Traveling with the forest elves was something that Corin and the others had grown accustomed to, but at a very slow pace. Although it had been five days since they first set off with Ciba and the rest of the forest elves, there was a lot that Corin and the rest of the group had not grown accustomed to and things that they quickly learned.

The first thing that they learned was how much stamina the forest elves possessed.

Throughout the day the forest elves did not need to stop for food, being able to nourish themselves on the rays of the sun as they walked. The same was true of their woodland horses, who were able to continue their trotting unimpeded for hours on end. While Corin and the rest were offered space on some of the wagons they could not accept. They all felt as if the forest elves were already being too generous with their accommodations and felt that walking with the rest of them was the least they could do.

This meant that stopping for a break to eat and rest was something that the group had to ask for on a regular basis from the forest elves. Although the elves had suggested stopping for several moments, this was only out of a necessity to conduct rites at specific locations. The forest elves were able to keep the peace with the Giant who ruled the region, Baltro, by continuously moving around the forest and performing rites at various altars.

This meant that the forest elves did not stop for any other reason. The task of asking the forest elves to stop for rest was one the group distributed amongst themselves without any formal agreement. Usually the task was assigned at the behest of the same person.

“Corin, how long has it been since our last break?” Zhi asked as she tried to catch her breath.

She had been lagging behind the group for a while, which Corin had just noticed. He happened to be so enthralled by a specific clearing in the forest that he did not notice how far behind he had fallen from where he had originally been.

Several minutes earlier he had been near the front with Nanaua, and they both had been engaged in a conversation with Ciba. As the leader of the thicket Ciba was usually found at the front where he directed the route their group would take, and where specific stops needed to be taken.

Late on this particular day, Nanaua was curious about how the forest elves defended against various threats.

“Oh yes, there are many threats that we forest elves deal with on a regular basis.” Ciba began. “The worst of them are the stout beetles that burrow under our skins and those of our woodland horses. Though they are small they can wreak havoc on our thicket. One unchecked egg is enough to lead to a colony of bugs within days. Another nasty creature we don’t like are the Black Shouldered Robins. One of their favorite meals are the light fruits we have. They like to eat this fruit for their mating rituals, but it leaves us blind! Then of course there are the woodland termites…” Ciba continued off.

Corin could see that Nanaua was expecting Ciba to regale her with tales of combat and tactics, not of bugs and critters.

Farther behind the front, at the midpoint of the caravan Simeon and Livia were engaged in a discussion about the various curiosities of the forest elves' way of life and their differences to other furtives.

“But how do you think it is possible that they speak with the trees? Do you think it would be possible for any of us to speak with trees as well?” Livia asked Simeon.

“Well as far as I know, all I had heard about the ability to speak to trees…” Simeon continued.

Since coming into contact with forest elves, Livia had been of a single mind. All she could talk about was the forest elves and how they lived. It was not unusual for her to get hung up on a new topic when she discovered it, but it had been a while since anything else had grabbed her attention in such a way. She wanted to know more about their ability to communicate with and through the forest, their ability to get nourishment from the sun, their innate understanding of their surroundings. Thus she had hardly been able to hold a conversation about anything else. Any effort by Corin to speak on other matters not relating to the forest elves was met with a mix of confusion and frustration on her part. She could not understand why Corin was not nearly as fascinated with forest elves as she was. Only Simeon seemed to match her curiosity and enthusiasm for the subject.

Further back, Zhi caught up to Corin as he admired the clearing in the forest.

The late day sun shone through and the heavy pollen in the air created wisps that slowly undulated up, down, and around. On the ground of the clearing a heavy log lay, covered in thick moss and with various fungi growing out of it. This log had been laying on this same spot for years undisturbed. Corin wondered what kind of tree it had been once. There were so many different trees around them that he had never before seen in his life. Trees wider than he was, trees with exotic looking fruit, trees with curious drooping branches, trees with brightly colored leaves. But whatever kind of tree the log had once been, and whatever life had flown through it, it was something completely different now. A small bird rested on the fallen log, jumping to and fro looking around.

“Corin?” Zhi spoke up once again, reminding Corin that she was right next to him as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Oh sorry.” He said realizing he had ignored Zhi the first time she spoke to him. Finally he was able to snap out of his trance and realize where he currently found himself.

“There are some beautiful sights in this forest, aren’t there?” Zhi said as she looked at the same clearing. As they watched the bird hopped several times and flew away.

