Chap 2: Brotherly Betrayal (chapter title subject to change)

 

Shala smiled fondly at her grandfather’s lyrical prose as he showed her the kingdom he had created.  She recalled her earlier and less pleasant introduction to all of her grandfather’s accomplishments, but now she could truly marvel at all the details with out fearing for her own self, or for his sanity.  Briefly she recalled that odd instance of madness he had displayed and she wondered at its source and why…why had he called her, mother?  But she shrugged those thoughts aside, determined that for now at least she would listen and enjoy. 

“It is lovely Grandfather, you created this all your own self?”

Two-Edge pulled her under the structure that allowed the sunlight to stream through, it was like one of the skylights back at home, but here the light was diffuse and filtered, for it seemed that the tralves did not like the full force of the sun as much as her own folk did.  That again gave her pause, for looking at him, seeing how…different he was…yet knowing to her bones that he was blood of her blood, she realized that his kind were also her kind.  She was not just…elf…anymore.  She blinked under the light, even as filtered as it was; it still caused her headache to pulse most maddeningly.  “I did Gel, with Mallet, and others, this was one of the first such creations we shaped.  There are others in the breeding dens, softness and pretty things yah no, for the breeders.”

Her headache continued to throb within her skull, and she knew that she sounded whiny, but she had to voice her opinion of the deplorable custom of confining females to the breedery.  Why the very word sounded noxious to her.  “Grandfather, the…females you keep in the breedery…its wrong.”

He frowned at her, and he noticed her pinched expression, the hint of pain clouding her lovely eyes.  Gently he explained, “But tis all they know Gel.”

“Its still not right…you wouldn’t ask me to live out my days confined to a few small rooms would you?”  She countered smoothly.

He frowned at the notion.  “You are my Granddaughter, I will house you like a princess, your throne will be beside my own, where my…our subjects will worship you.”

Shala laughed softly, her laughter he noticed was light and musical.  “Oh Grandfather, I don’t want to be a princess…I am a child of SafeHaven.  My mother is Lord of Haven Valley; it is enough for me to live under her guiding influence.  I have no wish to be…worshipped.  Nor would I want to be confined in any way…” she squeezed his hands gently in her own, “I must go my own way Grandfather.”

His proud and robust face tightened as he digested her words, “You will not stay?” He finally stated.

She smiled softly, “I will stay for a time of course Grandfather, but I must also go home,” her smile widened, “though I daresay you will not miss me, what with my father and my brothers and my aunt and my cousins to visit you as well.  Verily, you will be glad to see the hind end of us all before too much time has passed. ”

Catching her teasing spirit, he chucked her chin and grinned just as broadly, “My lost son’s only daughter?  I will never tire of you… child-of-mine.” 

Sighing she leaned against his big shoulder, “It is pleasant here, except…”

“Except for what?”

“The breeders of course, that practice has to stop.”

There came a graceless snort behind them, both turned to see Mallet smirking under the skylight that they had just left.  “See Sire, already she tries to change the ways that have been the same since the founding of society.”

Feeling the need to defend her own beliefs, Shala retorted angrily, “Change is good!  With out it there is stagnation and death!”

“They’re our ways, so keep you puny nose out of them!” Mallet countered.

“You’re too blind to see what’s before your eyes!”  She shouted, gesturing about with wide flung expressive motions of her elegant hands, “This is a lovely place Grandfather and your own self has created here, but it is lonely!  Cold!  Empty!  Where is the laughter?  Where are the voices?  Why are there no children underfoot?  Is this what your millennia of unchanged blindness has accomplished Mallet?” She scoffed then, “You have no vision.”

Both heard a snuffle, then a queer coughing and turned to see Two-Edge looking very odd indeed.  His face was red, his lips were tightly compressed, but every so often they quivered, and his eyes – were sparkling.   Mallet, believing he saw rage in his fathers eyes, smirked at the blasphemous female, but Shala smiled unconcernedly for she knew that it was laughter her grandfather was trying to contain.  Very gently she teased, “Grandfather, I swear you’re about to explode.”

With that Two-Edge was laughing again, and he only laughed harder at his son’s flabbergasted expression.  He pounded his son’s shoulder and guffawed, “Don’t be sech a gloomer.  Admit it, this gel has outdone you.”  He looked proudly upon his snow-haired granddaughter, missing the vile glare his son sent him.  “Ah lass, you are full of sass and vinegar.”

Mallet, having composed his face and voice said tonelessly, “They are here, sire.”

“Hrmmm?  Who…oh!”  Two-edge was torn between sudden excitement and terrible, paralyzing dread.  But though both his son and his granddaughter was witness to his fugue, he was soon composed and back to his stalwart self.  “I must greet them, is all in readiness?”  He marched off, with the two others following in his wake, both excited in their own ways…for completely different reasons.  “The meal I ordered…?”

“Ready, in the grand hall”

“Where are they?”

“Still in the outer hall.  Grump thought it prudent that you greet them there.”  From his caustic tone, Shala recognized that Mallet was none to happy about his guardsman’s ability to think for himself.  But she pushed that aside as she wondered exactly who, besides her father, would be arriving.  As she pressed her fingers to her throbbing forehead, she idly wondered if a healer might be amongst the group.  She was finally willing to admit that she needed a healer to deal with this continuing headache.

The conversation had carried on with out her, for next she heard Mallet growling. “They come prepared to do battle sire.”

Two-Edge scoffed, “Of course they did, fool.  They came prepared to get her out no matter what.  One day perhaps you will understand the nature of elves.  The nature of your self.”

Mallet drew up and seethed, “I am not an elf!”

