The Silver Quarrel 4/?

[skieblue]

Chapter Ten


The comrades had their rations for the night, and sentries were set. Dakkon, keeping his oath, found a small copse and picked two small pines that would suit the two young children. After returning to the camp to let his comrades know where he would be, Dakkon rode his horse to the center of the copse, tethered it to a tree, and climbed a little up in case of an emergency. Dakkon drew his razor sharp knife to whittle what would to him be a long knife, but a sword to a human child.

As the night progressed Dakkon grew a little hungry. He jumped down from his perch, reached into the small saddlebag, and drew a small flask of a water and a piece of waybread he had brought. Then, with that he climbed back up to his perch and nibbled at the bread and sipped a little water.

Then the Elf's sharp eyes saw the others: Faedra, who seemed depressed most of the time; Kaje, who looked as who looked as if his experiences had made his spirit stronger each day; Cailean, who looked ready to fight a Rupt Horde if need be. Then he glanced at the two Waerlinga, and a deep sadness came over him. He longed to speak with his brother, father, and mother. At that, a totally new emotion came over him; it was stronger than it had ever been, a deep rage. A hatred that was fueled by a feeling of vengeance that he saw in many in his party. In the girl-what was her name, oh yes, Cordelia, so young, not yet ready to handle the vengeance that ate at her. He knew that she did not deserve the fate she had received. Dakkon knew that she would need someone to tell what happened. He also knew that the best person would have to be someone with the same rage, but who had it under control. Dakkon knew that he was one of those people. With this new rage, he worked furiously at finishing the two swords. Dakkon knew he would finish by daybreak at the pace he was working at.

~*~

Once a camp had been established, Kaje sought out Faedra. Finding her combing down her horse, Kaje approached her, and with some apprehension, spoke to her. "I hope that I have not caused thee undue pain with what was said earlier? As for any pain thou caused me, I know it was unintentional. Still, if it would please thee, I will gladly forgive thee. Though I would say this, these things we have spoken of should be placed aside until this evil we pursue is vanquished."

When Kaje had finished talking, Faedra looked up from tending her horse, and, setting the curry comb down, she stepped to Kaje and embraced him. As she hugged him, Faedra said unto him, "I am sorry for the pain I have caused thee, my friend, but, as you have said, we should put this behind us until Dantor is stopped."

As the Dara embraced him, Kaje felt he could stay in her arms forever, though he said nought, for as he had said, emotions must be stayed for duty. Now, stepping back from Faedra and looking down at her, Kaje said, "I wish for us nothing but happiness, and if that means only being a good friend unto thee, it shall make me happier than I have been in years. I understand thy current state of emotions, Dara, and do not wish to set thee upon a path that may lead to furthering thine emotional hardships, so I say we speak of this no more until our task is complete."

Faedra nodded her understanding, then, looking at Kaje with a smile, said, "Let us go back to the campfire, for my stomach tells me it is time to eat, and I would oblige it."

On the way back to the camp, Kaje saw Dakkon headed away from the camp, to where, he knew not.

Sitting about the campfire were Vanidor, Cailean, Twilight, the two Warrows, and the two children. Picking up a cup for both he and Faedra, Kaje filled them both with tea from a kettle hanging over the fire. After handing a cup of warm brew to the Dara, Kaje accepted a portion of mian from her, and sat with Faedra to his right and Cordelia to his left.

As the two Elves sat eating their meager rations and speaking of the days to come, Kaje heard Cordelia murmur something about their trek over the pass. Looking to the young girl, Kaje asked, "I'm sorry, young one, what did thou say?"

Cordelia looked down at her cup, then with a timid voice, said once more, "Do you think we'll have any trouble getting over the pass?"

How sad it is to see one so young thrust into something as dire as this trek, Kaje thought to himself before replying. He then addressed the young girl. "Have no fears, young one, for I deem we shall encounter nothing untoward. I believe the weather shall afford us safe passage through the pass, then we shall once more be upon level ground ere heading back into more mountainous terrain."

Cordelia's expression changed from that of worry to hope, then, becoming crestfallen once more, she asked, "Did you say we shall come to more mountains?"

Kaje nodded, then said, "We shall have a few days upon the open land ere we encounter more mountains, these being the Grimwalls. There we shall cross over though Jallor Pass, though I fear that pass may not be as forgiving as is the one we now travel. Jallor Pass is further north, and its crest is several hundred feet higher than the one we cross on the morrow."

