The DragonsMaw was a hustle of activity. The crew were letting the sails down to full mast and doing other general duties that their captain commanded them to do. The StormBlades were busy trying their luck at making two harpoon guns from the spare pieces wood littered around the ship. It took them a while to agree on a design that would both work well and be quick to create.

They argued for a little while as they had to consider the fire speed and make sure the harpoon guns had manoeuvrability for any changing circumstances. They would be useless if they could only fire one bolt or weren’t able to turn it efficiently.

“I reckon we have around four hours before those ships catch up to us, so you had best hurry up with those harpoons or we are all dead!” The captain attempted to shout over the noise. “We will also be heading into The Storm around the time those ships catch us. I hope you are all ready to get wet.”

The StormBlades ignored him as they continued their discussion. "We should design them like large crossbows," interjected Yuri, "and construct them on a circular panel that we can swivel to change the direction."

"It will have to do. We don't have time to think of anything else, and it should work if constructed well," Azura responded. "Captain, we need more spare timber over here if you have any."

"We don't have any spare wood. You should have thought of that before," he replied grumpily as the first splashes of rain started to fall from the heavens on his face.

"Bows?" smiled Yuri.

"Bows indeed," laughed Azura. The captain's stare was almost terrifying as he heard what was about to happen to his armoury. A few minutes later the cousins had returned with thirty bows from under the deck, stripping them for the wood and bowstrings. The bowstrings would be intertwined and twisted to make them stronger and have enough force to launch the harpoons effectively. The seven of them began construction on them straight away, occasionally having to tear wood from the ship itself, much to the annoyance of the captain.

Azura was near the captain, splitting some curved wood from the rear of the upper deck. “Do you really need the wheel?” he asked casually. The captain turned with deliberate slowness towards Azura, making a show of his irritation. Yuri was doing his best to conceal his laughter at watching them.

The sky had continued to grow darker and darker over the next hour. The last rays of the sun were already beginning to disappear behind the edge of the world, but it was still only midday. The rain was torrential, pelting from the sky above and quickly drenching the crew members. The sea began to rock the DragonsMaw around violently. Water sprayed over the fore of the ship, making the deck extremely slippery to stand on. Still, it was nothing to these experienced sailors. Thunder echoed far in the distance, and the occasional bolt of lightning gave a hint that the worst of The Storm was yet to come.

Terandriell wondered how no one had ever found the Elvish lands but looking at the density of the storm before him, it was an easy guess. The blackness stretched from East to West, from North to South, encompassing everything in its wake. The water was almost shallow as large rocks jutted out from amongst the waves, ready to pierce any ship stupid enough to brave these waters.

"Take the sails down," shouted the captain over the heavy rocking of the vessel. "The wind is going to tear the ship apart!" A few seconds later crew members were climbing up the mast, while others were disconnecting the ropes of the sails from the bollards. The act of releasing the sails made them violently flap around as the crew on the mast struggled to secure them.

"Hurry up damn you! More hands on deck. Get these sails down now!" It took another four pair of hands per sail to get them tied up, and out of harm's way. Even then it was a struggle.

He didn’t look happy with the sloppy work they made of it as he issued another order. “Those who don't have essential tasks to do may as well get some rest, for we shall all need our strength soon.”

At their captain's command, half the crew members retired below deck, but Terandriell and the others still had work to do if they were to finish their harpoon guns on time. Still, the task was difficult due to the rain dampening the wood and making it harder to manipulate, even with their power.

“What exactly are we travelling towards?” Yuri asked as he used his magic to interlace the bowstrings much easier than he could have by hand.

Azura was busy trying to slot a wooden beam onto the discarded wheel they had gathered from below deck, allowing the weapon to be turned to suit their needs. “I think we need to try to make it through these this first,” he replied.

The sisters were simply sharpening their blades, preparing for what was to come. They didn’t possess the same level of magic as the others but had always been far more skilled with blades than the rest of the StormBlades. “It would still be good to know,” Kira said.

“Agreed.” Her sister backed up, her sword sparkling in her hands.

“If I tell you, then you might just jump off and swim back home,” Terandriell replied. They had looked at him with amusement, but the seriousness of his face was unfaltering. They all ceased their work to watch him, to listen to what else he had to say.

