The day was hot, and sitting in the back of the wagon in full robes was miserable. Kaylia, however, seemed unaffected.
“How old are you?” Gewey asked Kaylia, renewing his efforts to get information. “I hear your people live a long time.”
“I’m older than you,” she said without looking up.
Gewey was undeterred. “I’m just trying to get to know you.”
“There’s no need,” said Kaylia. “You already know everything you need to know.”
“But that’s practically nothing,” Gewey insisted. “If we’re going to travel together, don’t you think we should know more about each other?”
“I do not,” she replied. “At least not now.”
Gewey kept pressing, determined to learn more about her. “Do you have a last name, or are you just Kaylia?”
Kaylia reached in her robe, pulled out a flask, and drank deeply.
“What’s that?” asked Gewey.
Kaylia handed him the flask. He noticed a sweet smell as he lifted it to his mouth. Despite the heat, the liquid was cool, and it tasted like honeyed water.
“Thank you,” said Gewey, handing her back the flask.
Suddenly, he felt woozy and his vision blurred. The last thing Gewey saw as he dropped to the bottom of the wagon was Kaylia’s grinning face.
Lee turned and saw Gewey sprawled next to the supplies. “What happened?”
“The boy wanted to know more about elves,” said Kaylia. “So I introduced him to jawas tea.”
Lee laughed aloud. “A lesson he won’t soon forget, I imagine.
Wouldn’t you agree, Millet?”
Millet was not amused; his own experience with jawas tea still lingered in his memory. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to drug the boy,” he said sourly. “If we are attacked, it won’t do to have to carry him.”
“You’re right, of course,” Lee acknowledged, and turned to Kaylia.
“In the future, please let the boy remain conscious.”
Kaylia shrugged. “If you say so.”
When Gewey awoke, the wagon had stopped. Millet was preparing the noon meal, and Kaylia and Lee were checking the horses.
“What happened?” Gewey asked. His vision was still fuzzy, and his head swam.
“Our elf friend happened,” said Millet. “She drugged you with jawas tea.”
Gewey rubbed his eyes. “Why did she do that?”
“I expect she wanted you to stop asking questions,” Millet replied.
“In the future, I suggest that you refrain from accepting food or drink from a stranger, especially if that stranger is an elf.”
“I think you might be right,” said Gewey as he slowly climbed out of the wagon. ‘At least I learned one thing,’ he thought. ‘Jawas tea doesn’t affect elves.’
Gewey ate his food as far away from Kaylia as he could, and when they were done, he insisted that he trade places with Lee in the wagon.
Once they were underway, Gewey turned toward Millet. “You’ve been with Lee for a long time, right?”
Millet nodded. “A very long time.”
“What was he like when he was young?” asked Gewey.
“Rash,” Millet answered. “Very rash.”
Gewey paused, considering what he should ask about next. “Have you been to Kaltinor before?”
“Yes, but not for many years,” Millet replied. “I’m sure you’ll find it exciting. Compared to Sharpstone, it’s a very large city.”
Gewey tried to picture what it would be like. Gath was the largest town he’d seen so far. He’d heard stories of some of the great cities- their tall buildings reaching to the heavens, their wide brick streets large enough to accommodate twenty wagons at once. He wondered if Kaltinor would be like that.
“What’s the biggest city you’ve seen?” asked Gewey.
Millet thought it over for a moment. “That would have to be Baltria,” he said finally. “Though it wasn’t the most impressive city I’ve visited.”
For the next few hours, Millet entertained Gewey with tales of the wonderful places he had seen. He didn’t mind the flood of questions and answered each one with courtesy and patience.
“Stop the wagon,” Kaylia said suddenly. “Now!”
Millet stopped the wagon and Kaylia jumped out to scan the woods. After a few minutes, she got back in the wagon and told Millet to continue on.
“What did you see?” Lee asked, his hand on his sword.
“Hopefully nothing that need concern us,” Kaylia answered.
“I’m concerned, and I’m responsible for the lives of my friends,” Lee said. “So you need to tell me what you saw.”
“There’s a small group of elves traveling south of the road. If they ignore us, we’ll be fine. If not…” Kaylia trailed off, her eyes meeting Lee’s with a mutual understanding.
Lee closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the woods. In the distance, he heard four elves matching their pace.
“They follow us,” Lee said warily. “Don’t say anything to Millet or Gewey yet.”
Kaylia nodded. “Agreed. If all goes well, it won’t be necessary. They may not know I’m here.”
“And if they do?” Lee asked.
“Then I will have to speak to them,” Kaylia replied, clearly troubled by the prospect.
