The Gift Of Revenge

Chapter 4

Volodar awoke the next morning feeling more agitated than he had felt the night before. He’d comforted the family of dwarves who had been attacked the previous night, but that wasn’t what was repeating on his mind like a tape loop. It was Lord Ailus’ voice. How could so much be going wrong all at once for King Ailus? Volodar thought. 

He threw back the gold velvet duvet cover that had swallowed him in his sleep; he wasn’t use to such a large bed. Letting his legs dangle off the side, he wondered why Lord Ailus’ battle map had been covered, and why he would wear such an expensive, white silk gown to kill the goblins at Cleawood tunnel. Although, he felt bad for Ailus; he was dealing with a lot. Volodar’s idiot brother Orrian attacked from the East, the goblins were attacking more frequently from the caves, and at the same time a new plague had broken lose soon to throw his lands into anarchy. Volodar knew he would have to lend men to Calenrock. 

Looking around the room, he wondered how elves could sleep at night. There was a massive window to the left of his bed looking out onto the beautiful city of Kheissa, and the lights from outside were bound to annoy the elves when they tried to sleep. Let alone the fire wisps that seemed to be everywhere, flying here and there. The heat they created was incredible, and he found himself thinking of the forges back in Laeroth. Even though he was used to working in searing temperatures, he lived inside a snowy mountain mine where sleeping was done under cold conditions. At all times. 

Pulling on a brown, silk top Volodar walked onto the balcony and was greeted by Klaern who smiled heartily and handed him some woodland nuts. “These taste real good, aye. We never ‘av these back at home.” Klaern laughed and looked back over at the view of the wall being built in the distance. It had shot up since yesterday, and from so high up Volodar could now see a tall gate built into the frame. The forest between the city and the wall stretched for miles, and in the center there was a large clearing with a temple in the middle where fire wisps were clustering. He could also see a field closer to the wall that was blocked by large metal fencing and forest that surrounded it. Inside, strange orange crops were growing. 

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what those nuts were my boy,” Volodar said as he sat down on the balcony table.
“Why. What are they?” 
“Tree Spriggan’s testicles.” 

Klaern lurched forward from his chair and spat the nuts over the marble floor. “And you let me eat them? Father. That’s just. Wrong,” Klaern spluttered. 
“It’s quite a delicacy for elves actually,” Volodar said. “Most of the nuts the elves forage are picked from the trees. But not these ones boy. Tree Spriggan’s are nasty business, hunters most probably gathered these. Kill ‘em for their firewood they do, but collect their nuts for food. They’re pretty tough to kill, blending in with the trees and all that funny business like camouflage.”

Klaern was still choking on the half eaten testicle that was caught in his throat. When it had finally cleared, Klaern shot his Father an intolerable look but couldn’t resist laughing one more time.

Looking out at the sight, Klaern sighed “Mother would have treasured this view.” 
“Aye. She would have,” Volodar agreed. “She would have loved to see this kingdom; my Naesala was just as beautiful too. Do you remember when she took us both up to my room and locked us in until we stopped arguing?” 
“Or when after a long day, she’d cook us Steelthorn Bull’s thigh.” Klaern was suddenly fantasising about the intoxicating scent the food had provided on the cold, winter mornings in Laeroth. 
“That was to die for. Even to this day I don’t know how she managed to get that meat. She must’ve had someone to go into the desert and pierce through the bulls steel hide, wait for it to die and then take the meat just for us,” Volodar smiled, a twinkle in his eye as he remembered the smile on Naesala’s face when she’d cook it for them.