Terandriell sighed as he leant against the bannister. “A magical portal has opened near the heart of the human kingdom. Dark magical beasts have come through, of what they are, I do not know...” And so, he told them the story of everything that had happened, from the hurt badger to the King, and then his visit to Leon. Making sure to miss out his time in prison.

They all watched him intently, fear gripping them from the uncertainty that was to come.

“Well, you will be glad of the company then,” Felgourn said. He was the oldest amongst them at nearly seven hundred. His skills mainly down to his healing, but he was the wisest of them all and the leader of the StormBlades. “We are the protectors of the natural order, are we not?” The now sombre group simply nodded before continuing their work to complete the weapon.

A loud continuous bell awoke the crew members, and as they scrambled on deck, they all gasped at the warships behind them. Up close each of them was twice the size of the DragonsMaw with three sails on each of the three masts, giving them the speed that the DragonsMaw lacked. Rows of oars protruded from the sides of the ship to propel it onwards, allowing them to catch up.

Onboard each ship there was at least seventy people visible and even more below deck. They were also all equipped with a steel ram on the front of the ship, which looked like it could obliterate anything it touched. A large golden eagle figurehead with its wings spread graced the fore of each vessel.

Various lanterns were haphazardly placed around the exterior of the ship with a few on the deck itself. They illuminated the boats and the many faces onboard each one.

“They are five minutes out by my estimate,” bellowed the captain. “Get to your posts and arm yourself. Terandriell I assume you have a plan?”

“We do indeed,” Kara said.

“Let us deal with the ships. You just focus on getting us through this storm, the lightning is striking close by,” Kira stated with a hint of worry in her voice.

The captain grunted as another bolt of lightning shot across the sky. “I have travelled this way before. I know how to get through this.” The captain grunted again. Indeed, he seemed to traverse the waters here with ease, like he knew the only path that led out of this dark hell.

The StormBlades moved their completed harpoon gun up to the quarterdeck so they had better range and could fire in any direction. The weapon was bulky and they only managed to move it with the aid of their magic. They then had to go back and move the makeshift harpoon missiles one by one afterwards, each standing the same height as the elves.

“Get ready men! Grab the remaining bows and wait for my mark,” shouted the Captain, putting extra strain on the word remaining to show his irritation at the seven desecraters on his ship, taking whatever they wanted.

Terandriell had the feeling he would hear all about it later, the dread of that conversation already settling in. “Kara, Kira, you both take the Harpoon, Felgourn help me load the bolts,” he said as he began lifting one of the large bolts from the pile they stationed nearby. “Yuri and Azura join the archers, and Jared block the enemy arrows if you can. If it is becoming too difficult, then get Yuri and Azura to help you.”

The lightning was fiercer than ever. Even the wind was battering the ship, making it hard for the captain to keep on the course. He didn't seem worried in the slightest even as a rock scraped along the side of the ship briefly. He shrugged it off like it hadn’t even happened, worrying the rest of them more than it should.

The lightning directly struck one of the Elven ships at the back, obliterating the main mast and setting fire to the smaller sail at the front of the vessel. Even with the distance they could see and hear the panic cruising from the ship as they tried their best to extinguish the flames. Well, that was one down at least.

Terandriell watched them struggle for a moment, noticing that they had just managed to stop the fire on the front mast, before returning his attention to the DragonsMaw.

Arrows whistled towards them with a ferocious speed, but Jared stopped them in their tracks repeatedly with an invisible barrier. Yuri, Azura and the crew members returned fire with their bows, but most of them were blocked on the other side as well.

So, thought Terandriell, they have someone blocking them as well. Well, we will see about that.

“Fire the harpoons, aim for the centre mast, it should cripple the ship enough to stop it moving. Fire now!”

The harpoons bounced off the mast, once then twice and then three times, with a single Elf grinning next to it.

It is you, Terandriell smiled back. “Yuri, Azura! Fire at the elf just at the centre of the ship, take his attention away from us.”

