The Shield of Alkthe

(Word Count:2438)


The sun rose higher in the blue, cloudless sky. The heat had become oppressive, bearing down on the small group like a physical burden. It was the third day of the trek; a trek commissioned by a group of human with an old map and specific requirements. They were led by two siblings, Desert Elves, well accustomed to heat. All wore robes and scarves to help protect them against the sand and the sun, but it wasn’t enough.

“We need to find shelter soon, the humans cannot take much more of this.” Ewya said, sweat glistening on her dark brow, what little could be seen of her black hair under her scarf hung in rat-tails from the damp.

“I know that Ewya,” Pesha snapped. He was a full bloodied Desert Elf and even he was having trouble. He knew his sister, would be suffering more. He took a deep breath. ”Here have this passed back, it isn’t much but...” He added handing her his water flask.

“Split these between yourselves; make it last,” Ewya said, adding her own water to Pesha’s.

“You’ve nothing to prove, little sister.” Pesha told her.

“Maybe not to you,” she replied. She was a half blood, not fully accepted by either race. She’d been raised by her elven father after her mother abandoned her, a mother long since taken by old age. Ewya knew that she was lucky; most half bloods were killed at birth. Had it not been for what she believed to be the fate's intervention; her father finding her, all those years ago, she would have been too. Later she learnt that it hadn't been fate at all. Pesha had insisted that it was their father's duty to take care of her and had never treated her differently. It had cost him dear to protect her the way he had, but he'd never complained. She’d told him several times to stop, to live his own life, but he was her big brother. He’d told her he could no more leave her to the mercies of the others than he could hack of one of his own limbs.

“You know father didn’t mean what he said. He was angry,” Pesha said.

“He meant it. He was right too,I should have left long ago. I doubt he meant for you to come with me though.”

“He knew I would,” Pesha said simply.

“I hate to interrupt this family moment but we’re dying here. Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

“I’ve been reading maps and travelling these deserts since before your grandfather was born.” Ewya said. “We are on the right path.”

“We need to rest.”

“Feel free to do so. I’d rather wait until I get over that dune there, and do so in the shade of an oasis, but don’t feel obliged to do the same.” Pesha said, having checked the crude map again. He wondered how these humans had come by it, written, as it was, in an ancient elven dialect, it would not have been easy.

“We’ll wait.”

“I still don’t see what’s so important it couldn’t wait another month. We warned you of the risks involved crossing the Croso in the summer. A caravan around it would have been safer.”

“Our reasons are still our own, elf. You’ve been well paid to guide us, so guide; don’t talk.”

“As you wish,” Pesha said, trying to keep the anger from his voice, at the man's tone. Despite the years of living among humans, their ignorance and arrogance still annoyed him.

#### ##### #####

The oasis wasn’t much, but the trees provided enough shade and the water was cool and drinkable.

The two elves sat apart from the humans, it had been an unspoken rule from the start.

“I still don’t trust them.” Ewya said quietly.

“Nor do I, but they’re right, they paid us well, and in advance. We should be able to settle down somewhere with the profit, away from them all. I hear there are places that don’t care what race you are, we could buy an inn, make a home.” Pesha said. It had been the plan all along; funding had been a problem though, which was why they took these jobs.

“At least we know we can go now, as soon as we hear of a place like that.”

“Worth a little discomfort?”

“I suppose it is, when you put it like that.”

Pesha just smiled. Taking out the map again he planned the last leg of their journey, it would have been better to travel at night but again the customers had insisted. Bloody fools, he thought.

He let them rest for an hour, any longer and they’d not make the next watering hole by nightfall and they had been very particular about that.

Ewya sighed wearily; she just wanted it over with now.

“One more day, little sister, then we’ll be free to do as we wish.”

Argat looked over at the two elves. He knew that they thought him mad; that they distrusted him and his men. They had no reason too. Desperate times called for desperate measures, however, and so he and his friends had volunteered for this mission. Their village was at risk from raiders, if they could find and use the Shield of Alkthe they would be safe. Most thought it was nothing but legend, but the attempts on their lives had convinced them that there was something to it after all. The map had been hard to come by, they’d chased down rumour after rumour for nearly a month before they’d found it. A sole survivor from the village of Alkthe, a half blood in his winter years. It had taken a lot to persuade him that they had a just cause, that it would be used for its true purpose. Eventually Argat had won him over, gaining him not only the map but the names of the two guides. He was told of the necessity of having them be the ones to guide them; only a half blood could handle the shield. They’d heard stories about that, a result of the human's betrayal that led to the fall of Alkthe. The old elf’s confirmation had given them both knowledge and hope that it was indeed real.

“They have a right to know,” Ottol said, refilling the water skins. He had wanted to be upfront from the start, but had bowed to Argat’s authority.

“Tonight,” Argat said. Ottol was right, they should know what lay ahead.

“We need to get moving if we are to make the next oasis by nightfall,” Ewya called over to them. Seeing the full water skins she collected two of them, for herself and Pesha.

“You’re the guide,” Argat said.

She ignored him. “Make sure you drink slower this time, you need to learn how to ration.”

###### ##### #####

The rest of the day’s journey passed silently. The heat sapped the strength of them all. Camp was set up with a swift efficiently that came with practice.

“We need to talk. I’m sorry if we’ve been awkward, and for the insults, they were not meant, we had to keep up appearances, in case of spies.”

“The heat makes for short tempers,” Pesha said, a little surprised at this change in attitude.

