My Place in Elvin Lore

My Place in Elvin Lore

The wind was bitter cold and the large tree creaked and swayed like a small boat caught in a swell. I waited, perched atop the small platform I had built only hours before. I could see down the road to the north and to the south yet, I was high enough and buried within the large branches of the ancient cedar so as not to be noticed by anyone passing below.

I was anxious. My mouth was dry and my stomach felt knotted as I fidgeted with my cloak holding it in place from the blowing wind. So much of my plan had to be timed perfectly to work. The informant better be right-on with the information! By nature I hated the thought of hurting anyone but, it was necessary to assassinate the Ksher (evil one) and regain the confidence of our people. He had done so much damage in the last few months. My father, the King, seemed confused in his actions, stating that haste could cause more problems for our people. My father was well respected and wise, but as he grew older I felt his decision making was beginning to cloud. Me, I knew what I needed to know. Our outer villages had been raided, our logging camps destroyed and our forests burned. Several Elvin lives had been lost including two respected elders who had been sought out and violently killed; all for reasons yet known to anyone. But that was enough for me. I would take the situation into my own hands and settle the score here, tonight.

I had now been atop the tall tree for over two hours. The wind made it nearly impossible to hear an approaching rider but I was fortunate in that I could see clearly in the dark thanks to my Elvin blood. My heart raced as I nervously began to chew on a tree twig. I could now see my breath as the cold settled into the night. I removed my gloves in order to re-tie my cloak and resettle myself on the perch.

It was an odd set of circumstances that had lead me to my current situation. It was one week to the day and I was out fishing on a small, deep lake north of the city. A group of children on the other side of the lake suddenly began screamed excitedly and call for help. I dropped my pole and headed around the lake. When I arrived I found three small children standing atop a young female elf. She was face up floating near the bank, her skin pale and her body lifeless. I reached down and pulled her onto dry land. I sent the children to get help as I examined the young elf. She was petite, dressed in woodsmen’s garb, leather boots and a hooded cloak. Her sword remained it its sheath. I took several minutes to examine the body. I found a knife tucked in her boot and the reason for her death, a broken arrow stuck in her neck. Why would someone kill this young elf? This does not add up, I told myself. As I rolled her onto her back I noticed she wore a necklace. On the brass chain was an oblong pendant with the picture of a crimson sword crossed with a golden feather. She also wore a ring with the shape of a hawk’s talon hanging around her neck. This elf was a royal messenger! I could now hear distant voices and footsteps echoing around the lake. I hurried my search. Royal messengers were well trained, dedicated to their task and would leave a clue if at all possible. I rechecked her boots, her pockets and even her hair. Nothing! Finally I noticed her teeth were clenched. I pried open her mouth and found a small piece of parchment. I carefully withdrew the note and stowed it in my pocket. I’m not exactly sure what made me do it but I also removed her pendant and the ring and thus any indication that she was a royal messenger.

After the girls body had been fully recovered and taken within the city walls I took the note out of my pocket and examined it carefully. It was a series of symbols, no doubt some sort of code. I could not read the message but I did know who could translate it for me. Without haste I made for my family's castle, down into the lower depths and into the royal achieves. There I found Anton the caretaker of the lands many records and artifacts. Anton was well versed in the histories of our land and had worked for my father for many years. He was a trusted friend.

I had rehearsed a story on the way over but, as I saw the old man’s face I knew I could not tell a lie. I told him of the girl and showed him the note, the pendant and the ring. He studied the items for a moment and then gave me that grandfatherly look that said, “Pend you should turn this over to your father”. I just stared. Anton scratched at the white whiskers on his face and started to sway slowly as he thought; his dark crimson robes swished on the floor. Finally as if the answer came to him in a vision he blinked and walked towards me saying “come” as he passed. I followed Anton past a large oak table set in the middle of the room. It was alight with many candles; scrolls and texts littered its top. We made our way over to a large book case set against the north wall. Anton gazed back at me before removing a key from his robe and opening a small silver chest. I heard the click on the chest’s lock and then a second click as if a latched had been released. Anton slowly closed the chest and grabbed the back of the bookcase and pulled. As if floating on air the book case pulled back from the wall revealing a stairway heading down beneath the castle. Anton grabbed a torch and it came to light with the flick of his fingers, a simple but effective trick. He handed me the torch and said “stay close and watch your footing”

