Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen Exposure, with Reluctant Allies

Cadderly grew more concerned as he saw the black fluid oozing from Danica's arm.He'd seen the imp's sting bring Pikel down, and the dwarf would have died long before a druid's healing magic hadn't worked.How can a human survive a poison that even dwarves are willing to bow down to? Danica's arm continued to twitch, and more foul matter poured out, mixed with her blood.Her breathing slowed, making Cadderly alert until he realized she was using a technique to calm himself.Then she opened her eyes and smiled at him, and he knew -- though he didn't know why -- that she was going to be all right.

"What a wicked thorn," she whispered, "and the heat—" "I understand," Cadderly replied softly. "Relax, we've won." Danica looked past Cadderly, and couldn't help a chuckle.Looking back, Cadderly understood why.Ivan and Pikel, blackened from head to toe by smoke, were rushing around the camp, searching for the corpses of dead monsters. Danica sat up, took a deep breath, and shook her head vigorously. "The poison is gone," she said aloud, her voice suddenly alive again. "I knocked it back and forced it out of me." Cadderly simply didn't know how to express his surprise.He shook his head slowly, and made a mental note to ask Danica how to overcome this deadly substance later.But that question would have to be asked for another, calmer moment, and now Cadderly had other things to worry about.

"Dorigen has escaped," he said.Danica nodded, and began to untie the ropes that bound his wrists. "You don't understand," Cadderly continued, trying not to get too excited, "she took my crossbow, and that weapon fell into enemy hands!" Danica didn't seem particularly worried. "We're not dead, and we're free," she said. "That's what matters. If you have to fight again, you'll find some other way to win without that bow." Danica believed he was moved by his resourcefulness, but she misunderstood him.He is not afraid for himself, but for the whole region. "She got the crossbow," he said again, "and the exploding arrow points."

"how many?" Cadderly thought for a moment, trying to remember how many he had used, and how many he had made while he was in Simista. "I think there are six more," he said, and let out a breath of relief as another thought came to his mind. "She didn't get the bottle with more shock oil though, I left it in the elf camp." "There's nothing to be afraid of then," Danica said, still not understanding what was worrying him. "There's nothing to be afraid of," Cadderly repeated sarcastically, as if his concern should be obvious. "She got a crossbow—don't you know what that means? Dorigen can copy that design and make a new one..." He paused, unable to understand why Danica was frowning.She pointed behind him, making him look back again.

Not even the dwarves were there, and Cadderly didn't know what was going on. "On the tree," Danica explained, "look at the tree." Cadderly complied.The great elm tree, which a moment ago had been so dense and full of life and shone in the summer afternoon sun, was now nothing but charred and blackened branches.Small flames still burned in several recesses; the air around and above the tree was still twisted by the rising heat, and the blackened piles of orc corpses seemed to merge with the black branches. "Do you think a magician capable of wreaking such swift and terrible disaster would care about your little crossbow?" Danica reasoned. "Does that crossbow have that value in Dorigen's eyes?"

"But she aimed it at you," Cadderly argued, but before Danica glared at him, he knew for himself that Dorigen threatened her with the little crossbow just to deepen Cadderly's eyes. of fear. "Your crossbow is a fine weapon," Danica said gently, "but a magician with power like Dorigen wouldn't need it." Cadderly could not question the logic, but he was uneasy nonetheless.Whatever the outcome, he couldn't ignore the fact that the weapons he designed could be used against innocent people, or even those close to him. Again, the crossbow symbolizes the madness that surrounds him, and the violence that runs rampant.He can neither control nor escape.

※※※ By Ivan's standards, the results were a bit lackluster.And the stubborn dwarf kept searching until he had covered every inch of the camp.He told Pikel to search the tent opposite, while he headed for the fallen tent where Cadderly and Danica escaped. With one hand he beat the fallen tent of hides, and with the other hand he raised the tent with an axe, lest the monster should come out and knock him down.He came across Tenek's body first, still kneeling, his body propped up by crude spears. "I bet it hurts," Ivan said, seeing the horrible wound.He didn't know if the man was a friend or an enemy, so he didn't search for the body.But Yiwen picked up the exquisite long sword that fell by the dead man's hand, and said, "You don't need it now." He almost said apologetically, walking deeper into the fallen tent.

