The Fifth

Chapter I

"Quintus, get over here!" The boy sighed "comin ma!" He walked over to his small but comfortable house playing with one of his ever so slightly pointed ears, his violet eyes darting back and forth "whatever it is I didn't do it" he calls out as he walks inside nervously. When he walks in his front door he sees a man he's never seen before. He was easily six and a half feet tall if not more with solid purple orbs for eyes and long pointed ears. "This is Serfus, an old friend of mine." His mother said. "Please Naivi, you do not look well I'll explain everything" the man said. "I not dead yet you old bat shouldn't you have croaked it awhile ago anyway?" His mother snapped. "As tactful as ever." The elf chuckled. "Now you are aware of who your father is correct?" He said turning to Quintus. "Yeah some elven snake who wouldn't even be on the same continent as me." The old elf sighed "yeah that's about right, however that particular "snake" as you call him has gotten back to his old tricks, he's gained quite a bit of power in the council, he's even trying to get the High Arcanist position." "Yeah, what do I care?" Quintus snapped. "Well, he's getting increasingly militant in his rhetoric in regards to humans, and your siblings are concerned."

"Oh so they care about me now? That's nice of them."

"Your father is looking to start a war, however it's only a fringe idea, if you were to show up on the floor of the council it would discredit him entirely"

"What do I care if there's a war, it'd take them a while to get here"

"Erius is talking like the elves could exterminate all humans within a year but that's just not true, mankind has gained much from the alliance, it would be a long a bloody conflict."

"It's not my blood."

"It is, your sister is the general of the draconian division and what of your human brethren."

"Duonia does seem nice, she was the only one to even write I even heard she tried to see me but apparently her entire strike wing was under orders to keep her from here."

"Think on it boy, she sent this to you to help on your journey there" Serfus gestures to a trunk five feet long but incredibly narrow, made of an unknown wood. "Here, she wanted you to read this before you opened it."

Dear Quintus

"You must come to the capital as soon as you read this. I fear father has gone mad. He says humans are barbarians and savages that must be destroyed. I put together a kit to help you on your journey, everyone pitched in so you have to come, your twenty right? Serfus said that's of age for a human ( wow, when I was twenty I was still not even half my height now).Unusius added in a book on political maneuvering, he says that you'll need it when you get here. I swear he's worse than father in his scheming but I guess you'll have some reading material. Tribusius added a ring of some kind I have no idea what it does I took it off his desk when he wasn't looking, Tribs bought into fathers speeches a bit too much but he means well. Quattuora finished her first cloak so Tribs enchanted it, she's so young only 115 and already doing beautiful work. Finally when I was promoted to general I was granted this powerful magical glaive but I was always partial to my old one but father would go through the roof if I didn't use the new one. I hope my old one serves you well. We need you fives. Please hurry."

Your sister, Duonia

Quintus looks up from the paper "I never got that, why does she call me fives?" Serfus chuckles and says " Quintus, it means the fifth" Quintus gives him a sideways look "guess dear old dad wasn't that creative with the names." His mother chimed in "Actually, I named you that to spite him. He insisted on a human name." With that both Quintus and Serfus laughed. "Let me see this equipment" Quintus said pointing to the box. Inside the bow His eyes were immediately drawn to the weapon taking up the length of the box. It didn't look forged as it looked grown it was a silvery color with a shaft four feet in length with a one sided blade a foot long curving ever so slightly upward at the end. Picking it up it felt light as if it were hollow but tapping it showed that it was indeed solid. Setting it aside the cloak was of a fine red fabric with the elvish symbol for five embroidered up and down the length of the cloak. "I'd very much like to meet Quattuora." Quintus said with a smile. "So you're going to Qeynia?" Serfus said hopefully. " I guess I am" Quintus said thumbing through a red book emblazoned with the Stargazer house crest. Finally inspecting the ring it was a thick gold band about an inch wide with a thin red gem shaped like a shield resting on the surface. Slipping it on Quintus turned to Serfus and asked " When do we leave?"