The Broken Sword - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"We've the hilt and the blade... now we need only Garrick," Alesha said, looking at the pieces of the sword that lay upon the table before her.

They were in a private room in the palace of Thoragloorin. Kelnozz, Alesha, Bobo, Nathanial, Yamara, Vanya, and Regnar. All who had played a part in the quest thus far. All who had a vested interest in it. And among them, not a one that truly wished to see the blade reforged.

"Garrick is with Luingirth... somewhere," Kelnozz offered. "I've no idea where he is, but the dragon I can feel. He's off to the southeast, somewhere."

"Southeast? But there's nothing out there!" Nathanial spoke up before thinking. He glanced around then shrugged, outclassed as he might have been in both social status and prowess, he nevertheless had earned his right to speak. None denied him it either.

"Aye, he's right," Bobo said. "I've sailed these waters for years with the navy, there's nothing out there."

"Then you haven't gone far enough," replied the Elf King.

Bobo nodded, stung by the rebuke but unable to refute it. "Very well, I'll return to Innowendyn and get a ship ready to leave at once. We'll sale until we find land, even if that means we have to go around the world."

"No."

"No."

Kelnozz and Alesha both looked to each other, surprised by their simultaneous response. Before they could explain their individual declaration Bobo spoke up, "Have I not proven myself? I can handle this! And I know the seas better than anyone here, by far!"

"I need you here, with me. There are things we must do. Things you must learn. Things... you must be told," Alesha said, pausing at the last. She sensed Kelnozz staring at her curiously but she did not return his gaze.

"And with you here we stand a better chance of defeating the growing ranks of those trying to gain entrance to the city," she continued, as though that explained it all. "Your nature gives you a great power over them, the same as me."

"And you, father? What reason do you deny me?" Bobo said, understanding what his mother said but still angry at Kelnozz.

"Because it is my turn to do this thing," Kelnozz said, surprising Alesha and making her turn to stare at him. "I've sat back and let others face danger in my stead for too long now. This last task is perhaps the gravest of all, and so I will not let anyone else go."

"You are the King, you are needed here," Alesha reminded him.

"I am the King, yes, but I proved my right to lead my people through action and deed, not by sitting back and letting others do things for me. My people do not forget, but as with any, they will begin to wonder."

"Alesha, a rift grows between us lately. I don't know what it is, but it pains me to see and feel it growing," Kelnozz said, interrupting Alesha as she opened her mouth to speak. "We have secrets, you and I do, secrets from those present and perhaps even some from each other. Our love is unfailing, we both know this, but our lives are dictated by the needs of our stations, not by our wants."

Kelnozz saw Alesha nod, tears brimming in her eyes. He turned to stare at his son and saw him nodding in understanding as well. "No greater lesson can I teach you, Bobo, and if you have learned it as I think you have, my pride and my success as a father is complete. You are fully the man I dreamed you would become, and I call you my companion."

Bobo's eyes were watering as well, which caused for discomfort on the parts of the others in the room to be taking a place in such a personal and familial moment. It was Yamara that saved them all.

"Then you're off by yourself then, leaving the rest of us trapped here?" Yamara said, reminding everyone of their situation. Mountains upon three sides and a horde of walking dead beating on the doors of the fourth.

"The portal to Innowendyn remains open. You may leave whenever you wish, Yamara."

The blond woman smirked as she stared at the powerful elf. "Very well, I choose to leave at the same time you do then."

Kelnozz shrugged, seeing no importance to it. He was disappointed in her, but from the beginning he had known her to be cut from a different cloth than the rest of them. "Vanya, Regnar, I would like the two of you to accompany me."

Bobo's eyes widened but he showed no other sign of surprise at this. Vanya and Regnar, on the other hand, both looked to each other then back to Kelnozz. He held up his hand to forestall their comments.

"I will tell you what I know of your mother, and you may find yourself surprised in the telling. I shall also tell you what I suspect to be the case with both of you, but it is something best told on the road, and time is not our ally," he explained in a mysterious way.

They nodded and Kelnozz looked around. "Very well, let us be off then."

"You're leaving now?" Yamara said, surprised at his abruptness.

"Yes," Kelnozz responded. "Why, not ready to leave?"

"Yes, I am, I'm just surprised. You're an elf, I thought you people took forever to do much of anything."

Kelnozz smirked, "I've known many elves like that, so I can't fault you for that."

