Across Eternity B. 04

Forsaken

After a whole night of hardcore sex, spending the day on horseback was the last thing Noah, Valia, and Elisandra wanted. Still, if they didn't make it back to Sylphtoria before nightfall, the elves would assume the worst and send an army to find the queen, so they had to tough it out.

Before leaving, they took their time in the purification pool to cleanse their bodies, clothes, and the blanket. They didn't want the sharp-nosed elves wondering why the trio smelled suspiciously like cum. Sitting in the pool, washing herself with a cloth, Elisandra was a bit depressed. She wanted to enjoy wearing Noah's scent a bit longer, but it was time to return to her role as queen.

They arrived at Sylphtoria late in the afternoon, with every elf gathering to bid their beloved ruler welcome. Aithorn and Lour stood at the head of Elisandra's guards, and they all got down on one knee as she approached.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty. We hope your communion with the spirits has been rewarding," said Aithorn.

"Very rewarding, Leuca. We know where Valon is hiding, but that is not a conversation to be had now. My companions and I are famished and exhausted."

"Of course. Allow us to escort you back to the palace."

Before departing, she turned to Noah and Valia. "Lord Noah, Lady Valia, your company on this trip made all the difference in the world. I sincerely thank you."

Noah bowed and kissed her hand. "The pleasure was ours."

She flashed them a smile with a hidden message only they could read. If not for their shared fatigue, she'd pull them both up to her room for another night of nonstop sensuality. They returned the smile and then separated. As the queen returned to the palace, Noah and Valia stretched, glad to be off their horses.

"Now that we're back, I'm sure you remember that I have to punish you," said Valia.

"Are you still going on about that? You had just as much fun as I did, and you know it."

Valia ignored him and started walking. "I want you to cook me a big dinner, a very big dinner. And you know what? Enough fruits and vegetables. I'm in the mood for some meat."

Noah sighed with a smile and followed her. "Yes, dear."

----------

"Kisara Island, once a great elven nation, and an even greater tragedy for the elven race," said Elisandra, pointing to a map of the coastal waters near the Anorvan Forest. Noah, Valia, Aithorn, and Lour were standing with her in the palace, gathered around a table covered with books and scrolls.

"What happened there?" Noah asked.

"We don't know for sure," said Elisandra, "as all the former inhabitants died, and what info we do have comes from scouts who went to investigate, with few making it back alive. What we do know is this: centuries ago, this was a thriving metropolis, an image of the splendor of the elves, until an earthquake struck and reshaped the undersea landscape and ocean currents.

Though the inhabitants survived and managed to rebuild, they were cut off from the outside world. Jutting rocks and savage waters smashed all ships trying to get in or out. Only those with the greatest magic were able to traverse the churning sea and return to the mainland, just a fraction of those who tried desperately to escape.

After that, monsters took over the island. These were not the typical animals you are used to seeing, like wolves and bears, nor were they native to the island. Instead, these were great hulking behemoths, the kind that swallow adventurers whole without even needing to chew. The elves were wiped out, their lives taken either by the monsters or the sea."

"So, the monster-spawning circles changed. I know this can happen in response to shifts in the climate and ecosystem, but I've never heard of such a drastic occurrence before."

In this world, plants and animals not born through traditional biological reproduction were produced through magic, as though rolling off an assembly line. Though the specimens created seemed identical to each other, there appeared to be some hidden mechanism that continuously altered their DNA, just enough to ensure genetic diversity. This prevented species—and the profession of hunting them—from dying out.

Noah had been studying the magic used for these circles and had yet to determine if they were manmade or a natural function of the world. He could mimic it with his magic, but didn't fully understand how it worked.

"The sea currents later shifted again, allowing for some travel to and from the island, but it was too late, the population had been wiped out and the monsters had full control," said Aithorn. "Ever since then, Kisara Island has been regarded as a place of death and tragedy. Adventurers, the bravest and most foolish, have tried landing there in search of elvish relics and treasures, but the island eats them alive."

"Valon must truly have lost his mind for him to be holed up there," Lour said.

