Emerald, p.1
Emerald, page 1
EMERALD
Land of the Elementals
Book Two
AARON OSTER
For my grandparents. For always allowing me to invite myself over when I feel like it.
Acknowledgements
As usual, there are a list of people who helped make this book possible. I won’t list them all, as I’d probably run out of space on the single page I’ve allotted myself.
A special thanks to my editor for always getting things to me in a timely manner.
My amazing beta readers DJ, Darren and Josh, for reading over my manuscript.
To my awesome cover artist and the people at MiblArt for an outstanding job.
And lastly to my fans, who continue to allow me to do what I love.
Prologue
A warm breeze drifted through the night air, carrying with it the scents of the city and sending the tops of the Goldenleaf trees swaying in the wind. The sun had set hours ago, yet the capital was still alive, with elves packing into restaurants and bars after a long day’s work.
The sounds of laughter and merriment could be heard, drifting on the wind and carried all the way to where the Infiltrator stood, its back pressed to the still warm stone of Srila’s prison. The jovial mood of the city at large was lost to the hideously disfigured monster that had once been a man. Its attention was focused purely on the task at hand, leaving no time for such frivolous acts.
It had been waiting here for the better part of three hours now, waiting for its quarry to arrive. Not that it minded waiting. Aside from the ability to steal the bodies of others, patience was an Infiltrator’s greatest asset. And it had that in spades.
Right now, it had taken the shape of an old homeless elf, someone who you wouldn’t look at twice when passing him on the street, which was just perfect as fast as it was concerned. Though Infiltrators had great magical power, they mostly preferred to stick to the shadows. And now more than ever, it needed to remain discreet.
Its orders had been clear. Infiltrate the elven city and look for information regarding the Salamander named Silver. There was, of course, no proof that he was even still alive. The last confirmed sighting of the Salamander had been over six decades ago. However, its master insisted they keep on looking, sure that he was still alive and scheming.
It was well past midnight before the Infiltrator finally caught the scent of an approaching group. It perked up, its head turning to one side as it listened intently. It was currently stalking a group that had come to visit this prison several times over the last few weeks. It wasn’t entirely sure how they could help it locate its true prey, but like all Infiltrators, it had a built-in set of instincts that guided its actions.
Its instincts were telling it that this group and whatever they were doing was important for its master’s plans.
They never spoke until they were deep inside the prison, but the Infiltrator could make out the light crunch of gravel, the scuffing of boots, the swish of clothes, and the sounds of breathing. Soon enough, four figures crested the hill, illuminated by the pale blue light of the Winter moon.
Three of them were male, and one was female. And while two were dressed in fine robes of embroidered silks and wore jewels worth a veritable fortune, the others were dressed in far more practical gear.
The Infiltrator had discovered that the fancily dressed ones were, in fact, nobility. What nobles were doing visiting a prison with a commoner couple was a mystery. Though, it wouldn’t remain a mystery after tonight.
Up until now, it had been unable to enter the prison, due to there being wards and powerful enchantments placed on the building. The elves may have been many things, but stupid was not one of them. In addition to all the guards the prison employed, powerful warding magic had been woven into the stonework.
It had taken a lot of work to make the guards turn a blind eye when it was around and even more to disable a small section of warding to allow it to slip inside the prison. The group had a far easier time getting in, as it seemed several of the guards were in on whatever they were scheming.
The Infiltrator waited patiently as the group stopped before the gatehouse and, after a hushed discussion, were ushered inside. In the single moment that the door was open, the Infiltrator made its move.
It blurred forward, its body burning up a massive amount of stored energy, and covered the distance in between breaths. Had the wards still been in place, it would have bounced right off the opening as though a solid door still stood there. In addition, an alarm would have sounded, alerting the guards that something was amiss.
Now, it wormed silently through the foot-wide gap it had made in the defenses and scurried up the wall to hang from the ceiling above the group. Only then did it release its magic and felt the strain drop off.
Using magic like that burned not only through energy, but calories as well. Over a thousand per second that the ability was active for. It would need to hunt once it left the prison. It would be a bit of a risk if too many of the homeless elves went missing, as it had already eaten quite a few. But it had no choice.
The door closed behind the group of four, and one of the nobles raised a hand, palm up. A moment later, a pale green light shone, illuminating the dark stone corridor enough for them to see. Had they looked up, they would have seen a dirty, bedraggled looking elf hanging from the ceiling, with his head facing the wrong way.
But, why would they expect to see anyone here at all?
They remained silent as they began heading down the long corridor, with the Infiltrator skittering along above them. It didn’t know the layout of the prison, so it would have to keep close so as not to become lost.
The group took several turns, each time heading down another flight of stairs. They passed many cells, each containing an elf who’d committed some sort of crime in order to end up here. But the deeper they went, the more murderous intent the Infiltrator could feel.
