Lithoniel

That night Lithoniel didn't sleep much and the next day she got up early. There was much to do and little time to do it. She'd spent more than a month moldering away in a little tent, her personal bubble isolating and protecting her from the world outside. In that time, the situation had changed and not in a good way.

The atmosphere was tense, grim, but the real problem was the inner turmoil the tribe was facing. The elf society had always been strict, divided into three main castes: the hunters, the woodcarvers, and the erudites.

Some said that the caste system was the legacy of the past, others that their society had been built that way because the elves needed a clear hierarchy to maintain the order in a land filled with chaos and death. Whatever the case was, such clear division created a stiff and disjointed society.

The woodcarvers just trusted other woodcarvers, most of the hunters were too proud and interested in their personal glory to care about anything else, and the erudites...well, they believed their superior knowledge entitled them to tell the others what they should or should not do. Most of the elves were stuck in the old ways, more interested in respecting the ancient customs of a dead civilization than join forces for the common good.

But if Elwin and Naevys were able to maintain some semblance of order in their own ranks, the hunters were the real problem. The former Nighstalker had never been a far-sighted person, but a petty man who just exacerbated the issue, centralized power in his own hands and doing so, created dissensions and divisions, a climate of mistrust which gave birth to factions.

All this put Lithoniel in a very awkward position. She still wasn't the Nighstalker, but she was already learning about her duties, what that title really entailed. She'd spent most of the morning trying to gain information about the missing people, talking to the hunters patrolling the Great Penumbra or digging information about the victims. The problem was there wasn't a second-in-command, which mean she had to speak with every single group, every faction hoping to obtain some information.

Since most of the hunters didn't want to talk to her, Lithoniel was forced to do something she would have never expected; she had to convince them to trust her. She made vague promises, pledged to settle grudges and even vowed to support a faction or two if it meant to obtain the information she needed.

In the end, she had to negotiate and act more like an arbiter, a peacemaker - or worse of all -a politician than a commander.

The task was exhausting, but it wasn't completely useless. In fact, after listening to dozens of people, she started putting the pieces together and discovered that maybe the attacks weren't as casual as everyone thought. There was a common thread connecting all the victims.

In all this chaos surrounding her, Rolim was her rock, always calm and rational. That's why when she told him about her theory, she wasn't surprised when he didn't agree with her.

"It sounds crazy, right?"

"No, but...I think you're overthinking."

"I hope so, Rolim, because if I'm not, I don't think we have much time left."

They stared at each other for a second or two, but she was the first to break eye contact. She knew the things were changing between the two of them, and Rolim was more outspoken, but she wasn't sure how to react at the moment.

Rolim sighed. He looked disappointed. "What do you want to do with Kolvar?"

"I wanted to talk with him. Explain why I..."She bit her lips, hesitating. "...but I don't think this is the right time."

"I understand. I'll talk to him. Don't worry about it." He sounded so sympathetic that he just made her feel more guilty, a coward who was using him to clean her mess.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry if..." She said, her voice remorseful.

"You don't have to thank me, Lithoniel. You have done nothing wrong. Kolvar...will come to terms with it."

"I hope so." She bit her lower lip, "I hate to admit, but we need him."

"He'll come around. I'm sure of it." He reassured her.

"What about the supplies?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

Rolim was about to answer when she saw Fennan, Elwin's aide, and successor, coming toward them.

"You can tell me what you need, Lithoniel." Fennan said a big smile on his face like they were best friends. "Supplies, armor, weapons, maps...I can get you whatever you need."

Lithoniel narrowed her eyes as she stared at him from head to toe. It was surprising and suspicious he would greet her like that. They weren't close, and though they had the same age, they probably didn't talk more than two or three times. Besides, since the Conclave had ended, both Elwin and Naevys refused to see her. She didn't particularly care about Elwin - they had never been close - but her teacher's rejection hurt her. It seemed like a betrayal, though she knew there had to be some reason if Naevys acted that way.

"Why are you really here, Fennan?" She asked, but it wasn't him the one to answer.

"He is here on behalf of his master and the Loremaster." Rolim said as a matter of fact.

