Under watchful eyes

[Edrilith]

My questions remained unanswered as we crested a hill and the white spires of the beautiful elven city suddenly materialized before us. Tsekar’s description had been inadequate. I had never seen such a wondrous sight. Even the great ivory church in my birth city of Qeynos could not match this beauty.

I glanced over at the High Priestess and thought I saw a whisper of fear in her expression. Truly for these dark elves, this was akin to marching into the jaws of your most hated enemy. The enchantresses cast a final refreshment of their illusion spell before the whole group approached the city.

The Fayspires guards bowed politely to our caravan, and one of them offered to escort our party to the central structure. The High Priestess nodded before following along behind the elf. Other young squires came forward to take our tired horses to the stables. Meanwhile, my head swiveled about like an owl’s as I tried to take in all the sights. I was amazed by the bright colors here, from the merchant stands to the flowers that lined the walkways. The inhabitants bore cheery expressions, and the air was thick with the intriguing smells of elven fare. I could hardly wait to explore the place.

Yet there was a role I had to play, as Trakanon had foreseen. The wolves in elf’s clothing waited in the courtyard as the High Priestess and the Wizard were led into the structure for an audience with the city’s leaders. A sense of apprehension gripped me, as I realized I would soon see my father again.

[Edrilith]

A few moments later, the High Priestess and Jhakal reemerged from the central structure. Apparently their ruse had fooled the Fayspires leaders, as the priestess motioned for her clan to follow her inside. White marble floors greeted our dirty, travel-worn feet. Paintings and exotic fabrics covered the walls, and soft music seemed to be part of the air we breathed. A group of guards assembled to lead us to the chamber that temporarily housed my father’s body.

With each step I felt my heart beat faster, and for a time it felt as if I had journeyed here alone. I tried to prepare myself for seeing my father. I knew old age had claimed him quite suddenly after I was taken. I almost wished that my cherished memories of him as a vital, ageless elf would not have to be crushed. Yet with each step, I realized that would be inevitable.

Higher and higher we climbed, ascending staircase after staircase. Proud elf guards stood at their posts at every turn, and they smiled at us pleasantly. Exquisite longswords hung by their sides. The brightly polished silver weapons showed no signs of use, but promised death in their beauty. I could only imagine the fear simmering in the Tier Dal around me.

Finally we came to a large, open chamber which seemed to be located at the top of the structure. Large, oak doors had been opened to greet our arrival. The disguised casters in the group took special notice of them, peering around the room as they identified the other two entrances that would need to be sealed. The Dragoon warriors moved about cautiously, each silently selecting an elf guard to be killed.

Meanwhile, Jhakal and the High Priestess continued to play their role as they moved towards the still figure lying upon a dais in the center of the great chamber. They seemed to be of the same mind, as they kneeled upon the cold floor and bowed their heads.

[Edrilith]

My gaze finally rested upon the dais as well. All of my preparations had not been enough, for it felt like one of the Dragoons had punched me in the gut. My father had been dressed in his best suit of gilded heartsblood armor. His legendary longsword lay upon his body, its pommel grasped in his dead hands. Trakanon’s amulet was plainly visible upon his chest. From my angle, I watched the High Priestess raise her eyes to stare at it.

She stood from the floor and turned toward what appeared to be the captain among the guards. Jhakal stood as well, moving slowly towards one of the chamber doors.

“Kind Sir,” the fiend purred as she approached the elf. “May we have some time alone, to share our blessings and prayers with Lord Edril on his pilgrimage to the world beyond?”<br>
The handsome elf captain smiled. “My lady, these guards will give you all the privacy you require. I swear it, you shall not know of their presence.”<br>
I sensed the flare of her temper but somehow she managed to keep her tone even. Doubtless she was not accustomed to being rebuffed. “We need no guards, good Sir. Please excuse these fine soldiers for just a few moments. We would truly prefer to sing our songs in private.” Silently, Ziliq approached the captain from behind, waiting for a sign from the priestess.

