Finkler laughed. This was the last thing that he would expect. He did not know of any birdpeople personally but it was always known that birdpeople was a proud lot. What made them willing to be somebody else’s ferry?
The caretaker returned with the pot of tea. Finkler could see the steam coming out of the spout. He poured a cupful for Finkler and the old elf. He had such a steady hand. Not a drop of tea was spilled onto the table.
“Don’t laugh. It’s still money from honest work. And they save you a few hours. But you have wings. What do you care.” The old elf took his cup and blew some air on the tea surface before he took his sip. “But why are you here? You’re not in on the small talk, the content, you’d probably known anyway, with your black bugs and all.”
“I didn’t know about the birds.”
“Aaah, they are the outcast. The poor lot. Like the dark elves, these birdpeople had been cast out by their avian supremo, the great Ironbeak, Qreecchet. Supposedly, they were condemned for conspiring with the enemy. And you know who the enemy is.”
“The elves?”
“Of course, that’s the true enemy but not them. The orcs.”
Finkler was surprised.
“As you know, the elves and the birdpeople are in an alliance for a long time. But lately, for these few hundred years, the elves have been stingy. And I mean really stingy. Some of the clans were turning their attention elsewhere. If you want loyalty, better pay up. You do know that the birdpeople had moved out of the forest and into the mountains in the west, the so-called Extension of the Blue Mountain Range. I think it really should be the other way around. So they shifted there, made their nests among the rocks, which they liked, and the orcs were just on the other side of the mountains. Their new settlement is in the western forest just before the desert. I think the elves must have been jealous and caused a lot of commotion and in-fighting. Qreecchet chased them out, banished them for eternity.”
The old elf shook his head. “But eternity is such a long time. Mark my words. This incident will come back and bite, I mean, peck him in the ass.”
“Fascinating. Why didn’t they go to the orcs?”
“Some did. Some didn’t. And maybe, there was collateral damage. Old Qreecchet is using the occasion to drive out some old enemies. I don’t have the whole story. I’ll catch one of the birdmen and ask him in detail one of these days.”
The old elf took another sip. “But why are you here? You still haven’t told me.”
“To see you. I’m on the way to Nevabshetsai.”
“That stinky old little place. Why the hell you want to go there? There’s nothing there.”
“I’m looking for a reader of the Ancient.”
“You have Ancient writing. Let me see.”
Finkler handed him a piece paper. In the paper, there was a short line of slender writing, conjoined with predominantly long bold downward strokes, elegantly slanting forward with flowery curves.
“These are elves. I can’t read them. It’s really old. Maybe even before Galadil, the Skybreaker. It’s like the mythical Origin.”
“So far back, huh.”
“Well, going there is the right track. Hope you find someone. I heard some dark elves still lived there. Now, these are the true practitioner of the old way. Maybe they could read it, at least point you a good direction. When are you leaving?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Then, stay a few days here. You should see the place at night, when the torches and cressets are all lighted up. With all the white huts, the fire is reflected out to sea. You have wings. Fly out and see. It’s magnificent. It’s like the whole cliff is a giant torch.”
Finkler only smiled. “I can’t. I’m actually staying in Nant.”
“Nant of Nifall? The next city?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, it’s just so you,” the old elf laughed. “So, you stay there and flew over here. The amount of precautions you take is un-understandable.”
“Yes.”
“Then, you’ve seen the night show. You can’t fly in in the day. They’ll see you and when they see you, they’ll shoot you down. You know, when the birdpeople came and thought that they could muscle in on a few spots on the cliff. The guards showed up with their cannons and Sky Fall. Dwarf-made. Now, you know why no birdpeople ever go and stay with the dwarves in the Blue Mountains. They’ll get fucking burnt. You see, these cannons, you just need to shoot them at the sky and like fireworks, they explode and cover the sky with shrapnel and burning floating cinders. It’s not a pleasant thing when they land on you. The cinders will burn through the flesh and the bone. They’ll take their own sweet time to burn themselves out. Even if you put them in water, they’ll still burn. They can burn a whole area to ground. Pretty nasty outcome. So, you like the fire show?”
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“Yes, it’s every bit as magnificent as you say.”
“I’ve seen it many times but from the angle of a ship. Never get tired of it. Well, if you can stay, we can have some wine. I got a case. They smuggled in from the Opposite Lands. That’s what they call them now. Not the Land-Beyond-The-Sea. It turned that they weren’t really that far away. The sailors found a path. It just takes weeks now. Not months. And the trades are really picking up. They make really good wine and spirit.”
Finkler did not know how to turn down the invitation so he just looked at the old elf.
“Anyway, I need my nap. It’s getting late. That’s how an old elf is.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you. I’ll be going back soon. Here.” Finkler handed him a card.
The old elf took the card and had a good look. The card was beige and its size was smaller than a small wallet. On one side, there was an imprint of a black figure that roughly resembled a flying beetle in profile. “Nifty name card. New invention?”
“Yes. Have a few more. Just in case.”
“I told you I hate the black bugs.” But he took all the cards, stacked them up neatly and put them in his chest pocket.
Before he went, he turned to have a good look at Finkler. “Will I see you again?”
