The Callindra Chronicles Book One - First Quest (30 page)

“
I’ll… bring you to your
mother.”  Callindra said, picking him up and walking back
toward the common room.

When they told Vilhylm and Cronos about what
they had learned Vil rose from his chair, knocking it over with the
force of his standing.  “We must go at once!  We must
find her!”

In spite of herself, Callindra couldn’t help
but agree.  This was an urgent need; kidnapping someone from
their rooms, even someone like the Countess, wasn’t something they
could overlook.

-

Tracking the kidnappers had taxed Callindra’s
skills to their absolute limit, but she managed to trace the hoof
prints of their horses along the road heading north.  Once
they were on the road, they rode hard and just as the dawn light
was breaking they could see a small camp ahead.  Their quarry
had apparently ridden a long way to get to the town of Maple and
now their animals were spent less than an hour from the town.

“
We should prepare
ourselves.”  Vilhylm said grimly, dismounting from his horse.
 “They won’t expect someone from town to have found them this
quickly.”

“
It looks like haven’t even
posted guards.”  Cronos said, looking down at the camp.
 “Either they’re mad or supremely overconfident.”

“
Are we sure about this?”
 Tryst asked, his brow furrowing with worry.  “I don’t
want to jump to any conclusions.”

“
Have you even looked at the
camp?”  Callindra asked, “They have her wrapped in her blanket
from the inn and trussed like a huntsman’s kill.  If they
don’t intend her harm, why would they have taken her from her room
at night?  I may not like her much, but it’s obvious she
didn’t go willingly.”

“
We must at least give
warning before we attack.”  Tryst said.

“
What?”  Said Vilhylm,
“We will do no such thing!  If they know we are attacking they
may well kill or injure my Lady!  That cannot be
allowed.”

“
We must hit them hard and
fast.”  Cronos said, “I will target the furthest with magic
while the rest of you hit them full on with everything you’ve
got.”

“
I can hit them with more
than steel.”  Callindra said with a feral smile.

“
I don’t think that’s a good
idea.”  Said Cronos with an apologetic glance, “You don’t have
restraint or control and might hit things you don’t intend
to.”

“
I guess you’re right.”
 She said, not happy about him being right but acknowledging
that the winds resented being ordered around.  “Let’s get to
work before they notice us.”

With that, they swept down the hill at a run,
Cronos firing bolts of arcane power to strike two of the men
nearest the trussed up woman.  Their enemies didn’t stand a
chance, Callindra cleaving the head from one and severing the leg
of another while Vilhylm took the two remaining men and smashed
their heads together with brutal force.

Callindra almost felt remorse at slaughtering
them in this way, but she quickly suppressed it. These men had
chosen to attack her friend. They had chosen to take the Countess
from her bed against her will. Actions had consequences and they
were now answering to whatever Gods they believed in for them.

-

Vilhylm took his belt knife and cut the
Countess free.  “Are you unharmed my Lady?”  He said,
smiling into her face.

Instead of giving the kind of response that
might have been expected the Countess Adbar burst into bubbling
laughter the moment she was freed.  Gasping for breath, she
took his face between her hands and planted an impassioned kiss on
his lips that lasted for much longer than propriety would allow
for.

“
Oh darling, I could
withstand anything as long as you were the one to come and rescue
me.”  She said, clinging to him with the fervor of a devoted
lover.

Callindra turned away, feeling slightly
embarrassed at the wanton display but caught concerned looks
fleeing from the faces of the other two men.  It seemed her
friends shared her discomfort.

“
I think she is a bit ill.”
Tryst said, peering into the Countess’s eyes.  “Perhaps it
would be wise to take a moment to ascertain her condition before we
continue.”

In order for the priest to actually examine
the woman, Vilhylm had to physically restrain her.  She
writhed and moaned, burning with what seemed to be a fever only it
was impossibly hot.  In addition, she was either insulting
them with the vilest profanity or demanding carnal favors almost
equally repellent.  Callindra and Cronos had moved aside,
sitting next to the fire the men had started and going through
their bags.

