Chapter 2: Never Trust an Elf

The crystalline deer led me through the trees for some time. The deer would stop to drink and eat sometimes, and I would also do so if only for nothing else better to do, even though I never seemed to feel hungry. Food would grow from tree branches in real-time, and I could feel Sara’s presence before it withdrew. The only way I could tell the passage of time was the gradual shift from sunlight to moonlight back to daylight. I did my best to maintain focus as I walked for fear that the passage of time would escape me once again.

Suddenly, the forest ended, and I exited onto a verdant plain. This was where I spotted my first sign of civilization. Positioned from the forest, it looked unmistakably like a city. The city was unlike any city I had ever seen. Unlike the boxy rectangular shapes of my home, this city looked smooth full of curved buildings made of grey stone that glimmered in the sunlight. Farms surrounded the city, and I could pick out people moving among the fields.

A snort drew my attention, and I saw the deer that had led me was looking at me.

“Thank you,” I said.

The deer nodded, turned back to the forest, and began walking back.

I turned back to the city and contemplated my options for a moment. I needed information on this world I found myself in, and the city could guide me. On the other hand, most White Mages were dead, according to Sara. Would they recognize me as a White Mage? Could I blend in?

When it came down to it, I needed more information. There was a probable source. I tugged at my left pant leg down nervously and hoped people would ignore the faint traces of silver on my foot.

I took off at a light jog, closing the distance to the city and slowed my pace to a walk when I arrived on the road. I looked around and noticed people in the fields, and even from this distance, I noticed pointed ears. Well, that was a pretty generic trait for elves, so until I learned more, I could assume I had encountered them.

I hadn’t seemed to have caught anyone’s attention yet, so I continued making my way towards the city. Eventually, I arrived at the point where buildings, as did the people, became genuinely dense. I still seemed to escape notice, and I supposed, given how tall these people were, that I must have looked like a child to them. Their hair mainly was primarily shades of blonde, from a straw-like color to something akin to platinum.

Hesitantly, I patted around my ears, feeling the comfort of my overly long hair that remained out of my eyes. I continued across the cobbled path, the rough stone doing nothing to my feet.

I wandered for some time beneath the notice of the inhabitants of the strange city. It was quite pleasant for my first time in a ‘fantasy’ city. It wasn’t nearly as dirty as I expected, something which I wondered could be attributed to other kinds of magic. I could use White Magic, but I had no idea what other magic types there could be. There had to be others, and I was reminded of that vision I had seen before I came here.

So distracted in my thoughts was I that I didn’t at first notice the whispering around me.

I blinked as I realized people had congealed in front of me. Peaking around them, I saw a group of elves in silver armor and leather carrying what looked like twin swords on their backs. In the group’s center, I saw an elven girl wearing fine clothing with similar twin swords on her back. She had platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and she looked curious as she looked around her.

Royalty? I wondered. At least someone important.

An instinct had me looking up, and something glinted in my eyes before I traced the path of an arrow. I was so shocked that all I could do was watch as the arrow burrowed itself into the blonde elf girl’s chest.

I blinked, stunned.

The girl collapsed, and shouts and screams broke out as the crowd scrambled away. The guards formed a wall around the girl, but I had already followed the arrow path back to the top of a building where the culprit stood, their features strangely indistinct under dark cloaks.

Could it be magic?

I shook myself and refocused as the black-cloaked figure sprinted away. I focused on the collapsed blonde girl.

Wasn’t that arrow burrowed awfully close to where her heart should be? One of the guards had crouched down, and I could see the girl was trying to say something, but no words were emerging from her mouth, and blood was coming out.

The crouched guard was shouting orders, but only one made it through to my brain in my shock, “We need a Healer. Get a Healer.”

It would be too late, though, I was sure.

“You there, boy!” the words did what nothing else had done and broke me from my shock, “Fetch a Healer now!”

