1 State of Grace (30 page)

“You like to gamble, Mr. Dasher,” he said. “But this is no game of Conquest.”

“Well, I hope you’re a better swordsman than a Conquest player, Silverleaf,” Wolf said. “Because the only way you could win at cards was to cheat.”

Silverleaf had had enough. He brought his sword crashing down at Wolf. Wolf raised his blade and parried, but he was surprised by Silverleaf’s strength. Wolf counter-struck, but Silverleaf knocked his sword aside with ease.

Wolf realized he was still shaky, and it was impacting his skill and his reaction time. A wave of panic rose through him. He quashed it with an effort.

Silverleaf was swinging again. Wolf ducked under it and chopped at the elf’s leg, but he was too slow. Silverleaf turned and took the blow on his hip. He winced at the pain, and then batted Wolf away with the flat of his blade. Wolf got an arm up in time to keep the sword from him hitting him in the head, but he was forced to retreat, allowing Silverleaf to recover.

“You’re slippery,” Silverleaf commented. “No wonder Ravager had trouble with you. He’s not an elf, though. You’ll find I’m a little tougher to defeat.”

Wolf wanted to goad Silverleaf further, but he was having trouble focusing. The salve still had a hold on him. He chose to concentrate on fighting.

Silverleaf apparently was done chatting, because he lunged again. Wolf knocked the sword aside and kicked the big elf in the hip where he’d been cut. This time Silverleaf cried out at the pain and nearly dropped his sword. He danced away from Wolf’s follow up to protect himself. He looked angry now.

Wolf cursed his injuries. He was clearly the superior swordsman, but having to deal with the intoxicating sensation of Quincy’s salve was affecting his ability to finish things.

Silverleaf reset his fighting stance. He glared at Wolf but said nothing.

Wolf moved in and tested his defenses. He smacked at Wolf’s sword, trying to gain an advantage. Wolf offered nothing.

Then Silverleaf heaved his sword in an exaggerated motion. Wolf blocked the blow easily. They locked blades. Then, too late, Wolf saw a flash of magic in Silverleaf’s left hand. Silverleaf opened his hand and flicked it at Wolf. Sand flew in his eyes, summoned by the Hand of Destiny. Wolf was blind.

Silverleaf moved to press his advantage. Instinctively, Wolf kicked out with his right leg. His foot found a target, folding Silverleaf in half. Wolf moved away trying to clear his vision, but he could hear Silverleaf advancing.

“Now you’re mine!” Silverleaf cried.

Wolf turned, but he still couldn’t see. Silverleaf brought his sword down.

Chapter 39: A Change of Heart

(Four Minutes before Revelation Day)

Alexei Petrovic surveyed his men. All of them waited silently, their faces grim and determined.

The sun was nearly down. The last few rays streaked across the sky. Alexei knew his orders. When it was dark, they were to strike. Each man had specially prepared devices provided by Jifani magicians. These would create confusion and destruction. As the Urlanders struggled to react to the chaos, Alexei and his men would cut them down.

In their hearts, all of them knew it was likely a suicide mission. They pretended it wasn’t. After all, there was a slim chance of their surviving. But their objective was to keep the Urlanders occupied while the elves carried out their
coup
. They were outnumbered almost one hundred to one. As long as they kept the Urlanders from responding to the elves, their mission was a success.

The last of the light faded away. Alexei swallowed hard and said a quick prayer to the Great Bear. Then he turned to his men.

“Okay, move,” he said.

Like ghosts rising from the grave, they left their hiding places and moved towards the Urlish compound. Alexei took one of the elfin devices from his satchel, tapped it twice with his thumb, and then tossed it at the wall of the compound. It bounced twice, stopped at the wall and exploded. Part of the wooden wall was blown away, and the area above and around it caught fire, lighting up the night sky.

A second bomb hit a nearby section of the wall, and the entire area collapsed, leaving an opening large enough for Alexei and his men to pour through. To the left and right of it, the wall was ablaze. Alexei could hear Urlanders shouting and calling for fire buckets.

He was the first through the hole in the wall. The scene was what he expected. Men were running in different directions trying to figure out what was happening and what to do about it. Alexei tossed another of the elfin bombs into the midst of the first group that looked organized. Seconds later, all of them died in a terrifying explosion. Several of his comrades took similar actions.

Alexei started moving towards the command compound. He dispatched anyone who got in his way and tried not to think about the consequences of his actions.

***

Wolf ducked and ran forward. He knew Silverleaf was approaching, and he meant to make sure the elf wouldn’t be able to deal his death blow. A sword took some distance to swing. Wolf aimed to be inside it.

He crashed into Silverleaf and sent the two of them reeling. Silverleaf’s sword clattered away. Wolf took the opportunity to elbow him in the crotch. When Silverleaf groaned, Wolf rolled away, hoping he’d bought some time.

