Edited by: Flubbykin

At this point, we had no other path to chose. I regretted not forcing our way through the infested by spirits paths, as adventurers we could just make them let us walk past them and force our way through it (adventurers had special permission to enter places which normally would remain closed for travelers, merchants, nobles and such – in the end we were the people getting our hands dirty – city under quarantine? We could enter. Shut down roads because of natural disaster? We could enter. From time to time there was a huge uproar, because some adventurer entered invitation-only noble parties, just to drag out one of the a member of higher class which was being hunted by lower rank authority forces. Why uproar though? Because, when you already are at the party, you can’t just leave without tasting a dish or two while drinking a glass, a cup or even a barrel of alcohol, usually with your captive tied on the floor next to you.

We could have just said that we have priority mission and require fastest route possible, but that would usually end with a hour long quarrel – and I didn’t want to argue with local authorities, even more as we were not in hurry – we registered ourselves as wanderers and atop of that I really wanted to travel through the world, bah – I considered mage’s experiment fiasco as a token of good luck.

Yet here she was, my (not) little (not) baby (almost not) girl – usually cheerful and loud, now quiet and tense.

I knew it was a sensitive subject for her, that is why I never pried nor forced her to tell me about her past. I thought that one day she would just open up and tell me everything she wanted me to know. When she would be ready.

For now, my knowledge is limited to what Jericho told me, what I heard from rest of the guild members (usually after too much beer or vodka) and of what Giselle would mumble or scream through the night as she had nightmares (which happened rarely).

I asked if we should turn around, but with cold tone full of determination she urged to me continue driving down this path. Every now and then her eyes would focus on pieces of surroundings – funny rock formation or a lone old tree growing by the road. I was sure she remembered those little, unimportant things, that she compared them with her memories. Usually, when someone visits places he remember from his youth, a smile would bloom on the lips as the events we remember from our youth are almost always glorified. Yet not this time, quite the opposite, Giselle’s face would darken every now and then.

Lanele, being an educated woman of very wisdom-oriented race knew, that the silence was simply dangerous for the dragoness and that she can’t be left alone with her thoughts. This is why every now and then she would point on some tree, name it, and say aloud a legend regarding it.

- “Oh, over there! The Adan’s Apple-tree! It’s actually quite rare, it’s fruit are very small and sour, normally they grow on the bogs and other not fertile soils. The Hero of second era got lost on his journey in the magical mist on the swamps. For four weeks he was walking in circle, his supplies ran out pretty quickly. He prayed to the goddesses for protection which in their love and mercy decided to plant fruits trees. Unfortunately, because the hero was dying of starvation, they grew it within seconds, without paying much attention to the taste, shape or size. The hero said that it was most delicious food he ever ate in his whole life… for he wasn’t eating in a week. The tree was called after the hero, but many knows it as the tree of beggars, for no one will ever touch it unless they were about to die…”

Lanele truly is a wonderful person. A great friend full of compassion. I am happy we took her with us.

- “Adan…” I said aloud “… isn’t that elvish word for Apple? So that would make an Apple’s Apple tree?”

Lana almost jumped in place.

- “My friends told me you speak elvish, but I didn’t think that…” her eyes burned with excitement “Ah’evz ul nova sila! Ter’ca un folla, seya a kus…”

- “Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!” For a moment there I turned around on cart man spot and tried slowing down my boosted companion “… I have only learned how to talk in elvish, though I have no intention to listen to it!”

She looked confused.

- “I only know few basic words: numbers, colors, some fruits and animals as well as I can ask for direction and such. Maybe, just maybe, if you would say the same sentence you said before, but much slower, I could understand a word or two.”

- “That’s… a shame. Where did you learn it from though? Elves rarely teach other races our speech. It’s far too sophisticated, other people find it too difficult and give up in process…”

- “There is a book in my bag on the cart. Feel free to browse through it. I “borrow” it from my first teacher and… well, person I treat as my mother.” This time both girls looked at me with curiosity

- “You mean that old lady that checked on you when your eyes exploded? Papa Jericho told me about her, she is his old friend, ain’t she?” Gis reminded herself an event from the time I became temporarily blind

- “Your eyes WHAT?!” Priestess almost jumped on me, decided to turn my head in her direction (so around 180 degrees back) making my spine let out a warning crack. She quickly inspected my pupils. “…Care to explain to me why your eyes appear younger than the rest of your body?”

