**so maybe if anyone likes this it’ll actually get published some day.. it’s i suppose my first real jab at writing, here goes then**
the elven chronicles prologue
the journey of the queen olympia
in limberdore the eldritch drarves
carve thistlewood into woven hearths
and dip them in the golden waters
that are enchanted by the goodess
eldra
whose temple is at the edge of the woods
this allows them to be lit as torches
and burned for all time until extinguished;
any that have her blessing
within the city have this gift
it is not the only reason many travelers
come to limberdore;
the shops are known
for their fine craftsmen
merchants of all from
weapons to worldly delicacies
and this place attracts all kinds
as they say
from eccentric collectors
to hodgepodge peddlers
as well as some nasty sorts
the eldritch dwarves and their children
live in the wooded city;
so it is of course the city center
and the pubs and shrines
that gather odd bits
and pieces from across
the strange and magnificient
nine realms like
some sort of cosmic tub drain
it is in this bizarre centre
that we meet our players
the tall bearded man is marko; his ship has been wrecked after
a pirate attack in the serpent seas
though his crew has abandoned him as is the natural course in these
businesses to easily find work in a centre as bustling as limberdore,
he has managed to pick up a stray-
a small girl who insists that her father told her to talk to him,
but also that her father is dead
the dejected captain is of course convinced the girl is mad but thinks
better than to hand a mad child over to just anyone in the centre
of limberdore
so he's decided to table this problem over the issue of his ship
the girl, who claims her name is elexa, continues babbling on
enthusiastically about chasing butterflies in the forest
and times her father would sing to her old elven folk songs
it was drifting in and out of marko's consciousness that it
was strange that her father knew elven folk songs, but it
would be even stranger if her father had been elvish or even
something of the sort, because elves and humans had not
coexisted since the days of magic
marko's father had been a child in the days of magic; he told
enthralling stories of battling dragons and falling in love
with enchanting sirens in the forest
it was as they approached the pub a new player entered
the scene; a rather broad and staturely gentleman was,
rather painfully shyly, being thrown out of the tavern
and the situation was somehow escalating
marko saw a pair of men in uniforms
that were not official to her sovereign district
of limberdore and looked as if they'd just
lost badly in a game of shufflebout and were
out for revenge against the world, draw their sabres
on the man towering over them who appeared to be
pleading like a child, only to hurdle them across
the center of the street and into the carts of the
merchants on the edge of the road, who each had
their own men in out-of-jurisdiction uniform
who proceeded to chase the baffled previous men off
the fellow who seemed to have caused all the trouble was
by this point in tears
what's the matter big guy? markos attempted. elexa was
more successful. that mean guy try to overcharge you again
taiga? every time, taiga managed between sniffles
this time i tried to trick him by ordering the same thing
but he said it went up
you shouldn't come here
i know, but the stuff i make at home doesn't taste good
i'll help you next time
you know this man? markos interrupted
you know elexa? taiga countered
not really..
markos needs new hands for his ship. how would you like a
job taiga? i promise this guy seems nice
taiga looked contemplative
we could get a new raincatcher
yeah!...
the thought briefly crossed markos' mind that taiga and
elexa were roommates of some sort, a thought which he
found even stranger than elexa's father being involved
with elves or taiga's restraint against men he was head
and shoulders taller than
which meant ultimately that markos had more issues to table
in preference to the ever-more pressing issue of his ship,
wandering in a strange town and having picked up apparently
two children- an issue which at this time decided to release
itself from his head, perhaps if only in a desperate attempt
to clear up space for all the new and complicated thoughts
and problems that were entering it
how the bloody hell am i supposed to get a new ship!?
i thought you said he was nice
nice people still swear sometimes
having found no answer to his quandary in the sky, markos
turned at last to his new traveling companions
do either of you know where to find a ship in this centre?
or how im supposed to pay for it if i've been robbed by
pirates?!
i'm sorry, that's awful- taiga blurted
elexa watched the space between them solemnly;
she had already expressed her condolences to markos tirelessly
over the beginning length of their long journey from where
he had washed up on the shores of limber grove
markos seemed to breath heavily for a moment, with the look
of a man who has realized he has been accidentally carrying
a strangers purse from the journey depot
a look of realization seemed to creep across his face, perhaps
spurred on by what he was beginning to consider might be
an attempt by these new involvements in his life
to drive him to madness or else defeat him entirely
why am i going to limberdore?... my ship hasn't sunk..
it's only all banged up, but there was timber and birch to
repair it in the groves
...what am i doing here?!?
elexa chose this moment to break the silence
i told you to come to limberdore, remember?
it's my fault i'm sorry
you asked me where to go when you woke up; but
you didn't tell me the ship was okay
taiga looked interested
of course it's okay! i remember now
i mustve... fallen overboard when i blacked out
after it washed up on the rocks
it's only a little ways from shore!
will you hire taiga then? and can i come too?
markos looked for a moment like he was in the path
of a noble's grand wide carriage
taiga.. seems like he would make a good hand, of course
taiga smiled
i need to get you home to your parents little lady
taiga frowned a little, sympathetically
i told you, my father's dead
and what about your mother? where is your mother?
taiga looked at elexa, as if he knew
she thought for a second
candlethire
that's why i need to come with you on your ship
the look in taiga's eyes told markos
the girl was telling the truth
he paused, then sighed heavily
i'm not going to candlethire
where are you going?
i... don't know... i have no shipment... i suppose
anywhere i can send a message to my freelancers and
tell them to file with the crown for the standard piracy
cushion
can we go to candlethire please?
it was painfully obvious taiga wanted to go too
it is... the other side of the world
can we stop somewhere to tell your bosses you're sorry
and then go to candlethire?
please?
...
it was at this moment markos felt something
that he had not felt since the last day he had spoken
to his father before he died
a sense of... peace in the face of those things which
are beyond our control happening
as he looked out over the ocean of silsivar, he wondered
where the feeling had come from
i... will recieve my pirates insurance when i send the misage,
while my freelancers will have to wait the day... so if i receive
no work by the time we reach a port we can send the misage, i will
have time to take you to candlethire
markos was surprised and almost horrified that the words had come out
of his mouth, but a small familiar.. trustworthy voice told him it
was alright
taiga certainly seemed pleased; for a second in fact he almost
looked markos in the eye
to candlethire then!
aye!! elexa screamed enthusiastically
yes sir, taiga sounded off proudly
markos couldn't help but smile, and then
wonder if he had hit his head on the way
being washed up on shore
do any of you know anything about repairing
a boat?
my daddy taught me how to make toy boats, elexa offered
i'm good at making things, i make all sorts of things dogs
fish cats trees groundhogs dragons airhoppers frogs funny
faces... it was at this moment markos realized that taiga
would probably continue at least until they reached the ship
and had something else to focus on
elexa was watching silently with the look of a patron who knows
every word by memory, beaming proudly
lobsters, electric fish, sea serpents, toads (which kind of look
like frogs but they're different) rats, squirrels, kittens...
markos could not remember even remotely how long it had taken
to walk to the city centre from the shores of limber grove
within two hours the good ship queen olympia looked better and more elegant than it had
the day markos bought it
markos had spent most of the time bringing wood vines and other
supplies to taiga
elexa had provided the cheerleading section
in everything you listed on the way here from limberdore,
markos panted, you never mentioned ships
taiga beamed
what he had done was not only mended and reinforced the broken structures,
but the entire ship, and added a few decorative flairs that markos
could tell were gathered from more than one local culture
markos was in actual fact most proud of the medalion that now hung from
queen olympia herself's wooden neck, bearing the ancient insignia
of limberdore- not the new one the duke merchant was putting on all
the carts
it was considered a proud relic throughout the world
and have random berries custard for breakfast! elexa interrupted
the two's silent bonding moment
absolutely, markos blurted, realizing after the fact what he'd
agreed to but to his relief the other two seemed to let him get
away with it
are we going to candle thire now?
just as soon as we stop at a port with a royal misage station...
i have to check my map in the cabin but if i recall, the nearest to
this isle is the island of darmwort, and should be about a day or two's
distance
than what are we waiting for ?!
yay! taiga agreed
neither of you have anyone to say goodbye to or anything to collect
from the village?
a look of silent understanding seemed to pass between elexa and taiga
we could say goodbye to the raincatcher... she offered
we have to find your mom, taiga answered
elexa looked resolved. and we'll get a new raincatcher, she volunteered
yeah, taiga agreed, one that doesnt leak
the beginning of the journey until sunset was rather quiet, when taiga
and elexa managed to find rooms that suited their unique tastes in the now
vacant crews quarters and retire for the night, and markos stayed awake to
watch the helm, as well as the stars as he was fond of doing
he knew he was tired from the chaotic day, and he figured maybe it was just
him but he felt as if the entire evening elexa and taiga had shared in some
kind of... mourning for a lost love in the face of duty
he hadn't thought much about their raincatcher, he had one on the ship he'd
had to replace just the other weeks'time
chapter 3 lagoon silsivas
markos had encountered winds as good as the ones
that bore them to the port of darmwort by noontime the next day
(which was around the time taiga and elexa were each waking up)
but not for many a long while, and as he passed the marker island
in the morning he muttered a prayer of thanks to the men's god of
his childhood village, seamor.
are we there yet? elexa mumbled sleepily while taiga
amused himself cooking eggs on the cabin stove
we will be quite soon actually, we're early, said markos
yay and then candlethire!
the epic weight of the word seemed to hang in the air
markos thought to himself
candlethire was literally the opposite side of the world-
the world of acaemia was in fact flat,
or rather the flat bottom surface of a dormant volcano
the size of a small celestial body
acaemia's creation fables tell of its atmosphere and cooled
oceans coming from long past volcanic eruptions
some of some past world
but you get the idea
markos and his former crew had navigated the pace streams
around the edge of acaemia to reach limberdore early at his
freelancers' request, though that trick was still sometimes
used by pirates
he could use a similar approach to reach candlethire at latest
by the end of the week, as opposed to the weeks at least it would
take to sail through the middle
he needed only to cut the distance to the inner edge winds from darmwort
of course, the same stratagem had lost him his ship to pirates only the
day before, and now he was traveling with a crew he wasn't sure would be
about themselves in a fight on the high seas
however... he felt that same strange feeling he had felt when he originally
agreed to take them to candlethire
he was also becoming more and more aware of a sense of urgency about reaching
elexa's mother he was beginning to unspokenly share with her and taiga
he couldn't place his finger on it, but it made him wonder why she hadn't
reached out to anyone else in the village
or perhaps she had
anyway, the answer he gave was that after the station at darmwort they would
sail toward the inner edge winds, which would take them to candlethire in four
to six days, maybe seven
elexa was so overjoyed she began leaping and dancing around the deck, and markos
found himself surpisingly impressed at her seemingly intuitive sealegs
taiga dropped an entire tray of eggs in sudden delight at the news, and was almost
let down before he proceeded to emerge from the kitchen with three remaining or extra
trays of eggs
breakfast!
the station at darmwort was no trouble, and markos even received extra
pirates compensation because he had had to repair his ship out of port
he knew that it wouldn't hurt his business in the future either because
the goods he'd been carrying through potentially pirate waters were
replaceable at best; teas, burning oils, tobaccos, spices, casting sands...
perhaps that was why he felt strangely at peace about the idea of sailing
back into the inner edge winds with a crew comprised of a lumbering jack-of-
all-trades who probably couldn't hurt a fly, and a sparkle-eyed little girl
who probably would take on the world
it was on the way out of the port of darmwort that the first vibes of tension
began to creep into the air- a black sailed ship, with no flag, after some amount
of time it became clear had been following them from the harbor
at first markos thought nothing of it, they could easily be taking the same path
he was from port to reach the inner edge winds
and after it became clear, at least in everyone's emotions that something was amis,
there wasn't anything he could really do about it
no one spoke as the suspense hung in the air, and the black-sailed ship
drew ever-slowly closer in the distance
it was about the time they could make out the faces of some of the crew the ship
finally raised a flag
markos froze
elexa, taiga, get below deck, he muttered absently
pirates
chapter 5 the inner edge winds
on the high seas, each man is responsible for
his own weapons; and since markos usually sailed
with a properly fitted crew, that meant that he
had one, a silvered blunderbuss enchanted by an
eldritch shaman to almost never miss
it didn't do much good if he was outnumbered
and the ships cannon wouldn't do too much good
either at this point; debris might even hit
the queen olympia
so markos held his ground, shaking, as only
one pirate stepped onto the deck of his just-repaired
ship
we've come to give this back, he moaned,
it is our right; we have made sacrifice
to the pirate goddess she-ra
it is once again your burden
with that, he handed markos what to his memory
was a cheap trinket from one of the shops at his last
shipment port, bowed, and retreated back to the black-sailed
ship, which hastily sailed away
after an unknown time of stunned and confused silence, markos
called elexa and taiga back on deck
you're alright! what happened??
taiga seemed to silently agree
they... returned what they had stolen, as pirates will sometimes
do, according to their mythology... it has happened to me before,
with a shipment of royal gems that a price was then placed on...
but i don't know what this is
tabby! elexa blurted
who?
she seemed to correct herself. it's not.. but.. it looks like a toy
i had when i was little, i named her tabby
markos was not quite sure what to make of that statement
do you have any idea what this is or where it came from?
my daddy got mine for me in candlethire
an untraceable silence seemed to hang in the air
it was broken when the ship suddenly accelerated, causing all on board
to almost lose their footing
hold on, markos assumed his captain's role instinctively, we're entering
the inner edge winds
in what seemed like perhaps a minute the ship was practically skimming the
surface of the water, a thrill markos knew as an experienced sailor of
acaemia but which taiga and elexa had never experienced
whoooooo!!!!!
