The Broken Sword

The burning agony he felt was nothing compared to the cleansing fire he endured when he pulled the broken blade from the fire and pressed it firmly against the bloody wound, searing the veins and blood vessels shut. He gritted his teeth so tightly he saw spots and nearly blacked out from the ferocity of it. Tears streamed from his eyes but through it all he made no sound. Then he was done, his arm ending in a charred and blackened stump. Several of the elves had to back away, the smell of burnt flesh was overpowering.

"Now to bed with you, My Lord," Halidor said, reaching out to hold onto Bobo as he swayed uncertainly. Bobo nodded and let himself be led to the healer's room where he would lay in rest for several days recovering his strength. His last vision before he fell asleep was a memory of a strange amulet he had seen one of the pirates wearing. It was carved out of a black rock, perhaps onyx or obsidian, and resembled a squid.

Chapter 3

"Fool boy is always trying to prove himself," Kelnozz muttered, staring out the window of his and Alesha's palatial bedroom. Alesha smirked behind him and approached.

"No, my love, Bobo is always trying to impress you."

Kelnozz turned, scowling. "I have no need of being impressed, why doesn't he understand that? We are elves, we live for ages beyond imagining, he has time to enjoy life and to be just a boy."

"You forget, he is not an elf as you are. And I am no elf at all," Alesha reminded him. "He has grown up as I expected he would, as a human child would. Our lives are short and we are always in a hurry to leave our mark upon the world."

Kelnozz scoffed. "What of you? You're closing in on 140 years of age and look every bit the buxom wench I met who was only a score of years old."

Alesha winked at him and said. "I'll show you buxom..."

Kelnozz chuckled, given the opportunity she would indeed. But he was in no mood for play, he had to many things upon his mind. Alesha saw this in him and inwardly sighed. She had hoped she would be able to distract him, even if only for a short while, from his responsibilities. She went forward and hugged him, laying her head upon his shoulder while Kelnozz stared silently beyond her. She knew he was still troubled, though she had tried greatly to distract him from the worries their son caused him.

His birth had been nothing short of a miracle. In striking out at Bavorish and refusing to take his place in the pantheon of Viconian Gods, Alesha had been forever sundered from the Gods, be it their actions or the magic of their priests. It was of little concern to her for she had captured a portion of Bavorish's power within herself, more then most mortals could ever hope to dream of, in fact. But her powers were dark and seldom of the type that could be used to heal or aid another. Even when she could there was a price to be paid for it. To give life she had to take life, the balance must be maintained.

Thus it was to her amazement that the spark of life caught within her. Bobo was an impossibility made possible only through some sort of outside interaction that she could not fathom. From her childhood chemistry and biology classes on Earth she knew that there must be great differences between human and elven DNA for no children to have produced from a union between the similar peoples. Yet somehow Bobo was born, half human and half elf.

Kelnozz had been horrified to see Bobo when he was first born. To many memories of light elven atrocities lived in his mind, for when his son proved to have white skin he had to remind himself it was Alesha's heritage he was showing. He also possessed a thick mane of black hair, like either of them. His features were delicate yet strong in the way of the elves, however, and his eyes possessed the same color as his, including their intense ferocity when the boy set his mind to something and refused to be denied.

Bobo had tried hard his entire life to live up to the specter of being the son of the finest warrior in elven history. He possessed no link to Alesha's magic, and for that Alesha was grateful. Her legacy was more of a curse then a boon. It had been given to her from the darkest and most vile of places, yet she had learned that power alone was neither good nor evil, only its use. The lesson had nearly destroyed her on multiple occasions, however. She did not want her son to ever face the things she had, thus she had never showed him how to tap into the power that could be his had he only known about it.

They had been shocked and grieved to learn of his accident 3 years past, when he lost his hand while serving with the Elven Navy. At the time, with the resources he had at hand, he had made the right decision. Not even Alesha's power could restore his hand, however.

