The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2) (19 page)

Kelden nodded again. “Come on, I’ll show you a few things.” They followed Kelden up the slope of sand and into the soft grasses of the forest beyond. Redbeard and Pinhead stopped when Kelden caught up with them and waited until he got his bearings and then pointed off to the north. He led them through the trees for about fifteen minutes before they came to a grove of a dozen catalpa trees.

“These trees love the water from the fresh spring,” Kelden said as he showed them the way through the tangled webs of branches completely covered in massive, heart-shaped leaves. Each of the trees was roughly thirty feet tall. Their big, thick leaves nearly blocked out all of the sunlight from above. White flowers and long bean pods hung in clumps from the branches.

Kelden reached up and plucked a leaf off at the stem. He turned and handed it to Garret. The large man held the leaf with both hands in front of his chest. “That nearly covers your chest by itself,” Kelden said. “It we are careful about it, we can use the stems to link these together so we can cover our torsos.”

“You want me to dress myself in leaves?” Pinhead growled.

Kelden shrugged. “I am crossing the desert, and I intend to get there without burning my flesh off. If we make at least two coverings for each of us, and then pack a roll of extra leaves, we might be able to make it.”

“The leaves will dry in the sun once they are taken from the trees,” Sorbiy said.

“That’s why we will take extra with us. We’ll wet them before we leave the spring and just hope that the leaves packed inside the rolls will retain some of their moisture for when we need to trade them out.”

Redbeard reached up to a low hanging branch and snagged a leaf. He set it on his brother’s head and then let out a whooping laugh as the leaf curled down over Pinhead like a great, green bonnet.

Pinhead turned around and slugged Redbeard in the mouth. He reached up and snatched the leaf from his head and threw it at Redbeard for emphasis.

“You can eat the flowers and the seeds in the bean pods,” Kelden said. Pinhead looked up at Kelden with a sharp eye. Kelden nodded and affirmed it was possible. “You have to boil them first, otherwise they are terribly bitter, but it will help until we can find some better food.”

“What are we supposed to boil them in?” Pinhead pointed out.

“Right,” Kelden said as he looked around. After a moment he shrugged. “We can eat them without boiling them. They won’t taste very good, but they will sustain us well enough.”

“You want us to dress in leaves, and eat seeds?” Garret asked as he held his leaf up in front of his face.

Kelden sighed and shrugged. “Not sure what else to do. I lost my shirt in the battle, along with my boots. Those of us who had shirts left gave them to you to make that sun screen on the boat.”

Garret ceded the point and flattened the leaf against his chest. “Feels like silk,” he told Pinhead.

The dwarf kicked the dirt and folded his arms as he let out a huff.

Kelden pointed to the water. “You go ahead and get some water. When you have had your fill, then we can set up camp for tonight. Pinhead, you can build us a fire. Sorbiy and Garret, start collecting leaves and stems. You can also shred some of the bark from the nearby cedar trees. The strands can be used as rope or thread if you like. Redbeard, gather the seedpods and flowers. I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Where are you off to?” Sorbiy asked.

“I’ll go a bit farther out and try to find some birch trees. If I find enough of them, I can weave shoes out of the bark.”

“Ha!” Garret snorted as he slapped Sorbiy on the arm.

Sorbiy shook his head and looked up to the big man. “I think he is serious.”

Kelden laughed and nodded. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but it will keep our feet from burning. I will gather the bark, and then weave it around your feet.”

“Are you born from plants or something?” Redbeard asked. Everyone chuckled a bit, even Pinhead broke his scowl and laughed.

Kelden shook his head. “I wasn’t always a soldier,” he said. “I spent my youth in a small town in a forest like this one. My father taught me how to use the plants to survive if I ever needed it.”

“I bet he never figured you would need it quite this badly,” Redbeard commented as he looked up to a large, heart-shaped leaf.

