Taylon Read online

  “On mine, captain.”

  His hands quickly released their hold as Taylon turned to see Queen Euphoria approaching. Her two pets trailed her, looking hungry.

  “I thought it best to let the citizens of the Territories know we were here.” Her eyes looked out toward the billowing smoke, a smile upon her face.

  “But what about our scouting parties currently out there?” He tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the fear and the anger out of his voice.

  In answer, Euphoria looked up to the sky. “The rain should quickly douse the fire. Your men are safe.” And with that, the clouds broke overhead, pelting them with tiny droplets of water.

  One of the tigers roared into the rain. The soldiers began to run for cover while Taylon and Euphoria stood looking at each other. She offered a cold, unrelenting smile. He stared back filling his eyes with as much hate as he could muster.

  “Anger becomes you, captain. You should use it more often.” The queen turned with a flourish of her black and red dress. Taylon watched her go, rain coursing down his face.

  He slowly turned toward the forest, watching the flames grow smaller and smaller until the black smoke swallowed them. Taylon knew his time was running thin. If he couldn’t find Kara or the wizard, he would have to do something else to stop the queen, even if it meant losing Rose.

  ***

  The trek through the forest had been going smoothly until the rain began to fall. Kara felt and heard the explosion, even though it was in the distance. Her main focus was to confront Euphoria, hoping it would end the assault on her friends. But when the water began to fall her little plan became mucked up.

  Kara could barely see through the downpour. Small streams and puddles began to form. The trail became mud in places that tried to claim her boots. Behind every tree was another that looked just the same, until she was sure that she had been this way before.

  Eventually, Kara came upon what looked like a simple cave. It appeared out of nowhere, but she didn’t hesitate or question it. Her clothes were soaked through, and her boots caked with mud. Maybe a little rest would help.

  The cavern was deeper than it originally looked. She peered into the darkness, wondered what the farthest reaches held. Without a light, Kara knew to stay just inside the mouth of the rep. She sat down upon a rock to drip-dry.

  Rain continued to pour down. Kara watched the water, wondering too many things. How were her friends going to take her absence? What was she going to do when she encountered Euphoria? That was a big question haunting her. Kara ran off on this crusade with the intent of ending the whole conflict. Here, sitting in this cave, the idea sounded silly.

  A noise came from deeper in the cavern. Kara turned to look. She saw nothing but blackness. The storm continued to unleash, drowning out whatever it had been. Her life had been simple a year ago. A mother and a father who deeply loved her. But all that changed when the shard came into their lives.

  And now, it was ruining her new life. Would Jesset die this time? Or one of her other friends? Kara felt the first hint of tears and quickly wiped them away.

  Another noise came, and before she turned around something hard hit her on the head. Instantly she slid off her rock and crumpled to the ground. Before her senses left her, Kara had the impression there was a green lady next to her.

  ***

  Da’Lynn paced back and forth in her chambers, clearly agitated. After sending Kerlick off on his mission, she came to find out Katrena had left the city. Messenger boys found Katrena nowhere. Da’Lynn’s anger and rage manifested itself in various ways, but it still did nothing to ease the situation.

  And now she was preparing the army to go forth. They would start marching today. The elves would expect her to lead, as she commanded them.

  “Mistress, we are ready.” A knock came at the door delivering the message. Da’Lynn would have to worry about Katrena later. She needed to be strong for the fight.

  In the courtyard, the soldiers assembled. All eyes came upon Da’Lynn as she appeared before them. Her armor shined in the bit of sunlight. Looking north, the sky darkened. Storm clouds. They would be heading into the rain.

  She glanced west, feeling a slight pull to where the magic lay. One minaret of the Palace of Nine peeked out from the forest beyond Pajote. Da’Lynn hated to leave, being that close to power, but the wraith would still survive on the chaos of war.