Two-Edge shrugged, “I have not the time nor inclination to argue this again with you.  I must greet my guests.”

And he was off, Shala tried to run after him, calling out to him, but as she passed Mallet he caught her hand and restrained her.  Her dislike of him was evident when she hissed, “Release me at once!”

Instead he pulled her closer and rumbled, “What game do you play at?”

She frowned and then she fumed, “What are you talking about?”

He leaned dangerously close, “Remember, I heard you.  Abomination you called us.”

Shala blanched, and then she stammered, “I was surprised by…by your appearance.  Its – its still hard to…to accept that you have elf blood in you.”

He growled.  “Yea, as hard as it is for me to believe you are in anyway related to me.”

Shala quietly looked at him with that, and she shook her head, “You are my father’s brother, this I believe.  But there is much wrongness to you Mallet…. It will tear you apart if you remain blinded to change.”

He scoffed, “You are a female, you fantasies are no threat to me.”

“And you are a fool!  I am a Dreamspeaker…sometimes I see when I am awake!  I see torment and grief for your future Mallet is you continue to walk the path you are set on now!”  She retorted with equal scathing.

He snarled, “And you play a game that only I can see, I will not let you ruin everything!”

“What everything?” She scoffed, gesturing with her free hand, “There is only death here with out change, and even without dreamspeaking I can see that!”  She leaned close, her lovely face pinched with anger.  “You mingled with the lowly humans.  Don’t you know that it was a death sentence for your people?”

An expression of pain briefly contorted his rough features, and then his expression became guarded again.  He released her slowly, and as he did he warned, “Just remember I will be watching you.”

Shala snorted, “Just so you remember, I won’t even be thinking about you.”

“Bitch!” Mallet snarled, as he stomped away.

Shala stared after him, her continuous headache fading to a dull throb, the word that he had called her last, she did not know.  But it had been an unpleasant one, as unpleasant as the male himself.  Brother to her father he might be, but blood was the only link he shared.  She wondered idly, as she rubbed her bruised wrist, how different he might have been if he had been raised as a Havener.  But wondering was useless, she decided, about as useless as dreaming, if she thought about it long enough.  Anyway, she had her own people to greet, reassurances to give, and sending to answer before they pounded her already aching head into pulp.

**SHALA! ** She had to wince at the summons from her father. 

**Coming Papa...** She sent more sedately.

But she did not run sedately through the oddly lovely and at the same time unhappy halls of her grandsire’s kingdom, nor was she sedate when she saw her father’s massive bulk and snow-white blondeness amongst the willowy people that graced the grand hall.  “Papa!” she cried happily as she flung herself into his protective embrace.  His massive arms enclosed her with the strength to crush, but they were as gentle around her as a kitten’s hug. 

After her father, she turned to her twin brother, who had her face, but only a more masculine version of it, but he also had their fathers sky blue eyes, and off centered part.  She clung to him, breathing him and felt his soul brushing against her own, their essences recognizing each other as always right to the depths of each other.  “Oh my brother.” She whispered, just happy to touch him and breath him in.

But Sholar – the tease – had to chide gently, **So what mischief have you got into this time, big sister? **

She smiled through her happy tears, **I found Papa’s Papa. **

Sholar smiled softly, glancing over her shining head at the nervous strangers who were watching them.  They seemed very different to his eyes, but not necessarily ugly he decided after a moment.  The one who he know knew to be his grandsire was strangest of all to him, for other than his hair, which was as white as snow, just like his own, this massive stranger was unlike anyone he had ever seen or dreamed.  And yet his father for all his sudden awkwardness had greeted him with out hesitation.  So Sholar knew it must be true…the snow-haired stranger was indeed his grandsire.  Amazing. 

Gently brother and sister parted, and while the two groups looked on, measuring each other up, each had a ground shaking realization.  The tralves saw that amongst the new comers almost half the number were female, and most were carrying a weapon of some sort.   And the elves saw that amongst the strangers there were no females at all.  But Shala saw none of this as she was tenderly greeting each beloved face, her half sister Taramis, with autumn tones in her red hair and autumn warmth in her dark green eyes, had come with the party, which did not surprise her; that Ashona, Taramis’s twin, had not come did not surprise her either.  Her cousin Joyin was there, a handsome youth of at least half her own age, who had gently molded features and aqua colored eyes, all topped by a mane of hair so black that it put midnight to shame.  She gasped in surprise and relief when she saw her petite aunt Willow enclosed with in the group.  As she gratefully enclosed her aunt in her arms she was touched by her presence, for Willow was a precious healer.  She also understood why her people had Willow surrounded as they did, for she knew that if fight or flight was to come that her people would do everything in their power to see Willow safely away from all harm.

Willow, too sensitive by far, sensed not all was well with her niece and gently queried, “Are you alright child?”

Shala had to look up to meet her aunt’s warm sherry-brown gaze, for her aunt was a little taller than she, something that had always irked her before, but she did not even think off that at all.  “My head…it aches always Willow.  Can you…can you do something about it?”

Willow frowned softly, which did nothing to mar her exceptional beauty.  She raised long elegant hands to either side of the lass’s pale head and said cryptically, “Let me look at you.”

Shala relaxed herself and soon felt her aunt gently questing about with in her mind, she watched the concentration smoothing out her aunt’s lovely features until they became an all but blank mask.  Her aunt’s eyes took on a vague unseeing expression, as it was not without that she was looking.  All around Shala was aware of the continuing conversations, as peoples tensely met and greetings were exchanged, but her true awareness was on her aunt.  She felt small aches and pains sooth away, and a feathering gentleness eased the throb in her mind.  Gradually the essence that was her aunt withdrew and Shala was aware of her own self once more, and that of her brother’s essence lingering on the edge of her soul where it always was, if she sought it.  Most notably she noticed that her headache was gone.

