Alni Read online

“I was King Herrick’s most trusted warlock. Of course, that all changed when Mallor took over…may Herrick rest in peace…”

  Bethinium continued walking ahead, one hand lifting to rest at his heart as he led them away from the formal entrance to Glade. There weren’t many out and about, and those that were paid them no mind as they walked along the dirt path where Bethinium led them, most voices coming from behind the wall instead of out in the fields where the trio walked. He stopped when they reached the far north corner of the city, hand leaving his heart and resting on the stone wall.

  Bethinium closed his eyes, murmuring under his breath quietly for a moment before moving away from the wall and turning towards them. Behind him, the material seemed to fade and flicker, the backside of a cottage seen just on the other side as the wall became translucent. Dora quickly jumped through and Alni followed, eyes on the wall as he did so; half convinced it would decide to become solid just as he walked beneath.

  “Thought he had killed me, too, Mallor did. But we magic users are closer to humans than we are elves when it comes to our genetic makeup. So, instead of staying and fighting for honor and tradition, I helped Dora’s mother deliver her to safety. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time…it is so good to see you again, my Princess,” Bethinium bowed his head to Dora, walking through the wall behind them.

  It became solid almost instantly, no trace of the magic that had been used there just a moment before. Bethinium led them to the front of the cottage, knocking twice, pausing, then knocking three times more upon the large door.

  It swung open, the three of them ushered in by a young woman with long brown hair. Her eyes were wide and frantic, but there was an excitement that buzzed around her, one that only amplified when she confirmed who she was leading inside. Alni nodded his head at her in thanks, but not so much as a smile crossed her face when they entered. All the shutters were drawn, and when the door closed behind the three of them, they were plunged into darkness.

  One-by-one, lanterns and candles were lit revealing dozens of beings in the cottage, human and elf alike. They mumbled amongst themselves, shoulder-to-shoulder, all eyes on Dora as she stood before them. Suddenly, every man and woman dipped down to one knee on the wooden floor, arms reaching out to her in a bow.

  Bethinium was smiling at Dora as she stared at the group, the shock registering quickly before it was wiped from her face.

  “My Princess, these are the leaders for each rebellion group. They believe the Kingdom can be righted and you can be trained to take over, just as our world demands. Things need to be put back in place and we await your instruction. I have kept these groups together and assembled the armies outside Glade, as you requested. Now we fight for you,” Bethinium said softly.

  As the others had, Bethinium bent the knee and lowered his head, old hands extending towards Dora. She turned and looked to Alni, the smallest bit of panic in her eyes before he sensed a…bashfulness?

  With a smile, Alni nodded his head and lowered himself. He had thought it would feel strange to bow towards someone he thought of as a friend…thought of as something quite more than that. Instead, he was filled with a lightness that seemed to lift his chest and body from the earth below; like he was floating over his body and observing the moment take place, everything about the bow seeming right to him. In his pocket, the stone shard hummed.

  There was a hand on his shoulder as Dora moved over towards him.

  “None of you bow. We are here for the same purpose, the same intent. What do we have for final weapons? I was able to collect fighters from the different villages I visited while I was away…with Bethinium’s help, of course. But are we able to arm them?” Slowly, all of the villagers and elves in the room lifted to their feet, one stepping forward.

  He walked over to a barrel near the cooking space of the home. That was when Alni realized they lined the inside of the cottage around them, smashed against each other. He stuck a hand inside, rummaging through the top layer of hay before grasping something. Pulling out a long sword, he turned towards Dora.

  “Ah, yes ma Queen, they will cover and aid ‘undreds of villagers.”

  He gestured towards the other barrels around them and smiled softly, “More comin’ with the others. They’ll be here in the morn’. We have training space at farmer Eugene’s. Covered area…dragons wo’ see us there as we assemble an’ train.”

  Alni approached one of the barrels and stuck his own hand inside, encircling it around the heavy metal handle of another weapon. He slowly pulled it from the depths, surprised at the sheer weight of the sword in his hands. How’d he’d ever wield it, let alone with armor, he didn’t know. The thought shamed him, the reminder that he was useless when it came to any form of hand-to-hand combat, and surely foolish enough to be killed first.

  Bethinium approached him, hand resting on the handle of the sword as he slowly lowered it from Alni’s hand back into the barrel.

  “My lad, I beg that you come with me for training. I feel…I may assist with your particular brand of skills,” The warlock nodded his head towards Alni’s pocket and as if on cue, the stone warmed further.

  “My…brand?” Alni inquired under his breath, looking over to the others who seemed to be captivated by Dora’s continued words to them, her instructions as to what they would all do next filling the room.

  “Magic,” Bethinium responded, each syllable said with the smacking of his old lips, a shimmer of power erupted in his hands like a small dance of lighting as he raised them towards Alni’s face, “I will clear it with Dora but I believe that will be where you are most handy. Unless, of course…you won’t be staying with us long?”

