The Three Kingdoms

6: Beyond

"Can this really be so easy?" Bor grunted as the four elves sprinted west through the dark forest, keeping his focus on the ground in front of him so as to not trip or fall over a stray root or loose stone.

"Our forest is made to keep intruders out, not in." Eruviel called back to him. "And we have the appearance of four night-watchers. No one would give us a second glance even if they did see us running through the woods."

"How much further do we have to go before we reach the border?" Beinion asked, while he too kept his focus on the ground in front of him. He noted that Eruviel kept her head upright, and didn't seem to need to watch her step as she glided carelessly through the trees.

"Not much farther." She turned to look back at the three ellyn following her. Every once in a while she had to remember to pace herself. She had been running through this forest for over a thousand years, and she knew each tree and branch. She was used to traveling with Telathion and Alassiel, who were equally familiar with the forest, and had to constantly remind herself that the foreigners would move a bit slower, and two of them were also still injured.

Nithron let out a small groan, holding his side where the arrow had pierced him earlier in the day. The group had been running for several hours through the woods at this point, and had not once stopped for rest. While the healers of Gúl had worked wonders when stitching up his side, it still ached with each step he took.

"Getting tired, young one?" Bor jested. His shoulder stung a little, but he had trained himself to ignore the feeling of pain in dire situations. He knew that being younger and less experienced, Nithron just needed the proper motivation in order to keep going at their hurried pace.

"I would be more worried about an old man like yourself." Nithron jabbed back at him.

Eruviel and Beinion continued in silence as they listened to the two throw insults back and forth. For some reason, they both found it rather amusing to listen to, and it seemed to make the time pass quicker.

It wasn't long before the three mountain elves found themselves looking on a familiar sight; before them rose a wall of dark, black bramble and leathery trees.

"I never thought I would be happy to see this sight again." Bor said rather jestingly. Nithron let out a small laugh of agreement, as he removed his gray cloak.

"Shall we go out in the same order we came in?" Nithron asked, looking to his captain for approval, while readying his axe.

"There is no need for that." Eruviel interjected, readying her knife and approaching the brush that loomed before them. The three ellons exchanged curious looks as they wondered how Eruviel planned to break through the unforgiving bramble with just a small knife.

Without a word, Eruviel held up the knife to the darkened trees, which seemed to immediately react to the crystal in a way that shocked all three of the mountain elves. To their astonishment, the leathery surface of the trees seemed to smooth over, and silver veins began to run through the bark, quickly spreading and taking over the trees.

The ellons watched in amazement as the briars before them seemed to clear several feet in both directions before their eyes, revealing a beautiful wall of trees that resembled the one that surrounded the inner forest and Nimloth Uireb. A neat archway was left open in the middle, centered around the crystal knife.

Beinion stepped forward in awe, and reached out to touch the newly emerged silver trees and branches. The texture was smooth and almost soft to the touch, with a slight warmth that seemed to pulsate from within the silver bark. He carefully slid his hand sideways, meeting the rough leather bark that had remained unchanged next to the newly revealed opening. It felt rough and cold, completely opposite from the silver trees the crystal had revealed.