I looked at the woman who shouted at me, her eyes frantic. Eyes that reminded me of my mother as she held my dying hands.

I stepped forward and vaguely noticed that a guard was in my way. I brushed him aside, taking the remaining steps to her side.

I placed a hand on the girl’s chest, looking at her dying eyes, the fear screaming loud even though she could no longer speak.

Heal.

Brilliant white flashed, and I reached my other hand forward, pulling the arrow free cleanly. Pale skin was closed beneath the blood, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I noticed the woman who had spoken to me holding the sword at my throat.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“What did you do? You’re human!” Oh, I guess she had noticed the ears.

Despite myself, I couldn’t be bothered to worry about this woman, and I was more worried about the girl. I looked down and breathed a sigh of relief as the elf girl’s eyes opened, looking completely surprised as she felt her chest where the arrow had pierced her.

“I’m alive?” she asked softly, looking completely bewildered.

The sword fell from my throat, and the elf woman bent down to the girl’s side, grasping her hand.

“Eve! You’re alive!

“I am?” the girl, Eve, seemed just as surprised as the woman.

I could feel several eyes had fallen upon me, and I shifted nervously under their gaze. I hadn’t been thinking, though; I didn’t regret what I had done.

“You,” the woman was looking at me, mixed emotions swimming through her eyes, “Are you? It can’t be….”

Her eyes focused on the top of my head and then scanned over me as if they were searching for something stopping.

“Maria,” Eve was looking at the woman, evidently Maria, seemingly completely bewildered though I couldn’t exactly blame her, “What happened? I was shot….”

She looked down at the arrow I had cast to the side, covered still in the red of her blood.

“You saved me,” she looked me directly in the eye, and I could feel the gratitude in her words, and something warm settled in my chest at them.

Maria looked at me hard, though not aggressively, her eyes searching methodically over my form for a long moment before they settled on my left leg.

Her body snapped into a kneeling bow, “I am sorry for pointing my weapon at you, great mage. I did not know who you were. This does not excuse my arrogance, though, and- “

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“Um, it’s okay,” I interrupted her, not entirely comfortable with doing so but not liking this amount of deference. “You were just attempting to protect her.”

Maria nodded, and her body seemed to relax somewhat before she looked around where we were.

“We need to leave. There could be other attempts, and we must get somewhere safe.” She looked at me, “Great Mage, will you accompany us? The House of Havlion would wish to thank you for protecting its heir.”

The formality struck me off guard, leaving me to respond the best I could, “Uh, sure.”

Great job, Jamie.

In a huddled tight group, we moved through the streets rapidly until we came to what could only be described as a mansion with large silvery gates blocking the way, which were hastily opened at our approach. The mansion itself was large, with decent size grounds surrounding it filled with what looked to be a transplanted forest, and I swore I even spotted some deer similar to the one I healed wandering around beneath the branches.

As the gates closed behind us, a green wall of light shimmered above the gates.

I could only assume that the light was magic. What it did was another matter entirely.

We walked up the path and to the manor, where upon entering, we were met by a tall male elf with long blonde hair with blue eyes. Upon seeing us, his face lit up, and he rushed to Eve, pulling her into a desperate hug.

“I was so worried! Maria sent a message saying that you had been attacked, but you seem,” he stopped upon noticing the bloody hole in her clothes.

“You were hurt!”

“Calm down, Dad. I’m fine,” Eve said, gently patting the overexcited man.

On the other hand, it didn’t seem Maria was willing to let that slide, “Sir, an assassin made an attempt on Miss Eve’s life. They nearly succeeded if not for this young man who could heal the grievous wound they inflicted upon Miss Eve.”

“They hurt Eve! Wait, did you say heal- “The man’s attention focused on me, closely examining every inch of him before they landed on his bare feet.

“It can’t be,” he mumbled before seeming to collect himself, “Young man, are you perhaps a White Mage?”