Fennan looked surprised, his smile widening a becoming more genuine. He looked like Elwin's younger version, a bit scrawny but really tall for an elf. He seemed reserved like his mentor and more interesting than handsome. He wore a faded-gray cloak which covered most of his body, head included, and gave him an air of mystery, a bit arcane like some ancient sorcerer.

"Indeed, it seems there is more to you than meets the eyes, Rolim, son of Heifir." He said, his voice deep and solemn, unsuited for a young man of his age.

"On their behalf? But why?" Lithoniel asked, puzzled.

"They want to know about your plans. The Loremaster is worried about you, Lithoniel." Fennan answered.

Those words filled her with warmth, but then Rolim snorted.

"Of course they do." He said, his voice low but she could feel his anger. "They want to maintain a relationship with you in case you succeed, but they didn't want to be seen with you in case you fail."

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide.

"No, the Loremaster isn't like that." She denied.

"She is keeping a foot in both camps, Lithoniel." He said before glaring at Fennan. "Just like his master."

Fennan's smile cracked a little, but his voice stayed calm.

"I think you're misjudging the situation, Rolim. Technically, until the end of the trial Lithoniel's fate is still undecided. Master and the Loremaster have to be impartial. Besides, if they didn't care, why did they send me?"

"Because you're of the younger generation and even if you are involved with us, you'll be judged more lightly than Elwin and Naevys if we fail." Rolim answered without skipping a beat.

The smile on Fennan's face disappeared for good. He looked angry, walking toward Rolim until he was just a few inches from him.

"It is Master of the Woodcarvers for you. You're neither his apprentice nor one of his caste."

"Really, Fennan? The whole tribe is falling into ruin, and that's what you can think about? A title?"

"You must address him with respect." Fennan said.

"Only if he deserves it. And judging by how he and the Loremaster treated Lithiniel, I doubt they do."

"Rolim, why don't you make a list of all the supplies we need?" She asked him, trying to defuse the situation.

"Fine" Rolim grunted. Then he scowled at Fennan and left.

"I really don't understand what you see in him." Fennan said, shaking his head.

Lithoniel's answer was to put her hands on her hip and glare at him.

"What? No answer?" Fennan joked, for the first time sounding like someone of his age.

"We have other things to worry about, Fennan." She reprimanded.

"So, it must be true. About you and Rolim I mean."

Lithoniel grimaced. "I liked you better when you were acting like Elwin."

"You're deflecting." He insisted. "When did it start?"

"Do you want to know what I discovered or not?!" She snapped.

Fennan sighed. "You're no fun. Fine, tell me."

"I talked with the hunters who tracked the enemy, but the information I received was...contrasting. At best."

Big Hunting expeditions were rare, the hunters usually moved in much smaller groups, four to six people max.

"The only thing I know for sure is that the first person went missing just a few days before we came back. I suspect the enemy came from the west."

Fennan knitted his brows, "West? Are you sure? I heard other groups found tracks in the South or even North, close to the Icy crinal."

Lithoniel shook her head. "Those tracks are fresher."

Fennan rubbed his forehead.

"The west..." He looked troubled. "we know little about the tribes that live there."

"That's why I'm worried, why did they take all the trouble to come here? It doesn't make sense. Besides, I'm not sure there is just one group."

That got his attention.

"Are you saying they were part of a bigger group and then split into two small ones?"

"More like a half dozen or more."

Fennan looked at her like she had two head.

"How many ebonleaves did you smoke?" He joked.

"I'm serious, Fennan. Think about it" She said patiently, though she was starting to get irritated. "They are elves, not humans, more used to move in small groups than in large companies. Besides, they are much harder to track this way."

Fennan looked gloomy. "I don't like where this is going."

"I think what happened until now was just the beginning. They won't stop until they get what they really want."

"Which is?"

"Our territory."

His eyes went round.

"You lost your mind. They are just some stragglers, renegades." Fennan said, downplaying the issue.

"They are not stragglers, Fennan. If..."

"Lithoniel, you said it yourself." He interrupted her. "They are elves. You know that the only thing that really matters for us elves is food, but there is none here."

"True, but the Great Penumbra is one of the safest places in the entire Embersea. The earth never shakes here, there are no predators, and this place is hundreds of leagues from the human realm. It's like a safe haven. Besides, talking about food, you know the Asp ridge and the Icy crinal aren't that far from here, Fennan."

