MistyTrail sat on the raft with her legs wrapped around the mast. It was the only dry spot on the entire raft. Caldal did not seem to mind the water washing over his feet as he steered the craft. He had his boots tied around his neck and whistled as the waves constantly shoved the raft.
“Here we go,” Caldal called as he turned the raft towards the coast.
MistyTrail gazed at the coastline and thought that Caldal might have been in the sun too long. The thin strip of beach before the jungle was unbroken, yet Caldal was heading for it. MistyTrail hugged the mast and braced herself for the crash that she knew was to come.
Suddenly, the beach was gone. The jungle was far to each side of her as the raft floated along a wide canal. She stared ahead and saw a cliff in the distance. As they got closer, the cliff towered above them. A narrow passage was cut straight through the rock of the cliff. MistyTrail gazed upward at the tops of the cliff. She could see nothing up there, but she was sure that Caldal had told the truth. There were assuredly elves up there watching the raft approach the narrow channel.
As the raft entered the narrow defile, she felt the wind roar through it. The sail filled and Caldal moved swiftly forward. He adjusted the sail to make it smaller and then returned to the tiller. The raft moved swiftly through the channel, and as Caldal had predicted, two ships were waiting for them.
Each elven ship had a score of archers ready to fire. Caldal came forward again and lowered the sail completely. He had already prepared a line and tied it to the bow of the raft. Now he lifted the coil of rope and held it high so that the elves could see it. One of the elven ships came close, and Caldal tossed the coil of rope to one of the seamen. The seaman secured his end of the line to the stern of his ship. Caldal sat down alongside MistyTrail.
“Soon we will be at the docks,” Caldal sighed as he watched the second elven ship pull in behind the raft. “Do not make any threatening moves. The guards may demand your weapons. If they do, surrender them all. You have broken no laws yet. Do not start now.”
MistyTrail nodded and gazed about the harbor. The harbor was large, and many sailing vessels were anchored in it. The city appeared to wrap completely around the harbor with docks almost everywhere. Beyond the docks she could see portions of tall buildings, but the trees were abundant and blocked the view of most of them.
“It looks larger than I thought it would be,” MistyTrail commented. “What is it called?”
“Morada,” answered Caldal. “It is the capital city of Elvangar. It is the home of the queen and the elders. It is fairly large, comparable to the Khadoran cities that we went through. I have never felt comfortable in it.”
“Why not?” asked MistyTrail.
“I am a village boy,” answered Caldal. “In Etta, we live in the trees and know most of the other people in the village. Here most people are strangers to me, and they live in buildings on the ground. I just prefer the village.”
“I find large cities exciting,” replied MistyTrail, “but I do not think that I would enjoy living in one. I like the open country and living under the stars. StarCity was fine, but that was because I knew everyone there I guess. What will happen to me here?”
“You will probably be taken to see Queen Alycia,” shrugged Caldal. “Remember to tell her what Emperor Marak wants her to know. He is a good man and deserves an answer from the elves.”
The raft bumped against the dock where a squad of elven soldiers waited for them. Caldal and MistyTrail stepped onto the dock, and the soldiers immediately took their swords and Caldal’s bow.
“Who are you, and where are you from?” asked one of the soldiers.
“I am Caldal, and I am from the village of Etta,” answered Caldal. “I violated the law by sailing past the Barrier Islands. I am here to surrender. The woman is not from Elvangar. She saved my life after I was captured on the Island of Darkness. Her name is MistyTrail. She has not violated our laws.”
“Follow me,” the solder said as he turned and walked away from the dock.
Caldal took MistyTrail’s hand and followed the soldier. The rest of the soldiers followed them. MistyTrail gazed at her surroundings as they marched through the city. Morada was a beautiful city. Trees were everywhere and parks were abundant. The streets were spotless, and the people well groomed. Citizens did look to see whom the soldiers were escorting, but they were polite with their curiosity. They neither glared nor scowled at MistyTrail.
