Source Of The River (5 page)

D
arkness settled
over the mountains. The stars hid themselves behind the clouds, but the moon’s
glow fought its way through the thickness, providing a dim, hazy light. The
wind gently rustled the leaves on the trees, and the creatures of the night
sang softly to the sky.

Kaiya lay awake in her bed, unable to put her mind
at ease. Earlier in the evening, her father had expressly forbidden her to go
anywhere near town, thanks to the hostility the pair had encountered. No matter
her age, he would always think of her as a child who needed his protection. She
was the youngest of his children and had no husband, which gave her father the
excuse he needed to carry on in the role of her protector.

She understood her father’s need to protect her,
but it wasn’t necessary. Kaiya was not an average dwarf girl who was expected only
to have children and run a home. Her magical powers were strong, and she had
spent her life honing her talents. Without the distraction of friends and their
silly childhood games, Kaiya was able to spend her days practicing magic and
teaching herself to harness the wind. She was not helpless. She was a strong
woman who could look after herself.

As quietly as she could manage, Kaiya rose from
her bed and headed for the front door. Her urge to discover the presence in the
caves was far stronger than her need to listen to her father’s warnings. She
did not fear the miners. Their weapons were nothing compared to her powers. The
magical being within the cave, however, was something unknown. She could not
decide whether it was malevolent, and she wanted to know if it was the source
of the illness that had been spreading among the miners.

As she tiptoed to the door in the darkness, she
reached out with her hand to avoid tripping on any unseen obstacles in her
path. To her surprise, her cloak had been hung on the doorknob, and a wooden
torch was propped against the door as well.
Mum,
she thought. Somehow
her mother knew she would be going out tonight, even before Kaiya herself had
made up her mind to do so.

Stepping out into the night, she quietly closed
the door behind her. Her magic could provide her with excellent night vision,
but she decided to light the torch instead. She did not want to waste any
magical energy that she might need later inside the cave. Creeping across the yard,
she hoped Doozle would not bark and wake her parents before she could reach the
dirt road that would lead her to town.

The nighttime air in the mountains was cool
despite it being early summer. She pulled her cloak a bit closer to her skin,
but the chill she felt had more to do with her nerves than the weather. She
could sense the magic emitting from deep inside the cave and felt compelled to
investigate.

Her pace quickened as her eyes adjusted to the
dark. The torch in her hand provided enough light to save her from tripping
over the rocks along the path. Images of monsters from childhood tales flashed
in her mind as she tried to prepare herself for what might await her in the
cave. Never in her life had she encountered true evil. Ignorance and prejudice
had presented themselves, but not evil. The monsters were not real, but
something real was in the caves, and she feared it might be the true cause of
the illness.

Reaching the edge of town, she doused the flame on
her torch to avoid being noticed. Being after midnight, the town was deserted,
and all the dwarves were safely tucked away in their homes. If this night
proved dangerous for Kaiya, there was little chance of assistance from her
kinsmen.

A single night watchman stood guard outside the
cave. More security was not necessary, since most dwarves did not easily turn
to a life of crime. Severe punishments, including loss of limb, had been used
in the past, and that had deterred most criminal behavior for centuries. The
watchman was responsible mainly for keeping out vandals and teenage lovers
looking for a bit of privacy.

The silver-bearded dwarf stood at the ready with
no sign of drowsiness apparent in his posture. Taking great care to stay
hidden, Kaiya slowly lifted a hand and closed her eyes. A gentle gust of wind
passed by the guard, gaining momentum as it traveled. In the nearby mining
camp, a cart began to roll and quickly crashed into a rickety wooden table,
overturning both in the process. A loud clang was followed by a crash as used
dishes toppled from the table to the ground.
A little too much
, she
thought, promising to hold back a bit next time.

The guard readied a large hammer in his hand and
trudged off to investigate the disturbance. Kaiya made a dash for the cave with
only the moonlight to guide her path. Safely inside the cave, the sound of
dripping water filled her ears. Proceeding deeper within, the light became dimmer
and dimmer, until she was forced to use magic to see. Her eyes sparkled with
silver as she willed herself to see in the pitch-black surroundings.

The walls shimmered and reflected the light from
her eyes. An overwhelming sense of foreboding came over her, and she hesitated
in her steps. Taking a deep breath, she knew she would have to continue to find
the source of the magic. Her heart pounded in her ears, but her feet kept
moving forward.

