\u201cYou can\u2019t come\nwith me, Dilmir,\u201d said Eltuthar, leaning across the table to look at him. \u201cI\nwill find a place to hide while Alfimir searches for me, but you must stay\nhere.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were seated\nwhere, not too many days before, Dilmir and Ilrin had sat eating dinner with\nAimim. Aimim herself now stood a little ways away, leaning against a far wall,\nwatching the pair of them with a small frown upon her face. From what she had\ntold Dilmir, Eltuthar had arrived last night, carrying him, wounded and unconscious.\nShe had tended to them both, healing their injuries with care, but Dilmir still\nhad a dully throbbing headache. She was, however distantly, related to\nEltuthar, and had of course agreed to shelter him, but she was displeased.\nEvery moment he spent in her house was the one in which the council might find\nhim. Eld\u2019rin was the least safe place for him at the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d asked\nDilmir, ignoring his aunt\u2019s dark looks. \u201cI want to come with you. The elves\nwouldn\u2019t let me stay here anyway.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou have training\nto complete,\u201d said Eltuthar calmly. \u201cI, too, wish to have you by my side, but\nthere are things you must learn first. Things you must resolve. Your training\nis one of them. And besides, when Alfimir stops searching for me, which he likely\nwill after the first few months, I may very well have use for someone in\nEld\u2019rin on my side.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I won\u2019t be\nin Eld\u2019rin,\u201d said Dilmir, leaning forward as well. \u201cI\u2019ve been banished. The\nonly place I could go is one of the far outposts in the Great Forest. Or perhaps\nI could live with the dwarves,\u201d he added, as an afterthought. The dwarves\ndisliked the elves on principle, but tolerated them because they had to trade\nwith them to stay alive. Dilmir had learned some dwarvish when he was young,\nhowever, and had always thought he might like to visit their halls sometime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, Dilmir,\u201d\nsaid Eltuthar, \u201clisten. There are dark days ahead. Now is not the time to relax\nand think that all will be well; it won\u2019t. There will eventually be blood over\nmy findings. More blood,\u201d he revised wryly. \u201cWhen that time comes, I will need\nyou with me, but I will need you prepared. There is very little you could do to\nhelp me at this time, so help yourself by completing your training. When you\nare nineteen, I will send word to you, telling you of my location. You may join\nme then, but not before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo one as yet\nknows that you are related to me, save for Alfimir and Ilrin. And you, of\ncourse, Aimim,\u201d he added, nodding his head to her. Her expression did not\nsoften. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe others suspect\nit though,\u201d said Dilmir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, but they\ncan\u2019t prove it,\u201d replied Eltuthar. \u201cFurther more, only Alfimir recognized you\nlast night, meaning that he can\u2019t prove that either, as he has no witnesses.\nEveryone else who might have seen you was burned in the fires. Suspicions are\nall the council has, and they can\u2019t banish you on that alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlfimir will\nlikely go after your parents, but I\u2019ll get to them first. They can go into\nhiding with me. They\u2019ll be safe. He can\u2019t hurt you as long as you stay at\nEld\u2019rin. He\u2019s already attacked you once; he wouldn\u2019t dare do so again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve thought of\na plan that ought to revoke the banishment on you and hopefully throw Alfimir\noff of my scent, at least for a space. When your banishment is gone, I want you\nto go to the library, and take the documents that trace your parents to\nEltuthar. Hide them somewhere safe. Only Alfimir knows of that connection as\nfar as I know, and I would prefer to keep it that way. After that, continue your\ntraining. That is the most important thing for you now. While you train, I will\nredouble my efforts, and with a bit of luck, lift this curse that Sonlen placed\non me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dilmir sat back\nin his chair, his arms folded. He would very much like to go with Eltuthar, to\nlearn all the secrets of magic he had discovered, and yet, something was holding\nhim back. It wasn\u2019t that Eltuthar\u2019s words made perfect sense, which they did;\nrather, it was that Ilrin would have to stay at Eld\u2019rin. He knew this was her\nhome, and little more than banishment could force her to leave it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little over a\nweek away from her had made it obvious to him that she was a part of his life. Leaving\nher, even though he would be with Eltuthar, would be like leaving a\nnone-too-small piece of himself behind. He couldn\u2019t do it, no matter how much\nhe might want to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d he\nfinally said, leaning forward again. \u201cI\u2019ll stay. What is this plan?