“Yes there are.” Corin replied as they looked to where the bird had flown. “But you are right. We have been on the march for a long distance, and I think we ought to rest one last time before the sun is too low. I myself am beginning to feel the effects of the trek. I will go to the front and speak with Ciba about taking a rest.” Corin smiled at Zhi as he put his hand over hers.

“I appreciate it, Corin.” Zhi said as she smiled back at him.

It was a genuine comment from her. Given the circumstances of the time they had spent together it was not unexpected that the group would become close as time went on by. But it was something that had caught Corin by surprise. In his own life there had only ever been three people he had ever held near and dear to him. Two of those were on this journey with him right now.

When Corin met Nanaua and Zhi all he saw was an opportunity to strike at the Titans, no thought was given to the strangers. But now Corin found himself thinking less about their end goal and more about those around him. More time was spent thinking about lessons in dragon script, learning new hunting tips from Simeon, watching the sunrise with Livia, or even sparring sessions with Nanaua, regardless of how painful those might be. The thought of what they would do when they encountered Belaran or anything beyond that was not something Corin considered.

“Of course Zhi.” Corin said to her as he began moving toward the front of the convoy.

As he did so and walked past Simeon and Livia.

“But if it were possible, hold on a moment.” Simeon interrupted himself. “Are we taking a break Corin?”

“That is the plan.” Corin said as he waved them by.

“I’ll save a spot for you.” Livia spoke to him.

“Thanks love!” Corin replied. He leaned in and gave Livia a kiss. She smiled at him.

Finally Corin made it to the front. As he walked up to the front he noticed that the wagons had begun to slow down as he walked past them.

“... be attacked by a group of bandits, how would you defend against that?” Nanaua had continued the conversation with Ciba regarding what battle tactics the elves would adopt in case of an attack.

Ciba had already come to a stop by the time Corin approached the duo.

“Ciba, we wanted-” Corin began.

“Yes, let us stop for a break. The others are preparing already.” Ciba replied as if he already knew what Corin was going to say.

“How did you-” Corin began.

“We hear everything the trees do.” Ciba interrupted him with a smile.

That was the other thing Corin and the rest of the group had not gotten accustomed to yet. The fact that the forest elves could hear everything that was said, and could communicate with each other without saying anything. On one occasion Corin had made a particularly crass joke to Nanaua, only to hear a group of forest elves laugh about it at a distance. There was also the fact that whenever the forest elves decided on something, they would all begin acting on it without any sort of verbal cue about what was about to begin.

Within minutes the caravan had stopped and an impromptu camp was being set up. Corin and the rest ate various fruits and nuts they picked during their walk with the forest elves. As they sat down and ate, Corin noticed that very few forest elves joined them for a meal. Normally most of them would join Corin and company for conversation. Instead they seemed to be preoccupied with something.

“Oba, is something the matter?” Simeon asked the nearest forest elf. Oba was one the oldest forest elves, though not as old as Ciba. She stood next to Simeon, but was focused on matters elsewhere, and did not reply to him immediately.

“Oh sorry we forget frequently that you don't hear what we say.” Oba began. “A new group of furtives was spotted in the forest earlier today and Ciba and the other forest elves are curious about them.”

Upon hearing this, Simeon turned to look at the group. They all seemed very apprehensive about the news.

“We have seen this group of furtives travel through this forest. It must have been about close to twenty days ago.” Oba said.

“Is it not normal to have furtives travel through this forest?” Simeon continued his question.

“Oh, we'll probably get a group of furtives every now and then, but in the recent past we have seen some more activity than is customary for these parts. The cursed mines don't help in attracting visitors to the area.” Oba replied.

Corin felt a pit begin to form in his stomach. He did not like what he was hearing.

“Oba, forgive me for pressing the questions, but how do you know that it is the same group of furtives that is traveling through here? Is this a guess on your part?” Simeon asked.

“Oh we are very good at differentiating furtives that walk through our forests. When you walk through these forests we know how you walk, how heavy you are, how tall, how fast, how loud, there are even things the trees tell us that you can not comprehend. There is a lot we see from each person who passes through here. If someone comes back we know for certain if they have been here before, whether it has been a week, or years. And this group is very distinct from other furtives.” Oba added.

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“How so?” It was Zhi who asked.

“Their behavior is very different from the majority of furtives that move through these forests. They move through at a very quick pace. When they hunt, their coordination is marvelous, they act as if made of one body. Much like us they use very little words to communicate with each other. And they all do so despite having a large number of them.” Oba replied.

“How many?” Zhi asked. Her tone betrayed her nervousness.

