The ship I am planning on building is going to be too big to pass unnoticed. The human kingdoms along the way are not going to just ignore us, especially if the ship is armed. Unfortunately, according to the sailor there is a lot of ocean trade, meaning most kingdoms have a navy.

I also question the sailor about the slave trade and where, besides the capital, more elves might be. Unfortunately, since the trade has been going on for so long there could be elves anywhere. Not all the elves captured on the island went to the same kingdom, they were bought by merchants.

Those merchants then went to other kingdoms, so the elves could literally be anywhere. In other words, my odds of finding all the missing elves are pretty much zero. However, that doesn't mean I won't try to find more to rescue as we travel.

Throughout the night I question each of the human sailors, asking the same questions. Mainly to compare the answers and see if anyone is lying or hiding something. Some know more about some things than the others, but I don't catch any lies.

As long as they do a good job training the elves on how to sail I will keep my word and let them live. Of course, they will have to walk back to the human fort, but they should survive. After that, if they make it, how the other humans treat them is not my problem.

Although, now at least I have much more knowledge about sails and rigging. My original plan for the sails on my ship has already been scrapped, it was way off. While I had a basic idea of how sails worked, that is nothing to how the sails for a ship really work.

The truth of the matter is that I was thinking way too simply for what my ship needs. If I stuck with my original idea the ship would be slow and almost impossible to run. Now I am definitely going with two masts, I am even thinking of putting a mast on each of the pontoons.

After watching how the elves move around in the rigging I am thinking they can handle it. With just a few hours of teaching they are moving like experts, they can even run along the ropes. So I think that no matter how complicated I make the rigging they will be able to handle it.

Not only does that mean the ship can be faster but it takes a lot of pressure off of me. So this trip has definitely been worth it, even if I didn't save so many elves. However, not only am I doubling the population of the elves, but they are also getting training as sailors.

During the night we pass the northern part of the island and make the turn onto the eastern side. So in the morning when the sun comes up we are already on the last leg of the journey. Once it is bright enough the sailors set the sails back to full and get us up to speed.

When Silverstream wakes up and comes to relieve me we are only a few hours away from our destination. Once Silverstream takes over I head down to the galley and lay out breakfast for everyone. Then I go back on deck, lean on the railing, and watch the coast slowly roll by.

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We are staying in the shallows on my orders, I have seen what lives in the deep. Trying to fight off a sea monster from aboard the ship is not something I want to try. Sure, I could kill it, but probably not before it sank the ship and killed a bunch of the elves.

It simply isn't worth the risk just for the hour or so it would shorten the trip by. Thanks to staying in the shallows it is a nice peaceful trip and I just relax and enjoy it. After two hours I go looking for Silverstream, we need to talk about what happens next.

"Silverstream, we should arrive in an hour or less."

Silverstream says "Great! I can't wait!"

"The cove where the elves are camped is small, but deep enough for the ship to enter. Just don't get too close to the beach before you drop anchor."

Silverstream says "What? Aren't you going to be in charge?"

"No. I was going to fly ahead and warn Stillwater so they don't panic seeing a human ship arrive."

Silverstream says "Oh, yeah! Good idea!"

"I also don't know this coast all that well, so I plan to have them start a bonfire to lead you in."

Silverstream says "Another good idea! Thanks! That would make things easier."

"Why do you sound so surprised that I had a good idea?"

Silverstream says "I guess it is because of our conversation last night."

"Oh, yeah. Anyway, I am going to fly ahead now!"

Before I can get myself into any more trouble I change into the eagle form and fly away. Flying it only takes me a few minutes to reach the elven camp and go in to land. These elves are used to me coming and going so no one reacts to my arrival and I head straight for Stillwater.

Stillwater says "Welcome back, Ash!"

"Hello, Stillwater. Good to see you!"

Stillwater says "So, how did your trip go?"

"It went better than expected. In less than an hour a human warship carrying freed elves will arrive. You should warn everyone and light a fire to guide them in."

Stillwater says "Oh! Great! I will prepare everything right away!"

"Okay. I am going to visit the tree. I will be back in a little while."

While Stillwater rushes off to take care of things, I return to eagle form and fly to the tree. The tree is easy to spot, it now towers over all the surrounding trees by a large margin. As I approach to land, the tree welcomes me and I spot a small campsite by the roots.

Brightfire says "Welcome back! As you can see, the tree is doing great!"

"Yes, it is! Thank you for taking care of it while I was gone."

Brightfire says "It was my pleasure! How did your trip go?"

As I take my time and examine the tree in detail, I tell Brightfire about my rescue of the elves. Of course, after hearing about it she wants to hurry back to the camp and greet them. So I shift into the giant eagle and let her ride me back to camp where the ship is just arriving.

As soon as I land, Brightfire jumps down and rushes to join the crowd of elves waiting on the beach. The first of the elves are making their way to shore where the crowd is waiting for them. Standing in the lead boat I can see Silverstream and she looks really happy.

As soon as she reaches the shore, while the others are greeting each other, she heads straight for Stillwater. She probably is in a rush to explain to him about the human kids before they are brought over. After all, humans aren't very welcome among the elves, with good reason.

Silverstream is going to have a lot of work to do to convince everyone to accept the human children. Stillwater, I don't think will be much of a problem, but others are more stubborn. Anyway, that is totally not my problem and I am going to keep my nose out of it.