At the mention of more mountains and an even more arduous pass, Cordelia's face blanched.

"Fear not, my young friend. Though we will not be in the company of these Drimmen warriors entire," Kaje said, as his hand swept around to encompass the whole Dwarf army, "I have been told by the Drimm captain himself that he and twenty of his best men shall march with us unto our destination. Too, we may yet meet up with the other half of this army making its way across Jallor Pass and headed back to their holt. The captain has also told me that if needs be we may enlist the help of that mighty Drimm army as well."

These words seemed to offer the young girl some respite from her fears. Looking into Cordelia's young eyes, Kaje placed an arm around the girl's small back and squeezed her into his side, a faint smile coming to her face, as Kaje smiled down at her.

Now speaking of other things to help take the girl's mind off of the coming day's journey, Kaje inquired, "I trust thou hast been hard at honing thy skill with bow and arrow."

Cordelia, with a shrug and hands held palm up, said, "I have been giving it my all, sir. I become more comfortable with the weapon the more I train at it."

At this, Kaje raised an eyebrow, then looked at Faedra, only to find her covering the smile coming to her mouth. "'Sir?'" Kaje said, looked back to Cordelia. "My friend, please feel free to address me by name, 'Kaje,' else all of this 'Sir,' business may go to my head!"

With this, the three broke into laughter, Kaje wrapping an arm around each, as they wrapped one around him. All the while, the others around the fire looked at them, wondering what had caused such mirth.

Looking up from their conversation, Vanidor and the Dwarf captain looked at one another, each shrugging to the other. Vanidor then addressed all around the fire. "On the morrow we march over Crestan Pass, then on to the Landover Road Ford. Ere we reach the ford, we shall turn north and trek on towards Jallor Pass. If our way through Crestan Pass is clear, and we find ourselves not foundered, I deem we shall come but twenty miles from Jallor Pass. Though we shall lose a large number of this fierce Drimm army at the Landover Road Ford, we shall yet meet with another contingent headed back to Mineholt North. From this group we shall ask any that may to join our group as we trek unto Griffin Keep and the vile presence therein, the Dark Mage Dantor. We know not the number nor the composition of the Horde this foul one gathers unto himself, yet I deem the mighty axes of the Drimma shall be needed ere this quest is done."

To this, all the Dwarves near the fire raised their axes to the night sky and, with a mighty shout, said, "Chakka shok! Chakka cor!"

Kaje now arose from his seat to address all gathered near. "My friends, I would say unto ye all, this goal we now pursue shall not be an easy one to achieve, yet achieve it we must. Even now, as we speak, there is a foul presence dwelling that dark keep."

At the mention of the Dark Mage, some of the Dwarves were seen to spit upon the ground, other to strike fist to palm, while still others jutted their war axes into the cool night air, the campfire to reflect off the keenly honed silver blades and send glints of light into the surrounding darkness.

Kaje spoke on, "Though his plans we do not fully understand, we do believe that the final outcome does not bode well for all of Mithgar if his evil plans are not thwarted. So I say to ye, we have no choice but to win though! With the warriors I see before me now, I feel quite confident we shall defeat this foulness that threatens our land and our kindred like a harbinger of doom."

Before any noticed aught, Kaje drew his swords and brandished them before himself. Raising them toward the sky, he shouted, "Adon, guide our blades! Help us to find victory!"

At this a great cheer went up, and all waved their weapons in the night air.

As all around the fire continued to talk and shout warcries, Kaje turned to Faedra and Cordelia and said, "The hour is late. I would that we all to bed. Tomorrow we shall see a long ride, and we shall need our rest."

Cordelia looked from Kaje to Faedra and said, "I am feeling quite tired. I shall do as," she looked at the two, a smile coming to her lips, "Kaje has said and get some rest."

The two Elves bade the young girl goodnight, then made their way to their bedrolls.

As the two walked, Kaje took this time away from the others to voice some of his concerns of the coming days to Faedra. "There are still a few things about the rede I do not feel we understand. Take thy bracelet, for instance. The runes scribed thereon show two archers, each of these appearing to have fired an arrow into a flame."

Faedra nodded and, now looking at the bracelet, said, "True, it does. What doth thou think of its meaning?"

