The Lord Of Lightning (Book 3) (22 page)

"He was once a welcome guest in Lanis Rhyl Landemiriam," Iounelle confirmed. "I only remember Him as an adversary. He acted rudely to my great grandfather, Morinnthe Stoneface, on the Prince's wedding day, long before I was born, and was forbidden from ever visiting our city again. Although, He did gain access to our capitol once when I was a young elf. It was the day my Great Uncle Weylund made Bravilc, the Shining Sword, burn."

"You told me Weylund was your Grandfather," the Archer interjected, "after you were struck by lightning in Rion Ta."

"I know your common Wealdland language," the elf answered. "But at that time, I was not completely familiar with the usage of every obscure word."

The Archer and the elf shared an amused smile.

"Eventually," Yulenth continued, "Deifol Hroth learned of the Moon Sword and the Sun Sword and how they fit together. He reasoned out Berand Torler's puzzle, seeing that the Moon Sword snapped into the hilt of the Sun Sword, and that the crystal, the Lhalíi, fit on the long metal tube protruding from the hilt of the Sun Sword."

"The Sun Sword," the elf reasoned, "is a power source. The Moon Sword is a kind of container, like the incident I told  of, in the Weald, when the Moon Sword created a sphere of energy that protected the Archer and me."

"And the Lhalíi," the Archer added, "Contains information and access."

"Combined," Yulenth said, "the three magic objects give one the power of a god."

"Combined," Iounelle said, "the objects create a fabled device called by the elves the Heaven's Key. I always thought it was a tale to amuse elven children. But the terror of this machine of unimaginable power is real."

"Then why did Stavolebe die?" Arnwylf asked. "He put the three together at the battle of Byland. I saw him, and the power of the combined machine, this Heaven's Key, if that is what it is, destroyed him."

"I thought that it might," Yulenth said. "That is why I suggested to Deifol Hroth that he let the fool, Lord Stavolebe, put the machine together before He tried."

"But Deifol Hroth wants to try again," Halldora reasoned.

"It makes no sense," Arnwylf said. "Deifol Hroth burned His arm off when he moved the Wanderer with just the Lhalíi. Right?"

"Yes," Yulenth answered.

"The power of the combined machine seems to be a thousand fold in comparison," Arnwylf said. "It completely incinerated Stavolebe. Why would He try again? What is different?"

The crackle of the fire filled up the empty silence as the group thought.

Then Halldora looked up. "Wynnfrith," she said. "She was compelled by her farsight vision to go to the Far Grasslands to retrieve something important. She called it the Heart of the Earth. Could that be what the machine is missing?"

"If Ravensdred has that object," Yulenth said with worry, "and the swords, and you say that the Dark One now, once again, has the Lhalíi," to the Archer, "then he has all the pieces he needs."

"But not yet," Arnwylf said. "We must do everything in our power to stop Ravensdred from delivering the missing pieces of the machine to his master."

"And if He gets these pieces," Halldora asked Yulenth, "what will He do with them?"

"His aim," Yulenth answered, "has always been to bring the Wanderer, the second moon, down on our heads, to kill as many of us as possible, in one stroke. Apparently, if He can accomplish that, He can open a doorway to the Queen of the Vyreeoten. And that creature can contend with the Almighty."

"A beast that can kill god!?" The Archer snorted. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't believe it either," Yulenth said with a nod of his head. "But what if the Queen of the Vyreeoten caused such damage, the Great Parent, as the elves call god, had no other choice but to remake all creation? Jofod Kagir, this ancient, evil spirit would cause god to destroy all that lived, lives, and has yet to live." Yulenth paused in thought and let his rational mind take over.

Yulenth shook his head, a finger to his lips as he puzzled the problem, then with a spark of understanding, he continued. "It may be that the Queen Vyreeoten's simple presence in our world may cause an instability in the very fabric of the primordial elements that the forces of our world cannot overcome, like dropping a hot coal in a pitcher of water. The energy released and violent change would shatter the pitcher."

"The ultimate triumph," Arnwylf said with hushed terror, "wiping away all that ever was, and all that ever will be."

"We must not let this happen," Iounelle whispered.

"How long do we have until Ravensdred attempts his delivery?" Derragen asked Yulenth.

"Two days at the latest," Yulenth said. The ensuing silence bore the weight of the shock. "Of course none of that matters if the garonds do not send their entire army up the Syrenf River."

"You think they may spread out?" Arnwylf asked. "Land at different locations?"

"It depends on the Dark One's plans." Yulenth answered. "Does he feel he still needs to move with stealth? My own feeling is that, at this point, his overconfidence may be his greatest weakness. And so, he will probably have Ravensdred charge all his garonds up the river to deliver the Sun And Moon swords, thinking we cannot stop, what he assumes, will be the inevitable success of the garond army."

"What can we do to stop him?" Halldora quietly asked.

"I have a plan," Yulenth said with grim determination. Then Yulenth talked long, and with great detail, explaining the tasks and sacrifices each would have to make to stop the Lord of All Evil Magic. When he was done, the Archer looked up.

"All is lost then," the Archer said with emotion. "For I no longer have any of the Arrows of Yenolah. I lost the last one yesterday, on the shores of the New Sea."

The group stared at the fire in hopelessness.

"Then we must make another arrow," Yulenth said, spreading his hands in a futile gesture of resignation..

"From what?" Arnwylf asked in despair. "And how?"

"There is a chance," the Archer quietly said, "but I did not want to say it, to give false hope. But... Let me investigate."

"We must find a way," Yulenth said. "Or else lay down in our graves right now."

The humans and the elf agreed with their grim silence.