"I've got to get my things!" Vanya said, suddenly realizing she was expected to go and did not have all of her equipment either. She hurried out, leaving Regnar to answer everyone else's stares. He grinned, displaying his reptilian smile, and fluffed his wings by way of shrugging.

---

The peaks of distant mountains slowly grew larger on the horizon. The elven flagship, The Folly of the Seas, raced towards them with every inch of canvas stretched taut. They were on the front of what appeared to be a vicious storm, trying to outrace it. Trying, and losing.

"My Lord, you should be below decks!" The captain of the Folly called out to Kelnozz, who stood agilely upon the forecastle deck.

Kelnozz ignored him, staring ahead at the unknown land that awaited them. Somewhere upon it Garrick and Luingirth roamed, and he had to find them. Lightning flashed and thunder pealed behind the ship, making the sailors curse with the increasing closeness. Kelnozz felt the first drops of rain begin to fall and realized that the storm would be fully upon them before they reached the shore.

"We're not going to make it."

Kelnozz turned his head, showing no surprise at seeing Yamara standing beside him against the railing. He grunted and turned back, looking at the island. Finally he looked back at her and said, "this is no place for a lady."

Yamara smirked. "We're in luck then, I'm no lady."

Kelnozz grinned in spite of himself. He turned fully and stared at the threatening blackness behind them. "It's a good ship, it'll see us to a safe harbor."

"Nobody's been here before, there are no harbors," she pointed out.

Kelnozz shrugged. "None we know about, but the world is older than the elves, there's no telling what might have come before us. Nor what might be awaiting us or coming after us."

"Awful gloomy words for an immortal."

"My wife is a necromancer," Kelnozz offered by way of explanation.

They watched a swirling wind off in the distance twist fast enough to form a water spout that shot up into the sky for several long seconds before it fell apart.

"Ever think your end would come like this?" She asked him.

Kelnozz's expression had a bitter humor to it. "I'll not end here, Yamara, such a simple and peaceful thing is not for me."

"Aren't you at least a little surprised to find me on your ship?" she asked him after a long moment of silence stretched between them. The gusts from the storm were getting stronger, pushing the ship harder through the waves.

"Little surprises me when it comes to you," Kelnozz told her. "But I admit, it does my heart good to see you here."

Yamara laughed. "You're a married man, King Risingmoon. You have a soft spot for human women or something?"

Kelnozz scowled at her. "I meant I was glad to see you, not that I ... bah, women!"

Yamara laughed at Kelnozz's discomfort. She rarely enjoyed such sport, but the elf had been gloomy and morose the entire trip. She had stowed away, intent upon seeing it through, but had judged that her time for concealment was over. Especially with the fury of the storm nearly upon them.

"Vanya and Regnar still below decks?" Kelnozz asked her by way of changing the subject.

"Yes," Yamara replied, looking off the bow again. The island did seem closer, and she could pick out the beach and a distant line she suspected was a forest. The mountain peaks still seemed distant, however.

"Still seasick?"

Yamara chuckled. "Worse than ever with these waves."

"They're made for the sky, not to be confined in a hold," Kelnozz commented.

"So let them out."

It was Kelnozz's turn to chuckle. "You try and get them out, neither one has shown any interest in coming topside in over a week now."

"They're related, aren't they?"

Kelnozz stared hard at Yamara, then nodded. "Aye, some twist of magic. Elvanshalee is their mother and Luingirth is their father."

Yamara had a satisfied expression on her face. "I knew there was something about them, I could feel it."

"What else can you feel?" Kelnozz asked, wondering not for the first time just how diverse her talents were.

"Sorry King, this human girl isn't interested in your type," Yamara said with a wink.

Kelnozz's mouth opened and shut in silent protest, then scowled at her and stared off the bow. His eyes widened and he cursed, then turned and shouted to the captain. "Reefs ahead!"

Yamara's eyes shot up to the crow's nest, wondering why the lookout had not spotted them. It was empty, she realized. "Where'd he go?" she wondered aloud.

Kelnozz glanced up and saw it was empty as well, though not ten minutes back he had seen the sailor that was up there. He shrugged and listened to the captain screaming out orders and trying to turn the ship. A glance ahead and Kelnozz knew it was a wasted effort.

"Hold on, we're in trouble," he warned Yamara.