"That's just the point," Kaje said, turning up his hands. "I know not. We have in our possession one silver arrow, yet thy bracelet shows two. Mayhap the two archers depicted thereon are but one; one being the mirror image of the other. This, though, would not fall in line with the rede." Kaje then flung his hands in the air in disgust. "The answer has to be at hand. I feel that it is, yet I cannot grasp it."

Placing an arm about Kaje's waist, Faedra said to him, "Fear not, my Alor. These answers we seek shall make themselves manifest. Mayhap we should talk with the Drimm captain in the morning, get his thoughts on the matter."

Kaje, now placing an arm about Faedra's shoulders said, "Thou art most likely correct, Dara. Let us to sleep, though I fear it may be long in coming to me."

The two now settled on their bedrolls, while all around, others began to bed down as well.

~*~

Unable to sleep because of Kaje's endless tossing and turning a few feet away, Faedra rose to find Vanidor sitting near the fire. With a smile, she sat down next to him. "Ah, my friend, we draw nearer to our destination, and I cannot help but wonder about our fate. So much is riding upon our actions. And I must confess that I fear for the young girl. She is quite timid. Yet, I do hope that when the time comes, she is able to perform her duty. I wonder if any of us will be successful when the time comes.

"Oh, if thou were wondering, our sparring matches have proven to be quite useful. I was successful indeed in our battle with the Foul Folk."

Vanidor smiled at the Dara. "Well, I'm glad I could have been of some help to thee. I know we're all going to need as much training as we can get these next few weeks, maybe even months."

Faedra nodded silently in response to Vanidor's observations.

Suddenly, Kaje thrashed about once more and mumbled something in his disturbed sleep. Faedra filled a nearby cup with hot tea from the pot, bid Vanidor goodnight, and made her way back to Kaje. She knelt by his side and gently shook him until his eyes fluttered open. Not wanting to awaken the others, she whispered, "Thou wert thrashing about in thy sleep, Alor. The rede troubles thee. Yet I would remind thee of thy words, 'Tomorrow we shall see a long ride, and we shall need our rest.' Perhaps this will help." She handed him the cup and made her way back to her bed.

Ere walking three steps, she paused and said to him over her shoulder, "There will be an answer."


Chapter Eleven


The next morning, as Kaje was fastening his bedroll to his horse, he removed the silver arrow from one of his packs. Moving through the waking Drimm army, Kaje located Vygon, the Dwarf captain.

Standing and shouldering his bedroll, Vygon looked about the camp and saw Kaje walking toward him. "I trust you had a restful night, my good Elf," Vygon said as Kaje approached.

"Aye, the rest I got was sufficient, for Elven kind do not require as much sleep as do thee. But, be that as it may, I would ask a favor of thee, Captain," Kaje said as he held up the silver arrow and handed it to Vygon. "We found this in one of Dantor's dark lairs. Too, there was a scroll which contained a rede. This rede, as far as we have been able to discern tells of a great evil to be released over the whole of Mithgar. Within the rede is the mention of the arrow now in thine hands."

Vygon nodded at Kaje's words, then holding the arrow up for Kaje to see, he said, "This is of Chakka make. This silver arrow, as you call it, is in fact made of starsilver, a most precious metal, and deadly to all Foul Folk." Now turning the arrow around so that Kaje could see the end of the arrow, Vygon turned the base one full turn, counter clockwise, and pulled the base off.

"How did thee know . . . ?" Kaje started to say.

Vygon cut him off, saying, "Did I not tell you it was Chakka made? Some things that are not readily apparent to some eyes, may be to others." Tilting the arrow so that the open end was facing his palm, Vygon tapped it to his hand. Kaje looked on as the Dwarf did so and was astonished when, out of the opened end, a smaller silveron arrow slipped into the Dwarf's hand.

Kaje gasped, "Adon! . . . The second arrow, it has been with us all the while!" Taking the arrow in his hands, Kaje said, "Captain Vygon, thou has solved a riddle that has plagued my mind since the reading of the rede. I was beginning to think we were missing a vital link to the puzzle, yet thou has proved me wrong, and I am glad for it. I truly thank thee, Vygon. Now I feel this evil person we chase shall see the end of his days upon Mithgar."

After placing the smaller arrow back into its hidden sheath, Kaje slapped Vygon on the back and said, "Once more, Captain, thank you for uncovering this item for me."

