Chapter 9

The group begins on their journey, Joenek has a foretelling dream, and the members discusses the recent goings on in Gael-Narenth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Nine

 

It was near mid-day when the time the group was ready to leave. Each member had bathed -- knowing that their chance of doing so in the up-and-coming days would likely be scarce --and had gathered all of their belongings.

Torben made his way around the party, using magik on the pack of each elf. When he stood before Joenek, the wizard grabbed the young roth’s bag and carefully deposited all the contents onto the stone floor. He then held the pack in one hand and spread his other, palm down, over the opening. Lifting his face, the elder elf spoke in the ancient tongue that he had used the night before.

A soft blue haze, like the eddying swirls that had danced beneath the drip-line, shimmered about the pack. After a moment, the glow dissipated. Smiling, mischief alight in his eyes, Torben turned and spoke to Joenek.

“Put your things back in. Be sure to put some of your heavier or more valuable belongings in the back section.”

With a perplexed look, Joenek did as told. He scooped up the contents and tossed them in haphazardly. As he began to close the pack, Torben stopped him.

“Now, think of one of the items in that back section of your bag and put your hand in.”

The young male thought for a moment. Then, deciding on one of his spare throwing knives, the elf stuck his hand into the opening. There was nothing in that portion of the bag, save for the knife that he had thought of. Bewildered, Joenek stared into the pack.

“Wha-, where did it all go?”

“It’s still in there.” Torben chortled. “Well, technically, it’s not in your pack; it’s in a separate dimension, of sorts. But the details of it all are often confusing to one unaccustomed with the nuances of magik. Suffice it to say, your belongings are safe.

“I’ve simply made things a little easier to retrieve. All you must do is think of what it is that you want or need and it will appear in the bottom of the bag; nothing else. You must think of the thing specifically, though. You cannot simply think, ‘I need a weapon.’ Instead, you must think of which weapon you want. This helps prevent thieves from taking anything from your bag. If he decided to attempt stealing something from you, all he would find is whatever’s in the front section.

“The only time this wouldn’t work, though, is if he’s seen something you own which has been put into the enchanted pocket. In this case, if he puts his hand in while thinking about that item, he will get it.

“I dare not make any of our packs accessible to only the individual carrying it, lest something should happen to one of us and we have need of the items in that elf’s pack.”

Joenek gazed at his bag again, fascinated by what Torben had done. The pack still looked quite full, but as he lifted the pack, Joenek very nearly threw it into the air. He had been anticipating the weight of all his belongings but found that it weighed no more than the few light items he had put in the front portion.

Everyone in the group chortled, including the dumbfounded Joenek.

“That’s amazing; it even feels like there’s hardly anything in there.”

“That is because there isn’t; not in the strictest sense. As I said, I’ve created a space for your belongings which is outside of your pack. It just so happens that your access to them is through said bag.

“Also, because the location of those items is not within the bag, itself, the items that you place inside do not have to be small enough to fit in the pack -- so long as they can fit through the opening. As an example, you could put your bow, quiver, and even your sword in your pack.”

Joenek’s eyes widened with surprise. Torben smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

“Be prepared for even greater shocks than this, lad.”

With that, Torben moved to the final member who had yet to have their pack “enchanted.” Rikku stood quietly while Torben spoke in the ancient tongue and created a space for her belongings. Once she replaced everything within the bag, the small elf shouldered the pack.

With everyone’s bags having been ensorcelled, Torben began preparations for “magiking” Marrik’s transportation.

“Arun…er…Rikku, would one of you bring the Lupak in here?”

Arun bowed his head and gestured to Rikku, allowing her to gather the creature. While the animal-keeper was in the main cavern, Torben pulled a length of cured plant “skin” from the folds in his cloak. This “skin” was used to make a variety of things; sword scabbards, quivers, saddles and bridles, shoes and boots, and any number of other objects.

Rikku came back into the alcove, the Lupak walking beside her and nuzzling its nose into her shoulder.

“Ah, thank you, Rikku.” Torben moved to the creature and immediately set to work, measuring and muttering to himself.

At last, Torben began shaping the plant material. He started by cutting a portion of it into thick strips, approximately ten centimeters wide.

Soon Arun was by his side, giving assistance and advice where needed. They worked hastily, and after a mere ten minutes of work, the two elves had fashioned a rough harness, of sorts.

