Untold Travels: Jhantyrr

[Cevalic]

Chapter 6


The walk through the village brought with it an invigorating feeling, as my cramped muscles were given a chance to move. Weak from two weeks of an induced sleep, they ached as I moved down the hillside where Helan’s hut was located, into the village proper. The dozen or so houses were arranged in no particular form, yet I was able to pick out Derrin’s house from the hillside, not by looking for the center of town, but by the massive tree that rose above the entire village. It towered over the town, like a massive sentinel watching for signs of approaching trouble. Its branches swayed in the gentle breeze, and for a moment I stopped, fixated on the entire view.

It was almost like a village on the Silvan Isles, although everything other than the tree was far cruder. Where the plain, log houses stood here, there would have been living trees that were grown in the form of a houses in the Isles. And back home, there would be an order into the way the village was grown thus enhancing the natural beauty of area. Here, they had just built without any such notion, just throwing up their houses without any planning. The tree, however, somehow tied the buildings together, and even with the chaos of such a sight, I found there to be a natural beauty that shocked me.

As the moments passed, I realized that there were very few lights on in the village. I was surprised that I didn’t even see one human on the dirt trail that passed through town. All the books I had read told that humans conducted their worst deeds during the night. Odd to find that not even one of them was out. Was there some sort of trickery at work? We’re the humans just letting me think I was free, only to descend upon me to take it away once more?

“That’s foolish,” I muttered to myself. “I’m going above worrying about these creatures. I’m becoming paranoid at my own shadow. You have to quit this.”

I started walking, trying to take my own advice. I entered the village trying to walk a fine line between my constant paranoia and regular vigilance. My hand never strayed far from the hilt of my sword.

Walking past the houses, I noticed little nick-knacks in most of the windows. Small symbols of religious faiths were the most common of these nick-knacks; most of those were the symbol of the Earth Mother, Obadi-Hai. Here and there, there were vases of wild flowers, a few curtains, and in one house I noticed a candle flickering on a small stand. No one was visible in the house. Looking over I realized that this was the last house before Derrin’s.

I pressed on and rounded the corner to find myself at the base of the enormous tree. Once again my attention became fixated upon it. Looking up, I saw massive branches, some as thick as a small tree trunk, extending outward. A few birds called out from the tree, as chipmunks scattered up the trunk, higher and higher until they disappeared into a sea of green leaves. Once again, I felt a peaceful aura fall upon me, leaving me strangely content.

“Impressive, is it not?”

The deep voice startled me, as the trance I was in broke. I looked towards Derrin’s house, something I had yet to do, to find the owner of that voice. I scanned the large, fenced porch that stretched the entire front of the house. The front door was shut, and all the windows closed. Yet I saw no one.

A movement of a shadow on the far side of the porch caught my eye, and I watched as the figure walked around the corner of the house. If he had known I couldn’t see him, he didn’t make it known. He strode over towards me, looking upwards at the tree.

“The thing about this tree is not that it’s impressive to the eyes,” he said as he stopped in front of me, turning to look me in the eyes. “It’s impressive in here.” His lightly touched his chest, his gaze once again returning to the massive tree.

The human that stood before me was the same one that had first cut me loose from the gnomes’ ropes. His blue eyes were gazing on the tree, and I realized that he had shaved the black beard off, giving his face an even more childish look. He stood about a half foot taller than me, and underneath his green shirt, I could see that he was much more muscular than myself.

“I am sorry,” he said after a few long moments of staring at the tree. “I have forgotten myself, as I usually do when I spend time gazing up into those branches. I am Derrin, son of Bron, and elected official of this village.”

He extended a hand, and I realized that he was offering it to me as a greeting. I had once read about this human custom, but had completely forgotten about it until now. Making a note in my head to try and remember such things, I reached out mine and shook his.

“I am an exile of the Silvan Isles, therefore I can not give you a name in return,” I responded. “I do, however, give you my thanks for saving my life.”

I was shocked that the words came out so easily. Had someone told me a month before that I would be thanking a human, I would have laughed in their face then thought about cutting their head from their shoulders. Now, though, something was different.

