Valethalassa paused on a landing in the upper levels of the Heren’elen. Her thoughts turned back to Ian. There were so many unknowns about the strange man and even more about how she was to help him. She shook herself, and the thoughts away. She was first and foremost a Ranger of the Fallen Kings. A thought which reminded her of a few things she still needed to take care of.

Report, home, food, bath, sleep. She made a mental checklist and kicked off the wall she’d been leaning on. She patted her thigh as she resumed her descent, drawing Mal’s attention to her. The wolf bounded after her.

They wound through the heart of the Heren’elen, navigating the complicated maze of tunnels that ran throughout the interior of the tree. She stopped to chat with a few other Rangers that she passed in the sprawling tunnels. Mostly they questioned what she was doing back so early from her reconnaissance. For that, she had an easy response, “Fate.” It was Ranger code for Seer business.

Mal mingled with the other Rangers’ animal companions in much the same fashion. He was the only shadow wolf in town, as the rest of the Rangers had bonded with animals native to the surrounding forests. A few cats of various sizes, birds of prey, and even a giant python were among them. All were almost exclusively predatory animals, which made sense considering the nature of a Ranger’s work. Protecting the realm.

Valethalassa reached the twin doors leading into the Ranger’s Garrison and pushed through them. The Garrison was one of the oldest sections inside the Heren’elen, residing in the top tenth of the tree. And it was the first area to have all furnishings crafted from the tree itself, it stood as a testament to the amazing work of the cities’ druids. Each desk, chair, storage shelf, and even the holding cells in the back were all molded using nothing but the living wood.

As Valethalassa headed back the main walkway, Mal huffed and sauntered over towards the area reserved for the animals. A wide-open balcony where they could wait in comfort.

Valethalassa entered her office, slid her weapons off and hung them on their respective wall pegs. A sigh of comfort escaped her lips as she slipped into the well-worn seat. Then she began the arduous task of completing her parchments for her latest mission. All the while she was unsure of how much the First Ranger would believe. As her title of Second Ranger suggested, she was only outranked by the First Ranger. And he was difficult to deal with on the best of days.

She had been out in the Ironwoods for over a month before running into Ian and was not due back for at least two more. Standard reconnaissance dispatch time. She pulled out a leather-bound notebook from her satchel and flipped through its pages, jotting down any of her remarks that were of note, or which required follow-up.

That was the easy part. Then she reached the pages from the last two days and filled in everything that Ian had told her. She took care to include all of the oddities she had noticed, whether they supported or opposed his story. And a much-abbreviated summary of her meeting with The Seer and the assignment that he had given her.

While she was busy scribbling out her report there was a knock against her closed door.

“Come in,” She said without looking up.

The door opened and in slithered the First Ranger, Trendal Adoris. Had Valethalassa not been absorbed in her paperwork she might’ve heard the telltale click of his heels coming down the hall. He was a bit shorter than Valethalassa’s flat five feet, which he vainly tried to compensate for with heeled boots. In a measure of equal narcissism, he dressed in fine silks and expensive custom leathers. Raiments which had never seen use outside the safety of the city.

The First Ranger was a politician, which was how he had acquired his current position. It was certainly not because of any manner of experience in the ranger profession itself. He also went out of his way to make Valethalassa’s job difficult. Trendal had a cousin that he wanted in her position and attempted to get her to resign or demoted at every turn. He let out a loud sniff when it became apparent that Valethalassa wasn’t going to look up.

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She cast him a glance and gently set down her quill upon seeing her interloper’s identity.

“Trendal. What can I do for you, First Ranger?” Her tone remained respectful, but her expression hinted that his presence was an annoyance.

Trendal stepped up to her desk with a snarky smile on his lips. He sniffed again and brushed an imaginary bit of dust from his right shoulder. Having centuries to perfect the art of unspoken communication, no movement in the elven world was ever without meaning. He had drawn Valethalassa’s eye to the golden leaf pinned below that shoulder, a symbol of his rank.

“I heard that you were back from your mission and wanted to hear why for myself, instead of reading it in a dry report. You ended your assignment quite early and have picked up a human outsider no less,” his brow arched ever so slightly, “Naturally I wanted to know the reason behind this, unusual occurrence.”

“I found Gent McClintoc standing by the Avaqueti Falmari Linquest,” Valethalassa said with a shrug, “which warranted further investigation.”

Trendal’s brow rose another inch at her mention of the Forbidden Waters. He sniffed again silently commanding her to continue.

“He was in the thrall of the water nymph, and I freed him so that I might learn how he had managed to penetrate the protective barriers of the lake,” she continued, taking the queue, and seeing no other way to get the elf to leave her office, “As it turned out, he had no idea that he had done so in the first place. He had a very strange tale to tell. It will all be in my report. But, I did take him to The Arcane Seer when we arrived.”

“So, you took him to The Seer instead of bringing him here? When you surely know that our laws state that he should’ve been brought to me first,” as he spoke Trendal tented his fingers before him with a grin, reminiscent of a spider who had caught a fly, “The punishment for drinking from the Avaqueti Falmari Linquest is quite severe. You have mishandled the accused, and besides, are needed elsewhere. I shall assign another Ranger to the case.”

It took supreme will on Valethalassa’s part not to roll her eyes. She knew that his needing her elsewhere meant that he had some political machinations underway. She expected he wanted her to attend an event and make him look good. She was suddenly very glad she had direct orders from The Seer to escort Ian personally.

“I am sorry Gent Trendal, but you lack the authority to issue that command. The Seer has already ordered me to Raxal, and to secure an item that is crucial to his work. I could not possibly disobey his order; our laws are very clear on that,” she said, not feeling in the least bit sorry. She could already see him scheming and trying to think of a way to overrule The Seer.

“Very well,” Trendal said with a curt nod, leaving her to finish her report in peace.

…...

Valethalassa headed to the Okalla where her apartment resided. She stepped off the floortal onto her floor. There were only two apartments on this level. One was hers, and one belonged to a reclusive elf whom she’d met twice in her century of living here. She enjoyed having a quiet neighbor, it gave her a sense of privacy and isolation.

As soon as she opened her front door Mal bounded inside and rushed over to his spot near the patio doors. He made himself comfortable on the plus-sized pile of cushions that served as his bed.

She laughed as he became like a contented pet rather than a ferocious partner. She removed her weapons and stowed them on their rack by the door. On the wooden pole next to that she placed her outer layer of armor and her hunter green cloak. She stretched and relaxed in her underwear, enjoying her first moments of being free from the burden of her armor.

She went over to an alcove in the far wall where she stored a few less perishable food items. The shelves were mostly bare save for some spices and a container of nuts. She consumed the nuts with disinterest while eyeing a bottle of elven wine. On impulse, she plucked the bottle from the shelf and went into her kitchen to retrieve a glass, opening the bottle to breathe along the way. With that in the works, she headed for the bathroom to draw the proper bath that she had longed for.

Valethalassa settled in the tub with a glass of wine in hand. Sighing as the water hit her bare skin. Here she was able to truly unwind from the day’s turmoil. She stayed like that until the water began to cool, unwilling to give up the relaxation.

When she could postpone it no longer, she drained the bath and readied herself for bed. Mal had already made his way into her room and fallen asleep at the foot of her modest bed. Even by himself, he would barely have fit on the bed, but he preferred the floor next to Valethalassa. Which also happened to be the spot where a mound of pillows had appeared on his first Bonding Day with her. They both enjoyed a dreamless sleep for the few hours they had left before it was time to retrieve Ian.