What was more was that he had been nearly 3 months in returning and, though only 19 years old at the time, he had adjusted to using his left hand remarkably well. He had found a use for his right arm as well. It was not an uncommon thing for a sailor to have a stump. With ropes and pirates and accidents at sea such things happened. Bobo had adapted a double barreled pistol into a brace that fit over his stump, allowing him to wear and aim it as an extension of his right arm, it required only his left hand to pull the triggers to let the flint strike the powder.

Firepowder had been discovered by the elves of Innowendyn hundreds of years past, but a practical use for it had never been discovered until the dwarves that ran the twin islands and all between and beneath them as the Kingdom of Undersea began producing their own and adapted it into pistols, bombards, and exploding balls. Alesha had paled when she saw these devices and reminded Kelnozz and Garrick's trip to Earth long ago. She begged him to forbid their use and to try to destroy any such knowledge of them, for fear what might happen in the future because of their use. Guns and grenades would lead to greater and bigger weapons of destruction, she insisted, and hundreds of thousands would die because of it.

Kelnozz had reminded her of the great battles she had seen and taken part in. Thousands had died already, and with her magic could she not take the lives of just as many as one of the firepowder weapons? Grudgingly she had accepted his logic, but she had vowed that no matter how long she lived and no matter what happened would she ever call upon her scarce knowledge of firearms and explosive devices to create any of them. She knew little, really, other then the concepts that others could engineer devices to accomplish. Yet had it not been for the concept of a wheel people the people of earth would still be hunting and gathering societies.

"He's not an elf, Kel, he might be okay if he goes to Thoragloorin," Alesha said at last, bringing herself out of her memories and trying to soothe her troubled husband.

"He is no human either, remember," Kelnozz responded darkly. He sighed then and shook his head. "Would that Thoragloorin could stay lost forever."

"You don't want that, and you know it."

Kelnozz chuckled without humor. "Yes, I do know it. But I can not let him go there. None who enter can ever leave until the forbidding is released, and no elf may enter it at all, such was the power of the wizards that sacrificed themselves to create it."

"And there are none more powerful now?" Alesha asked him.

"I think not. You are perhaps the greatest Viconia has ever known, save Narellin, and even your power eclipses his, and you know as well as I do that it stands impervious."

Alesha nodded. She was greater then Narellin had been at his height, though his range of magic had the potential to be wider. Kelnozz's first son, Darakor, had been an archmage as well, but he was dead and gone and still no comparison.

"Garrick?" Alesha asked, thinking of the former God that had become their close companion in the many years since Kelnozz had become the King of the Elves. They had even got over their rivalry that had started centuries back when Alesha had captured him as he masqueraded as a barbarian chieftain. Garrick had toyed with her then, letting her think she had the best of him.

"Not even him," Kelnozz said. "And for that matter, I have no idea where he is at these days. It has been years since I last saw him, when he wanted to take Bobo camping with him and turn him into a real man." Kelnozz smirked and Alesha shuddered at the thought of what an extended time spent in the company of the savage man would do to her son.

"So what are your plans? I hate it when you get so quiet and thoughtful like this. If you want my help you need to tell me what's going through that pointy-eared head of yours!" Alesha said, tapping her fingers roughly against his forehead. Kelnozz just smirked.

"I have my eyes out looking for someone who can help. Your part is soon to come, I think. I need you to meet them and tell me if you think they will work."

Alesha looked at him, her eyes questioning him, but he would say no more of it. "I think you worry too much, as you have always done. Bobo will be fine, whether he goes or not. You can not control his surroundings forever, you know. Let the boy be the man he wants to be. He will never be you, Kel, he is something of each of us and there are literally worlds of difference between us."

Kelnozz lay there, hearing her words and thinking about them in spite of his desire to do so. Before he could digest them all she continued. "Because he is so different everything you think you learned from your relationship with your father does not apply here. He is elf, but he is also human. He needs our support and our love and most importantly, our trust that he can do things on his own, without our help."

"When he lost his hand," Alesha said, forestalling any comment Kelnozz was going to make. "He did something then that you admitted made you very proud. From all accounts he stood up to what had happened with responsibility and did what had to be done, publicly as much as admitting his error and his willingness to learn from it. We were both proud then, even though it was a terrible tragedy."

