Alni Read online

  It was not a strength he had ever possessed before that moment, or perhaps a strength that had laid dormant. It really was a wonder what having nothing led to; what believing in your soon and inevitable death could bring one to do.

  “Your father believed in my mission, Alni. I know you will see reason as well, but I like you. You have appealed to the stone and for some reason…it chose to respond to you, a mixed blood son of a deserter,” just like a switch, Mallor’s poisonous words changed into something warmer, almost charming.

  “I am moved by your journey and have an offer for you, boy. Come to Glade, travel to the castle’s steps…but leave the Princess. Bring me the stone you possess so I might make mine whole once more. Do so and I will not kill the Princess and those she has fighting for her. I will allow them to live, along with a colony of humans…in a place of my choosing. Do not take my offer, and I will ensure a painful death to you, to the Princess, and to every single human removed from Desin. It is a generous offer, and you clearly have no experience in battle…or controlling the magic you possess.”

  Alni watched him, waiting for a few moments before speaking. The words were slow and calculative, eyes watching for a reaction. When Mallor recoiled briefly, it was the most powerful Alni had ever felt.

  “You must really be scared of us, Mallor.”

  “I am a KING, boy. I will tear across these lands and find you. I will kill her in front of you, kill anyone who was foolish enough to aid you. One day, boy. You have one day to decide if you are to be foolish like your parents, or be a hero and save your friends.”

  It was the second time Mallor had brought up his parents, and although Alni wanted…needed to ask more questions about what he knew of them, he did not trust Mallor. The conniving snake before him was not to be taken lightly and he’d not give the King another item to bargain with.

  If he had ever truly known his parents to begin with.

  “I’ll be seeing you soon,” the words fell from Alni’s lips, low and powerful.

  It was a foreign voice, one that echoed another while the stone in his hand glowed a soft amethyst hue. Although not showing itself, the Mystic Dragon was privy to the conversation taking place, voicing alongside Alni. The light made Mallor recoil once more, eyes darkening with rage.

  “Yes boy, you will. I await your response.”

  ~

  Alni gasped as he awoke with a start, hand curled around the stone in his hands. He was standing in the field as he had been in the dream, but this time Dora and Silthia were there, the sun rising over the trees in the horizon.

  There was no mist, no King. Just the birds chirping their morning hellos and the cold breath of air that billowed out in front of his face. Despite Alni being certain it had been a dream, he was also aware that, in a way, it had not been. The King had truly spoken to him and offered a way to ensure those he cared about were unharmed. That some of the humans were allowed to live and prosper…to grow again.

  Stuffing the stone in his pocket, Alni shivered when a cold gust of wind hit him. Turning from his exposed position in the field, his eyes fell on Dora by the sleeping form of Silthia. Neither of them were really sleeping, both pairs of eyes were on Alni, watching his every step and silent as he made his way back to them.

  “Morning?” Dora broke the silence.

  “Isn’t it. Glad to get some sleep,” it was all Alni could manage as he stopped in front of Silthia, eyes scanning the muddled weed that had dried on her extended wing, “How’s that feeling?”

  He didn’t know why he didn’t just share the information with the both of them, open up about what he had just experienced. Or at the very least ask how long they had been watching him. For all he knew, he’d already shared all the information while he was standing there asleep.

  Perhaps it was because he was still fighting to register what had happened, himself.

  “Much better.”

  Crimson eyes looked over to Dora as Silthia nodded her long head in her direction, “Thank you.” Dora simply waved it off, still looking at Alni suspiciously.

  “Silthia, it’s clear we all know we’re heading to Glade, to the castle. Although we haven’t laid it all out on the table just yet, it seems that time is of the essence. Instead of waiting around to save us once again, maybe we can get a ride to Glade with you?” Alni asked then, the question was one that had popped into his head the moment he threatened the King in his dream.

  If he was going to do such a stupid thing, they needed to get there…fast. It was clear Mallor was prepped for the attack, but not quite fully knowledgeable as to where they were at the present moment. Surely, the guards had told him they were obtained in Swordstale, but they were quite a bit further. They would have reported Silthia taking them away and Alni could only imagine what that meant for her if Mallor was familiar with who she was.

  Had he been able to tell from the field in Alni’s dream where they were located? Dread settled in the pit of his stomach as Silthia spoke.

  “I can take you, but I must leave you on the outskirts of Glade. As you can imagine, my presence is not welcome much closer. I can see to it that you both get there safely before I leave you.”

  Dora looked over to Silthia, standing as she stretched her arms up over her head, “I still don’t know if we can trust you, Silthia, but you’ve helped us thus far and it does seem that time is of the essence. We are grateful for your…charity,” it was hard for the suspicion in her words to get tampered down, but Alni had come to see that such things did not come easy for her.

  “We haven’t any time to eat and don’t have water. But if we leave soon, the two of you will reach Glade before lunch hour,” Silthia stood on all fours, then.

  Her long body reached out as she stretched, shaking the grass and undergrowth as her scales scratched up against them. It wasn’t long after that the two climbed back onto Silthia and held on for their life once more.

