CHAPTER 18 | TAINTED
Escape
Valentina took hold of my hand at untamed speeds, and she squeezed tightly as she drifted with me at her side. If this were a week ago the sudden jolt would have torn my ACL out of place. We took off in the opposite direction of the guard before they were ten minutes near our sparring point. Both of my fathers were still out of sight and my mother was following close behind us almost keeping a matched pace.
I had no idea where we were headed but we had already reached deep into the forest within five human breaths. Valentina kept me pulled up to her close, our feet even matched in rhythm. We had started approaching a mountain in the middle of the forest.
Without thought, we all went straight up top of it, and it was one of the most amazing views that I caught a glimpse of. It was an enormous Kingdom off in the far distance that was sparkling white you could see the guards' tower and how was mighty it stood. Outside the gate was a glorious city with towers and houses that stretched the land. Right behind the castle was a great sea that glistened in the sun.
I didn't get a chance to admire all of it because we ran by just as fast as we came. On the way down the mountain, it was a harder run because it was so steep, that I found myself jumping down some of its jaggy edges.
We didn't stop once we made it down the side we kept going further into the trees. The path behind us had no footprints left behind because the snow had started to fall leaving our prints filled. The wind had started to pick up tremendously and the snow began to fall harder.
With the thick trees, hills of snow surrounding us, and the snow sheets that were piling down from the frozen sky my vision started getting impaired. It was hard to make out anything from the snow I looked back to make sure my mom was still behind us, and she was but I could barely make out the outline of her.
We were blinded by the coolness of winter. So blinded, we didn't even see the trap that had us falling twenty feet down a cold damp hole in the middle of the forest. Snow piled down the hole covering us up in thick sloshy ice.
"Is everyone okay," I asked aloud breaking the sound of our huffs.
"I'm alright dear," my mother immediately answered in a soft voice matching my tone. "Valentina are you alright," she asked popping up from her pile and nudging her way through to the both of us.
"I'm quite alright, thank you, but I think we fell in an elvan's manor." She said looking around the dark din. The only light that peaked through was coming from the cracks of the snow above us and it wasn't much. There was a thin shimmering vile keeping it from tumbling on top of us.
"Oh, I've always wanted to meet an elf," my mother exclaimed beside us. It gained both of our looks with a snicker.
"I'm unsure what the folklore says about elves in your world Alex's mom, but they are quite a remarkable creature really. My father always called them small but mighty. But they rarely ever come up to the surface and if they do, we will never know they have the power to shield themselves." She got up to her feet while she was talking and started feeling up the walls and pressing her ear to the dirt.
"Sound magical," my mom replied looking like an amazed child.
"What are you looking for?" I asked approaching behind Valentina.
She looked up at me and without replying she pushed my head into the wall gently and said, "listen," and I followed the instruction. In my peripheral view, I saw my mom following her instructions pressing her head to the wall. "If you listen closely, you can hear the beat of their hearts, lots of them are sleeping it's in a slow rhythm. And I think a few of them might be up faster than the others."
She was right the thuds were quiet and slow, but they didn't beat like the way I remembered my mother's beating. But they weren't human it made perfect sense. Instead of that even rhythm that even the animals in the forest had it sounded like theirs were skipping a beat every other thud. "That is so cool," I smiled
Valentine bent down to half her size and started moving along the wall again running her hands over the dirt. "Now what are you doing?" I asked in wonder.
"There should be a hidden entrance along the wall somewhere. It'd be better if we were in there fully protected from the guards than out here." She said looking up from the wall. "Now help me out and start looking."
I smiled and started along the wall with her.
"Do you guys need my help?" My mom asked finally lifting her head from the dirt.
"I think we got it. You rest it's freezing in here and that was such a hard fall." I told her looking up.
"It was the same that you made but I'll let you two do it." She said with a hint of a smirk in her voice.
Moving along the dirt with my fingers I felt something almost like a push button with a spring, but it was dirt. I'm not sure how they made it feel bouncy like an actual button, but I pushed it and said, "I think I found something," when the button retracted back there was a tremble on the dirt floor that rocked us all. What followed the sudden shake was the side wall started to pull back revealing an impressive long trail.
Valentina looked at me in excitement, "I just knew you'd find it, come on," she said leading the way in the darkness of the new hall. I looked over to my mom nodding for her to come with me.
"Is it okay for me to be meeting them? Your dad said I shouldn't meet anyone right now." I asked as we followed through. Once we all were in the door closed right behind us.
"The Elves are a neutral party when it comes to all of this. That's why they chose to live back underground when the endless winter started. I'm honestly surprised they had one of their entrances so uncovered we were able to fall right in." The halls suddenly grew lit from the ceilings the light was low, but it was enough for us to see where we were going. The source of light came from some insects inside the cave. You could also hear a hiss from them, and it was like cicadas chirping in the night.