  There was a knowledge in Bethinium’s dark eyes as he studied Alni. For a moment, he felt as though the warlock could see into his mind and the turmoil he had found himself in. The idea that he could save some of the humans…save Dora and himself if he simply left Glade behind and headed towards Mallor Castle, it was almost too tempting to throw away. The elves would deliver him on a silver platter to the King, and although desolation would still reap the lands, at least some lives would be spared in the end.

  Alni swallowed hard and nodded, releasing the sword entirely as he turned to listen to Dora once more.

  “We simply need a distraction while I make my way into the castle. He’ll be pouring all his energy into the dragons, into sending them to Glade and where we attack. We’ll need to direct them away from all the humans and elves there or they’re all in immediate danger. With Bethinium’s help…with Alni’s help,” She looked to Alni then, one hand presenting him as all eyes redirected and studied the newcomer.

  “We will get into the castle and I will destroy him while he is distracted. I knew the castle like the back of my hand before and not much has changed. He knows we are near but surely he must just believe I am coming with intentions of getting followers. Not that we have already been preparing and training just under his nose.”

  There were cheers in the cottage as two young women passed along bread and water to those residing within.

  One stopped before Alni, lowering her head as she offered the food to him. He readily accepted it with a thank you but did not eat it yet. There was a twisting in Alni’s stomach that he knew the cause of, a secret that fought to escape and rid him of the hunger he had felt before.

  Dora was speaking to a small group quietly, her eyes looking towards the stairs in the far back of the cottage that led to the second level. Heading to the stairs, she was followed by a handful of other villagers, all speaking quietly to her. She caught Alni’s eyes and gave him a small, reassuring smile before disappearing upward with them and out of eyesight. Bethinium gave him a nudge, extending a hand with a smile.

  “We have not been properly introduced and now that we know we will be training together, I suppose we ought to. Bethinium Tallister, once warlock of the high mountains, then warlock to the King, now old peddler of magic tricks and rebellion armies.”

  Alni t
ook the hand firmly in his own, giving it a strong shake. There was a numbing energy that surged through his body at the mere touch of their hands, the stone went from hot to cold in a matter of seconds in his pocket. Looking to Bethinium’s dark brown eyes, Alni forced a smile.

  “Alni Dalcan. I’m just…here to help,” Alni responded.

  Bethinium’s eyes sparkled at the words, one hand moving to Alni’s shoulder as he steered the boy away from the conversing group leaders. They were passing around weapons and inspecting the barrels around the room, paying the two of them no mind in the process.

  “Dalcan. That’s a mighty fine surname. I knew and worked closely with your father before he left. Daeso Dalcan was one of the best fighters I’d ever seen, a noble elf with only the best intentions, if I have the man correct. I am certain that is why it was not unorthodox that he would see beyond the race rulings of the elves and their quest for pure blood.”

  “My father…a fighter?” Alni inquired then, finding that instead of the fear he had witnessed with Mallor at the mention of his family, it seemed right to discuss it with Bethinium there.

  “He died when I was twelve seasons old but I never remember him training. Had no idea he even could fight…never talked much about his past.”

  “Aye, I’ll tell you more stories sometime, shall I? When all this fight is behind us and we’ve battled our way to victory. Once the dust has settled…I can let you in on everything I know,” he grabbed for a bit of bread when it was passed around once more, tearing into it as he watched Alni.

  “Tell me, boy. Is it quite a burden to have the stone? I imagine it draws from you as it does Mallor, using your energy as you use the energy within.”

  Alni thought of the power, of the Mystic Dragon that had called on him and the white room in which he had spoken with it face-to-face. The magic he felt when he used the stone to protect himself and others, the tingling that always seemed to remain…like a pulse through his body that he’d never be rid of.

  “It does sometimes,” he responded truthfully, brow furrowing as he finally took a bite of the bread in his hands.

  Alni chewed it slowly, trying not to eavesdrop on the conversations around them, but the intense attention Bethinium was giving him had started to make him uneasy. It was a focus he was not used to having on himself unless it was with bad intention; but there was no bad intention, the powerful warlock was truly giving him everything he had yearned for. A way to control the power that he had stumbled upon, and a way to further understand his parents and the life they had led before they were killed by the fire.

  Perhaps then, he could find out what the reasoning behind their death had been.

  “You know, the stone has responded to you, the Mystic Dragon giving you a gift that you did not force from it like Mallor did. A gift that you can harness and train on your own.”

  “Is it not a waste of time learning how to master this power if it’s only going to be destroyed in the end?” Alni asked, hand absentmindedly feeling for the stone in his pocket.

  Bethinium’s eyes followed his hand before snapping back up to his face. The look in his eyes was almost joyful, humored as he shook his head and laughed softly.

  “No, no lad. It’s a gift,” he put a hand on Alni’s shoulder one more and moved him towards the back of the large cottage.

  Already, the conversations were muted further, relieving a small headache that had been blossoming for Alni. He felt as though the entire last week of his life had been a dream, and not necessarily a good one. He had found new friends, a purpose, and an ever growing attraction to someone he could never really be with, if they even lived to question whether that was something possible.

  It was laughable to think they would win and that the rightful heir to the throne would want to be with him. Shoving it to the back of his mind, Alni looked back to Bethinium as they retreated away from the crowds.