She paused again deep within the cave where a rock
formation resembling a large basin glistened white among the gray interior.
From the ceiling, a second white formation descended, providing a rain shower
into the tub below. The water rushed forth with great strength, and the sound
echoed loudly from the walls. Directly behind the tub, a clear pool lay
motionless. As she peered into the pool, she saw the reflection of the ceiling,
which made the water appear to delve deep into eternity. She glimpsed her own
face among the water and smiled slightly, amused at the sight of her eyes as
they sparkled with magic.

A white light started to form at the edge of the
pool, circling inward and becoming ever brighter. The apparition of an elf
maiden in a white dress appeared, hovering above the center of the pool. Kaiya
lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the sudden light.

“Leave me to my sorrow and malice!” a loud voice
boomed.

Kaiya flinched at the sound of the voice. Clearly
this being was upset by her presence. “Who are you?” she asked.

“That is not your concern,” she replied. “Be gone
from this place!”

Kaiya swallowed hard and looked into the elf’s
eyes. “I won’t leave until I know what you are,” she replied defiantly.

A beam of white light shot forth, but Kaiya
reacted in time. Holding a hand up, she deflected the beam, which bounced
between the cave’s walls before fading away.

“I am a being of magic as well,” she declared. “I
will not harm you, and you should not be trying to harm me. Tell me how I can
help you.” Kaiya’s words were sincere. If she could release this creature from
her sorrow, she would do whatever was necessary.

“Be gone!” the elf repeated.

“Are you the one making the miners ill?” Kaiya
asked, ignoring the order to leave. Another bolt of light flew toward her, but
she was ready for it. With both hands, she repelled the attack, sending the
light back to the apparition. The elf took on a stronger glow but was unharmed.

“You must leave, child,” the elf said in a
melancholy voice. “You do not belong here.”

Before she could protest, the water from the pool
began to rise, forcing Kaiya to higher ground. The more she moved, the more the
water rose. Within seconds, the cave had filled with water to the height of her
shoulders. Not knowing what else to do, Kaiya turned and swam as best she could
away from the elf maiden.

Once the apparition believed Kaiya was leaving, the
water receded. To her dismay, the dwarf girl returned as soon as the water
level was low enough for her to stand. She strode boldly forward to face the
elf once more.

“You haven’t answered my question,” Kaiya stated.

“I can see you learn slowly,” the elf replied. “It
seems I must teach you not to meddle with magic you couldn’t possibly
understand.”

Kaiya stood firm, bracing herself for another attack.

R
iver walked
between Galen and Lenora as the three of them headed back to their village. The
forest buzzed with activity all around them, providing plenty of distractions
from the silence. Occasionally, River glanced at Lenora as if to say something
but turned his head away again without speaking. Lenora smiled to herself as
she walked, sensing River’s insecurity.

“How long have you studied with the dryads?” he
finally managed to ask.

Lenora replied, “About two years now. They’ve
taught me many things.”

River could not think of a suitable follow-up
question to continue the conversation. The light bouncing off Lenora’s golden
locks filled his vision, and he failed to find his words.

“Do they do anything but plant trees?” Galen asked,
filling the silence.

“They do many things within the forest,” Lenora
replied. “They understand every bird’s song, and they know each blade of grass.
They could teach me such things if I had the ability to learn them. As elves,
we are limited in what we are able to understand of this world. The dryads have
a powerful connection to the earth that we lack.” She paused in her walking to
look at River. “You may be less limited, or more so. I’m not sure which.”

“How do you mean?” River asked.

“Well, you aren’t just an elf, are you?” She
smiled and cocked her head slightly to the side. River felt his ears turning
red and hoped she did not notice. Galen glanced at River, giving a nod of
approval.

Finally, they arrived in the village and made
their way to the House of Medicine.

“I have to warn you that your mother might not be
happy I’ve involved you in this,” River admitted.

“She has her own way of doing things, and I have
mine,” Lenora said. “If she refused to do the work, then I must do it instead.”
Opening the door, she added, “Let’s see if we can’t figure out what happened to
your dwarf.”

Myla sat inside at her desk. At the sight of her
daughter, she rose to her feet. “Lenora?” she asked, surprised. “What brings
you here?”

“My friends have requested my assistance. It seems
there is trouble among the dwarves.”

“Don’t concern yourself with that,” she replied
coldly. “There are others who can tend to it.”

“Nevertheless, I’m here, and I would be happy to
look into it.” To her mother’s dismay, she proceeded to the dwarf’s lifeless
body, which had been encased in magic to preserve it for the time being.

She peeled away the magical layers to examine the
dwarf. As she touched him, her hands emitted a white glow. “You were right
about it being a magical illness,” she said, looking up at River. “He was
cursed.”

