CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: A long hooded cloak.
They re-entered Aldea, the familiar trees transformed into Elvish houses in front of them. Jude felt the last of the drugs leave his brain and he felt safe and relaxed. Ruby had woken up earlier but was still in a drugged daze and unsure of what was happening. Jude guiding her along looked at her and saw her eyes had become clearer as she looked around, Aldea was obviously having the same effect on her. The Elves were peering out of their houses at them as they walked past, but Jude could see that Edrea was getting some unfriendly looks. She held her head high and disregarded them.
Rowan rushed up to them and greeted them warmly. He turned to Branwell.
“You have brought a Dark Elf into Aldea?”
“I have and she must see Taule.”
“I do not know if he will welcome such as she here,” he replied guardedly.
“Welcome or not, she has important information which she would share. He must also know that the Dwarves are with us.”
“I will go and inform him of your request. He already knows of the Dwarves alliance.”
“He does, then Connor he…?”
“He is a trickster that one.” Rowan turned and left to inform Taule. Just as a Sprite came soaring towards them. It was Connor, unhurt, and delighted to see them.
“Connor,” said Jude and Ruby together. Branwell smiled at the Sprite as he flew all around them.
“We saw you get shot with an arrow.”
“Caught arrow.” Connor giggled. “Tricked Orcs.”
Rowan returned and took them to Taule. He was seated surrounded by advisors in his silvery moonlit hall.
“We welcome you back gladly Branwell, Jude, Ruby we give thanks for your safe return,” he said smiling at them. But then his face became grave. “But why have you brought a Dark Elf into our midst?”
Edrea looked at him with her head high.
“Her name is Edrea,” said Branwell. “She was in the confidence of the forces that are massed against us, but has had a change of heart and has information for us which will be invaluable.”
“And how do we know we can trust her information? I hope you have not brought someone into our midst who would betray us.”
“At least hear what she has to say and after we have defeated the Orcs we will both leave here. We can trust her. I would stake my life on it.”
“Very well. We will hear what she has to say. But you are responsible for her Branwell; if she betrays us your life will be forfeit.
“So be it,” answered Branwell. Edrea looked at him closely a slight frown on her brow.
Taule turned his attention to Edrea.
“Let us hear what you have to say and I hope for all our sakes that you are here with a clear heart.”
Edrea spoke clearly and concisely. “I do not know how much you already know or have guessed so I will just tell you what I know. I am just a lieutenant for the wizard whose scheme this is and I can only tell you what information he has thought fit to share with me. But such as it is I will tell you.
“Who is this wizard?”
“His name is Adzaq, I do not know who he is or where he comes from, I do not even know what he looks like, whenever he has wished to speak to me he had always been covered from head to foot in a hooded grey cloak. But I know that he has very powerful dark magic. He wants this land for his own; he does not chose to hide from the humans anymore. He wants to rule this land with the Orcs as his subjects, they being bloodthirsty and unintelligent enough for him to control to do his bidding.”
“But how can he hope to achieve this?” asked an Elf. “The humans are far too numerous and well equipped for even a large Orc army.”
“He intends to persuade them to leave. He intends to generate such a strong incentive for them to not only leave but to never return. There is a nuclear power station at the edge of this town I believe. He intends to convince the country that it has exploded and covered the whole country with its poisons so no-one can live here anymore.”
“But even he and his Orcs will not be able to live in a land so polluted?”
“He is going to weave a spell to create the illusion. He is going to set a force field around the whole town and surrounding area and give it the appearance of an explosion. But it will also prevent anyone from inside the force field escaping to tell what really happened or any communications reaching the outside. I believe he has someone within the power station to give a false report to the outside world and also to convince others that no more poison will escape to prevent anyone coming to investigate further. He has further enchantments planned to give the impression that the poisons are being carried on the wind all over the country. His aim is a full-scale evacuation of all humans from England.”
“What is going to happen to everyone trapped inside the force field?” Taule asked slowly.
“The Orcs are given free rein to do their bloodthirsty best. Their instincts which have been restrained due to the need to be hidden will be unleashed to the full.”
“By the time the humans discover that their disbelief of monsters is a lie, it will be too late for them,” stated Taule sadly. “They will murder every last man, woman and child caught in their trap.”
“When is this scheme due to take place?” another Elf asked.
