Erik And The Dragon ( Book 4) (17 page)

“Marlin is right,” Lepkin said. He moved forward with a determined gait. “We go in.” He didn’t draw his weapon, but his hand shifted to hover over the handle at the ready. Jaleal, on the other hand, pulled his mithril spear out and swept his gaze back and forth as he followed Lepkin.

“Perhaps I will wait out here,” Tatev said nervously.

“You’ll be safer with us than alone,” Dimwater assured him.

No one else said anything. Erik moved in between Lepkin and Jaleal, keeping his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. They passed through the gatehouse into a wide, slate courtyard spotted with raised planter beds of blue and green marble filled with roses, tulips, and lilies. A fair share of the flowers had started to wilt and dry up, and weeds could be seen sprouting up around them. Beyond the planters was a central well, covered with a brass, conical grate.

“Move the mules next to the well,” Lepkin said as he moved off to the nearest door and pressed it open. He motioned for everyone else to wait outside before ducking into the dark portal. What was likely only a couple of minutes seemed an eternity to Erik. The city was quiet, and the previous night’s howls and ghosts played on Erik’s imagination while he fixed his eyes on the doorway and waited for Lepkin to return.

Thunder rumbled overhead, reverberating on the stone walls and towers through Tualdern. Heavy, round drops of rain fell upon the slate sparsely at first, then the rain thickened and poured out on the group all at once, leaving them little time to scramble under a large second floor balcony for shelter while they waited for Lepkin to return.

A few moments later the door opened again and Lepkin emerged, brandishing his sword.

“Find anything?” Dimwater shouted across the courtyard.

Lepkin scanned the area and then raised a finger to his mouth. He jogged across the courtyard and sheathed his sword just before rejoining the group. “Something terrible has happened here,” he said grimly.

“Where are the elves?” Jaleal asked.

Lepkin shook his head. “I don’t know. From the wreckage I saw inside that house there has been some fighting here. We’ll need to search the area for more clues, but my best guess is that the elves are likely holed up somewhere taking shelter, or they are dead.”

“Dead?” Tatev echoed. “Who could have conquered the elves of Tualdern?”

“Not
who
, but
what
,” Lepkin corrected.

“What do you mean?” Marlin pressed.

“Inside the house I saw savage claw marks on furniture and walls. There were also some bloodstains across the floors and walls, but no bodies. Whatever it was, I don’t think it was human.”

“What is the plan?” Dimwater asked.

“Split into two groups,” Lepkin replied. “You, me, and Erik will go to the main hall. Marlin, you will take Jaleal and Tatev and search the houses and shops along the eastern side. You can start with this one.” Lepkin pointed to the door behind them.

Marlin nodded and Jaleal went to press the door open.

“Divines be with us,” Tatev whispered as he tentatively followed the other two.

“Come,” Lepkin said to Erik. “We should be quick, and quiet.”

Erik nodded. He felt the same knot in his stomach that he had endured during the battle at his home. It made his gut flip and lurch until he burped a small amount of stinging, pungent vomit in the back of his mouth. He gagged it down as best he could and tried to keep a straight face.

Lepkin must have noticed it, because he turned around and placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder. “Nervous?” he asked.

Erik nodded. “Does the feeling ever go away?”

Lepkin drew the left corner of his mouth out into a half-grin. “Fear never leaves of its own accord. It falls to you to conquer it, and banish it from your mind.”

“How?” Erik asked.

“By realizing that you are stronger than your fears. Live your life in such a way that you will know that your principles are right and true. Then, you will also know that the only enemies you will have are those who stand against truth. Just as truth and right will conquer evil, it will help you banish your fears.” Lepkin paused and looked into Erik’s eyes. “Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” Erik said. “But, being right doesn’t make me stronger than my enemies, especially if there is some monster that wiped out all of the elves.”

“You misunderstand,” Lepkin said. “A life lived in pursuit of truth will always result in victory. Even if our enemies are stronger than us –even if they should slay us—we can take comfort knowing that we will live in Volganor alongside the just and good men and women of
old. So, do not fear death. Also, don’t let fear cripple you from doing good in life. It will take practice, but you will understand in time.”

“We should go,” Dimwater said softly.

Lepkin nodded and the trio walked back into the rain across the courtyard. They checked the myriad roads and alleyways branching away from them as they made their way to the large white and gold palace. If not for the rain and the pit in Erik’s stomach, he might have admired the exquisite workmanship more, but he barely noticed the large golden double doors with crystal inlay, or the stained glass cathedral style windows adorning the sweeping alabaster walls.

Dimwater flicked her wrist and the doors opened in a flash. A putrid stench wafted out from the opening and forced them each to gag and jerk their heads away, covering their mouths with their sleeves.

“What is that?” Erik asked.

“Excrement and death,” Dimwater replied.

“This must be where they took refuge,” Lepkin said. “Come, let’s go in.”

Erik forced his feet to follow as Lepkin and Dimwater made their way inside. Despite the many windows, the hall was dark and nearly impossible to see in. Lady Dimwater conjured a blue orb of light over each of them to help them navigate the room.

Shadows danced and swung around broken benches, overturned tables, and hunks of armor strewn along the brown floor. Erik looked closer at the armor and realized that some of the breastplates or helmets still had bits of their owners inside. Erik’s stomach flipped and he fell to his knees, dry heaving and gasping for breath.

“Stay with him, I will continue on,” Lepkin told Dimwater.

The sorceress moved to kneel next to Erik and began weaving a quick spell. A second later the stench was gone from the room and Erik’s stomach calmed. He looked up to her and met her smiling, compassionate eyes.

