The Elf King (19 page)

“
Tane, your father was
Turyn Andelline. King of Cillitran. He was a dear friend of mine.
He died recently. His son was killed weeks before. This was done to
leave no heir to the throne of Cillitran.” Shadox watched their
faces shift with curiosity and disbelief. “You, Tane, are the only
heir left.”

“
What?”

“
You are King.” Shadox
stated flatly.

“
No...” Qenn shook his head
in disbelief.

“
My mother—” Tane began,
but Shadox cut him short.

“
Your mother kept you a
secret, which in turn kept you alive. Not knowing your heritage
does not make it untrue. You are who I say, Tane. And I am here to
take you home.”

Tane began shaking his
head, rising to his feet. “No. This is all wrong. You are mistaken,
sorcerer.”

“
I am not wrong, Tane. Sit.
Listen.”

Tane was furious.
“Leave!”

Shadox stood then,
towering over Qenn as he rose beside him. Tane stood his ground,
pointing to the door. Shadox’s stern expression did not loosen, his
dark eyes remained fixed on Tane’s. “The reason your father and
brother died, was because the
Mrenx
Ku
is aware of a power they possess. A
power they could unlock, rather. It’s in their blood. Yours as
well, Tane. With the heirs removed, the power to unlock it would be
removed as well.”

Shadox gave Tane a look so
hard that the other lowered his hand and obediently began to
listen. Once Tane surrendered his attention, Shadox began again.
“Many, many years ago, the Elves fought beside the Men of
Cillitran. The Elven Lord created a power and gave it to the King.
This power was hidden inside a sword. To make certain that the
power was never unleashed by an unrightful bearer, the Elf Lord
also infused a magic into the King’s body, his blood. It is how the
Elves keep their magic, passing it on through their bloodline. So
it was natural that they created the sword’s power to do the same.
Doing this ensured the King that only his heirs would be able to
use the power.”

“
What kind of power?” Qenn
asked.

Shadox smiled. “That is
something I cannot give a good answer too, Qenn. You see, the power
was never used. It’s been lying dormant within its seclusion all
this time. Not myself, nor anyone can answer that question, except
for Tane. But I will tell you that the power created by the Elves
and given to the King was exceptional, and very
powerful.”

Doubt still covered their
faces, Shadox saw. Especially the one he needed to come with
him.

“
Understand then that the power of the sword was known by those
searching to obtain all magic—the Dark Elves. When they created
the
Mrenx Ku
, they sought to claim all magic for themselves. They
successfully claimed what the Lyyn Elves had to offer. Then they
sought out what they could from other places. They read the Elven
histories and such to learn about where they could find the most
powerful magic. That’s when they came across the gift to the King
of Cillitran. I’m not sure if they ever found the sword, or that
they simply could not unlock what it held. But once the
Mrenx Ku
was formed, it
realized that the power, if awoke by the King, or a blood heir, was
enough to destroy its minions, and quite possibly itself. I believe
that the
Ku
was
weary of this, and wanted the sword destroyed. Or even for itself,
if it believes that it is powerful enough to withdraw the power
locked away. Either way, they have eliminated the heirs. And the
only one left that could rightfully activate the magic is you,
Tane. That is why they seek you.”

Tane stared into Shadox’s
dark eyes. “If what you say is true, then they will be searching
for us no matter where we go.”

Shadox nodded, watching
Tane’s face turn pale. “That is why you must come with me
now.”

Tane swallowed hard. It was
as if he had stepped out of one nightmare and into another. None of
this was possible, he thought. This has to be a mistake.

But it was Qenn who spoke
up, standing next to his brother, his soft voice filled with reason
and acceptance. “Tane, I think we need to listen to him.” The look
Tane gave made Qenn think that he was absurd for even talking. Qenn
continued, with more confidence and a stern voice. “Even though I
can’t fully understand it, I do not think he’s lying. I think we
should go and find out for ourselves.”

“
Qenn, listen to what
you’re saying. I am not a king. In your life, I have never left
your side. You know me.”

Qenn nodded, holding firm.
“I admire you for who you are. I look up to you, Tane. I always
have. You’ve always been there for me and mom. You always make the
right decisions. I know this is not easy to swallow, but deep
inside, I think you know what the right decision is,
too.”

Tane reached out and held
his brother’s shoulder. “Qenn, I am not a king. How can you take
his side on this?”

“
Tane, remember what you
said about wishing mom was going to tell you something that she was
keeping secret? This is it. You need to follow it, Tane. This is
you.” Qenn smiled, watching his brother’s face shift into sadness.
“I think we need to go with him. I think that there’s more to this
than we know, and I think you owe it to yourself to find it
out.”

Qenn paused for a moment,
before adding, “We can’t run forever.”

Tane wanted to cry, he
wanted to let go of the pain he felt from the guilt he carried for
their mother’s death. He didn’t know if he should believe the
sorcerer or not. But being a king would be a lot of weight to
carry, a lot of people to protect. He wasn’t sure he could. What if
he failed? What if more people died because of his
actions?

Staring into his Qenn’s
eyes, staring into the hope that filled them, Tane began to slowly
nod. His brother was right. Even if he was scared of failing again,
he did need to go with Shadox to find the truth. “You’re right,
Qenn.”

Tane turned to Shadox. “I
would like to see proof of your story, sorcerer. We’ll go with
you.”

