Captured by the Elves Ch. 10

Note: Sorry that it took so long. All of the characters in this story are over the age of 18. The elves even more so. This story does not represent any real people or groups. It is literally a fantasy. It does contain some fantasy violence and related blood, but not too much. Any errors or omissions are my own. Please check the story tags. This is part 10 so by now you should know what to expect. Enjoy.

Katania's breathing was ragged and strained as I held her against me. Sometimes, I could set her on her feet and she would sort of walk with urging, but for the most part I was dragging her. I still didn't have the strength to carry another person. Ericka did, and for a time she hauled Katania about, but she was concerned about the humans locating us. Lloyd's group had been oddly small, and Ericka theorized that the big man had divided his forces to search a broader area. That hadn't worked out well for him, but it still further complicated our exit.

As we moved, more of Katania's blood dripped onto me and combined with my sweat so that it was absolutely coating me. Ericka led the way ahead of us. The new elf girl had claimed different pieces of human equipment from the dead men in the shallows including Lloyd's mace and other weapons. Ericka said, "I think the big man ought to contribute to our escape in some small way, don't you?"

I almost laughed despite everything, and could only shake my head at my strange convert. She was an odd duck, but then again Braith had called me odd more than once. The whole thing made a lot more sense then.

No one had spotted us, but Ericka remained vigilant. The more that we traveled the more that the smoke returned to the air. I'd enjoyed the brief respite from the soot and ash. When I began coughing again, I half expected to see black soot in my phlegm. The forest would recover with enough time. I could only hope that we would survive long enough to see it.

"You There! Halt!" boomed a voice. It belonged to one of the human soldiers that stepped out of cover to intercept us. "Surrender and you will not be harmed."

It was an interesting promise from the men that approached us with cold steel in their hands. Their orders were likely to spare us, if possible, but the alternative was clear. I stood and waited. I couldn't bring myself to drop the injured Katania, and I was exhausted. We were already traveling at a hobbled gait with my injured knee and Katania nearly senseless. Ericka descended upon them. While she was still slim, the conversion had made her into a powerful creature.

She waited until the first man took an uncertain swing at her with his sword. She backstepped away and rolled up on his side. She didn't even need to fully swing Lloyd's mace that far to fracture the man's arm. Unlike Lloyd, these men were only in chainmail—resistant to cuts, but against a blunt weapon it did little. The man screamed—his arm so damaged. It wasn't even capable of dropping the sword. Ericka spun around. Her follow up took the man in the head resulting in an explosion of red waste.

The next man was more cautious. He moved forward—then halted. Using his shield to try and bait Ericka into a strike, which he would try and parry. She danced around him for a time, and then made a powerful underhanded swing with the mace that knocked the soldier off balance. The man recovered and pushed forward towards her. He made a powerful wide swing, and Ericka dove at him and closed the distance. She was too close for his wide attack to land on her. Ericka rammed the mace into his face. A blast of blood and broken teeth filled the air. The poor man collapsed back onto the ground. I didn't watch as Ericka finished the man off. I knew what it was like. Being a soldier taught you about brutality and the rather obscene nature of life and death. I was a cute and large-breasted elf girl, yet my most powerful memories were of my time as a male soldier. No matter what I became as "Kiari" a part of her would always be "William". We were different people and yet the same. I was one of the she-elves, but I fully remembered what it was to be human. I felt sympathy for the people that Ericka killed, and guilt for the fact that she was killing them because of me. They died and yet we lived. I felt the full gravity of the situation.

"What is the cost?" asked a familiar voice.

I looked around, but there was no one there to have asked the question. I blinked my eyes. Wondering if it was just the exhaustion. Hearing voices. Had the madness settled in? Yet I remembered the voice—the singing that I'd heard upon my conversion. The promise of love and acceptance that had greeted me. Some part of that had to be true.

Another group of men emerged from the brush to confront us. There were five this time, but Ericka wasn't fazed in the slightest. She waited for them to make their move.