"It does have its merits," said Noah. "No one would dare look for him. He already has Uther on his tail, and he's made enemies of Sylphtoria, and probably several other countries as well. For all we know, he's acquired a relic that wards off monsters. In which case, Kisara Island is the perfect hideout for the most wanted man in the world."

"Your Majesty, did the spirits confirm if he was even still alive?" Lour asked.

"They couldn't have found him if he wasn't. We're just lucky he's set up his base in elven territory."

"We know he's alive and we know where he is. We'll take the time we need to prepare, but otherwise, all the other details are irrelevant," said Valia, her voice hollowed by determination.

"I agree," said Noah. "The only way we're going to see Valon is to go to where he is. It's not a matter of choice, simply a fact. Give me a day to get ready, and let's form a team to go ashore and set off with as many weapons, tools, and supplies as we can carry."

Lour pointed to a coastal town on the edge of the Anorvan Forest. "You can ride here, to Pulindar. We'll send word to prepare a ship for you and your team and you can sail to Kisara Island from there."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," said Aithorn, unable to meet her gaze, "I think it would be best if Lord Noah were the lead this team, rather than myself."

Elisandra gave a soft sigh. "I understand, Leuca. Noah, do you have any objections?"

"None, Your Majesty."

"Good, then let's begin planning."

A party was assembled, consisting of Noah, Valia, Aithorn, and a dozen elven soldiers, with the addition of two healers. Picking the right number of recruits was the first challenge. If Kisara Island was as dangerous as the stories claimed, there would be inevitable losses. A small group would lower their chances of success but lessen the blow to Sylphtoria, while a large group would give them more combat strength, but at greater risk to the elven race. But, as Noah and Valia made clear, there was no point in having second thoughts. All they could do was prepare themselves for the conflict ahead.

Noah spent yet another day hunched over a desk, runecrafting and performing alchemy to create everything they would need. At the same time, Valia gathered all the info she could on Kisara Island, scouring ancient legends and tomes. It was still early in the morning when the group assembled on the forest floor, prepping their horses for travel. Elisandra and Lour were there to see them off, the queen's beauty lessened by the look of fear on her face.

"We will return the stolen relics, Your Majesty, I swear it," said Aithorn, bowing before her.

Elisandra placed her hand on his shoulder. "Just come back alive. I'll be happy with that."

She then approached Noah and Valia. "You as well. Promise you'll come back to me, both of you."

"We will, Your Majesty," Noah replied.

Then, to the shock of everyone, Elisandra wrapped her arms around Noah and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. This was a severe faux pas, and a foolish action on her part; Elisandra knew it, and she chided herself. She was a queen, and her mind was to be focused purely on politics and image, never revealing emotion and giving in to her base desires, but she couldn't help herself. She was in love.

If she sent Noah off on this perilous journey with anything less than this, and he never returned, it would haunt her for the rest of her life. Would it be so wrong to enjoy a selfish act, just this once? To be a woman bidding her man goodbye and good luck until he came back to her?

All the elves stared with their mouths hanging open, unable to process the sight before them. Valia simply rolled her eyes, only to fall prey to the queen's lips. "Like I said, both of you," she whispered when she finally pulled away.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Valia stammered. While under the influence, going down on the queen had been second nature to her, but when sober, a simple kiss left her reeling. Of course, the fact that everyone was watching them didn't help.

Noah felt a hand grip his shoulder like a vice. "What exactly happened between the three of you at the Lunar Temple?" Aithorn asked with an icy tone.

Noah pried his hand off and stepped to the side. "We had a thorough heart-to-heart conversation and came to an understanding. However, the things we discussed are private."

"That's enough, Leuca, calm yourself. You wanted Noah to lead this mission, so you will give him the respect he deserves and follow his orders. As for the rest of you, this man saved my life and the lives of countless other elves. If not for him, Sylphtoria would be on the path to ruin. He is a Lord and deserves your respect. More than that, he is a man who has been recognized by the spirits of nature as one of their own, and earned their favor. To go against him is to turn your back on the spirits. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they replied begrudgingly.

"Now, shall we get a move on? Come on, we're wasting daylight," said Noah. Everyone glared as he and Valia took their mounts. "Hopefully, we'll live long enough to make it to the coast," he muttered to her.

