Alni Page 3

  Chapter Three

  When Silthia turned to begin her way through the forest, Alni hunched down, narrowly escaping the swipe of her long tail. It seemed to have a mind of its own, sweeping back and forth behind her body. Silthia’s long head lowered, body down low as she moved through the trees and undergrowth away from the clearing and off trail towards her destination. It was hard to believe such a lumbering, ancient beast could sneak through the forests of Nevina without making much sound.

  It made Alni ponder how many dragons truly did live in their midst. While towns were nestled in, thinking dragons would only come if a rebellion against King Mallor began, the creatures probably roamed right outside their cottages. Alni had never seen a dragon up close before, but his village had never started a rebellion against the King. It was part of the reason his parents had decided to spend the rest of their lives there: it was far away from the King’s eyes. A place where an elf, that had defied the traditions of his species, and a human, who had traveled too far from her own homelands, could be together. It wasn’t without judgment, but it was without much bother. At least until their untimely end.

  “I saw you use magic against them,” Silthia finally said, breaking the silence.

  The abrupt comment made Alni stumble, eyes snapping up to the dragon from the forest ground where he had been studying.

  “I suppose I did,” He said, eyes nervously peering to either side of the dragon, wondering what the best route would be if he needed to escape.

  He had seen enough magic users refuse to work for King Mallor and get hauled off. Even more had been persuaded to work in dark magics and use it against weaker beings in the name of the King, despite how they existed purely to assist the world. If this was just a trick to get him to the proper magical authorities instead of a safe place, then he needed a way out. Surely the price on magic users had changed as of late. They were few and far between and those who had not already pledging their magic to the King’s forces were surely up to no good with it. Why else would they hide?

  Of course, he was hiding too, wasn’t he? Running and hiding like the worm his bullies had called him. Burrowing into the earth to escape the bright sun. Despite running and hiding, it was as though a light shone on him, exposing his flaws and secrets before this ancient dragon.

  “Were you born with that magic, boy? Elves do not possess…”

  “I wasn’t born with it, no,” Alni responded softly, taking a deep breath as he followed close behind, eyes scanning over the opal scales shining in the moonlight before him.

  There was a deep-rooted rivet of a scar that stretched up her large side towards her long neck. It was jagged, dancing along her scales. An untold story that Alni knew better than to inquire about; nonetheless he still found himself curious about how she got it.

  To his relief, Silthia did not ask anymore questions nor give him any reason to believe he was in newfound danger. Still, he kept his wits about him, clutching his bag close and keeping his eyes open for an opportunity to attempt an escape, if need be.

  Suddenly, she stopped walking, talons clutching onto the ground beneath her as she pivoted slightly to peer at Alni with her glowing, crimson eyes. Alni took a good look around the forest clearing they had entered. Nothing looked the least bit different than where they had been before. The trees - to him - looked exactly alike, and the only difference he could fathom was the lack of rope hanging from a tree.

  “You sure you have the right ‘safe place’?” He whispered.

  Silthia moved to the side of Alni, watching him with glassy eyes and, with his question, her mouth curled, a cold gust of air blowing from her nostrils. Alni took a few steps backward, his hands in the air before him in a universal sign of ‘no harm meant’, but, to his horror, she turned on him fully and walked forward, head low and nostrils flared. Her body was angled, blocking him from running back the way they had come. Alni had no room to run and only backed up further until he felt a tree stopping him. His previous plan of leaving the area had faltered the moment he was faced with the threat of this dragon once more; his mind turned to a mush of panic and a fear he could not shake.

  She reached towards him with her large talon and struck the tree behind him, pressing him with her other talon as she had before. Instead of being eaten by Silthia as he had predicted the situation was heading, Alni fell backwards into empty air. The pressure at his chest kept him from gaining any bearings as he went tumbling into an opening that was not there a moment before.

  The tree she had pressed him against had opened, a large part of the bark lifting from the inside to expose the darkness within; much like bricks falling away from a damaged wall. The last bit of light that had touched the darkness outside disappeared the moment Alni’s back hit the soft ground within the tree.

  He grunted, stumbling to his feet as he looked up at where he had fallen from. It was only a few feet, yet he felt like he’d disappeared from the world of Desin entirely. Silthia had a curl on her lips as she peered down at him, her white fangs glowing in the darkness of day’s end.

  “You shall find sanctuary just below. I have wasted enough time here and will leave you now. Tell my old friend Silthia said hello.”

  Before Alni had a chance to thank her, Silthia had turned from her position at the entrance of the tree, bark slowly falling back into place with a rap of her talon. He was plunged into complete darkness, moving so his back was against the inside of the tree. Alni was uncertain how much room lay before him, hands outstretched as he took a stiff step forward. All he felt was empty air. Taking another step, it was the same.

  Alni continued walking, reaching and searching for anything that could produce light, or appeared to be furniture. Was this simply a jail cell that he would remain in until Silthia returned with the magical authorities or someone far worse than the boar and his lackeys? Who was the ‘friend’ she had referred to? Despite his situation and the fear that should have gripped Alni, this dark place he had found himself in brought a certain level of warmth that had not been anticipated. Like a warm hug around him, safety in the face of an emotionally exhausting day.

