Tales of Fire and Ruin

The Changeling

While we were still within queen Idonia's earshot, Oleander answered my questions with a finger pressed to his lips. Then he slipped past me to take the lead while we traveled through his homeland. He effortlessly traversed overgrown passages and led me down dark, well-hidden tunnels. The kind you would miss if you didn't already know they were there. After a few moments I was already so disoriented I was convinced that even if the queen's soldiers showed up now, there was no way they or queen Idonia would be able to find us.

As Oleander and I went deeper into the heart of the Starcross woods, feelings of doubt started setting in. I second-guessed myself, questioning if I had been too rash in my need to do the right thing for the elves trapped in the mountains. I told the queen I wasn't acting as the Montbow heir today, but she could well ignore my words and punish my family, regardless.

Oleander had also already double-crossed me once. Who was to say he wasn't taking advantage of me having a weak spot for him to deceive me again? And if he was, in fact, lying, was I strong enough to strike him down and bring him back to the queen? I honestly didn't know.

While I brooded, Oleander brought me into another clearing. A field filled with fragrant yellow, orange, pink, and purple flowers. A large, weathered rock sat in the middle of the flowers, and six logs enclosed the field almost like a fairy circle.

Oleander halted. "Before we leave," he said, "there is more I need to tell you that was not meant for the queen's ears." He gestured at one of the logs. "Please, have a seat."

I chose a log which overlooked a babbling brook up ahead and sat. "This is not the part where you tell me you are actually planning on starting a war on Wildewall, is it?"

Oleander remained silent as he settled on the log beside mine with his gaze averted. His fingers were tightly wrapped around the queen's staff. The red gem glistered in the sunlight.

"Oleander?" I asked, unsure of myself now. "That was joke. I am here to rescue elves in the mountains, not to eradicate Wildewall or finish a war that started ages ago."

"I know," Oleander murmured. "But I will not lie to you. You must realise those dragons, or people, in the mountains we will save were—are the elven army."

I needed a moment to let Oleander's words sink in. "You're saying...they're an army of shapeshifting dragons who will get their mind back and no longer think like beasts if I help them?"

"Correct," Oleander replied. "The elves trapped in the Serpentine Mountains, like me, will realise ninety years have passed since the war. Ninety years during which they were made into a mockery by being the knighting trial for humans. Ninety years during which the humans killed their kin off one by one. Most will have lost a friend or a lover when they wake up, and needless to say, a few may have hard feelings about that."

"So, if we do this, we'd be unleashing an angry dragon shapeshifter army on Wildewall," I said. "Is that what you're saying? And you expected me to agree with that?"

"No, Laurence. That's not what I..." Oleander sighed, and started over. "That was what I intended to do when I first woke up in the valley and found out that many years had passed since the war. My brother and sisters were still trapped. I wanted to take the gem from the royal family, free my people, and burn the human lands to ashes. Starting with Wildewall."

I side-eyed Oleander. "And you don't anymore?"

"I don't," Oleander said. "Now I know we can live our lives in peace beyond these woods. Endris created a community where more elves can live. Some of those who weren't in our army could still be out there somewhere, in hiding, too. Perhaps it is for the better if we don't go to war at all."