Damaeon stared at me for a long while, his eyes searching mind. I could see the torment in his expression as he decided between the safety of the city, and the safety of the one who would save the city. I could feel Jakob frowning behind me, expressing his distaste for my proposal silently by effectively. I bit my lip and waited. Finally, Damaeon nodded.
“I know of this acorn,” he said quietly. “I’m afraid the sorceress is right. It’s the only way to stop the war. Very well, Leila. I’ll arrange a guide to bring you through the Elven Forest.”
Jakob’s mouth fell open as I smiled brightly and bowed to the prince. It was clear that neither the prince, nor Jakob wanted me to leave Oponoe. With a final look at me, Damaeon continued on his way down the hall. Jakob lingered for a moment.
“I’m coming with you,” he said.
“I hope so,” I replied. “Truthfully, I’m terrified to go myself.”
“As you should be,” he winked as he strode off to rejoin the prince.
I smiled to myself and took a deep breath to calm my fluttering nerves. Suddenly, I felt famished in spite of the soup Jakob had brought me earlier, and so I headed towards the kitchens, in the opposite direction that the prince had gone.
I was mentally preparing for our journey as I navigated the now-familiar corridors. I wondered if Fynn would join us, once we were outside the city. Part of me was elated at the idea of seeing him again, while another part still blamed him for Clothis’ unnecessary death. He hadn’t even apologized to me, that night in the garden. All he cared about was the stupid necklace Will had stolen. My anger surged up, renewed by this train of thought, and I found myself truly wondering where Fynn’s alliances lay.
“I saw it too,” I heard a voice said from around the corner. “The Woodwalker.”
I froze, pressing myself against the stone walls to better hear the conversation. It sounded like two soldiers, judging by their gruff voices and the familiar way the spoke to each other.
“It was eerie,” the other said. “It was walking through the battle like a ghost, nothing touching it at all.”
“Except people,” the first broke in. “I saw it touching the backs of men, us and the Huryl dogs. We were nothing to it. Nothing at all. Once touch and poof!”
His companion was silent for a moment. “They fell like they’d been run through, pour souls. Gone to serve the Faerie Queen for eternity.”
“Better dead than a slave,” the first voice agreed.
I remained frozen where I was as the two people walked down the hall and out of my hearing. Fynn had been there after all, harvesting souls for his Queen. He didn’t care at all about me, or Jakob, or the Dyrel, or the Huryl for that matter. All that he wanted was to make sure his Queen was happy.
“Leila!” Will exclaimed as I came into the kitchen.
I couldn’t help but smile as he ran towards me with a grin on his face. He had seemed so depressed lately, ever since his brief return to sanity, that it made me almost forget my own troubles to see him back to his playful self.
“Is it true? Do the trees speak well to the dim sun?” he asked.
I smiled back at him. “We’re going to find the silver acorn, Will, the one you tried to tell me about. We’re going to see the Elven Queen.”
His smile disappeared at the mention of the Queen and he shook his head so violently, I thought he would knock himself down. He backed away from me and pressed his hands to his temples.
“No!” he cried. “Not back to the dark place. Not after the rabbit has found his cat! Not again! Master, don’t make me enter the ocean!”
“Will, Will!” I said, grabbing his hands in case he hurt himself. “You can stay here, if you like. Damaeon will look after you.”
“Can’t stay, the stench is too great. Can’t leave, the darkness will drowned us all,” Will whimpered, looking very helpless.
“I’ll help you,” I promised him, looking into his green eyes. “Stay with me. I promise nothing will happen.”
He blinked several times and nodded, and I thought perhaps he understood what I was trying to say. I straightened and grabbed a small loaf of bread off the counter to eat, when I was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning, my mouth full of bread, I saw a young soldier standing in the doorway.
“My Lady, the Prince commands you to join him immediately,” he said.
I nodded to show him I understood, and swallowed the bread. As I headed out the door, I paused to wait for Will, but the mad Huryl traitor did not leave the shadowed corners of the kitchen to join me. With a shrug, I headed down the hall towards the throne room where I knew Damaeon would be waiting.
Jakob was already there, as was the Prince and another person I had never met before. She was short and petite, with long brown hair and brown skin. Her eyes were dark and angular, but her face slightly rounded. She wore forest colours and carried a tall quarterstaff in one hand. She turned to me the moment I entered, and I saw her ears were small and pointed, curling backwards away from her face. I smiled at her, and she bowed as I approached.
“Leila,” Damaeon said, gesturing with one hand to the woman. “This is Safyra of the Elven Forest. She will take you to the Elven Queen.”
I nodded my head at the elf in acknowledgement. “I have met some of your race before, but they were all men.”
Safyra smiled, revealing a mouth of pearly white teeth. “The men of my race are more brash than the women, and more prone to getting into trouble.”
“Sounds a lot like the men of my race,” I replied.
