Order of The Rose: Forsaken Petal (20 page)

For the first time in what seemed like forever Tom fell asleep in a soft warm bed without feeling any fear of harm or danger. That night as Tom slept the dreams came again.

Chapter
19:

He was in the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Everywhere he looked was glass. It was as if a giant glassblower had blown a building out of glass and then placed it on the ground. He saw that when the sun hit the glass in different places it would turn different colors, sometimes a light pink and other times a bright red. He saw blues, purples, and yellows as well. As he looked at the building he saw that the stairs were also made of glass. He began to walk up the stairs toward the glass landing above.

When he got to the top of the landing, he looked down to where he had just come from. He saw the floor had a spot as big as him. It was suddenly dark red, almost the color of blood. As he watched it, it began to grow and start to come up the stairs. It reached the top of the landing; he started to back away from the blood red color that came toward him. The stain began to move quicker and he turned and ran from it. He ran through glass doors and up glass flights of stairs but it still seemed to follow him wherever he went.

He came to a room that was filled with his friends and saw that they were laughing. They did not seem to notice the stain that had begun to take over the building. He yelled to them. They just turned and smiled at him and went back to what they were doing. He tried pulling on them to get them to leave the room before the stain reached them when suddenly he ran into Xantar.

Xantar approached Tom, showing concern for the situation.

Tom told Xantar about what was happening.

Xantar looked at the blood stain that was approaching them and then looked back at Tom. “You must trust me and allow me to help you when the time comes,” he said.

Tom woke suddenly, expecting to be in a blood red prison made of glass. Instead he saw the room that he had fallen asleep in and felt the soft bed under him. He slowly laid back down into his bed, still shaken from the dream. He thought about the dream and wondered what it meant. He wondered about the strange dark elf, Xantar.
Can we really trust him?
Why did Teresa trust him so quickly
? He finally fell back to sleep without dreams.

The next morning the companions woke early for the busy day ahead of them. Tom learned that the palace was a good two days travel into the dense forest and they would be leaving early this morning. The wood elves were preparing to leave as well. The plan was for the small group to get into the palace and  move to each of the towers, disabling their defenses. With this step they decided that it would be best if they split up into three groups. Tom would be going with Cody and Aithnea.
They would then need to detonate the sun stone as quickly as possible. Tom, Cody and Aithnea had spent many hours the previous night making sure they were adequately oriented to the city and the tower they were in charge of. 

“
Good morning, Tom,” Cody said as they put on the armor the elves had prepared for them.

Tom had been given a light leather armor that had been dyed green in patterns to help with stealth. The elf who had given it to him said that it was one of their finer suits. Aithnea had been given a green robe with many brown symbols woven into it. The robe was not as protective as the leather armor but gave her better movement, allowing her to cast spells without interruption. Aithnea had looked at Tom’s leather armor in doubt and commented on how he wouldn’t be able to move as freely. This may interrupt his movements when casting spells. Kristiana reminded Aithnea that Tom was different and that she noticed that Tom used less movements and more energy when casting spells. Cody had been given a chain suit that protected his upper and lower body. The elves said that the suit was very special. An ancient enchanter had enchanted the armor to make it silent. When Cody had shaken the armor Tom could hear only the tiniest bit of sound coming from it.

“Hi Cody,” Tom said, with a lot less enthusiasm.

“
What’s wrong?”

Tom looked at Cody then back to his straps on his armor. “I don’t know. I think I’m just nervous.” Tom could see the excitement on Cody’s face. He knew that Cody had been trained for years for battle and
this was the first time he was actually preparing to attack someone.

Cody walked next to Tom, tightening a strap. “It’s good to be a little nervous. It will keep you on your toes. The problem is when it incapacitates you. Just remember that through most of the fight John and Kristiana will be by your side and they have been through countless battles. And anyway you know that you’re their most precious treasure and they won’t let anything happen to you.” Cody said clapping Tom on the back and smiling.

“I know that. It’s just that this is the first battle where we are heading into it as opposed to reacting to it.”

“
Tom, that makes it that much better. We’re prepared and we know where we are going. We don’t know exactly what we’ll be facing but we do know more about the enemy than ever before. I’ll be next to you and helping you through it.”

