Chapter Thirty-seven
What is in a Name
A stench nearly overwhelmed me as we got everything into the alcove. I was used to the smell of things rotting, even animals, but this was the smell of excrement. I coughed. "Melima, can you make it so it doesn't smell so bad in here?"
"Only if we find what's causing the smell. I'd have to use magic to clean whatever it is." We walked deeper into the alcove, which was bigger than we first thought. It curved around to go the same way as the main tunnel.
It opened into a small cavern, with a small tunnel in the floor. It was small enough that none of us would be able to get through. The stench grew even stronger the farther we went. The floor was covered in feces, this was used as a type of outhouse.
It was going to take too long for Melima to clean, and Keothi couldn't stand up straight. "I do not like this smell. It is not good."
I could tell that if we stayed for any length of time we were going to start getting sick. We all voted to leave, not resting in the stinky cavern. We left the cart there, it was less likely to be seen, and we didn't need anything in it.
It was really starting to get warm in the tunnel as we went farther down. The pools of magma were getting more frequent. It finally cooled marginally as the tunnel opened up to another massive cavern. A stream of lava fell from the ceiling about a quarter-mile from where we were standing. It hit something and split into two streams.
When my eyes adjusted to the light from the lava, I realized it was hitting what looked to be a fortress of polished obsidian. It was at the far end of a large Duergar city. "That looks like the place we're looking for," I said.
The fortress was eerily beautiful, and the lava falling from the ceiling was mesmerizing. Ari'yasa nudged me and pointed to the city itself. The city itself seemed to be moving from the duergar walking around in their day to day business. A road ran all the way from the edge near where we were directly to the fortress.
I scanned our surroundings for another way to the Emberhold. There was a large ring around the city where there were no buildings, just dirt and rock up to the cavern wall. The cart tracks we were following went to the right, which seemed to be a more well-traveled road.
We agreed to go to the left, being the road less traveled. We weren't about to go straight into the city either. Naidaroe and Keothi were silent as we crept along the cavern wall. I had to look over my shoulder a few times to be sure they were still with the group. Melima wasn't so light on her feet, but her footsteps weren't so loud they'd easily be heard.
Between the shadows by the wall and ducking behind the few stalagmites that were around, we were able to make our way around unseen. That didn't mean we couldn't see into the city. There were several duergar holding chains connected to creatures. I couldn't identify everything that was chained, but some were definitely humanoid.
About halfway through the cavern there was a road going straight through the city, like the one at the mouth of the cavern leading to the fortress. It stood out in contrast to the tightly packed buildings. Most of the buildings were one storey, though there were a few that were two. Most of them seemed to be carved out, even polished onyx like stone.
I kept my eye out for gnome sized footprints, but didn't see any. There were few tracks here anyway, and they didn't seem to stay around long.
I was also looking for any area we might be able to rest in. I knew most of our arcane reserves were nearly depleted. The buildings didn't seem to have windows, so if we could find one that was unoccupied that would work, but the chances of that were highly unlikely. Not for how long we'd need to rest.
It got hotter and hotter as we neared the stronghold. The lava sounded like rock falling on itself. We had to be more cautious of the guards on patrol by the walls of the fortress, but we could sneak by as they looked the other way.
Pockmarks started appearing in the wall as we got closer, probably carved out by lava. Most of them weren't very big, but one or two might be able to hide a person.
The lava poured over part of the fortress wall, though in a controlled fashion. The fortress had at least three levels, each having its own wall. I was pleased to find that there were more stalagmites the closer we got to the fortress, and that they got thicker.
The pockmarks, almost bubbles, started getting bigger as well. The terrain was rougher the closer we got to the back. We started looking for one that might hold all of us and keep us hidden.
We were almost to the stronghold now. Sindus and I went ahead to try finding a bubble to rest in, figuring with our experience as a smuggler and a ranger we'd be able to find something. We darted between stalagmites, seeing a darker hole fairly close to the fortress wall.
Sindus watched the guards, getting a feel for their scanning habits. They looked as bored as someone watching grass grow. Sindus dashed into the bubble, coming back out after a minute. We got back to the group, and Sindus told us what he found. "That bubble was pretty big. It curved back towards the fortress, but didn't connect. There was plenty of space for us to bunk down for a few hours."
We lined up to sneak to the bubble. Just before I gave the signal to move forward Ari'yasa spoke up. "Wait just a second."
She moved her arms to cast a spell and muttered under her breath. The space around us grew dark, though not too dark to see. She had cast the spell I'd been wanting to be able to, making us more stealthy.
We made it past the bored guards easily. Even Naidaroe stumbling over a rock didn't attract their attention, the sounds were muffled more than normal.
The bubble was quiet and hidden. The only sound was that of the lava spilling over the edge of the wall. That would make whatever sounds we might make even more muffled. We agreed to take watch in pairs, it would be a safeguard against someone dozing off.
