Children of the Sun and Moon by P. D. Stewart
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Koral was frustrated. Seeing the utter devastation in the dwarf town had bothered her, but the fact they were now travelling so slowly was making this trip unbearable. The longer they took, the greater chance they wouldn’t be able to find out what happened to the dwarves who were taken. The oddest thing was, it was the dwarves leading, and they had slowed down the pace. She was also annoyed with Glavlin. He and Gillock had decided that since people may be looking for elves, they should change their look. Now they just looked like thin, tall humans. No more angular features or pointy ears. She did not approve of this new look, especially on Glavlin.
Their first day travelling they had made unbelievable time. Grund was determined to get the missing dwarves back. This day, however, they had changed their pace. She had seen Gillock and Glavlin talking to them earlier that morning, and figured they must have said something. She did not understand why they would have the group slow. After brooding on it, she decided to ask Gillock about it. She quickened her pace to catch up to the wizard. “Why are we going so slow?” she asked the moment she had pulled in line with him.
“I was wondering when you were going to ask me about that. You appeared to be quite frustrated this morning.”
“So answer me then,” she snapped.
Koral’s forcefulness shocked Gillock. Everyday Koral appeared to be turning into someone else. “The elves have spotted soldier footprints, and they are only a day old. Someone is waiting for us.”
Koral felt foolish. It was obvious to her the dwarves wouldn’t have slowed down unless they had a good reason, but for some reason she couldn’t see it earlier. Instead of apologizing to Gillock, she turned her horse around and went back to her place in line.
Gillock sat in a state of awe. He was bothered by the princess' attitude of late. Gillock had been certain Eric was going to be the problem on this quest, and he was the one who had actually been acting like royalty. Eric’s dealings with the goblins had amazed Gillock. He approached every situation with tact instead of his usual head strong and emotional ways. Something odd was happening with the twins, and Gillock wasn’t certain if it was going to help them or cause more problems. Shouts from ahead caused him to push the matter aside.
The group immediately stopped and everyone prepared for an attack. The elves moved into the bushes and out of sight. The dwarves moved to be behind Koral, Eric, Adora and the goblins. Gillock moved into the lead. They had practised this many times on their trip so far, but it still unnerved Eric and Koral to have to put it into practice. Both were aware any attack would be directed at them, not their companions, which is why everyone moved off. With the main attack aimed at the twins, no one would expect dwarves in the back to attack, or elves to come flying out of the trees.
Days of preparation and practice did not prepare them for what happened. They had expected an army to come crashing through the bushes. Instead, they got a beautiful young woman.
“Quickly!,” she shouted. “Dilmek needs you!”
Koral and Gillock just stared at the young woman. Eric and the goblins, on the other hand, began to move.
“Where is he?” asked Eric.
“Through the tree line. He's fighting off four soldiers from Keenley. Be careful, prince. They’ve been expecting you.”
Her tone had gone from frantic, to composed and thoughtful in a moment. Gillock was intrigued by this but pushed it aside. “We must help your friend, Eric,” Gillock started to say, but Eric didn’t hear him, he and the goblins were already off.
Glavlin was also intrigued by the young woman, but moved off to follow Eric.
Koral was stunned no one had even questioned this woman as to how it was she knew Dilmek. This all may have been a trap for them, but everyone moved off without hesitation. As if sensing her thoughts, the young woman moved towards Koral. “My name is Maeve,” she stated. “Maybe it’s time you told the wizard everything.” Maeve did not wait for a response from the princess, instead moved off back into the forest.
Maeve slowly made her way back to the fighting. Her goal was to meet up with the prince and his goblins, but was stopped when a figure leapt from the trees.
“Who are you?” asked a fair haired, purple-eyed man.
“I am Maeve, a friend of the goblin Dilmek,” she responded. Her features changed and she reached for Glavlin’s face. “Why do you hide your true self? You really are quite a handsome elf.”
Glavlin was taken aback. No magic should have been able to penetrate his glamour disguise. “I do not know what you mean,” he answered.
