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As they traveled on the fourth day, the trees seemed to become thicker, like massive pillars holding up a roof of leaves. Gnarled branches reached into the sky far over their heads. The sun dappled the soft forest floor with speckles of light, and the air was alive with birds and insects.
Around noon, the pungent aroma of blacksmiths, cooking fires, and other city smells wafted around them. Rain sensed they were nearing a city, but couldn’t see any sign of one yet.
“Halt.” From behind a tree stepped an elf. He was tall, with cropped blonde hair and pointed ears. He wore light armor beneath a blue surcoat, which was embroidered in silver with a tree encircled by twisting knots. A thin sword was strapped to his belt.
He drew his sword and pointed it at Whiskey and his horse. Rain could tell the elf had skill with a blade, from the quickness of his movements. “Who are you, and why have you come here?” he said. He looked uncertainly at them, his eyes lingering on Rain’s ears.
“Is this what the elves have come to, outposts threatening visitors like we were common thieves?” Whiskey asked, clearly angered. “I am Wizard Deaglan,” he said, head held high, a stature Rain hadn’t ever seen him take on. It looked rather silly to her.
The elf stared at him, uncertain. “I haven’t heard that name.”
“Everyone on the Council knows who I am, I swear on the Goddess. Tell the king I’ve arrived with guests.”
The elf nodded reluctantly and sheathed his sword. He turned and ran down the path, out of sight.
“Ridiculous. I almost had to resort to performing magic just to prove I was a wizard.” Whiskey shook his head. “Something isn’t right here. They’ve never needed guards around the city. The forest itself should be protection enough.”
Shea peered into the forest around them. “Excuse me for seeming ignorant, but… where is the city? I don’t see a clearing in the trees anywhere near us.”
“Just up ahead. And they’re elves, Knight. Haven’t you read about them? They wouldn’t fell trees just to make room for a city.”
A short few minutes later, a different elf approached them. He wore simple but elegant robes of dark blue and on his long blonde hair sat a gold circlet, shining in the filtered sunlight.
“Deaglan?” he said, completely astonished. “It really is you!”
Whiskey jumped off his horse and clapped the elf on his shoulder in a hug. “Arthain, it’s so good to see you.” Whiskey pulled back and put his palms together, bowing to him.
Arthain returned the gesture. “I had to come see for myself that it was you, and welcome you back.” He looked at Shea and Rain. “Introduce me to your friends,” he smiled.
Shea dismounted and Rain followed him forward to stand beside Whiskey. “This is Shea, of the Knights of Callaghan.” At the mention of the Knights, Arthain frowned and seemed about to say something, but Whiskey continued. “And this is Rain, a Sister of the moon elves.”
Arthain’s eyes widened and he stared at Whiskey, then at Rain. “You mean…”
“This is her.” Whiskey smiled at Rain and she felt completely uncomfortable under Arthain’s stare.
“You’ve grown well,” Arthain said, taking in her features as if seeing if he could recognize some part of her.
“Rain and Shea, meet King Arthain of the elves of Ellwood.”
Now it was Rain’s turn to stare. Shea swiftly bowed like Whiskey had before, and Rain again followed what he did, unsure how to address an elven king.
Arthain nodded, accepting the bow. “What brings you to Ellwood?” he asked Whiskey. “Understand, I am glad to see you, but you must have a good reason for bringing her here, out of hiding. And for bringing a Knight of Callaghan here, of all people. These are hard times. The forest is not as safe as it once was.”
“All in good time, friend. I must speak with the Council. The Knight will not cause trouble, I give you my word. I have grave news from across the Fangs, but nothing I should discuss out in the open.”
“It’s been a few years, but I do trust you, Deaglan. Come, bring your horses.”
As they followed him on foot, leading the horses behind them, Whiskey and Arthain talked quietly but animatedly a few paces in front of Rain and Shea, just far enough so they couldn’t hear. They set a fast pace, but she was eager to see the city.
“They seem afraid of you, here,” Rain said to Shea.
“I can understand why. They probably think I’m here to keep them all from practicing magic. I’m not used to it, though. Knights are anything but feared back home. Some even think we’re heroes.” He shook his head. “But can you believe it? We’re going to see an elven city.” A look of giddy excitement stole across his face, and Rain couldn’t help smiling.
