Alanna had finished her feast with the elves and was taken by the
queen to a small, single room shelter branching off of the dinning hall.
There was a table and two chairs. She gestured for Alanna to be seated,
then sat across from her.
"Now, Lioness, you have many questions. I shall answer them as best I can."
"First of all, where did this forest come from? It seamed to have popped up over night."
"Yes, the forest. You remember when your Daine entered the world of the Immortals?"
"Yes, but that was over twelve years ago."
"Well, there was a tear in the threads between the worlds, which occurred rather recently. It was made by the evil being within these woods. He made it larger, big enough to engulf the entire forest and cause it to appear hear in your world."
"That's another thing I don't understand. Who is this evil being? Doesn't he have a name?"
"No one knows. We know of and who his followers are, but we have never discovered who the actual being is. We hope that if we capture or defeat enough of his followers, it will lead to him, but we are low on hope. Nothing has been very hopeful these past hundred years. We need help from the outside, from you."
"Me?"
"Yes, and all those you know. I know you think you can do nothing, but you are wrong."
"How do you--"
"Read your thoughts? Some elves are blessed with that capability. I happen to be one of them. Now, to tell you how you may help. There is a young woman, Kel you call her. She must be knighted, which will happen this Midwinter. After she becomes a knight you must bring her here."
"I won't know how to find you."
"Tenya will be waiting for you at the edge of the forest. You must also bring with you your two friends Garry and Raoul. They shall play a role in all of this as well. Your king Jon must be in a room by himself when you arrive here. We shall send a message to him through the four of you, but we need the four of you to do it."
"Can't I just take the message to him now?"
"No, it is a special message that can only be done this way. Through this message, the four of you will know your roles as well."
"And how do I know this is not a trick to kill us all?"
"If it were a trick, you all would have been dead when the forest first appeared. We have the power to destroy all human life. However, we are not killers. Warriors perhaps, but certainly not killers."
At that moment, an elf burst through the only door in the room. He was shorter than Her Majesty, but much taller than Alanna. "Queen Jaidalee! They are attacking!" He panted. He glanced at Alanna and locked eyes with her. After a few moments, he broke his gaze and turned to the queen. "Your Majesty, she is good intentioned. You have chosen her well."
"Yes, Gerlanii spoke of that when we discussed it earlier. At this moment, we must protect our people. Come, Alanna, you will have a chance to see His followers." She stood and walked from the room. Alanna did the same and the Elvin soldier followed the both of them.
"What did he do? I felt as if...as if."
"He peered into your soul? He did exactly that, Lioness, exactly that."
Alanna followed Jaidalee to an opening in the dome. They were on a balcony that overlooked a great part of the forest. It was dark, however, and Alanna strained to see into it. Jaidalee touched Alanna's forehead. Alanna jumped back at the icy jolt.
"What was that?" she asked rubbing her forehead.
"Now peer into the night, Lioness."
Alanna did so and discovered she could see clearly. She gasped in fright. All about her were creatures of which the likes she had never even imagined before. They were hanging from trees, littering the ground, climbing the walls of the dome, and always encroaching upon them. The creatures glowed with a faint, greenish black light, their evil magic. Their heads were a human's except for black, wolf like muzzles from which two fangs protruded over their lower jaws. Their eye's were tiger like and glowed the same green-black as their surrounding magic. The hair on their heads flowed down into a horse's main as their backs evolved into the sharp, scaly curve of a sea serpent's. These horrors walked upright, digging into the ground with the sharp talons of a Hurok at the end of a large cat's powerful hind legs. Their torsos and arms were human and covered in scales. Sharp claws for gripping and tearing into flesh adorned their fingers.
"What are those...creatures?" Alanna asked, her voice trembling.
"They are the minions of Him. We have named them Zalorines, but they are nothing short of demons. We have been seeing them more frequently." Queen Jaidalee held her hand palm up as she answered Alanna's question. A forest green fire burned in her hand and she forcefully flung it at the Zalorines climbing up the side of the dome. They howled in torment as they caught fire and fell hard to the ground. Alanna had never heard anything so earsplitting.
"Jaaaaaiiiidaleeeeeeee!" one of them howled. It appeared to be male and the leader of this cultic gathering.
