CHAPTER THREE


The morning sun shone brightly through the window. Gregor took a moment to realize where he was, and then spent many more moments going through the events of yesterday. Eventually, he rose to his feet, dressed, and woke the rest of the caravan crew.

The inn provided a decent breakfast, and due to the size of their caravan, they had taken nearly every room the inn had. It was a decent quality inn, and they planned to stay in Foabur for about a week to sell their wares and see if there were any products they could buy here and sell somewhere else for a tidy profit.

Gregor spoke with several others of the caravan. It was a loose grouping of numerous different merchants that had decided that traveling together was safer and more convenient. Gregor had been caravanning with Jorba and a few of the others for numerous years, but before leaving Nalvo they merged with another group, resulting in a larger caravan than Gregor was accustomed to leading.

Jorba and much of the crew headed for the markets to set up shop and begin the daily routine of a merchant. Gregor would be joining them later, but for now he and four others, including Elda and Seraphi, wanted to check on the elf Alithana before anything else, and maybe find out a little about her.

When they arrived at the cleric’s home, Vicril was already awake. They all congregated into the room with Alithana, who had recently awoken and was now consuming a light breakfast that the cleric had prepared. Seraphi immediately ran to her and asked, “How are you feeling, miss Alithana?”

Smiling at the child, the elf responds, “Quite well now, although my shoulder will take time to recover.”

The others gather around the bed and exchange some pleasantries for a few minutes. Vicril proceeds to the other patient in the room with some porridge, gently shaking him awake. As the young man opens his eyes, Vicril says, "You, boy, are lucky to be alive! You better thank that man Jothal that saved you next time you see him."

The boy begins slowly eating the food, appearing quite famished. Vicril and the boy speak back and forth a few times, but most of the group is still focused on Alithana. A knock is heard from the door, and Vicril answers it shortly, allowing a hooded man to enter the room, and behind him was a large wolf that stuck close by him. It alarmed most of the group, but the man immediately headed for the boy and introduced himself graciously. Gregor figured this man would be Jothal, the one who had saved the boy’s life.


The wolf still had most of their attention, and Jothal finally noticed the caravan crew around Alithana. He briefly looked at everyone and said, “Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. Is there something personal going on?”

Gregor takes a moment to respond, "No, no, we were just making sure our friend was alright. Our caravan came into town yesterday, and she had been injured during a bandit attack on the road. If you'll allow me to ask, though, is... is that a wolf?"

Before the stranger could answer Gregor’s question, though, Alithana speaks up, "Indeed it is, Gregor. This is a timber wolf, and quite a healthy-looking one at that." As she said this, she rose from the bed and begin walking across the room. As she nears the wolf, it seems to visibly relax and walks toward her. She reaches out and rubs the wolf’s neck a bit, looking him over. Being so utterly unafraid of the wolf, and seeing the wolf equally comfortable with her, was astonishing to the entire caravan crew, and even more so to the ranger, Jothal, himself.

Seeing this, the man takes a bit to respond. “W-who are you…?” he eventually states, staring at Alithana. She turns back to the wolf a bit, and then speaks clearly, "You have a great friend here in Ash. Try to keep him close." She approaches Jothal a few more feet and bows ever so slightly, "You can call me Alithana. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jothal."

Still a bit stunned, Jothal introduces himself in kind, “I am Jothal, of the Wilds." After a few more seconds, he says a bit more, sounding confused, “H-how... how did you know his name was Ash?”

Alithan’s smile seems to lessen a bit, and she hesitates before answering, but eventually explains, "Ash told me himself. I sometimes can hear the thoughts of animals around me. He thinks highly of you." This realization surprises the entire group. They begin to process the information.

Jothal, speechless, swallowed hard. His mouth opened and closed several times, but he finds his voice and states, "That is quite some gift you have. Are you some kind of Mage, Alithana?"

Her smile fades completely. She takes several moments to consider her response, during which she turns back to the wolf, Ash, and scratches behind his ear. Ash appears quite content. She turns back to Jothal, "Ash trusts you, so I hope you are worthy of that..." Before she continues, she turns to the boy on the bed, who was appearing a bit overwhelmed with the situation.

