After his mother and father had been struck down by a plague, Laemin had run away into a large forest and never heard from or seen since. That was when he was six. Now much later, maybe twenty years, he hadn’t seen anyone in what he considered “his” forest. He had outgrown his clothes much earlier, so he made himself a rough tunic and leggings out of animal hides. Now and again he would find some clothes laying around in the forest, which made no sense to him, but as they fit fairly well, he took them. By now he had a large collection of clothes, mainly made out of animal skins, but some were the “gift clothes”, as he called them. Lately, though, his clothes had been disappearing from his caches in the trees, as had some dried meats in other holes. Someone was in his forest. He knew it.

Keiras had been watching the human ever since it had come in to the elven forest. He watched it even now, sitting in a tree, staring out at... Well, something. You never know with humans. They say they are doing one thing, but they do another. Like steal clothes. Especially since outside of the forest it will live for, what, about 40 more years? A blink of the eye in the life of an elf. This elf wanted his clothes back. Silently he walked under the tree and started climbing it, slender fingers finding handholds in the bark.

Laemin was staring off into the distance near the top of a large tree. He thought he could see a city from there. While he was wondering what humans were like, something had climbed up the tree behind him. Probably a squirrel, he thought. Suddenly the “squirrel” dropped down from a higher branch onto the branch he was sitting on.

The elf was like nothing like he had ever seen before. No animal had such long, golden hair growing only out of the top of their head. Laemin looked down at the gift clothes he was wearing, then up at the... thing’s clothes. They were nearly exactly the same, only on the elf they were looser and more flowing. He wondered if he could talk to it, so he gathered together his feeble memory of the common language.

“Name... Laemin. Human.”

Keiras realized that the human was trying to speak with him in Common.

“My name is Keiras. I’m an elf.”

Laemin had a confused look on his face, so Keiras sighed and started over.

“Name Keiras. Elf.”

Laemin’s face brightened in recognition. “Elf! See ears?”

Keiras obliged, pulling his hair away from his face and revealing two long, pointed ears. Laemin smiled and nodded. “Like ears. Laemin have?”

Keiras interpreted the statement to mean that the human either wanted ears similar to his or that the human wanted his ears. He chose the former. “No. I was born that way,” Keiras replied.

“Born that way?”

“I was...made like that. You weren't.”

Laemin’s face fell. Keiras forgot for a moment that he was talking to a twenty-six year old human, a full grown man, and not a child. He had to think of something consoling to say, something that wouldn't upset the human more. "I-I'm sorry. Only... Ah... Only..."

"Only elf have sharp ears?" Laemin finished.

"Yes. Only elves have sharp ears."

After the ear discussion, there was a long unbroken silence. Keiras absently scratched one of the topics of conversation, stretched like a cat, and stood up from his seated position.

"I must make a report," he muttered.

Laemin cocked his head to one side, looking for all the world like an owl. "Where Keiras elf go?" he asked.

"To the priestess."

"What priestess?"

"A holy woman."

"What holy?"

Keiras had to stop and think. He had never really considered the meaning of holy, and he couldn't put it into words for a six-year-old's vocabulary. "Someone promised to the gods in life and death." He knew it hardly did the word justice by a long shot, but it would have to do.

Laemin nodded. "Laemin come?"

Why not? Keiras thought. It could not hurt. "Yes. You may."

The elf and the human climbed out of the tree. Keiras thought of the dried meat he had taken earlier. How did he get it? "Laemin, how get food?" he asked. He pantomimed bludgeoning something with a club. Laemin shook his head and darted to a tree. He came back holding something in his hands.

"Like elf," he said proudly. Indeed, it was a crude imitation of the crossbow favored by the elves. Keiras picked it up in wonder. "Make by self," Laemin said. "Very hard. Take many suns."

Keiras was astounded at how well it was made, if only the equivalent of a six-year-old's replica. He fitted one of his own bolts into it, where it fit perfectly, sighted beyond the bolt to a tree, and fired. It flew straight and true to the center of the tree. "Amazing," Keiras breathed.

A tug at his sleeve brought him back to reality. "Laemin see pries-tess?" he asked.

"Yes. Follow me."

Keiras led Laemin to a hollowed out tree which led to a series of platforms. The platforms were the match of a human street, branching off in random directions, twisting and turning.

Keiras chose a path leading primarily to the right, toward the church. Laemin walked alongside him, having all the grace of an elf.

