— Chapter Twenty-Nine —
Hard Choices
The return to Melatelari was bittersweet. So many of the infirm and children who had been left behind waited for the return of their loved ones, only to have their hopes dashed. Their sorrow often drove Iadrawyn to seek the solace of the forest to shed her helpless tears. She knew she had done everything she could, but it had not been enough. After escaping the dark lands, she had walked the battlefield, using the Quenya and her healing skills to save as many as possible. But she was only one person, and so many of the wounded were beyond mortal aid.
The Quenya did not help her heal everyone. Some were those whose life’s purpose had been fulfilled. Their time to pass had come. Although the Quenya allowed her to understand this, it did not ease her feelings of helplessness and sorrow. All she could do for them was make them comfortable and keep them company in their time of need. At least she could comfort herself with the knowledge that these brave souls who had fulfilled their destiny and given their lives to regain the Quenya would eventually be reborn. Still, it hurt to lose them. After exhausting her own stubborn will and the energy reserves the Quenya had bestowed upon her, Iadrawyn had collapsed and slept for three days.
Valanandir had cared for her during that time and organized the retreat to Melatelari. Although the elves had won the day, they had sustained too many losses to push their advantage. For now, the dark creatures remained in their own territory, under the cover of their protective cloudbank, licking their wounds. Both she and Valanandir knew this would not last. They would eventually regroup and use the cover of nightfall to attack once more, as the drakhalu had done in the past.
Iadrawyn considered this problem as she walked under the familiar canopy of the wood. She had discussed it with Valanandir and the others, of course. It seemed they only had two options. Either the elves could remain in Melatelari and fortify their position, or they could migrate to another forest, farther from the dark lands.
But how far was far enough? While the elves debated the course of their future, Iadrawyn had slipped away, hoping to gain guidance from the Quenya. Valanandir had understood her need, and ensured no one tried to accompany or shadow her, much to Lodariel’s annoyance.
Iadrawyn’s relationship with Valanandir had deepened since they had been reunited, now that the shadow of Numril’s death no longer hung between them. She was grateful the Quenya had entered their lives to bring them together. Since she had first found him on the beach all those years ago, there had been a connection between them.
But for the moment, she needed to be alone. As she walked the paths of the forest, part of her expected Eruvalion to come stumbling out of the trees to follow her. She brushed the thought aside, shying away from memories of his death and the burden of guilt she carried. Eruvalion would not return until he was reborn. She could only hope he would be better cared for the next time around.
Iadrawyn inhaled the scents of the wood—the pungent odor of pine, the sweet scent of flowers blooming. The return of the sun had brought spring back, and the world of Ralvaniar was a riot of color, scents, and sounds. Somewhere beyond the chittering of squirrels and the occasional birdsong was the comforting hum of the Quenya. Even now, she could sense its presence all around her, even though it was nowhere nearby. Her connection with it had become even stronger since the escape from the dark lands. Sitting beneath a nearby oak, she leaned back and opened herself fully to its call.
Strange images flashed under her closed lids. She and Valanandir were in an unfamiliar forest. Lodariel and Daroandir were also there. She and Valanandir were leaving and they were trying to convince their two friends to come with them. Both refused. As she and Valanandir left them behind, Iadrawyn knew she had seen them for the last time. Remaining behind would be the death of them.
Her vision jumped forward to another strange forest with trees that had bark and leaves tinged with silver and gold. She sensed a great passage of time. Daroandir and Lodariel were there, armed in matching raiment and girded with sword and shield. They were fleeing through the trees from unseen enemies on a quest that was somehow tied to the Quenya…
Abruptly, the vision ended. Iadrawyn sagged against the trunk of the tree, her breathing ragged. Her face was streaked with tears. She had never had more than one vision at a time. To have two of them back to back, both of them showing her friends in such danger was almost more than she could bear. Taking deep breaths, she struggled to interpret what she had seen.
She had no doubt the first vision resulted in Lodariel and Daroandir’s demise. Was the second vision an alternate branching of the future? Perhaps if she could warn her friends and persuade them to come with her when the time came to leave the first unfamiliar forest, they would live to see the second vision come to pass. Although they had been in danger in the second vision, at least they had been alive.
