The Elf King Read Online Free Page B

the
deep caves, learning how to master the sorcerer skills he had
learned. Shadox smiled, thinking of his pupil. He was anxious to
see what Dren had learned in his absence, and decided that when he
left the Ailia again, Dren would be going with him.
    After passing several long
houses, the woods thinned and Shadox entered the Ailia Court—home
to the Forest Elves. The village was massive to say the least, with
large homes intricately designed in ancient Elven fashion,
surrounding the lucid waters of the Ailia Springs. Homes resembled
the scenery enclosing them, making them almost
invisible.
    Shadox moved off the trail,
choosing a course of his own, walking between two shops, heading
for the extensive buildings just beyond. The well-guarded living
quarters of Terill Estrial covered a vast area around the Ailia
Court, seemingly from one end of the village to the other. Fenced,
and now guarded due to the threats and the attacks made at the
outer regions, the residence was unapproachable to someone who did
not belong.
    Crossing the green lawn and
passing several patrolling guards, Shadox found no
interference.
     
    I n
the center of his bed chamber, Terill Estrial stood speaking with a
short elf who was dressed in forest-colored garb. Terill was tall
and broad for an elf. His chest was thick and his arms were strong,
both evident beneath the silver and green robe he wore. His blonde
hair was shiny, kept several inches past his shoulders. His face
was long and narrow, and his cobalt eyes were fierce as he spoke
vividly, gesturing his hands as if doing so would help explain what
he was saying to the young elf.
    In mid-sentence, Terill
stopped speaking. The side door to his chamber opened and a dark
figure entered. Immediately he dismissed the elf, who in turn left
the room, closing the door behind. Terill waited a moment longer to
see if there would be any further interruptions, before greeting
the intruder.
    “ Your timing is
impeccable.” There was an edge to his voice. His narrow brown
eyebrows lifted as his face seemed to relax. “Come now, it’s been
too long already.”
    “ Unfortunately for both of
us,” Shadox replied, walking into the room.
    “ I was beginning to think
you had better things to do, Shadox.”
    With a broad smile, the
sorcerer replied, “I’m not yet into the habit of turning away old
friends.”
    Hands firmly clasped upon
meeting, following through to a brief hug and warm smiles. Shadox
stood a foot taller, if not more, and the width of his frame seemed
to dwarf the other. Shadox removed his hood, his shoulder-length
hair the color of his cloak and just as dingy, as Terill motioned
for them to sit.
    “ Water? Ale perhaps, for
such an occasion?”
    “ Perhaps.”
    “ Still searching for a lost
life?”
    Shadox grinned.
“W ay of life. And
yes.”
    Terill led the way to a
small wooden table next to the wall covered in bookshelves, away
from the door and windows. They seated themselves facing each
other. Terill poured two glasses of red ale.
    “ Much has changed since
your last departure.”
    Shadox nodded. “That is the
way of things.”
    Shadox stared at Lord
Estrial for a moment with his black eyes unwavering. Terill had not
changed since he had seen him last, nearly five years ago. His skin
was nearly flawless, as if it defied age, while his own skin was
already beginning to wrinkle. It wasn’t a fair comparison, he
thought. Elves could live for hundreds of years.
    With his great hands
clasped in front of him, Shadox waited for the other to begin.
Drinking idly, Terill Estrial finished his glass and poured another
before speaking into the dark eyes waiting.
    “ What do you know so
far?”
    Shadox shrugged. “Only what
your messenger was supposed to tell me.”
    Terill laughed. “How I have
missed you.” He finished his glass and set it off to the side,
rubbing his chin as though a chunk of hair existed. “I have some
unfavorable news to share you, old friend. Several weeks ago I