“Just can’t stay out of the baths, can you?” Elaine asked.

“I got dirty again,” Anna replied.

“How’d you manage that?” Lyreen asked.

“She saved me and a bunch of other women from getting sold into slavery by a gang,” Gwen said.

“Wait, what?” Lyreen asked.

“Oh yes. She beat them all to a pulp and just bashed the door to the room we were being held in,” Gwen replied.

“Aren’t you a little hero?” Lyreen said.

“I don’t feel like a hero,” Anna replied.

“What happened, child?” Barika asked.

“Some of the men died,” Anna replied.

“You should have killed them all! They deserved it!” Gwen said.

“Really?” Anna asked.

“Quiet you! You don’t know who you’re talking to!” Elaine hissed. Her glare caused Gwen to shrink back.

“Let’s talk about this when we get in the bath,” Barika said.

Her friends undressed and rinsed off quickly before joining them in the bath. Gwen looked nervously at the newcomers.

“Now child, tell us what happened,” Barika said.

Anna sighed and then told her friends about her night. Lucy and Gwen looked shocked to find out she’d been with paladins in the temple of light before she came to the hideout, and her friends looked worried when she talked about beating the men.

“You did a good thing saving those women, child, and those men wouldn’t have let them go without a fight. Just try and hold back more if it happens again,” Barika said.

“She was holding back?” Lucy asked with a horrified look on her face.

“Yes. You have no idea how lucky you all were,” Elaine replied.

“Why did you ask me to join you?” Lucy asked.

“You asked her to join us?” Lyreen asked.

“Thokri said we could use a scout, and she can pick locks,” Anna replied. Her friends looked at the nervous woman.

“We’ll talk about that with the men,” Barika said. Elaine and Lyreen nodded.

Barika looked at Gwen and frowned. “When’s the last time you ate, child?” she asked.

“Uh, breakfast with Anna just before we came here,” Gwen replied.

“And before that?” Barika asked.

“Yesterday when I was kidnapped,” Gwen replied.

“Tell me child, where do you live?” Barika asked.

“Uh, on the streets,” Gwen replied.

Barika grabbed Gwen by the face and looked at her closely. “When were you going to tell us you have the wasting pox?” Barika asked. Lyreen, Elaine and Lucy scooted away.

“I, I, I, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you all to hate me!” Gwen replied.

Barika sighed. “She’s not contagious anymore,” Barika said. The others relaxed some. “I’m afraid you don’t have much longer,” Barika said softly.

“I know,” Gwen replied.

“What do you mean?” Anna asked.

“Wasting pox kills all of its victims unless it’s treated early on,” Barika replied.

“There must be something we can do?” Anna asked.

“A high priest could heal her or a flesh crafter,” Elaine replied.

“Flesh crafter?” Anna asked.

“Mages that can control living flesh. She’d need an archmage though, and I doubt there are any around here,” Elaine replied.

“What about a high priest? Is there one in the city?” Anna asked.

“No, child,” Barika replied sadly.

Anna rubbed her chin for a moment. “What about paladins?” Anna asked.

“No, child. A paladin’s blessing is martial. They usually can’t heal all that well,” Barika replied. Anna frowned.

There has to be something we can do!

My people can help,” Lyreen said.

“They can?” Barika asked.

“We have a cure for the wasting pox. I’m not sure if it would work on humans, but our healers are much better than yours are,” Lyreen replied.

Gwen burst into tears. “You mean the elves could have saved my family?” she sobbed.

“Only if an elf asked them to,” Lyreen replied.

Gwen looked distraught. “The lord didn’t let other races live in our village,” she said.

“My people wouldn’t have even if he did,” Lyreen replied.

Anna stood up. “Well, let’s go,” Anna said.

Lyreen got up as well. “I want Voekeer to come with us. I don’t want to deal with other elves without him,” Lyreen replied.

They got dressed and left. Gwen’s new dress fit her fairly well, all be it loosely, and Anna’s yellow dress was spotless much to her delight.

Thokri and Voekeer were drinking with the dwarves inside Anna’s house when she got back. The garden boxes were finished, and the dwarves had brought a barrel of ale to share.

“What’d ya think, lass?” the blond dwarf asked.

“I think the boxes are nicer than the house is,” Anna replied.

“Aye. Used Ironwood. Had some left over from another deal,” the blond dwarf said.

“Oh, nice,” Anna replied. Ironwood didn’t rot, so that meant she wouldn’t have to worry about the boxes.

“Got this for ya, lass,” another dwarf said. He held out a small clay pot with a brightly colored mushroom in it.

“Pretty,” Anna replied. The dwarf grinned.

