Delver Magic Book VII: Altered Messages (37 page)

"You sound as if this was all a mistake," Petiole noted with remarkable insight for an elf with little hold on reality.

"A mistake? No. A miscalculation to the cost? Perhaps. As far as the undertaking was concerned, I will have to call it a draw. I don't believe we lost, but it's difficult for me to consider it a victory after losing two such valuable creatures. Still, it was entertaining and there is much more to keep us occupied in the future. I suspect we had to accept a few setbacks, and you will have to do with two less guards."

With that said, Petiole looked to his protectors and another question resurfaced.

"Why did they bring the corpse back with them?"

"Two reasons," Macheve replied. "I didn't want the dwarves to find it—no sense making it easy for them—and the dieruhnes have plans for it. They're going to devour it."

"They're going to eat it?"

"It will make them stronger."

"Are they going to do it right here?"

"Looks that way. Don't worry, they will be surprisingly neat. Apparently they don't like to waste anything. Still, I wouldn't watch. It can be a bit disturbing. You might want to take a walk."

The elf guard moved from branch to branch with cold confidence. She was flanked by two additional guards who monitored the surrounding trails and kept her informed of the wounded dieruhne's path. She remained safely ahead of the beast but chose not to dash forward with any overly optimistic desire to lose the creature. She knew the dieruhne had her scent and that it would continue to follow her until it died from its wounds or was stopped by a significantly powerful force.

Tactically, it was wiser to utilize the forest to her advantage while she remained certain of the fiend's location. The three other demons that arrived with Petiole chose not to follow, so she did not have to concern herself with being outflanked. With only one pursuer, carelessness was her only potential hazard.

The dieruhne pressed forward completely unconcerned with inevitable failure. It knew it was going to perish. Avenging its own eventual death became its sole purpose. It was intelligent enough to understand the elements of the chase. Its quarry was fast and agile. Under normal circumstances, the demon would try to outlast the elf, but even that hope began to fade. Despite its remarkable stamina, the fiend was severely wounded and the elf guard boasted incredible endurance of her own. The beast could only plow across the forest floor and hope that its prey made a mistake.

Elf guards, however, were trained not to make errors in judgment. Dark Spruce offered near limitless trails within the trees. She could lead the dieruhne on for days without ever reaching an obstacle too harsh to pass or a clearing that would force her from high branches. She could eat on the run, and the dieruhne would sink from its wound before fatigue became an issue.

While effectively eluding her foe became a matter of simple patience, other considerations pressured the guard into a different tactic. Elf scouts had been placed on high alert. Parading a dieruhne through the forest became a possible distraction. Unwilling to jeopardize other guards, the elf decided to request further assistance and end the chase before it extended deeper into the forest.

For that, she would need to get word to her captain. She made a direct path to her camp but only risked reaching a point close enough to communicate with the outer patrols. She relayed her situation and then made a trail that would lead the fiend further away from the camp as opposed to closer to its center.

Taking the threat as seriously as possible, Birk Grund led a number of elves into the trees. Having a perfect knowledge of the surrounding terrain, Birk prepared to intercept the dieruhne near a dry creek bed away from any points of strategic interest. He placed two dozen elf archers and a single elf sorceress high in the trees across a wide stretch of cracked mud.

The archers would distract the monster and ensure the safety of the sorceress, but it was the elf magic caster who would ultimately deal with the dieruhne. The sorceress was powerful in the magic of light, and her spells were well suited to handle the demon. It would not be a simple encounter, but Birk believed it would be a quick one.

Haven Wellseed did not cast in a circle of white, but rather in a perfectly isometric triangle of gold. The three equal sides reflected the pure balance that existed between her physical presence, the magic, and her spiritual essence. She was graced with a rare mix of both innocence and awareness. The yellow hue of her essence burned as bright as the sun and her body glowed naturally from the power within her.

While waiting for the dieruhne, Haven prepared a spell that would harness the dimensional aspect of golden power and utilize the magical flows between realities. Her control over light could overcome any darkness, and it was that power which would be used to remove the dieruhne as a threat.

The fiend staggered laboriously through the forest, its wound finally beginning to show some effect on its stamina. Its strength, however, had not diminished, and it knocked over a few well-rooted trees that blocked its path. Grunting through heavy breaths, it leapt down the slight banks of the dry creek bed, but it showed no sign of concern. If it sensed the surrounding elf guards, it took no defensive posture. The monster remained fixed upon the trail of the elf it followed.

Birk Grund gave the signal, and the elf archers fired arrow after arrow down upon the raging beast. They were not surprised to see flashes of lightning erupt from the monster's trident to repel the attack, but they would not cease their barrage.

The dieruhne revealed fleeting uncertainty. It had previously ignored the presence of other elves, but the sudden attack forced the demon to reconsider its approach. The beast was not vulnerable to further injury from the barrage. It had placed the enchantment of its spear at the ready before it began its hunt, and so, the lightning from its trident fired repeatedly the moment the first archer released an arrow.

The magical flashes that turned away each razor-tipped shaft became a brilliant display of sparkling energy. The barrage was nothing more than an annoyance to the dieruhne, but it wondered if it should vent some of its fury upon the other elves who dared attack it. That critical instant of indecision proved to be its undoing.

Haven had no desire to physically attack the dieruhne. While she could have sent a golden wave of pure energy directly through the spears of lightning, she felt such aggression would only feed the burning hostility within the white eyed monster. Instead, she decided to remove its evil presence from Dark Spruce, from the land of Uton entirely.