  Da’Lynn turned back to her army and raised her sword arm. “Today we will take down the human enemies that dare attack us. We will bring peace to the Territories!” A swell of cheers and yells came from the mass assembled. Someone came and led her down the steps to a white horse. A path parted as she made her way to the head of the line and began the long march toward the wall.

  ***

  They barely made it to Snow’s house before the rain came down in buckets. All were concerned about the fire, but Ynob pushed them faster when he detected a storm in the air.

  “Is that another of your magic tricks?” Fret asked, amazed the wizard could forecast the weather. Ynob gave the boy a demeaning look and then pointed farther ahead in the sky. The clouds looked very dark and ominous.

  Ynob missed getting wet while the others got slightly damp. Fret was the only one that came in dripping. He was enjoying his freedom again and hiked at his own pace. Snow made him dry off before coming into the house.

  About five minutes later, there was a harsh knock on the door. Snow froze, and Gantha looked equally frightened. Ynob chuckled. “It is just your friends. Really, did you think the soldiers would knock before coming in?”

  The wizard was right. As Snow opened the door Ra’na, Jesset and Hambone fell through. All were wet, but not soaked. Ra’na saw the question on Snow’s lips. “Shield charm. Kept some of the water off for a few minutes.”

  “Is Kara here?” Jesset asked, looking around nervously.

  “Who?” Gantha asked perplexed.

  “No, we haven’t seen her. What happened?” Snow asked while bringing towels to the new arrivals. Ra’na quickly filled the wererabbit in.

  Fret stood back from the crowd, his eyes probably large as he watched Hambone. This creature was new to him. The boy watched the big beast come into the house. Hambone looked friendly, but then thoughts of the Minotaurian at the slave auction resurfaced.

  “This is great and all, but can you please keep the noise down as I have some work to do?” The wizard inquired of the reuniting friends. All eyes looked at him, but they quickly went back to talking. Ynob dropped his head and returned to his tome.

  Gantha came to introduce himself. Fret came forward, but halfway there he stopped. Ra’na came into view, and panic struck. Quickly, he turned to run.

  “Wait…Wait!” Snow called out. “He’s met Katrena.”

  There was a bunch of ohs as this statement explained his behavior. Snow caught up with Fret at the back door. The boy was trying to decide if he really wanted to run off in the rain. He turned and saw Snow.

  “How could you let her in here? What if the other one is close by?” Fret was close to hysteria.

  Snow quickly transformed and waited for a reaction. SHUNK! One minute Fret was in full panic mode and the next his mind had completely halted. There was a white rabbit suddenly in front of him.

  “Fret, will you listen?”

  A talking white rabbit. He suppressed the urge to escape as a new sensation overtook him. He remembered petting rabbits as a little boy, before he turned into a bully. They always made him laugh and were so soft. Fret wanted to pet this one.

  The human made a hesitant step toward Snow, his hand outstretched. He mumbled something that was lost among the rain.

  “What?”

  “Can…can I pet you?”

  “Oh brother.”

  Ra’na came in just then. Fret glanced up at the newcomer and then back at the rabbit. His joy now froze as his eyes looked back up at Ra’na. Fear came again but did not over take.

  “I’m not Katrena. She’s my sister.” The
words, at first, meant nothing to him, but as he looked at her again, Fret did start to notice differences. For one thing, she had both hands.

  Snow quickly changed back. A small pain of longing tinged Fret’s heart as the rabbit disappeared. He dropped his head, seeing how he had been a fool. Twins, how was he supposed to know? “I’m…sorry.”

  Ra’na came forward and stood before him. “Don’t worry about it. I seem to cause similar reactions in people lately. I’m Ra’na by the way.”

  “Fret.” But the word came out sounding sad and humiliated. The women led him back into the main room. Hambone and Jesset had found seats while Gantha and Ynob seemed to be arguing again.

  “Really, you two. Just give it a rest,” Snow complained. Both of the debaters looked up, surprised and a bit annoyed. Ra’na and Snow found a seat, and Fret stood, while Gantha and Ynob watched everyone.

