Elfhunter (31 page)

Gorgon spoke quietly in the darkness. "Yea, Lord
Wrothgar, it has been so long since I have been aware of Thee. Yet
I wonder… why have I heard not from Thee in all this time? What
force has drawn Thee here now?"

The force of thy destiny draws Me hither. As I have
spoken to thee in the pit of thy despair, thou art ready at last.
Come to Me and accomplish thy purpose. I will give to thee a gift
that will vanquish thy foes, and they and their kind shall weep
long ‘ere thy purpose is fulfilled. Come to Me and nourish again
thy hatred. Remember thy name and recall what thou art!

At these words, the familiar rage welled again in
Gorgon, and he answered Wrothgar with words of his own. "Yea, Lord,
I will. I will not promise to submit to Thy bidding, even as I
could not before, but I will hear Thy council."

Let it be so. Heal thyself, and come to Me as soon
as thy strength is recovered. I will await thee.

Gorgon waited for a moment, but the voice of Wrothgar
came no more. Gorgon truly slept then, as the pain of his wounds
seemed to grow less. The Black Flame had called him and offered to
aid him in the defeat of his enemies. Gorgon hated and feared
Wrothgar, and with reason aplenty, but he also revered his power
and purpose. His pride had welled in him once again, and he would
not let fear stay him in slaying the Elves and wreaking his
vengeance. Now he would will himself into a long, deep sleep, as
his body healed itself. When he regained his strength he would turn
aside from his intended path and make his way back the way he had
come, toward Tûr Dorcha in the south of the Darkmere.

Lady Ordath, daughter of Shandor the Asarla and
Liathwyn of the Èolar, understood the ways of many races and
possessed unique insights into the hearts of Elves and men. She had
known of rare unions between the Elàni and the Aridani, and so it
was to her that Rogond finally decided to go for counsel. The
innuendoes given by Magra concerning Gaelen could only be explained
by Ordath, who apparently understood the nature of them. Ordath
herself had stated that Rogond’s desire for Gaelen was "ill-fated".
All such unions were considered to be ill-fated. Why, then, had
Ordath been compelled to point this out to him? It was time to make
matters plain.

Mountain-home was indeed a wondrous realm. Sheltered
and hidden by the surrounding mountain peaks it should have been
clouded, cold and grey, but it was not so, for magic had shaped it,
and the Lady now kept it. Her influence could be seen in the
open-air courtyards, tall trees, and foliage reminiscent of a
carefully-tended garden. This contrasted with the Sanctuary
itself—a massive white granite structure rising from amidst the
green.

Lord Shandor had designed this monument to learning,
and, like its founder, it was stark and cold. Yet he had made it
strong and enduring to remind all who beheld it of the power of
knowledge.

Two bright springs arose from the center of the
realm, flowing musically along to the southeast and southwest
before disappearing beneath the rocks. Outside they emerged as two
mighty watercourses, enlarged by the melting snow, crashing down
the mountainside to be reunited into the clear but always-chill
river Artan. Within the influence of Mountain-home the air was warm
and the stars were bright, despite the cold mists of winter still
clinging to the mountains outside.

Rogond found Ordath relaxing in one of her light,
airy courtyards surrounded by flowering vines that filled the air
with their fragrance. She looked up from the manuscript she had
been studying, for she knew of his approach almost before he did.
"Come and sit with me, Tuathan, for I would speak with you awhile."
Rogond bowed, and then moved to sit across the small table from
Ordath, who watched him intently.

After a moment, Rogond spoke. "It is well that you
wish to speak with me, Lady, as I also have matters I would discuss
with you. However, I am not certain how to broach them, as they
are… somewhat delicate."

Ordath smiled to herself, as she had always favored
Rogond and found his awkward manner in the present situation rather
disarming. "Perhaps you would do better to wait until I have
brought up my own concerns, as they may be closely tied to your
own," she said. Rogond looked hopefully at her and nodded.