"Alright, alright." He raised his hands in surrender. "I admit this is a good place, but this still doesn't explain why they decided to act now. What changed?"

Lithoniel grimaced. That was a thorny issue since she had no idea whatsoever.

"That's what we have to find out. If what I think is true, those are just scouts, sent here to test our defenses and maybe weaken us."

Fennan furrowed his brow. "Weaken us?"

Lithoniel nodded. "Didn't you realize all the people that disappeared were young, most of them no older than 30,35 years old?"

"You mean..."

"They are targeting the young, those who can fight."

"And kidnap them? But why? Why didn't they just kill them?"

"I don't know. Maybe they want information about our defenses. There were many hunters among those who disappeared. Maybe the reason why we discovered their tracks but never managed to find them is that they know our patrols' routes."

"There are too many "maybe" in your theory for my taste, Lithoniel. But, just to make conversation, how many do you think there are?"

"I can't say for sure...but I think they are more than fifty but less than one hundred."

Fennan shook his head. "That's too few. They are not enough to take us head-on."

"Right, that's why I think there have to be more of them waiting for the right time to attack."

Fennon sighed. "Lithoniel, at the end of the day, this is just a theory. You can't be sure they'll attack us. Hell, you can't even say for sure there is more than one group."

"If it's the case, what are they doing here?"

"Maybe they spent too much time away from their tribe and went wild or become mad. I have seen it happen, Lithoniel. Most of the Renegades end up that way."

Lithoniel felt her mouth going dry. This will be your fate if you fail. That's what he was trying to say.

"I don't think so." She said, a stubborn look on her face. "If they were just renegades or stragglers they would have left already. If there were just a few of them, we wouldn't have found several sets of tracks scattered all across the Great Penumbra. And finally, if they were mad as you claim we would have caught them already."

Fennan opened his mouth, closed it, reopened it and closed it again. It seemed like he wanted to rebut, deny every word she said, but he didn't know how.

"You're forgetting that there is no way to say how old these tracks are." He said eventually.

"In the Great Penumbra? Yes. However, those tracks weren't found here, but all around us. You know that dust storms are common in the plains, Fennan, If those tracks were old like you said, they would have disappeared long ago, way before our hunters could find them."

"And why are you the only one to realize this? Don't take this the wrong way, Lithoniel. You are a hell of a hunter and probably the best archer of the entire tribe, but you're young." Young? Really Fennan? You're younger than me!

"There are many hunters more experienced than you. How come none of them is aware of this?"

"Because they don't talk with each other!" She snapped. "You know how this works. Without the Nighstalker, most of the hunters think about themselves, their families or their small groups at best. Besides, none of them wants to share information and give an advantage to another faction when they might able to claim the merit for themselves later on."

"So you're saying they are a bunch of moronic glory hounds."

Lithoniel winced. "That's not exactly what I said, but..."

"...but that's what you mean."

"...yes." She reluctantly admitted. "I like it less than you do, but..."

"...It's the truth. It's fine Lithoniel, I'm not a hunter. There is no need to soften the blow." Fellan shook his head. "What are you planning to do?"

"If I am right, we don't have much time left. Soon they will attack us, and they will do it in strength. But that's an entire tribe we are talking about, Fellan. No matter how good they are, they will leave a trail. They have to. We'll just have to go to the source."

"The source? You want to go there...in person?" Fennan said, looking at her like she was mad.

"It's the only way."

Fennan snorted. "Sure, if you are an idiot or you have a death wish."

"Fennan, listen..."

"No, you listen. Let's just forget for one second that you may be right, and they are preparing to attack us, in which case you three will be alone against who knows how many enemies. But...what if you are wrong? What will happen then?"

"I don't..."

"Don't bother, I'll answer. You'll waste precious time for something that most likely is just a wild-goose chase. Maybe you want to be exiled, and that's your business. Frankly, I don't care at this point, but I have no intention of losing two good hunters just because you think..."

"Do you think I want that? If it were me, I'd be happy to leave by myself."

"This isn't a hypothetical situation, Lithoniel. You have to face reality, and the reality is Rolim and Kolvar will never let you go alone."

