The elf queen’s voice had been soft, nearly undiscernible, but there was a weight to each word, like it had been decreed to them by a Goddess, and that it was Abner’s duty to study them for any hidden meaning they might hold before formulating a carefully worded response. He felt panicked. To deliver an unsatisfactory reply was unthinkable. Blasphemy of the highest order, that would rightly see him flayed.

  He fidgeted nervously and was reminded of the ring around his finger. He decided to say a silent prayer to Voldrus. Warmth encased his finger and spread around his body. His mind, which he did not realise was fogged, cleared, and he saw the elf sitting before him not as a Goddess, but as a queen. A cruel one, who delighted in tricking those she deemed beneath her and watching them squirm. And a dangerous one, who would not hesitate to have them all killed.

  “Abner Harwick, freesword, greets you, Majesty.” Abner was surprised by how deep and loud his voice was. It thundered across the platform, causing the queen’s eyebrow to twitch.

  “Genevive Horvath, Scholar of the Ways, greets you, Majesty,” Gen followed a moment later.

  Her fun ruined, the queen’s face contorted into a scowl, and she raised her hand, silencing Brynn before she could complete her ritual introduction.

  “Your Majesty,” Gen said quickly. “I see from your pendant that you are a follower of Ilarali.”

  Abner’s eyes locked onto the small set of scales that were no larger than a fingernail hanging from a silver chain around the queen’s neck, and he received Gen’s warning loud and clear. This one could be working with the High Priestess.

  The queen tilted her head ever so slightly at the observation. “I am, as are most of my people.”

  “She is a most wise Goddess,” Gen said, bowing her head. “May She shower you with Her favour.”

  Arshava smirked before narrowing her eyes. “Tell me, Genevive Hovarth, Scholar of the Ways, what is your brother plotting in my lands?”

  Abner blinked. How could she know already? Did that mean she also knew about the High Priestess?

  “I wish I knew, Majesty, but with your leave, I will seek him out and discover what he is plotting by whatever means necessary,” Gen said adamantly. “This I swear.”

  “Or perhaps you might join him in his endeavours once you discover his motives,” Arshava shot back coldly.

  “I cannot imagine the circumstances under which…” Gen began.

  “I can, all too easily,” the queen cut her off brusquely. “Perhaps he was sent here by your Society’s Elders to destroy us, eh?”

  Gen went pale. “No… they would never…”

  “You have only known them your entire life, my dear,” Arshava said condescendingly. “I know that there are no depths to which those heretics won’t stoop.”

  “They seek only knowledge,” Gen protested. “We seek only knowledge!”

  Arshava smiled coldly before turning to Eskar. “I sense no malice in this one. Take her with you. Perhaps she could be useful in flushing her brother out.”

  Gen’s jaw dropped. “You know where my brother is?”

  Eskar stood to attention and saluted when the queen paid Gen no heed. “At once, Majesty. And what of her companions?”

  Arshava glanced at Abner, sending a chill down his spine.

  “Take them with you,” she said. “They might prove useful.”

  “Yes, Majesty.”

  Abner breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t being put to death. For now.

  “Iglia will go with you,” Arshava continued. “They are to leave my city at once.”

  “But Majesty, my men…” Iglia began.

  “You have your orders,” she interrupted brusquely.

  “Yes, Majesty,” Iglia and Eskar replied in unison.

  The two captains led the prisoners away and cut their bonds once they descended from the platform. The elves spoke tersely to one another in their language for a moment before turning to Gen.

  “Wait here, we will be back shortly.”

  “It worries me that the queen addressed her men in Herovinian in front of us,” Abner remarked once Iglia and Eskar had left.

  “Perhaps she was just being considerate,” Gen offered and fell silent when she saw the looks the others were giving her. “What?”

  “She didn’t strike me as the sort to be…”

  “Quiet,” Brynn warned. “They’re coming back.”

  “That was quick,” Abner said to Eskar, forcing joviality he didn’t feel.