Before they could do anything, a hail of arrows fell upon the men. These fine crafted missiles had no respect for armor and pierced the soldiers with little effort. There was little chance for any of them, and in short order, after a second volley, they were all gone. I felt bad for it, but ultimately knew that this was for our benefit. Such was war and the fruit that it bore.

I turned towards the direction that the arrows had come from for my eyes to land upon a small group of mundane elves, who had fired from a very strict formation. One of them approached us. Ericka was ready with the mace, but I told her to stop. The elf showed us that he was unarmed. It was the young elf who had told his fellows that I was so comely. He was as beautiful a man as ever, and still offering me a wicked smile with his oddly cruel mouth. He was a dangerous temptation.

In halting common he said: "My chieftain would speak with you. Must be fast."

I looked to Ericka, but she was waiting for my decision. I could feel the life dripping out of Katania.

"Please," I said, "Take us there."

Our guide led us deeper into the forest, yet made pains to keep the river on our right. None of the elves uttered a word as we moved. This combined with their green and brown uniforms would've made them nigh undetectable in the forest. At least to me. They displayed an immense caution, which I imagined was due to the fact that they were in wild elf territory. If a skirmish occurred, I didn't like our chances of survival while being stuck in the middle of it.

The smoke grew stronger as we moved. While this rendezvous was hidden, it was still close enough to the front to make a person choke on the air. The mundane elves had soaked scarves in water and tied them over their mouths and noses. Ericka and I were offered scarves as well, but when I asked for one for Katania, the eld shook his head.

"She will die," he said. "Make peace with that."

I was struggling to hold her up by then. Ericka came over to help me carry her. I told the elf, "I can't give up on her. She's important, can you help us?"             

He shrugged. "The chieftain will see you. Perhaps you will listen to him."

I scoffed at his dismissiveness. There was no way that anyone could understand. This is Henry Collins in my arms, I wanted to tell them. The cause of all of this. But what would that mean to them? They neither knew nor cared. I couldn't blame them. How were they to know?

Deeper in the woods the brush became thicker. We entered an area that was difficult to trek towards. There were small trenches dug and hidden by the brambles. It was an intentionally hidden and fortified area. We passed by stakes and pits, and finally arrived at a small clearing. Then we came upon Khaliman and the rest of his elves. They heated water in a small pot over a low fire, and one of the elves was already serving his chieftain tea.

Khaliman welcomed us with a smile and an open hand—bidding us to approach. "Please sit," he said, pointing to a log. "Forgive my humble accommodations. We are currently in engaged in a withdrawal as it were. We shan't be here for long."

"You broke your truce with the humans?"

"Not exactly. Lord Collins and I had a disagreement. I am in fact returning to seek instruction from my council leaders. All is normal."

I frowned at him. "And the humans that your men killed?"

"What humans? It's possible that some of Lord Collins' men went missing. That's unfortunate, but a common occurrence out here. Besides, after the assault on the wagon convoy who can say what happened? Those men may have encountered another group of wild elves. The important this is: at the moment you are safe, Kiari."

I showed him Katania. "Help me save her. Do you have a healer?"

"Some of my men are trained, but my own healer is not here at the moment. Set her down."

Khaliman set down his tea, and took a moment to look over Katania. He said, "It does not look good. Have you lost fellows in the field before?"

I nodded solemnly.

He said, "Then you should understand that sometimes you need to leave people behind as hard as it might be. Why are you struggling to save this one?"

"She is one of my kind. That's enough reason."

Khaliman summoned two elves who began to tend to Katania. They cleaned her and conducted some tests. Poultices and bandages were applied. After much tending, they left and Katania had at least stopped bleeding.

"I cannot guarantee her recovery," said Khaliman. "But my men did try. Would you come with me, Kiari? I offer sanctuary for you and your companions."

"And the elves in the settlement?"

He sighed. "I cannot interfere anymore. Not without authorization and a lot more men. Collins is obsessed. He is looking for his lost son or so I was told by my superiors. Collins never spoke to me about it directly. I wonder if it's even true."

Khaliman looked over at Katania. "I wonder," he said. The elf chieftain smiled. "Oh, the possibilities. Would Collins thank me or curse me if I provided him with his long-sought answer?"

