Saving in Talgerin

Chapter One: The Brownie

Mellian got out of bed and sighed, remembering she had a long day ahead. Mel was an elf that had traveled since she was about thirty. She looked like she was twenty-one; in reality, she was two hundred sixty-four. Mel did have magic, but only to remove curses or spells, call or listen to trusted creatures from a far-off destination, or heal. She had come a few years back and knew the town of Talgerin needed help. She had built a cabin near the forest for a place to rest. There was a curse in the city saying "only could be broken by a traveler" when the source was found. Meaning she could not leave the town and break the curse all in one day, unlike she had done before.

She stepped outside after quickly grabbing her bow. She took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. Looking at the dark valley ahead, she smiled, recalling where she was going. It was still dark when she reached the woods. She was visiting a friend before she went on with her task. Mellian walked for about a mile before arriving at a small pond fed by a stream. She rested before calling for her horse, Lianya.

She had found Lianya near the pond and freed her from a spell that kept her there. Lianya was a White Horse of the Syanal Mountains. The White Horses of Syanal Mountain were rare and were said to have untold powers. She told Mel about how she had gotten to the pond and why she had gone there. It had been due to a dwarf, the one who had captured her, that called himself Darainson.

Darainson was an evil dwarf who, with only bad intentions, wanted power. He was almost seventy-five, plus he bragged about it a lot. He secretly had magic but misused it by hurting others. That is how he captured Lianya. Now that Lianya told Mellian, she now knew about it.

When Mel heard her horse coming, she checked the surroundings. Though she knew no one could be hiding there, she always did it. To her surprise, a brownie was hiding.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" questioned Mel as she stared at the creature.

"I am a brownie called Joey. I have come to help you as long as you don't tell anyone about me," it answered.

"So long as I don't tell anyone about you, can you help me?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, but I don't need help."

"I know you need help, but since you don't want it, I guess I'll leave," said Joey as he turned.

Mel thought quickly about the offer. She reluctantly agreed with the proposal. With that said, Mel waited for Lianya to come. As she waited, she talked with her new acquaintance and found that he was a friend of The White Horse. Mellian asked why he called Lianya 'The White Horse,' and he explained Lianya was one of her kind. When Lianya came, Mel was so caught up in the conversation that she jumped when Lianya bumped her with her muzzle.

Mel turned and asked how she was, but to her surprise, she was covered in mud, like usual, and was wet.

"Which route did you take?" asked Mel accusingly. Lianya nickered several times and made gestures with her head which meant, "I'm sorry I took so long, but Darainson has been roaming the forest route for a week now, so I have to take the path which leads through the Bearain River."

"I'm sorry I was so harsh with you. I'm just super anxious about the curse and..." Mel sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

"If you haven't forgotten I am here and what I can do may I help?" questioned Joey.

"Yes, of course. Sorry."

As Mel got back to the cottage she talked with Joey and Liana about her problem. Joey was accommodating by giving her the information about when it appeared. The details were helpful, but no one knew who created the curse. Mel did have a suspicion about who could have done it, but she kept that to herself.

When she and the others arrived, she led Lianya to the back of her house to a small stable. After Mel fed her horse, she walked back to the front. On her way, something caught her eye. It looked familiar, but she couldn't remember when or where she had seen it. It was small and it appeared to be made of jade. It was a cube with a strange symbol on one side and the rest of the sides were covered in Old dwarfish writing.

When she got back, she showed it to Joey. Joey gasped when he saw it, so Mel asked what it was.

"It's Urnami. It's what gives dwarfs, elves, humans, and other creatures with powers their magic." He told her. "Where did you find it?"

"I found it back by the stable."

"Is Lianya in the stable?" he asked urgently.

"Yes. Why?"

Joey was already running to the back, towards the stable, unable to answer. They got to the other side of the house, but it was too late. She was gone.