The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 01 - Elseerian (19 page)

“Liri, do you think it would be a good idea to talk to them?” Erix asked the elf maid at his side.

She considered it for a moment, then said, “Maybe, but it would have to be just elves.” She glanced at Taryn with an apologetic look.

He gave a tiny nod and smile to let her know he understood why she didn’t include him with her race, hoping the twinge he felt didn’t show on his face.

“Whatever you do, you had better do it soon,” Erix said as he pointed towards the elves.

They all looked up to see even more elves on the battlements, and a contingent of the lithe fighters armed with longbows streaming out of the gates to line up along the bridge ahead of them. Taryn quickly guessed that there were now over a hundred ready to fight—many of them with arrows already notched.

Liri’s expression became determined as she bounded to the front of the ship—with Mae right behind her. Calling out, she addressed her people, “I am Liriana Allasse Tel’Runya of the House of Runya. We have completed our training on the island of Sri Rosen and are returning to our homeland. May we pass in peace?” She finished her formal request and bowed to indicate her respect.

No one spoke on the bridge or boat until the
Sea Dancer
closed the gap to a mere twenty feet. Then one of the elves on the bridge stepped out of the throng of archers and responded in a voice of steel, “You may pass, Lady Liriana of the House of Runya and your sister companion, but know this . . . any non-elf will be destroyed for setting foot in the Forest of
Numenessee
.”

Despite his assurance that they could pass, not a single elf lowered their bow even a fraction. The normally happy elves watched stone-faced as the ship and its occupants passed underneath them into the shadow of the bridge. For a few minutes the creaks of the ship and dripping water echoed in the tunnel until they emerged on the other side to find the elves already watching them—with bows still drawn.

A turn in the river finally put the disturbing sight behind them, and several people breathed easier without it in view. But Taryn noticed that, just as before, they were still being watched from within the forest. His brow furrowed at the continued vigil as he considered the ramifications of the odd exchange. Mulling over the event he felt like there was something he was missing, something in what the elf had said. Despite his efforts, it refused to come to the surface. Sicili

For the most part, the next few hours passed in relative peace. Sailors went about their business while the fighters and Thacker’s family rested or talked in muted tones. At first Taryn assumed their subdued behavior was due to the encounter with the elves, but as the afternoon passed no one began playing or laughing. No banter or teasing from sailors, fighters, or the family lightened the mood. As time passed it became clear to Taryn that the elves had been a catalyst.
It
, whatever
it
was, was beginning to affect them too. Even as Taryn leaned against the rail to watch the sluggish river, he found that his own heart beat faster for no apparent reason. Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling of icy fear that sank deep into his belly.

Liriana’s shoulder bumped his as she joined him—causing him to flinch.

“You feel it too, don’t you,” she whispered.

He nodded and responded without turning, “I don’t think we are as bad as the elves, or even the people in the city—but it is definitely beginning to affect us.”

She was silent for a long time, long enough for the sun to begin to set. “We do have a problem though,” she finally said.

Now he did turn to her, with one eyebrow raised.

“How are we going to get
you
to Azertorn?”

He blinked and furrowed his brow as he realized that
she
could enter the forest but the elves wouldn’t allow him. A flood of questions instantly bombarded his mind. Where was he going to start now? How was everything that was happening going to affect him?

Liri must have been able to read on his face what was going through his mind, because she placed her hand lightly on his forearm. “We will figure it out, I promise.” She looked at him until his expression lightened and he focused on her. “Together . . . we will go to Azertorn and find your family.”

At her statement he sighed deeply, and then smiled and nudged her. “I know Liri, I just don’t know how.”

They stayed there on the rail until the sun had set and darkness began to encircle them. No one disturbed them, possibly because it seemed they didn’t want to be interrupted, but more likely because everyone was too preoccupied with their own fear to notice anybody else.

