Tales of Fire and Ruin - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

I had always believed elves were long gone from the world. If you paid attention, however, like I did now, they had left their mark far and wide. Long-standing traces of their presence still hid themselves all across the Thundercoast, Wildewall, and beyond.
Here in the Thundercoast, a plant with glossy, pointed leaves and a potent poison grew in the hills nearby the Marchpass ruins. In autumn when its flowers bloomed, the breeze carried a deceptively sweet scent to highest peaks and lowest valleys. The official name of this deadly plant was Bleeding Ivy. But nobody used that name—the common folk called it Elvenear for its sleek appearance and sharp leaves.
Elves were the villain in children's stories involving kidnapping and men being lured into swamps by beautiful women that turned into monsters. Implying elves had raised you was an insult for a conniving, selfish person. Those who were wither-touched, notoriously an elven gift and a dangerous one, were still often found dead of 'natural causes' outside of their villages. These deaths getting a fair investigation was questionable at best.
Despite king Betram's war being long forgotten and elves all but diminished into legend, the hatred was alive and seeped into many things without us questioning it. The longer I stared up at my bedroom ceiling while laying awake, the more examples I could think of.
I was not entirely above the superstitions either. Even now, after Oleander and I had already traveled several days together, I still told my family to lock their doors before they retired to their bedroom. Maybe it wasn't fair, but I didn't know Oleander and I hadn't told my family what he was. I had to protect them somehow from elves who... who were impossibly beautiful and said things that made my head and heart hurt.
"May I find something I'm passionate about," I muttered into the darkness.
I was not passionate about becoming a knight, or being the heir of the Montbow family. Oleander's words, him wishing me a happy rest of my life, ran through my mind over and over. So much that when I finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep, I dreamt of the beach and Oleander ankle-deep in the waves. He smiled at me. His lips moved, but I couldn't hear what he said. I walked closer to him.
"..k...u..."
"...ake up."
"Wake up!"
I woke with a start.
Endris' frantic face hovered over mine and he shook my shoulders violently. The panic in Endris' eyes instantly rendered me wide awake. It was dark in my room, the only source of light being the candle Endris carried in his hand.
"What?" I asked. "What's going on?"
"Oleander's not in the mansion."
"What?" I repeated, shooting upright in my bed. I kicked the sheets off my legs. "Where did he go? Did Mother make him go on the errand already?"
"No," Endris said impatiently. "Lady Montbow is not awake yet, and has not even handed him the letter she wants him to deliver!"
Swearing under my breath, I jumped up from my bed, crossed the room, and snatched my shirt from the chair. There was a stab of guilt in my chest. I'd repeatedly told him to leave. What if he had felt so unwelcome he left early? "Did he go on his own then? Where did he go?"
"If I knew, I would be there, not here," Endris snapped. "But yes, he seemed to have left on his own... And a short man with long silvery hair like him will not go unnoticed outside."
"Thanks for your sharp observation," I snapped back, matching Endris' annoyed tone. After throwing my shirt on, I moved on to my trousers, hopping as I pulled the fabric over one leg before stepping into the other trouser leg. "Why would he even risk leaving on his own? And why were you in his room this early?"
Endris didn't reply. He placed the candle on my nightstand and marched out of my room while I sat on my bed to put my shoes on.
Briefly, I considered waking my parents or Gisela or Conrad. Would they make this situation better, however? I didn't particularly want them to have an opinion about something they didn't understand. My family, especially Mother, would be upset I left without notifying anyone, but I'd deal with the noses wrinkling in disappointment later. I had plenty of experience with that, after all.
Endris paced the hall until I finished getting dressed. When we stepped outside, the sun peeked at us from behind waves, casting a reddish glow on the water's surface. We didn't stop to admire the sunrise. We hurried to the stables to fetch the horses and galloped to town.
By the time we reached the first thatch-roofed building, the inn, the sun was slowly rising into the sky. I spotted a ruddy, blond man crouching down on the path leading to his building. He pulled at the weeds sprouting in the crevices between stones.