Tom felt more confident standing next to Cody and he gave a small smile. His stomach was still on edge but he felt the strong bond that he and Cody had formed. He wouldn’t want any other person standing next to him during a fight. Tom and Cody finished putting their armor on and strapped on their weapons belt. Tom had been given a long sword that was well balanced with a sharp edge. Cody was wearing a dagger, long sword and a pistol. They both put on a green hooded cloak and left the room.

As they were leaving they ran into Aithnea and Kristiana who had just left their room. Tom stopped in his tracks. Aithnea had on a green cloak over her green and brown robe. Her black hair cascaded down her back and her green eyes were shining in the morning sunlight. She smiled at him when she saw that he was staring at her. Tom turned and blushed.

She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Good morning, Tom,” she said sweetly.

Looking back at her, he heard Cody chuckling next to him. “Good morning, Aithnea.”

Kristiana smiled at the two and then continued along the path toward the large structure in the center. Cody hurried after Kristiana. Tom and Aithnea walked much slower after them and she grabbed his hand.

“Are you worried at all?” she asked.

He looked at her, wondering if he should tell her the truth or not. He said, “Yes, a little but I think that we’ll be well protected. John and Kristiana will be there. Besides, we’ve battled skeletons and what can be worse than skeletons?”

Aithnea gave a weak smile. “I guess you’re right but I’m still worried. I wish we had more time to prepare and to make sure that this is the best way to do this. Tanya said that things should go just fine and that with the help of the prisoners and Xantar we’ll have the support we need.”

“
I had an odd dream about Xantar last night,” Tom said.

Aithnea looked at him in surprise. “I did too. What was yours about?”

Tom only hesitated a second. “We were in a glass palace and it began to turn to blood… or the color of blood. I began to run from it and then I came to a room filled with all of you guys. When I tried to alert you to the problem, no one would listen. Then Xantar appeared and he told me to trust him.”

Aithnea looked down and then back up as Tom squeezed her hand as if to remind her to tell her story.

“My dream was similar to yours.” Aithnea quickly turned away and Tom had the feeling that she was hiding something. But he knew that he wouldn’t get anything from her unless she was giving it freely.

The two reached the large building as Tanya and Tiarra walked up. Tom was still surprised at Aithnea’s secretiveness but it was soon forgotten as they entered the large structure. He was unaccustomed to seeing elves and was just getting over the excitement of actually meeting them. But when he saw so many of them together all of the excitement came back.

Inside the large structure were well over a hundred elves. All of them were wearing green dyed leather armor and green cloaks with the strange brown markings interwoven in them. They were the same as Aithnea’s robe. Most of the elves had long bows that went from their heads to the floor. They also had at their side’s daggers and several of them had pistols. There was another group that had both a long sword and a dagger at their side. Those with the long swords looked to be a little bigger than the others and their armor appeared to be heavier. Tiarra immediately walked up to the group with the swords and began to talk to them.

Tanya looked over at Tom, and said, “How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing ok. I slept… well a lot better than on the ground, that‘s for sure,” Tom said as he laughed.

“
Yes, sleeping in a bed makes me remember why I joined the white eagle clan instead of being a mercenary.”

He noticed that Tanya had changed her armor and she was now wearing armor similar to the other elves but her cloak had a darker green outlining of a tree. Under the tree was a green sword that looked similar to the one she was wielding. He also noticed that she had been on edge since entering the forest and didn’t seem as cheerful. He wondered what had happened here with her and the other elves, but didn’t dare ask.

Tom saw that Cody and the others were across the room talking to each other, probably planning the upcoming battle. A hush suddenly fell over the room and the elves came to attention. He looked around and saw Teresa entering the room. She was with two other younger female elves that had swords similar to Tanya’s. They wore the same armor as Tanya had. The two elves walked a foot behind Teresa. Their bodies were stiff as they walked and their eyes darted left and right, constantly surveying the crowd for any danger.

Teresa came to a stop in front of the large crowd of elves. “My dear sons and daughters, today we head back to our homes to retake what is rightfully ours.” Her voice boomed and Tom was caught off guard by the power that was in it. “We have been wronged and we will now correct that wrong. Many of you will fall in the coming days but know that you are fighting for your family and for your liberties.” She lowered her hands and all the elves knelt except the two female elves next to her. She pulled from her robes a symbol of a white tree with a sword that went through the heart of it. She held it high in the air. In a language that Tom could not understand she began to chant and the symbol began to glow and a white light burst from it.