  “A gift? What do you mean?”

  “You’ll be able to use that magic without the stone and control it fully, if you were to train and embrace it. Warlocks and witches were blessed with the magics of Desin at birth, sensitive to the power that lives in the very center of our world and feeds all things. We were chosen to use it…some of us will abuse the power and turn to darkness…but we were chosen nonetheless. You have been given access to the magic of Desin, Alni. Ignore it or embrace it, but it’s there,” Bethinium was positively beaming, hands clasped together under his long, white beard.

  “Really, Alni. Like a great many things the power tells me you’re deciding on internally, this is just another. How good have you been at making decisions for yourself in the past…of this magnitude?”

  Alni shook his head and emitted a trickle of miserable laughter.

  “Never been good at it. I’m not sure how you know anything, or what you really do know…but unlike the other decisions I’ve had to make in the past, I’ve got a limited amount of time and lives hang in the balance.”

  There was a weight to the words that Alni had not felt before, one that came to light the moment he voiced them for the first time. He sighed and shrugged, looking to the man who seemed to have all the secrets. A powerful wielder of magic that promised him great things, just as Mallor had. But Bethinium was opposite of the evil that awaited them, he didn’t know how to explain it, but he knew it.

  “Alni, my boy, you have a great many adventures to come. The sooner you decide how you will tackle them, the sooner they can be conquered.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Now, feel the magic around you, feel it vibrating through the ground at your feet. Accept it and let it tell you when I am about to strike,” Bethinium bellowed to Alni from across the old barn.

  The entire day had had gone by in a flash. After Dora had returned from her meeting, they had all gone and had a proper meal. Then they headed off to work on training and on collecting the troops that would soon be helping with the attack. Alni had followed their guide around as they were shown where they would train, all groups alerted as to when they would report there the following day. Bethinium had shared that another group of rebel elves were hiding out near Nevina forests awaiting the day of attack and further orders, as well; a great many groups responding to the rightful Princess’s safety, and wanting to put the line of Herrick back on the throne.

  It all seemed to be working well and coming together, but Alni feared the secret he had kept would ruin it all. He was foolish, stupid for not telling her right away and risking an early attack. That night Mallor would come to him, and if the dream showed him he was right outside his door…there was no telling what would happen.

  Dora had been torn from his grasp soon after dinner, seeing to some of the final arrangements while he was sent to train with Bethinium. It was a welcomed task that Alni took readily, but now he struggled with the true weight of his decisions. He had to get her alone…had to tell her. However, the secret had not been the worst of it. It was the realization that a small part of Alni still wondered if he could stop this massacre before it ever started, or if he’d take Mallor up on his offer.

  Was he just doing this to save his skin? At first, Alni had been certain that was the reason for him ever considering turning in the stone, but as he walked through Glade and met some of the families loyal to the old crown, he didn’t know what he’d do if faced with their death. Could he truly allow the little, sweet girl that had grabbed onto his leg and offered him a cookie…to burn by dragon’s fire? That was what it all came down to and the truth of it all brought forth the burning anger in his chest once more.

  Alni closed his eyes, trying to put aside his frustration to focus on what Bethinium had instructed him to do in the barn. His mind was racing a mile a minute, swarming with images of fire and death. No part of him was focused and aware of what was happening right before him until it was too late.

  For what felt like the hundredth time that night, Bethinium’s magic sent Alni sprawling backwards. His tailbone hit the ground hard, hands
launching out to catch himself before he slid further across the floor.

  Alni stood, wiping the dirt from his legs and arms, “I hope you’re enjoying yourself, I really do,” his words were only met with bitter laughter from the old man.

  “I do not enjoy the idea that you cannot protect yourself, no. But the manner in which you fall does make me laugh,” Bethinium adjusted his tunic and crouched down, readying himself once more.

  “Do you not have anything that brings you joy and clears your mind? Anything you can focus on that will drown out the fear?”

  “I can try,” Alni said, already feeling hopeless and useless as he stood still and closed his eyes, trying his hardest to focus on the demands of Bethinium.

  Once again, the swarms of thoughts took over, dread settling deep in his chest. He racked his brain for happy memories, thoughts that would leave him open to something other than that anger and fear and finally settled on one.

  Alni saw the scene so clearly in his mind, shoulders slacking as he let out a breath of air, all the negativity held that day appeared to leave his body with the relaxed motion. In his mind he saw Dora, her golden eyes sparkling as she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him in the cell.

  The stone was not in his pocket, Bethinium insisting he needed to learn how to draw magic from it without having it on his body, but Alni still felt the warming where it normally lay tucked against his skin. That warmth spread up his body and reached out over the space between the warlock and himself.

  Dora looked up at him in his mind, parting her lips from his as she spoke softly up to him.

  “Duck.”

  Alni tucked down low, hearing the magic fly above his head and hit the barn door behind him. There was an angry neigh from one of the horses inside a nearby stall, hooves stomping on the ground as it was disrupted by their display of magic.

  He opened his eyes and saw Dora standing next to Bethinium. She seemed to flicker right before his eyes, one transparent hand pointing towards the warlock’s foot, then his side.