Source Of The River (9 page)

L
eading the
elves across the green field, Kaiya traveled at an easy pace. She was not in a
hurry to encounter the townsfolk, and she knew the elves could not expect a
warm welcome. She pointed to the farmhouse as they passed by. “I live there,”
she told them.

“It’s a lovely
home,” Lenora commented, stepping forward to walk next to Kaiya.

Doozle spotted the
group from a distance and ran toward them, bounding over the tall stalks of prairie
grass. His mouth was open, giving the best doggish smile he could manage. The
group paused, allowing him to sniff at them until he was content.

River knelt to
stroke the dog’s soft fur. “Aren’t you a friendly one?” he asked.

Doozle sat proudly and
barked once in response.

Kaiya hugged the
happy dog and said, “You have to stay here, Doozle. There could be trouble, and
I don’t want you in the middle of it.”

Doozle whined
softly, his eyes begging to join his friend.

“Not this time,”
she said, shaking her head. “Go to Papa in the fields,” she commanded, pointing.
“Go on.”

With one bark,
Doozle turned and headed back across the field.

“Do elves have
dogs?” she asked curiously.

Lenora replied, “We
have only the animals of the forest. They live freely and don’t need us to care
for them.”

“I suppose that’s
nice,” she said. “You might be missing out though.” Kaiya couldn’t imagine not
having Doozle around. He’d been her companion for many years.

They continued along
the path until they reached the village. The blacksmith’s hammer was already
audible in the distance, ringing in time with their steps. It was nearly
midday, and the town was alive with activity. Kaiya hoped that most of the
miners had found work in a different cave for the time being. She didn’t want
to have too large a crowd greeting them as they entered the village.

At the edge of
town, Kaiya could see a large tent had been set up near the marketplace. “That
must be where they’re keeping the sick,” she said.

“Lenora is a
healer,” Galen said, noticing Kaiya’s concerned expression.

“I’ll do whatever I
can to help them,” Lenora said reassuringly.

“This is a magical
illness,” Kaiya replied. “If we can convince the spirit to leave, or at least reverse
the spell she has cast, then the illness will cease to spread.”

“That’s going to be
River’s area of expertise,” Galen said. “I’m only here for a change of
scenery.”

Kaiya eyed him
suspiciously. “I think you’ve come seeking something else,” she said.

Galen shrugged and
stared off into the distance.

“I have been told
this illness has to do with the water,” River said. “In that case, I should be
able to help.” His words sounded confident. Being sent by the Spirit, River felt
certain he would succeed in the task before him.

“Who told you
that?” Kaiya asked.

Smiling, he
replied, “The water that has its source in the mountains creates the river that
runs through the Vale. It has a voice, as does the wind.”

Kaiya understood
what he meant. “If the water speaks to you, perhaps it can tell you how to be
rid of this presence. I don’t think I have the strength to banish her.”

“I do not know what
it will require, but once I’ve spoken with her, perhaps an answer will reveal
itself.”

As they moved to
the center of the village, all activity ceased. Every pair of eyes in the town
looked upon the three elves and Kaiya. Such a spectacle had not been seen among
their kind in recent memory. Kaiya steeled herself against an attack. She felt
her magic pulsing through her veins, ready to defend her new friends.

A group of dwarves
circled around to have a better look at the visitors. Many of them pointed and
whispered to each other. Kaiya stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for
someone to begin an argument. She wouldn’t have to wait long. Rudi pushed his
way to the front of the crowd.

“Look what we have
here. It’s the witch and some pointy-eared forest dwellers,” Rudi said
mockingly.

“They’ve come here
to help you,” Kaiya spat back. “You should show them a little courtesy, but I
see you’re incapable.”

River stepped
forward, hoping to stop the argument from escalating. “Please,” he began, “we
wish only to help.” He laid a hand on Lenora’s arm. “This is Lenora, a skilled
healer. She will help tend to your men. I will help you rid yourselves of the
evil presence in the cave.”

Rudi was unmoved by
River’s words. “Tell that witch to take the curse off, elf man, and we’ll be
fine.”

Kaiya held back her
temper, not wanting to make the situation worse. She was relieved to see Ortin
coming forward to help. He was followed by Trin, the town’s rune carver. Both
men clutched hammers in their hands.

“All right, that’s
enough out of you,” Ortin said. “They’ve come all this way to help, so let them
help.”

“Stay out of this,
blacksmith,” Rudi said, clenching his fists.

“That’ll be quite
enough, Rudi,” Trin said, tapping his hammer against his hand.

“You better watch
it, old man,” Rudi replied, the blood rising to his face.

“Clear out, all of
you!” Trin demanded.

