Dragon Sword (The Dragon Lord’s Bride #2)

Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Another cloaked figure stood over the one atop the pedestal. The person had their hood pulled back and revealed themselves to be an aged elf much older than even Alisa. She held her withered hands over the prone body and a soft green light emanated from her palms. I could make out a few words that passed over my lips.

“Oh dearest ancestor, hear our prayers. Remove the blight which afflicts our brother and cleanse these woods of the evil which now infests it.”

She lifted her hands and magic flowed out of her palms in huge, bursting waves. The soldiers, too, held up a hand toward the platform and magic flowed out of them and into the covered body. The receiver twitched as the magic flowed into them. The figure strained against the straps before they began to flail about. Their muscles and bones strained under the pressure of their own wild movements as a dark shadow flowed out of their body. The darkness pushed against the green light and the two magics sparred for a brief moment before the shadows burst outward. A gust of wind came out with the darkness and blasted all the elves backward. The older woman was thrown into the front of the stone while the troops were tossed to the ground.

The blast had blown off the person’s cloak and I covered my mouth to stifle a gasp. The figure was a male elf or had been. Like the beasts in the dungeon, his body was covered in black patches. His face was contorted into a hideous grimace and much of his long hair had fallen out in clumps. The shadow sunk back into his body and the patches pulsed with magic for a moment before the light faded.

Terve had been thrown to the earth but he quickly recovered and rushed onto the platform. He passed the pedestal and knelt beside the old woman. She had been knocked unconscious but revived when he set a glowing hand on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and she shifted only to grimace.

“Careful,” Terve whispered as he helped her lean forward.

She waved away his caring hands and scowled at the pedestal. “It was no use. Our ancestor will not hear us. There is aught to do but to give him peace.”

Terve’s face fell and his eyes revealed his fear. “But surely there must be-”

“Another way?” she snapped as she scowled at him. She struggled to her feet and Terve tried to help her, but she swatted his hands away. The woman shuffled over to the pedestal and set her palms on the stone where she examined the corrupted elf. “The wild beasts hunt any of us who stray into the forest. The water in the vali grows ever more brackish. Now our ancestor has abandoned us.” She half-turned to Terve and gestured down at the elf. “Would you have him wait longer in such agony only for us to realize there is no other option for him?”

Terve pursed his lips but drew out his short sword. The others in the company stepped forward and opened their mouths to protest but he held up his hand and silenced them. Terve stood over the black elf and raised his sword to slice off his comrade’s head.

“Stop!”

The shout echoed all around the clearing. Will looked down at me and I expected to find him mad, but there was a bemused smile on his face.

The soldiers had a different reaction. They drew out their swords or grasped their spears in both hands as all of them spun around searching for the source of my voice. Will grasped my hand and led me out into the open path. A cry came from the rear soldiers and in a few seconds, we were completely surrounded. I stiffened as the pointed ends of the spears were shoved at our faces.

Will, on the other hand, appeared very nonchalant as Terve marched up to him with the old woman shuffling along behind him. “What are you doing here?” he snapped at us as he gave us a sharp look.

Will used a hand to gesture to the woods. “We were merely enjoying the beauty of the elven forest when we happened upon your lights.”

The old woman came to stand beside the general and scoffed. “More as like it you were intruding on our ways, Lord Thorn. This would not be the first time you have done so.”

Will bowed his head to the old woman. “A warm greetings to you, as well, Lady Akka I am glad to see there is still life in you.”

She curled her lips back in a sneer. “Enough life to extinguish yours.”

He grinned. “You have improved your words. They are sharper than I remember.”

One of her hands glowed green and she took a threatening step toward him. “Allow me to remind you of what I can do, as well.”

Terve stepped into her path and shot her a sharp look. “That is enough.” He returned his attention to Will and me. “What are you doing here, Lord Thorn?”

“Trying to find the answers that the king and you refused to give to us,” Will replied.

Terve narrowed his eyes at my husband. “You were told to refrain from looking into this matter.”

“We can hardly escape it,” Will mused as he swept his eyes over the woods. “After all, should we leave the city what guarantee could the king give us that we could safely travel out of the woods?”