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sky was\nclear. The noon sun shone brightly, casting dappled squares of light upon the\nfloor of Eld\u2019rin far below. Dilmir enjoyed the moment of silence, rare in the\npast week, as he walked, Eltuthar beside him, towards the center of the great\ncity. He had traversed this path so many times that he knew it well, and\nallowed his mind to wander, soaking in the loveliness of the summer day and the\nsmooth warmth of the sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He would have\nliked to remove the hood he wore, such was the heat of the day, but knew he\nmustn\u2019t. Eltuthar, too, wore one, which he would keep on until the proper\nmoment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It had been a\ndaring plan Eltuthar had come up with, but he seemed certain it would work.\nDilmir, however, saw gaping holes at every turn. Still, it was the best they\nhad, and the fact that his banishment had not been announced made things\nsimpler. The council probably wanted to\nkeep attention away from me altogether,<\/em> he reasoned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Elves passed\nthem by without a second look, rapidly going about their own business,\noblivious as to who walked among them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou know that\nif we\u2019re seen, it\u2019s all over,\u201d muttered Dilmir to the shrouded figure on his\nright. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey won\u2019t,\u201d\nEltuthar muttered back. \u201cJust make sure they don\u2019t see you until the time is\nright.\u201d Dilmir nodded, keeping his eyes downcast, but he knew this wouldn\u2019t be\neasy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The high sun\npoured down onto their bent heads as they walked, the black cloth of their\nhoods amplifying the heat. They had chosen noon because nearly all of the elves\nwould be inside Eld\u2019rin, either having lunch or going to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They made their\nunhurried way to the center of Eld\u2019rin, at the exact spot where Ilrin and\nDilmir met every morning. The place prodded disturbing thoughts in Dilmir. If\nthey failed, he might never meet Ilrin again, let alone here. Trying to push\nthe unpleasant idea away, he looked up at the leafy canopy far above them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight,\u201d said\nEltuthar, gazing in the same direction. \u201cGet hidden. Let me know when you are\nready.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir nodded\nand moved off towards the root houses, moving slowly and being sure to keep his\nhead down. He walked a little ways, and then slipped into the cool shadows\nbeneath a large root. Grateful for the shade, he took off the cloak and hood,\nand, setting them on the ground at his feet, cast a spell that caused the grass\nto rise up and swallow them from sight. It would not do for them to be found.\nSatisfied, Dilmir turned around, and froze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin was\nstanding barely ten yards away, confusion evident on her face. Of course<\/em> thought Dilmir, mentally\nberating himself. I should have known\nshe\u2019d be heading back to the field by now.<\/em> Not knowing what else to do,\nhowever, he beckoned her towards him; she couldn\u2019t betray his presence, not\nyet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After a moment,\nshe came hesitantly towards him. When she was close enough, Dilmir grasped her\narm and pulled her into the shadows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you\ndoing here?\u201d Ilrin hissed, as Dilmir released her. \u201cIf you\u2019re seen, they\u2019ll \u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see in a\nmoment, Ilrin,\u201d said Dilmir, carefully watching Eltuthar. \u201cJust don\u2019t let\nanyone see you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Normally, Ilrin\nwould have pressed him for an explanation, but she sensed the urgency in his\nvoice, and remained silent, watching Eltuthar as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir raised his\nhands, though only very slightly so they would stay hidden, and slowly extended\nhis magic upwards, towards the place where branches from all four trees of\nEld\u2019rin met and wove together. Leaves covered the spot, and delicate vines\ncrept around the branches, lending their shade as well. In a moment, he felt\nthe touch of the living plants, and wove his magic throughout them, though he\nwas careful to not alter their position. