It was late and the palace halls were mostly empty. Alex had told Whalen what he was doing and where he was going, and Whalen had simply nodded his understanding and said nothing. Now, Alex followed Karill out of the palace and into the streets of Valora. They went downhill, toward the harbor, and Alex understood why. The magic of the sea elves was tied to the open sea, and they would need all the power they could summon to communicate with their elders who were scattered across the oceans of Jarro.

“This way,” Karill said, leading Alex away from the docks.

They walked along the shoreline for a mile. When they came to the city wall, Karill produced a silver key which he slipped between two stones. There was a soft click, and a section of the ground and lower wall moved aside, revealing a stairway leading down, though not directly through the wall. Alex found himself in a passageway, expertly carved but poorly lit.

“My people built this when we first landed here,” Karill said. “It was so long ago that only the king and a few of his lords know that it is here, and they would be hard pressed to find it without a guide.”

The passage was straight and had a gentle downward slope. They walked in silence for another mile and then the passage started sloping up. Alex wondered where they could be, because by his reckoning they were moving eastward. After climbing a long set of stairs, they came out of a stone arch and into an open, bowl-like area. The top of the chamber was open to the sky, and Alex could see the stars high above him. He could hear the gentle waves slapping against rocks, but looking around, he could see nothing but stone.

“We are surrounded by water here,” Karill said. “From the deck of a ship, this place looks like a small stony island. It is a place for ships to steer well clear of.”

Alex nodded his understanding and took a closer look at his surroundings. The hollowed-out space was like a small amphitheater with stone benches carved along the walls. The wooden chairs in front of him were already filled with sea elves, their hoods removed and their faces revealed. Set in front of the elves were nine silver stands, each one supporting what looked like a very large and finely cut crystal.

Alex followed Karill to the front of the group of sea elves and took the seat that Karill offered him.

“We are ready,” Karill said to Alex. “You don’t need to do anything. The elders will appear shortly.”

“How?” Alex asked.

“Ancient magic that we have protected for a long time,” Karill said. “Each of the crystals has a twin, which is held by one of the elders. When they will it, their likenesses will appear, and they will be able to see and hear all that happens here.”

Alex waited and watched. For a time, it seemed that nothing was happening, but he soon noticed that each of the crystals in front of him began to glow with a dim light. The magic of the crystals was very different than Alex imagined it would be. The lords of the sea elves did not appear above the crystals as he thought they would, nor were they the semitransparent figures he’d imagined. Instead, each of the crystals, along with the silver stands, vanished from sight, and in their places sat very real and solid-looking elf lords.

As soon as all of the lords had appeared, the elf in the center spoke. His voice was musical and strangely sad, and while the words that he spoke were not exactly the same as the elvin language Alex knew, he was still able to follow what was being said. Alex thought that maybe he should say something because the elves appeared to think he could not understand them.

“Good, he’s agreed to come,” the sea lord from the middle crystal commented. “We were not sure that he would.”

“That he would dare,” another lord to Alex’s left added.

A spark of anger flared inside Alex. He knew that the elves had doubts and that they had lived in fear for many years, but the part of him that was a dragon did not take kindly to the comment about his not daring to come here.

“He appears to be all that he claims,” Karill said.

“Things are seldom what they appear to be,” one of the lords to Alex’s right answered.

“And sometimes things are more than they appear to be,” Alex said in perfect elvin. “I have dared to do many things in my short life, and I hope to do more. What, may I ask, have you dared to do in your long lifetimes?”

The elf lords fell silent. Some seemed surprised that Alex spoke their language, while others frowned in anger that he had challenged them so directly.

“Forgive our doubts,” the elf lord at the center said after a pause. “We have not been introduced. I am Navar, the eldest remaining of my people in Jarro.” He gestured to the elf on Alex’s right. “This is Sarach, my advisor. I can see you are angry about our doubts, and perhaps at our fear as well. We have lived in fear for a long time. Too long, I think.”

“We must protect ourselves,” Sarach said.

“To hide in fear is not the best path to protection,” another of the elf lords commented.

