Post by Dark Beauty on Mar 24, 2007 20:37:33 GMT -8
((Second chapter! And Rikimaru appears!... Aka Kouri.
I'm really sorry about the "no indent" thing... it won't let me do it!))
Dark Beauty was not a fool. There was always a reason for a human to go against what he had agreed to do, though most times those reasons were illegitimate excuses. From what the dryad Shanei had told her, the Wood Elf knew that she would have to go to the nearest human village to find out what had happened to make the men want to cut down trees inside the heart of the Dryad Forest.
After about a half-hour of collecting her thoughts, Dark began to walk toward the human village of Evergreen, which was the closest human place to the forest. She had visited there many times, and the permanent inhabitants knew her. Of course, Evergreen was also a town for travelers to rest in, so there were always a few people there who did not know exactly who she was, and she liked even the slightest anonymity.
Dark was not really fond of Evergreen. Because of all the inns and taverns, any creature was welcomed into the village. That meant that there were usually goblins and other evil creatures snooping around freely.
The elven sorceress walked four miles before she reached the village. There were no gates needed there, so Dark walked right onto the unpaved road; if you could call it a road. There was only that one street throughout the small village. Taverns and shops were built along the sides, and at the end of it were a few houses and the rather large Traveler’s Inn.
The town was situated on the west side of the Dryad Forest, separated by a small plain and a line of trees that were not actually part of the forest. From that line, the humans were allowed to get their wood. The dryads had agreed long ago that the humans could get wood from that side of the forest only; they were not allowed to enter the forest itself. But the humans had entered the forest, and they had gone deep into it.
Dark walked past one of the many taverns in the village with a quickened pace. That particular one was the rowdiest, lewdest, and worst of all the taverns. It was also the one that the evil creatures favored most.
Dark made her way down to the Traveler’s Inn. The sorceress was good friends with the innkeeper there, who was named Kimmy.
Kimmy was a very kind person, and she used to be a great human warrior. After her last adventure though, her father had died, and she took over the inn. And besides that, her fear of horses got in the way of her battles. Dark thought that Kimmy made a better innkeeper than a hero anyway, and many others agreed with her. It is not as if Kimmy was a bad warrior; it was just that she was better at tending to people than she was at killing them.
Dark Beauty reached the large wooden building and entered, switching her thoughts to common tongue, which was the language spoken in villages. “Common” was the only tongue that was required of everyone in the world to know.
Like always, the main room was filled with travelers. Kimmy was a great cook, and she provided meals (for a price, of course) for her customers. It was still breakfast time, and there were quite a few people eating at the large, round tables scattered around the room. A fire was dancing merrily in the fireplace over on the right side of the inn, and a bubbling pot of boiling water was hanging over the top of it. Dark smiled. Kimmy was making porridge again.
Over in the far left corner was the kitchen, and to the right of it was a large wooden stairway. There were visible rooms up there, and the doors seemed to call to weary travelers. Dark smiled, noticing that Kimmy had managed to fix the stairs, which had been extremely old and rickety the last time that the sorceress had visited.
The elf looked around the dim room. She spotted a few dwarves and mages in the mass of creatures, but most of them were humans. There was an occasional cloaked figure with their hood up, but that was to be expected. At least this place had not gone to the dogs. Dark glanced at the counter on the left side of the room. Kimmy was looking down at a cup that she was quickly drying with a rag. Dark Beauty stepped into the room a bit further away from the door.
Kimmy heard the footstep and, putting the cup on the counter and flinging the rag into the soapy sink, she yelled over the noise of the inn. “I’ll be right with you!” Then, turning and looking up, she said hospitably, “How can I help you?” Kimmy leaned on her hickory counter, her raggedy bar dress sleeves spread across it in a pretty way.
Dark moved forward a bit more, not answering. Kimmy’s eyes widened and lit up. “Well, bless my soul! Welcome back, you homeless vagabond!” Only Kimmy could get away with that.
Kimmy came out from behind the counter and walked over to her friend, smiling. The two women hugged each other fondly. “Where have you been, Dark? There has been quite a bit of uncanny things going on around here. I was surprised that you did not come earlier.” Dark and the innkeeper made their way over to the table closest to the fireplace and sat down. “Is there anything I can get you, Dark?” Kimmy looked pleased to see the elf.
Dark shook her head politely. “No thanks, Kimmy. I came here to see you, not to make you work.”
Kimmy scowled teasingly at having her offer of service turned down. “I’ve missed you, you know, and that puts you into trouble. There has not been much to do around here.”
Dark smiled apologetically. “Sorry. I was busy reliving old memories and then got held back by the dryads. Speaking of the dryads, that is another reason I came back.” Dark leaned closer to Kimmy. “What is going on? There were humans inside the forest cutting down trees near a few of the dryad villages, including my favorite one. Why on earth were there people in that deep?”