A moment later, Ivan almost stepped on poor Aberez, surprised, "Another one." As Aberez snarled and twisted away, Ivan added, "Still alive." Afterwards, Yiwen found that an elf was sitting in front of him, and a disappointed expression immediately appeared on his face, but his disgust was not stronger than the disgust displayed on the elf's face. "You took my sword!" Abereth said angrily, staring hard into the dwarf's black eyes. Ivan looked down at his belt, "Indeed I did!" He replied without doing anything to the sword or the elf. Aberez waited as long as he could patiently. "I'm still tied," he said, his voice shaking with anger.

Ivan looked at him long and sharply, and finally tapped his tangled head. "You are!" agreed the dwarf, and walked away.Once outside the tent, he almost ran into Cadderly and Danica head-on. "Where's Abereth?" Cadderly asked, surprised that Ivan walked out of the tent alone. "What is Ebereth?" the dwarf asked complacently. Cadderly was in no mood for jokes. "Ivan!" he called. The dwarf's eyes widened, like two shining bobs in his smoldering face, "That's a nice 'hello', you ungrateful—" "We thank you so much!" interjected Danica, relieved to see the dwarf, but also trying to calm the increasingly restless scholar.She walked over and gave the grubby dwarf a big hug and even a kiss on his bearded cheek - leaving a clean little circle in the black soot.

"It's more or less the same," Ivan said, a sudden tenderness in his normally hoarse voice as he looked at Danica. "Now, can you tell me where Abereth is?" Danica asked calmly. Ivan pointed his thick thumb over his shoulder. "In a bad mood, kid," he explained.Danica moved toward the collapsed tent, and Cadderly did the same, but Ivan put a booted foot on the young scholar's foot, keeping him where he was. "I haven't heard a word of thanks from you yet," growled the dwarf. Cadderly's expression was warm and heartfelt.He quickly bent down and kissed Ivan on the other cheek, causing the dwarf to back away, muttering something. "Damn stupid kid!" Ivan growled, wiping the wet hickey off his cheeks, "Damn fool!" Cadderly gave the sight the smile he needed right now.