She stares at him a bit, considering, and then speaks to the whole group inside the room, everyone paying full attention to her words, "My name is Alithana. I have traveled vast distances to get here from the west..." She brushes back her hair, exposing her Elven ear to Jothal and the boy, "I am an Elf, and I need to reach the city of Triln as quickly as possible." She pauses, looking around the room at everyone and continues, "However, the Elders will be sending others, trying to find me and bring me back... Time is short, will you give me your aid, humans?"


After several long moments, Gregor speaks first, "Alithana, you saved my caravan from bandits. I and everyone else in my caravan owe you our lives. We would be honored to escort you to Triln." Elda, Seraphi, and the others quickly state their support and agreement.

Alithana turns to Vicril now, the cleric. The man seems conflicted, and after a few moments, "I'm sorry, but I can't just abandon the town. I am the only able cleric in the area, as the apothecary is quite old." Accepting the response, the elf turned toward Jothal now.

"So, you're wanted by the other Elves? Pardon me for being skeptical, but you're the first Elf we've seen in hundreds of years and you're being hunted by your own kin?"

He sighs slightly, appearing that he was going to continue, but Alithana speaks, "The Elders are stuck in their old ways. They have become inflexible, unable to adapt to a changing situation. It is not that I am hunted, but that they are scared of me causing change. I am sorry, but I cannot explain any more than that at this moment. It is your decision whether to trust what I say, Jothal of the Wilds."

Jothal stared hard at her for a moment and then sighed, dropping his gaze down to Ash. "It seems Ash trusts you. And if he puts his faith in you, then I will too. I will help you get to Triln." She appeared a bit relieved that he agreed, and the wolf also seemed a bit happy.

Turning to the boy, he nervously states, "I... I don't know how much help I could be, but I want to do what I can, if you will have me."

The boy seemed earnest and eager, but Vicril speaks up, "Absolutely not! Trailo is too young, not to mention injured! I'm going to be taking care of him here, and he is also several years into his apprenticeship with the blacksmith. He isn't fit to travel, and you said you were being chased. I am not willing to put my son in that situation."

Alithana turns to Vicril, speaking calmy, "He has come of age, has he not? Meaning his decisions are his own. On the issue of his injury, as it stands now he will never use that arm again, and a one-armed blacksmith's apprentice would merely be in the way.” She pauses, calming down a bit, "It is a decision you two will need to come to terms with, but sooner or later he will need to learn to live on his own, Vicril. You cannot shield him from the world forever."

Not waiting for another response from Vicril, she turns to the others, "Outside of the clearing where the bandits attacked, I left a satchel with some of my belongings hidden before I assisted you. I would like to retrieve that first, and then head straight to Triln post-haste."

Gregor, considering what she said, pulled out a map of the area, showing rivers, creeks, roads, cities, and the sea, as well as some landmarks. "Normally, it'd be fastest to head for Chorster and board a ferry at the river to get to Triln. We could reach it in a bit over a week, but if we head north to the clearing, it would be best to head to Nalvo and then to Triln from there." The other caraveners express their agreement, and immediately begin talking about ensuring they have the supplies they would need.

"I will trust your judgment, Gregor. Would we be able to leave immediately?" She responds. The caravaners look amongst themselves, weighing a few things.

Elda speaks, "We normally stay in town for a week to sell wares and prepare to move on, but we normally aren't in a hurry or being chased. I'll head to the markets and get the others to start packing up everything. The rest of you can get some horses and head to the clearing. The caravan will be behind you, or at least all those willing."

Jothal nods his agreement and everyone begins leaving. Trailo, the boy on the bed, and Vicril remain. Gregor suspects they will argue amongst themselves once they were alone, but it was none of his business to get involved. Elda and Seraphi headed to the markets, while Gregor, the other two men, Alithana, and Jothal head for the stables to procure some horses. They would go ahead of the group to the clearing.


Heading north, Alithana said few words aside from inquiring about her staff to Gregor, who answered that it would be in one of the wagons that would be following them. The remainder of the ride past buildings and farmland, eventually fading to forest, was primarily idle chatting. A few times Gregor would mention something to another of the caravan crew, things to remember for later once they arrive at Nalvo.

The ride took about two hours to reach the clearing where Alithana had come upon the caravan under attack and decided to help them. They stopped and dismounted, and she headed into the southwestern forest to retrieve the few belongings she had brought before leaving the Elven lands to the west.