“I thought you said it wasn’t good to waste magic?” Erik said.

“In this case, I don’t think it was a waste,” she replied warmly. “We should continue, Lepkin is already pressing on further. Can you stand?”

Erik nodded. It was then, as he looked to the floor, that he noticed it wasn’t really brown. It was gray, but there was dried blood covering so much of the floor that it had appeared brown. His stomach threatened to lurch again, but Dimwater placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Look at me,” she told him.

Erik nodded, focused on her eyes, and then rose to his feet and the two of them continued on. They passed by the remains of the shattered ivory thrones and into a rear hallway that led up a flight of spiraling stairs to another grand hall. Here, as before, broken bits of furniture and bodies littered the floor. Spear shafts and broken swords were scattered about, and dried blood covered the floor and streaked along the walls.

“They fought hard,” Dimwater noted.

The door at the end of the hall opened and Lepkin came out. “Some of them made it out, I think.”

“How can you tell?” Dimwater asked.

“More of a feeling I have,” he replied with a shrug. “Also, the lock on this door wasn’t broken, and the jamb itself shows no sign of forced entry. I think some of the warriors in this room survived, and then they escorted the rest of the survivors out. This room has no blood stains anywhere.”

“Sounds plausible,” Dimwater said. “Any idea what could have done this?”

Lepkin shook his head. “No, but I think we should go and get the others. We’ll make camp here for the night.”

“Here?” Erik asked incredulously.

Lepkin nodded. “There are heavy wardrobes and large piece of furniture inside this room we can use to bolster the door. It isn’t ideal, but we won’t be able to make it through the valley again before nightfall. And if this thing that attacked the elves is still around, we would do best to take shelter here.”

“I’ll go and get the others,” Dimwater offered. “You two can prepare the room.”

Lepkin nodded and motioned for Erik to join him.

Dimwater was out in the courtyard within a few minutes, looking this way and that for any sign of the others. Her nose happily pulled in the petrichor with each breath, ridding her nostrils of the horrid odors she had endured in the palace. The darkness was seeping into Tualdern now that the sun hung low in the western sky and the rain clouds still sat over the city. She knew she would have to hurry. After passing four streets she saw a couple of people down next to a doorway in a row of buildings. She turned and went to them, thinking it was Marlin and Tatev that she saw.

Her spine tingled when she realized what it was.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

The ghastly figure floated toward her. “I mean you no harm,” the ghost said. “We have our truce for four days, as agreed.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Licenien sent me to warn you,” the ghost said.

“Warn me of what?”

The other ghost floated into full view then. “The creatures that have descended upon the elves of Tualdern are still here,” the second ghost said.

“If he knew of this, then why not tell me this last night himself?”

The first ghost hissed. “He was not sure what to make of your claim about the Champion of Truth,” he said. “He thought perhaps you were simply boasting, or lying to conceal your true intentions.”

“What changed his mind?” Dimwater asked.

The second ghost came closer. “We followed you as you traveled through the valley today,” he said. “After listening to Erik and the man with the books talk for a while, Licenien decided we should help you.”

“Then why wait until now to warn us if you were with us all day?”

“During the daytime we are not able to make ourselves known to mortals, it is part of our curse. So, we waited here until dusk, so we could speak with you.
”

“What killed the elves?” Dimwater asked evenly.

“Lycans,” the ghosts replied in unison. “They came in from the east, and there was a bitter battle with the elves. Now the few elves that are left have gone underground, and the lycans roam the surface at night.”

“Will you stay and fight with us?” Dimwater asked.

The ghosts shook their heads. “Our power is in the valley. Even though Tualdern sits on the edge of the valley, we have no power here over mortals.”

The second ghost pointed in the direction of the valley. “If you come back to the valley, we can help you.”

Dimwater stood there for a moment, trying to discern whether she was being trapped by the ghosts. “Why should I believe any of this?” she asked.

Just then a blood-curdling scream rent the air and Dimwater twirled around in the direction of the scream.

“It is too late,” the first ghost said. “They are here.”

Dimwater turned back around, but the ghosts were gone. Her heart raced. She glanced at the buildings around her, hoping against hope that Marlin and the others would come out of one of the nearby doorways.

“This way,” urged a whisper in Dimwater’s ear. She looked up and saw a faint image floating quickly for the end of the street. Despite the doubts in her mind, she ran after the ghost. It turned to the right, down a narrow alley. Dimwater followed and nervously glanced over her shoulder as a terrible howl erupted from somewhere else in Tualdern.

The ghost came into view then, pointing at a large gray building across the street from the alley’s opening. “The other three from your party are on
the second floor.”

“How do I know you aren’t lying?” Dimwater asked.

The ghost faded away with the wind, leaving her standing there alone. She stepped to the edge of the alley and peered down the street. Everything was quiet again. Then, a door opened in the gray building across the street and out walked Jaleal, Tatev, and Marlin.

Dimwater smiled and ran over to them.

“Did you hear that scream?” Tatev asked nervously.

The sorceress nodded. “We have to get to Lepkin and Erik as quickly as possible.”

“What’s that?” Marlin asked, pointing down the street.

“I don’t see anything,” Tatev said.

Dimwater turned, but she also saw nothing. “What do you see, Marlin?” she asked.

“It is a strange aura,” he responded. “Something I have not seen before.”

Dimwater conjured a cloud beneath her and grabbed onto Tatev’s shoulder. “Everyone hold on,” she commanded. They each grabbed hold of each other’s hands and the cloud launched them up about twenty feet above the ground. Then the sorceress called in a mighty wind that sped them off through Tualdern toward the palace.