The Elf King (30 page)

“
Mantel Orris.”

The confusion did not leave
Tane’s face, but Shadox’s horse galloped away before he could say
anything. Tane mounted his and followed, leaving the burning trees
and the smoking ash to melt into one bad memory.

Chapter 17

M
idnight left Tane staring skyward to a full moon, lighting
the way like a beacon of hope. The vast sky was pregnated with
pinpricks of lights as the twinkling of burned out stars still
remained. Mildly the warm wind blew gently at his back, peaceful
and welcomed. He kept his gaze on the magical view above for a few
hours as he rode, finding some comfort in what it offered. As a
kid, he and Qenn would spend most nights lying on their backs
watching the sky, talking and dreaming, bonding as brothers would,
discussing things that they might otherwise not in the daylight.
With the night as it was, Tane found it easy to let go of his
fears, knowing that he was not alone.

They had been riding the
better part of five hours now, and still Shadox showed no sign of
recovery. He was slumped across his horse’s main unmoving and
unresponsive. Tane would talk to him every once in a while, hoping
to stir something in the sorcerer, letting him know that he wasn’t
alone, trying to grant him whatever comfort he could. But Tane knew
he wouldn’t be able to help him. The sorcerer was too far gone,
depleted by the usage of his magic. It would take some healing
outside of what he knew and understood to bring Shadox back to the
world of men. He only hoped the horse knew where he was
going.

They were skirting through
an open stretch between some woods, moving further from Skadar Port
heading towards the Shyl Plains. Tane was thinking that they must
be reaching the southern end of the Lower Krune by now, the land
was still flat and patches of woods were still plentiful. He could
hear the sound of water and thought that they were moving along one
of the river outlets from the lake. It wasn’t long before he could
see the river shining with the moon’s light. As they reached the
river, the horses didn’t hesitate to cross. Tane, however, held
tight to his leather harness and sat uncomfortable once the water
reached the bottom of his boots. But the river wasn’t deep enough
for the horses to lose footing and they reached the other side
without a struggle. On bank again, the horses followed the river as
it bent and twisted, turning them northeast into a woods so thick
that the moon’s light would not penetrate. Darkness prevailed,
leaving Tane to sit nervously. The nighttime sounds in the woods
were much different than those in the clear, he thought. Having no
light didn’t help matters. Having the sorcerer in a comatose state
helped nothing.

But the trek through the
woods was proving to be more nerves than actual fear. Tane shrugged
off several instances when he thought the shadows were moving, yet
nothing showed. It was late and he hadn’t slept much, his eyelids
were growing heavy and his breathing was slow and deep. Once or
twice the horses snapped some twigs with their hooves, alerting
Tane from his drifting, scaring him to stay awake for a few more
minutes. But the drowsiness was overcoming him. He blinked once,
that was all he remembered. He wasn’t sure how long he had slept,
but when he opened his eyes again, the horses had stopped, the
woods was cleared out in a wide circle ahead of him, and a small
hut sat in its center.

A lone figure suddenly
appeared in the doorway, blacker than its surroundings. Tane
swallowed hard, searching for his words.

“
I have a sick friend,”
Tane said. “I am looking for Mantel Orris.”

The shadowy figure left the
doorway and moved slowly over to them. “I am he.”

Tane wasn’t as nervous now,
finding some comfort that this is where Shadox requested they be.
Still, he should have more concern than he did, he thought. He was
surprised to find how comfortable he was.

“
And who are
you?”

“
Tane Ellantri. This is my
friend, Shadox.”

“
Let’s get him inside,” the
man said, already working on the task before Tane un-straddled his
horse and joined. “He’s in bad shape, this one. Real bad. You came
to the right place though. Let’s get him in.”

In the darkness, Tane
wasn’t able to make out much of the man’s appearance. Aside from
his wild, shoulder length white hair, Mantel Orris was tall like
himself, thick in the chest and shoulders, that much was obvious
even in the dark, and his face was coated in a thin white stubble.
His voice was deep, giving Tane the impression that Mantel was much
older than he appeared.

Tane joined in as they
carried Shadox into the hut, the man known to be Mantel Orris
directed Tane to carefully lay the sorcerer down on his bed then
tucked him in the blankets.

“
Here.” Mantel Orris handed
Tane a lamp, then lit it. The light flickered brightly in the
dimness. Mantel lit several, all hung around the hut.

To Tane, the hut looked
humble. There wasn’t much inside, some cabinets and cans, a table,
a few wooden chairs, an iron stove and a fireplace. The walls were
bare, no window shades or paintings, nothing anywhere. Tane stood
just outside the bedroom, when Mantel left Shadox and gently shut
the door. He walked over to a cabinet full of jars and offered one
to Tane.

“
Water?”

Tane nodded. He drank what
was offered and smiled in response. “Thank you.”

Mantel Orris stood beneath
a low hanging lamp and his face was revealed to Tane clearly. He
had been right about the other’s age, he was much older, though
rugged and strong. His eyes were dark, his face was etched in
wrinkles, and a very serious look cast out always. Mantel reminded
Tane a bit of the sorcerer in that fashion.

Mantel offered Tane to sit
at the table, handing him another can full of dried meats. Tane sat
and ate, watching Mantel remove several cans holding pouches full
of colored dust, or something of that fashion. It was hard for Tane
to tell exactly what the pouches held. But as the other man began
mixing amounts together in one can, he realized that he was making
a solvent for Shadox.