But the young man's relief didn't last long, as Dany pulled him under the collapsed tent and over to Tenek's body.She raised the hide canopy to make sure Cadderly could see the body clearly. "I killed him myself," Danica said aloud, without a hint of pride in her voice. "I killed him, you understand? I did what had to be done, and this savage made me do it." Cadderly shuddered, but didn't seem to understand what Danica was trying to say - if she had anything to say. "Just like you did to that evil priest," she said, speaking more bluntly. "Why did you bring Barjin into this?" Cadderly demanded, horrified.From the depths of his subconscious mind, the familiar image of the dead priest's eyes returned. "I didn't bring Barjin into this," Danica corrected him. "You brought him in." She went on quickly, interrupting Cadderly's intended protest, "You take Barjin everywhere, ’ she explained, ‘a ghost that haunts all your thoughts. Cadderly's expression reflected his inner confusion. "Like that wounded Uruk down the mountain," Danica said, her tone softening. "Leave dead Barjin behind, I beg you. His death was his own doing, and you just did what had to be done." "You don't mind killing this man yourself?" Cadderly asked, almost accusingly. "I care," Danica snapped, "but I know that if I had the chance to do it again, Tenek would still be as dead as he is now. Can you say that wasn't the case with Barjin?" Cadderly thought back to what had happened in the catacombs of the Moezhi Library, as if it had happened this morning, but at the same time it had happened hundreds of years ago.Cadderly had no answers to Danica's intrusive questions, and she hadn't expected him to, for she remembered that Abereth was still bound, with probably badly damaged ego, waiting to be rescued.Cadderly followed closely behind Danica, his eyes locked on the dead Tenek until the fallen tent completely obscured the barbarian. It took Danica and Cadderly a moment to let go of Abereth, and he didn't bat an eye the whole time.He would not be openly vulnerable, would not show the humiliation he felt in his helpless captivity.Only anger showed in the elf's silver eyes and clenched, thin jaw.As soon as he was free, he rushed out of the collapsing tent, tearing apart the tent that held him back in rage. Ivan and Pikel stood by the entrance to Dorigen's tent.Ivan fumbled with Danica's crystal-bladed dagger, admiring the hilt of one emblazoned with a golden tiger, and the other with a silver dragon.Pikel held a thick purple robe as he fumbled to turn Cadderly's Frisbee back into his chubby palm.Cadderly's knapsack and staff lay at the feet of the two dwarves. Cadderly and Danica had no trouble guessing where Abereth was going. "My sword!" the elf prince called to the dwarf.Abeles waved his hand in Ivan's direction, and when Ivan didn't respond immediately, Aberes reached out to Ivan's belt to take the sword. "It's a fragile thing anyway," Ivan commented to Pikel, "probably breaks as soon as you cut it." In an instant, Aberis' sword pointed at Ivan's thick throat. "You're welcome," came the dwarf's reply. "Whoa," Pikel commented. "If you continue to play, be careful not to get hurt." Ivan added this sentence flatly, his eyes locked on the elf with silver pupils. For a long, unsettling time, a battle of wills teeters on the verge of turning violent. "We don't have time for this," Cadderly said calmly, walking over to examine his pack.To his relief, the Book of Universal Harmony was still there, as was his light tube.In fact, everything he had was there except the crossbow. Danica's method was more direct, she moved Abereth's sword aside easily, and stood between the elf and dwarf, taking turns berating each with an uncompromising stare. "Don't we have enough enemies?" the woman scolded. "There's an army of monsters surrounding us, and you two want to fight each other?" "I've never thought orcs were that different from dwarves," Aberes spat out. "Oh." Pikel replied hurtfully. "That's how you see people who are better than you." Ivan retorted. "Oh," Pikel said, looking at Ivan in admiration. Abereth took a breath, and Danica could see his grip on the sword tighten. "They saved us," Danica reminded Abereth. "Without Ivan and Pikel, we would still be Dorigen's captives—or die." Aberes showed an angry expression at this sentence. "You can beat that barbarian anyway," he argued, "and then we'll be free." "If the dwarves hadn't held them down with a fight outside the tent, how many orcs and orcs would have come running because of Tenek's cry?" Cadderly interjected. Aberes' angry expression didn't disappear, but he did put the sword back into the scabbard. "When this war is over—" he warned Ivan, letting the threat carry infinite meaning. "When this war is over, you'll be gone." Ivan threatened back, and the smugness in his tone suggested that he knew something the others didn't. He made them wait a moment before explaining. "How many of you, elves?" he asked. "How many fought the great army that came to your forest?" "There are two more now," Cadderly replied. "If you're referring to me and my brother, that's bullshit," Ivan