Kimmy’s face darkened. “There have been a few rumors going around the customers lately that there is something worth the getting for breaking the agreement we made long ago. I don’t know what exactly is going on, though.”
Dark’s brow furrowed. “‘Something worth the getting?’ What is that supposed to mean?”
Kimmy shrugged. “There is something that was offered and will be given if the trees are cut. I have no idea what, though. I don’t leave the inn that much anymore. There have been more goblins and drakeas coming through the village lately, and I don’t like being out there. I only hear the gossip that goes on in here.”
A customer walked in the door, and Kimmy sighed. “Well, I guess I need to go. Ask anyone in here about the dryads, and I think that you might get an answer that you’re looking for. Welcome back, by the way.”
Kimmy then stood up and strode over to the customer.
Dark glanced around the room again, looking for someone who would seem to be worth talking to. She spotted a few interesting people, but they were all talking with others at full tables. Then Dark’s blue eyes stopped on a shadowed corner. There was a table there, and a darkened figure sat alone.
Dark decided that this person would do and slid her chair back. She stood up and made her way over to the table, which was positioned on the other side of the room. The elf weaved through the tables and chairs, making sure that she did not bump into anybody. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was a cloaked goblin in the room, but he wasn’t looking at her, so she dismissed it.
She reached the dim corner, and the customer looked up at her. He was masked; his extremely light eyes were the only thing visible on his shadowed face.
The mask took Dark by a little bit of a surprise, but she did not let it show. “May I sit here?” Dark asked politely.
The man nodded, and the elf sat down. She was careful to make sure her hair was covering her ears. Even though he looked like a human, she did not want him knowing her race quite yet. Elves were sometimes ridiculed by other creatures.
There was a bit of an awkward silence, in which the man studied her carefully. Finally, after a shiver of unease ran up her spine, Dark called across the room to Kimmy.
“Hey, Kimmy!”
Kimmy looked up from the dish she was washing. “Yes, Dark Beauty?”
Dark cringed slightly. She had not wanted Kimmy to mention her full nickname. “Could I have some spiced wine?”
Kimmy nodded and grabbed a bottle from underneath the counter. As she walked over to Dark with the bottle and a glass, quite a few eyes followed her. The room had gotten a bit quieter when they heard the well known sorceress’ name.
Kimmy set the glass before the elf, blushing as she realized her mistake. She muttered “sorry” under her breath as she poured the drink for Dark. When the glass was full, she put the cork back in the bottle and looked at the two. “Anything else?” Kimmy asked Dark and the man in an almost sheepish voice.
Both shook their heads. “No, but thank you Kimmy,” Dark said, giving the human girl a half smile of forgiveness. Kimmy nodded and walked off.
Dark sipped her spiced wine until there was noise in the inn again, and then she looked at the strange traveler. He was still gazing at her with his amazingly clear light eyes. He spoke first, his voice a rich baritone, but muffled slightly by the mask.
“You are an elf. Am I correct?”
Dark blinked in surprise. “Yes, I am an elf. How did you know?”
The traveler shrugged. “You have almond-shaped eyes for one. You also move with such grace that I knew that you could not possibly be human, your voice has a musical ring to it, and you have the beauty of a Wood Elf.”
Dark stared at the man in amazement. “You are the first person to ever guess what I am like that.”
The traveler shrugged. “I do it for a living, you might say. I am a ninja, you see. I stay alive by being able to recognize traits of different races and creatures. I still am not able to figure out why a Wood Elf would be wearing mage’s robes, though.”
Dark looked down at her white robes. “Oh. I am a sorceress… and I study magic as well.”
The man’s eyebrows went up slightly. “Really? I thought that the elves did not like magic.”
Dark sighed. “No, they don’t. That’s why I am not part of my clan anymore.”
The man tilted his head to one side and looked at her thoughtfully. “I’m sorry.” He straightened. “I am amazed that an elf would want to become a mage. Anyway,” he said swiftly when he noticed the pain in her averted eyes. “I am Kouri.” He extended his hand across the table to her.
Dark looked up and took the man’s hand. “The world knows me as Dark Beauty.” She replied and let go of his hand after a small shake.
The stranger called Kouri took his hand back. “I’m sorry. I would have kissed your hand, but I cannot let my face show. That is the ninja law.”
Dark smiled. “I was wondering what the mask was for.”
Kouri’s eyes sparkled in the fire light. “I thought you might have been. You looked a bit uncomfortable.” He leaned back in his chair. “I think I have heard of you, now that I think about it.”
Dark lowered her eyes in embarrassment. “Yes, well, I have been around for a long time.”
Kouri laughed. It was a very nice laugh, Dark noticed. “So have I, milady.”
Dark looked up, confused. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I am not human. My race is called ‘The Winged’ by the long-lived races, and ‘guardian angels’ by the short-lived races, such as humans. Have you heard of us?”
