“Welcome to the Crescent Fort,” the commander said as the detachment came to a halt, “you must be Lady Nilawen, the famed Elven actress we have heard so much about.”
Nilawen smiled. “You are correct. But let us be frank, how many Elves pass through these lands?”
The commander laughed, the sounds quickly softening his otherwise grim exterior. “By my calculations, we see just as many Elves on this road as we do Orcs nowadays. Of course, one of each is not a large enough sample size by any means.”
“Orcs?” Amantius repeated.
“I fear I have misspoken,” the commander continued, “I mean I have seen one Orc lately. In fact, Master Amantius, which is who I presume you can only be, we have been expecting you. Or at least, I have been expecting you. Your brother did not seem so convinced when I last saw him. Please, come inside, we have plenty of food and drink to share. Besides, I am sure your brother will be thrilled to see you when he returns.”
Amantius shrugged. You don’t know Ulam very well. He always was a stubborn one.
Chapter 7
Ulam
“Open the gate! The Orc has returned!”
Rusty hinges creaked as the large wooden gate to the Crescent Fort slowly opened. Ulam returned from the Orc Sanctuary in a melancholic mood, disappointed by the uneventful nature of his trip. Aside from watching three-horned sheep frolic in the swaying wheat fields surrounding the Sanctuary, he had found very little satisfaction during his excursion.
“Welcome back, Master Ulam,” the commander of the fort said with a welcoming smile. His name was Donnello, a man who had been born and raised in High Rock, the capital of the Emberi Empire. He came from a moderately influential family, one which used their societal status to secure a position of command for Donnello when he had come of age. Because of his lack of military experience, he had been stationed in one of the safest areas of the Empire, where he had governed for decades. Now that Ulam was aware of this, upon approaching the Crescent Fort for a second time the outpost was far less threatening. Instead of a stronghold fortified with the toughest soldiers in the Empire, Ulam saw a multitude of families living in a burgeoning settlement in the shadow of the mountains.
“I trust you found the Sanctuary?” Donnello continued as Ulam passed under the gate’s archway. “Though the road to the Sanctuary has not been cleared in many years, it should have led you directly to your destination.”
It led me nowhere. “It did.”
“Splendid. Find what you were looking for?”
Ulam shrugged. I am not sure what I am looking for. Clues? Artifacts? Home?
“While you were gone,” Donnello continued as he led Ulam across the fortress, “I found something you might be happy to see, though I must say you definitely were not expecting it.”
Ulam spotted Nilawen first, looking her radiant self, sitting on a stump. She was surrounded by a score of people, sharing news of the outside world with them. Donnello had been right, he was both happy and surprised to see her, although he could not halt the small sliver of shame burrowing in his heart. He had been in such a rush to leave Thornsgrave that he had not said goodbye to her, and for a moment, Ulam feared Nilawen had come all the way to the Crescent Fort to demand an explanation. Surely, she did not travel this far to scold me. No, that would be complete insanity! She may be determined and strong-willed, but she is too busy with the theater to come here just to chastise me for not saying goodbye. Or maybe that is her purpose, which is something Nilawen would actually do. I should apologize before she has the chance to speak.
A nervous sweat broke out across Ulam’s forehead as he approached her, his hands quickly turning clammy. A cold streak shot through his body, making his already wobbly steps even more uncertain. His throat was suddenly devoid of any moisture, as though bags of cotton had been his entire diet. With every step he took, the anxiety within him amplified, reaching its zenith the moment right before he spoke.
“Nilawen, may I…”
“You shouldn’t interrupt her while she’s speaking,” a voice more familiar than his own said behind him. “You and I both know she hates that more than anything in this world.”
Ulam grunted. Hearing Amantius’ voice brought joy to his heart, but anger and resentment followed shortly behind. He quickly steeled himself, fully expecting to hear a lecture as to why he should return with them to Thornsgrave and rejoin the Crimson Owl Traveling Theater Company. Of course that is why Nilawen is here. He brought her because he hopes together they will convince me to return. Ulam groaned as he thought about potentially going back to the theater, though he was not entirely against the idea. His main reason for leaving was to explore the Orc Sanctuary at the base of the Crescent Mountains, but since his expedition was over and had yielded disappointing results, he felt he had nowhere else to go.
“Don’t say anything,” Amantius said as Ulam was about to begin speaking. “I knew you were miserable, and that you were only staying in Thornsgrave because of me…and because of what happened in Silverwater. I was being selfish and I took you for granted.”
Ulam was shocked by Amantius’ admission; he knew admitting fault was not an easy thing for his foster-brother to do. Despite his surprise, he maintained his grim expression, hoping his foster-brother would eventually stumble into an apology. But Amantius offered nothing more, and silence quickly fell upon them.
After Ulam believed enough time had passed, he nodded his head and added his customary grunt. That is probably the closest I will get to an apology. “Have you and Nilawen come to convince me to return to Thornsgrave?”
Amantius burst into laughter, but