Anyone who followed the road south would have to pass the inn. If Oleander went this way, the innkeeper was our best shot of getting information. Our chances were still slim if he had left at night or didn't even go this way, but it was better than sitting on our hands or searching the Thundercoast at random. I steered my horse onto the man's property.
The man had clearly not expected to be disturbed in his work this early. He jolted and looked up as I halted my horse right beside him. Resting a hand against his forehead to shield his squinty blue eyes from the sun, the innkeeper stood.
"Good morning, pardon us for disturbing you," I greeted the man hastily but polite. "Did a man with long, silvery hair pass here? Can't really miss him."
I could pinpoint the exact moment the innkeeper recognised me as a Montbow. His gaze fell on the emblem stitched onto my shirt, and his startled expression soured. "Lord Montbow. How pleasant of you to grace me with your presence," he said with a mocking bow. "Maybe I've seen a silver-haired man. I'm not sure. That sounds like a pretty rare sigh. Just like a Montbow visiting us peasants in town. Also a most rare sight."
I sighed and looked up to the heavens, as if I'd find answers to why people kept blaming me for my uncle's deeds there. Most days, I preferred deflecting sneers with lighthearted jokes. Today, however, I didn't have that sort of patience. Narrowing my eyes, I balled my fist. Sparks flashed from my hand and struck the ground, instantly turning the weeds into black ash. The man leapt back with a yelp. I was taught not to rely on intimidation, nor did I want to. I felt bad, but only for a moment.
"Where is he?" I demanded. "If you have seen something, this is the time to talk."
The innkeeper stared at me with a mixture of indigence and fear. After a few moments, the man spat on the ground. "A man with long silvery hair passed here just before dawn, my lord," he said, acid lacing his tone. "He asked for directions to the Marchpass ruins. I told him not go there, place is haunted, it is. But did he listen? No."
Endris and I exchanged a glance. We didn't speak. We simply took off again.
The place the innkeeper mentioned wasn't far from town. Gisela favoured the Marchpass ruins as a target practice range for archery, considering the townsfolk were superstitious and thought it was bad luck to go there. Apparently, folktales said it was haunted by souls of soldiers that perished when the Marchpass bridge collapsed. Gisela called their superstition nonsense—she had never seen a ghost. I was pretty sure the ghosts were just hiding from her. If my bellicose sister saw them, she would only kill them again.
Endris and I sped up the hills and I already saw the ruins looming in the distance. The Marchpass castle and adjacent bridge were once meant as a traveling route between the Thundercoast and Wildewall. Now, all that remained was crumbling towers and steeply archways leading to a brackish marsh. Crows had made their nests in the few sharp spires that remained standing, and circled around in the sky. The birds were usually the only company we had when Gisela and I practiced our shooting, but today, the ruins were crowded.
A group of around ten men were gathered near the old brick walls. Each of them carried a bow or a sword, and they were clothed in brown, with a fur lining. I recognised a few of their faces and surely Endris had to as well. They were Ytel's men. And sitting on the ground in their midst was one smaller man with silvery hair.
Oleander seemed to see me the same moment I saw him. "Help!" he called out at us.
Most of the men turned our way as Oleander's voice rang out. I saw eyes narrowing and hands reaching for pommels. Endris took out his bow as well. He drew an arrow while his horse danced in place nervously.
"Step away from him!" Endris boomed.
"Endris wait, don't shoot," I hissed. "You're not telling me I have to be the patient, tactful one here, right? You realise those are Ytel's men?"
"So?" Endris snapped.
"Just put that away," I said, pointing at Endris' bow before dismounting my horse.
I walked towards the group with my hands up. It was mostly an empty gesture. They likely knew who I was as well, and I didn't need weapons to harm them. All I needed was a snap of my fingers. Judging from their wary faces and the way none of them sheathed their sword, they knew.
