friendly duels with Tarvis, all of these things she would love to
have. It could be had with a simple
word. As she thought of these things the
memory of everything else was growing dim.
The word of acceptance was trembling on her lips.
Lorna...
What?! Who is that?
Lorna...
Lorna looked up to the glowing green barrier. The pale green surface shimmered and a new
image appeared. Her eyes widened when
she saw it. Darius was lying on the lap
of a woman with long red tresses. Her
arms were wrapped around his neck, lying on her chest. Darius’s face showed intense pleasure and yet
he seemed to be in a struggle. His eyes
held no pleasure in them. Lorna looked
to the woman’s face. Her skin was the
color of fine porcelain and just as smooth.
The eyes were a crystal blue, which stared directly at Lorna with a cold
cruelness. She smiled at her, revealing
razor sharp teeth. All illusions of
pleasure ended for Darius, he screamed loudly.
The woman’s hair began to wrap around his arms and legs.
Darius!
Lorna’s mind screamed.
No!
The image of Darius shouted. Lorna! I love... her!
Then die for her! The woman rammed her hand into his chest. The image vanished with a scream and a spray
of blood. At last the venom paralyzing
Lorna’s voice faded.
“Darius!”
She screamed. All were silent in the wake
of her outburst. Lorna’s face twitched
with rage. Her voice began to go into a strange
melody. It had a pleasant quality at
first, but that quickly changed. The
melody grew harsher as she sang. There
were no words only a tone, and tempo.
People watched her sing her song and witnessed its power. As she sang the ground began to rumble, trees
shook, and the audience began to panic.
Soon the shaking trees began to crack and split, even the magic barrier
began to phase in and out of being. Up
on the platform entrance the accusing and grand elders fought to remain on
their feet.
“She never said her powers could do
something like this” The accusing
elder shouted.
“It’s an instinct,
she can’t always control it you fool!”
“We have to stop her or she’ll
destroy everything!”
Meanwhile, back on the ground,
Tarvis took his sword away in order to keep his balance. As he staggered back he looked at Lorna in
disbelief. What is this power?! I never felt anything like this before! He
thought. Soon he could no longer stand
still; he had to move around just to keep vertical. Lorna suddenly stopped her melody and turned
to Tarvis. For a split second their eyes
met. Her eyes bore the blade of raw hate
and he, for the first time since meeting her, felt afraid of her. In the next instant he felt a blade of a
different sort bury itself in his chest.
“Lorna...” He whispered as he fell
to the ground. Lorna shuddered as the
realization of her actions came to her.
She muttered incoherently to herself as she crawled over the now calm
earth to Tarvis. All above saw her move
to the mortally wounded elf and watched as she cried while looking into his
eyes.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered. A croak escaped his throat as he tried to
nod. Lorna grasped the handle of the
dagger and pulled it from him. His blood
raged out of the wound, the blade had kept the bleeding in check. Lorna began to hum a melody, it started low
and deep, but it picked up volume and speed.
Just like the destructive hymn there were no words, just tune and tempo. Only this was calm and peaceful. In silence they watched as Lorna’s song
closed the wound. As the sides of the
wound slowly came together, Lorna wiped away the blood with her hand. It revealed clean and unmarked flesh. Tarvis chest began to rise and fall with a
normal rate.
“She healed him?!” The accusing
elder said, ending the stunned silence of the onlookers. Lorna looked up at him with her rage filled
eyes.
“Of course I healed him.”
“Only a second ago you killed him in
cold blood!”
“No, it was a reaction to the
actions YOU caused!” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “You said if I
reject all of my human life I could join in on elven life, that was the deal
right? Well here’s my answer, NO!” She locked eyes with him forcing him to feel
her outrage. “If I must reject humans,
then I reject my elven side as well. It
was humans that showed me love, kindness, and friendship, it was humans that
cared for me when I was in need. You and
all but two elves have shown me nothing but ignorance and hatred. I am almost disgusted to admit to the elven
blood that runs through my veins.” Tears
flowed freely down her face. The
outburst left her feeling drained, empty, but it was a good feeling. Like an infected piece of her soul had been
removed.
“Lorna, why do you say ‘almost’?”
The grand elder asked.
“Because of your willingness to aid
me I see the potential for acceptance in an elf and thanks to Tarvis I have
seen the honor of a true elf.” There was
the noise of movement from the seating area. One of the other elders was standing,
he began to speak in common.
“Grand Elder, I see no more point in
continuing this trial. As far as I am
concerned this girl has proven herself.
She has shown, honor, strength, compassion, and, above all, wisdom that
I am sorry to say most elders lack. She
is more than worthy; this is my own feeling.
I do ask that if any other elder agrees with me that they stand with
me.” One by one each elder in attendance stood.
