Chapter 83: The Dark Elf Lands

Far from Sylvane and the Great Verdant Forest lies the territory that few humans have ever set foot upon.

The Dark Elf Lands were surrounded by dense forests and enormous black mountains. The dark elves made their homes in the lands for centuries and settled within the depths of the forests and around the valleys of the mountains. Unlike the wild lands beyond their borders, the forests were carefully maintained and roads weaved between the tree lines. Bridges crossed the ravines and the stream valleys. Watch towers were strategically positioned along the roadways that lead towards their lands.

The capital city.

It was a city built amidst the towering treetops, reinforced by the sturdy wood and the impenetrable black stone. Crystalline veins of energy pulsed through the streets long after the sun had set and hunters gathered in the open square. Merchants traded and craftsmen worked late into the night.

Life flowed on, as it always had. As it always would. Within the great fortress that stood at the center of it all, life was not so simple.

Nira leaned against the wide windowpane that looked out over the capital. She had been living in the Dark Elf Lands for the past several months.

While she had originally intended to return to Rosen City as soon as the troubles that had brought her here were resolved, it seemed that every trail only led to more problems and she had remained in the land longer than she had anticipated.

She placed a hand against the cool glass. She was home, and yet... the feeling was as distant as ever. Thinking of the Great Verdant Forest, Nira felt something tighten in her chest. Tanaka had gone there.

She still remembered the words that he had said in Rosen City as he prepared to enter the forest. He had been so certain of himself, so sure of his plans despite the anxiety in her heart. She had promised that she’d find him someday. Nira allowed herself a small smile.

"That idiot is probably causing trouble again,"

"Nira."

She turned at the sound of her mother’s voice. The matriarch of the Duskryn family stood in the threshold of the chamber. "Your father wishes to see you," Nira exhaled sharply in frustration.

Moving from the window, she followed her mother through the halls of the fortress.

Dark elves from the central council stood waiting for her arrival. Nira immediately felt the tension in the room as soon as she entered. Her father was already there, seated at the head of the table. An older dark elf with long black hair and piercing red eyes, he was the leader of all the elves that lived in the land, and today, he was not alone. Several council members had been summoned to this emergency meeting.

Nira took her place at the table. Her father looked at her for a long moment before speaking. "We recieved intelligence from the eastern border." Nira’s brow furrowed. "What happened?" Her father shook his head. One of the council members laid several documents on the table. "There have been several reports of increased militarization along the border." Nira frowned. "That’s hardly surprising." "It would not be, if that were all." Her father retrieved another document. "The Great Verdant Forest?!"

Nira nodded.

"Just over a thousand soldiers entered the forest and were never seen again." Nira’s fingers curled into the fabric of the table. "Do you know what happened to them?" "No." The answer was spoken by one of the council members. "We only have partial information on the battle, but it seems that the monsters of the forest may have been responsible for the soldiers’ deaths." Nira looked over the documents. "Was Tanaka there?" A tense silence filled the room. Her father saw the pain in her eyes. "We do not know." Nira looked away. That answer hurt more than she was willing to admit.

Nira’s father continued. "There is another matter." He unrolled a map on the table.

Several locations on the eastern border had been marked. Nira leaned in. "Monsters? How many?" "Far more than we have seen in recent years."

Her father replied. One of the council members pointed to the markings on the map. "They are not attacking our settlements, but most of them have been observed travelling west." Nira followed the line of monsters on the map.

"Towards us?"

She said. "Some of them are."

Her father replied. Nira was silent.

She had spent enough time with Tanaka to know that sometimes, the monsters were not as predictable as the humans would have liked them to be. They could organize themselves, learn, grow, and build civilizations just like humans could. It was a theory that Tanaka had once presented to her, and Nira was not yet willing to accept it.

Her father looked over the map and then at his daughter. "We will reinforce the patrols along the eastern border." Nira nodded. The meeting was over soon afterwards.

Nira returned to her chambers alone. She closed the door behind her and sat near the window. The events of the day still weighed heavily on her mind. A thousand soldiers had entered the Great Verdant Forest and not one of them had returned. Nira was still trying to determine what Tanaka would have been doing at the time. Whatever it was, she knew that he would not have attacked a force of that size without reason.

At least, she hoped not.

Nira laid her head against the warm wood of the wall. "Are you okay, Tanaka?" She let out a nervous laugh. She was alone, but somehow, the words still seemed to come out. Again, Nira thought about the last time that she’d seen Tanaka. She still felt the embarassment from that day, a day when her emotions had almost gotten the best of her. She had told herself that she would never let her guard down around him, that she would never show any emotion at all.

Instead, she had practically tackled him into a hug before running off into the distance.

Nira’s face grew red.

"I really did that..."

