“I don’t think so,” grinned Caldal. “I think the elders will reclaim it.”
“The elders?” frowned Eltor. “Why would they ever bother?”
“Because it is what MistyTrail and I are going to sail through the Gates of Elvangar tomorrow,” he replied enthusiastically. “What we arrive on will be confiscated by the elders as part of our punishment. Why give up the scout ship when we can offer up an old raft?”
“And we can moor the scout ship here at Alamanda,” Eltor nodded excitedly. “That is brilliant. When our punishments have been fulfilled, we will find the ship here and claim it.”
“Exactly,” nodded Caldal.
“Won’t someone else discover it in the meantime?” asked Mistake.
“I don’t think so,” answered Eltor as he pointed along the beach. “Down there is the outlet of a small river. We can drag the ship up the river and hide it in the jungle foliage. No one will ever find it unless they know where to look. It will still be there when we want it.”
The four adventurers talked for a couple of hours while the sun disappeared and the stars came out. They slept on the beach and woke with the first rays of dawn. Eltor and Caldal walked the elven scout ship along the beach and disappeared into the jungle. MistyTrail stared at the old raft with disdain.
“Having second thoughts?” chuckled Mistake.
“I have seen better rafts in ponds,” frowned MistyTrail. “The people who built it were not very skilled in woodworking. I wonder which trip will be more dangerous?”
“I imagine that they will both be interesting,” replied Mistake. “I think it is important for each of them do as they wish. Don’t worry, sister, we will be together again tomorrow.”
MistyTrail sniffed and hugged Mistake. When Eltor and Caldal returned, MistyTrail broke the embrace and rose. Caldal offered his hand, and MistyTrail took it.
“Tomorrow,” MistyTrail smiled thinly as Caldal led her towards the raft.
Eltor and Mistake watched as the small raft left the harbor and turned along the coast.
“She will be fine,” consoled Eltor. “Let’s get started so we are not late to the village.”
They climbed over the rocks of the ruined city and slid into the jungle. Eltor led the way while Mistake followed several paces behind. The trail was narrow, nothing more than a game trail leading deeper into the jungle. Mistake marveled at how much the jungle was like the Qubari Jungle, and yet unlike the jungle on the Island of Darkness. She noticed the same plants and animals as the Qubari Jungle. She soon realized that the jungle was probably created with magic as the Qubari jungle had been. That was the difference. The jungle on the Island of Darkness was probably a natural jungle.
“Are there tyriks in this jungle?” Mistake asked Eltor.
“A few,” nodded Eltor, “but do not worry about them. They do not inhabit this area of the jungle. Wild boars and large cats are the main troubles that we will face. I will be ready for them.”
“And snakes?” asked Mistake as she saw a long, fat snake hanging from a moss covered tree.
“Oh, yeah,” nodded Eltor. “And snakes. I forgot about them. Caldal and I use to play in the jungle when we were younger. It has been some time since we have been through here. After we learned to sail, we spent much time doing that rather than hiking.”
“You played in the jungle as youngsters?” frowned Mistake. “Why?”
“Because it was there,” shrugged Eltor. “There were older kids who protected us, and we never went very far. Whenever we went to the coast, we had a very large group. The animals are not foolish. They avoided the large groups, so we were pretty safe.”
“Is there any chance that you can sneak into your village without getting caught?” Mistake asked after several hours of silent walking.
“None,” Eltor shook his head. “Elvangar is very well protected. It has always been so.”
“Since the attack of Vand,” corrected Mistake.
“Yes,” conceded Eltor, “since Vand. I wish Vand had never lived. I now know that humans and elves once lived in peace. I wish it were still so. The people who raised you are honest decent folks. I think they have much in common with the elves.”
“Well,” replied Mistake, “not actually the people who raised me. They were despicable people. Well, the woman was anyway. The man died when I was young. But I don’t think they were typical of humans. I used to think that they were, but I have learned different since. I imagine the elves are much the same. There must be good and bad elves?”
“There are,” nodded Eltor. “Why else would we need laws and prisons? We will talk about it after we leave the jungle. I must remain vigilant for now.”
A short while later, a figure grabbed Eltor as he walked past a large tree. The elf turned to stare at his attacker. The creature was as large as an elf, but it was not an elf. It had smooth leathery skin and an odd orange tuft astride its head. Its ears were sharp and pointy, and its mouth was as small as a button. Eltor frowned at the strange creature. It did not appear to be threatening even though it had grabbed him. It mostly held him close while it sniffed the air around him. Suddenly, the creature opened its mouth to speak.
“Elf, Tokak!” yelled the creature. “I have an elf!”
Eltor saw the button of a mouth open to a wide cavern of long sharp teeth. The creature’s eyes gleamed with excitement, and spittle sprayed the elf. Eltor screamed and tried to back away, but the creature’s hold was too strong. Its sharp teeth descended towards Eltor’s neck.
“Tiny!” shouted Mistake. “Put Eltor down immediately.”
The creature turned to stare at Mistake, who had just appeared on the trail. Its mouth instantly closed to a button, and its forehead creased in confusion. Slowly, it released its hold on Eltor. The elf scrambled backwards until he was alongside Mistake. He started to pull his sword.
“Leave it sheathed,” Mistake warned softly. “Tiny is a friend. Aren’t you, Tiny?”
“I remember you,” Tiny said, still frowning with confusion, “but that was a different place.”
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Mistake knew what was coming, but Eltor did not. She took his hand calmly and squeezed it.
“Be polite,” she warned Eltor. “The mother is coming.”
Eltor tried to calm himself as he watched the huge creature push her way through the underbrush. Tiny looked expectantly and grinned as the massive troll emerged from the bushes and blocked the trail.
“Elf, Tokak!” grinned Tiny. “I smelt it real close. It is elf.”
Tokak’s large bulbous nose sniffed the air. Her large ears flapped, and her eyes stared at Eltor.
“Hello, Tokak,” Mistake said as she spread her lips in a broad smile. “How did you and Tiny get across the sea?”
Tokak seemed to notice Mistake for the first time. Her eyes shifted to the female elf and she shook her head.
“You said that you were not an elf,” Tokak said accusingly. “There is no fire to mask the smell this day. You are elf.”
“I didn’t know anything about elves before,” replied Mistake. “How could I possibly have known that I was one? I was raised by humans.”
Tokak did not reply. Her mouth yawned open, and Eltor twitched at the sight of massive sharp teeth. The huge troll seemed to be weighing some unasked question. Mistake decided to interrupt before the troll came to a decision.
“You have not greeted me as a friend,” sniffed Mistake. “Tokak declared that we would be friends for life. Doesn’t Tokak honor her word?”
Tokak frowned and stared at Mistake. Slowly she nodded her head.
“Mistake is a friend,” declared Tokak. “She will always be our friend, Tiny. You may not eat her.”
“I caught the other one,” pointed Tiny. “He is elf, too. Can I eat him?”
Tokak grinned broadly and nodded.
“Wait!” shouted Mistake. “Eltor is my friend. I would be very hurt if you ate my friend. Then we would not be friends anymore, and Tokak said we would always be friends. Therefore, you cannot eat Eltor.”