Still smiling, the captain did not back down. He bowed low before the priestess. “My lady Elwing, with the greatest of respect, please understand that I cannot do this. Our guards are forbidden from leaving this chamber while Lord Edril resides with us.”<br>
Now the High Priestess frowned openly. They could not afford such delays. She looked towards Ziliq, intending to give him the signal, when suddenly she noticed the elf captain’s expression. Turning slightly, she noticed that one of the Dragoon warriors had lost his elf illusion.

The elf captain’s eyes moved back to the High Priestess, any kindness remaining in them instantly replaced by a seething hatred. Time seemed to stop, like the moment between taking a long breath and leaping into a cold lake. The music continued to play uselessly in the background.

[Edrilith]

Jhakal and his fellow casters were the first to act, and the chamber reverberated with the booms of slamming doors. The three dark elves quickly wove powerful enchantments upon the entrances. The outraged shouts of the elves could be heard outside, and there were several calls to bring elven wizards to the chamber.

Meanwhile, the elf captain and the High Priestess continued to glare at each other.

“What have you done with the Lady Elwing and Lord Llorimir?” he snarled, slowly reaching for the longsword at his side.

“I would think you have more important things to worry about, foolish Dal,” she smirked. “You shall meet them in the next realm soon enough!” She cast a remove illusion spell, letting the enraged elf view his true enemy. Then she nodded, finally giving Ziliq his long-awaited chance at redemption.

The fighting spread like fire around the room. The elves fought valiantly and without fear but they did not enjoy the advantage of having clerics nearby to heal their injuries. Whenever one of the Dragoons took a wound, he was quickly healed by the High Priestess or one of her underlings.

I stood in the shadows at the back of the chamber, watching Ziliq fight the brave elf captain. It would have been an even match, both competitors having scored hits on his opponent. As time passed, however, the captain began to tire from his leaking wounds. The fully healed Ziliq waited for an opportunity to sneak past his opponent’s defenses. The High Priestess eventually grew tired of their battle and cast a rooting spell to trip up the captain. He cursed her once last time with his eyes as the Dragoon’s sword thrust into his chest.

She glanced around the chamber, barely registering the death of one of the Dragoons along with the elven guards. Judging by the shouting outside the doors and the sweat gathered on the brows of the Tier Dal casters, the elven wizards had arrived and were attempting to break through the wards. The High Priestess looked to the dais, and then scanned the chamber until she found me.

“You,” she shouted. “Get that pendant now!”<br>
I was barely aware of crossing the room to stand beside my father’s prone form. I noticed the lines that creased his fair skin, and I could only imagine the heavy sadness he had borne the past few years. I reached around the cool skin of his neck and undid the clasp holding the pendant. It had a familiar weight that was strangely comforting. I closed the clasp once more and held it up before me.

[Edrilith]

Suddenly I became aware of the hungry eyes upon me. The Gal’Saris dark elves kept their distance and seemed to be waiting for something to occur. I swallowed hard in an attempt to slow the thudding of my heart.

“How do you feel?” the High Priestess asked suspiciously.

“Fine,” I responded, surprised by the question.

Slowly, the High Priestess approached me. She hesitated at the sight of the artifact, and then seemed to resign herself to a decision. Hands trembling, she took the pendant from me. The beautiful dark elf regarded it reverently, even fearfully. The shouting of the elves continued while the chamber’s intruders remained silent, transfixed by the mighty object among them.

“How can this be?” the High Priestess whispered, lost in her own thoughts. “Were my visions from Innoruuk false? The hateful one had told me that taking the pendant was the only way to defeat Neriak. He said that the son of Edril would be immune to the pendant’s magic and would wield it for us. The dark lord insisted that I could not hold the item at all… and yet nothing has happened! I do not need the elfling’s assistance after all! My magic must be stronger than even I had realized, to be able to protect me from Trakanon’s curse!”<br>
A horrible smile spread on her face, and she turned the pendant over in her hands. Throwing the last ounce of caution aside, she slipped the artifact around her neck and turned to regard her servants. All of the surviving warriors except for Ziliq moved to stand before her and bowed down, looking for a way to increase their reputation in her eyes. When I was no longer in her line of sight, I moved quickly to dissolve into the shadows at the back of the room.

