The Night Prince #3

Chapter 1 The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins

“Look! Finley and Rhalyf are there!” Aquilan pointed to the man and the elf who had just emerged from the trees. They had their heads close together and looked to be in deep conversation. “It seems they found one another already.”

“Well! They look quite cozy,” Elasha said with a trace of surprise in her voice. “I wonder what Rhalyf sees in such a…” She quickly bit off whatever she was going to say and amended it to, “such a young man.”

“Finley’s intelligence,” Declan responded tersely. “I’m betting Rhalyf’s met his match there.”

Elasha blinked, but to Aquilan’s relief, said, “Yes, you’re quite right. Rhalyf does admire intelligent people very much. It’s just that elves are not quick to befriend anyone. Not in mortal timeframes anyways.”

“Rhalyf has always made instant decisions as to whether he likes someone or not,” Aquilan pointed out. “He and I became friends almost as fast.”

Elasha wisely said nothing and kept her expression studiously blank.

People–especially his family–had remarked upon the quickness of their friendship, assuming that Rhalyf had ingratiated himself because Aquilan was the king.

The nobles had guessed all sorts of ill intent–not the least of which was social climbing–on Rhalyf’s part in seeking him out.

But they were wrong.

Aquilan had no doubt that being friends with the king had played some role in Rhalyf originally pursuing the friendship.

But Rhalyf had never treated him as a king, but as a person first. He’d had to impress Rhalyf to accept him.

Later, Rhalyf had admitted that he’d played it cool so that Aquilan would pursue him back.

“Only after getting to know you a little did I realize how out of my league you were!” Rhalyf had laughed as he had quaffed wine and threw a friendly arm over Aquilan’s shoulders.

“Being Sun King didn’t alert you to that?” Aquilan asked dryly.

“I couldn’t care a whit about you being Sun King!

It doesn’t mean that you have merit. I mean…

Yes, it has its privileges to be friends with a king.

But I assure you that I would not want to be friends with you simply because of that.

I would be friendly, if you understand my meaning.

But friends? No. At your back loyal as the day is short and the night is long?

No. You earned that, Aquilan, all on your own,” Rhalyf answered.

His cheeks were stained with the warmth of wine.

Quickly, as if he’d realized he’d spoken a little too openly. “Not that I am worth all that much–”

“But you are,” Aquilan had replied softly. “I do believe you are worth all that, Rhalyf.”

And Aquilan had never regretted their friendship. Rhalyf was closer to him than… well, than a brother. Rhalyf was what he’d always dreamed of a brother being. But perhaps that was unfair to Vesslan.

Vesslan was a lot older than Aquilan. Aquilan had been an unexpected child of their parents. Second children for the Aravae were rare, especially for elves as old as they had been. So when he’d come, it had been a celebration.

And since he was the younger of the two, he’d had less responsibility. Some would say he’d had no responsibility except what he’d chosen to take on. And some would say that he’d chosen to take on little.

Vesslan had already been an adult when he was but a babe.

So for him to be chosen by the Sun to be king…

What a blow that must have been to Vesslan on so many levels!

The brother who never should have been. The brother who was doted upon.

The brother who never was pressured to be anything, but a beloved child.

No wonder Vesslan resents me. Aquilan frowned. Who wouldn’t? I am too unforgiving of his flaws. For I have so many myself. He would not even have me be put out to check on his son’s safety like I am doing now. I must be a better brother.

He shook himself from these maudlin thoughts.

He should be grateful for the closeness he did have with Vesslan and with Rhalyf, too.

Maybe circumstances had soured whatever could have been between him and Vesslan on some level, or maybe simply their personalities had always split them apart, but he’d been inordinately lucky in others he’d found to plug those gaps. Blessed, really.

“Looks like Snaglak brought Helgrom,” Declan nodded towards the others converging on their friends. Helgrom had been hidden from view behind the big orc’s body as he trotted behind him and Glom on his pony, who was called Hammer and Tongs or just HT for short.

Aquilan’s heart leaped at Declan’s voice. The young man had barely spoken since he’d requested Neremyn–in perfect Katyr, he’d noted–to help him. His seat on the horse had been so good that Elasha had commented upon it as they’d ridden here.

“You spend a lot of time in the saddle, Declan?” she’d asked.

“No,” Declan had answered succinctly, deep in his thoughts.

“You ride like you’ve been born in the saddle,” Aquilan remarked.

