They left behind the gnoll villages and went south, deeper into the woods. As they did, the brambles became thicker. Thorns around them seemed to have grown to drive people away. Massacre ate well the entire time, and yet they were still slowed. No matter how many thorns she munched. Now and then, at night, they'd hear wild beasts trampling through the forest. They had several near encounters with pigs as well.

But it was more than that. There was a kind of resentment in the air, this deep within the trees. The trees around them seemed to glare with hatred at their passing, and William kept his hand near his sword. Jehair did not have the same trouble in the forest; the roots did not grasp at her as much, or the dirt clung. So it seemed the spirits accepted her.

She was known in this place, as in all places.

William and the others, as her companions, were barely tolerated.

Suddenly, one thorny branch caught hold of his cloak. Struggling to pull it off, he realized it would tear it apart. It was pulling even now, and more were around. Drawing out his sword, he cleaved the branch. Felix did the same as vines sought to scale up their feet, but they hacked them back. Wind howled through the woods, sounding like shrieking resentment.

"Call your creatures off," said William. "We seek no battle, but we will brook no assault."

Then, sensing something, he whirled around and saw an arrowhead moving upward. Bringing about his sword, he put it to the throat of the one who did so. Another was at him, but Felix caught that one hostage. For a moment, William's focus was completely on the swordpoint at the throat.

Then he realized it was a girl.

She had long, green hair tied up into a ponytail that reached behind her wide hips. The sides of her large breasts were covered only by a clinging, white garment. She was more than an equal to Jehair in that department, though her hips were not as wide. One that was adorned with white stones. Her skin was violet in the moonlight, and looking at her face, he saw that she was very fair indeed.

So were a lot of people. The vines began to creep up his feet, and he knew he must act. Knocking the bow aside with his shield, he brought his sword down to slash the vines. Then he threw himself forward. Backing away beneath her onslaught, the woman danced away, her arrow loosed. His shield caught the arrow, then the arrow, then another, and her back was against the tree. Slashing aside two branches just in case, she drew two knives and rushed at him.

Guessing she meant to exploit his slower speed, William ceded ground and turned aside. He guessed someone else would be coming at him, and he was correct. A blue-haired woman was at him with a long sword but was surprised by his swift response. Turning her strike, he disarmed her and turned to see his first enemy.

Her twin swords were rapidly attacking, and her strikes were aggressive. There was no such thing as a weak hit with a sword, not unless you were fighting a toddler. But her blows were of a flowing kind, trying to find openings. It seemed almost more like a dance than a fighting style, moving with fluid movements. William struggled to keep up as he withdrew past a beam of moonlight. His own blows were simple and meant to achieve results, to kill or incapacitate. Unfortunately, William felt overmatched in speed as her green hair flowed. His strokes could not connect, and he feared cutting her down.

Still, she was lacking in upper body strength, and he was wearing full armor. So the solution was obvious. William braced himself and allowed her swords to smash against his armor. He felt the impact hard and the blows jarred her swords in her hands, and her eyes went wide. Obviously, she was not used to fighting armored opponents. So William bashed her in the chest with his shield. She swooned and fell backward to hit the ground hard, a little bruised but not seriously injured. Good, she was very beautiful.

That slammed her away to crash to the ground, and he turned to her friend, who had a bow. Firing one arrow, then another, then another, William raised his shield. Firing arrows rapidly is a useful tactic. However, they had to be fired on a different course, and all three plunged into his shield. The impact jarred his hand, but he kept it steady.

Calculating that the enemy would emerge in greater numbers, William looked to Felix. Felix nodded, then ran into the trees. The other elves, all of them women, went at him. Jehair was staring dumbstruck, trying to calm the woods.

"Stop!" said Jehair. "These are friends!"

Silence as William took that statement in and considered all that had happened.

"Some friends," said William.

"Surrender," said the woman, voice as harsh as nature.

"You mean you wish to surrender to me?" asked William.

"You are bold for your kind," said the woman. "But I am Tyrasa, Princess of the Wood Elves. You are not welcome here, and you will submit to my Father's judgment."

"Don't be absurd," said William. "I am an emissary from House Gabriel. You have attacked me without defiance sent and been thrashed for your trouble. You have no physical or moral basis for making any demands."

