The Tears of Elios (16 page)

His eyes lit up. “The Dragonlands?” His whole body jiggled with more energy than Galen had seen since he arrived in the camp. “How exciting!”

“Meet me here at first light, and I'll take you to them.” Galen wished he could share his enthusiasm, but he knew what waited for them in the Dragonlands. If the arid wasteland didn’t cause them difficulties, the occupants would.

“I won't let you down,” Tyrrus said as he left the tent.

***

Galen knew he’d overslept when Jaius shook him awake. Sunlight filtered through the canvas of the tent, and he winced, not quite ready to face the brightness. “You're going to miss the meeting,” his friend reminded him.

“Did I sleep that late?”

Jaius shrugged. “You probably needed it. By the way, I directed Tyrrus to Paleah and Orin. They were agreeable with your decision to send him along.”

“How did you know about it?” he asked as he pulled his boots on.

“He told me.” Jaius handed him his cloak and held the tent flap open. “I intercepted him as he was about to enter your tent.”

Galen wrapped the cloak around his shoulders before stepping outside. Despite the bright sunlight, the wind was still sharply cold. “Meritis agreed to help us find the orbs in Elgeus.”

“And play nanny to Ranealya at the same time? He's braver than I thought.”

Galen’s lips twitched upward in a grin. “Actually, I think he enjoys her company.”

“Ah, so he's more foolish than brave?”

“Something like that.” He entered the large tent and surveyed the scene. The usual faces were there, with the exception of the faerie representative. He took a seat in the circle. “Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming today to discuss what we will do with the Tears of Elios once we acquire them.”

The tent instantly filled with voices suggesting how the magical artifacts should be used. Galen looked at Jaius for a way to control the crowd, but it was Elisus who shouted, “Silence!” over the ruckus. His voice reverberated with such force that everyone stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. “Now, let's discuss this matter like civilized beings, speaking in turn.” He waited a few seconds to see if anyone would contradict him. “I, for one, am curious to see the Tears of Elios you've acquired so far. How many do you have?”

“Two. I’ve sent teams to find four more, and I will be leaving in the morning to acquire a fifth one.”

“That only accounts for seven of them, Galen. Where are the other three?” His eyes turned into glittering blue slits. “Or are you withholding that information from us?”

“They aren’t easily found, Elisus,” Thoranus replied. “Both Galen and I have searched for them. We see them, but their location is clouded to us.”

Elisus scowled, first at Thoranus, then at Galen. “So he has seen them and knows of their location, but not any of us?”

Galen closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering. Elisus was trying to start an argument, as usual, but he refused to fall into that trap. “Those I sent to find them know only of the locations of the orbs they are searching for.”

“And who are they?”

“Please, Elisus, let's not argue about the current location of the orbs but rather what we will do with them once they are here. Anilayus is preparing to attack us as we speak.”

“I think we should create a barrier between Elgeus and this land so we never have to worry about the humans again,” one of the dwarves suggested. Murmurs of agreement followed.

“But what kind of barrier? Magical, like what we have hiding the camp? Or physical?”

“Physical?” Arlisle asked. “You mean like a mountain range?”

“But how can we create a mountain range using only magic?” Lohman, another human, leaned forward in his chair and rested his chin in his palm, appearing to ponder the mechanics of the idea.

“You’ve seen the Green Mountains in Arcana,” Elisus said. “There are some of us here who remember when they were created. Of course, they only kept you humans at bay for a few decades.”

“Why not create both?” Fergan asked. “A physical barrier with magical obstacles to overcome?”

“That's impossible!”

“Not necessarily, Elisus.” Galen considered the suggestion and the possibilities it held. “After all, if one man created a new race using only five of the orbs, imagine what we could do with seven orbs and seven skilled mages.”

“What you are suggesting would require every drop of our essence. It would kill the casters,” Elisus argued.

“If Travodus could create the shape-shifters and survive, I don’t think it would be as fatal as you suggest.”

“But there is still the risk, Galen.”