Vygon shook his head and said, "No thanks is due me. There are many among my kind that would have noticed the arrow's true nature. I just happened to be the one who saw it first."

Now placing the arrow back inside his jerkin, Kaje said, "Well, no matter who found it out, we knew not its true origin nor nature. So, I thank thee again."

As the Dwarf half-heartedly nodded his assent and seemed somewhat embarrassed by the many thanks Kaje had offered him, Kaje looked around the camp at the army, now ready to ride on over the pass, and said, "Well, Drimm Vygon, the day waits for no man. We must away from this place and move over the pass. Hopefully, the weather will grant us clear passage through the slot. Then we can move on to the River Argon where I deem we shall make camp ere turning east of north on the morrow."

With this, Kaje walked back to his horse and prepared to ride. Looking about, he noticed the rest of the group was preparing to ride as well. Seeing Faedra and Vanidor talking, Kaje approached them so that he might tell them of the arrow.

"Good morning, all!" Kaje said as he stepped to the group. Now, pulling the arrow from his jerkin, Kaje motioned for Faedra and Vanidor to step closer. As they gathered around him, Kaje said, "Vygon has shown me something I think you two will find very interesting concerning the arrow." Kaje then held up the arrow for them to see. Then, unscrewing the bottom and removing the cap, he let the smaller arrow slide out into his hand.

"So, the second arrow has been with us all along!" said Faedra.

Vanidor then said, "Right under our very noses at that." He then turned and motioned the rest of the group over so that they could see the revelation.

As everyone stood looking at the arrow, Kaje stepped to Cordelia and said, "Well, my young friend, I trust thou art ready for our trek over the pass?"

Cordelia looked up at the Elf as he said this; then, with a stammer in her voice, she said, "I do not feel that I can continue with this task of ours. I'm sorry, but I can't get past the fright I feel."

Looking down at the small girl, Kaje took in her words as she spoke them, then said, "Fear is a powerful adversary, though it can be turned into a powerful ally as well." Kneeling down to look the girl straight in the face, he continued, "Fear can either make a person hide from the world about him, or it can drive him to conquer those fears so that he will never have to face them again. I would ask thee to choose to conquer thy fears. Yet thou will not be alone in this fight. Remember, we are with thee in this. As thou hast said, this task is ours. We shall all be fighting together in this, thou shant face it alone. That I promise."

The young girl nodded.

Kaje stood and bade everyone to mount up, even though the sun had not yet risen, it was time for them to start on their way over the pass. As the group prepared to mount up, Vanidor rode off to find Dakkon.

Kaje stepped to Faedra after asking all to mount up. As he stepped to her side, though the sky a brilliant star blazed. Seeing it, Kaje said to Faedra, "Oh, Dara, look there! What an amazing sight."

Faedra now looked upon the star streaking across the still darkling sky, and, as she did so, tears filled her eyes. Up the hill and behind the Elves, the Drimm cast hoods over heads.

Placing an arm about the Dara, Kaje said to her, "How lucky we are to have witnessed something so beautiful, yet so fleeting. I'm glad thou could see it, my friend."

Then the two Elves bowed their heads and said a prayer to Adon for the beautiful soul the star represented.

~*~

Vanidor rode down to the copse just as Dakkon had finished with the swords.

"Come down now, Dakkon, you rogue. Thou would not wish to miss some time to break thy fast."

Dakkon chuckled back. "Ah, thou are ever so wrong. I have just finished a piece of waybread I had been nibbling on all night."

A worried look came over Vanidor's face. "Thou have not slept at all since thou joined our party. Without thy strength, thou will not survive the harsh journey through Crestan Pass."

The smile and chuckle vanished from Dakkon's face. "Vanidor, thou does not know what it is like to see all of thy loved ones brutally murdered in front of thine eyes. As I said before, Dantor's one mistake was to leave me alive." A fire flashed in Dakkon's eyes. "I have made an oath not to sleep until Dantor is gone from Mithgar forever. I do not care if I have to track him alone from the Great Maelstrom to the Black Mountain of Xian without sleep. I refuse to sleep until Dantor is dead."

Vanidor tried to protest a little further, "If thou does not sleep, how will thou help in the fight against Dantor?"

Dakkon responded, "Sleep does not draw me down with vengeance fueling my strength. Though I do know something that the fires of time have revealed to me. If thou wishes to know, I will tell thee."

