As the light from the teleportation circle faded moments later, Ithan sighed in relief. Sunlight peeked through the trees above, illuminating the forest around him and his friends while patches of light graced the forest floor. The dark clouds over Zastraria had not reached Myth Veri’Shantar—not yet, at least.
“We need to speak to Rham,” Taer’inar said as he stepped down from the platform.
“What for?” Dhurik asked. “He’s sticking up for his people. I say we let him be.”
“If we do nothing, we’ll lose our status with the empire—”
“Status,” Dhurik huffed. “That’s all you really care about, isn’t it?”
“Greenreach will suffer, too,” Fenvyre added. “I want to help Rham, too, but not if it means hurting everyone back home.”
Dhurik crossed his arms and grumbled.
“I must say, you’ve taken this quite personally,” Bimpnottin said.
“I’m just saying, they’re fighting for freedom, and that’s their right,” Dhurik said. “Nothing we say is going to change that.”
“We have to try,” Taer’inar said. “I’m not saying we ask him to stop fighting. But maybe there’s another way.”
“I’ll go along with it for now,” Dhurik muttered as he stepped past the elf. “But sometimes, violence is the only way.”
Taer’inar closed his eyes and sighed.
“I know that all too well.”
Strange sounds pierced the silence that followed—a culmination of squeaks and trills and chirps and other noises coming from the direction of Eleana’s home. Ithan was not the first to hear it; Fenvyre had already started walking toward the source of the sounds. It was only after Ithan—along with his other friends—followed the dragonkin through the trees that he discovered their source.
A medley of forest creatures scurried about the open area near Eleana’s home. Many of them held bits of food or little rocks—they seemed to be gifting them to each other.
“Look at them all!” Fenvyre said.
“What are they doing?” Irse asked.
“I’ll ask,” the dragonkin said. She kneeled down and beckoned to a passing raccoon carrying a piece of metal in one of its paws. It scampered over to her, and the two chittered back and forth for a few moments before the raccoon went on its way. Ithan smiled at the exchange; he knew how much Fenvyre loved animals, and watching her speak to them was endearing.
“Well?” Taer’inar said.
“They call it ‘market day,’” Fenvyre said. “I guess they do it a few times a year.”
“What, like a bazaar?” Dhurik asked.
“A what?”
“A bazaar. You know, like where you trade for stuff.”
“Oh,” Fenvyre said. She glanced back at the crowd of creatures. “Yeah, it kind of seems like that.”
On the far side of the clearing, a tall figure shrouded in black emerged from Eleana’s tree and drifted away into the forest. They vanished too quickly into the foliage for Ithan to get a better look.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“Who was who?” Taer’inar replied, whipping his head toward Ithan.
“The person in the cloak. They just left Eleana’s tree. You didn’t see them?”
Taer’inar tilted his head.
“I’m sorry, I was distracted,” he said. “I suppose we should check in on her before we leave. Any objections?”
No one spoke against the elf, so he led them through the clearing—the crowd of critters easily maneuvering around them as they walked—to the trunk of Eleana’s tree.
“Welcome back,” a voice sang. Eleana emerged shortly after from the tree, her hands clasped in front of her as she floated down to the ground. Today she wore a flower bud in her hair, which had begun to show hints of green.
“Who was that person who just left?” Ithan asked.
“Hm? Oh, they were just a traveler passing through,” the dryad said. “Just needed some directions, and I was happy to give them.”
“The forest is much livelier than it was when we left,” Irse said.
“As it should be,” Eleana said. “Today is a special day, after all.”
“What day would that be?” Taer’inar asked.
“Why, the equinox, of course,” she replied. “Surely the elves still celebrate the arrival of spring?”
“Of course we do,” Taer’inar said as he scratched the back of his head. “I suppose time has gotten away from me a bit…”
A strange feeling pulled at Ithan as Taer’inar and Eleana spoke of the celebration of spring. He remembered the arrival of spring to be a joyous occasion, but this was not a feeling of joy. It felt more like… dread. But what could be so dreadful about the season of renewal?
“Pardon me,” Bimpnottin said. “I don’t suppose you have anything to trade, my dear dryad friend?”
“I do not trade in material things,” Eleana said. “I trade in secrets.”
“How does that work?” Fenvyre asked.
“Well, the short version is: you tell me a secret, and I tell you one. Doesn’t that sound interesting?”