Celik then walked in with two lengthy branches which he had shaped into semi-straight poles. Laying these parallel to one another on the ground, the ranger cut a sizeable notch into each “pole,” not quite halfway down the length. Taking a third and smaller branch-pole, Celik made similar notches on both ends. These grooves he “locked” into the corresponding ones on the longer poles. Taking two lengths of plant twine, the short-haired elf tied the three poles together. He then moved to the end and tied the two longer poles together; creating a triangular shape with the three poles. Moving back to the wider end, Celik started tying the twine between the two long poles -- spacing the twine evenly -- in order to offer support. On top of these, he laid a blanket and secured it to the poles.

Arun moved over, then, and created a little “hook” on each pole, about mid-way between the widest ends and where the two long poles were joined to the third. Next, he created another set of hooks farther down; closer to the short pole and the blanketed section.

With the litter created, the group of elves prepared to lay Marrik atop it. Being careful not to move him about too much, Torben, Celik, Arun and Joenek slowly lifted the injured elf and moved the short distance between his resting spot and the litter. They then gently laid him upon it, making certain to tuck his blanket around him a bit to prevent it from falling off.

Once they had done this, Torben stooped over Marrik and began speaking in the ancient tongue, again. His hands were spread wide, his palms facing down and his fingers splayed. A faint glowing mist clung to Marrik and the litter beneath him. In a matter of moments, the stretcher began levitating. It floated perfectly; never wavering or moving, but simply resting motionless in the air at about the height of one’s ribs.

This done, Arun moved to the Lupak and began the process of attaching the litter to the creature. He took the quarter strap on each side and wrapped it around the shaft of the stretcher -- looping it just behind the first “hook” to hold it in place. These were used to keep the litter from moving forward on downward slopes. Having done this on both sides, he took the trace strap -- one on each side -- and hooked these to the second set of hooks. The traces allowed the Lupak to “pull” the litter -- pushing into the make-shift breast collar, which the trace straps were attached to.

With everything secured, the group was ready to move off. Rather than leaving through the cave-town’s main entryway, Torben led the group through one of the tunnels on the western wall. Much of the tunnel was lit as the baths had been, so that it was relatively easy to make one’s way along the lengthy corridor. In certain parts, though, an overwhelming darkness consumed the area. Torben would then step aside and allow Arun to move to the front with the sightless Lupak. The elves would then move close to one another in the darkness and place a hand on the shoulder of the one before them. In so doing, they kept from going the wrong way and becoming lost.

They travelled for countless hours, keeping a hastened pace. At last, Torben called for a halt. With a quite word, Torben produced a small orb of golden light. The wizard peaked into a tunnel entrance on the right-hand side and, once he was satisfied that it would suffice for their needs, he gestured for the group to follow him.

As the elves made their way into the mid-sized “chamber,” Joenek turned to Edileth.

“Why didn’t Torben use one of those light-orbs before, when we were in the dark parts of the tunnel?”

The she-elf turned with a look akin to contempt.

“You don’t know anything, do you?” When Joenek did not respond to her snide comment, Edileth continued. “A wizard cannot simply magik things whenever he pleases. Each act of wizardry draws some form of energy from the wizard himself; certain tasks require very little energy, while others require a great amount of it.

“I don’t believe that conjuring light requires much in the way of power, but he already spent energy in making Marrik’s litter float, and with the trials that we may be facing in the up-coming days, Torben is saving as much strength as he can.”

Joenek was impressed.

“You seem to know a lot about magik for someone who isn’t a wizard.”

“I read.” Edileth’s short reply was saturated in superiority. “What, pray tell, do you do in your free time?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Joenek gave a mischievous grin, raising his brows, and leaned close to the female.

Edileth looked repulsed and backed away with haste.

That was stupid. He thought in frustration.  I’m supposed to get her to like and accept me; not make her despise me even more than she already does.

Cautiously, Joenek moved toward Edileth. She glanced at him, worry clearly showing in her eyes. He held up his hands, revealing his desire to make amends. As he neared her, Joenek could see the rothnak building up her defenses. With a sigh, the male elf stood before her.

“I wanted to apologize.”

Her eyes squinted in suspicion.

“Honest,” he reassured her, “I didn’t mean to be offensive. I know things must be hard for you, especially after hearing about Repind this morning.”

At his mention of the elder elf, Joenek could almost sense Edileth cringing. She stared into the distance, as though attempting to maintain composure. At last, she looked back to him and replied quietly.

“Thank you.”

“You must have been very close to him.”

“Hmm.” Her grunt was faint.