Corin felt as if he knew the answer, but he was holding out hope.

“There's about twelve of them. Six humans and six dragoors. That part makes it stand out very clearly. Aside from our friend here,” Oba said as she pointed to Nanaua “we don't see those very much.”

At the declaration of this Nanaua rose up.

“This is not good. There is no question about it. These are Zifors.” Nanaua said.

Corin’s gut reacted viscerally to the term itself. First Grial. Then Daum.

“Yes, be that as it may, we know about them ahead of time.” Simeon said, trying to mask the concern in his voice. “They won't be able to surprise us. Dispatching them, while not trivial, should not be an issue for us.”

The conversation between the group and Oba had alerted other forest elves. Ciba had come to see what was being discussed.

“These are not like the two other squads we have faced. There is only one Zifor squad that has dragoors, and that one,” Nanaua paused as she said this, “is led by Yoren Throk.” Nanaua spat on the ground after saying his name.

“I take it you don’t like this Throk?” Simeon asked.

“There are few I could say I dislike more than he. He is manipulative, power hungry, untrustworthy, and very dangerous.” Nanaua said.

“What makes him so dangerous?” Livia asked.

“Unlike the other Zifor Yoren’s, Throk did not begin as a hunter of runaways. Throk was one of my own, another Lord’s Protectorate.” Nanaua said. “Not just him, but three of the other dragoors in that squad were Lord’s Protectorate. Traillo, Nerua and Nureilla. The other two were Kishtros Noro, and Tiyo.” Nanaua finished.

The word Kishtro brought a memory back into Corin's head. Of his first encounter with Nanuaa, and the hooded assailant that nearly killed them both.

“The assassin.” Corin said.

“That's correct.” Nanaua said as she looked at him.

“I don’t know the others in his squad, but I have no doubt they are dangerous as well. If Throk is after us, then this certainly means that Tonatiuh is desperate to find us.” Nanua began. “Throk and the others were banished to a Zifor squad for a foiled plot to assassinate other members of a rival clan. The six in the squad were lucky that they are of family that is highly regarded in Tonatiuh’s estate, the others that they brought along for their murderous scheme were not so lucky. Though he lived, he became an outcast in Tonatiuh’s estate. He has not been seen or heard of since being made a Zifor Yoren, and this is the first time that his squad has been sent out to retrieve an escapee. I can only assume that failure for them means death.”

Nanaua paused. Simeon had no rebuttal, they were all quiet, digesting the news.

“Do you see now why our enemy is so dangerous?” She continued. “These are not only better trained than the ones that we have faced before, but they will stop at nothing to bring Zhi back.” Nanaua said.

“But we have the element of surprise!” Simeon began as he rose up, trying to find any reason why their cause is not a lost one.

Now Simeon turned to Ciba. “Would your thicket help us find these furtives? This group, the Zifors, are dangerous. One of their group burned down an entire town just to get the Onsiel’s attention. The second nearly killed us if it wasn’t for a defector. Please we need your help.”

Before Ciba could answer Nanaua interjected.

“It won't work, even with the forest elves’ help.” Nanaua said through gritted teeth. “The Kishtros are trained assassins, dealing in surprises and ambushes is their entire specialty. If there is so much as a hint of an ambush the Kishtros will see through it, and with a group as large as ours, there is no way they will not notice it. Even if we are able to gain a slight edge it won’t be enough to offset the differences in our abilities. Traillo, Nerua and Nureilla’s abilities are equal to mine in battle and the Kishtros themselves are well trained combatants.”

“What of Throk?” Asked Corin.

“Despite his duplicitous nature, there is no denying that Throk was, and still is one of the best combatants in Tonatiuh's estate. I was never able to best him when we sparred.” Nanaua replied.

“But we have Zhi, a magic user. How are they going to counter that?” Simeon asked.

“They must have a rudimentary understanding of her power and our abilities if we already dealt with Yoren Dok and Ahseri. I am sure they have thought of ways to neutralize her abilities and how to deal with us. And that is without saying that all they need to do is bring her back alive. There are no specifics on what state her mind or body needs to be in when the ritual takes place. These Kishtros know death very well. They know how much damage a body can take before it dies. They must already have a plan in place to neutralize her. They would not be pursuing us if they knew the battle would not go in their favor.” Nanaua replied.

Corin exchanged looks with everyone. It was clear they were all going thinking the same thing. What could they do?

“How far away are they?” Livia asked as she turned toward Ciba.