“This is the dawn of a glorious new age for our house!” she cried to her people, her red eyes beaming with power. “No longer are we beholden to anyone in deciding our destiny! We will take control of Neriak itself, and then none shall remain to oppose us! Now Jhakal, I need you to prepare a portal to…”

Her words caught in her throat as she noticed that the pendant had begun to glow. All thoughts of future triumphs melted into fear, and she tried unsuccessfully to remove the pendant from around her neck. The clasp could not be opened.

I watched the High Priestess drop to the floor, her body twisting in strange contortions, her mouth open in a soundless scream. Bright tendrils emanated from the pendant and reached out around the room. The Dragoons standing closest to her were next to fall, as the dragon magic took hold of their life force. The last of the elven illusions flickered and died under the onslaught of this powerful unknown magic, including my own. I watched as one of the tendrils headed for me, but it stopped suddenly and pulled back into the amulet.

Despite their past cruelties, it was difficult to watch the death throes of the Tier Dal in the chamber. The High Priestess tried to heal herself with her divine magic, but the magic in pendant proved to be stronger after all. She managed to hold onto her life longer than the others, and cursed her god as she felt herself weaken. Then suddenly she was dead, lying upon the floor beneath the angry glow of the pendant. I had shared much with that one, yet I did not feel any sadness at her passing.

[Edrilith]

The bodies of Jhakal and the enchantresses continued a morbid vigil in front of the doors, but their wards were beginning to weaken. I did not want to be in the chamber when the elves broke through. There would be too many questions, and I certainly did not want to risk revealing my identity. Freedom was my foremost goal and the past was too much of a burden. I looked for one of the phase rings I had brought with me.

“There you are!” I heard a voice growl nearby. I looked over to see Ziliq approaching me. He had avoided much of the pendant’s magic by hiding behind a pillar.

“You are to blame for this!” Ziliq roared. The Dragoon staggered towards me in obvious pain, his ever-hungry sword colored by the blood of the elf captain.

I was fortunate that the pendant’s magic had weakened him somewhat, for I certainly could not have defeated him in single combat. Even now I had my doubts, noticing the muscles that rippled along the length of his arms and the manic look in his half-lidded gaze. Here was the last obstacle between my old life and freedom. I removed the dagger from its hiding place beneath my jerkin and squared off against the monster.

His first swing was clumsy and easily avoided, as I ducked beneath the whistling sword. He staggered and readjusted the grip on his weapon, furious at his own weakness. He lacked the control I had normally seen in him. The second attack almost caught me, and the sword clanged against the stone pillar, its vibrations moving through the warrior’s arms. I took advantage of the distraction and lunged for his exposed side.

Ziliq’s surprise was no less than my own, as Tsekar’s enchanted dagger easily pierced his fine mail armor and into his belly. I grimaced as I grasped the fine blade and twisted it inside him, feeling it scrape against bone. Warm, dark blood flowed onto my hand but my hold on the weapon remained firm. I watched as his eyes rolled back, before his body fell bonelessly to the floor. His last expression was strangely peaceful, as if some part of him was relieved that this was the end of his tortured existence.

The commotion around the chamber doors snapped me back to the present. The elves had almost broken through. I slipped the phase ring on my finger, watching the blue shimmer around me. Moments later, the main chamber doors reopened and elves poured into the room. They milled about, digesting the carnage around them. One of them wore a rich, blue robe and I imagined he was an important wizard. He looked at my father, and then moved slowly around the chamber until he spotted the body of the High Priestess. Stooping down, he undid the clasp of the pendant, quickly replacing it around my father’s neck. The pendant had stopped glowing, its self-defense complete.

I waited until the other two doors had been opened as well. I took one last look at my father, then turned and slipped through the doorway as quietly as I could.

Out into the world.

[Edrilith]

The morning mist began to rise off the surface of the lake as the sun beamed down from overhead, warming the boulder I sat upon. The sound of the lake water lapping against the shore was soothing to my ears. I squinted and shielded my eyes from the light above, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of distant Tethelin across the water.

The coachman and his assistants worked diligently nearby, as dozens of elves spanning all ages and professions continued to arrive in Fayspires. I was keenly aware of the ongoing banter regarding yesterday’s brazen attack by the dark elf killers. A large number of guards patrolled the main road to the city. None of them took notice of the peculiar-looking elf relaxing by the great lake that nurtured the homelands of the largest elf populations remaining on Tunaria. It was here that the dragon’s avatar found me.

