Dilmir whirled\naround, and saw the shining edge of a blade descending rapidly towards his\nhead. He frantically brought his sword up to meet it, but at the last moment,\nthe blade twisted, as if alive, and snaked under his guard. In another instant,\nhe felt the cold metal reach his neck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two\ncombatants broke apart. Dilmir took a few staggering steps backwards, his\nbreathing fast. His opponent, a tall elf with a strong build, waited for him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two elves stood\nupon a small grassy plateau. Large boulders, dark gray and moss-covered, scattered\nbehind them, their rough shapes forming the horizon. On Dilmir\u2019s left, the\nplateau dropped away suddenly, revealing an incredible view of the Great\nForest, far below. On his right, a building rose, formed of columns and flowing\ntrees. Beyond the building, the mountain on which they stood continued upwards,\nits jagged peak stretching to pierce the sky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The air was\nclear and fresh, and the sun sent its rays down from overhead. The calls of\nbirds drifted upwards from the trees below, lending the place a set apart, yet\nbeautiful setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The part of the\nbuilding closest to Dilmir was a balcony, fanning out onto the grass in a half\ncircle. It was ringed by columns, and five steps flowed around its base, the\nfinal one slipping smoothly into the ground. Upon this balcony, his dark cloak\ndiscarded, stood Eltuthar, carefully observing the two elves before him. As\nthey broke apart, he descended the steps, and approached Dilmir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the full\nsun shining on his face, he didn\u2019t look quite as old and frail as he had in the\nforest. His hair was steel gray, no hint of white or his former black in it,\nand his face was creased with many lines, but his eyes sparkled with new life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDilmir,\u201d he\nsaid, coming to a halt before him, \u201cI see that you are better than most elves\nyour age. However, you need to learn to use all that you possess, and to use it\nto the full.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir nodded,\nstill out of breath. Eltuthar\u2019s followers, the Eth Aniliim, or the Dark Elves\nas the inhabitants of Eld\u2019rin called them, had proved to be far more adept at\nthe blade than he had thought. Eltuthar had trained them well, and dueling one\nof them was not proving easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know how to\nblock a sword,\u201d continued Eltuthar, offering Dilmir a hand and helping him to\nstand, \u201cno matter which way it turns, and you have the speed to do so. At the\nsame time, you also have the knowledge to get past your opponent\u2019s defenses,\nand the agility to carry it out. Put these things together, and you will become\na swordsman none can defeat.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir nodded\nagain, facing his opponent. \u201cHe\u2019s too fast,\u201d he said, so that only Eltuthar\ncould hear. \u201cI can\u2019t get away from his blade fast enough.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar smiled\nin a peculiar way that only he could. \u201cI heard tell that you have had to deal\nwith quick opponents before though. Overcome him the same way you did them.\u201d He\nwithdrew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir frowned\nat his blade. It was true; he had faced a quick opponent many times before: Her\nname was Ilrin. He swallowed and tried to clear his mind. Thinking about Ilrin\nwas painful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked up at\nhis opponent, who was drawing small circles in the air with the tip of his\nsword, waiting for him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReady?\u201d Felnir\nasked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir nodded,\nstill unable to keep Ilrin from his thoughts. He would have never guessed that\nhe would be the next person to duel Felnir after she had. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Felnir planted\nhis feet, his unwavering gaze latching onto Dilmir\u2019s posture. Dilmir quickly\nassumed a defensive stance, and forced himself to watch Felnir\u2019s blade. The\nshining edge of metal glinted in the morning sun, sending reflected beams\ndancing off of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the suddenness\nof a bolt of lightning, Felnir leapt forward, his blade held at his side, ready\nto either strike or block at a moment\u2019s notice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir waited\nuntil the precise moment, and then rolled to his right. Felnir twisted in\nmidair, trying to catch him with his sword, but his momentum carried him past.\nHe landed solidly on his feet a few yards away, and settled into another\ndefensive stance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir circled\nabout him warily, so that their positions were switched. It unnerved him how\nagile and controlled all of Felnir\u2019s movements were. No matter how high he\njumped, or which way he twisted, he always landed on his feet. His blade seemed\nto know where Dilmir was at any given moment, and seek out his unprotected points.