Tom was suddenly filled with confidence and hope. He had no more fear of the upcoming battle and he no longer worried about the outcome. All he cared about was doing his part and completing the mission.

Tanya looked down at him smiling. “She has quite an affect doesn’t she? The blessing will enable your mind to be clear during the battle and you will have a greater desire to succeed. The guiding mother will be with you and all of the elves over the next few days, lending strength where it is needed.”

Tom noticed that the two female elves standing next to Teresa had to support her as they walked out of the room. It was as if Teresa had gone into a trance and the two elves were her only link to reality.

“
What happened to her?” Tom asked, still watching her leave the room.

Tanya, watching her go, replied. “She is now in a trance and she has become one with the other elves in this room. She can feel their pain and their emotions. When you feel fear or hurt she will take a small part of it and replace it with confidence. She can feel which ones need more help and that is where it is given.”

He looked back to Tanya and saw that her eyes had misted over. “What’s wrong Tanya?”

She wiped her eyes quickly. “Nothing is wrong. I’ll be ok.”

Tanya walked briskly toward her sister and gave her a long hug. Tom watched as the two embraced and then Tanya waved at Kristiana and the others to follow. The companions said quick goodbyes to a few of the elves that they had met and then left the building. They walked along the high bridges to a ramp that had been dropped to allow them to descend to the ground. When they reached the ground Xantar was waiting there for them.

Chapter 20:

“Good morning, we best be on our way,” Xantar said and then started to walk deeper into the forest.

Tom noticed that Tanya seemed to be more alive than ever since arriving in the forest. It was as if she glided through the forest without even touching the ground. The group headed deeper into the forest and Tom soon lost his direction,
luckily Caspin waved him in the right direction and tom realized that if he did not keep up he would be lost forever.

The companions walked most of the day without speaking, keeping a brisk pace, stopping only for brief moments to get food and water. As the day went on the trees grew thicker and began to shut out much of the sunlight. Tom wondered at how the two elves could stay on the path with the low light but it seemed that Xantar’s pace increased as it grew darker.

The companions came upon a small clearing and Tanya held her hand up. She then held her finger to her mouth. Xantar and Tanya slowly began to circle the small clearing in opposite directions and John pulled his sword from its scabbard. Tom looked around but because of the density of the trees and the low light he couldn’t see much and wondered at the concern.

John waited for a few minutes and then he and Kristiana began to enter the clearing. The two walked casually but slowly into the clearing, heading for the other side. Tom saw that Kristiana’s lips were moving quietly as they moved closer to the center of the clearing. As the two reached the center of the clearing a man from the other side entered and headed toward them. John put his sword to the ground and leaned on it slightly as the man approached.

“Hello there,” John said.

Tom couldn’t see who John was speaking to.
Is it another elf or a man, and what are they doing here?

“
Hello sir, what brings you into the woods?” the other man said.

“
My sister and I travel to the white trees to receive wisdom. We have journeyed many days and hope to reach the tree by tomorrow. We come in peace meaning no harm,” John replied.

The other person looked around warily expecting a trap. “No one may enter the sacred grove at this time it would be best if you returned to where you came from.”

Tom heard a sound to his right. He dropped to the ground and looked to see who or what had made the sound. Cody had also heard the sound and was crouching low. He quietly pulled his sword from its scabbard. Aithnea was close to Tom and he could feel her mind begin to clear as she prepared herself for a spell. Caspin moved quietly behind a large tree putting his back up against the large tree.

“
We’re under the understanding that anyone could seek wisdom from the white tree, what has happened that we may no longer enter into the grove?” John asked.

Tom watched a person materialize directly in front him facing the grove.
Where did he come from?
The man in front of him slowly pulled a bow from his back and notched an arrow. He pulled the string back slowly. He was about to release the arrow. Tom jumped forward hitting the man in the back with his shoulder. There was a loud gasp of air as Tom knocked the wind out of the man. The man fell to the ground and released the arrow harmlessly into the clearing.