Yamara looked around quickly then lowered her stance a little and focused her concentration as the ships timbers groaned. The tiller strained and brought the ship to port, trying to steer clear of the reefs. It was a futile effort, even with the sails loosed the wind and the waves drove the ship ever closer. The Folly rode a large wave up and over the edges of the reef, clearing it and giving the disbelieving crew a moment of fanatical hope. Such was not to be, however.

In a moment only able to be defined as magical or divine, the skies suddenly cleared and the water beneath them lost its strength. The ship plunged downward with it, dropping a score of feet to crash against the coral below.

Kelnozz picked himself up and saw Yamara still standing, though her face was red from exertion and one hand was touching the deck. He looked at her curiously, then was distracted by the groaning noise of the broken timbers of the hull.

"We're going under!" A sailor screamed. Others took up the cry to abandon ship. Meanwhile the Captain cursed and tried to calm them all. The ship may have foundered, but they were held up on a reef at least.

"Vanya, Regnar," Kelnozz muttered, shaking his head to clear it and rushing across the deck. It was canted at an odd angle, more proof of their predicament. Gentle waves lapped at the sides of the Folly from the direction of land, whereas larger waves, albeit without the strength they should have had, pounded into them from behind.

A roar from beneath and then a section of the deck exploded upwards, sending a few nearby sailors staggering away. Regnar leapt from below, Vanya clutched in his talons and his wings spread. He let her land on the deck, which she did with grace in spite of her green tinged complexion.

Vanya looked about and breathed deeply. She made a face and then turned to Kelnozz and Yamara. "About time," she muttered.

"About time we shipwrecked?" Yamara asked with a scowl.

Vanya looked at her as though she were daft. "No, about time that we were there!" Regnar nodded his head emphatically beside her.

Yamara turned and looked towards the distant shore. "I'm a strong swimmer but that's an impossible distance!"

"There are longboats," Kelnozz suggested, tiring rapidly of their exchange. He pointed towards the main deck of the boat and started walking across it.

Some sailors were putting the boats into the water, while others were trying to help those that had fallen off in the crash back on. The elves worked quickly and efficiently, knowing that at any moment things could suddenly become much worse for them. It only took the thought of the potential horrors for them to become a reality.

A tubular stalk rose up from the depths, wrapping around a swimming elf and pulling him under with little more than a scream. Others soon followed, leaving the water soon free of castaways. In their place dozens of the tentacles swayed about, searching for fresh food for whatever creature of the depths it was attached to.

"That doesn't bode well," Yamara said, peering over the side of the boat.

Vanya's look at her back was, once again, unfavorable. Kelnozz studied the agitated waters and looked to the Captain.

"Captain Surun, have you seen such things before?" He asked, pointing at the water.

The Captain studied them for a moment. "Never this big. I've seen stalks like this near coral, they feed on small fish and the like, but these are monstrosities!"

The stalks found the ship then, and after a moment of feeling the hull, they began to beat against it. The already battered hull was no match for the repeated crushing force and began to slowly disintegrate under the impacts.

"My Lord?" Surun asked as the derelict shuddered under them.

Kelnozz looked at him, "I'm no sailor, Captain, this is your element."

"Wait," the elf King said, suddenly thinking of something. "I once was on a ship that was sucked under by a kraken, are these tentacles the same type of thing? Is there something below us that we could kill and be on our way?"

"No, My Lord, these are all separate creatures," Surun said.

"There's naught to be done but run for it and hope we can get out of their range," the Captain said, signaling for the sailors to keep lowering the four longboats.

"There's not enough boats," Kelnozz realized, studying them and coming to the realization.

"No worries, My Lord, you'll be put on one," the Captain said, misunderstanding him.

"I'm not worried about myself, Captain, I'm worried about your crew... my people!"

"Oh, well... we'll make do. Every man and woman here is ready to give their life for you, worry not."

Kelnozz opened his mouth to retort but closed it instead in frustration. He did not want anyone to die for him, because of him, and near him. He ground his teeth and turned to stare at the land as the ship shuddered and settled another foot beneath them all. "Shark!" Yamara cried out, pointing off into the water. Sure enough a large fin cut through the water and swam rapidly towards them. A very large fin.

"Gods, that's no shark, that's... what in the Nine Hells?" Surun said, baffled at how large the fin was. It was easily twice the size of the largest shark he had ever seen.

It closed rapidly enough and dispelled any thoughts of not being a shark, however. It parted the water with an immense body and equally large jaws, which is displayed for the suddenly terrified sailors by severing two of the rubbery stalks further out from the ship in a single bite.

