Elf Lords: 02 - Last of the Elf Lords (12 page)

“We could let Landis shoot them off their horses with that bow of his.” Natis considered aloud.

“If they are a patrol, then they would have alarm horns. I may be fast, but I doubt that I could get all five of them before one of them sounds the alarm.”

“We are not killing innocent men.” Jordan reminded everyone.

“That is fine,” Natis agreed, “as long as the innocent men do not try to kill us.”

“Halt!” One of the riders ordered as they came near.

“Everyone remain calm.
I
will speak with them.” Landis said, looking directly at Jordan.

The Prince Regent held his tongue.

One rider stopped a good distance back as the other four approached.

“He will sound the alarm and ride back if we take action against the other four.” Trevor informed his companions.

“Who are you and why are you traveling this way?” The lead rider asked. He was a stocky man with a thick brown mustache. All of the riders wore loose fitting, matching grey tunics and black pants. A patch consisting of three circles encompassing a star was on the left breast of each man’s tunic. The one who had spoken wore a white chord on his left shoulder; a common form of decorating a squad leader throughout the Empire. From his previous visits to the Eastland, Landis knew that the patch on their chest would be the symbol of the local militia or law enforcement, and not empire soldiers.

“We are travelers seeking shelter.” Landis half-lied.

“Traveling from where, and on what business?”

“Are you the local patrol?” Landis asked, “If so, then I will be happy to tell you our business.”

The man with the white chord tapped the patch on his breast, “That we are, now talk.” He demanded.

Landis looked to Jordan before continuing. “The three of us,” he pointed to his father and Trevor, “are all that remain of my lord’s protectors. The dwarf is our cook, and he cared for our horses, when we had them.” Pointing to Jordan and Natis he continued, “We are traveling with Wizard Tobias here, to take Lord Tomas to the Eastland Tower of the Magi, to see if he has what it takes to join their order. We were set upon by brigands two nights ago. They stole our horses and left three of our comrades dead.”

The patrol leader looked them over. “A little old for an initiate seeking entry to become a mage, isn’t he?”

Natis nodded, “He wasted his time serving the clerics of Jahen, before realizing his true potential.”

“Tell me about these brigands.” The patrolman inquired, “We have heard that a band of thieves was seen creating havoc in Cathaar recently. It could be that you have come across the same men.”

Landis replied, “I know nothing of Cathaar. We arrived by boat south of there, and have been traveling in this direction ever since. They attacked us at night, so we did not see their faces.”

The man on the horse smirked, “They sound like a deadly lot. Perhaps they meant to stop you from your real purpose.”

Those behind Landis prepared to take action.

“I told you our purpose.”

The patrolman winked, “And I believe you entirely. However, I have heard that there are bounty hunters in the region, seeking the return of a captured young maiden from the Westland. It would be of no surprise to find men coming to her rescue for the reward. I would do it myself, if I dared to go up against those responsible. But I am nothing more than a patrolman. Hunting road bandits and protecting our small community from wandering wildlife is enough to keep us occupied. Still, we have no love for those who kidnap girls, and would be happy to help those who oppose them. Perhaps for a donation to our unit, we can provide you with some information.”

“Any news of what is going on in the land would be most appreciated.” Landis offered.

The man grinned, “Then we have a deal.” He spat in his right hand and held it out to Landis. The half-elf repeated the action. As they shook hands, Landis observed a small tattoo of a serpent wrapped around an arrow, on the rider’s bicep.

The patrol leader released Landis’ hand, “There is a tavern in town called The Black Crow. There is a man there named Waneyn, who claims to have helped a young woman escape. He knows not where she is, but he knows who has her, and who they are protecting her from.”

“That is very valuable information.” Landis concurred. He turned his head to look in Jaylen’s direction. “Father, please reward these patrolmen accordingly.”

“With pleasure.” Jaylen replied.

Moving almost too fast to observe, the elf withdrew a throwing knife with each hand and threw them with deadly accuracy at the first two patrolmen. He had another pair drawn before the first two men began falling from their horses. Before their partners were able to react, they too were simultaneously struck by the elf’s knives. All four bodies toppled from their mounts.

Landis spun back around, removing his bow from his shoulder and reaching for an arrow as he watched the fifth rider turn his horse and kick it to a run. He took aim and released the arrow, striking the rider square in the back.

“What in the abyss are you doing?” A visibly shaken Jordan asked.

“These men are assassins.” Landis declared.

“How do you know that?”

The half-elf walked over to the dead man who had been acting as the leader. “He has a Stalker’s Guild tattoo on his arm.”

Jordan recognized the name of the Assassin’s Guild. “How do you know that they were all assassins?”

“Check them out. I am certain that you will find the mark somewhere on each them.”

“Their clothing is stolen.” Jaylen pointed to two of the bodies lying face down in the grass. “They have holes in the backs of their tunics where the original wearers were either stabbed or shot by an arrow. You can still see the blood stains. They have been scrubbed, but some blood is still there. You can never remove all of it.”

“They obviously knew who we were and did not want to take us on face-to-face,” Trevor agreed, “so they hoped to trick us into going back to the city, where they no doubt have others waiting to assist them. We would be captured, or dead, by morning, if we followed their advice.”

“So much for staying there.” Natis observed.