  Accompanying the pair was an elvish woman clad in the same light silvery white armour Eskar and Fultri wore. Instead of a bow, though, she carried a staff that was made from tightly intertwined twigs from which numerous small leaves and flowers sprouted. Her hair was long and dark, and she walked with a bounce in her step and a broad grin on her face.

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  “Kara Itherine, Acolyte of Ilarali, greets you, outsiders,” she said, eyeing the humans with scarcely concealed excitement.

  The others introduced themselves, save for Stride, who stared sullenly at the ground. Abner nudged the boy in the arm after a lengthy silence.

  “Come on, let’s not offend the one friendly elf in all of Eshkalar, Erevine, or wherever it is that we are.”

  The boy scowled before eventually mumbling. “Stride.”

  Abner gave Kara an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about him.”

  Kara’s smile brightened. “Oh, don’t be. He’s young, isn’t he?”

  Abner was caught off balance by the elf’s outpouring of warmth and could only nod.

  “How old is he? A century?” Kara inquired. “Two?”

  Abner shook his head. “I’d say he’s around fourteen?”

  The elf’s eyebrows shot up. “Fourteen? How fascinating. Would you say he is in his rebellious phase?”

  “Yes,” Brynn said quickly, and Abner burst out laughing.

  Stride’s scowl deepened. “I’m fifteen!”

  Abner’s eyebrows shot up in amusement. “You are? Please accept my deepest apologies.”

  Even Brynn couldn’t stop herself from smiling when Abner bowed low to the boy.

  “If you are quite finished,” Eskar said, killing the mood in an instant. “Kara will show you out of the city.”

  Kara frowned. “But Captain, the queen said you were to leave at once.”

  “She said they were to leave at once,” he corrected her, gesturing to the humans. “Most of my company was wiped out. I have obligations to their families to fulfil, and Iglia needs to organise the capital’s defences. Take them to the second site of the corruption. We will catch up to you before you arrive.”

  “Captain,” Kara began and fell silent when she saw the irritation on Eskar’s face.

  Eskar said something terse in Elvish, but Kara stood firm and replied in Herovinian.

  “Is it wise to take them so close to the Channel?”

  “Our queen orders it,” Eskar replied bluntly.

  Kara bowed her head. “As you command, Captain.”

  Once Eskar and Iglia took their leave, Kara turned to the humans, and her smile returned. “I know you must be hungry, but please be patient, we can stop for a meal at Cantamnis along our way. It’s not, but ten minutes away.”

  Now that she mentioned it, Abner realised that he was famished and thirsty after their journey, and nodded enthusiastically.

  “Please, lead on.”

  “You’re not in charge here,” Brynn reminded him sharply.

  Abner sighed and turned to Gen. “My Lady, by your leave?”

  Gen blinked before nodding awkwardly while Kara watched, greatly amused.

  “Come along then,” Kara sang.

  The sun shone down from a clear blue sky, and birds sang as they danced between trees. It made the depressing atmosphere of the corrupted woods seem like a distant memory. Some colour had returned to Stride’s skin, and the boy was now walking straight, making it look like he had grown two inches taller. However, despite the cheerful atmosphere, there were melancholic undertones that Abner could not ignore. It was the unmistakable feeling of a city in decline.

  “It’s the lack of people,” Abner blurted before he could stop himself.

  Kara turned around and flashed him a sad smile. “So, it’s obvious even to you, is it?”

  His curiosity got the best of him, and Abner nodded. “Where is everyone?”

  Kara raised her arms and sighed. “This is everyone… or most of them, at any rate. A good portion of our forces are positioned to the north, but it cannot be denied that we are a people in decline.”

  “Are you under attack as well?” Abner ventured.

  Kara shook her head. “Our northern lands border the Channel, but the Black Horde is content to march onto your lands via the West Gate for now; all the same, our people need to keep an eye on them.”

  “Understandable,” Abner said.

