A Paladin's Journey Ch. 07

Erik looked back to the map. "Well, from what I gather, if I've assessed things correctly, Aran's plan hinges on the Elves' presence in the Emerin in order to ambush the Heralds. It's a clever enough idea, but the risks stem from the Elves not arriving in time, or the Heralds not taking the bait and chasing Aran into the forest."

He rested his fists on the table and pursed his lips, thinking. From what he could see, there was nothing more to be done except wait and hope.

"What of the refugees coming our way?" Liddea asked in her clipped accent. "The Temple is more than large enough to accommodate them."

The others nodded, but Erik wasn't so sure. "At first, maybe," he told his sisters. It sometimes felt a little strange, calling them sisters, but he was getting used to it, slowly. "But how many more might be coming behind them? How long would it take us to restore enough rooms to house them? Best if we find a solution that keeps them close, but out of the Temple proper, if we can."

A long silence stretched as they considered options.

"What about Suravale?" Lynelle asked suddenly. Her hand went to the map of the Karvanis and her finger landed on a point on the south side of the range. "It was about here, before the Darkening, anyway, if my history is right."

Erik nodded. "Yes, Suravale would be ideal, and its position would see it sheltered from the northerly storms coming in of late." Suravale had once been a thriving town in the mountains, coexisting with the Temple. It would be a ruin, now, but it might be worth a look.

"Do you think there's anything left of it?" Sylvia asked, leaning forward over the table. The front of her transparent robe drooped, and Erik could see all the way from her pert breasts down to the cleft between her thighs. She caught him looking and gave him a wink while making no attempt to adjust the vaima.

"It's been abandoned since the Darkening," Erik said thoughtfully. "But if the structures were well-made, there's a chance it's still habitable. I'll ride out in the morning and see what's what. Sylvia, will you accompany me?"

The pretty per'Elda grinned up at him from across the table. "Count me in! It will be nice to be outside again."

Erik nodded at her. "Good. After we've seen Suravale, we'll head down to the foothills and wait for the refugees. By the time we meet them, we'll know if we're bringing them inside the Temple or not.

"Lynelle, Liddea," the Elf and Dwarf looked at him expectantly. This surprised Erik; he'd never issued any of them a direct command before, and here they were awaiting his orders. "You two should remain here and take care of the Temple, at least for now. Sylvia and I should be able to handle things well enough outside."

Without further ado, the women left the makeshift war room to prepare, leaving Erik to his thoughts, and the maps.

"You did well, Erik."

He looked up to see Amina swaying into the room and stopping on the other side of the table. Her ample breasts fell against the sheer fabric of her vaima as she leaned forward, placing both hands flat on the table. Her eyes scanned the map before capturing his gaze.

Erik had been in her presence dozens of times, now, but he still couldn't stop his heart beating faster when she was around. When she looked at him or spoke to him, it galloped like a prime racer. "Thank you, High Priestess," he found himself saying.

"You interpreted events correctly, for the most part." She told him, her voice somehow both authoritative and sultry all at once. Her eyes fell back on the map, and she traced her fingers along the same lines as Erik had, though hers varied slightly in places. Southeast instead of due east here, north instead of northwest there. "Aran informed me of his movements last night. I have yet to hear from Elaina, but my heart tells me she is well."

Erik hoped so. Elaina had shown him nothing but kindness and love from the moment she entered the Temple. Making love with her had been only a small step down in heavenly bliss from Amina herself.

Amina continued. "I hope to meet with both Aran and Elaina tonight, if possible. I would hear how things are in Ildernass, and how she fares with Aldin and Elessir."

"The Lord and Lady of the Eryn'elda?" Erik asked.

Amina eyed him curiously. "I seem to forget how well read you are, aronduri." Her voice was tinged with amusement. "Indeed, the Lord and Lady of Ildernass. They were ever proud, but their hearts were of gold. I can only hope the long years have not jaded them."

"And if they refuse aid?" He spoke the question softly, uncertain of the answer.

Amina's slim fingers tightened into a fist on the map, nearly ripping the paper. "Then you, and I, and Sara, and everyone else in the Temple will ride to Aran and take the fight to the Heralds ourselves!" Her eyes blazed, and Erik found himself wanting to take a step back.