“What do we do then?” Jordan asked.

“We now have five horses. We can ride to the forest and follow along the edge, until we reach that town. Perhaps I can slip in and learn something on my own.” Landis suggested.

“Why not ride through the forest and save time?” Weslocke asked.

“Not a good idea,” Landis replied, “from what I have heard about the Tilsaw, that forest is not safe to travel into if you have not been welcomed by the Delowe’. We need to find someone who has access to lead us in.”

“I thought that the Delowe’ migrated south.” Natis said.

“Most did, but some stayed. Not all of those who remained behind welcome outsiders.” Landis explained.

“I guess I get to ride behind one of you longlegs again.” Weslocke spat.

“Maybe we should leave the forest while we can.” Jordan thought aloud.

Trevor rejected the idea, “Not a wise move. If they can sneak up on us and elude Jaylen, then we will be at more of a disadvantage trying to maneuver in the dark while not knowing where they are.”

“How many?” Landis asked his father.

“I have no idea, but they seem to be all around us.”

“We should keep watch in pairs tonight.” Trevor suggested.

“Like I am going to sleep knowing that someone is out their watching us.” Weslocke muttered.

Trevor looked at the camp fire. “We should put that out too. It is warm enough that we do not need it, and the light only limits our ability to see into the trees.”

“Agreed.” Jaylen answered.

* * * * *

McRawl paced the empty courtyard, awaiting the arrival of Warlord Trian. He never felt comfortable when called to these secluded meetings. He served the Lardashen cause faithfully, and therefore obeyed Trian without question, but the Warlord disturbed McRawl. A half-elf who detested elves, and had the ability to shape shift into the form of others, as he had apparently done when posing as Princess Megan, was disturbing enough. But Trian had other, more frightening, things that made those pale in comparison. He somehow controlled a dragon, and McRawl had seen some of the so called experiments that the Warlord and his wizard had conducted. The captain respected Trian’s power, but was afraid of him even more. After hearing the details of Trian’s survival from what should have been three separate fatal blows, McRawl now believed that Trian was something far darker then he appeared to be.

McRawl jolted when he heard the Warlord’s voice. “You are smarter than most men.” Trian said, as he appeared out of the darkness. Seeing the surprise on McRawl’s face, he said, “I have the ability to hear thoughts, too.”

McRawl feared for his safety. The Warlord snickered, and said, “Relax, McRawl. I have more trust in you than I do in that pathetic excuse for a Supreme Commander. It is you and I who will win this revolution, not him.”

“I have heard that there is evidence that the sword bearer is traveling through the Tilsaw.” McRawl commented, hoping to change the subject.

“So I have been told.” Trian acknowledged. “It appears that some assassins who had been dispatched to locate them have been found dead on the plains near Sistle, yet our spies indicate that there has been no sign of any strangers in the town for days. So it is only logical that they must be attempting to travel through the forest on their way here. They probably have heard that the princess is no longer a captive.”

McRawl snorted, “If they are in the Tilsaw, then we may never find them. Fortunately, they may never find their way out either.”

“It would not be fortunate to lose the Sword of Alexon.” Trian disagreed.

“No, I guess it would not.”

Trian looked off into the distance. “I have patrolled the area myself to no avail. I believe that our only chance of finding them is to go into the forest.”

McRawl shook his head, “My lord, the Tilsaw is vast, and many believe it to be magical. Perhaps that is why even you cannot track them in there. If that is the case, then it would be nearly impossible to anticipate where they might be in that forest.”

“Impossible for most,” Trian agreed, “but the wizard has located skilled hunters that can assist us.”

“Hunters?” McRawl asked.

“Trolls.”

McRawl’s eyes widened, “I did not believe that trolls really existed.”

“Oh, they do exist, but they are very rare. The wizard was able to locate some, and recruited them into our service.”

McRawl was confused, “Your wizard can locate trolls without leaving his lair? That is impressive, and even more so that he can put them under his control. How can he accomplish such a thing?”

“The wizard has special abilities, even for a magic user.” Trian explained.

The Warlord whistled. Hearing something behind him, McRawl turned to see three figures approaching out of the darkness. He reached for his sword at the sight of the seven foot tall monstrosities being led by a nervous soldier. The beasts had muscular, apelike limbs, with leathery grey skin and scraggly patches of fur across their backs, legs and feet. Their eyes were large and black. They bared their sharpened teeth as they looked about. “What in the abyss?”

“These did not come from the abyss, Captain. These are what the ancient elves called Shin-La. They are more commonly called trolls, but I prefer their original name. Shin-La were used in ancient times to serve the Dragon Lords. In addition to other skills, they are merciless hunters who can run for days—even weeks—without the need for rest. They served quite well as a deterrent to rebellion in the ancient world. If the wizard can locate more of them, we can use them as a powerful army against our enemies.”

“You plan to send three trolls after Landis and his trained men?” McRawl questioned the Warlord.

“Do not underestimate them. Trolls—if you must continue to call them that—are very difficult to kill. They can survive sword strikes, arrows, even magical attacks, and continue. Oh, they can be destroyed; it is just difficult to do. Once on someone’s trail, they will not stop. I cannot think of a better way to hunt the half-elf.”

“How will you get them there?”

“I will take them myself,” Trian explained.