"You know my answer is still the same, Kronack!" Jaidalee's voiced boomed surprisingly loud and deep. There was strength and courage in her tone. "We will never join Him and we will not yield against Him until the last of us falls! Tell your master this as you have done for the last century!"
"He will be very dissspleeeeeasssssed with yoooouuuuu!" One of the Elvin worriers standing nearby spoke to the creature Kronack.
"He can burn in the fires of the Realm of the Dead before we join him!"
"Beeeeeeeeen there, doooooone that!"
"We will not yield!" Jaidalee yelled with power that made even Kronack cower. Alanna backed into one of the Elvin warriors in her startle- ment.
"Then face His wrath!" All at once, the Zalorines charged the dome, crashing into it and being thrown back by the sudden magic cast upon it by Jaidalee. Elfish arrows showered down upon the Zalorines and their howls of pain erupted into the night. They retreated into the trees. The elves were momentarily blind as to their location. Then, without warning, the balcony was hit with a force of extreme heat and light. Alanna cowered when exposed to this new and evil magic. She was completely unprepared and didn't know how to fight it. She did the only thing she could think of. She called upon her Gift. She drew it up as a shield about herself, keeping her safe from the sudden heat. It lit the surrounding area like the daylight the forest had never seen. She gazed about her and noticed the Zalorines were now on the balcony and attacking the elves. She felt her Gift shift about her and turned just in time to see a Zalorine charge her. Alanna drew her sword and stabbed at the demon. She shuddered at the fierce howl it let loose after being impaled on her sword. She jerked her sword free as the Zalorine fell over the edge of the balcony. Queen Jaidalee threw her green fire at several Zalorines, scorching them into dust. Arrows stuck to other Zalorines like burs as they toppled to the balcony floor or stopped in mid jump to fall over the balcony's edge.
Alanna whirled around time and again, trying to keep herself safe from any advancing Zalorines. Then, Jaidalee reached through her gift to grab Alanna's sword arm firmly.
"It is over for now, Lioness." Alanna relaxed and let her Gift slip back into the depths of her soul. "Come, we must care for those that have fallen." And with these words, the two made their way about the balcony, healing those they could and simply being with those who were beyond help and in their last moments. As she did this, Alanna noticed that even in the presence of death, the elves shown with a radiant beauty all their own.
"Now, Lioness, you have many questions. I shall answer them as best I can."
"First of all, where did this forest come from? It seamed to have popped up over night."
"Yes, the forest. You remember when your Daine entered the world of the Immortals?"
"Yes, but that was over twelve years ago."
"Well, there was a tear in the threads between the worlds, which occurred rather recently. It was made by the evil being within these woods. He made it larger, big enough to engulf the entire forest and cause it to appear hear in your world."
"That's another thing I don't understand. Who is this evil being? Doesn't he have a name?"
"No one knows. We know of and who his followers are, but we have never discovered who the actual being is. We hope that if we capture or defeat enough of his followers, it will lead to him, but we are low on hope. Nothing has been very hopeful these past hundred years. We need help from the outside, from you."
"Me?"
"Yes, and all those you know. I know you think you can do nothing, but you are wrong."
"How do you--"
"Read your thoughts? Some elves are blessed with that capability. I happen to be one of them. Now, to tell you how you may help. There is a young woman, Kel you call her. She must be knighted, which will happen this Midwinter. After she becomes a knight you must bring her here."
"I won't know how to find you."
"Tenya will be waiting for you at the edge of the forest. You must also bring with you your two friends Garry and Raoul. They shall play a role in all of this as well. Your king Jon must be in a room by himself when you arrive here. We shall send a message to him through the four of you, but we need the four of you to do it."
"Can't I just take the message to him now?"
"No, it is a special message that can only be done this way. Through this message, the four of you will know your roles as well."
"And how do I know this is not a trick to kill us all?"
"If it were a trick, you all would have been dead when the forest first appeared. We have the power to destroy all human life. However, we are not killers. Warriors perhaps, but certainly not killers."
At that moment, an elf burst through the only door in the room. He was shorter than Her Majesty, but much taller than Alanna. "Queen Jaidalee! They are attacking!" He panted. He glanced at Alanna and locked eyes with her. After a few moments, he broke his gaze and turned to the queen. "Your Majesty, she is good intentioned. You have chosen her well."
