Dawn rose clear and crisp on the second morning of their stay in the massive oak. Galena stood on the doorstep and breathed in the fresh air. If they hadn’t been on a dangerous journey, she could almost be happy. The weight of what lay ahead was starting to eat away at the back of her mind though. Sighing heavily, she turned and headed inside, finding Tark and Elenio eating at the table with Twoit enjoying her own breakfast below. As they had been doing since leaving Mira’s View, they were discussing the location of the cave Mira described.
“You know there has to be villages around that area. We can always ask for help when we get to one, or at least find out if anyone has heard of it,” Galena said as she plopped down in the remaining chair. “All we really have to do is find the guardian after all.”
“All we really have to do is find the guardian,” Tark said in a tone of unbelief. He rolled his eyes and stood, stretching as he did so.
“Well, regardless we need to head out today,” Elenio said while he stuffed the remaining piece of bread into his mouth and wiped the crumbs from the table into the palm of his hand. Handing the crumbs to Galena, he looked again at Tark. “I think we’ve spent long enough here. You know Rau will be sending more creatures out to hunt for us. He has to be wondering what happened to the last group he sent.”
As Elenio continued to discuss their situation with Tark, Galena took that time to make more bread and berries for the rest of the day. It was easier to have food on hand. That way they could walk and eat, saving a little time along the way. She got up and returned the food to their bags, but not before dumping their contents onto the floor in search of a small bit of cheese or something. She was growing tired of nothing but berries and bread. She discovered that you had to have a small piece of the food or the necessary ingredients for different foods, in order to make what you desired. Galena found you couldn’t make something from nothing no matter how hard you tried. It must have gone against the laws of magic.
She repacked the bags as Elenio stood and walked over to help her. Tark strapped his belt and scabbard on, and returned his sword to its proper place. Galena looked lovingly around the spacious room. Wishing not for the first time, that they could stay a while longer, but knowing it would be unwise. She strapped on her belt and sword and swung her bag gently onto her back as Twoit was inside, ready for the trip too.
Elenio headed out the door, followed closely by Tark. Galena sighed once more and followed. They trekked through the valleys and a couple of wooded areas, making camp by a small stream late that night. Galena lamented the loss of the comfortable beds when she had trouble sleeping on the ground, but realized it would be foolish to create a place to stay everywhere they camped. Nothing like leading the torlics directly to them, Tark pointed out.
She woke up the following morning feeling cranky and out of sorts. She didn’t care if she did lead torlics to her, next time she was at least making beds. Sitting up, she noticed Elenio was awake as well and watching her.
“What are you looking so irritable about?” he asked while he pulled on a strand of her long hair.
“I’m thinking that next time we stop, I’m still growing a home. I’ll just change it back into a tree before we leave.”
“Can you do that?” Elenio sat up quickly, keeping his surprised looking eyes trained on her.
“I don’t know, but I think it would be worth a try, don’t you?” She swept her hair out of her face, so it ran down her back like a fiery waterfall. “Get up and train with me for a little while. I have to do something to work out the kinks in my back,” she grumbled more to herself than him.
Smiling at her moodiness, Elenio retrieved his sword and stood waiting for her. She checked on Twoit and then grabbed her sword as well. They practiced for quite a while, both magically and physically. Elenio patiently handled being blown around and would walk back every time.
“You really have gotten better at this, you know.” He walked up to her and cupping her face, kissed her briefly on the lips. He continued to stare at her for a few moments until she started to squirm.
“What?” she asked softly.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a month since I thought I’d lost you.” His eyes looked sad as he always did when he brought up that difficult time. “Since then, you have become this whole new, confident person with just a hint of the beautiful elf I once knew.”
“Do you still love me?” Galena stared at his chest, fighting against the hands that still cupped her face.
“Nothing will ever change that, you silly elf.” He chuckled huskily and kissed the tip of her nose. “One way or the other, we’ll get through this and then we’ll really start our life together. Even if that means taking you back to the underground world.”
“That will never happen.” Galena shuddered involuntarily at the thought of returning to that cold dark world. The day she returned there, would be the day she planned to tell those elves they were free to live in the world above. “Let’s get something to eat and be on our way.” She woke Tark and passed out food to everyone.
Convincing Twoit to get up, she pointed out to her pet it would probably be a while before they would stop long enough for her to hunt again. Galena had to laugh when Twoit finally started out toward the underbrush. She sounded almost like Galena when she first awoke, making all kinds of growls and chirps in a quiet manner, sounding much like grumbling. Elenio noticed the similarity as well and just shook his head.