Dark, baffled, shook her head. “No, I don’t think I have. That is saying something, since I have traveled everywhere in the world over the many years I have been alive.”
Kouri’s eyes (which were nearly silver) squinted. Dark guessed that he was smiling behind his cloth mask. “I am not surprised. Not many know of us. There are so few of my kind that hardly anybody knows what we are.” He leaned back further, almost lounging in his chair. “We Winged Ones live for a very long time; longer than your kind, even.”
Dark’s eyes widened. “Truly?”
Kouri nodded. “Yes, milady. So, I have been around for quite some time now, probably even longer than you.”
Dark smiled. “Let’s not discuss that subject.”
Kouri laughed again.
Dark felt a strange feeling inside whenever he laughed. It was a very nice feeling, but odd, for she had only felt it once before. “So,” she carried on the conversation. “Where have you traveled?”
Kouri straightened in his chair. “Oh, everywhere. I have heard of you nearly every place I have been, too. Most refer to you as ‘The White Sorceress,’ and that is why I did not recognize your name at first. It was in a human city, long ago destroyed, that I heard the name ‘Dark Beauty.’ They certainly got the ‘beauty’ part right.”
Dark blushed; something she had not done since she was young. “Thank you, sir. I am flattered by your comments.”
Kouri’s eyes twinkled. “They are true, I can assure you. I have a feeling that it is not your real name, though.”
Dark’s face became a bit tense. “No, it’s not. My name was lost in time to the world.”
Kouri raised his hands apologetically. “All right; I did not mean to offend you in any way.”
Dark relaxed once she realized that her feelings were showing on her face. She had always used to wish that her real name was used in the world, but now, after the events of earlier that morning, she no longer wanted to be reminded of her elven name. “I’m sorry. You did not offend me.” Dark shook her head to herself. “I am just a little uncomfortable when my name gets put into conversation.”
In truth, this was something new. Before Kouri, her real name had never been asked about. Except, of course, by the first person Dark had ever met after she left the Forest of the Wood Elves. That person had happened to be a drunken man in a tavern. Dark had not wanted to tell him her name for obvious reasons, and had quickly moved away. He had leaned over to his companion and whispered. “There goes a beauty.” Later, when Dark would not answer to any personal questions posed to her, he had added, “a very dark and secretive beauty.”
That was how she had received her worldwide name, and none had ever asked what her real one was since that first man. None until now.
Kouri looked at her without commenting. Dark had a nagging feeling that he did not believe her completely, and that he was searching for the background reasons of why she was so uptight about her name. She averted her eyes, not wishing to give away anything more.
This felt so odd. She had never met anyone like this man before. For some reason, she felt like he was superior to her and that he could sense if she was lying or not. Another thing she thought as odd was the fact that she was feeling embarrassed and shamed… feelings that she had never had to deal with as a sorceress. She figured it was probably a secret of his mysterious race that she had never heard of.
Dark shifted in her seat, and Kouri loosened his intense gaze. “I see.” That was all he said for a moment, and then he leaned on the table. “I am sorry that I am making you uncomfortable. Please forgive me.”
Dark looked up and waved her hand dismissively. “There is nothing wrong to forgive. I am just feeling unwell this morning, that’s all. Thank you, though.”
This was all very interesting to Dark. She was speaking to this stranger like she had known him for most of her life. What was she talking to him for anyway? Then she remembered the dryads.
“Sir, I am wondering; maybe you know anything of the humans entering the realm of the dryads?”
Kouri raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is this what you came and sat down for?”
Dark nodded. “Yes. I am very good friends with a clan of dryads there, and the rest of them are all friends of my race.” Dark’s face became troubled. “I am very worried.”
Kouri quickly became serious. “Alright, milady. What is upsetting you?”
Dark brushed her fingers through her hair in a nervous way. “I was told by the dryads that about a year ago, a group of men entered into their part of the forest and cut down the trees. I went there and saw the desolation, and I am wondering if you might know anything of it.”
Kouri sat back in his chair, his eyes glazed over in the look of thought. “I seem to remember that there was a young man that lived in a town that I last visited who came running into the inn, screaming something about the Plain Elves coming into the city.”
Dark’s face turned to one of shock as Kouri continued, not paying attention to the elf’s expressions.
“He had started to tell all of the people in the tavern that the Plain Elves were offering a potion of long life to anyone who would help them in chopping down the Dryad Forest. I guess that they had said they wanted to agitate the Wood Elves.” Kouri stopped and looked at Dark Beauty in an interested gaze. “I wonder why they would want to that. Is there a problem between the races?”
Dark nodded. “There has been a quiet hatred between my race and the Plain Elves for years. The Sea Elves are not interested in anything on land, so they don’t participate in the awful hate that the two land races have decided to have toward each other.”