“No, probably not,” Kelden said. “But all the same, we practiced these skills on several occasions. Go ahead and get the water. I’ll be back soon.”

Kai and Seldaric stood near the bow of the ship on the seventh and final day of their sea voyage. They watched silently as the docks and walls of Tuport came into view. Tall, blue roofed towers anchored each corner of the granite wall beyond the docks and warehouses on the gently sloping hill. There were many ships, all of different sizes, throughout the bay. Some were docked, others were sailing out, and the rest were floating lazily in the water. Some looked to be fishing vessels, or sailing ships of a personal nature, but most appeared to be merchant ships.

“It will be good to be on land again,” Kai said.

“Don’t you like the water?” Seldaric asked.

Kai shrugged. “I like to look at it, so long as I am looking at it from somewhere on dry land.”

Their ship gently rocked over and through the waves as they came nearer to Tuport, the western most city on Selemet Island. During the journey they had not seen another sailboat despite the crew assuring them that their boat was the fastest one available from Bluewater, but that did not seem to matter to Seldaric. He felt confident that they would apprehend the human assassin.

One of the crewmen called out to Liloriel, advising her that she should come up to the deck. A few moments later she was standing between Kai and Seldaric.

“How do you know where to find him?” Kai asked Liloriel when she approached.

“That is easy,” Liloriel smiled. “We need not find the assassin per se. We can instead focus our attention on the two remaining relics. There is an old Sierri’Tai castle in the south west portion of Selemet Isle. I will go there and alert the other Svetli’Tai Kruks of the danger.” Liloriel pulled a rolled parchment from the folds of her red robes and handed it to Seldaric. “Follow this map. It will lead you to a tower. There is an elf by the name of Elroa who lives there. Jahre entrusted the King’s Ring to Elroa. You must protect him at all costs. Once you have found him, bring him north from the tower to Telshir. That is the seat of the Selemet High Council. We will ask for their help in protecting Elroa and the ring. Once I am done at the Sierri’Tai castle, I will meet you in Telshir.”

“What of his burns?” Seldaric asked as he gestured to Kai. “He might not be able to travel as fast with his injuries.”

Liloriel nodded. “Tantine is on the way. After you both are underway, I will send a message to the priestess I spoke of. She should be able to heal the burns within a day, but don’t wait any longer than that. If she can’t heal you within that time frame, you must move on.”

“By your command,” Seldaric said.

Liloriel turned and looked to Kai. “You will draw attention,” she told him. “Tuport is a melting pot of different races, but most humans never venture deeper into Selemet Isle. I want you to follow Seldaric’s instructions. He knows elf customs. I should warn you both that law and tradition beg that I meet with the Selemet High Council before we act, however, I am going to forego that formality for the sake of time. The assassin has at least half a day’s head start, and there is no way for me to know whether he is going for the castle or Elroa first. If you have any trouble with local patrols, tell them that you are Liloriel’s agents. That should at least by you some time before they would prosecute.”

“Why would elves prosecute agents of the Kruks?” Kai asked. “I thought you said Kruks were above the law.”

“I did, however, the Selemet High Council has had its share of… shall we say, abrasive dealings with the Kruks. Some on the council wish to see our order disbanded. They believe we are wasting our lives protecting a door that no one wishes to open. More than that, they believe we are a danger to others’ lives as well.”

“Obviously someone wants to open the Netherworld Gate,” Kai said quickly. “Perhaps the council would rather deal with an invasion of vengeful Sierri’Tai.”

Liloriel smiled and turned back to the water before them. “When we dock, do not wait for me. Move directly to the road marked upon the map and go as quickly as you can. Once your burns are healed, go straight to the tower.”

Then the Kruk priestess turned and left Kai and Seldaric alone at the front of the boat while she went to speak with the crewmen.

“I must explain something to you,” Seldaric started. “I assume you are familiar with the great war that ravaged your continent after the Elf War?”

“Of course,” Kai replied. “We all know about the Mage Wars.”