I glanced at Maria. There wasn’t any point in lying. Yet Sara also seemed to blame the elves for being responsible for letting the White Mages die. He was operating off of limited information, to put it simply. However, there was no point in trying to walk back things they had already discovered.

“Yes, I am,” I said simply.

The man’s eyes widened before he dropped to a knee as if kneeling to a feudal lord.

“Great White Mage, I am grateful beyond words for saving my daughter. I know it is beyond the pale to ask for more, but for the sake of my people, I must. As Leon Silverleaf, the Lord of the First City, I ask that you beseech the Tree of Life reconsider and let the Elves back within the Great Forest.”

I blinked again. So, this is what Sara had meant when she said ‘Exiled.’ I felt terrible looking at the man beseeching me, and it reminded me of before I had come here. The last year or so, I had spent dying in the hospital, never able to go home. How long had the elves been banished?

Yet I recalled the vehemence of how Sara had spoken. I doubted if she would be willing to let them come home.

No.

A familiar voice spoke in the back of my head, and a loneliness I had felt beginning to seep into me vanished.

‘You can still hear me?’ I asked to make sure.

Yes.

The answers were short, almost clipped, but I would take that over nothing.

‘Is there any way you would let them come home.’

Sara was silent for a long moment, and I could awkwardly feel the tense gazes of the elves surrounding me.

No.

‘Why?’

They were supposed to protect children. Failed. Can never forgive.

Well, that was problematic to explain.

I tried to hide my grimace as I looked at Leon before me. I didn’t really know what to say to him. Still, there was nothing for it other than to forge ahead.

“I am sorry,” and I was, “She remains firm in her conviction.”

The man’s face drooped slightly, but he nodded, “I’m not surprised, but it was my duty to my people to ask. You have still done me a great service, and if I can aid you, I will.”

Guilt gnawed at my belly, but I had a mission leaving the Great Forest, and this was the perfect opportunity to get the information I needed.

“There is a reason I am here,” I began, “I was informed by S- the Tree of Life that there were some surviving White Mages, and I need to find them and bring them home.”

No mention of Sara’s sickness. I had little knowledge about this world and why the rest of the White Mages were gone.

“Really, a boy as young as you,” the man murmured under his breath, and I had to hold in an offended response, then louder, “The only White Mages we are aware of that are still alive serve the Empire of Gold.”

The Empire of Gold?

“Can you elaborate?” I asked, “I haven’t heard of them.”

Leon sighed, “They’re contesting this continent in a war with the Kingdom of Glass. They came from over the Green Sea and established themselves in opposition to the Kingdom of Glass.

Great more terms.

I pushed my hair back away from my face sighing deeply, “So where are your people in all this?”

“Nominally, we are subjects of the Kingdom of Glass, but as the war has dragged on these decades, we see less and less help from the Kingdom. They are stretched thin and are on the defensive. It doesn’t help that- “

Leon stopped himself.

I frowned, “Help what?”

Leon sighed, his fair and youthful face creasing into hard lines, “The White Mages that serve the Empire of Gold have given it a significant advantage. In a war of attrition, the Empire is winning. Even grievously injured soldiers will return to the battlefield the next day. By all reports, it is only a matter of time before the Kingdom of Glass falls, and we will all be under the dominion of the Empire of Gold.”

That was… not good. And I needed to convince these White Mages to return to heal Sara.

And it didn’t take a genius to realize that if White Mages had been involved this way, the Kingdom of Glass probably wouldn’t be too happy with them in general. Still, that wasn’t my problem, and I didn’t have a stake in a power struggle like this.

I was just a kid trying to get help for a tree.

I rubbed my forehead for lack of anything better to do and, in vain, tried to clear my thoughts.

“So, this Empire of Gold is the only way I’m going to be able to find the remaining White Mages.”

“If that is your intention, yes, I believe that is the only way,” Leon said heavily, “I fear, though, with you joining them, that would truly be the end of the Kingdom of Glass.”