“Well we shall have to find you a name,” he laughed and pointed toward the door. “Maybe we can find one over a mug of ale. We have much to discuss Friend Elf. Will you join me for a meal, and we shall discuss what’s next on your path? I’m sure that there are many questions you want answered.”

His blue eyes stared at me, questioningly. “Food does sound good, and there are a few questions I have.”

I had many questions as a matter of fact. Thousands seemed to flood my mind, although most of them I blocked out because of their paranoid nature. This whole situation was strange, and I needed to know exactly what was going on. There were too many little things that were putting me on edge.

I followed him up the stairs onto the porch. He opened the door, and I saw a table filled with a small feast of all types of food. A few lamps burned in the room, illuminating the entire place. Here and there were furs of animals, a rug made from the skin of a bear, a small bookcase was double stacked with books, and there was even some artwork on the walls. In all the room seemed humble for the leader of the village.

Derrin turned to me as we were in the doorway. “Before I forget about you thanking me for saving your life: don’t mention it. I’m sure you would have done the same for me or my other men.” Turning he moved into the house.

I stood there, as a chill went up my spine. Not because of the weather, but the way he had said that, because of the implied trust. Would I have saved any one of his men or him?

Derrin would have been shaken by the answer.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The meal was delicious, the best I had eaten in a long time. What few seasonings Derrin had, he made the most of them. The wild turkey that he cooked had a mouth watering smell that lingered on after the meal. There were wild berries and fruits aplenty, with vegetables from the fields south of the village that were filling. The apple pie was tart yet sweet at the same time, with a crunchy flaky crust.

“That was a fine meal,” I said taking a sip of the ale, which I had been told was brew by a clan of dwarves that had migrated from the nearby mountains to try their luck mining in the hilly region to the east. The strong, dark ale was thick as it went down, leaving a nectar like aftertaste. “My compliments to the cook.”

“I’ll tell Mary you liked it,” he smiled, noting my confused look. “Oh I cannot cook that well. She makes sure I eat well. She’s always after me, as if I was still a little kid.”

“I take it she’s not your mate.”

“No, she’s a family friend,” he answered clearing off the table. “She took care of me after my parents were killed. You could say she’s become a second mother to me.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how were your parents killed?”

“Many years ago, when I was around five, our village was about ten leagues to the south,” his voice started to lose its smooth tone, and I could tell it was a story that he found hard to tell. “One night it was surrounded by a tribe of goblins. We had no idea where they had come from, not that it mattered at the moment. They butchered many, until we killed enough of them so that they fled.

“Half of our village was killed, my mother included. I don’t think I’ve ever saw such a look of hate in anyone’s eyes, as the moment I saw my father take the surviving men and chase after the goblins. They killed all of the fleeing goblins, but not without a heavy price” he sat down, his eyes fixed on that long ago event. “Very few of the men came back, though those that did brought back the bodies of the slain. My father’s was the last body brought back to the village.”

“I am sorry,” I wasn’t really sure if that was what I should have said, but I gave my condolences none the less.

“That is the way of life in these parts,” Derrin stated. “We moved our village after the attack, finding that we could no longer stay in a place with such horrific memories. An older man remembered once seeing an enormous tree in his youth that fascinated him. We followed him to this very spot, where we built this village.”

“A fitting spot,” I could think of nothing else to say.

“Yes,” Derrin seemed lost in thought for a moment. “Well, anyway, I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and are at least a little suspicious due to the fact that I drugged you.”

“You could say that.”

“The only reason I drugged you was because we could travel faster carrying you,” Derrin was trying to choose his words carefully. I could tell that just by the way he slowed down his pattern of speech. “I mean no disrespect, however we were being pursued by a vast number of gnomes and you were slowing us down.”

The look in his eyes told me he was unsure of the words he had spoken. “I don’t appreciate being poisoned, much less being unconscious for two weeks.”

“That was a side effect of the berries, they are quite potent. I truly apologize for that. I had no idea that they affected elves to such a degree,” his words sounded genuine, yet I found myself on edge. Something still didn’t seem right. “Humans are generally asleep for a few hours, nothing more.”