The crowd dispersed
at his request. Trin was highly respected among the townsfolk, and they were
content to obey him. Rudi, however, did not budge.

“You don’t frighten
me, rune carver,” he said. “Just because you dabble in magic charms doesn’t
make you a wizard.”

“You’re right,” he
replied. “I don’t use magic, but I’ll carve my name into your face if you don’t
get out of here.” He took an aggressive step forward, and Rudi backed away.

“This isn’t over,”
Rudi said as he walked away. He did not go far before turning to observe the
elves again. If they were going into his mine, he would be there to watch.

Kaiya introduced
the elves to the two dwarf men. “The elves are here to help us,” she declared.

“It’s a pleasure,”
Ortin said, extending a hand to each of them. “Name’s Ortin, and this here is
Trin.”

“I never thought I’d
see an elf,” Trin said. A stout man with a long silver beard, Trin was not
usually one to stand in awe. Today, though, he could not help being intrigued
by them.

“You’re a rune
carver?” Galen asked.

“I am indeed,” he
replied. “The men of my family have been rune carvers for seven generations.”

“Fascinating,”
Galen said, his eyes sparkling. “I’d love to see your work.”

“Follow me,” Trin
replied, anxious to show his skill to the elf.

“I should see to
the ill,” Lenora said.

“I’ll take you to
the hospital tent,” Ortin said. “They’ve set up outside the cave to keep
everyone together.”

Inside the tent
were nearly thirty sick dwarves. Only one physician tended them, and the
patients were clearly still in pain. They were restless in their beds, most of
them shivering or moaning.

“The illness grows
worse daily,” Ortin said.

“I shall do what I
can,” Lenora declared. She left them behind to speak with the doctor.

“Let’s get you over
to the cave, shall we?” Ortin said to River.

“Certainly,” he
replied.

The cave was only a
few hundred feet from the medical tent. River had sensed dark magic since
entering the town, but it grew stronger as he neared the cave. Ortin stopped
outside and motioned River to go ahead.

“I’ll wait out
here,” he said.

“Good luck,” Kaiya
said, choosing to remain outside as well. She doubted she could be much help to
someone as powerful as River. All of her senses told her he was strong, and she
hoped he would prevail easily against the apparition.

River stepped
inside and immediately felt a heaviness in his chest. Undeterred, he pressed on
until he came to a clear pool of water where he could sense the source of the
magic.

“Show yourself,” he
commanded. Immediately, he felt as if a hand were trying to grip his throat. He
fought back with magic, not allowing the evil spirit to frighten him.

The image of an elf
woman appeared before him. “You are a strange being,” she said. “I can sense
your power, but you are not strong enough to command me.”

“I have come to
help you,” he replied. “Tell me what I can do.”

“You can leave this
place and never return!”

With those words,
she sent out a magical blast that knocked River backward. As soon as he
regained his footing, she sent out a second blast, this time strong enough to
expel him from the cave. He flew out into the light, landing hard on his
backside.

The sound of the
first blast had attracted a crowd, which arrived in time to witness the event.
Lenora and Galen both heard the noise and came to check on their friend. Seeing
him fly out of the cave backward was unexpected, and they rushed to his aid.

“Are you all right?”
Lenora asked, scanning his body with white magic.

Seeing that his
friend was conscious, Galen said, “Why didn’t you summon a puddle to cushion
your fall?” He chuckled, not bothering to hide his amusement.

River stared at him,
his expression one of annoyance.

The dwarves
muttered among themselves, but one voice came through loud and clear. Rudi
laughed heartily and said, “Look at me! I’m a magical elf man, and I’ve come to
save the day.” He doubled over laughing and slapped his hand against his knee.
Turning away from the incident, he wiped tears from his eyes. The other dwarves
joined him in laughing for a moment before returning to their own affairs.

“It would seem only
your pride is wounded,” Lenora declared, finishing her scan. She tucked in her
lips to suppress a giggle.

Galen continued to
laugh, and Kaiya stared at River, wondering if he would have the power
necessary to force the apparition to leave. She knew the evil creature was
capable of great magic, but she had hoped River would prove stronger. It would
seem he had his limits as well, and it was clear they would need to work
together.

River finally
stood, rubbing his lower back. “She’s more powerful than I expected.”

Kaiya nodded. “Now you
see what we’re up against.”

G
azing into the
fire, Telorithan watched as River left the protection of the Vale and journeyed
into the mountains.
He’s making this too easy
, he thought. A heaviness
came over him as he continued to observe the elf, and he sensed an additional
magical being was nearby. Neither dwarves nor Westerling Elves naturally
possessed the level of magic he felt emanating from the fire. It rivaled the
power of an elemental, and his own power as well. Telorithan felt uneasy, not
knowing what dwelt in the mountains.