elexa stretched her arms outward at the top stern of the ship, like the figure
of the good queen olympia riding the same surf below her
taiga seemed troubled that they were going so fast
you know where we're going right?
it's mostly sea until candlethire, we might pass a few islands.. smooth sailing,
we're well prepared having stocked up in darmwort
taiga was not reassured
i don't like when things around me are changing too quickly
markos nodded, ponderingly; elexa announced from her proud vantage point
that an island was approaching
do you think it has monkeys?
it might, markos volunteered, but we have to get to candleshire
i knowwwwwww, elexa retorted, i've just never seen monkeys, my father said they
live on islands
they do, markos agreed, but only some islands and i don't know if that one has
any monkeys
than it's not worth stopping anyway elexa concluded
right then markos saluted
next stop candleshire
at this taiga smiled, then seemed to think for a second and resolvedly
returned below deck
this left markos to keep elexa company, as she gazed out over the ocean flying
beneath her feet
so how long do you think until we reach candleshire now? she asked
we've only been sailing a day, markos defensively countered
but how far are we? i don't know, we could see if that island was on the map
what do you remember about it?
you didn't know if it had monkeys
right, markos agreed, we'll check if we've passed the island without monkeys yet
elexa silently agreed
do you think we'll find my mom at candleshire?
markos realized that the thought had not until this point crossed his mind
why shouldn't we? he asked. you told me that's where she was
yeah, but i don't know where. i only know that she's in candleshire
and daddy's....
she trailed off
i'm sorry
don't be sorry, he's in a much better place, was all she had to say
markos began to wonder who or what exactly he'd brought aboard his ship,
on a free journey no less
he decided to change the subject and attempt to answer those questions which
he felt were his place to ask
so all you know about this little... trinket is that it reminds you of a toy your
father got you from candleshire?
uhuh, tabby, my best friend
what can you tell me of candleshire?
it's where mommy is
don't you know anything about candleshire?
don't you?
i... don't really... i've never been to candleshire, in fact i can't remember if there
had been anything from one of the ports there in that shipment
i know mommy and daddy met in candleshire
oh?
yes but that was before they had me
... where were you born?
i don't remember
you don't remember?
because i've never known, my mommy and daddy wouldn't tell me where i was born, but i
lived and grew up in hodgebridge, near limber grove where i met taiga
uhuh... and... what happened? if... you don't mind my asking...
mother went to candleshire... when my father died. she said she would come get me or
send for me when she found a home there...
a startling reality slowly began to sink in upon markos
you're... you're half-elven, aren't you, elexa?
..yes, i am... my mother...
candleshire is an elven village
that's true, at least, it was.. before my mother and father left
to have me
there was another deep and thoughtful silence
those hired thugs' swords at the tavern.. you did that
my mother taught me
what else can you do?
i can tell you what you're thinking right meow
did you just say right meow?
right meow?
yes right meow!
you mean just meow?
meow?!?!?
i did not say right meow just meow
you did that on purpose didn't you
mhm~
...okay, so what am i thinking right now?
you're thinking that it's just your luck you've managed to find a couple of crazy
kids to give a free ride to after losing your shipment to those pirates. you'd rather
just take the insurance and have your rightful island vacation
how did you do that?
my mommy was better at it than me, i could never lie to her...
no, i imagine not, markos laughed
at a moment, elexa suddenly smiled at him, which took him off guard
i'm glad you're taking us to candleshire, she said gratefully
of course, i couldn't have you wandering the streets of limberdore
looking for some other total stranger to follow around all day
this time elexa laughed
so when will we get to candleshire?
markos sighed lightly
at morning light we'll be able to scout for landmarks that should tell us how
much of the distance around the edge we've covered so far
yay! thank you again markos ~
with that, she followed taiga downstairs with a yawn, and markos suddenly realized
that the sun had set since they'd been talking
he shrugged to himself and quietly resumed his vigil by the helm and the stars
when he was young, markos' father had always watched the stars with him, pointing out
the constellations
of course now as a sailing captain markos knew them all by heart, but he still remembered them
as if his father were teaching him
that was why he never felt lonely on those nights watching the helm
chapter 6 the isle of floating rocks
when elexa and taiga sleepily wandered out of their rooms the next morning, markos
was beaming
we had exceptional winds yesterday to get us to darmwort, but this takes all of the cakes!
i told you the best we could do candleshire in was four days?
well we are half-way there!
elexa was brought to the point of tears by this news, and markos felt himself become all
the more proud of his ship
taiga reacted with a look of horror, which was immediately versed
that's not right! he shouted. how did we sail two days in one night?
we didn't taiga, we sailed most of yesterday too, but we have made really good time
nooo nooooo noooooo nooooooooo noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! taiga ranted
can't anyone see we're not where we're supposed to be!?!?!
elexa's eyes were still wet, but a look of concern began to spread across her face
as she looked at taiga
taiga, what's wrong? markos attempted
look around us!!!!!! taiga shouted desperately
i am, i'm a captain, remember, we're in the sourdritch vicinity, we passed elmer island
a little while ago; these waters are friendly and safe to swim in
no no no no no no no no noooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! taiga ranted again, and at this point it was
clear that he was having some kind of emotional breakdown
he suddenly caught markos' gaze firmly, which made markos realize that taiga had not
made eye contact with him since he came on the ship
i asked if you knew where we were going, not where we were
markos paused for a second
then they both turned and looked at elexa, who was still in tears, but the look in her
face had grown from one of surprised joy to fragile madness  she was trembling
of course i know.. where we're going... last night while you two were asleep, we passed
the isle of floating rocks, which lies under the constellation hysteros...
elexa... taiga pleaded
she answered him, finally, in a terrified whisper
i wanna find my mommy taiga
markos suddenly felt as if someone were standing right behind him
the isle of floating rocks isn't beneath the constellation hysteros... we use it to set
our compasses by the north star. the isle of floating rocks lies under the north star...
taiga and elexa both looked at markos, silently
someone sailed under the constellation hysteros as they passed the isle of floating rocks...
in a myth... a myth my father told me...
the question that hung silently in the air was shared on all three faces
the island of living dreams
chapter 7 the island of living dreams
living dreams don't sound so bad, elexa offered, shakingly
not dreams, markos responded, not like daydreams or fantasies,
or only good dreams... in the myth, hysteros found his dream,
because his only pure intention was to be reunited with a lost
love... but his entire crew perished at the hands of their worst
nightmares
elexa looked like she wasn't sure if she was laughing crying or
screaming
at this time everyone suddenly realized that she was clutching
the mysterious trinket from the night before tightly in her
hands
taiga broke the silence taking everyone off guard
you did this elexa! he shouted
no i would never!!!
than it did!!!
i think... you're right... she barely whispered
markos all but slapped his hand to his mouth as he
realized the words that he let escape it
land sighted
taiga rushed to the edge of the ship
no.... he murmered. it's coming...
don't think about it!!! markos screamed
whatever it is don't think about it!!! just think
happy thoughts!!!
it's too late it's here!!!!!!!!!!
a massive sea serpent, almost equal in diameter to the ship
itself, and easily six times as long, slithered out of the
water beneath them, ever upward, towering taller and taller
above them
no taiga! fight it! markos pleaded desperately
how can i fight it it's right there?!?!?!?!
the serpent lowered it's massive head to simply glare the three
trembling sailors in the eye
it grinned, evily
as if some sort of mist had begun to pour unsensably from the
creatures nostrils, the vines and birch embraiding the good
ship queen olympia began to warp stretch and break, as if they
were shriveling in a matter of seconds
no! taiga pleaded, sunkenly my ship!!! markos screamed
as taiga's hard work vanished, the ship itself began to warp and
twist, it's wood colors darkening and massive splinters seeming
to grow from the planks
the ship began to rise out of the water, growing into a terrifying
jagged peak, or perhaps it was being held aloft by the watery dragon
the sails now bore jolly rogers
markos whirled on taiga
you're doing this!!! no!! it's the monster!!! taiga gasped
no it's you!!!! this is your worst fear!!!! oh what your worst fear
is my ship getting wrecked?!?!?! mine too!!!!!!!!
no....
taiga, how could you?
there was a look of ominous darkness in elexa's eyes the two had never
seen before
you said you'd help me find my mommy. you said you'd help me find me mommy!!!!!!!!!!
the sky rumbled, and taiga fell to his knees
you're not real, he whispered
nothing lasts forever, the serpent whispered back
including my fears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
taiga lept from the edge of the ship, just beneath the towering dragons mouth
it was at this moment markos and elexa managed to snap back to reality or out of
the dragon's spell long enough to follow, and find taiga, of all places, in a field of
wildflowers
how did you know we'd be safe if we jumped overboard?
everything was changing. not just my new home... everyone... people i thought i could trust
or who would never hurt me
the place that had been the scariest had to be the safest place now
their moment of peace was broken by a voice from across the meadow
a feminine voice
markos, it called
is that... your mother? he asked elexa
then why would she be calling you? she whispered
the lady who emerged from the forest was beautiful, like a drawing out of a book of mythology
or poetry
she kept eye contact with markos the entire time, as she strode effortlessly across the prarie-
strewn meadow
markos, it's me. the one you love
taylia
i've come to take you home markos. we'll be together again
taylia... i really can't... i have friends over...
c'mon my love, let's go home
taylia... we parted ways back in barldoor...
i'm willing to forget the past if you are my love
you know there are still times you miss me
markos suddenly had to admit to himself that there were still times
he missed her, but he suddenly realized that taiga and elexa were
nowhere to be seen
he whirled to catch sight of them far back in the clearing where they had
been resting, and realize that he had unconsciously followed his former
lover to the edge of the glade
they were shouting to him but he couldn't make out what they were saying
he felt his gaze pulled suddenly back into the eyes of taylia, who was standing
on the other side of the trees now
come, my one true love, she purred, be mine again
markos suddenly stumbled forward, struggling to catch himself on the branches
and finding himself stuck
within moments he realized that he could not move at all, and the branches
were not normal tree branches but actually the massive strands of a giant spider's web
he turned to face taylia's body mounted upon the legs of a giant spider, its claws
wrapping him into the webbing
i want to mate with you, she crooned to him, and i want to eat you, because you're mine!!!!
her fangs pierced the sides of his neck, growing as his vision became more blurry to appear
more like massive jaws, and everything went black
when markos came to, he was walking along a dimly torch-lit tunnel, in what he could not tell
if was a man-made or natural cave. his hand was held by a tall lady in a dark robe who was guiding him
for a second markos started to run, then realized when he looked the women in the eye that she
was not taylia
in fact- she was elvish
i can only guide you a short ways longer,
her voice seemed to reassure him
just remember to trust in love to overcome your fears
it was then that they came to a brighter lit clearing in what seemed to be the center of the cave,
and markos saw elexa and taiga gathered around a warm fire
mommy!
i'll see you soon love, she all but whispered, and was gone
markos joined taiga and elexa by the fire
is it safe here? he asked
uhuh, taiga volunteered, no neat-freak attacks
markos chuckled, slowly relaxing onto the floor of the cave
chapter 8 the coastal drifts
when markos awoke, he realized, first of all, that he had not gone to sleep since he had been shipwrecked
and secondly, that he was in his cabin, aboard the good queen olympia
he was relieved for a second, then rushed up the stairs frantically to find elexa and taiga in the kitchen,
having breakfast
he rushed past them to the front of the ship, which was once again skimming along the suface of the inner
edge winds water way, and climbed over the stern to the headpiece, queen olympia- which still bore the
ancient insignia of limberdore
markos entered the kitchen, partly relieved but still shaken. taiga and elexa met his gaze enough to
let him know that it was them
how'd we get back on the ship? he asked aimlessly
i guess we must've had good dreams, elexa offered
where are we?
according to your map we're passing through the coastal drifts, taiga volunteered, -now- we're halfway to
candleshire
markos smiled
a sudden look of concern fell across his face
where's the trinket?
taiga and i looked all morning, we can't find it anywhere on the ship, elexa answered
maybe we left it behind
...
you still have no idea what it was?
tabby was my best friend, but i don't know what that was, no,
she answered
i see, markos replied
the room once again fell into silence
elexa finally broke it
taiga doesn't know which islands have monkeys either, she dejectedly stated
markos all but burst out laughing. monkeys are a rare and illusive breed, he
countered
like good sea captains!
hey!
at this the room burst into laughter, to once again fall into silence but a
noticeably more peaceful one
the ship continued to skim its way along the inner edges toward candleshire
chapter 9 memories of hodgebridge
that evening once again found markos entertaining elexa at the stern of the queen olympia,
as taiga was adding something to the helm that he said in his theory would give markos
a sort of auto-pilot only enjoyed by much higher-end ships
after he had confessed that the only island he knew of which might have monkeys was one
a traveling old sea peddler told him he had gotten a pet monkey from, but the man might've
gotten the monkey on sale at another stand, and they concluded they would go to that island
after they found elexa's mother at candleshire, markos rather awkwardly approached the
perhaps rather awkward question
 elexa... what can you tell me about... your mother, or your childhood, or candleshire, or,
anything... i feel ashamed that i don't understand anything, he managed
elexa nodded
not many know much of the elves, she sighed, there are so few of us
my parents said that's why lots of people believed breeding with humans was
one way to save them, even though it was becoming... frowned upon even
before the end of the days of magic
my mother and father loved each other; they just wanted a life for our family
markos nodded in return
my childhood was... lonely... hodgebridge was between a few human and elven settlements,
so for awhile i would have friends that only knew one or another of my parents... but that
couldn't last when i started to show
...show?
she pulled back her unnaturally long (beautiful) tangled, messy hair to reveal the perfectly
pointed ears of any elven princess
mhm, markos nodded
so even my elven friends became suspicious when they could never meet my father...
markos listened
...people treated me like there was something wrong with me. my whole life people have treated
me like there's something wrong with me. it's the same way with taiga; i think that's why we're
friends...
what other powers do you have?
markos realized after he asked it how silly the question was and that now he would only
make it worse if he added anything
elexa smiled
if i were a pure-blood elf, like my mother, i would have telekinetic abilities...
as me i can only tweak things a little bit, like someone's grip or footing or maybe
the needle of a compass
-have you ever tried it?
no, my mommy said that was what i should try if i ever wanted to try to hone my telekinetic
abilities.. she said magnetism was the easiest force to overcome
uhuh, markos continued listening
you know i can read your thoughts, i'm almost as good at that as my mommy
that's kinda weird actually, markos stammered
no it isn't, elexa insisted, because you're a good guy
i didn't like limberdore
markos understood why this girl who had apparently lived on her own or with her friend taiga
had followed him from limber grove that day now
i don't know what to say, he struggled
i knew my mommy could rescue you in the cave, she interjected
how?..
