181 - “Disappointment” - Parith - A Tale of Heroes

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"I'm sorry to disappoint you." Parith hissed through his clenched teeth. "Let me go and I'll give you a good fight!"

The leader of the elf team laughed. His cloak was a dark brown, common for patrols in the autumn woods. It was heavy against the cold, but not long, so as to make it easier to move quietly through the trees. His hood was down across his back, revealing long brown hair. His breath misted in the chill morning air.

The elf nodded to Parith's captor, who quickly withdrew the sword and shoved hard into Parith’s back, throwing him to the ground. Before Parith could jump to his feet, tree roots sprouted up from the ground under the leaves and tangled around his arms and legs, pulling him flat to the forest floor.

Parith's eyes narrowed and he winced with the pain in his limbs. He shouted as loud as he could with his head turned to the side, "I call thee out and demand that thou shouldst explain this attack!" 

The commander raised his eyes in amused surprise to hear Parith make his challenge in full elvish. "Thou shalt not demand ought of me!” the leader replied, “You are all spies. Thou art, and thy companions, all!"

"Spies? Nay, we are travelers, journeying through Umbrawood, and I am their guide.”

The elf stepped to Parith and leaned over his head. “Tell me thy name,” he paused, then snarled, “good Sir Guide.”

“I am Parith, of Treehaven. These past three summers I have spent aiding caravans that ply the trade with the humans in Twynne Rivers.”

The commander stood and put his foot on Parith’s back, pressing him harder into the ground. 

“Humans? There was but one human among thy companions!”

They saw Korr! Where is he? Is he alive?

The commander continued, “And above this, thou dost consort with high elves! Two of them! Wilt thou deny this? Whither go ye? Not to our capitol, to be sure!”

What should I tell them? I want them to trust me, but I don’t want to reveal too much. Parith felt the boot lift off his torso and he sucked in air. “We go to Treehaven, for rest, then onward north to Emberfire.”

Parith heard the elf laughing. He told his soldiers to carry off Eddiwarth. They moved to pick him up. Finally, the leader spoke again, reverting to the common speech. “Well, you’re a fool, then. These liars have duped you. Don’t you know what is happening? Maybe you don’t. How long has it been since you’ve been through the forest? The high elves are mustering armies at the base of the Emberfire mountains, and they’re not allowing passage. Twynne Rivers is in chaos.” He began to step away, saying, “We’ll take these high elves to the militia at Treehaven, then on to Umbrawood City. They’ll have a lot to tell once they’re broken.”

He turned and shouted to the others, who followed him as he left.

“Wait! Wait!” Parith pleaded, “We’re all elves of the forest, here, aren’t we? We’re brothers! Don’t leave me here!”

“Hey! Come back!” Karendle shouted, “Let us go!”

Then for a moment the only sound was the wind in the branches. Karendle struggled again, shaking the tree’s limbs and grunting and shouting in pain and frustration.

Flames! Flaming burning flames! What’s going on? Parith struggled against the roots that held him, but they were firm. I’ve got to figure a way out of here. We’ve got to get to Eddiwarth. What happened to Thissraelle? And Korr?

“Karendle! Can you hear me?”

“Yes!” He couldn’t see her, but her voice sounded pained.

“Can you get to your oculi?”

“No!” She snapped. “I dropped the shaking stone when these creator-blighted trees grabbed me. It’s down there in the leaves somewhere. Do you have any good ideas?”

He took in a cold breath. “Yes. Yes, I did, but they involved you being able to use your stones.”

“Ow! Argh!” Through clenched teeth, she said, “Then they’re not very good ideas, are they?”

“Hey! I’m just trying to think—“ A flapping of wings and a fluttering of leaves interrupted Parith. He raised his head, straining his neck, to try and turn to look the other way and see what it was.

“Drakie!”

The small drake folded its wings and scurried through the leaves to Parith. It trilled and yapped, licking eagerly at his face. “Dra— Drakie, stop. Stop! Bite the roots. Drak— stop! Come on...” 

The drake stopped licking and jumped up onto Parith’s back. It walked up and down his ribs, sniffing and snorting. 

“Bite the roots, boy. Come on! Help me get loose!” Parith pleaded. The little dragon squawked and continued to step in circles on his master’s back. Finally, it settled down in a comfortable place, tucked his legs, rested his head, and curled his tail around himself. It breathed out a contented snort.

Stupid dragon.

Flaming stupid elves. 

The End of Part 13

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
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