Maeve smiled. “Don’t worry, no one in Keenley will see your true self. if you ever get there.”
The final remark was lost on Glavlin; he had already started to run away from the unusual girl. His ears told him which way the battle laid, but something else in the forest intrigued him. He had thought Koral would run off with Eric, but was surprised to see her slowly moving through the forest, around the fighting. His first instinct was to follow her, but he pushed the thought aside. Eric and his friends may need him.
He quickly made his way towards Eric, following the sounds of swords clashing. When he burst through the trees, a soldier quickly engaged him. The young woman had told them four soldiers were fighting with the goblin, but now there were eight. They were obviously not well trained, and the elf had no problem dispelling them. He went into the elven battle dance and easily killed three soldiers. Within moments, all of the soldiers lay dead, and Glavlin was happy to see his friends had only suffered minor injuries. He started to move off towards Eric and the goblins when something caught his eye. Koral was making her way among the dead soldiers, and had the most peculiar expression on her face.
“Are you alright princess?” he asked, but she ignored him and stopped in the middle of the bodies.
“Those who die here must be returned to the soil,” Koral yelled. Then she reached her arms over her head and began to glow. It was something Glavlin had seen before and within a breath, she was the silvery tree once again.
“You must find Gillock,” exclaimed Glavlin to Darly.
Darly nodded and sprinted off through the trees.
Within a few seconds of her moving off into the forest, the ground began to shake. Although they weren’t certain what was causing it, all assumed it had something to do with Koral changing. They quickly moved away from the tree, and found once they were a distance away the shaking did not affect them as much. It felt as if it would last forever, but a few minutes from when it started, the shaking suddenly stopped. The group looked at each other, and Glavlin decided to move back towards Koral. When he came back to the area where the fighting had occurred, an unusual sight greeted him. The bodies were gone and all signs of a small battle having taken place, erased. Where the ground had been trampled now lay wildflowers and the trees scarred by sword strikes no longer showed any signs of ever being hit. Koral, still as a tree, stood tall bathed in sunlight, unharmed.
Koral looked around, surveying her surroundings. She recognized where she was, and awaited the arrival of the Earth Mother. Moments later the area in front of her began to shimmer, and the Earth Mother stepped into the field.
“Hello again, princess,” came her voice.
“What is it you want of me?”
“So impatient, but no matter. You are again a tree in the waking world and your friends are worried about you. “
Koral just stared, not knowing what it was the Earth Mother wanted her to say.
“Your time here will be short. I have brought you here again to warn you. One in your company is spelled and reveals all to the Order. The traitor, which has plagued your company will be revealed soon. One of your company will cease to exist. Not all are destined to see this to its end.”
Koral was about to question the Earth Mother’s cryptic words when she felt the pull back to the waking world. As she slowly ascended, the dream she had about Eric swirled around her. He was running towards the door,
surrounded by light, and she could not follow. The images changed to that of wizards fighting and the births she had seen before. One image in particular kept reappearing. It was that of a young wizard and judging by his surroundings, it was an image from long ago. At first she was confused by the image, since it kept appearing between all of the other images. Then it all changed, and the image kept continually repeating in front of her and finally she understood what it meant.
Gillock, Glavlin and Eric sat near Koral. It had been some time since she had transformed, and all thought she would have returned by now.
“I think she is coming out of it,” exclaimed Eric.
The tree again began to glow and Koral reappeared, dropping to the ground. She opened her eyes to see all her friends gathered about her. She moved her eyes from one face to the next, stopping on Gillock. “You are one of the first wizards, but not just any wizard. You knew of the prophecy, were on the island when it was foretold, and a part of my family since that day. What is it you are not telling me?”
Gillock knew with her powers growing quickly, so there was a chance she may figure out some things, but never this.
“There is a lot I have not told you, and I have no plans to reveal any of that information soon.”
Koral scowled, but realized she was just going to have to be patient. Remembering what the Earth Mother had said, she felt it was time for her and Gillock to talk in private. “There were things revealed to me by the Earth Mother,” she stated, getting to her feet. She again faced Gillock. “Things I think she wished to be shared with you.”
