Ch.40

"For me to come with them, of course. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know. That's why I came here. Because I believe you tried to warn us. Your kind are the only ones who could know the answer to this riddle. Maybe you found the runes themselves‌—although I doubt that. In any case, you obviously know more than anyone else. The other creatures may be strong and smart‌—or at least as strong as me‌—but they wouldn't know anything about what's happening. They can't even speak our language."

Evander watched as Rozalia continued to climb up the trunk, holding on tightly until she finally reached the top. From there, the dark elf tilted his head, wondering if he should make himself known. However, before he could open his mouth, Evander realized that the woman was looking down at him.

"My name is Evander. Not your friend, not your boyfriend. You have a choice now. You can leave me behind or let me help you. Otherwise, the only way you'll survive is if those beasts take you prisoner. If you don't like that‌—then we're done."

The half-elf saw her raise her head, turning it back toward the other trees where the beasts moved from one side of the clearing to another. And although Rozalia continued to stare down at him, she didn't say a single word.

A moment later, the dark elf moved away from the tree‌—his exhaustion from the past days wearing him out more and more each day. But the same couldn't be said for Rozalia, who was still standing on top of the branch, staring directly at the creature. Then Rozalia stood up straight, moving her hands so she could wrap them around the thick wood‌—before climbing down.

Evander didn't like the sound of what she was suggesting. The dark elf walked toward the other elf, watching closely as Rozalia began speaking. "We can get inside the creature through the mouth. Just like before. Only this time, I'll go first."

Evander stopped just in front of the half-elf, shaking his head. "No‌—I won't let you do that."

Rozalia raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. "But I'm the one who can open the door, Evander. Isn't that what you're really afraid of?"

"Yes," admitted the half-elf. "It is. Which is why I don't want you going alone‌—especially now that we've experienced how much trouble we can cause."

The woman frowned at him, then began to walk toward the beast. "All right, but before I get started‌—do you mind telling me what this creature is? Or more importantly, what makes it so different from all the other monsters we've seen so far?"

"There's no difference, except that everything else goes for our brains," he answered‌—but he wasn't sure if she was listening or not. "And that's probably the reason they haven't made a move on us yet. When you kill their leader, everything will change."

***

For almost twenty minutes, Rozalia and the half-elf moved through the forest. Although neither had any idea where they were going, the dark elf assumed the orcs must have been searching the area‌—because there was no way they'd never find them with such a simple trick. But when their journey finally came to an end, Evander felt confident enough to let out a long sigh.

"We should be safe for now, at least until morning comes."

"Of course," said Rozalia, although she was staring straight ahead. "I can't open the door without light, which means we'll need to figure out another solution before we're ready to leave this place. We also need to make sure that none of those creatures get too close while we're in here."

Evander nodded his head, assuming she was talking about the orcs and their beasts. And although he understood her point‌—he would feel safer with no one around them‌—the dark elf figured the other elves might still be nearby. Because even if the orcs weren't looking, the other creatures were.

As they continued moving deeper into the forest, Evander saw how Rozalia kept herself constantly in motion‌—heading for something, although he couldn't tell exactly what. Perhaps she knew the exact location already. Or maybe she was trying to catch their enemies off guard. The half-elf had no idea.

After a few more minutes, however, Rozalia stopped. In front of them, the creature began to move again. It moved fast, as if it didn't want them to have anything to worry about. But that wasn't the case, Evander realized.

Then he heard her whisper. "Evander, I think someone is inside. Can you see anything?"

The half-elf's eyes quickly shifted to the back of the monster, which was far enough away so that he wouldn't have spotted anyone if the creature was facing them‌—at least not until they turned around. And judging by the way the thing was moving, Evander was certain it hadn't noticed their presence yet.

"I don't know," he answered. "Not very well. Maybe you could take a closer look?"

Rozalia didn't answer, but Evander figured she had to be lying. The dark elf wasn't stupid. And although he didn't think much about the voice in the monster, he knew this was no ordinary creature. He could tell because the creature moved differently than all the others he'd seen throughout his life.

When he thought the woman had been quiet for long enough, Evander decided to start walking toward her again. As he walked, however, he couldn't help but turn toward the beast once more. And before he could stop himself, he began to walk backward, still keeping an eye on it.

He heard Rozalia take a quick breath, then speak in a low voice. "I'll give you one chance to come back inside the tree."

The dark elf stared at her, completely dumbfounded by what she was suggesting. After a moment, he heard a gasp from behind him. Then he saw it.

There was something behind the creature‌—someone or something. But the only thing the half-elf could see was the movement within the bushes.