"And what is it thou knows?" Vanidor asked.

"The fires have told me that our party will indeed find Dantor and will destroy him, and-"

Vanidor interjected, "Why is thy face so solemn?"

Dakkon continued, "I will tell thee. We will face Dantor and strike him down. Yet in the struggle, in the struggle." He began to sob, "I-I-I." With that he fainted.

Vanidor, puzzled, picked up Dakkon's slender form and set it on his horse. He then rode back to the camp.


Chapter Twelve


When Dakkon awoke, he found he was riding next to Vanidor. Instinctively, he asked, "Vanidor, where am I?"

Vanidor smiled. "Ah, Dakkon, you rogue. I thought I had lost thee for a moment there. We are riding on Crestan Pass. By the way, how thou could stay unconscious at the peak of one of the coldest passes on all of Mithgar is beyond me."

Dakkon asked, "I remember I was talking, but what was it about? Now, don't lie."

Vanidor sighed. "Thou wert talking about what happened in thy vision, but it was troubling thee. If thou does not wish to talk about it, I understand."

Then it was Dakkon's turn to sigh. "No, I must tell thee. Dantor will be vanquished." He took a deep breath. "But, but I will . . ." Dakkon paused, and a tear came down his face. "I will," his voice dropped to a whisper, "die."

After Dakkon recovered from the incident, he said a final word to Vanidor. "Vanidor, my dear friend, thy word must suffice for I cannot say it for reasons thee know and reasons thee shall never know." With that, Dakkon spurred his horse and rode away toward Cordelia.

Dakkon reached her horse in about half a minute. He startled her from what appeared to be a day dream. "Cordelia, I am charged with teaching thee the art of swordplay. While we ride I will instruct thee with my words. While we rest thou will put what thou learned into action. For the moment, I will instruct thee in what thou will probably fight."

Cordelia looked up at the Elf, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Do you understand?" Dakkon queried.

The girl nodded.

"Okay, let's begin. What does thou want to know about the Rupt. Or Yrm in Pellarion, also known as the Spawn."

Cordelia looked up at the Elf again. "What will I have to fight?" she asked.

"Thou will probably have to fight Rucha. They are about as tall as thee with bandy legs and arms; they have bat ears and yellow eyes. They are not skilled fighters, but rather they swarm in great numbers.

"Loka or Lokha look similar to Rucha but are as big as a man and skilled in fighting, also. Thou shall not have to fight the Lokha, for that will be left for the more advanced fighter. Yet thou must always remember that stature does not measure greatness of heart.

"Ghulka or Ghola have been seen, but if there are any, we don't know. If Fortune is kind to us, there will not be any, for they are nearly unkillable. Fire, dismemberment, and wood through the heart are the only way to kill these.

"Trolls are of the like. To kill these, thou would need to find a soft spot in the skin, for example, under the eyelid. If thou comes upon one of these, flee. Does this answer thy question?"

Cordelia nodded to show that it did and signaled for Dakkon to begin the lesson.

"Okay, Cordelia, I have taken the honor to fashion thee a sword made from pine. Maybe once thou are advanced enough I will find thee a true sword. I always carry around my own for just this." Dakkon produced a sword that he had fashioned before he had even met the party and only knew about them from the vision.

"Ah, we are stopping. We can start now." Dakkon hopped off his horse and waited for Cordelia to come down, which took rather longer. "Thou will learn the way I learned when I was but thy size so many seasons ago. First, I want thee to fight me."

Puzzled, Cordelia slashed with all her might, but Dakkon fended it off with his own sword. Then, Cordelia jabbed at the Elf's chest. Effortlessly, he sidestepped it. Then, Cordelia, infuriated, slashed, jabbed and chopped. Yet it seemed as if Dakkon was a will-o-the-wisp, dodging and fending off all of Cordelia's strikes effortlessly.

Breathlessly, Cordelia stated, "It's impossible. I can't hit you."

"Ah, tis not impossible," Dakkon replied. "It is just that thou cannot. Thy grip is wrong, first. Thou must hold thy sword like a little bird. If thy grip is too light, the bird will fly away, yet if thou holds it too tight, thou hast a chance of crushing it. Thou must hold it gently, but firmly. If thou holds a sword too loose, thou wilt be disarmed almost immediately, yet if thou holds it too tightly, thou wilt not be able to fend off hits or make ones. Look, let me show thee."

