Wave Runners Lasniniar Collection

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Dark Currents

Iarion walked out from under the trees of Melaquenya toward Barlo’s burrow. It was still early afternoon, but Daroandir had come by for a visit, and after a few hours, Iarion sensed he and Lodariel wanted to spend some time alone. Other elves might have been jealous, but Iarion understood how deep the bond was between his mate and her twin. Lodariel had given him a smile of thanks as he had made his excuses and left their hut. With nothing more important to do, Barlo’s home seemed like the best place for Iarion to go.

He breathed deeply as he walked, enjoying the late autumn day. It had rained the night before, but today the sun was shining and the birds sang in the trees behind him. Iarion sighed in contentment. He had enjoyed the past several weeks since Barlo and Paige had come to Melaquenya. It comforted him to have his best friend living close by.

Funny, I don’t miss my visits to that sprawling dwarven city under the mountainside.

Although he was widely traveled, Iarion preferred to remain above ground as much as possible. He had endured visits to Dwarvenhome for the sake of his friendship with Barlo.

And who wouldn’t want to be above ground on a day like today? Maybe I can convince Barlo to sit with me outside instead of in that hole of his.

Not that Barlo would require much convincing, since he wasn’t much like other dwarves. Iarion smiled at the thought, tilting his head back and closing his eyes to enjoy the feel of the sun on his face.

He doubled over as if struck, a moan escaping his lips. He opened his eyes for a moment, but a veil of shadow seemed to materialize between him and the sun. A dark tide of despair gripped him, forcing his knees to buckle. He collapsed, the scent of crushed grass replaced by the metallic tang of blood. He did his best to cling to the world around him, but he could feel consciousness slipping from his grasp. In the end, he let go, allowing the darkness to swallow him.

When Iarion opened his eyes, he thought perhaps he had gone blind. He could see nothing in the pitch black that surrounded him. In the distance, he heard someone calling his name. It echoed toward him in the emptiness. He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled toward the sound.

The stench of death surrounded him, filling his nostrils. He sensed he was somewhere deep underground. With each step forward, he was surprised he hadn’t stumbled across a rotting corpse. Finally, a dim light appeared up ahead in the same direction the voice was calling from. Iarion ran forward.

Feoras appeared before him. His wrists and ankles were bound.

“Iarion! Please, help me...” He held out his bound hands in entreaty.

Iarion reached for his knife to set him free, only to find himself suddenly plunged deep into the ocean. He struggled to hold his breath as he was dragged farther from the surface. He tried to claw his way back up, but it was as if there were weights tied around his boots, dragging him inexorably toward the bottom.

His momentum took him beyond the distance where the sun still reached. Darkness encroached from all sides, but an even deeper blackness lurked somewhere below, filling him with dread. He couldn’t see it, but he knew something waited for him in the depths. He sensed its menacing presence. Soon, he would be drawn within its reach...

Drifting clouds of blood soiled the water around him. Bloated bodies floated toward him, their eyes wide and lifeless. He realized their throats had been cut.

His arms thrashed desperately now, but it made little difference. He watched in horror as a long gash formed on each of his wrists. As his blood billowed out, the saltwater seared his wounded flesh. He felt the darkness below him draw closer. Iarion’s rising panic overwhelmed him. He uttered a scream, but all that came out was a stream of bubbles...

Iarion sat up with a gasp. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t underwater. His brow was damp with sweat, and every muscle in his body felt limp with exhaustion.

“Don’t worry,” a familiar voice said, “you’re safe. Just try to relax.”

“Barlo?” Iarion asked in a ragged voice. As he took in his surroundings, he realized he was on the bed in his friend’s guest room. Barlo sat on a stool beside him.

“I found you outside,” Barlo said. “I had a feeling something was wrong and went looking for you. You were passed out on the ground, so I got Paige to help me carry you here.”

Iarion frowned. “But how did you know? Dwarves aren’t exactly known for their keen intuition.”