They did as he asked and fired arrow after arrow at slightly different intervals to keep his attention fixed. Some of the crew members joined in, and the bald spell caster had turned his attention to the archers with a scowl on his face. With the distraction he needed, Terandriell launched the harpoon straight at the mast.

His plan worked. It went spinning and hit the timber with such force that it broke it directly in two, the upper part falling backwards into the ocean with a loud splash, spraying water everywhere. The force of the impact tore the ropes connecting the other two masts to it, ripping those down as well. The ship came to a halt with the sound of the snapping ropes and crunching wood. The crew cheered in triumph.

The spellcaster shot a firebolt towards Terandriell, hoping to catch him unawares, but Jared simply redirected it towards the sky with next to no effort on his part.

Two down, three to go, thought Terandriell, oblivious to what had just happened.

The next Elven warship had already started to fire before they had time to turn around to stop it. Their arrows had pierced through Jared's defences, hitting a few people on board. The screams of the crew were barely audible over the raging thunder, which was now accompanied by a downpour of rain, soaking everything it touched.

“Terandriell! We need time to heal the wounded,” shouted Jared.

“I think I have an idea,” Terandriell whispered to himself, a smile on his face like a dopey child. “Captain, can I borrow your anchor?”

“What in the heavens for?” he replied, confused.

“No time to explain.”

The captain merely grunted, already annoyed at the little elf shouting commands on his vessel. He wore a strange expression on his face but decided on giving up even being angry towards him.

“Kara. Kira. I need you both to get the longest rope and attach it to your harpoon, make sure you use some magic to make it stronger, and quick!” Terandriell shouted. “Jared, I need you to help me with the anchor.”

The arrows still rained down on top of the ship. However, Felgourn had now joined Yuri and Azura as they worked together stopping them all in their tracks. The others used magic to sort everything out quickly, and Terandriell attached the anchor to the rope and harpoon.

“Aim for the hull of the ship and Jared use magic to help it break through...NOW!”

Kara flicked the switch, sending the harpoon straight towards the hull of the elven warship. Jared used magic to help it penetrate through the thick wood; the bolt went straight through. Jared then quickly sealed the hole in the ship with spare timber, leaving the harpoon stuck inside the vessel.

That part went well at least. Terandriell then continued to launch the anchor off the boat and into the sea. The rope made a horrible scraping noise as it was sent overboard following the anchor down to the seabed, hopefully catching onto a rock below.

It was shallow enough in the area that the anchor should grab onto something, but as the time passed and the ship kept charging forward, Terandriell began to have his doubts. “Damn it!” he said. “I thought it would work.”

Just as he muttered his last word, the warship jolted to its side, almost toppling over into the water. The entire ship went into an uproar as the soldiers were thrown overboard from the sheer force of the motion. The anchor had done as planned and stopped the enemy ship dead in its tracks. The soldiers on board fell over from the abrupt movement of the boat, many already swimming back to the vessel out of the harsh, unforgiving waters.

“You are crazy,” laughed the captain. “Genius, but crazy.”

The crew were all either laughing or shaking their heads in disbelief at what they just witnessed. Felgourn and the other Elves set about healing the wounds of those shot by arrows and that they could save, which thankfully, was most of them.

The next ship was too close to use the harpoons on, but arrows were still being exchanged between the two forces. The other elves were sending over grappling hooks and pulling the ships together, in an attempt to board, which was done much quicker than Terandriell expected. Perhaps if the other vessel didn’t have the sheer number of elves onboard, then it would have taken them longer.

Kara and Kira were the first to draw their swords and position themselves ready to counter board. Felgourn, Jared and Terandriell also did the same. The crew members were ordered by the captain to keep their bows out and shoot anyone that got past the StormBlades, which by his smug expression he didn’t think was entirely likely.

Azura and Yuri climbed up the mast to fire their bows from above on unexpected targets. They saw the King’s own men, wearing that easily recognizable golden armour. The rain was bouncing down from the heavens, making a clinking sound as the armour shone brightly against the darkened sky.

The enemy had begun to board, but it quickly became clear why the group called themselves The StormBlades. They danced around, striking down anyone who got too close with such graceful force and ferocity that it almost seemed like they were derived from gods. Every move was calculated and executed flawlessly, complimenting the warrior beside them. They worked in harmony with each other. Individually they were incredible but together…the captain just stared at them, as did most of the crew.