Before she could thank her aunt though a voice she now knew to recognize rumbled, “So you grew up a healer did you Gel?”

Shala turned half toward her grandsire and watched as Willow calmly faced him.  They looked each other over, Willow took in his strangeness of appearance, his over proud face and mane of white hair; Two-Edge observed her delicate grace and small size.  He also noted the blackness of her hair and he frowned.  “You have her hair…but I think not her eyes.”

There was a collective gasp as he grasped Willow’s chin in his gloved hand and forced her to look at him.  Willow did not flinch.  He smiled slightly as he released her, confirming, “No, you will never have her eyes.”

Having assured himself in his conviction, he grasped Shala’s hand, slid his other arm around his son’s massive back and barked, “What is everyone doing standing around.  We have a feast to put on.”

Shala reached her free hand for her brother’s and tugged him along with her, the rest naturally trailed along with them.  She noticed that the males of her folk formed a protective circle around the females, and she understood why, for the tralves were not at all easy with so many armed females walking freely with in their domain.  She sighed, for she knew that would change.

She heard her female kin and folk talking about the lack of females, her sister Taramis wondering softly where the tralf females were.  Shala heard another making a guess and another muttering something about not liking the way those male tralves were looking at her.  Shala finally open sent to her folk, **The Tralves are different from us…their females are kept in a – a breedery. **

This caused a collective gasp of disgust and anger.  Even gentle Willow had an irked expression on her pretty face. 

**Are they allowed no freedom? ** Taramis asked.

Shala shrugged helplessly, **I have only been here a little while sis, so I don’t truly know.  But from what I glean from Mallet…no.  No freedom. **

**Who is Mallet?  Which is he? ** Queried Willow.

Mallet, Shala saw was now greeting her father, she watched suspiciously as Mallet made all the gestures of welcoming, but she noticed that his eyes never changed.  Even as he hugged her father and pretended to be overcome, his eyes she saw remained cold and glacial.  She shivered.  She was about to introduce them when her aunt said softly, “No need child…I recognize my brother.”

There was a collective silence as Willow glided forward; to her the tralves offered no hostility.  It seemed that they somehow sensed her significance.  She moved into Mallet’s line of sight, she placed her hand on her silver haired brother’s back, the brother she had known all her life, taking comfort in his solid and steady presence.  Her other brother frowned down at her, his adult face transforming the childhood memories she had, still he had the same blue eyes, and the same frosty brown hair.  Gently she touched his rough-hewn face.  It was not an unlovely face, she thought, if only he could thaw out a little and smile his would be a beautiful face.  Like Hammer’s face, whom when he smiled was devastating in his beauty.  “I remember you.” She whispered, her brown eyes filling with tears, “Do you remember me?”

Of course he did not, he had been to young when last he had seen her.  He looked at his brother, and knew him for his twin right to his soul, where that empty place had always been.  Only now it didn’t need to be so empty, if he allowed his brother in.  But he hardened his heart and schooled his features.  He could and would play the game.  Saying nothing he hugged the female briefly, refusing to admit that her scent was familiar, and that when he touched her he saw the sweet girl child that she must have been.  It was an infant’s memory of an era long dead.  But still…he remembered.  He turned away saying, “Come there is food and…drink – awaiting.”

“Yes!” Two-Edge exclaimed, “Let us feast and make merry.”

 

In the chamber she unwillingly shared with Mallet, Minnow worried on.  Twice now she had thought to venture out and take her chances in the shadows, but each time she moved forward she saw a guardsman making his rounds, or worse making his way to the common breedery.  The common breedery was where the unclaimed and unprotected females were kept.  At least she was spared that; for by being forced to remain with Mallet, she also benefited from his protection.   However the comfort she took from being safe now, did not waylay the certain knowledge that Mallet was up to no good; nor did it ease her own sense of foreboding and desperation that was urging her to move despite her relative safety.  She did not try to understand this sense that was urging her on; no more then she tried to understand why she often felt the need to help the sick and the injured.  Finally her desperation decided for her.  She had to know what Mallet was up to. 

Steeling her courage Minnow crept into the hall.  She glanced left and right, and then she tiptoed toward the torch shining at the leftmost end of the hall, toward the breeder dens.  As a child she had explored the entire breedery, and she had not forgotten its mysteries as an adult either.  Once in the breedery halls she played it cool, and ignored the sulky glares and wondering looks she received.  She allowed no one to challenge her, nor did she let anyone detain her.  If any one dared speak to her, she would quickly give them some nonsense about running an errand for Mallet, for then no one would question her.  All knew of course of her appointment to Mallet’s bedchamber.    Some of her brethren considered her fortunate; she called them fools and wished that it were they whom had captured Mallet’s undivided and unpleasant attention.  She pressed on; her aim to reach the grand hall and observe, unobtrusively if possible, this feast that Mallet had planned. 

“And where are ye off to in sech a hurry Gel?” Quizzed a garrulous voice, which interrupted Minnow’s thoughts and nearly stopped her heart.

Gasping she stared at the wrinkled old female who stood all bent and stooped before her.  “Oh, Fireweed you startled me!”  She croaked.

Fireweed cackled, “Well, ye nearly ran me down, what with ye being in sech a hurry ‘n all.  Where be you going?”

Minnow hesitated, “Oh, uh…Mallet has me running an errand for him.”