“And that's a risk I'm willing to take.” Fergan sat up straighter in his chair. “I would rather sacrifice myself to save others than wait for the King and his dogs to slaughter us all.”

One of the dwarves nodded. “I agree with the human.”

“And I,” Lohman echoed.

Elisus leaned back in his chair, his nostrils flaring. “Well, it seems we have reached some sort of concordance. Of course, we will first need all seven of the Tears of Elios that you claim you can find.”

“I have no doubt we will have them in time,” Jaius said. “We have sent the best people we could to find them.”

The tent remained silent as Galen looked at the faces of everyone present. They all seem satisfied with the decision. All except Elisus. But he knew that there would never be any pleasing him unless he was in control. “The next topic I would like to discuss is how we should govern ourselves once we are free of Anilayus.”

“What's wrong with what we have now?” Thoranus asked. “We have all been elected as representatives from our groups within our own races. I think we should continue to work together in this form of a council.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Thoranus.” Elisus crossed his arms. “You know as well as I do that as soon as we defeat Anilayus, we will revert back to what we have done for centuries. Each race will go its separate way. The dwarves will bury themselves in the dirt under the mountains. The fairies will play their games within the realms of Sylvania. We High Elves will confine ourselves within our domain, and you common elves will mingle with the humans. Of course, you may want to carve out your own space, as the humans multiply at an astounding rate.”

“Yes,” Lohman interrupted. “What was it that you once said? That we ‘breed like vermin’?”

“Ach, well then, perhaps I haven’t been performing up to snuff, seeing as how I only have one son to count among my vermin.” Fergan slapped Arlisle’s shoulder as he laughed. “Perhaps you and I need to go out and find some lasses to breed with.”

“Aye, Dah, there’s a few lasses I wouldn't mind rolling in the hay with. All in the name of continuing species, of course.” The humans in the tent, all male, snickered at Arlisle's reply, and even the dwarves grinned from under their beards.

The frown on Elisus’ face, on the other hand, hardened. “I think I have endured enough of these humans and their vulgarity.”

“But we were just agreeing with you about our ability to multiply,” Lohman said through his laughter.

“It's a pity that these are the best the humans could offer.” He stormed out, followed by his ever-present entourage.

“It's a pity that he's the best the High Elves could offer,” Jaius muttered.

Galen looked at his friend with curiosity. He hadn’t expected such sarcasm from him. But then, the High Elf elitist was beginning to wear on everyone. “Unfortunately, he's an Elder.”

Jaius turned to him. “That doesn't mean I have to respect him. Age doesn't necessarily equate to wisdom.”

Fergan interrupted them before he could reply. “Well, now that the air is clear again, let's explore this idea of an elected council of all the races.”

“And can we ban Elisus from being part of it?” Lohman added. Snickers rippled through the tent.

“I don’t think Elisus would want to be part of the council.” Thoranus looked to Galen. “In my eyes, his elitist attitude isn’t very different than that of Anilayus. But I am willing to explore the idea of an elected council. I've seen that we can accomplish more by working together than by working against each other.”

“Perhaps, but I ask that we try not to attack one another until we have reached our goal.”

Arlise glanced around the tent, stroking his beard. “Forgive my ignorance, but I dinna see the representative from the wee faeries here.”

“Fairlin left for Sylvania two days ago to discuss certain issues with Queen Mab. I plan on leaving in the morning to personally convince her to become more involved in the Resistance.”

“Best of luck to you, Galen,” one of the dwarves said. “You're going to need it with her.”

“Is there anything else you wish to discuss?” Galen looked around the circle, but the occupants remained silent. “I ask two things of you over the next few days. First, try and determine who the most skilled casters of your races are. We'll need them if the ritual to create a barrier is to succeed. Secondly, as much as I hate to ask this of you, you also need to be preparing the camp for battle, should the Elgean army arrive before we acquire all the Tears of Elios. Until our next meeting, then.” He stood and waited for the others to file out the door.

Thoranus paused in front of him and met his eyes. No words were needed as he laid his mind open to be read by Galen. He wanted to know if the Scrolls of Corang had been safely hidden, but he dared not speak his question for fear he would be overheard.