"The enemy of my enemy?" Yamara offered, wondering if it was going to dispatch of the tentacles for them.

"...Is still my enemy," Kelnozz finished, knowing beyond a doubt that anyone foolish or unfortunate enough to be in the water would be chum.

The boat shuddered under them again, dropping them a few more inches as another supporting piece of wood was smashed away. The sailors were looking around hopelessly and helplessly, wondering what to do. Many looked to Kelnozz, expecting him to deliver them from certain death.

The shark swam closer, clearing out a few more tentacles and investigating the ship as well as the elven blood it smelled in the water.

Kelnozz watched it pass and nodded, realizing what he needed to do. He walked to the railing and lashed out with his foot, kicking a section of the rail free of the boat and into the water. Several of the tentacles swayed towards the wood, sensing the movement. The shark circled rapidly and came back in as well.

Before anyone could ask him what he was doing or stop him, Kelnozz backed up and then ran forward, springing off the edge of the boat an incredible distance. In mid-air he drew Cirithallion and let its point lead his descent into the path of the giant shark. He struck true, sinking the blade all the way into its slick skin, and held on for dear life as he slammed into the rough skin of the fish. The shark went into a pain filled frenzy, thrashing and rolling in the water and then swimming rapidly trying to dislodge Kelnozz and his blade.

The Elf King held true, however, and managed to draw Llarothimaril with his other hand and work it into the shark's body as well. He held on and did his best to catch fleeting gasps of air when he was able to.

The shark dove then, plunging underwater and making Kelnozz certain that he would run out of air or be crushed by the pressure of the depths long before he had a chance to see the sky again. It was only able to dive a few dozen feet, however, for the reef marked the edge of a shelf that the island nearby sat upon. It swam back up even faster, breaking the surface and launching its massive body, easily twice that of a great white, out of the water.

Kelnozz reacted instantly, gasping in fresh air and withdrawing one sword and plunging it back in, then doing the other. He fought the urge to grunt when he slammed back into the water, the shark coming down upon him this time, and focused on keeping his grip on his swords while he tried to clear his head.

The shark swam a while longer, diving low and then coming back up to the surface, its movement slowing. It was swimming partially on its side, allowing Kelnozz a chance to lift himself free of the water and gasp in much needed air. The shark was tiring and, risking a look behind him, he realized it was also leaving a wide trail of blood in the water. Not only that, but it was leaving the boat behind it. Kelnozz cursed yanked his swords free from the shark, cursing again as he saw fresh gouts of blood leak from the wounds as he fell into the water behind the shark.

He sheathed his weapons and started began to tread water, fighting the weight of his clothing and equipment easily in the buoyant salt water. He studied the shark and saw it continue away from him, slowing further with each passing minute. He looked back and saw that ship was still much closer than the shore, but it was a considerable distance and he was already weary from the battle. Taking deep breaths to freshen the air in his lungs, he saw something that gave him a fresh boost of adrenaline : another shark bearing down on the fatally wounded one.

Kelnozz stroked smoothly towards the ship, trying to make as little noise in the water as possible while putting as much distance behind him as possible. Legendary Champion of the Elves that he was, he was still tiring from the swim. This was the man that had once ran from ogres for days without rest, and now he was letting a little water get the better of him. Kelnozz struggled on, his will undeterred even if he body was beginning to show signs of it.

Salvation came in the form of Regnar. The dragon swooped down and gently lifted Kelnozz from the water, his talons gripping the elf's shoulders. Kelnozz mumbled his thanks and fought to will the energy back into his body. They made it back to the ship, with Regnar panting from the exertion of carrying someone, and landed none to gently. Kelnozz rolled to a stop and stood up wearily, to cheers from the surviving crew. Even Yamara was smiling and nodding towards him.

"There's more of those things out there," Kelnozz said, gesturing. The cheering died quickly as the implication set in.

"We must go now if we're to have a chance of making it, while the one I killed is being eaten."

"What of the tentacles?" A sailor asked. He trusted the King and his Captain both, but he was still worried.

"You've all got swords, use them when they come close! Fight them off as best you can... we can't say here." To accentuate Kelnozz's words the ship, or what was left of it, shuddered under them again. The stern deck was under the water by then and three of the four longboats were in the water and unharassed by the tentacles.