"However," she added, unclenching her hand and smoothing the map where it had crinkled. She smiled warmly at Erik, her ferocity melting. "I do not think Elaina will allow anything but the result we require. She is capable, and the Elves have a long, prosperous history with the Arohim."

A long moment of silence stretched out between them. Erik felt as if he could reach out and grasp the gravity of the moment. If Elaina failed...

"You are a scholar, Erik, are you not?" Amina asked suddenly. She began to round the table toward him, and Erik felt his body responding to the way hers shifted and swayed.

"I consider myself to be well read, yes, Priestess." He swallowed as she came to a stop before him, so close that their vaima were almost brushing. He thought he could feel the heat of her lush body on his skin.

"You are being modest," she said in a way that made him feel like the only man in the world. "Come. There's something I want to show you." Taking his hand, she led him from the makeshift war room.

***

***ELAINA - Ildnernass, Home of the Eryn'elda, Deep in the Emerin Forest***

Elaina stepped off the boat with a grateful sigh. She knew that the crew had pushed the Vorondil to her limits, and the sleek rivership had earned its name 'Loyal Friend' and more besides. The journey to Ildernass had taken no more than two days and a half.

She looked up and down the straight, clean docks fashioned from trees in a way that made the structure look as if it had grown that way naturally. That was the way the Eryn'elda did things; all natural curves and flowing lines. Beyond the dock, thick-boled, ancient trees densely crowded the riverbank, shielding unwanted eyes from the city that lay within. They towered up and up, and Elaina's eyes followed them until their tops were lost in the glare of the noonday sun filtering through from above.

A whistle came from up there, somewhere, from a sentry, and was answered by another from Durien, who stepped up beside her. He was still shirtless, and his lean, hard body with good, square shoulders looked mouth-watering, but Elaina did not have time to play. Time was of the essence.

"Thank you, Captain," she told him genuinely, trying not to get too lost in his sky-blue eyes. "Your efforts to get us here quickly will not soon be forgotten."

Durien smiled and bowed deeply, taking her hand in his. "Anything for you, Elaina eruchen. Any time, any place." His long silver hair shifted in the breeze as he looked down at her.

Elaina chuckled throatily, unable to keep the smokiness from her voice. "I'll remember that, Captain."

At that moment, Induin and Liaren appeared, though what they were wearing made Elaina's eyes pop. "What is that?" She asked them with an even blend of amusement and admiration, gesturing to their attire.

The Elvish twins posed provocatively on the dock to better show off their garments, if they could be called that. Leaves attached to thin vines were twined elegantly - and sparingly - around their lithe bodies, the vines winding sinuously around limbs and torsos, with the largest leaves only just adhering to their most private parts, as if strategically placed to tease and entice without revealing absolutely everything.

When they turned around, the only thing visible other than flawless pale skin was a thin vine curving down their backs and between their pert buttocks, which connected to the lush leaf covering their pussies. Their feet were bare, though their ankles and calves were adorned with more vines.

"It is summer!" Induin said, as if that explained everything.

"You look like a pair of bloody Dryads!" Elaina laughed. "Though it does look good, I must say."

"She doesn't know," Liaren whispered to her sister, but loudly enough for all to hear.

"Oh," Induin replied, as if suddenly understanding something.

Both twins looked Elaina up and down critically, particularly her clothes. "We're going to have to get you a change, and quickly," Liaren told her.

Elaina opened her mouth to protest, but Induin quickly interjected. "We're going to meet the Lord and Lady, and you can't go like that!"

"Like what?" Elaina asked, not quite offended at their tone. "I look fine!" She turned to Durien for support, but found that he had quietly slipped away and was back on deck issuing orders to the crew. Men! "It shouldn't matter what I wear," she told the two scandalously dressed Eryn'elda. "I'm a Paladin, won't they receive me well?"

Induin and Liaren shared a patient look. By the Gods, these two could be cheeky when they wished it! "It shouldn't matter," Induin began.

"But it does," Liaren finished. "Believe us. The Lord and Lady are more than two thousand years old. Many things matter to them. If we want to convince them to help us, we'll need to do everything we can. Besides, they won't see us right away, they'll want time to prepare."

