The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 01 - Elseerian (28 page)

Liri touched his arm. “Don’t worry Taryn, they won’t attack you.”

As she said it, he became aware of his own tense posture and that his hands were moving towards his weapons. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax. After a moment she tugged on his arm and pulled him towards the enormous main gates. At first he was surprised that the gates were open, until he realized that these were only secondary gates, not the large doors he’d seen from the exterior. Through the opening he was amazed to see in place of a corridor, a pillar of solid stone blocking their view. Past this reserve gate, wide corridors to either side curved around the column towards the cliff face. Following Liri they walked down the left path until they promptly came to a dead end.

A little confused, Taryn looked at Liri with a raised eyebrow.  She laughed mischievously and pointed towards the blank wall to their right. Several elves moved forward and opened a hidden stone door! Taryn’s eyes widened as he watched the portal open to reveal the side of the road. When they walked through the secret portal, he was astonished to see that the outer doors at the end of the bridge were actually false. Liri saw his expression at the sight and laughed lightly. 

“Amazing isn’t it?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“Amazing doesn’t cover it,” he breathed.

From the front, the main gates were set
into
the wall about twenty feet—but the ironbound wooden gates were actually backed by a column of solid rock. On either side of the false main gates were smaller doors that were made of the stone itself and, when they were closed, blended in perfectly with the surrounding rock. To get into the city you had to walk towards the false doors and then turn left or right to go through the hidden real ones. After going through the hidden entrance, you would curve around until you came to the second gates set directly behind the first gates—fifty feet behind the fake ones.

A battering ram would never truly break through because it would be hitting doors backed by
thirty feet of unyielding stone
! Taryn shook his head, stunned at the sheer magnitude of the city’s fortifications.

Liri chuckled in satisfaction. “Only the elves are aware of the false doors. That is why no other race is allowed entry to the city through this way.”

That reminded Taryn of a question that had been bothering him. “Liri, did you get a chance to find out why everyone is so
afraid
?”

She turned to face him with a thoughtful expression. “I did ask my mother when I arrived within the city, but she had no answer to give. She said she could ‘feel the fear seeping into the city like a thick smoke,’ yet no elf knows its source.”

He bit his lip in thought.
Not even the elves know what causes this unnatural dread.

Liri shifted next to him. “We had better go back into the city, or we are liable to be shut out.”

Startled, he looked at the elves standing outside the gates, waiting for them. Their rigid posture and darkening expressions told him exactly what she meant. In fact, they appeared to be inching towards the hidden doors and there was no doubt in his mind that once they were closed . . . they wouldn’t open easily.

They hurried their way through the secret doors and wound their way around the training circles. Without stopping, the trip up to the third tier was considerably shorter than their way down. Liri only paused as they arrived at another strongdoor.

“We are about to enter the bowl of the third level . . . and Le Runtáriel,” she told him, her eyes bright. “This tree is sacred to the elves, so watch yourself.”

He nodded, trying to contain his excitement, and followed her through the door. As he stepped out of the artificial light of the corridors and into the lower bowl, Taryn’s eyes were drawn toward the most
enormous
tree he’d ever seen. From the exact center of the half-circle, the massive tree stretched over five hundred feet skyward. At its base the trunk grew thicker than fifty feet in diameter and its branches had grown so large they spanned the western and eastern sides of the city. These incredible living arches created walkways at every level, with multiple smaller branches shaped like stairs between them. A huge spiral staircase wound its way around the central trunk to further connect the different levels. The breathtaking tree's beauty could only be matched by the wide garden at its base.

Lush gardens, at least a mile across, contained thousands of smaller trees, plants, and flowers of every kind. Water came to the grove by way of several waterfalls that cascaded down from the upper levels. The water wound its way through the garden via numerous small streams and ended in a large pond to his left that covered the entire space between the two sides of the cliff. Startled, he realized that the pond didn’t have an opposite edge at all, creating an illusion that the pond must form a waterfall on the cliff face—which he knew didn’t exist. He would have seen it from the outside. The invisible edge pool of water shimmered and danced with the light of the sun, reflecting the garden and tree to any passerby.