The group entered a stone plaza and then a building off the plaza. Caldal and MistyTrail were told to sit and wait while the soldiers continued to stand guard around them. A few minutes later, Caldal was called away. MistyTrail sat silently, trying not to stare at the soldiers. A long time passed before Caldal returned. He sat next to MistyTrail.
“We must wait until Eltor and Mistake are brought in,” Caldal said softly to MistyTrail.
“There is to be no talking,” one of the soldiers said harshly.
Caldal nodded and stared at the floor.
* * *
Most of the villagers sat around Eltor as he told the story of what happened to him and Caldal since they left the village. He had just reached the part where Mistake and MistyTrail had helped him rescue Caldal from the Chamber of Horror when the elven soldiers arrived. Eltor frowned because he knew that the messenger could not have possibly run that fast to Morada. Still, there was nothing for him to complain about. He would have to finish the story later.
Eltor and Mistake rose. The soldiers took their swords and Eltor’s bow and ordered them to follow the lead soldier. It was late in the day when they finally reached Morada and met up with Caldal and MistyTrail.
The four adventurers sat silently until Caldal and Eltor were ordered to follow a soldier. They were marched along a corridor and shown into a large room. At one end of the room was a long table. The twelve Elders of Elvangar sat behind the long table, and Eltor and Caldal were led to a spot in front of it. Soldiers stood on both sides of them.
“You are accused of violating the laws of Elvangar,” stated Malid, the Head Elder. “Caldal, you have already stated your guilt. What say you, Eltor? Are you guilty?”
“I am,” nodded Eltor. “I intentionally sailed beyond the Barrier Islands. I have returned to Elvangar to accept my punishment.”
“Accept your punishment?” asked the elder. “It is my understanding that you snuck into the village of Etta, while Caldal entered Morada and immediately confessed. How is that surrendering?”
“I surrendered to the guards in Etta,” replied Eltor. “They immediately sent a runner to Morada. I was awaiting an escort when the soldiers showed up.”
The elder looked perplexed. He summoned a soldier and whispered in his ear. The soldier nodded and withdrew from the room.
“Why did you not return with Caldal?” Malid asked.
“I suspected that my punishment would keep me from my friends and family for some time,” answered Eltor. “By surrendering at Etta, I had a small amount of time to say goodbye to those I love before being sentenced. I assure the elders that escaping justice has never entered my mind. Caldal and I have been through a terrible ordeal since leaving Elvangar. We are thrilled to be back in our homeland, even if it means punishment.”
The soldier returned and whispered in the elder’s ear. Malid nodded and stared blankly at the two accused elves.
“It is said that you were imprisoned on the Island of Motanga, Eltor,” continued Malid. “Is this true?”
“It is,” Eltor nodded. “We sailed too close to the island and were captured. We were forced to work in the shipyards. Caldal and I tried to escape. We were caught. I was sent to work the mines, while Caldal was sent to the temple for torture and death.”
“And yet here you are,” frowned the elder. “How is that?”
“I was rescued from the mine by two female elves,” explained Eltor. “Their names are Mistake and MistyTrail. They are being held outside this room.”
“I know about them,” scowled the elder. “Tell me of Motanga.”
“They rescued me from the mines,” frowned Eltor. “I told them that I could not leave the island without Caldal. They agreed to help get him out of the temple. The three of us snuck into the temple and rescued Caldal from the Chamber of Horror. We evaded their patrols and creatures and managed to sail away from the island without being captured.”
“Creatures?” asked one of the other elders. “What type of creatures?”
“They are called kruls,” answered Eltor. “The best description that I can offer is this. They stand at least twice our height, some thrice. They resemble giant apes, yet they have the ability of speech. They are incredibly strong. I believe them to be magical beings.”
“And this is what inhabits Motanga?” asked another elder.