"You attacked us," said Tyrasa, shifting her long shapely legs. William opted to admire how beautiful she was since one of them would be dead soon. "It is our custom to bind outsiders."

"And it is our custom to assume those who point arrows at us are enemies," said William. "Let us each leave the other to their custom. And see who lives to tell about it."

"William, stand down," said Jehair. "This is no time for a confrontation, child."

"No, I will not," said William flatly. "If I am taken prisoner, I will consider it an act of war. I shall not submit to captivity without a battle."

"You cannot enter this domain," said Tyrasa. "Save as a prisoner."

"Then I will go back," said William. "And find other allies who will not treat me as inferior."

"You cannot go back," said Tyrasa, motioning. "You have entered our domain and will go forward or remain forever."

Out of the clearing came a number of well-armed women with more bows and very similar physiques. Were they related? There didn't seem to be very many men among them. All were beautiful, but their bows had no strings. They were looking very awkward about it.

"Princess Tyrasa," said one with blue hair. "All of our bowstrings have disappeared."

"What?" said Tyrasa. "How is this possible?" Then she halted. "The thief."

"Felix is no thief," said William. "He is a distinguished warrior and a loyal companion.

"Drop your swords."

"With respect," said Jehair quickly. "Perhaps we could put aside our weapons before we all kill eachother. A bloodbath would only drive a wedge between our peoples when what we need most is friendship."

"I would say we are well past the point where friendship is possible," said Felix, reappearing. He put a bowstring around Tyrasa's neck before she could move and pulled it taught. "If you wish her dead, by all means, continue your attack."

Silence among them as the elven women looked at one another.

William realized this might not be a good situation. Even if they killed Tyrasa, they would probably be killed by sheer numbers. And it could cause problems for Uncle even if they survived. It would certainly make his journey much harder, and it might alienate Jehair.

His conscience was clear. But perhaps he should come down to their level.

"If you throw down your weapons," said William. "I guarantee this will be the end of it. We shall dismiss this as a misunderstanding.

"But a scion of House Gabriel cannot submit to captivity. And if a battle here continues, many will die who do not need to."

Silence continued.

"Don't do it!" said Tyrasa. "This outsider must not be allowed to triumph over us!"

"Just do it, Tyrasa," said Jehair. "They are here to help, and you did attack. I will side with you if they make any move against you after you disarm. You have my word.

"And you can snatch up your weapons easily enough anyway."

Silence for a moment.

"Do as he says," said Tyrasa. "Jehair can be trusted."

And the weapons were set down carefully as the women kneeled crosslegged before them. Tyrasa was released and stepped forward, retrieving her weapons as quickly as possible. William stared a moment incredulously before Felix released the bowstring from Tyrasa's neck. The elven women stepped forward, trying to look proud and defiant. She only succeeded in looking sensual, and Jehair was a match in that regard all the time.

"Why exactly did you do this?" asked William, thinking the whole affair ridiculous.

"It is standard procedure," said Tyrasa. "To deter outsiders from making repeat trips.

"Nobody has ever done that before. So why would the spirits help you win?"

"They didn't," said William, looking to the woods, which seemed ill-tempered. No doubt annoyed, the outsider had thrashed their response. "What exactly did you expect to happen?"

Tyrasa went still. "You know nothing, outsider.

"You could not possibly understand our designs." William found this response cute at best. Insulting at worst, he wasn't sure which to settle on. He descended on appreciative condescension if only to spare his own dignity.

Jehair paused and looked around. "I would guess that we were meant to be immobilized by the vines. Once that happened, they would come forward and gloat. Then, you would be taken to prison and allowed to make your case.

"A way of showing that you had no power here.

"Such tactics were utilized in Qor'Dana after the evacuation when things got very grim. However, they did not see nearly as much traffic as this place could. I expect they would have ordinarily shot you.

"But they must have observed our discussions and allowed a meeting."

Tyrasa halted, and William knew she had. The way she was looking away and adjusting her hair showed. That was the stupidest plan he had ever heard in his life. "You mean to say that this ambush was an elaborate means of showing your skill as archers and woodsmen?"

"...Yes," said Tyrasa.

"Did you ever consider just holding an archery contest!" shouted Felix in anger. "Do you know how much damage you've done with this stupid display? We've had to hack up all these trees.