Soon they arrived at the church. They were greeted by two robed acolytes who led them into the heart of the church. The High Priestess was waiting for them.

Keiras bowed. "My lady, I wish to make a report on the human I've been monitoring."

"Shall I assume the human is standing next to you?" she asked, gesturing to Laemin. Laemin was staring openmouthed at the intricately designed walls and ceiling of the shrine, then noticed that Keiras was bowed, and knelt down.

"Quite a charming human," the priestess commented. "He would do well as a postulant."

"A-a what?!"

"He could be initiated into the church, with a little education."

"But he... He's a human!"

"As long as they are dedicated to the gods, elf or man is welcome."

Keiras fell silent. Laemin looked up at the High Priestess. "Laemin be holy? Holy human?" he asked.

The priestess nodded once. "Yes, Laemin. Follow me," she said slowly, so that he could understand it all. She walked away from Keiras and Laemin trotted after her.

Keiras sighed. How long did it take to become a full priest? A year, maybe? What about acquiring a full Elvish and Common vocabulary? Six months to more than a year, depending on the person. Laemin seemed determined, though, which would make a shorter time learning the languages.

It was going to be a long year.

During the months that passed, Laemin was taught Elvish and Common by the High Priestess. In a little over four months he had learned Common and was nearly fluent in Elvish.

Keiras entered the church to make his report and was greeted by Laemin. "Welcome to the church, Keiras," he said with a smile. "It has been a long time since I have seen you."

"And I you," Keiras replied. "Though I've dire news to report."

"What of?"

"For more than twenty years, a great evil has covered all but the elven lands. Now it's beginning to cover the forest."

Laemin nodded. "I shall find the High Priestess." He turned and ran through the maze of halls to her chamber.

"My lady! Mother Priestess!" he called. "Keiras Leafgold is here to make a report! 'Tis an urgent matter!"

The High Priestess glided out of her chamber, radiating a sense of calm. "Gods above, Laemin. Was it really so important that you ran shouting through the sanctuary?"

"Great evil... Edges of forest..." Laemin panted.

The High Priestess looked unimpressed. "What has Keiras to report?"

"...Said it was only for your ears, Mother Priestess."

"Well, then, it must be worth my time, at least." She walked purposefully down the halls into the main part of the church where Keiras was kneeling.

"Rise, Keiras. Tell what you have to report."

Keiras whispered what he had told Laemin to the priestess. "That is my report, Lady."

The priestess had a faraway look in her eyes. "Yes. I want you to find its source, and if possible, kill or destroy it."

Keiras was taken aback by the priestess' harsh words. "M-my lady, I thought the gods forbade wanton killing and destruction!" he exclaimed.

"This is not wanton, Keiras Leafgold! Do you think I would oppose the gods at a time like this, when this is the chance I have sacrificed and prayed for?" she raged.

"No... My lady-"

"No! I wouldn't give it up! You must destroy this...this evil!"

Keiras took a few steps away from her and bowed. "Yes, milady."

"And you will take two people with you."

"Yes, milady. Which two do you have in mind?"

"Myself and Laemin."

"Laemin? But he-he's not even a full priest!" Keiras spluttered.

"Today would have been--and still is--his day for initiation."

"It takes days of fasting, by that time it may be too late!"

Laemin stepped forward. "I have undergone the required number of days to fast already."

Keiras opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it and closed it. The High Priestess nodded. "All that remains is the ceremony. It will take place later tonight. I must prepare." She walked away, returning to her chamber.

Laemin clasped Keiras' shoulder. "She knew I had to go. Otherwise she would have sent someone more experienced than I."

"I understand. Although, I'd rather have an inexperienced priest that I could teach than an experienced one that I didn't trust. By the way, why do you have to come?"

"The reason we fast is to get our life's mission from the gods. Lady Alanshea's–the High Priestess'–is to avenge her family's death. Her entire family died by the time she was fourteen, and she entered the monastery. Mine is to assist the defeat of the Dark Power."

"So why does she come? Lady Alanshea?"

Laemin smiled gently. "You should prepare. I will tell you on the way." They strolled out of the church and toward Keiras' modest home.

"Lady Alanshea's family was ambushed by servants of the Dark Power, and she was the only one that survived because she called on some hidden arcane power. It was too late for her family. Her sisters and mother were dead, her father and brother were mortally wounded. After tending to their wounds, then watching them die before her eyes, the emotional pain was too great. She tried to starve herself, then received a vision from the gods. After that, she traveled to the monastery, and you know the rest."