“Wait,” I shook my head, “I didn’t say I would join them.”

Leon painedly smiled, “I’ve met White Mages. It would only be a matter of time. I owe a debt to you, but my duty to my people supersedes that.”

A heavy gauntleted hand settled on my shoulder, and I saw a guard that had previously been further away was now standing next to me. The other guards had already begun to form a semi-circle around me.

“Please don’t do this,” I said softly.

Eve stepped forward, an angry frown creasing her face, “Dad, what are you doing? Aren’t the Elves supposed to assist the White Mages in performing their duties? He saved my life!”

“I am sorry,” Leon said heavily as though a great weight had settled over his shoulders, “As a loyal lord to the Kingdom of Glass, I have no choice. Another White Mage joining the Empire of Gold would mean the end. Arrest him.”

Enhance.

I had said it out of reflex, but I was immediately thankful as the world seemed to slow. Already the guards were drawing their weapons, but I found myself unable to care at the moment. This man had turned on me almost instantaneously, and I could feel childish fury rearing up in me.

It wasn’t fair.

Experience countered that this man truly was desperate. I had seen desperate people before though they had been desperate in a different way. What made them similar, though, was that to a one, they had not been rational. What would I do in such a desperate situation?

I didn’t have to imagine too much; I was in a desperate situation, and Sara was still dying. These other White Mages were my only leads.

My body moved before my mind instinct drilled into me, taking over.

An open palm batted the guard, grabbing my shoulder away.

Cold chilled the air as ice swiftly formed and then shot directly at me.

Protect.

I swept my arm through them, shattering the ice mid-air.

I could already taste the energy rushing through the air as the rest of the guards backed up, facing me.

I looked at them for a moment memorizing their expressions of concentration and what was unmistakably fear.

It wasn’t fair.

These people are desperately trying to protect their homes. They didn’t see a choice, just as I didn’t see one.

I took in my surroundings, and for some reason, my eyes landed on a wall to my left where the first guard had tried to grab me.

I don’t know why, but my father’s words ran through my head, ‘Jamie, brute force is rarely the best option in any situation. More often than not, you’ll break something you’d rather not. So always think before you begin work on a problem, there is another path that does the same thing without the same risk.’

It had been before I got sick when he showed me something about woodworking. I honestly don’t even remember what he was trying to show me.

I gave a half-turn and sprinted at the wall, raising my fist before bringing it crashing against the stone.

A boom echoed out, and then a crack as the wall shattered inward, and I found myself sprinting through another chamber. I only had a moment to ready my other fist to break through the next wall as I ran forward.

Stone crumbled time after time before I was suddenly out into a garden with the sun’s warm rays beating down upon me. I leaped upward, soaring into the sky, and restrained the giddy feeling I felt as I cleared the estate and landed in the city’s streets.

I did not stop running, pumping my arms in rhythm as I rushed through the streets. I had just seen magic completely different than mine, yet another thing I did not know of this world. The possibility of somehow being tracked by some type I was unaware of was high, and the only thought I had was that I needed to get out of the city as fast as possible.

The streets flashed by as I dipped and ducked around the populace.

The buildings lessened in size and density till I found myself clear of the city and was shocked as I came face to face with what looked like a horse if a horse was dark blue and had what looked like metal hooves.

It snorted at me, shaking its mane as it turned to the side, very clearly offering me its back.

Yours. Go.

“Thanks, Sara,” I murmured under my breath, hoping my gratitude carried to her.

I leaped on the horse’s back and had time to get a grip before it was off. The terrain around me seemed to rip past my eyes, and I was reminded of a car, except this felt exponentially faster.

I closed my eyes and muttered a curse under my breath.

On the bright side, I had more information. On the other hand, the people in this world seemed increasingly desperate. All I could do was hope the next people I encountered would be more willing to talk before they tried to imprison me.