Unicorns' Opal (2 page)

“Then you shall travel with the Rangers, my friend,” Arik decided warmly. “We will not leave until your scouts return and that certainly will not be today. You should use this time to visit with your loved ones. It may be a long time before you get a chance to return.”

“As you wish, my...Arik,” bowed Prince Midge just before he flew off.

“A brave little character,” admired Alex, “and you spoke wisely to him. He will be a great asset to our team. The Fairy People are proud and honorable, Arik. You must always remember that. They have given you their oath and they will be offended if you do not call upon them in times of trouble. Their ability to put the enemy to sleep or their speed as messengers could be very valuable in a battle.”

“Do you think I should allow more of them to come with us?” Arik asked. “I would feel really guilty if harm came to them just because I made the wrong decision.”

“Prince Midge will be sufficient,” Alex proclaimed. “As for your feelings, you must use your assets wisely. Whenever you command troops in battle, there will be casualties and you will feel guilt. You must remember that some will die even when you direct them wisely and you will have to learn how to deal with the guilt. What you must never do is waste your assets. Just because your army will gladly die for you, does not mean you should allow them to. Neither should you try to protect your men when the time has come to commit them. Make the best decisions you are capable of and live with the consequences.”

“Have you learned to live with your feelings, Alex?” Tanya queried.

Alex clenched his teeth and stared at the young woman. “I have learned to live with my battlefield losses,” Alex grimly stated. “I do not like the loss of any life, but that is what war is about.” Alex fought with his own feelings before continuing. He knew that Tanya would keep pushing until she was satisfied that she knew his every feeling. He wondered whether she was planning to write a book about the Great Alexander Tork and just wanted to get everything right.

“What I have a real problem accepting,” Alex continued while staring into Tanya’s eyes, “are the unnecessary deaths of the innocent, the noncombatants. When a soldier kills another soldier, there can be some justification, even if at times you are forced to search for it, but when a soldier kills an innocent, I find that unacceptable, and mourning their deaths does not bring me any relief. Revenge does not bring relief, either, though I have been guilty of such acts. What revenge does accomplish is the elimination of someone who would dare to kill innocents. I hope that explains my feelings to your satisfaction?”

Tanya blushed and nodded. No matter how many times she promised herself not to push, she inadvertently seized every opportunity to delve into the character of Alex.

The campsite grew quiet and Tedi announced that they should use their time to practice some more. He promptly challenged Tanya to a staff competition and Fredrik offered to help Niki with her knife throwing. Arik excused himself to practice his archery, leaving Alex and Jenneva alone.

“Why does she dig into me like that?” Alex asked. “When I was Garth, she hated me for speaking ill of Alex. Now that she knows I am Alex, she grills me like I have a major character flaw. What can I do to get her to stop?”

Jenneva put her arms around Alex and hugged him. “I think her uncle filled her with stories of the Great Alexander Tork. Perhaps you don’t live up to her expectations. It has not affected her ability to be part of the team. Don’t let it affect yours. Perhaps, in a way, it is good for you to dredge up the old wounds. It has been seventeen years and you must accept reality sooner or later. As much as you beat yourself up for not being there, it cannot change history. Feel sadness and loss for our baby as I do, but stop blaming yourself for the deeds of others. If you had managed to be there at the time, the Black Devils would have just waited for you to leave. It was not your fault.”

Alex nodded sadly. “We have been through this many times,” Alex said softly, “and I know you are right, but I cannot help feeling the way I do. The best approach I have found is to shove it into a small corner of my mind and not deal with it, but Tanya manages to drag it out every time we talk. I wish she would just let it go.”

Jenneva chuckled and Alex’s head snapped up and followed her gaze. Tedi had Tanya on the defensive with his staff and he was showing no mercy. Tanya scrambled to defend herself, but Tedi was better with the staff than any of the other Rangers. Tanya looked like she understood that she was in for a beating if she left an opening for Tedi. Alex looked like he was ready to intervene and Jenneva grabbed his arm.