"How long has it been?"

"No one knows, but some say that it was only a few years ago."

"Furthermore, how do you know all this?"

"The church does not keep secrets. Everyone's life story is common knowledge to everyone else."

Keiras shook his head. "I don't think I'd be able to cope after I told all my secrets to virtual strangers."

"I think the thought behind it is that you should not have secrets to tell. After all, secrets are mainly things you are ashamed of or aren't supposed to do."

Keiras went inside and came out shortly with a small sack, his omnipresent flute thrust into his belt, and a crossbow in a sling over one shoulder. "Ready when you are."

"All right. In that case, we can go back to the church and collect Lady Alanshea."

They walked back in silence. Laemin was praying that they would be kept safe during the journey, and Keiras was pondering his friend's earlier words. Soon they were utterly lost in thought and passed the magnificent church without a glance. Lady Alanshea had been waiting outside and followed them, respecting their silence and not saying a word. Thus the venture began, praying, pondering, and serenely trusting in the gods to bring them through whatever lay ahead.

Soon the sun was at its zenith and the trio was glad for the many trees in the elven forest. The silence still had not been broken, however. They seemed to be in a trance thinking about a specific thing. Keiras was the first to break it.

"Look, up in those trees," he whispered. "Something has been following us for the past hour."

Laemin and Lady Alanshea looked up. There was a tell-tale rustle coming from the trees above them. Keiras trained his crossbow at it.

"Drop out or climb down," he commanded. The upper branches shook, then a figure with red-gold hair streaming behind it jumped out of the tree. It looked at Keiras with a bored expression on its face.

"Well, here I am. What do you want?"

"Your name and why you are following us."

"My name is Rhian. I thought it would be interesting to see where two priests and a tracker elf were going."

Laemin looked at Rhian curiously. Her hair was bound in spools at her cheeks. She had the look of an elf, with a pointed chin and sharply defined cheekbones, but her ears were not as pointed as Keiras' were.

Rhian saw Laemin staring at her. "Yes, I am a halfblood. You, sir priest, are a human, as are you, madam."

Lady Alanshea stepped in. "Miss Rhian, I will be alive much too long to be a human. Not long enough to be an elf, but longer than a human," she said matter-of-factly.

Rhian shrugged. "So you're a half blood. It makes no difference. Where are you going?"

"Anywhere," Keiras remarked. "Wherever the twenty-year evil is."

"You three are going to defeat the evil? Two priests and a tracker? Don't make me laugh!"

"We are guided by the hands of the gods, so it is not necessarily a fool's errand," Lady Alanshea said smoothly.

"Gods, gods, gods. The gods have never been there for me. Me? Exiled. Mother? Murdered. Father? The murderer. The only thing that could be god-given is this-this magic. Even that is a curse, 'twas that that got me exiled. No. There are no gods."

After Rhian's outburst, everyone fell silent. Lady Alanshea appeared to be deep in thought, possibly about what Rhian said.

"Well," Keiras started after a while. "You could join us, if you like. My part is not quite as religious as the others, as I'm only a tracker."

"I have nothing better to do," sighed Rhian. "I suppose..."

"It is not religious. Nothing about it is remotely tied to religion."

"I said I was going!"

"Neither of you will be going if you continue to carry on like this," said Lady Alanshea. "Keiras in the front. Rhian, stay in the back. You would make a good rearguard."

Keiras walked reluctantly to the front of the group. Rhian drew two of her bone daggers and stayed behind Laemin. They started walking again, Rhian did not know to where. She sent out thought waves to find their surroundings and to detect followers, if there were any. All she found was a den of squirrels about a mile away, so there was no need to worry.

A half day's march away from them was a small rustic village. The crops had been harvested, and the day was darkening into night. Two children, a boy and a girl, had just heard the tale of Lan-Sharhan, the dark queen who started the twenty-year evil. Legend had it that you could summon her by standing in front of a still pool of water at middle-night and calling her name four times.

"Lan-Sharhan, Lan-Sharhan, Lan-Sharhan, Lan-Sharhan," the children chanted. They held candles, which flickered in a breeze and went out. They laughed nervously in the dark, and looked into the pool, their eyes shining up at them.

" 'S just a legend, right?" asked the girl. "Just something to frighten the little ones?"

"Everyone says it's true, but they always say that about legends," replied the boy.