The day passed slowly for Lee and Kaylia. Millet and Gewey knew something was wrong, but after a while they decided to ignore it, and Millet continued to regale the boy with tales of his travels.
When night fell, they made camp. Gewey helped Millet build the fire and prepare the meal. Lee sat on a blanket sharpening and oiling his sword, his eyes fixed on the surrounding forest. Kaylia was leaning against the wagon, her head bowed in thought.
Lee sheathed his sword and walked over to Kaylia.
“They’re still here,” he said.
“I know,” Kaylia responded. “I must speak to them. Wait here until I return.”
Lee sat next to the fire while Millet and Gewey ate, eyes closed, listening into the night.
“What are you doing?” asked Gewey.
“I’m listening,” Lee growled. “So be quiet.”
Gewey noticed Kaylia’s absence. “Where’s…?”
Lee’s eyes popped open, glaring at Gewey. Gewey tried to listen as he had done in Gath, but he couldn’t concentrate. Frustrated, he threw down his bowl and stormed over to his bedroll.
Suddenly, Kaylia reappeared and sat next to the fire.
“Where did you go?” asked Gewey.
Kaylia pushed back her hood; her face was stone and her eyes narrow slits. “I was speaking to my kin.”
Gewey leapt to his feet. “What?”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “We’re in no danger.”
Lee grunted and tossed a twig into the fire.
“That’s good news,” said Millet. “But it would have been nice to know elves were nearby.”
“There was no need to tell you,” said Lee. “At least not at the time.”
“How long have you known they were out there?” Gewey seethed.
“What difference does it make?” he answered. “You couldn’t have done anything about it other than worry. If they’d attacked, we’d all be dead anyway.”
This did little to calm Gewey. “I don’t care!” he yelled. “If my life’s in danger, I have a right to know!”
Kaylia fixed her gaze on Gewey. “Shut your mouth,” she said.
Her voice was steel. “What right do you have to question anything? Those around you are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect you. Isn’t that enough?” With that, she turned and headed off into the night.
Gewey started to follow her, but Lee stopped him.
“Leave her,” Lee advised.
Gewey pushed passed him and chased after her.
“Rash,” said Millet. “Very rash. But I must say, he is handling his situation remarkably well, all things considered.”
Lee sat down. “How am I going to keep him alive long enough to get him ready? It’s been less than a month, and already he’s nearly been killed.”
“Yes,” Millet replied. “But he wasn’t killed, was he? The boy will learn, just as you did.”
“I almost failed,” Lee said. “When I attacked the bandit camp, I chased two of them down. That’s when Gewey got hurt. When I left him alone.”
Millet nodded. “That sounds familiar; you never could stand to let anyone escape.”
“It’s all too familiar,” Lee agreed. “It almost got Gewey killed. If I had just let them go, the boy would have never been injured. I keep making the same mistakes, over and over again.”
Millet smiled softly and placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder.
“You’ve always expected too much of yourself, Lee Starfinder. Your job is one of a protector, but you are also a teacher. The boy survived, and learned from the experience. If you think he can learn without danger, you’re wrong. Even I know that. You can’t protect him from everything, and you shouldn’t try.” Millet stood up and walked over to his blanket. “I believe in you, and I believe in the boy,” he said as he lay down. “You should too.”
Lee remained by the fire, mulling Millet’s words over in his head.
Meanwhile, Gewey wandered aimlessly, hoping to find Kaylia.
“Kaylia,” he called out in a whisper. He repeated it several times, but there was no reply. He was about to give up and start back to the camp when he realized he was hopelessly lost. After meandering for a bit longer, he decided there was nothing to do but sit and wait for daylight.
Gewey heard a voice from behind him. “You’re very foolish.
You know elves wander these woods, yet you venture off alone in the dark.”
Gewey was startled and quickly got to his feet; turning around, he was able to make out Kaylia’s features in the darkness. “I was looking for you,” he said. “And besides, you told us they wouldn’t attack.”
“You continue to take my word on its merit,” said Kaylia. “The word of an elf. How strange.” The elven woman sat on the ground and crossed her legs. “Sit.”
Gewey sat across from Kaylia. After looking him up and down for a moment, she began to speak. “You’re not like other humans, are you? And I don’t just mean your attitude towards my kind. There’s something else different about you. Something that your friends are afraid I’ll discover.”
“Yes, there is,” Gewey replied nervously. “And believe me, I would like nothing more than to tell you.”
“So why don’t you?”
“I can’t,” Gewey insisted. “I don’t think you’d like what you’d find out.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” Kaylia proposed. “We’ll sit here and talk for a while, and I’ll tell you about my people; after that, you can decide the wisdom of sharing your secret. That is what you want, isn’t it? To know more about elves, and our ways?”
