"Then look!"
*****
Victoria made another disgusted face as the orc shaman tried again to heal her leg. Vinx stood behind her ready to grab her hand if she decided to kill this orc too. The last shaman only caused more pain for Victoria; she had grabbed one of her daggers and killed him.
Crushbone was again over run with the fowl orcs. Those stupid wood elves couldn't even keep the orc population down and under control. The orcs took back Crushbone and started to advance on the might trunks of the trees that held up Kelethin once again, but sooner or later, the pathetic wood elves would wipe out Crushbone again, and the same situation would repeat itself.
A richly dressed dark elf came into the room and waited until the orc finished his task. Finally Victoria said that she felt no pain and that she could move her leg again. Vinx shoved the orc out and shut the door; he walked back to Victoria's side and yawned rudely. The dark elf nodded his head and smirked.
"What do you want?" Vinx said.
"I heard that there were some new dark elves wandering the forest. I just had to introduce myself, I am Lord Matalas." He nodded.
"Do you think I'm supposed to be surprised or something?" Vinx laughed.
"Well, I rank very high ever since Ambassador Dvinn was so savagely murdered years ago." The dark elf sneered.
"And you're telling us this because?" Victoria walked around the room.
"Well, I just had to make my presence noticed. Now if you'll excuse me." Matalas nodded his head again and scurried out the door.
"He's full of himself." Victoria chuckled.
*****
Slith unhooked another fish and tossed it into the basket behind him. The ocean water was so serene and calm that Lorilie wasn't able to do anything with the helm. No wind blew from any direction, so the Windchaser bobbed uselessly in the middle of the vast sea.
Caleb was up in the crow's-nest smoking his pipe, thinking of things he wouldn't speak to Lorilie about. She had a feeling that a lot of it was about Wintercloud. Tegid and Lanie chatted endlessly to each other at the stern of the ship. Brand was below deck trying to compose a new song to annoy Lorilie with. Kel was with him throwing suggestions out whenever he heard something wrong.
Caleb straightened up against the wood basket and tore the pipe from his mouth. He squinted his eyes and cursed. Yelling towards Lorilie, he climbed halfway down the rope and jumped shakily onto the deck. "There's a ship sailing towards us with unimaginable speed. I think they mean us trouble."
Lorilie opened her telescope and scanned the horizon. She frowned and pushed the telescope back together. "There are dark elves aboard."
Tegid looked up in surprise. "Do you think they'll attack the ship?" a smile began to form on his face.
"Probably. Most dark elves are dangerous." Caleb ran below deck.
"Lorilie, what if they do try to attack? What do I do?" Lanie jumped up.
"You climb to the crows-nest and hide." Caleb was back with his and Lorilie's swords.
Slith, Brand, and Kel joined in. "How many are there?" Brand asked.
"I don't know!" snapped Lorilie, "I only saw five there. Who knows if there are more hiding somewhere."
"How isss the ssship moving ssso fassst?" Slith peered at the on coming strangers.
"How is it moving at all? There's no wind." Lorilie unsheathed her blade.
"Maybe it's a mechanical ship or they have oarsmen." Tegid coughed from inhaling too much salt water vapors.
"Oarsmen. The gnomes would never share their creations with inkies unless they were paid a wealthy sum." Brand chimed in.
An arrow whizzed past Lanie's head and wobbled on the mast pole. Lanie gasped and ran beside Lorilie. Caleb strode over to the arrow and pulled it out. Tiny carvings were inlaid on the side of it. Tossing it into the ocean, he returned to the side of the boat and steadied himself. Tegid strained his eyes to see who was on the other ship. He groaned and shook his blonde hair out of his face.
"Why are they after your ship?" he turned to Lorilie.
"Why does everyone keep looking at me? I don't have any of the answers." Lorilie said hotly.
"You're the captain!" Brand threw up his arms.
The dark elves and their ship approached rapidly as the people on the Windchaser readied their weapons. Two more arrows shot by, supposedly trying to hit someone. Caleb and Tegid sent lightning blasts and ice to damage the inkies vessel. Lanie was almost at the top of the robe when yelling broke out and two dark elves leaped over the side of the Windchaser.
