Elf World Shadows Rising Page 19

  “Do what, if you think you can threaten meeeee---”

  Fang had driven up with his war knife, through the table, and deep into Navdis’ solar plexus. The Shadow Elf was dead before the knife was quickly twisted and withdrawn. His body slumped to the table and blood slowly seeped out, as if it was just spilled cheap wine.

  Fang causally wiped his knife off on Navdis’ cloak. He wouldn’t mind, no not at all. Getting up he walked across the room for the exit. No one was paying any attention to him as he left, and they were doing so with great care and rapt attention to anything but the large hooded being.

  Outside, Fang walked around the corner of the three story mud tavern, to the dirt alley way behind the building. There, another four hooded figures waited. One of them handed him the reins to one of the two horses that he was holding.

  “Shit,” he thought to himself, “This has ruined my day all to hell! Why had the idiot done something so stupid? Why for that matter had they sent the idiot out here in the first place? For such an allegedly smart people, the Shadow Elves sometimes made very obvious blunders.”

  As they rode back out through the town gate, Fang had a really bad thought, “I wonder if the idiot was connected to someone important, and that is how he got this mission. The Elves frequently did crap like that. An Orc never knows who his parents are, so this nonsense doesn’t happen in the Quintara Orclands.”

  “Well, crap! Too late to worry about it now, but maybe I had better think of a good story about his death just the same. But more importantly, how are we going to fix this mess Navdis had caused?”

  Colonel Zen had already left for the operation in the east. He could send a message to him, but what? What if the Shadow Elves called off the operation? It was their navy that would insure that the Sun Elves would not be able to respond, until it was too late. The Dwarves would stay neutral as would the Star Elves of Naya. The pesky Gnomes wouldn’t leave their high mountains, and there was no one left who could stop ‘Rapid Lightning’.

  He would have to send word to Grand Marshal Graznits, Supreme Commander of the Orclands, and as soon as possible. He would be ‘highly disturbed’, to say the least. He might even throw all of the Shadow Elf counselor delegation to the Sand Lions. Of all of the possible ways of execution, it was Grand Marshal Graznits favorite. The giant golden lions, as large as a horse and even made the five hundred pound Bush Lions look small, which tended to make short but bloody work of their victims. The Grand Marshal would sit apron his stone chair in the arena and laugh uproariously as the giant cats stalked their pray in the sands of the Grand Arena, only to tear their victims apart to the amusement of the crowds.

  The sun had started to sink behind the horizon, and the smaller of the two moons, the fast pink one, was well into the sky. The dust of the Waste, just a mile or so farther to the west, filled the low atmosphere creating a brilliant orange and red sunset.

  The Orc riders came to a sharp valley that seemed to appear from nowhere. Deep in the valley floor, about three hundred feet down, a small trickle of water had provided the needed moisture for grass and a few trees to grow. A grid of Orc military tents covered the open area between the slopes, about two hundred feet wide. A half dozen Orcs, all armed with short pikes and shields, popped up from behind rocks. Four more appeared with their recurved horn bows, barbed arrows notched and ready. Fang threw back the hood of his cloak, and gave the password. The sentries melted back into hiding, and the horsemen rode down to the camp.

  Night fell fast, as Fang prepared a message to the Supreme Commander. Soon it was sent and nothing to do but wait for tomorrow. Using the magic lights to signal messages across country, the Grand Marshal will have the news in a day or two days at most.

  The camp was quiet. All of his troops where maintaining the noise and light discipline. Nothing moved. The new sentries went out to change the guard, as quiet as shadows. The great blue moon slowly crept into the sky. It’s light cast a blue glow across the world, nearly bright enough to read a book. It, seeming to fill the sky, was at least fifteen times larger than the smaller moon. He had been told years ago, that the blue moon was a quarter of the size of the world, and that somehow it controlled the tides. He was not sure he believed the story about the tides, but the size of the blue moon sounded true.

