Soldiers seized Eltor and Caldal. They were taken to the prison and stripped and given prisoner uniforms. The cell door was slammed shut.
“I am sorry, Caldal,” apologized Eltor. “I know that I made things worse, but I had to deliver the message.”
“You did no different than I would have done,” consoled Caldal. “They must know of Emperor Marak and his plight. Joining with him is the right thing for the elves to do. I would not worry about it. The message will be delivered to the queen, and that was our goal. They may punish us for delivering it, but it was still the right thing to do. It will work out alright.”
“Plus we can bring it up every day during the interrogations,” nodded Eltor. “When they discover how great a threat Vand really is, we will be heroes.”
* * *
“Is it possible that Vand still exists?” asked the elder Volox. “Do you think these adventurers are making up stories?”
“They are not fabricating anything,” Malid shook his head. “They may have been fooled by someone else, but those boys were telling the truth. The interrogations over the next few days will tell us much. What bothers me is this Emperor Marak.”
“Why does he concern you more than Vand?” asked Volox.
“Because it was obvious that Eltor thought well of him,” explained Malid. “We all know that humans exist, just as they have existed for ages. We are prepared to defend our homeland against them, so rulers like Vand pose no additional threat than they did already.”
“But humans like Marak carry an additional threat,” nodded Amber, another elder. “One whose sweet talking can convince an elf of his human sincerity is a graver threat than the one who sails to Elvangar with ships loaded with warriors.”
“Precisely,” nodded Malid. “It was obvious that Eltor was taken in by this man. What are we to do with the women? They are elven, but not of Elvangar. I do not think that we have ever faced this situation before.”
“They have not broken any laws that we are aware of,” replied Volox. “It is hard for us to do anything but accept them as citizens.”
“We can’t send them back to where they came from,” Amber pointed out. “That would divulge the location of Elvangar.”
“No,” agreed Malid, “they must stay at Elvangar forever, but they do not even know our ways. It is like suddenly finding that you have grown children that you never knew about.”
“I say that we find them homes with families that would be willing to host them,” offered Volox.
“They are old enough to be on their own,” scowled Amber. “They are not children.”
“Perhaps not,” countered Volox, “but they are like children in our society. They are going to need someone to teach them our ways. Why not a family that is willing to teach them? Do you have a better idea?”
“That sounds fine to me,” Malid declared as he sought to end the discussion. “I must report to Queen Alycia about this matter. Why don’t you find them homes, Volox? It is your idea after all.”
Malid left the chamber to visit the queen. The rest of the elders moved off at a leisurely pace. Volox rose and walked to the entry foyer where the girls were being held. He walked into the room and stood silently staring at them for several minutes. Finally, he sat down next to MistyTrail.
“Which one of you is Mistake?” asked Volox, “and which is MistyTrail?”
“I am MistyTrail,” the Sakovan replied. “Are Eltor and Caldal alright? I mean do you know what their punishment will be?”
“The boys are fine,” smiled Volox. “Their punishment for sailing past the Barrier Islands is probably the most lenient that the elders have ever handed out for that offense.”
“That is wonderful,” smiled MistyTrail. “They really are good men.”
“You like them, do you?” smiled Volox as he watched the girls nod. “I understand that you two were born someplace other than Elvangar. That presents the elders with a bit of a problem. You are elves, but you do not know our laws and our customs. We have come up with a way to make you feel more at home. You are going to live with an elven family for a time. They will answer all of your questions and see that you know everything that you need to know. It will also allow you a chance to meet some of us while the boys are serving their sentence. Is that agreeable to you?”
“I think that I would like that,” nodded MistyTrail.
Mistake frowned and stared at Volox for a moment. His brow creased with concern.
“You spoke as if you were one of the elders,” Mistake stated. “Is that true?”
“You are perceptive,” chuckled Volox. “Pardon my manners. I am Volox, an elder of Elvangar. So many people know me that I forget my manners sometimes. I do apologize.”
“I am pleased to meet you, Volox,” Mistake said as the frown left her face. “MistyTrail and I both thank you for your interest in our welfare. I think both of us living with a family would be good for us.”
It was Volox’s turn to frown as he realized what Mistake was demanding. While the girls were willing to live with hosts, they demanded to be kept together. That would make his task that much harder.
“Very well,” the elder nodded. “It is too late today to find you a home. I will take you to my house for the night. Tomorrow we will find a home that will accept both of you.”
Volox rose and Mistake and MistyTrail did as well. He waved the soldiers away and led the girls out of the building. The walk through the city was pleasant as Volox pointed out buildings and landmarks along the way. The elder stopped in a park-like setting and grabbed a rope hanging alongside an old oak tree. He flipped the rope and a wooden platform slowly descended.
The platform had no railings, only a sturdy wooden frame created by four posts, one in each corner. Above the cage, the wooden posts curled to meet in the center. A rope leading upward was attached on top of the center. Volox ushered the girls onto the platform. He started pulling on the rope that had been hanging alongside the tree. The platform rose slowly. It was obvious that the old man was having difficulty pulling the platform up. MistyTrail smiled and gently took the rope from Volox.
“I would think that in any culture,” smiled MistyTrail, “it is permissible for the young to share the burden. Mistake and I can pull the rope.”
Volox grinned and bowed graciously to the girls.
“I manage it fine for myself,” he explained, “but I had not thought about the extra weight. Thank you for offering.”
“It is the least that we could do,” smiled Mistake as she helped pull the elevator up. “You are sharing your home with us.”
The platform rose smoothly and was aligned with a wooden floor when it reached the top. Volox stepped off and moved away from it.
“Let me inform my wife that we have guests,” the elder said. “It is best if I do not surprise her too abruptly.”
Mistake gazed at the beautiful home in the tree while Volox disappeared into it. The structure of the home took advantage of the natural form of the tree and appeared to belong there. Volox returned and ushered the girls into the house. An elderly woman smiled broadly and came over to greet each of the girls.
“Welcome to our home,” the woman said. “I am Anija. It has been some time since we have had a young one here. I hope you don’t mind sharing a bed? We only have two sleeping rooms.”
“Not at all,” smiled MistyTrail. “Mistake and I are sisters. My name is MistyTrail. We are grateful for your hospitality.”
“Sisters,” grinned Anija. “I should have known. You look so much alike. Come help me in the kitchen. I am preparing the evening meal. Which of you is the older?”
“We don’t know,” answered Mistake. “We did not grow up together. It is only recently that we found each other.”
“Oh that is sad,” Anija replied. “Sisters should grow up together. One of you slice up the carrots. The other can boil some water.”
MistyTrail pulled a knife and began slicing the carrots. She looked around the kitchen and nodded in appreciation. It was one of the nicest kitchens that she had ever seen. It was hard to imagine that it was in a tree. It even had a real stove of its own.