And where were these strange woods? The first was unfamiliar, but at least the trees and plants were recognizable. The second forest was completely alien to her. It had also felt so distant that she knew she would not find it for many years, perhaps even centuries. Although time was a slippery thing in the lifespan of an elf, with years often passing in the blink of an eye, her mind reeled to have glimpsed such a far off future.
So many questions! At least the Quenya had given her one answer she could act on. Iadrawyn rose on unsteady feet. She felt as though she had been running for hours. On rubbery legs, she made her way back to the village to speak with her friends.
She passed the sentries, who told her Lodariel was leading archery practice. Iadrawyn sent one of the sentries to fetch her to Daroandir’s forge and headed that way herself. The ringing chime of a hammer striking metal grew louder as she approached. She entered the clearing to find Daroandir hard at work at the anvil, while Saviadro looked on. As soon as the boy noticed her arrival, his golden eyes widened and he scampered off into the trees.
Why was that child so skittish around her? The other children of the village adored her and spent time with her whenever possible. Iadrawyn shook off her annoyance.
“You have had a vision?” Daroandir set his work aside and turned to face her, mopping his brow. A few wisps of his golden-brown hair had escaped his braid. Now that they lived in the presence of the Quenya once more, all the elves had regained their Light Elf coloring. As usual, Daroandir knew exactly what her expression betokened.
“Yes. I have summoned Lodariel to meet us here. Ah, here she is.” Iadrawyn gave Lodariel a nod of greeting as she entered the clearing. “We need to go to Valanandir. He is meeting with Malarin at the edge of the wood. I would like to tell all of you at once.”
Iadrawyn led the way out of the village and headed eastward. Valanandir met with Malarin regularly, which was fortunate, since Iadrawyn needed to speak with her as well.
Malarin and the other dragon survivors of the War of the Quenya scouted the perimeter of the dark lands regularly and brought back reports. Although the dark creatures had remained quiescent, eventually they would regroup and attempt another infiltration.
Neither Daroandir nor Lodariel plagued her with questions along the way, but Iadrawyn felt their curious gazes on her back as they followed. She ignored them, focusing on the trail.
By the time they reached the eastern border, it was late afternoon. The trees fell away and Malarin’s gleaming blue, silver, and golden form was revealed. She sat with her tail wrapped around her legs. Valanandir turned to greet them, following Malarin’s blue gaze. He sat atop a large boulder, so as not to crane his neck while speaking with the dragon.
“Hmmm… this must be important,” Malarin rumbled. “What news?”
Iadrawyn and the others scrambled onto the same boulder, which was more than large enough to accommodate all of them.
“I have had a vision,” Iadrawyn said as soon as she was comfortable. The stone had been warmed by the sun. She outlined what she had seen. The others remained silent for several moments after she was done.
“So Lodariel, Daroandir, you must promise that when the time comes, you will come away with us,” Iadrawyn said when she couldn’t bear the silence any longer.
“I don’t think we can make that promise,” Lodariel said. “We do not know the circumstances.” Iadrawyn turned her pleading glance to Daroandir.
“I agree,” he said. “Perhaps us staying behind serves some higher purpose. I can’t see why else we would do such a thing. If it is the fate the Quenya has decreed for us, we cannot walk away. You know if our roles were reversed, you would say the same.”
Iadrawyn sighed, suppressing her sorrow for something that may not yet come to pass. “You are right. Perhaps we can change this future… Just please promise me you won’t stay behind for any other reason. I don’t want to lose you.” Both Lodariel and Daroandir nodded their agreement. Iadrawyn briefly closed her eyes before switching topics. It would have to do.
“While my second vision seemed to take place far into the future, the first felt more immediate, although it may not come to pass for some time.” Iadrawyn looked to the dragon. “Malarin, do you know of any forest that has never been inhabited by elves? I didn’t recognize the wood of the first vision, but I sensed it was somewhere here on Ralvaniar. It was cooler than it is here in Melatelari.” She frowned, trying to remember the details.