Dakkon held his sword loose and let Cordelia hit it. It flew from his hand and onto the ground. Then, he held the sword too tightly, and Cordelia struck. Dakkon tried to fend it off. He failed, and Cordelia hit him. Then, Dakkon held the sword gently, but firmly, and Cordelia slashed at his chest, and Dakkon fended it off.

Then Dakkon put his sword away, stepped back, and said, "That is thy lesson for today. Yet, I have one question."

Cordelia nodded for him to continue.

"I have looked upon thee, and I see a girl, like any other. Yet thou seems . . . seems, well different, troubled, almost depressed. I would like it if thou would tell me what is wrong because I feel almost the same way. Telling someone helps relieve the pain. Please tell me?"

Cordelia looked at Dakkon silently for a few moments, then spoke, quietly and hesitantly. "Until a few years ago, I lived in a small settlement with my family. My father was away a lot, and I didn't know him very well. I don't even remember now why he was away so much.

"However, even though my father was gone a lot, my family was very close. I had an older brother, Gabriel; he was about two years older then me.

"I was closer to my mother than anyone else. My mother's name was Una." Tears came to her eyes as she said her mother's name. She was silent again before continuing.

"One night, while my father was home, our town was attacked. I don't remember it very clearly, but I do remember that my father was trying to get people out. He told my mother to take me and my brother away. He was going to follow us as soon as he could.

"He met up with us at the edge of town, but at that moment, the attackers came. Some of them were like those things you talked about, I think. And some of them were human.

"Several of us from the town tried to run away. We had nearly made it to safety when my father was killed. I think my brother may have been killed, too, but I don't know for sure."

Cordelia fell silent again. When she continued, her voice was even quieter than before. "I couldn't keep up with my mother. I fell, and she was coming back for me. But someone from the town pulled her away. Then, I called for her, and that must have made them find me. One of the people that destroyed our home grabbed me. I never saw my mother again. I don't even know if she is still alive.

"That was when I became a prisoner of the man. I kept hoping that my mother would find me and rescue me. The man learned of this somehow, and he said my mother wanted me to be taken. He said that she hadn't wanted me anymore."

Cordelia was crying now. "I realized I couldn't even trust my mother. So how could I trust anyone?

"I used to talk to the other prisoners, and then he would kill them. I saw him kill them! Every time I started feeling like I could trust someone, he killed them! I hate him!" Anger was very evident in her voice. She repeated, "I hate him!"

Then, she asked, "Why? Why did he want me in the first place? And why didn't he kill me like he killed the others?"

She could not stop crying. Dakkon reached for her and held her while she cried. Finally, when the tears had stopped, she looked up at him, and asked. "You said you feel the same way I do. Why?"

Dakkon regarded her briefly, then said, "My family was killed by Dantor." He then began to tell her the story.

"We were out when the man advanced on us. My father greeted him, 'Hello traveler, how may we help thee?'

"The man responded kindly, 'Ah, well met. It is I who should help you, I insist. It is getting late. You must be hungry.'

"So, being friendly, we went along with him. As soon as we were inside, he muttered some kind of incantation and then everything went dark. The door and all the windows shut and wouldn't open and could not be broken, for I tried. The room was illuminated by some kind of unearthly light. Then, he changed from a kind old man to an evil man wearing black robes.

"In the room, instead of a table set with plates, food, drink, and other eating utensils, there were many sharp knives, a giant hammer and spike, and other torture tools. There were six tables with leather buckles.

"He said, 'Sit down, my friends. I will feed . . . on your .' At this, he started cackling uncontrollably.

"Then he took my mother, and laid her on the first table. He took a hot metal bar and heated it on coals. He took a small vial, which he had three of, and forced the contents down her throat.

"My mother spoke defiantly, 'Whatever pains thou wishes to come upon me, do it to me and me alone, for I will lose consciousness fast.'

"The man responded, 'Oh, really. I would say otherwise, for you have drunk a potion that will keep you awake and very, very aware of your pain.' At this, he took the hot bar and burned my mother's hands. I still hear her screams today as he slowly worked across her body, gaining power from her pain."

Dakkon paused and stifled his tears. "Then it was my father's turn. Again, the man strapped him down and forced the contents of the vial down his throat. Then the man turned the board up and put a few logs under him. The man lit a small fire on the logs, and my father was slowly eaten by the fire."