I requested to keep watch with Melima, and it was decided we'd take second watch, after Keothi and Naidaroe. I had been wanting to talk to Melima in private for over a week, but either didn't have the opportunity, or hadn't figured out how to ask my question without creating too much suspicion if my fears were correct.
When it was our turn for watch we settled at the back of our hideout, but still with a decent view of what was going on outside. It was now or never for me to find some answers. "So, Melima, I'm just curious, have you ever heard the name Nosgartha?"
She paused a moment. "I do remember that name. It is the name of one of the families that guards the Eternity Tree. There are only eight families that guard it from both the high and the wood elves, and are almost considered royalty. What do you know about them?"
I felt myself relax. I was indeed of noble birth, but not enough to unwittingly be a threat to Melima's family. I still would keep my guard up until I had a bit more information though. "It was a name my father mentioned to me in a recent letter, and he did mention they guarded the Tree. I was just kind of curious about that."
"I know the eight families of the high elves that guard the Tree, but I don't know seven of the wood elves, I don't know anything about them. There is a single member of both the Moonfeathers, my family, and the Lussanens, the royal family of the wood elves, that are selected from each generation to be part of the guard. My younger brother has this honorary title of White Guard."
I recognized the name Lussanen, it was the name of my mother's family. My mother had been nobility too! After my father's letter, I had pictured him falling in love with a wood elf commoner. He wasn't kidding about me being of noble origins. The royal family? Had she been a princess?
Melima turned her head and continued. "Originally the guardians were selected because of their skill to become White Guards, but eventually guards were selected from the existing families and it became a family rite. The members of the White Guard are highly trained from birth and are taught a large variety of skills to help defend the Tree of Ages, and their families are taken care of by the royal families. If someone during training shows potential in magic or a particular weapon, then they are sent to learn to master as much as they can.
"One of the families, the Nosgartha family, many years ago had a member of the family disappear suddenly and the family kept it under wraps, and not too much was ever said about it. Yes, that's what I remember, someone went missing." That definitely sounded like it was my father, based on my dream and what he had written me. If he had such training, why did he not teach me more? Why did I have to have learned so much from Shadow? That did explain his comment about not being strangers to war.
Melima still continued about the history of the White Guard. "In order to keep the bloodlines close and not spread too far, the families have been inclined to have arranged marriages and they don't just marry anyone."
She paused, then turned her head again with a curious eye. "So what do you know about them?"
I took a deep breath. "That explains a lot. I was born in Raishan, but my guess is the Nosgartha that disappeared... was my father."
Melima's eyes grew wide. "What? What, what, what! That means you're like, special!"
I laughed nervously. "I know!"
"Oh my goodness! That means you could like, marry my brother! I'm not quite sure what to ask, tell me more about this. Tell me more about why your father left."
"I have no idea. He just said that he was part of the guard."
"Who are the Lussanens to you?" I was surprised at the question. I hadn't said anything about them. "Tawariell, your face gave it away. What do you know? Tell me, please."
I shot her a timid smile. I hoped this didn't complicate things. "My mother is a Lussanen."
"Oh my goodness! We're like two peas in a pod!"
"Evidently!" I laughed. No wonder Mother was so sad when I gave away my last dress. It was a piece of her heritage she thought she'd never see again.
"Well, that's awesome! Did you know that you came from royalty?"
"My father made very vague comments in the last letter he wrote me, that I was of— what did he say?" I pulled the letter out from my things.
"You're getting notes from your father, I have one from mine that we should probably discuss," Melima said.
I found my letter, and the line I was looking for. "So, he told me that I am 'of the highest origins in the realm of elves.' Which, based on that information, is a little bit of an understatement."
"Yeah, definitely. The letter I got, I generally don't talk about this to anybody, but I was next in line for the throne. But my father brought me in, alone, and as I sat by him he leaned in close and almost touched as he whispered 'forgive me, I did it to protect you.'
"After that, we stood and hugged, and I was sent out. But after that, I received a note from him. It said 'My Melima, I know you are hurt from my decision, But I need you to go and learn about other races. Our family has long kept the others at bay,' I don't know who the 'others' are, but 'the others at bay, and now is the time for us to gather allies, and when the time is right you will find your place in the world. Look for allies who can help bridge the gap between us and the other elves. Your ancient magic is powerful. Learn much, grow wise, and you will be a great hero to our people.'
"And because of my education growing up, I know that the tensions between the high elves and the wood elves has been a long and touchy subject, and we generally stay away from each other. But I knew! I knew there was something different about you! I saw it by your ears, and I saw it by your skin, you have some interesting things going on.
"And now that we know, we can definitely work with that, to help gather allies like my father was talking about, to face the 'others' that my father was talking about. Do you know anything about the 'others?' Or know anything about a great force that your family has been fighting for who knows how long?"
"I know very little about my family history. I didn't even know my father was in the guard." I laughed, "Obviously, I didn't even know who my family was."