Kouri raised his eyebrow again. “I see. I won’t pry any further. I can sense that it causes worries on your part. Anyway,” Kouri went back to telling his story. “The Plain Elves said that they wanted to devastate the forest near the dryads’ homes. Not many people from that village wanted to go, but there are many other villages that did.”
Dark caught herself in the near action of leaping to her feet. “What? They asked more than one village?”
Kouri looked at her, his eyes troubled because of the sudden outburst. “Yes, milady. All of the human villages have been asked. It all started, like you said, about a year ago. However, I believe that it is not only the part of the forest that you were in that was being cut down.”
The Wood Elf stood up, her eyes burning in rage. “They’re starting a war.”
Kouri leaned over and spoke quietly. “Sit down, or else you are going to draw attention to yourself. What do you mean ‘they’re starting a war?’ ”
Dark sat down, absolutely enraged. “The Plain Elves are trying to start a war with the Wood Elves. They know that we will help the dryads if they are in danger, and they are probably going to move to the Forest of the Wood Elves soon. Silvaria told me that they were talking about a war…”
Kouri shook his head and touched Dark’s clenched hand in an attempt to calm her down. “Silvaria? Who is Silvaria? What are you talking about?” Kouri looked terribly confused.
Dark settled down at the ninja’s gentle touch. The tension in her face eased as she relaxed slightly. “Silvaria is my silver dragon. Well, she is not exactly mine. She acts like she is, though, because I saved her when we were both young and so she tells me that she is repaying her debt by serving me. She is more my friend than anything else.”
“You have a dragon, too?”
Dark looked at Kouri in interest. “Do you have a dragon?”
Kouri nodded. “Yes, I have a red dragon. His name is Fal’sho. No, he’s not evil,” Kouri smiled slightly under his mask as Dark shrank back slightly at the mention of Fal’sho’s color, which was one of the most evil kind of dragon. “He is too immature to be evil. Besides, I hatched him. His mother was killed by dragon slayers. I suppose that is a good thing, since his mother was evil herself. But, I took the egg she had left behind and hatched him. I looked after Fal, and he took after the good traits in me.” A flicker of annoyance passed over his face. “He does get rebellious sometimes, though.”
“How interesting.” Dark was truly intrigued. A dragon from an evil race being raised to be good was a practice never heard of before. “Perhaps Silvaria could meet him? Has he ever met other dragons before?”
Kouri shrugged. “He is grown and goes off sometimes; I don’t know where he’s been. I personally haven’t shown him any other dragons, though.” He leaned forward again. “Now what did Silvaria tell you?”
Dark snapped back to her serious state. “She had seen the Plain Elves and the velphs speaking to each other, and with the help of a friend, she overheard some of the conversation. They caught the concept of an alliance in war against someone. From what you just told me, I am guessing that the enemy is to be my birth race.”
Kouri’s brow furrowed. “The Plain Elves are speaking with the velphs?”
Dark scowled. “Yes.”
He leaned back, unconsciously playing with the dagger on his belt that Dark had failed to notice. “That is very hard to believe. Why would elves want to talk to those vile creatures?”
“You’ve met them before?”
Kouri nodded. “They truly are an awful race. I never liked them, especially since they speak to those drevoul spirits.” He shuddered. “Those things should have been banished to the underworld long ago.”
“Yes, they should have,” Dark agreed. “I have been in a conversation with them before. That was extremely unfortunate, and only happened because I was venturing in the Forest of the Velphs to speak to the leader of the velphs, and the drevouls appeared from no where. They spoke to me, and those voices will haunt me forever.”
“I am sorry that you had to go through that. I am haunted from just seeing one. I don’t think it would be very gentlemanly of me to relate what they were doing. I would not want to mar your thoughts with it.”
Dark smiled slightly then looked at her glass of unfinished wine. “Well, I suppose I ought to go.”
Kouri stood as she rose. “Allow me,” he said as he pulled a gold coin from one of his pockets. He placed it on the table next to Dark’s drink.
Dark smiled. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Kouri made a slight bow. “You are quite welcome, milady. I enjoyed meeting you.”
Dark made a small curtsy, which she did not even do to the richest queen, but felt that she should to this man. “And I enjoyed meeting you, sir. I hope our paths cross again.”
She turned and walked to the door, saying good-bye to Kimmy on the way out. Kouri looked after her as the door swung shut and sat back down with a distant look.
A man who had been watching the conversation between the elf and the ninja from a table nearby got up and moved over to where Kouri was sitting. The man had an amused smile playing across his lips. He sat down beside the thoughtful Kouri and looked at him for a second before gazing at the door, mocking the man next to him by his imitation.
“Well,” the man said teasingly, brushing his wavy black hair out of his face. “You look like you had fun.”
Kouri continued to observe the door.
The man glanced at Kouri in a suggestive manner, a broad grin lending light to his shadowed face. “Pretty one, isn’t she?”