"I have always been fond of you, young Aridan, and
have taken a special interest in you since you were first brought
to the Sanctuary. I have heard good things about your exploits
since you left us years ago, and I am pleased that you have done so
well in the company of your own people. I would state that I take
some pride in having had a hand in your education. Therefore, if I
see you going down a path that I would deem unwise, I must at least
make you aware of my concerns. Do you understand?"

Rogond nodded, though he was beginning to worry that
the "unwise path" to which Ordath referred was precisely the one he
had come to inquire of himself. Abruptly, Ordath startled Rogond
with a very direct question:

"Exactly what is the nature of your desired
relationship with Gaelen Taldin?"

Rogond drew back from Ordath’s straightforward gaze,
dropping his eyes for a moment. He had been hoping to lead
gradually up to this sort of question, but the Lady was obviously
unwilling to allow him that luxury. After collecting his thoughts,
he looked again upon Ordath’s very perceptive countenance.

"I’m not quite certain how I should answer that," he
said. "Then allow me to put it another way," said Ordath gently.
She did not wish to make Rogond uncomfortable, but she needed to
get to the truth. "Is Gaelen merely your friend, or are you
enamored of her? Is she but an attractive plaything, or are you
hoping to make her yours, so that you might be bound to her
forever?"

Rogond thought for a moment. Was that really what he
wanted? Did he love Gaelen enough to bind himself to her?

"She is much more than a plaything, and yes, she is
my friend. But I cannot now imagine life without her. You ask if I
hope to bind myself to her. I love her more with each day that
passes, and the more I learn of her, the stronger my attachment
becomes. So I suppose the answer to the question is, yes, I
think."

Ordath’s mouth twitched in a suppressed smile. "You
think
? Are you uncertain of this?"

Rogond looked flustered for a moment. "I am only
uncertain because I have been trained well to never consider the
possibility of such a union. I…I was hoping for some insight from
you into such matters."

Ordath nodded thoughtfully. "Rogond, will you tell me
how this love for Gaelen came to be, and how it has progressed?
What has drawn you to her, such that you would consider binding
yourself to one of Elven-kind, against all the advice you have ever
been given?" Then Rogond told Ordath all he could about his
attachment to Gaelen, from the moment she first sang to him as he
lay in the deadly grip of fever, to the journeys they had taken
together and the perils they had faced.

"When I thought Gaelen might be lost in her effort to
save Nelwyn, I felt the life drain out of me, as though my heart
would be wrenched from me. I want to be with her always, even if it
means keeping my feelings hidden."

His face had flushed bright red by then, and he
dropped his eyes.

"Just being there to protect and defend her would be
preferable to being without her. The worst fate I can imagine at
that moment would be…to be sent away, never to see her again. And
she will
need
protection! I love and admire her spirit, but
she…well, she must have someone to moderate her. She will need my
strength and my spear and blade, as well. Please do not counsel
that I must leave her, for I will not, at least not without her
command. And having sought your wisdom, I shall not wish to gainsay
it."

"Does she know anything of this?" asked Ordath. "She
is obviously fond of you, but does she have any idea of the depth
of your devotion to her?"

Rogond considered. "I don’t know. I haven’t told her,
but I don’t know what she may have guessed already."

"My suspicion is that she is still fairly naïve
concerning you, gentle Aridan. Otherwise she might have left you
already. She is wise and experienced in the way of the wild, as you
are aware, but she knows little of the intricacies of the heart.
Gaelen tends to see everything as either right or wrong. She may
have some difficulty seeing this union as being ‘right’."

Rogond nodded, but his expression indicated that he
did not think Gaelen would leave him, at least not without
explanation. After a brief silence, he found the courage to ask the
question that had prompted his visit.

"Magra has indicated that I would be quite unwise to
involve myself with Gaelen, and I sense that this warning goes
beyond the obvious. He will not explain, but tells me I should
inquire of you if I wish to learn more. Will you enlighten me?"

Ordath raised one dark, elegant eyebrow. "I am not
certain that all should be told here. Galador has also expressed
concerns to me of this. Apparently, Magra and Nelwyn have spoken to
him concerning your attachment to Gaelen. Do not be wrathful!
Galador is a true friend, and he wishes to stay his friend from
folly. He did gain some enlightenment from me, though not as much
as he would have wished for. I will tell you now that you will need
to learn much of it from Gaelen herself. Magra was also acting in
your behalf, for he thinks well of you…
despite
your
shameless effrontery!" She paused and shot a stern look at Rogond,
though there was amusement beneath the surface.

