The foolish human mind plays infinite tricks on its race. Never a human will be able to claim superiority over dwarves because they lack focus: They want to kill, but they also want to subdue. They want to win, but they don’t learn from their losses. They want to be wise and strong, without the balls to sacrifice either of them if necessary. Hell! Even the damn golens accept their roles as muscles, leaving the thinking to others, why wouldn’t humans accept their own roles? They prefer to fight with werewolves and vampires, to face the fury of the incorporeal, to bend all the magic elements, to caress their women, to indulge all their desires, to tame giants and wild beasts instead of concentrating on mastering a trade. If only they were like foxes and tigers and did not know how to speak or think, but among them there is even a saying that warns them not to try to embrace the world with only two hands; yet, they insist on doing so since they arrived in this world.

Gindoar Krviost – Dwarf, banker and one of the richest and most influential beings in the Continent

*

The sound of leaves scattered in the wind and broken branches resonate amid the rush of two shadows that move fast in the middle of the Great Forest. Behind them it is possible to hear the sound of several creatures, chasing them at the distance of an arrow.

-Let’s go! – The feminine voice resonates through the trees, encouraging the companion to rush. They both continue without looking back, only with swords at the waist and small bags tied to the chest by ropes forming an “X”.

She looks around, searching for markings that she had prepared beforehand in the middle of the forest. She finds a piece of vine wrapped in the form of a bow on one of the nearby branches.

-This way!

With her small and agile body, she jumps in the northwest direction from where she is, passing between two trees that grew closer than the others. The creature that follows her, big and strong, follows the movement with some difficulty. The pursuers did not expect the sudden change in direction and were delayed a tenth of a second, losing sight of them for an instant among the trees and bushes.

An instant is all they need.

They keep running for some time, hiding from the pursuers thanks to the small land advantage they have gained. They reach the point where they find another marked tree and, then, turn in the opposite direction. For another instant, they are out of sight of their pursuers. They use that moment to jump towards a cornerstone, on top of a nearby ravine.

With one stroke, the burly creature pulls the stone away, giving space for the female figure to jump into a small tunnel. As soon as she passes, he follows her, dropping the stone behind him and sealing the exit.

At first, the two do not follow the path ahead, remaining silent and standing in the dark, waiting for any indication that their pursuers have found some hint of their presence. They wait until the sound of footsteps finally crosses the terrain over the tunnel, stepping nearby before following their way.

Both of the creatures have the eyes wide open, waiting for something that can come at any moment: The sound of someone moving in the vicinity of the stone – that would mean that they were lost and, probably, they would have no other option but to fight to death.

But nobody touches the stone. Sometime later, there is no longer any sign of movement in the surroundings. Only the deadly silence of the Great Forest.

-Let’s go. – She signals, starting the tough movements through the tunnel. The other, without saying a word, follows her, feeling each movement of his arms limited by the small tunnel.

A few minutes later, that seem more like centuries, they reach a small cave at the end of the path, big enough for the two newcomers, who kept two bags of supplies. It is in that place that they finally find food, water, candles and tools to survive for a few days. More than enough to survive as the search party moves away. Enough to survive until an opportunity arisen to move on.

Slowly, they both organize their belongings and curl up in the small space, ready to do something they wanted since the beginning of that crazy endeavor.

-Do you have your piece? – He asks.

-Yes. – She nods, breathing slowly, trying to slow her own heartbeats. – You?

-Of course.

He loosens the knot that holds the “X” to his chest, doing the same on both sides and placing the small bag over his hand. They look at each other and she imitates his gesture.

Slowly, they empty their bags on the ground.

Inside the bags were two pieces of a set. One is a gold necklace, filled with precious stones, which emanate a bluish light. The other piece is a diamond ring, which constantly emits a reddish glow.

-Magic? – He asks.

-Yes. – She shakes her head, the eyes fixed on the items. – Ancient and very powerful magic, as it should be with crown items. I can’t believe we managed to get out of there with the items that belonged to the High-Member. I can’t believe it worked.

Her companion smiles, showing all his teeth in the shadows.

-We did it.

-Yeah. Still, we managed to come here, but we haven’t yet escaped the forest. We will celebrate when we are really safe.

-When can we get out of here and go on our route?

-In a few days. I heard that the magic of the forest is unstable, so everyone must be very occupied during the night. The search parties, by then, should me more dispersed and some groups may be attacked by wild creatures. It must be enough for us to get away.

-Right. So, in a few days, by night. Let’s eat for now. It’s been almost a day since we last ate and I’m going to starve to death if we continue like this. May Nature save me from starving now that the plan is underway.

-Yes, let’s eat. We deserve it, after so much work. Just… Do me a favor, will you? Stop resorting to superstitions. Nature and other entities are inventions for fools. We never needed the help of the entities and this is not the time to change that.