Galen nodded, and some of the worry eased from the Elder’s face. He watched him and the rest of the council exit the tent before leaving with Jaius.

“That went well, all things considered.”

“I suppose so,” Galen replied. “I wasn't expecting you to react so strongly to Elisus.”

“Sometimes I tire of him. I know I’m not a High Elf like you or him—”

“Do you classify me with him?”

Jaius' brow wrinkled. “Not exactly, although I sometimes wonder why you would choose to associate with all of us, considering who your father was.”

“Just because I was born a High Elf doesn't mean I agree with them. I tire of Elisus, too. I would rather judge someone based on his character rather than his pedigree. There's a reason why I've counted you among my closest friends all these years.”

Jaius smiled. “You honor me with that compliment.” He stopped short of Galen's tent. His grin became more mischievous as his eyes flickered from Galen to the tent. “She's waiting for you.”

Galen turned to the tent, confused by what he had just said, but when he looked back, Jaius was gone. He pushed open the flap and spied Kira examining the chest in the center of his tent. She spun around in surprise, the skirt of her red dress whirling around her ankles

“Galen!” She took a moment to catch her breath. Her cheeks grew pink as she smiled at him. “I was wondering when you’d get here.”

“Is there a reason why you're waiting for me?”

She frowned. “You told me to come by this afternoon for my lesson.” Her fingers knotted together behind her back as she waited for him to reply. He’d forgotten about her lesson, and she knew it. “Of course, if you're busy with other things, I understand. I can always come back later.”

He caught her hand as she passed him and felt a shock travel up his arm from his fingertips. She gasped as if she felt it, too. Her eyes met his, and once again, the silver fog began to creep upon the periphery of his vision. When he released her hand, it retreated. “No, now is as good a time as any. In fact, I’d rather be teaching you than deal with any more politics.” His confession caught him off guard as soon as he said it, even though he knew it was the truth.

She beamed at him in response, and he was happy he had shared that with her. At least he could please someone today. “I've been working hard on the teleportation spell, and I think I almost have it.”

“Let me see, then.” He sat on the trunk. “Try from where you are now to the other side of the tent.”

“I'll try.” It was almost comical the way she chewed on her bottom lip as she concentrated. But when she closed her eyes, he was amazed to watch her body become more and more transparent.
She may have actually mastered it
. He held his breath as he leaned forward and wished he could somehow give her the final boost she needed to complete the spell. Then she gasped, and her body became solid once again as she tumbled to her knees.

He rushed to her side. “Kira, are you all right?”

“Fine, fine.” She pushed him away. “I just lost my concentration.” She frowned as she tried to stand, and he steadied her once she was on her feet again. Her face was pale. “Maybe there's a reason why humans have never mastered the spell. It's difficult enough to try and focus on making your body disappear, but when you add having to make it reappear at another location…” She shook her head in defeat.

He led her to the trunk. “You’ve come closer to mastering it in a few days than most humans have in a lifetime. It just takes practice.” He sat next to her, and she stared at her feet. “You can do it, Kira, of that I have no doubt.”

The corners of her mouth lifted. “I'm glad you have faith in me,” she said with a weak laugh. “This has to be the most exhausting spell I’ve ever had to learn.”

“Even more difficult than the gate you created?”

Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to protest.

“Don't try and give the credit to Tyrrus. I know you are the one who created it, not him. The question is, how?”

“I'm not quite sure. It just sort of came to me one day.”

“In one of your visions?”

Her dark eyes grew even larger as she nodded. “I saw the gate in my mind, with the pink crystal wedged between the rocks. When I awoke, I saw a similar crystal in a box Master Tyrrus had open on the table. I told him about my vision, and we built a matching arch along the back wall. Then it was like the spell took over. I don't know exactly how or why. It was as if Mariliel was guiding me. There was this blinding flash of blue, and the next thing I remember was Master Tyrrus hugging me in excitement, telling me the spell had worked.”

Galen tightened his jaw. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “Do you think you could create another gate if needed?”