Perhaps he is there to meet with an earth
elemental.
The idea of taking on two elementals, even with one of them
being in elf form, did not sit well with him. It was rare for him to doubt his
abilities, but this was magic he had never yet attempted. He knew he could best
any Enlightened Elf who was foolish enough to challenge him, but the power of
an elemental is raw and untamed. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he had
the strength to conquer one.

A soft knock came from the laboratory door, and a
servant slowly poked his head inside. “Sirra is here to see you, Master,” he
said quietly.

“Show her in,” he replied without looking at the
servant.

Sirra could be rather annoying, but she was also
quite intelligent. If she could assist him in further augmenting his powers,
then she might be worth his time. A cleverer enchantress he had never met,
especially considering the difficulty women had in learning magic. Enlightened
Elf women were never granted the title of Master, since they were not given the
proper training to master any portion of the craft. Sirra had immense talent,
but she could never hope to be as powerful as a man. A woman’s training was
capped at one hundred years, while men were allowed to study indefinitely.

“Hello, dear,” Sirra said as she entered the room.
She leaned in to kiss a grimacing Telorithan on his cheek. “What are you
looking at in the fire?”

“The elemental you told me about,” he replied,
without looking away from the fire.

“I see,” she replied, gazing into the flames. “How
do you plan to subdue him? Will you gather an army to invade the Vale?”

“He’s no longer in the Vale. He’s traveled into
the mountains to a dwarf village.”

Sirra laughed. “What could he possibly want from
them?”

“I know not,” he replied. “They are ignorant of
all things magic and unworthy of my time. There must be something other than
dwarves that has drawn the elemental’s attention.”

“At least dwarves will be easily conquered, being
without magic themselves. You won’t have anything to worry about.”

Telorithan turned to look at her, his eyes severe.
“There is magic there unlike any that should be present among the dwarves. I
believe there may be a second elemental.”

Sirra’s eyes went wide. This was exciting news,
and she briefly thought he might ask for her help. His pride would prevent him
from asking directly, but perhaps she could offer in a way that would not
insult him. Now would not be the best time to offer, but once he had a plan in
place, she could more easily offer her assistance. The once-in-a-lifetime
chance of being present at the binding of an elemental was something she simply
had to witness.

“Do you mean you could capture two of them?” she
asked, her excitement building.

“I don’t know,” he said, turning away. He would
never reveal his reservations about taking on one elemental, let alone two.

Staring deep into the fire, Sirra said, “I sense the
ancient magic of an elemental, but also something else.”

“A second elemental?” he asked eagerly.

“No, this is much younger. It is no less wild,
though. I would say it is someone powerful yet untested.” She gave Telorithan a
sly look. “You might be the right elf to test it.”

He scoffed at her, knowing her words to be pure
flattery. “Don’t bother me with your flirtations. Take them elsewhere if you
can’t be of assistance.”

“It looks like they’re heading for a cave. You
won’t be able to sense anything in there.”

“You doubt my abilities?”

“Not at all,” she replied. “Surely you remember
some earth magic from before your studies with fire. The metals in the cave
will prevent scrying.”

Telorithan had long since forgotten some basic
elemental magic. His focus had rested purely with fire and learning new ways to
harness its power. “Remembering that sort of thing is beneath me,” he said with
a dismissing wave of his hand. She was correct. Once the elemental entered the
cave, he could no longer sense it. The other presence, however, was still just
as strong.
Whatever the other being is, it is not inside that cave.
Looking more closely, Telorithan could see no one but dwarves. In his eyes,
they were incapable of any real magic, so he dismissed them without a second thought.

“Come away from this,” Sirra begged. “Let’s pass
the time in a more enjoyable manner.”

“Nothing could be more enjoyable,” he said. “I am
nearing my ultimate goal of binding a god. What could be better?”

“What would you do with all that power?” Her voice
sounded playful.

“Firstly, I would live apart from those who annoy
me.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

“Well, I have in mind something that you’re better
at than magic.” She brushed her fingers through his silver hair and licked her
lips seductively.

As his anger rose, Telorithan’s eyes flashed red.
“I am better at nothing than magic. Get out of my sight,” he commanded,
pointing to the door.

Obviously hurt, she replied, “But, I only meant—”

“I said leave!” he shouted, before turning his
back to her.

With a sigh, she turned to leave. Without looking
back, she slammed the door behind her. Telorithan ignored the sound and gazed
deeper into the flames. Before his eyes, the elemental was forced from the
cave, landing unceremoniously on his behind. Laughing quietly to himself, he
thought,
This one might not be as strong as I feared.