“I just did.” Barlo shrugged. “Maybe living close to the Quenya is rubbing off on me somehow. Now tell me what you saw.”

“What do you mean?” Iarion asked, trying to look innocent. “I just got a little lightheaded is all.”

Barlo rolled his eyes. “I know it was a vision from the Forbidden Pool, Iarion. You’re not some wilting damsel, who gets vapors at the drop of a hat.”

“And here I was about to offer my gratitude for coming to my rescue in such a gallant fashion,” Iarion teased.

“Never mind,” Barlo growled. “Now tell me what you saw, and don’t leave anything out.”

He gave Iarion a stern look. Iarion understood his insistence. He had been plagued by sporadic visions ever since he had drunk from the Forbidden Pool during his previous life. Although the visions did not lie exactly, they did cast the truth in the worst possible light. Iarion had tried keeping some of the things that had been revealed to him a secret in the past to spare others unnecessary pain, only to regret it later. Barlo knew him too well to let him get away with it this time.

Iarion told him everything, leaving nothing out. Barlo remained silent for several moments after he was finished.

“So all we really know for certain is that Feoras is likely in danger,” he said, rubbing his whiskers. “Your vision also seems to confirm the disturbance the Sea Elves have been feeling.”

“I must be meant to go find him,” Iarion said, his mind turning over the problem. “He’s been gone for weeks now, so the trail will be cold. I wonder if Iadrawyn ever sent a messenger after him.”

“Are you sure you should be the one to go after him?” Barlo asked. “I don’t like the fact that you were dying by the end of your vision.”

Iarion gave him a level look. “I seem to remember a certain dwarf insisting on coming on a dangerous journey after learning I had a vision that involved me killing him.”

“Yes, well, that was different,” Barlo said. “You can’t beat a dwarf for stubbornness. I wasn’t about to be left behind because of some half-baked vision. Besides, it all turned out for the best.”

Iarion noticed Barlo avoided admitting that his vision had come to pass. Iarion had been forced to kill Barlo to prevent him from being turned into a blood-drinking drakhal—which, of course, was not at all how the Forbidden Pool had portrayed it. Iarion couldn’t help but wonder whether he would end up being sacrificed to whatever darkness that lurked beneath the surface. If anyone was going to come to his rescue, the Forbidden Pool would never show it.

In his heart, Iarion knew he had already decided to go. He couldn’t bear to stay behind when he knew someone might need his help. Feoras had been calling his name, after all. He looked inside himself, only to find his desire matched the will of the Quenya. He was meant to go on this journey, even if it meant his death. All he could do was hope it wouldn’t come to that.

“Fine,” Barlo said with a sigh as if Iarion had spoken his thoughts aloud. “I can see you’re set on going. We’d best visit Iadrawyn to see whether she knows anything that might be useful.”

Iarion smiled. “I knew you would understand.”

Barlo snorted. “I’d have to be a fool to not anticipate your suicidal tendencies by now.”

He opened the door to find Paige sweeping the hallway outside. She gave him a distracted look, as if her mind was on something else.

“We’re going out for a bit,” Barlo told her. “I expect we’ll be back in time for dinner.”

Paige nodded and moved aside to allow him to pass without any of her usual backtalk. Iarion rose from the bed with a groan to follow.

This time, Iarion and Barlo were granted a private audience without question. Clearly, Iadrawyn and Valanandir had made some headway with their guards. They waited in the glade of the Quenya. Silvaranwyn stood at their side.

“You are uneasy,” Iadrawyn said right after greeting them, sensing Iarion’s mental state. “What has happened?”

Iarion steeled himself. “I have had a vision from the Forbidden Pool.”

Iadrawyn’s bottomless green eyes held his gaze. “Tell us.”

Iarion told them everything. No one spoke until after he was finished.

“I do not like this,” Silvaranwyn said in a soft voice.

Iadrawyn frowned. “Have you sensed something from the Quenya?”

