Several hours had passed since the party had headed for the Gob’Ran, and despite the almost jovial attitude of the others, Will could not shake the feeling that something was incredibly wrong, and it must have shown on his face.
“What’s wrong, Will?” Ilicia asked. Got’Ro and Yilan looked back as well.
“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling, and it's been with me since we left the castle.” Will explained.
Yilan and Got’Ro looked at each other and then began speaking to the Drethi captain, who rushed off to give orders to the others. Yilan asked Will a question. “Is there a direction to it?”
“When we left the kingdom, it was ahead of us, but now I feel like there is something bad all around. I think…” Will stopped speaking as he moved inhumanly fast, snatching a knife from the air just inches from Ilicia’s face.
“Gob’Ran! Dem cheq Nok!” Got’Ro bellowed out, and more than thirty Drethi suddenly disengaged their innate invisibility surprising Ilicia with their numbers. The Drethi were encircling Will, Ilicia, Yilan, and Got’Ro.
“What? Why did they try to kill me?” Ilicia said, somewhat in shock with everything going on.
“Look.” Got’Ro said, a tone of rage in his voice. “The filthy bastards.”
“What are they?” Ilicia asked, taking note of the humans covered in strange bones.
“They are hunters.” Will said. “They typically come from the east to hunt either bounties or magical beasts.”
“But these are a special kind of hunter. They call themselves elfslayers.” Yilan said with a sad note in her voice. “They believe that humans are the rightful rulers of the world and that elves of any kind are simply a poor mockery of humans. The armor that they wear is of elves that they have killed. This particular group hunts Gilsheribrum. We have dealt with them before. They know that I am the last, so they do not give up.”
Ilicia looked closer at the humans and realized the bones that they were wearing were composed of the same crystalline stuff that Yilan’s nails had looked to be made of. Will spoke then. “Ye-wa, please look after Ilicia for a moment.”
Yilan nodded as one of the only female Drethi in the group quietly set out two chairs and began to pour water into a cup for both Ilicia and Yilan. Ilicia took a seat and looked around in confusion. “Yilan, I am sorry, but I am confused. Aren’t you going to help them?”
“No, as a matter of fact, if I were to help them, it would be more of a hindrance than a help.” Yilan said as she and Ilicia watched Got’Ro begin chanting. Suddenly he and Will both seemed to flush a bright red across all their exposed skin.
“Orcish blood rage?” Ilicia said with slight fear in her tone.
“Yes, it is a strange thing to see, isn’t it, a human with that tint.” Yilan said with a smile. “But long story short, if you treat the bones of one of my people in a special way, they become shields against magic, taking all magic cast at them and absorbing it in a way that anyone with magical talent can tap into the magic and cast it right back at them. On the other hand, bones with the right runes can be used to great effect in a wide variety of ways.”
Ilicia wanted to ask more questions, but she was too engrossed in watching the enraged Will and Got’Ro charge at the group of seven humans covered in bones. As she watched, Will leaped forward the last ten feet and grabbed the face of two of the hunters and then slammed them downwards with sickening cracks.
To Will's left, Got’Ro had pulled up short and was engaging three of the humans at once and quite effectively driving them back. The two remaining hunters had stepped away from Will and raised their hands, chanting.
The air seemed to pulse violently around Will, and while it did no damage to him, it did prevent him from moving. Will noticed something and smiled, pointing to the air behind the two. They laughed and ignored him until the first one died, and the Drethi Captain dropped his invisibility.
Will grabbed the remaining caster and quickly incapacitated him with a chokehold. Sir Balefor spoke then for the first time since leaving the castle. “The Gob’Ran is scary, it's bad enough that I don’t think I could do anything to stop Will if I needed to, but these Drethi are sneaky. I thought you only brought 10 of them.”
Yilan looked up to where Sir Balefor was standing back to the left of the princess. “We did, these others waited outside the castle and the city, so don’t feel too bad. I am sure that if you want, we can find an Ogdeshi for you to train under. You could stay at the Gob’Ran while Will and Ilicia do what they must to fulfill the obligations that they have. That would give you plenty of time to pick up some new skills.”
“I thank you for the invitation.” Sir Balefor said, eyes widening; few if any, ever trained with the Gob’Ran Ogdeshi without taking some form of a magical vow of fealty to the Gob’Ran. “But I don’t think that I should abandon my duties….”
Sir Balefor was interrupted by Ilicia, who spoke up after a meaningful look from Yilan. “Nonsense, as you know, Will is the primary person responsible for me. You could serve my father better by learning as much as you can to take it back to the kingdom. You would make it worth his while, wouldn’t you, Yilan?” Ilicia said with a look that was a mix of hopeful and scared, as she was wondering how Yilan could have such a relaxed conversation while her husband and grandson fought.