“That I do not know,” replied Edrea. “I have not been given an exact date and time, but all is in readiness for it. I can only assume it will be at night, when most humans will be asleep and the Orcs at their most active.”
“This scheme is preposterous only a mad man would conceive such a thing,” said the Elf in the russet robe. “She cannot be telling the truth, it is too ridiculous.”
Edrea looked directly into Taule’s eyes.
“You know what I tell is the truth. You have that gift do you not?”
All eyes were upon Taule.
“What she has spoken is not false. Hard as it is to believe, she speaks the truth. What she has told us will come to pass unless we can prevent it.”
Jude could not believe what he was hearing, he thought of his mum, his friends, and everyone he knew in the town he’d spent his whole life in. All slaughted by monsters that they didn’t even know existed and didn’t believe in. The realisation that his mum wouldn’t think he was mad any longer was no consolation. He had to warn her. Much debate followed amongst the Elves, how were they to defeat such dark magic. Eventually Taule called an end to their meeting.
“It is late my friends, we will retire and rest for now, and continue afresh in the morning.”
Jude was relieved, he was feeling exhausted. He and Ruby went straight to their guesthouse and both collapsed into bed with only a brief but smiling “Goodnight” to each other. The last thing Jude saw before he closed his eyes was the other empty bed in the room. He wondered briefly where Branwell was before sleep took him.
Branwell was on the outskirts of Aldea where a small group of tall pine trees grew amongst a soft carpet of fallen needles. He had taken Edrea there as even though the Elves did believe her they did not trust her or feel comfortable around her and he thought she would also rather be apart from them.
“You trust me so completely you would be willing to risk your life on it?” she asked bemused.
“Yes,” he replied simply.
“My change of heart was swift. How do you know that I didn’t free you all just to infiltrate you? Adzaq does not know where Aldea is exactly or how to enter. The magic here is rooted in the trees and the land and too old and strong for him to break.”
“But you did free us, all of us.”
“You want to know why.”
He remained silent patiently looking at her.
“I was once in love with a human, deeply in love, as only Elves can be. We had a child.”
“He abandoned you.”
“Yes,” she said sadly. “He took our child with him. He looked like a human little boy and could live in their world. I rarely saw him, his father turned him against me.”
br /> She was silent for a moment gazing into the distance.
“My son had the most beautiful misty grey eyes,” she said with a small smile. “You don’t see them in the human world.”
“Like Jude’s?”
“Jude has his father’s eyes, yes.”
Her face became hard and her mouth twisted.
“The humans killed my son with their machines.”
“We all must die when our time comes,” he said quietly. “Even you who has an adolescent grandson and yet looks barely old enough to be his mother.”
“When I looked into his eyes I saw my son and I remembered the love I had for him and that he had for me before his father tried to turn him against me.”
“It is very difficult to live without love.”
“And you say you love me,” she said turning back to him. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know you completely. I can see into your heart,” he said gazing into her eyes.
“But it is a blackened thing, I have done evil deeds.”
“It may look blackened on the outside, but inside it is untouched and hearts can heal.”
“And you would heal it for me?” she asked stepping closer to him.
“Only if you wish it to be and you have already begun to heal it. Can you not feel it warm and begin to beat stronger?”
“I can, whenever you are near.”
“As does my heart in answer whenever you are close.”
She put her hand to his chest. “I can feel it beating.”
He took her other hand in his and they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“I knew you would look your most beautiful under a starry night sky amongst the trees.” He kissed her hand. “This is where you belong.”
As he put his arm around her she reached up to his face and they kissed.
Jude awoke to something tickling his face; he opened his eyes to find Ruby tickling him with a strand of her hair.
“Wake up sleepyhead,” she said. “It looks like it’s going to be a lovely day today.”
He stretched and sat up, relieved that she was in her human form this morning.
“Ruby,” he asked. “Why did you not change into a dragon when we got attacked by the Orcs, you could have escaped?”
“I didn’t even try,” she replied thoughtfully. “I don’t seem to have control over when I change, it usually seems to be when I’m asleep anyway and I’d rather keep it to myself, at least until I’ve got a better idea of what I am and what I’m doing.”
“Your memories are coming back aren’t they, is that helping.”
“It is. But they are coming back slowly which is how I prefer it.”
