Darkness was all Ilicia saw; naturally, she was holding her breath, but then she remembered what Will had said. “I just need to breathe.” She thought and took a hesitant breath, finding she was able to breathe just fine in the inky blackness which surrounded her. She took deep breaths and focused on the fact she could breathe, and Will had assured her that everything would be okay.
After what seemed like an eternity, she felt the sand shift above her, and suddenly her head was free of the sand, and dim light hit her eyes, blinding her for a moment. When she finally adjusted, she saw that the rolling hills of the kingdom were long gone, and the deep forest and towering trees of the Fae Woods now surrounded her.
What also surrounded her were the faces of thirty orcs, all of whom held strange crossbows leveled at her. All around Ilica, the Drethi, horses, and carts emerged from the sand. With each appearance, the orcs around her seemed to relax. Finally, Will, Yilan, and Got’Ro emerged from the sand, and relief seemed to wash over the faces of the orcs surrounding the Elfstones.
Will stepped out of the Elfstones, and the facade of magic rolled back over him. Ilicia walked quickly after him, not wanting to be too far from him. When she finally stood next to Will once more, she breathed easier.
“I remembered to breathe. Will, what the hell was that? How did we transport here? Why does no one else use the Elfstones to travel?” Ilicia said questions pouring from her mouth as fast as her mind could formulate them.
“Hold on there, Ilicia,” Will said, sounding drained, “I will answer all of your questions, but I need some food first.” Ilicia looked at Will and saw the exhaustion in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” Ilicia asked.
Will nodded, leading her to follow after Yilan and Got’Ro. As they walked, Will returned the salutes of many Orcs, Drethi, and Elves that crossed their path. “Yes, I will be fine after I eat. Having the restrictions I have placed on myself ripped away and then reinstated is jarring, to say the least.”
This statement only raised more questions for Ilicia, and she turned to look at the Elfstones to see Sir Balefor being helped out by one of the Drethi. “Are you alright, Sir Balefor?” She asked as the pair followed behind them.
The Drethi spoke while a very pale Sir Balefore nodded. “We had to revive him. I think he tried to hold his breath the whole time we were under. The sands of Belok kept him alive, but he was out cold when we emerged.”
Ilicia nodded sympathetically to Sir Balefor and then turned to face the roar of a crowd. Got’Ro had led them all to a large building directly opposite the Elfstones. Up on the front porch of the building, Got’Ro had raised his hands and bellowed out a call. “Kem Na Lok Og!”
The response by the crowd was a roar of approval. It sent shivers down Ilicia’s spine. She knew the Gob’Ran was generally thought to be made up of fanatics, but this was the first time she had seen it in person.
Ilicia also looked across the crowd to see Will had not been lying when he said that most humans were prudish by comparison. Several orcish women stood in hide pants with little more than a strip of leather around their chests. There were also elvish men and women who had a few precariously placed leaves protecting them from the elements.
Yilan stepped back next to Ilicia as Will stepped up next to Got’Ro. Yilan quietly translated for Ilicia as Got’Ro continued speaking.
Got’Ro looked across the crowd. “It is good to hear the roar of the clans once more. Months spent in travel, and we return with guests. First Will is here.”
The crowd erupted, and Ilicia’s ears turned red at how loudly the women of all races cheered at Will’s wave to the crowd. Got’Ro continued, “We also have two guests from our allies in the Kolt Kingdom, the princess, Ilicia Ter Koltshelg, and Sir Balefor, Captain of the Royal guards. While they are here, Sir Balefor will study combat, and Princess Ilicia is Maleq’Na Garo.”
Ilicia looked at Yilan, who was giggling quietly. Ilicia also saw Will shake his head in embarrassment at his grandfather. “What did he say?” Ilicia asked.
Yilan smiled at Ilicia, “Here in the Gob’Ran, the safest you can be is to be part of our family, so he named you Maleq’Na Garo. Maleq’Na means soon to be, and Garo means taken or acquired, and it also has a, shall we say, dirty meaning. So essentially, he just declared you will soon be taken by Will, in every way it implies.”
