Monday, January 13, 2020

189 - “More Pieces in Place” - Thissraelle - A Tale of Heroes

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Korr rolled the man over as Thissraelle and Parith hurried to his side. She kneeled next to him and helped turn the elf’s head with his shoulders. The leaves that had been pressed under his chest were wet with blood. His dark cloak was also soaked through. His breathing was shallow and gurgling and his eyelids were weak. His eyes met Thissraelle’s in a brief moment of recognition, then closed them with a sigh. He coughed, then sucked in more air as he looked away.

“He’s hurt bad!” Thissraelle whispered, raising her hands over him and closing her eyes. She cleared her mind and felt the familiar swelling of will in her heart and hands.

“You’re healing him?” Parith’s voice jolted her. “You realize that this flamed tree-slug led the band that attacked us. He’s the reason we’re in this mess.”

Thissraelle looked down at the wounded man’s pained face. That’s true. He hates high elves like me, like Eddiwarth. He tried to take us, and would have gladly killed us. He tried to hurt my friends. She remembered only a few short months ago, when Granthurg, her huge giant friend, had lifted another wounded man up into the back of a cart. That man had attacked them and tried to kill him. Then, later, when they had arrived at the abbey, Granthurg had asked her to heal that man, too.

“Yes.” She raised her hands and roused her will again. “Yes, I am.”

The power swelled up inside her more quickly this time, rushing into her heart and through her hands. She felt the shimmer of energy in her fingertips. She set them onto the elf’s chest and her light flowed into him. His eyes flipped open and his arms and legs shook with renewed life. He coughed again, with more force than before, then rolled back to the ground, hacking and gasping for breath as his lungs cleared. The glow around the two of them faded and Thisraelle sat back on her heels feelling a warm tiredness in her arms.

Parith stared at the man as if confused, and finally stepped away. Thissraelle put her hand on Korr’s shoulder. “Stay with him, please. He was almost dead.” She pulled herself up with support from Korr’s shoulder then walked toward Karendle to continue searching the scene. Her eyes met Illariel’s. The young elf girl’s brows were up with an expression of surprise and a bit of amazement.

“So, he... And you healed...? But he’s a wood elf...” the girl stammered.

Thissraelle nodded, her arms feeling heavy. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah,” Illariel mumbled.

Karendle stepped up and nudged Illariel’s shoulder. “Don’t be so surprised. She’s kinda like that. Just don’t get her mad.”

Thissraelle smiled with one corner of her lips. “Did you find Eddiwarth?”

“No, but there is something you’ll want to see. Come here.”

She led Thissraelle and Illariel past a few trees to another small grouping of bodies. One of them, that Karendle had obviously turned face up, was human, not elven at all. He wore a dark brown cloak. His shirt was red with his blood, and a wooden-handled dagger still protruded from one side of his chest. Karendle explained, “You might not recognize him, but he was the partner of Illitharin, the one who hired me to get you, the one we connected with that night with the oculus.”

“They were the ones riding along the path in the forest.”

“Yeah.”

“That means they were planning to meet up with this patrol.”

“Yeah.”

“Which is why they didn’t attack us yesterday.”

Karendle just nodded, hands on her hips.

What’s going on? They’re coming after me. Why do they want me? Why am I so important? 

And where’s Eddiwarth? A big part of her was glad they hadn’t found him. That, at least, meant he might still be alive. She looked around at the bodies by her feet, letting the snowflakes blow past her face like the thoughts drifting through her head.

“This is bigger than just wood elves and high elves. There’s something going on somewhere that we’re not seeing.” She pointed to the carnage below. “This fight was recent. Most of the blood isn’t even dried. That means they’re still near. Come on, let’s get some answers.”

Thissraelle strode back to Korr and the elven commander, calling out for Parith to join them. The elf was sitting, wrapped in a blanket that Korr had handed him. The elf’s head was down, his hair tangled, but his breathing was steady. “Who are you?” she demanded.

He took in a breath, coughed, then said, “I am Rannlethin, from village of Oakenridge, to the south.” He didn’t look up.

“Go on,” Thissraelle continued. “Why did you attack us?”

“There are guards and patrols of your people gathering in the foothills of the mountains, on the edge of the forest. Messenger birds told us you were travelling through on the trade roads, so we had been following you for several days. Then, the head of the garrison at Treehaven sent to us to bring you in, captive. You, and the other high elf.”

“It didn’t occur to you,” Parith hissed, “to actually just, maybe, talk to us and ask us what we were doing?”

The man glanced up, shrugged, and looked back down. He shifted his shoulder under the blanket.

“Maybe if we were spies,” Parith continued, “we would have been a lot stealthier than just walking up the main trade roads, sleeping in waystops?”

“Then you were attacked by the high elves.” Thissraelle cut in.

The elf took another deep breath. “Yes. We were overwhelmed. I went down early in the fight. Their spears were empowered somehow. Probably with striking magic. When I was hit, it sent a shock through my whole body, and knocked me cold. When I came to, the battle was lost, and I was bleeding out. Then, you found us, and... Well...” He paused, “I thought they were trying to rescue you and your friend. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“The other elf. Did they take him?”

“I guess so. I was out.”

“How many of them were there?”

“When they first attacked, I saw about a dozen. I may be wrong, but there weren’t many more than that.”

Thissraelle stood up. “How many high elf bodies are here? No more than four or five, right? That means there’s still quite a few. And if their weapons are empowered, it may be a tough fight. I’ve used a lot of my will today, so I will only be a little help, magically.”

Parith nodded. Thissraelle turned to Illariel, “Can you ask the forest to find them?”

“Right away!” Illariel jumped up eagerly and moved toward a tree.

Korr stood, and noted, “If we can approach them quietly, the element of surprise may help us overcome them.”

The elf commander stood with a rustling of fallen leaves and volunteered, “I can contact the garrison at Treehaven to bring hunters. That will even the fight.”

Parith interjected, “That will take time, though.”

“Do it anyway,” Thissraelle said. “We don’t need to fight them all. We just need to get Eddiwarth out. If, in the process, we weaken them, then the wood elves will have that much easier of a task defending their woods.”

The elf stepped over to a fallen enemy and picked up his spear. “May I help you?”

Thissraelle smiled. “Of course!”

“Um, ah...,” Karendle gestured with her finger, “I may have an idea...”



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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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