Kah'lii: A Tale of a Girl and her Dragon

Chapter 4

Kah'lii and the wizened librarian were soon standing on the steps of what appeared to be the oldest structure on the island. It still had the telltale columns and magnificent archways that had set the tone for the other architecture in the city, but time had dulled its glory, and ivy had claimed most of the façade. The two ascended the multiple steps to reach the tarnished bronze doors, and then entered with a subdued reverence.

The interior had fared somewhat better, but the ravages of time were still evident. The bamboo roof had been patched multiple times throughout the years, allowing the afternoon sun to break through in slivers, and much of the outer ivy had grown through, giving the ancient structure the appearance of an abandoned greenhouse. Unlike the library, the floors contained no elaborate or mosaic patterns, so the pair marched forward on heavily packed dirt.

Near the end of the great-hall-design sat a collection of dwarves, all of whom bore age-marks that put the librarian's youth into perspective. They were four in number, and each sat quietly either reading a scroll, smoking a pipe, or using an abacus, while the fourth seemed to be dozing. The scholar approached while Kah'lii followed at a respectable distance, but as he was about to address the group, the elder with the pipe pointed the mouthpiece at the young elf.

"You should not be here," he stated with a raspy voice.

"I mean no disrespect with my presence, but..."

"No, mountain elfling, your kind should not be here... be anywhere," the elder replied.

The librarian stepped forward. "I request permission to address the Council of Elders."

The dwarf with the abacus chuckled, and the ensuing voice sounded slightly feminine. "Jodahr, so formal you are! In seventy years, you will most likely be sitting on this council... what would you ask of us, and why have you brought us an elfling from an extinct race?"

"Elder Na'tash, you honor me," Jodahr the scholar replied. "But today, I have brought you this elfling because she seeks knowledge of what lies beyond the edge of the world."

The snoozing elder opened his right eye and locked it on Kah'lii. "Knowledge... knowledge you say? The knowledge you seek is considered to be forbidden, young elfling. Your heritage aside, why have you come to us?"

As she stepped forward, Jodahr turned to her. "Speak up, and tell them the entire story, ending with the most important revelation." He then pointed to each one by one. "The elder with the abacus is Na'tash... she is our mathematician. Ledoov, the gentleman with the pipe, he is the keeper of our laws. Next, our historian is Pahk; he is the one holding the scroll. And last, the one who awakened in time to question the knowledge you seek is Rafaan, our philosopher."

Kah'lii nodded, took a deep, yet anxious breath, and began her story. "My name is Kah'lii, and I was born nearly twenty years ago in the Red Forest. Until a few days ago, I was always led to believe that my mother was a wood elf, and my father was a Drow, but I was recently informed that I held no Drow characteristics... and up until an hour ago, I still believed my mother to be a child of the Red Forest. Your gracious scholar, Jodahr, told me of my true heritage, and it has answered many questions about my life: my hair color, my dark skin, and my fierce independence... which no other wood elf seemed to possess. Due to my obvious differences, I was branded an outcast and I left of my own free will to live in the trees, far away from my assumed kin.

"As my twentieth summer approached, I grew restless and decided to explore. My travels allowed me to meet sher'ka, endahri, humans, halflings, multiple elves, and now dwarves. But, while in the hills of a land called Talbetha, I encountered another being similar to myself: an outcast... the last of his kind. He told me of the edge of the world, and that he heard of the land beyond being a mystical place. So, together we decided to seek out this mythical land... to journey there and begin anew. But, I need to inform the council of the truth about my friend, my companion, my adopted brother. He is not a person, but a black dragon."