Captain Surun nodded at the plan, brief though it was, and started giving orders to the crew. Almost as quickly as the first person dropped into a boat the tentacles became interested in them instead of the ship. Cutlasses and pistols were put to use, slicing and firing into them as quickly as they could. A few men were pulled overboard, but before long those tentacles closest had either been severed or retreated into the briny depths.

The boats were loaded full, with still nearly a score of men stranded upon the ruined ship, including the Captain. "I'll not leave a man behind," he told Kelnozz, then used a pole to push his King's longboat away from the doomed vessel. Regnar flew overhead, unburdened and able to keep a lookout.

The dragon flew ahead, breathing lightning into the water where tentacles clustered and watching them twitch and retreat rapidly from the electrocuting assault. The longboats followed in his wake, with several people rowing and every other person ready to fight whenever a tentacle appeared.

"This is kind of stupid," Yamara observed at one point, after she thrust her short sword through a tentacle and tore it out on side.

"I'm open to suggestions," Kelnozz replied from where he stood with his swords in his hands.

"We know what is at stake, I should be one boat, you in another, and Vanya in a third."

Kelnozz grunted, then drove his sword into the water to impale a rising tentacle. "Where was that idea 30 minutes ago?"

Yamara made no response, knowing it would do them no good. Instead they battled on, fighting their way clear of the field of aggressors. One of the boats behind them was not so lucky, being torn apart by grasping tentacles. That left three boats, roughly 60 people, all rowing frantically towards the shore that was nearly half a mile distant.

Regnar flew overhead, watching carefully for any further threats. He pulled up abruptly at one point, then performed a wingover and hurried back towards the longboats. Vanya watched him and knew that it could only mean trouble.

"Row faster!" Kelnozz urged, also having seen the dragon.

In moments the dragon was there, circling overhead defensively. He launched himself into a dive and spat out a bolt of lightning into the water, then dipped lower and raked beneath the surface with his claws. A fin broke the water a moment later, as large as the one on the shark that Kelnozz had slain. Four others followed suit, though they did not slow as the electrical shock had not stunned them as it had the lead one.

"Archers!" Kelnozz cried out so that everyone could hear him. "Aim for the wounded one! If the sharks smell its blood they may turn on it instead of us!"

Three or four elves on each boat dropped their swords and grabbed up longbows. They fired into the water, some arrows biting in but most having no effect due to the shark's tough skin and the water that deflected their arrows. The other four sharks began circling the boats, with one disappearing and then bumping the lead boat.

One of the archers lost his foot and fell overboard. The two elves nearest to him scrambled to drop their oars and pull him back in, slowing their progress but rescuing the sputtering man moments before another shark darted in and clamped down on his bow, swallowing it whole.

Another elf lashed out, nearly losing his balance as well as his sword cut a shallow gash in the shark's skin.

"Leave that one alone!" Kelnozz berated him. "Blood near us will draw them closer, aim for the wounded one."

Chastised, the elf leaned away from the edge of the boat and watched warily for the next shark.

One of the marine predators pulled away, drawn by the irresistible scent of blood in the water. It attacked the wounded shark, drawing an attack in turn. Soon the water was frothy and red as they savagely went at one another. Everyone watched, fascinated, and dared to hope that their desperate ploy might work. In moments another shark joined the bloody battle, and then another. It seemed to be going well when the rending sound of wood being torn apart reached the ears of those aboard the lead boat. Panicked screams soon followed.

The third longboat was doomed, a shark having torn away a large section of the side and bottom mid ship. It disintegrated under the elves in it and, try as they did to swim away, they were soon claimed by the denizens of the deep. Kelnozz counted and quickly realized that more sharks had arrived, some not so large as the first ones, but there were no less lethal for it.

He tightened his jaw and his knuckles, furious at his inability to help his people, and silently urged them to row harder and faster. Indeed, the screams of the dying seemed to bring renewed energy into the arms of the rowers, making the boats surge ahead towards the shore, which was now only a quarter mile distant.

Vanya leapt up lightly on the prow of the longboat, balancing precariously in a position that anyone, even Kelnozz, would have been hard pressed to do. She drew her powerful bow back and took careful aim, loosing an arrow and fitting another to the string as the first speared into the head of a smaller shark that emerged from the water to snap at the side of the second boat. The shark slammed into the side, now thrashing in the water and swimming erratically. It was no longer interested in the boats and their tasty cargo, it was fighting the agonizing pain that had burrowed into its brain. In moments another shark tore into it, ending its misery and creating yet another feeding frenzy in the treacherous waters.