Fireweed’s rheumy eyes twinkled, “Now there’s a fine catch gel, fine indeed.”

Minnow tried to keep the revulsion out of her tone, “Yes, indeed he is.”

Fireweed, with the freedom of advanced years, suddenly reached forward and dug clawing fingers against Minnow’s girdled abdomen.  “Ye catching yet, gel? Ye going to give us a new bairn soon?  We is needing some little ones to liven up this dreary place.”

Minnow coughed to hide her embarrassment and used the elder’s own comment as her excuse to get away.  “It’s to Mother Tansy that I go now…for some herbs.”

Fireweed cackled again.  “Ah, ah!  A little bit o’ help never hurt anyone gel.”

Minnow sidestepped the oldster, and hurried on down the hall, growling under her breath long after the old female’s cackle had faded away.

As she passed the spur the led toward Tansy’s den she could hear the old healer muttering away about something missing.  She liked Mother Tansy, the old female had been around since the beginning of time, at least as Minnow saw it.  Mother Tansy, like old Fireweed were the only females that were pretty much ignored and allowed to do what ever they wished.  She had even heard that they went outside, not just outside the breedery, but also outside the caverns.  She thought with bliss how wonderful it must be to actually stand outside under the sunshine or the moonlight.  If she had such freedom she would never return to this.  Then her face crumpled, for with freedom she would surely lose Grump altogether.  At least being unhappy here with Mallet, allowed her to occasionally see her beloved Grump. 

She pressed on, and then as she came on the light and noise from the grand hall she slowed down.  Cautiously she edged forward, being careful to keep close to the wall and in the shadow as well.  She saw the banquet table, laden with food and drink.  Most of the benches were taken up with strangers.  She recognized only her King at one end, and his son Mallet.  The others she did not know.  After a cursory look around she spied Grump, acting as a servitor, as he entered the grand hall from the kitchen.  Others came with him, spreading out with more platters of food and drink, which was distributed to those at the long table.

Curious about these strangers Minnow tried to get a look at them, what she determined was that they were like her, only worse.  They were all skinny and small featured, and like her their eyes were much to big.  How sad she thought, that these strangers were all so ugly.  Still, they all had lovely hair, she noted after a moment.  Males and females both seemed fond of long hair; some of them wore their hair in braids or pigtails, while others wore their hair up, while some wore their hair loose, and what a color range they had, from black to brown to red to blonde, and even snowiest white.  In fact, except for the frosty-brown mane of Mallet, the royal end of the table was graced with manes of purest white.  On Two-Edges left and right sides sat snowy-haired individuals, a male and a female, next to the first male sat a second male, with the same snow-white hair though his face was obviously younger, why he was barely more than a boy.  The female, who had her back to Minnow wore her hair unbound and it streamed down her back in a glossy platinum ribbon, her hair was so pure a white that other colors reflected off it in tiny glittering prisms.  Two-Edge was obviously enamored with all three snow-hairs, but of the female he seemed particularly fond.  His son Mallet, he barely acknowledged.  Minnow watched for several moments Two-Edge’s courteous and gentle treatment of the female, and knew that this was how it should always be.  Females, she decided, should be part of the society on the whole and not confined to the breedery or the bower. 

For several moments she watched, but nothing untoward happened, she started to doubt her suspicions.  Then Mallet rose, while several new servers appeared, carrying flagons of wine.  He produced a flagon himself and said roundly, “I should like to propose a toast with this special ceremonial wine on the joining of kin.  Sire I salute you.” He tipped his head to his father, then to the other white haired male at the table, though he did not say his name.  While the servitors poured wine into empty cups for all the guests, Mallet actually poured the wine for his own sire and for the female.  Minnow noticed that he also poured his own as well.  With his cup brimming with the heady brew, Mallet who remained standing, continued, “To lost kin, reunited at long last.”

Once again he tipped his head, then he quaffed the wine.  The others looked on, they seemed puzzled by the unfamiliar ritual, but they were not nervous.  After a moment they each downed or sipped their brew.  Mallet smiled then, seeming altogether too smug and happy.  He refilled his own cup and topped up the lass’s at his side.  She had barely touched her drink.  Again he proposed, “To long friendship”

Getting into the spirit of things Two-Edge chortled, “To Haven Valley.”

Mallet, here here’d to that, and the strangers, though still unfamiliar with the custom and ritual behind the toasts were not shy and while they drank less heartily then their hosts began to treat it like a game.  There were with in a few minutes many hearty toasts going out to just about every thing anyone could think of, and all of it was accompanied by much laughter.  It all seemed pretty harmless Minnow figured, though she still felt that same urgency, which warned her that the danger had not passed.  Yet, as she turned away, she was drawn back by a soft gasping noise.  So faint was the noise that she should not have heard it over the merry making.  Even as she was turning around to see, one of them, a female she saw had flung her cup aside and was slapping wine cups from other, startled, hands. 

“Stop!” The female cried, her hair, Minnow noted was the same blackness as the darkest most perfect midnight.  “Poison!  The wine is poisoned!”

Gasps of shock and horror gave way to sudden groans of agony as the poison began to work, like clenching first in the belly of each victim.  Mallet was grinning with savage pleasure.  The snow haired female rose up, she seemed unaffected and lunged across the table toward the other platinum haired males.  She was crying out “Papa!  Sholar – No!”  Both males were like everyone else, in agony.

Minnow ran forward, she had to help them.

Two-Edge at the end of the table was also unaffected and stunned and horrified by what he was witnessing.  He looked to his son and heir, noted his smug expression and shouted, “Betrayer!  Murderer!”