Taryn spent the time considering options on how to bypass the elves watching their ship . . . in a forest they knew by heart and that he was unfamiliar with. They both knew without saying that their original route to the city wouldn’t work. If they guarded
one
ship this well, the elves were sure to be watching roads and cities far more carefully. Their only chance lay in slipping past the elves and heading towards the city
before
they arrived at Tallendale. Tonight, he came to realize, would be their only chance. Smiling sadly, he told Liri what he thought and they began devising a plan to slip past scores of the most alert race in Lumineia.

Chapter 11: The Giant’s Shelf

Taryn eased himself down the rope and into the silent water with Liri right behind him. Darkness enshrouded everything around them in the cloudy night—but the two weren’t taking any chances at being seen, so they slipped into the river on the south side of the boat. With the
Sea Dancer
obscuring the view from the north, it was a simple matter to let go and sink underwater.

Taryn entered the murky river still holding Liri’s hand and took a deep lungful of air before silently disappearing from view. Inky stillness engulfed him like a cold blanket. His pack drifted downward, tugging him with it until he drifted ten feet underwater, suspended in the cool current. Every few moments the clouds would part, casting an otherworldly glow of soft moonlight that penetrated the water and illuminated Liri’s form beside him. Counting the seconds as he forced himself to stay under, he tried to allow his body to drift naturally in the slow river and give their ship time to move far enough away that the watchers wouldn’t see him surface.

With his whole body screaming for air, he forced himself to gradually empty his lungs and then waited until the last possible second before bringing his face to the surface. Like just another ripple in the water the two of them surfaced for air every few minutes until he felt it was safe to move. Squeezing Liri’s hand to let her know he was going to swim towards shore, he took one last breath but this time lifted his eyes out of the water as well. Only rising enough for a quick glance, he chose a dark alcove and ducked underwater one last time. Then he began pulling himself slowly through the water. Thirty seconds later his hands came in contact with the muddy bank and he slowed his movements.

Easing himself above the water, he scanned the darkness for several seconds before lifting himself clear from the river. Once he was out of the water, he darted to the trunk of a large tree to dry himself off. Grabbing the sealskin bag that had been tied to his leg he pulled dry clothes out of the waterproof material and quickly changed—with his eyes searching the darkened forest around him. He had to admit to himself that he couldn’t tell if his anxiousness was due to what he was doing or whatever
IT
was . . .

Within a minute Taryn was strapping on his weapons and working his way east to find Liri. They had decided to come ashore in different locations just in case one got caught. Slipping through the forest with the sound of a shadow, he had to go only fifty paces.  Hearing an owl hoot, he turned in the direction of the sound to find Liri stepping out of the river with water glistening all over her body. Both of them smiled at the sight of the other. He had always been able to distinguish her owl hoot when they played games together during early training—and the memory of a happier time stood out in stark contrast to their present circumstances.

The memory faded all too quickly, and Taryn turned away to allow her to change clothes. Two minutes later they set out towards Azertorn with Liri in the lead. Uncomfortable silence enclosed them in the dark forest with nothing to mark the passage of time. It only took Taryn a moment to identify that something felt out of place.

There were no normal forest sounds—no animals, no wind, nothing. He resisted the urge to grab Liri’s arm to ask her about it, recalling her words before they’d disembarked. She’d shared an elven secret with him, that the trees spoke to the elves and might hear them if they spoke aloud. For some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, it seemed like she’d been reluctant to tell him—and not solely because it was an elven secret.

Resigning himself to waiting, he followed her through the maze of trunks. Pushing on until past dawn, they holed up in a shaded gully for the day, electing to set up camp in a secluded cave. Taryn, still wide awake and with senses heightened, volunteered to keep watch while an exhausted Liri slept through the morning. They switched after a quick meal in the early afternoon and he caught a few hours of sleep while they waited for the relative cover of darkness to return. Sometime after dusk he felt a light touch on his shoulder and snapped awake, ready for danger. She shook her head with a yawn so he buckled his weapons on and rose to his feet, stretching.