“You need to rest. Let’s move you to a pallet and we will talk there.” He took her arm and slowly they made their way to the area they had set up for her.
“How long this time?” she asked.
“Only a day.” Gillock carefully lowered her onto the blankets set out. “Now what is it the Earth Mother has told you?”
“She said someone in the company is spelled and giving information to the Order, and the traitor will be revealed soon. She also said not all of us will see the end of this journey.”
Gillock nodded. He had already been told by Dilmek about the spell on him, but he was not about to let Koral in on it quite yet. “Well, thank you for telling me. I will have to think on this information. I want you to rest now. We will be heading into Keenley in the morning.”
Once Gillock was certain Koral was asleep, he moved off towards Glavlin and Eric.
“What is happening to my sister?” questioned Eric.
Gillock sighed, and sat down, staring intently at the fire Eric had created. “I'm not certain,” he said after a moment. “Her powers are growing far more rapidly than I had anticipated. And if she continues to morph into a tree, it may get worse.”
Eric shook his head. “She is the strong one. I am the one which should be a hindrance to this quest.”
Glavlin gently placed his hand on Eric’s shoulder. “You and I have not been on this quest together for very long, but you are not a hindrance to it. You have proven your abilities, many times already. Do not sell yourself short.”
Gillock just nodded his agreement. Eric is whom he had figured would be a problem. It amazed him to see Eric had also worried about how he would handle the situations which arose.
“I will admit, your highness, my thoughts of you on this quest were also ones of worry,” stated Gillock. “But Glavlin is right. You have proven your worth. Just look at how well you deal with the goblins. Only one with your training and abilities would have been able to accomplish such a feat.”
Eric gave a weak smile. He appreciated the compliments and reassurances, especially from Gillock, but he wasn’t convinced they were accurate assessments.
“How is your friend?” asked Glavlin, figuring a change of subject was in order.
“He is well. Only minor cuts and bruises,” answered Eric. “What about his travelling companion? She is quite unusual.”
“Yes, she is, and I think we need to learn more about Maeve before we head into Keenley,” remarked Glavlin.
Gillock nodded his agreement but before he could make a suggestion, Eric was up and moving towards Dilmek, and his strange new companion.
Koral was frustrated. Seeing the utter devastation in the dwarf town had bothered her, but the fact they were now travelling so slowly was making this trip unbearable. The longer they took, the greater chance they wouldn’t be able to find out what happened to the dwarves who were taken. The oddest thing was, it was the dwarves leading, and they had slowed down the pace. She was also annoyed with Glavlin. He and Gillock had decided that since people may be looking for elves, they should change their look. Now they just looked like thin, tall humans. No more angular features or pointy ears. She did not approve of this new look, especially on Glavlin.
Their first day travelling they had made unbelievable time. Grund was determined to get the missing dwarves back. This day, however, they had changed their pace. She had seen Gillock and Glavlin talking to them earlier that morning, and figured they must have said something. She did not understand why they would have the group slow. After brooding on it, she decided to ask Gillock about it. She quickened her pace to catch up to the wizard. “Why are we going so slow?” she asked the moment she had pulled in line with him.
“I was wondering when you were going to ask me about that. You appeared to be quite frustrated this morning.”
“So answer me then,” she snapped.
Koral’s forcefulness shocked Gillock. Everyday Koral appeared to be turning into someone else. “The elves have spotted soldier footprints, and they are only a day old. Someone is waiting for us.”
Koral felt foolish. It was obvious to her the dwarves wouldn’t have slowed down unless they had a good reason, but for some reason she couldn’t see it earlier. Instead of apologizing to Gillock, she turned her horse around and went back to her place in line.
Gillock sat in a state of awe. He was bothered by the princess' attitude of late. Gillock had been certain Eric was going to be the problem on this quest, and he was the one who had actually been acting like royalty. Eric’s dealings with the goblins had amazed Gillock. He approached every situation with tact instead of his usual head strong and emotional ways. Something odd was happening with the twins, and Gillock wasn’t certain if it was going to help them or cause more problems. Shouts from ahead caused him to push the matter aside.