Mallet’s smug expression faltered, “But…I did it for you…for us father.  Now you can keep Shala and her folk will never bother us again.  Isn’t it better this way?”

Two-Edge drew back from his reaching son and snarled, “I know you not…I disown you!  No longer are you my son!”
         Mallet’s expression was that of the shattered and lost, he faltered.  Then he begged, “Father no!  Please…I did it for you!  Only for you!”

Two-Edge though was already turning away, he was yelling for help and servitors were streaming out for everywhere.  He spied Grump and he charged, “I command you to take that worthless thing that used to be my offspring and throw him out of the caverns!”

If Grump was taken aback by the chaos he saw, his king’s order only added to his dismay.  But Two-Edge was already commanding another to find Old Tansy, with her cures and her knowledge of poisons maybe not all was lost.  Grump moved to obey his king, and Mallet, with his wild eyes saw him coming.  Mallet snarled, and suddenly he was brandishing a long nasty looking dagger. 

“Stay back!”  Mallet snarled, jabbing with the blade.  “Don’t touch me…I am your better, weanling!”

Grump hesitated, and then he yelped as his own brother stabbed at him, he dodged, but not quickly enough as the blade slashed across his arm, opening leather and the skin beneath.  Clumsily he parried the next wild slash, and though once again he avoided a serious wound his maddened sibling managed to lay open the back of his hand.  Grump yelled in pain then in surprise as he stumbled when his brother thrust at him again.  Mallet roared in triumph and postured as if to make the killing blow, but another interfered, it was Two-edge.  Roaring he slammed into his maddened son’s side and knocked him away from the downed Grump.  He half turned and yelled at Grump, “Get up boy!  Defend yourself!”  Believing for the barest moment that Mallet was stunned by his attach Two-Edge reached out a hand to pull his third son up off the stone floor, and that was the moment Mallet struck with renewed energy.  He took advantage of Two-Edge’s distraction, and the noisy chaos all around to strike.  In an instant he realized what he had done, while his father stared at him in pained shock.  Mallet backed away, still holding the knife that was dripping with his father’s blood.

 “No, no!  I didn’t mean it…I didn’t mean it to be you!”  He beseeched, horrified by his own vile action. 

Two-Edge, gripping his bleeding side, rasped, even as he sagged to his knees, “Get…out.  I never…want to see you…again!”

“No…” Mallet moaned, watching in sick horror as Grump caught their father as he sagged into his arms.  He turned, desperately, anxiously seeking a way out of this, someone to blame for this.  He saw her, frantically crying and pleading with her agonized father and brother. He lunged for her, slashing at another guardsman, who having seen what he had done, was now trying to stop him from doing anything more.  The guardsman he noted with satisfaction fell away howling.  As if the girl sensed danger she started to turn to face him, her hair was a wild mess, and her beautiful eyes were almost pure magenta in her anguish and fear.  “This is all your fault!”  He roared as he grabbed her, wrenching her off the table. 

At her cry of terror, the girl’s father rallied despite the agony he had to be in and he roared after him, ”Shala!”  He was bigger than Mallet and frightening in his rage.  With the knife he had already bloodied so horribly on his own father Mallet struck again.  The girl screamed as her father went down, but his wound was only superficial Mallet was soon to see.  He backed up, using the girl as a shield, while his nemesis lumbered after him, ill from the poison, clutching his bleeding shoulder and sick with fear for his only daughter. “LET – HER – GO!” He growled hoarsely.

Mallet knew that to release her would probably mean his death; he saw it in his brother’s eyes.  But she fought him so, she was like a wild cat in his grasp, clawing and biting, kicking and punching.  She was like no proper female he had ever known.  To protect his own self he had to hurt her, which only enraged her father even more.  “Stay back!” 

Aching so much that every movement hurt, Hammer closed in on the animal that dared to threaten his daughter.  He closed off his awareness of the chaos around him, the site of his father crumpled in another tralf’s arms.  He even closed off the frantic sendings of his lifemates, whose worried calls battered at him, demanding an answer.  Focused only on his daughter’s plight he could think of nothing else.   “LET – HER – GO!” He repeated again.

Mallet, dragged his captive back toward a tunnel, knowing it was also an exit and potential safety.  She still struggled against him, despite his methods of subduing her.  She just would not learn her proper place.  He punched her in the face, which, while snapping her head up and causing her to sag against him with a little cry, also enraged her father so.  He slung the semi-conscious girl over his shoulder while fending his brother off with the knife and his threats to harm her.  He could see that Hammer believed him.  He found his back to the tunnel just as the girl started to groggily come around.  She bucked against his shoulder and she kicked him, actually staggering him.  Hammer tried to rush him, but the poison decided to take his legs then, and he collapsed; the girl saw this and fought all the harder, crying for her father.   As Hammer was collapsing Mallet took his chance, first he flung the girl behind him into the tunnel and then he lunged forward, sinking the blade to the hilt in his brother’s massive chest.  Hammer coughed in shock and stared his brother in the eye as he finished his thunderous fall.  Behind him the girl was screaming again.  He caught her around the waist as she tried to pass him and he swung about, taking her with him as he dashed into the tunnel.  His brother’s eyes he knew would haunt him, for he had not seen hatred in them…but disappointment instead.

        

         “Papa!” Shala was crying. There was agony all around and inside him.  He did not understand what it all was, why the chaos and the yelling, why was Shala crying like that, and why was her voice seeming to fade?  Was she hurt?