She gasped at her first view of the city. By now, the trees had grown considerably in size, and the giants they passed were as wide as or wider than the cottages back in Willshire. They came to a staircase, seeming to be a part of the tree itself, but the stairs were a dazzling white color, where the bark was an earthy dark brown. It spiraled around the trunk, finally reaching a platform high above them. The city, grown literally out of the trees, spanned above them in the treetops. She couldn’t see clearly though, since a large white platform obscured her view. On the ground, there were people and buildings in the distance. Some of the trees, strangely, had doors.
“You may leave your horses here,” Arthain said, gesturing to an elf that had been hidden on the other side of the tree trunk. “I have sent for people to take care of them for you, and they will be waiting for you whenever you decide to leave. It would be best if you took the saddlebags and other things with you.” Arthain waited for them to unpack, then started up the stairs and motioned for them to follow.
Rain gave Pan a parting hug, telling him silently that she would make sure to see him soon. She followed Whiskey and Shea up the staircase, at first afraid of the height, but soon comforted by the promise of a great city to explore.
When they reached the platform, Rain nearly giggled with childlike delight. The city was more incredible than she had imagined.
“Welcome to Belmaeron,” Arthain said.
***
Belmaeron was right out of a children’s storybook. Bright white platforms and stairs seemed to have grown out of the wood, and walkways or bridges spanned the distances between trees. Doors seemed to be carved right out of huge tree trunks. In some places, instead of doors there were elegantly carved open archways, leading to more bridges and platforms.
“Rain!” Shea called out a few trees away.
She realized they had gone on without her. She hurried to catch up, winding her way across bridges and platforms and tree branches. Matching her pace to theirs when she caught up, she looked around at the scenery once again.
It was simply stunning, and she couldn’t help but feel in awe at the beauty of it: the way the sun hit the white of the bridges and platforms, the delicate, intricate designs and inscriptions around spires, arches, and the doors to the rooms, the aged beauty of the giant trees, and all of it high in the air. She told herself not to look down.
After a few minutes of winding back and forth on bridges and up a few staircases, they approached a platform high above and larger than many of the rest. The arch they passed under seemed more intricate than any she’d seen yet, if that was possible. There were at least seven exquisitely carved empty chairs in a circle around a clean, also carved, round table in the center of the platform.
“The Seat of the Council,” Whiskey said. Rain remembered that he had said he was once part of the Council. She wondered what he thought about returning to this place, but his expression didn’t give away any inner thoughts.
They continued walking for a while until they reached a platform that ended in a tree trunk, and a door. She estimated the size of the room would be almost as big as the common room of the Oak Tree Inn.
“This is where you will stay until the Council is ready.” The king opened the door for them. “Someone will come to let you know. Meanwhile, feel free to explore the city.”
Rain’s eyes widened as she realized her estimation was completely wrong. Shea appeared to be just as surprised. Inside, it was much larger than she’d originally thought. She looked at the tree trunk and back inside the room, unable to understand how such a large space could fit. And it was no small trunk; that was certain. They were ushered into the room, and after a few parting words between Whiskey and the king, the king left and closed the door behind him.
Inside, three windows lit the large space, sending beams of sunlight across the furniture. A pitcher of water sat on the table in the center of the room, and next to it was a bowl of what she assumed were apples. She sat in the nearest chair and found it amazingly soft. Similar chairs circled the table, and beautiful artwork of strange, magical places hung on the walls. Between the paintings, three doors were spaced around the room, leading to what she guessed were bedrooms. Logically, it seemed like they would lead outside, but perhaps magically there was more space than she expected.
“Whiskey, I didn’t see windows on the outside,” Shea said as he stood in front of a window and peered out of it. “The space looked a lot smaller.”
“Magic, my boy. You’ll get used to it after a while.”
“The elemental magic you mentioned? The kind you have?”
“Yes, but much more powerful. This building and most of the others were made a long time ago. Very few elves can do work like this anymore,” he said. He sat down next to Rain, taking a large red apple-like fruit from the bowl. “Ellwood apples,” he said between bites, “are my favorite. They’re quite sweet and very crisp.” A trickle of juice ran down his chin. “I’ve missed them.”
Rain wanted to taste one as well, but she was eager to look around the city. Hunger was the last thing on her mind. “How long do we have to wait for the Council?” she asked.
