“Fair. Do you know anything about the founding of Tranquility and the new god? If you’re willing to share…” What could Rylana offer a centuries-old elf who probably only worked for the challenge and satisfaction of molding young people? “I know the winner of the Golden Whisk cooking competition and founder of the now-famous Dragon Diner. I could finagle a free meal for you and your troupe.”
Rylana expected Valesena to scoff, but she and Layothlee both looked at Jildarin. He now hadsevenelders around him. One had a pad of paper out and was scribbling something with a pen.
“Since we occasionally get elven clientele with vegetarian preferences, he’s perfecting a coffee-rubbed mushroom dish,” Rylana added. “Or maybe the mushrooms will be crusted. I’m fuzzy on when something is rubbed versus when there’s a crust. I just buy the ingredients and handle the books.”
“Oh, coffee,” Layothlee said with interest.
Valesena snorted softly, but she did not scoff. “I do enjoy excellently sautéed mushrooms, especially when it’s a medley of many kinds. There are a variety of species that proliferate in this climate, as I recall.”
“The morels should be coming out now,” Layothlee said. “Oh, and I saw some orc-hats growing alongside the road on the way here.”
Valesena gazed thoughtfully at Rylana. Contemplating coffee-rubbed mushrooms? Or whether she would help aninfamoushuman?
“Having an active curse on the opening night of our performance could result in injuries to my troupe,” Valesena said, “if notthe burning down of the entire venue. The troll gods arenotto be trifled with.”
“There have already been some fires in town,” Rylana said. “A new-god temple went up in flames.”
“I don’t doubt it. But… Listen, girl. The knowledge you seek could be personally dangerous for you to acquire, in addition to shattering your lifelong beliefs. Do you worship the new god?”
“When I was a girl and my mother was alive, she took us to the new-god temple across the lake for services, but… after she passed, Father didn’t bother. He was always too busy working, and when I, uhm, served in the south, the human god—Losan—was more commonly worshiped. We had a chaplain who chanted prayers over us when we were injured and in the evenings before battles read aloud passages from his holy book.”
“It sounds like you hold your beliefs loosely.”
“I guess.” Rylana shrugged.
“Come with me, then, if you like. And I’ll tell you a story.”
Before following, Rylana checked again on Jildarin and his growing collection of elders. She was tempted to wave for him to extricate himself and come join her, but he might be gaining information that would be important. Of course, when he met her gaze, he looked more beleaguered than enlightened. She held up a finger and pointed to indicate she would go with Valesena, though it occurred to her that leaving Jildarin’s sight while in the enclave might not be wise. Nonetheless, the possibility that she might learn a profound truth made her walk after Valesena.
As the elder led her away from the practicing troupe, Rylana noticed the guards at the archway and the two elves who’d escorted Rylana and Jildarin to the enclave all watching her. The escort, she noted, had removed the tranquility ribbons from their weapons and were fingering their bows.
“Hopefully, this isn’t a mistake,” she murmured to herself.
15
Valesena stoppedbeside a stream gurgling through the elven enclave and used her staff for balance as she lowered herself to sit on a mossy boulder. Layothlee, the only elf who’d been friendly with Rylana, hadn’t come along, instead returning to train with her troupe. Thanks to a stand of trees, Jildarin was no longer in view, but one of the guards had followed, no doubt to keep an eye on Rylana and make sure she didn’t threaten one of their elders. Age notwithstanding, there was a magical power about Valesena that suggested she could take care of herself.
The guard stopped outside of earshot, so Rylana didn’t complain. She sat on a damp log opposite the elder.
“The Ore War is only the latest of many,manybattles that have taken place between the intelligent species throughout history,” Valesena said. “You have studied the past and have some awareness of that?”
“Yes. Even though business and mathematics were what I specialized in during my school years—those topics being chosen by my father rather than myself—my tutors tried to give me a broad education.”
“They probably did not cover much on elven history.”
“Just the cursory amount that humans know. Your people keep to yourselves.”
“It is safer for us that way, yes. What about gnomish history? You know how many races enslaved and oppressed their kind, finding their mechanical aptitude and willingness to work hard useful to exploit and their physical stature unintimidating?”
“Yes.”
“In my youth, there was much war up here in the north, constant conflicts between the troll, ogre, and orc tribes in this area, sometimes even affecting the dwarves in their mines.” Valesena waved toward the mountains. “And then the humans, craving new frontiers and always searching for resources for their growing population in the south, also came to this area. Soon, the fighting was rampant. No matter which god the various peoples followed, they all believed Luminous Lake was a holy spot, that the rare and beautiful presence of the bioluminescent aquatic life signaled that their deities had drunk from and blessed the water. Never mind that, many millennia ago—whenyourkind still ran around naked in the jungles, grunting and bashing prey with rocks and clubs—an elven scientist came to the area and, through his experiments, was responsible for that.”
Rylana bit her lip. Thiswasn’tthe history she’d hoped for, but she made herself listen politely.
“Because of all the fighting and violence,” Valesena continued, “this area was not safe for gnomes, who simply wished to pursue their intellectual endeavors and avoid being enslaved. There were a few gnomish wizards with substantial power who started hiding the camps of their people, but it was not enough. Whenever gnomes ventured beyond those ensorcelled borders, they were in danger of being kidnapped and put to work. Some of their people, those who became the founders of Tranquility, came up with the idea of creating a habitation where all who wanted to live therewould have to agree to peace. The various intelligent species would promise not to harm each other, and they would also not take gnomes prisoner and force them into labor. Because the habitation would have a prime location on the lake, with access via the rivers that flow in and out of it to the sea and other lands, it would be desirable. People wouldwantto live there. But trolls already claimed that area, you see, and other species also kept trying to take it.”
Rylana sat up straighter at the mention of trolls.