They quickly finished their meal and cleaned up their campsite. Twoit returned, her belly looking much rounder and headed straight back to Galena’s pack. She had just put her belt on and was swinging her pack onto her back, when she stopped.
“How much longer...” Tark started to ask before Galena held up a hand to silence him.
She heard something a little ways away. It sounded like a child crying and calling out. The voice that responded back filled Galena’s veins with ice. It was the gravelly voice of a torlic. Galena didn’t waste time, but sprinted in the direction of the crying child. She didn’t care if Elenio and Tark were following her; she had to stop the torlics from hurting that child.
She raced around trees and leaped over underbrush and fallen logs, her sword banging her leg and her pack thumping dully on her back as she ran. She dodged under limbs and threw vines from her path with the winds she sent ahead, all the while she kept the sound of the crying child ahead of her. She vaguely realized Tark and Elenio were following her by the sound of them running over twigs and branches that snapped under their feet.
They were getting closer now, she could hear the child begging for her mother and the torlics laughing in response.
“Don’t worry little one, we promise to be quick,” one of the torlics told the screaming child. Galena dropped her pack from her back, pulled her sword from its scabbard, and leaped into the clearing where the torlics stood in a circle around a small elf girl, no older than five or six, laughing mercilessly at the crying figure. One of the great ugly brutes bent down to pick the child up by her neck. Anger swelled in Galena as it had never before and leaping over a dead tree, she went charging toward the group of torlics, letting loose a battle cry that startled even the trees around her.
Surprised, the torlics turned to face their attacker to which the nearest one was met with Galena’s blade. Instantly, the torlic erupted with fire, howling as he fell to the ground. By now, the torlics had gotten over their surprise when Elenio and Tark burst into the clearing as well, swords ready. Galena engaged two more torlics into battle. The first one met her blade with his own, trying to use brute strength to force Galena to the ground. She avoided this by sliding her blade down the length of his and spinning around and out of his reach. She plunged her sword deep into the belly of the other who was trying to come up behind her as she fought against the first. Pulling her sword from his gut, she turned her attention back to the first one as he charged her. With a sweep of her hand, she sent him flying twenty feet into a giant tree, breaking his back when he collided. He fell to the ground, dead. She turned to see that Elenio and Tark had finished theirs off as well.
Wiping her blade on the ground, she turned toward the small child that had captured her attention in the first place. The little girl elf had golden hair that hung to her waist. Her piercing blue eyes reminded Galena of Elenio’s. She had on a simple dress in various shades of green. She regarded Galena with awe as she sat with her mouth agape.
“Peace. What’s your name?” Galena bent down so she was at eye level with the crouching figure. She spoke softly to her, so as not to frighten her further.
“Quona.”
Galena had to lean closer to hear her. It was amazing that just moments before, she’d heard this tiny elf not quite half a mile away.
“Where’s your mother?”
“I ran away.”
So, her mother had to be in the woods somewhere. Galena scanned the trees, but didn’t have to look very long before, what appeared to be her mother, was running toward them at that moment. She had long, golden hair as well and the same bright, blue eyes. Her own face was tear streaked too. She rushed to the little girl, sweeping her off her feet, and hugging her fiercely.
“Don’t you ever run away like that again,” her mother scolded her as she continued to hold her close. The woman seemed to take in her surroundings for the first time since entering the clearing and noticed Galena, Tark, and Elenio. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the weapons they carried and the torlics around them.
“You did this?” she asked indicating the fallen bodies.
“I heard your daughter’s cries and couldn’t let them take her.”
“There are more in the village, that’s why I ran. They were going through our home,” the little elf piped in.
“Sshhh, hold your tongue,” her mother scolded once more.
“How many?” Tark asked, stepping up beside Galena.
“At least twenty, maybe more. They’re going in and out of the homes, so it’s hard to say for sure. They’re looking for someone and I’m guessing that someone is you.” She placed her daughter back on the ground and taking a firm grip of her hand, stood straight to face them once more. “There have been rumors of torlic bodies found all throughout Tomiro, but the stories were that they were fighting among themselves. We’d never seen that before, but stranger things have happened. It seems that the stories were wrong though.”
Galena nodded gravely, seeing no point in denying the truth.
“Well, this is an interesting twist indeed.”
“Were the torlics still searching your village when you left?” Elenio asked. He too had come up to stand on the other side of Galena.
“Yes. They’ve been there the last couple of days. I do believe they enjoy torturing us.”
Galena glanced first at Elenio and then Tark; both nodded in an unspoken agreement.
“Lead the way my good elf, it seems you have a pest problem that we could be of assistance with,” Tark said, sweeping his hand in the direction that the elf woman had come.