“Marvellous day for a walk, eh gents?” Stanley asked with forced joviality.

“Are the two of you travelling alone?” one of the elves asked, his tone was friendly, which concerned Sarah, as his companion’s body language was anything but.

Unlike the ones they had killed back in Riverbend, these elves wore boiled leather armour over chainmail. Some were armed with arrows, while others carried a sword or a mace as and a shield. They all had pale hair, pointed ears, fair skin and ageless faces, and there was a grace about them that was absent from Udoriol.

“We are,” Stanley admitted. They both knew the elves had probably tracked their progress for a while from the top of the hill and that there was no use in lying.

“Where are you coming from?” the same elf asked.

“Riverbend,” Stanley replied.

“That bow,” another elf blurted angrily, “where did you get it from?”

The first elf glared at the one who spoke out of line, who bowed his head apologetically and said something in Elvish.

“He’s obviously the captain,” Sarah thought to herself.

The captain turned his attention back to Stanley and looked pointedly at the bow across his back. “I’m sure you’re aware that the bow you’re carrying is of elvish make,” he said and let his words hang in the air.

The elvish captain sighed when Stanley remained silent. “Where did you find it, human?"

When Stanley stared back defiantly, Sarah decided to gamble. These elves appeared to be military or at least official members of the kingdom and were unlikely to be associates of slavers.

“He got it from slavers who raided our village,” Sarah offered.

Sarah kept her eyes fixed on the captain’s, mindful of the accusatory looks she was getting from his men.

The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Slavery is outlawed in Effulian,” the captain said thinly.

“I’m sure most elves are law abiding, but there must be bad apples among you,” Sarah pointed out diplomatically, before quickly adding, “More importantly, we entered these woods to flee orcs who were approaching our village when the renegades struck.”

Sarah caught a change in the demeanour of the elves when she mentioned orcs and knew she had uncovered an important clue. Perhaps that was why there were so many of them stationed at this remote outpost.

“We will verify your claims,” the captain said, “In the meantime, I must insist you accompany us to our outpost.”

“Is it in that tower up there?” Sarah asked and pointed. “We were going to go up there to get our bearings.”

“If we are satisfied that you are telling the truth, we will point you in the direction of the nearest human settlement,” the captain said brusquely.

An elf stepped forward brandishing a rope and Sarah asked, “Is that really necessary? How are we going to escape from you in these woods?”

The captain barked an order and the elf scowled. “Hand over your weapons,” he seethed.

Stanley grudgingly complied and they both submitted to a thorough search through their belongings before a pair of elves led them up a faint trail towards the tower. The other elves disappeared into the forest without leaving behind so much as a whisper.

“They seem tense,” Sarah observed.

“Another word out of you and we will slit your throats,” one of their guards warned. His voice was harsh, and Sarah noticed that both the elves were looking at her and Stanley as though they were cockroaches, something disgusting and beneath contempt that was to be obliterated without mercy.

Stanley and Sarah exchanged looks, and she swallowed. The mood had changed in an instant. The elves for their part continued on their way, not bothering to watch over their prisoners as they began climbing uphill. Despite their seeming inattention, Sarah and Stanley knew that an attempt to escape would be futile, especially with elven eyes in the watchtower undoubtedly watching them closely.

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They entered the tower, and in the main chamber were elves sleeping in comfortable looking beds. This was a sizable garrison and Sarah was surprised that one existed so close to Darnos. A few were sitting down to a meal of boiled tubers, prepared in a small kitchen. It looked to be bland fare, but it reminded Sarah that they had scarcely eaten since leaving Riverbend to conserve their supplies and her stomach rumbled. One of their guards glared at her and she looked back sheepishly. One of the elves tossed her and Stanley a boiled tuber each.

“Let them eat it,” one of the elves laughed, “See if it conjures up any memories.”

Sarah looked down and remembered reading that this was what the elven slaves were fed. Why were elves eating it, then?

As though reading her mind, the elf who had tossed them the food smirked. “Can’t have spices or strongly flavoured food out here, it’ll let the enemy know where we are.”

That made sense to her. Too hungry to be concerned about her pride, she bit into the tuber. It was bland, almost aggressively so, but she wolfed it down anyway. The elves watched her in amusement, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t as though she could trace her ancestry back to the time of slavery anyway. Stanley raised an eyebrow at her and offered her his own boiled tuber.