Feeling unsure, Joenek leaned over and laid a hand against her upper arm; he felt her body tense beneath his hand. He gave a slight squeeze, smiling with empathy as he did so, and then turned to walk away.

“What…Why…” Edileth stood with a befuddled expression. Joenek thought for a moment and finally responded.

“I know you think I’m foolish and irresponsible. But, really, I just love life and refuse to let things get me down. You should, too, you know.” Joenek paused, grinning. “Maybe, then, you wouldn’t be such a pig-headed pain in the, ah…you-know-what.”

Edileth surprised Joenek by giving a shy smile. She folded one arm behind her back and nervously rubbed that upper arm with her opposite hand. The female avoided eye contact, letting her eyes roam anywhere but toward Joenek. At last she gave a quiet response.

“I am sorry for the way I’ve treated you; I know I can be rather beastly. Thank you for not reacting in kind.”

Who is this rothnak, and what has she done with the real Edileth? Joenek mused.

As if sensing his thoughts, Edileth gave a small, mischievous sort of smile.

“Don’t assume that this means I shan’t ever be rude to you again. I’m certain I will still struggle to behave kindly toward you, but I assure you; I shall try.”

With that, Edileth turned and took her bedding out of her pack and began settling in.

Joenek moved to do likewise, deciding on a spot near the middle of the group. He thought of his bedding as he placed his hand into his bag and, just as had happened with his throwing knife, the bedroll was the only thing that appeared. He laid it out and flopped down upon it. Before long, he was immersed in the world of dreams.

 

*                      *                      *

 

There was a brilliant sunset in varying hues of pinks and oranges, with a deep, rich blue mixed in at the uppermost portions; small specks of starlight only just beginning to peak through the growing darkness.

He stood on a high ridge, overlooking a vastly spread valley. The ridge was on the far end of the valley, close to where two mountain ranges joined. To his left, there was a gentle roaring sound and, as he turned toward the murmur, he saw a tall, cascading waterfall. Glancing back to the valley and the mountains surrounding it, Joenek noted that, though many of the trees were large pines, a few deciduous ones were showing their autumnal colors.

Joenek turned his focus to the valley below. The sight that met his eyes sent the elf reeling.

As is wont to happen in dreams, though the valley floor lay far below and surpassed even the keen eyesight of an elf, Joenek could see every detail as though he were in the very midst of the scene.

Slowly, moving with an air of casual confidence, a large mass of black-clad warriors marched. Joenek guessed that their numbers were near that of a division; close to ten thousand elves and Elaborathin, as well as several strange elf-like creatures, Bekhron, Lerecht, and other monstrous beasts the likes of which Joenek had never seen.

The division continued down the valley as various local elves fled, many screaming in terror, or being felled by some of the more impulsive enemy archers.

With such suddenness that Joenek felt his heart lurch within him, the male elf found his dream body floating down to the floor of the valley. Once there, he received another shock.

He watched as the group that he travelled with stood before the horde of villainous beings. Joenek witnessed Torben step forward, standing at his full height; a stern look of righteous rage shading his face. The aged wizard shouted something, but Joenek could not hear the words that were spoken. In fact, there was no sound in his dream at all, now.

Turning to the right, the elf saw a dark figure make its way to the head of the sinister mass.

His dream mind could not discern the face; the countenance of the being was blurred and shifted continuously. However, Joenek could see the remainder of the tall form well enough �" though even this was somewhat distorted. The raven-haired being leaned back, made a motion as though laughing, and then shook its head.

Joenek looked back to the group, who stood to his left. With shock, he noticed that he saw himself standing among the others. The rest of the group -- other than the angered Torben --was somewhat blurred, like the dark form that stood mocking them. As he scanned the shapes that were his companions, he noticed that one was missing; there were only seven members. Because of their distorted appearance, Joenek was unable to decipher who was not present.

He was desperately trying to discover which elf was missing from the group when he felt his dream body begin sinking into the earth. Panic consumed his thoughts as he felt the life being crushed out of him; his bones cracked and his organs screamed in agony. His lungs would accept no air; try though he might to obtain it. His vision started to swim; black dots darkening his sight. Just before his head plunged beneath the surface of the earth and everything was blotted out, Joenek watched an arrow strike Torben in the chest, sending the elder elf flying back. While Torben’s body began falling to the sodden grass, the earth swallowed up the rest of Joenek, and quenched his life.