Ilicia turned bright red and looked out over the crowd once more. It shocked her how many female faces shone toward her with sheer anger on them. Ilicia muttered to herself, “They don’t look like they want to be friends.”
“No, they don’t, but I also don’t think they intend to harm you. A few of them probably intend on trying to bed you along with Will, and the rest most likely intend on becoming a second wife or concubine.” Yilan said all this with a thoughtful look on her face as her eyes washed over the crowd. Her eyes finally settled on an orc woman who was wearing form-fitting leather which left very little to the imagination. The look on her face also left little to the imagination as she glared daggers at Ilicia, “Now she might actually try something. She was Will’s Ogdeshi, and she had it in her mind she was to be his wife, or at least the first of them.”
Ilicia nodded glumly. She realized that both Yilan and Got’Ro were trying to push them together, and she wanted it to happen, but she wished it was more organic in its happening. Ilicia shook her head as something Yilan had said registered with her, “Wait, what? First wife?”
Yilan, who had given up on translating Got’Ro’s speech, turned and looked at Ilicia, “Oh, yes, another thing humans are strange about. You may have as many husbands or wives as you wish in the Gob’Ron, though it tends to be strong men with multiple wives, though there are a few women with several husbands. When people started to realize just how powerful and capable Will really was, leaders of the Clans began to parade their daughters in front of him, hoping he would take an interest.”
Ilicia thought of this for a moment, processing the idea of potentially having more than one husband or of having to share her husband with another woman. Ilicia shook her head, “Well, here is to hoping that she does not succeed.”
Got’Ro finished speaking and turned to enter the large building they were all standing in front of. As they finished entering, two Drethi shut the doors behind them. “Now,” Got’Ro said, “let us go to bed, and in the morning, we can finalize plans for the coming days.”
One of the Drethi was still helping Sir Balefor, who looked to have regained most of his color, and Yolanda and Got’Ro disappeared up the stairs leaving Ilicia and Will alone in the entryway.
“Come on, let’s eat, then I’ll answer all the questions you have.” Will said and led Ilicia down a flight of stairs to a kitchen with a Drethi cleaning some pots and pans.
Will made them both food, and they ate it at a small table set in an alcove at the back of the kitchen. After Will had finished eating, he sighed. Sitting back and wiping his mouth, he finally spoke, “Okay, so what questions do you have?”
“So what happened with the Elfstones? Please explain in detail.” Ilicia said, bursting with other questions, but she could still see the exhaustion in Will’s eyes.
Will took a breath and then began speaking, “The Elfstones are, well, to be quite honest, the Elfstones are a focusing of power unlike any other. The stones and white rings inside them are a product of Gilsheribrum bone and blood magic. And inside the ring of stones, that black sand is what is known as the sands of Belok. Belok was a magical beast that volunteered to be a part of the Elfstones.”
Will glanced over at Ilicia and saw confusion. “Put simply, the Elfstones, All of the Elfstones ever assembled, are all part of a massive living organism that feeds off of magical sources, AKA me when we traveled here.”
Ilicia’s eyes widened, “So then when you spoke of limitations being stripped away and reapplied. You were actively using the magic you sealed?”
“Yes,” Will said, “while inside the Elfstones, magical power that is not part of the operation of the Elfstones is sealed, and magic that is a part of their operation is unsealed. If you have as much magic as I do, it becomes an ordeal unto itself to seal and unseal it.”
Ilicia nodded, watching as Will leaned forward to take a drink of water. Ilicia asked a few more questions about the Elfstones before moving on to what Got’Ro had said. “So, Will, your grandmother explained what maleq’na garo means.”
Wills’ face went bright red, making Ilicia smile, “I am sorry he said that, but it does provide you a level of protection. If people believe you are a potential wife, then if something happens which prevents me from doing my job as the Princess’s Man, many in the clans will step forward to protect you if you need it.”
Ilicia nodded, “I understand. I think that is all I want to know for the night.”
Will stood and led her to a set of conjoined rooms on the top floor of the building. After making sure that the rooms were clear of threats, Will bid Ilicia farewell and retired to his own room. Ilicia lay awake for a short while, wondering what other events awaited her on the marrow.