“You’ve scarcely eaten yourself,” she said, “We will need to keep our strength up.”

Stanley looked over at the elves before carefully biting into his food.

“Come on, little piggies,” one of their guards called, and the other snorted with amusement.

They led them up a winding stair to the large viewing platform on the upper level where their captain was waiting for them. The platform had a covered roof but was otherwise open to the elements. Elves were stationed all around it, staring unblinking into the sea of trees that spread out before them and Sarah marvelled at the fact that they had been able to spot the two of them.

The captain set his eyes on the pair, and Sarah noticed for the first time that there was a curious green light in his eyes that Udoriol didn’t have. She looked around and noticed that a handful of the others shared the trait.

“So, you say orcs have invaded your village,” the captain began.

“That’s right,” Stanley nodded.

“Where is it?” the captain asked, “In Kor Uls?”

Stanley stared back at the elf captain blankly. “No, it’s in the kingdom of Darnos,” Sarah said, recognizing the orcish word for the Southward Expansion, their homeland.

The captain looked confused. “Darnos?”

“It’s one of the human kingdoms,” one of his men said, “It is built around the former province of Afal Kolari.”

The captain grunted and frowned. “So they have come that far east.”

“If they are to be believed,” the second elf pointed out.

“We should make preparations regardless,” the captain remarked and set his eyes on the two humans. “After all, why would they lie?”

They were interrupted by an elf who came running up the stairs. She was clad in pale blue robes identifying her as a priestess of Varuna. She had a green glow in her eyes, but hers was far brighter than any of the others, including the captain’s, leaving Sarah to wonder what the significance was.

“Message from the Water Speaker!” she cried breathlessly.

“Can’t it wait?” the captain snapped irritably.

“She says that it concerns them,” came the reply.

The captain raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back to the two humans. “Them?”

The priestess nodded vigorously. “The Water Speaker says to allow the humans passage to Findendor.”

Sarah squirmed as she felt the hostility in the room mount. Even the sentinels who had been watching the forest turned to glare at her.

“Everyone, return to your duties!” a vein throbbed in the captain’s neck and once he saw to it that his men had complied, turned his attention back to the priestess. “What do they seek in Findendor?”

“She didn’t say,” the priestess replied, “She also said to tell you that the orcs have crossed Arnas Tinor.”

The captain’s jaw dropped slightly. “If that’s true, then I can spare no men to escort these two to Findendor.”

“He understands and says he will guide them if need be,” the priestess nodded. She then gave Sarah a hostile look.

“What is the Water Speaker thinking?” the captain sighed. “What was Varuna thinking when he chose… him as His Chosen?”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” the priestess warned, giving the captain an icy glare.

“I apologize, Sister,” the captain said with a wave of his hand. At length, he shook his head and levelled his gaze on Sarah. “I take it you are Agni’s Chosen?”

Sarah nodded and the captain sighed. “Against my better judgement, you are free to go.”

“Can you at least point us in the direction of Findendor?” Stanley asked.

The captain glared at him for a moment before pointing out at the forest. Stanley and Sarah followed his finger and saw a huge tree soaring out from the forest, towering over all the others. Its trunk looked larger at the base than the entire village of Riverbend.

“Go to the Heart of the Forest and you will find the path to Findendor,” the captain said tiredly. “Now go, we have much to do here.”

Sarah and Stanley exchanged looks before hurriedly taking their leave. One of the elves tossed them a small sack of boiled tubers and they chuckled amongst themselves as Stanley accepted it.

“What’s a Water Speaker?” Stanley asked once they were safely away from the tower.

“I have no idea,” Sarah replied, “But it was a fortunate turn of events.”

“I wouldn’t count our chickens yet,” Stanley warned as he looked from side to side warily.

“What is it?” Sarah ventured.

“The elves, they’re congregating on the watchtower, and in a hurry too.”

Sarah followed Stanley’s gaze but could see nothing but dense vegetation.

“Something big is going to happen,” Stanley said, “And I fear we’re blundering into the thick of it.”

“Do you think we should turn back to Darnos?” Sarah ventured.

The gaunt faced man shook his head. “We’ve been getting news from Balstat, their capital even in little Riverbend, and things are a shambles there.”

The lanky man let off a deep sigh. “I should never have left Woodhop.”