The group immediately stopped and everyone prepared for an attack. The elves moved into the bushes and out of sight. The dwarves moved to be behind Koral, Eric, Adora and the goblins. Gillock moved into the lead. They had practised this many times on their trip so far, but it still unnerved Eric and Koral to have to put it into practice. Both were aware any attack would be directed at them, not their companions, which is why everyone moved off. With the main attack aimed at the twins, no one would expect dwarves in the back to attack, or elves to come flying out of the trees.
Days of preparation and practice did not prepare them for what happened. They had expected an army to come crashing through the bushes. Instead, they got a beautiful young woman.
“Quickly!,” she shouted. “Dilmek needs you!”
Koral and Gillock just stared at the young woman. Eric and the goblins, on the other hand, began to move.
“Where is he?” asked Eric.
“Through the tree line. He's fighting off four soldiers from Keenley. Be careful, prince. They’ve been expecting you.”
Her tone had gone from frantic, to composed and thoughtful in a moment. Gillock was intrigued by this but pushed it aside. “We must help your friend, Eric,” Gillock started to say, but Eric didn’t hear him, he and the goblins were already off.
Glavlin was also intrigued by the young woman, but moved off to follow Eric.
Koral was stunned no one had even questioned this woman as to how it was she knew Dilmek. This all may have been a trap for them, but everyone moved off without hesitation. As if sensing her thoughts, the young woman moved towards Koral. “My name is Maeve,” she stated. “Maybe it’s time you told the wizard everything.” Maeve did not wait for a response from the princess, instead moved off back into the forest.
Maeve slowly made her way back to the fighting. Her goal was to meet up with the prince and his goblins, but was stopped when a figure leapt from the trees.
“Who are you?” asked a fair haired, purple-eyed man.
“I am Maeve, a friend of the goblin Dilmek,” she responded. Her features changed and she reached for Glavlin’s face. “Why do you hide your true self? You really are quite a handsome elf.”
Glavlin was taken aback. No magic should have been able to penetrate his glamour disguise. “I do not know what you mean,” he answered.
Maeve smiled. “Don’t worry, no one in Keenley will see your true self. if you ever get there.”
The final remark was lost on Glavlin; he had already started to run away from the unusual girl. His ears told him which way the battle laid, but something else in the forest intrigued him. He had thought Koral would run off with Eric, but was surprised to see her slowly moving through the forest, around the fighting. His first instinct was to follow her, but he pushed the thought aside. Eric and his friends may need him.
He quickly made his way towards Eric, following the sounds of swords clashing. When he burst through the trees, a soldier quickly engaged him. The young woman had told them four soldiers were fighting with the goblin, but now there were eight. They were obviously not well trained, and the elf had no problem dispelling them. He went into the elven battle dance and easily killed three soldiers. Within moments, all of the soldiers lay dead, and Glavlin was happy to see his friends had only suffered minor injuries. He started to move off towards Eric and the goblins when something caught his eye. Koral was making her way among the dead soldiers, and had the most peculiar expression on her face.
“Are you alright princess?” he asked, but she ignored him and stopped in the middle of the bodies.
“Those who die here must be returned to the soil,” Koral yelled. Then she reached her arms over her head and began to glow. It was something Glavlin had seen before and within a breath, she was the silvery tree once again.
“You must find Gillock,” exclaimed Glavlin to Darly.
Darly nodded and sprinted off through the trees.
Within a few seconds of her moving off into the forest, the ground began to shake. Although they weren’t certain what was causing it, all assumed it had something to do with Koral changing. They quickly moved away from the tree, and found once they were a distance away the shaking did not affect them as much. It felt as if it would last forever, but a few minutes from when it started, the shaking suddenly stopped. The group looked at each other, and Glavlin decided to move back towards Koral. When he came back to the area where the fighting had occurred, an unusual sight greeted him. The bodies were gone and all signs of a small battle having taken place, erased. Where the ground had been trampled now lay wildflowers and the trees scarred by sword strikes no longer showed any signs of ever being hit. Koral, still as a tree, stood tall bathed in sunlight, unharmed.