  Out from the Waste, the roar of a Sand Lion broke the still of the night. It was miles away, but sounded as if it was right over the edge of the hill side. Fang pulled out his short sword, the standard weapon for the Orcs, and began to sharpen the blade.

  "Whatever happens, this will have to delay the operation until the Star Elf cavalry’s leave the area and return to the capital. A few weeks or a month wait will only give us more time to prepare…. Death to the unbelievers!"

  CHAPTER 17

  The Big Blue Moon cast its light across the barren hills of the desert. The roar of a distant Sand Lion, floated on the cool night air. Myst was sitting on a small boulder, watching the night go by. The sentry duty was a relief from the chatter of the group back at camp. He was used to spending time by himself, and he liked his own company. The life he had led, first as a Ranger patrolling the frontier, and then as a spy, frequently alone whether he was on the open moors of the Wildlands or in a crowded city like Zengara.

  He liked his companions. Hell, he more than liked Kayla. She was one of the few people he had ever met that never got on his nerves. But the quiet was a relief; the time to think about the mission and what was happening.

  A slight noise back from camp warned him that soon his quiet would be interrupted. He hoped it was Kayla. He knew it was not his relief, for that was hours away.

  The sight of the chocolate haired Star Elf appeared around the boulder. She climbed up top where he was sitting, the sound of her soft boots whispering on the rock. She sat down quietly, and her bright green eyes watched, as the Pink Moon rose above the horizon and climbed into the night sky. She brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs, just quietly sitting next to him.

  He was not sure of her game. She was as dangerous as she was beautiful, of that he was positive. But as long as her mission did not interfere with his mission, he would not push her too hard, not yet at least.

  Zara had changed from the bronze leather outfit she had worn most of the trip from Tazco. Now, she had on the dark purple most common with Kushian Star Elves, though this seemed almost black at night. The halter top she wore was nothing more than two small purple silk triangles attached to fine gold chains, that somehow held her ample breast without breaking. The loincloth was just a gold chain that ran around her small waist with a thin strips of dark purple silk. The whole ensemble then was finished off with bracelets done in gold and matching hooped earrings.

  “We are being followed.”

  “I know,” Myst replied.

  The silence dragged on for a few minutes. They sat together looking out at the two moons, the dark sky filling with stars.

  “Why did you not---.”

  “Call you on your lying about not seeing anything that day coming down the mountain.”

  Her shoulders slumped at his words. He looked at her carefully, waiting her out.

  “There are other things involved than just the kidnapping of a Sun Elf Ambassador.”

  “Are you going to let me in on what your mission is, it might help.”

  She looked him in the eyes, for the first time since she had sat down.

  “As I told you, I don’t work for the Imperial Secret Police. I mostly freelance for the major trading houses, those who really control Kush. But over the last decade or so, it seems that I have become the sometimes personal assassin for the Emperor.”

  She looked down at her feet, silent again.

  “Nice work if you can get it, cuts out the mid level bureaucrats.”

  Zara smiled and nodded her head.

  “It does, doesn’t it. Well, how do I put this? The Orcs are up to something, something big. We don’t know what, but the Emperor doesn’t trust his Sec
ret Police. A number of the most powerful trading houses, secretly trade with the Orcs. Yes, I know it breaks a dozen treaties and it is against our law, but still the profits are large. Trade is the real power in the Empire, and we are a greedy people in general, and the heads of the ‘Houses’ are supremely greedy.”

  “So, HE sent me up to Cozon to try and find out what was going on; reported massive troop movements along the Gold River in the Qunintara Orclands, an increase of ‘bandits’ operating not only in the disputed zone, but all along the northern trade road through the Waste. Then, caravans started going missing, not just on the northern one, but on all three of the Waste Roads. At first, we thought it was going to be a simple invasion of the western ‘Zone” again. They do it every decade at least. Or, maybe they were going after Freeport. They hate the Dwarves, for the last dozen defeats they gave them. But, that did not explain the increase of activity in the Waste. And then more intelligence started coming through of activity on the eastern ‘Zone’ by Tuscan.”