Ciba looked at her and stood silent for a second.

“They are nearing the position where you encountered our camp.” Ciba said. “It seems they are scouring the grounds.”

“So if they decide to pursue us they would probably reach us within a ten day?” Livia asked Ciba, with growing concern.

“They could reach us before that. Maybe eight days.” Ciba replied with little to no hint of worry.

“And Yranto, how much longer do we have until we reach it?” Corin asked.

“It will take longer than a fortnight to reach the point where we would part ways. We did not expect your group to need to make so many stops.” Ciba replied.

“Well we don't even know if they'll try to come after us this way. They have no reason to believe we're here.” Zhi mentioned.

“I wish it were that way, but they have plenty of reasons to believe we are in this area.” Simeon said.

“How?” Zhi asked, feeling exasperated.

“The other Zifor squads.” Livia replied. “Let’s begin with the one we encountered, when Corin was captured.”

Livia said this with no emotion, but it still stung Corin. He could not get over the fact of how close he had brought them to ruin with his carelessness.

“That Zifor squad was destroyed.” Livia continued. “That lets them know that we are on the continent. It also gives them an approximate area of where we were based on where they last contacted them. There was another squad that was waiting to ambush us. The fact that we did not encounter them would let them know we did not continue down that road. That means there were three options. Continue back the road we came and face the giant. I assume they would know we did travel that road because of the giant. Another option is to go east, which would lead directly to the ocean. The last option is to go west, across the mountains, where we currently find ourselves.”

“Damn.” Zhi said as she looked around. “I'm sure I can defeat them.”

“My love, if I thought you could win this fight I would have said so.” Nanaua said.

The group went silent again.

Corin felt the fear begin to swell up within him. A squad of Zifors with enemies as strong as Nanaua. Death was coming for them, and they did not know what they could do to avert it.

“I will stay back and hinder their progress.” Simeon stated, finally breaking the silence. “I will stay back. Beginning right here, I will do everything I can to make the road as hazardous as possible. I may not defeat them, but if I can dispatch, or injure, any of them, they might be weak enough that when they get to you, that you're able to finish them.”

Corin's heart sank when he heard Simeon say that.

“Simeon, I can't let you do that.” Corin began protesting.

“Well, do you have any other ideas?” Simeon shot back now slightly agitated. “Every moment we spend talking is another wasted opportunity. You go on ahead and I'll begin preparations this instant.”

“If you stay then I will stay as well.” Corin replied, his voice rising.

“Corin, listen-” Simeon began but Corin interrupted him.

“I'm not running away again!” He shouted at Simeon as he stood up. Corin shook as he stared down his friend.

“Corin, the others will need every able bodied person available to fight.” Simeon began in a comforting tone. “With two or more setting up traps and scouting the area it just leaves more trails for them to be able to realize something is awry. If only one of us peels from the camp it will be much harder for them to tell what is occurring.”

Corin felt rage swell up within him. That same feeling that haunted him in his dreams. When Cyril would tell him to run, to leave. He could not face that again.

Corin looked around trying to see if there was anyone who would say anything.

“Nanaua do you think this has a chance of working? That Simeon can do anything to even stop them?” Corin was begging for someone to agree with him. They could not let this plan go through.

Nanaua looked at him and then Simeon.

“Simeon is as capable a hunter as I have ever seen.” Nanaua spoke as she looked at him. “His arrows fly with amazing precision. He is able to see through many traps and trickery. Tracking him would be a difficult task for even the most experienced.” Nanaua finished in a low tone.

“But they would find him, wouldn't they?” Corin said.

Silence.

“In time, yes.” Nanaua's short reply came.

“Corin, I understand-” Livia began.

“I won't accept it!” Corin shouted back at Livia.

“Corin there really isn't any other way, you have-” Simeon spoke.

“Just wait!” Corin shot back. “No decision has been made.”

As he spoke he looked around him. In his friend's eyes he could see that they, unlike him, had all come to accept Simeon's proposal. Ciba and the other forest elves were quiet, no doubt communicating amongst themselves about the ensuing debate.

Corin closed his eyes and brought his head down. He rubbed his temples as his mind ran through every possible scenario.

What if we go faster? The Zifors are more agile, they would eventually catch up.

What if we hide amidst the forest elves? The Zifors would probably search every single caravan and determine if they have others with them.

What if we split off from the forest elves and travel separately? That might give us some time. The Zifors would probably track the forest elves and determine that the Onsiel does not travel with them, but then they would readjust and begin to pursue us once more.