  “Listen up. This is not just a happy reunion. There are major problems facing the Territories. An elf council member is possessed by a wraith. This I saw firsthand,” the wizard exclaimed.

  “Same here.” Gantha chimed in, wanting to feel important. “And Fret.”

  The wizard shot him a nasty glance, but continued. “Now this talk of the humans taking down the wall troubles me. Euphoria could be possessed again. I don’t see how, but we are getting into things even I don’t understand.”

  Ra’na tentatively raised her hand. Ynob nodded. “So the prophecy is coming true?”

  Jesset and Hambone listened as the wizard spat out the prophecies verbatim.

  In the mist I see fire, flames of never foretold.

  They spread as quick as sickness, and devour all.

  At the center, a human princess, a queen become.

  Three but one, meshed in crystal and core.

  Devastation and war on the horizon, led by a darker evil, than purest gold.

  Warlock of races, and sister of dawn.

  Salvation but a ring, lost upon the shores.

  There comes a blackness of fetid rain led by two.

  One is of three and the other is one of those three.

  Mighty is the ring that holds the spirit.

  Mighty in that it brings war and perhaps salvation.

  In three cycles of the moon, doom shall reign.

  On the first, birth.

  On the second, resurrection.

  On the third, death.

  All sat in a moment of silence as the wizard finished.

  “Well, I am new to all of this, but I can tell you one thing. The army has new banners, and from what I have been told, Euphoria has dresses to match. It is a black field with what looks like flames. Some of the town folk were saying how the dress made it look like she was on fire.”

  Gantha again tried to take lead. “That would make sense because she is the center of the first prophecy.”

  “Another full moon is tonight. But what is going to be resurrected?” Hambone asked. All eyes eventually looked toward Ynob.

  The wizard was a bit startled. “Again, I do not know everything.”

  “But didn’t we conclude that you are the warlock of races?” Snow asked.

  “No, the elves decided that, we only talked about it. And I don’t know any Sisters of Dawn.”

  “Yes you do,” Ra’na spoke plainly. Ynob’s mouth hung open for a bit, but then he shut it. “You know me. The Opi’Chi were often called Sisters of the Dawn because of our skin. The term is hardly used anymore, but it is still part of our culture.”

  This new bit excited Gantha. “So, so this Sister of Dawn could be Da’Lynn?”

  “Or Katrena,” Hambone added.

  “Or another Opi’Chi entirely,” Jesset commented.

  They all sat and pondered.

  “I don’t think I like prophecies,” Snow said, and a mild laugh went through the group.

  “It is all we have going for us. Somewhere in that mix of words could be salvation. Elf boy and I have been arguing over this ring.” A loud thunder crack sounded as the storm steadily raged on.

  Snow stood up. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I am hungry. We can talk prophecy later, and about Kara too. But first let’s eat.”

  Fret’s stomach seconded the motion with a loud grumble.

  Chapter Ten

  The rebel elf stalked with pure adrenaline now. Da’Lynn had charged him with finding and dealing with the wizard and councilman that had escaped her wrath. Kerlick finally felt like he was doing something that mattered, instead of running around and bullying others.

  He had only taken five of his men with him. The rest fended for themselves, with the elf army. Poor fools. Most would probably end up like Rodrick, the thief with the pierced hand.

  Kerlick put it out of his head as he rode faster through the forest. Aladedas was his first stop, and the mistress had given him directions to some other locations as to where he might find the traitors.

  The rain hit them when they were still a mile out from the marketplace. At first it wasn’t much of a hindrance, but once the heavens opened up with chaos, the six riders quickly took shelter. Main roads were lines of mud, and the thunder spooked the horses.

  They were fortunate to find an empty house they quickly broke into. Kerlick and his men made themselves at home, raiding the food storage. They found a barrel of mulberry wine tucked away, and the rebels tapped into it.