At last he managed to clear his vision. Silverleaf was bent over and working on getting up. Wolf went to kick his sword farther away, but it vanished in a flash of magic. A moment later, it was in the elf’s left hand. He switched it to his right.

“Still cheating, Silverleaf,” Wolf said. “You know you can’t beat me, so you had to cheat again. You’re nothing. Do your followers know just how small and helpless you are?”

Silverleaf charged him. Wolf set his feet and prepared to parry. He decided he was going to need to talk after all. He’d beaten the elf in Conquest by goading him into making mistakes. The principle was the same here.

Silverleaf slashed wildly at him. Wolf stepped aside and parried the blow easily, but the elf’s fury was unrelenting. He turned and hacked again and again. His blows came so fast, Wolf could do nothing but defend, and the effects of the healing salve made it hard for him to keep up.

“Am I nothing now, Urlish Dog?” Silverleaf shouted. “You’re a human! You’re nothing compared to an elf!”

He kept hacking, backing Wolf across the room. The look on his face was savage.

Wolf brought his sword up and locked blades with Silverleaf. Then he pushed hard to the right, turning Silverleaf and kicked him in his injured hip again. The elf staggered back.

Wolf moved to finish him, but this time it was Silverleaf who got his sword up and parried the blow. They locked swords again. Silverleaf’s left hand flashed magic. Wolf shut his eyes.

This time, though, the elf had another plan in mind. A dagger appeared in his hand, and he slashed Wolf’s fingers with it. Wolf nearly dropped his sword. Silverleaf kicked him away, and Wolf fell to the ground.

“You see?” Silverleaf said. “You cannot compare to an elf.”

Wolf hopped up so fast he almost fell over again. He steadied himself and readied his sword, trying to ignore the pain in his fingers.

“All I see,” Wolf said, “is a small, pathetic creature who has to cheat to win. You’re not worthy of the title, ‘elf.’”

Silverleaf raised his sword above his head, intending to bring it crashing down on Wolf. His other hand still held the knife.

Chelsea Chandler knocked his sword back at him, opening up his inside line. Then, quick as lightning, she struck him in the neck.

Yes! With the memory of the welt Chelsea had left on his neck suddenly fresh in his mind again, Wolf put both hands on his hilt and parried the Silverleaf’s blow. Like Chelsea did to him, he knocked the sword back at the elf, pushing right to open up Silverleaf’s inside line. But instead of bringing his blade down on the elf’s neck, he instead chopped at his left arm. He hit it just above the wrist and neatly cut off the Hand of Destiny.

Silverleaf howled in pain. He dropped his sword, fell to his knees, and shoved the stump under his right arm. Wolf put his sword to the elf’s neck.

“You were saying something about humans being no match for elves?” he said.

Silverleaf only wept. His advisors stared, horrified.

Just then, the door burst open, and Honeyflower and her compatriots charged in. She stopped when she saw Wolf had conquered Silverleaf.

“Nice work,” she said.

“Thank you,” Wolf replied. He returned his attention to Silverleaf. “Now, call off the
coup
, or you’ll die on your knees at the hands of a human.”

“Oh, my god,” Silverleaf wept. “What have I done?”

“You’ve failed,” Wolf goaded. “You were arrogant enough to believe a human couldn’t beat you. But it’s happened again.”

“I’ve betrayed my people, my nation,” Silverleaf sobbed.

No one moved. Everyone stared at Silverleaf.

“Excuse me?” Wolf said.

“I’ve betrayed my people,” he said again. “I conspired with terrorists to assassinate the government and with the Phrygians to attack your base.”

Wolf looked at the Hand of Destiny, lying on the floor still clutching the dagger. Was it possible that, now that it was severed, Silverleaf was no longer under its influence? He kicked it away.

“What are you saying, Silverleaf?” he said.

But the big elf continued to cry. He no longer carried any of the arrogance Wolf associated with him. He was broken.

Wolf looked at Honeyflower. She was frozen, unsure what to do. Silverleaf’s advisors looked confused. Wolf decided he had an advantage and to press it.

“Silverleaf,” he said. “It’s not too late. You can stop this now. Call off your
coup
and tell us how to save the president.”

Silverleaf continued to weep. Wolf waited, but he said nothing.

“Sagaius,” Wolf said.

That got the elf’s attention. He looked up, surprised to be addressed by his first name.

“You haven’t betrayed Alfar yet,” Wolf continued. “You can still save it. Call off your
coup
. Help us save President Spellbinder and the rest of the government.”

Silverleaf nodded. He waved to his advisors.

“Please,” he said, “cooperate with Mr. Dasher. Elfheart, inform the guards the
coup
is over. Tell them to stand down.”