"That arrangement is mine to make," I said.

"And you would offer him this she-elf battered by his own men? Will that satisfy him?"

"Probably not, but it will be the truth."

"The truth is a painful thing. Not everyone appreciates it."

"And you recommend something else?"

He nodded. "Wait until you know for sure. To see if she lives and if you are correct in your conclusion. You could even do that if you were to come with me."

"Do your people know of any...any cure? I'm not sure what I would call it."

Khaliamn took a deep breath and shrugged. "I've heard many rumors and stories over the years. In truth: who knows? We are raised to believe that those who are converted are lost to us. That's not far from the truth now, is it?"

It hurt to hear it like that. "Thank you for helping us," I said. "I appreciate your generosity, but we'll have to go our own way."

Khaliman considered this for a moment. Then the elf chieftain got close to me. He put his hand on my slender shoulder. He said, "I've hated your kind for many years. Hundreds of years ago, I lost a brother to your wild elves. He was a gentle soul. Not a warrior. That was hard to live with, and in turn I became a harder man because of that. Yet, the older I became I was left to ponder what he would have done if I had been the one taken. Could he have hated for so long? I think not. My invitation stands. I wish you luck, Kiari. As I said before: I hope there is a time in the future where you and I will negotiate. I see great potential in such a meeting. For now: my men and I are leaving. Good luck with the humans. You'll need it."

The mundane elves took us as near to the she-elf lands as they dared. I didn't envy them their position. They stood as much chance of being attacked by the humans as they did the she-elves. Khaliman had little choice, but to leave. I prayed that he would make it home safely. The way he spoke of the future...I truly hoped that there would be something that we could work out then. Landa believed that I would do something for the she-elves. Perhaps trying to make some peace with the mundane elves was that thing.

When we reached the right spot, the young elf who had first guided us to Khaliman nodded, and then he and his fellows left and disappeared into the thicket of the forest. Like they have never been there. Ericka checked the area around us, and then we gathered up Katania as best we could and kept going.

I tried to take stock of Katania's injuries so I could report them to Braith. Khaliman's healers were amazingly skilled in their practice of aid. The bandages that they applied to her were expertly done and the fabric was even soaked with some strong-smelling medicine. This stopped any further bleeding from the injured she-elf, but I remembered Khaliman's skepticism about her chances. Lloyd had done something terrible to her face and head. I'd seen Braith treat such injuries and had even helped, but Braith always tried to make sure that the injured person was awake and talking to her during this treatment. Katania was barely responsive. At most I got a weak squeeze from her hand. Something was broken in her.

After hours of struggle, I thought that I began to recognize some of the areas of the forest. There was a sound of rustling in the brush ahead of us. Ericka was ready with her weapons, but relaxed when she saw the she-elves approaching us. These were the dark-skinned she-elves of the south with Dria at their command. The chieftain had been with Katania during the assault on the wagon. Now the three of us were reunited.

"Kiari," said Dria, pointing at me. "You're alive. I am happy to see that."

"Please, help us. Katania is hurt."

Two of Dria's sisters came forward and gently took Katania from my shoulder. They set her down, and make their own assessments. I did see them curiously examining the elaborate bandages on the wounded she-elf. One of the women gave Dria a serious look, and that was the only communication that Dria required.

Dria said, "We must return at once. Can you walk?"

I nodded with enthusiasm. Despite the pain and my exhaustion, I just wanted to go home. Dria and her sisters were my salvation on that day.

Dria and her fellow southern warriors guided us back to the settlement. When we crossed the threshold of the gate we were greeted with astonishment and audible gasps. No one had expected us to return despite the bravery of the rescue attempts. Many elves were pointing me out.

"I can't believe she's back," they said. "I thought she wanted to rejoin her humans and betrayed us." They pointed at Ericka and wondered who she was. Ericka, for her part, was excited to see the settlement. I'd described it for her during our captivity. I could only imagine how such an experience was for Ericka. Her future was here—if there was to be any future at all. She stayed close to me the whole time. Even then willing to protect me from anyone.

