Obran quickly climbed on top of the wagon. In the distance he could see two riders who both wore dark cloaks, but he couldn’t make out their faces or see if they were armed.278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hcQJtINS4
“I’ll go check them out,” Mara said as she hovered in front of Obran.
“Don’t fly too close. If it’s elves they’ll have better eyesight than any of us and could shoot a sparrow out of the air,” Obran said. He'd seen how skilled elves were with bows during the war.
“Got it,” Mara said.
“Please be careful,” Zico said.
Mara flew into the sky. There was hardly any traffic now so they were on their own if it. Off the road, to their left was a forest and to their right some rocky terrain. Obran had to assume they were in danger and he quickly too charge.
“Stop the carriage, Zico,” Obran said.
“Erkin, go quickly and hide in the forest. When Mara gets back I'll tell her to follow you,” Obran said.
Erkin nodded and started to walk to the woods. They had discussed it earlier but Erkin still didn't look like the idea of hiding.
“Katrina, remember you’re just tagging along for safety,” Obran said.
“FIne, but at the first sign of trouble I'll tell Corvus to attack,” Katrina said.
“Let’s hope that won’t be necessary but thank you,” Tori said.
But Obran wasn’t sure how much her dog could help, no matter how big he was.
“C’mon, Tori,” Obran said.
Obran and Tori quickly got off the road and hid behind a rock cropping. Tori had her bow and Obran had pulled out his crossbow from under his cloak, arming a bolt. He also had his sword and everyone else was armed with daggers too; they were all ready when Mara flew back.
“Obran, Tori, they’re elves, two of them. I think they are carrying arms under their cloaks and they are coming at a trot now. They will be here in a couple of minutes,” Mara said.
“Thank you Mara, Erkin is waiting for you in the forest,” Obran said and pointed west.
“Yes, I saw him,” Mara said, then flew over to her husband. “Zi, I know you can talk your way through this. I love you.’
“I love you too,” Zico said
Zico handed Mara a small paring knife and she flew to the nearby forest. Zico then pulled the carriage off the road and took out some snacks from his satchel and handed some to Tomas while Katrina let her sheep feed on the nearby grab.
“Remember I’ll shoot the one on the left,” Obran said.
“Yes, don’t worry,” Tori said.
Obran and Tori crouched down so they couldn’t be seen; Obran could feel her shoulder next to his but Tori didn’t seem tense and her hands weren’t shaking. Stay cool...stay calm...he thought; he wasn’t sure if he was thinking about himself or Tori.
“I didn’t think we’d be facing off against elves again so soon,” Tori whispered.
“They do seem obsessed with you. Maybe one wants to marry you,” Obran teased.
“Ha…a dark elf would never marry a human,” Tori said.
“Yeah, I suppose not,” Obran said.
Obran still wasn’t sure why elves would be following them so openly; it was sure to be a big risk for them.
“You know there are stories of wood elves in Albion marrying humans, of them even marrying dwarves and halflings too,” Tori said.
“I wonder if those are just fairy tales,” Obran said.
“Me too,” Tori whispered.
Two large horses approached them and Tori grabbed Obran's hand as he peeked out.
“Hello, good friends,” Zico said.
“Hello,” Tomas said.
The two elves did not respond. Instead they circled the wagon and looked inside the windows. They had the same ashen skin, reddish eyes, and white hair like the ones who had attacked them in the gremlin forest and also wore similar blue cloaks; he hoped like the ones they had killed they were only wearing cloth and silk armor.
“Where are you coming from gnome,” an elf said; he spoke in a slither and almost sounded like a snake.
“We are coming from the celebrations in Remus, mister elf. They were great. I hope you two had a chance to enjoy the celebrations,” Zico said.
“Human, where are you from?” the same elf said.
“...Etruria,” Tomas said, exaggerating his northern accent again.
“Are you two traveling alone?” the elf said.
“Yes, we’re traders; this is my partner,” Zico said. “If you are interested we have some wine and olive oil to trade.”
There was no answer. The other elf continued to check the wagon as Obran listened intently.
“We just stopped for a meal if you are interested in joining us. I even have some elven bread,” Zico said.
Obran gripped his crossbow tightly and Tori nodded.
“What do you know of elven bread, gnome?” the second elven voice said.
“Uhm…I like to cook,” Zico said.
“Let’s go,” the first elf said.
The elves trotted off and continued south on the road, ignoring Katrina. When they disappeared over a hill Obran and Tori walked back to the wagon as Mara flew back.
“Are they continuing south, Mara?” Obran said; he couldn't see them past the nearest hill.
“Yes and no one else is coming from either direction,” Mara said.
“Okay. You did really well, Zico,” Obran said. “You too Tomas.”
“You were both great,” Tori said.
Erkin made it back from the forest.
“But we should get going. I have a feeling they may come back,” Obran said.
“Obran, shouldn’t we stay in a town tonight; there are plenty near and I don’t think they’d follow us," Zico said.
"That would be nice," Tomas said.
“Zico is right, Obran,” Tori said. “Elves wouldn’t risk attacking us in a city. The local guards and even the locals would fight them.”
Katrina brought her sheep to the road, ready to lead them forward.
“Okay. We’ll go to Narnia and stay there, to make sure they are gone, everyone back to the wagon. Katrina, we’re gonna rush a bit okay. Can you all squeeze in the carriage,” Obran asked.
“That wouldn’t be comfortable for any of us,” Katrina said. “I was gonna sleep soon. I’ll just pass Narnia in the morning and catch up tomorrow.”
“We can’t leave you by yourself,” Tori said.
“Yeah,” Erkin said.
"I can stay with you," Tomas said.
“No, don’t worry. They hardly even looked at me and I have Corvus too,” Katrina said.
Erkin and Tomas both looked disappointed. 278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpt3k9gEDVa