“Be quiet.”
I'm really sorry about the "no indent" thing... it won't let me do it!))
Chapter 2
Dark Beauty was not a fool. There was always a reason for a human to go against what he had agreed to do, though most times those reasons were illegitimate excuses. From what the dryad Shanei had told her, the Wood Elf knew that she would have to go to the nearest human village to find out what had happened to make the men want to cut down trees inside the heart of the Dryad Forest.
After about a half-hour of collecting her thoughts, Dark began to walk toward the human village of Evergreen, which was the closest human place to the forest. She had visited there many times, and the permanent inhabitants knew her. Of course, Evergreen was also a town for travelers to rest in, so there were always a few people there who did not know exactly who she was, and she liked even the slightest anonymity.
Dark was not really fond of Evergreen. Because of all the inns and taverns, any creature was welcomed into the village. That meant that there were usually goblins and other evil creatures snooping around freely.
The elven sorceress walked four miles before she reached the village. There were no gates needed there, so Dark walked right onto the unpaved road; if you could call it a road. There was only that one street throughout the small village. Taverns and shops were built along the sides, and at the end of it were a few houses and the rather large Traveler’s Inn.
The town was situated on the west side of the Dryad Forest, separated by a small plain and a line of trees that were not actually part of the forest. From that line, the humans were allowed to get their wood. The dryads had agreed long ago that the humans could get wood from that side of the forest only; they were not allowed to enter the forest itself. But the humans had entered the forest, and they had gone deep into it.
Dark walked past one of the many taverns in the village with a quickened pace. That particular one was the rowdiest, lewdest, and worst of all the taverns. It was also the one that the evil creatures favored most.
Dark made her way down to the Traveler’s Inn. The sorceress was good friends with the innkeeper there, who was named Kimmy.
Kimmy was a very kind person, and she used to be a great human warrior. After her last adventure though, her father had died, and she took over the inn. And besides that, her fear of horses got in the way of her battles. Dark thought that Kimmy made a better innkeeper than a hero anyway, and many others agreed with her. It is not as if Kimmy was a bad warrior; it was just that she was better at tending to people than she was at killing them.
Dark Beauty reached the large wooden building and entered, switching her thoughts to common tongue, which was the language spoken in villages. “Common” was the only tongue that was required of everyone in the world to know.
Like always, the main room was filled with travelers. Kimmy was a great cook, and she provided meals (for a price, of course) for her customers. It was still breakfast time, and there were quite a few people eating at the large, round tables scattered around the room. A fire was dancing merrily in the fireplace over on the right side of the inn, and a bubbling pot of boiling water was hanging over the top of it. Dark smiled. Kimmy was making porridge again.
Over in the far left corner was the kitchen, and to the right of it was a large wooden stairway. There were visible rooms up there, and the doors seemed to call to weary travelers. Dark smiled, noticing that Kimmy had managed to fix the stairs, which had been extremely old and rickety the last time that the sorceress had visited.
The elf looked around the dim room. She spotted a few dwarves and mages in the mass of creatures, but most of them were humans. There was an occasional cloaked figure with their hood up, but that was to be expected. At least this place had not gone to the dogs. Dark glanced at the counter on the left side of the room. Kimmy was looking down at a cup that she was quickly drying with a rag. Dark Beauty stepped into the room a bit further away from the door.
Kimmy heard the footstep and, putting the cup on the counter and flinging the rag into the soapy sink, she yelled over the noise of the inn. “I’ll be right with you!” Then, turning and looking up, she said hospitably, “How can I help you?” Kimmy leaned on her hickory counter, her raggedy bar dress sleeves spread across it in a pretty way.
Dark moved forward a bit more, not answering. Kimmy’s eyes widened and lit up. “Well, bless my soul! Welcome back, you homeless vagabond!” Only Kimmy could get away with that.
Kimmy came out from behind the counter and walked over to her friend, smiling. The two women hugged each other fondly. “Where have you been, Dark? There has been quite a bit of uncanny things going on around here. I was surprised that you did not come earlier.” Dark and the innkeeper made their way over to the table closest to the fireplace and sat down. “Is there anything I can get you, Dark?” Kimmy looked pleased to see the elf.
Dark shook her head politely. “No thanks, Kimmy. I came here to see you, not to make you work.”
Kimmy scowled teasingly at having her offer of service turned down. “I’ve missed you, you know, and that puts you into trouble. There has not been much to do around here.”
Dark smiled apologetically. “Sorry. I was busy reliving old memories and then got held back by the dryads. Speaking of the dryads, that is another reason I came back.” Dark leaned closer to Kimmy. “What is going on? There were humans inside the forest cutting down trees near a few of the dryad villages, including my favorite one. Why on earth were there people in that deep?”