Elaina didn't care if she had to go naked. She just wanted to get help for Aran as fast as possible. "Very well!" She agreed. "I will change and then we go, but we do this quickly, yes?" She got two happy nods in return, and then the twins were hustling her up the riverbank and through the trees.

*

Elaina didn't know how the Elves made this... outfit. It was called a lasselath, and it was donned by placing a special kind of enchanted seed in the wearer's hand. The seed then sprouted and grew, reaching out with soft vines and entwining itself around the body, shaping itself delicately in the process. It was quite a sensuous experience, Elaina had to admit.

Induin and Liaren stood before her, eyeing her up and down appraisingly before applauding softly. "The lasselath is fond of you, Arohim," Liaren said with admiration. They were standing in the twins' bedroom in their modest house high up in the trees.

Elaina looked down at herself, holding her arms out before her and twisting them around experimentally. Despite feeling a little like she was wrapped up in chokevine, she was completely unencumbered. The soft tendrils wound their way around her arms and over her shoulders. Two leaves covered her nipples, but not much else; the large expanse of her breasts was still mostly visible, and she felt them wobble with her every movement, though they were supported beneath by more vine. A small leaf covered her smooth pubic mound, and she was aware of the thin vine running between her buttocks and up her back, wrapping around her torso a few times in the process. She possessed one feature that the twins did not; a thin vine encircled her throat, like a choker necklace, and three small gold leaves had sprouted upon it.

"What do the gold leaves mean?" She asked Induin as the silver-haired beauty held up a hand mirror for her.

"Difficult to say," Induin replied slowly. "The lasselath molds itself to her wearer. I've never seen her do this before, but then, I've never placed her on an eruchen."

"You say 'her,' like it's all one thing. Is she a spirit?"

Liaren smiled and reached out to slide a finger over the vine beneath Elaina's chin, gently brushing the leaves. "She is ancient, and she is wise. She lends us her seeds so that we may be close to her. We wear the lasselath during important times; rituals, weddings, celebrations and funerals. Meetings with the Lord and Lady do not require a lasselath, but bringing an Arohim to meet them dictates it a certainty."

Elaina felt a shift in the garment, and she looked down at her hip, where a loop was forming in the vines, as if to hang a weapon.

"Now there's another new thing," Induin murmured. "It would appear she wants you to go armed, Elaina."

"Will I offend the Lord and Lady, if I'm armed?"

"Perhaps not, being what you are," Liaren answered. "Either way, we do not have a lot of time to decide. We will support you, sister, whatever you choose, but it is almost time for us to make our way to the palace."

Deciding that despite how foolish it may look, she felt more comfortable with Shatter at her waist. Elaina snatched up the mace from atop her nearby pile of clothes and slid it through the green-brown loop. Surprisingly, the thin vines held the heavy weapon without drooping under the weight.

Induin and Liaren led the way from their bedroom and out into the main living quarters of their intricately-made wooden home. Everything looked as if it had grown in place, rather than being made by hand, right down to the chairs and the tables.

"Fifty-one years have I been alive," she muttered to herself. "And never would I have pictured myself strutting about Ildernass wearing three leaves and a yard of vines. The things I do for this man!"

The twins chortled softly, but as they exited the house and stepped onto the wide wooden skyway that led between the massive trees, Elaina suddenly found her hands clasped with theirs as they walked abreast, Induin on her left, and Liaren on the right. She was very conscious of the way her breasts and bottom moved as she walked, but she firmly put it out of her mind. You've made your choice, woman. Own it. You're Arohim, and you've done far more uncomfortable things than this!

There were plenty of Eryn'elda about this afternoon, and she got many looks, especially from the men. She didn't mind that so much; she couldn't blame them considering what she was wearing! And the fact that she wasn't Elvish probably made her something of a novelty. Regardless, all the Elves were respectful, many offering bows or polite nods. What drew just as many looks, however, were the golden leaves at her throat. Well, that and Shatter hanging from her waist by the loop in the lasselath.

Elaina was relieved to see that the twins and herself were not the only ones sporting the lasselath. A handful of times they crossed paths with others garbed in the vines and leaves. Elaina knew what the mystical garment looked like on a woman, but seeing the men was certainly interesting! No covering leaves for the male Elves, just vines twisting around their otherwise naked bodies, accentuating their masculine features and leaving their hairless loins completely bare.