 

*                      *                      *

 

With a yelp, Joenek flung his body upward. Once he was in a sitting position, he looked around and realized that it had been a dream. However, dread washed over the elf as he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his head.

It wasn’t only a dream; it was a vision of something to come.

But how much of that is really going to happen? He thought. Unlike the visions he had had in the past, Joenek had experienced the vision in an out-of-body sort of way. He did not see the vision as if he was living the situation but watched himself through the eyes of his dream body.

Surely the last bit won’t actually happen, then. He shuddered as he remembered the suffocating, bone-crushing pain of being swallowed into the ground. He also recalled, then, that Torben had been shot and had fallen. Joenek had not seen enough to know if Torben had been killed or only severely injured, but he felt dread stir within him.

With surprise, Joenek noticed that the other elves were watching him with curiosity and concern mixed in their features. Yena, ever the motherly sort, was the first to speak.

“What, ever, is the matter?”

“It was a dream.” Joenek was unsure if he should reveal that it had, in fact, been a vision. As it turned out, he didn’t need to make that decision for himself.

“It was no mere dream, was it?” Torben looked at Joenek with a studying gaze.

Swallowing in anxiety, Joenek gave a slight shake of his head.

“What was it? What did you see?”

“I was standing on a ledge, looking down at a valley.” Joenek began. He then proceeded to tell the group what he had seen. As he described the dark being, a thought came to mind and he raised a question.

“Do you think it was Akkheron?”

“I suppose anything is possible, but I rather doubt it. You say he was dark-haired, yes?”

“It was as black as a raven’s wing.” Joenek answered.

“Hmm…Unless Akkheron has changed his mind on the matters of beauty, that was not Akkheron. He is, indeed, tall, but he is a fair elf; or, rather, fair of feature. He is quite blonde, with milky complexion and rather refined features; not, at all, what one would think of when told of so evil an elf.

“He has one feature, in particular, that stands out. His eyes are the color of pale amber. They’re almost a creamy-gold; quite intriguing, really. And I tell you, many a fair maid has fallen for them; as well as his other, ah, physical qualities. He takes much pride in his appearance, and the beauty of it.”

“You speak as if you know him.” Edileth gazed at Torben inquisitively.

“Know him; how preposterous! Why, I only speak what I’ve read in the countless books on the history of Akkheron and Si-ol. In addition to being a wizard, I’m a bit of a chronicler.” Torben winked. He then turned back to Joenek, motioning for the younger elf to continue recounting his “dream.”

Joenek told of how he had seen the group, and of the mysterious missing member. With caution, he continued; speaking of his suffocating experience, as well as the last thing he had witnessed.

The cave hummed with the uneasy stirrings of the group. As Joenek spoke of what had befallen Torben, Yena instinctively moved closer to her husband, leaning into him, and laying her head against his shoulder.

“You mean to say that this shall come to pass?” Celik’s concern showed in the slight furrowing of his brows.

“It will,” said Joenek. “I get an odd feeling at the back of my head when I’ve had a vision of the future; I felt that when I woke up. But I’m not sure exactly how much of my dream will really happen.”

Joenek felt Arun staring at him. When he turned to the blacksmith, the large elf spoke as though he had been enlightened.

“Oi, so thet’s why ye were so afeared of thet beasty.”

The group collectively turned to look at Joenek with expressions of inquiry.

“What’s this about a beast?”

“Uh…it was another vision I had. I actually had that vision the same morning I brought the Gredhe Orb to Arun and met Edileth.”

“You were the one who delivered the Gredhe to Arun?” Edileth bore an incredulous look upon her face. Likewise, Torben, Yena, Rikku and Celik looked to the young roth with surprise written in their features.

“I did…” Joenek’s answer came slowly, with caution; as though he was expecting chastisement. Indeed, he was feeling at risk of being admonished. The Orb seemed, to him, to be some sort of Holy thing; not to be trifled with by the likes of him.

“How odd; I had heard tell that a Ferlian had brought the Gredhe to La’el, where he would leave it with Arun.” Torben turned his gaze to the large elf.

“Aye, thet were so. But there was some form of comp’ication, an’ Edwron ‘ad to leave it with Lord Grékkman. I was busy wi’ t’e preparations fer departure -- as I woz goin’ to be takin’ some wares to Lillnae, Dhanne Sil and Sae-an -- an’ I asked Joen to deliver the Gredhe to me.”

“It seems you were destined to join our company before any even realized it. Such is often the way of Feridh.”

“What was the other vision that you had had?” Rikku gazed at Joenek with curiosity in her eyes.