My mom added, "Maybe it's a trap?"
Valentina looked back to her and to me with an eyebrow raised, "Not every creature here is untrustworthy. The only ones we truly need to worry about are our own."
"Oh," was all my mother mustered up as we continued down the hall. At the end of the hall was a dead end with two openings parallel to each other. Both were brightly lit with the millions of glowworms attached to their ceilings. The floor to the right of us lower down as if we were on a slope and to the left of us it had that same slope lowering down to the unknown.
Listening closely, I tried to make out any sounds that were happening down under with us. However, I couldn't make any out or hear any voices for the matter. So, I had no clue how far away these elves were in either direction. So, I randomly choose the left opening and made our way down.
The further we crept into its depth the dirt started to descend into oak stairs that were brightly lit with fire torches on both sides' walls. The wooden stairs had the brightest of shines it was essentially reflective. I motioned with my hand for them both to continue down with me.
As we reached the end of the steps, we were able to see 3 sized doors within one frame. The largest door was nearly fifteen feet high while the medium one reached about seven feet and the smallest could only be about three feet high.
Without hesitation, we made our way to the medium-sized door gold knob and twisted over. There were no locks that prevented us from entering inside. When I pushed through hundreds of tiny eyes fell upon me.
I looked to Valentina, and my mom then back to them. They were very interesting to look at most didn't even meet my knee cap. Their eyes were abnormally big inside of their skulls, and they had these distinctive fleshy ears that point high to the sky, and they all came in different hues of blues and pinks. Some of them had manes full of hair that dripped to the floor in lush blondes and brunettes and some of the males had matching beards. Their frames were humanoid they stood on two short legs with arms to match on their shoulders like us. The women's clothes that they wore were of fine silks somewhat like what Val wore. And the men were in suits and some in armor.
Two men came down from some stairs in the far back of the room the other elves cleared a path for them as they made their way to us. We were still standing at the entrance of the room silently waiting for their move. One of them was slightly taller than the other but not by much. The taller one was of a deep blue hue with ears twice as big as the others. He had three thick braids in silver that flowed behind him gracefully. And his beard was of the same color, and it hung as low as his abdomen. He wore a robe instead of a suit and on his rob was a symbol of a tree and below were tunnels inside of dirt. The tree had leaves of gold and flowers made of rubies and diamonds. He walked with his chin jutted to the ceiling and with a staff taller than him in his hand keeping him steady. The other man gliding next to him wore a similar attire but in white and silver instead of blacks and gold. His ears were quite large like the others but instead of a deep blue, his skin was stained a salmon pink. He had two braids flowing down his back in jet black and a beard that hung low to his waist.
As they passed each section of the crowd the other elves fell ceremoniously down to their knees with their foreheads to the ground and arms raised above their heads.
To the side of me, Valentina had bowed getting down to her knee and her head to the ground but instead of placing her hands over her head, she places them behind her back holding each of her wrists. My mother seamlessly copied, and I tried to do the same until Valentina hissed, "continue standing my King."
I followed instructions but I did bow my head in respect as they approached. No one raised from the position they all stayed in their bows. The blue elf in silks approached the three of us with the pink elf following right behind.
"GUEST," The blue man exclaimed with a deep booming voice that filled the room in its entirety. The expression on his face was of pure enjoyment. And then it even out into a resting position. He looked me up and down and continued, "Friend or foe?"
Clearing my throat I advised, "Friend"
"Then why would not bow in the presence of royalty?" The elf questioned in curiosity.
"I didn't know you were royal," I answered quickly.
He chuckled, "Then how are you a friend if you have no idea who I am... Or I rather say who we are. You come to our home amidst this war started by your kind, and then disrespect our presence by not bowing. Some friend you are to me. Now the question is what kind of friend we'll we be to you, sir..." he looked over to my mother and then to Valentina, "at least your women show respect," he said making his way to my mom and placing his finger under her chin to guide her eyes to meet his. He took in a deep breath and said, "I can still smell the humanity in her skin." He took another breath, "what is your name?"
"Hers or mine," I questioned.
"Yours, of course, no need to know the elguto's name just yet now do we?" he said matter of fact looking back at me.
"My name is Alexander," I said with a little uncertainty in my voice.
"And who are your parents," he asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Well, that's my mom right there," I insisted.
"LIES," He exclaimed moving over to me in an instant and then smelling the air around me. "You are not of her blood you both would smell the same. Now you have another chance to answer if you lie this time, you are no friend to me. Now, WHAT is your name?"