It seemed that those with minor offenses were kept near the surface, while those who committed more serious crimes were locked up deeper down.
The group headed down a total of sixteen staircases before they reached the bottom-most one. There, a massive steel door stood in their way, guarded by no less than ten elves, all dressed in heavy armor.
Instead of stopping them, the leader of this group merely nodded to the small procession, then motioned the door to be opened.
At first, the Infiltrator was afraid that this room might be guarded as well. But as soon as the door opened, it was able to see that it was just a door and nothing else. Apparently, the elves were quite confident in their wards around the perimeter and trusted that their guards could handle anything that managed to break in.
Why anyone would want to break into a prison was anyone’s guess. The small group moved forward once the door was open, and the Infiltrator was again forced to dig into its reserves and use the skill. There was no way it would be getting into the room without being spotted otherwise.
By the time it made it through the door and back onto the ceiling, it could feel a pressure building in its head, as well as its core. It could also feel a ravenous hunger beginning to claw at its insides.
Maybe it could grab a little snack before it left?
It immediately dismissed that thought. While a few homeless bums might not be missed overmuch, a prisoner most definitely would. Besides, it seemed that they’d reached their destination.
The door closed behind the last man to enter – one of the nobles – leaving the sphere of light carried by him as the only light source.
“Get the torches lit,” the fatter of the two nobles said.
The commoner male elf went to do just that, moving around the small stone room and alighting four torches set into brackets on the walls. As light flared, the Infiltrator moved to the far corner, where it was the darkest.
It didn’t actually need light to see well. It had near-perfect vision in the dark. But despite that, it did still prefer the light, perhaps a leftover instinct from when it had still been human. As the torches were lit, the room came into view in greater detail.
It was bare, aside from a small table and four chairs set against one wall. But that wasn’t the only thing this room contained. A line of vertical metal bars lined one side of the room, behind which crouched a dirty and disheveled elf female.
She appeared to be no older than fifteen years, perhaps sixteen, which surprised it somewhat.
What was someone so young doing locked up in the deepest part of the prison and guarded by a veritable army? It seemed that its instinct to follow this group had been correct after all.
The two nobles immediately went to take seats by the table, while the female elf made a beeline for the bars.
“Has anyone come to visit since we were last here?” the female asked, crouching down by the bars, but not touching them.
Smart of her, as the bars were enchanted to send ten thousand volts through anyone who touched them without the proper ward key on them.
The girl shook her head, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the light.
“What they’re doing to you is barbaric!” she hissed, her eyes gleaming with anger and hatred. “Especially after what they did to your sister.”
The girl didn’t say a word, merely nodding again. She had a look of defeat about her that the Infiltrator knew well. It was the look of someone broken by their ordeal, someone who had given up on life and was prepared for the end.
The woman reached out a trembling hand, stopping mere inches from the bars.
“We will get you out o
“Yes, yes, we will release her soon, but let us get to the matter at hand, shall we?” one of the nobles said, cutting off what would otherwise have been a touching reunion.
The commoner elf’s hands curled into fists, and the Infiltrator could tell that it was taking a lot for him not to strike the pompous asshole. He managed to restrain himself, walking over to sit at the table along with – who it presumed – was his wife.
“How much longer will it take?” the woman asked, likewise ignoring the noble’s rudeness.
“Things are moving along well enough. We’ve had contact with our benefactor, and he too agrees that things have gotten out of hand. He assures us that we’ll have his full support.”
“That’s not an answer,” her husband said. “Our daughter has been locked in here for over a month. She’s not even fifteen yet. Does that seem right to you?”
The fatter noble spoke then, his double chin wobbling slightly as he examined his fingernails, as though speaking to this commoner was beneath him.
“It’s the best you’ll get from someone of his station. We realize that this has been a difficult time for your family, but do try and remember your place.”
The elf growled low in his throat, and only a warning glare from his wife stopped him from attacking the arrogant bastard. It seemed that, while this group was working together, they clearly weren’t doing so because of their close friendship.
There was a clear divide between the nobles and commoners, though why the nobles came here for these meetings was still a mystery. Wouldn’t they have their own manors, places where they could have private discussions without fear of being overheard?
“We understand that the person you’re in contact with is a busy man, but can’t you at least get some sort of timeline? If we’re going to be a part of this, shouldn’t we know what’s going to happen?” the woman asked in an even and reasonable tone.
“No,” the thinner noble said. “This information is on a need to know basis, and you don’t need to know.”
“So why the hell would you drag us down here in the first place?” the girl’s father demanded, pounding his fist on the table. “Sure, it’s nice to visit our daughter and all, but it hurts more and more every time we have to leave without her.”
The two nobles shared a look, the fatter one shrugging as the other quirked a brow. Finally, they turned back to the couple, both of which were now looking quite put out.