“Interesting indeed!” Bimpnottin said. “Might I borrow you for such a trade?”
“Certainly."
"We don't have time," Taer'inar groaned.
“Ah, this will take but a moment,” the gnome said. “I assure you it shall be worth the wait.”
He climbed up into the tree after Eleana and disappeared behind the leaves in the entrance. While they waited, Dhurik followed Fenvyre around to greet the various creatures and peruse their wares. Ithan grinned as he watched Fenvyre translate between Dhurik and a porcupine, all while Taer’inar and Irse conversed behind him.
“If we are unsuccessful at convincing Rham to renege on his threats, what are we to do next?” Irse asked. “Surely we are not going to try to take him by force? With the terrans unified, they would easily overpower us.”
“All we can do for now is try to reason with him,” Taer’inar said. “He is still our friend. Hopefully that will be enough to dissuade him from acting hastily. Whether we succeed or not, we’ll need to start heading to Meriterre after—”
“Three silver pieces for one apple?!” Dhurik’s voice boomed, causing the elf and auran to stop their conversation and look over at the minotaur along with Ithan. “That’s robbery, you little—”
The porcupine shrieked as it stood on its hind legs, its quills straightening along its back.
“Now, now,” Eleana called as she emerged once more from her tree. Bimpnottin appeared behind her as she spoke and began climbing down the tree. “Please try to be a bit more civil. Otherwise, you might not be welcome in the future.”
“Fine,” Dhurik grumbled. He fished a few coins out of his pocket and dropped them in front of the porcupine. “Take your money and give me that apple.”
The porcupine, seemingly satisfied with the exchange, produced an apple from its burrow and presented it to the minotaur. It made a cheerful chirp as he and Fenvyre walked away toward the rest of the group.
“Thank you so very much, my lovely dryad friend,” Bimpnottin said. “A tremendous help, indeed.”
“I am happy to be of service,” the dryad said, looking out to the rest of the group. “Would anyone else like to trade?”
Ithan wondered what he would even ask of Eleana. She knew about as much about his past as he did, and he did not have his own secrets to trade, anyway.
“Could we perhaps take you up on your offer another time?” Taer’inar asked. “We really need to get going.”
“Oh, of course, I’d almost forgotten,” she replied. “I am happy to trade secrets any time, whether it be on market day or not. Now, run along, and do be careful. The storms to the north show no signs of dispersing.”
The dryad waved farewell to the group as they moved northward out of the city and into the denser parts of the forest. Soon they came to the edge, stopping short of leaving the cover of the brush to observe their path forward. There was a single gnoll nearby, carrying a horn in one hand—likely for alerting other gnolls in the area.
Taer’inar held out an arm, and in a puff of smoke, his owl Nyctea appeared. He whispered something to her, and she flew up into the canopy while Taer’inar closed his eyes.
“They’re patrolling the area,” Taer’inar said. “If we take out this gnoll, we’ll have to move quickly before the next patrol arrives and discovers the body.”
“Just gotta make it quick,” Dhurik said.
“Let me do it,” Ithan said.
“No,” Taer’inar snapped, opening his eyes once again.
“I’ll be fine,” Ithan groaned. “I can do it.”
“This would be good practice,” Irse said. “You cannot always be there to protect him, Taer’inar.”
Irse’s encouragement surprised even Ithan, since she usually scolded him for his recklessness. Perhaps she had begun to see his potential.
Taer’inar sighed.
“Fine. But we all have to be ready to move in if something happens.”
Ithan smiled, and then he took a deep breath, drew his sword, and prepared himself for the hunt.
“I can do it,” he repeated to himself.
“Be careful,” Fenvyre whispered as he crept into the tall grass beyond the forest.
Ithan peeked out of the grass every so often to track the gnoll, and crouched down quickly to escape its notice whenever it turned toward him. He moved carefully, making sure not to make any noises that did not sound like a small creature passing through. If he were more skilled like Taer’inar, perhaps he would be able to make no noise at all. But that would come with practice.
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When he was sure he was close enough to the gnoll, he lunged, slashing at its back, and it yelled out in pain before falling to the ground.
That was easier than I thought.
Ithan stepped up closer to the gnoll to inspect his work. He did not take pleasure in slaying creatures like Dhurik did, but he was proud of himself for managing to do it on his own. He could show Taer’inar he could take care of himself.