The stairs were narrow and the torch light bounced off the stone walls and made odd shapes and shadows in such a manner that I really had to concentrate on not embarrassing myself by falling. As we reached the bottom of the steps I immediately noticed that the room was musty yet comfortable. It was hard to believe that a room that was built far underground was not cold. Probably some sort of magic. The room was circular and the walls were paneled in wood; beautiful red wood, rich with tight grain. The floor was also wood but of a lighter shade. Anton made his way around the edge of the room and lit several torches that were attached to the walls. The room came aglow in bright orange flame as the torches came to life. The room itself was small, maybe 16’ x 16’. In the middle was a dark blue rug firmly set under a well polished round stone table. The table was about a quarter the size of the room and inset into the stone was our family crest. Five wooden chairs surrounded the table.

I had never seen this room in my life, I had a clue it was here. The room felt powerful, yet calming. As I looked around I couldn’t help but feel I belonged here. I moved towards the east where I saw a bookcase set into the wall. The bookcase had clear glass doors with a sword inset above. A similar bookcase was to the west only a dragon sat atop its doors. Both prominent symbols in our family crest. Anton moved passed me, removing a blue stone about the size of a pocket watch from his robes. He gently tapped the handle of the bookcase with the stone and whispered under his breath; the door released. He withdrew a large brown leather bound book and handed it to me. He then reached to the back of the case and withdrew a second book; it was bound in red leather and much smaller. He moved to the table in the center of the room and sat down. I followed. Anton began to translate the message I had found on the messenger. Some symbols he knew; others he had to look up in the small book. I watched, anxious to see the outcome. After what seemed like hours (about 10 minutes) the job was complete. Anton leaned back in the chair and handed me the note. Two words were written below the series of symbols, Bonners Landing. I looked over at the old historian. He grinned and without even having me ask a question he said “Bonners Landing is one of five hidden deposits for the lands royal messengers. The deposits are used to hide letters in the event the messenger is being followed or feels threatened. Letters are stored at the sites and retrieved by a second messenger who takes it on to the final destination. The girl you found has obviously left something at the deposit near the bridge in Bonners Landing. Something apparently worth killing for.”

I knew of Bonners Landing and of the system of deposits located throughout our land. Bonners Landing was small town about half a days ride to the north. I looked into Anton's eyes, he must have seen that I was ready to take off and find the answer to this mystery. “You need to take this information to your father Pend. He must know what has happened.” I looked away and thought about what had taken place not just today but over the last several months. I had the need to do something to help restore order in our kingdom. “My father is south of the city in Norad visiting the local farmers and trying to calm their fears about the recent attacks. I will ride there myself and let him know of the incident.” The old historian looked at me and said “ride fast young man and trust no one.”

I had every intention of heading south to find my father, but when I actually saddled up my horse I swung to the north and raced off to Bonners Landing. I began to think about what I was doing but I got myself to focus on the trail ahead and just rode as fast as my horse would travel. The hour was late, the air was cool. The conditions were perfect for my horse Athos; he thrived for this type of run. We stopped twice for water and as the sun came up we were about 2 hours away from our destination. I was now hungry so I slowed Athos to a trot and looked around for a good place to stop and rest. I knew the deposit was located near a bridge and it would probably be best to approach it under the cover of dark. I thought some food and rest before arriving would allow the morning traffic to pass off the main road so I could search the area then remove the item from the deposit after dark. I settled down under a large oak and ate some dried venison and fruit while Athos grazed on the green grass. After a long rest we began again and made an uneventful entrance into town.

Bonners Landing was a small community consisting of a main road with a hotel, salon, black smith shop and a general store. It was basically a resting stop between two major cities, so most people in town were travelers. I felt right at home and basically unnoticed. I quickly explored the town and came to find out that there were two bridges in the area; one over Murim Creek and one over the Englad River. I decided to explore both bridges in the daylight and then determine my next move. I figured the bridge over the Englad River might be more convenient to a royal messenger so I inspected that site first. I found nothing unusual aside from a few local kids fishing and a lot of traffic passing by. The bridge over Murim Creek was much smaller and more secluded as it was located off the main road. I was able to tie my horse to a nearby tree and inspect the bridge. There was nothing unusual underneath the bridge and it appeared that no one had been underneath it for some time as there was no obvious path leading down to the water. I slowly crossed the bridge inspecting each plank. I found nothing that looked like a door to a secret compartment. I began to think about a messenger, in a hurry to dispose of his or her message, how could they do that quickly, maybe even without dismounting? I began to inspect the railing. I started at the eastern end of the bridge and worked my way to the west. At the very west end of the bridge I noticed a notch in the wood. I put my finger in the notch, nothing happened. I began to pace and consider what had happened. An evil being was wreaking havoc on our land, a dead royal messenger showed up in a lake with a note that lead me to this bridge in search of something. As I paced back and forth my hand played with the messenger’s ring located in my pant pocket. I removed it and studied it for a moment. Then, I placed it into the notch in the wood railing. It fit perfectly. Immediately the railing, held in place by several hinges, tilted outward towards the water. Below near the bridge deck a compartment slide out from underneath. Inside the compartment was what looked like a piece of rolled up leather. I looked around to see if anyone was watching and reached down to grab the roll.

