Brian Anderson - Of Gods And Elves

“I don't understand,” said Gewey.

“All will be clear,” Felsafell assured.“Clear as glass. But not now. Now with enemies about, we mustbe swift and silent.”

“Enemies?” said Gewey

“Don't fret,” said Felsafell. “Noswords or arrows will hinder us. A clear path we have. But enemiesdon't always carry swords. Be silent and still and all will be well.”

The party gathered and continued toward the Chamber ofthe Maker. Felsafell walked just behind Gewey and Kaylia, while Linisventured a few yards ahead of everyone, scouting for signs of anambush.

As the day progressed, elves began to approachFelsafell, requesting a private talk. Felsafell’s wisdom waslegendary among the elves, and they did not want to miss a chance tobenefit from it. True to his word, Felsafell was more than willing tospeak to all comers. Some walked away smiling, others angry, andothers in tears. Gewey wondered what he had told them, rememberingthe words the strange little man had for him on his porch in theSpirit Hills and how they had upset him.

They stopped once for the midday meal, and Geweylistened for signs of pursuit, but to his relief, all he could hearwas the sound of the wind and various small animals. Even though heinformed Linis of this, he still insisted on searching the area. Heenjoyed that while Linis could remain invisible to the others, he,Gewey, could still hear exactly where he was.

“Your power grows,” said Felsafell, munchingon a bit of bread. “No longer weak. No longer frail.”

“How do you know what I am?” asked Gewey.

“I am old, not blind.”

Gewey stared into Felsafell's watery, gray eyes.Something was there, deep inside. Something different. Somethingunfamiliar. “You're really not human, are you?”

“Human?” he laughed. “No, no, no. I amtoo old for that. I am the first, yet I will not be the last.”

“You said that before,” said Gewey. “Butwhat does it mean?”

“Me and kin wandered the hill and valleys, wedid.” said Felsafell. “Happy and free. Before the elvesand their ways. Before humans and their wars.”

Gewey raised an eyebrow. “So you're saying yourpeople were here first? Where are they now, and why haven't I heardof them?”

“We are all gone.” A tinge of sorrow filledFelsafell’s voice. “All but me. Poor Felsafell. Gonebefore the humans gathered, were we. We saw the coming of elves. Buttoo small the world became. Too prideful were we to remain. Deep insilence we escaped until only our voices were left.”

“So your people were here before the elves,”said Gewey. “But what about the Gods?”

“Oh, how wonderful they were,” saidFelsafell. “We loved them so. We love them still. But in time,we lost our way and our will. Spirits we became… companions to yourmother and father.”

“Do you know who my real mother is?” askedGewey. “I've guessed that my father is Gerath. But who is mymother?”

“I tell what I know,” he replied. “ButI speak of only what I know… and this I do not. Perhaps the Book ofSouls has what you seek.”

“You know about that?” said Gewey in ahushed tone.

“Oh, yes,” said Felsafell. “I wasthere. I saw the Book. I hear its cry. It longs to be opened. Butbeware… a bell that is sounded cannot be un-rung.”

“What's in it?” asked Gewey.

“Many things,” he replied. “Some Iknow and others I do not. But now is not the time for telling thesesecrets. Soon enough… yes… soon enough.”

Kaylia walked up and took a seat beside Gewey. “Youhave caused quite a stir. The entire party can't stop talking aboutyou.”

Felsafell smiled. “I have not left home in thelives of many an elf. It is good to see the world. Better to know I'mremembered.”

“I've noticed your speech has changed a bit,”said Gewey.

Felsafell cocked his head “Has it? I guess livingin the world does that… oh yes. Practicing with the living makes iteasy. Spirits have no need for speech, and elves rarely visit.”

“What about humans?” asked Kaylia. “Dothey ever seek you out?”

“No, no,” he answered. “They knownothing of me. They think me a ghost. A rumor. But time for more talkwill come later. Now we must march.”

The elves had already begun to gather their packs andgear, and soon they were on the move once again. The day was warm andthe sun shone bright in the sky. Traveling with Felsafell wasenjoyable for Gewey. He never tired of the old hermit’sstories, though he understood very little at times, and had neverheard of most of the people and places mentioned. Before he realizedit, they had walked thirty miles and it was time to stop for thenight.

The following days were much the same, though Gewey wasbecoming increasingly apprehensive as they neared their destination.The night before they were to arrive, Theopolou asked Gewey toaccompany him, away from the others.

“Are you prepared?” asked Theopolou.

“I'm not sure,” Gewey admitted. “Ireally have no idea what I'm going to say to convince them.”

Theopolou looked at Gewey thoughtfully. “Theappearance of Felsafell should help with that. Word will spread fastthat he is with us. That you have such an ancient wisdom as your allywill go far to sway the doubters. The main thing you must remember isnot to allow yourself to get angry. Your opponents will try to twistyour words. If you show anger they will see it as a sign of weaknessand you will lose support quickly.”

“I'll do my best.” Gewey sighed. He tried toimagine just what would be said to anger him but came up withnothing.

When he returned to camp, Gewey tried to take his mindoff the thought of the day ahead by listening to Felsafell sing songsin an ancient forgotten tongue. Though he couldn't understand thewords, he imagined an epic battle between good and evil being wagedacross time. He wondered what the song was really about but didn'tbother to ask. Once the song was done, Gewey shut his eyes andlistened to the music of the forest until he felt the dawn approach.

Linus kneeled beside him. “Today is the day.”

Gewey opened his eyes and smiled. “I'm ready.”

It was mid-morning when Gewey noticed the terrain aroundhim change. The woods became thicker. So dense, in fact, that evenwhen he used his power to listen, the sound bounced straight back,startling him. The party funneled into a narrow trail, causing theirprogress to slow. No sound could be heard at all, not even thefootfalls of the party. Gewey nestled himself between Felsafell andLinis as Felsafell began to whistle. The sound pierced the deadsilence of the woods, making some of the elves uneasy.

“We're nearly there,” whispered Linis.

“Nearly there indeed,” said Felsafell.“There and back we go. Once more and again.”

Gewey couldn’t help but smile at Felsafell'swords, though most times they made no sense to him.

After about an hour, they came to a narrow stream,spanned by an elegant, wooden bridge. Theopolou motioned for everyoneto halt.

“We come in brotherhood and friendship,”called Theopolou.

There was a long pause before a voice called back fromthe other side of the bridge. “Then enter and be welcome.”

Theopolou and the other elders slowly led the rest overthe bridge. On the other side, the landscape opened up into a grassymeadow, covered with soft grass, and dotted with multicoloredwildflowers. Tents lined the far end and Gewey could see elveswalking among them. Far beyond the tents, a white, vaulted roofpeeked out. A group of three elf women, dressed in tan leather shirtsand trousers, each with a long knife at her side, approached fromamong the tents. Theopolou raised his hand in greeting, but the womenmade no reply. When they were a few feet away, Theopolou stopped andbowed.