said, "I don't want to die for an elf!" "It's not just for elves, Ivan," Cadderly explained.He takes turns looking at each one to get their attention. "This campaign—this war—has overtaken Simista, I'm afraid to say so." "How do you know?" Danica asked. "Dorigen serves Talona." Cadderly replied, "Before we came here, we saw the clue in the glove that Aberes got from the bear goblin, and now the relationship between the two Pretty sure." He looked at Pikel, "Do you remember that little devil that stabbed you?" "Oh," the dwarf replied, rubbing his shoulders. "That imp was in her tent with Dorigen," Cadderly explained. "She came from the same place as Barjin, and if they attacked the library and it's the forest now, then..." "Then all areas are in danger," Danica finished for him, "and the dean's worst fears may happen." "So, you and your Brotherhood join the fight," Cadderly said to Ivan, "if not for the elves, then for everyone else." Ivan's dark eyes narrowed, but he did not contradict the young scholar's logical reasoning. "This would be a good place to start," Cadderly continued, deciding to form an alliance. "We cannot allow the enemy to dominate Simista, and the Brotherhood of Stoneshoulders will help us with that mission." "Okay, elf," said Ivan, after glancing at Pikel for agreement, "we'll help you, though you'll be ungrateful." "You thought I'd take..." Abereth began, but Danica's glare stopped him halfway. "Then fight well," said Aberes instead. "But don't doubt it, dwarf. When this war is over, you and I will have a good talk about what happened in the tent." "You'll be gone then," Ivan said again. "Why do you keep saying that?" Cadderly asked. "Because I've seen enemies, boy," Ivan replied darkly. "There are hundreds of them, I tell you. Do you think the elves can fight that much?" Aberes shook his head and turned around. "Over there," said Ivan, pointing to the tree where he saw Hamadin, who was sneaky, "if you doubt what I say, ask the elf!" Abeles did just that.After he spoke a few words to Hamadin, he came back with a pale face. "We can't stay here," Danica said, trying to get the elf out of his worries. "Are we going to track down that magician?" "No." Abeles replied absently, looking far south. "They're at war on Star Hill, and I have to go back to my people." "It's better this way," Cadderly agreed. "Dorrigen is too dangerous. She has spies..." He paused to look at Danica, who was reading the name of a companion who was not with them, all at the same time. Fist in his own hands.However, Cadderly did not agree to this.He refused to believe that even Zirkan Rufo, who had made so many mistakes, would be willing to give the information to the evil magician. But Cadderly had to admit that, in his recent experience, he really didn't know what to believe. ※※※ Dorigen approached Ragnor's tent tentatively, not sure how the surly half-ogre would react to such an unexpected turn of events.She wasn't there when Ragnor launched his attack on the elf camp, for she had left to hunt down Cadderly and his friends.Even without her help, however, the half-ogre had driven the elves back several miles south. Dorigen cursed her own stupidity.She was the one who told Ragnor where the elves were; and she should have thought sooner that the haughty beast would attack them, especially if she wasn't around to take credit from it. Now Dorigen found herself in an awkward position, for while the goblin's operation had succeeded, hers had turned out to be catastrophic.She decides to go to Ragnor anyway, because her magic is running low and she needs Ragnor even though it doesn't need her. "Where are my soldiers?" the brusque half-ogre yelled at her once she entered the tent.Ragnol looked cunningly at his bear-goblin guards, knowing that this was the first time he hadn't seen the barbarian entourage beside Dorigen. "And that piece of meat you always carry around?" it asked. "Our enemies are strong." Dorigen answered and explained at the same time, and she had to raise her volume to drown out the giggling bear goblins. "You shouldn't be complacent about a momentary victory." "A moment?" the half-ogre roared, and Dorigen wondered if she had pushed the half-ogre too fast.She almost thought that Ragnol was going to rush and tear her in two. "Forty elves dead!" continued the half-ogre, "six of them with my own hands!" Ragnor showed a terrifying necklace with twelve elf ears. "What about our damage?" Dorigen asked. "That's not important." Ragnol replied, and Dorigen could tell from Ragnor's flinching that it wasn't easy to destroy the camp of elves. "The number of elves is small, but my army is huge." The half-beast ogre continued, "When Simista falls under my rule, even if there are thousands of casualties, I will not be afraid." "Under my rule?" Dorigen asked slyly, emphasizing that Ragnor was referring personally.For the first time since she entered the tent, she saw a hint of panic in the goblin's eyes. "You go off and go about your own business," Ragueno argued, less arrogantly. "And I figured it was time to attack, so I did it, went down and fought with all the soldiers I could get my