“Why did you save me from the gnomes?” I asked, satisfied for the moment with his answer about the berries. “It seems you put yourself at great risk for someone you know very little about?”

“The gnomes of Shilock Wood are no friends of ours, least of all the Gaulguch clan, who were the ones that imprisoned you,” his response brought with it a voice full of anger. “Once they were friendly neighbors, but in the last five years some evil has fallen upon them, and corrupted them. Where they once traded furs with us, now we only trade fired arrows and sword blows.”

“What is this evil?”

“I don’t know. It was almost overnight that they changed. One day they were talking to us, the next we were told we were no longer allowed in their area of the forest. Three days later, we were fighting small patrols of them,” Derrin said grimly. “What little I have learned is that they now worship a new deity, instead of the Earth Mother. I don’t know the name of the new deity though.”

“Strange.”

“Very strange,” he agreed. “The Gaulguch clan was the first to change, with the other four clans soon to follow.”

“How close are we to their lands?”

“Too close for comfort,” Derrin stood and walked to a window. “Twice they have sent two war parties towards our village, but both times our rangers in the woods caught wind of their coming, and we were able to successfully turn them back. However, if we are ever caught off guard or if they were to attack en masse, I doubt we would survive.”

“What are they after?” I was curious at this. I couldn’t think of any type of riches or plunder that they would win from sacking such a small village.

“They seek to kill the Great Tree,” the sadness in his voice showed, and I was sure that there was a tear in his eye, though I couldn’t be sure as his back was to me.

For some reason I had forgotten about the tree. How was that possible? It had held such sway over me not mere hours before. “Why would they kill it? As a matter of fact, what is it?”

“I am not completely sure. Some say it is just an old tree, others claim it is a manifestation of the Earth Mother herself,” he answered turning around to face me.

“And what do you think?” I a little annoyed at his answer, as the question was starting to burn in my mind.

“I would have say that it’s a little of both,” Derrin swiftly sat back down at the table. The lamps were now burning low. “There is definitely something out of the ordinary about this tree. It brings peace to most people that see it, something that they rarely find elsewhere. Everything around it is vibrant and healthy.” He paused, pondering the question for a second. “Yes, there is definitely something mystical about the Great Tree. I’m not even sure what type of tree it is. No one has ever been able to identify it.”

“Why do you think that the gnomes are trying to kill it, and not just destroy your village?” I asked the question, knowing full well that the gnomes were after the tree, yet I couldn’t figure out why.

“Again, I don’t know. When we existed peacefully with them, they would send five priests every full moon to bless the tree, but they never said why.” Derrin got a strange half-smile on his face. “Odd. I never thought to even ask them why they came. I just accepted it, never questioned what they were doing.”

I noted he was growing tired, and although I had a desire to leave the town as fast as possible, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to leave until at least the morning. Plus I wanted some time to mull over everything that had been said, as I was sure I was missing something obvious.

“Would it be okay if we called it a night?” I asked, knowing my host was too gracious to ask me the same question.

“If you wish. I thought you wanted to ask a lot of questions though,” he pointed that out. It was a true statement. There were still a lot of things I had to ask, but I knew I needed some time to think.

“I do have a lot, which is why I would ask them to you tomorrow, or later as the case will be,” I said, realizing that the sun would be rising in a few hours. “Even though I slept for two weeks, I find myself tired.”

Derrin laughed. “I must apologize again. Knowing what I know now, there is no way I would give you so many of those berries. I have an extra room if you wish to stay here, or I am sure you are still welcome at Helan’s house.”

“I believe I will stay with Helan one more night, though I thank you for your offer,” I wasn’t at ease staying in the center of this village, surrounded by humans.

“You are more than welcome if you change your mind,” he said standing up, and then walking to the door. “I trust I will see you later today then?”

“You can count on it. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have an idea of what to do with the gnomes,” I answered as I walked past him onto the porch.