"Oh, they'll only kill you. I bet they like me more than ever."

They rode off from Sylphtoria, but as soon as they were beyond the outskirts, all the elves circled Noah. "I'll ask you again: What happened between you and the queen?" Aithorn growled.

"The same thing that happened between me and the queen, Leuca," Valia shot back. "Any problem you have with Noah, you have with me as well."

One elf couldn't keep his anger contained. "If a filthy bastard like you touched Her Majesty, I will—!"

"You'll do what?" Noah challenged, turning to the enraged warrior. "What do you even think you can do to me? Whatever wrathful fantasy your imagining, Aithorn and the knights tried it. Ask him how well it worked out. Tell me something, what is the queen to all of you?"

"She is the light!"

"Our leader!"

"Grace personified!"

"The foundation of Sylphtoria!"

"A holy being!"

Their answers were as he expected. "Well to me, she is Elisandra, a woman with hopes, dreams, fears, and desires, a woman who can make her own decisions and seek her own happiness without your approval. She's not a figurehead meant to look pretty on the throne. If you condemn Valia and I for fulfilling her needs, then you condemn her for having them. I did nothing to seduce to deceive her. It's a simple fact that she feels affection towards me, and I am fond of her. If you don't like that, then too bad. You have no say in the matter."

"You all heard the queen. You owe Noah your lives and your loyalty. If any of you so much as look at the back of his neck a second longer than you need to, I'll cut you down," Valia warned.

"When we get back to Sylphtoria, if any of you want to take a swing at me, go right ahead. Until then, you're just going to have to suck it up. Where we're going, you aren't in any position to be turning down help or killing allies. Let's move out."

Though Noah could understand the queen's desire for one last kiss before he and Valia left, her act of affection had done more harm than good. Once more, the elves all looked at him with disdain. He didn't mind the harsh stares or cold shoulder, but there were plenty of ways to kill him and make it look like an accident, especially once they reached the island.

After three days of riding, they arrived at the port town of Pulindar, on the southern coast of the Anorvan Forest. The sun began to set, casting its light upon towers of gleaming stone and houses of living trees. Noah gazed at the elven architecture with wide eyes and a genuine smile. Word had been sent ahead of them to prepare a vessel for departure, and a white ship sat in the harbor, waiting for them. Like their homes, the elves crafted their vessels by shaping trees with magic. Even the sails were made of a leafy material.

"Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate; And though I oft have passed them by, A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun."

"What was that?" Valia asked, standing beside Noah.

"Nothing, just something from a famous story."

They approached the dock and dismounted from their horses, going to meet the elves loading the last of the supplies. "Greetings, Lord Aithorn. I must say, your timing is almost unfair. The tides are just about to reach their peak, but the sun forbids you," said one man, shaking Aithorn's hand.

"Thank you, Samil. It's good to see you. The hour of departure has passed, so we'll wait until tomorrow."

The man then noticed Noah's green mantle and rounded ears, and was perplexed. "Greetings, My Lord," he said with confused hesitation.

"A fine evening to you, sir," replied Noah.

"This is Lord Noah. He saved the queen from an assassin and averted a plague in Sylphtoria," said Aithorn.

"I was told that you were sailing towards Kisara Island. That hardly seems a place to send someone Sylphtoria is so indebted to."

"Thank you for your concern, but the queen and I share the same goal, and that is where it resides. The danger is of no importance, not as long as success remains a possibility."

Here on the coast, the elves' worship of both the spirits of nature and the elemental gods was more balanced, and they were not as stringent on vegetarian cuisine. The local church gave Noah's group shelter for the night, and after days on horseback, they got to sleep in real beds and enjoy hot bowls of delicious fish stew for dinner. It was a luxury they had to savor, as it was unlikely they would all come back alive from Kisara Island.

Noah and Valia were able to share a bed, and, thanks to his noise-canceling device, enjoyed their usual intense intimacy without alerting anyone. Loud sex in a church with their companions so close would cause an understandable amount of ire.