\nHowever, Felnir was not Ilrin. His strength lay in offense, not defense. If\nDilmir brought the attack to him, he could likely win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another\nmoment, Felnir dropped to the ground and rolled towards him with uncanny speed.\nDilmir leapt over his revolving form, deflecting the blade that snaked up\ntowards him, and landed behind him. Or, at least he tried to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He landed\nheavily on one foot, and lost his balance. Felnir whirled around, intending to\nstrike him down, but Dilmir, taking advantage of his unbalance, dropped to the\nground and rolled away. Felnir leapt after him, blade poised, but Dilmir, in an\ninstant, jumped to his feet and deflected the blow. Felnir, however, was a\nmaster of dueling at close quarters, and whipped his sword about, pushing Dilmir\u2019s\naway from him, and then finding his neck with a glint of steel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar stepped\nforward. \u201cYou did a little better that time, Dilmir,\u201d he said, \u201cbut you still\nhave much to learn. I think that\u2019s enough for now, however.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Felnir nodded\nand withdrew his blade, slipping it into the black leather sheath on his back.\nAll of the Eth Aniliim carried two swords, instead of the one of the council\u2019s\narmy. Their swords were slightly shorter, but had much longer handles, all of\nthem crafted from wood. Dilmir couldn\u2019t see what use this could be, but\nEltuthar had promised to tell him soon enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Felnir\nascended the steps to the balcony and entered the building, Dilmir, his breathing\nstill heavy, walked towards a bench and leaned against it. Eltuthar had wanted\nto see his skill with the blade, but the test had left him exhausted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The seat flowed\nout from the wall of the building, a shallow pool of water between it and the\nwood. A stream of water fell into the pool from overhead, filling the air with\nits pleasant splashing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir sat, and,\nafter a moment, Eltuthar came to the bench and sat down as well. For a space\nthey remained there, watching the view and listening to the pool. Then Eltuthar\nturned and asked, \u201cHow much have you heard of me, Dilmir?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir took his time\nin replying. Eltuthar lived so high up on the mountain that the air was\nconsiderably thinner. Dilmir, who was not used to such conditions, was still\nbreathing with difficulty after the duel. \u201cNot much,\u201d he finally said after a\nmoment. \u201cI heard of you from my father, of course, and I read of your deeds\nwhen I first came to Eld\u2019rin.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar nodded.\n\u201cI fear very few elves have heard my side of the tale. The others would have\nyou believe that I was a power-obsessed sorcerer who tried to overthrow the king,\nbut that is only because they dare not reveal my true intentions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir looked\nup, intrigued. Eltuthar had always been a shadowy figure haunting his past,\neven if he was the head of his line. What Dilmir had learned of him had been part\ntruth, part rumor, and part fear, but very rarely solid fact. Eltuthar sat back,\nclosed his eyes, and spoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started out\nlike you,\u201d he said. \u201cI was eager to learn the ways of the elves at Eld\u2019rin.\nUnfortunately, fate had other plans for me. Soon after arriving, I began to\nrealize that I could use magic differently from the other elves. I could do\nmore with it, control it better, force it to do my will when the others could\nmerely influence it. By the time they began training me in its ways, I had\nalready figured most of its nature out for myself. I spent my free time\nexploring it further. By the time I was your age, I had gone further in the\nfield of magic than even Sonlen, who was, as you know, alive at that time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar paused,\nopening his eyes to gaze out over the cliff towards the Great Forest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then,\u201d he\nsaid slowly, continuing, \u201cI tried to show what I had discovered to my friends.