  “But three months ago, scouts for a caravan crossing the central road through the Waste saw something most interesting. They were way ahead of the caravan, passing near the Ankphor Ruins, when the out riders saw a large column of Goblins, being herded north by Ogres with slave whips.”

  Myst stared at her, “Orcs normally don’t like using Goblin troops. That’s the Shadow Elves preferred catapult fodder.”

  “Yes, that raises the stakes a bit. They would not be this involved, unless it was a massive operation. That was why I was up investigating what was going on.”

  “Why did your government not let the rest of us know what was going on,” demanded Myst?

  “It has been a long time since the free Elves worked together; the mistrust has grown over the centuries. The Moon Elves still hate us for the cataclysm, even after ten thousand years. It was not like we meant to create the Waste, and kill everything living in the area. Hell, it was the heart of our Great Empire that got destroyed after all.”

  “Yes, that and the allied Sun and Moon Elf army of over two million troops, who had come to your defense against the armies of Darkness,” Myst reminded her.

  “Well still, they hold a grudge a long time! We have a hard time trading with them, even today. But where was I, oh yes. I had been sent to investigate the problems. I infiltrated an Ogre led bandit group that seemed too well funded, not to have ‘other’ means of support. That was about a month before Kayla was taken hostage. We believe there must be a connection between the two Shadow Elf operations. What it was, I went to find out. That is when I came across Kayla, and helped her to get free.”

  Myst answered. “They want to cause a damaging incident that would affect the relations between our two countries, so we will not come to your aid if attacked…”

  “That’s the way I see things too, but so far I haven’t been able to get this information to the Emperor. I have a means of contacting him, but it’s in Cozon. I have to let him know, so he can contact your people and let them know the attack on Kayla was part of this invasion plot.”

  “You were not completely sure it was not one of your trading houses at first, were you?”

  “No, it could have been some attack to weaken the Emperor for a coup, or any other quick profit scam that one of them had dreamed up. We had to make sure that it was the Shadow Elves, and not our own people before we brought your country in on the Orc problem.”

  “So, Zara, the Goblin that’s following us?”

  “Gzlop. He’s one of the Bandit gang, I had infiltrated. I was disguised back then, so I don’t think he has connected me yet. Hell, the Ogre Krug did not recognize me, and he was the leader of the group that you saved us from!”

  “How sure are you that they did not recognize you?”

  “At least ninety percent. I had a magic disguise on at the time. It cost a lot of money to get an Air Mage to put a Moon Elf disguise on me. It was awful walking around with pale skin and red hair. It was a relief when I finally had it taken off.”

  The night sky was once again cut by the roar of a hunting Sand Lion; this one seemed slightly closer than the last one. Myst was not too worried. The adult lions tended to stay in the Waste, most of the time.

  Zara stood up and shivered. “Such a wonderful sound, it makes me feel so--- frisky!”

  Myst looked up at her, and wondered how the sound of a two thousand pound cat could possible make her feel that way. The only feeling it invoked in him was fear of becoming dinner, but then Star Elves seem have a reckless streak.

  With both moons in the night sky, it was almost as light as a cloudy day. So Myst had no problem seeing what Zara was up to. She reached behind her back and unfastened her halter, than pulled it off over her hair. She ran her hand through her thick chocolate hair, making her hair bounce in a wild mane. Reaching to the chain around her waist, she unhooked the clasp on her left hip and let her bottoms fall to the ground.

  “You don’t mind do you, Myst? Suddenly I feel rather naughty.”

  “When was she not ‘rather naughty’,” Myst wondered silently?

  A quick burst of Earth Magic to check the area… Nothing.

  Myst stood up, put his sword on the ground and slowly unfastened his trousers. “No, I don’t mind. Anything for a lady.” To himself he thought, “Well not anything, but this certainly! The things I do for Emperor and country…”

  Zara pushed Myst to the ground, and climbed on top of him. Her passion was high and the Sand Lions were not the only things roaring that night.