Then the gnoll’s eyes shot open, and Ithan fell backward in surprise as it started to stand again. Ithan scrambled to his feet as the gnoll towered over him. It uttered something that could have been words and raised its horn to its mouth. No sound came from the horn, though—instead, the gnoll made a gurgling sound as a blade pierced through its neck. It collapsed to the ground hard just in front of Ithan, revealing Taer’inar behind him. Ithan’s heart sank knowing he had failed.
“It was a good try,” Taer’inar said as he wiped his blade clean. “But you underestimated your opponent and let your guard down.”
“I’ll remember not to do that next time,” Ithan mumbled.
“You did fine,” Taer’inar said. “I suppose you do just need more practice.”
“We should go,” Irse said as the rest of the group approached the elves. “We do not want to be nearby when the next patrol arrives.”
“One sec,” Dhurik said as he readied his axe.
“Dhurik—” Taer’inar shouted.
Ithan winced and turned away as the minotaur swung his axe down. The fighting and killing he could handle, but the decapitations… he would never be able to watch such a grisly display without his stomach turning. He did not even look back as Dhurik fastened the gnoll’s head to a stake.
“A present for the next guy,” Dhurik laughed.
The group proceeded swiftly and silently through the field, trying to gain as much ground as possible before someone took notice of the missing patrol. Sure enough, after ten minutes or so of travel, a horn blared to the south—the next patrol had found Dhurik’s “present.” Other horns began to sound in several directions moments later, and the group started to move faster toward their destination, deeper into the darkness of the rainless storm over Zastraria.
“Not this again!” Bimpnottin shouted as the sounds of gnolls growling grew louder around them. “Best be ready for another battle!”
“We just need to make it to the fortress,” Taer’inar said. “How much further?”
“A few more miles,” Dhurik huffed.
Ithan could see their destination on the horizon—a remarkably pristine wall of stone. But a line of gnolls blocked their path ahead and yet more gnolls began to surround them.
“Godsbane!” Bimpnottin shouted. He conjured a ball of flame and hurled it at the oncoming gnolls, and they were blown away by the explosion that followed, leaving the group an opening to pass through as the enemy closed in. Bimpnottin and Irse continued to fend the gnolls off with their spells, and Dhurik charged ahead to take down the ones left standing.
They finally managed to reach the wall after Bimpnottin had exhausted all of his magic. Fenvyre started helping in his stead, but she did not possess her teacher’s explosive power. She conjured vines and thorns to try to delay the gnolls from reaching them, while Irse called down lightning upon them.
“Rham!” Taer’inar shouted as he slammed his fist against the wall. “Please, let us in!”
Irse was starting to look tired. Her magic was likely almost depleted at this point. The gnolls were tearing through Fenvyre’s defenses faster than she could replace them. Ithan braced himself for the oncoming assault.
Then the wall opened up—just enough for the group to pass through—and closed again, the sounds of angry gnolls becoming muffled behind them. Ithan slammed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up and saw the group was surrounded by elvenoids made of metal and wood, with rigid features and glowing orbs in their chests. These must have been the terrans, he realized. Most of them were geared with armor and weapons, and the one standing directly in front of the group wore a helm decorated with glowing gemstones.
“Rham, thank the gods,” Taer’inar sputtered. “I thought for a moment you weren’t going to let us in.”
“Greetings, Taer’inar Volarei. Bimpnottin Bafflestone. Irse Mivriv. Dhurik Lastnamenotfound. Fenvyre Lastnamenotfound. And—” The terran stopped at Ithan. “My apologies, but your information is not in my memory banks.”
“I’m Ithan. It’s nice to meet you, Rham.” Ithan held out his hand toward the terran.
Rham’s head twitched as he reached out to shake Ithan’s hand.
“Understood. Greetings, Ithan… Lastnamenotfound.”
“Please tell me you’re not going to keep addressing us like that,” Taer’inar said.
“I am happy to resume addressing you by only your first names,” Rham said. “However, since it has been some time since we last spoke, I thought it best to speak more formally.”
“That is and always will be entirely unnecessary,” Irse said. “We are friends, Rham. Friends do not address each other as such.”
“Understood,” Rham replied. “Then tell me, Irse, what is the purpose of your visit?”
“Well for one thing, we needed to get away from those nasty gnolls!” Bimpnottin shouted.
“And we came to talk to you about your threats to the Seal,” Taer’inar continued. “You should know that we’ve been asked to bring you back to Greenreach as a result.”