"And that," Kelnozz said, interrupting her and earning a scathing glare which he could only smirk at. "That is why I fear for him."

"The best lessons are the hardest ones to learn," Alesha said, resting her head back on his shoulder and rubbing her hand across the defined muscles of his stomach. "Perhaps that is another thing father and son share, for you seem unwilling to learn this one."

Chapter 4

Alesha peered about the smoky tavern room, searching. The door shut behind her and no one paid her any mind, cloaked in her magic as she was. Far from invisible, she nevertheless was not easily noticeable; the gaze of the most perceptive of people simply passed over her without noticing her. All save for one. She saw him looking at her and smiled. She had found her objective.

"May I sit here?" She inquired, having moved through the crowd so quickly and fluidly that the man who watched her had barely noticed her approach. He nodded, his throat suddenly dry, and she pulled out one of the two unoccupied chairs of the table.

"Well met, can we help you?" The other man at the table said, surprised at her more or less appearing out of nowhere, as far as he was concerned. Then he was even more surprised when she threw back the hood on her cloak and he beheld her black hair curling around the edges of her beautiful face.

"Perhaps you can," she said ambiguously. She stared at both men for a long moment, taking their measure with her eyes. Neither spoke, somehow sensing that she was judging them but also sensing no guile or ill intent in her.

"Whom do you serve?" Alesha asked, looking at the man who had spoken. She knew the answer to her own question but she wished to hear him speak of it.

"My Lord Alto is the one to whom I answer," he replied without hesitation. She nodded. He wore the robes of a fighting monk, a relatively rare but powerful sect in the church of Alto. It was said that they could perform feats with their bodies that rivaled that which was possible. She had never met one before but she wondered if it was mere discipline or divine magic that enabled them to do such things.

"And you?" She turned to face the other man, a wizard by his appearance.

"With all due respect, Milady, I would know who you are first? You, after all, are the one cloaked mysteriously both in magic and garment," he responded.

"You are astute, I see your Mistress at the Academy of Magic spoke truly of you," Alesha said, smiling approvingly at him. She glanced around and let the magic shielding her disperse. To the two men it was as though she suddenly stepped out of a dark room, though the lighting had not changed. Nevertheless she suddenly captured all of their attention with her presence.

"Milady," the monk said, trying to stumble to his feet to kneel before her. Somewhat slower because of his being dazzled by her beauty and charisma, the magician tried to follow suit.

"Sit, young men, and be silent, please," Alesha said, trying not to laugh at their sudden reaction. "I presume that means you know of me now?"

"I do not, but I have no doubt of your nobility and piety," said the monk, suspecting she was an agent of Alto sent to deliver unto him a quest.

Alesha actually did laugh at his words. The laughter was tinged by only the faintest touch of bitterness; she had long grown accustomed to her separation from the Gods of the world. It had left her feeling hollow at first, as though she was missing something important, but as the years passed she grew accustomed to it and then was able to forget about it completely with the birth of Bobo.

Being reminded of it still sometimes caused a dull ache within her though. "None by right of birth, I can assure you," she said with a tight lipped smile. "And you misspeak yourself gravely when you accuse me of piety, Nathanial."

The monk's eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he spoke. "You know our names? How else could you save for divine blessings?"

Briefly Alesha toyed with the thought of darkening her image into that of the evil seductress she had been so very long ago, showing him the possibilities that were beyond his ability to consider. "Ah, to be so young and so innocent. Naïve, really, I envy you."

"You're scarcely possible to be more then a year or so my elder, Milady," Nathaniel said, fighting off the indignity caused to his pride by her words.

"I meant no insult, my friend, simply a statement on my part and if I caused you injury, I apologize," Alesha said.

"Nathan, be silent, you babble and the Mistress of the Elves surely has better things to do then to bandy words with you," the wizard scolded, though his own gaze scarcely strayed from her.

Nathanial's eyes widened as he made the connection. They were indeed in Loralost on the isle of Innowendyn, in a tavern by the name of The New Age. They had returned so that Gregory, Nathanial's magic using companion, could finish his final project and graduate from the Academy of Magic as an enchanter. It had required the two of them to travel far and wide to the island nation of Herdonia, where they had to investigate an artifact of great power that secured the island from ruin by time, nature, and enemy attack. The Rock of Herdonia had been stolen, however, and only a thorough investigation had enabled them to find it and restore it to the cavern deep beneath the island to right the wrongs that had been happening to the people and the lands of Herdonia.

