They all stood still while they listened to Alluin’s tale. As the elf recounted his story, Ben, Eliot, Fang Chu and Boro finally felt some trace of sympathy towards the poor soul. Here was a person who went against his culture and traditions to find happiness, only to have it all snatched away by his family and tribesmen who were bound to it. Liza, on the other hand, didn’t know how to feel. By all accounts, it seemed she ought to forgive him, for he was a victim too, but a warped upbringing and childhood trauma weren’t things so easily resolved.

“Damn, this is all just sad,” said Ben.

“Another voice… at this point nothing can surprise me anymore,” said Alluin weakly.

“Those you’re hearing are my friends and companions. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without them,” replied Liza.

“That’s good… I’ve just learned that reliable friends are a hard thing to find. Liza, though what happened to your mother was terrible, I’m glad at least you’re safe…”

“Humph, not thanks to you.”

Those words were a harsh stab at Alluin, but the elf didn’t complain. He understood that there was a chance Liza would hate him for the rest of her life, and he found that perhaps that was warranted too, for there was something he didn’t tell her, nor could ever tell her. When he was found out by his father’s men and thought that he had the problem with the bandits sorted out, there was very tiny fraction of himself that was glad. Liza was growing too fast and the realisation that one day he would have to bury her beneath the ground terrified him. That tiny and accursed portion of his mind thought that perhaps this was for the best, as elf’s and human’s lifespans were too different. Burying his wife would’ve destroyed him, but burying his daughter would’ve made him go completely insane. Of course, later, in isolation, he came to hate himself for such thoughts.

“Perhaps this is my true punishment…” he mumbled.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I’m just trying to digest it all…”

Now that things had finally calmed down somewhat, Fang Chu felt like it was a proper time to bring out the urgency of their situation.

“Liza, I know there’s much more you want to say or ask, but remember we don’t have forever. We should leave as soon as we can.”

“That’s true! I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t realize it. How did you guys sneak in here in the first place?” asked Alluin after controlling himself once again.

They all turned to Liza, asking with their expression if it was okay to tell him or not. The half-elf sighed, wiped her tears with her sleeve and began a quick recounting of their journey from the moment they stepped in Duskwood.

-

While Liza was writing questions for Boro to ask her father, outside, the elves were in a furor as they dealt with the frenzied attacks of the twin-headed bears. At this point, the elderly elves that still had some vigor and the prodigious children that had some knack for magic were also helping rebuke the creature’s charges. Amidst this confusion, a young elvish girl came near the entrance carrying the twin-headed bear cub, making the beast’s attacks even stronger. An old timer noticed the girl and his jaw almost dropped to the ground in surprise.

“Lina, where did you get that?” he exclaimed.

“I found it hiding behind some baskets. It seemed to be really afraid of something. Then miss fairy told me to bring it here.”

The old timer was nonplussed by the child’s explanation, but now was hardly the time to question its veracity. He extended his arms and quickly grabbed the cub from the girl’s bosom.

“Wait here, we’ll talk later! Don’t move!”

“Wait, grampa, do you know how to talk to fairies?”

The old elf didn’t respond, quickly running somewhere as fast as his old legs could take him. Lina waited patiently on the spot and noticed that the noises and shouts coming from the entrance were gradually subsiding. Ten minutes later, the old elf returned, bringing with him Drannor and the others responsible for the village’s defense.

“Was it you that found the cub?” asked Drannor with a serious voice.

The young elf nodded her head timidly. Normally she wouldn’t be afraid of the protectors, but when they were covered with blood and carrying with them the intensity of a recent battle, the young girl couldn’t help but be intimidated.

“She said she found it hiding behind some baskets,” helped the old timer.

“You found it inside the village? It wasn’t something you found outside and brought back, hoping to keep and nurture?”

“No! It was already inside the village! I found it and tried to show it to mr. Lazul, but he ignored me, then I ran after him, then I bumped into something, then miss fairy showed up and then told me to bring it here and show it to the grown-ups! I didn’t do anything wrong!” exclaimed the little girl as her eyes began to swell up.

