Lithoniel

Naevys's tent was the biggest among the entire tribe, a pavilion serving as the command center, a symbol of prestige for the Loremaster, their leader and the same time the keeper of the elves' traditions, the few remains of a civilization that was disappearing from these lands. Therefore, it wasn't surprising most of the tent was filled with books, the majority of which written in the current elven tongue - the language they adopted from the humans - while just a few of them were in the ancient elven, something the elves had tried to decipher for centuries without success.

But books were just a small part of Naevys' disparate collection; a jumble of weird and marvelous objects going from the alembics once used for the creation of potions to exotic weapons of shiny metal, their blades tougher than steel but curved, not straight. However, the most notable things were probably those parchments; ancient scrolls of power dating back to the age of magic when the elves were still capable of wielding the power of elements.

Lithoniel kept staring at them like she was trying to unravel their secrets. Of course, it was just a ploy, a way to divert her attention and not to think about what she had to do. Because if there was someone Lithoniel feared it was her teacher, Naevys. The old elf sat in front of her, the countless wrinkles on her aged face second only to the ones of the man beside her. It was Elwin "the ancient", Master of the woodcarvers, the craftsmen's caste.

But it was what he had in his hands which filled Lithoniel with terror. It was a black pipe, its chamber filled with a fine powder. They were ebonroots, dried and turned into dust to produce a mild hallucinogen. The ebonroots most distinctive feature was another: whoever smoked them couldn't lie.

"Teacher, is it really necessary?" Lithoniel asked, trying to hide the unease she was feeling.

"Truth of your heart, truth from your mouth, Lithoniel" Naevys croaked, staring at her without blinking. "Fifty-two left the tribe, only twelve came back. We have to know what happened."

She looked at her, but Naevys just stared back at her, in the old woman's veiled eyes a hint of that unshakable determination Lithoniel had come to know so well.

Lithoniel sighed before taking the pipe from Elwin's hands and inhaled; the ebonwood's taste, similar to wet grass after rain, filling her mouth when she exhaled. The effect was instantaneous; she started seeing double while a strange numbness spread across her body.

"Tell me what happened, child." Neavys' voice was muffled and low like it came from far away, and yet Lithoniel could do nothing but obey.

She started speaking, her voice a little shaky at first, but it became more steady as she talked. She told them about the Nightstalker's death and explained how she defeated the Zaruk. Then she started talking about the return journey, the words slipping out from her mouth like a river in flood. Naevys frowned when Lithoniel talked about Liara, her expression becoming grimmer and grimmer as she heard about the oath.

"Stupid child." She said, shaking her head. "Why did you do something like that?"

"I-I..." Lithoniel stammered. "Liara..." She started, but she trailed off. Even if she was under the effect of the drug, she was unable to answer.

"Nevermind." Naevys said. "We'll talk about this later. Continue."

Lithoniel swallowed. She really didn't want to talk about this.

"Speak" Naevys ordered, her voice growing harsher as Lithoniel stayed silent.

Lithoniel bit her lips and shut her eyes, a single tear running on her cheek and then falling on the floor as she tried to resist Naevys's command. But she couldn't, she had to talk.

She told them how she tracked Liara---and fell at the bottom of the Chasm in the process---and described what she saw down there and whom. Naevys was shocked at first, but that shock quickly turned into dismay when Lithoniel talked about that building, the temple standing at the center of the ruins.

"The black tree." She said so quietly Lithoniel could barely hear her, "I wonder if..." She trailed off.

"You know what it is?" Lithoniel asked, but Naevys shook her head, a strange expression appearing on her face. It seemed a lot like...pain? Lithoniel couldn't tell.

"Go on, child." Naevys urged.

And she did. But maybe she shouldn't have. As soon as she talked about what happened in the ruined temple, she saw something she had never seen on Naevys and Elwin's faces. Fear. She told them how they escaped, but she didn't talk about the moonstone, or worse, that weird mark marring her skin.

When she finished, the Loremaster and the Master of Woodcarver looked at each other for a long minute like they were talking in some kind of secret language. Then they nodded at the same time. When they looked at her Lithoniel stiffened, bracing for a verdict it could change her life.

"This story is so unlikely, I am sure no one would believe you." Naevys said, and Lithoniel winced. However, the old elf wasn't done talking. "But I do."

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide, and the expression on her face must have been quite funny to look at since Naevys laughed and even Elwin smiled a bit.

"I know you, Lithoniel." Naevys said, her voice becoming softer and warmer as the tension inside the room started to disappear. "I have known you since you were a child and I know you are telling the truth." She said before looking at her with a critical eye. "Only you would be so noble, or stupid, to do something like that."

"Thank you, teacher" Lithoniel said, her voice trembling with emotion while she looked down, trying to hide the tears coming out from her eyes.

"It wasn't a compliment." Naevys rebuked, but her eyes were laughing.

"However, there are still a lot of unanswered questions." Elwin intervened, talking for the first time. "Especially about Liara."

Naevys nodded curtly, "Indeed, we still don't know why Liara went there, or how she could move so well in those dark tunnels underground." She looked at Lithoniel. "And from what you tell me, Liara can't talk anymore. Is that right?"

Lithoniel nodded. "Yes, teacher. I don't know what happened to her down there, but whatever it is, it changed her."

Elwin was somber, his faces like an old map or dry leather. "And that's another problem, Liara."

Naevys frowned but nodded, reluctantly like she didn't want to admit what he was saying was true.

"What you mean?" Lithoniel asked. "It's true that Liara changed, but with time I believe..."

"Maybe she will get better, maybe she won't. That's not the problem, Lithoniel." Naevys interrupted her. "Your vow is."

Lithoniel looked puzzled, "I don't understand."

"The problem is the words you used, or better, the ones Garluin used, are open to interpretation."

"Interpretation?" Lithoniel asked.

"Yes. Do you remember what he said precisely?"

Lithoniel opened her mouth and closed it, thinking about Garluin's exact words.

Lithoniel furrowed her brow, "He said I had to protect her...guarantee she'll be safe." She looked at them. She still didn't see the point.

"Keeping her safe and protecting her from harm is different than bringing her back, Lithoniel."

Lithoniel didn't like where this was going.

"Someone could say that since Liara is..."Elwin cleared his throat. "different now, you failed to keep her safe and doing so..."

"...you failed to uphold the vow." Naevys finished.

Lithoniel's lips trembled when she finally understood what they meant.

"But don't lose hope." Naevys reassured her. "This matter is still undecided."

"Unfortunately" Elwin stepped in before Lithoniel could even start hoping. "That vow is so old we have to follow the old way to solve this matter."

"The old way? What does it mean?" Lithoniel asked Naevys, but the old woman grimaced without answering. The situation wasn't looking good.

"It means, Lithoniel," Elwin said, his deep voice filling the room as he talked. "We can't decide on this matter on our own. Only the entire tribe reunited can."

The same people who hate me.

Lithoniel knew what Elwin was talking about, and what he was leaving out.

A conclave.

It was a trial and a shaming rack at the same time, reserved only for the worst kind of criminals, the traitors who colluded with the humans or whoever committed crimes so serious the Loremaster couldn't judge them on her own. And now Lithoniel was one of them.