Lunch was a light selection of smoked meats and steamed vegetables. None of the humans remembered much of it. They were all so hungry that they almost inhaled it as soon as it arrived, giving a very poor account of themselves to their hosts. Once the meal was over, they had a bath at Kara’s insistence, which is how Abner found himself soaking buck naked in a steaming natural hot spring, finally feeling what being clean was for the first time in his life.

  “This is the life, eh?” he sighed to no one in particular as the hot, mineral filled waters soaked away his exhaustion.

  “It feels like they’re preparing us for their next meal,” Stride grumbled next to him. The boy had only entered the pool after much cajoling.

  “This is very relaxing,” Gen agreed from across the large pool.

  “Have some shame, Genevieve!” Brynn gasped. “You’re bare!”

  "Oh, should your voice not be heard by the opposite gender while you are nude, either?” Kara asked innocently. “How curious.”

  Abner leaned back and stretched, being able to picture the distressed look on Brynn’s face. She had been the most shocked among them to discover that the elves had a very different concept of modesty than they did.

  “Kara, what are you doing here?” Abner almost jumped out of the pool when Eskar stormed in. “I expected you to be halfway to Colalta by now!”

  “Apologies, Captain,” Kara said as she climbed out of the pool and stood to attention before her Captain, naked as the day she was born, without a hint of shame. Abner couldn’t help but stare. The elf’s body was slender, lithe, perfect, and her skin was soft and fair.

  She looked at the humans and made a face. “But they were… filthy.”

  Eskar turned away to hide a smile. “That they were, but we really cannot afford to tarry here.”

  He turned to Abner, and his expression hardened. “Out, the lot of you. Get dressed, we’re leaving at once.”

  “But their clothes won’t have been cleaned,” Kara protested.

  “We haven’t the time,” Eskar growled.

  “Wait, men, you stay there, the lady and I will get out first after the Captain has gone,” Brynn barked. “Don’t you dare look this way until we’ve left, or I’ll gouge your eyes out.”

  “What’s this about?” Eskar demanded, perplexed.

  “They have a… curious sense of modesty,” Kara said, looking greatly amused. “They believe the opposite genders should not see one another naked.”

  Eskar shook his head. “How pointless.”

  “Get them ready quickly!” he barked before stalking out.

  Abner politely averted his gaze as the ladies walked out and smiled when he saw that Stride was gawking openly. He nudged the boy good naturedly in the ribs.

  “Stop staring,” he said. “You look like you’ve never seen a naked lady before.”

  The boy reddened. “And I suppose you have?”

  Abner shook his head. “Not one I wasn’t related to, but at least I know not to stare.”

  “Come on then, boys,” Kara said, standing confidently with her hands on her hips. “Or do you want me to avert my gaze before you come out?”

  Stride scowled, and Abner thought he would leap out of the pool at the perceived challenge, but the boy remained seated and fumed.

  “Could you?” Abner chuckled.

  “Oh, alright,” Kara sighed as she turned her head. “I don’t see what the big deal is. We’ve got mostly the same bits anyway.”

  “It’s just the way we were raised,” Abner said as he waded towards the edge of the pool.

  As Abner put his armour on at the edge of the pool, he couldn’t help but feel he was soiling himself. He felt his skin crawl and decided he would give his armour a proper clean at the next opportunity. The pool had been dug on the banks of a small stream, and as they walked along it, Abner felt his hands were soiled within his gauntlets. He pulled them off and washed them in the stream’s clear waters discovered they were icy cold.

  “How?” he gasped.

  “Balance magic,” Kara replied, her eyes twinkling. “It’s a simple thing, really, once you understand the basics of Ilarali’s teachings.”

  “Alright…” Abner began.

  “Enchanted stones along the base of the pond draw heat from the surrounding streams,” Gen said. “It seems an inefficient way to heat water.”

  Kara’s face darkened for the first time, and Abner sucked in his breath.

  “We elves value balance in all things,” Kara said and paused before shaking her head. “Or at least most of us did. The founders of your Society, they sought ways to upset the balance, to take without giving, and to make things worse, they spread their deviant way of thinking to you humans.”

  “These same humans you are so enamoured with, for whatever reason,” Eskar remarked gruffly.

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  “That does not detract from how impressive their achievements have been,” Kara retorted.

  “But it should tarnish them somewhat,” Eskar insisted.

  Kara shrugged. “It is not their fault they were led astray.”

  Eskar grunted. “They seem happy to accept advice when it suits them and ignore it when it doesn’t. How many times have they been warned that their rapid expansion is upsetting the balance?”

  “The problem is in the way your people’s advice was presented,” Gen snorted. “Your queen’s envoys barged into the royal capital and made demands while the Society sought to teach as equals. Besides, you are wrong about the Society’s elders.”

  “You are unqualified to make that statement,” Eskar said while Kara nodded in silent agreement.

  “Perhaps we should continue this debate at another time,” Abner remarked, noticing that Gen’s hands were curled up into fists.

  Eskar grunted as he led them across a small, arched bridge to the other side of the stream, where riding lizards were waiting for them.

  “Go on, you’ve ridden them before,” Eskar said when Abner paused to eye his with distaste. “They really are much better steeds than the horses your people ride.”

  “Now now, Captain,” Kara said as she climbed onto hers. “You shouldn’t criticise it until you’ve tried it.”

  She turned to Abner, and her smile sweetened. “Nor should you.”

  Abner grunted and hesitantly climbed onto the green lizard and took a moment to get used to just how low off the ground he was compared to a horse.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Eskar growled.

  “What’s the hurry, Captain?” Kara asked once they were underway.

  Eskar remained silent until they passed the last of the elf buildings. He cast a glance at the humans before speaking. “I convinced Iglia to travel ahead of us and meet us at the Channel.”

