Corin, Livia, Zhi, Nanaua, and Simeon sat down with the rest of the forest elves during dinner. This had been their custom during the last several nights of travel, but tonight was different.

  On previous nights, only a number of the forest elves would be sitting down with Corin and the rest. The others would be walking about, tending to their horses, and imbibing their nectar. But tonight, the entire thicket surrounded the group.

  Zhi told her tale, relaying to them how she had brought down the Dragon Temple, their encounter with Corin and Livia, the other Zifor squads they had encountered, their traversal through the ocean, their encounter with Arandu, and last the artifact that she is seeking to complete.

  Throughout the entire tale, the forest elves did not make a single noise. They seemed very much like the trees that surrounded them. It made Corin anxious. He wanted to know what they thought, if they could help, but there was nothing to be gleaned from their expressions.

  Once Zhi was done, silence overtook the camp. Corin looked around at the forest elves, but still could not tell what they thought.

  “I have heard many intriguing tales in my life,” Ciba began, “but what you have endured to arrive here is unlike any I have ever heard. Our thicket is still undecided on what course we will take, but our main concern is that of the artifact you seek. Its validity was of concern, but that you found a portion of it in Arandu’s domain, as you had read in the dragon scriptures, seems to quell those issues. The fact that it’s guarded by titans from the sea, air, and land would seem to validate that it is indeed powerful and that the titans rightly fear it, but how? How exactly does this artifact work that would make the titans so terrified of furtives finding it?”

  “We don’t know exactly how it works,” Zhi said, “but in the texts there were many allusions to magic. I don’t believe it was mainly focused on the Onsiel. I believe it extends beyond myself. Perhaps it severs the bond between titans and their gods and weakens their magic? Or perhaps it allows other furtives to wield magic.”

  “What if it is none of that? What if you unleash something that furtives too should fear?” Ciba asked.

  Zhi’s eyes widened.

  “The thicket is concerned about what may come if we decide to aid you,” Ciba added.

  Although his questions were deep and probing, he did not seem agitated in the least. Corin felt as if he needed to speak up, lest they might be faced with the prospect of certain death at the hands of Throk.

  “What if it is something terrifying? What if it is something that wipes all furtives out? Or what if it does exactly what we think it will do and helps us fight against the titans?” Livia said, her tone rising. “If we focus on these what ifs, we will always live under the tyranny of the titans! You yourself have lived over a millennium, and your whole existence has been predicated upon the whims of giant. If Baltro were displeased by one of your offerings, he could destroy all of you in an instant. Don’t you see? This is the only opportunity we will have in our lifetimes to fight back against the titans! If you wish to go back to your lives, where a dragon can come in and burn your entire forest, or a giant may feel strong enough to defeat Baltro and take over this domain, then so be it, but we will not continue down this road! We will take the fight to the titans and do whatever we need to create a world where furtives are no longer scared.”

  Corin had never seen her get this agitated while speaking, unless she spoke of some gadget she was working on. Her fervor for this fight became more apparent to him.

  “Yes, I see your point,” Ciba said, turning to face the other forest elves. He started waving his hands to the other forest elves. It seemed as if there was a fervent discussion occurring.

  “Obano, we heard you. Please lower your voice,” Ciba continued out loud.

  “Seems like your wife’s speech has them all worked up,” Simeon muttered to Corin.

  “Do you think they will help?” he asked.

  “That is enough,” Ciba finally stated out loud. He turned to Corin and the others. “Consensus cannot be reached. Friends, it seems as if your entreaties have spurred quite the argumentative spirit in our thicket. I did not know it was possible.”

  “There are valid points being stated by all. Yes, it is true that we forest elves do not engage in warfare or participate in violent behavior. It is one of our most ardent principles. What the outsiders are suggesting would be tantamount to inflicting violence on those who pursue them. That I cannot argue with.”

  Corin’s heart sank.

  “But it is also true that forest elves do not ignore those who are in need. And it is quite clear that these outsiders are in danger. You have all seen the Zifors that hunt our guests. They are ruthless and efficient. Without our help, it is clear the Onsiel and her friends will see great harm inflicted upon them. I asked the thicket to come to a consensus, but this has not occurred. As such, I will take it upon myself to decide what we will do,” Ciba announced loudly.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  For the first time, Corin heard the other forest elves speak out loud, voicing their opinions.

  “We cannot participate in this conflict! Bloodshed only leads to more bloodshed! There will be no end to this once we begin!” Drolbo, a younger forest elf, said. It was the only time Corin had heard him speak.

  “Drolbo, appeasement can also lead to bloodshed. Sometimes force needs to be confronted with force,” Oba shouted back at the young forest elf.

  “Forest elves deserve a place in the forest. No more hiding from the giants or the dragons!” another shouted.

  Other voices began to add to the cacophony. Corin would look at one side and then the other, trying to understand who was saying what and what they were thinking.

  “If we aid these outsiders, Baltro will see that as a sign of disrespect and destroy all of us!” A loud voice added to the chaos.

  “Silence!” Ciba’s voice drowned all the others out.

  The forest elves quickly ceased their bickering. Corin’s heart raced so fast that he felt he might faint if it did not calm down.

  “I have decided,” Ciba stated.

  The entire forest was quiet. They all waited.

  “We will aid our guests in reaching Baltro, we will aid them in offering rites to Baltro to appease him, and we will aid them in ridding themselves of the Zifors.”

  Corin felt a wave of relief crash over him.

  We might have a chance of surviving this after all.

  Arguments began to erupt again from certain factions of the forest elves.

