The four slowly stood, all swaying to some degree, and followed Illexya across the plank and into her hut. Spence entered last and shut the wooden door behind him.

“I assume it’s safe to remove our armor?” Trey asked.

“Of course. You could not be anywhere safer than here,” Illexya replied.

Trey and Caleb removed their armor, and all four of them stripped down to only their Earth clothes. “Ah, it will feel so good not to sleep in that soup can,” Trey said. Caleb nodded in agreement.

Once they had made beds out of the pillows, Illexya touched each of the crystals, extinguishing the light and immersing the room into total darkness. Spence had hoped to stay awake and talk with the other three, but he didn’t feel comfortable with Illexya there. Then the exhaustion overcame him. He settled into the thick carpet and pillows, and their warmth instantly enveloped him. He fell asleep before he could even fight against it.

Spence didn’t remember dreaming. He just awoke when a hand shook his shoulder. He opened his eyes but saw only darkness. He was groggy, and the room felt like it was moving. He tried to swallow to wet his dry throat and struggled to remember his location. It didn’t feel like the forest floor or anywhere outside. Then he slowly recalled the trees and the platforms. He began to speak, but a hand covered his mouth. The hand was soft and feminine.

The hand was removed, and he was pulled to his feet. Someone led him forward toward the tree trunk, with him nearly tripping over some of the pillows strewn across the floor in the process. After a few seconds, Spence was confused—they should be at the tree trunk by now. The hut was only so big.

The hands released him, and he heard a sound like a cabinet door shutting. Spence blinked several times as light suddenly blinded him, and then he peered through squinted eyes. Morgan stood in front of him, with Trey and Caleb sitting on each side in seats carved out of the inside of the tree. Illexya sat straight ahead, a glowing light mounted above her. They were inside the trunk of the enormous tree. “What—”

“Please, be seated, quickly,” Illexya whispered.

Spence sat in a carved seat beside Caleb, and Morgan sat on the other side beside Trey. The space was small, and they were packed tightly together. The others looked half-asleep and half in shock. None of them dared to speak.

“I brought you here because I do not think the gods can hear or see us. As you probably know, or the Nephilim told you, the gods see and hear almost everything in this world.” Illexya paused long enough to indicate she expected a response.

“Titus…told us some things,” Morgan said. Caleb glared at her from across the small room.

“Did he take to you to a protected place?”

“Yes. A cave by the river,” Morgan continued.

“Tell me what he said,” Illexya said, her voice forceful.

Morgan glanced at Caleb and then Spence. Spence wasn’t sure if Morgan should tell him everything. But if Illexya went to the trouble of bringing them to this secret room, she was most likely trustworthy. Spence nodded at her. His eyes met Trey’s, but he couldn’t read Trey’s serious face.

Morgan recounted the conversation in the cave with Titus. She also included the story of Seth in the tavern. Illexya nodded slowly as she spoke.

“Titus is wise for a Nephilim. The gods are indeed real, and they created the world and everything in it. Look at my people and me. We are unlike you and the Nephilim. We are not…natural. We are like Nephilim mixed with beasts. Like the Nephilim, we cannot reproduce. We die, and others appear. Our number stays at one thousand.”

“Why?” Caleb spoke this time.

“Why what?”

“What is the point of the gods creating this world and the races?”

Illexya’s eyes trailed off Caleb, and she stared at the floor, the inside of the tree trunk, which was ancient judging by the number of rings. “We have all wondered that. We thought it was simply to serve them. But lately…lately there is something else.”

“What do you mean?” Caleb continued.

“I did not exactly tell the entire truth when I said we do not speak of our visions of Artemis. Some of us occasionally meet here, only for a few minutes, in the middle of the night like this. Artemis has spoken to some regarding dark clouds coming. And a war…a war between the races.”

“Has he spoken to you about this?” Spence suddenly asked, a little more anxious than he meant to sound.

Illexya stared at Spence as if debating how much to reveal. “Just that there will be an outsider, a leader, who will lead the elves. And one day, we will rule this world. He said I needed to be ready and that I would be important to this leader.”

A chill raced down Spence’s spine, and he nearly gasped aloud. He glanced at Morgan. She stared at Illexya with wide eyes and mouth slightly open. He was sure his face was similar to hers. Trey leaned forward in his seat, looking intently at Illexya, but his face didn’t indicate the shock Morgan’s did. Again, he was unreadable.

“Is this the reason for the forest patrol?” Morgan asked.

“Yes. We have to be watchful,” Illexya replied.

“Do you think the leader might be a quester? Or one of us, even?” Spence hesitantly asked. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself or his secret knowledge.

“It would seem to reason. There are no other outsiders. Have any of you spoken to Artemis?”

Cold sweat joined the chills coursing down Spence’s spine. He turned to Morgan, and she briefly met his eyes and then lowered hers. Trey still stared at Illexya, and Caleb remained silent. Spence wasn’t going to dare say anything. He wondered if one of the others would reveal if the gods had contacted them.

The elf’s gaze traveled from one face to the next. Each ended up looking down or away after meeting Illexya’s eyes. “Then perhaps it will be another quester. We had better end this meeting. Just remember, the gods are always watching and listening. And learn what you can from the other races. Something is afoot. There might be more to your quest than meets the eye. Now, leave and return to your beds. I will wake you in the morning.”

Morgan stood and grabbed the small knob on the back of the door, and Illexya touched the light to return them to utter blackness. They carefully navigated through the small doorway and felt their way to their beds. Illexya emerged last and closed the door behind her.

Spence’s mind wanted to race, to comprehend the ramifications of what Illexya had revealed. But his fatigue and sleepiness returned. He fell fast asleep and didn’t wake until the morning.