The Mirror And The Maelstrom (Book 4) (14 page)

“The Windriders are upon us,” stated Teeg sternly.

“But our defenses ... How could...?”

“Cousin Paerrow lies dead within his offices,” frowned Teeg. “The memory of his service to Luxlor will be mourned by many.”

Eirtwin’s shoulders dropped and she nearly faltered. Teeg moved to her side with fire in his eyes.

“We can afford neither sorrow nor anguish at this time, my queen,” added the Master of Spies. “We must defend ourselves.”

The man in black spun back upon the pair.

“Many lost those dear to them due to the influences of Amird,” stated the Borz. “We all fall victim to the treachery of the Counselor.”

The Windrider’s eyes looked past the Elves and grew distant.

“I trusted the Counselor and he stole my daughter. I only hope Avra forgives her soul for the evil I asked her to commit.”

Teeg furrowed his brow.

“She makes her own amends, Rada Shan,” stated the Elf. “She joined those she swore to destroy in an effort to right her wrongs.”

Rada’s eyes widened and an uncertain smile played at the edges of his mouth.

”The Counselor said the Zodrians captured and executed her in the great hall of their army.”

“The Counselor used that which would motivate you most,” replied Teeg. “The death of a daughter would lead any man to desperate lengths.”

Rada shook his head.

“My beautiful Vieri,” muttered the Borz chieftain.

“Lord Teeg,” interrupted Eirtwin pointing to the western horizon. “Paerrow’s betrayal rides upon the winds toward Luxlor.  His plans have not evaporated with his death.”

The two men spun back and gazed into the failing light at the swooping black figures that closed on the Almar Ring. They coursed less than a league from the circle of trees. Teeg turned to Rada.

“The Children of Sprite perch upon the highest limbs of the mighty Almar,” warned Teeg. “They are nearly invisible to sight and the darkness completes their disguise. They stand armed and possess orders to protect the Ring. Your Windriders will die before they ever enter the open glade.”

Rada clenched his jaw and swallowed hard.

“I could contrive no other means to protect my people,” said Teeg. “I am sorry. You needed to hear the deceit perpetrated upon you by the Counselor himself, or you would never believe. ”

“I still find it hard to believe,” whispered Rada staring at his people as they moved toward certain death.

The leader of the Shan Borz spun back to Teeg. In a flash, two slender rods of Rimshar appeared in his hands. Quickly he inserted the rods into his black, silk cape.

“Tell my daughter I was proud ... as proud as any man can be of his child,” said Rada.

He finished his work and faced Eirtwin.

“May Avra bless you and your house, my lady.”

Eirtwin lightly bowed. The leader of the Shan Borz stepped toward the western window and dove over the railing of the observatory. He disappeared from view for only a moment then rose from the depths of the glade and soared into the night sky.

Chimbre followed the dark figures closing on his position. His orders remained clear. Protect the Ring. Once inside, the Windriders would disperse and create havoc. The killing would be swift and silent.

Chimbre noted how the leaves of the giant Almar rippled in the winds gusting across the Nagur. He pulled a Rimshar tube from the folds of his cloak and opened the pouch tightly bound to his waist. Inside lay a half dozen deadly Reas darts. Their tips glistened with the sticky, sickly sweet smelling poison. The Sprite would need to gage the wind in order for any shot to be accurate.

He glanced back up at the Borz. They dove low and coursed over the tops of the lesser trees below him. When they closed on the Almar ring, they would be forced to rise up to clear its heights. As they slowed to effect the maneuver, Chimbre would strike.

Viday streamed across the top of the lush Nagur wood. He outstripped his brethren by a dozen yards as the plan outlined. A Borz leader rode the wind in the vanguard when the Windriders attacked in force. The leader showed  the others the faith he held in the plan. In this case, Rada devised the attack, but Viday grinned with honor as he rode in the Shan leader’s position.

Viday marveled at the giant silver and white towers rising above him. The Nagur Wood was a natural beauty more beguiling than any the Windrider ever beheld, but the white pillars of Avra looming in the distance shamed the green wood around them.