“Of course,” Finkler replied in a tender tone. He knew, the old elf was nearing the end. No matter how many bottles of Health Potion he could give him, it would not matter. The body was dying too quickly for the potion to heal.
“Good.” The old elf nodded. “I’ll … like to see you once more, before I’m done.” With that, he turned and slowly walked into his hut. He knew that if he did not leave, Finkler would not leave. It was just his nature, too polite to old people like him.
Finkler watched the back of the old elf. His steps were slow but still steady, His body was shrunken by age, a diminutive relic of once a great being. The memories of them together flooded Finkler’s mind and he looked down and took a deep breath. He was not given to emotional outpouring but this time, his eyes revealed his pain. Looking back, there was only the opened door. The old elf had disappeared. Only the caretaker, who was a somberly apeman, whose furs had turned completely white and thus, looked more like a short snow yeti than an apeman, closed the door. Finkler sat there for a while longer, thinking about things past and suddenly something caught his eyes. A lantern that was hanging in front of a door on the far end of the terrace was burning. Who lights a lantern when the sun has not set?, Finkler thought.
Slowly, he took out another card from his inner pocket. It had an imprint of a monster warrior. He placed the card near his lips, mumbled something inaudibly, and pressed the side of the card with the imprint on the table. When he removed the card, the imprint was gone but the table now had a black caricature of a monster warrior, with a pair of hollow eyes and a big hollow mouth, wearing a black helmet with a pair of bull horns, and whose body and arms were much bigger and longer than the legs. It was holding a black broad sword which grew comically broader as it near the point. All in all, the monster gave the impression that it was about to jump out from the table.
******
Elena had remodeled their nest once again. The sun was terribly bright and vicious in the afternoon. She weaved the roof again but opened up a long window along the wall so the panorama of the foliage would come into the interior. They slept through the day and only awaken when the sun fell behind the green mountain. They had so much sex for the past few days that Darius was emptied out. But still Elena taunted him, caressing his nipple with her elegant little finger, rubbing the protruding part round and round. Then, tracing the depression between the muscles, her finger reached his belly buttons and them further down, to his sleeping little brother. She held it in her palm, squeezing the body and rubbing the head, stroking him every now and then. Darius held her in his arms tightly, kissed her face all over. She giggled and slid towards Darius’ little brother, to say ‘Hello’. Elena was being naughty. It was totally out of Darius’ understanding of her but he liked her more this way.
She looked at Darius sleepy eyes and took his little brother in her mouth, nurturing him so that he would grow up, tall and strong and handsome. Up, down, up, down. Her hand grasped him tightly. Darius was no longer sleepy and watched her at work, working him up and down. But it was slow, too slow, not to his taste. He grabbed her head, wanting to control the pace but she took his hands away. She wanted to be in control this time. She wanted to drive him mad with her slowness. Darius yielded and laid his hands by his side. For an hour, she did it to him, tormenting him relentlessly, slowly bringing him towards the peak only to ease him down. He got closer and closer, but was denied the last few steps every time. He could see the crest, so beautiful it was, and yet, he was unable to reach it. He was so tense and restless. Spasms ran over his body, twitching and jerking like he was struggling with an unseen serpent coiled around him. The energy built up over the hour had nowhere to go. He wanted a release but there was no exit. He wanted to grab her, seize her, force her but he held back like an obedient boy doing what he was told. And Elena smiled as she watched her little boy in agony. She heard him, calling her name in his delirium. She felt him through her mouth, all of him, his pains, his wants, his everything.
At last, she took him there, the peak, the point where they flew out and be among the winds and the clouds. They saw the stream running ceaselessly from the mountains and into the gorge. He seemed he still had some reserve. Then, they began to fall, tumbling out of the sky. They fell and fell but there was no bottom. The more they fell, the more they clutched to each other. Darius felt that she was not stopping. He did not know what to do. He did not want to push her away so he had to let her continue. He was already lost, semi-unconscious. He was not sure whether it was real or a dream. His body was convulsing but he endured. Soon, it was better and he was nearing the peak again, only this time, she was pushing him up. He groaned and cried out as he reached the top, the immensity of the view ripped through him. His body was out of control, convulsing violently and his cry died down to a whimper. Without him knowing, his body had contracted into a fetal position, laying on his side with her in between his legs. He still felt her down there, working him relentlessly. He wanted to cry out, ‘Stop!’ but the word never left his mouth. He wanted it, to bear it, to be totally out of control. She brought him there again, that beautiful place overlooking the vast landscape, over and over again. He had not a single drop left and he had no energy to even whimper but still he let her take him there until she stopped. Perhaps she was tired herself, having drained her boy and herself completely. She laid her head on his hip, recovering herself while his brother softening up in her hand. She nudged his leg over and he laid on the moss. She watched his brother growing smaller while his taste lingered in her mouth and throat. Satisfied that she had done all she could, she looked at his boy. He was so spent that he was already half asleep. She crawled up to him, hugged him and kissed him, who kissed her back semi-consciously. And thus, they slept in the embrace of each other until deep in the night when she was woken up by a glowing little fairy.