..your worst fear was love, because you'd experienced love that wasn't real
markos was silenced
i've experienced love that is real; my mommy and daddy's love for each other and me, no matter
what anybody thought
that's how i knew she could rescue you
markos finally spoke
i think you rescued me, he managed, tears in his eyes
elexa smiled again
no, i just called for my mommy
markos laughed at himself, teary-eyed, as the words once again escaped his lips
do you have any other powers?
i have one that only half-elven children have...
oh?...
yes... but it's silly
and?
sometimes... i can predict the future... but i'm no good i can never tell for sure until it happens,
she stammered to explain
markos was floored
you can tell.. the future?
have you done this before?
once when i was really little, i said the milkman was going to come early because of some aldrevian
holiday they would be taking off, and my parents didn't know or remember, but the milk came early...
i just knew that it would, the milkman explained the holiday to all of us but my parents were more
convinced than me that i had told the future, i thought i just liked milk
... have you had any... thoughts like this, about our journey? to candleshire?
that's how i know i'll find my mommy there
wait a second... i thought you said she went to candleshire
yes, when my father died. i haven't heard from her but i know she's there now. and i knew you could
take us there when you washed up in limber grove
markos wasn't sure quite how to respond to that, but he resolved that by this point he should trust
the girl
and i knew we had to find her, she finished
why? markos asked before the full weight of what she had just said hit him
because i feel like she's in trouble... elexa suddenly whimpered
markos was shaken
when she went to candleshire... it was a keystone in the rising war between elves and humans
..is that still going on???
only in some parts of the world, but i'm afraid yes.. it says enough that there's no safe place
for someone like me
markos nodded understandingly
what about candleshire?
i don't know. i only know we'll find my mother there.
markos drew a deep breath in sharply.
then we have to get to candleshire. it's almost morning now. we'll be there tomorrow
really? have we been up all night?
i guess so, we did sleep pretty late yesterday.. it gets harder to tell day from night
in the coastal drifts
mhm, elexa understood
i did a terrible job, taiga rushed up and blurted, frustratedly
what's the matter? nothing's wrong with the ship is it?
no, but you were supposed to be able to steer it from anywhere
taiga that's not what-
now, for some weird reason, the ship is steering itself, and i give up on inventing
with that, taiga stormed below deck to his room, leaving a stunned markos and elexa
to enjoy the just dimly emerging stars together
it was the morning the crew arrived at the shores of candleshire
markos was feeling the same sense of instinctive pride he always felt
when his ship had safely completed a journey; although he was brought
down and concerned a bit because elexa seemed only worried about
something
taiga was glad to almost be back on solid ground, but he clearly shared
whatever sentiments elexa was silently expressing
markos broke the silence
we're almost there, he announced, where do we find your mum?
elexa seemed to think for a second
if we explore the city, we may find her or hear something about her,
or i may feel something about where she is when we get close...
i used to always be able to find my parents when we'd be out
wandering in the woods
alright then, markos continued to debate, the problem with that is
none of us know anything about candleshire
it's unwise for any crew to enter territory they're unfamiliar with
elexa and taiga answered with silence
so... markos struggled to think
you could tell them you're our father, elexa managed
what?
you could tell anyone who asks you're taiga's and my father, and we're
in town to find our mother
how will that...
we have to go in, markos
markos was taken aback by the girls sudden insistence
alright, we can try that.. should we give them a name or?
elexa looked truly caught off guard
she used a number of human names.. and her elven name was...
maybe it's best to not even bring that up unless we have to
elexa and taiga agreed
at least until we find out where we are. but i suppose we could pass
as a family... it makes more sense than the crew of a pirate ship
why are we pirates now? taiga joked
i don't know, we're not merchants, i don't have anything in my storeroom
except eggs and maple syrup apparently
at this elexa and taiga laughed warmly, and markos found himself joining in
alright then, he finally interrupted
we are now reaching
the shores of candleshire
to be continued in the elven chronicles part ii, tales of candleshire
the elven chronicles book i tales of candleshire
the everyever is a creature
residing in the misty mountains
of candleshire, told in ancient
mythologies to be somewhere between
a dragon or a spirit, or some breed
of both; it will answer anything
you wish to know, providing
you say its name correctly upon
first meeting its gaze
of course, elexa knew about this
mythological creature from a dream
"how would we even find this creature
if it does exist in legend as you say?"
markos debated
"elexa's dreams have been right before,"
taiga volunteered
"we just have to go into the misty mountains,"
she answered, "i feel like.. we'll find it, or
it will find us if we do"
"i don't like the idea of it will find us,"
markos countered. "i'd rather we find a nice
port with a decent tavern"
"but it's a way to find my mommy," elexa
pleaded
markos could not by this time in their journey
bear to see elexa despair
"well, 'tis morning light; there is no better time
to set out scouting. we're sure to find a place to
moor the boat it won't be bothered and perhaps we'll
find a way to the city..."
"thank you, markos!"
markos caught when he had a second to think about it
that elexa was beginning to talk about the everyever
as a kind of imaginary friend, or moreover a friend
she had to find, who had become just as important as
finding her mother
the city of candleshire, as it appeared from a safe
neutral distance, was a towering stone beige castle
set in the center of a hollowed-out mountain that
had been a long-since dormant volcano
the glistening city was now older than the volcano
itself had been when it was built
off the shores of candleshire naturally were strewn
folliage and trees and even a few little volcanic
islands at the edges that you could very well use to
cross over into candleshire if you had landed or lived
on one of these islands
that was the idea at least; it was much safer than
trying to directly enter the city, from an unmarked
sailing ship no less
now the idea had become to make land in this general
vicinity, in the forests that were at the edge of the
mountain of candleshire itself, inward they would arrive
in the misty mountains
in fact, having made it past all that they ended up finding
the everyever before they realized they were in the misty
mountains
elexa found it first, as she was gazing out across the edge
of the cliff trail at a grand majestic waterfall; she suddenly
felt almost as if someone in front of her were breathing heavily
she stepped back to refocus her glance and saw that the everyever
was exactly half dragon half spirit; a blue misty watery dragon that
was all but transparent, like a ghost in the sky
"guys, i found it," she chirped
"where is it??" "you can't see it?" "no.."
elexa thought for a second
"try this. do you notice how this waterfall kinda looks like a dragon?"
"yeah... is that.. it?"
"uhuh,"
the everyever smiled, observing its new visitors
"we want to find my mommy in candleshire," elexa blurted
markos winced, and taiga continued to squint in awe, but the creature
smiled
"i know my child, but first one of you must call me by my true name."
"we have more than one chance," markos jumped in, "let's each try.
I'll go first."
he approached the phantom dragon
"everyey-" he stopped, having faltered, and whirled with a look of
only slight disdain
"it's a tongue twister," he informed the group like any captain
taiga thought "may i practice?" "you may," was the dragon's answer
taiga turned his back on the fantastic vision and repeated to
himself under his breath, "everyever, everyever, everyever..."
he turned around finally, and proclaimed, "everyever."
the dragon paused "i'm sorry, that is not my true name."
taiga looked defeated, and markos looked for a second as if he
were about to actually fight a dragon for elexa, when she interjected,
"wait, i know your true name, from my dream. it's spelled everyever..
but it has an elven pronunciation..." she spoke it like the name
of an old friend "yevyre"
chapter 2 have you seen my mother
the dragon smiled
"that is correct my child; your mother is now in
timberscrawl, in the village tavern; but she is on
the run you see, i cannot say where she will be when
you find her."
elexa seemed perplexed, then thought "is there any way
we can be sure to find her?"
markos paused. he had assumed for some reason that
they would only be allowed to ask one question, or
three or something like that
but the dragon spirit thought, too
"i cannot forsee a future in which you, for certain,
find her... but i can tell you, that she is on the run
from the city officials of candleshire; the prop
empire in place of the ancient eligacy is not friendly
to elves. perhaps that will help you."
"thank you, my friend" elexa answered without thinking,
and turned to face markos and taiga "ready to go?"
they seemed perplexed. "go where? candleshire? we don't
know where to find your mother," "yes we do," elexa
interrupted
"she's on the run from the city officials," she stated,
"so she'll end up wherever's safest from them. my mother
has good instincts like me. we just have to find that place"
the dragon spirit raised its head to call out to her, like
a parent calling to a child that's forgotten their lunch, in
what appeared to markos and taiga to be the foam at the peak
of the waterfall suddenly all but rippling
"i can tell you where the safest place in candleshire is,
even though i do not know for sure if she will arrive there."
elexa turned back and her jaw dropped
"the safest place for elves in candleshire is a small borough
in the center of the city that still holds some of its ancient
enchantment, making it harder for officials to find elves or
deserters who live there, called holvesbriss"
in candleshire, elexa's mother
had learned of holvesbriss in the
timberscrawl tavern, and was trying
to make it there without anybody especially
officials questioning her hood
it wasn't that hoods were uncommon fashion
in candleshire, but unfortunately it was
also common for the empirial officials
to engage in "hood inspection"
she remembered when the empire had been handed
control over candleshire, at its conception, without
so much as an election among the due citizens already
living in the ancient city; it had been a compromise,
because candleshire was a strategic military location,
that was supposed to end what had become the secret
war on elves. that hadn't happened
she was rounding the corner of an alley toward what she
felt in her heart must be holvesbriss, when her heart stopped
as she was interrupted by an empirial official, clearly off-
duty slunken in the shadows on the edges of the alley
"hey there little lady," he crowed, "i don't see any reason
you ought to be opposed to a hood inspection"
the official was in turn interrupted by the voice of a young girl
from across the street "that's my mommy!!!"
markos and taiga barreled toward the official, seeing red, with
elexa in hot pursuit
he staggered backward, and seemed as if he were feeling around for
a weapon he didn't have or didn't remember what he had done with,
before he was pummeled into the ground and subsequently restrained,
to tones of the concepts of social ettiquette and manners espoused
amidst harsh cursing by markos
elexa reached her mother, and clutched her hand, without slowing
down, as their eyes met, pulling her into the very center of a paved
circle that had been just inside the alley, where they suddenly disappeared
"what just happened?" taiga questioned out loud
"i don't know," markos answered, "but i do know a few things.
we made it to candleshire. we helped elexa find her mother. and now,
we're deserters"
elexa and her mother didn't have time to worry
about where markos and taiga had gone, because they
were suddenly preoccupied with trying to figure out
where they had gone
the main challenge to that was that it was hard to tell
where they were; it seemed as if they were outside, and it
was foggy, only instead of seeing landscape or buildings through
the fog as they gazed deeper into its swirling layers they seemed
to find only more fog
in front of them stood a man whose hood was also drawn over his
face, only his was certainly human crafted, and it was long and red
with gold trim, some kind of strange red satin that actually seemed
to glow through the fog
elexa didn't have a chance to be frightened
"have we met?" her mother greeted the strange man
"you met my father, during the original war"
elexa seemed to suddenly understand the gravity of their new companion
"i am mage, and i am a deserter. i cast a spell to draw you from the city
centre when i saw you approached by that official, i recognized you. i had
been looking for you"
"go on," elexa solemnly watched her mother answer, with shared curiosity
after a moment to collect his thoughts, mage did
"actually, it.. cost me something very dear to find you. a gift from my father."
"is he..?" elexa started without thinking
"yes"
there was a sorry silence
"a wish.. from the everyever."
"we met the everyever on the way into the city!" elexa suddenly volunteered
"you did??" her mother responded, seeming half surprised
"well that only sounds right," mage answered, "but my wish was to find someone
who had known my father. you see... i lead the deserters. because of my power,
inherited from my father, not because i am anything more than self-taught or
because i am anything of a leader... but because i might have a chance... and i
don't have a single friend in the entire village of candleshire"
"you know that we can both tell that you are not lying," elexa's mother broke
the silence, calling to mind the abilities elves have to read the thoughts of
humans and each other "tell me your father's name"
mage paused, as if for the first time doubtful, then proudly answered, "hal merrick"
elexa's mother froze; then turned to elexa "i am the reason this young man lost his
father.. he sacrificed his life to save my village in the war"
a look of understanding seemed to pass between them
then she straightened her back, and turned to look mage in the eye
"i pray you will not think the everyever's wish wasted, my friend," she adressed him
"now you have two friends in candleshire"
chapter 5 the borough centre
with that, the fog dissipated outward, somehow revealing a room barely
wide enough for elexa and her mother and mage to stand across from each
other as they had, on what must have been the second or third floor of
a shabby old stone-clay hut
in the centre of the room on the floor were some etched runes, obviously
mystical and obviously improvised, but now elexa thought she recognized those
seemingly random scratches from the paved centre on the outskirts of
holvesbriss
the room looked like rooms she had had growing up in hodgebridge and later
surrounding regions; decorated in a way with the kind of sparse everyday
objects a poor or traveling family or individual manages to hold onto, sparsed
with a few seemingly very special artifacts of decoration, such as a few
tapestries on the walls, only everything in this room seemed otherworldly and
as if it definitely had some mystical design
meanwhile, markos and taiga had finally decided between themselves that it was best
to stop running, in large part because they were now certain that they had fled through
some parts of the borough of holvesbriss two or three times, and the only officials they
had seen had seemed to just wave at them. no, it was time to figure out how to find
elexa
after much critical hypothetical and exasperated debate wandering the streets of holvesbriss,
taiga finally offered, "why don't we go back to where they disappeared?"