“Enough,” Navar interrupted. “We have debated for a long time, and we have not agreed on a path. That is not the reason for this meeting. Master Taylor, we know what you have shown to Aliia. She may never have seen a true wizard, but what she tells us reassures us that you are what you say you are. We asked you here to offer you what we can. We will share with you the legends of the distant past, if you think they can help you in your quest.”

“Thank you, my lords. I am grateful for your help,” Alex answered. “To be honest, I wish to hear more about the black lands before we speak of darloch est messer . Tell me, if you can, what is there? What is it that you and all others fear in that place?”

“The black lands,” Navar replied slowly. “A path I would advise against, and yet . . .” The elf fell silent as if lost in memory or deep thought. After a moment he shook himself, glanced quickly at the other elf lords, and then settled his gaze on Alex. “Aliia told you what she knows, and I will tell you more. In ancient times, our people sought for more power than was wise. They wished for things that were not meant to be. In their pride they used magic that they did not truly understand, and that was our ruin. They gave more life to things than they should have, and worse, they gave solid form to shadows.”

“More life?” Alex asked.

“Perhaps those are the wrong words,” Navar answered. “They could not truly give more life, but they made things more alive . For example, they gave plants the ability to move from place to place, when nature decreed they should remain. This was a small thing to them, and perhaps no greater evil would have come if they had stopped there. Sadly, they did not stop. They learned to give form to shadows, allowing them to move freely on their own. When the shadows remained below ground, working in the mines, things were fine.”

“Wait,” said Alex. “To give shadows form requires no great magic, and there is no evil in such an act.”

“Perhaps not,” said Navar. “The ancient dark elves, however, wished for something more than mindless shadows that could do little for them. They wanted servants—slaves, to be honest—who could work without being constantly controlled. They tried their magic on many things, but in the end they decided that the best slaves, the most useful, would be something like themselves. So they gave their own shadows solid forms, and set them to work in the mines.

“As I said, if they had remained in the mines, below ground and away from the sun, things might have been fine. The shadows, however, had been given the ability to think for themselves—almost as living beings. They were beautiful creatures in the beginning, pale, silver-gray shadows in the forms of elves. But with their ability to think came emotions and desires, something their creators had not considered. The shadows longed for freedom outside of the mines and the sunlight they had never seen. So they came up out of the mines, into the world, and then . . .”

“They could not remain in the sunlight,” Alex said when Navar seemed unable to continue. “Direct sunlight would undo the magic that gave them form.”

“It did not undo the magic, it changed it,” said Navar. “The light of the sun twisted the shadows the elves had created, distorting their forms, changing them into monsters. Seeing what they had become, they turned against those who had created them. They hate the elves, and they hate anything that reminds them of what they once looked like. Men and even dwarves are not safe from their hate or their desire for vengeance.”

“They still remain?” Alex asked. “They did not fade away when those who made them died or faded?”

“Many of the remaining dark elves have faded, and many more have sailed to the undying lands in the west,” Navar answered. “Or at least they tried to sail west. We have some doubts if they could reach the undying lands, leaving their evil alive behind them. As far as we know, the shadows remain in the black lands, but none of our people have gone there for many ages of men.”

“And this happened to all the dark elves in all the known lands?” Alex asked.

“Yes,” Navar said. “They did not see their folly until the practice had spread to all of our people. Now, those of us who remain must pay the price for their mistake.” He gestured to the other elves in the room. “Our price is paid by a life tied to the sea.”

Alex didn’t say anything for a minute. He considered everything he’d been told and what he already knew about giving shadows a solid form. To create thinking creatures, living beings from shadows, would require some very powerful magic. That the creatures had remained for so long even after their creators had vanished was hard for him to believe. No magic that he knew of would remain for so long, unless something, or someone, renewed the magic from time to time.

The Brotherhood? Alex wondered. Could the Brotherhood be connected to these shadows? Has the group existed for so long, unnoticed?

“You believe that in time this curse will end,” Alex finally said. “Tell me, if you will, how you think the curse will end.”