hands on. I led the attack myself, and I was wounded fighting!" Dorigen bowed respectfully to calm the surly beast.Raguenor told her more than he thought.He mentions her absence, but she doesn't say she'll be far from the camp.For some reason, Ragno chose that moment to attack without Dorigen's help.The half-beast ogre was so stubborn in believing that Simista would come under its rule, rather than the Wall of Trinity, that Dorigen feared that Ragnor's newfound autonomy would somehow allow it to do so. something happened. When the half-beast ogre decided it didn't need Wall Trinity anymore, she didn't want her own near it. "I'm going to rest," she said, bowing again. "Please accept my salute to your great victory, great general." Raguenor couldn't hide his delight at hearing these words.Dorigen thought this meant a good time to leave, so she stepped out of the tent, wondering how such a cruel and ruthless beast as Ragnol could be so easily moved by flattery. "It's afraid," Druzil remarked from its place on Dorigen's shoulder, shortly after the wizard left the tent.The imp appeared, "It's afraid you'll lead the war, and then it won't be needed." "Then let's hope it still believes I'm useful to it," Dorigen replied. "It won't be happy if it knows how many of its soldiers I've lost." "Then don't mention it," Druzil suggested. "I don't think Raguenor can do arithmetic anyway." Dorigen turned sharply to face the imp. "Never underestimate this goblin ogre again!" she growled. "Any mistake could cost us our lives very quickly." Druzil grunted and complained under his breath, but didn't really retort.After waiting for a while for Dorigen to calm down, he asked, "What's your plan?" Dorigen paused to think about the question. "I'll figure out where I can be useful," she replied. "Have you given up on Aballister's son?" the imp sounded surprised. "Never!" replied Dorigen sharply. "This Cadderly from Caladon is dangerous, and so are his friends. When this war is over, no matter which way Ragnor chooses to go, little Cadderly will Useful." Her eyes narrowed, as if she was reminding herself of something important. "Can you still get in touch with Zirkan Rufo?" she asked. Druzil snickered in his rough little voice, which almost sounded like a cough. "Contact?" it repeated. "It's more appropriate to say forced entry. Zirkan Rufo wears a badge on his body. I can explore his mind at will." "Then listen to what he's thinking," Dorigen instructed. "If Cadderly returns to the elves, I want to know." Druzil complained about disappearing invisibly as usual, but Dorigen was so focused on the conspiracy she was uncovering around her that she barely noticed its behavior. ※※※ "Before you go back to the hills," Ivan said stiffly, "my brother and I have something you need to see." Aberes looked at the dwarf curiously, guessing what a terrible surprise Ivan had prepared for him this time.But when they finally reached the small camp of the dwarves about a mile away, Abereth shot Ivan a surprised look.Buried beneath a cone of stone was the partially charred body of an elf.Abeles knew at a glance that it was Ramalis, a friend killed in the first attack of the enemy magician. "How did you find it?" the elf demanded, his voice a mixture of doubt and relief. "Taken from the goblins," said Ivan, careful not to let any sympathy escape his rough voice. "We feel that even an elf should have a better resting place than a goblin's belly." Aberes turned back to face Ramalis' body without saying another word.Danica moved over and crouched beside him, wrapping an arm around his slender shoulders. "They two know each other well, huh?" Ivan said to Cadderly, and the young scholar bit his lip to hold back his thoughts—indeed, to get them out of his head.He had to trust Danica, and the love between them, and he knew that.Because the current situation is too dangerous to allow any rift between him and Abeles. Danica nodded more than once in the direction of Ivan and Pikel, trying to get the elf to express some gratitude, but Abereth didn't respond.He merely whispered good-bye to his friend, and carefully re-stacked the stones, leaving Ramalis's body in the fallen elf's favorite forest. Simista was strangely quiet as the five companions quietly advanced towards the summit of Dionysus.They stopped once for a short rest, and Abereth ran forward to inspect the area, hoping to perhaps encounter Hamadin or another forest creature that could provide some information. "Please forgive Abereth," Cadderly said to Ivan, seizing the opportunity to try to play the role of peacemaker. "What's Abereth?" Ivan asked haughtily, not lifting his eyes from the work of restoring the antlers on his helmet.Frowning, the dwarf tightened the screw as tight as he could, for he had no paint to strengthen the bond. "He is the prince of Simista," Cadderly continued, wincing a little at the dwarf's uncompromising obstinacy, but trying to ignore it, "and Simista may be the cornerstone of our resistance." "I don't have much faith in our resistance," Ivan replied grimly. "Your pitiful elves can't stand against an incoming army." "If you really believed