Occasionally a guard would make it past them, but the crew would dispatch them quickly with an arrow or quick lunge of their sword. Yuri and Azura looked at each other from above the battle.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” asked Yuri.

“I always do,” he replied, returning the same devious smile. “Are you ready for a little fun?”

Both leapt up, crossing the masts that joined the ships together, jumping over the small gap and proceeded to climb down the third mast so they could fight the soldiers from behind. They were always a little risky whenever they were in the presence of each other, and this was no exception.

The guards looked bewildered as to how they were already on the ship, but a small group broke off to corner Yuri and his cousin.

After another couple of minutes of cutting down the seemingly endless number of guards which kept pouring through from the crew quarters below deck, the guard’s numbers began to dwindle. The remainder dropped their weapons; they knew they had no chance of beating the StormBlades. None of them had even managed to get a scratch on their armour, the soldiers on the other ship wanting nothing more than to give it a try but it wasn’t worth risking their lives over.

Looking up they could see that the fifth ship had already turned around to help the rest of the Elven ships, giving up hope of capturing Terandriell after seeing what happened to their predecessors. Yuri and Azura were making their way to cross back over to the DragonsMaw when Yuri screamed out and grabbed his cousin’s arm for support before falling to his knees.

“What's wrong?” Azura asked worriedly. He turned to see a bolt sticking out his back and blood running along the shaft, dripping off the end.

“My back,” stated Yuri through gritted teeth.

Kara and Kira came over quickly and hoisted Yuri back onto the DragonsMaw. Azura turned around to see the guards of the warship had already subdued the archer. All colour had drained from the elf’s face. Striding up to him, Azura drew his sword and held it against the archer's throat, staring intensely into the guard’s eyes. He refused to blink even though the rain was still brutally pelting his face.

He stood there, breathing heavily for what seemed like minutes. All eyes on him, before he bent down and whispered in his ear. “You better pray that he recovers, or I will be back for you.”

With that, he withdrew his blade, leaving a trickle of blood running down the soldier’s neck as he strode back to his ship to check on his cousin.

The sisters gently placed Yuri down on a wooden crate on the deck of the ship. Felgourn was quickly kneeling by his side, for he was by far the best healer of them all.

“How is he?” asked Azura, noticing the bolt still sticking through Yuri’s back, the feathered part had been snapped off and lay on the floor to the side.

“I... I don't know.” Felgourn said, still trying to examine the wound.

“Well blasted hurry up,” shouted Azura, worried for his cousin’s safety as he began pacing the room.

Felgourn ignored him as he asked, “Can you take a deep breath, Yuri?”

Yuri started to take a deep breath and then screamed in agony as the sharp pain hit him again.

Felgourn kept his voice low, trying not to show any signs of worry. “It is as I thought, the arrow has punctured his lung, and has broken a rib judging by the placement.”

“What!” shouted Azura. He lowered his voice as he began to tremble. “But you can heal him, right?”

“I can try. However, repairing a lung is tricky at the best of times, and I have only ever attempted it twice before,” said Felgourn. “I will need a belt for him to bite and you are going to have to hold him down. I warn you, Yuri, this is going to hurt, a lot. Ready? Go.” He quickly said the last two words as he started the arduous task of healing Yuri before he even got a chance to reply.

Kara, Kira and Jared held him on his side, and Felgourn placed the belt in Yuri's mouth and then pulled the arrow out his back in one swift movement. Yuri let out a high-pitched scream, muffled by the belt as the tears streamed down his face. Felgourn set to work healing the wound. It was a complex piece of magic and took well over five minutes to seal the lung, heal his rib and repair the muscle and skin on his back.

After he was done, Felgourn began to speak again. “You should rest, you will need to recover your strength.” He stood up from where he was standing and instantly collapsed, crashing down hard onto the deck of the ship.

“Take them both below deck and make sure they are safe,” ordered Terandriell. Turning to the guards on the opposing ship, he stared at them for a long minute. “You can either join us, or you can be left stranded here with your other comrades. But know this, by joining us there is no backing out, and we are all marching to the gates of hell itself. So, think carefully before you decide.” It was the truth, after all.