"We could have killed every single one of you and walked out. And if you'd killed us, William's family live just north. And even if your plan worked, there's no guarantee William wouldn't be angry enough to come back with an army!"

"It was to demonstrate the will of our people!" shouted Tyrasa. "You outsiders presume to run freely through our lands! We will show you the fury of the wood!"

It might have been impressive if Tyrasa had been alone against all the evil the world could muster. But, in practice, with her standing here against a few people, having been disarmed and outmaneuvered...

"Well done," said William. The broken tree branches spoke for themselves.

He wondered if he should suggest she retire and seek alternative employment. No, that would not be polite.

"Enough," said Tyrasa quickly. "This facade of helplessness is of no further use!

"Remove your mask, creature. I will not speak to one that hides their face." She'd forgotten that she was supposed to feign ignorance.

William avoided laughing as he drew off his helm and let his halt fall around his shoulders. Tyrasa stepped back, looking at him in the moonlight. The others did as well, though some looked to Tyrasa, whose eyes were wide. "I am William Gabriel, milady. With me is Felix, a trusted companion, and Massacre, a servant of Typhos."

That was on reflex.

He'd forgotten that Massacre had gone out to eat thorns without consulting anyone. Now she came loping out of the trees, and the collections of wood elves stared. They murmured and marveled at her beauty. "Bah."

"A servant of Typhos is always welcome among us," said Tyrasa. "Yet you bear the mark of Elranor, the cursed enemy of old." Was she really trying to salvage all this?

William supposed he couldn't blame her, so he humored her. "That may be so, but I bear you no ill will. Indeed, I desire to recompense for previous errors on behalf of my Lady, Kiyora Yagos."

"You serve the Dreaming Goddess?" asked Tyrasa, shifting.

"Yes, for she saved me from captivity, and I have often fought battles in her name," said William. "On her behalf, I would offer what aid I can." He paused. "You are a good swordsman and excellent shots.

"However, you did not use the environment to your advantage. Your attacks were predictable, and you allowed me to control the flow of battle."

"I did not do these things for your approval," said Tyrasa, trying to sound detached and haughty. Instead, she just sounded like she was pouting. "And what aid would you offer? Will you resurrect our ancient civilization? Bring back all those who have died?"

William sincerely doubted that she had been around for any of this. Or, indeed, been around for the really bad years of her people. Perhaps that was why she was so aggressive. She had inherited a realm of reasonable peace and stability. There were no means to prove herself, and the radical nature of her people restrained her.

William used the opportunity to move forward as she stood her ground. "Such a deed is beyond my power, milady.

"Yet if any within this place are injured, I may be able to help them."

"Our forms are not so feeble as those of you mortals," said Tyrasa proudly. "For we are blessed with immunity to all but the most elaborate of ails. And whatever injuries we have shall be mended by healers of our own. We have not trusted the hands of Elranor's chosen since the dark days."

"I see," said William, feeling it impolite to say, 'I know.' "Forgive me my ignorance, but I have not been taught much of your people, the Wood Elves. Are you related to the Dust Elves?"

"We are of the same blood but not of the same kind," said Tyrasa. "In the strictest of terms, we are one people and race. But our ways are not the same, for we came to this land long ago from the domain of Valranor. In those happier days, all these woodlands were bright and were a land of eternal summer.

"Before the coming of your kind into the world.

"Now we are few and have dwindled further. Dark creatures creep into our domains from the south. Mortals presume to raise their hands against us. For a time, we sheltered those the humans enslaved and taught them the ways of the woods.

"Yet so many have come that we cannot account for them all.

"Now, many have raised their hands against us." It was the attempt to appear grave and noble that really sabotaged it. Tyrasa was pretending to be a battle-hardened and cold-blooded warriors.

The problem was that the Wood Elves had not been wiped out or continually persecuted. On the contrary, they had built their society around surviving. So when there was no great threat, they could do nothing. This was why they were losing control of the gnolls; they probably hadn't needed to lead them in war.

And without a war, the gnolls did not regard them as an authority.

"You don't seem to know very much about it," said William.

"Shut up!" said Tyrasa. "Is it the custom of the men of Harlenor to make snide observations of royalty?!"

"Woman," said William with a sigh. "I do not care if you are a goddess.

"I came here as an emissary and was immediately assaulted by the most conceived ambush I have ever seen. All ranks are suspended until this surreal situation has ended."