"Yes, but I'm not frightened."

"Me neither."

They hugged their arms closer to their bodies, the actions betraying their words. A chill breeze blew across the town and snuffed out the torches surrounding the village, leaving it in complete darkness. A small crescent moon poked through a cloud, casting its reflection on the pool.

"Who are they that call my name?" demanded an ethereal voice. "Who are they that summon me to the mortal world?"

The children looked at each other fearfully. "I am one, Fareil, daughter of the shepherdess Farnreif," said the girl.

"I am the other, Aerchon, son of Chaero the miller," said the boy.

A figure appeared on the rippled water. "Fareil and Aerchon. The Summoners. My oracle foretold of you."

Fareil and Aerchon looked nervously at each other and took a step closer. "I don't fear you," Aerchon said bravely. "You are only a legend, a faerie's tale, a ghost. You could never harm us!" he stepped into the pool, then jumped back on to dry land with a howl of pain.

Lan-Sharhan laughed cruelly. "Two children, humans no less, think they cannot be harmed by me? You think I am a legend?" Green flame licked the edges of the pool, forcing the children to step back. "Do you children know why you were able to summon me?"

They shook their heads mutely.

"Tonight marks the twenty-first anniversary of the evil."

Fareil suppressed a frightened moan and hid her face in her hands. Aerchon looked away.

"This night I will come to power and reclaim what is mine, tighten my hold around this world!" The flames erupted around the pool, engulfing it and the spirit both. Soon they burnt low and the figure was gone. A voice hissed, "Run and hide, little ones, run and hide. If I could find you once, I can find you again. Run away!"

Fareil and Aerchon needed no more encouragement. They turned and fled back to their homes, keeping watch on the pool until they fell asleep at dawn.

Laemin shuddered. He was the last one awake, even though it was only dawn. "There is an evil presence nearby," he said.

Rhian laughed. "What, is it going to kill us all?"

"Possibly," Laemin replied seriously. "You never know."

Lady Alanshea shut her eyes and grimaced. "I can feel it also. Such a malicious intent..."

"Where do you believe this... presence... is?" asked Keiras.

Laemin hesitated, unsure of the direction. "To the east, mainly, but it feels as if it is all around us. It is very close, no more than a day's march away."

Rhian motioned for them. "Look, to the east. The same direction..."

The sun's rays glinted off of water. Near the water, smoke lazily spiraled out of what might be homes.

"Maybe we could rest there tonight. It doesn't look to be very far away," said Rhian hopefully. "A hot meal, beds..."

"Aye, we will see if we can make it before midday. It will be hot today," Keiras remarked. "That, and I do not want to be out in the open with the sun overhead."

Distances could be misleading, so they arrived sooner than they expected. Tired and hungry, they followed Keiras into the first house.

"I am very sorry for barging in, ma'am, but my friends I are looking for a place to sleep for the night," Keiras said.

Lady Alanshea stepped forward. "We have no money, but we would gladly do anything to earn our keep."

The woman looked up from a pot for the midday meal she was tending and wiped her hands on her apron. She smiled. "Of course, I would never deny my home to a traveler. I do not have any other rooms, so you will have to sleep here.

"My name is Farnreif. My daughter, Fareil, should be home soon, unless she is having dinner with her friend Aerchon." She sighed. "Fareil came home very late last night and looking like she had seen a ghost. I hope she is feeling well."

"If you would like, we can find what has frightened her," Laemin offered.

"That would be very kind of you, although she does not trust strangers."

"Surely she would trust a priest..."

"Well, Aerchon would, he is quite trusting. Fareil might, she might not, depending on the mood she is in. I am afraid we are not very religious."

"I will ask them, then. Which house...?"

"The one closest to the temple."

Laemin nodded his thanks and walked out of the door. Keiras walked over to the pot and dipped a finger into the pot hanging over it.

"Excellent stew. Veal?"

"Yes, and don't let me catch you in the pot again, you mischievous little fox! Honestly, you're worse than Fareil!" Farnreif shooed Keiras away from the pot, threatening him with a copper ladle.

Aerchon and Fareil were standing next to the water barrel behind Aerchon's house.

"D'you think she'd come again?" asked Fareil.

"I dunno. I think she gave up," Aerchon replied.

"Aerchon? Fareil?" came an unfamiliar voice. "Are you back here?"

Fareil drew in her breath sharply. "Could it be? Is-is it her?"