“Branwell knew you were a dragon.”
“Oh, he would,” she headed for the upstairs room. “Come on lets get some breakfast.”
Jude glanced at the other bed; it was still empty and didn’t look slept in. He followed Ruby upstairs and they sat and ate breakfast together the two of them. Even though Orcs were on the verge of killing everyone in his town, he couldn’t help but feel content for this gap of time with Ruby sitting in the sunshine and sharing a meal.
Jude with Ruby headed towards Taule’s birch tree hall. As they came closer the weight of the present circumstances grew on him. They met Branwell with Edrea on the way. Jude thought Edrea looked slightly different, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was that was different about her. It was like the approaching thunderstorm had passed over. She looked at him closely, Jude felt like she was searching for something in his face, but he had no idea what is was about him that seemed to fascinate her. Jude drew Branwell aside.
“I need to go and see my mum,” he said to him earnestly. “She probably still thinks I’m nuts in Ravenscar and I need to warn her about what is going to happen. She works at the nuclear power plant, she could be in a lot of danger.”
“She thinks you’re crazy for telling monster stories and you want to go and tell her another one.”
“I need to warn her, I can’t risk her getting hurt.”
“What makes you think she’ll believe you this time?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps I could take proof. Do you think Taule would allow it?”
“She works at the power plant?”
“Yes, as a secretary,” replied Jude bemused.
“Perhaps it would be a good idea to reveal ourselves to her.” Branwell quickened his pace to the birch tree hall, leaving Jude feeling perplexed.
When they got to the hall, Jude could see Branwell in earnest conversation with Taule. The hall was full of Elves, all talking. The Elves around Taule and Branwell didn’t seem too happy with what Branwell was saying, although Taule’s expression was inscrutable.
“We cannot reveal ourselves to the humans,” an Elf was saying with heat. “Being hidden is what has kept us safe for all these years, you would risk that?”
Jude didn’t feel too hopeful about being able to warn his mum as the debate continued. He was very tempted to leave Aldea and try and warn her without Taule’s blessing. But thinking about what happened the last time, he wanted to be able to prove to her that what he was saying was true. It was no good warning her if she wasn’t going to believe him and then pack him back off to Ravenscar. But if they wouldn’t let him bring proof he was determined to go and tell her anyway, he had to try. The discussions continued, Ruby was looking around a bit disconcerted by the heated arguments. Jude took her hand and led her out of the hall; neither of them could be much help anyway. They walked together through Aldea; preparations for the fight ahead were everywhere. Elves were cleaning and repairing armour and sharpening weapons. Faces looked graver than when he’d first come to Aldea. He hoped they would be joyful again. Jude came across Rowan and another Elf sparing with swords. Jude and Ruby stopped to watch, it was an amazing sight, their blades were a whirl, and it was incredible that they didn’t injure one another. Rowan stopped and smiled in welcome at them both. Jude asked if Rowan would teach him some sword work, Branwell had shown Jude a few moves on their travels together and he was eager to learn more. Even though he felt so clumsy and slow beside Branwell and the Elves. Ruby was happy to watch him practice and was soon joined by Connor. He had brought his two friends Ione and Lily, for her to teach them the children’s songs and rhymes she had sung him.
When Jude went back to Taule’s hall, the atmosphere was calmer, a decision seemed to have been reached and the talk was all of preparations. Jude looked for Branwell and caught his eye. He came over to him and gave him a wry smile.
“Good news for you possibly.”
“What do you mean possibly?”
“If we reveal ourselves to your mum and tell her what is about to happen, do you think she would help us?”
“How could she help? She can’t fight.”
“But there is an agent of Adzaq within the power plant and she might be able to help us find him.”
“I can’t ask my mum to face one of them alone.”
“The agent within the power station is human, but under an enchantment, and she will not be alone. You will be with her. We will give you a spell to help you find him and dispel the enchantment. You shouldn’t be in any danger, as you’ll go in during the day before the attack. But without the false report of what happened at the power station the wizard will find it harder to keep the outside world out. Hopefully we will be able to find Adzaq before he casts the force field and stop him before any Orcs surface.”
“So I can take proof that I’m telling the truth and I’m not crazy to my mum?” said Jude feeling relieved.
“Yes,” smiled Branwell. “Do you think seeing a Sprite would be proof enough for her?”