Darkness has Fallen (Elf World Saga Book 2) Read online

  “The Sundragon’s will see that as treason,” Myst replied.

  “As long as they cannot openly charge us, they can see our actions however they like, dissent is not treason---, this is not a despotic dictatorship, not completely. And appeasement has not worked; it truly never does, but it was my father’s wish that we try,… it is time to make them--- uncomfortable.”

  ~

  The city was starting to come back to life in the last six weeks, some of the population had returned, and most of the military units had moved to the border. Gulls circled to harbor calling out their incessant cries… Myst wish them all dead, he had never been fond of gulls, hummingbirds he adored, and sure raptors he could watch all day, but gulls were dirty noisy seagoing pigeons who just would not shut up, and like to shit on him...

  They sat off to the side, next to an tiled arched column, in a large elegant room, that was open on one side to a fountained courtyard of the Arch Dukes Palace, the seat of Provincial Government. Slowly, Myst shifted in his hard chair, still waves of pain shot through his skull making the world spin, “fuck me… at least Ser Iious looks even worse, there is some comfort in that…” If an Elf could be green than his friend had achieved greenness. “At least he’s not throwing up anymore…”

  There was a persistent droning his Myst head, then he realized it was Ser Wills up at the podium giving an intelligence briefing to the senior staff. Ious, leaned into Myst shoulder and painfully whispered, “I hate him… He drank more than both of us and look at the asshole…”

  Myst covered his mouth with a cupped hand and whispered back, “Yes, something vilely wrong with him, and he’s not using magic, if magic could cure this evil hangover I would have…, but Ious, think if not for Wills one of us would have to be giving the briefing, and by that I mean you…”

  “Just cut my head off…,” Ious swayed slightly, “I don’t remember anything this morning, hell I don’t remember half of last night.”

  “So you don’t remember that Half Orc whore you insisted on marrying…?”

  For a second Ser Ious eyes got large and a look of panic crossed his face, “Fuck you, that’s just wrong… fuck you.” He bent over and put his head in his hands.”

  Myst smiled evilly, there had indeed been a Horc whore at the Golden Gate brothel, what a magnificently name for a whore house..., and that they had indeed spent much of last night at, but Myst was reasonably certain none of them had married her, even though she had been reasonably attractive, if not for the overly large and well defined mussels, and round eyes and ears you could have mistaken her for a Wild Elf, and Ious had spent much of the evening with her in his lap…

  ““By the way, did Kiron survive the evening, I don’t remember him leaving with us?”

  Myst nodded, winced with pain and told himself not to do that again… “He left about midnight, he had to accompany my father early this morning he had a meeting with a Star Elf delegation. Kiron Varis can make people nervous, and my father will use every advantage. ”

  Ious seem to ponder that, “Why, because of his dangerously exotic dark skin? Ahg, Gods, I could use some coffee...”

  “I’m sure that's part of it, the Star Elf nobles find it strange that anyone is as civilized as they are, and a Southern Wild Elf dressed and acting completely civilized, it throws them off.”

  “Myst, even after a hundred thousand years of elven civilization, I find Star Elf nobles less than civilized…”

  Myst was rubbing his temples, trying to fight down the pain, “Blah, you just don’t see the wonderful advantages of slavery, if you were only more civilized…” Myst told him sardonically.

  Wills wandered over to them, apparently the briefing had ended, “Thank the Creator, we can leave!” Myst groaned quietly.

  Wills was smiling his usual somewhat deranged smile, that usually meant he was terribly amused or about to kill something, or Myst reflected, frequently both…

  “What a wonderful morning,” Wills spoke just slightly too loud, and seemed positively amused. “The two of you look fit and ready for duty, I bet hardly anyone, and by that I meen everyone, in the meeting realized how miserable you two drunkards are feeling…”

  “Fuck you buddy,” was all Ious could manage.

  Wills sniffed, “but they could probably smell your Horc courtesan on you… or should I say your new wife…”

  Both Myst and Wills got a good laugh at the look on Ious face. “Fuck you both, Gods I hate this city… ”

  Wills, with some difficulty stopped laughing, “Well if you had paid attention this morning, you would know that mission for us is done, all Provincial Levies are being demobilized and sent home. What about you Myst, another mission or back to Palantar and General Staff HQ?”

