Chapter Four: Myrkva Alfa

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," muttered Eira to herself, sitting under a giant oak tree. "The earth was formless and empty. Then God created the animals, and then God created the men, then the elves, then the dwarves in that order. He gave the forest to the elves, and He gave the mountains to the dwarves, but the rest he preserved for the men."

"What are you saying there?" asked Lyion.

The group had travelled two days since the events in Imoria. Although it was still hard to accept, and every morning caused her to ask more questions, she was slowly growing to accept her reality. They had set up camp in a small clearing, for clearings were hard to find in the elven forest Du Weldenvarden, and was just now making some kind of vegetable stew. Lyion and Elise had gone searching for some berries and roots, so Eira stayed at camp.

Eira had lost her mother and her father and her entire reality. All she had left was her sister… and her God. As custom in Imoria, all people carried around a small written holy book with them at all times. Even as Eira was in her birthday gown, she carried one as well, held under her chest garments. In such a harsh time as now, she consoled with God and read his word.

Eira looked up at Lyion, who was stirring the stew which smelled wonderfully sweet. "I'm reading the Holy Word," she answered, holding up the very small book. "Dróttinn Orð."

Interesting, Eira noticed Lyion's eyebrows rose as if he recognized the words. In response, she asked if he did.

"I'm afraid not," said Lyion slowly. "But it does sound like something you would be taught. There are as many legends in the realm of humans as there are trees in Du Weldenvarden." Eira wasn't sure what to make of that statement, if it was a compliment or not. "Tell me more."

Eira smiled and flipped through the Dróttinn Orð, looking for one of her favorite passages. Finally, on page 340, she read: "And God said to Eng'ra, son of Elg'ra, "Let your hand your companions, and let your eyes be your friends, and let your arm be your shieldmate, and when your companion comes to my kingdom, let you follow him close behind. Let the void never be greeted by the lonesome." And then God cast lightning from the sky and where the lightning struck, a sword appeared in the ground, glowing as brightly as the sun. And Eng'ra took the blade in his hand and obeyed the God above, and he joined his companions and together the city of Illeria was made for the humans, as was God's desire."

Lyion was silent for a while, and feeling uncomfortable, Eira felt like she should explain. "The story is about Elg'ra, an ancient wise warrior, who in his youth ran away from battle. It was only because of God that he realized he should fight by his friends and if needed, die by them."

"I understand," said Lyion abruptly. He was quite another minute then said, "I have just never heard of this version of the story. Elg'ra, that is a name I faintly remember reading about as a youth. Quite a fierce warrior, I do remember. However… the rest. It is not in our writings."

Eira shrugged. "Dróttinn Orð was given by God to humans, not elves." A second later she realized that might have sounded insulting and shrugged. "But I am sure He gives you the books you need just the same, right?"

Lyion smiled and chuckled. "It's not important right now. Come, have some breakfast."

Eira closed the Dróttinn Orð and put it away, joining her sister and Lyion the elf for breakfast.

It was late in the day when Lyion raised a hand for the two sisters to stop behind him. They had been travelling for hours, and Lyion had promised they would reach Ellesmera by the end of the day. Eira wasn't sure if she should feel worried, anxious, or happy. After Imoria, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. All she knew was that she was supposed to go to Ellesmera because… her mother told her to. Lyion hadn't even given much of a description.

But now Lyion stopped them, and Eira wondered why. "What's the—"

"Shh."

Eira closed her lips and looked around. The journey so far had been very uneventful. She heard many sounds and saw many strange animals, plants, and food, but nothing that was threatening or dangerous. To be stopped to suddenly, her heartbeat sped up. She felt a pressure and noticed Elisa was holding tightly onto her hand.

Lyion was perfectly still for a few minutes. His long pointed ears seemed to peak up and become even more sensitive than usual. He turned his head a few times, but other than that, he was motionless. A branch suddenly cracked behind Eira and in an instant Lyion twisted around, throwing a knife like an arrow right by Eira's cheek. There was a thud of it entering flesh, and then a collapse onto the ground.