“No,” Eltor shook his head. “Humans inhabit the island. The leader is known as Vand. Anyone who sails near this island is captured and put to work. There are hundreds of elves imprisoned there. Humans, too.”
“Hundreds of elves?” scoffed Malid. “How is this possible? Not that many elves have gone missing.”
“Some of the elves were born on Motanga,” replied Eltor. “There are several generations of elves living there. Their ancestors may have been captures years ago.”
“Did you say Vand?” asked an elder. “Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yes,” Eltor nodded exaggeratedly. “He is reportedly an ageless magician of the dark arts. He takes new bodies over the course of time, but it is said that he is immortal. He is the leader of the Island of Darkness.”
The elders were obviously alarmed. They ignored Eltor and Caldal and whispered excitedly among themselves. Finally, the Head Elder broke away from the whispering group.
“We must know everything that you can remember about Motanga,” declared Malid. “This information is vital to Elvangar. Because of the information that you bring, your punishment will be less than normal. The fact that you both willingly surrendered is also to your credit. You will be required to report here each day to talk about Motanga until we have gotten all of the information that we can get. You will be housed in the prison until your sentence is completed.”
“There is more that I must tell you,” Eltor said. “We also traveled to Khadora and Fakara. Emperor Marak has asked us to deliver a message to Queen Alycia.”
“Khadora?” frowned Malid. “Fakara? These names mean nothing to me. Who is Emperor Marak?”
“He is the leader of Khadora,” explained Eltor. “He thinks that Vand is going to attack him and his neighboring countries. He has asked for help from the elves.”
“Are these countries on the Island of Motanga?” asked Malid.
“No,” Eltor shook his head. “When we escaped from Motanga, we sailed to Khadora. It lies to the west of Motanga. We spoke to the ruler there. He was most gracious to us. We promised to carry his message to the queen.”
“You told this human about Elvangar?” gasped Malid. “Tell me that is not what you just said. You know our laws.”
“We told him nothing about our homeland,” protested Eltor. “We told him neither the name nor the location of Elvangar, yet it was obvious that we were not human. This man is an honest and generous man. His country is faced with ruin when Vand attacks him, and he believes that Vand will attack us when he is done with Khadora. He wishes to join forces with the elves to defeat the evil.”
“This is most serious,” Malid shook his head. “Being captured by humans was obviously beyond your ability to protest, but these other humans you have willingly conspired with. That is against our laws. This is a matter that must be taken to the queen. Your sentence for now will remain as I have stated, plus you are banned from setting foot on a ship for a period of five years. This sentence may be severely modified after a review with the queen. Take them away.”
Soldiers seized Eltor and Caldal. They were taken to the prison and stripped and given prisoner uniforms. The cell door was slammed shut.
“I am sorry, Caldal,” apologized Eltor. “I know that I made things worse, but I had to deliver the message.”
“You did no different than I would have done,” consoled Caldal. “They must know of Emperor Marak and his plight. Joining with him is the right thing for the elves to do. I would not worry about it. The message will be delivered to the queen, and that was our goal. They may punish us for delivering it, but it was still the right thing to do. It will work out alright.”
“Plus we can bring it up every day during the interrogations,” nodded Eltor. “When they discover how great a threat Vand really is, we will be heroes.”
* * *
“Is it possible that Vand still exists?” asked the elder Volox. “Do you think these adventurers are making up stories?”
“They are not fabricating anything,” Malid shook his head. “They may have been fooled by someone else, but those boys were telling the truth. The interrogations over the next few days will tell us much. What bothers me is this Emperor Marak.”
“Why does he concern you more than Vand?” asked Volox.
“Because it was obvious that Eltor thought well of him,” explained Malid. “We all know that humans exist, just as they have existed for ages. We are prepared to defend our homeland against them, so rulers like Vand pose no additional threat than they did already.”
“But humans like Marak carry an additional threat,” nodded Amber, another elder. “One whose sweet talking can convince an elf of his human sincerity is a graver threat than the one who sails to Elvangar with ships loaded with warriors.”