Kimmy’s face darkened. “There have been a few rumors going around the customers lately that there is something worth the getting for breaking the agreement we made long ago. I don’t know what exactly is going on, though.”
Dark’s brow furrowed. “‘Something worth the getting?’ What is that supposed to mean?”
Kimmy shrugged. “There is something that was offered and will be given if the trees are cut. I have no idea what, though. I don’t leave the inn that much anymore. There have been more goblins and drakeas coming through the village lately, and I don’t like being out there. I only hear the gossip that goes on in here.”
A customer walked in the door, and Kimmy sighed. “Well, I guess I need to go. Ask anyone in here about the dryads, and I think that you might get an answer that you’re looking for. Welcome back, by the way.”
Kimmy then stood up and strode over to the customer.
Dark glanced around the room again, looking for someone who would seem to be worth talking to. She spotted a few interesting people, but they were all talking with others at full tables. Then Dark’s blue eyes stopped on a shadowed corner. There was a table there, and a darkened figure sat alone.
Dark decided that this person would do and slid her chair back. She stood up and made her way over to the table, which was positioned on the other side of the room. The elf weaved through the tables and chairs, making sure that she did not bump into anybody. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was a cloaked goblin in the room, but he wasn’t looking at her, so she dismissed it.
She reached the dim corner, and the customer looked up at her. He was masked; his extremely light eyes were the only thing visible on his shadowed face.
The mask took Dark by a little bit of a surprise, but she did not let it show. “May I sit here?” Dark asked politely.
The man nodded, and the elf sat down. She was careful to make sure her hair was covering her ears. Even though he looked like a human, she did not want him knowing her race quite yet. Elves were sometimes ridiculed by other creatures.
There was a bit of an awkward silence, in which the man studied her carefully. Finally, after a shiver of unease ran up her spine, Dark called across the room to Kimmy.
“Hey, Kimmy!”
Kimmy looked up from the dish she was washing. “Yes, Dark Beauty?”
Dark cringed slightly. She had not wanted Kimmy to mention her full nickname. “Could I have some spiced wine?”
Kimmy nodded and grabbed a bottle from underneath the counter. As she walked over to Dark with the bottle and a glass, quite a few eyes followed her. The room had gotten a bit quieter when they heard the well known sorceress’ name.
Kimmy set the glass before the elf, blushing as she realized her mistake. She muttered “sorry” under her breath as she poured the drink for Dark. When the glass was full, she put the cork back in the bottle and looked at the two. “Anything else?” Kimmy asked Dark and the man in an almost sheepish voice.
Both shook their heads. “No, but thank you Kimmy,” Dark said, giving the human girl a half smile of forgiveness. Kimmy nodded and walked off.
Dark sipped her spiced wine until there was noise in the inn again, and then she looked at the strange traveler. He was still gazing at her with his amazingly clear light eyes. He spoke first, his voice a rich baritone, but muffled slightly by the mask.
“You are an elf. Am I correct?”
Dark blinked in surprise. “Yes, I am an elf. How did you know?”
The traveler shrugged. “You have almond-shaped eyes for one. You also move with such grace that I knew that you could not possibly be human, your voice has a musical ring to it, and you have the beauty of a Wood Elf.”
Dark stared at the man in amazement. “You are the first person to ever guess what I am like that.”
The traveler shrugged. “I do it for a living, you might say. I am a ninja, you see. I stay alive by being able to recognize traits of different races and creatures. I still am not able to figure out why a Wood Elf would be wearing mage’s robes, though.”
Dark looked down at her white robes. “Oh. I am a sorceress… and I study magic as well.”
The man’s eyebrows went up slightly. “Really? I thought that the elves did not like magic.”
Dark sighed. “No, they don’t. That’s why I am not part of my clan anymore.”
The man tilted his head to one side and looked at her thoughtfully. “I’m sorry.” He straightened. “I am amazed that an elf would want to become a mage. Anyway,” he said swiftly when he noticed the pain in her averted eyes. “I am Kouri.” He extended his hand across the table to her.
Dark looked up and took the man’s hand. “The world knows me as Dark Beauty.” She replied and let go of his hand after a small shake.
The stranger called Kouri took his hand back. “I’m sorry. I would have kissed your hand, but I cannot let my face show. That is the ninja law.”
Dark smiled. “I was wondering what the mask was for.”
Kouri’s eyes sparkled in the fire light. “I thought you might have been. You looked a bit uncomfortable.” He leaned back in his chair. “I think I have heard of you, now that I think about it.”
Dark lowered her eyes in embarrassment. “Yes, well, I have been around for a long time.”
Kouri laughed. It was a very nice laugh, Dark noticed. “So have I, milady.”
Dark looked up, confused. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “I am not human. My race is called ‘The Winged’ by the long-lived races, and ‘guardian angels’ by the short-lived races, such as humans. Have you heard of us?”
