try to maintain any kind of stealth. Still, she thought, it would not do to attract unnecessary attention in case Cerric had sent scouts out to look for them. No doubt he would have noticed that so many of the people had escaped the city. Ariana slid her mask to the side of her face and looked at the mass of people who now stood waiting on the trail among the evergreens, clutching their most precious belongings, worried what might happen next.
The trees whispered a note of reassurance, that whomever or whatever was approaching was not a danger and, a few moments later, Quenta and a large group of elves emerged from the forest, accompanied by a force of Maramyrian soldiers, some on horseback, some on foot. Ariana was pleased to see some familiar faces, Nathas and Kaleb among them and, with Keira and Margo on either side of her, she walked out to greet them.
"Quenta, Nathas, Kaleb," she said. "I am glad to see you have made it to safety.
"Ariana," Quenta said from behind his mask. "This battle was lost before it was begun. The traitor, young King Elric, has given away that which his people fought for, and betrayed his house, his honor and those of us who came to the aid of this land. It was a mistake for us to become involved in this."
"I don't know, Quenta," Kaleb said. "I suspect that all of these people here might be fairly grateful to the elves for all their help."
"And what of these people?" Quenta asked, looking at the countless Kandarans who filled the mountain trail. He shifted his gaze to Ariana, staring at her intently from behind his mask. "What will you do now?"
"Their land has been taken and it is no longer safe for them," Ariana said. "We must give them refuge."
"We must?" Quenta's tone was skeptical, and almost hostile.
"It is the right thing to do," Ariana said. "It is the honorable thing to do."
"We shall see," Quenta said. "I have seen enough of Kandaran honor to place little trust in it. They seem to me a cowardly people."
"They are a peaceful people, Quenta. They have lived under the protection of their lords. You saw how powerful they were."
"And yet most of them are dead."
Nathas and Kaleb shared a look and it was obvious that they wanted to intercede, but they knew it was not their place to challenge the words of the elven prince, though their young queen, appeared to be holding her own.
"Do not make light of their sacrifices, Quenta," Ariana said sharply. "They died bravely, defending the honor of their people, as you should hope to do someday."
Quenta did not miss the insult and Ariana wondered if she should have added that last part. She had hoped to build a bridge with her cousin, some agreement of mutual respect, though anything more than that seemed unlikely. It would not help their relations to provoke him, but she had to stand up to him. Hopefully they would not stand at odds over every issue.
"Do what you must, Ariana," Quenta told her. "We will discuss this matter at Elvanar. I will ride ahead and bring word to the court of your proposal."
Ariana cursed inwardly. Quenta was counting on her to remain behind to lead the people to safety, while he would arrive at Elvanar before her and have ample time to tell the story from his perspective and build a consensus against her among the people and the members of the elven court.
"I will accompany you then," Ariana said. "While it would be the honorable thing to escort these people safely to our border, there is a practical value in making arrangements with our people ahead of their arrival."
Quenta stared at her from behind the mask, saying nothing for a moment.
"You are wiser than you seem," Quenta told her. "We will stay and guard this procession from whatever dangers may still lurk in the shadows."
Ariana enjoyed a moment of jubilation over her small victory, but such feelings were cut short by a fearful warning from the trees. Quenta and the other elven warriors heard it as well and they drew their swords, ready for an attack. A
Sean Thomas Fisher, Esmeralda Morin