Stifling another yawn, Liri stood up beside him and handed him some bread, meat, and cheese. For some reason she seemed annoyed so he caught her eye and raised an eyebrow. 

She shook her head and leaned over, whispering into his ear so quietly he barely heard her, “You could go forever I swear.”

Her pursed lips and furrowed brow made him want to laugh so he bit his lip to avoid making any sound, but he couldn’t help his shoulders shaking in suppressed humor. Liri flashed him a frown that didn’t reach her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder before gathering her things. With a last soundless chuckle he helped her with her pack and fell into step behind her, trying to finish his dinner in silence.

All night they traveled through the forest, avoiding trails or roads. Taryn also noticed that Liri seemed to be following a very indirect route, moving north, northeast, and then due west before turning north again. Leaning forward and tapping her shoulder he wiggled a hand in a curving route and gave her a questioning look. She nodded and formed her hands into the shape of a house, then slid one hand around it. Taryn nodded, satisfied that she knew the forest well enough to avoid any of the numerous villages that dotted the vast expanse of elven woodland.

Despite their efforts, they still had to detour twice around elven patrols that they barely heard in time. After the second patrol, they decided to try crossing the large road that lead to the great bridge on the Blue River. Avoiding detection in the crossing would be difficult, but once across, their passage should be easier. With wide, empty ocean to the west, there should be fewer patrols, Liri had reasoned. There was less to protect from that direction anyway.

Traveling west, they found the road just before the first rays of dawn streaked the sky. Seeing no one, they dashed across before the light could reveal their presence and continued north towards Azertorn.

Discovering another good hiding spot, they rested during the day once more before continuing on. Taryn found himself enjoying the walk with Liri, but began to understand why she hadn’t wanted to tell him about the trees. He felt discouraged by the lack of conversation and guessed that Liri felt the same. She had always been easy to talk to, but he hadn’t realized until now how much he liked the conversation. Every time he saw some plant or a track from an animal he had to resist asking a question.

Sighing in frustration, he forced his attention from the elf walking in front of him and looked at the trees instead. Even at night he could tell how beautiful the forest of
Numenessee
was—despite the unnatural silence. Giant trees, some hundreds of feet tall, left little light to penetrate to the undergrowth. Their enormous limbs seemed to extend out protecting arms over the smaller plants and brush, leaving him with the impression that the entire forest lived and breathed as one.

Taryn and Liri continued throughout the night and stopped when dawn began to lighten the forest. Finding a huge tree that had fallen across another, they decided to camp in the cave-like space underneath the massive trunk. Just before Liri fell asleep she murmured, “We only have another hour or so before we hit the Giant’s Shelf and the city.”

He nodded and whispered, “Good,” and then only loud enough for his own ears he added, “But then how am I going to get in?”

The daytime passed quickly with the two of them getting some rest and keeping watch. Before Taryn knew it, Liri was shaking him awake an hour before dusk. When he saw the early hour he looked at her questioningly, but she nodded reassuringly and leaned in close to speak to him.

“I want to show you the city with some light,” she whispered, keeping her voice low, her eyes sparkling.

“What about guards?” Taryn asked just as quiet.

She chuckled softly, “They will be protecting the forest.  The city has its own defenses and I doubt they will put any scouts this close.”

His puzzled expression only made her more amused.

“You will understand when you see the city.
No one
gets into the city without permission.”

He opened his mouth to protest that was exactly what he needed to do but her grin widened and she put a finger on his lips. “Except you Taryn.”

Her confident demeanor spread to him and he reluctantly set his worry aside, his thoughts lingering instead on the place where her finger had brushed his lips. Still distracted, he gathered the rest of his gear and hurried to follow his guide as the sun began to sink into the horizon. Fading daylight filtered through layers of branches to cast beams of orange and red as the two glided through the deepening shadows.