“You want her to be able to defend herself,” reminded Jenneva. “Let them be.”

Alex nodded, picked up his longbow and strode off to challenge Arik. Arik was clearly the best shot of the Children and his skill came close to approaching Alex’s own expertise. The two Rangers practiced for several hours and Alex was able to give Arik a few pointers that would improve his already accomplished skill. Alex left Arik at the campfire to continue his practice sessions and strode off into the fairy village to learn more about these strange people while he had the opportunity. Jenneva caught up with Alex an hour later and together they mingled with the wee folk, learning as much as they could about their customs and daily routines. Jenneva probed about the origins and scope of fairy magic and was surprised with some of her discoveries. Alex inquired about the ogres and how the fairies deployed their troops during battle.

Queen Mita invited them to have dinner with her and her son and an hour after dinner the first fairy scout returned with information about the breadth of the clear skies. Shortly after the first report, the other scouts returned and Alex was amazed at their discoveries. The clear skies stretched from the mouth of the White River to past Kalamaar on the southern coast, from Kantor almost to Elga. The Sword of Heavens had cleared the sky over the whole of what once was Cordonia and stretched as far as Mount Kalas, home of the Dark One.

The scouts also brought more disturbing news. Bands of Dark Riders and Black Devils were moving towards them from every direction. Sarac no longer had to wonder where they were, all he had to do was head into the zone defined by the clear sky.

“I fear we must leave,” Alex decided. “If we remain here we endanger your entire village. Is it possible for the village to relocate until we can draw off Sarac’s men?”

“Why do we not just meet them here and defeat them?” asked Prince Midge.

“If the reports are correct,” Alex explained, “there will be no end to the forces that Sarac will throw into this battle. If he can kill these Children, he will rule forever. I cannot allow them to remain stationary and let that happen. I will move the Children at sunrise. I am sure that their trackers will follow us, but they will be strung out in small groups. If we stay in the village, they will converge from all sides. My only concern is for the safety of the fairy people. Your Sleep Spell will do no good against magicians with shields already in place and I am sure that is how they will approach us. You have mentioned that this is only one of the fairy villages. Can your people quickly migrate to another until Sarac’s forces pass through?”

“We can do that,” declared Queen Mita. “Is this what Arik wishes us to do?”

“Arik wishes you to live and not throw your lives away needlessly,” Alex stated. “There will come a time when the fairy people are needed for battle, but this is not it.”

“Then it shall be done as he wishes,” promised the Queen of the Fairies. “Prince Midge has informed me that he will be traveling with the Bringer. In the morning, he will go with you and I will lead my people to another village. This is the last night that we shall spend with the Bringer for some time. Son, announce a festival for our departing guests and make it the grandest we have ever had.”

Prince Midge bowed and flew off to make the preparations. “You are a good man, Alexander Tork, and you have a fine woman in Jenneva, whom I recently found out has studied under the Mage. Protect our Bringer and keep him safe. Our prophecies speak of many trials for the young man and we wish him to be alive to call upon us when his need arises.”

“On my life, he will be as safe as I am able to make him,” Alex responded. “We will not let Sarac have his way with this world any longer and his defeat rests in these Children. You will receive Arik’s call when the time is right. Safeguard your people so they are able to answer the call.”

Alex and Jenneva bowed to the Queen and returned to their campsite to inform the others of the festival and their early morning departure. He explained about the Black Devils and Dark Riders that were approaching and the Rangers’ faces grew grim. Everyone took turns bathing in the stream and preparing their packs so that nothing would interfere with the festival. By the time the Rangers were ready, the fairies were already streaming into the campsite with tables and baskets of food. A whole troop of fairies rolled barrels of spirits into the clearing and another group erected a small stage.

A band of musician fairies climbed up on the stage and began playing music with an odd assortment of instruments. Alex recognized the harp and drums, but the other instruments were not so easily identifiable. One blew into a structure made of several reeds and produced notes of varying pitches that sounded like the winter wind blowing through a crack in a door at different speeds. Another handled a gourd-like instrument with three holes, which the musician blew into and beat on at the same time. Its warbled tones complimented the drums with higher pitched vibrating notes. Three musicians handled groups of small nuts on strings, which they banged against concave metal dishes producing clear tones like bells of many different sizes.