Each looked to Lorna, then each one bowed their
heads at Lorna.
“In…in light of the elders support…”
The accusing elder began. “And as a result of your skill, I end the trial. I yield and accept you into the tribe. Welcome Lorna La’landroe
to our clan; you are now a Draule elf.” Each elder, as well as a weary voice behind
her, gave the word of welcome. Lorna smiled, she laughed a bit, and then passed out from
exhaustion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike the last time Lorna awoke in
the village she found herself in a bed.
Other than being a bit sore she felt good. She sat up and heard movement from outside
the room. When she left the room she
found the grand elder preparing a meal for them.
“Ah, I see you’re awake. How are
you?”
“A little sore,
but otherwise fine.” Lorna
breathed in the aroma of whatever the grand elder was preparing. Her stomach roared to life at the scent of
food and made its desires heard. With a
bit of a blush Lorna said, “Perhaps I should add hungry to the list of things
wrong?”
“Hahaha, I
guess so.” He placed a plate of food before Lorna. The young elf dug right in. “You weren’t kidding! I guess that should be
expected, after all you haven’t eaten much in the last day and a half.” Lorna
stopped in mid shovel.
“A day and a half? That’s how long I’ve been
hear?” The grand elder nodded. “If I go soon and push it I should reach
the inn by
“So, you’ll be leaving us so soon?”
Lorna realized that she had thought out loud and looked apologetically at the
grand elder.
“Yes, I’m sorry to just say it like
that, but…”
“I understand the mission you are
on.” He said with a sigh.
“I’ll be back. I have to return the
disc when I’m done if nothing else, and there is still
much I want to learn from you. I’ll be back.”
“Yes, I know.” His tone however,
didn’t sound very convincing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tarvis, the grand elder, and several
other elders came to see Lorna off. They
had given her fresh provisions to start her journey. Tarvis handed her a leather bag that had been
tied shut in which Lorna felt a heavy weight.
Opening it she saw a green stone disc.
Arcane runes were carved on it and in its center a green crystal shined.
“So, this is it, huh? I expected something more.”
“Even the smallest of pebbles can
impede ones path.” Tarvis said. “I look forward to dueling you again some day.”
“Same here.
Bye!” She said and then ran into the woods. “I’ll be back soon!” She called
back. Once she was gone the grand elder
spoke.
“We will never see her again.”
“Grand Elder?!”
Tarvis said in concern.
“Her fate is not with us. Gaea help her.”
“Grand Elder, what’s going to happen
to Lorna? Is she in danger? I have to go help her?”
“Her destiny has been sealed, there is nothing you can do. If you go after her Tarvis you will only
share her fate.”
“And what is her fate?” He
demanded. The grand elder didn’t answer;
he just merely wept.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the directions they gave her,
Lorna made it out of the forest in half the time it took her to reach the
city. Coming out of the forest, she
looked to the sky. I never thought I’d be so happy to see the sky! Lorna thought with
a grin. By the position of the sun she
was able to place the time at
“Good if my horse is willing I will
make it well within time for the rendezvous.”
As she said it out loud she realized her horse had been tied up for nearly
two days with no water or food. She ran
to where she remembered tying it to a tree and halted dead in her tracks upon
finding it. Of all the possible
conditions she thought it would be in, what she came across could never had
been conceived of.
Her horse had been mutilated. Its body had been sliced into several large
pieces that now lay on the ground. Even
its head had been carved into several pieces.
As she stared at this horrific site she noticed something that made it
all the more disturbing. With this level
of carnage the ground should have been soaked with its blood, but not even a
drop had been spilled. Upon looking
closer at one of the sliced off sections she saw why. Whatever had done the
cutting had burnt the interior of the body.
This strange cauterizing effect baffled her, along with the fact that
the cuts were entirely clean. If this
had been done with a blade there should be some ragged sections were the blade
ripped the flesh, but the cut was smooth.
She had never heard of or seen anything like this, not even in one of Vincient’s
spells.
“What could have done this?” Lorna
asked herself, but then bolted upright when she heard a small metallic
rustle. Spinning on her heels, she drew
her sword on the sound and saw a large black figure silhouetted in the
sunlight. It stood looking at her.
“Who are you? Did you do this?” The figure did not
respond. As she looked at it a strange
thought came to her. That looks like...
Her thought was cut off as the figure suddenly shot forward. As it approached a column of silver fire
appeared in its hand. Lorna brought her
sword up in defense. That silver fire
met her blade and went clean through it.
Lorna’s surprise was short lived, because a metal clad fist struck the
side of her neck. Stars and pain filled
Lorna’s world. Soon she began to drift
into darkness.
It...looked...like...him.