“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” one of the advisors said, stepping forward.

“I am not majestic,” Silverleaf said. “I am a fool and a traitor. Tell them to stand down, so they don’t risk being arrested with me.”

“Yes, Lord,” he said.

“I am not a lord!” Silverleaf shouted. “Give your loyalty to Alfar where it belongs, Elfheart, not to me.”

Elfheart apologized and went to the door. He opened it and went out.

“Silverleaf, how do we stop the assassination?” Wolf said.

“I’m not sure you can,” he answered.

“I mean to try,” Wolf said. “Tell me how.”

“The Sons of Frey have been given special papers so they can sneak into the ceremony,” Silverleaf said. His voice was broken. None of the terrifying majesty of it was left. “They have wands that will enable them to destroy the temple. Each will blow one of the support columns, causing the whole thing to collapse, killing everyone. They are to cast their spells at the end of the ceremony to maximize the horror of it.”

“There’s still time,” Honeyflower said. “If we can get there before the ceremony ends, we’ll be able to warn everyone.”

“Then let’s go,” Wolf said.

“Eagleflight,” she said. “You’re in charge here. Forgive anyone who surrenders. Kill anyone who doesn’t. Wolf, you’re with me.”

Wolf went over to the Hand of Destiny and picked it up. He went to the fireplace and pitched the foul artifact in. It burned quickly, turning to ash as he watched.

“Wolf, let’s go!” Honeyflower shouted.

He turned away from the fire and joined her. They went out. Honeyflower and the guard outside exchanged a glare, but neither tried to stop the other. Wolf wasn’t sure leaving just two loyal guards in charge was a wise idea, but he knew they were running out of time, so he didn’t question it.

She led him quickly through the palace to the main gate. There, she ordered a guard to bring them horses. The guard looked surprised, but he complied. A minute later, two black stallions were brought out. It was all Wolf could do to climb in the saddle. His duel with Silverleaf, coupled with his recovery from Ravager’s torture had exhausted him.

But his work tonight wasn’t done. He willed himself into the seat and took off at a gallop right behind Honeyflower, hoping they weren’t too late to save Alfar.

Chapter 40: Revelation Day

Gerarden Merrydance rubbed the smooth wood of his wand nervously. He kept it in his sleeve where it belonged until it was time to use it, but he found that stroking it through the cloth of his robe helped him keep his wits together.

He didn’t know what to feel. He would be going to God in about an hour. That was exciting. He longed to frolic with Frey in Heaven. But he also was afraid to die. He would miss his children. They brought him great joy.

He wondered how many of the people attending the service had children they would miss. He tried not to think of such things. What he was doing was right. Sacrifices needed to be made to save Alfheim. Still, it saddened him so many had to die for things to change.

He looked out over the congregation. Eleven of his comrades were in position along with him at the temple’s twelve giant columns. Starfellow’s plan was perfect. When the twelve columns blew, the roof would cave in, burying everyone alive. Those near the blasts would be fortunate – they would die in the explosions. The rest would suffer a bit longer.

Gerarden pushed the thoughts of the innocent suffering from his mind. He needed to focus on the business at hand. God had given him a mission. Who was he to turn it down?

Just then, the doors to the great temple were shut. With the members of the coalition government here, security was high. Everyone would be locked in, and a guard would be established outside. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

***

Aurora Spellbinder listened as the bell tower signaled the start of Revelation Day. Her heart skipped a beat. This was the big moment. She’d been planning this for seven months. Now it all came together – the very first joint Freyalan-Shendali Revelation Day celebration, attended by the entire coalition government. She could not think of an act that showed greater unity among elves. She regretted having to mar it with the distasteful business of condemning Urland, but, she supposed, even that would strengthen her message of unity.

At the altar, a cantor began singing a prayer. She knew it well. It was one of her favorites:

In the beginning

The People were lost

Blessed with great riches

They knew not the cost

Of living

Of dying

With purpose unfound

Of serving

Obeying

A false king uncrowned

But one elf went seeking

The answers for all

He asked for direction

And God heard his call

Both loving

And stirring

God gave Frey commands

To bring light

To bring hope

To all of our lands

The cantor was young, and his voice retained a certain pre-pubescent innocence to it. It rang out clearly, like a high-pitched bell that both demanded attention and soothed with its sound. Aurora studied his sharp features, his caramel skin, and his perfectly formed ears. He was a very handsome young adolescent. In a year or so, he would be very popular with the young ladies, if he wasn’t already. This boy had magic he didn’t understand yet.

The thought of his impending popularity made her smile. She saw all of Alfar in this beautiful youth. He was budding and had a bright future before him. Just like his homeland. With elves coming together like this, she knew things would get better.