Even after depositing his vitality between Valia's legs, Noah remained awake, staring at the magic circle for his curse, projected onto the ceiling. The spirits had left an enchantment on his palm that would let him see the circle whenever he wished, and he had spent countless hours scrutinizing it since the night at the Lunar Temple. Yet, after all that time, it remained a mystery. Though he recognized most of the runes, their order left it largely incomprehensible, like reading a URL.

"Noah, come on, that's enough for one night," Valia mumbled, stretching her arm across his chest.

"Sorry, did the light wake you?"

"Yeah, now close your eyes and go to sleep."

"I can't help myself. Do you know how long I've wanted this? To finally see the reason for my continued existence? I've spent so many restless nights staring at the ceiling just like this, pondering what I am, trying to imagine the answers. I've explored every faith, used every form of science, taken every drug imaginable, all to finally have the answers before me, and now... I can't even read them."

"All the more reason for you to stop torturing yourself. If you can't read it, then continuing to stare isn't going to change anything."

"If Valon can't help me make sense of this, then who possibly can?"

"He can and he will, but if you don't get enough rest, you'll get yourself killed before we ever reach him. We're going to spend two days on a boat with nothing to do. Use that time for study, and use this time to sleep."

"Then I'll just sleep on the boat."

Valia cupped his cheek. "Noah, don't do this to yourself. You have all the time in the world."

Noah sighed and closed his hand. "That's what scares me," he said as Valia snuggled up against him.

They set sail the next morning, heading southeast. Though the elves in Noah's group lived within the heart of the forest, they were all old enough to have learned how to operate these vessels. The elven ship sliced through the water like a razorblade, gliding so smoothly that no wave could rock it. The sky was clear, and the smell of the ocean breeze was cleansing. Noah sat at the bow, enjoying the sun with his eyes towards the horizon.

"What is it?" Valia asked, amused by the smile on his face.

"I'm sailing across the wild sea with a dozen elves, about to fight my way through an army of monsters in the ruins of a lost civilization. You have no idea how many people would give their lives to be on this adventure with us."

On the dawn of the third day, Kisara Island was in view, only for the ship to change course, turning towards the north. Before Noah could ask why, he saw them, sunken wrecks below the crystal waters, impaled on great stone teeth. It was an undersea graveyard with ships made by men and elves. Though the island was now accessible to the outside, their boat couldn't simply approach from any angle.

"Aithorn, do you know a safe landing point?" Noah asked.

"According to legend, there is an accessible peninsula on the northwestern side," he replied, manning the rudder. "We have to circle around and aim there. However, it is not simply rocks we have to worry about. The waters surrounding the island are full of predators."

Noah took out a spyglass Hoapfa made for him after the succubus incident. He peered through and scanned the island. It was mountainous and blanketed with dense jungle, but he could see some signs of the once-great elf city. Stone towers broke free of the vegetation, and there were temples and other buildings that had yet to give way to time. Moreover, he saw great walls rippling from the island's center, likely constructed to try and contain the monster surge, but most had crumbled away.

A jarring impact knocked Noah onto his back, caused by the boat being hammered from the side, with the shadow of some great behemoth visible in the waters. Though Noah fell, the elves retained their balance and stayed upright. Frankly, it would have disappointed him if they had fallen over as easily as he had.

A great pair of jaws broke from the ocean surface, ten feet long, with teeth like daggers, and it snapped ferociously at anyone within reach. The elves wasted no time, drawing their bows and riddling the ocean behemoth's head with arrows. It retreated below the surface, leaving the ship painted with its blood.

They sailed toward the island's northern tip, only to be attacked once more. This time, massive tentacles reached out and latched onto the ship with spike-lined suction cups that shredded the wood. They were like undulating tree trunks of muscle and rubbery flesh, seizing one of the elves and lifting him into the air as though he was weightless.

Despite its strength, it could not withstand a slash from Noah. He severed the appendage, dropping the elf back onto the deck while the others hacked away at the tentacles holding the ship. Like its predecessor, the invertebrate was sent scurrying back into the depths with a trail of blood left in its wake.

"Nice job," said Valia. "If you hadn't done that in one slash, I would never have endured the shame as your swordsmanship teacher."