"that's where we all ran into that official remember," markos pointed out
"yeah, but i think we're okay now. i mean.. he won't still be hanging out there, right?"
"i mean, i guess probably not..." markos quietly didn't like that all his years of experience
with leadership and knowledge of being a captain of the high seas of acaemia had not at all
prepared him for being on odd sides of the law in a strange city that he knew very little
about; he was slowly beginning to take reassurance more and more in taiga, who seemed far
wiser than he had before let on, especially when he would take a moment to think things through
as a matter of fact, they did run into the official again, who had naturally resumed his
favorite off-duty slouching spot in the shade of the alley
"hey, i am sorry about earlier," he jumped up to offer as he saw markos and taiga catch his gaze
"i didn't mean nothin', i just thought your friend was pretty..."
"more than you know," markos answered solemnly, as they walked past him
standing in the paved centre, markos and taiga looked around themselves, hopefully
"well, they're not here," taiga finally dejected, "of course they wouldn't be stupid enough
to come back to the same spot" with that, he angrily kicked a rock that was lying in a broken-up
scratched part of the pavement
the rock, or a rock, suddenly found its way harmlessly against all odds into elexa's hands
"what the they who what now?" she managed
"it came from the window," was mages only answer
the three turned to glance down at the street, where taiga and markos were standing, wandering
in circles, as if they were debating one to another standing there all day or going someplace else
taiga and markos and mage had taken rather nicely not only to
each other but to an old card game mage had that had been his
father's, although strangely markos kept winning
"it's because i've played cards to meet friends all over acaemia,"
he insisted, "sea captains always become experts at cards, and then
find that the rules and strategies are about the same throughout the
world."
"i'm just glad we aren't playing for money," mage offered
"that's what everyone says, and then you've made a friend or two in a
new port town."
elexa and her mother were reconnecting, to both of their bittersweet
delight, though it was undercut by one or a few oddities that just were
a bit hard to explain to normal humans; elexa's mother had felt instantly
relieved, like a breath of fresh air, upon finding herself inside
holvesbriss, owing to the ancient enchantment of the old elven city that
had not completely faded away; but the turmoiled city of candleshire
surrounding them was like a case down over the vibe of comfort, and the
affect that this had on her was strange and crossfading; she spoke slowly,
as if thoughtfully, and seemed often at times to be off somewhere else
elexa's reaction, being a half elven child, was all the worse; she had
begun seeing things, and her mother had talked her through it as well as
the imagined voices that would come with them and being in the noisy center
of holvesbriss
the revolution, or rather the desertation, continued on, and as the everyever
had said would not affect the centre borough of holvesbriss
their first involvement in the revolution was to pivot solely on the performance
of markos
"it's a rule among the deserters," mage explained, "nobody can introduce new
members, they have to introduce themselves."
"well, then since i am a captain, i'll be the unofficial leader of our group,
unless someone else wants to volunteer... i'll invite them to a game of cards,"
markos all but quipped
"they might not have a deck, but that is a respectable way to approach this," was
mage's answer
markos approached the cluster of men in the storehouse room who seemed to carry
themselves as if they were the sort of appointed, well captains, under mage in his
resistance, but at first glance not to share any of that respect on to him
he thought for a second about ports he had frequented that were neighboring to
candleshire
"do any of you gentlemen play... hobb's cribbet?" was what he managed to come up with
the man in the center of the group seemed for a moment to grimmace, then replied,
"no, nobody plays hobb's cribbett. where are you from?"
"i was born in the setlands," was markos honest answer, "i'm a sea captain."
at this the man seemed to smile slightly at himself, and replied, "then that's forgiveable.
mage seems to like you, but we know that any one of us may be fooled by one of the empire's
spies, but maybe, not all of us will be."
markos tried to explain that their only involvement so far with the empire had been with the
official on the outskirts of holvesbriss, but the man cut him off
"just tell us what good you are to the deserters," seemed to mirror the thoughts on the faces
of every man standing in the room
markos paused for a moment, to think
he knew that he trusted mage, because elexa and her mother trusted mage, and this was mage's
group- so all things considered, he felt maybe it was best in this scenario to be as open as
he could, and perhaps even try to sell himself a little as he would do when taking a breather
offering site seeing cruises
he glanced across the room to elexa, who seemed to tell him that he should go ahead with
what he was thinking
"with us are an elf and her half elven daughter," markos insighted, "being from candleshire
perhaps you know better than i what good they may be to the deserters,"
the leaders seemed to give a doubletake. "you didn't tell us some of them were elves,"
one of them said to mage
"it doesn't make an exception to the rule"
it was as fate would have it at this moment that elexa, perhaps in part from the tension,
gave in to one of the side effects she was still having from being in holvesbriss
"shut up you stupid mutt!!" she screamed, springing across the room and causing the shadows
on the wall, which peculiarly bore the perfect silhoutte of a massive hound, to dance
before the room had a chance to respond, elexa's mother stepped forward
"i'm from candleshire too. the empire's officials can't do this trick"
with that, she raised her hands outstretched at her sides, and a series of tapestries with
presumably deserter symbols painted on them that were hung across the four walls of the
storeroom rose up on their hangers, as if in a strong breeze, then flew off them entirely
to meet in the center of the room above their heads, proceeding to dance and swirl about
like fish swimming in a pond before settling together in the rigid shape of an elven crest,
then all at a sudden going limp and fluttering lifelessly to the floor and into the arms of
the deserter leaders
"mage can do one pretty close,"
"yes, but i've told you, if i tried to finish it with an elven crest that spell would
strike me dead."
a few of the men in the group seemed to remember that mage had said that before
finally, the man who had originally been the first to adress markos stated, "alright,
on the virtue of mage's trust, and, talent, only with the fact that these two do appear
to be elves... we accept you to our group. second?"
actually, the decision was carried unanimously
the first mission of the deserters, now having added taiga and markos to their ranks
and with the aid of elexa and her mother, was one which they had been forced to table
for a long time - finding another deserter leader who had gone into hiding somewhere
in the city; a girl named melvrose
the first phase of this mission was conceived
on the walk home to mage's house from the meeting
with the deserter leaders
"guys, i think i know a way we can try to find melvrose,"
elexa suddenly volunteered
"how?" was the obvious answer
"you know i can sometimes tell the future, like with dreams,"
she went on "what if i try to dream about melvrose?"
"that could work," mage immediately jumped in, excitedly
"i'll tell you everything i remember about her, and i have
some pictures of her at home, too"
the rest of the group caught up to what had been said, and
seemed to share in a close silent agreement
as they approached mage's home they were met, allbeit
to anyone's surprise, by the empirial official who was fond
of lazing around in the alley on the outskirts of holvesbriss
when he was off-duty
"milady," he started
she jolted to make eye contact with him
"please let me apologize for yesterday, i certainly had not
meant to embarrass you," he continued, "some of the young ladies
around candleshire think it a compliment when an empirial
official asks for a hood inspection..." he seemed sheepish, then
naturally more mature "i should know better."
he paused for a moment, then seemed to have a realization which
he kept to himself
"especially around holvesbriss, but hey that's why i love this
neighborhood" with that, he all but winked at elexa's mother,
but not in a way that would imply a downslide from the maturity
he had arrived at earlier in the conversation, and wandered on
to his slumping alley
the rest of the evening was spent in regailing elexa with memories
of times spent with melvrose, which ranged from her initiation into
the deserters to missions she had gone on with mage to a time when
she and mage had briefly dated, after they met, as well as sharing
old pictures and drawings and letters
off in the corner markos was teaching taiga techniques and strategies
for winning at cards, though neither of them could pronounce the name
of mage's particular card game
melvrose was a very young woman with short hair, who was fond of coloring
it, both in natural representations and the traditional festive colors
of candleshire, and wore a blue cloak with gold lining similar to mage's
red one
"alright then," elexa finally chimed, "if that's everything you remember
about melvrose, i should go to bed right away" mage nodded "mommy?" she asked
"hm?" her mother softly answered
"would you make me some warm milk, like when i was little?"
"of course," was the teary-eyed answer
elexa was all snuggled up and sound asleep before her mother arrived with her
warm milk
she awoke, or rather found herself seemingly awake,
in a strange sort of desert dreamscape with massive
hollowed out obelisks in the natural landscape towering
around her in the distance, all either catching the elusive
sun or stained with varying bright otherworldly sand colors
she remembered suddenly that she was looking for someone..
a girl she knew.. no, a girl a friend of hers knew...
with that, she suddenly caught sight of a figure standing
off in the distance
she approached it, at first hurriedly, then hesitantly, but
the figure turned to meet her gaze
it looked like melvrose- elexa had never seen melvrose in
person, but it looked like melvrose
"don't come close!" the figure suddenly screamed
elexa was frightened "who are you?"
"not melvrose!" it screamed in return "not melvrose!"
"alright," she pleaded, "but who, or what?.."
"melvrose does not dream.." the figure answered
"melvrose does not dream anymore, melvrose dreams are
haunted so i haunt melvrose' dreams, and she need not
remember"
elexa suddenly understood
"a soul spirit, given to those of the world so weary
that they wish only for sleep to be their escape"
the spectre seemed to answer without a sound or movement
"where can i find melvrose in the real world? i want
to help her"
the creature surprised elexa by seeming to gaze off in
the distance and think
"before i came, she had nightmares," the spectre recalled
"nightmares of a place called... elvesbridge"
with that, elexa jolted awake, remembering at first all that
had just happened but slowly fading down to just the one word-
elvesbridge
her mother was by her side
"what happened? what did you dream about?" she asked, comfortingly
"elvesbridge," elexa answered solemnly, but still with a slight
tired look of terror on her face "all i remember is that melvrose
went to elvesbridge"
"then that's where we're going," mage interjected before the others
had a chance to say anything
"there's more you should know.." elexa answered him
"i don't remember much about the dream,.. where i was which was
nowhere and talking to someone who looked like melvrose... but
i remember, it was a nightmare. i think.. she was in trouble
after she went to elvesbridge..."
this time markos interjected
"what do you know of elvesbridge?" he asked mage
mage had not changed in his resoluteness nor his frantic packing
about his room
"a place that is not at all as friendly to elves as the name implies,"
he answered, "and melvrose may not be a half elven child like you
elexa, but she does have some elf in her lineage"
chapter 9 the inn of elvesbridge
to everyone's overshadowed relief, they actually found
melvrose in elvesbridge, without any trouble with any
officials or otherwise; she was working as a waitress
in a tavern they had wandered into when markos confessed
that he felt he could not go another step without a drink
and elexa stammered that she had a good feeling about
this place
the wall murals inside reminded her of her lucid dream
they caught sight of melvrose across the room -
she was wearing an outfit that was perhaps deliberately
casual in an instructed way but certainly nothing you'd
mind wearing in public, and a pair of novelty elf ears
unfortunately melvrose didn't end up being the elf-eared
waitress who served them, so they were left to try silently
to think of something else while markos made conversation
with the waitress and ordered a few different glasses and
some small appetizers for everybody
after markos had gotten his drink in his system, he was
the first to come up with a plan
"you're the one who has the best chance of making contact
with her without anything too obvious happening," he told
mage, "she'll probably recognize you"
"you think i should just walk across the room to the
business house and try to catch her in passing and ask
say if i know her from somewhere?"
"yes, be very subtle and non-suggestive about it," he murmured
mage took markos' advice gingerly
"i beg your pardon.. have we met somewhere, you only look familiar"
melvrose' eyes went wide when she caught sight of him, enough that
he noticed, then she seemed to catch herself and then seem relieved
that no one other than mage had "well if that's sincere and not an
invitation mister, we can talk about it when i'm off in about an
hour's time,"
so after mage had used the business house they were left to order
an actual dinner, which no one especially elexa really objected,
and eat it as slowly and casually as possible waiting for melvrose
to be off work
chapter 10 to those who want to dream
the conversation they ended up waiting
about an hour and one half's time for, which
they were only allowed to stay again to everyone's
overshadowed relief when mage instinctively
confessed to their waitress that he was waiting to
talk to one of the other waitresses, whom he knew
from somewhere, was in actual fact very brief
"i know why you're here mage, and i miss you,"
she began "i don't suppose i could convince you
to leave the deserters and make a little life
out here with me" she half laughed at herself
"what happened melvrose?" mage answered
"what happened is, i blurted about my lineage
and it got me this job - elven things are kind
of.. "popular" in this part of town"
she seemed to struggle over the words
"and because i was smart and haven't said anything
about it to anyone since,.. when i get off work, i'm
able to go home, smoke, maybe have dinner if i haven't
eaten here... and it's not a bad life, not as bad as
holvesbriss"
mage seemed to quietly understand
elexa wasn't so convinced
"i had a dream about you," she interjected, "i thought..
i don't know that you weren't happy, or you wanted
more out of life, even if it was with this..."
melvrose seemed puzzled by the child's statement
"that's quaint," she finally offered, "when i was little
i used to have the coolest dreams and always remember,
but now i guess because i'm older i never seem to
remember them; i guess that's kinda normal" she finished,
and the look in mages eyes told elexa that she was not
coming back to holvesbriss with them
chapter 11 all's well that ends well
with mage's mission to find a friend he could confide in
on his calling that wasn't the everyever and the deserters'
again tabled mission to recruit melvrose out of the way,
the cause as it were was back to doing well normal deserter
things
which in the great city of candleshire meant mostly sharing
a home and a helping hand with anyone who might need it,
as more and more of the people grew tired of the new empire
this of course left elexa to stay with her mother, who had
chosen to stay with mage and the deserters, and taiga and
markos to well decide what to do
"i do feel as if i want to stay with elexa," taiga murmured,
"we've been friends for a long time, but i've really loved
working on your ship, and i would miss you..."
markos was all but brought to tears by taiga's honesty
"i would miss you too, both of you.. all of you... in fact,"
he smiled to say, "i'd go so far as to say you're all my
crew now. so what better is their for a captain on vacation
to do than join up with the deserters for a while?" he
laughed
"it's settled then," elexa answered, "from now on, we'll
stick together, no matter what"
nobody took the effort to point at elexa's statement had
been premature, or for that matter anywhere about untrue
it was after a moment of somewhat satisfying silence
that one of the deserters whom other than mage they
had not met rushed into mage's room, out of breath
"the empire has been dissolved," she blurted, "dissolved."
the look on elexa's mother's face spoke to how she caught
herself getting her hopes up, as she asked, "then... the
eligacy has been returned control?.."