“Young one, you are changed! Some clothes you have traded for?” it asked with a smile.

I grinned in response and held out my arms before me. The tailor had done an exquisite job in fashioning this cured leather armor. It smelled new and fit snugly, and I looked forward to wearing it in so that it would be more comfortable. It was certainly the best clothing I had owned in many many seasons. I had traded one of my gemstones to the tailor and his wife in exchange for the clothing, food, water, a blanket, a bedroll and a map of greater Tunaria. The older elf had been kind enough to give me a yew bow and a quiver of arrows to hunt with during the travels that lay ahead.

The avatar moved to sit beside me on the boulder.

“I am pleased that you remain healthy,” said Trakanon. It turned to face me, the golden eyes rivaling the sun above. “The pendant takes steps to defend itself, difficult to predict what it will do.”<br>
“It wasn’t easy to watch, that is true. I don’t think I was ever in any danger… not from the pendant at least.”<br>
“I do not foresee any troubles for you from that house of black elves again. Crippled they are without their leader. From this they may not recover… perhaps not even to fight the lords of Neriak. Innoruuk must be pleased.”<br>
I nodded, knowing the words to be true. I wondered what would happen to House Gal’Saris once the lords of Neriak learned of the attempt to steal the great artifact. How would this affect the dark city’s plans for the pendant of Trakanon?

“So what paths do your feet take you on, young one? Where do you go next?”<br>
“I’m not sure exactly, to be honest.” I replied. “I should like to see the deserts someday. My father lived and fought there for decades. I believe that my road will take me through Highpass Hold again, and eventually on to Freeport. I really must see that human city for myself, after hearing all those tales from Tsekar!”<br>
Trakanon seemed to grin at that.

“Will you seek out your mother Almaril?”<br>
It was a difficult question but not an unexpected one. I’d heard that my mother had left to join her people on the distant shores of Odus.

“Nay… I am dead to her, Trakanon. It is probably best that things remain that way.”<br>
Again the dragon lord remained silent. I understood that he would not try to convince me otherwise, that was not his way.

“I have decided to adopt another name,” I said, and this seemed to have caught the dragon by surprise. “From now on I am Ledri, an elf ranger. I must leave everything of my old life behind… even my name.”<br>
Again the great being’s reaction was silence. I held the dragon’s gaze for a long time, amazed as always by the ancient wisdom in those eyes. Eventually the avatar rose from the boulder and stood before me. It placed a hand upon my heart and smiled.

“Good roads lie ahead, and many lives will cross with yours. Keep your beliefs strong in the time to come. We shall meet again someday.”<br>
The hand on my chest flooded my body with a strange, powerful warmth. I felt more energized than I could ever remember. I watched the dragon’s presence slowly fade away, returning to his cursed body on Kunark Island.

“I look forward to crossing paths with you, great one.” The avatar smiled and was gone.

Hours later, a soft, steady rain began to fall as I departed Fayspires. While I was fairly certain that I could make a home here amongst these fair people, I had to find my path and make my own choices. Besides, after living so long amongst murders and cravens I worried that I was not ready to live with normal folk.

The barren lands of the dark elves lay to the east, so I traveled southwest into unfamiliar territory. I knew a great river divided the lands to the west. If I found the river and followed it south, I should eventually reach a road that would take me to Highpass. My father had told me that the great trade road we had used on our journey continued on to the east, all the way to the deserts surrounding Freeport.

The warm rain fell harder. I stopped walking and looked up, slowly raising my arms and cupping my hands to capture the water. I drank the sweet liquid as the downpour soaked me to my skin, washing away the refuse that was the past decade of my life.

I am free!

[Edrilith]

(Thanks all, I hope you have enjoyed this story. There is some real lore behind this -- check out the library and the story of "Edril and the Prophecy of Trakanon" if you're interested. Granted, in EQ's lore the son of Edril dies so I've taken some big liberties here

Anyway, I've enjoyed writing the story, and it will be good to finally have Edrilith (or 'Ledri') away from those nasty dark elves.)

[Healingrayne]

This was a GREAT story!!! I hope to meet Ledri on my journeys!!