Eira and Elisa spun around, their hearts pounding, and saw what looked like another elf laying in the dirt, a knife sticking out of his chest. However, unlike Lyion, this elf had dark, puffy eyes, as if bruised, and a singular circular mark on his forehead. Lyion quickly got in front of the two girls and slowly approached the being.

"Another elf?" muttered Eira, her eyes widening.

"Quiet," said Lyion. He reached the being and bent down, putting a hand on its chest. Feeling nothing, he grabbed the hilt of his knife and freed it from the chest. Standing back up quickly, he looked at the girls, and his eyes were wide. "This is no elf."

He rushed by the girls again, waving his arms for them to follow him. Suddenly the pace had grown much faster, fast enough where the girls had trouble keeping up with the nimble elf.

"That was a Myrkva Alfa. What once was an Elf like me, one gave in to deceitful ways and immoral doings. He was one that practiced the occult and very dark magics. They are a very recent kind of elf, one we haven't known about until roughly ten years ago when the first appeared and caused chaos in the city Kirtan. Slowly after, more and more of these sightings have been made."

"Mykra Alvs," muttered Eira from behind, unsure of how to pronounce the strange words. "What should we do?"

"You do nothing but follow close behind me and tell me if you hear anything. The Myrkva Alfa are the only beings other than the riders that can kill an Elf. Young girls would not survive a second. I was lucky I coated by blade with an extremely deadly poison, for a regular blade would have little effect against one otherwise."

None of this made Eira feel comfortable. "Are there more?"

"Possibly," said Lyion. "I'm afraid I'm not as well versed in the creatures as others, as I've been mostly occupied for the last 15 years watching after you; it seems my job isn't done just yet."

The two were quiet for quite some time as they ran through the forest. Just as Eira felt as if her legs could go on any further, Lyion stopped them again. They stopped at the edge of a small creek. Across the creek a hill arched high above them, covered in giant pines. However, just at the top of the hill, bright orange glows seemed to emanate in all directions.

"It can't be…" muttered Lyion in such a sad voice it almost brought Eira to tears. He spun around to the girls and led them a ways down the creek. He then stopped and pointed at a grassy crevice that led beneath the slope of the hill. Dashing across the creek he pointed inside. "Eira, Elisa, go in and stay hidden until I come back for you. I cannot risk you going any further as I am not sure exactly what lies over that hill."

"It's Ellesmera?" asked Elisa as her and Eira entered the cove. "Isn't it?"

"Frethya," said Lyion over Elisa and Eira, causing them to both vanish before themselves, something Eira noticed her mother Elderna had done to them back when she was fighting the dragon Velren. It was as if they had vanished from existence, but she herself could still feel her. It was a very displacing feeling. "Stay."

He then stood up and looked towards the hill top. An orange glow shimmered across his pale skin. "Ellesmera… I can only hope that is what I will see."

He then vanished from sight, jumping over the cove. They heard his footsteps across the grass and ground, and then all of him was gone from senses. It was a few seconds before Eira spoke up. "Elisa, what do we do?"

"We wait for Lyion to get back," answered Elisa, but Eira wasn't sure if she was looking at her or not. "Then we do what he says."

"You sure seem to trust him a lot," observed Eira, a small frown on her face.

"You heard mother. She died to save our lives, and her final wish was to go to Ellesmera. There is no reason not to trust Lyion. His story matches ours. He just saved our lives earlier today if you forgot, and is doing the same now."

Eira frowned, looking down at the ground. She noticed the imprints of her feet on the dirt, and used it to give herself some connection in reality. "But you know what the Dróttinn Orð say. Elves, while wise, are the tricksters of Alagaësia."

"When did you become such a scholar?" asked Elisa with a sound of annoyance in her voice. "You never talked about the Dróttinn Orð so much before."