- “Long story. Maybe for some other time.”

She “tsk-ed” at me before returning to the cart and checking my bag-pack, just as I told her to. It wasn’t difficult, there were just few little “chests” in which I stored potions, a little of dried herbs and two books (one regarding differences of countries and zones of human continent- politics, climat, geographical layout and such) and the other one – “Elvish for dummies”, the book which was the only thing I took from the first place I could call home (from which I was banish after week or two). The book was quite “easy” written in great style and such – giving many examples of how to build elvish sentences… yet somehow very confusing.

… Actually, I was wondering why I didn’t obtain “Elvish language” skill, even of lowest level…

Lanele’s eyes quickly scanned through first few pages of the book, then a creepy smile appeared on her face before the book caught fire.

- “Disgusting, corrupted piece of paper waste.” Her eyes were glowing with anger

- “Care to tell me why you did that?” I asked forcing myself to remain calm, though the events from second ago shocked me a little bit.

- “It was a joke book. Some young elf must have wrote it to confuse other races. Few basics words were correct – just like most of common fruits, greetings and such, just so you wouldn’t find out author’s real intentions… Zari, if you would follow this book and got into more advanced conversation, instead of asking elvish lady who her mother was – the question you ask when you are getting friendly – you would invite her into very… specific form of closer relationship.”

- “So basically asking for sex?” I raised my brow “…Pff, lame. Your people have really terrible sense of humor…”

- “You would say something along the lines ” Lanele disturbed me, with a reddened face from both anger and embrasement.

- “I take back what I said. The man who wrote that is an artist.” I said with admiration.

- “How can you know that the author is a man?” Gis twisted her head in our direction as she stopped chuckling.

Such marvelous lines being said or written by a female? Not a chance.

- “Just a hunch.” I quickly ended that part of conversation.

- “Language is a beautiful thing! It’s a form of art! It’s a matter of communication! A bridge between intelligent species! How could someone defile our wonderful, complex speech for such pathetic reasons!...” she was furious, more than furious “…And the book! A tree died so it could be used to preserve some knowledge – to be passed on to the next generation! That single tree died in vain!”

She was shouting while waving her fist at the skies. Poor author’s fate if he would cross the priestess’s path. Stay safe, nameless genius, you wasted 2 years of my life as I tried to learn your language. Two year long prank. I hope one day I would shake your hand.

- “Zari…” eventually Lana managed to calm her breath.

- “Yes?”

- “Forget everything. About sentence construction, about pronunciation, about everything. I am about to teach you everything from scratch. When I am done with you, you will be writing 4-acts long dramas which you could recite during philosophers gathering in the palace – in front of my mother.”

- “Now, I am grateful for your generous offer, but I think you have made this decision under pressure of emotions… Calm down, we can bring this subject later, if you would still be willing to teach me, I would be gra…”

- “No. We are starting now.”

- “Don’t be silly, we can’t now! I mean, I am driving…”

Her madness started frightening me a little.

- “Giselle!” Elf called

- “What’s up?”

- “Take the cart’s man spot.”

LANA! DON’T!

- “You don’t have to tell me twice!”

I was brutally dragged down from a spot on the front of the cart, even though I desperately tried to protect our lives by not letting Gis drive… I was outnumbered. And thus, after an epic battle I was defeated.

- “Now. The grammar may be confusing, as elves have many different ways of saying a sentence. In human’s speech you say ; elves can say it in the same order, but if you would say or it would still be correct… though in 2nd case you would have to use bit different word for shop, or, to be precise, you would have to end word shop with which states the the place you are heading to is your destination… actually, you could forget about saying in that case too, though that would be more of a slang, even though you would be understood, that’s not something you should say to people of higher rank…. Zari, you with me?! FOCUS GOD DAMN IT!”

I was yelled at.

All the things she said were sooo confusing, that after two minutes my head started spinning in pain resembling a hangover. I felt as if Lanele was molesting my very brain.

- “Now! If you were to make a basic construct out of…”

Giselle hit the rock.

On perfectly empty and smooth path

- “GOD DAMN IT! CAREFUL THERE!” priestess was furious.

- “The-he! Sorry!” Giselle was clumsy.

- “My head hurts…” I was being mentally raped.