Koral looked around, surveying her surroundings. She recognized where she was, and awaited the arrival of the Earth Mother. Moments later the area in front of her began to shimmer, and the Earth Mother stepped into the field.
“Hello again, princess,” came her voice.
“What is it you want of me?”
“So impatient, but no matter. You are again a tree in the waking world and your friends are worried about you. “
Koral just stared, not knowing what it was the Earth Mother wanted her to say.
“Your time here will be short. I have brought you here again to warn you. One in your company is spelled and reveals all to the Order. The traitor, which has plagued your company will be revealed soon. One of your company will cease to exist. Not all are destined to see this to its end.”
Koral was about to question the Earth Mother’s cryptic words when she felt the pull back to the waking world. As she slowly ascended, the dream she had about Eric swirled around her. He was running towards the door,
Gillock, Glavlin and Eric sat near Koral. It had been some time since she had transformed, and all thought she would have returned by now.
“I think she is coming out of it,” exclaimed Eric.
The tree again began to glow and Koral reappeared, dropping to the ground. She opened her eyes to see all her friends gathered about her. She moved her eyes from one face to the next, stopping on Gillock. “You are one of the first wizards, but not just any wizard. You knew of the prophecy, were on the island when it was foretold, and a part of my family since that day. What is it you are not telling me?”
Gillock knew with her powers growing quickly, so there was a chance she may figure out some things, but never this.
“There is a lot I have not told you, and I have no plans to reveal any of that information soon.”
Koral scowled, but realized she was just going to have to be patient. Remembering what the Earth Mother had said, she felt it was time for her and Gillock to talk in private. “There were things revealed to me by the Earth Mother,” she stated, getting to her feet. She again faced Gillock. “Things I think she wished to be shared with you.”
“You need to rest. Let’s move you to a pallet and we will talk there.” He took her arm and slowly they made their way to the area they had set up for her.
“How long this time?” she asked.
“Only a day.” Gillock carefully lowered her onto the blankets set out. “Now what is it the Earth Mother has told you?”
“She said someone in the company is spelled and giving information to the Order, and the traitor will be revealed soon. She also said not all of us will see the end of this journey.”
Gillock nodded. He had already been told by Dilmek about the spell on him, but he was not about to let Koral in on it quite yet. “Well, thank you for telling me. I will have to think on this information. I want you to rest now. We will be heading into Keenley in the morning.”
Once Gillock was certain Koral was asleep, he moved off towards Glavlin and Eric.
“What is happening to my sister?” questioned Eric.
Gillock sighed, and sat down, staring intently at the fire Eric had created. “I'm not certain,” he said after a moment. “Her powers are growing far more rapidly than I had anticipated. And if she continues to morph into a tree, it may get worse.”
Eric shook his head. “She is the strong one. I am the one which should be a hindrance to this quest.”
Glavlin gently placed his hand on Eric’s shoulder. “You and I have not been on this quest together for very long, but you are not a hindrance to it. You have proven your abilities, many times already. Do not sell yourself short.”
Gillock just nodded his agreement. Eric is whom he had figured would be a problem. It amazed him to see Eric had also worried about how he would handle the situations which arose.
“I will admit, your highness, my thoughts of you on this quest were also ones of worry,” stated Gillock. “But Glavlin is right. You have proven your worth. Just look at how well you deal with the goblins. Only one with your training and abilities would have been able to accomplish such a feat.”
Eric gave a weak smile. He appreciated the compliments and reassurances, especially from Gillock, but he wasn’t convinced they were accurate assessments.
“How is your friend?” asked Glavlin, figuring a change of subject was in order.
“He is well. Only minor cuts and bruises,” answered Eric. “What about his travelling companion? She is quite unusual.”
“Yes, she is, and I think we need to learn more about Maeve before we head into Keenley,” remarked Glavlin.
Gillock nodded his agreement but before he could make a suggestion, Eric was up and moving towards Dilmek, and his strange new companion.