Eira shrugged, though a second later she realized that was pointless. "Remember when we were younger? While our mother was cleaning the house at bed time, our father would meet us in our rooms and read to us to help us fall asleep. If… If it is true our father was not truly our father, there is one thing I can believe in. The book he read to us, the Dróttinn Orð, told of everyone's true father, God. Our father was honest in that."

That seemed to keep Elisa quiet, and she said no more on the subject.

It had been roughly half an hour before Eira began to feel worse. She tried concentrating her hearing as best she could, but she could hear nothing over the hilltop but the chirping of birds and the sounds of the other forest animals. "We can't just stand here forever," said Eira. "Let's go see wha—"

"I smell something over here!"

Footsteps.

"Elves trying to run from Ellesmera, you think? Well go after them, go on."

The voice sounded like Lyions, like an Elf voice, but deeper and smoother, like a hard black tea. Sweet, but bitter.

Suddenly a figure appeared in front of the cove. The creature was too tall to fit within the cove, so it ducked down to get a better look. It was then they could see its face clearly. Its eyes were slanted and far apart, its nose flat and sharp, and its jaw thin. He had black hair that looked horribly greasy, spread across his forehead and lying flat on his shoulders. Surrounding its eyes was the same puffy, dark purple marks, and on his forehead was a black circle. It was a living Myrkva Alfa.

Eira held her breath, her eyes wide on the dark elf. Her entire body grew tense, but she tried her best not to move a single inch. She gave a quick glance down at her to make sure she was still invisible, and then looked back up at the creature.

"I smell something strong," said the Myrkva Alfa. Eira noticed that the teeth of the dark elf, unlike Lyions, were sharp and pointy. "Something very close…"

He then looked down and one eyebrow rose. "What is this.. Footsteps! But these footsteps do not go anywhere… As if the elf stood here and then flew away."

"Akrid!" shouted the other voice, and Akrid spun and looked to his left. "Akrid, if you see no Elf then let us go find them! Do not waste my time."

Akrid made a growling like noise that grew out of his throat and pulled away from the cove, moving just as fast as Lyion. There were soft footsteps and then no more could be heard of the Myrkva Alfa.

"That was too close!" said Eira, letting out her held in breath. "Did you see its teeth? We can't stay here, Elisa!"

"Maybe you're right," responded Elisa. "I can't be for certain, but maybe the Elves hold no more safety for us than our home of Imoria."

"Then what do we do? Wait for Lyion? He might not even be alive if there are so many of those things around. You heard what he said. Out of his own mouth, they can kill an Elf."

"I'm not sure, but there is one thing we can find out." She exited the cove, and Eira followed her footsteps as they formed in the dirt below. "Let's see what is over the hilltop."

Elisa grabbed her hand, which caused Eira to jump, then pulled her along as the two invisible figures worked their way up the steep hill. Eira's feet and calves were already burning and aching, but she kept the pace. As they grew closer, the orange and yellow hue seemed to grow more intense and defined. Eventually, they reached the top, and peaking over the edge they saw a city burning.

To Eira, it looked like what might have once been the most beautiful city in the entire world, but at the present moment, it was an inferno miles wide. Every tree and scrub, every house and roadway, ever branch and trunk, every inch of city of Ellesmera seemed coated in the orange glow of fire.

The fire seemed to flow up the trees like water in reverse. It reached the leaves of the canopy and in an instant, jumped from pine to pine. As above, below. Fire everywhere.

Then Eira began to see shapes within the flames. Blurs of light and dark seemed to bounce from branch to branch. The occasional cling seemed to resonate from somewhere, and then from somewhere else a second later. She then realized these were Elves in battle and her jaw dropped. Faster than any warrior she had ever seen in Imoria, the Elves were nothing but blurs for her human mind.

Suddenly a roar erupted from somewhere far in the city, a roar that caused Eira to have a flashback of a few days back. Although different in tone, it was a dragon that she heard.

