Exodus: The Windwalker Archive: Book 3 (Legends of Agora) (7 page)

I believe that we have gained a great ally in the Skomm of Volnoss.

-Azzeal, Keeper of the Windwalker Archive

As soon as the sun rose, Talon was up and ready to tell Argath the good news. He was pleasantly surprised to see Azzeal sitting at the table and drinking tea with Zerafin.

“Ah, young Windwalker, I see that you are eager to begin the day. Excellent,” said Zerafin.

“I am,” said Talon, unable to hide his grin.

“If you would like, you are free to summon your spirit wolf here in Elladrindellia.”

Talon wondered how Zerafin knew that he had wished Chief were with him, and for the hundredth time he reminded himself to think quietly around the elves, which basically meant to stay relatively calm, for it seemed only his strongest feelings and thoughts could be “heard” by the elves.

“Thank you,” said Talon, and immediately he summoned Chief.

The wolf cautiously approached the prince, but when he got a sniff of the outstretched hand, he wagged his tail and went about searching the tower of vine.

The weather was warm, and though the days and nights would already be getting colder on Volnoss this close to autumn, the elven lands lay far to the south, and enjoyed a much warmer climate year round.

Azzeal joined them as they traveled to the beach to a place called Queen’s Landing, where a boat was waiting to bring Talon and Chief to Freedom.

“Once they have agreed and you give us the signal, I will send out the boats,” said Zerafin.

“Thank you once again, good prince,” said Talon.

He got in the small sailboat, and Zerafin moved the wind from the dock to fill the sails and push the small boat across the harbor.

Talon could see Argath watching him with a spyglass. The crew were all out by the rail as well, and as he drew closer, they began to whistle and cheer.

“Where you been?” Argath called out. “We thought we might have to go and rescue you from the pointy-eared lot!”

Talon laughed and grabbed hold of the rope ladder that was thrown down to him. He climbed up and accepted many hearty pats from the crew.

“Them elves got any cheese?” asked Gammond, head twitching to the side and left eye winking uncontrollably.

“What kind of question is that for someone who has just spent the night with the elves?” he asked again, this time in Gill’s voice.

Talon ignored them both. “They have agreed to allow all of us on shore for a few days. They said they will even try to heal our sick!” he said and excitedly waited for Argath’s reaction.

The stern-faced man stared at him for a silent moment. Finally, he cracked a smile and shook Talon’s hand with two of his. “You’ve done it again, Windwalker. You hear that boys,” he yelled for all to hear. “Windwalker just got us a little holiday in Elladrindellia!”

The crew erupted in cheers, and soon the news found ears below deck. Word was conveyed to Captain Eaglewind of Redemption, and soon cheers erupted from the other ship as well.

There would be hot food and drink in Elladrindellia, and the men and women who had been so long cooped up in the slave holds would get a chance to truly relax and spend a few days with the sun in their faces and grass beneath their feet.

Talon gave the signal, and a small fleet of sailboats began toward them. Argath ordered a dozen men to stay behind and guard the ship. When they lamented over their duties, he ensured them that they would be relieved when the night fell, and a new crew would take their place. With everyone off the ship, it would be a good opportunity to clean her up, he added, to which the moods of the men soured.

The sickest and most badly injured of the Skomm were brought from below deck and let onto the sailboats first, followed by the remaining women, and finally the men and former gladiators. Talon took the first boat back with the sick, hoping to alleviate their fears.

To his delight and surprise, a large congregation of elves had gathered since he left the shore. They welcomed the Skomm with open arms, offering kind words and fresh water, baskets of food, and blankets to shelter them from the wind, mild as it was.

Zerafin strode forth to shake hands with Captain Argath and Eaglewind.

“Welcome to Cerushia. I am Zerafin, prince of Elladrindellia,” said Zerafin.

“Thank you. I am Argath, captain of Freedom,” said Argath. “Your people have offered their generosity during a trying time. And we shall not soon forget it.”

Noticing his limp, Zerafin gestured toward his right foot. “May I? I am not quite a master, but I am skilled in the art of healing.”

Confused, Argath glanced at his own foot, then to Talon, who shrugged, and back to Zerafin once more. “It has been treated and stitched. There is no longer an infection,” he said slowly.

“I have confused you,” said Zerafin. “I mean that I can restore your foot to its full function.”

Eaglewind leaned in and whispered, “That be feikin elf sorcery.”

Talon glanced around, noticing that Zerafin and Argath’s exchange had gotten the attention of many nearby. They looked to him for guidance, and seeing this, Argath straightened and addressed Zerafin.

“I will accept your healing on one condition.”