There was a pause. I think we were both overwhelmed at this discovery. Though I'd considered myself an adult for many years, I felt much like the child elves would consider me to be. I was just now learning all this about my parents, and myself? Why hadn't they ever told me any of this? I looked over my letter again. "Is Del'tonn another name that is also of the guard? That was another name my father mentioned."
"There is! The names of the families of the high elves that guard the Eternity Tree are the Aerotha, Thes'ran, Rothe, Nosgartha, Del'tonn, Ransbar, Esthox, and Baxilla. Del'tonn is one of them, what do you know about them?"
"It's just a potential ally my father told me about. He said, 'When you find your way to the Eternity Tree, ask for "E'ran Del'tonn." He was a friend many years ago. Tell him, "Stand for all..." if he replies and says, "...and never falter," then you can ask him for help and he will trust you.'"
"Oh, interesting. It sounds like there's already alliances in place. We should probably talk to your parents about that, or get more information about it.
"Now I'm curious about what questions I should be asking. My deity is the Archheart, who do you worship? Or do you worship?"
"I've never been religious," I said. "The most religious I've been has actually the past few weeks."
"Really? Tell me about that!"
"Just everything with Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon."
"What?" She sounded shocked.
"I think you were there that night when Darion said that he had a dream, and that I had a dream, where the Platinum Dragon appeared to us?"
"Yes. I don't know what's been going on, but I do know that you've been having some experiences about that."
"I've just been trying to figure out more, because I feel that there's a reason that I keep running into dragons." My voice dropped on the last word. As much as I tried, I still didn't like dragons.
"So, my magic comes from a Draconic bloodline. Somewhere, sometime, someone did something with someone." We both chuckled. I knew that ancient dragons had the ability to shapeshift into other forms, making cross-breeding possible. It was usually the more benevolent type that did that.
Melima continued. "But that's interesting. I don't know much about a Platinum Dragon. I know about gold, and bronze, and silver. Do you know about any special abilities? Can it shapeshift like the ones in my ancestry did?"
"I would imagine so, because he's considered a god."
"Are you called as a champion, Tawariell?"
"No, Darion was. I was told to follow Bahamut's champion."
"Well, where'd he go? How are we supposed to do this without him?"
I laughed. "I'm wondering if I was just supposed to follow him until we found this task to do." I remembered the words I heard in my dream. Follow my champion.
"If we're supposed to follow him, shouldn't we go where he is? Back to Emildan?"
"I did find out that there can be multiple people called as champion."
"Oh, so we're determining if he is the champion that we are to follow, or if there is a different one."
"Right."
"Maybe we get to find them? But that would be tricky. Is there any way to..."
My mind was closed to the rest of Melima's words and the voice of the Platinum Dragon came instead, repeating his words, but in a different way. "Follow, my champion."
My stomach turned into a knot. Me? A champion of Bahamut? The Platinum Dragon? Dragon? Everything I'd learned about him resonated with me, but I still didn't love the idea of following a dragon, and now that was exactly what he was asking me to do. What, or who exactly was I supposed to follow? I felt a war raging inside myself, and I was ever leaning closer to trusting this Dragon. He did want me to save my people after all.
Melima looked at me as if expecting a response. I started breathing again to answer her. "I'm having some revelation..."
"Good! Tell me!"
"That maybe he does want me to be a champion."
"Oh! Well good! I figured as much! Why? Why do you feel like that?"
"A thought just popped into my head..." I said, sheepishly.
"Ah! maybe you'll have a confirming dream!"
"The phrasing popped into my head again, but said just slightly differently to 'follow, my champion.'"
"Ah, grammar. Now my next question is, what do you think is the evil that is taken over our Tree? If it's anything to do with this Dragon, does that mean it's bad, if your dragon is good?"
I figured she must be referring to the evil dragon deity, Tiamat. "Yeah, Tiamat is an evil deity. But based on what Darion told me, I think he mentioned a drow. And the drow points me towards Loltha, but I don't know."
"We've encountered Loltha before, haven't we?"
"Yes, we were fighting mages of Loltha in that church. That church was a church of Loltha."
"Oh yeah, indeed. With his ice magic." I shuddered, remembering that encounter. I'd nearly died, but that was when I really began to feel like I was the key to save our people.
The key to save my people... That's what Bahamut had told me in my dream! You and your friends are the key to restoring balance. He'd told me, I'd felt it, and my father had suggested it! I'd been directed this way the entire time!
And if my mother was a princess, that would make me a princess as well. Melima and I, two princesses estranged from their royal family. And it sounded like she had a large mission to fill as well, we really were supposed to meet. Was my mother the heir? Making me an heir too? An heir of mixed race? I really was supposed to bring my people together.
We spent the last bit of our watch in silence, processing what we had just learned. We woke Ari'yasa and Sindus and tried to get some sleep.