Where else would he expect to run into such a powerful, beautiful, and important woman such as Alesha Risingmoon? Nathanial made to stand and kneel before her again, now that he more properly knew of her. Only her hand on his arm kept him seated, though it seemed to pain him greatly.

"I think, of the two of us, you are filled with far more nobility then I," Alesha said, good natured laughter in her eyes.

"Now then, to the nature of my business with you fine young men. I have heard of your deeds and I applaud you for them, I needed to meet with you and see how genuine you were, and I believe I have seen it. If you are willing my husband has something he would speak of with you. A perilous quest that he requires some unique talent for."

"Of course, Milady, we will gladly undertake it!" Nathanial said resolutely. Gregory sighed and shook his head, smiling apologetically at Alesha when she looked at him. Laughter showed in her eyes. So young and eager to please, she could scarcely remember those days so long ago was it.

"Come to the palace tomorrow evening, tell the steward who you are and he will take care of you from there," she said, standing back up and throwing her cowl over her head again. "Gentlemen, I bid you a good evening. Until the morrow."

Both men blinked and looked at each other. She had disappeared before their very eyes. The door opened and closed but they saw no one go through it. Shaking their heads they turned back to one another, unanswered questions hanging thickly in the air. As one they both turned to a nearby barmaid and called out loudly for ale.

*****

Dressed in the finest clothing they could afford Nathanial and Gregory were admitted into the private office of the King of Innowendyn. Two elven guards wearing finely crafted light weight plate mail stood outside of the door, one to a side. They stood casual but always ready to respond at an instant's notice.

"Welcome," Alesha said, rising from where she was sitting rather casually on the edge of the large wooden desk Kelnozz sat behind. Kelnozz rose as well, a plain but tired smile upon his face. Both wore garments that were simple for their offices, but still cut of a cloth far beyond the means of the two visiting adventurers. Kelnozz wore simple dark brown breeches and a dark blue shirt, with his weapon belt leaning against his desk beside him, something he would never be far from no matter his position or situation. Alesha wore a light blue vest trimmed with crimson lace and rubies as well as a black skirt that clung to her hips and was diagonally cut so that it hung lower on her left leg then on her right.

"Well met, friends," he said, stepping out from behind the desk and coming towards them. Both Gregory and Nathan's eyes widened at King Risingmoon's nonplussed behavior. Both bowed deeply in subservience to him.

Kelnozz sighed audibly. "Rise, good sirs, I would like your help and your services, but not your subservience."

They straightened and stood stiffly, puffing out their chests proudly and scarcely believing they were in a private non-formal conference with the King of the Elves.

Kelnozz studied them for a moment, fighting the urge to smirk as they nearly tripped over themselves. Finally he managed to choke himself down to a smile before he leaned back against his desk and began.

"Tell me what you know of Thoragloorin," he said, watching them for a reaction.

Nathan's frowned as he pondered the name, but it was a quick search through his memory before he came up with nothing. "Thora-what... Sir?"

"Thoragloorin," Gregory supplied. "It is the ancient elven homeland located on Belurian. Nobody knows where it is though, but it is rumored to hold the lost magics of the greatest strengths of the elves before they were lost in the Kinslayer Wars."

Kelnozz looked impressed. He nodded his head thoughtfully. "Yes, yes that is correct. Apparently that Academy we have is doing a better job then I thought they were."

Gregory had the good grace to blush at the praise. "Actually, My Lord, I looked up most of it on my own after hearing a rumor about it a long time ago at the Academy of Magic."

"Oh? What prompted such curiosity?"

Again Gregory blushed. "I am an enchanter, Your Lordship, and items imbued with magic therefore are my tools of the trade. Some of the greatest ensorcelled items in the world are said to come from Thoragloorin, though the only one I have ever seen was the Rock of Herdonia. Thus my interest."