"This is bad," said Elisa, her voice clearly shaky. "Really really bad."

"What do we do?" asked Eira, her voice almost pleading. She was only a girl after all. She wasn't sure what to do, and her sister didn't know much more.

"A-HA!"

Eira gasped, a squeak escaping her throat as she was forcefully rolled over. She felt a knee press against her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. Pushing down on her was the Myrkva Alfa she had seen only a moment later, the dark elf Akrid.

"I knew I smelled something, and here it is! An Elf and a spell. A female elf at that. Trying to hide herself from me and the others. Is she afraid to fight? As I remember, it was custom even for the females to fight as fiercely as the males. A frightened elf, oh is there anything more dishonorable than that, huh?"

"So you caught one," said the same voice she had heard as well, but Eira had no name or face to connect to this voice. "Get rid of her. Don't screw up again."

"BAAH!" gasped Akrid, a gurgling bulge seeming to pop in his throat. He then looked down at the invisible Eira and muttered a word: "Frethya neo."

Like a wisp of wind, Eira's figure appeared before Akrid and she was no longer hidden from view. Upon the reveal, Akrid's eyes grew wide with surprise, and his smile became a confused frown. "Why, this is no elf!" he called out. "Nor a Burðr Alfa! Why, this is a human girl!"

"A… human?" There were footsteps as the other figure grew closer, but still out of sight for Eira. "Why this is certainly a surprise. Do not kill this one. You, girl, what is your name?"

Eira shivered, tears forming in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing was coming out but squeaks. Just then, however, there was a loud smack and Akrid fell over onto the ground, surprised. He jumped back up, taking a step back and looking around. "W-what was that!"

"Frethya neo," said the other voice, raising its hand just in Eira range of vision. Elisa then became revealed just as Eira had.

Akrid gasped. "Another girl! Why, who could imagine two humans so close to Ellesmera." He then gasped a second time, this time more intense than the first, following a gurgling sound from his throat. His mouth slowly grew into a smile, showing off his sharp teeth. "Why, you don't think these could be…"

"Now don't jump to conclusions," said the other voice. "As we saw before, there was a human man in Ellesmera just today. Now that Queen Nasuada rules, it is not as unlikely for the races to intermingle as before. We should not be so hasty. What is your name, girl?"

"M-my name," muttered Eira, her eyes frozen on the smiling, drooling mouth of Akrid. "My name is Ei-,"

"SOLUS BJART!"

Suddenly a warm bright glow seemed to spread across them like a wave. Everything was bathed in light, light so bright it could be compared with only the brightness of the sun at high noon. Eira could see nothing but white, but she could hear the terrible gurgling noise of Akrid along with the other voice cursing.

There was a sound like scurrying, and then a loud pop, and then nothing. The light slowly began to fade, but it still took a few minutes for Eira's eyes to regain previous vision, though there still seemed to be a glow over her eyes.

She blinked, and at her side she saw Elisa. However, Elisa was looking at someone else.

"Oh goodness gracious, how did this come to be? Why if it isn't Eira and Elisa, daughters of Elderna Spakr-Einhendr. I do truly seem to show up exactly where interesting things are about to happen."

Eira turned at first sound of the voice and there before her stood a woman. An eccentric looking woman, she had dark curly brown hair which lay far down on her back and what looked like pale light blue eyes. She had a wonderful smile. On her body she wore a green and black type of armor that was well fitting. In one hand was a wooden staff with a green pearl on the end, and in her other hand was a white blade. Finally, on her shoulder sat a cat.

"Who are you?" asked Elisa, and Eira could tell she was just as curious.

"Oh where are my manners," said the woman. "My name is Angela the Witch."

Eira's eyes grew wide. "Another Witch?"

"The pleasure is all yours, I'm sure," said Angela, chuckling and tilting her head, her curls bouncing.