The elves were ready for battle. Some had taken to wearing branches and leaves strapped to themselves and were smearing themselves with mud. I noticed that Rowan was amongst them—showing them her preferred way of going about. The elf that had previously been such a solitary figure now had a collection of followers. In the worst-case scenario: Rowan would manage to create a new community that never left the cover of nature. Gods help the fools that attempted to hunt those women. They would never leave the forest alive.

It didn't take long for word of our arrival to reach the right people. Eventually they all came to us. Teagan still used a stick to brace her walking, but not as much as before. Landa was at her side, emitting confidence as ever. The blonde and the red head chieftain each wore their headdresses. Landa made a quick appraisal of me. Perhaps there was some relief on her face, but she was well guarded in her expression. She turned a rather curious eye towards Ericka. Did she already suspect the new girl's origins? And then of course there was Braith. My soon-to-be wife was a bundle of nervous energy. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her short dark hair looked wild and unkept. I saw dirt on her freckled face. When she laid eyes on me it was like she thought she was hallucinating. Like there was no way that I could possibly have come back. Then once she was sure, Braith ran over to me—intent on scooping me up in a great hug, but Ericka stepped between us. For a moment, I feared that there would be some confrontation. I put my hand on Ericka's shoulder, and told her that it was all right.

Ericka stepped aside, and Braith scooped me up in her strong arms. I only noticed it then, but Braith was a little shorter than I was. However, she was as thick and strong as ever. No amount of worry or hardship had altered that.

"Never," she said. "You're never leaving home again. I don't care what anyone says."

I wasn't sure that I liked that idea, but I didn't want to provoke her.

"Are you well?" she demanded. She started checking me all over. "What did they do to you?" I winced when she touched my knee.

I said, "It's not that bad."

"You're covered in blood."

"Most of it's not mine. Please, you have to help Katania."

She looked over to where Dria's elves had set down the injured blonde.

"Let's get all of you inside," said Braith. "There will be time for questions later."

Braith had the other elves set me atop a table and insisted on fully examining me. I tried telling her to focus on Katania, but Braith said that the injured elf was as stable as she was going to be for the moment. The other elves kept watch on the injured girl. I knew that I receiving preferential treatment based on who I was, and I felt horrible for it, but there was little for me to do. Braith did as she pleased.

Sitting up there on the table it felt so much like being with Clive, the physician, back at the human camp. I wondered what Braith would make of him and he of her. According to Braith, my knee was healing and with hope I wouldn't have a limp, but wearing a knee brace was possibly permanent. Still, I was lucky, I would have only one bad knee as opposed to the two that she had. Braith gave me a handful of her strong leaves to chew for the pain, and I did as she ordered

"Clive gave me syrup of the poppy," I said. "It was really nice."

She gave me a worried look. "That could've killed you."

"It didn't."

I didn't tell her that I suspected the attempted overdose to be an act of mercy. There was no need to have her worrying any more than she already was. The rest was rather embarrassing. She had me strip naked and describe everything that was done to me while she conducted another thorough examination. In a weird way she was a mother hen after getting back a stolen chick. She couldn't believe that I hadn't been compromised in some way. Fortunately, after much poking and prodding she began to accept that I'd made it home in better condition that I ought to have. She let me put my dirty rags back on, though assured me that a hot a thorough bath would occur soon. Then Braith's attention turned towards Ericka.

"Who is this?" Braith asked me.

"Well," I said, "You once talked about me understanding certain things after I'd converted another. This is Ericka."

Braith was reticent at first, but at my urging she began to soften. Ericka was on her best behavior.

"I can't believe it," said Braith "Our home is starting to get a little fuller than I thought it would."

"I'll fix any issues," I told her. "Ericka is my responsibility."

Braith lightly punched me on the shoulder. "Look at you," she said. "Converting and being responsible. I thought that it would take decades."

Looking back on it I wish that I could've told her everything. I wanted to. If anything, just to share in the uncertainty of it all. I didn't even know how long I'd been gone. More than a week certainly. I had learned so much, and yet I felt every less powerful.