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked back\ndown at Eltuthar, and the absurdity of what he was looking at suddenly struck\nhim. Eltuthar stood, serenely waiting, in the middle of Eld\u2019rin, elves who\nwould kill him given half a chance passing him by. Dilmir took careful aim, and\nsent two small bolts of magic into the ground at Eltuthar\u2019s feet. They sent up\ntwo clouds of dust from the worn path on which he stood. Eltuthar opened his\neyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBehold!\u201d he\ncried, quite suddenly, raising his arms and causing his hood to fall back, \u201cI\nam Eltuthar!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Several elves,\nincluding Ilrin, gasped and drew back, some stumbling in their hurry to get\naway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is he\ndoing?\u201d asked Ilrin, her voice shocked, her eyes wide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see in a\nmoment,\u201d said Dilmir, though he kept his voice down, for several elves were\nrushing past him, their fearful eyes on Eltuthar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo not run, my\nfriends,\u201d Eltuthar called after them, holding out his arms in a gesture of\npeace. \u201cI mean you no harm. I have come to show you the true nature of your\nmagic. I have come to show you what the council dares not.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir privately\nthought Eltuthar should not have included the last line, as many of the elves\nwere fiercely loyal to the council, but he remained silent. He had other\nworries at the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the\nelves stopped running at Eltuthar\u2019s words, their faces taking on a hint of interest,\nbut most only hastened to put more distance between themselves and the Dark\nGeneral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou believe,\u201d\nsaid Eltuthar, turning in a circle to face all of the elves, \u201cthat you have\nbeen shown the nature of magic, how to control it, how to use it, but there is\nfar more to it than what you have been taught. I have discovered this\nknowledge, and seek to share it with you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the elves\nabout Eltuthar stood straight, his head held high. \u201cYou seek only more power\nfor yourself!\u201d he shot at Eltuthar. \u201cYou seek to overthrow the council and rule\nall the elves!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar turned\nto him. \u201cThe council would have you believe so,\u201d he said, calmly, \u201cbut such is\nnot the truth of the matter. I am willing to share this power with you, if you\nwill only listen to me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd why should\nwe hear you?\u201d shouted the elf. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen what your power has done.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar looked\nat him for a moment, and then raised his arms. Instantly, Dilmir, who had not\nsevered his magic, moved the branches of the trees high above, causing several\ntwigs to rain down upon the elf. Concentrating, he caused the branches to twist\nabout in graceful curves, beginning to untwine themselves. The elves, seeing\nonly Eltuthar, concluded that it was he that was working the magic.\n\u201cDestruction is not all that my power can work,\u201d said Eltuthar quietly,\nspeaking directly to the elf, who still faced him. \u201cSee for yourself. There is\nso much more to magic than you realize, and I will fight strife over it until\nmy dying day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The elf looked\nuneasily at him, and then up at the trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSee how easily\nI control my magic, how well it obeys my command. Only with great concentration\nand time can one of you achieve such a feat. I can do it instantly.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir sent a\nspell flying at the roots buried at Eltuthar\u2019s feet, and vines accordingly burst\nfrom them, waving through the air like things possessed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you deny you\nwould like to learn this power?\u201d asked Eltuthar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The elf did not\nreply, but eyed the vines warily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is but a\ntaste of what awaits you, of what power is just beyond your grasp. I can help\nyou. I can show you the true nature of magic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The elf seemed\nto break out of a trance. \u201cYou would show us some dark magic, of the evil breed\nused by Cyprien,\u201d he cried. \u201cWe will not use such foul means to accomplish our\nwill!