“There, there, Lina. We know you didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you saved us by bringing the cub here, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to make the beasts retreat,” said the old timer as he soothed her.

“Really? I did good?” asked the little girl, her eyes moving from the old timer to Drannor and the other protectors.

“Yes, you did good, Lina,” said Drannor who was having difficulties keeping his patience when dealing with a child after the troubles of the day kept piling up. “You said you saw Lazul. Where did he go? And what is this fairy you keep talking about?”

“I don’t know, he ran too fast for me. It’s not fair, grown-ups have longer legs, I can’t keep up!” she exclaimed with a pout. “Miss fairy is miss fairy. It was she that told me to bring the cub here. Do you know how to talk to fairies? Can you teach me?”

“Fairies communicate telepathically and they rarely speak, so you shouldn’t have problem communicating with one. Tell me, what did this fairy look like?”

“Oh,” said Lina, suddenly feeling sad.

“Lina, dear, perhaps she’s a young fairy that doesn’t know how to use telepathy yet. Now please be good and finish answering the question,” coaxed the old timer.

“Really? Yeah, that must be it! It’s not like she hated me or anything! She even waved and smiled! Yup! Yup!”

“Lina…”

“Right, she was around your size, with a pale face like birch, flaming waving hair like ever-red maples leaves and green eyes the color of a still lake. An astonishing beauty, just like the tales describe them!” Lina replied with a dreamy voice.

However, as her description went on, the color drained from Drannor and the others who had participated in the ambush. That was, without a doubt, the features of the powerful human they encountered a few hours earlier. It meant that not only they’d found their village, they managed to sneak inside unnoticed.

“Quickly, gather everyone that is still around the village’s entrance! Don’t let them disperse alone! We must search the grounds in big groups!” Drannor barked.

The sudden change of mood and attitude scared not only Lina, but the old timer as well. That reaction felt even more serious than when the twin-headed bears attacked.

“Drannor, what’s going on exactly?” asked the old timer.

“That’s no fairy! That’s one of the intruders that invaded our forest today!” he shouted.

“What?” the little girl and the old timer exclaimed in unison.

“She wasn’t a fairy, but an invader? Does that mean she was a bad person? Did I help a human? Did I do something bad?” Lina asked as she once again began to get misty-eyed.

“Shh, nothing of the sort, Lina. You didn’t do anything wrong. Now let’s just do as the protectors say and gather around with everyone. Everything’s going to be all right, don’t you worry,” the old timer said as he patted the young girl’s head. However, his other hand was trembling slightly. Humans invading and getting in this deep was something unheard-of ever since they acquired the heart of the forest.

All the tribesmen that were in the village gathered once again and began to search the grounds. The children were excluded from the search and were put under watch of the most elderly elves who would also only be a liability in case something grim happened. It didn’t take long until they found traces of blood that indicated a battle. Ben had tried to cover it up as best as he could, but there was only so much he could do about a pool of blood in so little time. However, he made sure to stop the corpse from bleeding before they took him in towards the great tree, otherwise it would be the same as announcing to the world what they were doing.

The signs didn’t bode well for Lazul, but no matter where they searched, they couldn’t find a trace of him or the humans. Drannor’s impatience and nervousness began to grow each second and he felt like there was something he was missing. Once again, he went to question little Lina and tried to retrace the day’s events. Then he looked at the great tree and his eyes flashed for a moment, but he soon chuckled in ridicule at himself. Thinking the humans infiltrated the great tree was ridiculous, as he knew it to be impossible.

“I’m getting desperate and hasty, that won’t do. Let’s take this from the top. They invaded our territory and captured one of our own. They asked him about Alluin and learned he was confined, without any chance of being reached as of now. Yet, they chose to sneak in our home all the same… perhaps is not Alluin they’re after, but something he has! Years ago, when we were escorting him back, he did stop by a city to retrieve some belongings. Perhaps he acquired a human treasure of some sort! That must be it!”