“
Tell me what happened,
Tane.” Mantel Orris continued stirring in solutions, mixing them
with a wooden spoon.

Tane hesitated, unsure
where to begin, uncertain how much information he could release. He
didn’t know anything about Mantel Orris. Except for that Shadox
requested him. “We were attacked by demons,” he began, speaking
softly. “Shadox fought them off. But one of them caught him
off-guard. The sorcerer did something then, I don’t know what, but
it killed the demon. Then he asked for you.”

Mantel Orris didn’t flinch.
His work didn’t slow at the response; he was unfazed at something
so disturbing. He continued to stir and mix, until after a few
moments when he set the spoon down and nodded in satisfaction.
“Demons. Their powers are strong and deadly. For Shadox to be in
the shape he is, it must have been a terrible battle. You were
right to bring him here. I might be the only one who could save
him.”

Tane wanted to ask him
about his relationship with the sorcerer, but didn’t want to
distract him. There would be time for that later, he thought. Right
now, the only thing that mattered was tending to the needs of the
dying sorcerer.

Mantel nodded once again,
then moved from the table, taking his solution with him to the
bedroom. Tane rose and followed, watching the other kneel down next
to Shadox. Tane stood at the sorcerer’s feet, straining himself to
hear what the other was whispering as he placed a hand across
Shadox’s forehead and slowly rubbed in a soft, circular motion.
Mantel’s eyes were closed in concentration for a few minutes, his
lips moving, saying something that was beyond Tane’s reach. Several
minutes went by before he stopped, reached for his can, and began
to softly apply an application to Shadox’s face and chest. The
medicine was clear, and it seemingly disappeared upon contact.
Mantel Orris said nothing as he worked, moving slowly,
gently.

The whole process lasted
about half an hour. When he was finished, Mantel rose and smiled.
“It has begun. Shadox needs rest.”

Tane walked out with him,
leaving the wounded sorcerer to rest. Shadox’s appearance did not
look any better, though his breathing was back to normal now. They
left, returning back to the table, where Tane was offered more to
drink and eat. He gratefully accepted. As he ate, the other made a
makeshift bed on the floor for him.

“
What was that? The
medicine?” Tane asked, once Mantel Orris was finished with the
bedding and seated himself next to Tane at the table.

“
It’s an old healing
potion. Very strong.” Mantel sat with his hands clasped together on
the table, staring at Tane, his eyes not so tense anymore. “I was a
healer, many, many years ago. Shadox is not wounded in a way that
you would be able to familiarize with. It’s not a pain you can see.
It’s deep within the core of who and what he is. The demon that he
was fighting with was trying to overthrow, or adjoin to, if you
will, his soul. It was trying to make him its own. And very well
would have, if Shadox were an ordinary man. Its poison was flushed
out of his system through a vigorous extraction, one that would
have spent him of his magic completely. And so it seems that it
has.

But the solution will work.
It will need time, that’s all. And I’ve never known him to be a man
who had plenty to spare.”

Tane felt as if the other
wanted him to fill in the details. “We are on our way to Cillitran.
There’s a war forming. We must stand against the demon army
advancing on the Races.”

Mantel Orris nodded. “Then
you must rest yourself.” He motioned to Tane to go to the bed he
had prepared for him. “Go. Sleep. It doesn’t look like much, but I
promise you, you will sleep comfortably.”

Tane smiled. “Thank you for
everything. Tomorrow we should talk some more.”

“
Yes. Tomorrow. Rest,
Tane.”

Tane rose from the table,
shook the other’s hand, and walked for his bed. Mantel was right,
it didn’t look like much. Tane smiled, lying down comfortably.
Mantel was right about that too, he thought. Tane closed his eyes.
Seconds later, he was asleep.

It was nearing midday when
he awoke again, finding the room empty with a jar of water on the
table. Mantel Orris was nowhere to be found. He looked in Shadox’s
room, finding the sorcerer asleep still. His body looked better
though, Tane thought. His breathing was calm and he slept
peacefully. With nothing better to do, Tane walked outside and
tended to the horses.

The day was warm and
bright, with a few clouds towering high enough to seemingly blend
together. The woods were full of birds and insects chattering and
scrambling about. Tane watered the horses, groomed them as best he
could, then walked back inside to see if Shadox had made any more
progress. Finding the other still sleeping, Tane sat next to him
for a few hours, if nothing more than to not feel alone.

The day slipped into
afternoon, the sun gently dropping down to the horizon below the
treetops, the air cooling and the wind picking up, when Tane
stepped outside again. Nightfall was approaching and still there
was no Mantel Orris. Tane looked around and saw some firewood,
taking a load into the hut and starting a fire. Once the yellow
flames were lit and the fire place began to crackle, Tane moved
away to the bedroom again to check on Shadox and found Mantel Orris
knelt beside the bed.

Tane was surprised, though
he said nothing. He stood in the doorway for a moment, uncertain if
he should intrude or not, wondering how long the other had been in
the hut without him knowing. Mantel had his head down on the bed,
hands clasped onto one of Shadox’s. Tane quietly backed out of the
room, deciding to wait by the fire. If Mantel had wanted to speak
with him, he would have made his presence known. Tane seated
himself a few feet in front of the fire and began to think about
his life.

“
He will recover much
sooner than I thought,” Mantel spoke from just behind Tane
suddenly.

Tane’s head jerked back
quickly, startled. “I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you
been here?”