  Myst look back at his friends suddenly less hung-over, and smiled, “Palantar to pick up someone…” Ious and Wills smiled knowing well who he meant, “and to drop off my resignation, my time at this game is done.” That shocked them, but both recovered quickly.

  “Congratulation, my last few years free from Military Intelligence and the army has been a lifesaver, well until this mess started..., but what then,” Wills sat down next to them?

  “I think, it is time to turn my attention closer to home.”

  “Aawg, can we go get a drink, it's the only thing that will save my head from exploding with all this… talking” Ious groaned.

  Wills and Myst pulled Ious to his feet, “Just no whore houses today… I’m not up to that.” They wandered out to the covered walkway that would take them out of the palace and to more congenial surroundings...

  A soft sea breeze blew into the room as the bright sun rose above the roofs of the white washed buildings, causing the three elves a moment of pain as they moved deeper into the shade cast from a palm tree.

  “Well, let's start with breakfast,” Wills told him, “can your Horc friend cook?”

  ~

  Alia Marigny, strolled into study of Myst suite at the his family Palazzo, she seem to Myst to almost dance across the carpeted dark hardwood floor, or maybe stalk like a leopard would be more appropriated he thought, given her predatory nature. She wore the dark red silk halter top female elves usually wore, particularly in warm climates like Surin, it seemed to be nothing more than two small silk triangles attached to thin fine gold chains. Her matching loincloth were about the same, just two pieces of richly colored fabric, attached at the hip with a short, delicate chain, hanging down to her slim ankles.

  “You summed me Colonel,” she asked innocently?

  Myst smiled and walked over to his camp desk and picked up leather bound folder. “A military intelligence report just came in,” he held up for her to see, “apparently, your late husband was indeed a traitor dealing with the Orcs.”

  “Fascinating,” she almost purred, “tell me more Colonel?”

  “It says,” Myst paused to glance at the paper, “it looks like when you discovered his treason he attempted to murder you, and sadly you were forced to defend yourself…”

  With a dangerously amused smile she responded, “Yes, that does sound, familiar, I believe you are right Colonel, indeed, it was very sad that had to happen.”

  “Of course the arrest warrant for you has been rescinded and you will be free to go as you wish… Back to the Barony?”

  A red tipped fingernail tapped her bottom lip, “No back to my father I should think, Summerhall was destroyed and my late husband’s relatives…” She shrugged, and then smiled.

  She reached up and unhooked the clasp between her breast, slowly she peeled back the halter-top and let if fall to the floor.

  Myst looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “our agreement is complete Alia”.

  Alia looked him in the eyes and laughed while shaking her hair out behind her.

  She hooked her thumbs into the golden chain holding the silk loincloth to her hips, “Yes, it is Colonel, but I have a long road ahead of me,” with that she worked the chain down her hips and the last of her clothin
g fell to the floor…

  ~

  Chapter 4

  The Dwarven merchant ship Hawk’s Dawn, a square-rigged caravel, forged through a night of heavy rain, the dawn had shown no break in the downpour as the slight wind all but disappeared. Magic kept the vessel making slightly more than headway in the dark flat seas of the Bay of Oreon. Myst listen to the steady raindrops bouncing off the ship, he had forced down a breakfast of yogurt mixed with granola, even after a week at sea his appetite was lacking. His traveling companions for the voyage did not share Myst reluctance with food; as a Dwarf, Moss Blackforge was more at home on a ship than on dry land and his insistence on a massive order of bacon with a truly horrible smelling porridge was not helping Myst to be all he could be this wet soggy morning. At least Ser Ious has the decency to stick to coffee and a croissant…

  He was only half listening to their conversation, between the two of them they could talk all day without pause, and while this usually brought amusement to Myst, this morning he was moody, sitting on the window seat of the cabin, staring out the porthole at the grey sky, grey rain, and even greyer waves as the ship oh so slowly wallowed toward port.