At the same moment Tom heard an eruption of sound all around him it was as if the trees had come alive and were moving on their own accord. Tom jumped on top of the man he had hit in the back and pulled his knife swiftly from his belt holding it to the man’s throat. He looked around. John had the man in the clearing held firmly with a knife to his throat.

“How many of you are there,” John shouted at the man.

The man’s face had gone white and a red welt was growing across his nose where John must have hit him. The man sagged slightly and Tom wondered how much longer the man would be able to stay standing.

“There are only five of us,” the man said.

John looked at the edge of the clearing and then looked back at him. “Why are you here?”

“We have come to ask for help from the Guiding Mother. When we approached her city we saw that something was wrong and began to head back to our village. We were attacked by a small group of elves with dark skin. They killed three of our friends but the rest of us were able to escape,” The man responded. His voice quivered.

“
Why did you think that we were with them?” John asked pulling the man up as he began to slump further.

“
We are scared and we didn’t know who you were with. The dark elves had a woman with them and several men. They seemed to be working together. We thought that maybe we would be better off if we ambushed you. We hoped that we would be able to take you off guard and be able to return to our village.” The man’s voice nearly failed him. His legs were buckling underneath his own weight.

John pulled him up to keep him standing and to offer better protection.

Caspin suddenly entered the small clearing and walked up to the man. John looked hesitantly at Caspin and back at the man that he held in his grasp. Caspin put a hand on John’s strong forearm and John allowed the man to fall to the ground. Caspin began to pray and put his hands on the man, color returned to his face.

The man looked up at Caspin in surprise. “You’re a healer?”

Caspin looked down at the man. “Yes my dear brother, you must forgive our methods but like you we are wary of those we encounter. You and your brothers may leave now and I recommend that you leave quickly.”

John looked up at Caspin in shock. “Caspin we don’t know if he is telling the truth or not. We can’t just let them leave, what if they give us away?”

“John I know him, he is not one of those we fight,” Caspin responded.

The man under Tom’s weight stirred slightly and Tom moved the knife from the man’s neck and stood. The man slowly got to his feet and quickly backed away from Tom as he entered the clearing with his companion. Three other men slowly walked into the clearing heading toward John and Kristiana.

Caspin looked at the man who he had just healed. “What happened at your village?”

The man looked up at Caspin with uncertainty. “We were attacked by bandits. The elves have always come to our aid in the past but when we signaled for them they did not come. We feared that they had abandoned us and we were sent to find out what happened. We traveled here and arrived three nights ago. As we drew closer to the city we became uneasy knowing that the elves had always met us in the past at the edge of the forest. We went a farther in. We became uneasy still seeing no elves, we decided that we should leave as quickly as possible. We were headed back
to our village when we were attacked by the group of dark skinned elves and a woman. Three of our brethren fell as we ran. I’m not sure why we were allowed to escape, we figured that you were part of the group coming to finish us off and so we laid an ambush.”

John scanned the trees and Tanya and Xantar ran off into the forest.

“We best leave this clearing. You may leave. You should head the direction we came from. You shouldn’t run into any more dark elves from the direction we came from.”

John, Kristiana and Caspin began to head for the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. Tom, Aithnea and Cody circled around the clearing. The three of them met up with John and the others on the other side. Xantar and Tanya had not yet returned.
Where did they go to? Are they still worried about the group or are they looking for other elves?

“
I think it would be best if we continue moving on,” John said. He scanned the forest.

The companions continued in the same direction they had been going. After they walked for nearly an hour Tanya and Xantar appeared.

John stopped the group. “Is there anyone following us?” he asked.

“
I don’t believe so, but the forest has grown quiet. We found where the battle between the dark elves and the humans took place but there was no sign of anyone still remaining in the area,” Tanya said.

John studied the ground as he thought.

“We’ve no choice we must go on,” Kristiana said, touching his arm tenderly.

John shook his head slightly. “I fear that we will not be able to surprise them. I’m worried that the same people that attacked us at the cabin are here… I can’t see you hurt like you were before Kris.”

“John, I’ll be ok; it will work out. I won’t be caught off guard this time.” Kristiana spoke softly.

“
Tanya what do you think?” John asked as he turned to Tanya.