"no, the eligacy is still dissolved," was the frenzied
answer, "because the situation in candleshire has done
nothing to aid the political interests of the people
who were behind the empire... candleshire has been given
over to the rule of unlawed land"
"did i hear you right?" markos answered her, the wild
look in his eyes telling he knew the phrase from his years
on the high seas of acaemia
"yes," was the now soft and distant answer "candleshire
has been given over to the rule of unlawed land"
the league of candleshire preface
the rule of unlawed land
when a local government in acaemia
was not, as it were, making ends meet
for the people, or in some cases its
invested interests (this was often in the
case of colonies of the grand empire, which
thanks to a dishonest treaty in what was now
the secret war on elves is what candleshire
had been) it could be given over to the rule of
unlawed land, which meant that any governing bodies
had been officially dissolved and the people were left
to, hopefully, amidst whatever chaos may ensue if the
land was already in political turmoil which was often
the case, establish and elect their own government
that may better suit their needs
all this time, the league of candleshire, or the
unofficial leaders of the deserters from the now
dissolved empire - a boy with an heriditary magical
talent, named mage, whose father had been a leader
on the side of right in the original war on elves
a sea captain of acaemia, markos, who was finding
when put to the test he could navigate each new
city of their adventure like a new sea
a young genius inventor, taiga, who is quiet but
thoughtful when it counts, and the best friend of
the real leader of the group, a young half elven
girl named elexa; who, together with her elven
mother, made up what had become on this day the
league of candleshire, minus one previous member
whom they had just managed to find living in
another part of the city; a deserter girl named
melvrose - had only served to protect the good people
of candleshire from the incumbent empire and its
officials
now it seemed, the new and greater task which lay before
them was to achieve some sort of order in what was now
a lawless land; easy as that may have sounded at first,
in actual fact the people the deserters and the league
represented were at best a smaller majority in candleshire;
despite the fact that the empire had abused just about
everybody; there was an entirely new faction of empirial
colonists who had descended upon the once small ancient
city, and whose loyalties would be completely and totally
in question
there were also those of the empirial officials still
living in the city, and it was unknown what their collective
or individual reactions would be
there were even those who had lived in the city before the
empire who had been led to believe that the sovereignty of
the eligacy had been in part responsible for the war on elves
no, even if candleshire had probably become much safer for
deserters; it had not become any safer for elves - and now
it desperately needed to, before it was too late
the elven chronicles book ii the league of candleshire
chapter 1 the rule of unlawed land
after some ititial debate as to the structure
of a course of action, the league was finally
rolling; melvrose would show up when she felt
like it, now that she knew where they were;
perhaps her tavern was doing extra good business
in the midst of a complete political collapse in
what was now a bustling trade and tourist city
markos, taiga, and elexa's mother had been hold
up with the leaders of the original deserters for
days, discussing the situation throughout candleshire
the overrall gist seemed to be that people seemed
comfortable gravitating toward the parts of the
ancient city that suited their tastes (easy to do when
candleshire was divided rather fairly perhaps even
generously between a colonial district and the lands of
the original citizens, whose political opinions were mixed
and reticent anyway), a practice which was beginning to
form a series of hubs around what was long since an ancient
and royal city
the task at hand seemed to be to rescue as it were any elves
that were still in hiding in the city, as elexa's mother had
been, and regroup in a sensibly fortifiable hub they would
establish of their own in holvesbriss
to that end, mage and elexa had been hold up on their own,
reporting any dreams elexa had she felt might have some
meaning and focusing on helping each other hone their
individual talents, those of a born wizard and half elven
child
katantra was a beautiful young woman, in her twenties or
perhaps even teens, who liked to dress in floral and natural
colors and long elegant flowing dresses and gowns
that was to outside appearance - allbeit with the exception
of a pair of long pointy clearly elven ears she no longer tried
to hide, because she hadn't seen other elves or especially
people since candleshire had been given over to the empire
from where she lived in a nice little grove by the brook that
humans would've found it far too difficult to navigate the
woods and briars to, she could still just see the flag atop
the grand turret of candleshire - and today, for the first time
in what seemed like eternity even to an elf; the flag of the empire
was not flying
in fact no flag was flying
which meant that the facetious prop anti-elven empire had finally
collapsed and candleshire had been given over to unlawed land, a
possibility katantra had been dreading more than a few others
that was why she had chosen to call in an old favor as it were -
and the flute at her side which had now begun to whistle as she
passed through the windy sunbeams of a meadow near her home as if
it had a mind of its own was the key part in that plan; it had not
left her side since she had left the city
with the swift motion of a prodigy who shall play from the heart
no matter how rusty, she called the flute to her lips, running its
oddly uneven lengthed ember pipes from side to side in an entrancingly
flowing serpentine motion, producing a sound that was otherwordly though
definitely musical
the peculiar dance that accompanied was equally otherwordly, and would
almost certainly have had to have been rehearsed, except that it seemed
to rely on instinct
after a few vast moments that would've seemed to anyone watching like
a girl either mad or drunk out of her mind in the woods alone having
the time of her life, the bizarre regale was answered by, well; how
best to explain it - every kind of weather that existed in acaemia
and somehow all localized within the tiny shady meadow, clustered
around her like a personal performance
in another matter of vast moments the various isolated weather patterns
had clustered into themselves and begun to resemble humanoid shapes;
the one that most clearly resembled the weather they were having that
day in candleshire adressed katantra
the voice was unnaturally shrill, like a musical prism played at the wrong
speed, but at the same time it was as if every note without intending to be
was musical
"we are the weather pixies of candleshire; and we know you, katantra, for
we are in your debt and have given you this song of all seasons"
"thank you, my friends; i want to find those like me living in the city;
i fear we may be in our gravest danger now"
"if you travel to the borough centre of holvesbriss, you will find those
who share in your quest; we will seek out and use our powers to aid any
elves who may still reside in the city"
"thank you, my friends"
"when you aided us in a time of need, we gave you something in return -
this song of all seasons which you have used to summon us. if we help
your people in their time of crisis, we ask in return that you will help
our people, the fae also residing in hiding in candleshire - for the pixies
and nymphs can escape into the forests and even the elements, as even some
elves have done, but the fae are like humans in form as elves and must dwell
among the forests and among mortals"
"i would think to do nothing less"
"then we will use the guided flute to contact you when we have found someone
you and your soon-to-find friends may be able to help"
"thank you, for all of us, friends"
with that, the shady sunset-watered meadow returned to its regularly scheduled
forecast
the embrace that katantra and elexa's mother
greeted each other with when first their eyes met
was on par with one of lovers who've been apart
for a long time, in form, but the kiss, or any
kind of clutching that would have jostled the gentle
affection, was replaced with a meeting of the
foreheads which was even more ceremonial while
obviously still affectionate
markos, taiga and mage had seen elexa greet her mother
with a gesture that was similar but included a side-to-
side bobbing motion of the heads
or maybe both
as elf-hugs were shared, mage began to behave as if
he'd become suddenly aware of something shifting in the
weather
he turned, instinctively, of all people to elexa
"it's the fae, isn't it?"
"you mean the pixies, but yes; i think an elf living
in candleshire might have called to them for help, maybe
even katantra"
"can you feel it too?" her mother asked their new-joined
member
"yes; it's like morning light"
the elven sisters were speaking of the affect which the
ancient enchantment the elven city of candleshire still
held in its very heart had on elves, especially who had
been apart from elven air; elexa, being half-elven, had
been having an in fact hallucinogenic reaction, spurred
on by the thick vibes of tension and chaos near the end
of the collapse of the empire; now, even though all
three were aware of a kind of... swirling anxiety or
apprehension that seemed to float across the skies of
candleshire, like ripples on a pool catching sunbeams...
she was finding that anything unmanageable or even
unpleasant was gone, and further that it had enhanced her
elven and half-elven powers to a remarkable degree
in case of point she had already had a dream about a hidden
elven settlement in the outer forests, which they hoped to
scout as soon as they felt things had settled down reasonably
in the outside city
although he never let on to the other members of the group-
and although he knew that elexa and her mother knew anyway,
but never said anything- mage was quietly becoming more and
more concerned, even frantically worried, for any elves or
fae that actually were still living in the once elven city
of candleshire - unlike the deserters, and markos' seafaring
party, mage had read the official statistics put out by the
empire before it collapsed - and the statistics said that there
were no elves or fae living in candleshire. they could have
been propagandized by the empire, but that wouldn't have served
to stir up anti-elven popular sentiment; so mage figured that any
elves or fae who had survived and not fled the city when it was
given over to the empire had been, rather well considering
candleshire was in-between size as port cities go, in hiding all
this time, as he had only recently learned elexa's mother and
katantra had been
therefore his hopes were bleak for anyone who had managed to escape
both the war and the statistics, especially now in the grim state
of the city they were in given that anyone on any side with any
political inkling would also know that the statistics could be lies
"now that we have a new member to our league, as well as the aid of
some of the local nature spirits; i think we should make to scout
the outer forests at morning light, unless elexa has any revelations
otherwise" he nodded at her quite respectfully despite his all-men-
at-arms tone
"i agree," elexa's mother answered, after a considering pause among
the group "do you have any talismans or artifacts that may aid us
in navigating the outer forests?"
"i do," markos was the one to answer her, "a compass, as well as a
spyglass for sighting our path if we can reach highground- and a map
the upper-footnote corner of which contains a cursory representation
of the outer forests of candleshire"
"very good then; morning light it is"
"if morning light finds you snuggled in tight, rise and shine to see
the sun cast glowing lines" elexa volunteered
"huh?"
"you remember, mommy?" she asked "when i was little?"
"i do remember," she nostalgically answered
"besides, i sorta felt like i hadn't said anything funny for awhile.
i thought we could all use a little cheering up"
with that, they all collectively agreed she had succeeded
chapter 3 the outer forests
markos, elexa, her mother, taiga, mage, and katantra
had not considered the flowing illustrations of strange
monsters on the map which barely alluded to the outer
forests of candleshire to be literal, as opposed to
embroidered artistic expression - until now
in fact, almost in the way a hologram seemed to appear
when you turn it a certain way to look at it, as soon as
they were out of reach or out of sight of the outskirts
of the city of candleshire, they were surrounded by a
miriage of the most fantastic sparkling flickering
glowing swirling flashing tessalating flourescing
creatures one could imagine without having sailed
to the centre of the earth and seen the clear eye of
the waters of acaemia, and all the majestic deep-sea life
it offered
the creatures, though almost impossible to look away from,
did not make a move toward the newcomers, and in fact eyed
them neutrally in the way lesser-territorial animals will do
in the woods
"are they.. spirits?" markos wondered out loud
"nay, spirits do not usually produce light which casts
reflections, and these creatures do" mage hypothesized
"then.. they are.. animals?"
"yes.. enchanted animals of candleshire, thought endangered
or extinct"
the strange league of questers and the strange ensemble of
glowing chamelesque creatures eyed each other, curiously
"do you think they can help us find the other elves?" elexa
wondered
"i mean.. they probably don't speak.."
she almost seemed perplexed at the obvious statement, then
thought and countered, "yeah but,.. if there are so many of them
all together out here at the edge of the forest, they must feel
crowded further in the same way they do by the city - so that's
where the hidden elven settlement must be, in the centre of the
forest"
mage was impressed and taken aback by her deduction
"by the way we came in, we can reach the centre or ought to reach
it if we simply keep going straight," markos offered, "and that means
we have to keep north"
in the forest settlement of candlebridge -
as it was called by the handful of elves and
fae living there - no one had received word
that the empire colonial had been dissolved,
until the water pixie had risen to tell them
that a band of heroes was on their way to search
for them, and bring them to the new settled hub
of holvesbriss
as exciting as the news was after so long in
the forest (which was comfortable, even if it didn't
offer enough running room for the fae, but elves
preferred the mystically crafted cities and castles
that they made their own) they could not set up a flare
or try to signal in any way, for fear of attracting
attention to their hiding place from the city
so they had posted lookouts on the perimeter of their
several-odd tent camp, which ultimately left a few members
to hold down the fort as it were in the centre - a young fae
girl named tigera, and an elven boy named meirk
"do you think they'll find us? what if there are other parties
looking for us from the city?" she spoke the thoughts on both
of their minds as the fae will be inclined to do with their
friends and companions
meirk, being elven, though nervous smiled at the fact that he
could read her thoughts anyway
"it's not like we can't defend ourselves," he countered, "we've
made it on our own out here all this time"
"yes, but nobody's ever found us before, now somebody's looking
for us... what if they're followed?"
the thoughts were echoed around this time, as fate would have it,
by markos
"the animals would tell us if someone were in the forest," elexa
hoped
"they didn't seem bothered that we were in the forest," markos
replied
"it may be different, we are elven.." her mother offered
"i can cast a spell to tell us if we are being followed, and where
those we seek are from here;" mage began "but it may be visible
to any with magical abilities in the city and eyes on the forests"
"a risk that may be worth taking at this juncture, but we should
enquire of elexa," her mother concluded
elexa thought, and seemed to try to take in the gist of her emotions
then she responded, quite carefully: "i don't feel like we're being
followed.. but i do feel worried about attracting attention from
the city.. so i feel like.. we should just keep going"
"then that's what we'll do" mage answered immediately for all of them
in another hour less-than half hour's time, they actually reached the
settlement of candlebridge, as the flourescent hand-painted sign spread
over the tiny camp informed them
the elves of the camp ran instantly toward katantra elexa and her mother
"thank you so much for coming; is it safe in the city now?"