“I see.” A whirring sound came from Rham’s head. “I had hoped you would not still be in Greenreach when that letter arrived.”
“You weren’t going to tell us?” Taer’inar asked.
“I did not want you to be concerned,” Rham replied. “I do not wish harm on the citizens of Greenreach. However, I must retrieve my fellow terrans. If the Seal will not return them willingly, I must take more aggressive action.”
“War is only going to make things worse!” Taer’inar shouted.
“You say we are friends,” Rham said, “but you are standing against me. Is this what friends do?”
“Sometimes friends argue,” Ithan said. Rham—and the rest of the group—turned to him. “That doesn’t mean they’re against you. They just want to find another path.”
“There is no other path,” Rham droned.
“Please, Rham,” Fenvyre said. “You can’t go through with this. You’ll hurt so many people.”
“I do not wish harm on the citizens of Greenreach,” Rham repeated. “However, the safety of my fellow terrans is of higher priority than the safety of the dragonkin.”
Fenvyre shrunk away from Rham. Ithan could see the hurt in her eyes, and his heart hurt for her.
“Let’s all just calm down,” Taer’inar said. “Rham, we’re not going to try to drag you back to Greenreach. But we also don’t want you to start a war with the empire. Not until we’re in a better position to try to work things out, at least. Would you consider, perhaps, delaying your next action until we return from the mountains?”
The terran’s head whirred again.
“Consider this,” Irse said. “What harm will come to your fellow terrans if you wait?”
Rham did not respond.
“They are safe, relatively,” Irse continued. “They do not have their memories, but that is their only affliction. They are not in any danger while they are in the empire’s control.”
“That is… true,” the terran said. “I must… recalculate. You appear to need to replenish your energy. Please follow me to the refuge sector.”
“Refuge?” Taer’inar asked as Rham began to lead them through the city. The storm above them made the sky nearly black, but the streets were lined with bright lanterns, so Ithan had no trouble viewing the pristine streets and buildings along the way. They seemed built to perfection, with that same strange textureless brick that the outer walls were built with. Most of the buildings were rectangular in shape, but there was one cylindrical building—like a tower—in the center of the city.
“I have granted a number of denizens of Zastraria asylum from the gnolls,” Rham said. “We have been able to provide them with clean water and nourishment.”
“You have food here?” Dhurik asked.
“We adapted one of our facilities to one that can produce edible products of sufficient nutritional value.” He produced a small brown bar from a compartment on his belt and gave it to Dhurik. “The refugees do not like the taste, but they have not filed a formal complaint.”
Dhurik sniffed the bar and then took a bite.
“Well, it isn’t good, but it beats Birdbrain’s rations.”
Taer’inar narrowed his eyes at the minotaur.
“Here we are,” Rham said, stopping in front of one of the buildings. The doors slid open to reveal what looked to Ithan like an inn without walls. Beds lined the inside wall of the building, but save for that there was no other furniture to be seen. In the center of the building was a large gathering of mostly red-skinned elvenoids donned in tattered clothes or badly damaged armor.
“Why, it’s Advar!” Bimpnottin shouted before running into the building toward the creatures. One of them looked up toward the shouting gnome and grinned.
“Captain Bimpnottin Bafflestone!” he laughed. “Thought the gnolls had gotten you!”
“Nonsense! Such creatures are no match for me and my minions!” Bimpnottin turned back toward his friends. “Come, come! Let us join our good hobgoblin friends!”
Ithan followed behind his friends as they gathered with the hobgoblins, and sat down between Taer’inar and Fenvyre as they began to converse with Advar.
“So, how’re things?” Advar asked. “See a couple of new faces, but where’s the other little guy? And the uh… fox… deer… guy?”
“They’ve gone to travel elsewhere,” Taer’inar said. “How did you end up here?”
“Well, that witch wasn’t too happy with us trying to bring the fight to her. Sent out more gnolls than we can count, and they took out most of our outposts. Last I could gather, the only one still standing is over by the tunnel into the mountains in the northwest.”
“Brilliant,” Taer’inar said. “That’s exactly where we need to get to.”
“The tunnel? Oh, I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. No one ever comes back out of that place. Don’t know what’s in there on account of it.”
Taer’inar glanced at Ithan.
“We’ll manage,” he replied.
“Suit yourself,” Advar said. “But hey, you’ve got magic folk with you, so maybe you’ll be all right.”