“It wasn’t just that; we couldn’t risk exposure, already several attempts have been made on our lives.” He stopped to take a sip of the stew Ewya had brought them, “have you heard of the Shield of Alkthe?”

“I know it is magical, gives the barer invulnerability and if placed in the centre of a town it finds just, it will protect it. That and it’s been lost for longer than I’ve been alive,” Pesha said.

“You surprise me, most think it a myth.”

“It is well recorded in our archives. I take it this is what you seek?”

“We do. The map leads to it, drawn by the last person alive to see it, the one who tracked it down after the betrayal.”

“It was hidden for a reason. There is a price to pay for its use.”

“Unless it is used to unite the races again; it was created by both of our races to protect those who chose to co-exist. It was cursed by the last of those people when it was stolen.”

“So that’s why you chose us to be your guides?” Ewya said.

“That and you were highly recommended. We live in a community like Alkthe, so much so we retook the name. We know that you seek somewhere like that to settle down, you’d be more than welcome there.”

“It won’t be easy. Even if it is where the map says, we have to get it back across the desert, and I suspect that some people aren’t as thrilled about the idea of this community, any more than their ancestors were,” Ewya said.

“We’re under siege,” Argat said, confirming her suspicions. “Though we do go in the right direction for our home. We travelled far to get the map, only to find that we needed to come all the way back again. Once we have it we need only continue through the desert for a few days. We can travel at night too, the Shield will protect us from any attackers.”

“What’s to stop it happening again? They used deception last time to steal it.” Pesha asked. He did not like this turn of events, yet what choice did they really have? Leave them here? He could no more do that than kill them in their sleep. Besides, they offered them something that they had always sought, a place to call home.

“The curse. Only Ewya here can touch it, at least for now. The others like her in our town are still too young to lift it." He smiled when he thought of his son’s face, when he’d been denied the chance to come, before they’d even known that part of the legend was real. The smile faded as he realized that he didn’t even know if his wife and son still lived.

“We’ve come this far.” Ewya said, voicing her brother’s thoughts. “We’ll be there by noon tomor…” She let out a cry of pain, as an arrow embedded itself in her shoulder. She paled visibly, had she not just moved, it would have struck her in the throat.

Pesha already had his sword drawn and had moved into a crouch by the time that the humans even realized they were under attack.

“Where’s Owat?” Argat asked after a quick head count to see if any of his men were hit.

“Did you fools really think we wouldn’t stop you,” Owat called out in reply.

“But you… you have seen how we live. The peace we…You are godsfather to my son.” Argat stammered, the betrayal tying his tongue, freezing his mind.

“That abomination? The gods should have struck it down the second it was spawned. I shudder when I think I actually touched it.”

“He goads you to his advantage not yours; do not allow his words to cloud your judgement,” Pesha said softly, laying a hand on the man's shoulder.

“Gods, you can’t be that shocked. How else do you suppose they knew what we were up to? How else would they know where we were? I’ll give you one thing, the desert was a good idea, there was no way the others could follow us without being seen, bravo on that one. Still I ca...” his words faded into a grunt of surprise and pain.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d heard enough. We should get going now; we can rest easily enough when the Shield is in our possession," Ewya said, coming from where Owat had been standing, tucking a dagger back into her belt. “Besides, he's going to get ripe in a few hours.”

“We’ll pack up,” Argat said, looking at the rest of his men with suspicion.

“They did not know; their shock was genuine,” Ewya said.

“I’ll sort your shoulder out,” Pesha said. He’d not even heard her move from his side, then again she had always excelled at hunting. She winced as the arrow was forced through her shoulder, Pesha had numbed it more effectively than she had, but it still throbbed a little. Knowing that in a few moments it would be fully healed she didn’t make a fuss.

#### #### ####

They reached the temple by sunrise. There wasn't much left of it. A few stones remained atop each other, but most lay strewn around. The map was surprisingly accurate, pinpointing the location exactly. Ewya tentatively reached for it. A glow surrounded her, she raised a hand to stay Pesha as he rushed toward her. It was not a threat; she knew that with a strange certainty.

“Gather round me,” she said, her voice sounded strange even to her own ears as she obeyed a voice only she could hear. The shield was ready to go home.

The light grew until it encompassed them all, flaring even more brightly for a second, then vanishing, leaving them all momentarily blind.

“Argat?” A voice called out from the dark, “By the Gods you made it, how did you...”

“We’re home, this is Alkthe,” Argat whispered in awe, as his sight returned. He saw his family, his neighbours gathering round them. He raised his voice; "these are the ones that you should thank. It couldn’t have been done without them. Please make them welcome.”

Most of the small population were Humans or Elves of the various orders, Wood, Mountain, Wilderness and even a few Desert Elves. A few children, like Argat’s son, however, were half bloods; it was a good sign of things to come, Ewya thought.

The Shield of Alkthe was set on a plinth in the middle of the village, by Ewya, in a great ceremony. The shield no longer glowed, in fact it looked quite unremarkable; yet its presence was enough to fill the village with hope. Hope turned to joy as the besiegers finally began their first attack and vanished; no light shone this time, one minute they were charging at the village the next they were gone. The Shield of Alkthe was home.

Argat led the two elves to an old inn, it was in a state of disrepair but was solid enough to house them while they worked on it.A look at the now clear horizon, revealed that they were in a verdant valley; full of all they needed to be self sufficient. Ewya looked at Pesha and smiled, at last, they too had come home.