***

Wolf heard the clock tower ring, signaling the start of Revelation Day. Knowing what he did, it sounded like a death knell. He wanted to spur the horse faster, but there were thousands of people in the streets. They all faced the temple and threw their hands into the air. They prayed and gave thanks. And the closer to the temple he and Honeyflower got, the thicker the crowds became.

Despite his atheism, Wolf admired their devotion. He’d never found anything in his life to give such faith to, and he was a little jealous of those who had. Nevertheless, he found himself cursing them. If they didn’t clear a path for Honeyflower and him, this might be the last Revelation Day they celebrated.

***

Gerarden Merrydance tried to hide his disgust. As part of her great “show of unity,” President Spellbinder had arranged for a joint Freyalan-Shendali celebration of the Feast of the Revelation. He supposed it was better than the Shendalis not being able to use the temple at all, but the ridiculous number of blessings the Freyalans performed not only made the service tedious, it was just plain silly. Never mind they almost completely ignored Shendal in their readings and their prayers. Still, the Shendali priest would take care of that.

The most disgusting part, though, was the fact they allowed a woman to officiate. He supposed that was to be expected given that Alfar allowed a woman to be president. Not only was a female officiating, she wasn’t properly covered. None of the Freyalan women were, and, in fact, many of the Shendalis weren’t either. Such was life in Alfar. Women displayed their hair and their features as though they belonged to anyone. He wouldn’t live to see it, but Gerarden was looking forward to the new day when Jifani standards were the rule for all elves.

“God bless our children,” the priest intoned. “They are our future. It is in their faces we truly see the message of Frey and the destiny of elfkind.

“God bless the flowers. They bring beauty to our eyes and fill the land with the scent of joy.”

Would she never stop? Gerarden stroked his wand again. He wished she’d hurry it up. He had a mission to execute. The longer she talked, the more desperate he became to fulfill it.

***

Aurora Spellbinder smiled. The blessings were her favorite part of the ceremony. They always made her happy as she thought about the little things in life she tended to miss on an everyday basis. She remembered a time when the blessings called children the “destiny of Alfheim” rather than the “destiny of elfkind,” but all that changed after the war. It saddened her.

However, she saw happy people everywhere in the temple she looked. She was confident everyone was enjoying the joint ceremony. Each faith got to learn a little about the other. Everyone here could see they are all elves, and that meant they had common ground. They were a single people, and that meant they could act as one.

Presently, the blessings were finished. The Shendali priest came forward.

“And now a reading from the Testimony of Shendal,” he said.

Aurora tried not to roll her eyes. “The Testimony of Shendal.” More like the Testimony of the Hanger-on Who Took Credit for Things He Never Did after Frey’s Death. Ah, well. She supposed she had to let the Shendalis have their moments too if this was truly to be a joint celebration. It would be over soon enough.

***

Wolf and Honeyflower at last made it to the temple. Like most of the buildings he’d seen in Alfar, it was carved wood. It was made so flawlessly, so artistically, Wolf couldn’t be sure if it had been assembled from multiple parts or carved from a single, massive tree – a
Drasil
tree perhaps. It had multiple spires that rose to the heavens. The double-door was enormous and rose well over Wolf’s head, even mounted, and peaked in a point that matched those of the spires.

Wolf had never been to an elfin religious ceremony, so he had no idea how much time they had left. His heart was pounding as he dismounted.

“Owleyes,” Honeyflower said, addressing one of the soldiers at the temple door. “Open the doors and let me in at once.”

She cut an imposing figure, still mounted on her black stallion. Owleyes looked impressed but unmoved.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” he said. “I have orders not to permit anyone to enter the temple until the ceremony is over.”

“I’m countermanding your orders,” she shouted. “Let me in.”

“I’m sorry, Captain,” he said, sounding less sure. “My orders are very clear. Under no circumstances is anyone to enter the temple. It’s a security issue with the entire government inside.”

“Damn it, Owleyes!” she practically screamed. “That’s why I need in! There is an assassination plot in full motion now. I need to stop it.”

Owleyes looked troubled. He obviously wasn’t sure what to do.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” he said after a moment. “I’m not supposed to let anyone in or out.”

Wolf dismounted and approached the elf. He stopped short of grabbing him, but he put his face right in the guard’s.

“Listen, Soldier,” Wolf said. “If you don’t let us in, no one is going to get out.”

Owleyes stared at Wolf. Wolf saw the conflict in his eyes.

“Oh, to hell with this,” Honeyflower said. “You two better get out of the way, if you don’t want to get hurt.”

She pulled hard on the reins of the horse, causing it to rear up. A moment later, Wolf realized what she meant to do. He grabbed Owleyes and pulled him out of the way as Honeyflower brought her horse’s hooves crashing down on the temple’s giant wooden doors.