Most of the rangers strode out the moment the meeting was over, hurrying to their duties with grim determination. A few remained, huddled around their superiors, discussing what was to be done.

Almost all of them shot uneasy glances in Ted’s direction.

Whatever. He didn’t need to be popular, especially now he was leaving the Forest so soon.

Cara smiled at him, pretending it was all okay, but she couldn’t hide the lines of worry, and her feet refused to stop fidgeting, her toes flexing against the ground.

“You don’t have to come with me,” Ted said. He didn’t need a death on his conscience.

She shook her head and rose to her feet. “I’m a Ranger. We keep the Forest safe. I couldn’t stop that dungeon spawn. Going with you is my best hope of making a difference.”

Ted raised an eyebrow. It was a solid reason, but there was a glimmer of excitement in her voice, hidden under all that anxiety. While she took duty seriously, it never really excited her that way. “Have you ever left the Forest?”

Her eyes lit up, and she shook her head. “No. It’ll all be new to me. Adventure awaits!”

Ted sighed and looked away. Yeah, that tracked. At least someone was happy they had absolutely no idea what they were walking into.

The swift exit of most of the rangers left the large hall feeling empty. Toward the center, Jeremy was talking to Elivala. Ted couldn’t make out what they were saying, but there was an anger in Jeremy’s gestures that he’d never seen before.

Ted wondered what they were saying. Could Jeremy change Elivala’s mind? Cara was fun to have around, but she wasn’t a powerhouse like him. “Shame Jeremy can’t come with us.”

Cara stiffened up and muttered under her breath in Wood Elvish before switching to Common. “He’ll bring us as far as he can. That’ll be several days for him to teach you more magic, at least.” The words were there, but she clearly didn’t think it was enough. “You pick things up quickly. You’ll manage.”

“Right.” He’d have to, somehow. “Can you sort out supplies?”

“Sure thing! You should visit the library. I know you love your books, taking a few to study on the way would be good for you.”

“Good thinking. Oh, and don’t forget to find someone to look after Nibbles.”

“I won’t. Go! Get what you need. I’ll sort out the supplies.”

“Thanks.”

Ted headed for the door with his head down. Just shy of escape, Elivala approached. Hadn’t she done enough already?

With a serene, almost insulting calmness, she gestured for him to follow. “Walk with me now.”

Ted resisted the urge to tell her where to shove it. No matter how angry he was—with damned good reason—defying the Keeper over something so trivial wasn’t worth it. He fell in behind her, ready to endure whatever berating or gloating she had until they were out of earshot of the other rangers.

She said nothing as she led him across the treetop paths. The din of the rangers faded, replaced by the rustling of leaves and occasional birdsong, and it occurred to Ted that this might be the last time he’d ever walk these paths. The thought weighed heavier on his chest than he’d anticipated.

He gritted his teeth and pushed away a sentimentality that he could ill afford. So what if the daily routines he’d settled into with Cara had been comfortable? Once he found his way home, he’d get back on track and never have to think about Tolabar or dungeon spawn or having his head ripped off by a gorilla ever again.

Coming to a stop, Elivala sat upon a bench grown from the tree itself and gestured for Ted to join her. For a moment, he considered staying standing, but that would only it more awkward. Besides, weird as they were, the tree-benches had a springy give to them making them surprisingly comfortable.

He sat down beside her, yet she remained quiet, her controlled expression gave away nothing.

Ted mirrored her silence. Better to let her make the first move than give her anything else she could use against him.

Was she angry he’d hidden being a Hero? That, at least, would make sense, even if it probably did save his life. Or was it about Cara? She no doubt saw Ted as a bad influence, leading a young wood elf astray. Never mind that the wood elf in question was five times his age and impossible to lead anywhere she didn’t want to go.

The silence began to grate upon his nerves. Why didn’t Elivala say anything? If she wasn’t going to speak, why were they here?

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Time ticked by until, at long last, she spoke—and it was in Common. “I owe you an apology.”

Ted blinked and stared at her. Had she just apologized? Well, technically no, but it was closer than had seemed possible. His stomach hardened. If it was about screwing him over, it was a bit late for that.

“Several apologies, in fact. For a wood elf to wash themselves of someone in need is no small thing. I thought that would keep our people safe. I was wrong.”

“It’s fine.” Ted spoke slowly, thinking carefully about his words. It paid to be careful around those in power. “I would have done the same in your shoes.” Or worse.

Her eyebrow raised and her head tilted slightly. After a moment, she nodded. “Ah, in my position? I am glad you understand. I’m sorry that I could not secure more aid for your quest.”

Was that true, or was she playing him? Prowlers were promoted on ability, while Keeper was more of a political position. Everything she said had to be examined with that in mind. “We’ll manage.”

“No doubt.” She bowed her head briefly. “Still, I would like you to take this.”

She closed her thumb and forefinger around the middle finger of her other hand. Despite stopping just short of making contact, her fingertip bent back as if she had.

