Lana looked down at a man who was kneeling at her feet. He had brownish red hair and his head was bowed to her but she knew it was Clay. Her heart sang at the sight of him and she wanted to jump up, run to this man and embrace him but her body didn’t obey her commands. In fact, it felt as though she were simply a spectator rather than the woman on the throne.
She stood, towering over Clay, and pointed at him.
“Take him away,” she said coldly. “I don’t wish to see his face again.”
Clay looked up at her with a stricken expression and panic in his eyes.
“Please, Lana!” he said desperately. “I never knew, I didn’t mean to do this to you. You must believe me!”
She turned and walked away from him…
Lana woke suddenly, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Panting, she tried to get her bearings. It hurt to see him, even in her dreams. She didn’t know why she had been so angry with him or what he had done to deserve imprisonment. She put a hand to her face and tried to calm her nerves. It had just been some conjuration of her imagination using what Clay and Nym had told her about the palace of Thelsamel and how it was constructed of trees that had grown together.
She looked around her and froze. Where was Nym? Lana scrambled to her feet in a panic. Had the elf left her as well? How would she find her way through?
“Nym!” she called, frantically. “Where are you?”
She waited and listened. She could hear nothing but the sound of her own frantic breathing and the wind in the trees. There was no trace of the woman, not so much as a footprint. Even her belongings were gone. Lana was alone, completely alone, in a forest that might not like her kind.
She waited for a time, hoping Nym would return but after an hour she knew she was on her own. Closing her eyes and calming herself, Lana took stock of her situation. She could stay here hoping an elf would come upon her and lead her to Eva or she could go on and try to find her way without aid. She was half elf, perhaps the trees would let her through. She could feel no resentment from them but no kindness either. They seemed to be focused only on keeping enemies out, not keeping her in.
Making her decision, Lana gathered her things and began walking. She couldn’t get a sense of direction in here, there was no sun to follow, but she turned to what she hoped was the east and started walking. She wouldn’t let this slow her down. She must reach Eva and find Clay. She had come too far to turn back now and give up. There was nothing left for her in the human lands so the only path was the one forward, toward the elves and her new home.
The Woman in the Woods
Clay had been imprisoned. Oh, perhaps he wasn’t locked up in a cell but it was the same thing. He paced the length of his room, something he’d done so much these past few days he thought he’d worn a rut into the floor. His mind was on Lana and Nym and he was worried sick over them. He had hoped to be on his way back to his companions days ago but the elders had shut him away in this room to await sentencing. His door wasn’t locked and he could freely wander the palace but guards were stationed outside and any time he got near an exit, even a window, they would silently move to bar his path.
He had arrived at twilight several days before, his horses both exhausted. Part of him rejoiced at seeing the beautiful palace in Thelsamel but the larger part of his mind was only on his mission. He handed the horses over to a minder and walked into the entryway, heading straight for the central chamber. He was in luck. The elders had convened for a meeting, each of the chairs around the grand table filled except for the largest, which was left symbolically empty in memory of the high priestess who had protected them all with the last of her strength.
Clay waited with the rest of the elves that had come to submit petitions to the council and eventually he was called forward.
“Elders, I have returned,” he said, bowing his head in deference. There was silence in the hall as all of the elder elves stared. Finally, Elder Sylwynn rose to address him.
“You have returned empty handed. Where is the Loral princess?”
Clay went down on a knee and continued to look at the ground.
“She is on her way. I met another elf on the path home and she is bringing Lana here.”
“You will explain yourself,” Elder Sylwynn said sternly. “Everyone else may leave. We will hear no more requests today.”
The petitioners in the room filed silently out, some casting curious glances at Clay where he knelt on the floor. Once he was alone with the elders, he stood but kept his eyes downcast.
“I took the princess, as I was ordered. On the way back, we joined up with another elf, a woman named Nym,” he began. There were some rumblings and stirring among the elders at the mention of Nym’s name but Clay continued.
“The woman - Nym, proved to be a loyal companion and I trust her completely. She became particularly close with Lana and I know that she will die before she allowing harm to come to her. And so will I.”
At this, he lifted his gaze and stared directly at the elders around the table.
“I would do anything for Lana. I would protect her from any harm, including harm that you
