The Eldars

22

"It's safe now Teondae, you can enter," Montani says after everyone has surrendered their weapons and made themselves comfortable.

Teondae steps into the light from the fire and although they are prepared most of the elves still tense up and place their hands where their weapons had been before they gave them to Montani. Many elves had to visibly control their actions to avoid attacking the Vacar.

Teondae ignores the elves and takes his time. When he gets to them he bows to Montani.

Montani breaks the silence, "Your people, Teondae, what do they say?"

Teondae straightens and looks to Montani, "My people long for their homes and will do much to return to them, even fight a war for the humans. They  agree upon condition that they are accepted by the humans. I am sent to test their willingness to accept us. If it is favorable my people will return to this land and fight for the humans at their side. What would you have me do for you?"

Montani smiles at Teondae. Gaining the trust of the humans will take time and work. She tells Teondae this, "But in the meantime, you can help us hunt the evil ones."

Teondae smiles at her and Mant, "That will be no hardship. I have longed for the chance to fight them on my own for some time now. It just isn't the same when you use another." At the uneasy shifting of the elves Teondae is quick to reassure. 

"I have relayed the message about using the mind control. My people were shocked at how it was viewed and have vowed to no longer use it. I think they are more than a little pleased about it, to tell the truth. They have wanted to go hunting themselves and now they have a legitimate reason to do so." Teondae smiles and his face lights up in a gleam of desire.

Teondae looks at the elves and the camp expectantly, "Are you ready to go now? If not I can wait until you are." At his words the elves spring into action feeling goaded as if the vacar was looking down on them. It doesn't take them long to break camp. Once they are finished Teondae takes off and the others are quick to follow him. His pace is fast and the others are hard pressed to keep up with him, except Montani and Mant.

The trail that Teondae is following grows fresher as the night wears on. Teondae steps up the pace even further, pushing the hardest pressed elves to even more. Finally as dawn approaches Teondae slows and stops. The others crowd around him looking at him wondering why he's stopping. He sighs, "The trail is only hours old at this point. This is where we'll be stopping. They would have stopped as well. Should we come upon them like this we wouldn't have much chance, you are all still too worn down."

They all want to argue with him and Montani has a dangerous glint in her eyes and a wicked smile on her lips. Teondae bows once more to Montani and fades into the dying night.

Most of the elves had already started making camp but Leear comes over to Montani and Mant who had been quietly talking. Mant nods and slips away. Montani turns her attention to Leear. He suddenly finds himself wondering why he thought talking to her would be a good idea. "Yes, Leear?"

"Teondae will not be joining us in camp?" The elf mumbles out.

Montani gives him a small secretive smile, "No, he knows that you elves are not comfortable with him. Also he prefers the comforts of his home that he hasn't been to in centuries. He also is uncomfortable in the sun, although he can deal with it if push comes to shove. He'll be back by dusk. When he comes back we'll need to be ready because he won't be holding back like he was tonight."

Leear looks at her dumbfounded. He'd been holding back? The elves are accounted some of the fastest runners and have incredible stamina, but they'd been hard pressed to stay even with the vacar. Some of the weaker elves had started to straggle before Teondae had decided to make camp. 

Then Montani's words ring in his ears, his home is that close? That was impossible. They were very close to the elven lands and there were no homes other than elven and human out here.

Montani watches him with a small smile on her lips as he works through what he knows and comes to a conclusion.

"The forbidden forest?" He whispers softly.

"It's not my place to say one way or the other Leear, but that would be my guess." Montani gives him another small smile before making her own bed near Mant. She closes her eyes and is soon sound asleep.

Leear wishes that it was that easy for him as well. His mind can't seem to stop all the stories his people have told about the forbidden forest. It was midday before he was finally able to fall asleep and he doesn't feel rested when he is wakened a few hours later for food.

Teondae shows up as dusk starts to fall and the pace he set the day before was nothing compared to the practically flying pace he sets now. The trail speeds by in a blur as they near the evil ones. Another trail of evil ones join in with the ones they had been tracking. Teondae stops them soon after and fades into the night to scout out the trail.

Teondae fades back in sometime later and reports. "They are heading towards the village a short ways ahead. Unfortunately there was a farm that was in their path. The evil ones have already destroyed all who lived there." This report makes Montani angry. The glint from last night is there and now it's stronger than ever. 

Montani takes off and the others follow soon behind her. They circle the position the evil ones have taken for the night. Once she is in position Montani doesn't wait for the others she starts firing her arrows. The evil ones had decided to camp for the night at the farm they had destroyed and the similarities are too obvious for Montani to ignore. The fire of hatred burns bright. Even as her arrows find their mark others of the evil ones start moving and Montani unleashes her spell. They no longer move and more arrows find their mark. Those ones fall as her spell is released.

Eight of the ten evil ones are down before the spell releases it's grip on the evil ones. Mant manages to kill one of the remaining evil ones and Teondae takes out the last of them. The elves go about the gruesome task of taking care of the dead humans and animals. They go to take care of the evil ones as well when Montani stops them.

"No, the eagles should have been patrolling this area. They never should have gotten this far and yet they have. Let's leave a showing off what their slacking has cost them. Their eyrie isn't that far from here." Montani is angry, she knows what agreement the eagles made with the Eldar, she had been there. It may have been ten years ago, but still, the evil ones are the natural enemies to the eagles and she hadn't thought they'd slack in this.

Teondae watches Montani, and is glad that she is not his enemy, at least not now. He gives  a silent shudder at what had nearly happened to him. She is very powerful and a natural leader. Even the arrogant elven prince is deferring to her and he's never heard of the elves deferring to anyone, not even the eldar, but especially not to a human. But then again he thinks the elven prince is more than a little in love with the human girl, no woman, he corrects himself. He can understand why.