         “Shala?” Hammer murmured, trying to sit up and finding that he could not.  He groaned instead, and then he started to cough.  It was hard to breath he noticed ironically, and he was cold, very cold.  He blinked and he saw a face, a ghastly, gnarled brown face like something belonging to the oldest tree in the forest.  Hands touched him and a voice said things but nothing that made any sense to him.  He listened for Shala, but he could no longer hear her voice.  “Shala…where…”He started to cough again.  The gnarled old tree frowned, and started yelling at someone…was she yelling at him?  He didn’t think so, since he couldn’t remember doing anything to make a tree yell at him.

         Old Tansy growled into the chaos, “I can’t hear me own self think! Shaddup!”  She assessed her desperately ill patient and frowned at what she saw, if the poison wasn’t bad enough the wound itself had to be in his lung, what with his bloody coughing and all.  She would normally start with a purge to clear out the poisons and a tonic to give him strength while he recovered, but with his injuries the purge alone would probably kill him.  She had to stop the bleeding and at the same time purge the poison, but how?  How?  She noticed one of those feeble looking elf types stumbling over, why the black haired twit practically fell over them so clumsy was she.  “Hey, careful there!  If ye don’t be sick, be getting ye self o’ the way then!”

         The female looked exhausted and sick, but she was not bent over from the poison so clearly she had been successfully purged already.  But she did not have the wits to make herself scare when her presence was not needed.  “Hey ye, get ye gone already!” Tansy ordered.

         The witless female sagged over him instead, gasping, “He’s my brother!”

         Tansy felt a twinge of pity, for surely this big robust fellow would die despite all she tried.  “While, I is sorry for you.”

         The female sent her a cool look then placed her hands on her brother, Tansy couldn’t feel anything but her senses told her not to interfere.  Then the female groaned, “I am a Healer, and I will NOT let my brother die!”

         Beneath her hands the male suddenly roared.  The elf seemed to ignore him, though how she could do so when he thrashed under her, Tansy would never guess.   It took minutes that lasted hours before he quieted and the female sagged panting and weeping softly against his big, raggedly rising chest.  His eyes were closed and his color was still poor, but Tansy could tell that he would live now.  After a moment the elf female raised her head, she looked mussed and vulnerable, and she also looked ready to collapse, but she staggered to her feet anyway.  Tansy called, “Gel, ye’r exhausted.”

         Tiredly the female shrugged, “No matter, others have need of me.” She hesitated, “And also of you.”

         Tansy hesitated, and then nodded, yes her charge would live, she must move on to another, she rose, and caught at a pretty pewter-haired lass as she tripped passed, “Minnow?  Minnow what are…never mind – Gel see that black haired elf lady, I want you to help her.”

         Minnow had already been helping were she could, she was staggering with exhaustion and sick with fear for her King.  She saw the black haired female that Tansy described was moving to Two-Edge’s side even now.  Resigning herself to the situation Minnow joined them.  The elf didn’t even seem to notice her at first, for she was too busy examining the king’s wound, but when she swayed dizzily and Minnow had to catch her to keep her from falling the elf noticed her.  In fact, she seemed to rally, as a good deal of her exhaustion appeared to melt away.  Minnow saw it but couldn’t believe it.  The female smiled at her, and murmured, “Thank you healer.”

         Flabbergasted Minnow bleated, “I’m not a healer.

The female blinked at her, and then looking somewhat bemused she said, “Oh, then I will gladly accept your assistance here, child.”

Minnow crouched down beside the black haired elf and looked at her injured King, he seemed somehow deflated, even slightly defeated while he huddled in Grump’s protective grasp.  She saw that he was awake, and though his proud face was creased with lines of pain, he did not look as if he would lose this battle.  She saw that he was as stunned by the turn of events as she was.  Though he was clearly in pain, his son’s betrayal and actions was the greater part of his pain.  Hesitantly she asked, “Will he…be alright?”

The elf laid her hands around the king’s wound, she murmured very softly, “Lay your hands over mine, together we will help him as best we can.”

Minnow did as she was bid, and she felt herself swelling as energy flowed around her and into her king.  He groaned, and his face tensed, but he did not otherwise react.  Still carried along by the elf’s strength Minnow was able to see the depths of her king’s hurts and she saw as layer by layer the wound was mended as the elf pulled away.  When the healing was concluded, the black haired elf huddled, panting with exhaustion.  Minnow felt a little dazed also as she came back to her own self.   But Two-Edge was already vastly improved from how he had been moments before.  He shrugged free of Grump’s comforting hold, though he thoughtfully held his gaze for a moment, then he turned to the black haired female and asked, “Have you the strength Willow?  Your folk need you yet.”

Willow raised her shaking head, “I must do what I can, your needs and that of my brother were of foremost importance; now while I have the strength I will cleanse the worst of the poison for each who is infected,” She turned and cupped Minnow’s chin, “With your help child.”

“Of course healer.” Minnow replied reverently, rising with Willow, and steadying her a little when exhaustion staggered her.  Then like Old Tansy and Fireweed, they went amongst the groaning wounded and dispensed healing to them, but while Tansy and Fireweeds’ healing was a purge and a tonic, the healer’s was a gentle and soothing touch.  When Minnow questioned the need for Old Tansy’s cures, the healer, who was clearly stumbling with exhaustion now, explained, “If I were to heal each of my folk completely I would be of no use long before I reached them all, and some would die.  I cleanse the poison now from causing the worst harm, but Old Tansy’s purge and tonic will speed them on their way as well.  That way when next I have the strength to see to them, I will actually use less of my strength to heal them all the way.”  She brushed her fingers fondly through a young male’s black locks.  The boy smiled wanly at Willow and pressed his cheek against her hand whispering, “Thank you Mother.”

