Chernoe helped the human to his feet, and together, they proceeded on through the forest, until they arrived at a more robust expanse of flowers and trees.\u00a0 There, just beyond the threshold, was the queen of Cefen\u2019adiel\u2019s elves: Tarenda.\u00a0 She tended to a bed of flowers that were the most vibrant crimson that the ranger had ever seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady,\u201d Chernoe called out.\u00a0 \u201cMy lady, I bring to you the intruder I spoke to you about earlier.\u00a0 He has been speaking incessantly about someone named Icarus, of whom I am not familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow there is a name that I have not heard in some time,\u201d she cooed, never taking her eyes off of the flowers before her.\u00a0 \u201cHow is it that a human knows the tale of Icarus Callatuil?\u201d<\/p>\n
Steel Tip furled his brow.\u00a0 \u201cHe trained me and sent me to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tarenda couldn\u2019t hide her intrigue at that point.\u00a0 She rose from her knees and looked to the ranger.\u00a0 \u201cYou are saying that you know Icarus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been a friend of my family for generations,\u201d the human replied.\u00a0 \u201cAnd he recently gave me a baptism by fire in what it means to survive in the wilds.\u00a0 I believe that he sent me here so that I could continue learning from other elves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this Icarus, my lady?\u201d Chernoe asked.\u00a0 \u201cThis is the first I\u2019ve heard of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cIcarus is an elf whose name should not be uttered, yet it seems he\u2019s passed a bit into legend.\u00a0 He\u2019s one of the oldest of our kind\u2014around since the Fall.\u00a0 A good many people believe him to be the reason Tellest has been thrust into chaos.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose people are fools,\u201d Tarenda continued.\u00a0 \u201cIcarus should be venerated for his deeds these past few millennia.\u00a0 While Tellest was falling apart and bringing itself back together, he was one of the only constants lending his hand to the planet.\u00a0 If this boy is one of his wards, then perhaps the tide will have shifted in Cefen\u2019adiel.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned her attention to the ranger, then.\u00a0 \u201cWhat say you to that, child?\u201d<\/p>\n
Steel Tip blinked away his stupor.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019m a bit lost.\u00a0 I thought I was here to be trained in archery and swordsmanship and things of that nature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve spent time with Icarus, you\u2019ve all the knowledge you need of combat without actually getting your hands dirty.\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid the only way you\u2019ll improve from there is to actually experience the need to draw your bow and deliver an arrow into the heart of your enemy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, my assumption is that Icarus sent you here for training in worldliness.\u00a0 You were sent to immerse yourself in the culture of the elves, to gain an appreciation for Tellest\u2014both its beauties and its dangers.\u00a0 But Icarus has also become intertwined with this world.\u00a0 He knows what it needs even if he doesn\u2019t realize he does.\u00a0 With that in mind, Icarus sending you to us has opened up a possibility that I\u2019m not sure he was even aware of.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see, Cefen\u2019adiel has been crying out for months now,\u201d Tarenda continued.\u00a0 \u201cThe forest itself has been in pain, and all of our exploits to discover why have gone uncovered.\u00a0 While my people know the trees and the animals and the mountains, Cefen\u2019adiel is simply too big a place to be fully conscious of.\u00a0 I\u2019ve sent scouts to investigate the far end of the forest, and they\u2019ve become lost to us.\u00a0 But you\u2026 you\u2019re different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chernoe stepped forward.\u00a0 \u201cMy lady, you can\u2019t think to send him where others have failed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elven queen raised her hand to placate her scout.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve been trained by Icarus Callatuil.\u00a0 If he\u2019s trained you well, you have a place within my forest.\u00a0 The fact that you\u2019re human only bolsters my hope.\u00a0 Perhaps you could succeed where the elves have not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not in any real position to say no,\u201d the ranger assured.\u00a0 \u201cJust tell me what needs to be done, and I\u2019ll gladly lend my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, it would be prudent to explain to you what we know,\u201d Tarenda offered.\u00a0 \u201cCome with me.\u00a0 Both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steel Tip and Chernoe followed the elven queen through the garden, to the far end of the lush expanse.\u00a0 There, just beyond it, was a copse of peculiar looking trees.\u00a0 Tanned with smooth bark, they were unlike anything that the human had seen before, for they floated above the ground, mounds of dirt clinging to their roots.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese trees are unique to Cefen\u2019adiel,\u201d Tarenda said.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re called cordus trees, and they are responsible for some of the more peculiar constructions on Tellest.\u00a0 You see, cordus trees are naturally enchanted to float skyward.\u00a0 Nearly three millennia ago, they lifted entire islands into the air.\u00a0 One such island was the floating continent of Shandranar.\u00a0 After the Fall, when magic was banished from this world, the Cordus trees lost their power.\u00a0 Shandranar fell from the sky, fragmented.\u00a0 Its many pieces were scattered to Tellest, and one of those pieces fell here on Draconis.\u00a0 These Cordus trees are the only ones to survive that dark time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are to be our champion, you will be given a gift appropriate of that title.\u00a0 A corduswood bow is said to be among the lightest in the world, and it will help you take aims at enemies that might do the forest harm.\u00a0 I\u2019ll have one constructed for you right away.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to Chernoe, then.\u00a0 \u201cAs for you, child\u2026 if you are so concerned about this outsider, perhaps it would be in our best interest for you to accompany this boy in his mission.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can call me Steel Tip,\u201d the ranger interjected.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat will our mission be?\u201d the scout asked.\u00a0 \u201cIf Keldeyas has headed west, there is no need for us to travel in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, decidedly not.\u00a0 Perhaps his unfamiliarity with our realm is an advantage though.\u00a0 With fresh eyes, a closer inspection of the area closest to us might be most prudent.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chernoe stared plaintively for a moment, aware of his queen\u2019s intentions.\u00a0 \u201cYes, my lady.\u00a0 It is a good plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent.\u00a0 Take the boy to the citadel and make sure he\u2019s well rested.\u00a0 In the morning, we\u2019ll begin our quest anew to determine what is causing the forest such pain.\u00a0 Before long, perhaps we can get to the heart of all that\u2019s gone wrong, and set it right.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chernoe helped the human to his feet, and together, they proceeded on through the forest, until they arrived at a more robust expanse of flowers and trees.\u00a0 There, just beyond the threshold, was the queen of Cefen\u2019adiel\u2019s elves: Tarenda.\u00a0 She tended to a bed of flowers that were the most vibrant crimson that the ranger […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-15z","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4190,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189\/revisions\/4190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}