Elements

Prologue: Dispatching

He was there, again. It was a perfectly clear night; the sky, a black canvas with a hole cut out of it. The woods had a new scent that covered all others, the scent of earth magic constantly at work. All plants and animals in the wood were overly active, and blooming like it was mating season, but it was the wrong time of the year. He had tracked the traveler for months, having close encounters and battles. The wind blew to the east, the scent stronger coming from the west. The elf was coming. The shadow caster’s mission to capture and bring the elf back alive had started little over twelve years ago, and he had tracked him on and off since then. It had only been the past five years in which this had begun to be a full time occupation. Over the hill came a round object, which quickly transformed to a head in a hood. The rest of the body appeared like a bat flying in the wind currents. The traveler was on foot, running faster than a human ever could. He quickly passed the check point, and was soon surrounded in a large circle of flame. The cloaked figure twirled in a circle trying to find a way out. Walking through the flames, sword in hand, the shadow caster stepped through and headed for the prisoner. The pack the prisoner wore made him look like an eighty year old woman with arthritis in his shadow flowing from his body because of the flames. 

“There’s no where to run or hide this time old enemy. Just give me the pack, and no harm will come to you when you are shipped to the capital,” said the captor.

Bright white teeth showed beneath the darkness of the hooded figure as he jeered, “You always promise me that, and you always somehow manage to break it. I’m afraid to say you must tear this cargo from my back and drag me against my will if you want what I have.”

“I was almost praying you’d say that!” the almost vampire like grin having an evil appearance in the shadows made by the fire.

The two figures rushed at each other, one with a sword the other, a dagger. The blast came so suddenly, an impact of metal on metal a such speeds jarred each person back and made them grinned their teeth. The flames blossomed brighter and began to consume the trees surrounding it as both figures parried each others blows. The shadow caster grabbed the blade of the dagger, feeling it dig into his flesh. Both creatures facing each other, trying to gain control over the other, were stuck in the place of a war of strength.

“Now I have you!” cried the captor, feeling blood trick down his arm.

“ No, you don’t.  You’ve forgotten one very important thing,” the elf murmured completely calm.

“And what, may I ask, is that?”

“Dragon!”

Great sweeps of air extinguished the fire, and the elf let go of both blades, leaving the caster staggering. The elf jumped and was caught in the air by an emerald green dragon, and soon disappeared to the. . .

“Claqu!”

His name brought him back to reality. Claqu had recently returned to the capital with nothing to show for the battle he had just fought against the elf except for thirty hurt soldiers, and a dagger, covered with his own blood, of elvish craftsmanship.

He, like many of the shadow casters, had jet black hair, light gray skin, and a very high thin body frame. Although he looked to be about eighteen, he was really over five hundred years old. He wore all black clothing, with black leather boots, with a black metal sword on his hip in a matching sheath. Claqu had been forced to listen to a lecture from the emperor for the past half hour. He had never heard what the emperor had to say, however. These lectures had gotten so old over the past five years of being yelled at for failures, that he had time to go back and see what he did wrong instead of being told it. Now he was in more trouble because he was caught daydreaming in the emperors court, and as the emperors right hand man, that was not good for anything. Capturing the elf had become priority number one, and the more he failed to capture him, the more peasants joined the rebellion and never took the emperors court seriously without a new destructive demonstration.

“Claqu, you have been my right hand man for years, and you are my best soldier. However, if you keep failing, I will have to find a better replacement. Am I clear?”

“Yes, emperor,” the threat made his throat tighten considerably, a threat from the emperor was not to be taken lightly. This he learned from experience.

“ Ten men, five magicians and five soldiers, are waiting for you outside, track that elf down and capture him. If you can’t take him, at least get the stone! Remember, my patience has waned too thin. Don’t waste anymore.”

“Yes emperor.”

With that he turned on heel, and left the throne room. The ten men were waiting, and had a horse ready for him. They set out on their journey, starting in the nearby woods where they could find the freshest scent of the elf, that they knew of.

Author's notes: Should I continue writing this? I really was debating sharing this. Comment if I should continue.