“I would give you my guards,” the general offered.

Will nodded at the man on the pedestal. “Is he one of your guards?”

Terve stiffened slightly and he tightened his grip on his sword hilt. He lifted his chin but kept eye contact with Will. “He is.”

“Then you can’t kill him!” I spoke up as I stabbed a finger at the marred elf.

Terve’s stern gaze settled on me and my courage was slightly cowed. “Do you even know what is wrong with him?”

“We would if your high would have told us,” Will interjected. “As things stand, my wife here only sees you murdering one of your own because you lacked the magic to cleanse whatever ails him.”

The general stiffened his jaw and there was ire in his eyes. However, he stepped to one side and swept his arm toward the pedestal. “Would you care for a try?”

“General!” Lady Akka snapped as she glared up at him. “You cannot allow outsiders onto the platform of reverence! He has disobeyed enough of our rules by coming into this circle!”

Terve settled his nonchalant expression on her. “What is the point of the rules if we all succumb to this sickness?”

Lady Akka pursed her lips. “His Highness will hear about this.”

“Then I will hold myself completely responsible for my actions,” the general answered before he looked back to Will and nodded at his fallen man. “Go and see for yourself the power of our foe.” A slight gesture from the general and his soldiers drew back their weapons.

Will grasped my hand and guided me through the men as they parted, creating an aisle down which we traveled to the platform. We stepped onto the stone and I felt something awry in the air around it. I felt heavy and sluggish, as if a heavy wet blanket now covered me. The air, too, was chillier and I instinctively scooted closer to Will as he led me up to the pedestal.

We stopped before the raised bed and my stomach churned at the sight of the black spots. Every black patch was a mess of rotten flesh. Boils had sprouted over the putrid skin and some of them had popped, creating a ghastly explosion of brackish goo that dotted the man’s skin like pox. A stench of death hung over him and his face was a picture of pain.

I looked up at Will whose own face revealed his subdued disgust. “It’s just like the animals, isn’t it?”

He didn’t look away from the horror but nodded. “It is.”

Terve joined us and looked with a mixture of pity and grim determination upon his man. “You are correct. He suffers from the same affliction as the animals you fought.”

“How did this happen?” Will questioned him.

“Do not answer him!” Lady Akka protested as she scurried over to the other side of the pedestal. She wagged a gnarled finger at the general. “You have spoken too much already!”

“Then I have little to lose from speaking further,” Terve countered before he returned his focus to us. “He fought by my side against one of the fiends we managed to capture, but he was bitten on the arm by the thing. The wound festered and spread throughout his body until we were forced to hide him beneath the palace.”

My eyes widened. “The one in the door that didn’t open!”

He nodded. “Just the same. He had enough sentience not to join the beasts but there is hardly more than that left of him.”

Will grasped one of his eyelids and lifted the flap of skin. The eyeball was mostly black with only a hint of brown around the edges. He closed the eyelid and turned his attention to the lady of the grouch. “So you have given up on this man?”

She scowled at him. “You witnessed our efforts yourself. There is nothing more we can do for him.”

“What about finding the reason for his disease and eliminating that?” Will challenged her as he looked between the old elf and Terve. “Surely you have some idea what’s causing this mess.”

Terve shook his head. “None whatsoever, though my scouts did find a trail of some kind leading into the woods a few weeks ago.”

“And when did the problems with the animals arise?” Will asked him.

“Six months ago, though the problem has been growing worse over the last month,” Terve told him.

“Is there nothing you will not tell this interloper?” Lady Akka snapped.

The sharp look she gave her quelled some of her attitude. “What choice do we have? Your method is for me to kill every elf who becomes infected. If the creatures overwhelm the city and bite the citizens then our city will be destroyed by your method alone.”

“I have heard enough!” she snapped back as she balled her hands into fists at her sides. “I am informing His Highness of your treachery immediately!”

She stalked around us and down the aisle. A few of the soldiers moved to intercept her but Terve shook his head. They reluctantly stepped aside and Lady Akka was allowed to disappear down the forest path.

She left unease in her wake among both the troops and myself.