“That brings us back to the legend of darloch est messer ,” Navar replied. “Simply put, it is believed that in a time of darkness, when evil threatens all the known lands, the master of dragons will come. This master will fight the evil with the aid of a nameless dragon, and if he can defeat it with his dragon ally, a great time of renewal will follow. Many wrongs of the past will fade away, and better times for all the known lands will follow.”

“And if they fail?” Alex asked.

“Then evil will rise and darkness will consume the known lands,” Navar answered. “I, and many of my people, believe that failure would mean our end. It would be the end for many good things to be sure.”

“I don’t suppose the legend says when all this is going to happen,” Alex said.

“Legends cannot be marked on a calendar,” Navar replied. “We must hope that the master of dragons and his nameless ally will come soon. For now, we hope, and we wait.”

“‘Nameless ally,’” Alex repeated softly to himself. “All dragons have names, even if the names they go by are not their true names.”

Navar held up his hands in helpless surrender. “I can only tell you the words of the legend, and they say only that a nameless dragon will come and aid the master of dragons.”

“Very well,” Alex said, his mind trying to see how the pieces fit together and failing. “I thank you for telling me what you have, though I feel I have more questions than answers.”

“Answers are always harder to find than questions,” Navar said.

“Press them to join this battle,” Alex’s O’Gash suddenly whispered. “As a sign of good will, show them what you are—your wizard powers, the fact that you are a dragon lord—everything except your dragon side. Show them, and ask them to fight.”

Alex hesitated, but he knew his O’Gash was right. If the men and dwarves of Westland were going to have any real chance to win the coming war, they would need help from the sea elves.

“As a sign of good faith, I will show you what many of you wish to see,” Alex said, as he stood up. He moved forward to stand between the elf lords and the elves seated behind him. “As I did for Aliia, I ask you: See me for what I am.”

Alex bowed his head for a moment, concentrating on how much he would reveal. Then he looked up at the stars of Jarro and a surprisingly strong feeling of hope filled him. Somehow he knew that he would reach Conmar Castle and that he would defeat Jabez and his evil. He did not know how he would get there, and he could not see how he would win, he simply knew that he would.

Alex uncovered his magic for all the sea elves to see, and this time he did not hide his power as a dragon lord. There were a few gasps of surprise, but mostly there was a stunned silence. He didn’t think many of them had ever seen a true wizard, and he knew none of them had ever seen a dragon lord. He stood for several minutes, allowing the elves see his true power, sure that none of them would reveal his secret to Jabez.

“You spoke truly,” Navar managed to say. “Some things are more than they appear to be, as we now see that you are. I do not recognize all of the magic I see in you, as some of it seems very strange.”

“That is the magic of a dragon lord,” Alex said, returning to his seat. “I am a dragon lord, named such by a lord of dragons and the eldest of that race in all the known lands.”

The elf lords didn’t say anything for a time, but Alex could see they were talking to each other. Something in their magic allowed them to speak together while preventing Alex from hearing their words. After a few minutes of debate, Navar broke the silence.

“If you are a dragon lord, then are you not also the master of dragons that the legend speaks of?” Navar asked.

“I do not know,” Alex said. “To my mind, dragons have no masters, except possibly the ancient dragon of whom I spoke. That is why this legend is so puzzling to me. I would not claim to be a master of dragons, though I believe that any dragon I faced would speak to me before attacking.”

“Clearly you know more of dragons than we do,” Navar said thoughtfully. “You have shown us your power and have been honest and true with us. Is there something we may do for you? Ask of us what you will. For myself and those of my house, we will try to do whatever you may ask.”

“I would ask that you come to the aid of your friends here in Westland,” Alex said. “The war that they are facing will be a hard one, and I am not sure that they can win it alone.”

“As a united race, we have not meddled in the affairs of mortals for ages,” Sarach said quickly. “To do so now would expose our people to the evil in this and other lands.”

“Tell me, Sarach, do you think your people are safe because you do not meddle? Do you think they are safe because evil does not know you exist?” Alex asked. “Stories of the sea elves are told in many lands, and the evil facing us all surely knows where your people are. It may not see you as a threat because you do not meddle, but sooner or later the evil will come looking for you.”