Dark, baffled, shook her head. “No, I don’t think I have. That is saying something, since I have traveled everywhere in the world over the many years I have been alive.”
Kouri’s eyes (which were nearly silver) squinted. Dark guessed that he was smiling behind his cloth mask. “I am not surprised. Not many know of us. There are so few of my kind that hardly anybody knows what we are.” He leaned back further, almost lounging in his chair. “We Winged Ones live for a very long time; longer than your kind, even.”
Dark’s eyes widened. “Truly?”
Kouri nodded. “Yes, milady. So, I have been around for quite some time now, probably even longer than you.”
Dark smiled. “Let’s not discuss that subject.”
Kouri laughed again.
Dark felt a strange feeling inside whenever he laughed. It was a very nice feeling, but odd, for she had only felt it once before. “So,” she carried on the conversation. “Where have you traveled?”
Kouri straightened in his chair. “Oh, everywhere. I have heard of you nearly every place I have been, too. Most refer to you as ‘The White Sorceress,’ and that is why I did not recognize your name at first. It was in a human city, long ago destroyed, that I heard the name ‘Dark Beauty.’ They certainly got the ‘beauty’ part right.”
Dark blushed; something she had not done since she was young. “Thank you, sir. I am flattered by your comments.”
Kouri’s eyes twinkled. “They are true, I can assure you. I have a feeling that it is not your real name, though.”
Dark’s face became a bit tense. “No, it’s not. My name was lost in time to the world.”
Kouri raised his hands apologetically. “All right; I did not mean to offend you in any way.”
Dark relaxed once she realized that her feelings were showing on her face. She had always used to wish that her real name was used in the world, but now, after the events of earlier that morning, she no longer wanted to be reminded of her elven name. “I’m sorry. You did not offend me.” Dark shook her head to herself. “I am just a little uncomfortable when my name gets put into conversation.”
In truth, this was something new. Before Kouri, her real name had never been asked about. Except, of course, by the first person Dark had ever met after she left the Forest of the Wood Elves. That person had happened to be a drunken man in a tavern. Dark had not wanted to tell him her name for obvious reasons, and had quickly moved away. He had leaned over to his companion and whispered. “There goes a beauty.” Later, when Dark would not answer to any personal questions posed to her, he had added, “a very dark and secretive beauty.”
That was how she had received her worldwide name, and none had ever asked what her real one was since that first man. None until now.
Kouri looked at her without commenting. Dark had a nagging feeling that he did not believe her completely, and that he was searching for the background reasons of why she was so uptight about her name. She averted her eyes, not wishing to give away anything more.
This felt so odd. She had never met anyone like this man before. For some reason, she felt like he was superior to her and that he could sense if she was lying or not. Another thing she thought as odd was the fact that she was feeling embarrassed and shamed… feelings that she had never had to deal with as a sorceress. She figured it was probably a secret of his mysterious race that she had never heard of.
Dark shifted in her seat, and Kouri loosened his intense gaze. “I see.” That was all he said for a moment, and then he leaned on the table. “I am sorry that I am making you uncomfortable. Please forgive me.”
Dark looked up and waved her hand dismissively. “There is nothing wrong to forgive. I am just feeling unwell this morning, that’s all. Thank you, though.”
This was all very interesting to Dark. She was speaking to this stranger like she had known him for most of her life. What was she talking to him for anyway? Then she remembered the dryads.
“Sir, I am wondering; maybe you know anything of the humans entering the realm of the dryads?”
Kouri raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is this what you came and sat down for?”
Dark nodded. “Yes. I am very good friends with a clan of dryads there, and the rest of them are all friends of my race.” Dark’s face became troubled. “I am very worried.”
Kouri quickly became serious. “Alright, milady. What is upsetting you?”
Dark brushed her fingers through her hair in a nervous way. “I was told by the dryads that about a year ago, a group of men entered into their part of the forest and cut down the trees. I went there and saw the desolation, and I am wondering if you might know anything of it.”
Kouri sat back in his chair, his eyes glazed over in the look of thought. “I seem to remember that there was a young man that lived in a town that I last visited who came running into the inn, screaming something about the Plain Elves coming into the city.”
Dark’s face turned to one of shock as Kouri continued, not paying attention to the elf’s expressions.
“He had started to tell all of the people in the tavern that the Plain Elves were offering a potion of long life to anyone who would help them in chopping down the Dryad Forest. I guess that they had said they wanted to agitate the Wood Elves.” Kouri stopped and looked at Dark Beauty in an interested gaze. “I wonder why they would want to that. Is there a problem between the races?”
Dark nodded. “There has been a quiet hatred between my race and the Plain Elves for years. The Sea Elves are not interested in anything on land, so they don’t participate in the awful hate that the two land races have decided to have toward each other.”