that, you wouldn't agree to join us," Cadderly reasoned, feeling as if he had found a crack in the dwarf's steely mask. But Ivan's toothy grin, full of suspicion, dispelled Cadderly's thoughts. "I won't miss a chance to knock off a few orc heads," the dwarf retorted, "and you and the girl need me and my brother." Cadderly couldn't resist Ivan's seemingly endless tantrums, so he walked away, shaking his head at Danica and Pikel as he passed them.After a while, Aberes returned to the camp and announced that the road to Star Hill was safe. Dionysus was not what Cadderly remembered.The once-beautiful Hill of Stars is now charred and blackened by the bombing. The thick grass was ravaged by the rushing footsteps of monsters, and the dense trees were either broken or burned.Worse was the stench.Swarms of scavengers took flight as the companions approached, as the dead—many of them elves—were left to rot on the ground. Seeing Aberes' astonished face, even Yiwen didn't comment.In fact, Ivan called Pikel aside, and together they began digging a large grave. The Elven Prince walked up and down the field, examining the bodies of the Elves, to see if he could recognize any that had died.But most of the bodies were mutilated, and the solemn elf could only shake his head sadly at Cadderly and Danica as they followed him on this silent journey of mourning the dead. They buried the dead elves.Danica thanked the dwarves, though stubborn Abereth was reluctant to do so.Then they searched the entire hill, Aberes inspecting the trees to learn more about what had happened, and where his friends and enemies might be now.Ivan and Pikel scoured the caverns, and in one they found several half-eaten horse carcasses, though, luckily, Temeresa was not among them. In another room, in a cavern used by Galandale himself, they made a discovery that Cadderly thought was quite significant.Several books and scrolls were scattered on the floor, as if the Elf King had left in a hurry, choosing quickly which ones to take and which ones to keep.Most of the things were memos of little significance, but in one corner, Cadderly found an ancient tome, bound in black leather, with the marks of the high elves on it, the letters "D", "Q ” and “q”.Cadderly picked up the book with trembling hands, wondering what it would contain.Then he excitedly undid the straps and opened it. The ink was faded, and the pages were filled with symbols that Cadderly could not understand.It did, however, bear the name Cadderly had expected to see: Delaniel Qualquin, the long-dead Lord of Themestar and one of the legendary heroes of the forest. "What did you find?" Abereth's voice came from the entrance of the cave. He stood next to Danica while Ivan and Pikel went to explore another cave. "Your father would not have kept this book on purpose," Cadderly explained, turning to reveal the black-bound tome, "It is the book of Delaniel Quelquin, a priceless treasure. " "I'm surprised my father would have had it before," Aberes replied, "but I'm not surprised he's keeping it now, the book is of little value to him. It's written in an obscure way , using many symbols that we, the people of Simista, can no longer decipher. This book means nothing to us, and you can take it back to your library if you want." "You're dead wrong," said Cadderly, "Delaniel Quelquin is one of your greatest heroes. His martial arts, his magic, are definitely paragons of importance in these urgent times. " "I told you," Aberes replied, "we can't even read it, and neither can you. Many symbols have not been used in centuries." "Go now," Abereth urged the two humans, "we must move forward. Even as we speak, my people may already be engaged in another battle. And I do not wish to Stay where the scars are for a second." The elf stepped out into the afternoon sun. Danica was waiting for Cadderly at the cave entrance. "You want to keep that book?" she asked, seeing him slip it into his knapsack. "I don't agree with Abereth's evaluation of this book." Cadderly replied, "Perhaps in Delaniel's works, there will be something that can help us in this battle." "But you can't even read it," Danica said. "We'll see," Cadderly replied. "I've translated a lot in the library. Now, at least I have a task I'm good at—maybe like you face actual combat." Danica nodded and said nothing more.She led Cadderly out of the cave to where the elf prince was waiting for the dwarves to finish their search. For Cadderly, the book was like a godsend.He actually didn't believe it, didn't dare to expect that he could find anything important in this book—even if he could work hard to translate strange mysterious symbols.But being able to use his unique talents to do something for the common goal of saving the forest puts a little life in the footsteps of this young scholar. Most importantly, finding and studying the book of Delaniel Quelquin could keep Cadderly a little bit away from violence.He longed for a time before—before Barjin invaded the Moezhi Library—when adventure existed only in the words of old books. Perhaps this book can insulate the harsh reality that surrounded the young scholar so suddenly.