Elaina could not help but return some of the hot stares she was receiving, though she only did so with half a mind. The other half was thinking about the impending meeting, but even being preoccupied, she still marveled at the beauty of Ildernass, the soaring skyways high in the treetops, wide enough for ten people to walk abreast, curving here, rising there, dipping here as if it were a living thing undulating its way through the forest. Elegant, rounded dwellings of polished wood lined the skywalk, their walls and doors sometimes carved in Elvish runes and patterns. There was no glass in the rounded windows, but curtains of leaves or small shrubs grew in some, providing privacy from passing eyes.

The walkway they were traversing adjoined to another, much wider avenue which circled a massive building in the centre of the city; the palace. Elaina's eyes travelled up and up until they lost the apex of the huge structure in the tops of what had to be the largest trees in the region, if not the world. These redwoods must have trunks over a hundred paces wide at their base!

The palace was built in between four of the redwoods, and was roughly square in shape, though it was far too curved and organically contoured to be labelled with a geometric form. Like every other structure in Ildernass, the palace looked as if it had grown there naturally.

"It's beautiful," Elaina whispered as she leaned on the elaborately-carved railing that ran around the inside of the curved walkway.

"Wait till you see inside!" Liaren said as she headed toward the palace. Elaina followed, appreciating the way Liaren's tight ass flexed and shifted as she walked. A ramp connected to the circular thoroughfare not far ahead, which led them up a gradual incline to an enormous circle that sat before the palace proper.

Obviously some sort of gathering place, like a town square, this polished wooden circle was surrounded by flowering trees of all varieties, filling the air with a peaceful, relaxing fragrance. The afternoon sun filtered down, accentuating the reds and pinks and yellows of the flowers.

"Looks like they know you're here," Induin murmured as she stared at what awaited them.

Guards formed two long lines down the middle of the circle, carved spears held before them with disciplined rigidity. Longbows were slanted across their backs, each at the same precise angle. Both male and female guards were garbed in something similar to the lasselath, though it appeared sturdier, and covered a bit more skin. Perhaps it was meant for battle, but it still drew the eye. Leave it to the Elves to make armour sexy.

A guard on the end closest to them turned suddenly and bowed. "You are expected, Elaina Arohim," the handsome fellow said, meeting her eyes when he righted himself. "The Lord and Lady await you on the Terrace of the Sun."

Elaina inclined her head in thanks. "I will not delay, mellon."

The Elf smiled briefly before resuming his pose, eyes dead ahead.

With a deep breath, Elaina started for the palace, the twins one step behind her.

*

When she stepped from the palace corridor, Elaina could see immediately why it was called the Terrace of the Sun. There was a gap in the tallest trees to the west, which was the direction the terrace faced, and so it was bathed in warm afternoon light untarnished by shadows. The wide area arced out from the side of the palace in a half-circle, the apex maybe a hundred feet from the archway that led back inside.

Several attendants stood in a line to either side of the archway, their backs to the wall. They were garbed in yet another variation of the lasselath, this one seeming more designed for aesthetic purposes, with blossoms of a myriad of colours sprouting in different places.

You have to credit the Eryn'elda, she thought to herself. They really know how look good. The attendants paled in comparison to whom they served, of course. Lord Andil and Lady Elessir of Ildernass sat in elaborate chairs at the other end of the terrace, facing the archway where Elaina stood. Even at a hundred feet away, Elaina could see their magnificent beauty, and feel their aura of command and wisdom.

On either side of her, Induin and Liaren fell gracefully to one knee, their hands crossed over their hearts. Elaina followed suit. An attendant to Elaina's left stepped forward and turned to face her. She was tall and well curved, and heavy in the chest, though not quite as endowed as Elaina. Elaina mentally placed her at five hundred years old, maybe more.

"Elaina Fairborne," the buxom Elf intoned with a polite bow. "You may approach the Lord and Lady."

Rising, Elaina moved forward, feeling more self-conscious than ever before. She had no problems with her body; she was rather proud of how she looked, but she was aware of every inch of bare skin she displayed under the serene gazes of the Lord and Lady as she approached them. She could sense Induin and Liaren behind her, and it was a small comfort. There was something awe-inspiring about standing in the presence of beings over two millennia old. They radiated power.