“
I think that they are expecting us from the front with a large force. If we are able to circle around to the rear, we should be able to get in unnoticed; if they haven’t already discovered us. We should travel through the night so that we’ll be able to hit them in the early morning,” she responded.

“
My ability will be able to cover our passing. The black widow will not be able to detect us until we are well in to the city and hopefully by then she’ll not be able to pinpoint our exact location until it’s too late.” Xantar said.

John looked at Tanya. “You should take point; be on the lookout for any surprises that may be waiting for us. Xantar how far ahead can she go and still be protected by your ability?”

“I believe that I will be able to cover her if she stays within twenty yards of me.”

John looked ahead at the dense forest. “I guess that will have to do then.” He nodded to Tanya and she vanished in to the forest.

They traveled through the rest of the day, only stopping occasionally. When it became too dark for them to see Xantar led them as they held on to a rope between them.

Tom’s legs ached and he stumbled over rocks and limbs that lay on the path. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open and wondered how he would make it through the night.
If I’m too tired to walk, how am I going to be able to fight when the time comes? Maybe that is what the adrenaline is for?
He grinned to himself.

The group traveled through the night, Tom only saw Tanya occasionally. She would dart in and out among the trees and report to John with a simple nod of the head. John continued to push the group through the night, taking no breaks as they traveled. Tom could feel the weariness in his body as they traveled and noticed that many times Aithnea would lean on him. She nearly fell asleep several times.
He smiled as he looked at Cody up ahead,
How does he do it? He doesn’t look tired at all. He never seems to get down about anything, not even when he’s stumbling through an overgrown forest.

After what seemed to be an eternity to Tom, the group finally came to a halt. The trees didn’t appear to be any different than the last thousand they had past.
Why did John decide to stop here?

John sat down. “We’ll rest until morning. I’ll take the watch tonight while the rest of you sleep as best you can. Tanya, I would appreciate it if you could also stay up.”  He looked at her with a weak smile.

“Don’t worry about me John, I don’t need to sleep,” Tanya responded sarcastically.

Tom lay down and it seemed that he had no sooner fallen to sleep than he was shaken awake.

“It’s time to get up. Get a quick breakfast, we’ll be leaving shortly.”

“
Ok,” Tom mumbled sleepily as he tried to sit up. He was finally able to get himself to stand. He ate a small breakfast as he stretched his sore muscles.

Tom turned to Cody. “This adventuring stuff sure isn’t much fun.”

“What? You mean you like a warm soft bed that you can lay down in without feeling rocks in your back and a warm breakfast to wake up to each morning.” Cody smiled.

Cody was of course in a good mood once again. Tom was always cheered when he saw his smile. It seemed to take away all of his troubles and make life seem doable.  Tom watched Cody get his gear ready and put his weapons in their place. Cody was watching Tanya and Tom noticed that the two would catch glimpses of each other when they thought no one else was watching. Tom smiled as he watched the two. When Cody realized that Tom was watching the two of them he blushed and turned away quickly.

“We need to be moving soon,” John said, as he walked around checking everyone’s gear.

The group finished making preparations to leave and huddled around John as he went over the plans one final time.

“We’ll all hit the palace and then we’ll split up into our groups. Cody, Tom and Aithnea will hit the closest tower. Tanya and Caspin will hit the west tower and Kristiana and I’ll hit the east tower. Xantar you’ll need to go and find your people and head to the prisoners and release them. Does anyone have any questions?” John looked around to each one in the group. “Remember that if you are over run we will meet here and regroup. The elves should be attacking shortly to give us more support and to distract most of the enemy.” John looked up at the group giving a reassuring smile. “Be aware of everything and stay focused on the objective. It’s time we get going.” John turned suddenly and led the group toward the edge of the city.

Tom’s breath caught in his throat as he looked at the magnificent city that lay before his eyes. The buildings looked almost as if they had been shaped to appear like trees. The bases were wide and as the buildings climbed into the sky they became narrower and branched off to connect to other buildings. The buildings appeared to be made of crystal and as the sun hit the sides of them they reflected every color of the rainbow. Tom saw that in the center of the city there was a building that all of the other buildings seemed to connect to. It went up much higher than any of the other buildings. This building was as white as snow right after it has fallen and when the sun hit the building Tom could see through the walls into the building.