Behind the Almar Ring stood a tower constructed of the same material as the trees. It stood taller than the Ring, but as Viday approached from below, the tower slowly crept behind the wall of white trees and vanished from his view. Viday shook himself from the wonder of the spectacle. The Elves may have glorified Avra at one time with these wonders, but now their creations stood as blasphemies to his name.

Chimbre lifted the Rimshar tube to his lips and strained to keep his eyes on the fast moving target in the failing light. The first of the Windriders advanced well beyond his comrades. His death would alarm those behind him of the attack. However, Lord Teeg had been adamant. No one was to enter the Ring.

Teeg moved to the edge of the observatory and fought the darkness for a sign of Rada. The Borz vanguard disappeared from the old Elf’s sight, their image blocked by the circular barrier enclosing the palace grounds. A black silhouette flashed against the gray and silver background created by the Ring. In a moment it rose and stood out like an ink blot on the pink sky. It hovered over the ancient trees for a heartbeat then plunged behind them and out of sight.

“Avra have mercy,” whispered Eirtwin.

Viday’s heart leapt in triumph as he stared up the edge of the giant white trees. Above him the highest branches swayed in the breeze. In a moment he would clear their heights and the most sacred and protected sanctuary of the Elven Kingdom would lay open to his force.

Suddenly, a blackness stood out against the rose hewn sky. It hovered above the Ring for an instant then plunged toward him.

Chimbre crept out along his narrow branch to afford himself a better shot. He would only be given one opportunity before the Borz swept over him and dove into the glade below. His muscles tensed. With one eye he tried to keep a fix on the slender bough that swayed beneath his feet. With the other he gauged the remarkably rapid progress of the giant black bird swooping up from the forest canopy. He aimed out and over the figure. The dart’s trajectory would carry it down to the Windrider. Chimbre prayed he could effect the difficult shot.

Viday fought shock and confusion. Where had this Windrider come from? Had someone betrayed orders? Why was it diving toward himfrom within the glade? A faint sound reached him, fighting through the near deafening noise of the wind rushing past his silken mask.

“ .... betrayed ...... Viday! ...... “

The leader of the assault group slowed his climb. The wings of the Windrider above him unfurled to slow its rapid descent.

A chill ran through Chimbre’s body. His Sprites were discovered. From somewhere above the Nagur a voice rang out in warning. He found it difficult to pinpoint the sound’s origin through the noise of the wind rushing through the trees. Had he missed a scout flying high above the others?

No matter. The leader of the assault slowed before Chimbre’s eyes. If he could remove the lead assassin from the equation, the advancing Borz would be without direction. The Sprite drew a deep breath and pursed his lips against the shaft of Rimshar.

Viday neared the point of no return. If he slowed any further he risked losing enough speed to crest the giant Almar. The Borz leader glanced to the force following forty yards behind. They followed his example and slowed as well. If his Windriders turned from this assault they would be forced to ride the winds back out over the Nagur and build their speed for another charge on the Ring.

Shouts from above called him back to the mysterious black figure plummeting toward him. The man flew without a mask and closed the distance between them. Viday recognized Rada Shan.

“Stop! ....  ouncilor ..... trayed ....”

Chimbre leaned forward and blew hard into the Rimshar tube. A blackness rushed past him from above. The tiny, red missile slammed into the small of its back and the hoodless Windrider jerked upon impact.

Viday committed. He slowed further and awaited a rendezvous with his leader who dropped from fifty yards above. Rada’s shouts abruptly halted and his body contorted. The clan leader’s left side crumpled and his wings collapsed. He spun forward and plunged directly at the nearly immobile Viday.

Rada’s second in command found little time to react as his leader slammed into him from above. Arms outstretched, Viday cried out as the force of Rada knocked the breath from his body. Viday held his beloved leader close as the pair fell toward the now black forest.

A look of terror lie frozen upon Rada’s face, but the leader of the Shan Borz seemed unable to move. The wind ripped past the pair, roaring in Viday’s ears as they tumbled through the ether.

“Rada, save yourself! We must flee!”  shouted Viday.

Rada’s expression remained unchanged. The forest rushed up at them from below. A black foam gathered at the edges of the Borz leader’s mouth.

