As the scent of the roasting meat filled her nostrils, she said, “This smells fantastic.” Her mouth was beginning to water.
The older woman nodded, handing her more meat to place on the fire. She was a quiet sort of person, but she was highly skilled at seasoning meat. Reylana had never been a very good cook, but she envied those who had the skill.
Once the meat had finished cooking, many of the elves gathered around the fire to enjoy a meal. The cooler weather meant fewer fresh greens to be found, but the clan had done well preserving jams which contained the finest fruits the summer had to offer. Their sweetness mingled in perfect harmony with the smoked meat, and Reylana could not remember the last time she had eaten so well.
The clansmen were friendly and welcomed her with open arms. For now, she enjoyed the company of a carefree clan and chose not to burden herself with talk of war. Convincing this clan to join the war could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she would sleep with hope returned to her heart.
* * * * *
The next morning was dark and cloudy with a sorrowful chill to the air. Winter had finally swallowed the land, providing shortened days and bitterly cold nights. With no huts and no opportunity to rebuild them, her clan could only look forward to a rough few months.
It was midmorning before the sun began to peek out from behind its cloudy mask. Its rays, however, provided little in the way of warmth. Reylana made her way to the center of town, where the Overseer was already gathering the clansmen together.
An elderly elf stood to the left of the Overseer. He had bright green eyes and thin gray hair. Despite his age, the elf appeared to be quite strong, and the muscles of his right arm appeared larger than his left. That must be the rune carver, she thought. All my hopes rest on his shoulders.
Catching sight of Reylana, the Overseer waved her to the front of the crowd. “Please be seated, everyone,” he said. “Our guest has arrived. Go ahead, Sister.”
She turned to face the assembled elves. “My brothers and sisters, I have come seeking help in the war that is spreading across the Wildlands. The Silver Birch Clan is nearly destroyed, and my own village has been reduced to dust. Our warriors continue to fight the Na’zorans, but without help from all of the clans we will surely fail. We need more warriors, and we need runed weapons if we are to prevail.”
Several voices spoke at once. The Overseer spread his hands, imploring the crowd to quiet down. “Darin,” he said, addressing the elderly smith. “Let us hear what you have to say.”
“I can’t speak for the warriors,” he replied, “but I can speak for myself. I will etch runes for any elf needing a better weapon. Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources or the strength to forge new weapons for an entire army. You’ll have to settle for your regular weapons with the addition of runes.”
“There is little more I could ask of you,” Reylana replied. “I thank you with all my heart.”
Darin nodded, wishing he could do more. He was too old to march into battle, but he would support his kinsmen in any way possible. “My apprentice does most of the smithing, so anyone needing a new weapon will have to speak with him. He hasn’t mastered the runes yet, so I’ll have to do those myself.”
“What say the warriors?” the Overseer asked.
Again many voices spoke at once. A dark-haired archer stood to address the crowd. “If villages are being raided and ruined, we are needed here to defend our own. I won’t go riding off and allow the humans to take my home.”
Many voices sounded in agreement. “You could seek them out and stop them before they made it here,” Reylana said, losing her patience. “They will come for you in time, and you may not be able to stop them. My clan was prepared, but we still lost everything.”
A tall sword maiden stood and began to speak. “I would go and fight this war, but I also fear leaving our home unprotected. I may fight one group in the north while a second attacks my village. The elderly and children would be here to die at their hands. I cannot leave my home. Not yet.” She sat back down, her head bowed.
“You could help us stop this war before it gets worse,” Reylana said, pleading with the elves. “If you don’t help us, we will fail. Your clan will not be spared. You may be the last one on their list, but you will face the same fate as the rest of us.”
The voices in the crowd made it clear that the majority of elves had no intention of entering the war. They were too far removed from the Na’zoran border to be bothered with the scuffles between elves and humans. Reylana could find no words to convince them.
“It seems we will not be joining you after all,” the Overseer said with regret. “Personally, I agree with your remarks. I fear Na’zora will strike at us in time, and I wish there was some way to avoid that fate. However, leaving our village unattended is not an option.”