“I would love to know more about your people,” Gewey agreed. “And you.”
“Then we have an agreement,” she said, pulling back her hood.
“You asked how old I am: I am one hundred and three years old.
That is young for my kind, in fact not much older than you by our standards. We can live for well over five hundred years. My father, who fought in the Great War, died eighty years ago. I’ve wandered ever since.”
“Why are you wandering?” asked Gewey.
“I search for my destiny,” Kaylia answered. “I was given a task when my father died, and I seek to complete it.”
Gewey was intrigued. “What’s the task?”
“My father was great among my people, and had the power of foresight. As he lay dying, he told me that it was my task to find redemption for my people, and that I should never stop looking for it. He said that one day the elven people would be healed by my hand. Since then, I have sought the meaning of his words.”
“You’ve wandered for eighty years?”
“I have,” she replied. “I hope to one day fulfill my destiny and help my people become great, as they were before the Great War.”
“Lee told me your kind hate humans,” said Gewey. “But the war has been over for five hundred years. Certainly enough time has passed to move on.”
“You wouldn’t understand. The Great War changed us. You would have to know what we once were to comprehend how devastating it has been for us.”
“Then we should start there,” Gewey said enthusiastically. “Tell me about your people.”
“A tall order,” Kaylia responded. “And a tale longer than time will allow. But I will tell you enough to satisfy your curiosity.”
Kaylia got to her feet to look at the night sky. The stars twinkled like fireflies over a lake, and the half-moon lit her face, making her features soft and radiant.
“The story of my people begins with the creation,” she began.
“Unlike you humans, we believe that the world was created by a single God. In the very beginning, there were only elves and the earth. Our ancestors were charged as caretakers for all living things, and for thousands of years we lived in harmony with nature. God blessed us with dominion over all things and the wisdom to keep the world in balance. But as time passed, we became arrogant, and forgetful of our duties. As a result, the One God sent the many gods, and with them…man.
“We prayed and lamented in hope that God would take pity on us and forgive us our sins, but God heard our prayers and knew them to be prideful. The many gods were now the keepers of the world, and man was favored above us. God could see the anger behind our prayers and removed his blessings. We lost the ability to speak with the Father of All Things, and my people fell into despair. But then he took pity on us, and sent the spirits and angels down to carry our prayers to him. They watch over us and guard the souls of our kin until the day God returns to pass His judgment. On that day we will see the Father, and we will both answer for our sins and be rewarded for our good deeds.
“You are the first human in over five hundred years to hear these words,” Kaylia said. “There are many stories about the time before the gods came, and I promise I will tell them all if you wish to hear them-but for now, you know enough to understand the faith of my people.”
“Thank you,” said Gewey. “I would love to hear as much as you can tell me.”
Kaylia smiled warmly. “If all humans were as open as you, I doubt the Great War would have ever happened.”
“Do you hate humans?” Gewey asked.
“No,” Kaylia answered. “But I pity them.”
“Why?”
“They put their hopes in gods that are selfish and cruel,” she explained. “The gods have enslaved man, and made them their dogs. They gave them the gift of victory over the elves and have allowed them to become powerful, and then denied them the wisdom to use that power. Such beings are not worthy of worship. The gods saved the humans from annihilation that would have been caused by their own arrogance; then, instead of reigning in their destruction, they set them loose to burn the world…and destroy my people.”
“You’re talking about the Great War,” Gewey interjected. “Lee told me a little about it. He said that the gods intervened so that man could win.”
“They did more than you could know,” she said. “Long ago, my people were vast in number and bound together by strong nations. The gods cast fear and doubt into our hearts. Our armies splintered, and we turned on one another. Kin fought kin, and man took advantage of our weakness and destroyed us.”
Gewey looked perplexed. “But Lee told me that the elves fought each other after they made peace with man.”
“The half-man only knows what human lies have told,” Kaylia said. “Mankind was beaten. There were no more battles to be fought. His armies were smashed, and his cities in ruin. My people had but to march across the land and slaughter the few that remained, and man would have been gone forever. But instead, we took pity on the humans and left them in peace. It was then the Gods cursed us. We knew hatred for our own kind for the first time, and it consumed us. We prayed to the spirits for help, but the Gods imprisoned them, holding them until we had lost all hope. The humans did not show us the pity we had shown them. Man waited until we had all but destroyed ourselves, then swept down on us like a plague. The few who escaped found refuge in the forests and mountains where humans seldom went. Since then, we have struggled to rebuild, and free ourselves of the curse the Gods put on us.”
“I’m sorry,” Gewey said. “I had no idea how much your people have suffered.”
“Don’t be,” Kaylia responded. “My people will rise again. The suffering of my kin will make us wise-worthy to face the Father.”