"Climb faster Lanie!" Lorilie shouted without breaking her gaze with the dark skinned elf that stood in front of her.
"Your joy ride of life ends here." The dark elf sneered.
"As does yours." Lorilie took position.
"Jussst be prepared to die." Slith held Mirk's old staff behind Lorilie.
More dark elves hurtled themselves aboard and went to the closest person. Crisp, smoking corpses were spotted on the deck. Tegid and Caleb concentrated on one enemy at a time and worked together. Twirling his staff rhythmically, Slith knocked another elf into the water. Brand jumped quickly behind Lorilie as another pest snuck up behind her.
"How many are left?" Slith quickly yelled up to Lanie.
"Only a few more! I can't see any others on the boat." She ducked as a tall human emerged from a cabin and fired an arrow at her. "Except for him!" Lanie hid again.
The man placed another pointed arrow in his bow and aimed at Lorilie who was being pushed by Brand. The arrow sang as he released it. Lorilie cried out as a piercing sensation struck her side. Collapsing on deck, she clutched her waist. Kel flew out of the sky and smashed the human into the floorboards, the wood split and Kel and the human disappeared from view. Screeching was heard from below the dark elves' craft only to be followed by a disgusting crunch.
Caleb leaned over his sister's body and closed his eyes. A misty blue shower encircled Lorilie. Caleb jerked the arrow out only to be kicked by Lorilie. Her wound closed up and a faint scar remained. "I won't always be here to help you, watch it next time." Caleb helped her up and rubbed the spot where he was kicked.
"Your healing has improved greatly." Lorilie laughed.
Brand held a dark elf's hands behind its back and motioned Lorilie to come over. "Let's ask him who he works for." He threw the elf to the ground.
The dark elf laughed, "Do you really think I'd work for someone?"
"I've seen these carvings before." Brand dropped an arrow at his feet.
Red eyes gleaming with malice, the elf kept smiling. "Then you know who I work for."
Lorilie turned to Brand. "Do you?"
"He must if he knows the symbols." The inky answered.
"I do not know, that's why I ask. I've seen these same arrows impale friends of mine." Brand tightened his hand.
The inkies face fell. "Then I shall never tell." He lunged for the arrow at Brand's feet and plunged it into his neck. His gurgling sprayed blood on the legs of who surrounded him.
"That was unusual." Tegid looked around disgusted.
"I'll tossssss the bodiesss overrr the ssside." Kel grabbed an arm of an elf in his mouth and dragged it.
"I'll help you Kel." Slith carefully placed his staff down.
The sound of someone getting sick directed Lorilie's focus to Caleb. He wiped his mouth; his face was pale. With a clatter, his sword dropped to the deck. Lorilie rushed to his side and helped him to one of the cabins below.
*****
Albain bowed his head n silence and closed his eyes. The boat moved swiftly, cutting through the water like a knife. He had first met Lielay on a boat ride like this. He smiled to himself. Aubrey lit his pipe and puffed smoke rings in the air. He studied Albain sitting with his back against the wood. The elf claimed that he would never harm Lorilie, but would he harm those with her? Aubrey shook his head and concentrated on the horizon.
*****
Flexing his fingers, Riley grimaced in pain; his arm wasn't fully healed yet. The cleric was a novice at this. Albain's men would never be able to compete with his, Riley thought. All of Albain's family will be finally dead soon. Riley began to laugh aloud insanely. The dark elf cleric backed away and ran out the door in horror. Riley swept moisture off his face and examined it as if it were a bug.
*****
"My leg hurts, can we stop?" Victoria sat on a stump.
"Again? We're never going to make it to the boat on time." Vinx grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
"But it." she was rudely interrupted.
"Suck it in. I don't want to hear any more complaints coming from you again." He snapped.
"Why don't you ever shut your mouth? Why are you always bossing me around? This is my mission, you're just an extra that decided to tag along." She tried to pull her arm from his grasp.