*

The pack is organized around the four bipedal creatures while walking among the trees in the forest. Arthur’s curious glances, Thiago’s frightened look, Yvanna’s glances and Rinlia’s total lack of interest are gestures noticed only by some of the wolves. The others spend most of their time aware of their surroundings and, on several occasions, small groups of wolves move away, disappearing among the trees and returning calmly, with no sign of the reason why they left. Yvanna and Rinlia are the only ones who know what is that reason, but by different ways: Yvanna feels the remnant of the smell of blood and Rinlia notices the small imperfections in the fur, made in recent battles.

-Yours is a very effective group. – The elf says after a few hours of walking. The wolf that remains paired with her is the leader.

-There is no other option here. – Without the need to intimidate or bargain, the wolf’s tone is even more serious and, added to the calm and slow walking, made so the large grey wolf looked even more experienced. Even Arthur, with his lack of practice in battle, would be able to differentiate him from the rest of the pack from distance. – You are either strong or you die. From hunger or from satiating the hunger of other creatures.

-Does this apply to the whole forest?

The commander’s tone is ironic, as if she knows the answer to her question. The wolf needs a second to understand the question and, when he does, he emits a sound very similar to a hoarse laugh, shaking its body and, finally, facing Rinlia.

-You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you, elf? Your train of thought is correct. There are those who live with the Council and don’t need to worry about such things. In the end, at least some members of our society need security to live and control the fragile balance that keeps so many races living in the same place.

-Does not seem balanced when a pack like yours hunts and eats at will.

-Oh, that’s interesting. Is anyone who has visited our neighbors really able to say something like that? – The wolf is not irritated by the accusation. – Your countries are places where humanoids live peacefully, yes, but only humanoids. Where is the peace for the cyclops, elves, fairies and so many others? Even a different height, having wings or having only one eye are reasons to hunt and subdue. Imagine how life would be for a totally different breed, like my pack.

-Isn’t that what the eight races do here? They don’t hunt and satisfy their hunger?

-We’re not alike, elf. My pack feeds its hunger, yes, but only that. We obey the laws of the Forest and do not kill beyond what is enough for us to survive. We learned, from the beginning, to respect Nature. And, when the day comes, each of my sons and daughters will serve as food for someone, so that the current cycle ends and a new one begins.

-It’s an interesting way of living.

-Interesting or not, this way allows many more to have the opportunity to live.

They walk through the trees, where the wind sways branches and where wolves move away and return in silence. Where four creatures are escorted into the forest.

-You haven’t told me your name. I’m Rinlia.

-Lupines don’t answer by names.

-But the leader needs a name, doesn’t he? To be called by the members of the Council and to distinguish themselves from the rest?

-How do you know so much about us, elf? Such details should not be known.

-It is not that big of a secret. Would I be a good commander if I didn’t study the neighboring nations a little?

-You are right.

-You haven’t told me your name yet.

-I am called by different names among the members of the Council. The majority call me Mist, because of the colors of my fur. The High Member, however, gave me another name: Lancelot.

*

The walk has to be interrupted when the night is at its highest point, because the humans in the group are unable to take a step without tripping over the tree roots or over each other due to the darkness. At this point, even the elf finds it difficult to move.

The lupines do not seem satisfied with the stop, however, after accepting that the others will not be able to continue, they perform their tasks calmy and accurately, organizing the pack in strategic positions for the night watch, gathering food and using the break to eat.

Thiago uses all his senses to walk around. Although no one has attacked them so far, Fiandel’s soldiers are unable to relax and fully trust the security provided by the lupines.

However, his position is even worse than the others. Although he managed to save his sword during the shipwreck – the weapon had been on his waist the entire time –, he still feels less capable of protecting himself than an unarmed Yvanna or Rinlia and her magic. Such condition bothers him.

After establishing the place where they would rest, the three soldiers gather around Arthur. The group managed to convince the lupines to let them have a small campfire and, now, they seek shelter from the cold that tries to disturb them.

-This bonfire… Is not helping much. – Arthur grumbles, rubbing his hands next to the small flames.

-This is still a luxury here. – Yvanna speaks. – Other races would not let us build a fire, even with magic. Although other races would have spells that are harmless to nature in order to not die.

Arthur remains silent, rubbing his hands. Rinlia doesn’t pay attention to them, thinking about what to do after reaching their destination and how to talk to the creature who ordered this detour on their way. The possibilities that the near future holds may be dire or hopeful. It is enough to make the elf walk away from them, enduring the cold in order to get some silence.

Yvanna also gets up, approaching the limits of the camp in order to watch the wolves guard and try to understand their formation. Despite the large number, there is a logic behind their movement and, in an emergency, she would need to know where to go in order to escape.

-Here. – Thiago’s voice is Arthur’s only company near the fire. He offers one of his gloves to the boy.

-Isn’t that your glove?

-One of them. I am wearing the other. They have finally dried up after we left the lake. Put one of them and use it to warm the other hand too.

-What about your hand?

-I will do the same. Besides, it’s not the hand I use to wield the sword, so it’s ok.