She sat back down. “Now you know about us. I have shared secrets known to no other human. Will you not share your secret with me?”
Gewey felt ashamed. It was his kind-the Gods-who destroyed her people. How could he tell her what he was? “Now that I’ve heard your story, I’m even more afraid to tell you.”
“If what I’ve told you isn’t enough, then know this,” said Kaylia, her eyes on fire. “I travel with humans. This I told my kin, and I bargained to save your lives. It is forbidden, and one day I will face judgment and probable death. In the eyes of my people, there is nothing worse I could do than have human companions.”
Gewey gasped. “They’re going to kill you? When?”
“When my journey with you ends, I will return home to answer for my crime,” she replied. “It’s how I prevented my kin from attacking. Knowing this, what could you possibly tell me that would alter the path I have chosen?”
Gewey made up his mind. “I’ll tell you, but please understand that I only found out myself a short time ago.” He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. “You said that there is nothing worse than having a human as a companion, but there is. I’m worse.”
Kaylia looked confused. “You’re dancing around the issue,” she said. “Just be direct and let me be the judge.”
“The boy is a god,” said Lee from the darkness. He walked up slowly and stood beside Gewey. “I had a feeling you’d do something stupid, boy, so I came to find you.”
Kaylia laughed loudly. “You don’t say,” she teased, seemingly not surprised by Lee’s sudden appearance. “A god! A living, breathing god, here in my presence. You’re right. That would be worse than traveling with a human.”
“This is no joke, elf,” Lee warned. “The tale you told makes me even more certain that you should not know what the boy is. But now you do. The only question is what happens next.” Lee drifted in front of Gewey and slid his hand to the hilt of his sword.
Kaylia’s face shifted from amusement to rage as she realized Lee was serious. “You speak the truth.” Her hand touched her sword, but she did not grab it. “I must ponder this. Go back to camp. If you see me in the morning, I expect you to tell me all that you know.”
“And what if we don’t see you?” Gewey asked. “I can’t help what I am, and I didn’t ask for it. I would never do anything to
harm you, or your people.”
Kaylia said nothing.
“Come,” Lee said, lifting Gewey to his feet. “Leave her be.” Lee guided them back to the camp where Millet sat by the fire waiting.
“How did it go?” asked Millet.
“Not as bad as it could have,” Lee answered. “We’ll know by morning.”
“Things will work out,” said Millet. “Don’t worry.”
“Lee-” Gewey started, but Lee immediately cut him off.
“Go to sleep,” he advised. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Gewey lay down, but was unable to stay asleep for more than a few minutes at a time. He kept hearing Kaylia’s story in his head, and seeing the rage on her face when she found out what he was.
‘How could the Gods do this to her people?’ he thought. ‘I’ve got to find a way to make it right.’
Gewey was awake to see the dawn. Lee and Millet were still asleep. He hoped to see Kaylia, but she had not returned. He hated himself for telling her. He hated himself for what his kind had done.
Most of all, he hated the Gods for creating this mess in the first place.
“I’ll hear your tale, young one.” It was Kaylia. She was standing by the wagon, her eyes fixed on Gewey.
Gewey got up and began to walk toward her.
“Stay where you are. I said I would hear your tale, not suffer your company.” She paused. “At least, not yet.”
Gewey looked at the others still sleeping soundly. If Kaylia decided to attack, there would be nothing to stop her.
Kaylia sensed his fear and said, “I have no intention of harming you. I gave you my word, and I’ll keep it. But know this. If my people find out about your existence, they will hunt you down until the end of creation. Whether or not I will tell them depends on you.”
Gewey nodded slowly and began telling his story, leaving out no detail. He told her about how he grew up, about his father, about how he found out about his true nature and, of course, about the Dark Knight. When he finished, Kaylia looked at him thoughtfully and walked over.
“I find no guilt in you. I will help you complete your task. I swear to this.”
“Thank you,” said Gewey, clearly relieved. “But why? Won’t your people kill you if they find out?”
Kaylia smiled. “They’re going to kill me anyway,” she said. “And I can only die once. Besides, from what you have told me, it is unlikely I will live to face their judgment.”
Gewey bowed his head and sighed with relief. He heard Millet stir.
Millet rose and turned toward Gewey, stretching the stiffness from his joints. “Up with the dawn, I see.” He noticed Kaylia standing there and smiled. “I see you’ve decided to join us. Wonderful,” he beamed. “Absolutely wonderful.”
Lee was the last to rouse. He pretended not to notice Kaylia’s return, but Gewey suspected he had been awake to hear their whole conversation. After eating, they packed up and continued on their way to Kaltinor.