“I’ve never ridden before,” Declan said.

Both elves had exchanged a glance. He could see that Elasha was as stunned as he was. Declan’s head turned slightly, catching their surprised glances.

Declan had mumbled, “It is Neremyn. She is doing all the work.”

Neremyn tossed her head happily as if to confirm the compliment.

In fact, as they kicked their steeds into a faster pace so that they would meet with Finley and Rhalyf at the same time that Helgrom and Snaglak did, Aquilan noticed that Declan wasn’t using the reins to guide Neremyn at all.

Perhaps he was using his legs, but Aquilan had this feeling that the mare simply was in sync with Declan so much that she knew where he wanted to go.

It was much the same with him and Erendriel and Rhalyf and Silveril.

How foolish of me to think of it just as an elf trait! I cannot wait to learn more about humans… more about my Shadow…

Snaglak happily greeted Declan as they all reached Rhalyf and Finley, “Trodlod so mad, Declan! You big-time him! He come on hands and knees to get me!”

Over Snaglak’s chortling, Declan said, “That’s good. He must have moved fast. I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly since you had to look for Finley first.”

Snaglak patted the side of the naki’s scaly neck. “Glom got scent. Glom take us here.”

At that moment, the naki’s very long tongue snaked out and aimed right for Finley. There was a crack of lightning as Rhalyf interceded between them. Glom let out an angry hiss and the frill around his neck stood up, showing the poisoned barbs, as he retracted his snaky tongue.

“Get your naki under control!” Rhalyf glared at Snaglak. “He nearly took a chunk out of Finley!”

Finley grasped Rhalyf’s forearm. “It’s okay. Glom wasn’t going to hurt me. I mean, he would like to eat me. But he won’t.” Looking over at Snaglak, he asked, “You promised him food if he found me, yes?”

“Ham.” Snaglak tipped his head to Helgrom who dug out a whole ham from his saddlebags and gestured for Finley to take it.

“You’d best freed him, lad,” Helgrom said. “He needs to know he’ll be rewarded for finding you even if it isn’t you in his stomach.”

Rhalyf was glaring at the naki with slitted eyes, not convinced whatsoever that the naki wouldn’t have eaten Finley whole.

Aquilan had never seen him so protective except perhaps of himself.

But Finley moved without fear in front of Glom and took the ham from Helgrom.

The naki strained on the reins for it, but Snaglak held him firmly.

Finley stood a foot away and held the ham out, but didn’t quite give it to him yet.

“Glom?” Finley said the naki’s name softly but firmly. Finally, the creature looked away from the ham to Finley’s face. “Thank you for finding me, Glom. Here. This is for you.”

He offered Glom the ham. The naki carefully took it from his hands.

“I saw that lick!” Rhalyf muttered and wagged his finger at the naki. Evidently, the creature had licked Finley’s palms as he had taken the ham. “That’s all you get or into the Void with you!”

Unrepentant, Glom chewed the ham only a handful of times before swallowing it mostly whole.

“Good, Glom!” Snaglak chortled.

Recovering from his ill mood with the naki, Rhalyf gave Aquilan a rakish smile and said, “Well, well, well, this looks like a party! I do hope I’ve been invited!”

“If you consider going to the ruins of the human city a party,” Elasha said a little repressively, “then I suppose you’re right.”

“Chicago?” Finley perked up. “Why are you going there?”

“We are going there,” Declan said authoritatively. “We need your navigation skills, Finley. I know coming with us might interfere with your game tonight–”

But before Declan could say more, Finley was waving that problem away, “If you’re asking then it must be important.”

“Very important. My brother… Darcassan went there last night and he… he didn’t return,” Elasha explained, her face paling again.

To Aquilan’s surprise, Rhalyf and Finley exchanged a quick glance as if this wasn’t news to them.

“Oh, have you spoken to any of the Separatists perhaps? They might have seen him as they are very active in the ruins,” Rhalyf suggested.

Elasha strangely pinked. “Uhm, I, ah, have reached out. But I don’t think we can wait to hear back from them. Besides, they’ve indicated that they think something might have come through from the Under Dark that is frightening the Leviathan. I can’t imagine what that could be, but–”

“No need to explain, girl!” Helgrom said as he reached down and patted HT’s neck. The sturdy pony paused in his chewing of grass to give a whiny of pleasure. “The ruins are no place to be even at the best of times.”

“How did you get roped into this, Helgrom?” Aquilan asked.