A puzzled look crossed his face for a second, as my last remark sank in. It was purely small talk, because I already knew what to do with the gnomes. I knew before I heard of their attacks upon the village, and their appetite to destroy the Great Tree. I knew before I thought they had been converted to worshipping what seemed to be an evil deity. I knew what to do with the gnomes once they had tied me up and made me a prisoner.

I was going to have to slaughter each and every one of them.

 

[Cevalic]

Chapter 7

The air had grown quite chill while I had spoke with Derrin, and the grass was now moist. Surely it wasn’t that close to dawn was it? Had I somehow lost track of so much time? Oh well, I thought, standing in the darkness. There was nothing I could do about it.

I began walking up the hill towards Helan’s cottage, my mind racing on ahead of me. Thousands of plans formulated at once, with each one growing more and more complex. At the same time, they grew bloodier, as I tried to think of new ways to kill each of the little, vile gnomes. A wicked grin crossed my face as I envisioned each plan with growing clarity and sense of purpose.

Everything seemed to be falling into place, as far as my revenge was concerned. I would have the little gnomes strung up from each tree in mere days. Yet for some reason I had suddenly become uneasy. A shiver ran down my back, causing the hair there to stand up on end. Quickly I drew my sword.

I put my back against the nearest tree and started scanning the area. Nothing seemed amiss, and I spotted nothing. I knew something was wrong about the scene, even though it appeared fine. Cautiously I stepped off the tree and began moving towards the cottage, which still wasn’t in view.

I didn’t hear the sword coming at me, but I saw a glint in the moonlight, which gave me enough time to bring my longsword to parry. Twisting into a defensive stance, I blocked two more lightning fast blows before getting a glimpse of my silent attacker. Standing at nearly half my height, the small creature was cloaked completely in black. Its gloved hands clenched onto a shortsword, which it wielded with remarkably well.

Again the attacker came at me, and again my sword parried. The creature launched into a frenzy of blows, switching between high and low thrusts in a rapid pattern. Realizing that I needed some room, I made a powerful feint at its legs, causing the creature to leap back. Before I had even completed the swing I did a tuck and roll to the right and into an open clearing.

I leapt to my feet, as the attacker charged. Its hood flapped back as the creature ran and instantly my blood boiled. The gnomes face was illuminated by the moonlight, as it came at me. Immediately the rage burst forth from me and I found myself charging him.

Mere yards from each other our eyes locked as I snarled. I let out an unearthly sound as we came upon one another. I made a high feint towards his head, which he moved to block. His speed however caused him to lose balance as I turned my naked sword into a downward roll.

Our bodies collided at that moment, the momentum driving my sword deep into his body as he spun to catch his balance. The force of the crash caused me to knock the gnome over as I tumbled onto the ground. Growling I stood, to find my sword lodged in the gnomes body. The creature was moaning, as I made my way to stand over it. I spit on its twisted form, as blood pooled around it. I had almost cleaved the creature in half, yet it still lived. Enraged even further, I put my hand on the hilt of my sword and yanked it out of the gnome’s body.

Its weak moan did nothing more than add more rage as I started mercilessly slashing at the creatures body. Over and over I slashed until the body was nothing more than hacked up pieces. Still, I continued my assault on the pieces of the corpse.


How long my attack upon the corpse lasted, I do not know. Once my rage subsided, I found myself trembling, as I kneeled in what remained of the body. Pieces of flesh were all over my clothes, blood was splattered all over my body, even my hair was slick with it. Had someone walked by, it might have appeared that I had rolled around in the puddle of what was left of the gnome. Indeed, the only thing that even really gave the hint of what the creature had been were the bones, and most of those had been broken under onslaught of my sword.

It took me a few moments to comprehend what I had done, and when it hit me I was scared. I was not scarred because I had killed the gnome; in fact I was quite glad. I was scared because I had given into the rage and loved every moment of it.

I stood up, not bothering to brush myself off. The first morning light was starting to show over the tree tops as I picked up my sword. It would need to be sharpened, but I was unconcerned. If I needed to sharpen it a thousand more times I would. There would be no stopping my quest for vengeance, especially after this ordeal. Swiftly I began started to my destination once more.