“The two of you should leave now,” Myla broke in.
“I need to speak with my daughter.”

“Thank you for your help, Lenora,” River said
before turning to leave.

Galen flashed a devilish grin at Myla before
walking out the door. Myla narrowed her eyes in response and glared at the two
as they walked away.

“What are you doing with them?” Myla asked.

Lenora sat casually next to the body of the dwarf.
“They came to find me. They said there was trouble.” She shrugged and turned
her attention back to the dwarf.

“That elf may be dangerous,” Myla continued. “We
don’t know what he is.”

“Who? River?” Lenora replied with a dismissing
wave of her hand. “He’s harmless.”

“That thing in the water killed his mother, and it
inhabits him. He’s only just come of age, and we don’t know what he’s capable
of.”

“I can take care of myself, Mother.”

Myla took a step closer to the dwarf’s body and
inspected it. “I don’t want you involved in this matter either,” she declared.
“I will handle it.”

“Too late,” Lenora replied playfully. “I’m already
involved.”

“You have a Coming of Age Ceremony to worry about.
Set your mind to that, and I will deal with this.”

Lenora shook her head but appeared to comply with
her mother’s wish as she made her way to the exit. Still trying to work out the
cause of the dwarf’s demise, she stepped out into the sunlight. River and Galen
stood on the opposite side of the door, and she nearly bumped into them.

“Hello again,” she said with a laugh.

“I take it your mother isn’t happy we involved you
in this,” Galen said.

“No, she isn’t.”

“Forgive me if I’ve caused you trouble,” River
said earnestly. He gazed into her pale eyes as he spoke and nearly forgot what
he was talking about.

“It’s no trouble,” she replied. “Shall we sit and
talk a while?”

“Certainly,” River answered, his heart fluttering
in his chest. He glanced at Galen, who was grinning from ear to ear.

Not wanting to intrude, Galen said, “I can’t. I
have to...,” he thought for a second, “go pluck a hair.”

River’s mouth dropped open slightly, and he buried
his face in his hand. His embarrassment was genuine, but Galen laughed and
slapped him on the shoulder.

Lenora burst out laughing. “Let us know if you
need any help with that.”

“Will do,” Galen said. He waved cheerfully at the
pair before leaving them to each other’s company.

River and Lenora took a seat on a silver bench
under the shade of a large tree.

“So,” Lenora began, “what brought you out into the
woods to find me?”

“Galen,” River replied. “He said you could help us
figure out what was going on.” He fidgeted nervously with his hands as he
spoke.

Smiling, Lenora said, “My mother isn’t a fan of
dwarves. Or of anyone, for that matter. I’m glad you came to find me.”

River stopped fidgeting and smiled at her, hoping
her last comment meant she was happy to meet him. “You said the dwarf was
cursed,” he said, attempting to prolong the conversation.

“Yes,” she replied. “It was definitely some dark
magic that caused his death. He had been quite ill, but the sickness progressed
much faster than anything of natural causes would do.”

“The Spirit of the river told me there was evil in
the mountains.”

Curiously, Lenora asked, “What do you and the
Spirit usually talk about? I hear you speak with it every day.”

“Some days it tells me nothing. Other days it
tells me too much.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I don’t understand what it’s
telling me.”

“You’ve learned stronger magic from it, right?”
Lenora asked, leaning closer to River.

“Yes, it has taught me quite a bit. I still need
practice, though. It isn’t quite the same as the magic we learned in school.”

Lenora smiled warmly and said, “I imagine it’s quite
different. The dryads are teaching me new magic as well.”

As the conversation tapered off, the two young
elves sat in silence. It was nearing sunset before they finally decided it was
time to part ways.

“I should probably be going,” Lenora said. “I have
one more question for you. Is the Spirit of the river dangerous?”

“No, I don’t believe it is,” he replied, unsure
why she was asking.

“Are you dangerous?”

River stared at her a moment before answering.
“No, of course not.” He didn’t understand why she would ask such a thing. He
had never done anything that would make the other elves afraid of him, and
there was nothing he could do to change the circumstance of his birth.

“I didn’t think so,” she replied, her eyes
sparkling. Leaning in, she kissed him softly on his cheek. “I’ll see you
tomorrow,” she said.

River watched as she walked away. His head felt as
if it were about to burst, and he had to remind himself to breathe. Lenora was
the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and he knew he was in love with
her. Whether she felt the same way, he could not be sure. For now, having her
friendship would have to be enough.