“Very well, we can tell you why it is important we have these meetings here rather than at our estates,” the thin noble said.
The couple leaned forward, anticipation clearly written on their faces. They would, however, be disappointed with the man’s answer.
“Spies.”
The couple waited for a few seconds, clearly expecting more. When nothing was forthcoming, the man let out a snort of disgust and rose from his chair. The female wasn’t far behind.
“You’re both disgusting, petty, and acting like spoiled brats,” the woman said as her husband opened the door. “If our daughter’s life wasn’t on the line, we’d report you ourselves. In fact, if we ratted you out, we might even get her a pardon. Just remember that.”
Both of the nobles seemed to pale as she slammed the door behind them.
“You don’t really think they’d betray us, do you?” the fat one asked as condensation formed on his brow.
“Not a chance,” the thin one said, though the Infiltrator could clearly smell his fear. “They don’t know enough about what we’re planning to take to the authorities. And besides, we can always deny it. With the position they’re in, no one would believe them.”
The fat elf nodded a few times, slumping back in his chair and relaxing. The two of them looked over to the female elf sitting behind bars. She was staring at them, a small, crazed smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“They don’t take insults well. But it was necessary. This way, they think that they left of their own accord, rather than having you kick them out.” This came from the girl.
Her voice was surprisingly melodious for one looking so ragged, and the Infiltrator could feel waves of menace pouring off her. It had thought her to be a broken shell of a girl when it had first seen her. How had she managed to hide it so well until now? Her aura was so dark and twisted that it rivaled the Infiltrator’s own, which was saying a lot.
The two nobles, it seemed, couldn’t feel her aura, as they both nodded in agreement with the girl.
“Do you know what time he’ll be arriving?”
One of the nobles pulled a very expensive-looking watch from his pocket and inspected it for a few moments.
“Any minute now,” he said, tucking it away.
The girl was on her feet in an instant, brushing her lanky brown hair back and tucking one side behind a pointed ear. She stretched, twisting her body from side to side and then attempted to smooth the front of the tattered excuse for a dress she was wearing.
The Infiltrator was intrigued. It hadn’t heard of any others being part of this group. And in all the time it had studied them, it had never caught a whiff of anyone else being a part of it. Interesting.
Time ticked by in silence. The nobles sat, staring at the door, while the elf girl continued her attempts at grooming. It clearly wasn’t doing much, as she had nothing with which to wash herself.
A sudden knock at the door startled everyone. Well, everyone but the Infiltrator, who had smelled the new figure approaching.
The next moment, the door swung open, revealing another young elf. He looked to be part of the nobility as well, though this one seemed to be a cut above the rest.
He stood with his back straight, nose up in the air as his cold eyes scanned the room. The two nobles immediately rose and dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground. But he ignored them, his eyes locked on the elf standing behind the bars.
The noble’s haughty expression softened when he saw her, and he quickly crossed the room, ignoring the cowering nobles.
It was clear from the flush rising in the girl’s cheeks, the rapid increase of her heartbeat, and a dozen other tells, that she was attracted to this noble. And by the way the noble stared at her through the bars, it was obvious that he felt the same.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, not saying a word. The Infiltrator could sense the silent communication, though it could not intrude. Conversations of the mind were not ones it could hear. Seeing as the ability was so rare, its creator hadn’t bothered bestowing it with that particular ability.
The nobles remained where they were through the entire conversation, their bodies trembling. Finally, after about five minutes of the two of them staring at one another, the noble nodded, making the girl’s already flushed face turn a deep crimson. Then he turned away from her to face the cowering nobles.
“You can get up now. We have a lot to discuss and very little time.”
The Infiltrator watched the two nobles rise and felt a grin split its horribly disfigured face as the conversation began. The girl joined in, not that it was surprised. It seemed that she had as black a soul as one could have. How one so young came to possess such malice was unknown, but the Infiltrator knew one thing. It could work with someone like her, and it knew just how to get its way.
***
Shelderoth, the Crimson-Ash Elemental summoned by the gremlin Mages, reformed in the Lower Realm known as Grim. It was the highest of the lower realms, the closest to the mortal plane. Though the mortals believed him and his kind to be minor gods, it could not be further from the truth.
Elementals like him were the lowest of the low, the servants to the servants of the servants of Lesser Demons. When the mortals compared him to a Greater Demon, he never corrected them. It was surprisingly easy to summon someone of his rank. All it took was intent to summon him, and for the correct amount of power to be paid as a tribute. That was it.
He enjoyed his time in the mortal realms. There he may as well be a god, and he would bask in their attention, fear, and awe, however fleeting it was. And, when he would inevitably have to leave – normally after only an hour or so – his life would go back to one of monotony and servitude.