  “Ser Ious, did ya win that honor on the battlefield,” Moss belched, “I keen never understand ye Elves fairy aristocracy?”

  Ser Ious, sipped at his coffee, “No, if you must know Dwarf, mine is an inherited Knighthood, I’m a Cavalier, the same as Myst.”

  “But Myst father is nar dead, so how is his inherited”?

  They both looked over at Myst but he just stared out of the window…

  “Well, the Sunstars are… complicated, but Lord Pedar is also a Cavalier, his sons would normally be an Ecuyer that means ‘Shield Bearer’ or what the Gomes call a ‘Squire,’ that is below a Knight and the lowest of the un-titled nobles, until Lord Pedar passed over to Avendar, and then usually the eldest son would inherit the Knighthood. So Myst should be just an Ecuyer as the rank given to the sons of Knights or lesser sons of the Upper Nobles who are un-knighted... but Myst, do to exceptional bravery was made a Cavalier for valor at the battle of Saltanapur, getting his Knighthood the hard way!”

  Moss looked confused, “So he’s a Knight who will inherit another Knighthood when his Da dies and become a double Knight…”

  Ser Ious got up and poured himself more coffee and got another croissant, “No,” Ious laughed, “you only get one.”

  “The Sunstars,” he passed to think, shook his head, then continued, “normally Lord Pedar would be not called ‘Lord’ as he is an un-titled noble, but they used to be the Counts of Mentonferat, before they got on the wrong side of the Sundragon’s Imperial temper” he winked at Moss, and looked over again at Myst, “and more so they are a cadet line of the old Andulus Royal House…”

  “Daft! Cadet line, are you making this all up”?

  “Yes, no! It’s well, ‘cadet’ is a line descended from one of the siblings of the Monarch, and in the case of House Sunstar, three separate Royal Princess are in their line. And so most give Lord Pedar the courtesy of ‘Lord’, particularly we Andalisesse…”

  Kiron Varis came through the door and made straight for the coffee, “Captain says at least another hour to port…” Everyone groaned in response.

  Kiron, as usual, looked dashiing this morning in a dark red silk surcote with cap sleeves and an embroidered pattern of dark suns and moons, snug black silk breeches and riding boots.

  Moss helped himself to a croissant from the basket, gave it a questioning sniff, he loved these Elven bread--- things, but he would never admit it to anyone… “I don’t think I’ll ever understand, un-titled nobles, what’s the purpose in that”?

  Myst laughed in what they took to be at least semi agreement…

  “Yes I too wonder that..., also why is a Sun Elf Marquis higher than a Count when they both rule a county,” wondered Kiron?

  Myst turned from the window and responded, “Marquis normally rule a border county called a Mark, or sometimes it's known as a March, and have greater responsibility in maintaining additional forces to protect the border and collect tariffs…”

  He thought a moment then lectured, “Barons rule cities, or castles, or have a special function, normally but not always under the control of the Counts. Then Kiron, then the counties and Marks are grouped into Districts traditionally administered by a Duke. With the advent of the Empire, the former kingdoms are now dependent principalities we call provinces, the Emperor appoints an ArchDuke from among the titled nobles to rule in his name and sit on the High Counsel. It’s confusing I know. So I’ll leave off explaining what the other strange and rare titles are.”

  Kiron just shook his head in disbelief at how complex the Sun Elves made things.

  “We, Dwarves have it much simpler. Clan Lords, maybe a Sea Lords for a fleet of ships, maybe a King or too.”

  Ious smiled, “People think it strange the Sunstar’s deal so closely with the Dwarves, even taking them into service with their House.”

  “No doubt Moss’s father and grandfather put any question of that to rest…” Myst responded suddenly very serious.

  Moss covered his eyes in the Dwarven sign of mourning. Ser Ious looked at Myst for explanation.

  Myst walked over to Moss and put his hand on his shoulder, “Just over thirty years ago, my father was on a trade mission to Margor when assassins tried to kill him, Moss’s father Sky, fell defending the doorway in the first rush, his grandfather stood before Lord Pedar with the battle ax Moss now carries..., Zoltan the Grey heaped the dead before him till he fell to a poisoned blade…”

  Ser Ious came to Moss’s other shoulder and grabbed it, “Then I too, am grateful and salute your family’s most honorable sacrifice.”