"You agreed to let me join and I'm going to see that your laziness doesn't fail the mission." He started to run, Victoria's arm still in his hand.
*****
The wind finally picked up as Lorilie sat at the helm, humming. Lanie was tending to Caleb's fever below in the cabin. Kel lay stretched out in the middle of the deck; he extended his wings and took up more space. It was impossible to pass by him unless stepping on something. Slith, Tegid, and Brand sat in a circle playing a boisterous game of cards. Slith kept scratching his head in confusion; he did not understand the meaning of the game. Tegid clapped his hands in glee as he won another round. He piled his winnings beside his leg and smiled. Digging for more coins in his pocket, Brand placed some coppers in the middle.
Still the smell of fried elf lingered on the ship. They all tried to ignore it, but couldn't stop showing signs of disgust. Lorilie waved a hand in front of her face and blew the hair out of her eyes. Brand glanced up at her from the corner of his eye. Lorilie looked down upon him and sighed.
*****
Albain sealed his letter closed and shoved it into a locked box. All his important documents were in there. He would never let Riley read them. Albain wasn't stupid enough to place these papers he carried in his desk, no, only would he put them in this box that was taken wherever he went. The sea breeze blew a chill up his backbone that sent shivers all along his body as he looked ahead hoping to see land.
"Does this heap of junk move any faster?" Albain said to Aubrey.
"If there was more wind yes, but there isn't." he replied.
"How much longer?"
"Four days." Aubrey sighed. Albain groaned.
*****
Riley was seated behind Albain's desk throwing unimportant papers and letters around the room. A tiny halfling rushed into the room with a sack over his shoulder; he was unaware of Riley. He began grabbing papers out of a cabinet quickly. Riley cleared his throat and spun a dagger in his hand. The halfling squealed in fright and ran for the door, he tripped and all the way down the corridor little yelps of pain could be heard.
A thin, slender woman slipped into the room. "Want me to chase after him?" she nodded her head towards the halfling.
"Don't waste your time. It's just one of Albain's servants running around collecting his forgotten items."
"Yes M'lord." She walked away bowing.
*****
Victoria made another disgusted face as the orc shaman tried again to heal her leg. Vinx stood behind her ready to grab her hand if she decided to kill this orc too. The last shaman only caused more pain for Victoria; she had grabbed one of her daggers and killed him.
Crushbone was again over run with the fowl orcs. Those stupid wood elves couldn't even keep the orc population down and under control. The orcs took back Crushbone and started to advance on the might trunks of the trees that held up Kelethin once again, but sooner or later, the pathetic wood elves would wipe out Crushbone again, and the same situation would repeat itself.
A richly dressed dark elf came into the room and waited until the orc finished his task. Finally Victoria said that she felt no pain and that she could move her leg again. Vinx shoved the orc out and shut the door; he walked back to Victoria's side and yawned rudely. The dark elf nodded his head and smirked.
"What do you want?" Vinx said.
"I heard that there were some new dark elves wandering the forest. I just had to introduce myself, I am Lord Matalas." He nodded.
"Do you think I'm supposed to be surprised or something?" Vinx laughed.
"Well, I rank very high ever since Ambassador Dvinn was so savagely murdered years ago." The dark elf sneered.
"And you're telling us this because?" Victoria walked around the room.
"Well, I just had to make my presence noticed. Now if you'll excuse me." Matalas nodded his head again and scurried out the door.
"He's full of himself." Victoria chuckled.
*****
Slith unhooked another fish and tossed it into the basket behind him. The ocean water was so serene and calm that Lorilie wasn't able to do anything with the helm. No wind blew from any direction, so the Windchaser bobbed uselessly in the middle of the vast sea.
Caleb was up in the crow's-nest smoking his pipe, thinking of things he wouldn't speak to Lorilie about. She had a feeling that a lot of it was about Wintercloud. Tegid and Lanie chatted endlessly to each other at the stern of the ship. Brand was below deck trying to compose a new song to annoy Lorilie with. Kel was with him throwing suggestions out whenever he heard something wrong.
