Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0)

by Jacquelyn Smith

  Daroandir woke with a start. The world was covered in darkness. He sensed it was almost midnight. What had woken him? He closed his eyes and listened. He could just hear the faint sound of dragon wings beating the air. He looked up to the sky.

  A large shadow was passing overhead in the direction of the Hamad Balas. Perhaps it was one of Malarin’s scouts. Daroandir’s heart warned him otherwise. Assuming the creature had flown in a straight line, it had originated from the Lavi Eadros in the west. He frowned at the hills, considering.

  A flicker in the distance caught his attention. Daroandir rubbed his eyes and peered through the darkness. Another flicker. This time, there could be no doubt. It was fire. He wanted to believe it was Saviadro’s campfire, but the flames were the height of an elf. A wave of dread washed over him: Fire Folk.

  The Fire Folk had mostly kept to themselves over the years in their domain in the Pelo Gali. Daroandir did not think they had traveled this far north to make a peace treaty. And if the dragon he heard overhead was one of Nargaz’s minions, the elves were in deep trouble indeed. Never in the history of Ralvaniar had all the dark creatures united. Daroandir suspected where the dark dragons and Fire Folk went, the drakhalu could not be far behind.

  Daroandir was torn with indecision. Although he suspected the dark creatures were massing for an attack on Melavalion—which shouldn’t be possible—Saviadro was also somewhere out there, perhaps in great danger. Should Daroandir trust in the Quenya’s protection of the forest and continue his search, or return to warn the village?

  Panicked thoughts whirled through his mind. Was it coincidence Saviadro had disappeared just as the dark creatures were arriving? Daroandir pushed the half-formed theory away, unwilling to even consider it. Perhaps one of the dark creatures had seen Saviadro during his wanderings and followed him back to Melavalion. Yes, that made sense.

  So what was he going to do? He hated the thought of leaving Saviadro behind, but the other elf was clever and capable. It was also unwise for Daroandir to continue hunting him in the dark. He could very well miss a sign and never find Saviadro. Maybe Saviadro was already on his way back to the forest. He didn’t have to return from the same direction.

  In the end, there were too many possibilities to consider. Saviadro could be anywhere. Meanwhile, the village needed to be warned. Daroandir would have to hope Saviadro showed up on his own, or he would have to try looking for him again later. His mind made up, Daroandir packed his things and hid all traces of his camp. He turned north and began to run.