Arthur looks at the glove and then at Thiago. For a moment, they both stay silent around the small campfire, hearing to the crackle of the wood and watching the sparks that occasionally jump near their feet.

-Thank you. – Arthur seems uncomfortable for having to thank the soldier. Thiago nods and looks around. Lancelot is the only wolf that is close to their position.

-You are welcome. Look at this as an apology for threatening you on the ship. The past few days have been though and I ended up overreacting. I shouldn’t have done that.

Instinctively, Arthur runs his hand over the bandage on his knee, once again feeling the improvement on his leg, compared to how it was before.

-It’s all right. I think I can understand your reasons.

Lancelot walks away, passing through the trees to approach a group of lupines. Thiago takes the opportunity.

-Arthur. – He whispers.

-What’s it? What happened? – The boy’s look is scared. He fears a new attack or a new unexpected situation.

-Listen to me. You may know this, but I have to warn you to not use your magic while we are close to any creature of this forest. If it’s not an emergency, you must leave the fight to us.

-But Rinlia said she wouldn’t fight for me, remember?

-She also said that she would fight for herself. Believe me, it’s safer for you to run or to hide during a battle than to try and fight, exposing your powers.

-He’s right. – The commander’s voice sounded close to them as she took a place near the soldier. With a nod, she indicates Lancelot, who walks a few meters ahead. – They have excellent noses, but their hearing power is quite weak.

-So… I must do nothing if we are attacked? – Arthur doesn’t look at the wolf, keeping his eyes on the two soldiers.

-Yes. – The elf answers. We weren’t found by chance. The Oracle saw that our group was in the forest and sent an escort to us. We don’t know what she saw or how much she knows about us. We have no choice but to hide as much information as possible. We won’t talk about this again, because it increases the chances that she will have a vision of our conversation, do you understand? As of now, any level of paranoia regarding this secret is nothing more than a precaution.

*

The soldiers improvise a small camp. There is no cover from the cold or rain, but they at least gather small pillows made of leaves and soil so they can fall asleep until sunrise. After the fire was extinguished and the night watches started, Thiago eventually took a position as a lookout.

The movement of the wolves is smooth and they don’t approach the soldiers, nor attempt to interact with them; this calms Thiago down and allows the silence of the Great Forest to bring peace to his mind.

The dangers surely still surround the group, however, very few tribes would dare to attack a peaceful pack of lupines and even less tribes would dare to attack that pack knowing that they were on a mission for the High Member of the Great Forest. As it stands, it may be safer to walk through the Great Forest than it would be on a Civilized Kingdom road.

Alone, Thiago remembers the conversations he had with Rinlia. While reflecting on the dangers lurking behind those trees and bushes, he remembers his lack of power. Withing the group, he may be even weaker than Arthur. Even though the boy had almost no control over his powers, the overwhelming force of his attack on the lake was a clear demonstration that even without control, in an emergency, it would be a powerful weapon. At this point, Thiago was in danger of becoming an obstacle for others – something he would not admit.

The conversations he had with Rinlia on the streets of Vivre are still fresh on his mind. She said he should devote himself to magic. She said he had an obvious vocation.

It was not the first time that he had been told that. Before everything became a mess of flesh, blood and sweat, when he was still a young soldier, that was exactly the phrase that encouraged him. The promise that he could have a much bigger impact on the world, as long as he used his magic.

The conversation with Yvanna is also occupying his mind. She warned him that the world was changing. And, as far as he was able to observe, the changes would not be easy, even if he used everything he had at his disposal.

-Magic? – He bites his lip, hesitating. This is the only weapon he didn’t want to use. The only weapon he didn’t want to have in his arsenal.

But what choice does he have? For years he dedicated himself to training and increased his strength. He studied several theories of battle and perfected himself to fight without using magic.

But could he say that he would survive an attack made by Arthur? If a pack of those wolves attacked, could he repel them only with the sword that never left his waist?

Thiago looks to his palms and sees the calluses created by the effort. The witnesses of his hard work. If someone saw the body under the armor, they would see the marks of the battles he carried with him.

How much longer could he continue? How much would he endure before succumbing and dying?

The ocher-colored eyes stare at the calluses on the hand. He seems to see, in each of them, days of a painful past, when war, hunger and hatred buried something inside him.

The sord would not be enough. That he knew. Not his sword. Not with his strength.

Sparks cover the soldier’s fist. Rays of delicate and detailed lights walk around the fingers and form a glove of opaque colors, shining faintly in the darkness.

They shine just to disappear, right before the image of a frightened soldier, who falls sitting on the floor, with shaky legs and fast breathing.

Thiago feels his heart pounding and loses control of his senses for an instant. True terror is embedded in his core and he is not even able to regain his composure before he is fully lying down, with his face turned towards the sky.

The sword would not be enough.

But how could he use magic, when the memories and fear reject even the strength given him by his natural vocation?

*

*