“Precisely,” nodded Malid. “It was obvious that Eltor was taken in by this man. What are we to do with the women? They are elven, but not of Elvangar. I do not think that we have ever faced this situation before.”
“They have not broken any laws that we are aware of,” replied Volox. “It is hard for us to do anything but accept them as citizens.”
“We can’t send them back to where they came from,” Amber pointed out. “That would divulge the location of Elvangar.”
“No,” agreed Malid, “they must stay at Elvangar forever, but they do not even know our ways. It is like suddenly finding that you have grown children that you never knew about.”
“I say that we find them homes with families that would be willing to host them,” offered Volox.
“They are old enough to be on their own,” scowled Amber. “They are not children.”
“Perhaps not,” countered Volox, “but they are like children in our society. They are going to need someone to teach them our ways. Why not a family that is willing to teach them? Do you have a better idea?”
“That sounds fine to me,” Malid declared as he sought to end the discussion. “I must report to Queen Alycia about this matter. Why don’t you find them homes, Volox? It is your idea after all.”
Malid left the chamber to visit the queen. The rest of the elders moved off at a leisurely pace. Volox rose and walked to the entry foyer where the girls were being held. He walked into the room and stood silently staring at them for several minutes. Finally, he sat down next to MistyTrail.
“Which one of you is Mistake?” asked Volox, “and which is MistyTrail?”
“I am MistyTrail,” the Sakovan replied. “Are Eltor and Caldal alright? I mean do you know what their punishment will be?”
“The boys are fine,” smiled Volox. “Their punishment for sailing past the Barrier Islands is probably the most lenient that the elders have ever handed out for that offense.”
“That is wonderful,” smiled MistyTrail. “They really are good men.”
“You like them, do you?” smiled Volox as he watched the girls nod. “I understand that you two were born someplace other than Elvangar. That presents the elders with a bit of a problem. You are elves, but you do not know our laws and our customs. We have come up with a way to make you feel more at home. You are going to live with an elven family for a time. They will answer all of your questions and see that you know everything that you need to know. It will also allow you a chance to meet some of us while the boys are serving their sentence. Is that agreeable to you?”
“I think that I would like that,” nodded MistyTrail.
Mistake frowned and stared at Volox for a moment. His brow creased with concern.
“You spoke as if you were one of the elders,” Mistake stated. “Is that true?”
“You are perceptive,” chuckled Volox. “Pardon my manners. I am Volox, an elder of Elvangar. So many people know me that I forget my manners sometimes. I do apologize.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Volox,” Mistake said as the frown left her face. “MistyTrail and I both thank you for your interest in our welfare. I think both of us living with a family would be good for us.”
It was Volox’s turn to frown as he realized what Mistake was demanding. While the girls were willing to live with hosts, they demanded to be kept together. That would make his task that much harder.
“Very well,” the elder nodded. “It is too late today to find you a home. I will take you to my house for the night. Tomorrow we will find a home that will accept both of you.”
Volox rose and Mistake and MistyTrail did as well. He waved the soldiers away and led the girls out of the building. The walk through the city was pleasant as Volox pointed out buildings and landmarks along the way. The elder stopped in a park-like setting and grabbed a rope hanging alongside an old oak tree. He flipped the rope and a wooden platform slowly descended.
The platform had no railings, only a sturdy wooden frame created by four posts, one in each corner. Above the cage, the wooden posts curled to meet in the center. A rope leading upward was attached on top of the center. Volox ushered the girls onto the platform. He started pulling on the rope that had been hanging alongside the tree. The platform rose slowly. It was obvious that the old man was having difficulty pulling the platform up. MistyTrail smiled and gently took the rope from Volox.
“I would think that in any culture,” smiled MistyTrail, “it is permissible for the young to share the burden. Mistake and I can pull the rope.”
Volox grinned and bowed graciously to the girls.