After due consideration, half of them clambered on-board the DragonsMaw, and both sides greeted each other with mutual respect. Luckily for the archer, he stayed with the other ship as they separated and began to move on.

“Next stop, the port of Tuless!” exclaimed the captain as they made way for the city. The men were all soaked from head to toe, water droplets accumulating on their armour and dripping from their hair.

The ship was in perfect condition, which was more than could be said for the five chasing them. The Storm had caused no lasting damage and they made it completely through after the second day. Terandriell stood on the deck of the ship looking behind them, The Storm was an impenetrable wall. He looked back and could see the path they took, the opening slowly closing so no one else would be able to follow them.

“What a strange storm. This ship must be sturdy too, making it through that in one piece,” stated Terandriell.

“It is not a natural storm,” the captain retorted. “It is elven made, created around a thousand years ago to protect our island from the time of our war with the Humans. Legend has it that the storm has our ancient magical prowess stored in it just waiting to be unlocked and it only damages those who intend to do harm or bring about our downfall. That is why it let us pass.”

No one ever openly spoke about that war, those that were alive at the time never passed the knowledge on, they wiped it from history. No books were written, no monuments created, no paintings crafted. The elven people did their best to forget about it. Most stories that were told differed from each other, so none of the younger elves knew what to believe any more.

He began to look sombre as he looked off towards the horizon. Terandriell watched him closely, he could feel the sadness emanating from him as the captain started to reminisce.

“I have only ever read bits about it, but there is very little written,” Terandriell said, trying to push for more information on everything that happened in the past. He had always been curious on the subject as were most, but he saw an opportunity to find out, and he took it regardless of how the elf before him would feel.

The captain paused. Looking at the few elves staring at him. They were marching into the same situation, they had the right to know.

His voice grew soft as he took a deep breath, “It was the darkest most terrible moment for the elves that has ever occurred in living memory, or possibly ever will.” He started.

“We used to live with the humans. Side by side we lived, fought and died until these invaders from the far east came. The death toll was countless. You are young Terandriell, you cannot possibly imagine the sheer terror of what happened. Entire fields of countless dead, cities raised to the ground by fire and ash, death and destruction.”

By this point, more elves on the ship started listening to the story from this old warrior. All the elves on board had been alive for hundreds of years, but none of them knew what happened a millennium ago. Very few elves that experienced it were still alive today, almost an entirely new generation.

The captain's voice grew louder, angrier almost. “It took us years to defeat the unstoppable foes and after we finally smote them all down, after every one of those horrible creatures were destroyed. The humans...” he trailed off, looking towards the deck of the ship trying to conceal his face, his fist clenched at his side.

Everyone on board was listening so intently to the story at this point, holding their breath in sheer suspense. Their hearts racing, waiting, wanting to know everything that happened, this was the first time any of them had felt the story was true.

“The humans betrayed us and began slaughtering us all, man and woman, they even killed our children. We were always more proficient in the use of magic, and as such, they blamed us for the war and the destruction. We were the magic users, so we created the problem. That’s what their kings said before they had their soldiers begin killing us on sight. “

“We all fled. We were the better warriors, but the humans have always outnumbered us a thousand to one…You have to understand why we didn’t fight; our numbers were severely depleted already from the long war. The humans had also begun slaughtering us in our sleep, but the last of us retreated to the island you all call home. “

“The cult of elders at the time, the best spell weavers of our race, sought the help of the Moon goddess Aesha. Between them, they used every power at their disposal to create the magical storm barrier that now surrounds our island.”

“In doing so, they stopped the humans from following us but at a great cost. They had to sacrifice their lives, and most of the magic in our world, elves and humans alike felt their magic drained left with only a fraction of the power we used to have. “

“That is why not all elves are capable of the same level of magic, why most of us can only perform simple spells.” He paused again, his heart seeming to cleave in two, and he gulped before he continued. “I was in a little town, not twenty miles from Saskinar city when I heard the laws the kings at the time passed to kill us all. I ran home. The smoke was rising from the town, but only from the designated elven districts. My heart raced as I ran with every last part of my strength, my home was on fire. I entered the smoky wreck that was left...my wife...my children...”