  ~

  The cool night air felt good on Myst’s skin. This close to the Waste, the desert air held little heat after the sun went down. It was just an hour or so before sunrise. Zara had left him, to go back to bed a couple of hours ago. Too late he remembered, that she had the last watch that night. “Oh well, looks like I get the last three watches tonight,” he thought ruefully. He was not really all that tired after all, and the night was peaceful. The Sand Lions had stopped roaring, and settled down about half an hour ago.

  It was a good thing that adult Sand Lions seldom ever left the Waste. The reason most likely is their prey was found only in the Waste; Desert buffalo, Desert Ponies (which look like a cross between a shaggy horse and a mule), Wild Camels, Zostrichs (carnivorous Ostriches), Wyverns (thin low intelligent cousins of the dragons), Giant Goyanas (hungry two hundred pound lizards with lots of teeth), Tusk Apes ( six foot tall shaggy carnivorous gorillas with protruding bottom jaw tusks) and of course the Waste Rats (fifty pound rats found everywhere in the Waste). For such an arid empty place, the Waste sure had a bunch of large nasty critters crawling all over it, oh and snakes, lots of snakes.

  The juvenile Sand Lions sometimes wandered in the more hospitable bushvelt regions. There, the many types of deer and gazelles were the main prey, for carnivores in the Bush. But unlike the Waste, where Sand Lions reign supreme, the Bush belonged to the Jaguars and Bush Lions a smaller version of the Sand Lions, yet still a huge cat. Bush Lions who sometimes worked together to end the days of a Sand Lion cub or even an unwary adult. Myst found it hard to think of a three hundred pound Sand Lion cub, as a cub. Hell, they are still twice the size of adult Jaguars.

  A sound from behind him made him jump and pull his sword from its sheath. The vision of a Sand Lion about to pounce, popping into his mind.

  “You’re not going to stick me with that are you, Myst,” Kayla asked? She was wrapped up in a dark full length Zwari cloak, that came down to her ankles.

  “How many clothes did Willow buy these girls back in Tazco…”

  Myst put his weapon away and sat back down on the rock.

  “But, I can think of other things you might stick me with, if you prefer,” she laughed softly.

  “Feast or famine,” Myst thought to himself. “These girls are going to kill me before the enemy will, at this rate.”

  “But first I have some questions I hope you can answer for me.”

  “Talking, what a relief.” Myst responded, �
��Sure, anything. What do you want to know?”

  Kayla sat on the rock next to him, crossed her legs, and looked at him.

  “I think I should get better used to my magic, don’t you? I mean the odds are, I will need it again before we are safe.”

  “You are right. Where do you want me to start?”

  Kayla thought for a moment, “Basic information first I guess.”

  “Well you already know of the five basic types; Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Life or sometimes called Spirit, plus the forbidden Death Magic, Thomas went over all of that with you.”

  Kayla nodded her understanding.

  She handed him a water skin, and he took a drink before continuing the lesson.

  “Now, Mages, who study magic over the years, have turned magic into a science and into a profession. They measure Magic ability on a scale from one to twenty. About seventy percent of magic users only have level one to level five magic. Another twenty five percent have level six through twelve magic. The last five percent have level thirteen to twenty. The higher level you have affects not only how powerful the magic is, but how much you can use before you tire yourself out. Remember all magic comes from or through you, and tires you as you use it. Be careful, for too much or too powerful magic can stop your heart from beating or you lungs from breathing!”

  “Can you increase your level, and what level are you and Zarra?” Kayla wondered?

  “Zara and I both have level three magic I believe, useful, but nothing spectacular. And yes, if you train very hard, and for a very long period of time, you can increase your level anywhere from one to maybe ten additional levels, it all depends on the magic users ability to strengthen their innate ability to channel the flow of magic.”

  “And what level do you think I am?”

  “I don’t know. You haven’t used your skill very much, and it is easier to judge and sense people who are using the same type of magic you use. But if pressed I would think you have to have at least level ten magic, maybe much higher.”