My eyes were ablaze as I finished my trek to Helan’s cottage. I swung the door with enough force that it would have woken her, had she not already been up and cooking breakfast. A look of concern crossed her eyes, and then fear as I moved silently passed her. I threw my sword onto the floor wordlessly, then collapsed onto the cot. I knew now that she wasn’t scared for me, but of me.

And somewhere, deep down, I enjoyed that…

 

[Cevalic]

Chapter 8


It was mid-afternoon when I came out of my reverie, which was odd considering I should have been up a few hours before. Even stranger, I could have sworn that I had dreamt during it, something elves rarely do. To humans, reverie is just sleeping, but it is no where near that simple. It is a level of self healing, of the body and mind almost turning in on themselves and knowing nothing else. To dream in a reverie is bad. The fact that I came out of it with a chill up my spine, is something I care not to mention.

There was a light lunch laid on the table, with a pitcher of now warm water next to it. I was sure that I wouldn’t see Helan today, or maybe even ever again for that matter. In a way I regretted scaring her, but she was a human, and I couldn’t let myself worry about one of their kind’s feelings. To do so, would be to turn my back on everything that I was ever taught.

I ate the lunch quickly and drained the pitcher, water running down off my chin as I tilted my head back higher. I tossed the metal container onto the table where it made an empty sound, as I looked around for my sword. Noting that it was no where in sight, I finally noticed the note on the door.

Elf,

I brought your sword to the smith. There are some clean cloths on the
chair, and a wash basin is on the south side of the cottage. Derrin wishes to
speak with you once you get the chance.

Helan


As I read the note, I knew what she wanted to write, but wouldn’t. She wanted me out, and I would oblige, but first I would clean myself up. There was no need to walk around covered in the blood of a dead foe, at least not this early in the day.


* * * * * * * * * * *


After cleaning up and putting on some clean cloths, I headed down into town. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Derrin. Had Helan told him of her encounter with me from the previous night? Had he gazed upon the remains of the gnome and decided that I was the greater monster? Pondering these types of thoughts, I took my time.

Before I could go to town, I walked past the place of last nights skirmish. I slowed my steps even more as I passed. The tree and ground were covered in blood, although it looked like someone had made an effort to clean away some of the mess. Most of the bones were missing, although as I bent down I found a few shards lying in the grass.

I quickly returned to my route to town, as a knot of fear welled up inside my stomach. There was something inside of me that scared me. It was almost like another being living there. And I was sure I would have to face it more than once in the coming days, as my personal war against the gnomes was about to begin. The only question I had was, would I be able to regain control of myself or be swept away in the rage never to return?


* * * * * * * * * * *


I found Derrin sitting outside his house, speaking with an elderly man clearly approaching his last years. I stopped outside the yard, so as not to interrupt their conversation. From what little I could hear, the older man was concerned about a problem with the town well, and Derrin was doing his best to assure the man that it would be taken care of.

Thoughts kept floating through my head, most filled with extreme amounts of violence. More often than not they were more gruesome ways to maim and kill those damn gnomes. I might have been lost in my own world had I not had a tug on my sleeve.

“Hey,” a quiet voice said.

Looking down, I found a young boy, no more than five or six staring up at me. “Yes?’

“Are you really a demon?” His question caught me completely off guard as his blue eyes shone in the afternoon sun.

“Where would you get that idea, child?” I asked, kneeling down to look at him face to face.

“Mommy says that whatever killed the gnome last night must have been a demon, cuz she never saw anything like it in her whole life,” his words didn’t have any ill intentions, they were just statements from an child with an innocent view of life. Yet they started to anger me. “And I heard Old Gill say that you killed the gnome.”

It was all I could do from not backhanding the child. The rage that I had let in the night before now sought entry and it was all I could do to hold it back. It was my right to slay my attacker, and my right to do with his remains as I wished. There was no honor in a surprise attack; therefore the attacker deserved no honor in death.

“Do you know what I went through at the hands of the gnomes?” I asked the child, my face turning into an evil sneer. “Did your mother or Old Gill ever think of that?”