“Condition being?” Zerafin asked, intrigued.

“That not I, nor my people are indebted to you in any capacity other than that of a gift given in good faith. To be repaid or not, as fate dictates.”

“It is a gift,” said Zerafin with a warm smile. “Given freely and without anticipation of reward. Let it be a symbol of the sincerity of our promise of friendship.”

The Skomm watched on, as did Talon, waiting to see what Argath might say. The elven healers waited as well, for the captain’s reaction would set a precedent for the rest of the people.

“Then I accept your offer of friendship,” said Argath.

Zerafin smiled and laid a hand on the captain’s shoulder. “Please, do not be alarmed,” he said. “This will feel…strange.”

Blue tendrils of healing energy passed from Zerafin’s palm and into Argath. The swirling and shimmering specs of light danced around the captain and settled on his right foot.

Talon remembered the council hearing, and wondered what they might think about this “intervention.”

Argath looked at first puzzled, but then intrigued and startled. Finally, amazement washed over his face.

Zerafin let him go, and Argath looked to him with an infectious grin. He tore off his boot and ripped off his bandages to gawk at his newly grown toes. He seemed to be ready to burst with joy, but then he found his calm and offered a respectful nod toward Zerafin.

“I thank you, prince of elves. Your generosity shall not soon be forgot.”

Talon grinned from ear to ear. This was a day that he would not soon forget.

The Skomm were healed of their sicknesses and ailments, and were given as much food and drink as they could get into their starved stomachs. The day was spent by the beach, basking in the warm glow of the sun.

Never had Talon seen his people smiling so. He shared in their joy, though he could not help but yearn for Akerri to be there beside him, or Jahsin for that matter. He imagined a different world, one in which Akerri, Jahsin, Tyson, Windy, Thorg, and Marcus were celebrating with their people on the beach, free from the worries of the wider world, and oblivious to what lay ahead.

When nightfall began to threaten the horizon, the Skomm were led by Talon to the lodging that had been prepared for them. Zerafin told him of it, saying that they would all find a good night’s sleep just outside of the city. As they crested the hill from the beach, Talon saw what he meant; a crystal palace had suddenly appeared where Talon did not remember seeing one before, and he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of it. Murmured whispers swept through the crowd of Skomm, and they followed him to the palace once he found his feet.

Zerafin had gone before them on a white stallion and now waited by the entrance to the shimmering crystal palace.

“You will find peaceful rest here among the swaying vines. Sleep with the knowledge that the elves of Elladrindellia watch over this land where no darkness dwells,” he said.

Talon was the first to enter, and soon the others followed.

Inside they found an elaborate structure that seemed to have been constructed with the sole purpose of rest in mind. Built into every curved wall was a half-circle inlet with both a blanket and a pillow, and as the people began pairing up or entering the sleeping spaces alone, Talon discovered that indeed, there was a place for everyone.

He slept that night among them in one of the curved inlets. As he watched the faint light dance within the crystal walls, he thought how fortunate he was, and how correct Gretzen and Azzeal had been in their estimation of him. He thought back on what he had done and found that he was proud. For the first time in his life, he entertained the notion that perhaps, just perhaps, he was destined for great things.

Kreal Windwalker will soon have a choice to make, one that will decide not only his fate, but the fate of his son. My visions can change, as they so often have. Less than half of what I see comes to be, for the winds of fate and time are always changing. Thousands of paths there are, and from each path a thousand more branch out. I have focused on one path, one set of visions. It is up to Talon and Kreal to walk that path.

-Gretzen Spiritbone

As much as Talon enjoyed basking in the glow of his people’s newfound happiness, he knew that Azzeal’s punishment would soon take effect, and there were precious few days that he might spend with the elf who had changed his life so.

He returned to the tower of vine early the next morning and found Gretzen and Azzeal about to sit down to a meal.

“Hello, hello,” said Azzeal from the cooking area. “How did the people like their accommodations?”

“Excellent. They probably haven’t slept so peacefully in all their lives.”

“Good,” said Azzeal, grinning. “Please, join us for breakfast.”

Gretzen poured the three of them tea, and Azzeal filled their bowls with steaming fish head soup set on a bed of rice. After the meal, they went for a walk along the river, and Azzeal named all of the strange flowers and plants lining the walkways and arching bridges. Talon was amazed at some of the species that the elves had created. The special vines were the most interesting, for they could be manipulated to create just about any structure and were incredibly strong.