"It can’t be her, it sounds more like a man's voice. It sounds worried, as well," commented Aerchon.

"Over here! By the water barrel, in the back of the house," called Fareil.

Someone came around the house with soft footfalls. "Hello," it said. "I am Laemin, a priest from the elven forest. Fareil, your mother wanted me to speak with you."

"About what?" she asked suspiciously.

"She was worried when you came home late last night and looked frightened."

"It...It was nothing..."

"So you were afraid of nothing? I am a priest, you can trust me."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

Aerchon jumped in. "You wouldn't believe us, not after you hear what we saw." "You can tell me, and I will see whether I believe you or not."

Fareil and Aerchon related their story exactly as it happened, starting with their hearing the tale and ending with them standing together right now.

"So we do not know if she will return or not," finished Aerchon. "Do you think she will?"

"She may, she may not. It all depends upon what we do as a people," replied Laemin.

"I'm very hungry. Do you know if dinner is ready, Laemin?" asked Fareil.

"It should be by now. Are you coming, Aerchon?"

"No. My father wants me to stay home for a while."

"All right, I'll come back when my mother allows it," Fareil called. She was already halfway to her own house. After all, they were not very far apart.

Laemin walked behind Fareil. Could their story be true? If it was, then that would explain the feeling he had when he awoke that morning.

"I will ask the High Priestess," he decided. Now they walked into the home with the smell of veal stew wafting into their nostrils. Laemin's mouth watered. It had been a long while since he had tasted a good stew, much less veal.

"Hello, Mama," Fareil greeted her mother. "Who are they?" She gestured to Keiras and Lady Alanshea.

"The elf is Keiras, and the priestess is from Zheran, the elven forest. I am sorry, I did not catch your name...?"

"Lady Alanshea," she supplied. "I am the High Priestess."

"I see you have already met Laemin, and the other is Rhian," Farnreif said.

"Yes, Mama. Aerchon has, also."

"The three of them will be joining us for supper tonight and breakfast tomorrow, then they will continue their adventure."

"What adventure? Where to?" Fareil asked, looking from face to face.

"It would be much too dangerous for you, child," Alanshea said. "We will not let you go."

"Will you not even tell me?" she begged.

"No."

"Eat your veal, Fareil," her mother said.

They sat in silence. Fareil picked at the stew, then put her wooden spoon on the table. She ran out the door, stopping to call, "I'm going to play with Aerchon. I'll be home when the sun sets!"

Farnreif sighed. "She is spending more and more time with him. I'm not sure what to do anymore, I feel as if she's keeping something from me."

Laemin was about to say that yes, she is keeping something from you, but something in him cautioned against telling her for now. "My pardons, but I would like a word with the High Priestess." Keiras raised an eyebrow. "I will be right back," Laemin mouthed.

Alanshea followed Laemin out of the doorway. "It is about the girl child, correct?" she asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Aye, correct. She told me..."

"Yes? She told you...?"

"She told me that she had seen Lan-Sharhan. Her, and the boy Aerchon saw it."

"And you do not know whether to believe her or not? I would counsel you to believe her. The evil presence this morning, do you remember? It would not make sense on its own, but with the girl's sight, they fit together like pieces of a puzzle."

Laemin completed a servile bow and said, "Thank you. It is much clearer now."

Alanshea turned away. "Where are you going?" Laemin asked.

"I do not know. I will be back soon."

Laemin nodded and reentered the house, steeling himself for the reaction that would come when he told Farnreif what her daughter had seen.

Lan-Sharhan snickered in her lair, watching Laemin and listening to his thoughts from her scrying stone, a large crystal infused with a good deal of her evil magics.

"So, priestling, you steel your nerve and harden your heart to tell what the girl child saw: me. Am I truly that frightening? I think not."

She dissipated the magic shield encasing the throne room and motioned for the guards. They were formidable figures standing over eight feet tall, and very muscular. They were orks, after all, but not exactly normal. A spell of control over the mind and body, another to increase their strength and size, then they were her guards. Normal orks would not suffice; they would be utterly destroyed after a few attempts on her life.

"Come," she commanded. They followed docilely, one step behind her. She led them out of the castle and into the cold night air, another thing produced by her sorcery. Nothing had previously existed in this quasi realm, a world between the living and the dead.

"Protect my castle at all times. No matter what, let no one save me and my servants pass these doors." She let them grunt an acquiescence and walked back into the castle. There was planning to be done this night.