Shadox smiled. “Good. But I
will be taking you alone.” Shadox’s smile disappeared as he watched
their faces sag with disbelief. “Qenn, your road leads in another
direction.”

The brothers were stunned.
They stood opened mouthed for a second, unable to comprehend what
they just heard. Tane began to protest at once. “I’m not going
without him. You cannot come in here and convince us that we must
go with you, only to separate us!”

Shadox looked only to
Qenn. “Your path is a dangerous one, nonetheless. And equally
important, if not more-so. You will march north, far into the swamp
lands and deliver a talisman of immense power to destroy the
Mrenx Ku
itself.”

Qenn couldn’t breathe. He
staggered slightly. He felt a coldness devour him from within. He
could hear Tane’s objections immediately, defending his brother as
he always had, but then his voice faded, replaced by Shadox’s. The
sorcerer began speaking into his mind.

Qenn,
y
ou need to go without Tane because
the dark ones will sense the power in his blood and they will stop
you long before you can reach your goal. Tane would be destroyed.
You must go without him. Do not be afraid, you will not be alone.
You will travel to the LifeWaters and retrieve magic from it. Be
wary; it is very powerful. You will be hunted all the while, but
you must not give in to your fears. You will hold the power to
destroy the Ku. Be guided by your heart. It will not lead you
astray.

Slowly Tane’s voice faded
in, still objecting to the sorcerer’s last statement. Qenn looked
away, turning to his brother, who was still vividly refusing
Shadox’s demands. But Qenn could do nothing to help Tane’s
rebuttal. Shadox had left him with no doubt of what was
needed.

“
I am asking you for the
last time to leave, sorcerer!” Tane’s eyes were flush with
anger.

“
Tane,” Qenn began softly,
“it’s okay. It’s okay. Calm down.”

“
Qenn, think about this.”
Tane roared. He stared into his brother’s eyes and wondered how he
could be so calm. They had never been apart. They had never dreamt
that they would.

Qenn smiled. “When we were
little, you would run off and hide and I would spend hours looking
for you. Remember?”

Tane was shaking his head.
“This is not a game.”

“
I searched for you until I
found you. This will be no different. When this business is
finished, I will find you. But we have much to do in the meantime,
brother. We have to do this for mother. For your father. For
you.”

“
I would not be there to
protect you. You’re the only family I have!”

“
You’re not losing me,
Tane. You’re finding yourself.” Qenn hugged him tight then felt
Tane’s strong arms squeeze him back.

“
Time is short for us all,”
Shadox interrupted quietly. “Those joining Qenn will be returning
soon. We must be leaving, Tane.”

Tane and Qenn broke apart,
both teary-eyed and nervous. “I’ll miss you,” they both said
simultaneously, each smiling to convince the other that all was
okay.

“
Qenn, use your senses and
be strong. Follow your heart, and you’ll succeed.” Shadox reached
out and touched Qenn’s forehead with two fingers, rubbing slightly.
“Sleep, elf. Rest what is offered.” He gave Qenn a reassuring
smile, then turned and began walking for the door.

Tane grabbed Qenn’s narrow
shoulders and squeezed. “Look to the stars, and I’ll be
there.”

“
Let your Elven senses be
heard in those Man ears,” Qenn mused. “I will see you again,
brother.”

Tane nodded. He thought of
saying something more, but he could see Shadox in the doorway
waiting. He studied Qenn’s features for a moment longer, missing
him already, then turned and walked away. As he met Shadox at the
doorway, he followed the other out into the night. He didn’t look
back. He didn’t want Qenn to see that he was scared.

Qenn stood alone in the
room and felt crippling tired. He sat to the floor and stretched
out on his back, still thinking of his brother, struggling to stay
awake. He could barely gather a thought. His eyes closed. He was
deep asleep almost instantly.

Chapter 12

“
E
lf, wake up.
Qenn?”

Kandish knelt down beside
him, gently nudging him with her slender hands. She could tell that
a battle had taken place; she could smell the burning ash, noticing
that it was everywhere. She noticed that Tane was missing, and the
only witness to the destruction was lying before her unmoving. She
continued to shake him, still gently, not knowing if he was injured
or not. The deep worry on her face began to lessen as she watched
Qenn stir slowly, mumbling something about Tane. His eyes opened
fully, followed by a smile. Kandish smiled back.

“
Qenn, are you okay? What
happened?”

Qenn rose to his feet,
Kandish standing with him. “
T
akers
arrived. But we were saved by a sorcerer named Shadox. Do you
know him?”

“
No. Where’s
Tane?”

“
Gone
with Shadox. Tane is to be part of the war against
the
Takers
. Shadox is taking him to Cillitran to fight with the army of
Men.” Even saying the words, Qenn could barely believe that they
were the truth. Qenn looked away from Kandish’s eyes to the old
woman next to her. “Who are you?”

“
I am a Seer, child. Your
friend has rescued me this night.” The old woman stretched out her
hand and shook Qenn’s. She read the worry in his eyes and smiled.
“Do not be afraid for your brother. You will meet him
again.”

“
I...how did...?” Qenn was
caught off guard.

“
I see a great many things,
child. Your brother goes one way, you go another.” She smiled to
Qenn, knowing he was under distress. “But do not worry. You each
serve the same purpose. We have waited for you to come, to save us.
You are lights in the darkness.”