“Perhaps,” Sarach replied. “But that is simply more reason to remain hidden. Provoking evil seems a foolish course to follow.”

“Yes, that may be,” Alex agreed. “Yet I ask that you answer one question: What would you call an elf, or a man, or even a dwarf, who would not help when a friend was in dire need?”

“You would shame us further and call us cowards,” Sarach answered angrily.

“Your word, not mine,” Alex said. “If the title fits, you must live with it.”

“Wizards are known for their cunning ways and their ability to twist words. What will you say to those of our people who will die if we join this battle? You know as we all do that many will die. What words do you have for them?” Sarach asked.

“Yes,” Alex said sadly. “Many will die in the coming fight. Such is the price of life, even for the ageless elves. Those who die, however, will die with honor. They will die without the shame that your people have lived with for so long.”

“Enough of this,” Navar said loudly. “This is a choice that every elf must make individually. And for me, and the members of my house who wish it, I will join Lord Darthon in this war. If the other houses wish to join us, they will be welcome. If they wish to remain hidden, as Master Taylor said, you must live with the title that fits.”

Karill stood and bowed to Navar. “I will tell Lord Darthon of your decision, my lord.”

“Thank you,” Alex said to Navar. “I know joining this war will be a sacrifice for your people, but I know we will not be able to defeat this evil without your help.”

Navar nodded his head to Alex. “Perhaps we can begin to help you right now. There is one more thing you should know about the black lands, though I cannot say how true it might be or if it is simply legend.”

“Something more about the black lands?” Alex asked.

“There are old stories about our ancient home,” Navar explained. “They say that at certain times, strange lights appear in the night. Some say that the lights are the shadow’s magic, used to mislead travelers and cause them to become lost forever in the darkness. Others say that the lights are the lost souls of those who have died, those who created the shadows in the first place and who are unable to leave the black lands until the shadows they created are undone. Whatever version of the story is true, I urge you to avoid the lights if you see them. All the stories say that the lights bring madness or even death to any who get too close to them.”

“Thank you for this information, Lord Navar,” said Alex. “It will be helpful when I cross the black lands.”

“You still think the path through the black lands is the best way to travel? Even knowing all that you do?” Navar asked with concern.

“It seems the only path open to me,” Alex answered. “I wish it was not. It will be a dangerous journey, and I would rather face that danger alone instead of taking others with me into such a place.”

“Then take only those who choose to go of their own free will,” Navar said, “those who will be most likely to withstand any evil you may meet.”

“I hope that we all may withstand the evil,” Alex replied. “Thank you again for what you have shared with me.”

“I wish you luck in your quest, and I hope to meet you face to face one day very soon,” said Navar.

“A hope that I share,” Alex answered, standing and bowing slightly.

All of the sea elves stood and bowed to their lords until their images faded and vanished.

Without a word Karill turned and motioned for Alex to follow him. They remained silent until they were almost back to the city walls.

“I would not have you think badly of Sarach,” Karill said. “He is not the fearful sea elf that he appears to be in council.”

“I do not think badly of any elf,” Alex replied. “I understand that he is only trying to protect his people.”

“Not in the way you are thinking,” Karill said. “It is Sarach’s job in council to take a stand for the old ways, to uphold the traditions of my people. His own true feelings are very different. I think, if he had his way, we would be far more involved with what happens in the land of Jarro than we have been for many lifetimes of men.”

“So he really wants to help, even though it means going to war, even though he knows many of your people will die?” Alex asked.

“Death is not always to be feared,” Karill answered. “Most of my people believe that to die in a good cause is better than to live forever in hiding. Few of my people, however, would say such a thing out loud. We have been in hiding for a very long time, and old ways are not easy to change.”

“Let us hope that the change will not prove too costly for your people,” Alex said.

“Yes, let us hope,” Karill agreed.

“The elves are going to fight?” Whalen asked.

Alex had found the old wizard sitting next to the fire in their rooms, waiting for his return. He had a worried look on his face, and a huge pile of papers scattered on the floor around him.