“I manage it fine for myself,” he explained, “but I had not thought about the extra weight. Thank you for offering.”
“It is the least that we could do,” smiled Mistake as she helped pull the elevator up. “You are sharing your home with us.”
The platform rose smoothly and was aligned with a wooden floor when it reached the top. Volox stepped off and moved away from it.
“Let me inform my wife that we have guests,” the elder said. “It is best if I do not surprise her too abruptly.”
Mistake gazed at the beautiful home in the tree while Volox disappeared into it. The structure of the home took advantage of the natural form of the tree and appeared to belong there. Volox returned and ushered the girls into the house. An elderly woman smiled broadly and came over to greet each of the girls.
“Welcome to our home,” the woman said. “I am Anija. It has been some time since we have had a young one here. I hope you don’t mind sharing a bed? We only have two sleeping rooms.”
“Not at all,” smiled MistyTrail. “Mistake and I are sisters. My name is MistyTrail. We are grateful for your hospitality.”
“Sisters,” grinned Anija. “I should have known. You look so much alike. Come help me in the kitchen. I am preparing the evening meal. Which of you is the older?”
“We don’t know,” answered Mistake. “We did not grow up together. It is only recently that we found each other.”
“Oh that is sad,” Anija replied. “Sisters should grow up together. One of you slice up the carrots. The other can boil some water.”
MistyTrail pulled a knife and began slicing the carrots. She looked around the kitchen and nodded in appreciation. It was one of the nicest kitchens that she had ever seen. It was hard to imagine that it was in a tree. It even had a real stove of its own.
“Your home is beautiful,” remarked MistyTrail. “Does it sway at all when the wind blows?”
“Oh no,” chuckled Anija. “We are in the lower part of the tree. It would take quite a gale to make this place sway.”
Mistake and MistyTrail continued to help as directed by Anija. When they were all done, the girls carried the meal into the eating room. MistyTrail noticed that the table was set for five. She frowned in confusion. At that moment there was a knock on the door. Volox walked to the door and opened it. A tall muscular elf with an array of weapons hanging from his clothes stood in the doorway. Volox embraced the man and ushered him in.
“This is our son, Tamar,” introduced the elder. “He is a high officer in the army. We are quite proud of him. Tamar, the one on the left is Mistake, and the other is MistyTrail.”
“Strange names for elves,” Tamar commented as he nodded at each of them. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all,” smiled Anija. “Your father probably forgot that you were coming over tonight, but I didn’t. There is plenty for all of us. Sit.”
Tamar nodded and stripped off most of his weapons. He walked around the table and embraced his mother before sitting down.
“Are these the two foreigners that arrived today?” asked Tamar as they started eating.
“We do not discuss such things at home,” scolded Volox, “but yes. I was hoping that you might test them for weapons. I could not help but notice how strong they appear to be. Will you do it?”
“As long as I can find the time,” nodded Tamar, “but you know that I have little of it. The queen has been quite demanding lately. I understand that she just ordered a doubling of the guards. I do not know where I will find the men.”
“Well,” nodded Volox, “do what you can. We need to find the girls a place to stay tomorrow. I will let you know where they end up.”
“Why not let them stay here?” asked Tamar. “You have my sleeping room available, and I know that mother would love the company.”
“That is what I tried to tell him earlier,” interjected Anija. “They are fine young girls. They are very polite and helpful. I would enjoy having them around.”
“I am not sure that it would look right,” frowned Volox. “I am an elder. Some would say that the girls are getting special treatment. That is not the best way for them to start their new life in Elvangar.”
MistyTrail was smiling at the comments, but Mistake’s face held a heavy frown.
“We are never going to be allowed to leave Elvangar again, are we?” she asked.
“Why ever would you want to leave?” asked Volox. “Elvangar is the sweetest place in the world.”
“That is an elder’s way of saying no,” translated Tamar. “Secrecy is the most important defense of Elvangar. No one is allowed to leave.”