Caleb straightened up against the wood basket and tore the pipe from his mouth. He squinted his eyes and cursed. Yelling towards Lorilie, he climbed halfway down the rope and jumped shakily onto the deck. "There's a ship sailing towards us with unimaginable speed. I think they mean us trouble."
Lorilie opened her telescope and scanned the horizon. She frowned and pushed the telescope back together. "There are dark elves aboard."
Tegid looked up in surprise. "Do you think they'll attack the ship?" a smile began to form on his face.
"Probably. Most dark elves are dangerous." Caleb ran below deck.
"Lorilie, what if they do try to attack? What do I do?" Lanie jumped up.
"You climb to the crows-nest and hide." Caleb was back with his and Lorilie's swords.
Slith, Brand, and Kel joined in. "How many are there?" Brand asked.
"I don't know!" snapped Lorilie, "I only saw five there. Who knows if there are more hiding somewhere."
"How isss the ssship moving ssso fassst?" Slith peered at the on coming strangers.
"How is it moving at all? There's no wind." Lorilie unsheathed her blade.
"Maybe it's a mechanical ship or they have oarsmen." Tegid coughed from inhaling too much salt water vapors.
"Oarsmen. The gnomes would never share their creations with inkies unless they were paid a wealthy sum." Brand chimed in.
An arrow whizzed past Lanie's head and wobbled on the mast pole. Lanie gasped and ran beside Lorilie. Caleb strode over to the arrow and pulled it out. Tiny carvings were inlaid on the side of it. Tossing it into the ocean, he returned to the side of the boat and steadied himself. Tegid strained his eyes to see who was on the other ship. He groaned and shook his blonde hair out of his face.
"Why are they after your ship?" he turned to Lorilie.
"Why does everyone keep looking at me? I don't have any of the answers." Lorilie said hotly.
"You're the captain!" Brand threw up his arms.
The dark elves and their ship approached rapidly as the people on the Windchaser readied their weapons. Two more arrows shot by, supposedly trying to hit someone. Caleb and Tegid sent lightning blasts and ice to damage the inkies vessel. Lanie was almost at the top of the robe when yelling broke out and two dark elves leaped over the side of the Windchaser.
"Climb faster Lanie!" Lorilie shouted without breaking her gaze with the dark skinned elf that stood in front of her.
"Your joy ride of life ends here." The dark elf sneered.
"As does yours." Lorilie took position.
"Jussst be prepared to die." Slith held Mirk's old staff behind Lorilie.
More dark elves hurtled themselves aboard and went to the closest person. Crisp, smoking corpses were spotted on the deck. Tegid and Caleb concentrated on one enemy at a time and worked together. Twirling his staff rhythmically, Slith knocked another elf into the water. Brand jumped quickly behind Lorilie as another pest snuck up behind her.
"How many are left?" Slith quickly yelled up to Lanie.
"Only a few more! I can't see any others on the boat." She ducked as a tall human emerged from a cabin and fired an arrow at her. "Except for him!" Lanie hid again.
The man placed another pointed arrow in his bow and aimed at Lorilie who was being pushed by Brand. The arrow sang as he released it. Lorilie cried out as a piercing sensation struck her side. Collapsing on deck, she clutched her waist. Kel flew out of the sky and smashed the human into the floorboards, the wood split and Kel and the human disappeared from view. Screeching was heard from below the dark elves' craft only to be followed by a disgusting crunch.
Caleb leaned over his sister's body and closed his eyes. A misty blue shower encircled Lorilie. Caleb jerked the arrow out only to be kicked by Lorilie. Her wound closed up and a faint scar remained. "I won't always be here to help you, watch it next time." Caleb helped her up and rubbed the spot where he was kicked.
"Your healing has improved greatly." Lorilie laughed.
Brand held a dark elf's hands behind its back and motioned Lorilie to come over. "Let's ask him who he works for." He threw the elf to the ground.
The dark elf laughed, "Do you really think I'd work for someone?"
"I've seen these carvings before." Brand dropped an arrow at his feet.
Red eyes gleaming with malice, the elf kept smiling. "Then you know who I work for."