“Keep ‘em around the house myself. Wife loves them,” he said.

“I can see why,” Anna replied. She set it down on the table. Being a mushroom, it probably didn’t like light, so she’d have to place it somewhere away from the windows.

“We can fix this place up nice if you’d like, lass,” the blond dwarf said.

Anna looked around. While the house was nice, it wasn’t exactly what she had wanted. “Oh, that would be wonderful. But you’ll have to wait until I’m out of town first,” Anna replied.

“Might want to work out a deal now, lass. We won’t be here longer than a few weeks,” Thokri said.

Anna reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a handful of gold coins. She handed them to the blonde dwarf. “I want a bath like in the ground like the bath houses. I want stone floors, and I want my friends to stay with me,” Anna said.

The blond dwarf looked at the gold in his hand, and a huge smile grew on his face. “Aye,” he said.

The other dwarves all looked at the pile of gold with greed in their eyes.

“I’ll work it out with you, lad,” Thokri said, clapping the blonde dwarf on the shoulder. The blonde dwarf looked over at Thokri and nodded.

“We should get going. It wouldn’t look good if we are drunk when we see the healer,” Lyreen said.

“Why do we need a healer?” Voekeer asked.

“I’ll let you know on the way,” Lyreen replied.

“Lock up when you lads are finished,” Thokri said.

“Aye,” the blonde dwarf replied.

She left her house with her friends, not worried about the dwarves.

Worst thing that could happen with them is finding them passed out on the floor when I get back.

So, what’s this about, and who are they?” Voekeer asked.

“Anna found us a scout, and the red head needs our help,” Lyreen replied.

Voekeer nodded and then moved next to Lucy. Thokri walked up next to her as well.

That poor woman. She knew that the former gang member was about to get grilled.

They left the market district and headed to the area of the city where most of the elves chose to live. It was near noon when they arrived on the street where the elven healers would most likely be.

“Did you live here when you went to school?” Anna asked.

“No, I don’t like being around other elves. They treat me weird when they find out about my parents,” Lyreen replied.

“What about you?” Anna asked.

“I just stayed at the guild hall,” Voekeer replied.

They found a healer’s shop fairly quickly and entered the well-kept building. The insides smelled of herbs, and a kind looking elf man greeted them with a smile from behind a counter. He said something in elvish that made Lyreen turn bright red.

“Uh, I have plenty of that,” Lyreen replied in common. The man laughed.

“Sorry, that’s just what most young couples come to me for,” he replied.

“Can you treat advanced wasting pox in humans?” Lyreen asked.

The elf looked at the party, and his eyes locked on Gwen. He looked her over a few times.

“Who is she to you?” he asked.

“Someone who needs your help,” Anna replied. She walked over to the counter.

The elf looked her in the eyes for a moment. “I have no reason to save a human,” he said.

“What if I give you something special?” Anna asked.

“I don’t see what you could possibly offer me,” he said.

Anna smiled and started to sing. Her hauntingly beautiful song filled the room. It was one of wonder and joy with tinges of regret. It went on for some time, and when she finished, everyone in the room had wet eyes. A few new faces were there looking at her in awe.

She looked at the elf behind the counter and smiled. “So, will you help her?” Anna asked.

He just nodded and started to collect herbs from the shelves next to him. An elf woman walked up to her.

“What was that?” she asked.

“A gift from my father,” Anna replied.

The elf woman hesitated for a moment. “Would you sing for my mother? She don’t have much time left, and I think that song would help her more than a potion,” the elf woman asked.

“She will,” Lyreen replied.

Anna looked at her friend. The woman had a pleading look in her eyes. Voekeer was looking at her the same way. Anna smiled and nodded.

The woman took her by the hands. “Thank you so much,” she said.

Barika walked up to the counter and watched the elf healer as he worked.

“Would you teach me the recipe?” she asked.

“I’ll write it down for you when I finish,” the elf replied.

It didn’t take him long to craft the cure, and soon he held a large flask filled with greenish brown sludge. He walked out from behind the counter and handed it to Gwen.

“It tastes like a dwarf smells, but you will need to drink it all,” the elf healer said.

Gwen took the flask and downed it like one would a mug of cheap ale. She gagged a few times once she finished but kept it down.

The healer looked her over. “How old are you?” he asked.

“Nineteen,” Gwen replied.

The healer nodded. “You’ll need to eat rich foods for the next year to build up your strength, but you’re still young enough to bounce back completely,” he said.

“This was it? This could have saved my family?” Gwen asked.

The elf healer didn’t say a word. He just went back behind the counter and wrote down the recipe for the cure. He handed it to Barika.

“Thank you,” she said. He just nodded.