It was an ingenious set-up. A rider could place the talon ring in the end of the bridge, the railing would tilt outward. The rider could then place the letter into a chute formed by the main railing support and it would slide into the exposed compartment. The rider could then pull the railing back into place; a process that took almost no time at all and allowed the messenger to drop the letter without dismounting. There was probably an easy way to retrieve the letter as well but I did not have time to figure that out.

I quickly made my way to Athos and headed off under the cover of the nearby forest. After 3 or 4 minutes I stopped and listened for several moments before dismounting and pulling out the leather roll. Inside was a note from someone named Warden. It was addressed to my father and spelled out how the Ksher was going to be moving south to the Delgin Valley. A hand drawn map indicated he would travel the remote back roads of our land. If the information was correct, the evil one would pass through the Kullin Forest on the second full moon of the season which was less than two days away.

After reading the information I sat for several minutes thinking about what to do. Should I go to my father or take care of the situation myself. Thoughts raced through my head as I reached up and broke off a piece of a nearby branch and placed it into my mouth. I wondered how my father, the King, could move so slowly to take care of the threat. Then and there I made up my mind to take my place in Elvin lore and assassinate the Ksher myself.

I quickly jumped on Athos and developed a plan as I rode. I spent almost a day scouting for the perfect area to carry it out. I built my perch and with the aid of a few special items I was armed and ready to go. So here I sit in the cold dark, on the verge of facing the evil one myself, provided the message was correct.