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d said Eltuthar\nhastily, the vines still circling him, twisting in the air elegantly. \u201cI would\nno sooner touch dark magic than you would. I assure you, what I show you, you\nalready wield. The elves will in time learn what I have discovered. I only offer\nit to you now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With a sudden\nawful creaking, the four trees of Eld\u2019rin began moving away from each other.\nDilmir looked up. It had not occurred to him that the branches were actually\nholding the trees in place. He quickly hastened to twine them back together. At\nthat moment, however, a blinding flash of light erupted behind Eltuthar, and\nthe form of an elf appeared within it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave we not\nshown you already,\u201d said the form as the light dissipated about him, \u201cthat we\ndespise your magic?\u201d Alfimir raised his head and looked at Eltuthar. Despite\nhimself, Dilmir grinned. The plan was actually working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave we not\nshown you,\u201d repeated Alfimir, \u201cthat we have seen through your lies? Have we not\nshown you that we know your true motives?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have shown\nme,\u201d said Eltuthar calmly turning to him, \u201cthat you have been blinded by the motives\nyou invented for me, and ignored those which I told you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alfimir laughed.\n\u201cYou say you have power beyond what we can imagine,\u201d he said. \u201cI do hope it\nincludes more than simply moving trees. While it may be impressive, it will do\nnothing to aid you against me.\u201d Without giving Eltuthar time to reply, he\nsummoned a fireball from nowhere and flung it at him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ilrin drew in\nher breath sharply, but the fireball simply bounced off of an invisible barrier\nbefore Eltuthar, and slowly burned itself out at his feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir felt the\nshield he had placed about Eltuthar, and found it intact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou, of all\npeople, should know what my power includes, Alfimir,\u201d said Eltuthar quietly,\nwho had not even flinched as the fireball exploded before him. Several of the\nother elves backed away as he spoke, but they were hampered by the crowd that\nhad gathered. \u201cDo you truly wish to test\nmy power, and show these assembled here what I am capable of? If so, please do,\nfor it will only prove my point to them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know full\nwell what you are capable of,\u201d snarled Alfimir, \u201cand at the moment, it doesn\u2019t\ninclude much.\u201d Eltuthar smiled at him knowingly. \u201cBe gone, sorcerer!\u201d cried\nAlfimir, flinging a desperately complicated spell at him. The spell crashed\ninto the shield about Eltuthar and disintegrated. In the shadows, Dilmir\nquickly supplied another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour fight is\nhopeless, Alfimir,\u201d said Eltuthar, looking at him sadly. \u201cThere are none who\ncan defeat me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir threw several\nextra shields around Eltuthar, and then, taking Ilrin quite by surprise,\nstepped out of the shadows, first checking behind him to make sure that no elf\nsaw him do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn that,\u201d he\nsaid, spreading his feet slightly apart and facing Eltuthar, \u201cyou are wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar turned\nto him, looking bemused. \u201cAnd who is this?\u201d he asked of the crowd at large. No\nreply met his ears, though Dilmir could see Alfimir staring at him, his mouth\nopen. He turned back to Eltuthar. \u201cToo long have we lived under the shadow you\nhave cast over us,\u201d he said, \u201ccowering for fear that you would send your army\nto slay us all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar said\nnothing, but remained looking at him, his face blank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut no longer!\u201d\ncried Dilmir. \u201cWe have slain your army, and burned the place where you have\nhidden, hording your power. And now you have shown yourself in a last attempt\nto gain followers, an act which will be your downfall.