They left the healer’s shop. The man was busy, and they didn’t want to take up anymore of his time. Barika handed the recipe to Anna.

“Please memorize this for me,” she said.

Anna looked at it and then handed it back. “Done,” Anna said.

The elf woman looked at Anna for a moment. “You’re not human, are you?” she asked.

“No,” Anna replied.

The elf woman wasn’t young. She looked like a human woman in her fifties which meant she was over fifteen hundred years old.

She’s probably seen a lot of humans in her life.

They entered the elf’s home. It wasn’t that far from the healer’s shop, so it wasn’t much of a walk. It was a nice place. At least, she thought it was. She hadn’t been inside a lot of homes. It reminded her of her own home with a large main room that contained a fireplace and such.

“Would you all mind waiting here? Mother is frail, and I don’t want to fill her room with strange people,” the elf woman said.

“We understand,” Barika replied.

The woman looked at Lyreen and Voekeer. “Would you two mind joining us? She’d love to see young people, and all of my children moved back to the village,” the elf woman said.

“Of course, we will,” Voekeer replied.

They walked up the stairs and down a small hallway. There were two rooms in this house. They went into the one on the right.

The oldest elf that Anna had ever seen was in a large bed in the corner of the room. She turned her head to see who had entered her room.

“I’ve brought some guests, mother,” the elf woman said.

“Oh? Well, come closer and let me see you,” the old woman replied.

Lyreen walked over first. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Lyreen,” she said.

The old woman smiled. “Come closer dear. Let me look at you,” the old woman said. Lyreen leaned in close. “You’re just the cutest thing, aren’t you dear. Tell me, how old are you?” the old woman asked.

“Twenty-four,” Lyreen replied.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” the old woman said. She started to cough. It was a terrible hacking cough. Lyreen looked worried.

The old woman smiled at her. “Don’t look at me like that, child. I’m dying, and we both know it,” she said. Lyreen frowned. “It’s alright. It happens to us all,” the old woman added.

Not all of us.

Voekeer walked over and put his hand on Lyreen’s arm.

“And who might you be?” the old woman asked.

“Voekeer, ma’am,” Voekeer replied.

“Well, aren’t you a handsome one. So, are you sweet on this girl here?” the old woman asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Voekeer replied. He grinned at her.

“How wonderful. Make sure you treat each other right,” the old woman said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Voekeer and Lyreen chimed.

Anna smiled. She liked the old woman. She was nice. She walked over to the bed.

The old woman looked over at her and gasped. Her eyes went wide, and she said something in elvish.

Lyreen and Voekeer looked shocked, and the elven woman rushed over.

“No, mother. She’s just a girl I met at the healer’s shop. She’s here to sing you a song. That’s all,” the elf woman said as she rushed over to calm the old woman.

Anna walked over to the bed. “What did she call me?” Anna asked.

“That’s the name of the beings that bring souls to the tree for judgment,” Lyreen said.

“Like a reaper?” Anna asked.

“Yes, but far better looking,” Voekeer replied.

Anna looked at the old woman and held out her hand. “I’m Anna,” she said.

The old woman looked at her hand and then smiled. “I’m Reena. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said and took Anna’s hand. “You’re so warm,” the old woman added.

“Would you like to hear my song?” Anna asked.

“Of course, but will you tell me how old you are first?” the old woman asked.

“One,” Anna replied.

The old woman looked shocked as did her daughter.

“I was created by an eternal being, and I’m eternal. I’ll never change in anyway,” Anna added.

“That’s amazing!” the daughter said.

“I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be so young and to have forever in front of me,” the old woman said.

“It doesn’t seem real sometimes,” Anna replied truthfully.

The old woman cackled. “I can’t believe I just met someone like you right before I die. Oh, what fun we could have had,” she said.

“It’s been terrifying,” Lyreen replied.

“How’s that, dear?” the old woman asked.

“She has tentacles and acts like a dwarf,” Lyreen said.

The old woman cackled again and then started to cough into her hand. “Now, I’m jealous,” she said when she recovered.

Anna grinned and said something rude to Lyreen in dwarven.

“I don’t think she’s that flexible,” the old woman replied in dwarven.

“Oh, she is, and she likes to call him daddy,” Anna said in dwarven. The old woman let out a belly laugh and then nearly hacked up a lung.

The daughter rolled her eyes. “Mother always liked to pal around with dwarves when she was younger,” she said.

“You should try it yourself,” the old woman replied.

“MOTHER!” the daughter said.

The old woman cackled again and then patted Anna’s hand. “Better sing your song. It’s not going to be long now,” the old woman said. She had a pained look on her face.