The satchel was hidden under a bush, covered with a black cloak and then with leaves; someone not knowing where it was or what to look for would have a hard time finding it. She pulled the cloak over her armor, and grabbed the satchel, carrying it back toward the group waiting for her. With only a single working arm for now, the cloak would provide some much-needed assistance in a fight, as would a few things in the satchel.

Returning to the group, Gregor spoke, "We can wait here for the rest of the caravan. They'll be here shortly, and then we can move as a single group." The others murmured their assent and dismounted their horses. Some began speaking about things, but Alithana mostly kept to herself, and she noticed that Jothal seemed to do the same as he stuck with his wolf Ash, leaning against a nearby tree.

After a few minutes, she saw something. It was faint, but on the eastern edge of the clearing about 100 yards away was definitely movement in the brush. She stood up, speaking to the group, “We have company…”

Everyone stands and looks in the same direction, but they don’t see anything at the moment. Realizing they had been seen, though, the bandits begin rushing out from within the woods. There were 15 of them in total, beginning to let out a battlecry as they charged across the clearing.

Jothal drew his bow and spoke as Ash began barking loudly, “Alithana, we should mount up and run. This does not look like a fight we can win.” Jothal and the caravaners did so, but Alithana, however, began walking toward the bandits. Escaping would be possible, but only if they went back south. She had little interest in allowing her mission to be further delayed.

As she walked, she began focusing her mind. Drawing on her essence and the aura around her, she began refining and shaping the energy. The bandits got closer, but her mind was concentrating on other matters. The first bandit reached her and began a strong downward slash. Her body was instinctively reacting, sidestepping immediately and using her good arm, she jabbed into the man’s throat. He dropped, writhing, to the ground.

Others were now upon her, but they found her figure fading, her position uncertain and hard to accurately attack. Her cloak billowed gently in the breeze, and each ruffle of the fabric distorted their perception of her location. Many of the strikes went astray, and she precisely dodged the rest, dispatching a few of the other opponents thanks to the help of the cloak.

But the cloak was not the power she had been manifesting… shaping… calling…


Her shadow spread wide across the ground, beneath the feet of the bandits surrounding her, covering the area in a supernatural, eerie darkness. To those engulfed in it, they were floating above a vast and inescapable pit of pure darkness, and from that pit came twisting, umbral hands, reaching up and coming ever closer.

The bandits instantly panicked at the sight, screaming and backing up away from the dreadful hands. The ground beneath them appeared gone, but it was still there, supporting them from falling into the pit they witnessed, as they tried to flee. The hands reached them, clawing and grabbing at them all, making as if to pull them down into the deep black pit. Alithana remained calm, crouching in the center of the darkness. She continued focusing, ensuring she maintained full control over the magic in play.

However, even as the hands reached and grabbed, the bandits were able to flee, running, and eventually escaping from the pit of shadows. They ran into the woods in terror, and even those who hadn’t been engulfed by it had witnessed it and retreated for the forest as well.

Slowly, the hands receded back into the shadows, which faded and shrunk back to a normal size around her body. She stood crouched there in the center of the open field, facing away from the caravaners and Jothal. Her shoulders quaked as her exhaustion caught up with her, she remained crouched there for several long seconds as the others stared at her, mouths agape.


From a very young age, Alithana’s magical tendencies showed, and she received notice within the Elven camps, as even for the Elves magic users were rare and valued highly. She was more than just that, though. They called her a prodigy, and she was forced to train her mind and body constantly to draw out her potential.

As her abilities grew and her mind strengthened, she began receiving even more interest. She became a figure of hope for the Elves, that the future was not so uncertain. They called her Alithana Shadowdancer, receiving that title at a younger age than had ever been recorded before. Her sense of magic and auras was greater than anyone has anticipated, and the Elders began conferring with her.

The Elders were aged Elves of over half a millennium, who used their knowledge and experience to help guide the others. Hundreds of years ago, the Elders decided to withdraw deeper into the west, to separate ourselves from the humans, and now they needed Alithana’s help for something.

But she refused, and that night vanished from Elven territory. She decided she would seek out the Mages Guild of the humans, and headed east…


TO BE CONTINUED...