Tears now streamed down the captain’s face, A few moments passed, and no one said a word. Everyone feeling the depth of pain in their hearts for the man who lost everything and for their kin who gave up so much to save what remained of their race.

He wiped the tears from his face with a quick brush of his hand before taking his wife’s necklace out of his pocket. He looked at it for a couple of seconds before gripping it in his fist with all his might and finished off by saying. “This is why we do not talk about it. The pain is too great.”

The crew sat in silence for a few moments, digesting everything they had just heard. They all looked devastated, hurt, betrayed and angry. Why were they sailing to the aid of a race that almost slaughtered their own? That was the thought on many of their minds that night and for the few nights following that.

~

Terandriell was sitting on a crate on the deck of the ship, twirling a small leaf in his hand that he had brought with him. He wasn’t sure how the captain could do this, to sail for days and days with nothing but blue surrounding them. He hated every moment of it. There was no feeling of freedom out here, it almost felt like a trap.

Part of him wanting to follow last week’s adventure and try shapeshifting but doing it in front of everyone here would cause too many issues, too many questions. Instead, he decided to suffer on the wall-less prison.

According to what the captain had said the previous day, they should be approaching the city not long after sunrise. The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon sending its golden waves spluttering over the sea, the light bouncing off and through the rough waters.

Kara had walked out from below deck, “Is everything okay?” she asked. She had been avoiding questioning him since the voyage started, but it was slowly eating away at her. She wanted to check up on her friend.

Terandriell had spent every day aboard the ship on the deck, the thought of setting foot below deck into the darkened rooms made him uneasy. The wounds were still fresh in his mind. No, everything’s not okay. “Yes. Everything is fine.”

“You forget, I know you better than that.” She smiled, sitting down next to him. “If you want to talk about it, I’m always here.”

How long had it been since they had last spoke, six months, a year? He wasn’t even sure any more. Yet she would still care for him even still. “It’s fine,” he confirmed again, even though she sensed the lie.

“Are any of you excited for today?” Jared asked as he appeared from below, followed closely by Kira.

She was ecstatic, bouncing up the stairs behind him with a spring in her step. “I can’t wait to see human cities.” She smiled broadly.

Jared turned quickly to face her. “I wasn’t talking to you!” He smirked. “It’s all you’ve spoken about since we left.”

Kara stifled a laugh. Her sister simply shrugged happily, barging past Jared to stand over the railings. She could see the light in the distance, they were approaching the city at last. It was erected extremely chaotically with different sized buildings, the houses were all overlapping the streets, and some built out of brick and others with wood.

A huge wall encircled the city and directly in the centre of the city was a huge white cathedral, which loomed over everything in the area, giving it a strange and mystical appearance.

The port was extremely busy with ships weighing anchor or leaving with various goods to take to other cities around the world. Countless seagulls flew over the port squawking and calling to each other, waiting to swoop down on any scraps of food leftover.

The captain had slowed the ship and waited for the signal to dock. It came five minutes later; the harbour master was flashing his lantern at the captain to let him know where to dock. Once docked, the harbour master walked up with six guards in tow, who were all wearing pale grey armour and carrying standard pikes.

The captain sauntered off the deck, full of forced swagger. Terandriell watched as he appeared almost human. The natural stillness and precision that he had moved with moments before was now gone like he had done this a thousand times before. Terandriell followed, putting up his hood to cover his face and went down to greet them.

“State your business in Tuless,” said the deep voice of the harbour master. He was a stout bald man adorned in rich silk clothes and holding his head high, giving him an air of authority. A chain of silver hung from his neck.

“We are simply passing through,” said the captain, uninterested.

“Then it's going to cost you,” retorted the bald man with a huge grin on his face.

“How much?”

“One hundred gold pieces,” he said, flashing his teeth.

“Have fifty,” the captain said while handing over a small pouch of gold. “Take it or leave it.”

The smile quickly vanished from the man's face as he snatched the bag and glanced at the warriors on the deck of the ship, the captain’s own gleaming sword fastened to his belt, the warrior beside him with similar weapons. The man decided better than to start an issue and strode off followed by the guards. He was seething but didn’t want to get into such an uneven fight.

