It was well past midday when Terandriell awoke, sweat and the stench of fear clinging to him.

“I have to get out of here,” he said to the already darkening view outside his window. He knew another night in here wouldn’t bode well for his sanity. The walls already feeling too close, too confining around him.

He was shivering. He didn’t know if it was from the cold air or something else, but his body should be regulating the heat. Maybe this place could somehow alter his body the same way as his mind.

The bird from last night had given him an idea, a plan to escape. He knew it was forbidden. He had only successfully done it twice, and even then, under scrutinous supervision from his teacher, but he had no choice.

Shapeshifting was explicitly forbidden and resulted in the deaths of most elves who dared try it. It had to be perfect, one tiny mistake, and the elf who cast it would be changed into an animal with no heart, lungs or brain.

Terandriell knew his magic and powers better than anyone. Unlike others who would change everything to try and match the creature that they wanted to be, Terandriell had a different approach taught to him. To shrink his internal organs and then move and mould his outer appearance around it. It was a much more painful method but incredibly safer.

Muttering softly and picturing the small bird from the previous night, Terandriell began to weave his magic. He knew nature well, the birds and all manner of creatures, but the fear still clung to him from the risks involved and still being trapped in this hell. With a flutter of bright light and a loud crack, he had transformed himself into a replica of the blackbird.

Dizziness overtook him as he had to wait a few seconds before moving. The sudden change was raking his mind and body with pain as it readjusted every fibre of his being. He felt his bones break and twist and shrink all in quick succession. The pain was overbearing. He leaned over and was sick out of his tiny beak.

Stumbling around on his tiny feet until he managed to gain control of his balance, he half hopped, and half flew, missing the window ledge completely the first time. And the second. Six attempts later he finally managed to land on the window ledge. He let out an echoing caw at the moon to signal his success.

He narrowly squeezed through the bars of the window, ruffling his feathers on the way out and took off in the direction of his forge. Or at least tried too. Gaining his balance enough to fly was a challenge, made worse with any sudden gusts of wind.

By the gods, he could get used to this. Terandriell thought he felt free in the forests and he did, but this… this was a step even further. It was a complete joy, almost making him forget all the pain he had gone through to change his body into this. It had claimed much less magic than he had anticipated and could still feel that well of power inside.

The wind glided around his smooth, luxurious feathers. It took him a few minutes to arrive at his darkened forge, landing on the floor with a slight click of his claws. Terandriell paused for a moment, readying the switch back to his elven form before changing his mind and travelling straight towards the King’s hall.

The city lay still. Only the occasional elf strolled throughout the buildings this late at night. The lanterns were still lit, and their elvish vision let them see as clearly in the dark. It was a wonder more of them didn’t enjoy the night.

He flew straight into the King’s building and through the balcony to land in the dimly lit study. Looking around the King’s empty room, he hopped towards the table. The scroll was not on the table or in the numerous piles of books and writings scattered around the room. Transforming into himself again, he covered his hand over his mouth, feeling that surge of puke travelling again.

His eyes grazed over the desk as he spotted a letter which was titled “Terandriell.” If I open this, he is going to know I was here, but I need to know what is going on. He picked it up with gentle hands and opened the letter, reading it out quietly.

“Regarding Terandriell, otherwise known as The Watcher. He will be sentenced to death on the morning of the 14th of March for high treason against Elf-kind. He has been caught planning to bring death and destruction to all Elves and see to the extinction of our entire race. There will be no hearing, and anyone caught aiding him or following up on what has happened will also be branded an enemy of the elves and follow the same fate.”

Tyrant King, he swore. How could he fabricate this and get away with it? He needs to be stopped someday. I need to find this scroll. He opened the creaking study door and grit his teeth together as he went into the hallway, turning right towards the King’s quarters.

Terandriell let a spike of his magic rage across the floor and the door ahead of him. The door opened slowly on silenced hinges before he even reached it and he moved into the room with as much stealth as he could muster, closing it behind him without the slightest sound.

Urgost stirred in his sleep but otherwise remained oblivious to Terandriell's presence. The room was dark but still bright enough to see but barely. No candles greeted the room, the King having spelt the ceiling into the night sky, the tiny stars lighting up the room as a warm breeze drifted through the open window. It felt like being outside, and Terandriell loved it. It was a trick he wished to learn but now wasn’t the time.

One wall contained his armour and an assortment of different weapons forged of the highest quality. Another contained a large bookcase with many titles spanning back hundreds of years, most of which Terandriell was unfamiliar with. There was a large display case to the far side of the room, containing the King’s three crowns and in the corner of the room a chair and table for reading. And there it was.