"Halldora," Yulenth said. "You must return to the human encampment at once, tonight. The human nations are so fractured, they are about to begin fighting amongst themselves any moment. They need a strong leader, and the Northern Kingdom of Man desperately needs their Queen. I must return to the citadel tonight to report to the Dark One. I can give you the safety of my company almost the whole way."

"We should take Caerlund's body," Halldora said.

"Of course, of course," Yulenth responded. "But let us leave at once. It will be dawn soon. You all understand your tasks?" Yulenth looked at each of his compatriots with meaning. Yulenth took their silence for agreement. "Good. Then may the Great Parent be with each of you. For there will be no pity in this world, or the next, if we fail."

Yulenth and Halldora readied their horses, and tied Caerlund's body to a third horse. Then, without any further words of parting, they rode off into the waiting night.

The elf turned to the Archer.

"So, I must go west to Reia and bring the reians to the fight, whether they will or not," the elf said with a sigh, knowing she could accomplish her task, although it would be difficult.

"And I must go east to find Yulenth's device in Rogar Li," the Archer solemnly said, knowing what danger waited for him.

The elf took the Archer's hand and gently led him to one of the rebuilt houses of Bittel.

At the door way, the elf stopped and looked deeply into the Archer's eyes.

"I would have you spend this, possibly the only night we will ever have, with me," she said.

The Archer took her hand and led her inside. He closed the door of the small home.

Derragen pulled Iounelle close and kissed her ear. The elf moaned. The elvish ear is sensitive for more than just hearing, the Archer smiled to himself. Derragen moved his head down, kissing from her ear to her neck.

The elf suddenly pulled away.

"Awaruaine," Iounelle said with great seriousness.

The Archer shook his head, not understanding.

"I dreamt I was at a wedding last night," the elf explained with a sorrowful smile. "I recognized the color green representing my family as one of those to be wedded. The other color was black."

"The color of the house of Pelych," Derragen added with a smile, and then touched his finger to his chest. "My house."

"My people honored my wedding in their dreams," the elf  sadly smiled to herself.

"And Awaruaine?" The Archer asked.

"A secret name," the elf answered, "given to me by the Priests of Lanis when I was born, known only by my parents and myself, and to be told to my betrothed on my wedding night."

"Awaruaine," the Archer said as he passionately kissed the elf.

As they urgently undressed each other, Iounelle could hear the wolves outside milling about.

"Iounelle," Derragen said. Then, he paused and smiled. "Awaruaine," he said, "I love you."

Iounelle pulled at Derragen's muscular, scarred arms, pulled him to the makeshift bed.

As they joined together, Iounelle seemed to hear the night sky and stars moving in joyful arcs, as though she could hear the movement of the heavens for the first time. The trees happily whispered to each other of love, softly shuffling leaves and branches in muttered songs of love and passion. It seemed unreal, as though she were somehow submerged in a dream while awake.

Iounelle felt her spirit move up into the night sky and expand, illuminated with streams of starlight, patterns of celestial movement, a great spreading, glowing, immortal design stretching across all that is, and all that could be, from star to star, as far as light could reach, throwing sparks off the moving loom of the foundations of the most essential elements, tying all the living together in one magnificent shimmering tapestry of love and life woven with eternal mystery.

Derragen felt so filled with love, his whole body felt warm and alive, as if he had been asleep his entire life. He felt as though fire began to move up and down his body, crying for every nerve in his body to awake and etch this moment in burning, undying letters on his soul, every passing heartbeat with Iounelle, in her arms, the most important instant he could ever realize in his whole life, every fiber of his being roaring out to remember this with all the passion the embers of his very core could ever consume.

They both could feel the slow shifting of the earth as it turned, an immense, slow, intoxicating vertigo. 

Iounelle felt so filled with love and joy, she couldn't help herself and she began to softly weep. Derragen stopped.

"Are you all right?" He gently whispered.

"Yes," she said, "more than I have ever been in my life."

As they increased in intensity, Derragen could hear the wolves outside shifting about with more purpose. And, as they reached the conclusion, many wolves outside the little house burst into long, playful howls.

Cheeky beasts, the Archer thought to himself.

Then the Archer and the elf fell happily asleep in each other's arms.

In the early morning, when it was still dark, Iounelle awoke with a start. For a moment, she thought she was still back in Lanis Rhyl Landemiriam and the garond attack had all been a bad dream. She realized she felt this way because she felt happy for the first time in several years.

A wolf scratched at the door. Iounelle could hear the wolf speaking.

"Light Child?" The wolf repeated.

Iounelle opened the door. At the threshold, a mother wolf guarded the infant that had bonded itself to Iounelle.

"We are leaving," the wolf said, and then turned to go, without any further explanation.

Iounelle picked up the baby. All of the wolves of Bittel, with their human Brothers, silently loped out of the hidden village, covered by the gloom of the early morning.

The elf, cradling the infant, closed the door, and snuggled back into bed with the Archer.

As the sun rose, the Archer and the elf awoke. The Archer looked down at the baby, and thought to make a joke but then let the notion pass, wanting to keep unspoiled the tender feelings he was enjoying.

"Good morning," Derragen smiled to Iounelle as they prolonged the moment by remaining in bed.

"Good morning," Iounelle said with a sleepy smile. They kissed.

"We have much to do," the elf frowned , "and not much time to do it."

The Archer and the elf rose and quickly dressed.

As they left the small house, the Archer was surprised to see Bittel completely empty, but for two horses left for their use. The morning was brisk and bright, a day filled with possibilities.

The Archer pulled the elf close.

"Two days," Derragen said. "I will see you again in two days on the Plains of Syrenf, on the field of battle. Find me."

"I will," the elf said.