\nThat was, I fear, a mistake. Most of the elves were interested, but when one of\nthem tried to copy me, he got severely injured. I healed him easily of course,\nbut that incident made clear to me that I was the only one that could wield\nthis power. The elf\u2019s interest was not dampened in the slightest, but the\ncouncil, which had already been disturbed by my excessive use of spells, took\nthe opportunity to get me out of the city. They banished me without a second\nthought. I couldn\u2019t allow this to get in the way of what I had discovered,\nhowever. I had sensed the true potential of magic, and I vowed never to rest\nuntil I had found a way to let the other elves feel it as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI came here,\u201d\nhe said, gesturing about him, \u201cand built Arath Imil, My Sanctuary. As they\ncompleted their training, the elves that I had shown my knowledge to came here\nas well. Or, at least most of them did. Alfimir, who had at first shown\ninterest in my ways, took the side of the council, and, knowing what I wanted\nto do, swore to stop me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d\ninterrupted Dilmir. \u201cAll you wanted to do was show the elves their true\npotential.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my eyes,\nyes,\u201d said Eltuthar. \u201cBut to the council, I was power-hungry, and sought only\nto overthrow the king. At least that was their excuse. All they saw was that I\nwas gathering followers, followers which were more loyal to me than to them. They\nstated that my knowledge of power, if spread, would only inspire wars and\nmisery. Unfortunately, they were right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar paused\nagain, and gazed for a long time over the cliff, in the direction that Dilmir\nknew Eld\u2019rin lay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t\nstop, however,\u201d he said. \u201cI had no intention of overthrowing the king or the\ncouncil, I only sought to show the elves what they could do. With those that\njoined me, I probed deeper into the ways of magic, looking, searching for the\nclue that I knew must be there. I found many things, most of which, doubtless,\nSonlen or anyone else had never dreamed of, but I didn\u2019t find what I was\nseeking. Nothing that I discovered would allow the other elves to wield the\npower that I had found. Unfortunately, those that had come with me had not been\nbanished as well, and were still free to return to Eld\u2019rin whenever they\npleased. When they went, as they did from time to time, the other elves saw\ntheir use of power and become interested. I gained even more followers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought they\ncouldn\u2019t use your power, though,\u201d objected Dilmir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d said\nEltuthar, \u201cbut I had discovered the true nature of enchantments in my search, a\nknowledge which enabled me to give them abilities far beyond any other elf.\nThey still couldn\u2019t use my magic, but they were more powerful than any normal\nelf \u2013 though Sonlen could have easily beaten any one of them had he had a mind\nto. It was this power, this affinity to magic, that the others found appealing.\nThey were soon flocking to my little sanctuary by the droves. Unfortunately,\nmost of them were very young, some younger than you are now, and their parents,\nwho were content with what they had, were displeased that my ways had driven\ntheir sons and daughters from their training. They complained to the council,\nand the council, in turn, ordered me to stop my teachings. Having banished me,\nthey had no power over me, and even if they had, I would not have stopped my\nresearch. Nonetheless, I explained the situation to my new followers, and told\nthem to go back; that when their training was complete, then they would be free\nto study the ways of magic. Most of them took my advice, though reluctantly,\nbut a few stayed despite what I had said. And then, I had a breakthrough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know,\nDilmir,\u201d said Eltuthar, turning to him, \u201chow one can only enchant that which\nlives, how magic can only be woven into living things?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir nodded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI found that\nmagic has affinity to one other thing: Energy. I could enchant energy, and that\nmeant I could place magic anywhere on Feylund. The sudden restrictions that so hampered\nthe elves dissolved before my eyes. Distracted, for once, from my search, I\nbegan to experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar closed\nhis eyes and leaned his head back. \u201cI remember,\u201d he said, his voice distant,\n\u201cthe first time I tried it. I had just discovered the truth; it was still dark.\nI stood here, at the very edge of this cliff, and bent the world to my will.\nRain fell at my slightest touch, thunder echoed through the heavens at my word,\nand clouds grew and dispersed as I motioned them to do so. I could feel, finally,\nthe magic of all Feylund at my call. The other elves, of course, could learn\nthis, as it was merely a principle which had never been discovered before. I\nmade plans to show them my findings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf only,\u201d\nEltuthar said, the radiance of his recollection leaving his face, \u201cIf only I\nhad stopped then, and returned to my search. If only I had not gotten carried\naway.