Vanya stayed up, aiming and shooting when an opportunity presented itself. Not every arrow ended a threat, but every arrow did find the target she intended. Her well timed shots saved many an elf, but so distracted was she by it that she did not see the large one that emerged from the water and tore out the aft of their own boat before swimming away.

Three elves were swept into the water, and two of which managed to desperately scramble back towards it. The third was pulled under, a red cloud spreading seconds later. One of the elves managed to get back into the boat, helped by his comrades, but the other one screamed in agony as he was pulled back into the water and out of the grasping hands of his fellows.

"Row, damn you!" Kelnozz shouted, pushing an exhausted sailor out of the way and grabbing up his oar and putting his considerable strength to it.

Vanya's knees bent as she rode the impact of the boat well, she kept her balance and now focused on the sharks that hurried toward the aft of their boat, keeping up a steady stream of arrows until her hand grasped only air. Her quiver was empty.

She looked at the boat and leapt, clearing five ranks of sailors and landing with her legs astride the sixth and final rank. She pushed him out of the way, surprising him greatly, and took his oar from him. She pulled mightily, surprising the muscular sailors with her own strength as the boat surged forward a little swifter in the water.

Yamara was focusing, a dull ache by now forcing its way into her head. Every bit of energy she had she devoted into trying to lift the boat as high in the water as she could. Between that and trying to deflect any incoming sharks, she felt as though she was tearing her mind apart with the strain.

"Regnar!" Kelnozz yelled out, drawing the dragon closer from where he was flying low over the water striking out when he could at the unbelievable amount of marine predators. Other things had joined the fray, no longer were sharks the only things to harass them, other creatures that none of the sailors had ever seen were present as well.

Kelnozz grabbed up a sturdy rope and, stepping upon one end of it, he tossed the coil high into the air. The dragon swooped in and caught it, slowing his flight as the Elf King tied it off at the bow. He worked hard then, stretching the rope out until it was taught then beating his wings hard to help pull the boat to shore faster. None to soon for Yamara cried out and collapsed, senseless and unable to focus on anything.

The boat dipped deeper in the water, but the added speed that Regnar supplied kept the water from coming far enough into it to swamp it. The other longboat did not fare so well, unfortunately. It was bumped repeatedly, with elves being knocked about and some out of it. A serpent rose out of the depths and plunge into it, biting down on an elf and smashing into the flooring of it, cracking the timbers and providing a heavy leak before it pulled the struggling man into the depths. In minutes the boat crumpled under the brave sailors. In minutes nothing but a red churning froth remained to mark their watery graves.

---

The lead boat bumped into the sandy bottom, drawing the exhausted but terrified passengers to rush out of it and fall onto the sand. They all felt the ground shake as Regnar, exhausted from his effort at helping to pull the boat to shore, crashed into the ground and lay there gasping for breath himself. Vanya hurried to his side, winded herself but in better shape than all of the others save Kelnozz. The Elf King stared out at the sea, silently mourning all of the fallen.

Nine elven sailors had survived, though one was wounded and bled freely from bites on his arm. Nine elves plus the four of them. It made for a poor party able to survive on a strange new land, especially now that they had no transportation back. Kelnozz turned, bidding the elven sailors farewell and turned to face the island.

The beach extended inland for a little over a hundred yards, and stretched on to his right and left further than he could see. Beyond the fine white sands a jungle rose sharply. He could feel the humidity from where he stood, in spite of the faint breeze blowing in from the ocean. He looked at the survivors and realized that they were all exhausted, camping on the beach might be the best thing for them to do for the night, rather than risk exploring a strange new land that may be fraught with unknown dangers.

"We camp here tonight," he announced, drawing some grateful sighs from the elves. "When everyone is rested we'll organize a party to get some firewood and perhaps find something to eat. We'll need to see what supplies we have remaining as well, because a trip home could be a long time in coming."

That sobered the elves up quite a bit. Yamara heard him as though through a headache induce fog. She nodded and let herself drift off to sleep, her mental exhaustion overwhelming her at last. Vanya glanced at the boat, hoping some of the archers had some arrows left that she could replenish hers with. Regnar was alright, just exhausted and in need of rest as badly as the rest of them were. She patted him on the neck and sat down beside him, resting against him companionably.

Continued in Chapter 21

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