“To go where?” Alwyn asked, brows furrowing. They didn’t exactly have a plan.
“We should accompany them back to Aefraya,” Krujha replied, gesturing to the elves sitting with Fionia.
Alwyn swallowed an exclamation of protest. They couldn’t go all the way back to Aefraya, not yet. If he returned before accomplishing the task Tessarion had given him—he didn’t even want to consider the possibility.
Krujha had noticed his barely concealed dissent, though, and turned to him with a frown. “What? You think these people deserve to be dragged all over the wildlands with us, after they’ve already been taken prisoner?”
“No, no,” Alwyn stammered, shaking his head. That wasn’t what he wanted at all. No, the elves deserved to go home, but hecouldn’t be the one to go with them. “I just... I don’t want us to lose our chance. We know Zesh was here, and we know where he’s headed.”
Krujha stared at him for a long moment with an unreadable expression. Alwyn fought down the urge to squirm uncomfortably under his scrutiny, not quite able to hold the orc’s gaze. Why was he staring him down so intently? Was what he said really so offensive?
Finally, though, Krujha sighed and closed his eyes. His usual swagger was nowhere to be seen; mostly, he looked tired and worried.
“Well, let’s wait to discuss this until Fionia is done with the others,” he said. “Maybe we can bring them to Drol Kuggradh instead. They’ll at least be safe there.”
Alwyn kept his mouth clamped shut. A detour to Drol Kuggradh was not ideal, either, but was better than going back to Aefraya empty-handed.
Chapter Fourteen
Alwyn
He had never seen Krujha in such a dour mood, so Alwyn didn’t linger with him for very long, instead returning to the group of elves. Fionia was a much better conversationalist than he was, though, so he mostly sat silent as they answered her inquiries. They were the sort of questions that he never would have thought to ask himself: what roads they were on, when they were intercepted, and how many orcs were in the group that seized them. He wanted to bring the conversation back to Zesh and this mysterious druid, but it seemed Fionia was more interested in avoiding detection for whatever part of their mission came next.
Then they began giving Fionia an account of what each of them had been delivering when they were captured, which seemed boring and irrelevant to Alwyn, and he soon became lost in his own thoughts. What had tipped off the rebel orcs that Torlag was not who he claimed to be? Had the orc’s work been sloppy, or was there something else at play? Could there be a double agent somewhere?
Even if there had been, the chances that they would have recognized Torlag seemed slim to none. More likely, they hadbeen distrustful of him from the beginning, tailing him back to their hidden camp. They would have to be more careful about entering and exiting the camp when they eventually caught up to Zesh’s host.
“We need to decide where we’re going.” Krujha’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. The orc had stepped into the group of elves, his tone impatient. It was true that this was the time of morning when they usually would be well on their way, and they probably couldn’t afford to stay for much longer.
“I see two options,” Fionia said primly, looking up at him with a carefully neutral expression, though Alwyn thought she seemed mildly annoyed at the interruption. “We can either guide this group back to Aefraya to report to King Ruven, or we can bring them to Drol Kuggradh to report to King Zorvut.”
The three elves glanced amongst themselves with varying degrees of concern or disquiet on their faces. But Krujha nodded in agreement.
“I agree. Those are the only two choices we really have,” he said. “Personally, I think we should make for Drol Kuggradh. Doubling back will cost us too much time at this point. What do you think?”
“Yes, we should go to Drol Kuggradh,” Alwyn interjected, even though the question had been addressed to Fionia. She glanced at him, her expression unchanging, but he had the distinct sense she was now annoyed with him, too.
“I am of two minds,” she said slowly. “I see the benefit in going straight for Drol Kuggradh. However, from their accounts, I suspect that route will be more dangerous, and these people have already dealt with more than their fair share of danger.”
“What do you all think, then?” Krujha asked, gesturing to the group of elves. They still looked at him with obvious uncertainty—not quite distrust, but enough trepidation for Alwyn to notice. He couldn’t blame them for being scared after having been sorecently at the mercy of their orc captors, but he had to push down the urge to say something in Krujha’s defense, especially since he was now in support of the option Alwyn much preferred.
None of them spoke for a moment, just looking between themselves as if waiting for someone else to decide for them. Again, the oldest elf was the first to speak.
“I would much rather go home to Aefraya,” he said simply. One nodded in agreement, while the other looked unsure.
“There is no guarantee the way back will be any safer. And it may be a longer journey overall,” Krujha said. “Drol Kuggradh has a significant population of elves now, along with the elven military outpost. Going there means it might take longer to get home, but when you do head south for Aefraya, you will be much better protected.”
The group of three seemed to converse silently, glancing amongst themselves; the one that seemed unconvinced gestured at Krujha with an expression that very clearly communicated “that’s what I said”, but the others appeared set in their preference.
“I understand that,” the older elf finally said, bowing his head slightly toward Krujha to soften the rejection. “But we would prefer to go directly for Aefraya, all the same.”
Alwyn stifled a groan, and instead it came out as a deflated sigh. For a moment, no one spoke, leaving them in an uncomfortable silence.
“I have a proposal,” Fionia said, breaking the silence. Alwyn’s eyes shot up to her. She was looking at him coolly. Despite all the other things they had to worry about, he couldn’t help but feel some small amount of jealousy that she could keep her demeanor so perfectly poised, even in such a dire situation. “I admit I also have some preference for a return to Castle Aefraya at the moment. But I understand not wanting to lose precioustime in this. Alwyn, Krujha, you two can likely make it to Drol Kuggradh and regroup with our mutual friend there. I can accompany our new friends back to Aefraya.”
“Just you alone?” Alwyn asked, frowning.
“We encountered very few others on the road,” she said, shrugging. “If we return along some of the more remote routes that our former party used to travel here, I think it is unlikely we will cross paths with anyone heading north from Aefraya this late in the year. I am confident in our ability to reach the border unharmed, though I will need an account from both of you regarding your efforts in foraging. Once back at Castle Aefraya, I’ll report on what has happened, and hopefully regroup there.”