The conversation went on for longer than Ithan would have liked. He stopped listening after Advar started talking about how bad the food was here. There was something about this place that was unnerving to Ithan, besides the blank white walls and the strange way the terrans moved about and, well, everything about this place was odd. But there was something else that he could not place that made his eyes wander around the room, trying desperately to find the odd within the odd. Alas, he was unable to locate the source of his unease before a nudge on his arm reminded him of the far less unnerving presence of Fenvyre.
“Are you bored?” she whispered. “I’m bored.”
“All white walls is pretty boring,” Ithan chuckled.
“At least put some decorations in here,” Fenvyre said.
“Even just one thing,” Ithan said. “Like a small tree or something.”
“Yeah, that would be perfect. Right now this place just feels like a prison.”
Now that it was in his head, the idea of being stuck here was pretty unsettling. Perhaps that was the something that felt so off to him. He wondered if the refugees felt the same way.
The doors into the building slid open again, and two terrans stepped inside.
“The party of Taer’inar Volarei is requested to join Lord Rham in the command center,” one terran said.
“Chief Advar is also requested to join Lord Rham in the command center,” the other said.
“It’s about time,” Advar grunted as he pulled himself up from the ground. He joined the group in following the terrans out into the streets and toward the tower-like building. When they reached it and stepped inside, one of the terrans beckoned them to step into the center of the room. When they did so, the terran pressed something on the wall and the floor where they stood began to rise.
“Gravitational magic?” Taer’inar said. “How interesting. Built into the structure itself…”
The ceiling above them opened up and they passed through, revealing another floor. This room, in contrast to most of what Ithan had seen so far, was a complete mess, covered in papers haphazardly strewn about the floor and stuck to the walls. Rham stood at a table on one side of the room, and he looked up at the group as the platform stopped moving.
“Chief Advar,” Rham said, “I have considered your request to aid in retrieving our terran allies from the Burning Scale Dynasty.”
“Yeah?” Advar said.
“Rham!” Taer’inar shouted. Rham held one hand up.
“I would be happy to accept your request. However, I have recalculated. We will wait until our friends return from their prior engagement in the mountains before taking any further action.”
“I see,” Advar said. “Well, it’s your call. You know where to find us if you need us.”
“Thank you, Chief Advar. I appreciate your support.” Rham turned his head back to Taer’inar. “Is this acceptable?”
“Yes,” Taer’inar said with a gleam in his eyes. “I swear we’ll find a way to get your fellow terrans home.”
“Thank you, Taer’inar. I trust that you will keep your word.” He turned his head toward Fenvyre. “I apologize for my demeanor toward you, Fenvyre. I did not intend to hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” Fenvyre said. “Thank you for changing your mind. I’m glad. Even if it wasn’t for Greenreach.”
“I did it for you,” Rham said. “I did it because my friends requested it of me, and it was a logical request.”
“So we’re all wrapped up here?” Dhurik said. “Then we should get going.”
“I will have Cobalt and Pierce lead you out,” Rham said. “They will provide cover for you as you exit the city.”
“Fantastic!” Bimpnottin said. “Those gnolls will never know what hit them!”
Two terrans—Cobalt and Pierce, Ithan imagined—joined them on the platform before it began to descend.
“May Laht favor you,” Rham called before the ceiling closed above them.
“I am Cobalt,” the terran with the blue orb in his chest said as he led the group along the streets with Pierce. “We will escort you to the city exit and provide cover as you depart.”
As the group passed the refuge sector, Advar stopped following the group and started walking toward the refugee building.
“Don’t die out there,” he called before disappearing inside.
They reached the edge of the city shortly after, and Ithan once again prepared himself to fight. Cobalt and Pierce had promised to provide cover as they left, but he knew that after that, he and his friends were on their own. The walls opened up, and Cobalt and Pierce ran ahead of the group as the sound of the gnolls outside grew louder. Then there was the sound of explosions, and gnolls screaming in pain.
“Let’s move,” Taer’inar said before rushing through the opening. Dhurik followed close behind, and Ithan ran through with Fenvyre. The area immediately outside the walls was shrouded in smoke, but Ithan was soon able to see his friends sprinting ahead of him, gnoll bodies littering the ground around them. A nearby live gnoll lunged at Ithan, but either Cobalt or Pierce—Ithan had no time to turn around to find out which—blasted it down. He focused all his energy on keeping up with his friends, finally on the first step on their journey to Meriterre.