The Blade Heir

Revelations of Lineage, part 1

"Your skills were unmatched, Lucius," Helmer complimented as they walked down the western road.

"If that is so, then why didn't the Council nominate me, Father?" Lucius replied, knowing the answer.

Helmer looked up at the Great Tree's high branches as they passed underneath, perhaps seeking an answer hidden among the leaves. "Lucius, you know the sensitivities of the elf-folk of Evingrad. There is a marred history between the elves and men——"

"Yes, the Battle of Verdania, I know," He confessed.

"Then you should also know that the elves have not yet forgotten the savagery of such times."
Lucius looked down and kicked a twig on the road. "But I wasn't present during those times! Why am I looked upon with such contempt?"

"It is not you whom they have contempt for, Lucius. It is your people. Since the time when mankind stepped into Azuleah, they have only shown the elves their insatiable lust for power over this land," Helmer turned a corner, behind a moss-covered house, onto the northern lane which led to the Silverhart house.

"I understand the bane my people have been to this world and to the elves, but have these qualities been seen in me, my lord?" he stopped at the intersection of the roads.

Helmer turned around to face him, "No, Lucius. They certainly have not. I daresay you are unequaled among the men of this world. And it is for good reason that I embraced you into my house eighteen winters past. You may not yet know it, Lucius, but your life is of great value to the elves and to your kin."

Lucius raised a brow. He had never heard his father speak of him this way. When he attempted to get more answers from the wise sage, he dismissed them. Helmer put his hands on his shoulders affectionately and said, "The answers to the questions you seek are soon coming like the dawn of a winter's night. Have patience, my son. Come, I am curious to see what Siegfried has been up to in these passing hours."

They continued to walk down the road, walking past many elves who were on their way to the oval courtyard to see the three newest Protectors of Verdania: Isis, Mora, and Thrinmiel. The sun was beginning to descend in the western sky and a gilded hue fell upon the verdant houses of Evingrad and the narrow road they traveled.

They soon arrived at the stone arch of the Silverhart estate and saw Siegfried sitting in the courtyard playing his wooden flute. Birds in the bushes and branches of Breninmaur chirped along with the notes of his joyful melody. Some fluttered away when Lucius walked up to him. Siegfried appeared to be in a trance while he played his song with fluidity and grace. Each note filled Lucius' ears with peace and he found himself unconsciously swaying to the rhythm of the enchanting song.

Siegfried opened his eyes after a few more notes and looked up at Lucius and Helmer in surprise. "You've arrived! How great it is to see you both," he smiled.

"That song was beautiful, Sieg. I didn't know you were so skilled in playing the flute," Lucius said, still in a slight daze from the enchanting music.

"I have played the telyn since my mother still walked this land. She taught me the song of Prince Mervenyon. But it has been almost an age since I last played it," he said sorrowfully.

"You have played it with the grace and skill that she once did, Siegfried," Helmer walked up from behind Lucius to greet him. They grabbed one another's forearms and slowly pulled each other closer, until their foreheads pressed softly together—the common greeting among the Evingrad elves.

"Tell me, Lucius," Siegfried turned to face him, "how did you fare in the archery tournament?""

Lucius looked down and tugged slightly on his bowstring, "Not well."

Helmer took a deep breath, "I shall be inside my study should any of you need me. Siegfried, make sure you tell Peniel to serve some pomegranate mead tonight at the table."

Siegfried nodded and then Helmer walked toward the house and disappeared inside of the atrium. Siegfried then looked over at his brother and asked him about the contest. Lucius was hesitant at first, but with some gentle persuasion, he finally told his older brother what had occurred.

There were fifteen archers at the ready when Athri signaled for them to shoot. All of them released their arrows at the sacks of hay and hit their marks. Lucius was confident his arrows would find their mark on the next two targets.

The next target was a wooden cube which had been enchanted to dodge all of the archer's shots as it flew wildly in the air. Lucius had missed his first two shots, but his last shot struck the small cube. Only a few elves had been able to land their arrows on the marked sides of the cube, which included Isis, Mora, and Thrinmiel. There were only six competitors left to participate in the final round after the others had been dismissed by the Cyngorell. Quetulya watched intently as Athri and Kiret brought the last target out into view. It was around six feet tall and covered with a silk cloth. The two Protectors pulled the silk cloth from it and revealed a cage with a banshee inside. The banshee floated inside like a surreal mist and watched them with shiny red eyes. Her face was gray and luminescent with a mouth full of jagged teeth. Though banshees pass through physical barriers with ease, this one could not leave the confines of her prison because it was constructed of efydd—an exquisite metal imbued with magical properties and created by the elves long ago. Efydd was one of the few substances in Azuleah capable of killing banshees and the tips of each of the competitors' arrows were made from it.

Kiret and Athri opened the cage doors without warning and the banshee flew out in haste. Her scream pierced the air, greatly distracting Lucius and the others who tried to shoot the nightmarish creature above their heads. The banshee avoided all of the arrows whizzing past her spectral form, dodging with fiendish speed. Lucius nocked another arrow in his bow as the banshee spiraled down toward him, mouth gaping wide and ready to tear into his flesh. Lucius fumbled with his bow, trying to take aim at the banshee's head, but before the creature finished its ferocious dive, Isis landed an arrow in its side. The banshee howled in pain and ascended into the sky. Mora and Thrinmiel both shot at the creature's heart as it twirled into the tangled branches above. Their arrows found their target and with a sharp cry, the banshee fell from the air and her ghastly corpse evaporated before hitting the ground. A loud cheer came from the crowd, who had watched the spectacle in apprehensive silence from the moment the banshee escaped her cage.

Lucius stood with his head hung low as the Cyngorell congratulated the three elves who felled the banshee and were now Protectors. One moment had cost him victory and a place among the great elves of Evingrad. Though he was merely a man, he desired greatly to be accepted by the D'arya elves, just as Siegfried and Helmer had accepted him. But perhaps such thinking was folly and his kind would never find a reconciliation or acceptance among the elves.

Siegfried nodded his head throughout the recounting of the tournament, "A banshee is not an easy opponent to strike with arrows, my friend. However, you have proved your bravery and skill in battle."

"How can that possibly be? I was not chosen to be a Protector of the Great Tree. I was not worthy, Siegfried," he walked past him, making his way to the atrium of the Silverhart house.

"You know so little about your worth, dear brother," Siegfried said quietly as Lucius entered the house.

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