"You sent no word ahead," said Tyrasa, looking down and pouting.

"How can I send word ahead when you ambush every single person who comes in here?!" asked William. "The general consensus is that you don't want to talk to anyone. And no one wants to talk to you. Since no one has a good reason to invade this place, no one comes here.

"So I assumed that since I was in Jehair's company, I might have been given a chance to account. I might ask where precisely I would send my messenger. I know nothing of this land or your settlements by your own excellent design."

"Stop it!" said another, the blue-haired one. "You're ruining it!"

Ruining what?

"You have assistance that these humans can render?" asked Tyrasa, regaining some composure. She was speaking to Jehair now.

"Through them, yes," said Jehair with closed eyes. "William has a talent for negotiating with satyrs. He comes from a clan of humans that prefers negotiation to war. Indeed, he has recently returned the Goldenwood Harp to Alchara, asking nothing. Only that the Dreaming Goddess be freed from an obligation she did not desire."

"I see," said Tyrasa, pausing. "I begin to see why the spirits clouded our eyes.

"News of the recovery came to us, but we had heard nothing of his part. If what you say is true, he may be among those who could redeem his race. But what service can you offer us now?"

"For now, we have replaced the leadership of the gnolls to your benefit," said William.

"We have met their emissaries," said Tyrasa. "The one you now call High Priest once came to us. We allowed him in, and he learned of us and our ways and parted amicably.

"It was hoped he might make a good druid for his people. For often, those sent to us by Laevian learn their ways. But he never returned, and Tavish Kern has come to this place since. We knew you to be an enemy of him.

"Many of your kind have already entered our domain unbidden, and we have intercepted each one. However, the gnolls we have taught as children are led astray by them."

"Tyrasa, such an uncompromising policy will lead to war," said the blue-haired one.

"Then let there be war," said Tyrasa. "We stand ready to give our lives blood, to fight to the last and slaughter each one in kind."

"Bah," said Massacre.

"And who are you to speak of everything?" asked Tyrasa.

"Bah," said Massacre.

"What makes you believe that Typhos has any power to aid us?" asked Tyrasa.

"Bah," said Massacre.

"Temples?" asked Tyrasa. "I see.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Then it seems we have reason to consider some part of our vendetta with humanity repaid. Yet it is only a small part, and it changes nothing. We must stand here or fall forever."

"By your leave, Princess Tyrasa, I would ask that you find an alternative," said William. Right now, he wished he was back home for the first time. "Although I realize your anger toward outsiders is well-warranted. This course of action would lead to your death. It would be a grievous blow to the world if your people were wholly eradicated in a battle that could be avoided."

They were certainly very beautiful.

"And what do you suggest? That we submit to the savagery of the satyrs and gnolls," said Tyrasa, trying to sound like a bitter veteran.

Why would her people want the young of their race to behave as a bitter old woman? Were they putting on airs?

"No, rather I suggest that you channel the savagery of the gnolls," said Willam. "Find a mutual enemy who these gnolls can hunt and be hunted by. Then their aggressive power shall be set against your enemies.

"And you may aid the other races."

"Would you have us send them against your kind?" asked Tyrasa surprised.

"Not my kind, certainly. For I must see to my race's security, though we have harmed both of you greatly," said William. "Rather, you must bring them against enemies who are the friend to no one.

"Bandits, perhaps, or the dark creatures you speak of."

"I see," said Tyrasa, shifting her hips and walking past him to stand under a beam of moonlight. It would have made her look beautiful and mysterious if she weren't so incompetent. "It is true that much foul undead prowls the lands of the accursed Withering King. Though he is gone, driven out by King Andoa, Neral Dinis has replaced him. Though he makes no open war against our people, those who walk the wood's southern edge are often preyed upon.

"We had hoped to one day move against them. Yet our numbers have not increased enough, for we have not the fortune of the High Elves."

"Perhaps then, that day has come," said William.

"William may be correct, Tyrasa," said Jehair quickly. "With the power of the satyrs, we might well hunt down many of the undead. If we could clear them away, it would cleanse the land of shame and make new lands for others to dwell."

"My family holds dominion over the lands to the north, milady," said William. "Although we cannot strike Neral Dinis directly, we have much sway. Many have been dispossessed of their lands just as you were long ago.