The child was visibly shaking as he began inching backwards. Immediately I felt ashamed, for even if the child was human he did not deserve my outburst. His mother and this Old Gill fellow were the ones I should be angry with. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a piece of candy that I had taken from Helan’s table.

“I’m sorry child, I did not mean to scare you,” I tried my best apologetic voice, as I extended my hand. “Forgive me little one, I’ve had a long few days.”

Still the child backed up. He would have broken into a run had he not backed into a pair of legs. Startled the child wheeled around, as I looked up at Derrin, who had finally freed himself of his business with the old man.

“Troy,” Derrin softly said softly. “What do we do when someone asks for forgiveness?”

Troy turned partially around, but wouldn’t bring himself to look me in the eyes. “You’re forgiven.”

“He’s offering you one of Helan’s candies, are you going to take it?” Appartently the child hadn’t realized that it was Helan’s candy, for his eyes lit up as he cautiously walked over and took the candy.

“Thank you,” he said, still averting his gaze.

“You’re welcome young Troy,” I dutifully responded, standing up once more.

“Run along home now Troy, I think I heard your mother calling for you,” Derrin had added the last part just to help hurry the child along. It worked wonders, as Troy was running in the direction of his home before Derrin could finish.

As the child disappeared from sight, Derrin walked over. “Your time in our village has yet to be a good time for you.”

“It will never be a good time,” I replied curtly. “Do not take this the wrong way, but I am not one of your kind. I do not belong here. You and your fellow villagers have been most gracious, but I could never truly enjoy myself here.”

“Why is that?”

“Men and Elves are different, our outlooks on everything are too opposite. The same can be said of our lifestyles. Where Man is brash and quick to make a move, Elves prefer to contemplate and look to the affects each action will have in the future.”

“By your saying then, you are more Man than Elf,” Derrin spoke, looking to the great tree in his yard. “You wish to run off and attack the gnomes with no planning, just for the sake of a quick revenge. That is why you came here, is it not? You would like your sword, so you can go as soon as possible to attack some gnomes. Welcome to the World of Man, Elf. I think you’ll fit in perfectly.”

He let the words hang there. There was nothing I could say and he knew it. He knew he had caught me in my own words, and bold words at that. I gazed at the tree along with him for many moments, watching a gentle breeze blow through its branches.

“Rumor has it that you killed a gnome last night,” Derrin broke the silence, with the only topic he could probably think of.

“I did,” I confirmed. “And in doing so I have alienated some of your fellow villagers. Apparently there are some who think of me as a demon.”

“Those that say that have never been in combat,” the tone in his voice gave me the impression that he was thinking of something else as he spoke to me. “Trust me when I say that you have alienated very few in this village. And those that you did are as easy to win back as they are to lose.”

“Even so, I have no desire to stay in this village any longer. I ask you for a sword, and although I have no way to pay, I will work it off in the form of slaying our mutual enemies.”

“I would ask you only to wait one more day,” Derrin said quietly. “Tomorrow night I am having a council with all of the village’s rangers. I would be pleased if you could add your knowledge and counsel to our gathering.”

I owed him too much to say no, although every part of my body and mind wished to charge into the forest and go gnome hunting. “Very well, although I do not think I will be staying with Helan anymore after last night. She was frightened to say the least.”

“I spoke with her this morning and she mentioned nothing of the sort, but if you want you can stay here,” he replied as he started moving towards his house.

“How come the meeting is tomorrow night? Why not during the day?” I knew I came off as impatient the moment I asked the questions.
Derrin paused mid-stride and slowly turned around. I noticed his eyes filling with water as he looked back at me. Suddenly, whatever he had been thinking about was out in the open.

“Because you weren’t the only one attacked by gnomes last night…”

 

[Cevalic]

Chapter 9

His name was Christopher Lightenguad, a ranger no more than twenty years old. His funeral was the first time that I saw him, though I did not venture close enough to get a real good look at his body. From where I stood I noted that he had golden hair, with a well built frame, that probably caused most women that saw him to do a double take when he passed. Not that it mattered now.