"So? What do you expect me to do? Chase some scouts when an entire tribe is about to attack us?" She was exasperated.

"That's not your problem. No one asked you to save the tribe, Lithoniel. Let me repeat it, what will happen if you're wrong?"

"But if I'm right?

"You aren't."

"Maybe not, but if there is even a small, tiny chance that I'm right and they are about to attack, what will you do then? Did you think about that?"

"Don't try and turn this around on me, Lithoniel! Not when you are about to risk three lives on a hunch!" He shouted, and Lithoniel flinched, but she didn't back down.

There was an awkward silence that neither of them was able to fill as their respective positions became clear.

None of them wanted to give in, but in the end, it was Fennan who spoke first.

"You aren't going to change your mind, are you?" He sounded resigned.

"I'm afraid not." She answered with a sad smile on her face.

"I don't agree with you, but I won't try to dissuade you anymore. But let me tell you something before you leave."

"What is it?"

"It's about the Loremaster." He said and frowned when Lithoniel stiffened. "You may think she abandoned you, but she really didn't have a choice. The situation is unstable right now. The people are dissatisfied, angry. The Loremaster didn't want you to hear this, but I think you should know the truth."

"What truth?" She asked, her voice no more than a whisper.

"That she protected you when the easiest and most reasonable thing to do was to throw you to the wolves. I'm talking about the Conclave, Lithoniel. Anyone else would have used the Conclave to stabilize the situation and offer you as a sacrificial lamb to appease the crowd. Instead, the Loremaster chose to protect you."

Lithoniel looked confused. "But she didn't want..."

"...to see you?"

Lithoniel nodded.

"She can't. She has already done everything she can. As it is, the Loremaster is the only one who can keep the tribe together, but she can do it only if she is impartial."

"I understand." And she did, though it still hurt.

She was about to leave but hesitated.

"What is it, Lithoniel?" Fennan sounded impatient, but there was a hint of amusement in his brown eyes.

"It's about our patrols. So far they left them alone, but if I'm right..."

"You think they'll start to attack them?" He asked, understanding quickly what she was trying to say.

"Yes"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Lithoniel took a deep breath. "I want you to talk with the Loremaster and ask her to get them back to the village or at least to increase the number of men outside the village."

Fennan stilled. He looked stern, staring at her just like Elwin would have. "After everything I said, do you still ask this? Why?"

"Because I think it's important."

Fennan groaned. It almost looked like he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

"Lithoniel, you know the Loremaster can't give an order to the hunters, not directly at least. That's the Nighstalker's role."

"There is no Nightstalker now." She pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. She will never do it, and you know it."

"Because the tribe won't like it, I know. Far be it from us to break a custom." She sounded exasperated.

Those old laws and customs may have been important in the past, but now they were just shackles that had no longer reason to exist. A pity she was one of the few to think that way.

"They would see it as an abuse of power. She'll never do it. She is the Loremaster, Lithoniel, the keeper of our traditions and an example for us all." He explained to her like he speaking with a child. "What will happen if she started disregarding our customs?"

"She could if the Master of Woodcarver was to convince her."

Fennan snorted. "Sure, Master may be able to convince her, if he wanted to. But he doesn't."

"That's why you have to convince him."

Fennan raised a brow. "Maybe I misheard, but did you just ask me to convince my master so that he can convince the Loremaster to do something everyone would see as an abuse of power?"

Lithoniel cringed. "Well, It sounds a bit insane now that you said it out loud."

"Unbelievable. You're unbelievable." He sounded completely stupefied. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because it's the right thing to do. You're a rational person, even if you think the chance is minimal..."

"More like nonexistent."

"Even if it's minimal," Lithoniel repeated, glaring at him. "there is no harm in being ready, don't you think?"

"And I suppose that the next thing you'll ask me to do will be to improve security and reinforce our defenses."

"That will be good, thanks." She answered, ignoring his sarcasm.

Fennan gave her a dirty look, but she just shrugged, unrepentant.

"Is that all, Lithoniel?"

"There is just one more thing."

"Really? What else?"

"It would be better to have a contingency plan."

Fennan looked confused and annoyed. Really annoyed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a way to save the tribe if things go wrong. I'm talking about a plan to leave the Great Penumbra."