The healer’s hand lingered another moment, before she reluctantly moved on to tend another.  Minnow looked back and saw that Fireweed was now administering the purge to the same boy.  Willow’s voice softly called to her, “My son Joyin…it was…difficult not to heal him first and just as difficult not to see him healed through.”

Minnow thought about the lesson the healer was trying to give her and nodded, “You knew that others, my King and the big snow-haired male needed you more.”

Willow nodded, “My brother Hammer, needs me still, but I haven’t the strength to heal him through and still have anything left over for anyone else.  But he is strong…and he can be stubborn for all his gentleness…he will be fine.”

Gentleness? Minnow mused, remembering the one called Hammer differently than the healer did. 

Almost as if the healer could hear her thoughts, Willow explained, “Shala is his only weakness.  For his daughter, Hammer would tear down Mountains and move rivers, if it was to keep her safe.  For her sake he will recover.”

They had made their way around the table and reached a huddled pair of elves.  The first was a red haired female; she was comforting the young male with the snowy hair.  When Willow touched her, the red-haired female turned aside her hand, insisting, “See to Sholar Willow, I am fine.”

Willow dared a cursory glance at the reticent young female, and then she nodded and turned her attention on the youth.  His face was contorted with pain, and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut, but still tears were streaming down his pain-whitened cheeks.  When she laid her fingers gently upon him, his marvelous blue eyes snapped open.  “Shala –? Oh Aunt…”

Minnow observed that his face was very similar to the healer’s own face, but even more so to the female that Mallet had taken.  In fact the only difference she could clearly see was that his face bore a masculine stamp and was thus less…delicate… then the missing female’s.  Willow, she observed, gently soothed the young male murmuring, “Your sister will be alright.”

The youth sobbed softly, “I – I tried to come to father’s aid when…when that sun-cursed misbegotten attacked him…but – “

“I know…I saw.” Willow murmured.

Re-energized the boy pushed away from her, he also disdained the purge and tonic that Fireweed pushed at him, and he ran over to his father’s side.  Willow watched him, and swaying with exhaustion finally sagged into an abandoned chair.  It was the only one she noticed that had not been toppled over by the madness that had struck this hall.  She sensed both females hovering worriedly over her and smiled her reassurance.  “I’m alright.”

The red-haired lass scoffed, “Surely you have exhausted all your reserves Aunt.”

Willow stroked the maiden’s smooth young cheek, “I will recover them, so don’t fear Taramis.”

Taramis frowned worriedly nonetheless, and then she shrugged when Willow asked her how she could have missed the poison.  “I did not much care for the taste, so I barely had a sip.  The old crones purge and tonic has all but cleaned me out.”

Minnow frowned, misliking hearing Old Tansy or Fireweed (she did not know which Taramis referred too) being called an old crone.  But Willow had not forgotten her either, in a moment she was backing away, disbelieving of the healer’s convictions. “No…I have not got the gift that you have.”

Willow sighed tiredly, “Ah child, with out your well of strength I would never have managed what I did.  Think you I have the strength the cure all this ill unaided?  Well I do not.  You have untapped potential that is just waiting to burst free.  You cleansed me of the exhaustion that threatened to fell me after I healed my brother, and it was your strength I tapped to see to my father as well.”

Minnow was shaking her head in denial, “No, I haven’t your abilities…the strength was your own…you are m-mistaken.”

Two pair of bemused eyes watched her, one of incredulous green, the other a tired but sparkling sherry brown.  Taramis scoffed, “Willow does not make mistakes, she is a sensitive as well as a healer.  If she says that you have a healer’s potential then you do!”

Willow chuckled, even that sounded raspy and tired, “Of course I make mistakes child.  Everyone does.”  She reached forward and grasped Minnow’s hand between her own, “But I am not mistaken about you.  The strength is there, you simply must learn to tap it.”

With that said Willow sighed and sagged back against the chair, saying, “I am so tired.”

Taramis stroked the healer’s slightly warm cheek, “I sent for more help, but there was no need, mother is on her way with half the folk at the gathering I think.”

That seemed to wake up the healer, for she asked incredulously, “Your Mother is coming here?  But she is Lord!”

Taramis shrugged.  “Her mate is wounded, her children are sick and one is missing.  Do you really believe my mother could stay away from a situation such as this?  Remember she might be Haven Valley’s Lord, but she is a mother first.”

Willow scoffed, “She should remember that she is Lord first and mother second.  She must be protected…from herself if need be.”

Taramis said nothing to that, and after a moment changed the subject slightly, “My father is also coming, and many more.”

Willow’s eyes narrowed, “I do not want my daughter here in this…is Rana coming as well?”

Taramis shrugged, “Mother did not tell me.  But I heard from Sarek…he is coming.”

Willow sat up straighter, her pretty face starting to look less tired and more angry by every second that passed.  “This place is too dangerous, I will not risk anymore of my children.  No more than I will risk you or Sholar, as soon as you are able…”

“No Aunt.” Taramis gently interrupted, “We are no longer children, we go where we must, and defend when we must.  Sholar will never leave while his father is ill, nor while his twin is missing.  Could you leave Hammer as he is?”

Willow had been ready to admonish the presumptive girl right up to the moment she through her love for her brother back at her.  “The Oracle has taught you to well.”  She grumbled in the end.

Taramis blushed then, and glanced away guiltily.  Willow narrowed her eyes again, surmising, “Oh no…she isn’t coming as well?”

Minnow watched this exchange with puzzlement and amusement.  Willow, having seemed to shrug off her exhaustion was screeching. “Is she insane?  Jhianne should not come here!”