Anna nodded and started to sing. It was a happy song filled with joy. She thought of her friends and their travels together. Of the dwarves and their antics in the tavern. Of all the pranks she’d pulled and the fun mistakes she’d made over the last year. She heard the daughter crying and stopped singing.

The old woman was limp and pale. The daughter had her head on the woman’s chest and was crying into it while holding the old woman’s hand. Lyreen was sobbing into Voekeer’s chest while he looked on with wet eyes. Anna wasn’t sure what she should do, so she just stood there quietly.

Voekeer started to sing in elven. It was a sad song. Lyreen joined in, and soon the daughter started to sing as well. They finished a few minutes later.

“I’ll go get someone,” Voekeer said.

“Thank you,” the woman replied. She stood back up and covered the old woman with a blanket. She hugged Lyreen afterward and started to cry again.

After a moment they left the room and went downstairs.

The rest of the party looked at them sadly. They knew what had just happened. The daughter sat down at her table.

“Thank you. That was exactly what she needed,” she said, looking at Anna.

Anna really didn’t understand, so she just nodded. I shouldn’t smile.

Elves swarmed into the house. Most of them went to the elf woman to comfort her. A few went up the stairs. They came down with the old woman wrapped in a sheet a few minutes later.

Everyone left the house. They followed the elves who carried the old woman. Everyone was singing that song, and elves started to pour out of their houses to join the procession.

Hundreds of elves ended up walking with them all the way to the temple district. They went to the grove that was the temple to the elven goddess.

Anna and the other non-elves stopped at the entrance but ended up being dragged into the grove by some of the elves that had been in the house.

They walked down a path. The trees were thicker than a forest on either side. There was an opening, and when they walked into it, she could see a massive tree in the center with a wooden altar at its base.

The men placed the old woman on the alter and filed away. An elf woman in a green dress walked out from behind the tree and up to the alter. She faced the crowd and held her hands up.

She started to chant in elven. The crowd copied her when she paused. The chants got louder and louder until a cracking sound split the air. A branch the size of a normal tree fell from the massive tree.

Men in robes walked out from behind the tree. They carried axes and began to chop the branch up. Once they finished, they piled it up. Then they disappeared back behind the tree.

The priestess picked up the old woman and set her on the pile of wood. She took a step back and held out her hand. A golden beam shot out, and suddenly the pile of wood erupted into brilliant golden flames.

The crowd stilled and watched the fire burn in silence. It took hours for it to burn out, and just after sunset, the last wisps of smoke puffed out of the pyre.

The priestess turned to the crowd, raised her hands, and said a single word. The old woman’s daughter walked out of the crowd and up to the priestess. The priestess hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. Then she turned and went to the pyre. She put her fingers in the ash and then drew symbols on the daughter’s face. The daughter nodded and then walked to the side.

Another elf walked to the priestess. She hugged him as well and then painted the symbols on his face.

Elf after elf walked up. The crowd next to the priestess was bigger than the crowd facing the tree now. Voekeer walked up, and then Lyreen took Anna’s hand and pulled her along.

Once the priestess was finished with Lyreen, Anna walked up nervously. The priestess hugged her and kissed her cheek.

“This is our way, child. Don’t be afraid,” she whispered in Anna’s ear.

The woman painted the symbols on Anna’s face, and she walked over to stand next to Lyreen. Her other friends were next. The priestess hesitated when she got to Elaine but ended up hugging and kissing her anyway.

Elaine looked kind of funny with ashes painted over her tattoos, but Anna didn’t grin at her. It seemed rude to do that.

Soon, the last elf joined them, and then the priestess knelt next to the pyre and drew the symbols on her own face. She stood up and faced the crowd. She said a single word, and the crowd repeated it. Then they broke.

A few of them walked over to the pyre and tapped their chests before leaving the grove. Most crowded around the woman’s daughter. The priestess walked over to the party.

“I wasn’t aware other races would be here. Otherwise, I would have talked to you beforehand,” the priestess said.

“We happened to be at the healer when her daughter was there. She asked us over to see her mother. My friend here knows a wonderful song, and she thought it would comfort her mother at the end,” Lyreen said.

“I hope it helped. Reena suffered so at the end,” the priestess replied.

“She was smiling at the end,” Anna said. The priestess put her hand on Anna’s shoulder.

“Thank you for that. Reena was one of the best of us. She should have been in the capital surrounded by family at the end, but she wanted to be with her oldest daughter,” the priestess said.

“Who was she? I’ve never seen a funeral like that before, even for the elders in my village,” Voekeer asked.

“She was one of the ten,” the priestess replied. Voekeer and Lyreen’s mouths fell.