  “Perhaps you should do more than observe,” Brynn remarked.

  The elf paused and frowned. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have told you that. Please don’t tell the Captain.”

  Abner smiled sweetly. “Our lips are sealed.”

  “What’s at the Channel, by the way?” Gen asked. “Why are we going there?”

  Kara’s face darkened for a moment. “We found signs of corruption there. It stands to reason whoever is behind what is going on might be there.”

  Gen exchanged looks with Brynn, who shrugged. “It’s as good a lead as we have.”

  Abner bit his lip, wondering who they could trust with knowledge of the High Priestess. It didn’t seem as though Eskar had informed the queen, and he wished the Ranger Captain had given them some indication as to who they could trust to share it with.

  “So, where are you all from?” Kara asked, breaking Abner out of his reverie.

  “Brynn and I are from Star Look, where our Society is based,” Gen replied.

  “What is it like?”

  Gen and Brynn exchanged looks, and the sorceress replied. “Well, it’s a little remote, up in the Arthera Highlands, where the air is crisp, and the sky is clear.”

  “Is it a big city?”

  “Not particularly, by human standards,” Gen allowed and waved her arms expansively. “And certainly nowhere nearly as large as your city here.”

  “How many people live there?”

  “Five thousand or so at the last census,” Gen replied, taken aback by how rapidly the questions were coming. “Though perhaps a third of that number either work or study at the Society.”

  “And are there any landmarks? Anything the city is famous for?” Kara’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Gen expectantly.

  The sorceress blinked and thought about it for a moment. “There are so many, but I suppose the most famous landmark would be the High Top Observatory.”

  “Describe it, please!”

  “Well, it’s a brown stone building with a domed roof and a great telescope that astronomers use to study the heavens.”

  “My, how wonderful!” Kara exclaimed. “Our people just look at the stars with our naked eyes when the mood strikes us… I would very much like to see this Star Look of yours.”

  The elf turned to Stride with eyes that were hungry for knowledge. “And you, sir, do you hail from the same city?”

  The boy grunted. “I’ve spent my whole life in the woods off your southern border.”

  “Oh,” the disappointment on Kara’s face was palpable, but she brightened when she turned to Abner. “You must have some exciting stories. How did a human come across dwarven armour?”

  Abner smiled queasily. “Oh, it’s not a very interesting story at all.”

  “Oh, please, tell it anyway.”

  The group soon arrived at an inn that overlooked a flower-filled meadow, through which ran a small, clear stream. Kara bounced up to the door and pulled it open before ushering her wards in, wearing a broad smile.

  Abner staggered in first, feeling like he’d spoken more in the past ten minutes than he had over the course of his entire life. Gen patted him on the shoulder and turned to a surprised looking elven barmaid and spoke to her briefly in Elvish. The barmaid gave her a blank look, and Gen repeated the words slower and more deliberately. Kara soon came in and spoke breezily. The barmaid blinked and gestured towards a table facing a window. Abner quickly took a table in a corner and gestured for Stride and Gen to sit on either side of him.

  “Forgive her,” Kara laughed. “Ciltren is almost two thousand years old by your reckoning and never seen a human before, only for four of you to walk in all at once.”

  “Have you called for food?” Stride demanded.

  “I have,” Kara replied before reaching over to ruffle the boy’s hair.

  As soon as she did, she pulled her hand away, looked at it, and made a face. Stride smirked.

  “Yeah, sorry about that, it’s been a while since I last washed my hair,” he said. “Corrupted water and all that.”

  “Perhaps we should remedy that before we eat,” Kara said as she walked over to a basin of clear water and scrubbed her hands.

  As though on cue, Gen’s stomach growled, and she smiled sheepishly. “Perhaps we could eat before we perform our ablutions.”

  The disgust was clear on Kara’s face as she dumped the contents of the basin into a nearby drain and refilled it in the hollow stump of a tree nearby. “Could you at least wash your hands before eating?”