They had the funeral to the north of town, in a small valley enclosed by a ridge full of trees. The youth’s body was placed upon a stone table. Slowly each of the villagers brought forth bundles of wood and piling them around the base of the slab. This continued for quite some time until the body was barely visible.

I hung back from the crowd, a spectre as silent as death. Most of the villagers undoubtedly blamed me in some way for the young man’s death, and I didn’t wish to have any confrontations at the funeral. Indeed, there were quite a few people who occasionally glanced over their shoulders, with looks of evil intent upon their faces.

I ignored them.

They were fools to think that it was my fault the young Lightenguad had been killed. Had I known there were more gnomes lurking in the woods, I would have gone out hunting. Not that it would have saved Chris. Derrin said they had found his body on the western trail leading into the town. Next to him lay a dead gnome. The young ranger had fought bravely, but must not have known there was another gnome out there either, for he was found with a shortspear in his back.

He would have been dead long before I got there. There was a good chance that I killed the gnome that did him in. Not that any of the villagers thought about that, or would take much solace in the fact if they had. To them I was the one who the gnomes had come for, and that was the reason that Chris was dead.

I partially listened as Derrin gave a eulogy to the weeping crowd. Apparently Chris had come to the village an orphan, although the village leader mentioned it only in passing. Indeed every part of the speech had the deceased youth to be overcoming some sort of obstacle or doing some good deed. Derrin ended, tearing up, by saying that although he never had blood relatives, he was a part of everyone in the village’s family.

More than one head turned at that comment.

“Let us pray,” Derrin said bowing his head. As one, the entire village lowered their heads.

“O Great Earth Mother. We give back to you the one you gave to us. We thank you for the blessed time we were able to spend with him, and ask that you hold him close in the Afterlife. We will strive to be as good of a servant to you as he was. We now send him into the air, where he can flow upon the winds, finally settling in the places that you deem worthy for his remains. With, and for, your love, Au-shwam.”

“Au-shwam,” the villagers repeated.

I made a silent note to ask Derrin about the last phrase, as it was one I was completely unfamiliar with. In utter silence Derrin moved over to a large torch, and struck to rocks together next to it. Fire enveloped the torches head, as sobbing from the crowd reached my ears. With a walk filled with respect and sorrow, Derrin moved towards the body, and lit the pyre.

As the body began burning, most of the villagers began going home tears running down their faces. I stood there with the few that remained. All of the rangers stayed and continually hauled more wood from the forest to throw onto pyre. I never moved. My eyes were locked on the flames and ashes rising from the immense blaze.

The fire that danced in my eyes, echoed in my soul.

* * * * * * * * * * *

There were nine people at the meeting that night, all of them rangers. The four missing rangers were out on patrol, and there was much grumbling that all of them should be out, although it grew quite quiet once Derrin arrived.

I sat apart from them all, in a cushioned chair along the wall. My spot, however, gave me a decent view of the table and the maps lying upon it. No one had said a word to me since I had entered the chamber. In fact, the nod from Derrin was the first acknowledgment that I was even there.

They all resented me now, even the ones that had saved my lives from the gnomes not so very long ago. Not that I cared. As soon as I had the information and equipment that I needed, I would begin my own personal war with or without this small group.

Derrin moved towards the end of the table and cleared his throat. Everyone in the room, including myself, turned our heads to give the village leader our undivided attention. The look in his eye showed the burden that had been placed upon his shoulders.

“I won’t waste any time getting to the point,” his voice came across as restrained, as if he wished to yell and start throwing objects all around the room. “We all know why we are here. There is no question that some type of action must be taken against the gnomes, but in this I must ask for everyone’s opinion. This is not my decision alone. Everyone in this room is going to be laying their life on the line, and therefore everyone should have a say.

“Now we all know an open war against the Gaulguch clan would only lead to our deaths and of those we love.” As Derrin spoke to his men I found myself quickly growing impatient. None of this concerned me. “Yet we must take some form of action, the question is what do we do?”

