I followed her gaze out the window of the carriage. We were being escorted by twenty guards, all on alert, all with weapons drawn. Was it really still so dangerous here? Were the goblins still overrunning the lands? The thought of Camille and Smoky leading the dragons down through Elqaneve made me smile, because when they came in, the elves would rally. They would have something to gather behind and support. Sharah would be able to whip them into a frenzy. And right now, hope was our greatest ally. Hope for the future, hope for the present.
As we wound our way into the city proper—or what was left of it—my mood perked up a little. I didn’t realize how much the fall of the Elfin city had hit me, but now, staring at the remains of the toppled buildings, I could only wish that the storm had hit anywhere but here. The city had been graceful, beautiful in its simplicity, yet as majestic as they came. But as I gazed at the flickering fires that lined the city streets, I realized that here and there, new life was springing from the rubble. Where a row of apartments had stood, a new building was slowly being erected. A devastated fountain was flowing again—next to the ruins of the first. Slowly, but surely, the elves were taking back their city, reclaiming Elqaneve from the damage done.
Iris followed my gaze. “They’re rebuilding. Even in the midst of such total destruction, they are rebuilding.”
“Life will go on. Survival isn’t enough. They’re doing as best they can to recover. We need to make Otherworld safe for them to start over. If Telazhar is eliminated and his armies destroyed, then the elves—and everyone over here—stands a chance.” I found my hopes beginning to rise.
“Aren’t you forgetting about Shadow Wing? He will still be pressing.”
“Ah, yes. But how demoralizing will it be if we destroy his host here in Otherworld? If we grind his army down to the ground? And if we can defeat Telazhar, maybe . . .”
“Maybe we can defeat the Demon Lord himself?” She smiled softly. “Optimism and hope—we are in dire need of it. I’m glad to see you find your way through the mire. I will follow you in that hope. Because the world has to survive if my children are to grow and thrive in it.”
She was right. And I suddenly understood something about caring for others. I might not have children, but I had Nerissa. And I had my sisters and Iris and all my friends. And the thought of them walking into a future built on the fires and destruction of Shadow Wing was too much to handle. I had to keep hope in order to make it possible to even try.
“You’re right.” I glanced over at Roz. “Quit pretending you’re asleep, dude. I know you aren’t.”
He grinned and opened his eyes. “Right. I’m not.”
“Will you hold hope with us, Roz?” I caught his gaze, challenging him.
He let out a soft breath, looking out the windows. “If I didn’t hold hope for the future, I would have let Dredge kill me when I was young. I would have thrown myself on my sword when Zeus and Hera destroyed my marriage. If I didn’t have any hope for the future, I’d be long gone, leaving all of you in the dust. It’s because of you that I believe we can make it through this. Without the three of you . . . without Iris and all the others, there is no defense. So we have to believe we can defeat him.”
When put like that, it was even simpler. I smiled softly and leaned back as the carriage wound through the streets. It wasn’t far to the palace, but there had been so much destruction that we were taking detours right and left.
“Sing something for us, Menolly.” Iris leaned close to me. “Sing us a song . . . you have such a beautiful voice.”
I was about to say no, but then decided what the hell. Why not? After thinking for a moment, I remembered a song that Sephreh—our father—had sung to us when we were children. It had been called “Courage, My Child,” and Father had always sung it to us the night before he had to leave for a mission, the nights when we were so afraid he wouldn’t come back.
“There are times in the world when you must raise your sword,
When peace is lying in tatters.
There are times in this world when you must go to war,
Before all hope is shattered.
So listen to me, my child, my love,
Courage—in your heart must be burning.
The gods will watch from the heavens above,
And the world will go right on turning.
“In the heart of the wood, an oracle speaks,
She tells you of death and destruction,
But in the heart of the world, a single drum beats,
And the light finds a pathway to shine in.
So listen to me my child, my love,
Hope—in your heart must be burning.
The gods will watch from heavens above,
And the world will go right on turning.”
I let the words drift away as we pulled into what had been the courtyard of the palace. Every wall had been shattered, so much marble into dust, but the bodies had been moved and buried, and the moonlight shimmered down on the scene, a melancholy and eerie sentinel from above.
“Why are we meeting here? I thought they moved headquarters to a secret area.”