Seldaric cleared his throat. “Since the Mage Wars, we have not used magic. It is in fact unlawful for any elf to use magic in any degree, except for the Svetli’Tai Kruks. They are the only elves who may use magic. If other elves were to use magic publicly, it could be punishable by death. Because of this, we as a race have largely forgotten how to use magic properly. I doubt most elves could use magic now. We must find this assassin, for if he unleashes the Sierri’Tai upon us, we will be largely defenseless.”

“Well, if the old Sierri’Tai that attacked Bluewater can use magic, I am willing to bet that there are a few elves who still remember how as well.”

“Perhaps,” Seldaric shrugged. “Even so, I presume the Sierri’Tai still practice magic in the realm where they now reside. If that is true, and they were released from their banishment and given the freedom to attack us, it would be devastating indeed.”

“Why did magic become unlawful to practice?” Kai asked as he shifted the conversation slightly. “Surely the Mage Wars did not come to your lands?” Kai realized the answer almost immediately after asking the questions. He dropped his head downward and huffed. “But I suppose that unless you pretended that magic did not exist, unless you made it something of contraband, the Mage Wars would have eventually come to you.”

“You are wiser than you look,” Seldaric replied. “If we had continued the use of magic they would have come with hordes of warriors to exterminate us as well. After fighting the Sierri’Tai, we simply didn’t have the power to fight off anymore attackers. It would have meant the extinction of our people.”

“Although I understand that is likely how it would have been, it is still hard to fathom.” Kai sighed again as he looked back to the sea. “I can’t imagine Zinferth sending armies down to slaughter elves.”

“War always seems unimaginable until it is upon you,” Seldaric commented quietly, leaning onto the ship’s railing and clasping his hands. “That is the blindness that threatens us all. It is too easy to sit by, thinking the worst will never happen, until flames of hatred are nurtured and a leader rises up to bring war down upon those who stand in the way of his power. It is then that we can find the survival of an entire race hanging in the balance.” Seldaric turned about and leaned his back against the railing as he stared off in the opposite direction.

Imagining the anguish such a war might cause in his own country, the suffering someone like his sister Sebina would endure, gave Kai a sick feeling in his stomach. His thoughts turned to his little sister then, realizing that her future happiness did depend on them successfully stopping this assassin from releasing the drow. By Liloriel’s promise, Sebina would be heading to Svatal soon. For her sake now, the Elven Isles needed to be kept free from the curse of the Sierri’Tai. Kai spat into the sea and turned to walk to the back of the ship. He grabbed a bottle of ale hoping to find some solace from the bottom of a bottle.

“Don’t drink too much,” Seldaric warned. “We’ll be in port within ten minutes.”

Kai finished a long pull on the bottle and replaced the cork in the top. “Just wanted to wet my pipes,” Kai said with a smile. He sat down, leaning against the port side wall of the vessel and closed his eyes.

Kai barely managed to calm his nerves by the time he felt the boat slow down. Crewmen hurried about, working the sails and guide ropes. Kai rose to his feet so as to stay out of the way until the side of the boat gently brushed up against the dock.

They had finally arrived in Tuport. Now the real pursuit would begin.

The large city seemed to rival even the great city Blundfish in its size. However, the mixture of races in this city was like a large pot of stew. Kai surveyed the docks and turned his eyes up to the warehouses beyond. He saw elves, a few humans, and even several dwarves out in the streets. Kai studied the city with a sense of admiration. Although Tuport did have a certain dirty appearance and feel, he had never heard anything less than respectable news about this city. It was intriguing to him that so many different kinds of people could reside in the same location, especially one that had been ravaged by a genocidal war centuries before.