As Safyra laughed, both Damaeon and Jakob had the good sense to keep their mouths shut. I decided right away that I liked this elven woman, and I knew she would be a good traveling companion. As Damaeon told us of the preparations he had made for our trip, I thought about the Elven Queen I was journeying to meet. Would she be like Safyra? Like the Faerie Queen? Or like the mysterious figure in white I had met long ago? Before I knew it, Damaeon was holding my hand firmly in his and wishing me luck. I felt a stab of guilt at my mind having wandered off during the conversation, but I smiled back at him and assured him we would be fine. With Safyra in the lead, we made our way to the back wall of Oponoe.
Before leaving the palace, however, I snuck away from my friends to visit Clothis one last time. She lay as I had left her, looking asleep and not dead. I wondered what had been done to keep her so well preserved as I lay my hand on her waxy skin. I remembered what Ellena had told me, how I should take Clothis’ sword and how it would protect me. Gently, I lifted the weapon from beside my friend and held it in my hand. The weight was not as great has I had recalled, and I found I could swing it easily although untrained. Taking her sheath and holding the weapon tightly, I whispered a final farewell to the friend who had saved my life by laying down hers.
Outside the door, Will was waiting for me. Clutching Clothis' sheathed sword in both my hands, I hurried down the hallway with Will in tow. We had planned to leave the city at nightfall, using the diminishing sunlight to mask our retreat from the Huryl, and then to disappear into the forest until the cloak of night. My heart was pounding as I made my way to the designated meeting point, hoping that Jakob and Safyra were already there. I thought of Mattis and what the Huryl commander would do to me and my companions if we were caught. We had slipped through his grasp too many times for him to be gentle, I thought. I wondered if Roric would be the one sent to apprehend his traitorous son, and how Jakob would react when forced to face his father.
I was also worried about Damaeon and the Dyrel, wondering if they would be able to face the Huryl forces again, should they attack. The army was low on manpower and morale, and although they loved their Prince, I wondered how far they could be pushed before they broke. I wanted to stay in the city and protect these people I had come to love better than my own family, but if Ellena's words were true, the only way I could do that was to find the silver acorn and finish the war once and for all.
Rounding a corner, I skidded to a halt as I nearly ran into Prince Damaeon. He looked at me in surprise, hardly expecting to find me in the hall and in such a hurry. Will crouched behind me, watching the prince silently as I hastily bowed to him and he smiled as he eyed the sword I carried.
"Is that -?" he began, his eyes on the weapon.
I blushed. The last thing I wanted was for Damaeon to think I was a grave robber. I tried to hide the sword belatedly behind my back, but he took it from my hands and held it gently, looking it over. Finally, he took a step towards me and fastened the sheath across my back, belting it across my shoulders and around my waist. I could smell his scent as he leaned in close to wrap the leather straps around my body and my resolve to protect him strengthened. I would become the legend he desperately desired, and he would guide his people forward once this war was won.
"There," he said, stepping back. "I won't ask if you can use it, but I feel better knowing you're armed. I’m sure she would have wanted it this way."
"Thank you," I told him, keeping my gaze lowered so I would not have to look him in the eye. I was sure I would start to cry.
"Be careful," the prince said softly, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. "Come back safely."
I closed my eyes and let my tears trickle to his shoulder. "You be careful too," I said
He released me, and with a final glance and encouraging grin, continued on his way down the hall. I stood motionless for a moment, fighting the conflicting emotions within me as I felt the weight of the sword on my back. Finally, Will tugged my arm and I hurried to where my friends waited.
***
"There you are," Jakob said as I stepped out of the palace and into the chill evening air.
The sun was already setting and Jakob stood with Safyra by a small door in the palace walls I had never noticed before. It was small and dark, and covered with overgrown vines and grasses. Clearly, it had not been used in quite some time.
"It was prepared by the old kings for dark times," Safyra told me. "In times of danger, the kings could escape to the safety of the forests and cliffs behind the city."
"It leads to your forest?" I asked, peering at the door.
Safyra laughed. "Not directly, but it will get us on the right path. Shall we go?"
She took a step and froze, her eyes locked on something behind me. Turning my head, I saw only Will crouching on the dirt path like a dog waiting to be called. I looked back at the elf to see her eyes harden.
"Is there a problem?" I asked cautiously.
"I will not journey with that," Safyra said, pointing at Will with her staff.
Will rose to his feet and growled at the elf. "Pretty bird, pretty bird, scared of the flies?"
I look at Jakob, who shrugged. Placing myself between Will and Safyra, I faced our guide.
"Will is a trusted friend," I told her. "What has he done to wrong you?"
"He is the cause of all our suffering," Safyra spat. "Mine and yours. I refuse to have him in my presence."
I felt Jakob take me by the arm. "Careful," he whispered. "Without Safyra, we'll never find the Elven Queen."
"But I promised Will I would look after him," I replied helplessly. "What should I do now?"