“We are betrayed .... “ wheezed Rada, straining to be heard. “... Counselor ... in league with Izgra.”

Viday’s eyes widened, but the safety of his leader remained first in his mind. The forest hurtled toward them.

“Release me,” choked Rada.

“No! we must ...”

A plea entered Rada’s eyes as his face colored an ashen gray.

“Save ... yourself,” ordered Rada. “I die.”

Viday tensed and his eyes glistened. His arms sprang open and a pair of great black wings flashed outward gathering in the night air. Rada exhaled for a last time and his body plunged through the treetops, snapping through branch and bough.

Chimbre stared from his perch. The darkness of the night enveloped the treetops below. His last sight was that of the entwined Windriders separating a moment before one slammed through the forest ceiling.

The other gathered the air streaming across the Nagur and rode it west, rapidly retreating from the Ring. The remainder of the raiding party fled with him.

Chimbre spun and with a quick movements of his hands issued orders to those stationed about him. They quickly passed the information down the line. In moments the entire contingent of Sprites learned of their victory and Chimbre’s intent to remain in the trees well into nightfall.

Teeg dashed from the stables running in tight formation with Diom and a dozen other Elven soldiers. Diom held a tall spear aloft and a white banner fluttered behind it. The Borz needed to be contacted before their sorrow turned to anger. The Master of Spies wanted to direct that anger toward its rightful recipient. The trees flashed by as the group built  speed.

Kael sat in stunned silence at the small round table within the library. Alel checked the boy for injury then quickly departed to fetch some food and drink. While the Seraph was gone, Kael took the opportunity to inspect his whereabouts.

The room was not actually round, but octagonal in shape. One wall held the doorway and opposite it stood a large black obelisk nearly identical to that in the throne room of Astel. Unlike the obelisk in Astel, the surface of this rock appeared static, immobile. The light from the few candles in the room did not play on its surface. The obelisk sat dull, dead.

The other six walls of the room held recessed bookshelves. Tomes and scrolls stood at attention, filed in an orderly fashion throughout the room. Kael scanned their bindings. Histories, biographies, an atlas. There appeared to be no room for the whimsy of fiction within Alel’s library.

Kael’s eyes ranged toward the upper reaches of one particular bookcase. They came to rest upon a symbol etched into the plaster surface of the domed ceiling above. A pair of hands pumped the bellows of a raging furnace. The case below the symbol was the most disorganized due to the sheer volume of material crammed within it. Several crude parchments were written in a language Kael did not understand and most of the material appeared extremely old. The boy searched the other cases and found similar symbols.

Hands cradling a heart shown atop the second bookcase. Many of the works were of Keltaran origin. Again, the condition of the books led Kael to believe they were ancient.

A lone hand cupped about an ear capped a third stack. A pair of hands cupped around parted lips sat atop the fourth and the fifth portrayed an eye peering through encircled fingers. Finally, a pair of hands gripping a raised sword embossed the ceiling above the sixth.

Kael moved across the room toward this sixth stack, but the door swung wide into the room and blocked him. Alel inched forward. A silver tray stacked with dishes balanced on one hand.

“My apologies for the delay. It has been quite some time since a guest reviewed the library.”

Kael stepped from his path and the old man laid the tray upon the table. He turned and smiled at the boy.

“Inspecting the histories are you?”

Kael nodded.

“Fascinating stuff. Everything I could find. It keeps things in perspective when you see it through the eyes of others.”

“Uh ... yes it does,” stammered Kael.

Alel moved toward the first stack pointing at the symbol above. Strong hands clutched fiery bellows.

“Amird, the master of technology. The Hands of Avra. He took humankind out of their caves and hovels and advanced them more than any other,” said the old man.

He spun from the case with a broad smile on his face. His expression fell as he noted the sour grimace confronting him.

“Come, come, Kael,” chided Alel. “Before he was the Great Deceiver, Amird acted as an instrument of good. He was to be one of the six Seraphim who will sit before the throne of Avra.”

“I watched that  ‘instrument of good’  help murder my friend ... your brother,” Kael retorted.