  Myst in a lighter tone, “Now if only Moss would find a nice lass as my father wants and makes another generations of dwarven heroes…”

  Moss, gave Myst a dirty look, “Just because the three of you let yourselves be chained to a women’s dock, don’t think you can talk Moss into dar same foolishness.”

  Moss cleared his throat, “Ah hum, so laddie, what are you to do when we reach port…,” Moss demanded of Ious as he returned to the table full of food to see if anything good was left to eat?

  “He said changing the subject…” Myst teased.

  Ious, poured himself another coffee, it was one of the thing he missed most away in battle, good hot coffee, and then sat back down at the small table they shared. “Back to the family for a few days, then work… There always plenty of criminals needing justice. What about you, going with Myst to see his girl?”

  Moss was licking the last of his porridge from the bowel, “Naw, boyo should be safe with that task, he can figure out what to do in that tumble. The boss be putting an old building south of the Bordan Old Harbor into being the new fortified headquarters for House Sunstar, Kiron and I will lend them a hand. Good old Ser Wills should have got there a week ahead of us with Lord Pedar to get things started; hopefully they’ll put in a goodly supply of ale by now.”

  The ship suddenly heeled to port as a strong following wind blew up as the rain gave way. The ship's timbers groaned as it surged ahead and the sudden plaintive cry of gulls echoed overhead.

  “About time,” Myst smiled for the first time in a week.

  ~

  Chapter 5

  Kayla Morningstar sat on the padded window seat of her small sixth floor room; her bare feet curled up under her, her gaze followed the antics of a ruby colored hummingbird. They would be leaving soon on their flight down to Drakar and the rest of the sunny Andalisian coast; she wished she could go with them.

  “Soon,” she thought, “nearly eight months away from Myst in the Twilight Keep, learning to control my magic, while he was away at war in Surin.” She had never been fond of that province and now it took Myst from her, her enmity toward that “dusty, brown, dead place” as she now thought of it, had increased exponentially.

  “At least the war is over, for now, and Myst was on the way
to her, a few more days, a week?” The school of magic was also awaiting the return of most of its students; it had been very quiet with most of the instructors and senior students called to the war. Only the eldest professors and the female first and second years had been left. Kayla lived in the Tower of White and Gold with now about four hundred other female students, the Tower of Silver and Black for male students was shuttered and closed up it’s six hundred students far away. That certainly made the young female students very unhappy, but such is the harsh whims of war.

  They had needed the females students to stay to help keep running the magical Great Machine that protected the Imperial City of Palantar in an invisible dome of magic. It was the most powerful magic field of protection ever created and it was said that it could even protect the city from a spell as powerful as the one that brought about the Cataclysm. Not that anyone wanted to test that theory… The machine worked on weaving great massive threads of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water Magic into a massive ward that protected the entire island that Palantar. Most Elves did not even fully know of its existence, they heard rumors sure, but the Emperor kept the details mostly secret.

  “Magic is a funny thing.” Kayla thought, “Most males mages usually dominate only in one type of magic albeit powerfully so, and then almost all in Fire or Air, females mages frequently could use two or more schools of magic and the schools were more evenly distributed, hence the males went and the females stayed.”

  Kayla had been brushing her long thick golden hair, but had stopped as the sun reflected of the Golden Dome of the Imperial Palace, even thirty or forty miles away in Palenar, on an island out in the great lake; the Golden Dome caught the light and sparkled. She would much rather be in Myst apartment out on the island, sleeping in his bed, even if he wasn’t there, it helped with the longing. At the end of each fortnight the students received two days off, most would enjoy the clubs and cafes of the city, out looking for males, she on the other hand would spend those days curled up in the townhouse, reading Myst books, or sitting on its balcony having coffee and those chocolate filled croissants she loved so much, delivered from the small café down on the corner and across the street from the big elm tree in the nearby park. “Ah, to be sitting outside, watching people as they strolled the tree lined street,”she thought, “or better yet culled up in Myst strong arms, kissing…”