“Oh, of course.” Yilan said, turning to speak with Sir Balefor, but Ilicia ignored the conversation turning her attention back to the finish of the fight that was happening.
Out where Ilicia was looking, Will, Got’Ro, and the Drethi captain had each taken one of the melee fighters that had initially engaged Got’Ro. The Drethi captain killed his opponent quickly with the slash of a sword across the throat. Will’s opponent succumbed as well under the frighteningly rapid assault of blows that poured forth from Will.
Got’Ro subdued his opponent without killing them. Got’Ro waved his hand and said something. Ilicia could only guess that it dispelled the spell that was invoking battle rage as Will’s flesh faded back to its normal pinkish hue.
Will and the Drethi captain quickly and efficiently stripped the bones, weapons, and equipment from the bodies of the hunters, tossing the bodies in a pile that Yilan set ablaze with a wave of her hand. The final hunter, the only survivor, watched in horror as all this happened.
“Ho…How?” The hunter stammered, looking from Will to Yilan and then Got’Ro.
“He still does not inform you lot what it is that you are hunting.” Yilan said to the hunter.
“Who would tell us? And what do you mean what we are hunting.” the hunter stammered out.
“The man who started the Elfslayers, the one who trains you all and shows you how to fashion the bones of my dead brethren into these misguided things. I believe that you call him father, master, or something equally deluded.” The tone of Yilan’s voice spoke to a deep hatred of this person.
“You know of Father?” The hunter said.
“HA!” Yilan said, “Know of him? I trained him. I showed him the ways to fashion bones into something more. He hates elves because he hates that he has learned so much from us. He hates me in particular because he realized that he was inferior.”
“You lie, filthy elf!” The hunter snarled.
“Watch your tongue, or I will cut it from your head.” Got’Ro snarled with equal aggression.
“I lie. Yes, sometimes I do, and I wish that I had never shown that simpering man the things I did.” Yilan seemed to lose herself in thought for a moment before she turned back to the hunter. “If you are so confident, go, return to Father and ask him about me, tell him that Yilan of the Gob’Ran claimed to have taught him everything that he knows of magic. But I warn you, young man, he will kill you. If you have faith that I am wrong, by all means, go to him and declaim me to him. But if you think that I am right, well, I would take this opportunity to start life anew.”
As Yilan spoke, the Drethi holding the young man removed the bones he was wearing and took all his weapons. And then they dropped his arms, letting him turn and leave. “I am done with this trip. How far from the elf stones are we?” Yilan asked.
“Not far, ma’am.” The Drethi captain said and took a small bag that expanded and began filling it with the bones and equipment of the hunters before shrinking it back down and returning it to his pocket.
They traveled in silence for another hour despite the questions burning in Ilicia’s mind. Then they approached something that Ilicia had heard of, the Elfstones. What she had read of them and what others had said did very little to aptly describe the massive stones.
Each stone was roughly fifteen feet tall, two feet thick, and five feet wide. Each and every one of them was clearer than the finest glass. The scholars who had studied them believed the circles of stones to be places of worship for an ancient race. Ilicia counted the stones. There were forty-seven of the imposing monoliths in a nearly perfect circle. Inset into each of the stones was a small white circle ranging from less than a finger's width in diameter to almost a full foot in diameter. The ground inside the stones was hard-packed sand that was as black as midnight.
Will hesitated to step into the circle. “What’s wrong, Will?” Ilicia asked
“I just hate the reaction that happens when I enter the Elfstones.” Will said before ushering Ilicia to go with Got’Ro as Will and Yilan waited outside. After everyone else had entered the stones, Yilan entered, and the stones seemed to glow. The sand inside the stones seemed to pull towards Yilan, but she walked normally.
When Will entered the stones, the illusion was stripped away from himself, as well as Yilan. Any other magic was canceled. Where there had been about twenty Drethi, every single one who was still invisible was suddenly visible. The stones all seemed to be trying to shift themselves towards Will.
As Ilicia watched, Will spoke to her. “This is going to be scary, but just breathe, and you will be fine.”
“What will be scary.” Ilicia asked, walking with Will towards a clear stone in the center that she had not noticed before. As soon as Will set foot on the stone, the black sand rose around the legs of every person present, the horses, wheels of carts, everything. Ilicia suppressed a frightening sound.
“Now, the scary part.” Will said, more to everyone around him than Ilicia. Will clapped his hands in front of him, and a sound that Ilicia could only describe as the hammer of the gods striking the earth echoed through the air.
Ilicia looked for Will and saw him slowly sinking into the sand, and slowly she started to sink as well. Will locked eyes with her as he got to his shoulders. “Remember. Breathe.” Will said just as his mouth and head disappeared.
Ilicia struggled not to panic as the sand rose. First to her waist, then her chest, and just as the sane covered her mouth, Ilicia shut her eyes and felt tears run down her face as she slipped into darkness.