The scroll was resting on the table, barely visible. Creeping up to it, he put care into every single step so as not to wake the King, Terandriell picked up the scroll and froze in terror.

“Who is there?” came Urgost's tired voice.

The seconds passed into what felt like minutes with Urgost looking around the room, although thankfully not getting up to check. The golden-green drapes on the bedposts were the only things blocking him from the King’s view. Dread began to clutch at Terandriell's heart as he closed his mouth, not daring to breathe.

What if he was caught by Urgost? What would he do then? He began to go over different scenarios in his head on how to escape the King’s grasp if he was discovered. No doubt the King would move the execution date up, it was bad enough stealing from another elf but to enter the King’s private chamber? It was a death sentence.

“Must have been the wind,” Urgost closed his eyes and lay back down on his pillow.

Terandriell waited another few minutes to make sure the King had returned to sleep and picked the scroll up, biting down on it to keep it in his mouth. He transformed himself back into the bird, picturing every detail of it perfectly in his head. The dizziness once again overtook him but lasted only a fraction of the time and flew out of the open window and back home.

This feeling would never get old, the air around him, the freedom. To see his Athaldris from this angle also let him see how much they had grown over the last couple of centuries, from a small town to a prosperous busy city.

He once again arrived at the forge and quickly transformed back to his former self. He stumbled, grabbing onto the nearby workbench to keep himself steady, the constant changing was taxing and began to make him light-headed. He could already feel his magic draining at an alarming rate. He knew he could cast fireballs or control water for hours without feeling this drowsy. After recovering, he ran upstairs two at a time to collect his armour and weapons.

His suit of armour was resting on a stand, it was created entirely out of leather which had been dyed a dark green colour. In the centre lay his family crest; a hammer crossed over a sword with a single star above.

He stared at himself in a nearby mirror, reflecting that it felt like an age since he had last worn his fighting leathers. It had been a while since he had last trained, but the smithing had kept his muscles strong. He was still a warrior incarnate.

After adorning his armour, he moved over to the weapon rack. Twenty to thirty weapons lay against or around the stand, most of which he had forged himself. He drew two short swords, both with leather-covered wooden hilts and a blue gem in the pommel. The blades weren’t straight but curved slightly, which made them appear much more elegant, both were sheathed halfway down his back at his left side and gave off a slight glow against the dim room.

He also collected two small daggers which he hid in his belt, one at each side. He then collected his bow, it was a simple bow made of the same beautiful white wood as the King’s hall. The bow itself looked older than the forest they lived in, passed down from his father and his father before him. He also grabbed his quiver, which contained two dozen arrows, their tips diamond-shaped and fletched with white swan feathers.

Terandriell collected everything he needed and covered himself in a thick, dark green cloak so that his armour and weapons were hidden from ‘unfriendly’ eyes. He then placed the scroll in a small leather pouch hanging from the belt at his side.

It took him some time to tie short pieces of cloth around some of his weapons so that he could also move around with stealth.

Taking a brisk walk out of the city he once again called on his horse, which appeared quite quickly like it had been patiently waiting those few days for him. He would have much preferred to fly all the way, but sheer exhaustion left him without this option. He quickly mounted the horse and started in the direction of the port of Athaldris to the East.

After a three-hour journey due to the speed and grace of his mount, he arrived at the port on the outskirts of a small town. He dismounted his horse behind some trees and sent him away in the direction of the city. Riding hadn’t felt as boring it had until today. Part of him wished that he hadn’t shapeshifted, maybe riding would never bring him the same level of joy again.

He crouched and started to sneak through the port to avoid all of the guards and get to the dock master’s house. News always spread fast in the elven homeland and no doubt they would have heard of his imprisonment by now. It wasn't a chance he could take.

Walking to the house would usually take a couple of minutes, but due to avoiding the guards, it took Terandriell well over twenty minutes to reach his residence. He waited until no guards were in sight and knocked on the door quietly, making sure to stick in the shadow of the building’s overhanging roof.

An old-looking elf answered the door; he had a short-trimmed beard. It was almost unheard of for an elf to have facial hair. He was also considerably shorter, which made Terandriell always wonder if he was perhaps half-elf-half-human, but he never found the opportunity to ask.

“I’m sorry I awoke you at this time of night, but I need your help, Leon.”

Those dark eyes were unwavering but brimming with questions as he monitored Terandriell. “You may as well come in. I assume the only reason you are talking to me is to avoid the guards currently looking for you,” said Leon. He let out a soft sigh as he stood back from the door to let Terandriell into his home.