The food dishes arrayed were small, but there were hundreds of them and Alex could not find two that looked alike. He was never quite sure what he was eating, but the taste sensations were excellent and intriguing. Some of the dishes were obviously types of beans, both brown and green, and others tasted of seafood. Several of the dishes felt like flower petals on his tongue, some tasted very much like beef. One of Alex’s choices was so tasty that he begged Midge’s assistance in finding some more. The Prince returned with six fairies in tow, each carrying another bowl of the bird’s egg soup.

After a while the musicians stopped playing and other fairies took turns providing different types of entertainment. The Rangers watched fairy actors, poets, singers and acrobats. Alex particularly enjoyed the acrobats as they managed to pile themselves to a height of ten fairies before the mountain tumbled and the top fairies fluttered their wings to land safely. The festival was such a great success that everyone temporarily forgot about the impending invasion of Sarac’s dark forces. The spirits provided by the fairies were surprisingly strong and Alex cautioned the Rangers about consuming too much.

As the night wore on, the festival died down and fairies began wishing the Rangers a safe journey and toddling off to their homes. The Rangers, tired from a long day of practice, finally excused themselves and ended the festival. The remaining fairies paid their respects and began carting off the tables and empty dishes. Arik volunteered to gather the empty spirit barrels and Prince Midge showed him where they belonged.

After the fairies left, Alex held a meeting of the Rangers and explained the nature of the threat against them and what their options were. Everyone agreed that they should leave a very visible trail in the morning, so the Dark Riders would have no trouble following it. After they were a sufficient distance away from the fairy village they would attempt to gradually make the trail harder to follow until it eventually disappeared altogether.

With agreement to their plans and everyone’s questions answered, the Rangers drifted off to their blankets and went to sleep.

The Rangers loaded and mounted their horses in the predawn light and headed south towards the Black River. They moved quietly in single file and crept out of the fairy village. When they reached the Black River, the group turned upstream until they found a good ford. One by one they crossed the river and gathered on the far side.

“Okay,” informed Alex, “from here we ride south and we ride hard. Leave obvious tracks. We’ll stop for a midday meal before we alter our direction or track. Arik, take the point and let’s go.”

Alex and Jenneva dropped to the back of the procession so that Kaz and Yorra could kick up a lot of dirt to make the trail easy to follow. The unicorns were only slightly larger than the rest of the horses, but they were considerably faster and the pace set by Arik was not tiring for them.

The sun rose in a clear sky and Prince Midge launched himself off of Arik’s shoulder and, after a boastful display of aerial acrobatics, flew on ahead of the group and was quickly lost from sight. After a while Arik lessened the pace and shortly thereafter, Midge returned with the news that there was no one ahead of them.

The midday break was held next to a small stream with tree-lined banks. Tedi procured water for coffee and Fredrik got a fire started while Tanya tended to the horses. Alex stooped and started drawing a map in the dirt with a stick. It was not a detailed map, but it showed the Black River, the West Mountains and the border town of Bordon. He made a small depression in the dirt to indicate the location of the fairy village and drew a thin line southward to indicate the route they had taken. While Jenneva and Niki served the midday meal, Alex drew another thin line to the southeast indicating the path they would take next.

“I think we should change our course to the southeast and head towards the lower tip of the West Mountains,” Alex commented. “We will be east of any Dark Riders coming up from Kalamaar and south of any coming over the West Mountains. We should not run into anyone until we get close to Bordon and that will be several days from now even if we continue to ride hard.”

“The horses won’t take that kind of riding,” mentioned Tanya.

“I know,” agreed Alex. “I’m not proposing that we ride hard, but if one of Sarac’s groups get on our tail, that is how far away from civilization we are going to be. If that happens, I suggest we head right for the West Mountains and find a place to make a stand.”