The trip over to Aendor was surprisingly accident-free. Given what had been happening, Feyrith had feared that they'd get attacked on the way, despite traveling during the day, but that had not happened. And yet, as the massive, diamond bridge came into view, he felt more anxious than ever.

He remembered leaving Aendor after he'd been banished with a mix of determination and outrage. Now he was scared of facing the Council again. Of facing any elf at all, for that matter. He wondered if the Council had told everyone what had happened, even if it would be their version of it. They'd called him Cursed, but how would the elves react to learning that one of them had been Cursed in adulthood? To Feyrith, at least, the idea of a group of rogue elves who could somehow steal magic away from them seemed less intimidating than the possibility of becoming Cursed at any point for no seeming reason.

But given how the Council had reacted to his story, it was more than likely that they'd not addressed it at all. Feyrith still had trouble believing that development. He didn't want to question his elders, but none of it seemed to make sense, and the only explanations he could come up with always centered around the Council being cowardly, foolish, or both. But he'd been agonizing over this for an entire month, so he knew he'd come up with nothing new.

The five humans traveling with him all let out impressed gasps when they noticed the bridge, which finally managed to at least somewhat distract Feyrith from his panic as he focused on them instead. At first, he'd been a little disappointed that the newcomers decided that three of them accompanying him would be enough, but he was quickly realizing that it likely didn't matter much. Even one of them was capable of giving the Council enough of a testimony to convince them, so three should be plenty. Not to mention that Arbane and Lanna also had first-hand experience with the attacks, even if those had been less destructive.

"I didn't know the elves actually had a bridge like this," one of the newcomers, Terra, said, her voice filled with awe. But looking at her, her expression quickly darkened. "Of course they would have a literal diamond bridge."

"Did you think it was a metaphor?" the leader, whose name Feyrith had found out was Kass, asked, sounding amused. It was very strange how calm this woman seemed given what had transpired just hours ago, but Feyrith wasn't going to think about that. Humans and their emotional expressions were a field of study that never failed to stump him.

"I thought it was just talk," Terra replied, muttering something under her breath. Whatever it was, Feyrith was certain it wasn't complimentary. Not that he could blame any of them for thinking it was unnecessary for the bridge to be made of diamond.

As much as he understood that it wasn't meant to be insulting to the humans, he could see why it would be. Natural diamonds were rare and precious, so to make an entire bridge out of them would seem like the elves were trying to show off their riches. He knew that wasn't the case, but he could see why a human would see it that way.

"Can we go over it?" asked Lanna, looking at Feyrith. The elf gave a firm nod.

"There should be a guard stationed on the other side. We will explain the situation to them and see what they say."

Feyrith swallowed, trying to get rid of some of his uneasiness. The idea of meeting with any other elf stressed him out to a ridiculous degree, but he needed to remain calm and collected. He was supposed to represent these humans, and while they could of course represent themselves well, he was sure, his word should carry more weight.

Feyrith just focused on keeping his breathing steady as they began to traverse the bridge, keeping his gaze straight ahead. Even though the sight of the distant towers, spires, and the massive branches of Denedril made his stomach twist into knots, it was still preferable to looking down and seeing the ocean through the clear bridge.

The bridge was very long, but he certainly remembered it not taking so long to cross the last time he'd done it, not even when he was returning to Aendor to report his failure. Each second dragged on for an eternity, and by the time they were approaching the island, Feyrith felt like hours had passed.

His heart was beating almost painfully hard in his chest as they finally reached the guard at the other side, who came forward, blocking their way.

"Halt," she said, stopping them, but instead of asking what their business here was, her eyes widened. "Feyrith?"

Feyrith frowned, only then realizing that he knew this elf. This was one of the people he'd been studying with, Enaryl. Feyrith tried not to show his dismay on his face, but it was difficult when he felt like he might get sick from the way his stomach was twisting in on itself. Facing someone he'd never talked to would be so much easier than this.

But instead of judgments or disgust, there was relief and confusion on her face. Much more pronounced than he'd expect from an elf on Aendor. "We all thought you died."

Feyrith's frown deepened. Had the Council simply not addressed his banishment at all? But he'd arrived back here and left once the Council had made their decision, so surely he must have been seen by someone. This was very odd, though Feyrith couldn't decide if it was better this way or worse.

"I did, in a manner of speaking," Feyrith said flatly, swallowing down the rising wave of sadness that threatened to drown him.

Enaryl tilted her head slightly, clearly unsure of what he was trying to say. And Feyrith didn't have the strength to explain.

"Well, I am very glad you are okay." She did seem pleased, which was odd. Feyrith didn't think they'd spoken much at all during the years they'd spent studying in one group with another more than twenty elves. "I am afraid your human companions cannot cross to Aendor, however. You know the rules."

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Even though he knew Enaryl was being sympathetic, it was jarring how little she expressed it. Just a hint of it in her eyes and a barely noticeable rise of her eyebrows. Had Feyrith truly changed so much in his behavior from being around the humans that a normal elf's mannerisms were strange to him now? That only helped to cement his depressing situation.

Feyrith sighed. "Yes, and the rules state that I cannot cross either." Before she could ask what that meant he continued, lowering his gaze. He couldn't look at her while admitting these things. "I...lost my magic. It was taken from me."

Enaryl's eyes went wide with shock, finally a completely unrestrained show of emotion. "W-what? How is that possible?"