The only items of interest were small pouches
of platinum and notes found on each of their bodies.  The
notes simply said ‘Bring her back at any cost.’  There was no
signature.

“
Where’s Adbar’s keep?”
 Callindra asked.

“
I have no idea.”  Said
Cronos, pulling his map from the protective oiled case he kept it
in and rolled it out for them to study.  “I think we’re about
here.”  He said, pointing his finger just north and west of
the town of Maple.

“
Isn’t this where we were
headed?”  Callindra asked, pointing to the map.  “This
says ‘High Forest’ and it looks like it’s less than a day’s ride
away.”

“
I think you’re right.”
 Cronos said, “I thought it was a lot further away than
that.”

“
This is good news.”
 Said Tryst, his face grave.  “She needs attention that
goes beyond my capabilities.  I hear that the leader of the
elves is a most skilled healer.”

The screams of the Countess grew even more
shrill and angry, “You won’t take me to that accursed place!
 I’ll rotting kill you first!”

In spite of her screams of outrage, they tied
her to one of the spare horses and rode toward the forest. The
further in they walked, the more desperate Adbar’s screams became.
 

“
Vilhylm, are you sure about
this?”  Callindra asked, “She’s really hurting
herself.”

He looked at the blood that was darkening the
rope around the Countess’s wrists, her struggles having torn the
skin.  “Stop it Countess, we are going to get you help.”
 He said imploringly, “Please, the Elves can make you
better.”

“
I’ve had about enough of
this.”  Callindra said, and before anyone could stop her she
brought the heavy pommel of her sword down sharply on the back of
the woman’s head.  She slumped into unconsciousness and
Callindra checked the pulse at her neck calmly, as though she did
this kind of thing every day.

The others were staring at her in shock.
 “Callindra, wasn’t that a little extreme?”  Tryst asked
quietly.

“
She was putting all our
lives in danger.”  Callindra responded, “Do you want whatever
beasts lurk beneath these trees to be drawn to us because of her
screams?”

As if in response to her question a group of
Elves melted out of the underbrush, bows strung with arrows knocked
to the string.  They were dressed in woodland greens, grays
and browns and moved without a sound.

“
Stay where you are.”
 Their leader said, “You will not bring evil into the High
Forest.”

“
Haven’t we already entered
into the Forest?”  Callindra asked, looking at the trees that
surrounded them.

“
No.”  He said shortly,
“You have yet to enter the Domain of Jorda.  You have yet to
enter the High Forest.”

“
Then let us enter!”
 Vilhylm shouted, “We have a sick woman!  She needs
help!”

“
She carries a taint that I
would deign to poison this pristine wilderness with.”  The Elf
said, “Take her and go.  Bring her to one of your mortal
priests.”

“
I am a mortal priest.”
 Tryst said, “Whatever ails this Lady is beyond my purview,
but beyond that I am on a mission from my Holy Order and I must
speak with the Druids who reside here.”

The Elves spoke to one another in a language
that sounded like water bubbling over rocks mixed with birdsong.
 Finally the leader turned back to them with a grave look on
his face.

“
We will allow you to
approach until the Goddess can decide if she is worthy of
treatment.”  He glared at them, “If you insist on bringing her
forward you shall be judged along with her.”

“
That is a risk I will
gladly take.”  Vilhylm said without hesitation.

“
I think she is a risk, but
allowing something to infect her like this and go unchecked is a
far worse risk.”  Tryst said, “If whatever has taken root in
her is allowed to spread it could mean trouble, even for your
kind.”

“
We will leave if we are
unwelcome.”  Cronos said stiffly, “But we were told to come
and speak with you by the Dryad Tyreen.  We have traveled long
and through much danger to come here and I won’t allow that to go
to waste.  There are things happening in the world that
shouldn’t go unreported or unnoticed.”