"They might aid you in this venture.

"Without combined strength, we might seize such lands in your name. Provided only that a suitable cause of the war was found." Blackfear would have to have the undead population culled if they were to move people through it. Reports have shown that traffic has become nearly impossible in the last decade. Only the High Priest's agents could move through it unmolested by treaty with the undead.

A relic of happier times when Cirithil's predecessors had been beloved and trusted. Archbishop Alonsus had been renowned for his kindness and love of peace. He'd been a great friend to the poor, needy, and King Andoa. Though Prince Bor had despised him, and they had feuded. King Andoa must have wept to know what was happening here.

"No man dwells there now, so it would be good to see the wood expand again," said Tyrasa. "The undead's presence has sapped the land of strength. The trees groan with anger at the mistreatment of the plants there.

"For the feet of the undead stalk us.

"We will eat within the main outpost here if you will follow us."

"Of course," said William. He would be only too happy to put the matter behind him at this point.

The blue-haired women produced blindfolds that had never been used before and were very clean. They came forward toward them. "It is the custom that all outsiders go blindfolded."

"I shall do no such thing," said William simply.

"But I had to sew these by hand and keep them clean," said the woman. "Maybe as a personal favor-"

"No," said William. "I need to be able to see this land to know how to best help you. And anyway, the trees obviously don't like me. And I want to be able to see."

"Fine," hissed the woman, taking them away. "But I hope you trip over the roots."

"Felix," said William. "Return their bowstrings."

"As you wish," said Felix.

Felix spent the next few minutes handing them over.

And so they walked unencumbered through the trees. It rapidly became apparent that the wood elves groomed themselves. But they did nothing to reign in the woods, save the very bare minimum. Perhaps it had been a good defensive strategy once, but it made moving inconvenient. Massacre ate well, though.

However, one night, as William rested, he awoke to find a chill sense in the air. Standing up in the shelter he was in, he grasped his sword. Felix was on watch, and Jehair was gone. Looking down from the treetops, he saw in the darkness many shambling shapes. Low, unnatural snarls came from them as the scent of death came upward.

They moved in vast numbers, trampling over roots. As they did, the ground beneath their feet deadened. Suddenly, there was a horn call, and gnolls came out of the trees with spears. A spiked net was drawn across their path, then another to one side.

Whatever they were, they tried to tear down the rope first to get at the gnolls. Yet before they could, arrows whistled down from above. Each one found a mark, and they fell by the dozens in moments. Yet more of them were streaming off and fanned out to hack at trees. Here, they were met by the gnolls who stabbed and hacked with spears and axes, fending them off. Arrows fell from elsewhere. More came, only to be checked by more ropes, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

Massacre was roaring and tearing about. So that soon there was a burst of fire here or there. The shapes departed that area, and other shadows followed. The night went silent, and Jehair clambered back on.

"What happened?" asked William.

"A large contingent of undead came into this domain," said Jehair. "We're not sure how many.

"The move was clumsy; however, had it come on us unawares, we may have faced serious issues. Your presence here alerted the elves, and it may have saved lives."

"I'm pleased to hear it," said William. Divine providence, perhaps? No doubt their complete failure in the previous ambush had taught them a thing or two. "Need we fear attack?"

"I do not think we need be afraid until we reach Blackfear," said Jehair.

Tyrasa and Shai appeared at that moment, scaling up the tree like panthers. They had spent every arrow, it seemed, but they were pleased. "Victory is ours.

"Our trap has worked."

"Trap?" asked William.

"We lifted the wards on the border that the undead might enter," said Tyrasa. "From there, we fell on them and destroyed them all. They are mindless creatures that hunt wherever they can. They saw only weakness, and we destroyed them all.

"As you can see, we are quite proficient.

"What do you think of our demonstration?" She smiled.

"Very, very impressive," said William. "Surely, it was not made for my benefit, however."

"Not yours," said Tyrasa proudly. "But those you speak to will know we are quite skilled at ambush. Indeed, I think I may use these tactics again. There is no sense in letting the dead grow too numerous.

"We may well find a purpose beyond simple preservation."

"What was this place like before?" asked William, gazing at the leafy boughs.