“Perhaps a couple days, maybe more. They have to send messengers out to the faerie folk of Ellwood and to others beyond the forest. The Council may be held in Belmaeron, which is the elven capital, but the Council itself is composed of the different creatures that live north of the Fangs. I suppose it’s more like the capital of the lands north of the Fangs.”
“A couple days?” Shea sighed. “Do we have that kind of time? Perhaps the craetons in Willshire won’t move on to another city, but if Myrna is as powerful as you make her seem, how safe are any of us? We should take action as soon as possible.”
“We can’t do much without calling the Council together. I’ll do my best to speed things up, but it will still be a couple of days. You two can do as Arthain said—enjoy yourself while you can, and explore the city. You should be safe enough, if you’re prepared.”
Rain stood up, and out of curiosity opened one of the doors in the room. The bed, which sat next to a beautifully simple bureau, looked incredibly soft, and a lone window shone bright light on its lush green fabric. She looked forward to sleeping in a real bed more than anything. She dropped her things on the bedspread and felt a wave of sadness as she placed her broken bow next to her saddlebags. Shaking her head to forget the past, she checked that her dagger was still in place at her waist, and took off her cloak. Poking around the room, she found another door, and inside was a large bath. The dirt on her body screamed to be cleaned, but she was too curious about the city and decided the bath could wait. Using the small hand mirror left on the counter, she combed through her long red hair so it rested on one shoulder. She straightened her gray traveling dress, deciding it didn’t look as dirty as she thought it was. Leaving the room, she then opened the front door of the set of rooms, and after giving a farewell nod to Whiskey and Shea, she set off into the city.
***
She quickly found out the rooms they had been given to wait in were on the outskirts of the city, as there were few elves. The few she encountered were guards, who passed her with tight smiles and quick nods. She walked by the Council platform, and let her sense of direction guide her.
As she wandered, she noticed more staircases winding around the giant trees. Her eyes followed them quite a ways down and she saw that there was another level of the city below her, and it was much busier than this level. One flight of stairs down were more bridges and buildings, some of them with arches instead of doors, and far below was the lush ground of the forest, also built upon with domes and arches.
She approached and descended the staircase, smiling when she smelled a mix of the rich scent of the forest blended with cooking food. When she reached the level below their rooms, she stepped away from the staircase and wandered into an intriguing mix of sights, sounds, smells, and flavors. Tall, elegant elves minded shops and bakeries, and walked the long, wide main thoroughfare that wound around in a large circle. Trees were tightly clustered in this area, which allowed for support of the circular walkway. Both the inside and outside of the walkway were lined with buildings, some of them extending into the trunks of trees. She looked over a railing to the level underneath, the forest floor, and saw smitheries, tanneries, and training areas for guards. She made a mental note to find the archer’s practice area.
Taking a better look at the buildings and platforms around her, she quickly realized elves weren’t the only inhabitants of the city. An exceptionally short man, no more than two feet tall, a sharp goatee pointing his chin and a bald spot showing on the middle of his brown-haired head, smiled and nodded at her as he passed. She covered her mouth to hide her grin at his absurd height, and politely nodded in return. The word “gnome,” from the stories she read as a little girl, came to mind. She passed what she guessed was a tavern, for despite its sunny, open feeling she heard raucous laughter and the clinking of glasses. Peeking in, she saw more short men, these ones about four feet tall, some with long beards and all of them rather stout. Most of them held ale mugs in their hands and talked loudly among themselves. Many wore light leather or chainmail armor, and a few had thick swords or axes strapped to their backs and waists. Dwarves, she decided.
As she continued down the walkway, she heard high-pitched voices and giggling. Curious, she searched for the source of the sounds and found tall plant-like creatures, with either bright flower petals or deep green leaves for hair. They were mingling on a platform with bright white benches. Their skin was differing shades of green and brown, and the flower-haired ones wore exquisite, bright dresses trimmed with more flower petals. Somehow, the petals and leaves seemed to be part of them, growing out of them. A couple of them saw her staring and giggled, exclaiming a bright, “Hello!” in their singsong voices. She smiled back, not trusting her voice to be steady, and searched her memory for the names of these creatures. Images popped into her mind from one of the books she read as a child, the ones of flower faeries and dryads. She was speechless with amazement. She hurried on so she wouldn’t keep staring and feeling impolite, but couldn’t help stealing glances over her shoulder at their exquisite features.