Feyrith shook his head, forcing himself to look the other elf in the eye again. "It does not matter right now. We came here to request aid. The humans are overwhelmed by attacks from the jungle beasts. A nearby village was just destroyed by them, and we fear Sunwood will be next. The situation is desperate. Please."

Enaryl took one look at the humans behind him before nodding. She still seemed more unnerved by what he'd told her had happened to him rather than the grim news he'd come bearing, but she did seem to have dropped the issue for now.

"Okay, yes, of course. I will contact the Council."

Feyrith watched warily Enaryl take out a communication stone from the satchel hanging from her shoulder. He knew he wouldn't hear the other side of the conversation, only the person using the stone did, but he still couldn't help but tense up. What would the Council say once Enaryl mentioned his name?

But to Feyrith's surprise, Enaryl didn't mention him at all, only telling the person on the other side what the situation was, and that there was a group of humans at the bridge. Feyrith wasn't sure what to make of that, though he was grateful, he supposed. If a Councilor decided to meet with them personally, it would no doubt be uncomfortable, but it would have been that even if Enaryl had told them about his presence beforehand, so he supposed it didn't matter.

"I could not get in contact with a Councilor, but I did speak to a member of the Fifth Circle," Enaryl informed them. "She said she would go tell the Council about the issue immediately."

Feyrith nodded. So they would have to wait. He supposed that was to be expected. The Council was very busy often. But it still made him annoyed, even though he had no rational reason to feel that way. This was very important. The fate of humanity was hanging in the balance, and they didn't have time to waste. The Council couldn't know that of course, but that did nothing to soothe his indignation.

"How could you have lost your magic?" asked Enaryl softly. Feyrith should have known she'd use the moment to ask about it, but he didn't feel ready to explain it. Even after a month, saying it out loud still felt like a personal failure on his part. Even if he couldn't have fought those elves and won, losing his magic, a gift from the Goddess, was about the worst thing he could imagine.

"Some rogue elves attacked him and took it from him," said Lanna, saving Feyrith from having to say it himself because he knew Enaryl was not likely to drop it. And she shouldn't be. The elves on Aendor should know the truth. They should know what danger awaited them on the mainland if they were more willing to listen than the Council.

"Rogue elves?" Enaryl repeated, looking from Lanna to Feyrith, who nodded, unable to meet her gaze. He expected her to refuse to believe him, just like the Council, but instead, she seemed alarmed as she came closer to him. The quasir carrying him immediately went to sniff at Enaryl, but Feyrith held the beast back. He wouldn't allow it to accidentally cross the border. That might cause more problems for them than they could afford.

"Have you told the Council?"

"They did not believe me," Feyrith replied, his tone emotionless and flat, though not because he was trying to make it like that. He felt completely empty admitting to it. "They called me Cursed and banished me."

"But...." Enaryl shook her head. "No, this must have been a misunderstanding. Why else would the Council not take a threat like this seriously?" She offered him her hand. "Come. We can talk to them together."

But before Feyrith could refuse, Enaryl's attention was brought back to the communication stone in her other hand. She closed her eyes, breathing out.

"Yes?" But her mostly neutral expression that she'd been maintaining despite what she'd just found out crumbled as her eyes flew open, full of shock and disbelief. She was still communicating with whoever was on the other side of the conversation, though, judging by her somewhat vacant stare. "What? How could they refuse?"

Feyrith almost gasped. So the Council refused to even hear them out? But.... How could that be? Feeling like all his strength left his body, Feyrith bent forward, resting his hands on the back of his quasir's neck as he struggled to keep his breathing even. He couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment. Confusion, outrage, betrayal, hopelessness.... All he knew was that there was just too much inside of him, and he felt like he might explode if he let those emotions free.

"But a village has just been destroyed," Enaryl said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "The Council has to care about that."

But she said nothing more as she looked back at Feyrith and his group, looking dazed and confused.

"Well, we tried," said Kass. Feyrith turned to get a better look at her, wondering if this was a human thing he didn't understand because how could she think this wasn't a massive issue and an earth-shattering development? But Enaryl spoke before he could say anything.

"I am sorry. I... I do not understand what just happened," she said, dismay on her face as she stared at Feyrith as if he had any explanation, the communication stone still clutched in her hand. "How could they say no? That we do not have the resources? Protecting humans is our divine mission."

Feyrith didn't know what to say. He'd thought the same thing. Banishing him and not taking his warnings seriously was one thing, but ignoring the humans' calls for help was a betrayal of what elves stood for.

"It's always been like that," Arbane grumbled. "It's fine, don't beat yourself up over it. We'll just do our best to survive on our own. As usual."

Feyrith didn't like at all that at least some part of him agreed with that assessment. There weren't enough elves to protect the entire continent, and the Council did have a very important job of making sure things ran smoothly, but this was a crisis. They could use their mastery over magic to help find a solution, likely very quickly, and then get back to their duties. But instead, they couldn't even bother listening.

Enaryl looked at each of them, hopelessness in her eyes, but as she opened her mouth, no words came out. Feyrith nodded at her, trying to show that he appreciated her trying, as they all turned around. Feyrith kept his head hung low, afraid to meet the gazes of any of the humans around him. He'd brought them here, promised their journey would ensure their people would get the help they needed, and none of that had happened. If they were angry with him, they had every right to be, but he was too much of a coward to face that anger.

And now that his one andonly plan had failed, what were they going to do?