“What’s that mean?” Anna asked.

“The ten are the great leaders of our people. They are selected from the elders and are the greatest at whatever their craft might be. Reena was the greatest negotiator of her time,” the priestess replied.

The priestess looked around. “I have to go now. Come back and see me sometime. I’d love to hear that song of yours,” she added. She walked off and started to talk to other people in the crowd.

A few other elves came over to talk with them.

Suddenly, the crowd cleared, and a pale white-haired elf walked over. He was taller than Voekeer, and everyone seemed nervous around him. He ignored the others and stared at her as he walked. He towered over her and looked down into her eyes. He had solid green eyes with no whites or pupils.

“Hi, I’m Anna,” Anna said, holding out her hand.

He grasped her hand with his own. His fingers were oddly long, far longer than his palms were.

“I’m Mareep. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he replied.

Lyreen and Voekeer just stared in shock at him.

“What’s with you two?” Anna asked.

“That would be me. I happen to be of the high elf race. Common elves like them are often in awe of us,” Mareep replied.

They are stuck up, aren’t they?

“Ooooh, so you’re an immortal like me?” Anna asked.

Mareep cocked his head to the side. His eyes sparkled with magic. “Not quite. You have the look of an outsider. I’m sure there are a few differences,” he replied.

“What does that mean?” Anna asked.

“Give me your hands, Anna,” Mareep said. Anna held out her hands, and he took them in his own.

She felt a pulse of something go through her.

“Your mana core is the size of a dragon’s, but I’m afraid you have no inward facing mana channels,” Mareep said.

“What does that mean?” Anna asked.

“You will never be able to cast spells, at least not any crafted by elves or humans,” Mareep replied.

“Why?” Anna asked.

“You need to be able to draw some of the mana you push into a spell back into yourself,” Elaine replied, stepping next to Anna.

“The human is right,” Mareep said.

“Oh well. I can use spell rings, so it’s fine,” Anna replied. Mareep smiled.

“There’s always a way,” he said. He looked around at the crowd some more. “We should meet elsewhere and speak more. This is not the place for the exchange of knowledge,” Mareep said.

“The lad’s right. Elves are kind of stiff during funerals,” Thokri replied.

Mareep smiled. It was a strange smile. His mouth was far larger than it should be. “We shall meet at the dwarven hall. I should like to drink the black ale again. It has been centuries,” Mareep said.

“Aye, good idea,” Thokri replied.

“Now I must comfort the mourners. We will speak again in a week,” Mareep said. He walked away without saying goodbye.

“He was kind of weird,” Anna said.

“Aye,” Thokri replied.

“I think we should go now,” Elaine said.

“That would be wise, child. We don’t know enough of elven customs to stay,” Barika replied.

They walked to the pyre and tapped their chests like the other elves had and then left the grove.

Lucy stopped and just screamed into the night once they were outside.

“And she broke,” Elaine said.

“Aye. I’m surprised it took this long,” Thokri replied.

Barika walked over and hugged the woman. “Just let it out, child,” Barika said.

“What is going on? Nothing that’s happened today makes any sense! How did I end up at an elven leader’s funeral talking to a high elf?! I’m just a dirty street girl! I don’t get it!” Lucy wailed.

“You met Anna,” Lyreen said.

“WHO THE FUCK IS SHE?!” Lucy screamed.

“A baby tentacle monster whose father rules over a dimension of dreams,” Elaine said.

“What?” Lucy asked. She was shaking now.

Anna opened an eye. Lucy took one look at it and passed out.

“Was the eye too much?” Anna asked.

“Aye,” Thokri replied.

Voekeer smacked him on the back of the head, and Thokri just chuckled. Barika passed Lucy to Anna who tossed her over her shoulder.

“When she wakes up, we’ll know if she’ll stay or not,” Barika said.

“How do you feel about this?” Elaine asked Gwen. The woman shrugged.

“I’ll fuck her tentacles if she wants me to,” she replied.

“Ewww, no!” Anna said.

“Just offering,” Gwen said. Her friends chuckled.

They walked back to Anna’s house to find a dwarven party raging. Dozens of dwarves were drinking from casks that were lined up in front of her house.

“AH, THERE YOU ARE, LASS!” the blonde dwarf said. He walked over and handed her a full mug of ale. He then turned his head and threw up in the street. After that, he walked over, got more ale, and started to drink again.

Anna took a drink of the ale and walked into her house. Dwarves filled the main room and food lined her table.

“Fuck it,” Voekeer said. He walked over and started to pick food off the table.

Anna set Lucy in the corner and looked around.

What a weird day!

She started to eat the food herself figuring that going with it was the best thing she could do.