  Suddenly, his hands touched something. Reaching towards it, he tried to make sense of what it was. It was stringy and scratchy in his hands, something unknown to him entirely as he rubbed it between his fingers and grabbed a handful of it.

  A light was lit right before Alni’s face, forcing a surprised sound from his lips as he stumbled back and released what was in his hands. The stringy object he’d been previously investigating was the face of an old, bearded man no taller than the midpoint of Alni’s chest. He was looking at him with cheerful, moss green eyes and his smile wrinkled up the sides of his cheeks in amusement at the alarm on Alni’s face.

  “Wanna stop fondlin’ me, ma boy?”

  Chapter Four

  Alni tried his hardest not to chug the meat stew entirely in one go, settling instead to take extra time chewing each delicious bite. Still, he was still only a moment away from putting the bowl to his mouth and slurping down every last drop. Alni continuously had to remind himself that he was in the home of someone else.

  Someone…hadn’t the man introduced himself already?

  “I’m so sorry, I don’t believe I caught your name. Thank you, again…for the food, I mean,” Alni managed out between bites, emerald eyes fixated on the strange man seated across from him.

  “Oh! It’s not a worry! I am who I said I was, of that I assure you. So, Silthia saved you, you said? What an adventure that must have been!”

  His voice was cheerful, low, gravely, and said between puffy lips nestled in a white, stringy beard. At first, Alni had thought the beard nestled just a foot below his chin, but upon further observation, it seemed to be tucked over one burley shoulder, the end touching his lower back. A lower back that didn’t seem too far from the ground, yet his short stature did not indicate he was a dwarf. He was stout and had the look of one, yes, but, as he had told Alni several times, that was where the comp
arison ended between himself and the mountain dwellers.

  At least Alni remembered speaking about that. Still unable to grasp the man’s name. It was as though it danced just beyond his reach, and mind feeling hazy every time he tried to focus on remembering it.

  The Man in the Tree, that’s who you’ll be.

  “Silthia did save me, indeed. How did you two meet?” Alni inquired, looking back down to the brown wooden bowl in his hands.

  It was almost half gone and there was no way he was going to be able to have more magically appear, nor was he going to request more. This man and Silthia had already done so much for him. If he remained hungry he’d eat a bit of what he had packed along. Still, the stew was an upgrade in comparison and it was hard to see it come to an untimely end.

  “I raised Silthia, you see,” The Man in the Tree said, one old finger in the air.

  He shook it about for a second before he lowered it back to his bowl. He dipped his finger into the hot broth and stirred it around before plucking out a piece of meat and plopping it into his mouth.

  “You raised her? Aren’t dragons hundreds…thousands of years old?” The dragon had looked far from young to Alni, the scars along her back a clear indication she had seen a fight or two and there hadn’t been a war for a great many years.

  “Are they?” The words were said wistfully, the Man in the Tree’s moss green eyes stared ahead through Alni.

  It was as though he was remembering a different time and far-off place, a memory that no one else was allowed to be privy to. He blinked out of it the moment Alni cleared his throat.

  “It was good of you to raise her, I assume that means she’s not associated with Lord Mallor’s clan of dragons?” The question slipped out before Alni had a chance to stop it, but he was too curious as to where this was all leading.

  His suspicions had started to dwindle but they did not remove the confusion that had settled into his mind.

  “Good of me, ya say?” The question was followed with a laugh, the sound rich and lyrical.

  One old hand rose to his chest as he continued to make the gleeful sound. The rest of his stew sloshed around in the bowl, dangerously close to spilling onto the dirt below.

  “Ain’t the dragon’s fault, ma boy. I got to say it shows a lot about your character. Dragons are presented as evil, yet you called her friend, I hear,” he said between chuckles.

  Alni stopped chewing the stew, swallowing it down as he slowly placed the now empty bowl upon the ground, eyebrow quirked as he finally took a moment to really study the small room they were in. No matter how eerie the moments between himself and the Man in the Tree, he still felt calm and collected. Like he was meant to be in the safe home.

  “How did you know that?”

  “I know what I know. I know it well,” came the words, followed by more laughter. This time it seemed to teeter on insanity.

  There was a dark hallway behind Alni that went an unknown distance underground. To Alni’s left was a small pantry and bucket of water. There was a small hole above the fire that led to the ground above. The air that whistled down from above them fed the flames that continued to heat up more stew, surrounding them both with the delicious scent of cooked meat and potatoes.

  To Alni’s right there was a small cot and a large bookshelf. It was filled with books, so stuffed that the wooden shelves seemed to sink at the middle, the small cuts of wood not strong enough to hold them all. He was unable to make out any of the titles but from the flickering light of the fire on their spines, Alni assumed they were quite old. Weathered and torn, ancient in his mind.

  All in all, it was a cozy establishment.

  “I’ll tell you a story, magical stranger. Then you will go to bed,” The Man in the Tree placed his own stew on the ground, standing to his full, albeit short height, before waddling over to the fire.