Talon, Azzeal, and Gretzen took lunch on the banks of the river surrounded by cattails and willows, and watched the wildlife within the wetlands. Gretzen seemed forlorn—much more so than her usual stoic demeanor. Talon didn’t have to ask why. He knew that in her own way she loved the elf, as he loved her as well. Theirs had been a fast friendship, Talon knew. Both were students of magic, and Gretzen offered Azzeal a glimpse into forbidden spirit magic, while he filled her with wonder and made her feel young again.

Talon knew that he had only another day with the elf, and he should have a million question to ask, but he found himself wondering what exactly he should ask. Azzeal had been elusive about Talon’s future. If he knew anything more, he wasn’t speaking of it. It was just as well, Talon supposed. He wouldn’t want to know the day of his death the way Azzeal did. What a curse it must be for the elf. Remembering that it would be one of his own descendants who would kill Azzeal, Talon shivered.

“Why did you do it?” Talon asked Azzeal. “If you saw that by saving me you would die, why did you do it?”

Gretzen offered Talon a small scowl, but Azzeal seemed not to mind the question.

“During my years living in Beorn’s Cave and studying the land, I watched the Vald and the Skomm. I learned their language and I learned their ways. At first I hated the Vald. They seemed like the vilest creatures I had ever seen. Every time I saw an atrocity play out before my eyes, I wanted to intervene, but…I never did. I fought for years with my morals, agonizing over logic and impulse. I knew in my heart that something had to be done, but you see, three hundred years ago, I was one of the many who advocated non-intervention with the peoples of Agora. I had come to the conclusion through logic and delusions of scholarly dogma. I now regret my earlier ideology. The truth is that I cherish my curse, for it has given me a sense of mortality, which has also helped me to understand the plight of the short-lived.

“In short, I did it because it was the right thing to do.”

Talon’s guilt washed away as he listened to Azzeal’s explanation. He let it go, replacing it with a sense of pride that had been growing in him for some time. The feeling was new to him, but he liked it.

“In all your visions, have you ever seen us together when I’m older?” Talon asked.

Azzeal flashed a mischievous grin that exposed one long fang. Feline eyes smiled. “Some things should remain unknown, or else where is the fun in surprise?”

The remainder of the day, Azzeal guided them through the city, showing them so many wonders that Talon once again found himself mystified and overwhelmed. The lights from the pyramid connected to one another and other buildings as well, illuminating the streets, bridges, overpasses, and waters with such wondrous but soft light that Talon felt sure he was walking through a dream landscape. The elves appeared both young and old; there were children, though few it seemed, and those who appeared elderly did not seem frail, but rather wise and incredibly strong. The children too seemed as though there were years behind them.

When they came to a walkway that ended with no bridge, Azzeal walked out onto a lily pad as long and wide as a wagon and turned with a smile to invite them on as well. It bore their weight without so much as dipping its curved point in the water and carried them slowly across the short pond to the landing on the other side.

Here, fireflies the color of the setting sun lazily swayed and danced in the twilight. Large, knotted trees with moss-covered bark and long green webbed lichen growing from swirling branches swayed in the soft wind. The sound of wind instruments and chimes came from the north end of the pond, and Talon marveled to see that a large assortment of long reed-like plants were the instruments, and the performer was the westerly wind.

Talon found himself wishing that the elves would take them in. He could easily imagine living here with Akerri.

Akerri…

How could he spend his days lazily walking about with elves when she was still out there somewhere, going through gods knew what? He shook off the numbing effect of the elf city and stared at his feet for a while, wanting to sober his mind and prepare for the inevitable departure.

“Would you like to return to the tower for dinner?” Azzeal asked, no doubt noticing or “hearing” how Talon was feeling.

“We would like that very much,” said Gretzen.

Talon noted that she had been more well-spoken as of late. The stroke that she suffered years before Talon was born had left her without speech for a year, and she had always spoken plainly, using only those words needed to get her thoughts across. She had once told him, however, that when the stroke came, her ability to speak with spirits increased dramatically.

Soon they were back in Azzeal’s tower of vine on the river and eating shellfish and mussels drawn in golden butter, accompanied by a salad with more greens, fruits, nuts, and berries than Talon had seen in one dish.

Talon and Azzeal shared stories, and Gretzen quipped in now and again with an anecdote or two. They laughed and they ate and they talked long into the night. Talon tried to take it all in, to remember every word and every laugh. The night suddenly seemed fleeting, and his fear and anxiety grew. He found himself so reluctant to say farewell to Azzeal that he ignored any conversation or gestures toward sleep and the late hour.

As a result, they stayed up all night long and into the morning, and sat on the balcony above the rushing river, watching the sun come up. The last star disappeared, and Talon made a wish, hoping that this was not the last time they would all be together.