A delicious scent wafted from up ahead, and she stopped in front of a particularly elegant-looking bakery. Stepping under the arch into the building, she met eyes with the shopkeeper, a tall, fair skinned female elf wearing a simple but beautiful white dress. Her pure white hair was in a loose bun at the back of her head. Rain was surprised to see the woman didn’t have elven ears.
“Hello,” she said kindly. “What would you like?”
Rain took a first look at the sweet, sticky pastries and fresh hot breads arrayed before her and her mouth watered.
“I—I’m not sure. Everything looks good.” Then she realized she had nothing to pay her with and started considering how she could politely decline.
“I’m partial to these,” the shopkeeper said, pointing to a round pastry filled with a light brown paste and sprinkled with shaved nuts. “Made with fresh almonds, honey, and the finest elven flour.”
Rain bent closer to the tray to smell them. “They look… too delicious for words. But, I’m afraid I don’t have any money to buy one with.” She nodded in thanks and made to leave the shop, but the elf stopped her.
“That’s quite alright,” she said, looking deep into Rain’s eyes and giving her the feeling she was looking straight into her mind, reading her thoughts. “That red hair… excuse me for asking, but where are you from?”
“Across the Fangs. Willshire.”
“Really? Difficult place to live as an elf. How did you keep hidden?”
“I… I didn’t realize I was an elf until recently.” Rain started feeling uncomfortable, sharing her life story with this person she’d just met. She didn’t want to lie, though. The woman seemed trustworthy.
A look of recognition crossed her face, and her eyes widened. “You’re not the moon elf?”
Rain nodded, unsure would happen.
“I can’t believe it.” She shook her head. “I apologize for seeming so impolite,” she smiled. “I met you when you were just a baby. Come, sit with me.” She motioned for Rain to follow her behind the counter and into a small room with a couple chairs and a small table. She placed one of the almond pastries on a dish. “What would you like? Tea? Perhaps a small glass of flower faerie wine? We have the best in all of Ellwood.”
“Tea is fine, thank you.” She sat in one of the chairs, finding it just as comfortable as the one back in her room. “Were you on the Council?”
The woman sat down across from her, placing the plate with the pastry and a steaming mug of tea in front of her. She nodded. “I was. Excuse me for not introducing myself. I am Rowena. I believe you know my very old friend Deaglan?”
“Deaglan…” Rain thought for a moment and remembered that was the name Whiskey said he had with the wizards. “Whiskey? You knew him?”
Rowena chuckled. “Is that what he’s going by these days? Yes. I’m a wizard as well.”
Rain remembered Whiskey mentioned another wizard was on the Council with him. “You’re the other one from the Circle of Wizards!”
“Yes,” she smiled. “He must have told you about me.”
“He just said there was another one of his kind there. He didn’t mention anything else.”
“He didn’t?” She shook her head. “Typical Deaglan. We were… together for a while. But we had a disagreement. He can be so stubborn sometimes. And then you came along, and he went away. I haven’t seen or heard from him in twenty years.”
Rain picked up her mug of tea, focusing on its warmth, and took a sip. “I only learned he was a wizard recently. My whole life, he was just a bartender. He taught me archery. He was like an uncle to me.”
Rowena looked into her eyes, and Rain averted them, instead taking a bite of her pastry. The delicious taste filled her mouth with nutty sweetness, and she savored the bite with closed eyes. “You are beautiful. I haven’t seen a moon elf in many, many years.” Rain opened her eyes, feeling her face get warm.
Rain shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to it yet. Do people here usually recognize a moon elf when they see one? Elves live for many years, so maybe others have seen ones like me before, too?”
“Not many, to be honest. The older ones, perhaps. It’s been a good hundred years, so no one your age will know unless they study the Histories. I bet it’s better than sticking out back home.”
Rain realized she was right. No one here thought she looked strange. She was just another elf. Plenty of people looked stranger than her. She nodded in agreement. “It’s good to meet another woman to talk to about this. Especially since…” she trailed off, unable to finish.
Rowena frowned. “Why are you here? I don’t mean to be rude. It’s incredible to meet you. The plan was, if you ended up with innate magic, you were to start learning about it when you’re about your age. But, you weren’t supposed to come all the way here, out of hiding. What happened?”