  Grabbing a long stick, he poked the scorched end of it into the fire, kicking up sparks of flame. One jumped out of the flames and he promptly stomped upon it with his dirty, naked foot.

  “A long time ago, the dragons were used to take control of the lands, several of the most powerful elves worked together to create the Stone of Dragons. This stone had the power to entrap these noble creatures and use their incredible strength and abilities to gain control of Desin,” all signs of laughter had been stripped from his old face, hand stroking his beard absentmindedly for a moment, “For a while, several decades back, we lived in harmony. King Herrick rid the lands of the stone…”

  “I suppose everyone knows the story,” Alni started in, kicking his long legs out in front of him and crossing one over the other, his own bare feet warmed instantly by the fire, “Somehow the stone returned and some of the dragons came back to work for Lord Mallor. We obey his rules and in return…life goes on. The villages simply give part of their farm rations to him quarterly and all goes well. It has for quite some time.”

  “No no…that is not the story,” The Man in the Tree said miserably, but there was a fire in his eye that had not been there before.

  It was almost as if they glowed across the dimly lit room. For a moment, they reminded Alni of Silthia’s crimson orbs in the dark night, “Let me tell you a few things. I know what I know and I know it well.”

  The Man in the Tree made his way back to his seat, lowering himself onto the carved log. He nestled in, grabbing for an old blanket draped beside him.

  “The whole stone did not return. Some of it was sent away. Long before King Herrick reigned, the dragons were free but the world was in chaos. It was in that time that I came across Silthia in the forest, abandoned by her family. In my care, she denied the call of the stone’s power when Herrick was killed and the throne was given to Mallor. She has remained here ever since. A friend and confidant, just be sure to…”

  The Man in the Tree’s voice trailed off, turning into an absent minded mumble as he looked down at his hands. Draped in the blanket and hunched over as he was, Alni saw him as almost childlike for a moment; torn between wanting to press him for more of the story and allowing him rest. Clearly this man was not fully in his right mind, so what good would the stories be in the end? Speaking seemed to harm him, one of his hands rising to his head as the far off look returned once more.

  Judge not the one who shares, for a great many of us keep our stories locked away, Alni reminded himself.

  “Sent away parts of…the Stone of Dragons?” Alni tried to urge him on with his story but the Man in the Tree frowned over at him, confusion clouding his face.

  It was clear he wasn’t going to be able to finish his story, for whatever reason. He was in no position to push the old man, especially when he was doing such a favor for him.

  “Say, I really do appreciate the good food and shelter, as well as the stories. Where can I set up to sleep, Mr…” he let the rest linger in the air, praying it would be filled.

  But he was only met with another dizzying feeling, a fuzziness that had not been there before.

  “Just down the darkness. Small room. I’ll not be here when you awaken but I’ve got several maps for you. Would be horrid if something happened to you in this forest…or if you got lost. I’ll leave the maps on the table.”

  All emotion had been stripped from the man’s voice once more, leaving behind a haunting, lingering message that Alni could not seem to fully understand.

  “I thank you, again,” Alni bowed his head, ears twitching beneath his maroon hat as a shiver fell down his spine.

  Yet…his internal warning still did not sound, the home still felt safe to him. Turning away from the man, Alni took his bowl over to the counter before making his way back towards the darkness he had been directed to, his pack in hand.

  “I’ll be seeing you again, Alni!”

  The voice followed him, cheerful and full of promise. A cheer that didn’t quite seem to reach Alni until his back was on the soft cot inside the second room. Until his eyes were closed and he took a deep breath.

  Safe. He felt
safe. No matter the creatures…no…dragon he had run into, the Man in the Tree and his hidden home had been a place far away from the dark beings of the forest and the hands of his tormentors. Closing his eyes, Alni felt himself drift off into a deep slumber, not even the sounds of the forest above able to penetrate the thick walls of the safe house beneath ground.

  There was a small part of him that still wondered if this was all a trap to get him to the proper authorities. The mere idea that he’d run into his first dragon conveniently in time to save his life…it was a luck that was foreign to Alni. Still, he was away from the village that he had grown up in and the hatred he had witnessed there.

  Away from what he had done and the death he had caused.

  Chapter Five

  Despite the bruises and pain that had littered Alni’s body the night before, sleep had come naturally and easily for him. He woke at an unknown time, the room still as dark as night around him, yet he was certain it was morning. There was something about the energy around him, a new start and lack of exhaustion that he had not felt the night before.

  As Alni stretched and sat upright he stopped short, feeling the aches and pains from the beating he had endured the day before. He could not even begin to fathom the bruises that must decorate his face. Although he was a half-breed, healing came naturally to elves and Alni was certain the bruises would go away in a day’s time, but the healing didn’t stop him from feeling it now. It had not been the first time he’d been tossed about, yet it was the first time it had been to such severity.

  He was happy for a safe haven, but knew it was not his to keep, so he reluctantly climbed off the cot and grabbed for his pack, deciding he’d wait to change until he found a stream to wash in; no need to dirty up a clean pair of clothing before he made it to the first village. With any luck, he’d not only be able to read the maps the Man in the Tree had promised to leave him, but they’d show him a clearer route to where he wished to go.