“Bleeding chancers,” stated the captain shaking his head. “They are all the same here, their world revolves around money.”

Terandriell climbed back onboard the DragonsMaw, closely followed by the captain. Everyone was piling on deck hoping to get a better view of the city. Felgourn and Yuri were both there also, seeming to have recovered perfectly well.

“Captain, if you are coming with us then take your crew and the new recruits outside the city. Camp out around five miles down the main road and wait for us there. Yuri, I want you to go with them. Oh, and while we are here, we all need to adopt their language and not draw attention to ourselves,” Terandriell ordered.

“I’m coming with you!” shouted Yuri as he stood up, his hand clutching his side while a groan escaped his lips.

“You’re still too weak to travel. I’m sorry.”

Yuri didn’t argue further, he knew he may just get in the way. Terandriell stood on deck and watched the armed group of Elves all leave the ship and head in the direction of the Eastern gate. They all travelled in line formation, every one of them wore their golden armour hidden underneath a dark cloak with hoods covering their faces. No doubt it would raise suspicions but less so than without the cloaks.

Not one of them glanced back, except Yuri, who was already regretting that he had to leave. Terandriell felt awful for making him go, but he knew he had to, for everyone’s safety.

It was a further eight minutes before Terandriell and the others decided to leave.

“Are you still enjoying the human kingdoms, Kira?” Jared asked as he began walking along the dock. “It sure does have an awful stench to it.”

She had caught up and was walking by his side. “It still has its charm.” She smiled broadly, looking around and taking in every piece of scenery she could. The busy port, the birds flying above, the lack of greenery. There were a few gardens, and other trees glittered around the city, but most had been torn down or ravaged to build their monstrosities of stone and wood. The trees that were left standing were encased in stone blocks at their base or gardens contained by wooden fences. It was at odds but at the same time one with nature. Strange.

The directions they received from the dockmaster led them the wrong route, most likely intentional due to the captain short-changing him.

They were in a darker section of the town, where even the walls seemed to press in closer, restricting their movement and even the air around them. An older man slouched against one of the grimy walls where the elves had paused to ask for further direction.

“Just follow this road down, past the cathedral,” said the old man. He was wearing what could barely be called rags, his shoes had more holes than fabric from the amount of time he had worn them. His hair was grey and greasy, he had a long-overgrown beard to match it, and there was a horrible smell surrounding him that made the elves want to be sick. What a horrible stinking city this was.

Terandriell began following the directions the man had given him, only to be stopped as the voice sounded behind him.

“Can you spare a coin, sir,” he asked politely.

Terandriell looked at the man, his eyes glistening. How could this happen? How could people walk by this man every day and not help? thought Terandriell. This would never have happened in Athaldris or any elven town. How could the lack of a few pieces of silver or copper cause this? A lump had formed in Terandriell's throat, leaving it feeling dry and hard to swallow. But what to do? “Here you are,” said Terandriell, handing the man the small bag of coins Leon had given him.

The man gasped, struggling to stand before grasping Terandriell's hand and pulling himself onto his feet. “Bless you, laddie.” Tears flooded from his eyes and down into the mess of his beard. “I won't forget this kindness.” His hand was shaky, but Terandriell grasped back firmly, helping the man onto his feet.

Terandriell strode off with the others feeling rather pleased with himself.

“Well, what are we going to buy the horses with now?” Felgourn asked, rather bluntly. Terandriell shrugged him off. He would think of something.

They went up past the cathedral, which seemed to loom over the entire town. Looking up at the high peaks made them feel dizzy and sick. It was constructed out of the finest white marble imaginable, and the windows perfectly framed the light to make them glow. It was a beautiful structure but not a patch on Lianna’s temple in their city. Kira stared at it, barely controlling her glee.

Numerous gargoyle statues were resting in the higher peaks of the building, they appeared to be staring at anyone who looked up at them. Weird sort of temple. Robed monks were preaching at the front gates, beckoning all sorts of people inside. Mostly the poor with promises of food and new clothing, in the hopes to gain more recognition or followers to their gods.