  As the three of them made their way through the clouds and towards Glade, the fairies watched below with anticipation, whispers of the heir’s journey with the red-headed half-breed spreading far and wide through the forests, traveling until they came to the outskirts of the city of Glade.

  At one point, it had been only a village outside the castle and Elven lands. Now it was a trading city that reached far and wide, touching the Oceans of Yurel and vast mountainsides.

  Standing before the entrance to the city, a warlock stood alone.

  He was elderly and frail in appearance, but strength and confidence spread far and wide with each step he took towards the woods. A small fairy light erupted from the trees, darting towards his outstretched hand.

  It hovered there, small feet landing on his palm as the tiny male looked up to the warlock with wide, excited blue eyes.

  “They are coming, they are coming! Atop a dragon just as you said they would, Bethinium!” The soft voice was hardly audible but the warlock picked up enough of it to smile.

  “We must get ready to welcome them then, my good friend. Be sure that no humans, magical or otherwise, get this information. Certainly no one from the Elven lands that is not already a part of the cause. Let the nearby armies know that we have begun final preparations.”

  “Yes, yes of course!” The man responded, small head nodding rapidly as his messy blonde locks danced about with the movement.

  Without another word, he flew away from Bethinium and back into the woods surrounding Glade.

  Looking to the bright and clear sky above, Bethinium clasped his hands together and spoke to the air around him, to the magic that lurked just beneath his feet. It compiled everything in Desin, untapped power that spoke to those who never hoped to misuse it.

  “Give them cover,” Bethinium spoke, wrinkled hands stretching out to the sky as he allowed the magic to flow through his body, ancient words following the request.

  Clouds erupted in the sky above, casting a dark shadow over the lands beneath and stretching far and wide.

  “May King Her
rick guide their travel.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Silthia had flown over the outskirts of Glade, certain they’d be seen if they flew any closer. They were all halfway convinced the flatlands would provide enough of an alert to their enemy already, but there was no time to walk the distance, not after Jack had betrayed Dora and Mallor had reached out with an ultimatum. One Alni had yet to disclose to either of his travel mates.

  Dark clouds rolled in, shielding them from view, yet void of lightning or rain to slow down their journey. At first, Alni had been certain it was the storm of attack upon them, body close to Silthia’s back as he held Dora against him, but not a soul or dragon came for their lives, leaving the skies to Silthia.

  She dipped down low over a small patch of trees, leathery wings extremely close to hitting the long branches reaching out towards them, but somehow missing them altogether. Her body landed between the trees, one wing tucking in close to her body while the other dipped down to allow them a smoother way off.

  “Someone looks out for us this day,” she said, crimson eyes looking upward towards the already clearing skies.

  “I think I know the person,” Dora responded.

  She moved from Alni’s arms to the wing as she slid down the side of Silthia and to the ground below. He was quick to follow her, legs numb from the flight there and from holding on so tightly.

  “Thank you for delivering us to Glade…but what will you do now?” He had to inquire.

  It wasn’t as though they could just stroll through the front gates of the largest city in Desin with a dragon in tow. Especially if their goal was to be as inconspicuous as possible, a task they had not done well with thus far.

  “I have business to attend to elsewhere and must do my best to ensure no one knows I’ve helped you this day,” Silthia said, nodding her head to the two of them as she tucked the remaining wing against her body.

  “Thank you, Silthia. We will remember this good act. If you wish to join the fight, your services would be welcomed,” Dora said, bowing low to the old dragon.

  It was in that moment Alni remembered her title and just how important the gesture was, especially from an elf to a dragon, given the history as of late. Silthia returned the bow, sweeping her long head low to the ground towards the Princess.

  “I wish not to fight against my own people, but know that I wish your quest to be successful…for all our sakes,” Silthia looked over the two of them meaningfully before gazing back up to the sky.

  They left her there as they started towards the city lines, not certain if they’d see her again. Although Alni felt it was a small chance they’d ever leave the Kingdom and return to the other villages again. He’d never see the Oceans of Yurel or travel the mountainside and meet dwarves as he had dreamed. The two of them were to die in the very lands his parents met, the act that had secured their own fates in the end. So why didn’t Alni feel more hopeless at the understanding?

  Because in a way, this was a grand adventure.

  Glade’s marketplaces and cottages could not be seen, protected by a large wall. It had been one of King Mallor’s ‘generous’ gifts for the town that connected most of his trades. With connections to the dwarves for weaponry, and humans for farm goods, the elves had become godlike in Desin. There was no food they could not feast on with a snap of their fingers, no lack of protection or home for them to live. It was a cozy land just on the other side of Glade, a land that was hidden and blocked off from the horrors their King had invoked.

  “Okay, if we head through the farmlands and stick to the woods we won’t be seen on any of the main pathways. I think that’s our best chance of getting there by midday and without being attacked,” Dora was staring ahead at the trail before them, weaving through trees and ducking under overgrown flora.

  “Dora, we need to talk.”