Corin rubbed his pendant, thinking. There must be something else, something they could do.

Baltro.

“That's it!” Corin shouted as he opened his eyes.

Simeon, Livia, Nanaua, and Zhi all looked at Corin with concern in their faces.

“Ciba, how far away is Baltro from here?” Corin shouted in such rapid succession that it took several moments for everyone to understand what he just said.

Ciba replied quickly. “Six days east from our current position.”

“So we have time to get there before they reach us!” Corin said with excitement as he turned to Simeon and the rest.

There was silence amongst the group. They all looked at Corin as they thought about what was being said.

“Wait Corin, are you suggesting we lure them towards a Giant?” Zhi was the first one to ask.

“Yes!” Corin said.

“Nanaua herself said that Simeon is likely not to survive his encounter with the Zifors. That means eventually we would have to face them. And even if Simeon were to inflict losses, our chances of success are not very high. But if they were to come in contact with a Giant there is no amount of might that twelve furtives could bring to bear to defeat it!” He finished.

Everyone was silent. Their faces all displayed concern, but there was no denying they were all thinking of this option.

“You propose that we wait by the Giant and eventually he will strike at the Zifors? What makes you think that instead of letting us move peacefully by him, he would not just strike us down?” Nanaua said.

“You've seen Ciba and the rest perform the rites. If we enter Giant’s immediate vicinity and we give offerings, there might be a chance that Baltro won't come out to attack us. But the Zifors don't know about this, and Titans meet force with force. If Baltro sees the Zifors he will see their numbers and their aggressive nature. The most likely case is that he would attack them.” Corin said.

“Throk and the rest would know the Giant is nearby, they would not walk into its domain.” Nanaua countered, trying to find holes in Corin’s plan.

“Ciba, how likely is it that these furtives would know of Baltro’s whereabouts?” Corin asked.

Ciba was quiet for several seconds.

“You pose some difficult questions, young one.” Ciba replied, breaking the silence. “Baltro’s movements and patterns are only known to us forest elves. Baltro currently slumbers and his appearance is indistinguishable to large mountains. We have had hundreds of years to learn his behavior. To say that any other furtive would be able to tell where Baltro is, or distinguish regular mountains in the distance from a Giant, that is not something I can say.” Ciba said.

“See what I mean Corin, I-” Nanaua said.

“Wait,” Ciba interrupted. “Yes that is correct, Mol.” Ciba said to no one in particular.

“It has been brought to my attention that during their last trek through this forest, the furtives did pass very close to Baltro.” Ciba stated. “That is why our paths did not cross. I do not know if they were unaware of the Giant, but they did not seem to notice it. It was pure happenstance that they did not incite the rage of Baltro, but if they were to intrude upon his land once again, there would likely be repercussions.”

Nanaua now was silent, it was clear that she began to seriously consider this proposal.

“Will you show us how to get there?” Corin asked Ciba. “I know you've done so much for us already, but please, will you show us the way?”

Ciba hesitated to give an answer to Corin for the first time.

Corin stared at him for several moments but Ciba still did not speak.

“Corin, we have already asked too much of them, let us-” Simeon began but was interrupted.

“The thicket is still debating whether or not it will help.” Ciba said. “Your plan is reckless young one, but… there are objects that Baltro highly regards.”

“So will you help?” Corin asked, almost pleading.

Ciba once again remained silent.

“We will have a decision in the morning. For now finish your meal so we may continue down the road.” Ciba said “We have one last rite to perform before we break for the night. Later on we will need to meet with your group and learn why it is that you are being pursued. It seems there is much that we have yet to hear from you.”

With that Ciba broke off and the other forest elves, quiet as ever, began to prepare to move on once again.

Corin and the rest of his companions were quiet as well, but unlike the forest elves they were not communicating with each other. They were all considering the news they had just heard. Although none of them said it, they were all considering Corin's suggestion strongly.

Before they returned to the road Simeon approached Corin.

“Well my boy I don't know if I should be touched by your concern for me or worried about you.” Simeon said to Corin.

“How so?” Corin replied, his heart was still racing.

“Well I knew you were fond of me, but suggesting we all go hide amongst a Giant just because you don't want to see your old friend killed? Well I don't know if it's a nice sentiment or if you are finally beginning to lose your head!” Simeon said.

“I only did what you would have done for me.” Corin replied quickly.

Simeon laughed as he looked at Corin.

“Don't I know it my boy, that's why you're such a pain to deal with.” Simeon said as he laughed.