Kai wondered then if maybe it wasn’t in spite of the war that Tuport had such myriad races living together, but perhaps because of it. It was as if Tuport was a new world, one where all could live and pursue their happiness within a larger framework. Kai smiled to himself and shook his head. The ranger in him laughed at his over simplification. He knew that if he looked hard enough he would likely find many of the same types of criminals and low lifes in this city as in any other. Just because the races intermingled, it didn’t mean there was a lack of bad blood. Still, it was an idea that he liked. So for now, until he knew any different, Kai was going to assume that everyone in Tuport got along quite well, despite any racial differences.

Kai’s attention was grabbed by a rather large figure leaving one of the warehouses. The man stood at least seven feet tall by the looks of him. He was head and shoulders taller than the nearest human to him, and he seemed a giant as he walked by a duo of dwarves. By the looks of him, he was a Varrvar. Kai had dealt with a fair share of barbarians in the desert lands near Rasselin, and his perception of them was not one of high regard, yet seeing one here made him wonder whether there might be more within the city. He thought it interesting that dwarves and Varrvar could walk openly in the streets without killing each other. The dwarves Kai had met before coming through Rasselin in merchant caravans had always been quick and loud about their hatred of the large, barbarian race.

Seldaric walked up behind Kai and put a hand on his left shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Alright, the crew is going to set out for Kobhir without delay. Your sister, her friend, and your aunt will soon be on their way to Bluewater after that.”

Kai smiled and nodded his head gratefully. “Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Liloriel.”

Kai smirked and nodded again. “Next time we meet up with her, I will.”

“You and I will follow Liloriel’s instructions and go to the tower,” Seldaric announced.

Kai leapt over to the dock and Seldaric followed half a moment later. They waved to the crewmen and then made their way into the city.”

“Should we try to question anyone at the docks and find out if anyone saw him come in?” Kai asked as he adjusted his sword a little to the left.

“No,” Seldaric replied with a small shake of his head. “We go for the tower. As Liloriel said, there is no need to try to find the human. We find the things he wants, and he will eventually come to us.”

“I know what she said,” Kai began. “I just thought a little more information might help us, that’s all.”

“We are agents of the Svetli’Tai Kruk priestess. We do as we are told.”

“Alright,” Kai relented. The two of them walked through the city with a determined pace and a focus that did not allow them time enough to even glance at the bustling of city life around them. Merchants called out to the pair of travelers from their stands on the sides of the street, but neither Seldaric nor Kai paid them any mind. It seemed as if they floated through the crowds of people near the docks and warehouses without even causing a ripple. Instead of going through the main gates into the city beyond the commercial district at the docks, the pair went around the left of the wall, following a wide, dirt road around the city and coming out on the other side where they saw the beginning of a dense, emerald forest. The large road leading away from the city had a single sign. A large set of elvish runes were carved into the sign.

“This is the road to Telshir,” Seldaric said.

The lush, green forest which stood on both sides of the road was so dense that it would be impossible to navigate with a horse off the beaten path, and Kai wondered if even a human would have an easy time going through the forest with all of the vines and large brush in between the closely spaced trees. He had heard stories about the forests of the elven isles, but it was altogether different to see it in person. Now he understood why elves preferred to walk than to ride horses on these islands. Not that there were many horses to be had, as Liloriel and Seldaric had explained to him. There were no native herds on either of the elven islands and the few horses that had been brought over the sea belonged to merchants and pulled their wagons over the roads from city to city for trade.

Seldaric turned and thumped Kai on the arm. The ex-Ranger looked up from his thoughts and saw a sly smile on his companion’s face. Kai cocked his head a bit as he tried to read the half elf’s thoughts.

“The city of Tantine is a little more than a day’s walk. While you are working on your wounds with the priestess there, I will be able to restock our provisions and then we can travel on to the tower. However, we have lost much time already in our pursuit.” Seldaric paused for a moment and a small twinkle seemed to beam from his eyes as his smile grew wider.

“You saying we should skip the healing?” Kai asked. “I know it will put us back more in terms of time, but even I have to admit that fighting with a burn the size of a frying pan on my torso isn’t going to be easy.”