“Erm…there was some sort of monster chasing me. I was trying to get away, but it was so dark that I kept tripping over things. Then I was in the middle of some sort of pond and I was holding someone close to me. After that, the beast came close and I could tell that it was about to attack. I woke up before it did, though.”

“What did the beast look like?”

“I…don’t know, actually. All I could see of it were the eyes. Other than that, it was too dark to really see anything.” Joenek shuddered at the memory of his vision.

“Meshín Mornme…”

Everyone looked, with startled expressions, in the direction of Marrik. His eyes were open, though there was a bewildered look in them.

“Wha’s thet; wha’d he say?”

Torben’s face took on a rather serious expression.

“He spoke of an evil creature that I heard tell of many years before…before the Ferlian Order had called upon me. Meshín Mornme is the name that was given to the beast when first it appeared, countless centuries ago. It is in the Dark Tongue and means ‘Night Demon.’”

Yena had moved to Marrik and spoke quietly to him. His eyes squinted, as though they were trying to focus, and finally he closed them. The elvish man nodded his head in response to something Yena had asked. She gave Marrik some water and checked the supply of nutrients in the drip-line.

At last, the elder female moved back to her husband’s side.

“He doesn’t appear to have fever, but he is feeling a bit out-of-sorts. He could drink, but I shall wait until he’s a little more coherent before attempting to give him any food. Until then, I’ll continue supplementing with the nutriment solution.”

“Why did he speak of the…er…Mornme creature, I wonder?” Edileth looked annoyed by her lack of knowledge of the beast.

“It’s possible Marrik overheard Joenek talking about the beast from his vision. Perhaps the Meshín Mornme was the first thing that came to mind.”

Edileth looked toward Marrik, a look of skepticism crossing her features.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing in the old tales; nor have I read of it, anywhere.”

“My dear child, you will find that there are a great many things in the world which are not spoken of in your books. You must remember that all the knowledge from all the books in the whole of Naine Mithale is no substitute for the wisdom one gains by stepping out into the world and living and learning through experience.

“One certainly can’t live her entire life in the confines of a library; not even one so lofty as that in Kerindh.”

“One can certainly try.” Edileth gave a saucy grin.

Torben chortled and stood up, stretching slightly.

“Well, I suppose we best prepare to leave. We’ve had a few hours’ rest and now we really must press on. In about an hour, we should reach the exit and be on the western-most edge of the Drezkens. From there we will need to make our way to Filne-Semmit, which could take more than a week, if Akkheron’s ilk continues roaming through Gael-Narenth, as they have been.”

“What are we going to Filne-Semmit for?” Curiosity hummed through Joenek. He still lacked a clear understanding of what the Gredhe Orb was, and why it was so important.

“All in its proper time, lad.”

Joenek groaned at the wizard’s “answer.”

Author's Note

As always, critiques are greatly welcomed.

Reviews

[Glen Yumang Manese]

This puts more perspective in things...
as a Dungeon and Dragons player...in my days...
the events of the bag of holding was clever...
and the induction of your detailed account...
with the building of a contraption to hold a member was spot on...
and again the visions that Joenek has gives just enough and yet offers questions...
I wonder what level of a wizard Torben is at this time...
I'm sure more will unfold as this goes on...
excuse my absence...I have been busy with my novel and new materials...
keep the chapters ablaze...yet remember to put forth some action...soon...
lots of head way with the plot...not that its not good...strings along...
I'm sure this picks up pace soon enough...

[Elina]

Thank you!

[Glen Yumang Manese]

you're welcome...

[Stefanie Holmes]

Ahhh I am always so refreshed after reading one of your chapters.

This story so enchanting and I hope you post another chapter soon!

~Stefanie

[Elina]

Thank you so much, Stefanie! I always look forward to your reviews.

[Eddie Davis]

'Riku gazed at Joenek with curiosity in her eyes.' has extra spaces in it, but other than that, I found no errors. At first I was going to flag 'Magik', but upon reflection, I recalled that this is an alternate spelling of magic, and as you used it in the same way elsewhere, it is clear it is your attention.

I loved the enchantment placed upon the backpack -- it is similar to the old AD&D 'bag of holding' but with the added benefit of being the only thing in the pack if that is what the wearer thinks of. Brilliant magic device!

The story is sill progressing well, and I look forward to reading more. I think I'll re-read the whole thing when it is complete.

[Elina]

Thank you, Eddie!