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worse for wear.
Galena was covered in blood herself and, other than her numb hand,
felt exhausted, but fine.
    “It’s you,” her father said quietly as he
took in the sight of Galena.
    “What’s me?” she asked tiredly.
    “You’re the chosen one,” he said, looking at
her with reverence. “You’re –“
    Galena’s scream of panic cut him short. He
turned quickly toward the torlic running at him. He swung his sword
around, aiming at the torlic’s neck, but it was just as fast. The
torlic blocked the blow and swung to the left, where her father
prepared himself to block as the torlic had done. Galena saw what
was going to happen a second before it did. The torlic, in mid
swing, changed directions, plunging the sword deep into her
father’s stomach.
    “Father!, ” Galena heard herself
scream. She watched in horror, as her father slumped to the ground,
and falling back, his body slid from the blade. Elenio was the
first to react. He raced to the torlic, blocking the first blow
aimed at him, he spun to the left, and slashed at the monster, but
the torlic was too quick. He too blocked Elenio’s blow, sliding his
sword across the blade and preparing to strike again. Quick as
lightening, Elenio twisted and stabbed the giant beast in the
stomach. Stunned, the torlic dropped his sword.
    “Why have you attacked?” Elenio snarled at
the creature. “What have we done that Rau saw this necessary?”
    Sneering, as blood dripped from his black
lips, the torlic replied in raspy voice, “Because he sensed someone
using magic without harm.”
    Elenio pushed the sword farther in, causing
the torlic to breathe for the final time. He fell over onto his
side, dead. Elenio pulled the blade from the monster’s stomach with
a horrible squelching noise and threw it on the ground beside the
body.
    Galena scrambled over to her father, trying
to stop the flow of blood that seemed to be rushing from the gaping
hole in his belly. Tark, who had beaten Galena to him, cradled
their father’s head in his lap, saying in broken sobs, “It’ll be
okay, just hang on. It’ll be okay.” He rocked back and forth,
stroking his father’s hair with each sway.
    “Galena, it’s you,” her father choked. “You
are the one we have been waiting for.” He gasped for breath,
choking on the blood filling his lungs. “No elf has been able to
use magic in centuries, but you...” Grabbing her hands in his
clammy ones, he pulled her closer until her face was just inches
away. “You have to find the sword Mira promised Moira.” A coughing
fit racked his body before he could continue. “Go and find the
sword—it has to be you. I love... you all...remember... be brave...
my beautiful daughter,” he gurgled. Smiling at both of his
children, he closed his eyes and moved no more.
    Galena felt the tears stream down her face,
her chest shook with the sobs that she could no longer control.
Tark hugged their father’s head closer, crying silently. Galena
could hear Elenio somewhere in the distance, searching over the
area for any more torlics, but couldn’t force herself to move so
that she could help him. Taura had wandered back into the clearing
as well and was searching for Tark and her family. When she found
them, she dropped to her knees beside Tark and looked at Gormon
lying on the ground. She placed a hand on Tark’s back, silent tears
streaming down her face as she took in the sight of her dead
father-in-law.
    “Where is Melan?” Tark asked gruffly, his
voice filled with emotion.
    Her still heart aching with horror of Melan’s
fate, she simply pointed to where his body lay. Seeing Venia bent
over a dark shape lying on the ground, wailing into the night, Tark
understood. Fresh sobs shook Galena anew. She leaned forward,
burying her face into her father’s bloody chest while Tark stood,
walking over to their dead brother’s body, and bringing Melan back
to them. Taura covered her eyes with her hands, sobbing more
audibly now as the