"i wish i could say so; we don't quite know for sure yet, or where, but
the deserters are fortifying a hub in holvesbriss, which still holds some
of candleshire's enchantment" was elexa's mother's answer
"that's where we're all going," markos chimed in
only then did it sink in upon all of them the gravity of the plan markos
had just restated
traveling with a group that was evenly half elves and half people, no less
when one of the group was a mage, had been unexpectedly easy going through
the restless in-dispute outskirts of candleshire from holvesbriss
traveling with a small brigade of refugee elves and fae accompanied by
three humans, from the outer forests to the center of the city, sounded
comparatively impossible
mage was the first to offer an answer to the question hanging in the air
"i can put upon an enchantment that will make us appear.. well.. not worth
bothering with, until we make it to holvesbriss... it just might be a little...
silly..."
without questioning what mage's plan might be, the group agreed to the quickest
and safest way to holvesbriss possible, and began making preparations to leave
chapter 5 coming into candleshire
as they reentered candleshire, they were stopped
in fact, but this was no surprise as they were
going through a main-road gate that led directly
to the center of the city
"name and business in candleshire?" the empirial
guard uniformed-man asked drolly, giving markos
the impression that his opinion of markos' answer
would be more important than his official or
unofficial business in candleshire
"coming in from port, markos helmsbridge, sea captain
of acaemia, sir, with this delivery of circus animals"
in fact, in addition to markos and taiga, proudly displaying
the first mates badge markos had made for him on their journey
to candleshire, there were eleven various animals of natures
that were mostly native to candleshire as well as other parts
of acaemia; mostly horses, ponies, and camels, a few more exotic
animals like giant tortoises, and goats, and one red-and-gold crested
falcon which rode like a prize on taiga's gloved hand
"circus animals? why i haven't been to the circus in a long time"
the guard seemed half excited and half skeptical
"our customer hasn't had much of a circus to run," taiga volunteered,
"but he says nothing brings people together like a good old circus. he
thinks it's just what candleshire needs"
this seemed to touch a soft string in the empirial guard's heart
"now, i don't think that's a bad idea," he conversed, "alright then,
animal delivery, just need to document what you're bringing in"
"right," markos butted in, "two camels, for rides, three horses and
three ponies, to be the stars of the show i've heard, two giant
tortoises, two goats, and this priceless red-and-gold crested falcon
which is a treasure to both the grand empire and candleshire"
the guard seemed to simply jot things down, agreeingly, then paused -
that's twelve animals; i only see eleven
markos started, but only for an instant
"i don't usually deal with cargo that moves around on it's own; what'd
i say, two goats? it was two tortoises, only one goat"
markos didn't have a chance to safely glance behind him to confirm his
statement, but fortunately his instincts had been correct
"right, i like that," the guard laughed "what kind of cargo do you
normally deal in?" he went on conversing as he signed markos' papers
"oh rather just cargo - cargo, the easier to stock and the more profitable
the better, i prefer daily goods like tea and spices, tobaccos, they
usually aren't too much trouble, and when i can i love to get my hands on
some fine tapestries, or even silks.. well worth the small risk in traveling
with them, anyway it's no conquering effort to pirate a man's crew of a silk"
the guard nodded, smiling, and handed markos the small stack of papers
"you're all set, enjoy your time in candleshire"
"thank you sir," markos and taiga chimed, but for a second the guard thought
he heard at least some of the animals murmur in answer as well
he decided thereupon that it was because markos and taiga had begun herding
them into the gate, a process which was very long and slow-going due to the fact
that two of the group were in fact giant tortoises, and which was carried out
amidst many long and awkward smiles between markos and the uniformed guard
when they were finally out of earshot at least, markos breathed a sigh of relief,
only to have it cut short by the voice of a falcon that had flown onto his
epauleted shoulder in his ear squawking, "you called one of us a goat"
"i did no such thing," markos blurted, then suddenly could not help feeling
like the guard's eyes were on his back until they were finally out of sight
as well as earshot
at this point, of course, possibly because the entire group breathed the same sigh
of relief that markos had tried to, everything collectively collapsed
most of the horses and ponies were fae, who of course had been horses before, but
being a camel would find frustrating to anyone, as they are rather slow and...
wobbly animals
being a giant tortoise was all the worse
the only member of the group that was really enjoying mage's enchantment was,
naturally, elexa
"brahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she bleated,
galloping circles around the struggling caravan
"i wanna chew on something sweet and fibrous, like reed grass or a metal can!!!!!!"
"we don't have time for that," taiga volunteered
"we have all the time in the world, you guys are turtles!!!"
"hey!" the turtles in the group interjected
elexa the goat missed their argument, because she had found an abandoned toy in one
of the house-groves nestled in the outskirts of the city- a rubber tarp stretched
across a metal-cast hoop
without a second thought, she ascended the springy surface as she had done as a child,
only to find that with four hooves and a long neck it was not quite the same experience
"eh-wuhp" she galloped and jolted about on the stretchy mat completely uncoordinatedly,
causing taiga to eventually burst out laughing, and markos to retain a look on his face
that implied he wasn't sure if he needed to use the business house
finally, she collapsed safely to the ground at the edge of the toy, proclaiming that was
fun and she wanted to try again, but taiga insisted despite their turtle pace they keep
moving
it was dusk when they reached the now proclaimed hub of holvesbriss, to the warm sight
of golden-cast lettering which pronounced its name upon the gate that had once been an
open alley
fortunately, after the guard by staying on the main road and traveling as a procession
they had managed to avoid any further investigation, and taiga had only been forced to
shyly regail a few passers-by with tales of a circus that was supposedly coming to town
in candleshire
when they were safely inside the hub, and mage had unworked his enchantment, it was of
all people melvrose who greeted them
"hey, i thought you went and got a dayjob," mage shyly approached her
"the elvesbridge inn is doing more business from incoming tourists who want to see what
will become of candleshire than we've ever done in the time i've worked there..." she
answered "i was making double my paycheck after tips... i had all my wildest dreams
come true... but it just wasn't what i wanted"
she glanced, warmly, at a painting in the corner of the room she had done for the
deserters
"well, i guess you're back then..?"
"yeah... i'm back" she smiled, and hugged mage warmly, a human hug
short of waiting for any more of elexa's dreams, which lately seemed to just serve as
defcon markings, the group agreed there was only one way to determine for sure where
if any elves or fae there may be still hiding in candleshire - and that was to enquire
of the everyever
since they made a formiddable and swift team together, and since both knew the everyever,
mage and elexa were chosen to make the quest
"we'll leave in the morning," elexa proposed
"agreed, but we should wait until the sun is high, or we may become lost in the mists
of the misty mountains," mage went along
"agreed"
with that, they began packing what few things they would need for a journey through the
forests and mountains of outer candleshire, and, after repeating an incantation which they
had co-authored in the hopes of helping elexa have prophetic dreams... they were asleep
when they awoke, they were, in a way that was
oddly familiar but in a good nostalgic way to
elexa, within some sort of strange multi-colored
dreamscape
actually, after closer thought elexa realized it
reminded her very much of the strange multi-colored
phosphorescent animals in the outer forests of
candleshire
mage seemed right at home
after some silence, he announced, "i think our arriving
here is some sort of sign from or about the everyever..
i'm not sure it's a good forboding..."
he looked at elexa with the expression of someone returning
to a troubled but beloved home; elexa knew it well
"how can you seem so.. sad, and dreamy in this beautiful place?"
she asked
"this place is home to me," was all mage replied
she thought for a second
"what is holvesbriss?"
"that's where my room is," mage laughed, "right now i have about
fourteen guests sleeping over"
elexa had to smilingly agree
when they had walked together across the sprawling neon dreamscape,
for a length of time that was very difficult to judge because they
were in fact in a dream, talking to each other to pass the time,
though they knew not always about what, sometimes the other would
sound as if they made sense but be hard to understand, and it was
possible they talked about many of the same things over again -
they arrived at what, somehow, in this sprawling desertesque neon
landscape, was a clearing - in the center stood a figure, clad in
dark blue
he turned to face them, smiling, with the look of a child that
reminded elexa of the first time she had met markos
"oh hello; are you lost too?"
"lost?" mage asked, suddenly
"oh yes, lost in your dreams," the boy cheered, spinning about like
someone enjoying a first snowfall
upon closer examination, elexa realized the boy was obviously fae,
though there was something.. off about him
his skin seemed pale, the kind of pale that would imply dim indoor
lighting, but it wasn't, it seemed as if it were actually his skin
after another moment mage spoke up again
"we're not lost, we've come looking for you, my friend" he began
"if you'd like, we've come to take you to holvesbriss, where there
is an established hub friendly to elves and fae, now that the empire
has collapsed"
"holvesbriss?"
the boy questioned the word, as if it sounded only slightly familiar
"yes, holvesbriss, in the centre of candleshire," elexa answered him
"candleshire?" the boys eyes lit up, as if he wasn't sure if he
recognized the place because it was home or frightening
"will you come with us? especially if you are lost as you say?" mage
finally asked
"the places you speak of... sound like... home..." the boy answered,
slowly "but my home is a place... a place called.... " he struggled
for a long moment, then seemed at peace with his realization
"odds grove"
with that, the dreamscape dissipated in a way that reminded elexa of
the mystical fog when first she and her mother had met mage, and the
two of them were standing in a very dim, dusty, dim; old wooden shack
sprawled in a rustic old bed in front of them, and seeming to just
now be waking up, was the boy from the dream
"mmmmhhhh hello, i'm felrae, have we met somewhere before?" the boy
greeted them, shuffling up out of the covers with what elexa had to
admit was the cutest bedhead she had ever seen on a boy, except maybe
for taiga's, whose reminded her of the monkeys she dreamed of one day
finding on the islands of acaemia
"we've come to take you to holvesbriss, where there is an established
hub friendly to fae and elves, now that the empire has collapsed," mage
answered him
the boy seemed to pause and stare off for a long time into space, taking
in what had been said as if it were all coming back to him
after a while, he spoke
"yes, that sounds.. so nice, thank you.. i only have a few things..."
with that, he retrieved a bold robin's egg blue canvas knapsack from
beneath his seemingly antique bed, and went about filling it with the few
belongings and clothes elexa and mage had seen scattered about the tiny
falling down shack
when they got outside, they were greeted, by what was for the first time
to elexa and mage, by a sight that brought tears to elexa's eyes, and gave
felrae a look of realization all the more deep and resolute than he had had
when they informed him of the fall of the candleshire empire
"my woods," he started
indeed, it looked as if someone had intended to build another hub or city where
a small outcropping of trees had once stood that must have been odds grove, but
the small forest had long since been leveled, leaving only a flat labyrinth of
tree stumps which was every bit as barren, though it shared none of the other
qualities, as the landscape in elexa and mage's dream
"i remember," he went on
"they came and took my woods, shortly after i found this nice unwanted out-of-the-
way home... and.... i was so sad, i must have just gone to bed, and.... " he trailed
off
"we understand," elexa answered him
mage had to admit that he finally did understand
fortunately, it is much easier for the fae to travel and live among humans than it is
for elves; instead of pointy ears, which are an obvious giveaway, they only had to worry
about accidentally attracting swooning attention from the locals
which they had dealt with by felrae and elexa holding hands on the way back to holvesbriss,
which to mage it seemed as a fae and half elven child they were oddly comfortable doing;
felrae was still a little downfallen about his home in odds grove
but they made it into the centre safe and sound, greeted in turn by everybody who had managed
to comfortably settle within the newly established hub
"is that everybody?" markos greeted them, along with the new member
"i think so," mage answered him
"i feel like... it is," elexa agreed
"good"
the night was spent in nostalgic elven and fae celebration, to commemorate the establishment of
the new hub of holvesbriss, which to markos and taiga's delight included higgilty-fidge candles,
the human or non-mystical name of the card game mage had introduced them to
the elven chronicles book iii dragons of acaemia
from her perch on the back of a great serpentine
sky dragon, high above the clouds of acaemia, elexa
smiled at mage, as they soared toward candleshire
together
he smiled back, the way friends who feel inside as
if they've known each other longer than they really
have would, then suddenly caught the look of something
in his eye as he glanced ahead of them toward candleshire
for a second elexa felt as if something was.. off about
the city... darker... then it sunk in what mage had seen,
in the distance were two massive flying burning catapult
missiles, coming at them from the city
the winged dragons instinctively swerved just as she
caught it, but she could still feel the heat from the rocky
oily projectiles whizzing past them
"mage, what's happening?!" she screamed
he tried to answer her, as they struggled for their
seating on the backs of the twisting dragons, but then
everything went black
mage was sitting in front of her, and so was her mother,
who seemed to instinctively appear at her side whenever
she would have bad dreams
although as her mother accounted for the elven part of
her heritage that was not really surprising
"what was happening?" he asked her
"i-" she started, and looked almost despairingly mad at
mage, as if his making her think about it had caused her
to forget as she was still waking up
"i.. just remember.. it was about dragons again, and, i
feel like... candleshire isn't safe anymore"
the words hung in the air like the heavy smoke of a hookah
pub
"candleshire isn't safe anymore??" her mother and mage
mirrored her words questioningly at the same time
"no... i think we should go as soon as possible..."