Rogond flushed at the gentle rebuke. "It was not
entirely shameless, my lady, not by morning, at any rate. But
though I regret the affront, I would not take back my action. I
would still have risked denting Magra’s pride for a dance with
Gaelen."

"Admit it, my friend. You were marking your claim.
Your demeanor made that clear from the first. We all took note of
it. In your situation it is understandable; men live for such a
short span of years that patience and forbearance may not number
among their virtues. Yet this is so unlike your usual
comportment…it was this that concerned Magra. As to your request
for enlightenment, to you I will give that which I feel it is my
right to give. But first, I would speak plainly with you concerning
the Elàni and the Aridani, and why it is that the union of one with
the other is ill-advised. I know that you may have been told of
this already, but hear me and take heed." Ordath then told of those
unions of Elves and men that were known to her and of the
devastating results. None could deny the fate that awaited every
man, and Rogond would indeed pass out of the realm of reckoning
when death took him. Gaelen could not follow him, and she would be
forever apart from him with no hope of reunion. Should she give up
her life before him, her spirit would go to Elysia, the eternal
realm set aside for the Elves by Aontar.

Rogond would never see her again.

"One of the things that makes death bearable is the
hope of being reunited with those we love who have gone before,"
she said. "To bind yourself to one of Elven-kind may mean happiness
for your brief span of days, but loneliness and longing on the part
of both for eternity. You shall be separated beyond hope. Ask your
friend Galador about the agony of such a loss, and you shall be
enlightened. And I judge there will be no exception made for you,
or for Gaelen." Her eyes filled with deep sadness as she continued.
"Not even the mightiest Asarla can gain entry into Elysia."

Rogond knew that this simple truth had doomed her
father, Shandor, to an eternity of longing for his beloved
Liathwyn, such that he had lost his reason. This had no doubt
grieved Ordath greatly, for she had loved her father. And what fate
had been ordained for Ordath herself, who was both Elf and Asarla,
upon her passing? Not even the wise could say.

Rogond could not hope to escape this eternal parting,
for Gaelen could not follow him into death. But neither would she
choose to do so, no matter how much she came to care for him, said
Ordath. "There is one who awaits her on the shores of Elysia—one to
whom her heart has already been given. He will await their reunion
until she can follow him, or until the End of Days. Her heart has
been given."

The color drained from Rogond’s face, and he fought
to maintain the steadiness of his gaze into the eyes of the Lady.
The pain of being the deliverer of this news was clearly written
there.

"Oh. I see. And who is this fortunate one for whom
she holds her heart in reserve?"

"That I cannot tell you, as Gaelen herself must
reveal it. But I will say this—do not count him fortunate, for much
of his life was hard nearly beyond enduring. And he did not become
acquainted with Gaelen until the very end of it. They had precious
little time together—a matter of hours, I would say. He died a hard
death, Rogond, for many reasons." Ordath looked into the distance
for a moment, her face drawn with the painful memory.

Rogond looked bewildered. "Hours, you say? How could
a strong heart such as Gaelen’s be given so quickly? How could such
a brief bond be so unbreakable?"

Ordath sighed. "Have you not heard what I have said
concerning her? She sees all things as right or wrong. And he was
much the same. You should know that such immediate attractions
occasionally happen among the Elàni. They bonded forever by the end
of their first meeting, though neither of them intended or wished
for it. He, in particular, was filled with both joy and regret, for
he had foreknowledge of his impending doom. She would have followed
him then, had he allowed it." She shook her head. "As I have said,
do not count him fortunate. He lived most of his life in grim
solitude only to find the one he would share it with in the last
days. Imagine the knowledge that you would have such a short-lived
relationship." To this, Rogond answered: "But it was not
short-lived—she carries him in her heart even now! I would sooner
have her for a brief while, knowing that one day we would be
together for eternity, than never have known her at all."