The Revenge of the Elves Read Online Free PDF Page A

trade. What do you suppose he thinks to gain from us?”
    “Knowledge of our presence alone would be quite valuable to some,” Teetoo replied.
    “We don’t look important,” Giles commented while removing his filthy cloak. The cowl of his tunic kept his head hidden. “The road’s taken its toll on me for sure.” His fingernails were cracked and his big hands were at least two shades browner than usual.
    “We can be certain he will use whatever means he has to discover who we are and why we’re here,” Premoran said. “Not many folk are traveling these roads of late. As Alemar so aptly put it, only scoundrels or crusaders would be found in this place.”
    “Who could he sell such knowledge to in this miserable land?” Alemar asked. “There are so few living things anywhere about.” The countryside was devastated. It used to be a fertile area before the fall of Gwendolen. Now it looked as though it had never lived. And I leave a trail of dead behind me everywhere I go , she thought.
    “A foolish question, Princess,” Premoran replied. “Precisely the type of people who would be traveling this forsaken piece of earth. And who said they must be living?”
    Alemar, like everyone else, heard the rumors in the streets of Pardatha about the grim spirits and hideous creatures roaming the plains on the outskirts of Sedahar. Frightening tales never bothered her before, but after escaping from the dungeons of Sedahar, nothing would surprise her again.
    “It won’t do us any good to speculate. Perhaps we can gain some information from him later,” Teetoo said.
    “He’s a crafty old man and a dangerous one. To have survived here as long as he has, it is unlikely he will give up anything he does not wish to, except of course for a price,” Premoran replied. “I suspect he will be more interested in us than we are in him. We must use that to our advantage.”
    They gathered around the wooden table in the corner of the darkened room. Premoran’s imprisonment had weakened him considerably and his recovery was not as swift as he hoped. In addition to the mantle of physical fatigue they carried upon their shoulders, Clovis’ death weighed just as heavily upon their hearts.
    Teetoo lit a half melted candle that sat in the middle of the table. Its light sent shadows dancing as it flickered before catching and burning. The four of them bent their tired heads inward as if on cue.
    “Did you look at the sky as we arrived here?” Giles asked.
    “It would have been hard not to,” Alemar replied. “It looked as if it was on fire.”
    “It was,” Premoran stated in a hushed voice. His hands moved in slow motion. “My brother is extracting his revenge upon the land. So predictable, his behavior, though the suffering he causes is always unique and terrible. I am alive and free and another of his Possessed is dead. He cannot contain his fury.”
    “Clovis was brave, was he not?” Alemar asked, her voice cracking as she spoke his name, the hurt still so raw. She missed him more than she could have imagined. When everyone else in Eleutheria had abandoned her and sided with her brother, only he and Giles remained steadfast. She fingered the birthmark behind her ear.
    “Indeed,” Teetoo said.
    Giles grunted his agreement. “He made the ultimate sacrifice for us without hesitation and with full knowledge.”
    Alemar brushed a lone tear from her cheek, She couldn’t help herself. The fatigue wreaked havoc on herself control. Clovis, Kalon. Who next?
    “What he did for me I will not soon forget,” Premoran said. His eyes suddenly clouded over and he started breathing erratically, in fits and spurts, pressing both hands hard against the table. Alemar and Giles jumped from their chairs. Premoran’s body jerked backward in his seat and he nearly toppled over. Teetoo leapt to his aid, assuming the worst, but Premoran raised his arm and kept him at bay. “Fear not for me,” he assured them, recovering his equilibrium once