The enormous man, who had carried me not so long ago, stood up and placed his hands on the table. “As you say, it would be foolish to attack one of their cities for it would only invite the death of our loved ones. We could start picking off the gnomes in small groups as they hunt or patrol their borders.”

“I, for one, disagree,” came a whisper of a voice from the far corner of the room. I was surprised at the sight of a cloaked figure sitting there, almost blending in with the shadows. My curiosity was aroused at what the figure had to say. “They would not be expecting an attack on their city, or more to the point, their leadership. We could be in and out before an alarm was raised. They wouldn’t even know for sure who slaughtered their leaders if we did it correctly.”

The short, wiry man had stood by this point, and had cast his hood back. There was a small scar on brow, almost covered by a mop of unkempt brown hair. His face held a blank look, one that had uncaring written all over it. His green eyes, however, smoldered in the dim light given off by the hearth.

“No offense, but I’ll not kill anyone in their sleep, even if it is one of those damn gnomes,” the mountain of a man shot back. “I’m a warrior, not an assassin.”

“And a poor assassin you would make,” the small man grinned. “To carry off something with such important would require an amount of skill and planning that would just cause someone like you to get a headache.”

“There is no need for that, Marcos,” Derrin’s voice bordered on that of anger. Whoever this man was, it seemed like he had few friends in the room. And that was something I could relate too. “And I agree with Tomas. I will not have anything to do with an assassination of any kind. My conscious would not let me live with that.”

“And the gnomes might not let you live period,” Marcos countered. A murmur went through the room, as everyone voiced their displeasure with the comments. “Come now, are you all foolish enough to believe that a guerilla war against the gnomes will work? You have no chance of surviving such a war. Sooner or later they will launch a large attack against this village. At least killing off the leaders would cause enough turmoil that we could have evacuated the village and found some others who would help us in this war which will start soon enough.”

“I said no,” Derrin’s voice grew strained as his nostrils flared in anger. “There will be no assassination.”

“Then you, and everyone else, will die.”

Marcos immediately turned and quietly moved to the door, even as the group of rangers began yelling towards the small man. I was surprised when no one threw anything at him, or ran to attack him, especially with the anger that was building in the room. I wasn’t surprised, however, when I found myself standing up.

I knew what I had to do, and there was no way it was going to take place with Derrin and his men. I nodded to Derrin as I moved toward the door. His only response was a questioning look as I grasped the handle. Turning my back on him, without giving any indication of my intentions, I pulled the door open and went after Marcos.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Marcos!” I called out as I walked after him.

The thin figure stopped and turned. He squinted as I approached in the waning light. “Ah, the elf. Come to try and give me a lecture on assassination and how your kind is against it?”

“Actually, I wish to help.” I could tell my answered surprised him, although he gave little indication of it. “I have a score to settle, and starting at the top seems like the best way to do it.”

“This is about more than scores,” Marcos didn’t seem overly excited by my proposition. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it would help the village. Regardless of what those men in there think,” he motioned to the cottage we had just left, “I’m not a cold-blooded killer.”

“You could use another skilled sword in case things go wrong,” I pointed out. It was not that I needed him, but if there was a chance I could start with the leaders of the gnomes I would take it.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want your help. I just want you to know this isn’t just about bloodlust and grudges.” I was surprised at how he presented himself to me. “There are lives at stake. Those of my friends and family, and I don’t want anger clouding your vision if you come with me. We’re going in, getting the leaders, and getting out.”

“Fine,” I nodded. I knew as soon as I was there though, what I did wouldn’t be quite what this man had in mind, but that would be his problem. “I will do what you say.”

“Good. We’ll meet at this spot early tomorrow morning, two hours before dawn,” he drew close enough to me that I could smell an odor of pine about him. “Tell no one. If one of the rangers finds out, they might well try to stop us. I will have the supplies we need.”

“Very well,” I responded as he turned to move away.

A shiver of joy ran down my spine. Not only was I going to be able to strike at the gnomes, but I would strike at the very heart of their community. Smiling I turned to see if I could find some weapons for the trip without alerting any of the rangers to my activities…