The Eldars

16

"Mant, last night you said that your aunt and uncle died when they were traveling to visit the elves. But, I thought Mauntie lost his way because the route between the elves and eldar was nearly lost due to disuse?"

Mant pauses as they are walking, they hadn't uncovered a trail of the evil ones yet and this was a good time for a quick break. His voice is soft and sad, "Father was born a long time after his siblings. Actually his father and mother weren't his siblings parents, or rather, his mother wasn't theirs. Their mother had died from illness many years before grandfather remarried and had dad. 

"Relations between the elves and eldar at that time weren't great, but they weren't strained either. The elves were still in hiding from the great war, well we were too I guess, but they were more so since they lived closer to humans. They liked humans even less than we do now.

"My aunt and uncle were part of a special envoy to the elvish people. Actually I think the hopes were for my aunt to find and marry an elf. They wished to strengthen alliances from what I could figure out. I think they also hoped for my uncle to bring home an elf to marry." Mant snorts, "I could have it all wrong, but that's what I think from reading between the lines. 

"My aunt and uncle were on elven lands when the attack took place. The border had been completely unguarded, the expected guards weren't there and there was no sign of them either. While my father and other's in Malinor blamed humans for the deaths, others, including the leaders, blamed the elves. They said that if the elves had been where they were supposed to be then my aunt and uncle wouldn't have died.

"My father, most definitely blamed the humans, but he didn't hold the elves blameless either. The leaders when they inquired didn't believe the story the elves gave about trouble elsewhere that drew the guards away from that border.

"After that things deteriorated between the eldar and elves rather quickly. In order to keep things from becoming explosive or in other ways deadly, all contact with the elves was terminated. I don't know if it was the eldar or elves that first decided on that course of action, but it really doesn't matter at this point."

"So why did Mauntie leave to reopen lines of communication between the two peoples?" Montani just doesn't understand this part. Really she's having a hard time understanding the strained relations from what she's being told. There had to be far more to the story than what Mant's telling her, or possibly even knows.

"The increase of evil one's activities mostly. He wanted to form a loose alliance with the elves, one of information exchange mostly. Anything outside of the eldar territories was a blind spot to us and he didn't like not knowing just how bad the situation was. But I think his desire to kill humans was just as instrumental as his desire to form the alliance was.

"One thing I've never understood, Montani, you were taught wood lore by the elves. There was very little that I was able to teach you and some that you taught me. How is that? From what we understood the elves hate humans almost as much as they disdain eldar."

"I'm not sure. The elven prince found me lost and wandering the forest when I was young. For some reason he took a liking to me. But when I tried to tell people they didn't believe me, because like you said the elves didn't deal with humans. Well, that's not entirely true, there are some that will trade with humans. The elvish items are highly sought after. I didn't realize that until someone offered me a great deal of money for my bow. But it was a gift from the prince himself and I wasn't about to sell it. The last thing I would want to do was offend the elven prince. I don't think the people realized just how close the elves lived to them."

Mant sits up straighter, perhaps he had things wrong about his father after all. "What do you mean?"

Montani shrugs not really paying much attention to Mant, she's focusing on her surroundings. "My family lived less than a day on foot from the heart of the elven lands, or rather, not heart but main location? Where the ruling family lived. The elves made sure that no further incursions by humans would be tolerated. Actually the day the prince found me, I think he was going to kill my family for daring to build so close to the elvish border."

Mant looks over at her and blinks at her revelation. If the way had grown difficult it would have been easy for Mauntie to miss the elven lands and find the human settlements instead. That would not have ended well for anyone.

"Mauntie was too far west in his search for the elven lands, that's how he hit the forbidden forest instead." Montani stops speaking suddenly and holds a hand up for quiet. Montani picks up her bow and slides into the shadows of the forest. Mant follows just as soundlessly.

"This trail has gotten almost impossible to follow. Since when do evil ones hide their tracks?" Montani growls to Mant. "If I can't find something soon I'll lose it comple-." She stops what she was saying and sniffs the air and grimaces in distaste. She takes off in a quick trot not looking to see if Mant is following or not, nor is she following any trail other than her nose.

Soon Mant smells it as well and has to hold back his desire to be sick. The smell of rotting corpses is all the smell either of them need. "How many do you think, Montani?" Mant inquires as he does is best to keep up with the nearly running girl.

"At least five, but no more than ten. I'd say at least one of the rotten corpses is an evil one, possibly two." They come to a hill and Montani points to the top, "The smell is coming from there. But the smell, is of death of several days, perhaps weeks."

Montani whispers the next bit, "They might be elves."

Mant startled stops and asks, "Why would you say that?"

Montani takes a second to look at Mant before replying, "The smell of evil ones is pervasive. But underneath the scent of rot and evil," Montani takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh. "It doesn't smell like Eldar or human. Besides I have never heard of humans being this far past the elven lands. That would mean either elven or dwarven scent. This is far away from the vaunted mines of the dwarves if they are even still in existence. That leaves the elves. Besides that the scent reminds me of sunshine and life. I can't explain it any better." Montani just simply shrugs at her inability of explaining the inexplainable. "Now shall we find out?"

Montani starts up the hill and Mant is quick to go with her. The hill is more or less clear and so he walks at her side. He mulls over what Montani told him as he walks, but always paying attention to his surroundings. He's never before heard of anyone being able to smell the different scents of the races. Especially when they've been dead for several days.

In his musings he inadvertently falls behind Montani and needs to hurry to catch up to her. He catches up with her just as she's about to crest the hill. He takes in the scene before him. "Four elves and two evil ones." He says finally as he manages to find his voice. "Can you find the trail from here?"

"I'm sure that I can, but first they need to be sent off," Montani says motioning to the dead elves. The four elves must have been the only elves in the group or the other elves would have sent them off. 

Mant stares at her. When it comes to evil ones there is no one more persistent and obsessive in their destruction. He's never known her to be side tracked when it comes to their destruction.

"According to the elves, their souls are not at peace until their bodies receive the send off. I would not have another forbidden forest be created due to a courtesy, Mant."

Mant shakes his head, "You are of course correct." No one knows how the forbidden forest came into being, but the stories say it is due to ghosts being trapped there for eternity.