“Some of them, at least,” Alex said. “Maybe even most of them.”

“How did you manage that?”

Alex quickly told Whalen about what had happened during the council of the sea elves. When he finished, Whalen leaned back in his chair.

“You have done well, Alex. With the sea elves on our side, our chances of winning this fight without destroying most of Westland will be better, but . . .”

“I know, I know,” Alex said. “Nothing will really matter if I can’t get into Conmar, find the Axe of Sundering, and finish Jabez.”

“Yes, and I’ve been trying to find something that will help with that,” Whalen said, waving his hand at the papers around him.

“A magical way to find the Axe?” Alex asked hopefully.

“No, nothing as simple as that,” Whalen said, shaking his head. “I doubt that Jabez would use any great magic to hide the Axe as that would simply act as a sign to anyone who knows how to look. Don’t forget, the Axe is a magical weapon as well and any magic used on the Axe may react in unexpected ways.”

“What are you looking for, then?”

“A way for you to get to Conmar without traveling through the black lands,” Whalen answered. “Given what Navar told you about the dangers in the black lands, I feel even more strongly that you should avoid them.”

“Yes, there will be danger traveling in the black lands, but the magic the sea elves used there is not necessarily evil. At least, it’s not the same evil that we are trying to defeat at Conmar.”

“The magic the elves used may not have been evil, at least not directly, but it was powerful, and it has caused a great deal of evil to follow.”

“Most of that evil has been done to the sea elves,” Alex said.

“Hardly,” Whalen said. “Oh, I know the sea elves have suffered because of what they did, but what about the shadows?”

“The shadows?”

“They were given life,” Whalen said. “Maybe not life as you and I know it, but life just the same. The shadows could think and feel and make their own decisions. What they were not given was a choice in what they would become. They were also not given an end, a way to die and become simply shadows once more. That, to my mind, is a greater evil than anything the sea elves have had to live with.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Alex admitted.

“You should,” Whalen said. “If you must travel through the black lands, you should look at things from all angles.”

“It seems like there is always something more to think about,” Alex said with a yawn.

“Yes, there is,” Whalen agreed. “So, when you think you’ve thought of everything, you can be sure you are wrong.”

Alex said good night to Whalen and went to his bedroom. He wasn’t really tired, but he wanted to be alone to think. He took off his boots, stretched out on top of his bed, and looked up at the dark ceiling of his room. He thought about his main enemy, Jabez.

Jabez would know something about the black lands, but how much? If he thought no one could travel through the black lands, then he wouldn’t worry about guarding them. It was a chance, maybe the only chance that Alex would have to get close to Conmar Castle as quickly as he needed to without being seen. Unfortunately, traveling through the black lands sounded like a way to vanish and never be seen again. Was it a risk worth taking? Could he gamble his life on it? What about the lives of the twenty men who would be joining him?

Alex tried to think of what he would do if he were in Jabez’s place, which was difficult because he wasn’t sure how much Jabez knew about the black lands or about the sea elves. But Alex knew that Jabez was worried about his ability to retain control of Westland. He had wanted to keep Darthon and the southern kingdom out of the fight for as long as possible. Perhaps Jabez was moving sooner than he had planned to—perhaps something was forcing him to try to take control before he was really ready.

“The Brotherhood must be pushing him,” Alex’s O’Gash whispered.

Why? Alex asked, and then thought through the answers.

The Brotherhood took their time; they were patient. They had taken hundreds of years in their attempt to conquer Nezza. Had their failure in Nezza changed their plans here in Jarro? Did the Brotherhood have some deadline for taking control of all the known lands?

Questions that Alex couldn’t possibly answer began to pile up in his mind until it was hard to think clearly about anything. Slowly he forced himself to clear his mind, to refocus on the one problem he had to solve immediately. How could he reach the castle of Conmar quickly? Traveling through the black lands was the fastest way, but was it the right thing to do?

After a short time, Alex let his mind empty and tried to sleep. The next few days would be busy ones, and he would need to be ready. He would find out soon enough if his decision to travel through the black lands was a good one or not.