With the monster unmoving in clear space, Haven Wellseed cast her spell quickly. The yellow power of light could be utilized to cast illusions, increase the speed of movement, burn away evil intentions, and create magical connections that could not be resisted. It also coalesced with the transitional
aspects of ebony energy to portray the very depth of existence. While black magic ruled over the transition from one state of being to another, the magic of light highlighted the realities within the distinct planes of existence.

The yellow triangle that briefly formed around her wrists shot off of her arms to envelop the dieruhne. The golden energy pulled upon the overlapping layers of existence within the space it occupied. Tearing at a seam in one reality, it opened a hole into another. It created not so much a portal between dimensions, but rather a break in the veil between life and death. She merged the light of two separate existences into one and created an overlap between the two realms as opposed to a bridge that would connect them.

The dieruhne's essence was already preparing for the transformation that death would eventually bring. Its diseased spirit understood the quickening step toward the end of its physical existence. Wishing to be free, the essence of the demon looked to hasten its journey into the next realm. With the curtain pulled aside, the transition became that much simpler, and the dieruhne's twisted spirit willingly dashed into the temporary fold. As it did, the fiend's body crumbled, dead before it hit the ground.

The captain of the elf guard called for a halt of the barrage before the lightning magic drained out of the spear. Birk leapt to the ground and examined the body. He was pleased with the results.

"Well done," Birk called to the elf sorceress. "No one was harmed and hardly a struggle."

"Thank you," Haven offered as she collected any loose magical energy that might have remained caught within the curtain between existences. "If you do not mind, I would like to stay here for a while to ensure the layers separate completely without any residual influences."

"Do what you must," the elf captain replied. "I will leave several guards to watch over you, but I must return to camp and make a full report to the elder."

After Haven nodded, Birk leapt back into the trees. He redeployed his guards to protect the sorceress, to patrol several paths back to the elf camp, and to return to the cave entrance of Dunop. With his orders complete, he raced off through the branches. He passed through the outer patrols and then made his way to the center of the elf camp. He immediately met with Shantree Wispon who had just finished a brief but tense meeting with yet another dwarf emissary.

Birk was surprised to see a dwarf appear so soon after the encounter with the dieruhnes. The timing raised several questions, but his overriding duty was to the safety of the camp. He needed to inform the elder of the status of the demon and of the deployment of his guards. Rather than question the elder about her meeting with the dwarf, Birk offered an immediate report.

"The dieruhne has been eliminated. No other casualties involved. There is no sign of the other demons that arrived with Petiole, but I have deployed additional guards to patrol the trails that lead to our camp. I have also sent elves to return to the entrance of Dunop to check on Petiole and the remaining demons."

"I was just informed that the dieruhnes and Petiole have left the area," Shantree explained.

"The dwarf emissary gave you this news?"

"Along with some other disturbing reports. The dieruhnes killed two dwarf sentries, but they lost one of their own as well. A proclamation from Petiole was left upon one of the dead sentries. An elf arrow was used to affix it to the dwarf's face."

Shantree went on to explain what the proclamation entailed.

"They realize he has no authority to make such a claim?" Birk asked.

"They would not abide by such an order even if they believed he spoke for all the elves in Dark Spruce. That much was clearly indicated to me. They also will not recognize the first proclamation issued by Petiole."

Birk kept his surprise in check, but he needed to verify the assumption that could be drawn in the face of such information.

"Petiole has appeared in the forest before this?"

"Just beyond the edge of the forest, in the center of the human outpost of Pinesway. He arrived via teleportation and instructed the humans to cease all logging in Dark Spruce as well as all illicit trade with the dwarves. He informed both the humans and the dwarves that the elves would protect the forest."

"Are you certain of this? This is madness, even from Petiole."

"No, I am not sure, but that is what I was just told by the dwarf emissary. I was also told there were hundreds of witnesses, including humans in Pinesway. So while I am not certain, I have no reason to doubt it."

"Did the emissary say anything else?"

"We were instructed to remove all elf guards from entranceways to Dunop. Queen Therese of the dwarves believes our surveillance is adding to the crisis. She believes that her sentries would not have been killed if our guards were not there."

"She might be right. I should recall the guards I sent to check on the dieruhnes."

Shantree would not let the order stand.

"You will do no such thing! Surveillance will continue. My caution was not the cause of this. Although Petiole is clearly bent on creating chaos, he was not our responsibility. The dwarves allowed him to escape, and then they blamed us."

Birk did not wish to argue with the camp elder, but he remained uncomfortable with monitoring the dwarves. The actions of Petiole pointed to complex circumstances and potentially devastating consequences. Every instinct within him raged against further inciting the dwarves.

"This is not simply about Petiole, not with dieruhnes by his side. Certainly you must see this?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why would you continue to place elves and dwarves in situations which might create further conflict?"

"You believe they are correct in blaming us?"

"What do I care for blame? I care about defusing a tense situation. Dwarf sentries were killed by dieruhnes. We must give them some latitude."

Shantree, however, was not ready to relinquish her concerns.

"And just as dwarf sentries were killed by dieruhnes, innocent elves were killed when something opened a crater beneath the center of our camp. Or have you forgotten that mishap?"

"No, I have not." Birk replied with a hint of indignation.

"Then you should realize that caution remains important. You may wish to side with the dwarves, but I do not have that luxury."