Elenio reached for her hand, startling Galena at first, as she was so absorbed with the sights surrounding her. There were elves of all ages, but none of them bore the mark of Rau from what she could see. They stared back at her with, what Galena felt, must be the same look as her own. She looked down. Her own clothing, although dirty, was a startling emerald green compared to her current surroundings. Her hair alone, made her very different indeed.
“My name is Nina. I apologize for not introducing myself before, but I didn’t feel there was time. My companion had just informed me that he spied the torlics searching for you while he was looking in his mirror water,” the female said, pointing to the elf that had blindfolded Tark.
“Where are we?” Tark asked, amazement clear in his voice.
“Welcome to the city of Freeva. We will explain more after you have rested a short while, and have been fed. We ask that you perform no magic here, as you still are bound by the marks of Rau. He has no knowledge of us and we would like for it to remain so.” Nina’s voice drifted dully over Galena, making her feel even drowsier, if that were possible.
Galena looked down at her own marks, feeling like they made her unclean in the eyes of these elves. “How is it that you don’t have the marks? All elves are given them when they’re born.”
“All will be explained later. For now, you will go with Morgo. I must meet with the council to let them know that you have arrived.” Nina bowed again before turning and heading into the village below, followed by the remaining four elves.
“I am Morgo.” Morgo had a quiet voice, but it too was dull and had a monotone quality to it much like Nina’s. Long, limp hair hung like a black drape around his face and shoulders. His eyes held no joy and his face was instantly forgettable with no discriminating traits for Galena to remember.
“Please follow me to where you can rest. I will come for you later so that you can join us for our evening meal. Because you are from the upper world, you will have to stay in the outer walls of our village. It is our custom.”
Galena felt sure that if she could not get to sleep, she could have one of the underground elves talk to her and that would lull her into a deep slumber.
“Why do none of you have the mark of Rau?” Elenio asked as they started down a trail that wound around the village. The village seemed to be in the center of a massive cavern, surrounded by thick stone walls. Periodically, they passed large holes within these walls, but Galena was unsure if these led to other tunnels or to rooms.
“Our founders did have the marks, but when they came here, the mauks must have believed them dead. Since then, their children and their children’s children have been blessed to forego having the curse placed upon their feet and hands.” Morgo stopped in front of a large opening in the wall. As he stared inside, a light began to glow deep within. “I will be back for you when it is time to gather for the evening meal. If you need anything, I am the first home down that path, please feel free to come to me,” he said as he pointed toward a path that went steeply down the side of the incline leading to the valley of Freeva. He smiled at them as he turned and took his leave in the direction that he had indicated.
Galena watched him walk a short way before turning back to the hole in the stony wall. She stepped in and found that, standing open directly to her left, was a door of sorts. It had grooves on the outer right part on both sides and she assumed they were used as handles. She could not see how it was attached to the wall, but as the other two stepped in, she found that it swung shut with ease. She followed the other two down, what appeared to be, a narrow hallway that led to a spacious room. Stone seats lined with pillows made from what looked like wool, filled this room, making it appear somewhat attractive. A makeshift place to prepare food occupied one corner as well. From this room were three other doors similar to the one that she had closed behind them. Galena went to one and found that it led to a washroom. She noted that a similar washbasin to the ones that she had tried to recreate was also in it. She found this interesting, as she had never considered shaping stone to meet their needs. She assumed it would be a great deal more difficult, much like causing a torlic’s head to catch on fire. She stepped back into the other room as Elenio and Tark emerged from the remaining two doors.
“This one’s a bedroom,” Elenio replied, still looking around at their surroundings.
“So is this one. I’ll take this one and you two can take the other,” Tark said.
Galena gazed around, shivering slightly from the damp coldness that seemed to surround them. The room was brightly lit with several of the floating lights, but it still seemed dim compared to the world above. The floating lights could not penetrate every inch of the dull room.
“Dreary sort of place, isn’t it?” Tark walked over to the area where they could prepare food, but found none in the pantry. “Let’s hope they allow us to eat here from time to time. I can’t stand the thought of eating with the others.”
Galena suppressed a shudder at the thought of spending a lot of time with these strangers. The other elves seemed to be friendly enough, but they lacked any emotion or any of the colors of life, as she had grown used to with the elves above. It was as if they were just here and that was enough for them. They may have been free from Rau, but Galena didn’t think she would be able to stand it down here. That kind of freedom came with a heavy price.
“Well, I intend to sleep for a while before they come back. I don’t know which has drained me more; running non-stop from the torlics or being in this listless place.” Tark rubbed his hand wearily across his eyes, before stretching out and yawning broadly. He turned and headed into one of the bedrooms, closing the door quietly behind him.
Galena crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to keep the warmth from escaping her body so quickly. She wasn’t sure how long she would last in this place before she lost her mind.
Elenio took the few remaining steps to where Galena stood, and wrapped his arms protectively around her. He placed his cheek atop her head and sighed deeply. “I definitely don’t want to live here for any length of time, but I am thankful for a chance to rest, even if it’s a short time.” He kissed the top of her head and pulling her along behind, headed toward the remaining room.
The bed that lined the far wall was narrow by all accounts, but it was lined with several blankets and fluffy pillows. Galena and Elenio removed their swords, laying them against a wall, and headed toward the bed. Elenio lay down on his side, scooting over as close to the wall as he could get, and he patted the portion of the bed that was left in front of him. Grinning broadly, Galena laid beside him as he pulled the blankets over them. He laid his head gently along side of hers, and wrapping an arm around her, he released another great sigh. It wasn’t long before Galena heard his breathing, steady with sleep.