Inside the house, a faint candle encased in a beautiful brown wooden cage lit up a small table and a few chairs surrounding it, but the rest of the room remained in perpetual darkness. Taking his seat, Leon locked the door with a mere thought and returned his gaze to Terandriell.

Terandriell could feel the blackness of the room closing in on him as he uttered a quick spell, a ball of light shot from his hand to rest on the beamed ceiling above.

“Gods, are you trying to blind me?” Leon cursed.

“Sorry,” Terandriell replied as he dulled the intensity of the floating light.

“So, what is it you want to discuss with me and be quick about it, I am rather tired. Has it anything to do with you being a traitor?” he replied. His words were cold and harsh as he took his seat then lit his pipe and blew smoke towards the ceiling. The smell of smoke always made Terandriell uneasy, but he had no choice other than to suffer it.

Terandriell’s eyes softened at the mention of the word traitor. “Do you believe me capable of such things?” He said, sounding hurt.

“Hmph. No, not at all. Which begs the question of what you did to upset our… esteemed leader.”

Terandriell’s hand instinctively dropped from the table to the pouch at his side. Leon’s face narrowed. He truly missed nothing. “Let me see.” He removed the scroll from his bag and lay it on the table. Leon snatched it up with a speed that betrayed his appearance and began reading it.

Terandriell stood up from the seat and began to pace the room as he waited, his nerves getting the worst of him. All it would take was Leon shouting for the guards, and it would be over. As much as he did trust him, Leon was also self-serving, a merchant at trade and heart.

It was a small house, but the merchant also had a home in the city, he just preferred being closer to his business most of the time. A collection of around thirty different spices glittered one of the shelves in the kitchen. Terandriell glanced through a partially open door to see an assortment of different crates scattered around the bedroom. The house was littered with various items from all over the world, impressive.

The sound of the scroll being rolled up brought Terandriell’s attention back to Leon as he placed it on the table. Sitting in silence, the older elf blew another ring of smoke towards the ceiling, thinking.

“I'll be blunt. I need a ship to sail east, a small one will do, and I will need it taken a few miles down the river so that I don't meet any guards.” Leon placed the pipe down and stared at him, his large brown eyes were unblinking.

The tension began to rise as no one spoke. Terandriell opened his mouth to speak again after a few heartbeats had passed, but he was interrupted. “So, let me work this out?” asked Leon. “You want me to risk everything to get you a ship and let you escape? You know what Urgost is like if he finds out. I will be imprisoned or worse.” He shuddered as his voice grew quieter. “He has never been the same since the last war.”

Terandriell had difficulty hearing this remark but made an educated guess. Although Terandriell wasn't alive at the time, it was a well-known fact that Urgost had changed after the last great war.

He had been the general of the elven armies many years ago during a troubled time and after returning home had forcibly installed himself as King. No one dared challenge him as he had the support of the other commanders, such as his closest friend Emirial, and had been in control ever since. No one quite knew what happened to King Vinus before him, he was simply never seen again. Killed or imprisoned, only Urgost’s inner circle would know what happened.

“Please, you are the only hope I have, I need to do this. There is a war coming, a war the likes which we have never seen. We cannot allow this to happen.”

Had Leon ever blinked this entire time, those dark eyes staring straight into Terandriell’s soul. “You ask a lot of me...” he sighed, “I’m getting old, Terandriell. The clutches of mortality are slipping away as each day passes, and it was about time someone stood up to that tyrant as I should have a millennium ago.” Leon smiled sadly. “I will do this for you. I had a warship constructed for myself over the last few months. It is now yours. The ship will meet you down the river so far as the stone banking will allow. It will be there at dawn, and I will supply the crewmen to help sail it.” Every sentence came across quite blunt and reserved. He didn't want to give up his prized possession.

“He will know it was you.”

“I’m counting on it.”

Terandriell felt a weight lift off his shoulders and at the same time, a burden hit his heart. Would the quest be worth risking Leon’s life over? Leon must have thought so by giving Terandriell this chance.

“Thank you so much, I will never forget this, Leon.” He smiled softly even though he knew Leon had a hidden agenda too. If they both made it through this his trade would improve tenfold as trade with the humans would resume. Terandriell wasn’t about to bring that up though.

Leon’s face was unmoving as he replied. “You need to leave now. Take the back door and hide in the forest until dawn.” Leon stood up before anything else could be said, handing Terandriell a small bag before leading him to the back door. He quickly checked there were no guards before beckoning Terandriell to leave.

Terandriell turned, placing his index and middle finger against his brow and dropping his hand down to clench his fist in front of his heart, it was the gesture of ultimate respect.