Callindra looked over the Elves who were
arrayed around them in a semi-circle.  “You haven’t seen them
have you?”  She asked, “The creatures with the eyes of emerald
fire?”

The leader shifted, a movement so slight that
she would have missed it if she hadn’t been specifically looking
for it.  His men didn’t move so either they didn’t have a clue
what she was talking about or hadn’t heard her.  She was
betting on the former.

“
Come.”  He said, “My
name is Latoran.  I am the leader of these warriors, the elite
of the High Forest guard.  I will bring you to see Luaga and
he will decide if you are to be shown out of our domain or allowed
into the presence of Jorda.”

“
That’s fair enough.”
 Tryst said, and then turned to give Vilhylm a reassuring
smile.  “I’m sure Luaga will decide to help her.”

“
Yeah, because these others
are so bedamned friendly.”  Cronos muttered.  

Chapter 25

They were led through a screen of thick
brush and found themselves in a beautiful woodland that almost
seemed manicured.  The trees rose far above their heads,
seeming impossibly tall with trunks dozens of feet thick.  It
looked nothing like what it had when they were on the other side of
the screen of brush.

Callindra tried to conceal her surprise, but
knew she had failed when she saw the smug look on one of the Elf
archer’s faces.  Instead of trying to pretend, she decided to
try and get some information out of the woman.  “Why?
 How?  This is amazing!”

“
Mortals tend to despoil
things that don’t fit into their narrow perception of how things
are supposed to be.”  The archer replied, giving her a frosty
look.  “I don’t imagine you would understand as fleeting as
your life is, but we have to take a much longer view of
things.”

“
What do you mean?”
 Callindra asked, knowing what the Elf was likely to
say.

“
These trees are our home.
 We must ensure they are here for us forever, as we live until
our lives are cut short by unnatural means.”  

“
Death isn’t unnatural.”
 Callindra said, “Everything dies eventually, isn’t that part
of the whole circle of life thing?”

“
I don’t expect a mortal to
understand.”  The Elf said, “That is why we have ensorcelled
the forest as we have.”

Callindra thought on that for a few minutes.
 “If you don’t explain something, how can you expect someone
to understand?”

The Elf woman didn’t respond and Callindra
rode on in silence.  The concept of immortality was one she
had never considered before, living the way she had made her see
death around every corner and with the dawn of each rising sun.
 She knew there was a limited time for her to be graced with
life and every minute had to be lived to the fullest.  Living
to an old age wasn’t something she had ever thought of.

“
It must be hard for you.”
 She finally said, “Trying to think of everything all at once
and always worrying about making a mistake that you’ll have to deal
with forever.  I can’t imagine living like that; someone like
me can hardly believe the miracle of living to another sunrise let
alone thinking of a thousand sunrises in the future.”

The Elf woman didn’t respond, but gave her a
look that had slightly less condescension than it had before.
 Well, at least that was a start.  With Elves there was
no way she could expect to change centuries of prejudice in just a
few hours.

-

They entered a wide space that would have
been a meadow had it not been for the spreading boughs of the
incredible tree that rose above them.  Although it was still
far off, Callindra estimated that it was nearly a thousand feet
high and the trunk at least five hundred feet thick.  The
branches above gave shelter from direct sun, and beautiful swards
of green grass spread out before them.

The moment that she was brought beneath the
branches of the Grandfather Tree, the Countess was awake.  The
light of insanity shone behind her eyes, but she made no movement,
watching the approach of a delegation of some import approaching
from the direction of the tree.  She was quiet while Vilhylm
lifted her from the back of the horse and she stood quietly while
Latoran greeted the Elf man who seemed to be old.  

He had slight wrinkle lines around his eyes
and his hair was purely white.  For a human he would have
looked just past middle age, but based on what she’d seen of the
other Elves with their perfect skin and straw blonde hair he was
ancient.  After a short conference with Latoran he turned
toward them.