Liri spoke softly beside him, cutting into his reverie. “Le Runtáriel is the pride and joy of the elves. It was brought with two other trees when the ancient ones migrated to the city. This is the one that survived and flourished. Centuries of elves have nurtured it with their magic and have shaped every inch of growth. It is a living legacy of the elves’ ancestral homeland.”

“It’s stunning, Liri.” he replied in awe. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, I saw it from outside the city, and again from above it when I entered the higher level, but I never dreamed that it would be so
intricate
!”

Suddenly he couldn’t help himself: "How does the pool not have an edge? Where does the water go? How old is the tree? What are the gardens called? What—"

She flashed a broad grin and interrupted him, "Hold on a second, let me answer those questions first. The pond is called Mirror's Edge, and it doesn’t have an opposite side because the water runs over a small ledge and into a trough. Then it drains into the barracks below. The tree is at least ten thousand years old, probably far older. I don't think anyone knows when it was first planted. I do know it was already a tree when it was transplanted here, and what was your last question?" Before he could answer she continued, "Oh yes, the gardens are called the Céius Gardens." She smiled a soft smile and caught his eye. "It means ‘Light and Enlightenment’."

He nodded, satisfied for the moment, and asked, "Mind if we take a look around?"

Liri's smile widened and she nodded. “Let’s go; there are a few places I wish to show you.” And with that she led him into the wondrous grove.

For twenty minutes, the two of them, followed by their guards, strolled through the labyrinth of hidden walkways. Every few minutes they would cross a small bridge over a gurgling brook, or duck under low hanging fruit trees with their fragrance hanging heavy in the air. Paths frequently branched away from theirs and each walkway hid ensconced benches of both ornate stone and living trees, many of them occupied by elves seeking peace or knowledge in the gardens of Light and Enlightenment.

During their exploration, a peaceful silence stretched between them as both considered the beauty around them. Taryn found himself wishing he could come here every day, and for the first time wondered what he would do after he found his heritage. Would he settle into a home? For some reason that thought caused him to glance at Liri. He’d always harbored strong feelings for her, but had never noticed anything to indicate she favored him . . . had he? That train of thought occupied his mind until Liri reluctantly cleared her throat.  

"We should probably get going,” she said. “There is quite a bit more I would like to show you today."

He nodded with a sad smile, disappointed at the short visit.

"We will come back, I promise," she said earnestly.

Taryn grinned at her easy reading of his expression and sighed. "OK, what's next?"

She matched his grin. "We go up." Then she turned towards the center staircase several hundred feet away. Arriving at its base, they began to climb. As they ascended, Taryn took the opportunity to view each facet of the wondrous city as they slowly rotated around its midpoint. At each separate tier, multiple paths separated themselves from the trunk and arced over to the city. Railings had been shaped and woven out of smaller branches growing out of the larger ones. Taryn looked from one wonder to the next, stunned by the sheer grace and beauty that Le Runtáriel gave to the city.

"Hang on, we have a stop to make," Liri said, interrupting his fascinated study of the elven city as she turned onto one of the massive branches that spanned several hundred feet. She lead him down the gently sloping wood until they came to the end of the branch and stepped off at the point where it had been grown into the path of tier four, the first level above the gardens.

"Where are we going?" Taryn asked, smiling when he realized that despite the subtle feeling of unease and fear that dominated the city's inhabitants, he felt wonderful seeing the magnificent city with Liri.

"You'll see," she replied, but her expression carried an odd contrast. At the same time she looked amused and . . . disapproving?

Before he could ask her what she meant, she stopped in front of a stone structure that boasted very little greenery. With mostly tan stone walls, it appeared odd and out of place. Glancing up, Taryn saw a battered sign hanging above the door.