Once he was a mile deep, he climbed the thickest tallest tree in the area and perched on a broad branch near the top. It gave him a good view of the surrounding area and a clear view of the river flowing below.

Opening the bag Leon handed him, he noticed it was full of small rough golden coins which he assumed would be needed on the human land.

He looked towards the water which lay still and calm like a mirror, reflecting all the trees and the riverbank on the other side. It was serene. He had so much going on, and a crazy unexpected week that it felt relieving to see the world around him stood unchanged, defiant almost, in the face of adversity. This was precisely what he was going to fight to protect.

He deposited his weapons on another branch close by and slowly shut his eyes as the view around him began to fade into his dreams.

The first rays of light began to creep across the sky, forcing Terandriell from his dreams. The sun pierced the branches and leaves of the tree he was laying in, and the birds started to sing their merry tunes in response.

Stretching, Terandriell looked over to the river and saw the ship Leon had organized, but it was considerably larger than he had anticipated. It could have easily carried over one hundred elves. Now he knew why Leon had organized the crew members for it. He doubted he would have managed to find enough people of his own to help him sail it.

Quickly adorning his weapons, he descended the tree as delicately and carefully as possible then made his way through the forest to the river. Standing where the tree line ended, he placed a hand on the rough bark of a nearby tree and peered around the side. To his relief, he found not even a single guard, the port still appeared to be sleeping.

Terandriell made for the ship. Up close it looked as magnificent as ever. The vessel was made from the most beautiful oak he had ever seen which had been painted a vibrant golden colour, the ship had a single mast containing three brown sails, each embroidered with a white dragon’s head.

At the front of it, the wood twisted and turned until it shaped itself into a dragon’s head with an open mouth. It looked like it was growling, enough to scare away anyone who intended to attack it or so he liked to imagine.

The words, “The DragonsMaw” were engraved on the side of the ship. Still looking around anxiously, he ran from the dense forest towards the boat. As he set his first foot on the plank to get onboard, a voice sounded behind him.

“And where do you think you are going?” The voice sounded familiar to him, but in his fear, he couldn’t place it. Terandriell's hand dropped down to the hilt on his sword in response, and he felt his stomach sink. He wasn’t going back to that dark cell, there was no way he was going back there. How did anyone manage to sneak up on him? He had checked the entire area and had been careful.

In the time that it took him to turn around, it felt as if a lifetime had passed. Terandriell had whirled and withdrew his sword from its sheath, noticing with shock that six elves were all standing in a line, four men and two women. They were all wearing the easily recognizable bright white leather armour which matched each other. Their armour had a small engraving which read: StormBlades and was heavily battle-worn.

They were also hooded so that their faces were unrecognisable. Each one of them carried a bow with multiple arrows in the quiver slung over their back. However, they all had different weapons of choice, the two females had two short swords each, two of the elves had regular swords, and the other two had a great axe and a staff respectively. They looked more formidable than any army of evil in the world.

“Well, hello, Terandriell,” said one of the women.

“Kara, Is that you?” He knew exactly who it was, but it was an automatic response. She was a little shorter than most elves but beautiful with her long silvery hair braided back behind her head.

“Yes, silly,” she smiled sweetly, “and you know the rest of us. Kira, my sister. Felgourn, Yuri, Azura, and Jared.” pointing to them all in turn as they pulled down their hoods which were covering their faces.

Her sister was her identical, down to the way they carried themselves. The only difference was their eye colour and hair. Kira’s hair was darker and wavy, trailing down her back. She had blueish eyes, whereas Kara’s silver eyes matched her braid.

Terandriell wanted nothing more than to hug Kara. It had been a few months since he last had a chance to see her. She was like a sister to him, but he was still wary. He wasn’t going to abandon his mission so quickly.

Yuri and Azura were both cousins and almost blended into the background with their more tanned skin and brown hair. The armour was the only thing making them stand out. Had they been in darker armour they could easily stalk in and out of the shadows although their magic could darken it should the need arise.

“What are you all doing here?” asked Terandriell in disbelief. His mouth still slightly open as the shock dissipated and uncertainty kicked in. He had trained with them for over a century. Surely, they wouldn’t turn on him.

“Despite Urgost's attempts to conceal the truth of what had transpired between you two, your conversation has spread amongst our people. One of the guards must have spilt the secrets,” Felgourn said. He was the oldest and wisest amongst them. The grey spiked through his silver hair, held in a small perfect ponytail at the back. He held his staff delicately in deft hands, Terandriell knew he had used this powerful weapon for over five centuries.