  For a moment she paused, then took a deep breath and nodded. She turned towards Alni and looked up to meet his gaze.

  “Yes, I suppose we do. Listen…I’m sorry for what you heard. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was or about my mission in Glade. I can’t trust anyone as you so clearly saw, and my focus has always been to get to where the last of my father’s followers remain. Mallor killed him…we all know it. I will avenge my father and mother, and protect these lands. It’s my birthright, Alni. Something I have been prepared to take over for some time, but didn’t have the means to do so. The winds are changing.”

  She took another step towards him, golden eyes seeming almost translucent in the sunlight.

  “When I found out you had the stone, of course I knew it was in my best interests to ensure you were on my side. That is the biggest weapon that can be used against him…the very magic he’s trying to bully Desin with, Alni. That didn’t mean my feelings for you were false, or that I was betraying you in any way. We live in a world where opportunity must be grasped and I’m sorry if I made you feel less than. I never forced you, I never tried to talk you into it…you came to that decision yourself,” one finger moved out, poking at Alni’s chest as the last of Dora’s words left her lips.

  He had been prepared to defend himself, prepared to make his points and stand up for what he believed no matter her royal title, but when she spoke, Alni frowned, each one of her words making sense to him in his mind. His hand moved out to grab her wrist, stopping the poking at his chest.

  Without another word, he pulled her closer, free hand moving to her hip as he secured her body before his. Leaning down, he stopped whatever words were about to spill from her lips with a kiss.

  Dora didn’t pull away, her body coming flush with his own as she met his kiss with a soft sigh against his lips. A moment later she returned it, her own demanding against his.

  His hands lowered to cup her face, kissing her once more before pulling away and looking down at the girl he’d learned so much about; someone who was still a complete mystery to him despite the adventures they had shared. It didn’t make him want to be around her any less, and having nothing to lose did a wonder for his self-confidence.

  “I don’t know what this is, and I don’t have time to investigate it. I have…I have a war to win and I want you on my side. That’s what I know,” Dora said, but her eyes were half-lidded, a huskiness to her voice that had not been there before.

  “I know. This is only going to end if the King is dead. So let’s go kill him.”

  A smile broke across Dora’s face, one that reached her eyes and reddened her cheeks, making her freckles all the more prominent.

  “I don’t think anyone has ever said something so sweet to me,” She said with a chuckle.

  They started back on their journey to Glade, the wall an ominous darkness that seemed to grow taller with each step they took. A first, Alni had been convinced it was just over his own height. Now, the brick reached upward towards the skies, blocking all view of what remained inside. It was easily ten feet high and the new materials ensured it would stay strong for some time to come.

  Alni knew he should tell her of the nightmare, of the words that Mallor had spoken to him just that morning, but as she became more and more focused on the tasks at hand, murmuring about the plan that would lead to Mallor’s destruction, Alni knew the knowledge would only work to distract her. If any part of her believed that Alni could betray her as Jack had, it would only be amplified if he shared the appeal of the King’s compromise. Although if she found out and he didn’t tell her, the very same fate would potentially befall him.

  “How many do you have waiting for you, Dora? How is it possible to take down a powerful King and the dragons at his disposal?” Alni asked, eyes catching sight of a dark shape near the wall as they passed.

  It was an old man, his white beard almost as long as the Man in the Tree’s had been, although not swept over his shoulder. He wore a blue tunic, hands clasped in front of him as he approached them both slowly.

  “You’d be surprised how many wish to help when properly influenced,” Dora answered, smiling
broadly once more as she too caught sight of the old man.

  Instead of directing them elsewhere or investigating what the stranger wanted, she raced towards him, arms flinging around his neck in an embrace. Alni breathed a sigh of relief at first before reminding himself that the last person she called friend had tried to turn them both in for gold. Was there truly anyone they could trust in Desin? He sure hoped so, otherwise there was no way Dora would be able to complete her quest. They’d be dead in the ground and there’d be no songs of them, no stories of their tales.

  Just two foolish orphans. One a forgotten Princess, the other a lazy half-breed.

  “Bethinium! I knew it was you that gave us a little extra hand. It’s so good to see you again,” Dora cried out in glee.

  The old man hugged her in turn, his laughter a warm chuckle as he pulled Dora away from his body and held her at arm’s reach. He studied her with warm eyes, making a dramatic show of searching for wounds. Dora laughed, letting go of Bethinium and spinning in a small circle.

  “Look, all safe, all fine…where are the others kept? I have a great many things we need to go over. We cannot meet at any of the places Jack and his family were aware of, they’ve betrayed us all and surely will do it again,” Dora spoke quickly, looking over to Alni as she beckoned him closer.

  “I heard of his mistake and all has been taken care of. Come, come with me you two, quickly,” Bethinium’s old, dark brown eyes focused on Alni for a few moments before looking up to the skies above.

  His voice was haunting and low, and Alni wasn’t certain if the words were intended to be a warning, or meant to give them comfort.

  “We’ve been waiting for you both.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two