Page 24 of Dragon Sword

The shout echoed all around the clearing. Will looked down at me and I expected to find him mad, but there was a bemused smile on his face.

The soldiers had a different reaction. They drew out their swords or grasped their spears in both hands as all of them spun around searching for the source of my voice. Will grasped my hand and led me out into the open path. A cry came from the rear soldiers and in a few seconds, we were completely surrounded. I stiffened as the pointed ends of the spears were shoved at our faces.

Will, on the other hand, appeared very nonchalant as Terve marched up to him with the old woman shuffling along behind him. “What are you doing here?” he snapped at us as he gave us a sharp look.

Will used a hand to gesture to the woods. “We were merely enjoying the beauty of the elven forest when we happened upon your lights.”

The old woman came to stand beside the general and scoffed. “More as like it you were intruding on our ways, Lord Thorn. This would not be the first time you have done so.”

Will bowed his head to the old woman. “A warm greetings to you, as well, Lady Akka I am glad to see there is still life in you.”

She curled her lips back in a sneer. “Enough life to extinguish yours.”

He grinned. “You have improved your words. They are sharper than I remember.”

One of her hands glowed green and she took a threatening step toward him. “Allow me to remind you of what I can do, as well.”

Terve stepped into her path and shot her a sharp look. “That is enough.” He returned his attention to Will and me. “What are you doing here, Lord Thorn?”

“Trying to find the answers that the king and you refused to give to us,” Will replied.

Terve narrowed his eyes at my husband. “You were told to refrain from looking into this matter.”

“We can hardly escape it,” Will mused as he swept his eyes over the woods. “After all, should we leave the city what guarantee could the king give us that we could safely travel out of the woods?”

“I would give you my guards,” the general offered.

Will nodded at the man on the pedestal. “Is he one of your guards?”

Terve stiffened slightly and he tightened his grip on his sword hilt. He lifted his chin but kept eye contact with Will. “He is.”

“Then you can’t kill him!” I spoke up as I stabbed a finger at the marred elf.

Terve’s stern gaze settled on me and my courage was slightly cowed. “Do you even know what is wrong with him?”

“We would if your high would have told us,” Will interjected. “As things stand, my wife here only sees you murdering one of your own because you lacked the magic to cleanse whatever ails him.”

The general stiffened his jaw and there was ire in his eyes. However, he stepped to one side and swept his arm toward the pedestal. “Would you care for a try?”

“General!” Lady Akka snapped as she glared up at him. “You cannot allow outsiders onto the platform of reverence! He has disobeyed enough of our rules by coming into this circle!”

Terve settled his nonchalant expression on her. “What is the point of the rules if we all succumb to this sickness?”

Lady Akka pursed her lips. “His Highness will hear about this.”

“Then I will hold myself completely responsible for my actions,” the general answered before he looked back to Will and nodded at his fallen man. “Go and see for yourself the power of our foe.” A slight gesture from the general and his soldiers drew back their weapons.

Will grasped my hand and guided me through the men as they parted, creating an aisle down which we traveled to the platform. We stepped onto the stone and I felt something awry in the air around it. I felt heavy and sluggish, as if a heavy wet blanket now covered me. The air, too, was chillier and I instinctively scooted closer to Will as he led me up to the pedestal.

We stopped before the raised bed and my stomach churned at the sight of the black spots. Every black patch was a mess of rotten flesh. Boils had sprouted over the putrid skin and some of them had popped, creating a ghastly explosion of brackish goo that dotted the man’s skin like pox. A stench of death hung over him and his face was a picture of pain.

I looked up at Will whose own face revealed his subdued disgust. “It’s just like the animals, isn’t it?”

He didn’t look away from the horror but nodded. “It is.”

Terve joined us and looked with a mixture of pity and grim determination upon his man. “You are correct. He suffers from the same affliction as the animals you fought.”

“How did this happen?” Will questioned him.

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