"The
Drunken
Elf?" Taryn read aloud, surprised at the name. Now he understood Liri's disapproval. Elves didn’t drink much, only light ale or fruit drinks. It was rare and frowned upon for an elf to be inebriated. He glanced at Liri and caught the wry smile.

"It's the one of the few taverns in Azertorn, and the only one that serves hard liquor."

"Why do we need to stop here?" he asked, incredulous.

"We need to speak to Aléthya, and before you ask who she is, I will tell you." She paused for effect and said, "She is the greatest healer the elven race has ever seen."

"And we will find her
here
?" Taryn asked, shocked that a healer would frequent such a locale.

"She owns the place."

And now he understood her amusement.

Chapter 16:
The Drunken Elf

Taryn stepped through the door and into the well lit tavern. It was still early in the morning, but there were quite a few elves in the room, drinking and talking. It felt odd to be in such an establishment with
elves
all around him. Liri surprised him further.

"I believe this crowd is actually the group from last night."

He looked at her, shocked that elves would behave in such a way, and by her expression he could tell she was enjoying this far too much.

"They will clear out in an hour or so; then it's pretty much quiet until evening when the party begins again."

"This place is that popular?" he asked, lowering his voice in an effort to hide his surprise. He didn’t want to get into a fight . . . wait, what was he thinking? A bar fight with elves? That thought was too strange for words.

"It's surprisingly one of the favorite places for the soldiers . . . and
others
. . . within the city." Her tone left it clear she didn’t want to talk about the others. Perhaps it was someone in her family?

Taryn snorted and shook his head, trying in vain to understand. "Which one is Aléthya?"

Liri nodded towards the bar. "She's the one with brown hair."

"Brown?" he asked, surprised again.

"Her mother was a human, and she has the brown hair and brown eyes from her. Everything else about her is elven." Her lips twitched in a suppressed smile. "She is part of the reason many of the soldiers are in here."

Taryn spotted her right away and immediately understood what Liri was talking about. An impossibly beautiful elf worked behind the bar, bustling back and forth while serving drinks and witty remarks with equal measure. Her brown hair had been pulled back in a human style ponytail. Dark brown eyes set in a pixie face burned with subdued fire that hinted of an unyielding spirit. He found himself staring until a sharp elbow in his side brought him back. Glancing at Liri, he shrugged an apology, a little abashed. "She's pretty," he mumbled.

Liri snorted derisively and looked back at the bar. She seemed like she was about to start forward but stopped. She nodded towards the bar, "Watch this."

He looked back at the bar and noticed an inebriated elf trying to reach across and grab Aléthya’s arm. Before Taryn could move to intervene, Aléthya grabbed the elf’s hand and wrenched it over in a hold he knew well from his training, slamming his head down into the bar.

Her voice was as sharp as a daggers tip as she said, "I think you should leave." Then without waiting for an answer she used her hold to shove him from the stool. He tumbled to the floor, and landed in a heap. Staggering to his feet he was helped towards the door by a couple of friends. One of them called out an apology.

"Sorry Thia, it won't happen again.”

"It better not," she stated as she watched them stumble away. Then she caught sight of Liri and her face lit up. "Liri! You're back." She bounded around the bar and rushed towards them, engulfing Liri in a huge spinning hug.

"I knew you'd be coming soon, but I must have lost track of time. Has it really been thirty years?"

Liri laughed her high tinkling laugh and allowed herself to be spun around. "It's good to see you too, Thia."

She finally set her down and took a step back to look at her. "You look good, and I’m delighted to see you brought home a
man
." She looked meaningfully at Taryn and smirked in a fashion that made him flush.

Swallowing, he reached a hand forward. "I'm Taryn."

She smiled and offered her hand in response. Her grip was surprisingly firm as she flashed him a dazzling smile, her eyes sparkling. "And a
strong
man, too. Something tells me he knows his way around a fight." She eyed him in a way that made him feel like he was about to be eaten until Liri and he both shifted uneasily.