Again, Dakkon stifled a sob, but a small whimper escaped. Then he continued, "Finally, it was my brother's turn. I was closest to my brother, and his death was the worst for me to witness.

"The man strapped him down and fed him a different liquid, then he explained, 'I have fed you a different liquid, Elf. This liquid will do quite the same thing as the others, except this liquid is an acid. You ask what an acid is. Well, let's just put it this way. It will be quite noticeable, how shall I say it, the excruciating pain.'

"Then I could stand it no more. I shouted out, 'Kill me now, I beg thee!'

The Mage started to laugh. 'No, that will weaken me. Trust me, I will get to you. After you have a few years . . . a few hundred years to grow stronger.'

"The Mage did not seem like an old man anymore, but a young exuberant youth. It was the pain of my family that had caused this change.

"I tell this to thee so that thou will know that I can relate to how thou feels. I did not wish to scare thee."

Dakkon seemed to snap out of a reverie, and then whispered, "I said too much. She does not want to know all I have told." Then, all the tears he had stifled came out, and he sobbed uncontrollably for a minute or so. Then revenge took over his tears, and he came back to the world around him. He noticed Cordelia comforting him, and he felt better.

"You really do understand, I guess," Cordelia said, after a few minutes.

Then, a new thought occurred to her. "You were at least old enough to be on your own. What's going to happen to me after our mission is completed?"

Immediately, Dakkon replied, "This is not a question in my mind. If thy mother yet lives, then thou should go with her. If not, then thou should go with Alor Vanidor to Arden Vale."

"If my mother is alive, how can I find her?" Cordelia asked. "And how could I go to Arden Vale? I'm human; I couldn't live among Elves. They wouldn't even want me. I don't have anything against Elves," she amended hastily, realized she was talking to an Elf. "It's just I was told by someone that they think they're superior to everyone else because they're immortal. Is that true? Do your people really think that way?"

"Whoever told thee that Elves think themselves superior was wrong. Elves are immortal, that is true. Yet, they don't think themselves at all superior. Thou would be welcome at Arden Vale, and I would like to speak to whoever said that. Remember, I'll be here for thee.

"Look, it's getting close to dusk. I should go see if the others need help setting up camp. We can speak more after we make camp. Is that okay?"

"That's fine, Dakkon, thank you."

Dakkon was overjoyed. For once, someone other than Vanidor had spoken to him like a true friend.

~*~

Cordelia was silent as the group began to set up camp. She was thinking about something that Dakkon had said to her. Finally, she asked him, "You said that if my mother was not still alive, then I would go with Alor Vanidor to Arden Vale. Why couldn't I stay with you? I know I can trust you."

"Oh, young child, I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell thee. I am a fire seer. That means that sometimes, when I look into a fire, I sort of go away. I see the past sometimes, sometimes the present in a different place, and finally visions of things that are yet to come. A few weeks back, before I joined thy party, I had one of these. I had been searching for the man, as well. First the vision showed thy party trying to strike up at a picture of the man. This means that thy party was searching for him and had found him. They were going to Griffin Keep. Then it went black, and another picture came. Basically, it showed a picture of the man being vanquished, yet it also showed another picture, a picture of my very death." Dakkon choked back tears, for he did not want to upset Cordelia. "That, young one, is why thou cannot come with me."

"No," Cordelia said quietly. She turned and ran away from him, unable to deal with what she had just learned. She moved to the edge of the camp and sat by herself. She did not cry or anything, because she could not believe that once again someone she trusted was going to die.

Dakkon walked over to Cordelia and sat down next to her. "Young one, it's not thy fault, my death was inevitable. It was my choice because I will die while destroying the man. If it will comfort thee, many visions are given to certain people so they can be stopped. A long time ago, there was another fire seer. Her name was Arin. She had a vision of the destruction of Mithgar. Yet her party worked hard and destroyed the mage who would have conquered Mithgar. That vision was changed, so perhaps this one can also be changed."

Cordelia thought for a moment, then looked at Dakkon. "I hope it will be changed then. Except, I hope the part where we defeat the man still happens."

She smiled slightly. "If it is alright with you, Dakkon, I think I will go to bed now. I'm tired, and I guess we have another long journey tomorrow. Good-night."

"Good-night, Cordelia. Mayhap the vision will be changed." Then he whispered to himself, "For better or for worse."