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Lazarus sat on his horse and looked over at his group of Elves and Dwarves.
It had been several days since they left the Capital City. Princess Gwyneth gave all of them leather armor, which was as tough as steel but as light as cloth. Lazarus spied on the Alpha Mages. The women, Grace and Cindy, stayed next to each other. Royce was back in his Alpha Grog guise. Royce rode next to him, moving like a flowing wind. After Royce learned how to change back into a human, he tried to morph into other animals. But the only other creature he could change into was a large black panther. That visage was not as scary as his Alpha wolf body. Royce sniffed the air.
"Do you sense any orcs, Master Royce?" Shannol asked.
The elf captain seemed at ease with Royce. She even tried to speak to him.
Royce growled. "No, but I smell large deer. We will have a good dinner tonight."
They traveled along a winding path through the forest. Della and Professor Jacobs rode on a large cart with Della steering the two horses. Their supplies were packed in the back.
During the last night at the Capital, during the Royal Dinner, Princess Gwyneth gave Lazarus an old map. The magical library found an old road chart, which showed the entrance to the Blessed Isles. Lazarus wished he could have talked to the Oracle, but she was not in the city. She was on a magical retreat.
The wind blew through the trees and bushes. Lazarus liked the sound of the rustling leaves. He recalled a time when he never listened to such things or felt the sun's touch as it warmed his skin. He was preoccupied before with things such as his phone or his work projects. He almost laughed, thinking how his priorities had changed.
The sun was setting on the horizon. The company was preparing camp for the night. Shannol was giving the orders.
Lazarus stopped his horse and jumped off. Cindy moved next to him. She shyly looked at him. Even though he knew she forgave him about the past, Lazarus was not sure if she got over his lying about it. Grace moved away from them, preoccupied in her own thoughts.
Cindy placed her hands close to his and her horse. The animals shimmered and changed into water orbs that sparkled in the dying light of the sunset.
"Do you ever wonder if all of this was just a dream?"
Cindy shook her head. "No, I know this is real. We have been through too many things. I can't believe this was a dream or a nightmare."
He moved to the cart filled with their supplies. Cindy followed. They’d had the same routine for the last few days since they started the journey. It was almost boring. They would travel all day and then set up camp for the night. The only conciliation was that they hadn't seen an orc since before they entered the Capital City.
Lazarus and Cindy both grabbed a sleeping bag and blankets. Their group of soldiers and scouts numbered around thirty. There were both women and men soldiers.
"I know. But do you ever wish to go back to the way it was before the Breaking of the Bastions."
They moved closer to the area where several of the soldiers had started a roaring fire. Lazarus and Cindy placed their blankets close to the flames.
"Sometimes I do wish that, but I know it could never be. Where is Grace?"
They both looked over and saw Grace talking to Royce. The Alpha Grog had changed back into human form.
"Wow, they're talking and not fighting each other," said Cindy.
Lazarus too was surprised. Shannol came over to him. They stared at the elf. She wore leather armor, just like they did.
"Master Lazarus, should we talk about some plans before we enter the mountain caverns?"
Cindy said, "We will talk together about these plans."
Shannol nodded. "So be it. We will have dinner first. They have started a deer stew for tonight."
Shannol was in charge of the group. She moved away from them and talked to her scouts. Lazarus knew Cindy didn't like her.
"Have you noticed she only talks to you, but not me. I wonder why?"
Lazarus knew, but didn't want to say anything. "I don't know."
"You don't want to say it," Cindy said, "but she likes you."
"Don't be silly," Lazarus said.
"I know she likes you. I can tell by the way she looks at you," Cindy said.
"It doesn't matter. You're the only girl for me."
Grace and Royce approached them.
"What are you talking about?" Grace asked.
Lazarus said, "Nothing."
"We were discussing Shannol and the odd way she’s acting toward him," Cindy said.
"It's nothing," Lazarus said.
Royce agreed with Cindy. "I saw it too but I didn't want to say anything."
"Okay, is everybody against me? Don't worry. It will not change anything," Lazarus assured them.
The night was getting chilly and Lazarus moved closer to bonfire. A dwarf soldier came over to them and bowed.
"Master Mages, dinner is ready."
***
THEY HAD THEIR MEAL and afterward Lazarus and all the Alphas came over and spoke to Shannol.
She smiled at him as they approached her. She was sitting on the ground with two of her commanders, and had a map spread out before her.
"Ah," Shannol said, "you have come, Lazarus and Alphas."
"Yes," Cindy said. "We are all here. So, how far are we from the Blessed Isles?"
They sat in a semicircle around Shannol. The darkness of the night overtook the small camp. Lazarus focused his magic and a fire globe appeared around their small meeting.
"Thank you for your light, Lazarus. I didn't want to use our torches."
Grace said, "Can you show us on the map where we are and where the Blessed Isles are located?"
"Yes, Master Grace," Shannol said.
Shannol pointed at the map near the bottom right. "We are right here and we need to go over to this spot." The elf moved her finger upward to the top left of the map.
"Well, that looks very far."
Lazarus was thinking the same thing and he was considering changing their plans. They could cover more ground if they used Grace's giant falcons to fly them to their destination. "You mentioned a mountain pass. Is it underground, inside caves?"
Shannol said, "Yes, Master Lazarus, but we don't have a map of the caves. And there are the Blessed Isles. We don't know if we can enter."
Lazarus nodded. "I know. I have a feeling that only the Alphas can enter. We just need to be taken to the entrance."
Shannol said, "What is our plan?"
Professor Jacobs and Della came over. They must have seen his glowing orbs. "Ah, a meeting can we intrude?" asked the professor.
Shannol was about to say something, but Lazarus held up his hand. "It's fine, Professor. We were looking on our map."
Shannol explained about what they discussed.
Professor Jacobs said, "Well, how long will it take to get to these mountain caves? And is there a faster route? And," he added with a flourish, "we need to either get a map of these caves or get a guide."
Lazarus said, "Thank you, Professor." He was glad he came.
Shannol looked at the map.