"markos says that the nearest city still in elven hands
is the port of hobbles creek... is morning soon enough?"
"i feel like it might not be... since i woke up, i feel,
as if something's changed since i went to sleep... like
something's happened..."
mage thought about the project taiga was working on to
try to create an "antenna," like the ones of insects for
his local music and dissertation broadcast talisman that
would allow them to hear news from around acaemia as he
watched their conversation, solemnly
"then we should go, now.." her mother answered her
"how do you feel.. about markos ship?"
she looked at him with a shocking sudden wide look of
terror
"i.. don't have any idea why, but i feel like we can't
go there..."
"the deserters have already made backup arrangements. you
and mage get your things, i'll get the others"
mage could not share thoughts with his companions like
the elves could, but he had keen senses as a wizard one
of which was empathy, and he could sense that elexa's mother
had directed the parting at him as well as for elexa's
benefit, almost speaking as if mage were a brother to elexa
in her voice, and he took both the compliment and the hint
and went about helping elexa make sure she remembered to
pack everything, in a way that would at least a little
help keep her mind off the impending fear of what was happening
they rushed, satchels in hand, down to the main living room
of mages stone clay hut, met by other of their elf fae and
deserter friends about the same plan
"IT'S ALMOST WORKING!!" elexa caught the look of desperation
in taiga's eyes as they glanced past his room
"elexa says we have to go, now," markos answer was deeply
compassionate while firm, like a true sea captain
"when you put it that way," elexa could just still make out
the change in taiga's tone, and what sounded like he had
somehow managed to perfectly pack his tinkerer's laboratory
in all of about two seconds
when they made it out of port, she saw that he probably in fact
had, because he had indeed constructed and or arranged himself
a sort of portable tinkerer's workshop in the time they had been
staying in holvesbriss
with the help of which he was just now, and true to his word,
picking up a signal from what a few of the group interjected was
a broadcast of the hall of gilmrod, in the colonial district
"sdfhogwand the refortified empire troops are on their way to
holvesbriss as we speak, to finally bring some order to what people
are calling, 'the anarchist hub.' should be nice for local trade,
which we've been hearing has been doing great since the hubs were
established, under the firm generous guidance of the empire, but
word is it's about to do a lot better if traders finally don't have
to worry about elves and fae,"
the tone in the man's voice would have reminded elexa of a propaganda
newscaster in the early 1900's, if she had the ability to read your
thoughts
it was all mage could do not to break the device which taiga had spent
all this time quite literally inventing
"right, let's all just respectively glance over the fact that you are
possibly the smartest man in acaemia, or somehow on par with elexa, and
uh.. change the channel"
he used the words as a sea captain of acaemia would, but he somehow felt
the phrase fit
"right! well, i.. intended that the way to do that was with this..." he
toggled with the compass which had been markos' contribution along with
mage's local broadcast talisman
"svilsloblibbityglopbsolutely correct on that, but we have to be fair here,
candleshire was an elven city.. we have to be fair to the empire in that it
was unfamiliar territory, and we have to be fair to the citizens or the
original citizens of candleshire who may have felt that what tried to replace
the eligacy treated them unfairly.."
elexa could tell from the tone of the man's voice that he was elven
the man who answered him however was not
"so that's a justification for war then? after they signed the peace treaty?
you just said they knew their way around candleshire better than the empire
if there was a serious problem they could have worked it out"
"there was no declaration of war, the empire declared war first, remember?
it was only answered because, as was stated, there had been a secret war on
elves going on this whole time.."
"secret war on elves, more like a made up war on elves, everybody knows elves
are hallucinatory beings and as a result they're dangerously paranoid and
delusional"
"my brother was killed by a raid party, mr tinsmith, with empire insignia on
their cloaks"
"my son has an empire insignia on his sports' cloak, mr eldroheimasomething-
boogledybiggledy elf name,"
taiga changed the channel again
"iufgiahkjsfu;giafjli agree it's absolutely unthinkable, expecting to register
us, like they'll have us at their beck and call?"
"mh, they're telling stories of elves in the colonies being taken and locked in
hospitals, as if they were both crippled and dangerous"
"is that where we're going?" elexa chimed in
markos looked at his compass which taiga had just adjusted
"actually.. it is, most likely, i don't know just how taiga's invention works
but the compass is pointed toward hobbels creek"
"that's about how it works, and you said hobbels creek is the closest so yeah,"
taiga seemed proud but an exhausted kind of weary, and a charming kind of droll
the ship sailed on toward hobbels creek
when elexa awoke, she felt more afraid than
she had ever felt in her entire life, as if
she knew for certain that she was about to
die
but quite bizarrely, the feeling filled her
with a sense of... homesick pride?
she knew instantly what was happening
"mother, mother.." she called
her mother was sleeping on a bunk nearbye
"what is it.?"
"we're sailing an empire ship.. we have to let
hobbles creek know we're carrying elves..."
her mother's eyes went wide, as if she couldn't
believe she hadn't realized what elexa had
just said
"you're right, we need to tell markos.. markos..
markos!" she raised her voice only slightly to
call for him, but somehow very firmly, and almost
as if in magical answer markos was just then
rounding the corner
"what's wrong?"
"we need to signal hobbles creek that we're carrying
elves, and friendly"
the look on markos face mirrored the one elexa had
seen on her mothers a little bit ago
"do we have anything with an elven crest?"
markos replied after a second to think intuitively
"yes, i'll get it," "meet me on deck"
as soon as they left, elexa suddenly felt a tremendous
rush of relief, as if the impending doom she'd felt
coming around had resided
when they arrived at port in hobbles creek, they were
greeted by a heralded salute, which was heartwarming
and deeply nostalgic to elexa but which made her wonder,
until she saw a friend she remembered from childhood, a
friend of elexa's mother, and realized that their family
crest must be what markos and she had raised coming
into port
she greeted elexa's mother with the customary greeting
of long-parted elven friends
"you've brought refugees from candleshire?"
"elves and fae, we travel with a number of humans but
they are far more loyal to us than the empire,"
elexa's mother answered, confirming
"they will be housed as refugees, of course, but any who
are willing to join our cause may prove useful, being
human.." an elderly elf who was wearing a politicalate's
robe cut in
"i would of course," markos immediately stepped forward,
followed silently by taiga
"i think i may speak for mage," elexa smiled, "he's been
on the side of good since the original elf wars"
"very well then," elexa and her mother's friend smiled,
and elexa realized that she was also wearing a politicalate's
robe "in addition to the refugees of candleshire, you've brought
us a genius human inventor and human sea captain, and a human
wizard!"
it took taiga and markos a second to remember that elves could in
fact share thoughts or read minds
the evening was spent in celebration, as it was of course customary
in any elven city or village to do, but that did not mean work wasn't
accomplished toward bringing the new heads at the table up to speed
on what was happening
the second war on elves had been declared - to nobody's surprise -
because, of all things, the empire claimed that elven spies had landed
in candleshire - the propaganda was laughable, given that despite
statistics there had already been elves still living in candleshire,
but that only served the more to illustrate that the humans of the empire
had, to use a human phrase, lost it
the task at hand was for the elven cities and villages strewn at ports
across acaemia to unite, and of course to determine which non empire
affiliated human settlements in acaemia would take the elves desperate
side
so far only a few but a good few allies were known
by the bonfire, mage and elexa were sharing glasses of elven eggnog,
talking about what elexa should try to dream about that night, and
about the fact that she had been so often dreaming about dragons
lately
markos joined them, cheerily, with a glass of normal human beer
"the party is grand, and we deserve it, so take it in folks! for tomorrow,
as we fight, remember that this party may be our last thanks, but what a
thanks it is, for we are heroes!" he cheersed elexa and mage, and wandered
on to the rest of the party, proclaiming, "we are heroes!" in true captain
mode
meanwhile up in his new temporary workshop, taiga was going through "channels"
as markos had coined the phrase on his new cross acaemia music and dissertation
broadcast device
at long last, he settled on one he was sure would give a fair and neutral report -
a broadcast from his and elexa's melting pot port town home of limberdore
he listened in somber silence - and what he heard, after it had long enough to all
be said, was deeply dissatifying to him
the sides had been settled - to be realistic, a fair proportion of human towns had
sided with the elves and the empire, respectively; it sounded as if some of the
contenders had been swayed by geopolitical vicinity, but nonetheless
allbeit, that news was not good
facing the empire, the elves and the now global deserters were hopelessly outnumbered
taiga entered the room where the elven politicalates along with elexa's mother were
dining, a sort of open challay where they could easily join or be joined by the rest
of the party, to share the news, and was joined in funny coincidence by markos
"taiga... we are heroes," he grinningly greeted him
"indeed, my good friend, but i have bad news from my broadcast receiver"
"what are you going to call that, by the way? you already used channels, so... you have
to come up with something on your own... i wanna see.. if you're good at inventing...
words"
markos brilliantly answered him
taiga thought, then seemed resolute, with the look in his eyes of a man
truly ahead of his time
"an elexa"
chapter 3 contacting the everyever
when she awoke the next morning, elexa
had dreamt about dragons, again, and the
everyever, and mage was now resolved
"we have to seek out the everyever,"
"but he lives in candleshire..."
the everyever did reside, as best a spirit
dragon could, in the outer forests of candleshire
whence they had just left
"don't you a know a way we could contact him, if
you really think about it?"
elexa could tell what mage meant
after much thought, she answered
"in the dream, i remember, there was music...
there hadn't been before, which makes sense because
we were always outside..."
she trailed off
mage thought for a second
"i remember, katantra told me she used a song of all
seasons to summon the pixies with an elven flute..
could you do something like that with the everyever?"
"i've never tried it, but maybe..."
as it was it turned out explained to them by katantra,
she just might be able to - the song of all seasons she
had used to contact the spirits of fae in a time of need
had been given to her, but it was an intuitive performance,
like all enchantment working elven songs, so if the
everyever had reached elexa in her dreams before she might
already know it
"then i'll try," she agreed
after a command performance for katantra and mage that was
both similar and dissimilar to the accompanied dance katantra
had done in the woods of candleshire
the ship suddenly swayed as if it had hit a bit of rough water
or a sudden wind
they rushed to the stern, to find the everyever, floating above
the water as he had above the waterfall in candleshire in front
of them, though only the elves and fae in their number and mage
could see it
elexa approached the phantasmical dragon spirit
"we need your help, if you have any..." she started
"i know," was the almost rehearsed answer
"the dragons of acaemia will be glad to aid the elves and fae
in their plight"
with that he disappeared
the dragons of the underworld - fantastic creatures which nested
in what some legends told were caves on the under facing side of the
flat heavenly body of acaemia
because they could fly, of course they could reach whatever must
be down there without sailing off the edge of the earth
and now they were coming to the aid of the elves and fae
of course, nobody really knew what that meant
the everyever had said dragons - one dragon the same size as the
everyever, which was tangible and not ethereal, would be a menacing
monster, but how many were coming to aid - two? more?
dragons were beyond endangered, they were legendary
when elexa told mage of her dream that morning,
he seemed to share her allbeit curious relief
that the elves and fae had some aid in the
second war
katantra had confirmed it, and smiled when
elexa told her the part about her flute in a
way that didn't quite let mage know if she
were smiling at some heart kept elven secret
or a little joke of her own
of course, other than waiting for dragons to
show up
all there was to do at present was go with the
elven and fae refugees of candleshire and their
friends to a grand ceremony with the eligacy
that was to welcome diplomats from the human
outcroppings of acaemia that had declared
allegiance with the elves
one topic of the evening was a fae stand-up
comedian, or perhaps he could have been called
a jester if he was human but since he was not
"...and has anyone noticed that the fae haven't
really even gotten involved officially?"
his quip was greeted with roaring truthful laughter
"it's the second war on elves - and waged by humans -
no fae"
the audience was by this point on the point of exploding,
and elexa was laughing half at the non political jokes
she was getting and half sympathetically
"you know why that is, it's because the fae are so lazy.
i should know, i haven't combed my hair in 123 years,"
more catterballing roars of laughter
"and that's why the fae have sided with the elves too,
not because our ancient sacred birthrights of nature
and magic are entertwined, or because humans who aren't
friendly to one are never friendly to the other anyway..
but because that's easy, how many fae live among, in fact
raise your hands if you live with an elf? 'hi roomie!'"
the crowd was catatonic
the performer paused, smiled, and announced, in what was
somehow obviously a "human accent", "now taking any questions,
any questions from the audience?" to more laughter
a very, but utmost forgiveably as the spirit of an elven ceremony
is celebration, drunk allied deserter called out, "does your mother
know you've dated a human?" to warm light-hearted laughter
"i mentioned in the story about telling her," the performer smiled
back, "but it might be worth mentioning that yours does, though i'm
not sure if our mothers are friends"
at this the crowd all but literally exploded
with nothing to fill the evenings now that elexa and mage had decided
to give elexa's dreams another rest from mystical underlying in the
hopes of perhaps a truly prophetic dream getting through, they had
taken, at their surprise to taiga's fond agreement, to joining him at
the elexa listening to world broadcasts
"...the empire is massing together one main massive assault from home,
and a series of others at each of its outpost colonies, but the problem
will be having to split our forces because there are so many little
elven settlements nestled through the waters of acaemia... *slblogajeha
rhiau*...coming in from our elven allies is that they're badly outnumbered,
and our valiant brave boys need all the help they can get.. *ajghiaubhglajh*
...personally think it's outrage, an absolute outrage, and all but genocidal,
what can humans possibly take from us they haven't already anyway? do they
wish to take all of our land, so that we may have nowhere safe to live? elves
are not violent creatures, but we are ancient warriors..."
with that, taiga flicked off the elexa
"what do you guys think?" he asked, both conversationally and deeply as taiga
or anyone as gifted or profound as someone like taiga would of a mage and half
elven child
"i think... i wish we knew what was happening with the dragons," elexa thoughtfully
answered him
"i agree" mage joined in
"what do you think, taiga?"
taiga looked at her
"i think i don't understand the problem.. or rather, i do, but there isn't really a
problem... elves have never threatened humans, have they?"