Lorilie turned to Brand. "Do you?"
"He must if he knows the symbols." The inky answered.
"I do not know, that's why I ask. I've seen these same arrows impale friends of mine." Brand tightened his hand.
The inkies face fell. "Then I shall never tell." He lunged for the arrow at Brand's feet and plunged it into his neck. His gurgling sprayed blood on the legs of who surrounded him.
"That was unusual." Tegid looked around disgusted.
"I'll tossssss the bodiesss overrr the ssside." Kel grabbed an arm of an elf in his mouth and dragged it.
"I'll help you Kel." Slith carefully placed his staff down.
The sound of someone getting sick directed Lorilie's focus to Caleb. He wiped his mouth; his face was pale. With a clatter, his sword dropped to the deck. Lorilie rushed to his side and helped him to one of the cabins below.
*****
Albain bowed his head n silence and closed his eyes. The boat moved swiftly, cutting through the water like a knife. He had first met Lielay on a boat ride like this. He smiled to himself. Aubrey lit his pipe and puffed smoke rings in the air. He studied Albain sitting with his back against the wood. The elf claimed that he would never harm Lorilie, but would he harm those with her? Aubrey shook his head and concentrated on the horizon.
*****
Flexing his fingers, Riley grimaced in pain; his arm wasn't fully healed yet. The cleric was a novice at this. Albain's men would never be able to compete with his, Riley thought. All of Albain's family will be finally dead soon. Riley began to laugh aloud insanely. The dark elf cleric backed away and ran out the door in horror. Riley swept moisture off his face and examined it as if it were a bug.
*****
"My leg hurts, can we stop?" Victoria sat on a stump.
"Again? We're never going to make it to the boat on time." Vinx grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
"But it." she was rudely interrupted.
"Suck it in. I don't want to hear any more complaints coming from you again." He snapped.
"Why don't you ever shut your mouth? Why are you always bossing me around? This is my mission, you're just an extra that decided to tag along." She tried to pull her arm from his grasp.
"You agreed to let me join and I'm going to see that your laziness doesn't fail the mission." He started to run, Victoria's arm still in his hand.
*****
The wind finally picked up as Lorilie sat at the helm, humming. Lanie was tending to Caleb's fever below in the cabin. Kel lay stretched out in the middle of the deck; he extended his wings and took up more space. It was impossible to pass by him unless stepping on something. Slith, Tegid, and Brand sat in a circle playing a boisterous game of cards. Slith kept scratching his head in confusion; he did not understand the meaning of the game. Tegid clapped his hands in glee as he won another round. He piled his winnings beside his leg and smiled. Digging for more coins in his pocket, Brand placed some coppers in the middle.
Still the smell of fried elf lingered on the ship. They all tried to ignore it, but couldn't stop showing signs of disgust. Lorilie waved a hand in front of her face and blew the hair out of her eyes. Brand glanced up at her from the corner of his eye. Lorilie looked down upon him and sighed.
*****
Albain sealed his letter closed and shoved it into a locked box. All his important documents were in there. He would never let Riley read them. Albain wasn't stupid enough to place these papers he carried in his desk, no, only would he put them in this box that was taken wherever he went. The sea breeze blew a chill up his backbone that sent shivers all along his body as he looked ahead hoping to see land.
"Does this heap of junk move any faster?" Albain said to Aubrey.
"If there was more wind yes, but there isn't." he replied.
"How much longer?"
"Four days." Aubrey sighed. Albain groaned.
*****
Riley was seated behind Albain's desk throwing unimportant papers and letters around the room. A tiny halfling rushed into the room with a sack over his shoulder; he was unaware of Riley. He began grabbing papers out of a cabinet quickly. Riley cleared his throat and spun a dagger in his hand. The halfling squealed in fright and ran for the door, he tripped and all the way down the corridor little yelps of pain could be heard.
A thin, slender woman slipped into the room. "Want me to chase after him?" she nodded her head towards the halfling.
"Don't waste your time. It's just one of Albain's servants running around collecting his forgotten items."
"Yes M'lord." She walked away bowing.