The wind began to ease up, but the chill remained. The forest became deathly still, but I remained vigilant. Time passed slowly and I wondered if anyone would come by this way. In the distance off to the north a sudden movement caught my eye; two riders were approaching the first a short distance in front of the second. Behind them rattled a small carriage being pulled by two mares. More than likely there were riders in the rear as well. It was time. I slowly took a deep breadth to calm my nerves and got into a crouched position. I removed my gloves and took out a small piece of hallowed out tree branch from beneath my cloak. Next I carefully removed a small dart dipped in poison from a glass vial and inserted it into the end of the tube. The poisonous dart would disable any person it struck. I pulled my gloves back on and waited patiently for the first rider to pass beneath me. As I waited I could see the two front riders were draped in dark cloaks and rode atop tall steeds. I could now make out the form of a single rider atop the carriage. My trap was set, time to go. The first rider passed below, I gave a count of three and then sprang silently down from my hiding place. I immediately crouched to one knee, located the second rider, took aim and shot. The dart hummed through the night air and connected with the neck of the rider. He went down in a heap. I spun around to see the first rider disappear under the large net I had placed above in the forest canopy, “Got to love trip wires!” Now to the carriage. I moved off of the road and under the cover of the forest; dew covered branches clipped my face as I ran. I found the small red piece of red cloth I had placed on the forest floor. I grabbed for the line attached and waited for the approaching carriage to get into range. Sweat poured down my face as I tried to see if the carriage rider noticed his friends were now nowhere to be seen. The wind began to pick up again as I pulled the rope tight. It cleared the horses and I gave it a yank as the carriage operator approached. The rope caught him in the face and jolted him off of the carriage to the ground. I was waiting to give him a right cross to the face. Done! I took out my knife and cut the reigns, gave the horses a smack on the butt and off they went. The carriage dug into the road surface and stopped with a sudden jerk. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a smoke ball. I lit it with the snap of my finger; yes I had game as well. I tossed it into the carriage as I wrapped a rope around the handle sealing the occupant inside. Now two riders who had been trailing the carriage approached ready to take up the battle. I ducked back into the cover of the forest and threw off my gloves. I reloaded my dart tube and headed into the oncoming riders. I shot, hitting the horse of the first rider causing it to go down with a deafening thump. The rider was tossed directly towards me, as he landed I gave him a kick in the head and knocked him out. However the last rider had picked up speed and was now on top of me. He sliced at me with his sword. The glancing blow connected striking my left shoulder blade causing me to stumble to the forest floor. He spun his horse around and was returning to finish me off. One handed I pulled another smoke ball out of my pocket and in one fluid motion lit it and threw it in front of the horse. As it hit the ground smoke billowed out and caused the horse to rear up in fear. The rider was throne off, as his horse raced into the forest. The man got to his feet, regained his composure and headed for me. Still kneeling on the ground I clumsily placed a dart into the tube and allowed the huge man to approach. As he got close I could see that he was not human. He had yellowish skin and his jade eyes drilled right through to my soul. I momentarily lost focus on the task at hand. Suddenly he raised his sword and said “Don’t make me kill you Pend”. I pulled the tube to my lips and fired, striking the beast in the forehead. For a moment he kept coming and I began to crawl out of the way. The poison on the dart finally sunk in as the large figure dropped to his knees and collapsed. He knew my name! Had I had more time I would have liked to have seen what exactly I had just disabled, but there was one more piece of business to attend to. I moved back towards the carriage; my shoulder ached and I could feel blood dripping down my back. As I approached I could hear noises inside as the occupant or occupants tried to free themselves. I removed a special dart from the leather pouch and placed it into the tube. This one laced in poison that could instantly kill any man. I readied myself and began to breathe deeply. Suddenly the door of the carriage burst into flames and a man jumped out swinging wildly with a broad sword. Even though I was in no immediate danger my instincts took over and I let the dart fly striking the man in the cheek. He was dead. I stepped back and prepared another dart, but as I did a form emerged from the burning carriage. He was a large man yet not very tall. His face was masked by a black hood and despite the flame he slowly descended the carriage in a manner that commanded respect. He had a tall dark colored staff in his left hand and his black and silver boots thumped loudly as he approached my location. I froze, exhausted and weak from the loss of blood. “Well, are you the one creating all this havoc? Very good Pend, very good.” My heart skipped about three beats as he said my name. He knew me as well. Did I know him? What the hell! He stared at me for several seconds letting me wonder who he was. Gradually he began to remove his hood with his right hand. His features were revealed as the light of the moon hit his round face. “Uncle Brome?” “Yes Pend.” Uncle Brome was the third of four children on my father’s side, my father being the eldest. My uncle lived in the north lands and had always been supportive of my father's kingship. My mind raced. Had someone set me up and wanted me to kill my uncle? I tried to speak but nothing would come out of my mouth. “Pend it was not suppose to be you.” He turned and surveyed the burning carriage and looked at his men sprawled out throughout the forest. “It appears you have disabled my guards and my adviser.” As I turned towards the dead man lying on the ground I lost my senses and all went dark. I came to moments later. I was lying on the ground and my uncle was standing above me. His staff and his eyes glowed in a deep shade of jade. Chills shook my body. “I am not sure how you became involved Pend but you will do for now I suppose” My head was still foggy and ached more than my injured shoulder. Slowly I came to realize that my uncle was somehow involved in all the recent killings. Uncle Brome began to whisper to himself. He raised his staff above his and the jade color turned orange. As his chanting increased the orange light got brighter and brighter. It eliminated the night and began to consume me. I felt as if I was being lifted off the ground. My mind seemed to scream as thoughts and memories swirled in my head. I felt helpless and weak. I stared in disbelief trying to wiggle free. At some point I realized the poison dart was still in my hand. I thrashed my legs and arms trying to shake free. My uncle remained still staring towards the sky, chanting. My arm glanced off his body several times. At last my fist hit my uncle's leg and I buried the dart deep within his calf. I felt the pain of the dart in my body before the bright light vanished. My senses began to return, I felt nauseous. All went black.

I woke up on the ground in a chill, sweat dripping from my body. The morning sky was alight in a red hue as the sun crested over the trees. I could hear birds chirping and I could smell sumac as the forest also began to come alive. I slowly sat up cringing as pain consumed my head and shoulder. Still shaken, I crawled to a nearby tree and leaned my stiff, sore body against its trunk. As I looked around, I was alone. No one or nothing was in sight.