Silvaranwyn’s elaborate golden braids swayed as she shook her head. “Only that there is some hidden danger we cannot see. It waits in the shadows, poised to strike. I only felt it just now as Iarion was speaking.”

“I don’t like it either,” Valanandir said. “We have had no word from Feoras since he left. We had sent a few Sky Elves to track his progress after some of our former Sea Elves started to complain of an increasing sense of dread, but they were unable to spot him from the air. What if this is a trap? What happens if you go after him and you go missing too?”

Iarion sighed. “I can’t ignore my vision. If Feoras is in danger, someone needs to go after him.”

“Well, you won’t be going alone,” Barlo said. “If you go, I’m going too. Someone needs to keep you out of trouble.”

“Thanks,” Iarion said with a wry smile.

“And you certainly won’t be going anywhere without me!” Lodariel announced in a breathless voice as she ran into the glade with Daroandir in tow.

Barlo frowned. “How did you...”

Paige arrived only a moment later, her cheeks red with exertion. She wore a sheepish expression.

Barlo’s eyes narrowed. “You little sneak! Were you listening in the whole time?”

“Never mind that,” Lodariel snapped, tossing a red-gold braid over her shoulder. “Iarion, you weren’t planning to slip off without me, were you?”

“What?” Iarion stammered. “Of course not. I just wanted to consult with Iadrawyn while the vision was still fresh in my mind. I was going to tell you all about it once I got back.”

“Oh,” Lodariel said, some of the wind going out of her sails. “Good.”

Paige folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not going to be left behind either.”

“Now, see here,” Barlo said, turning to face her. “This is a serious journey. I can’t go walking you into that kind of danger.”

“I’m not a child,” Paige said. “Before I met you, I lived my entire life in a state of danger. Besides, you know I’ll only follow you if you try to leave me. I would be much safer if you just let me come with you instead of trailing after you on my own.”

Iarion met Barlo’s gaze. “She’s right, you know,” he said in a low voice.

“I know,” Barlo said under his breath. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“All right,” he said in a louder voice. “You can come along.” He held up a hand to forestall her enthusiastic thanks. “But only if you listen to everything Iarion, Lodariel, and I say. We are in charge. I know you’ve lived a challenging life, but we all have centuries more experience than you.”

Paige nodded, her eyes bright. “I understand.”

Iarion doubted it, but Barlo seemed to take her acceptance at face value after a long, measuring look.

“What about you?” Lodariel asked, turning to face her twin, whose features were so like her own. “Will you come with us?”

Daroandir looked to Silvaranwyn, fiddling with the sword at his belt. “I would like to go because you are going, but I don’t have a sense whether I am meant to go one way or the other.”

A flicker of chagrin crossed Silvaranwyn’s features. “I know it is selfish of me, but I do not wish to go. I lived in exile for so long. I only want to stay here in Melaquenya.” She flushed. “I am also afraid I might lose my connection with the Quenya if I leave, like I did the last time.”

Iadrawyn placed a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulders. “I do not believe that would happen. The purpose behind your fading has been fulfilled. Has the Quenya indicated you should leave?”

Silvaranwyn shook her head.

“Then stay,” Valanandir said in a gentle voice, joining his wife and daughter.

A moment of wordless communication seemed to pass between Daroandir and Lodariel before Daroandir reached over to squeeze Silvaranwyn’s hand.

“You know I would never leave without you,” he said. “If you want to stay, then I’ll stay too.”

Silvaranwyn’s eyes filled with relief. She gave Lodariel a guilty look. “I hope you won’t think less of me. I will spend each day with the Quenya, trying to learn more of what you are facing.”

Lodariel snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. I know what you’ve been through. I would like to have Daroandir along, but I won’t begrudge you for keeping him here with you.”

Silvaranwyn smiled. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Well, since that’s all settled, we’d better pack up and get some rest,” Barlo said. “If any of these premonitions are to be believed, we’ve got some exciting times ahead of us.”