"When we arrived here," said Tyrasa. "My Father and Mother, this place was being destroyed. Woodsmen under the reign of Anoa the Butcher were working at it. We managed to keep it alive and drive out men with axes, then later the undead.

"We battled here for many centuries, gradually growing in number. Over time, the forests regrew, and we are entering the best part of the woods."

All of what was said was born out.

The corrupt influence of the undead was short-lived. By the time night passed, all of the bodies were gone. It was as if eaten by the woods, and flowers were growing in their place. The darkness gripped their feet was lightened, and the birds chirped more. William knew that they would all have been dead if Tyrasa had decided to shoot him by stealth.

The trees were indeed very large and reached high. But the wilds here were untamed, and there was no rhyme or reason to it. William noticed that there were trees that had been shaped into dwellings. Under the sun, they looked impressive, and he wondered how they were made.

"Are there any more like this?" asked William.

"We warp and change the trees as little as possible," said Tyrasa. "All our arrows are taken from the trees without hewing them. There are spells that we taught to Telix.

"But he went south to Gel Carn and built a great fortress in the Wolven Forest. His ways are not ours."

"Then why are they in such a bad mood?" asked Felix. "This is the largest forest I've ever seen. No one checks their influence, and their neighbors dare not hew wood.

There were other structures like this. The ground became wet and spongy, and they left structures in the treetops. Below, one could see the drab and untamed realm all around them. No axe or plow had hit any of these places for ages, yet no one was happy.

However, you could see many deer, and it seemed they used this place as a sanctuary.

"Animals do not hunt within our sight," said Tyrasa. "It seems a custom."

Laevian didn't care.

That was the problem. This realm had been created and deliberated to imitate Laevian's vision. Laevian did not care one whit; her love for this place was the same as her love for any place. Just because it fits the description of the world she wanted, it meant nothing.

Because Laevian didn't care about the wood elves, she wasn't even interested in them.

"Do you worship Laevian?" asked William suddenly.

"We go to her when we die," said Tyrasa. "But nature does not care about individuals. Save for a kind of balance."

William didn't say that he thought Laevian didn't care about that either. "...What is special about this place?"

"This grand structure was once but the merest of our outposts," said Tyrasa. "In the old days, the Wood Elves held dominion everywhere from here to Brisgald. Brisgald, where House Gabriel now has as its capital, was ours.

"But with the coming of Anoa the Butcher, we were driven in. Village after village was put to the flame, and we were forced to flee. Yet no matter where we went, Anoa followed us until, at last, we came to this place. Anoa sent his men after us, but Laevian sent diseases to destroy them, and our ambushes killed many.

"Here, we have held our ground since.

"Our numbers have grown since then, if only a little. We number a little under a thousand in many scattered places. There is an abode of ours in the Black Marshes. And it is my task to ensure these woodlands remain defended."

"Why did you accept slaves and gnolls?" asked William.

"We saw victims of the humans and sought to aid them," said Tyrasa. "When they came, we tried to use them as best we could. It bolstered our numbers and was invaluable for a time. However, humans were only conveyed to other lands.

"Humans tend to congregate and cannot be as easily melded to serve the wood."

"Understandable," said William.

They had nothing.

These elves drank water and ate food meant to do as little damage as possible to the land. He saw it. Their homes were just woodland with no order save what was necessary for survival. Most of what they discussed was the land or the possibility of defiling it, if they talked at all.

And yet, this seemed a particularly merry meeting by their reaction.

"What are your goals?" asked William. "What do you want out of life?"

"...To preserve the woods," said Tyrasa thoughtfully.

"But what else?" asked William. "What is it you want for yourself?"

"We do not ask that question," said the blue-haired one. "We exist to serve the forest and preserve what remains."

What could be worth all this?

"Show me what is left," said William.

Tyrasa nodded.

So they have led away, and William is talking more now. He asked them many questions about the people who came and went. One or two merchants had commonly come to this place now and then. However, none of them had ever ventured out of the woods except Tyrasa and her friend once.

Apparently, her people kept having women instead of men. This was to their liking since they did not want to overpopulate. The men were tasked with less interesting supporting roles, all because they might be aggressive or fight for themselves. And they were forbidden to fight.

Marriages were arranged based on the people's demonstrated favorable traits. They were forbidden otherwise. No one was allowed to associate with outsiders. Doing so risked turning them against nature. Sex outside of marriage was allowed, so long as it was between the same gender and spouses did not stay together.

