Athena Elessedil

Chapter Ten: Elfstones

                  

Athena took Allanon's outstretched hand and jumped down from the horse.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked, looking up at the house that the boy was supposedly in. Athena nodded her head and stepped closer.

"Yeah he was here." She said "With the rover girl and the Elfstones. Can't you see their trail?" she asked pointing to the trail of blue mist and the trail of green mist that had led them this way. Allanon furrowed his bows and shook his head slightly.

"Only you can see it." the voice of the Ellcrys said in her head. Allanon placed his hand on her arm gently and shook the dazed princess out of her trance.

"Are you alight?" he asked, concern visible on his face. Athena smiled in confirmation and kissed the druid lightly on the lips.

"Come." She said climbing the ladder that lead to the door. "I wanna be home before nightfall." Allanon smiled slightly and began to climb the ladder behind her. When they reached the top, Allanon grabbed her arm and placed her behind him with a finger on his lips. They cautiously stepped through the door only to be greeted with the sight of Wil naked in the bath.

"Oh Jesus." Athena muttered, looking around for the Elfstones but they were not to be seen. "The Elfstones are not here." She said quietly but Allanon was focusing on the boy. The druid reached down and shook is arm lightly, causing him to sit up and gasp loudly.

"Get dressed, Wil." He instructed, his voice emotionless.

"How do you know my name? Where's Eretria?" The boy said, panicking. Athena rolled her eyes and stepped into the light.

"Your Rover girl is long gone." She said. Wil looked at her in shock, sinking a bit lower in the water.

"Rover? I don't understand. This is her house." He gasped after a few moments of gawking at Athena.

"No, it's not. It's theirs. " she said rolling her eyes and pointing to a picture of an elderly couple which was resting on a nearby table.

"Oh... I'm an idiot." Wil groaned

"You'll get no argument from me." Allanon muttered and Athena walked over and hit him on the arm lightly. He looked at her innocently before turning back to the boy. "You were supposed to be in Shady Vale." He scolded and the boy sat up straighter, glaring at the druid.

"Did my uncle send you to bring me home?" he spat.

"Flick had no intention of telling me your whereabouts." Allanon said " But his thoughts were never hard to read." He added as a side note and Athena looked at him weirdly.

"What... Who exactly are you two?"

"I'm Athena." She said smiling slightly and shaking the bewildered boy's hand.

"I am Allanon. We must reach Druids' Keep." He said turning away and walking out of the house.

"Wait, you're a Druid?" Wil shouted but was ignored by the retreating man. "Right before my mom passed away, she told me I needed to find him." He said to Athena.

"Perhaps you should have listened to her. You would have saved us both a lot of time." Athena chided, eager to return to the palace.

"She gave me these Elfstones... That..." Will started, picking up a, now empty, brown bag.

"The Rover stole those too." Athena interrupted with a bored tone and Wil looked at her and groaned.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. "Wait how did you know?"

"Every magic item or person gives off a mist which I can see and follow." She explained calmly. "Yours is green and the Elfstones are blue. Your stones are long gone boy."

"Wait Magic?" he asked and Athena groaned in annoyance.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." She muttered. "You have put our quest in jeopardy." She finished walking out of the door to where Allanon stood.

"What quest? What quest?!" Wil shouted from inside the treehouse.

"I can't believe this is the Shannara I've been dealt." Allanon muttered as Wil stumbled out of the house, rubbing his head due to the headache he had gathered from the sleeping potion. Athena chuckled lightly and kissed the druid on the cheek.

"Have faith." She said. "He is young. You can teach him." Allanon looked at her dubiously before turning to the boy once again.

"The Four Lands is in grave danger. Only the last son of Shannara can save it." Allanon said and both Athena and Wil looked at him.

"That's your sentence opener?" she asked "Really?"

"My name's Wil Ohmsford. You've got the wrong guy." Wil said as Allanon glared at Athena.

"You're a Shannara. Your ancestors were kings and warriors... heroes who lived and died defending the Four Lands. Men like your father." Allanon tried again, only to have the boy laugh in his face.

"My father was a deadbeat drunk who died alone and destitute." He spat

"You've been lied to." Allanon simply said. "Do you believe in magic, boy?"

"Of course not."

"Well, magic flowed through your father. And it flows through you too. It's in the Shannara blood." Allanon said, desperately trying to get the boy to listen to him but once again the boy just glared at him.

"If I had magic inside me, why didn't it help me save my mom?" he scoffed.

"It could have... if you'd known how to unlock it." Athena said and the boy looked at her in disbelief. Both Allanon and Athena then turned back to their horse and prepared to leave.

"I can show you how." Allanon said, jumping up onto the horse. "Come. Your destiny awaits." He finished, offering Athena his hand and pulling her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled slightly into his shoulder,

"Good job" she joked and Allanon sighed as they started to walk through the forest, Wil hot on their trail.

"I hate kids." he muttered, causing Athena to laugh and stroke his arm comfortingly, laughing even louder when he turned around and glared at her.

"Wait till Amberle comes back." she joked. "You can look after both of them at once."

Allanon groaned loudly causing Wil to look over in concern and Athena to laugh again.

"Let's throw this rover girl into the mix whilst we're at it. Allanon's babysitting club." She said, causing Allanon to laugh this time.

"That will never happen."