He continued. “We knew what you would attempt, so we sought Leon out as we knew you would need a ship. He wouldn't tell us anything, sturdy old goat, but this morning Azura spotted a ship arrive in port and dock just down the river. We assumed that it would be you, and here we are.”

“Yes, but you still haven't answered. What you are doing here?” retorted Terandriell.

“Isn't it obvious?” Yuri smiled. “We are coming with you, Watcher.”

Relief flowed through him like a landslide, clearing all fear and doubt from his body in seconds. If there was one thing the StormBlades were renowned for, it was their honest and loyal nature. They wouldn’t betray their word once given.

“Well, the ship is much larger than I expected so I guess Leon took into account that it could have been a possibility of you coming to find me.”

Terandriell went to his fellow elves to greet them properly. They all shook hands and nodded to each other with respect. He finally hugged Kara. He knew all the others well, and they were all close friends, although that had slipped over the recent years since he had quit the order.

“I am sorry that I have to disrupt this otherwise good reunion,” stated Jared, brandishing his great axe with a slight hint of fear in his voice. He pointed the massive weapon back towards where the port was. His broad shoulders holding it up with ease before continuing. “But do any of you see that approaching? I think we best be off.” He was the more brutish out of the seven of them, relying more on strength than his magic but that had never slowed him down before.

The seven of them quickly scrambled one after another onto the DragonsMaw. They rushed into the living quarters to summon the captain and get the crew ready to depart, all except Terandriell who paused at the threshold of the darkened interior of the ship. Not daring to enter further. Kara’s eyes narrowed slightly, a question for later. They were followed out moments later with the captain and the scrambling crew.

They ran back on deck with everyone taking up their various roles. Once upon the quarterdeck, The StormBlades had a clear view of the approaching soldiers. Terandriell made the count of about three hundred soldiers of which around a third of them had abruptly stopped and pulled their bows from their backs in perfect unison. Each of them knocked an arrow while lighting it on fire and prepared to launch. Their hearts began to race as the fear of the impending army settled in. They weren’t going anywhere.

The captain started to dish out orders faster than ever, his black hair was trimmed short, although his height and slanted eyes confirmed that he was an elf. Standing at almost seven feet tall, he towered over his crew, and his shoulders were twice as broad. He bellowed and pointed his hands at his men to get them ready to set sail.

Arrows whistled through the air towards the boat. The seven Elves held their hands up in front of them, casting a protective barrier. Most of the arrows abruptly stopped in mid-air, but several bolts had already made it through before they had managed to raise their wards and struck the sails of the ship, setting them alight. Yuri and Azura used their own power to fire a few of the arrows back towards the enemy, while the rest were tending to the flames and repairing the sails of the ship as quickly as possible.

Over and above all the commotion, the captain was yelling so loud that Terandriell swore he could have even awoken the gods. He did startle the crew into action. “Set sail you scurvy sea dogs!”

The DragonsMaw set forth just as the first four soldiers managed to get on board. The wooden plank leading onto the ship fell into the water and the two soldiers that were standing on it fell face-first into the river alongside it.

Kara and Kira both drew a short sword in each hand, quickly defending, and made the four boarders back off and fall into the water with a nudge or a swift kick. The sisters did not want to kill them, and the guards knew they had no chance at all against the StormBlades, and life was indeed a sacred thing to the elves. It would have been a dishonour to spill blood so soon on their journey. They wouldn’t want to risk the wrath of the gods. There was no higher crime than spilling Elvish blood on Elvish soil. Not that they were technically on land, but the sentiment was the same.

Arrows were still piercing the sails of the ship and setting different parts of it on fire, this time accompanied by screams. A crewmember had died, and three others injured with arrows in their legs or arms.

Felgourn was extremely gifted in the art of healing and made quick work of the elves that were injured and was responded by praise and numerous thanks. None of their wounds had been challenging to mend, a few scrapes here and there, but nothing that would have presented his magic with issues, such as a chest shot or piercing an artery.

The ship was still being fired upon with a rain of arrows, but they were stopped in their tracks consistently as the boat gained speed and left the port into the open seas. We have finally done it, thought Terandriell. I have escaped, and now I can help the humans stop this invasion from the portal. However, he had spoken too soon.

“Terandriell, quick, up here!” shouted the captain. “Look at this.” He handed over a spyglass and pointed over to the northern horizon. Terandriell dropped the spyglass in shock, shattering it into pieces with a loud crack. Every elf on board stopped what they were doing as they heard the noise and turned to stare at him.

Terandriell faced the captain, growing pale. “That's not possible.”

On the horizon, far in the distance, five Elven warships had appeared. They were much larger and grander than the DragonsMaw, and they were approaching with a speed they could scarcely escape from.