Oleander's eyes were red. I saw mud on his knees and a scratch on his cheek, but his hair was safely tied and he seemed unharmed. Unharmed but scared. With his elbows pressed into his sides, he made himself as small as possible. Likely, Ytel's men had thought him an easy target to rob on the road. My veins pulsed with magic, ready to unleash a rain of thunder on them. It would be so easy, but I had to control myself.
"Lord Montbow." One older, greying man, seemingly the leader of this group, stepped to the front with an unpleasant grin. Scarred skin peeked from below his sleeves as he raised a hand in greeting, showing he'd seen plenty of duels and battle. "You are exactly the man we wanted to see. We bring word from Wildewall, and knight commander Ytel. He is seeking to collect the full payment, with interest, on the loan Harold Montbow took out from his family several years ago. Valued at fifty diamonds."
My throat tightened, and my heart thumped in my chest. Scum of the earth. Ytel had never told me about any loan. He knew the dragon hunt had failed and that I didn't have money or gems. For his men to arrive here this soon, he must've already had them waiting near the Thundercoast. He must've been betting on me to fail to spring his trap. Now I understood why he'd insisted on being the one to travel with me to the Serpentine mountains, despite obviously disliking me. He'd often spoken of wanting a mansion on the cliffs some day too.
"I see," I replied, keeping my voice as steady as I could. "Then I would have expected to see you at the mansion. I nodded at Oleander. "Not threatening a lone man in the hills."
"Threatening? We only stopped to ask why he was here alone!" the ringleader said with obviously feigned innocence. Some of the other man chuckled and smirked, while Oleander now wore an indignant expression. It was a more likely tale they were trying to rob him.
"How kind of you," I said dryly. "Then surely you don't mind if we take our guest home now." I stretched out a hand to Oleander and gestured him to come to my side.
Oleander shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath. Then unfolded his legs and cautiously got to his feet. Ytel's men turned to their ringleader for instructions. He pressed his lips to a tight line, stared me down for a few moments, then gave his men a subtle nod. They let Oleander pass, and the elf ran to my side, hiding himself behind me.
I willed myself to stay still as a statue and not respond to Oleander. Right now I was lord Montbow, not Laurence, and I had to act like it. "When can we expect a visit from you at the mansion?" I asked.
The ringleader snorted. "We have other business at the Thundercoast first. But rest assured: we won't forget about you. The first payment will need to be made today. If you can't, we can also accept the mansion and the land itself as payment, of course."
"Of course," I replied, smiling through gritted teeth. "We will see you there. Good day."
of me expected an arrow to strike my back the moment I turned to walk to my horse, but it didn't come. Ytel's men left us alone and relief flooded me once it became clear they were really retreating.
"Thank you," Oleander breathed. His voice was quiet like he was scared Ytel's men would return if he spoke too loud. He had shuffled after me to my horse and stayed very close, even if he was careful not to touch me. It made me want to wrap an arm around him in comfort, but I refrained.
"Did they hurt you?" Endris asked gruffly.
Oleander shook his head. "No, they only shoved me around a little. When I told them I was staying at the Montbow mansion they wanted my coin for the knight commander, but I didn't have any."
Endris groaned. "Why did you go to these abandoned ruins? You are safe in the Montbow mansion until you can leave for the woods, and you shouldn't just leave."
"I'm sorry," Oleander apologised softly. "Sometimes, I remember flashes of the past. I only wanted to go to these hills because I remembered a useful plant that might grow here. I wanted to collect some and return before you would miss me. I hoped it would make me remember more."
"Yeah, well, I understand," I said. "But don't run off without telling anyone, will you? I think I lost five years of my life this morning."
"I'm truly sorry," Oleander apologised again. Then a small smile tugged at his lips. "I am grateful, however, that you care about me enough to worry."
"I—" I opened and closed my mouth while Oleander's eyes sparkled and his smile grew wider.
"I didn't say that!" I sputtered, abruptly turning away from Oleander and Endris so they couldn't see my face growing beet-red. I gladly occupied myself with my horse instead. "Anyway, lovely as this scuffle has been, we need to go back home and warn everyone there's some friendly folks coming to steal even more years of our life in one day. Shall we then?"