The Xalinor Chronicles

Zill’s warren

The long and frightful night eventually made way for the bright and hopeful day. Though Jake was alive, his body was bruised and broken. Blood was still oozing out from his scarred face and wounded limbs. His chest had been shred to pieces and there were bite marks all over his back. He was in no condition to move on his own and Zill was too small to support his weight. Without any healing, he was certainly going to perish.

Zill didn’t know how to make any healing salves or potions. The only option in front of him, was to take Jake to his warren. The gnome warren had a healer who could heal his wounds and help him recover. There was only one solution, Zill had to go to his warren alone and fetch his people to help Jake. However, that meant leaving Jake all alone in a vulnerable condition. If the blood hounds returned, he would not be able to defend himself or even flee.

Zill walked up to Jake and gently touched his right palm. “Stay here and wait for me, Jake Riley. I will get help.”

Jake nodded in agreement and shut his eyes. The excruciating pain made him feel dizzy. He rested his head against a rock and whispered, “Thank you, Zill.”

The little gnome leapt to his feet and replied, “I promise I will come back for you!” He wiped his teary eyes and took to his heels. Zill’s warren was just a few paces away. With a determined look on his face, he ran towards his destination. Jake’s face was still fresh in his mind. He had to bring him help, after all Jake was his only friend in the world. All his other friends had already been slaughtered by the warlocks.

At the end of the dusty brown road, was a massive mountain composed of red sandstone. Zill came to a speeding halt at the foot of the great mountain and took in a few deep breaths of air. When he had caught his breath, he placed his right arm on his chest and chanted the words, “Revelo Astrae” 3 times in a row. It was a magical incantation which diffused the illusion spell in front. A large dark tunnel appeared under the great mountain and Zill stepped inside without any hesitation.

Tiny torches and miniature lanterns burned brightly inside the tunnel. In the bright glow of the dancing flames, a whole village came to life. It was the gnome warren where Zill lived.

Jake was still where Zill had left him. He had lost so much blood that he found it difficult to even move a muscle. The pain eventually numbed his senses and lulled him to sleep. In his dream, he saw Goddess Vaari once more. They were in the middle of a battlefield which was strewn with half-rotten corpses of warlocks. Though he was dreaming, he could smell the stench of death which hung in the air. In his dream, the Goddess called out to him, stretching out her pale fingers alluringly. Jake tried to run towards her but the corpses kept piling up in front of him, forming an insurmountable barrier. There was death and destruction all around him.

“Jake Riley, I am back. Please open your eyes!” a familiar voice echoed in his head.

Jake groaned in pain and opened his eyes almost reluctantly. The dazzling rays of the morning sun hurt his eyes. He whispered in a delirious state, “Water...please give me... water.”

An elderly female gnome took out a crudely crafted water-skin and gently poured the cool water into Jake’s parched mouth. When he had had his fill, Zill and a few other gnomes lifted him up and laid him on top of a wooden board which was fitted with stone wheels. Pushed by the gnomes, the contraption rolled along the dusty road with ease. When they finally reached the gnome warren, a withered old gnome with saggy skin, hobbled towards the bleeding young man. He was dressed in a deerskin robe which was torn in several places and carried a short wooden stick which helped him walk.

“Bring the human to the Sacred Circle,” he ordered.

Zill and his companions followed the old gnome to a small bonfire in the middle of the warren. It was surrounded by a ring of gray pebbles lined with ash. The gnomes carefully lifted Jake and entered their Sacred Circle. They placed him on the ground, near the Bonfire and stepped back.

The old gnome carefully examined the boy in the bright light cast by the flames and asked the others to leave at once.

Zill held back his tears as he asked nervously, “Will my friend be okay?”

“Only time will tell, my boy,” replied the old one.

For nine nights and nine days, Jake lay there unconscious. The wounds on his body were so severe that simple healing salves were not enough to treat them. Special healing ointment had to be prepared for healing his scars. He had also lost a considerable amount of blood, which made his recovery even more challenging. Though sleepy and exhausted, the old gnome didn’t rest. Saving the young man’s life was his sole objective. By the warm glow of the holy fire, he performed long forgotten rituals of the ancients and asked the spirits for assistance. With the aid of Zill’s mother, he managed to sew up the gaping wounds on Jake’s chest. Sewing his limbs, however, was an impossible task. Lumps of flesh had been ripped from several places and even many arteries had been damaged. They had to wrap his shredded limbs inside the moist yelen leaves and keep them soaked in honeyworm saliva.

Zill waited as patiently as his anxious heart would allow. Except Zill’s mother, no one else was permitted to enter the Sacred Circle. On the 10th day, his wounded friend finally opened his eyes, to the great relief of the entire gnome warren. Jake Riley awoke from his deathlike slumber and found himself inside a dimly lit cave teeming with hundreds of gnomes.