Elfborn: The Quest

Flotsam

An hour later found a distant beach, rough hewn by hundreds of years of wave action against the towering cliffs of sandstone and shale that formed the back guard, solitary and silent except for the cry of lonely sea birds. The warm afternoon sun beat down on the grays and blacks of rock, sand and shale that made up the body and flesh of the beach itself, warming crabs and scuttling creatures that ventured out for a morsel or two before being chased back under cover by the sharp eyed birds overhead.

It was a place of magnificence, a declaration of the power of the sea over the land. The land wounded for the sea's sake, a tenuous balance established by nature long ago, when the world was young. A balance watched and maintained by the efforts of the Shae.

The Shae no longer watched over nature to insure all things went as they were meant to, and many places had died because of it. But eventually nature learned how to care for itself and now flourished in many places, including Arafel. Just not here, in this place of rock and shale, sand and desolation, a border place marking the line between sea and land. Still, it wasn't without its own unique beauty. And surprises

The glittering triangle appeared without warning, pushing up out of the water as if to take a look around before emerging all the way. Swiftly beside it rose a strange shape, also of the same gleaming silver that the triangle, with its sloping edges seemed to be made of. Then it too was moving upward as a pair of eyes abruptly appeared beneath it, narrowed as they scanned the beach.

Seeing the brief stretch of land empty, the rest of the head appeared and Lash let a slow exhalation whisper out from between his clenched teeth as he made a motion with his hand underwater. He then began to stride forward, his sword held at the ready as Garrett appeared in his wake, his weapon also held firmly with both hands as his helmeted head swiveled back and forth, scanning each nook and crevice for any signs of an enemy.

An enemy they had yet to face. Sand and gravel crunched under boot as Lash carefully stepped onto shore. His eyes, burning brightly with his normal intensity elevated several degrees, darted into the shadows, examining them tightly before turning to the next.

But it was Garrett, stepping into Lash's footsteps, that spotted the movement at the far end of the beach, where the cliffs tumbled down to the water in rough sport, forming a natural barricade of sorts. Touching his comrade on the arm, he gestured towards the movement when Lash looked at him, a question in his eyes. The young knight turned his head slightly, his eyes focusing on the spot.

And quickly waved them both into cover as a turbaned head appeared at the top of the tumble of boulders forming the barricade. It was joined an instant later by a full dozen more, each man wearing the blue and red uniforms the marines had been wearing on the Manadim warships. The pants were almost ridiculously baggy, with what looked like calf boots and long tunics, blue with red sleeves and highlights that went past the waist, belted and tailored to each man's individual build.

Heavy gloves completed the uniform along with the helmet/turbans they wore on their heads, black or dark blue, it was hard to be certain as they peered from behind another loose jumble of stones that barely imparted any kind of cover. But the pikes the men were carrying were undeniable, as were the grim expressions on their swarthy faces. And, unlike the very few Manadim merchants Garrett had come across in his time, these men were tall and powerfully built, easily a match for the Evindelian knights that had come to invade them.

As they clambered nimbly over the rocks, moving with a casual ease that bespoke of familiarity with the place, the Elfborn noticed that most of the men were clean shaven. Some, though, sported thin mustaches or a strange mustache and tightly trimmed beard combination that resembled the heavier goatee Lash himself was now wearing. In just a few moments of observation, the two young men had learned more about the Manadim warriors than Frederik had gathered through months of research and interrogation.