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo not speak to\nme of such things,\u201d spat Eltuthar disdainfully, looking at Dilmir with\ncontempt. \u2018I have more power than you\ncould possibly dream of, and I will \u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n His last words\nwere cut off, however, as Dilmir flung a bolt of energy at him. The bolt, unseen\nand directed by Dilmir, swerved around Eltuthar at the last moment, and soared\nupwards into the sky. Eltuthar, however, stumbled backwards as if he had been\nstruck, a surprised look taking his face. Dilmir sent another bolt at him, which\nsimilarly swerved and went in a different direction, while Eltuthar stumbled\nbackward again. He got slowly to his feet, looking at Dilmir, a frown coming\nupon his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you not see\nthat you are all deluded?\u201d he asked. \u201cThe council wishes to keep power for\nitself, so it has not agreed with me. Rather, it has turned against me and \u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar fell\nbackwards again as Dilmir, at least to the elves, flung him to the ground. \u201cWe\nhave heard your tales too many times, Eltuthar,\u201d he said. \u201cYou will not lead\nthe elves into ways of dark magic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo be it,\u201d\nmuttered Eltuthar. He rose, and, drawing on magic that Dilmir had given him earlier,\ncast a wave of flame at him. Dilmir blocked the fire easily, though he was\ncareful to not make it look too easy. He responded with a spell of his own,\nwhich he formed with his mind \u2013 perfectly harmless, though the elves wouldn\u2019t\nbe able to tell \u2013 and fired it at Eltuthar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar tried\nto block it, or at least appeared to do so, but his efforts were in vain. The\nspell crashed into the shield surrounding him. The shield, however, was so\nclose to him that it could barely be discerned, and Eltuthar tumbled backwards\nas though he had been hit. Rising to one knee, he prepared to cast another\nspell at Dilmir, but at that moment, Alfimir joined in the fray. Dilmir could\nsee that he knew perfectly well what was going on, but would rather finish\nEltuthar before dealing with him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Muttering a\ncurse under his breath, Alfimir flung a black bolt at Eltuthar. The bolt struck\nthe shield and dissolved harmlessly in the air, but once again, Eltuthar\nreacted as though he had been struck. He placed his hand on the ground, and the\nvines about him, which had still been waving pleasantly, suddenly began to\nsnake along the ground, half heading for Alfimir, the other half for Dilmir. It\nwas of course Dilmir that controlled the vines, and he found it to be more\ndifficult than he had thought it would be, both attacking and defending himself\nat the same time. While he was thus preoccupied, Alfimir was engaged in a much\nmore real battle. He blasted the vines away from him soon enough, however, and\nlaunched another wave of flame at Eltuthar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Eltuthar blocked\nit easily, or seemed to, and responded with a complicated curse, which soared\naround Alfimir and tried to reach him from behind. Alfimir turned, and blasted\nthe curse out of the air, but as he did so, more vines leapt from the ground\nbeneath him and rooted him firmly to the spot, their tendrils weaving quickly\ntowards his head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir, having\nsucceeded in freeing himself of his own vines, turned back to Eltuthar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Free of Alfimir,\nwho was now almost completely covered in writhing vines, Eltuthar turned to\nDilmir and shouted, \u201cYou may think you can defeat me, but you cannot. The\nknowledge I have discovered shall never die. One day, soon, you will see.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilmir cast a\ncurse at Eltuthar, but it bounced off of the shield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will battle\nyou no longer,\u201d said Eltuthar, standing. \u201cMy aim is to bring you knowledge, not\nfight you with it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Alfimir burst\nfrom the vines at this moment, summoning some evil curse to his aid, just in\ntime to see Eltuthar disappear in a flash of light, using the last of the magic\nthat Dilmir had given him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A scream of rage\npierced the city as Alfimir whirled about, searching for Eltuthar, but Dilmir\ncould not help but smile to himself. Eltuthar\u2019s plan had worked. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cYou can\u2019t come with me, Dilmir,\u201d said Eltuthar, leaning across the table to look at him. \u201cI will find a place to hide while Alfimir searches for me, but you must stay here.\u201d They were seated where, not too many days before, Dilmir and Ilrin had sat eating dinner with Aimim. Aimim herself now stood … Continue reading Chapter Twenty-Seven – Plots in Eld’rin<\/span>