"not since the war on elves, which had been started by humans a long time ago and
fought in small scrimmages throughout the ages, cold..."
elexa spoke as if she knew the acaemian histories on instinct, rather than from
learning
"i don't know why this is happening," she pleaded out loud to them
"i think i do," taiga answered "i don't know what caused it exactly, maybe some other
elusive political tension, maybe the decadence in the citizens of the decaying empire,
it's not like, all the elves... but they're acting like they're afraid, really afraid,
like, people are afraid of things they don't understand? could it be as simple and..
stupid as that?.."
"i.. think it could," elexa finally realized
"well, it doesn't solve our problem," mage finally resolved out loud, "and i'm going
to do something about it"
"oh?" elexa questioned, as she was left in the agreeable company of taiga
"yes, i'll see you in the morning, good night"
with that, mage was gone, and taiga and elexa were left to talk about things some of
which they hadn't talked about since they had left limber grove for candleshire, and
listen to the elexa
when elexa awoke, in the middle of the night,
the unlit walls of the castle seemed to glow with
a strange kind of bright color stained, yet dirty,
light
in fact, looking out the window, it seemed as if
the entire world was glowing with the same
worryingly unwordly light
she wandered, like a child awaking from a nightmare,
instinctively down the hall to mage's room
what she saw was mage, suspended in the air as she had
only seen the everyever achieve, quivering as if he
weren't quite in control the same way the everyever
was, in a kind of standing falling pose, with a look
on his face that spoke as if it could not contain the
madness which had been invited into the mind within
open on the table in front of him was a very old looking
book, the pages of which were black, and written in a
language elexa could not read in what must have been blood,
which was somehow red but also black as well
"mage... what are you doing?" she asked, half with a tone
of fear and half one of a mother who hears something she
shouldn't be able to explain coming out of her child's
bedroom
mage seemed for the first time to notice her
"i'm casting a spell," he glared and grinned
"alright.." elexa nudged him
"a spell.. to damn humans!"
elexa couldn't believe her elven ears
"what will it.. do?" she asked
"it will close the demon gates of the world," he growled,
"so that whenever untalented man sets foot upon a new land
he has not been verbally invited to, he shall die in flames,"
despite the clutching for even comfortable madness expression
on mages face, he spoke as if his statement made absolute
perfect sense
elexa had to admit that would all but win the war
"you can.. do, that?" she seemed to know instinctively to ask
him
"not alone, but a wizard is never alone," mage answered awefully,
seeming to glance at the black book
"did you.. have help with this idea?"
"of course i did! the demon gates are not surface side upon
acaemia! of course i cannot tell you from whom!"
though it did not appear at all in his voice, elexa could tell in
his face the look of someone crying out for help
her face shared it
"mage... what can i.. do? you know... there has to be a better way..."
the look in his eyes told her all she needed to know, and with one
swift motion she closed the book
when she did it, she felt an electric shock, like someone had been
rubbing their hozzysocks on the birshire rug, and there was a deafening
boom like thunder out of clear skies which seemed to come from all around
mage fell like a lifeless puppet into her arms
"thank you," he whispered
"what were you... thinking?" she asked softly, but compassionately
"it wasn't the spell i was looking for.. it stood out in the book.. by being
redwater, rather than blood... a wizard can tell, but the light, was so dim
in here..." he seemed to come into a tone of sudden realization as he finished
"i don't think.. you should try that book again..." she managed
"no.. perhaps we'll save it for a rainy day," mage half-smilingly agreed
elexa nodded at the realization that the rainy day he'd been saving it for had
been the second war on elves
the eligacy had finally met with all the allies
of elves across acaemia, and plans were under way
for divying up troops to the various elven cities
when the strike finally came down, and they had still
not heard from the dragons of acaemia
but they finally knew what had started off the second
war on elves, from what had become to no one's approval
the secret war on elves, and the realization was in fact
harrowing
markos and taiga had been followed when they led the
forest-dwelling refugees of candleshire into the established
hub of holvesbriss disguised as circus animals
in fact, there was even one account of a goat ascending a
trampoline - which was not normal
to the people of candleshire and the empire (if you could
believe the propaganda) it seemed as if about a dozen elves
and fae, which was easily a lot more than the statistics
showed had been living in candleshire at the time, had come
into candleshire in disguise from an unmarked sailing ship
moored off the coastal islands, to set up camp in a newly
established anti-empirial hub amidst the collapse of the
candleshire prop empire
which... actually made sense
allbeit, knowing this did nothing to help their situation
or perhaps it did
"we have to go back to candleshire," markos stated
the entire assembled group looked at him
"that's my ship, that started a war, a ship that was made
for me in the empire," he finished as only a captain could
"i'll go with you, and so will mage and taiga," elexa spoke
for all of them as only an elf could
"very good then, and, when we get there, what are we going
to... do?"
he was answered by a long pause
taiga, with a knowing tone that surprised everyone in the room,
thoughtfully and finally answered
"we're gonna put on a circus"
elexa and mage gazed at each other, silently, finding
that their goodbyes were harder than the ones they had
exchanged with markos and taiga, for the opposite reasons
of knowing the two more and less well than they knew each
other
finally, elexa spoke
"we'll see each other again," she assured him
"i know.. and it's not that, even if worse comes to worse,
i don't have some beautiful memories with you, new friend..
it's just that.. well we've never really just made memories
together, you know? i suppose you and your friends have, hobbles
i have with the deserters, but you and i... well... it's always
been an adventure," he smiled, and knew that elexa could tell he
was smiling at what had just become their little shared joke that
for an instant, mage was sharing their thoughts out loud the way
elves or fae could "i kinda miss your mum too," he laughed
elexa smiled "we all do," she comforted him, "and we will meet
again, i promise"
with that, she hugged him, in an impromptu way was which was neither
entirely elven nor human, and set foot off of the stern of the ship
they had taken back to candleshire, joining markos on the shore where
his ship had been, though it had long since been - probably not easily -
confiscated as contraband evidence of the empire
it was of no matter, because the queen olympia was not what they were
looking for
"ladies and gentlemen, may i have your attention please," markos announced,
in a grand and flooring tone that could easily have been that of a traveling
ringmaster as well as a sea captain of acaemia
"presenting, for your absolute entertainment," taiga followed him, well rehearsed,
"and after much of an.. ordeal with a few misarrangements of our arrival," his joke
was greeted with, allbeit nervous, laughter
markos followed him just as rehearsedly, with a sweep of his broad matching brightly
colored sleeve
"the enchanted elven animals of candleshire!"
the performance that shortly followed was not one you would expect to see at a circus;
the beautiful and endangered luminescent animals which the friends had encountered in
the outer forests searching for the everyever, walked or shuffled or whatever they would
do out onto the stage of their own accord, in a bizarre unison
the torch lights inside the circus tent were dimmed, and the crowd breathed a collective
breathtaking gasp of awe at the beautiful colored glowing creatures
"these beautiful creatures were once abundant in candleshire, as abundant as dogs and cats,"
markos started
"but since so many elves and fae left candleshire, the effect their magic had on the city
and its local nature has caused their numbers to dwindle to near extinction" taiga finished
the crowd seemed to sympathetically murmur, as the magical creatures looked out at them with
all but tears in their eyes
then they turned and left the stage, once again of their own strange accord
"next, and we promise, we tried our best to keep this a surprise," markos joked,
"the performing elves wizards and fae of acaemia!" taiga finished for him grandly
the tapestries at the edges of the circus ring, embroidered with all the most regal colors
of every nation of acaemia, rose suddenly into the air as if born on mystical winds, dancing
about in the air above the audience illuminated by bright finding lights shone up on them from
the ground by deserter uh circus crew, and a small group of elves and fae that exactly matched
the number which had traveled in secret into candleshire stepped out onto the stage, led by mage,
dressed in matching uniforms similar to the ones markos and taiga were wearing but different
colors
as the elves moved in unison in a bizarre but entrancing side-to-side arm stretching very official
dance, the fae accompanied the dancing tapestries with songs that sounded like no human should have
been able to sing them, and otherwordly beautiful, that caused visions of wild animals and nature
spirits to appear above their heads and the center stage, to even more awe and surprise from the
audience
at the height of it all, mage, center stage like the star of the show, began what to anyone would
have looked like just ordinary, though definitely not novice fire dancing
but then, the flaming staffs he was spinning about began to glow with changing colors, first the
seeming natural colors of fire and then completely unnatural colors, bright neon, growing brighter
and brighter, until he was dancing not with fire but swirling piercing liquid neon light blobs,
and the crowd had erupted in a standing ovation
"and finally," markos started, "after all this, we've somehow managed to save the best for last...
for ladies and gentlemen, alas we must confess, for -some of us- (he inserted with a laughing tone)
the circus isn't a prime occupation, as my young compatriot has now to share with you all, an invention
soon to be in the homes of every family in candleshire, nay in acaemia.. i give you, ladies and
gentlemen.. the elexa"
"and i couldn't have done it without the inspiration of my best friend whom it's named for," taiga once
again joined in "a half elven child who lived in candleshire"
with that, the contraption was produced by the same deserters who had been operating the casting lights,
and taiga proceeded to adjust the compass on its mantle and produce the local music and dissertation
broadcasts of every settlement in acaemia, one after another, through the strange magical gibberish
caused by changing channels
human broadcasts, and elven, about the war that was happening
there was not a dry eye in the audience
it was at that moment as fate would have it the performance
was cut short by the entrance of an empirial guard ensemble
headed as if to make a point to the people gathered in the
circus tent by the president of the empire himself, and the
announcement, "the first strike has been launched. the second
war with elves is officially underway"
and it was at this moment, as if fate would have it to make
a point, that what sounded like a terrible wind storm descended
upon candleshire
everyone ran out of the tent outside, to the sight of thousands-
no, millions of dragons, it looked as if they filled the sky like
stars, flying in still formation over the ancient once elven
city
elexa felt her and everyone else's breath taken away by the sight
an huge, even for dragons, very brilliant and apparent royal violet
dragon alone landed in front of the president, and nodded at him,
causing his hair to blow as if in a sudden strong breeze
"you may speak for the empire, little human, but you do not speak
for all humans, and you do not speak for the dragons"
after a considered pause, the president and his royal procession
silently retreated, and it seemed rather gladly understood among
the crowd that similar confrontations were occurring throughout
acaemia
elexa and mage walked together down the sandy beach
shores of candleshire, hand in hand, as he had seen
her walk with a newmet fae friend once, laughing
together about elexa's promise that they would
see each other again
things throughout acaemia had finally settled down,
even if it meant that for now elves fae and humans
were residing in their own lands, respectively -
simply because that's where everyone had wound up
humans as a whole were certainly not unfriendly
or even unappreciative of elves and fae, and magic,
and it was beginning to turn out the empire wasn't
really either - mayhaps they had just needed a new
election
"you know, we're really weird," elexa commented
"yeah, we are," mage laughingly agreed
"i don't know if we even belong in the same time
or.. world together..." she trailed off
"nothing makes sense," mage stepped in for her
"it doesn't make sense how we met, and it certainly
makes no sense that we're alright and having this
conversation now"
"i suppose you're right," she answered him
after a pause, mage continued
"even the way our abilities counteract with each other.."
she nodded, agreeingly
"it's like, as rare and strange and to some ways of thinking
even new as a half elven girl is... i.. want you in my life,
every bit as i want my own magic," he couldn't believe the
words that came out of his mouth, and turned shy as he
remembered that elexa could read his thoughts anyway
"mage.."
she looked him in the eye
mage saw looking back at him a girl who possessed a beautiful
timeless childlike innocense and wonder with the world that he
had always secretly wished he had gotten to experience more
growing up
even more so, he saw in her eyes the look of magic, beautiful
and sacred and bright, mirrored in his own
he thought about the day he had met the at first only silly and
whimsical young half elven girl who'd accompanied markos
and taiga to candleshire
"the world will always have elves, however rare," she resolvedly
stated "and fae, and magic, and dragons..."
"yes, the world needs those things, it can't very well make a
move to get rid of them without realizing what it's doing"
they walked together a little longer in silence
suddenly, elexa spoke
"what do you think.. the world has for us, mage?"
he was taken aback by her profound question as
she continued
"a half elven girl and a wizard.. we're not even elves, or
humans, or fae.. we don't belong," she almost seemed
to despair
"maybe we shouldn't be asking what the world has for a half
elven girl and wizard.." he answered her, to his pleasant
surprise wisely, "maybe we should be asking.. what the world
has.. for dreamers"
she suddenly turned to him, smiling, tearily, and all but
softly whispered, "i'll always have you"
then mage remembered that he could not read her thoughts the way
she could his, when she kissed him, a kiss that was neither elven
nor human nor even fae
it was simply magical
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