Rain gazed into her nearly empty teacup. “Myrna nearly found us. My parents are dead. My adopted parents,” she corrected, when Rowena looked confused.
“I’m so sorry. This all must be terribly difficult for you.”
Rain avoided going into detail. “They’re calling a Council meeting about it all. Will you be there?”
“Definitely.” She smiled. “You can come see me whenever you’d like, Rain.”
“Thank you. And thanks for the treat. This is delicious.” She took another bite of the pastry.
Rain continued to eat and sip her tea as they talked. Rowena answered her questions about the city, and in turn, Rain told her of her life back at home. Apparently, those people had indeed been gnomes, dwarves, flower faeries, and dryads. It seemed like everything from her storybooks had come to life. There were three main levels of the city, Rowena explained, plus the Council chambers on the fourth. The lower level was for forging armor and weapons; baking bread and preparing gathered berries, nuts and other food gathered from the forest; training elemental magicians and guards of the city; and many other things. The second level was for the shops and merchants, and the third was where the elves and travelers resided and slept. When asked why some shops had no doors, Rowena smiled and explained that some of them had hidden magical protection, but usually they didn’t need any. Stealing was almost nonexistent here. The guard training stations on the first level were new, because until now, they hadn’t needed guards to protect the city.
“Whiskey said the Demonmasters couldn’t come into the forest, and the city seems far enough away from the edge of Ellwood, even if its magical barriers are starting to fail. Why do you need guards?”
“They can’t enter, but their creations can. If a Demonmaster bewitches an animal, he can send it into the forest, up to a certain distance, and order it to do whatever he wishes,” Rowena replied. “Elves and other beings that do not live in Belmaeron, rather, near the edges of Ellwood, have reported attacks and a few killings by rabid wolves, bears, and other animals that are normally quite docile. When the problem began to grow, the elders of the Council decided to begin a guard system.” She looked to the floor sadly. “Times are difficult. There is a spirit magic curse going around, poisoning innocent wood dwellers’ minds, making them either sick or whispering to them to do horrid things. It’s what’s called the Soulblight. It has to be Myrna’s doing, probably through the Demonmasters. Our healers are overwhelmed with the number of wounded—physically and mentally. It is a hard time for the citizens of Ellwood. Not to mention in the Hollow.”
“What’s that?” Rain asked, tipping her cup back to finish off the tea.
“The Hollow, the center of Ellwood, has grown weaker as well. It feels and reflects everything that happens to the rest of Ellwood and has become just as wild and dangerous as the outskirts of the forest. It is not safe to venture there anymore, and we cannot collect heartwood like we could before.”
“I didn’t think elves used wood.”
“It is not chopped apart like what the humans do. And if we have to cut a tree, we plant two new ones. Heartwood is gifted from the Great Tree that lives in the Hollow. It is the strongest, lightest wood you’ll ever use. It makes great bows,” she said.
“Are you an archer, then?” Rain asked, intrigued.
“No, dear me, I’m a terrible shot. As a wizard, magic is more my style. If you’re interested, though, visit the guard target practice area and they might let you practice there, if you’re persuasive,” she winked. “I’m not sure if you could try a heartwood bow, though. Not many are left in these hard times. Much of the heartwood has become as diseased as the edges of Ellwood, and is no longer as strong as it was. But the older bows may still have their strength.”
Rain stared at her plate sprinkled with crumbs and the empty teacup in the momentary silence. “Thank you, Rowena, for your hospitality. I might come back to see you again.”
Rowena smiled. “I’d like to thank you. Business is slow these days, and life can get a bit tedious, even surrounded by all this beauty.” They both stood up and exchanged a bow, and then, thinking better of it, Rowena hugged her instead. Her warmth reminded Rain so much of her mother that tears sprung to her eyes. She smiled weakly when Rowena pulled away.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, turning away and going through the doorway to the front of the store.
Standing before the counter was a gnome in a smart red vest. “Hello,” he said, nodding to Rowena and Rain. “I would like a hazelnut cheese roll, if you please. Oh, and one of these,” he said, pointing at a cream-colored scone covered in little red spots that looked like berries. “They look delicious!” He dug through his little shoulder bag and pulled out a small sack of coins.
“A raspberry scone, it is, then,” she smiled, and as the gnome reached up to exchange pastries for coins, Rain nodded and waved to her, stepping through the large doorway into the main thoroughfare.