Kouri raised his eyebrow again. “I see. I won’t pry any further. I can sense that it causes worries on your part. Anyway,” Kouri went back to telling his story. “The Plain Elves said that they wanted to devastate the forest near the dryads’ homes. Not many people from that village wanted to go, but there are many other villages that did.”
Dark caught herself in the near action of leaping to her feet. “What? They asked more than one village?”
Kouri looked at her, his eyes troubled because of the sudden outburst. “Yes, milady. All of the human villages have been asked. It all started, like you said, about a year ago. However, I believe that it is not only the part of the forest that you were in that was being cut down.”
The Wood Elf stood up, her eyes burning in rage. “They’re starting a war.”
Kouri leaned over and spoke quietly. “Sit down, or else you are going to draw attention to yourself. What do you mean ‘they’re starting a war?’ ”
Dark sat down, absolutely enraged. “The Plain Elves are trying to start a war with the Wood Elves. They know that we will help the dryads if they are in danger, and they are probably going to move to the Forest of the Wood Elves soon. Silvaria told me that they were talking about a war…”
Kouri shook his head and touched Dark’s clenched hand in an attempt to calm her down. “Silvaria? Who is Silvaria? What are you talking about?” Kouri looked terribly confused.
Dark settled down at the ninja’s gentle touch. The tension in her face eased as she relaxed slightly. “Silvaria is my silver dragon. Well, she is not exactly mine. She acts like she is, though, because I saved her when we were both young and so she tells me that she is repaying her debt by serving me. She is more my friend than anything else.”
“You have a dragon, too?”
Dark looked at Kouri in interest. “Do you have a dragon?”
Kouri nodded. “Yes, I have a red dragon. His name is Fal’sho. No, he’s not evil,” Kouri smiled slightly under his mask as Dark shrank back slightly at the mention of Fal’sho’s color, which was one of the most evil kind of dragon. “He is too immature to be evil. Besides, I hatched him. His mother was killed by dragon slayers. I suppose that is a good thing, since his mother was evil herself. But, I took the egg she had left behind and hatched him. I looked after Fal, and he took after the good traits in me.” A flicker of annoyance passed over his face. “He does get rebellious sometimes, though.”
“How interesting.” Dark was truly intrigued. A dragon from an evil race being raised to be good was a practice never heard of before. “Perhaps Silvaria could meet him? Has he ever met other dragons before?”
Kouri shrugged. “He is grown and goes off sometimes; I don’t know where he’s been. I personally haven’t shown him any other dragons, though.” He leaned forward again. “Now what did Silvaria tell you?”
Dark snapped back to her serious state. “She had seen the Plain Elves and the velphs speaking to each other, and with the help of a friend, she overheard some of the conversation. They caught the concept of an alliance in war against someone. From what you just told me, I am guessing that the enemy is to be my birth race.”
Kouri’s brow furrowed. “The Plain Elves are speaking with the velphs?”
Dark scowled. “Yes.”
He leaned back, unconsciously playing with the dagger on his belt that Dark had failed to notice. “That is very hard to believe. Why would elves want to talk to those vile creatures?”
“You’ve met them before?”
Kouri nodded. “They truly are an awful race. I never liked them, especially since they speak to those drevoul spirits.” He shuddered. “Those things should have been banished to the underworld long ago.”
“Yes, they should have,” Dark agreed. “I have been in a conversation with them before. That was extremely unfortunate, and only happened because I was venturing in the Forest of the Velphs to speak to the leader of the velphs, and the drevouls appeared from no where. They spoke to me, and those voices will haunt me forever.”
“I am sorry that you had to go through that. I am haunted from just seeing one. I don’t think it would be very gentlemanly of me to relate what they were doing. I would not want to mar your thoughts with it.”
Dark smiled slightly then looked at her glass of unfinished wine. “Well, I suppose I ought to go.”
Kouri stood as she rose. “Allow me,” he said as he pulled a gold coin from one of his pockets. He placed it on the table next to Dark’s drink.
Dark smiled. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Kouri made a slight bow. “You are quite welcome, milady. I enjoyed meeting you.”
Dark made a small curtsy, which she did not even do to the richest queen, but felt that she should to this man. “And I enjoyed meeting you, sir. I hope our paths cross again.”
She turned and walked to the door, saying good-bye to Kimmy on the way out. Kouri looked after her as the door swung shut and sat back down with a distant look.
A man who had been watching the conversation between the elf and the ninja from a table nearby got up and moved over to where Kouri was sitting. The man had an amused smile playing across his lips. He sat down beside the thoughtful Kouri and looked at him for a second before gazing at the door, mocking the man next to him by his imitation.
“Well,” the man said teasingly, brushing his wavy black hair out of his face. “You look like you had fun.”
Kouri continued to observe the door.
The man glanced at Kouri in a suggestive manner, a broad grin lending light to his shadowed face. “Pretty one, isn’t she?”
“Be quiet.”