Taramis held up her arms in pleading supplication, “She knows that there is sickness here and she wants to help!”

“No!  No!  The First Comer should not come here!  This place is far to dangerous!”

Minnow felt the need to rise to the defense of her folk, “You are wrong, healer, what happened here was terrible yes, but we didn’t plan it.  Mallet did all of this!”

Willow turned thoughtful eyes upon the girl, and then murmured, “Yes…Mallet.”  Her eyes suddenly grew round with dismay.  “Oh no!  I forgot!”

“What Aunt?”  Taramis asked in alarm.

Willow wrung her hands in dismay, “How could I have been so foolish?  Shala…she’s coming into her gift, I meant to tell her what I sensed…but in all the excitement I forgot.”

Taramis frowned, “What gift Willow, what are you talking about?  Shala is a Dreamspeaker, we already know this.”

Willow shook her head; worriedly pushing stray locks back from her exhausted face.  “No, Dreamspeaking is the least of her abilities…something…something very strong is awakening in her – and I don’t know what it is.”

Taramis could only stare at her, next to the Oracle, Willow was the best at reading what gift if any was emerging.  If she could not tell what the gift was…that could only be because no other had been born with it yet for her to learn its signature.  She glanced toward the darkened hall that her sister had disappeared down and wondered what it might be that was awakening inside Shala.  As she wondered this she also murmured, “We must go after her.”

Minnow glanced about the hall; recovering the elves might be, but going on a rescue mission most of them would not be doing any time soon.  In truth she thought what they all needed was a place to rest in comfort and quiet while they were tended to so that they could recover fully.  Willow also seemed to see this, for she summed up simply, “No we must not.  We will await your mother’s arrival.”

Minnow saw that no one seemed able to take charge, Grump she noticed was dealing with the King, who now healed somewhat had turned rather ornery.  But there were still a lot of sick people in this hall who needed to be cared for.  She grabbed a guardsman as he scurried by and directed, “Take a double handful of men and gather what supplies you need to set up a sick ward in the Lesser Hall…”

When for an instance he seemed ready to rebuke her, so she hastened to add, “Take Fireweed with you, she’ll know what needs doing.”  She then turned away, acting for the entire world that she expected him to obey her, and after a moment of thoughtful silence he did exactly that.  Minnow felt a thrill of power and pressed another guardsman into her service, explaining to him that she required the senior breeders from the breeding dens brought to her.  Once again she simply acted as if she expected to be obeyed and in a few moments seven thralls from the breedery were nervously assembled before her.  She assigned them the tasks of actually preparing the Lesser Hall for the sick elves and asked them to then assign two attendants to each elf so that they could be cared for in shifts.  In the arranging of this she made it clear that they seven were to oversee everything that happened in the Lesser Hall.  She was surprised when no one questioned her right to give such orders or to have the breeders come out in the open as they were.

She then moved her attention to the King, ignoring his grumbles as she separated Grump from him and assigned a couple guardsmen to carry him to his bedchamber where his own harem could care for him.  As before she had a lesser guardsman run ahead and bring the senior thrall from Two-Edge’s private quarters, Golden haired Nugget was all that a lovely Tralf female aspired to be, she was well rounded, demure and with just enough ambition to rise to the head of her household.  Minnow had always felt the lesser before Nugget; for Nugget with her proud face and robust body was everything she, Minnow, was not.  To make matters even worse they had a rivalry stemming back to the days of the breedery, when as children they had vied for one females attention; that of the mother they shared.  But now, Nugget was concerned only for her Master, and wasn’t even thinking about what she was doing away from the harem out in the open in this disgraceful manner.  She harangued a little about Minnow’s presumption at ordering her about, but Minnow finally shouted her down, and properly cowed the tralven beauty listened closely to Minnow’s implicit instructions on the care and management of the recovering king.  The wound was healed, but Willow had not been able to spare him the pain that had to come from such a wound, not if it had meant her own strength.

Grump she was aware of watching her as she ordered other tralves around and once her orders were being carried out, she finally had the grace to blush and dip her head.  But Grump smiled at her, “Have you any orders for me little one?”

She felt her blush deepening, but couldn’t resist an impish smile, “Well actually, I think you may need to greet some new arrivals very soon and assure them that we did not attack their folk.”

Grump frowned thoughtfully, “What say you Minnow, are more of their folk coming here?”

“Yea, one of which is their lady king, their Lord.”  Minnow secretly wanted to meet this lady king, if other female elves such as the healer and the one called Taramis could clearly be so free and strong willed, what then must a female leader be like?  She tried to picture a female king and the image she formulated was enough to cause a slight shudder of disgusted amusement.  For what she had imagined was a feminine version of King Two-Edge.

Grump half turned away, then asked thoughtfully, “Shouldn’t we be going after Mallet and the Gel?”

Minnow slowly shook her head, “I think we should wait for her folk, remember…Mallet is one of us, despite what he did, some of ours might be – reluctant to hunt him down.  Her folk would feel – no such reluctance.”

Grump frowned at her, then he murmured, “Ye have a scary way of thinking Gel.”

She gave a sigh and shrugged helplessly, “I have had little else to occupy my time but thinking.  Living in the breedery didn’t provide me with much distraction.  And my time with Mallet, saw even less distraction.”

He nodded, “Yea…I ken that.”

She shrugged her slim shoulders, and shook off the gloomy funk she had briefly slid into, “Anyway Grump, you have work to do and so do I.”

“Yea,“ He acknowledged reluctantly, “I go to face off a battle.”

“Let us hope that does not happen.”

 

 

End part 2