For Galena, sleep took a while to find her. She couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling that had crept over her when they had entered this hidden world and it gnawed away at her mind now. It was a whole other set of chains in her mind.
But, each to their own, she thought gravely.
She watched Twoit scamper from her pack and explore the room, before the little creature decided to dump the contents of both bags on the floor for entertainment. She played with the flask corks and some of the fruit, flipping this way and that, clearly enjoying her activities. Galena thought about throwing a pillow at her when Twoit started to go through Elenio’s pack as well, but decided against it. Slowly, as she watched Twoit play, Galena felt herself beginning to drift off into unconsciousness. She closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.
Sometime later, Galena felt Elenio stir behind her.
“Good morning,” he practically purred.
“How long have we been asleep?” She turned to face him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her once again.
“I can’t tell without the sun, moon, or stars,” Elenio said, shrugging slightly. “Definitely wouldn’t want to spend the remainder of my days down here. I think I would rather take the torlics on again.”
Unable to argue, Galena nuzzled closer to escape the cold that seemed to be creeping up on her again.
“I can’t lie and say that I didn’t enjoy the fact that we were able to actually rest without worry though.” Elenio closed his eyes again, a peaceful look stealing over his face.
“It’s a different kind of worry, if you ask me. I’m afraid to do anything in this world.” Galena raised her head and pecked him on the lips quickly. “Let’s see if anyone has come or if Tark is awake. I’m starving.”
Galena climbed out of bed and straightened her hair while looking in a mirror that hung on the opposite wall. Elenio came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing his head down beside her own. She couldn’t help noticing how good they looked together, even if it was slightly disheveled at the moment.
Galena smiled at their reflection. “Before we leave, I fully intend to use their washbasin. I’ll have to ask Morgo to fill it for me.”
They strode out the door, Elenio leading Galena, and found Tark already waiting for them in the sitting area. Across from him sat Morgo. His eyes seemed to capture Galena’s attention immediately and she felt as if she were looking into a deep and endless black pool. Her heart began to race and her palms were sweating when Elenio grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She broke the stare, looked into Elenio’s beautiful blue eyes, and felt the tightness leave her chest. He was her anchor. She didn’t know how she could have gotten through this without him.
“The council has met. They have agreed to let you stay as long as you refrain from doing magic. They have even agreed to aide you on your quest, as Mira has visited many of us through the mirror water. She has told us that we must assist you in any way that we can. Although admittedly, there is not a lot we can do. We are not fighters, but we can provide shelter, food, and safe passage as far as the base of the Mountains of the Gods. I have been chosen to be your guide,” Morgo related with no emotion, no intonation whatsoever.
Galena couldn’t decide what she found more unnerving; his looks, or his voice.
“Just how many villages and tunnels are there?” Tark asked, awe in his voice.
“No one knows how many tunnels there are, but there are several villages. We have been down here for hundreds of years.”
Galena took a moment to absorb this, shivering involuntarily, her desire to see the sun becoming increasingly stronger. Before Morgo could continue, Galena decided that she desperately wanted to clean up before they ate.
“Do you think it would be possible to wash up before we meet with everyone else?” Galena asked tentatively. She realized she was switching subjects, but she did have her priorities. Meeting a group of strange elves while smelling like a torlic was not on her list of things that she wanted to do.
Morgo gave a curt nod and springing up from the chair, went to the washroom, filling the basin and heating stones for each in turn until they smelled and looked more respectable.
Nodding at them in approval, he said dully, “Come now, they are waiting for you to arrive before they will begin the feast. While you dine, the elders will tell the story of our beginnings.” Morgo stood abruptly and without another word, strode to the door.
Looking slightly shocked and bemused, the trio followed, unsure what else they could do.
They followed Morgo down the steep path that led to the village. As they passed the homes, more elves appeared and followed in their wake.
Our passing seems to signify that it’s time for everyone to gather, Galena thought. They approached the center of the small village where there was a collection of tables placed around a large water fountain. In the center of this fountain, sat an old elf woman and behind her stood a younger elf with one of his hands on the older elf’s shoulder. The old elf was bent with the passing of time and her face was lined with wrinkles. The elf standing behind her resembled the one sitting, but only vaguely. Galena couldn’t help but notice that where the older elf had the marks of Rau on her hands and feet, the younger one did not.
On the table was a variety of foods that Galena was familiar with such as beet soup, raspberry preserves, warm nut bread, green spinach, and several other fruits and vegetables that she enjoyed. In addition, many other dishes resembled nothing that she was familiar with. Morgo led them past several of the tables where the other elves that had followed them in, were now beginning to sit. He stopped in front of a table that had several elves already sitting and waiting for them. Galena noticed that this feast, too, had the floating lights, but they, like their surroundings, were varying shades of white and gray. Instead of a portraying a festive mood, like the lights at Gora, these lights only succeeded in making Galena feel a sense of loss.
Morgo indicated the chairs that Galena, Elenio, and Tark were to take with a sweep of his hand. They sat and politely took in their surroundings. Five elves sat across from Galena, three males and two females. They stared solemnly at the trio without a word. They held their heads high and wore slightly brighter shades of clothing than the villagers she had seen thus far. She saw dull oranges and reds among the clothing, but other than that, they looked much the same as all the other elves in this underground world. Not one of them could have been older than her father, who had been almost sixty when the torlics had taken his life. Galena nearly choked at this sudden memory and turning her head, she looked at the other elves finding seats at the remaining tables, to distract herself.
“I thought we would be talking with the elders,” Galena whispered to Elenio who sat on her left side.
“We are the elders,” a particularly well dressed male elf said in response to her question.
Galena’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as she looked at the elf who had spoken. How could this be possible? Surely, there wasn’t an elf sitting at this table that was older than fifty!