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Once an Elf, Always an Elf

By Zoe Tomassi (USA)

Once an Elf, Always an Elf

            My heart pounded wildly as I ducked behind the stone wall. Tripping on my boots, I lay there in darkness waiting for the guards to come and find me. Why had I left the dungeon and risked my neck? Did life really hold that much for me that I would risk it?
            Voices echoed around the corner of my alcove, masculine voices that made my skin crawl. They belonged to the Dragon Keepers, a band of thugs that raided all of Morn in search of one thing: Elves. As one of those they sought, I feared and hated them more than anything else on earth.
            “Did you hear that?” one man exclaimed. Silence filled the huge void of the hallway before my little alcove.
            “No, idiot,” snapped a deep-voiced man. He came into view as he strolled down the passageway. Tall and muscular, he gave off an aura of cruel authority in his navy blue medieval uniform. His sword gleamed in the light from the torches that the other guards held.
            I shifted upright, trying to use the stealth skills that my father had taught me back in Ioden Forest. As I rose, my hand slipped over a loose, slimy brick causing it to shift and shatter with a loud clunk to the floor. All eyes snapped my way.
            “Now, I definitely heard that,” commented the deep-voiced man, his facial dragon tattoo coiling as he sneered with ugly glee. His grin widened as he saw me pressed against the wall.
            My heart beat rapidly in my chest, but I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Once an Elf, always an Elf, I thought and prepared my mind for death.
            “Catch her!” a loud voice echoed off the walls, shattering my concentration. Now angry, the guards, including their leader, looked away to the left.
            Seeing my opportunity, I dashed out under the arm of my intent attacker and sprinted away down the wide hallway. I heard a clash of arms and footsteps after me with the cry, “After them!” ringing in my ears. Darkness enveloped me once more as I took off down a side hall. Nothing would stop me.
            Suddenly I tripped over a loose floor brick and something toppled over me with a gasp. I felt thin fabric on my arm, then recoiled when I encountered flesh. Around me, I could hear the silence and tension fill the passage where someone and I lay breathing hard.
            “Who’s there?” came a gentle, timid voice. I could sense the fear emanating from it.
            “Someone,” I replied, hesitant to share my identity.
            From a suddenly lit candle, a light appeared in the passage and revealed the person. To my surprise, a girl barely sixteen lay before me, a maiden of my own race. Her pointed ears and obvious grace gave her away.
            “Forendell ethra,” I murmured, uttering the traditional Elven greeting.
            “There’s no time for formality now,” she replied quickly. “Come.” With that she rose and continued down the hall.
            “Your name?” I asked.“Raina,” the maiden whispered.
            “I’m Larsaydian,” I informed her as we barreled along the passageway. Suddenly, we entered a huge, cathedral-style vault that glowed with moonlight from high windows. Tall, charcoal gray pillars reached to the sky and disappeared into blackness. Stained glass windows lined the walls, shifting weird-colored lights around the marble floor. No furniture adorned the place, except for a single candelabrum on the far right side.
            Behind us, footsteps and angry shouts reached our ears. Before either of us could speak, twelve Dragon Keepers, swords and bows drawn, burst through the doorway through which we had just passed. Their shouts of “Kill them!” broke the silence and peace.
            I felt fear and power mingling in my stomach as they charged at us. From the back of my memory a phrase jumped forth and came to my lips, “Ishitar Faymar!”
            A bolt of moonlight shot through the nearest window and into my upraised hand, electrocuting my entire arm. With all my might, I threw the ball at the nearest attacker. He crumpled in a dead heap on the floor. Some of the men around him backed away in shock.
            I smiled at their amazement. “Come,” I uttered to Raina, grabbing her hand and taking off at high speed towards the other end of the hall. Suddenly, an arrow grazed the side of my face, shooting pain through me. We stumbled out of the room and kept running, but my pain grew more intense with every step.
            Before us a palisade spread out, and beyond that lay the forest and sky carpeted in night. The deep, intoxicating smell of pine wafted up to us even from that distance. Enclosed on all sides by a railing, the palisade offered no escape route other than the one by which we had entered: we had no way out. I slammed the door shut and locked it with the long oaken bolt. Raina and I came out to the edge of the railing and looked down. My heart froze; we stood a thousand feet up with nothing but air between us and the ground.
            “What are we going to do?” Raina asked, her green eyes probing my face for answers.
            “Something crazy,” I replied, an idea forming like storm clouds in my mind. “If we can’t run from ‘em, then we’ll just have to face ‘em.”
            Raina’s face blanched. “Take on an army of men? They’re Dragon Keepers, Larsaydian, if you haven’t noticed! They will not back down.”
            “So neither will we,” I announced, a dark smile crossing my face.
            Raina drew herself up to full height. Eyes flashing, she avowed, “Then fight we shall.” From the depth of her ragged dress she drew a short Elven blade. I once again formed a moon ball in my left hand. We raised our right hands, clasped them, and in unison solemnly uttered, “Once an Elf, always an Elf!” With that, we braced ourselves for the worst.
            Almost instantaneously, the huge iron-clad doors began to shake as the men on the other side tried to break in. It cracked and finally splintered, and the Dragon Keepers emerged weapons raised.
            With a war cry, I threw the ball at them and barely saw it wreak havoc before I heard Raina calling, “Watch out!” I looked to my left and saw the leader, the deep-voiced one, bringing his sword down on me. With a swift tuck and roll I missed the blow and knocked over a man. Rising to my feet, I rushed to one of the dead men and drew his weapon. Brandishing it, I turned to face the leader. Everything faded away into a blurred hush of noise.

          “You and me, scum,” he jeered. “It’s life or death.” He flew at me with unnatural strength for a human. At least, I thought it unnatural for him until I saw his ears; they tapered up into a point like mine, like Raina’s, and like all Elves of X-zed.
            “Traitor!” I bellowed and met his blade with mine. We dove, cut, parried, and blocked our way to the balcony. Every time he cut at me, I blocked him; every time I came at him, he dodged me. Neither of us could get an edge over the other.
            I began to weary and my reflexes slowed. All of a sudden, he had me with my back to the railing. I felt the wind whipping my hair and heard the call of the hawk.
            “And so you die, scum,” the Elven traitor threatened as he drew his dagger and placed it against my exposed throat. He hit me on the mouth with the back of his hand to insult me before killing me. I tasted blood in my mouth. “Die like a…” His eyes widened and rolled to the back of his head. Then he slumped against me, smelling of beer and blood.
            Hastily I pushed him off me and saw Raina’s dagger in his back. She stood, shocked, over the dead body. Behind her, three Dragon Keepers lay dead and the rest tied up back to back, unconscious.
            She smiled quietly and took my hand. We ran out of the room, down several dark halls, and finally out into a deserted courtyard.
            I warily crept into it surprised to see no guards. As we neared the main door to the outside, I noticed a side door on the same side, only hidden by bushes. Drawing Raina in that direction, I tried the latch and it silently slid out of place. I crouched there, stunned at our success. Silent as shadows, we made our escape out into the forest.
            Once there, Raina dropped to her knees. “We made it!” she breathed.
            “Aye, but our journey’s just begun, for we are not home yet.” But we’re certainly closer, I added in my heart. Life held a lot more for me than simply living. Fighting by my kin’s side and fighting for freedom meant the whole world to me.