“Because you are not bound to him in my people’s eyes. You are only his heart song, and even though that means everything to you—to us it means nothing.”
I wanted to growl but held it in. I didn’t want to give off the wrong impression, and I also didn’t want to lose the energy I had left. “You don’t understand. I won’t be able to leave him. I can walk in a thousand directions, and I will still end up here.”
“Then keep walking.”
I bit my tongue. Hard. I wasn’t going to win this argument. I needed someone who knew the elves, as well as their customs. I needed a way to earn their trust and gain permission to stay, even if that meant staying outside of their boundaries.
Once outside, Faun removed the blindfold and let my eyes adjust to the bright sun as a warm breeze brushed my skin still trying to fend off the chill from the dead forest.
I expected to find the rest of the group. Instead, a small tent with a fire pit sat on the border of the Elvish Plains and the trees that hid their home away filled my sight. In the midst of the plains, tall grass grew yellow and green, shifting in the breeze, dancing along in waves as far as the eye could see and rustling its song. Mountains became visible again. I turned to find my home and the lights within the windows, but nothing was visible from so far away. Hills and trees filled the horizon. Clusters of a few dozen trees spotted the plains. For the most part, everything seemed peaceful, calm and clear. Not how I thought everything should be.
Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned my gaze to a dark fabric caught on a low branch near a cluster of trees. It wasn’t there just moments before when I first looked. My curiosity piqued, I moved toward the cloth. I walked slowly, letting my eyes wander the width of the plain, searching for anyone it belonged to. As I drew closer, I realized the item wasn’t just a cloth but a cloak, hanging on a branch as if it blew in the wind and caught at the right spot on the hood. I yanked it free from the tree, tearing the cloth. It was a man’s cloak that must have blown off some time ago and got carried along the wind until it snagged a branch.
An invisible force weighed on my shoulders, as though someone’s eyes followed me. I turned around and found a dark figure, far in the distance, staring right at me. I took a few steps toward him, thinking he may be the owner of the cloak and had run after it. He turned quickly and ran in the opposite direction.
“Wait,” I called. “I found your cloak!”
Not wanting to wait until he was so far out of sight I could never catch up, I ran after him.
I followed the man until he disappeared behind some trees. Just inside those trees stood a camp. Figures, hidden behind their cloaks, moved about picking up weapons and packing them onto wagons. I quickly ducked under the tall grass, using it to hide my appearance.
The wind shifted, blowing into my nose a camp fire, sour milk, and rotting meat. It swam inside my head, making me dizzy and causing my stomach to churn. I couldn’t hold back and turned to the side to empty my stomach. Despite trying my best to be quiet, I made noise. Once I was done, I slowly popped my head up over the grass to check if I had gone unnoticed.
Four hooded figures stood on the outskirts of the trees. I caught a glimpse of their faces and sucked a quick breath of shock. Goblins. Ugly, green, scaly creatures that made Blyl seem as handsome as a god. They stood with their weapons in their hands, ready to attack and kill whatever had dared to venture too close to their encampment. I held my breath as they took a step toward me. Their eyes searching the area around me, apparently not finding me. They exchanged a few words in their language and started to break up. I feared they would come at me from different angles.
A shout filled the air from inside the trees. The four goblins glanced at each other, over the field again and turned around to greet whoever had caught their attention. I poked my head up, cautiously, to set my eyes on the one who had deterred my fate. I couldn’t see a thing. I had to know what these goblins were doing. There had to be a reason for being camped so close to the elves’ territory. I maneuvered my way to the trees, careful to keep enough distance from the camp and still get a glimpse of what went on. This could be my chance to earn the elves’ trust and permission to remain by Marren’s side.