She pulled a wooden ring off where none had been before and presented it to him. “This is a Ring of Return bound to the Great Forest,” she said. “Activate it, and it will teleport you and one other willing person back to us, along with all you are carrying.”

It slid onto Ted’s finger easily and fit perfectly, despite his fingers being larger than the Keeper’s. “Thank you.” He held up his hand and examined the smooth bark ring. It radiated power, offering its magic up, almost asking to be activated. “Is it reusable?”

“Yes, though it would take a long time from your perspective to recharge. Still, do not hesitate to use it when required.”

“Can you see the ring?”

“Currently, yes. You can make it invisible at will.” Elivala’s jaw almost imperceptibly tightened. “Keep it safe. We do not need more evil in our Forest.”

Ted connected with the ring in the same way he did with mana and willed it to turn invisible. It eagerly obliged and vanished, leaving behind an eerie disconnect between the pressure of the bark against his finger and his eyes telling him nothing was there. “Fascinating. Thank you, Elivala, this might well save both our lives.”

“Cara is a daughter of Tolabar. She is dear to Jeremy, and to all of us. Keep her safe.”

“I will.” The question that came to mind seemed ungrateful. It didn’t need to be asked, but curiosity couldn’t be denied. “Why not give it to her?”

Elivala chuckled and relaxed into a smile. “I want it back when you’re done with it. Don’t lose it. Don’t leave it too late to use.”

“Thank you for your trust.” No matter how late. “The others, they believe I’ll fail, don’t they?”

The Keeper’s smile faded and her usual controlled expression returned. “If they did, you’ll prove them wrong.”

Ted tried to tease more information out of her, maybe even convince her to provide more aid, but she wouldn’t budge. The Keepers had made their decision, and that was that. Seeing it was a dead-end, he made his excuses and headed on to the library.

To say they were not thrilled about the prospect of allowing him to take books out of the village would be an understatement. Ted suspected that if he’d walked in and shot one of the librarians, they would have taken it less personally.

When it became clear that no amount of reasoning would make them budge, he decided to take an alternative approach. Since the librarians already knew that Cara was going with him, he needed someone else. Someone who might be willing to trust him in the name of learning.

Alas, the list of potential candidates was short, and he was not fond of the idea.

“Come on,” Ted said, struggling to keep the desperation out of his voice. It was more pleading than reasoning by this point. “Anything you can get will help me.”

Reltan sighed. “What it is you ask is no small thing. Many of the books you are after are older than any living elf. They contain knowledge that is not held anywhere else in the Forest and, if lost, would be a blow felt by every generation from now until the end of time.”

That was pretty much what the librarian had said, too. Couldn’t they see the bigger picture? “They would lend them to you, though, wouldn’t they?”

The indignant, fiery glare in Reltan’s response was unexpected, and more than a little alarming. From Cara, it would have been business as usual, a fleeting storm. Reltan, on the other hand, had always been steady and level-headed. If he was pushed too far, he might not come back around for a very long time. Worse, he might tell someone of Ted’s plan.

Keeping them indefinitely was clearly out of the question, so it was time to lower expectations. “Jeremy is escorting us to the edge of the Forest. I can have him bring the books back with him. They won’t be gone for more than a couple of weeks, tops, and Jeremy won’t let anything happen to them.”

Reltan glowered but didn’t say no. He teetered on the brink, caught between his irrepressible desire to help and the implicit deception of the plan.

Pain stabbed at Ted’s chest. Taking advantage of Reltan’s good nature wasn’t really right, but it was all for a good cause. “What good’s knowledge if the world ends first?” Reltan had to see the logic in that, didn’t he?

The elf’s lips pressed together, the argument clearly having hit a nerve. After a few seconds, his shoulders sagged and he sighed. “Fine, fine, I will get what I can. But they come back in the same condition they left, understood?”

“Absolutely.” Hopefully.

Half an hour later, and Ted was carefully placing misappropriated books into his backpack while Cara double and triple-checked the supplies.

No matter how many times he used the pack, his brain rebelled at the way objects simply vanished when placed inside. They were accessible, and still added to the pack’s mass, but it definitely wasn’t obeying Euclidean geometry.

The one book on spellcrafting—the only one in Tolabar’s library, go figure—was aimed at beginners. Still, it was a start. It would have to do.

It would have to do.

A knot twisted in Ted’s stomach. He found himself thinking that way too often these days. This plan—and really, calling it a plan was stretching it—had more holes in it than a punched card program. “You’re absolutely sure you want to come with me?”

Cara nodded. “I’m sure. It’s my world you’ve got a quest to save.”

“Right.” And I’m the one who can’t really die. “Supplies all good?”

“Mostly. Jeremy’s procuring us some potions. He said to meet him down where you were last night.”

“Alright, I’ll go. And… thank you.”

Cara smiled back, positively glowing like everything wasn’t destined to failure. “I should be thanking you. Besides, you’d do the same for me.”

Would he? He wasn’t so sure.