  “I have made a decision and it is final,” Ciba shouted.

  The forest elves calmed down, but murmurs among them still continued, and they slowly dispersed.

  Ciba was left alone with Corin and the rest of the group.

  “I’m sorry you had to see such a public display of disunity. It is not common for us,” Ciba said with his usual calm demeanor.

  “Thank you so much,” Corin said.

  "Tomorrow, we begin our journey toward Baltro,” Ciba said, not addressing anyone in particular. “We will help you get there and perform rites to seek his blessing. When it comes to how the Zifors and Baltro will come in conflict, we will have to devise a plan.”

  Ciba nodded curtly and left.

  Corin stared at the others. Nanaua, Zhi, Livia, and Simeon, all of them quiet.

  “A decision has been made. Let us do what we must to ensure it was the correct one,” Nanaua said.

  ***

  On the bedroll, Corin thought of what was ahead of them. The upcoming clash that would put them between a giant and the Zifor squadron.

  Livia was with him. Although little had changed in the past several days, Corin could not help but feel an imperceptible gulf between them. It was not uncommon for him and Livia to have periods of unease in their relationship. From what Corin had seen with Livia’s own parents, it was only natural for two people to have disagreements from time to time, but Corin wanted to make sure this gulf between them did not keep increasing.

  Corin put his head up against Livia’s. She did not open her eyes, but she smiled.

  “Not asleep yet?” Livia asked coyly. “I thought after all of today’s excitement you would be dead tired.”

  “That thing earlier today?” Corin replied. “Oh, I had already forgotten about it to be honest.”

  That got a slight chuckle. “Leading them back to a giant,” Livia said, now opening her eyes. “I have to say that is quite the gamble you proposed, Corin. It honestly gave me pause when I heard you say it.”

  Corin laughed, but part of him could not help agree.

  “There aren’t many other options.” Corin started. “And if it goes completely catastrophically terrible, you can then tell me what a bad idea it was.”

  “Oh love, I don’t have to wait until then,” Livia said, laughing.

  Corin laughed as well.

  “But it is the best bad idea we have so far,” she said, looking at him.

  Corin felt at ease once again with his wife. There was a topic he had yet to breach, and he felt now was the best time. “It has been quite a dizzying turn of events recently.”

  “You don’t say? The forest elves, the Zifors, the mines,” Livia said.

  “And there was of course the dragon,” Corin added with a chuckle. “That was an interesting character.”

  Corin did not notice any reaction from Livia. She looked at him, but he could tell her mind was elsewhere.

  “What did you think after we spoke with the dragon? Was there anything from that meeting that you could not shake from your head? Anything that changed the way you think?” Livia asked.

  She looked away from Corin as she asked.

  Her eyes never met Corin’s. He could tell there was some internal debate at play in her mind.

  “Oh,” Corin was caught by surprise. He thought about what to say. “Well, I would say so. I could not stop thinking about the titans and their gods. When the dragon said that titans were blessed by gods and that they were the only gods out there, I had a hard time accepting that. Even though I was never the most devout believer, I always believed in Jokasta. I always felt somehow, someday she would come and help us against the titans. But hearing the dragon say what I believed was nothing but a fantasy and that the only real gods were the titans; it left me very confused. I mean, what does that make us then? Does that mean we deserve to be trampled by the titans, like the dragon said? I thought about it for a long time, but then I realized something. And it gave me some peace of mind.”

  “What was it?” she asked. Her eyes closed as she listened to her husband.

  “The dragon knew nothing of the artifact. To me, it showed that although the dragon might know a lot, it does not mean that its knowledge is limitless. And so, if it doesn’t know about the artifact, then what else does it not know about? Maybe Jokasta is out there, maybe she is watching over us, and maybe us furtives do have a right to live here, like the titans do.”

  She listened to him, her eyes still closed. He could tell there was something troubling her.

  “How about you? Was there something that stuck with you after encountering the dragon?” he asked.

  It had been the question that had been burning in him for the past several days. Livia had not left the mines the same person who had gone in, but he did not know what exactly troubled her so.

  Livia was quiet as her eyes stayed shut. Corin reached out and grabbed one of her hands and kissed it. He wanted her to know that whatever was on her mind, he would be there for her.

  “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine.”

  “No, I’m fine. It’s okay,” Livia said as she opened her eyes. “I’m getting worked up over nothing. I… I think about what the dragon said about sacrifice.”

  Corin felt he should say something, but Livia began again.

  “What if the dragon’s warning comes true? What if we are asked to sacrifice something important to us? I know what I said at the moment, but when I think about it, that doesn’t seem like myself. I don’t think I could sacrifice everything. I don’t know what came over me.” Livia sounded unsure as she spoke,

  “It’s been a long trip, Livia. We’ve had to leave our home, had to travel across the sea, and consistently put our lives at risk. To me that seems like a lot of sacrifice,” Corin said to her.

  “You’re right,” Livia said and tried to smile. “It has been a long trip.”

  “The dragon was also probably speaking about his own experiences, from what he lost due to his banishment. He might know a lot, but he can’t see the future. Don’t conflate his experience with ours,” Corin added.

  “Yes, that’s also true,” Livia said, sounding a bit more relaxed.

  “Remember, we’ll weather the storm together,” Corin said.

  Livia looked at him in his eyes.

  “Yes, we will,” she replied. She smiled and gave him a kiss. “Thanks.”

  Corin soon fell asleep, content that he had finally been able to help his wife.

  Livia spent the entire night awake, mulling the words of the dragon.

  “Sacrifice everything,” she would repeat to herself.