"Yes, Gerlanii spoke of that when we discussed it earlier. At this moment, we must protect our people. Come, Alanna, you will have a chance to see His followers." She stood and walked from the room. Alanna did the same and the Elvin soldier followed the both of them.
"What did he do? I felt as if...as if."
"He peered into your soul? He did exactly that, Lioness, exactly that."
Alanna followed Jaidalee to an opening in the dome. They were on a balcony that overlooked a great part of the forest. It was dark, however, and Alanna strained to see into it. Jaidalee touched Alanna's forehead. Alanna jumped back at the icy jolt.
"What was that?" she asked rubbing her forehead.
"Now peer into the night, Lioness."
Alanna did so and discovered she could see clearly. She gasped in fright. All about her were creatures of which the likes she had never even imagined before. They were hanging from trees, littering the ground, climbing the walls of the dome, and always encroaching upon them. The creatures glowed with a faint, greenish black light, their evil magic. Their heads were a human's except for black, wolf like muzzles from which two fangs protruded over their lower jaws. Their eye's were tiger like and glowed the same green-black as their surrounding magic. The hair on their heads flowed down into a horse's main as their backs evolved into the sharp, scaly curve of a sea serpent's. These horrors walked upright, digging into the ground with the sharp talons of a Hurok at the end of a large cat's powerful hind legs. Their torsos and arms were human and covered in scales. Sharp claws for gripping and tearing into flesh adorned their fingers.
"What are those...creatures?" Alanna asked, her voice trembling.
"They are the minions of Him. We have named them Zalorines, but they are nothing short of demons. We have been seeing them more frequently." Queen Jaidalee held her hand palm up as she answered Alanna's question. A forest green fire burned in her hand and she forcefully flung it at the Zalorines climbing up the side of the dome. They howled in torment as they caught fire and fell hard to the ground. Alanna had never heard anything so earsplitting.
"Jaaaaaiiiidaleeeeeeee!" one of them howled. It appeared to be male and the leader of this cultic gathering.
"You know my answer is still the same, Kronack!" Jaidalee's voiced boomed surprisingly loud and deep. There was strength and courage in her tone. "We will never join Him and we will not yield against Him until the last of us falls! Tell your master this as you have done for the last century!"
"He will be very dissspleeeeeasssssed with yoooouuuuu!" One of the Elvin worriers standing nearby spoke to the creature Kronack.
"He can burn in the fires of the Realm of the Dead before we join him!"
"Beeeeeeeeen there, doooooone that!"
"We will not yield!" Jaidalee yelled with power that made even Kronack cower. Alanna backed into one of the Elvin warriors in her startle- ment.
"Then face His wrath!" All at once, the Zalorines charged the dome, crashing into it and being thrown back by the sudden magic cast upon it by Jaidalee. Elfish arrows showered down upon the Zalorines and their howls of pain erupted into the night. They retreated into the trees. The elves were momentarily blind as to their location. Then, without warning, the balcony was hit with a force of extreme heat and light. Alanna cowered when exposed to this new and evil magic. She was completely unprepared and didn't know how to fight it. She did the only thing she could think of. She called upon her Gift. She drew it up as a shield about herself, keeping her safe from the sudden heat. It lit the surrounding area like the daylight the forest had never seen. She gazed about her and noticed the Zalorines were now on the balcony and attacking the elves. She felt her Gift shift about her and turned just in time to see a Zalorine charge her. Alanna drew her sword and stabbed at the demon. She shuddered at the fierce howl it let loose after being impaled on her sword. She jerked her sword free as the Zalorine fell over the edge of the balcony. Queen Jaidalee threw her green fire at several Zalorines, scorching them into dust. Arrows stuck to other Zalorines like burs as they toppled to the balcony floor or stopped in mid jump to fall over the balcony's edge.
Alanna whirled around time and again, trying to keep herself safe from any advancing Zalorines. Then, Jaidalee reached through her gift to grab Alanna's sword arm firmly.
"It is over for now, Lioness." Alanna relaxed and let her Gift slip back into the depths of her soul. "Come, we must care for those that have fallen." And with these words, the two made their way about the balcony, healing those they could and simply being with those who were beyond help and in their last moments. As she did this, Alanna noticed that even in the presence of death, the elves shown with a radiant beauty all their own.