The silver-cloaked Mage the spiritual leader of the Elves of Alfheim appeared at the Princess’s side Asra’s not your responsibility In Ljosalfar she’ll be well cared for Tis best you wait at the appropriate Cord for the rest of your Clan to gather then travel north to Helfratheim This way Macta said the monk Jardaine Anger spread across the Elf’s face As you say he muttered stepping back While most Faerie Folk rode the winds inside the Cord like birds that sail on a breeze royal families traveled in elaborately carved gondolas A fleet was tethered inside the Cord waiting for the departure of Princess Asra and her entourage Macta watched from a distance The Princess whose love he desired with all of his twisted heart slipped inside Then the ropes that held the gondolas were released and they sped away Faerie Folk always exercised caution when traveling the Cord They waited for the precise moment it was safe to enter for collision meant certain death Jim McCormack knew nothing as he charged ahead He tripped and fell against the exposed Cord the end of his rifle coming down hard and tearing a hole in the membrane The man’s legs were quickly sucked inside Screaming and kicking he struggled against the current of wind but it was too late He never saw the shape speeding toward him from the milky distance Black with red eyes that grew wide in surprise the Gremlin was moving too fast to change course In a bone-crunching crash the creature collided with the hunter The ground was showered with Blood and chunks of flesh and the rest was swept away in the Cord Stay back my children stay away from the Blood the Mage cried out Macta lingered nearby even as the crowd dispersed When he was certain no one was looking he knelt and dipped his finger in a puddle on the ground Then he moved the finger to his lips He had never tasted blood before Such an act was expressly forbidden the Elves harbored an ancient fear of spilled blood and the power of contagion And yet Macta thought just because something is forbidden that does not mean it is impossible Macta had spent his entire life doing things that were forbidden and he believed that nothing was impossible if one wanted it badly enough The Mage raised her hands and cried out in a trembling voice Listen to me children of Alfheim Today we have borne witness to a tragedy One of the Humans that entered our realm is dead and I have cast a spell over the other so that she will do us no harm Princess Asra and her family are safely on their way to Ljosalfar Prince Udos however has gone to join his ancestors in the Spirit World
Jardaine and the other monks made an effort to contain the crowd and to direct their attention to the Mage It was important that the Elves understand what was expected of them Though we are out of immediate danger the ordeal ahead of us is only just beginning said the Mage We must pack our belongings to leave Alfheim is unclean our land is contaminated fouled with Human and Faerie Blood Tradition says that three hundred and sixty moons must pass before the Earth has been cleansed and it is safe for us to return NO the Elves sobbed falling to the ground The mighty oaks of Alfheim represented their Motherland the only home most of them had ever known Where will we go Don’t despair soothed the Mage The Elves of Ljosalfar will take us in After our time in exile has passed we shall return Time heals all wounds it cleans even the foulest corruption The Mage gestured toward the clearing where the unconscious girl lay But before we go this Human must be removed from our Sacred Land All must help Take leaves from the branches of the oak to keep your fingers from touching her flesh or clothing The leaves will protect you from contamination while we move her body Next the dead Prince’s corpse was wrapped in cloth salvaged from the celebration tables The monks pieced together a bier from the wreckage of the tower Then the Fire Sprites assembled along the platform for the cremation burning with fierce rage and sadness and love until all that was left of Prince Udos was ash Silently the Elves went to gather their things They filed through the woods and disappeared into the Cord One day they would return when time had cleansed Alfheim of the stain of Blood and the shock from the Is she dead someone cried from the crowd Not dead answered the Mage but entranced Justice must be served We will put her to rest at the bottom of the stream beyond the grove and there she’ll lie as long as water flows over her open eyes With my enchantment she’ll watch the clouds go by and see the long years pass She won’t die but neither will she truly live She’ll have an eternity to consider the damage her kind has done to us So the girl was lifted from the forest floor delivered to the bank of the stream then rolled into the icy water The Mage went to the side of a young Troll who towered over the waiting crowd Tomtar as the Troll was known bent over as the Mage whispered in his pointed ear Tomtar nodded It was an honor to do the Mage’s bidding and he agreed to stay close by the stream and keep watch over the girl
disaster had settled into numb acceptance But for now and for many years to come the forest was left to the birds the squirrels the deer and the lonely whistle of the wind through the trees