In fact, continuing a relationship with a spouse or your child was discouraged. Shai did not even know her Mother or Father, though Shai suspected the identity.

"So," said William. "Would you consider it a good thing if humans began to live as you do?"

"That will not happen," said Tyrasa, surprised.

"But would it be a good thing," said William.

"Of course," said Tyrasa.

"What would you do if the world began believing your philosophy?" asked William.

This seemed to disturb them.

"Live at peace with nature," said the blue-haired one at last. No one had mentioned her name.

"But you are not at peace with nature," said William. "You alter it to continue your way of life. You seem to regard your purpose as protecting it from those who distort it even more.

"Is the purpose of life to end?"

Silence.

"No more questions," said Tyrasa. "Our work is necessary. Without it, all would perish, including those we fight."

It was a good answer. It's not perfect, but it's still a good one.

At last, they came to a great fortress, and it stood above them. It must have once been greater still, and the narrow, elegant spires were breathtaking. Vines had grown up over it, but there seemed to be a kind of order to it. As if in respect. Yet all this could not hide the fact that the stones had fallen. A broken tower and many walls were crumbling, and parts of it had been eroded by rain.

It was a sad sight, and they would not permit him to walk this.

"This building must have been great to have withstood the ages for so long. How have you maintained it?" asked William.

"We have had difficulty doing so," said Tyrasa. "The wood has done much to aid us in this. Much knowledge was lost, and new construction has replaced the old. It now proves to be a poor substitute for what we once had.

"Yet, it is our lot to preserve what once was for the sake of what could be."

"Would it not be better to restore it to what it once was?" asked William.

"I do not think it possible," said Tyrasa. "Much of our old arts are lost; the stone mines from which the earth once gave willingly are gone. Now, the dwarves draw from them."

William thought about his old adventures. Then he remembered the stonemason Vensus, who dwelled in Antion. He was immensely talented and knew much about architecture. "Even so, Princess Tyrasa, I may know one who could serve you in that regard."

"Who?" asked Tyrasa.

"His name is Vensus; he is a master architect of the High Elves," said William. He was looking at the magnificent fortress. "Indeed, he was found worthy of building a temple to Typhos and the Dreaming Goddess. It was one that I was instructed to build, but I do not have his skill.

"So I made arrangements for truly elvish stonework to be put in place."

Tyrasa looked to the others, who nodded. "We have no money to pay such architects."

"That may be so, but House Gabriel has vast reserves," said William. "We have become very rich in trade and seek to improve the land."

"You would have us in your debt, human?" asked Tyrasa, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all," said William, thinking of all the atrocities that had torn the world down. It had taken a long time to get to this reasonably peaceful era. "We would still be in your debt. It would be more than compensation if we could restore some of the life and beauty we took away from you. In truth, my Father has an immense fortune, and accumulating too much wealth could be a problem.

"If we might spend some of it on a worthy cause, it would be better than many other uses."

"It would," said Tyrasa.

"Of course, I can promise nothing until I have spoken to my Father, the Duke," said William. "But I think we could see some of the glory of this place restored if all goes well."

Tyrasa looked at the others, who seemed interested. "You speak kindly for a human. But I do not think the High Elves know the techniques."

"Perhaps not," said William. "But, they might in time be rediscovered. Some gods remember those days. Perhaps Barden of the dwarves has a memory of it.

"I do not believe there is any wound that can be healed, no matter how terrible. And my people could gain much by restoring what was lost to us."

"You may be correct," said Tyrasa, nodding. "Very well, I shall speak to my Father of it when we arrive. Yet, for now, you should remain silent. I warn you that humans have seldom suffered to walk here. Therefore, you should speak only when spoken to, whatever your rank.

"There are older and far more powerful sentinels about this place. And they will not be amused by you as we have been."

"I shall do as you suggest, then," said William. "Milady."

Tyrasa was surprised by the formality but nodded. Things were developing now. If this went well, he could destroy Cirithil once and for all.

He just had to find the way.

Still, was this journey never going to end? He wanted to meet King Faras, settle this mess, and get to Gel Carn, which would require going through Blackfear and the domain of Lord Tarsus.

William prayed for an uneventful journey through both. That was not going to happen.