\u201d There was a moment of silence as he reflected on the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI did,\nhowever,\u201d he said after a moment, resuming his tale. \u201cI was so absorbed in my\ndiscovery that I rushed to show the others what was possible. Not able to enter\nEld\u2019rin myself, I sent my followers to spread the word. Almost instantly, all\nof my old pupils came flooding back, eager to learn what I had discovered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was too much\nfor the council. They could not tolerate the fact that I could drain Eld\u2019rin of\na quarter of its population at a moment\u2019s notice, and the fact that I was\nshowing them how to wield greater power than they could was the final straw.\nThey sent Sonlen to end my teachings, by force if necessary. I explained to him\nwhat I was trying to do. He seemed to understand my motives, but he remained\nfirmly on the side of the council just the same. He ordered the elves to return\nto Eld\u2019rin, and he ordered me to stop teaching them. He reasoned that if what I\ndid had repercussions on the inhabitants of Eld\u2019rin, the council could still\nissue me commands, even though I was banished. Preposterous, of course. They\nhad absolved me from their laws quite easily, and I had very little reason to\nobey them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf my followers\nhad left, everything might have worked out even then. I would have continued my\nstudies, and the elves would have been content. Unfortunately, several of them,\na good number, actually, doubtless inspired by their new power, defied Sonlen\nand the council, and remained. Even I told them go, but still, they stayed. And\nthen something that I had not foreseen happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose that had\nreturned began using their newfound power. Their use of it frightened the\ncouncil. They were sure now that I was training an army in some form of dark\nmagic to take over Eld\u2019rin. That is when they started calling us Dark Elves. I didn\u2019t\nmind, I would have resumed my research, but my pupils were less than pleased\nabout the separation the others were treating them with. Treated as some sort\nof traitors, they began, slowly at first, and then more quickly, to come back to\nme, where they could perfect their skill. I had asked them to leave enough\ntimes, I couldn\u2019t ask them again. The council sent me a message, warning me\nthat if I did not cease my practices and disperse my followers, they would do\nit for me. I sent back a message equally as absolute, saying that they had no\nright to meddle in my affairs, and to leave me alone. I had grown tired of orders,\nnone of which I had to follow, as I wasn\u2019t under their rule any longer. I\nsuppose I should have done what I had already done twice, and sent my followers\nback, but that message was too much. Shortly afterwards, I received word that\nthe elves were training, preparing an army, readying themselves to force me to\nstop, and to summon their fellow elves back to Eld\u2019rin. I had no choice. My\nfollowers began to arm themselves. I watched as the one thing the council had\nsaid my discoveries would do happened before my eyes. Almost overnight, I had\ngained an army nearly a thousand strong, more powerful than any on Feylund.\nThey made me their general, and I, unwilling but unable to deny them, complied.\nWhen Sonlen came to meet us at the head of the council\u2019s army, Alfimir on his\nright, I met him. I pleaded with him to stop this senselessness, that I was\nonly trying to help the elves, not rule them, but he, though he seemed once\nagain to understand, would not hear me. Unable to convince him, we returned to\nour armies to do battle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe rest you\nknow,\u201d said Eltuthar, standing. \u201cWe battled, our two armies, and far too much\nelven blood was spilt that day. The field where we met was dyed crimson for\nweeks after that confrontation. Sonlen and I met in the middle of the field,\nand one of the greatest duels that Feylund has yet witnessed took place. In the\nend, though, he defeated me. He possessed some strange form of magic that I had\nnot discovered, and with it, cast a foul curse upon me, draining me of all my\npower. I could still, and still can, influence the magic about me, but my own\nis gone. I can store magic, a thing I will soon show you, but to use it causes\nme great pain, as you saw in the forest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnless I am\nmuch mistaken, Dilmir,\u201d said Eltuthar, looking at him, \u201cyou possess the same\npower that I once did. You are, indeed, me all over again.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eltuthar paused,\nconsidering Dilmir. \u201cI only hope,\u201d he said, half to himself, \u201cyour tale does\nnot end as did mine.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dilmir whirled around, and saw the shining edge of a blade descending rapidly towards his head. He frantically brought his sword up to meet it, but at the last moment, the blade twisted, as if alive, and snaked under his guard. In another instant, he felt the cold metal reach his neck. The two combatants … Continue reading Chapter Seventeen – A Familiar Tale<\/span>