She covered her face with her hand. Tanaka probably didn’t know what to make of her either, not that it mattered. Nira smiled to herself. The smile didn’t last. Her thoughts drifted back to the monsters outside the city. The destruction of the human army was not the only concern. The increase in the number of monsters was an alarming development. Something was happening and Nira had no intention of remaining idle.

She stood from her seat and looked out the window once more.

The city was quiet, save for the occasional child wandering the streets or the merchant calling out for customers. The guards on the city walls changed shifts and the only things remaining in the streets were a few hunters returning from the deep woods.

____________

Seated at a long dining table, Nira listened as her father recounted the events of the day. Lord Vaeron Duskryn, the leader of the Duskryn family, sat at the head of the table.

His long black hair had begun to speckle with silver strands, but his bright red eyes never lost their piercing gaze..To his right sat his wife, Lady Sylvara Duskryn. Where Vaeron was loud and boisterous, Sylvara was calmer and more level-headed. The matriarch of the Duskryn bloodline was famed amongst the dark elves for her precise magic and keen insight.

She was often called upon to mediate disputes between feuding noble families. Across from Nira sat her younger brother, Kaelith Duskryn. At only fifteen, Kaelith was already as old as many warriors who served at the borders of the land. He had inherited his father’s black hair and his mother’s quiet nature, but he was far more curious than either of his parents.

He looked up at Nira as he ate. "You have been quite quiet this evening." Nira looked over at him. "Have I?" "You have." Kaelith smiled. "You always complain about Father’s meetings for at least ten minutes after they are over." Sylvara stifled a giggle behind her hand. Vaeron turned his attention to his daughter. "Your brother is right." Nira let out a long sigh. "I was just thinking about the information that we received today,"

"The information about the monsters?"

Nira nodded. Kaelith looked back and forth between the two of them. "What is happening?" Vaeron’s expression darkened.

"We do not yet know that." Kaelith frowned.

"Are they attacking?" "No."

Vaeron replied.

"Then why are we so concerned?" Vaeron set his teacup down on the table. "Because monsters do not tend to travel in such great numbers unless they have a reason to do so." Kaelith was quiet for a long moment.

"Could they be fleeing from something?" Nira looked over at her brother.

"That is possible." Vaeron said andnodded.

"It is one of the possibilities." Kaelith turned to his sister. "Could it have anything to do with the Great Verdant Forest?" Nira’s expression shifted slightly. "Why do you ask that?" "Because that’s where the human army disappeared." Nira’s heart clenched at his words. Kaelith was listening to the conversations of the adults, something that he wasn’t supposed to do.

Sylvara looked over at her daughter. "You are worried about your friend." Nira quickly looked away. "Tanaka can take care of himself." "I did not say he couldn’t." Nira turned to look at her mother. Sylvara smiled gently. "I only said that you worry about him." Nira had no response. Vaeron reclined in his chair. "Whatever occured in the Great Verdant Forest, we cannot allow it to spread to our lands."

Nira nodded.

Vaeron turned to one of the servants that lingered in the room. "Has Captain Edris returned yet?" The young elf bowed. "Not yet, my lord." Vaeron’s expression tightened. "He should have been back by now." Nira sensed something was wrong.

"Who is Captain Edris?" "You have been away for too long." Kaelith said. Nira looked at him.

Kaelith smiled.

"Captain Edris Veyran is in charge of the patrols along the eastern border."

"I remember him,"

"No, you don’t."

Nira frowned.

Kaelith continued.

"He was promoted while you were gone frolicking with Tanaka." Vaeron shot his son a disapproving look. "You shouldn’t speak to your sister like that.".Kaelith shrugged. "I only said she was away." Nira let out a quiet laugh. For the first time that evening, the tension in the room eased. The doors to the fortress opened elsewhere and several sets of footsteps echoed in the hallway. A servant entered the dining chamber. "Lord Vaeron, Captain Edris has returned."

Vaeron nodded. "Send him in." A moment later, a tall dark elf entered the room. Captain Edris Veyran bowed deeply. "My Lord." Vaeron scanned the captain’s body with an appraising gaze. "You are late." "There was an incident along the patrol route, my lord." "What kind of incident?" Edris hesitated before answering. "We found more tracks." "How many?" "Enough to indicate that their numbers are growing,"

Nira leaned forward. "Did you see the monsters?" "Just long enough to identify some of them." "What species were they?"

"Wolves, goblins, large reptiles, and some that I could not identify." Nira exchanged a glance with her father.

"Where were they headed?"

She asked. "Toward the capital?!"

Vaeron asked. "Yes."

Edris replied.."Did they attack you?"

Vaeron asked. "No." Vaeron stood.."Then we will increase patrols once more."

Edris bowed.

"As you command." He turned to leave.

Nira studied the captain’s face. Something about it unsettled her, though she couldn’t quite place what it was. Maybe it was just the uneasiness of the evening that got to her. Maybe she was simply imagining things.

Edris left the room.