  Abner breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, while Gen looked confused.

  The Captain then turned to Kara. “I trust they’ve told you nothing of their encounter at the southern border?”

  Kara shook her head slowly.

  “Good,” Eskar said grimly. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “It seems the High Priestess has a hand in the spread of the corruption.”

  Kara’s face turned white, and she stared at the Captain, as though hoping he had misspoken.

  “There is no mistake,” he continued. “But until we can uncover her motives, we must keep this from her sister and the queen.”

  Kara’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you saying, Captain? You can’t suspect our queen!”

  “I agree,” Eskar sighed. “But you forget that during our audience, she was surrounded by Iglia’s men. It is they I am not sure we can trust.”

  Kara turned around and gasped. “If what you say is true, then she is in danger, and we must…”

  “You, Fultri and I are the only three rangers in Eskhalar,” Eskar said sharply. “What can we three hope to do against a whole Company. We must first rejoin our men at the Channel…”

  “Can we trust the first and second Guard Companies?” Kara asked.

  “I don’t know who we can trust at this point,” Eskar replied and turned to give the humans a pointed look. “Not even them. I can only hope that who is trustworthy becomes clearer as we uncover more of this plot.”

  “But you are trusting her, an Acolyte of the same order as the High Priestess,” Abner said pointedly.

  Eskar’s eyes smouldered with fury as he glared at Abner. However, Abner didn’t back down. “Our lives hang in the balance as well.”

  Eventually, Eskar relented. “Kara has served with me for centuries, and I trust her with my life. If she has turned, then all is truly lost.”

  “Thank you for your words of confidence,” Kara said, looking distracted. “But if what you say is the truth, and the High Priestess is behind the corruption blighting our lands… I don’t know what to think about it…”

  “Place your trust in me as I attempt to get to the bottom of this,” Eskar replied.

  Abner eyed Kara and bit his lip. If she were part of the High Priestess’s plot, he had the feeling they would find out all too quickly.

  “Captain, if I may be so bold,” Abner said. “If we are in this together, could we have our weapons back?”

  Eskar gave Abner a curious look. “What do you mean? They’re strapped to the saddle behind you.”

  Abner glanced at Brynn, who was giving him a contemptuous look as she patted the sheathed daggers in her belt. Abner turned around and felt foolish when he saw that his hammer was indeed where Eskar had said. Hastily, he unbuckled it from its straps and felt a sense of security once its familiar weight was slung across his back.

  “You are sure you can trust your men?” Abner ventured.

  Eskar glared at him. “I know I can trust them more than I can trust you.”

  Abner shrugged and glanced at Kara, who looked deeply troubled. “I don’t know how much sway your High Priestess holds over your people, but I’ve seen ours turn their own mothers in at one of our priests’ behest.”

  “You keep your mouths shut,” Eskar growled. “And let me worry about whom amongst my men I can trust.”

  “Yes, Captain,” Abner said.

  “Captain, how far is it to the Channel?” Gen ventured.

  “About a day and a half by lizard,” Eskar growled.

  “Your lands can be spanned from north to south in less than a week?” Abner blurted.

  Abner winced when the Captain’s face turned a deep shade of crimson. “Yes, that is how far your people have pushed our borders back, and yet, your kind have the audacity to demand access to more of our lands with each passing season.”

  “Our realms to the east were lost to us long ago, through no fault of theirs, Captain,” Kara remarked softly. “Besides, the Channel is not the Northern extent of elven lands.”

  Eskar looked as though he had been struck across the face and spluttered. “That is no business of theirs… You imperil their lives by even mentioning it!”

  Abner glanced at Gen, who looked as though he knew what Kara was talking about and made a mental note to ask her about it later. Soon, the lizards climbed up into the trees where the lower branches intertwined to form a road. From here, their speed picked up, and Abner found himself having to cling on for dear life. If he fell here, it was a long drop to the forest floor below. He forced himself to look up and was alarmed at just how quickly their lizards were moving, and wondered how long it was before they’d need a rest. He hoped it would be soon.

  They soon came to a fork in the branches, and Eskar led them down the left hand route, which surprised Kara.

  “The Yandril Road is poorly maintained,” she warned.

  “We need to make haste,” Eskar replied tersely. “Our lizards are experienced. They will guide us safely.”

  Gaps appeared in the road of branches, obliging the lizards to jump from time to time, turning the ride into a stomach churning affair. Abner forced his gaze down to his linen saddle and focused on not being sick. He wasn’t sure how long they had been riding for when he noticed his lizard slow down. He looked up and saw Eskar and Kara looking around, alarmed by something. Then, he realised the singing of the birds had stopped. Their lizards’ heads swivelled around, and their tongues tasted the air nervously before they came to a stop.

  “What is it?” Abner whispered to Stride, whose eyes were locked onto something in the trees to their right.

  “Can’t you smell it?” the boy replied. “The corruption in the air?”

  Abner frowned and sniffed the air before shaking his head slowly. He glanced at Eskar and saw that the colour had drained from the elf Captain’s face.

  “We need to investigate, Captain,” Gen said, breaking Eskar from his thoughts. “You cannot ignore corruption so close to your city.”

  Eskar nodded numbly. “This way.”

  Reluctantly, the lizards followed his lead down a ramp to the forest floor. They had gone thirty paces from the ramp when they reared and came to a stop. No amount of cajoling from the Captain could make them take another step further.

  “It looks like we walk from here,” Eskar remarked.

  “But where do which way do we go?” Gen asked.

  “This way,” Stride replied, taking off in a direction.

  “How can you tell?” Eskar demanded.

  “The stench,” Stride replied. “I know it well, and it grows stronger this way.”