“What do you think their religion is like?” Kira asked.

Kara, who was walking in front of her and next to Azura, stopped and turned to her sister. “Don’t you think it’s strange that we worship our gods and don’t ever think that any other religion exists until its staring us right in the face?”

Felgourn scoffed. He was good at that. “Religion is for those who aren’t in control of their own lives, praying and hoping that some mystical deity will save them from themselves. Save them from their ignorance and problems. Look at this place, look how many suffer and how many are poor and then tell me their gods listen.”

Terandriell watched the two sisters straighten ready for the debate. “We should keep going,” he said, interrupting any possible argument. The others just nodded and started walking on again.

Moving past the looming white structure, they found the stable sometime later, which lay just inside the southern gate. The grass was rather overgrown for being a horse paddock, and there were no horses in sight at all. Terandriell knocked on the door, and after a few seconds was about to turn and give up. However, there was a clinking sound on the other side and the sound of a chain moving before the door swung inwards revealing a young man and woman.

“What is it you want?” the man sighed. Terandriell glanced at their hands. Rings. They were married. The young woman was more alert than her husband, glancing at their weapons and then their faces.

“We need to buy some horses; we will pay well… but I could not help but notice that there was none in the paddock.”

Letting out a deep sigh, the man said. “Last week someone broke into the paddock and took every single one of them. We woke up in the following morning to see every guard at the gate killed. I only have twelve left in my secondary stable, but they are the finest horses I have, and they won't come cheap.”

“Only twelve?” interrupted Jared.

Turning to Terandriell, Felgourn spoke. “We can take seven for now and try acquiring more on the way,” with a certain glare. Terandriell knew what he meant, he wanted to track down the stolen horses. It wasn’t that long ago; they could easily read the tracks and find the stolen horses.

“Fine, we will take your seven best.”

“That will cost you eight hundred gold pieces,” said the woman and before they could complain, she spoke slightly louder, drowning out any protests. “You must understand we need everything we can get to rebuild.”

“Eight hundred!” shouted Kara and Kira together.

Terandriell held up a hand to silence them. “We do not have that much gold. However, we have a ship in the dock that is worth at least ten times that figure. It is yours; we don't require it any more.”

“How will we know what ship it is?”

“It’s called The DragonsMaw,” said Terandriell. “You will know it when you see it.” He finished with a slight smirk.

The man and woman looked at each other. Discussing what to do only with their eyes.

“Very well, but do you mind us taking a look at the ship first?” said the woman. She was the more authoritarian of the two.

Terandriell smiled at her. “Not at all, please feel free.”

They both headed out of their front door, the woman locking it firmly behind her as they went to look at the ship. Terandriell and The StormBlades waited for them to come back, it wouldn’t take them long. The group had split up a little, wandering around the city but still staying close enough to the stable. The town was extremely run down although judging by the amount of trade coming in via the sea, they wondered how that could be the case. Probably down to some tyrant lord or nobles. What an odd concept for there to be so much divide between rich and poor.

It wasn't long before the man and his wife came back to the stable and greeted Terandriell. “Very well, we accept your offer.” He was beaming with happiness, his entire face shining with renewed vigour. He knew full well that selling the ship would make him a small fortune and they would be able to rebuild their lives. Terandriell felt good. That was three human lives he had already changed for the better. He had no regrets bartering away with his one remaining asset.

He beckoned the Elves to follow him and led them to a small paddock behind the house, hidden amongst a bunch of trees. “I will keep the white stallions; the others are yours.” He pointed to six beige coloured horses and a broad, strong black horse, which was bulkier than the rest, grazing around a massive pile of hay.

The man went up to the horses and grabbed their reins, taking them back into the stable to saddle them, it was around a quarter of an hour later he emerged followed by the seven horses. “I assume you are the leader of the group, so this charger is yours. It’s a thoroughbred from the hill lords of Andovia…” Felgourn huffed quietly, but not quietly enough. Terandriell grinned. “and...” as he handed the sixth horse to Felgourn, he seemed bewildered. “It looks like I collected an additional horse.”

“Azura, take this one for your cousin,” said Terandriell before mounting his charger and turning to the man. “We will be off.”