  Rain poured down outside while the men ate anything they could find. Even if the owner had come home early, Kerlick had no fear. He had Da’Lynn’s approval to do this sort of thing.

  As the barrel drained and the food cupboards were left only with a few crumbs, some of his men drifted off to sleep. Two others ransacked the house for anything else worthwhile. Kerlick remained perched at the window.

  He was ready to strike back at the wizard. Da’Lynn convinced him the magician had bewitched the members of the council. Nothing he saw implied anything more than the council was dead.

  Humans had been the cause of his trouble from the very beginning. There was nothing noble about the race. Soon the runaway councilman would pay for his brother’s death.

  Even though he had been there and seen it, Da’Lynn’s version spoke true to him.

  “Kerlick?”

  His thoughts of revenge broke and he turned to face his man. It was Zipic, a newer recruit. The group chased Zipic out after he tried to befriend a female elf. On his escape, he accidentally impaled her father on a pike.

  “I may know of a contact that could lead us to his home. She is not far from here.” Zipic was a mixed elf, part Opi’Chi and part Wuiltrea. His skin was a dingy brown that made him look very dirty.

  “She?”

  “A contact, not a consort. There would be nothing left of me if I tried my claim to fame on her.” He smiled crookedly. The female elf he had raped left him with a present during their struggle. Three jagged scars ran from under his eye across his mouth. It resembled that of a stitch work doll.

  “When the rain lets up, you will lead. But we have no time to dawdle. If this doesn’t pan out, you won’t have to worry about your claim to fame for very much longer.” This time, Kerlick smiled.

  They only needed to wait another half an hour before the rain subsided enough to begin the journey. As a thank you to the owner of the shelter, they lit the house on fire.

  ***

  The rain wasn’t good for the marketplace. Aisles became muddy swamps and some of the booths’ roofs collapsed with the weight of the weather. Chele and Queig stayed undercover, watching all the patrons flee in different directions. Farther down, the nymph salon thrived under the torrent, and even during the storm pulled at customers’ desires to come near.

  Chele hadn’t said much on the ride in. She had let on about her true intentions last night and Queig was still a little uneasy about them. He trusted his mistress’s skill, but a surprise attack could easily leave Katrena wounded.

  As the storm raged on, Queig busied himself with straightening and rearranging inventory. They had
not been busy before the storm, so it really wasn’t a task high on the list, but the goblin was anxious. He needed something to occupy his time. Chele stared out into the rain, lost in her own world.

  But the thunder started to break a half hour later. Katrena soon returned.

  “Mistress!” Queig was first to notice. Chele physically stiffened at the word as the dark elf brushed by her.

  Katrena looked over the wares, ignoring the goblin. She passed him by without so much as a nod. Queig’s eyes went wide looking from Chele, who slowly approached, to Katrena.

  “Queig, do we have any more midnight core pieces?” The silk and seductive qualities seemed to have left his mistress.

  “Um…” But he was too preoccupied watching Chele. The human drew a dagger from her boot—one Katrena used for practice.

  “Goblin, yes or no?” The dark elf said from over her shoulder.

  “No,” Queig answered, but it was not very convincing. Chele charged the dark elf.

  A warning cry stuck in Queig’s throat as the human ran, dagger rose at the unsuspecting Katrena. Chele’s face coursed with rage and revenge. This was the end for the dark elf.

  Wham!

  It was all over in a matter of seconds. Queig watched in awe as Katrena sidestepped, grabbed Chele by the back of the head, and slammed her face-first into the nearest table. The dagger flew from her hand into a puddle, and the human crumpled, out cold.

  Katrena turned back to the jewelry as if nothing but a minor disturbance had occurred. The goblin stood rooted to the spot, mouth open. It was a few minutes more before the elf finished her perusal. She turned and walked over to Queig.

  Bending down, she closed the goblin’s open mouth with a finger. “Make sure you clean up the mess.” She stood and began to leave.

  Queig found his voice. “Y-you’re leaving? Again?”