“Are you certain it wasn’t Meladaro?” Daroandir asked. “You have never been to my home forest, and it’s to the northeast of here.”
Iadrawyn shook her head. “I know, but this forest felt different. It felt… secretive.”
“There is only one forest I know of that has not been inhabited by elves,” Malarin said. “It is far to the north, lying on the northwestern coast of the continent. It is flanked by a long river and the peaks of the Hamad Balas to the south and west. It is quite large.”
Iadrawyn felt a growing sense of certainty with each of Malarin’s words. “Yes, that is the place!”
“Are you certain?” Lodariel asked. “Would it not be better to relocate to a territory we are already familiar with?”
The topic had been one of contention among the elves. Many advocated moving everyone to the ancestral home of their own previous tribe. Some even wanted to return to Vila Eadros. No one could agree.
“This is the only solution that will satisfy everyone,” Iadrawyn said. “It is unknown territory, yes. But it is protected by natural barriers on all sides. There are nearby mountains for the former Earth Elves, a large, untamed forest for the Wood and Wild Elves, and a coastline for the Sea Elves. Perhaps we can even persuade the Sea Folk to accompany us, and patrol the waters off the coast.”
“It’s far from the dark lands, and well fortified, but won’t the dark creatures eventually find it?” Daroandir said.
“If we are only just discovering it now, there is no way they are aware of its existence,” Iadrawyn said, hit by a sudden bolt of inspiration. “We will make it our hidden wood: Melavalion. We will tell the rest of the elves we have found a new place where we will be relocating with the Quenya. They can choose whether they want to make the journey, but this will be their only chance to make that decision. We won’t reveal where the new location is. Those who wish to come will need to swear an oath by the Quenya that they won’t reveal our location. We can lead them north by day through the Lavi Eadros. By the time the dark creatures think to look for us, our trail will be gone.”
“And once we arrive in this… Melavalion?” Lodariel asked.
“The Quenya can be used to create a cloak of secrecy over the wood that will cause those who do not know of its presence to ignore it, like camouflage,” Iadrawyn said.
“You can do this?” Valanandir asked. It was the first time he had spoken. He watched Iadrawyn with a thoughtful expression.
“Yes. I have just seen it.”
“It has merit,” Lodariel said, considering. “I have tried my best to get us prepared for another intrusion, but our numbers are greatly diminished. As long as the dark creatures know where to find us, we will be in danger. Secrecy would be a more effective defense.”
“Wherever you and Valanandir lead us, I will follow,” Daroandir said to Iadrawyn.
Iadrawyn looked to Valanandir.
“I think three days should be enough to prepare, don’t you?” he said. “Today is almost over. We can tell everyone tomorrow morning. This will give them enough time to decide and pack. Everything will need to be confined to the daylight hours to prevent any dark creatures from spying on our preparations. By nightfall, everything in the village should appear unchanged.”
Although it had been her vision, Iadrawyn was startled by how quickly Valanandir planned to implement it. She would have to say good-bye to her childhood home all over again. It was unlikely she would ever return.
“Lodariel, do you have enough sentries you trust implicitly to stand guard over the perimeter of the village and allow no elf to leave?” Valanandir asked.
“Yes…”
“We will need them to prevent anyone from wandering off. Once we announce our intentions, everyone should remain confined to the village until we leave. Those who decide to stay behind should swear by the Quenya that they will not reveal anything regarding our plans. We can’t have anyone revealing our direction once we leave.” Valanandir gave Iadrawyn a questioning look.
She nodded. “It can be done.”
“I will go discuss this with Nimrilwyn and Rallavalan now to coordinate these measures with the Sea Folk,” Valanandir said. “We can have our meeting tomorrow morning on the beach, so everyone can attend.”
“I will bring what few of my kind are left,” Malarin rumbled. “They should also be included.”
“This is the solution we have been looking for,” Valanandir said. “Tomorrow all the races that serve the light will be bound by the Quenya.”
Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0) Page 52