First draft

"...the food situation is now stable and we were able to find a safe path to the Ebonwood." Urilee said. "Moreover, the woodcarvers have been quiet lately."

The young hunter was sitting in front of Lithoniel, her legs crossed as she finished her report. Maybe it was because Urilee had taken part in the hunt of the Zaruk, or maybe it was just her personality, but she looked completely comfortable in her presence. Lithoniel liked that. Urilee was young, inexperienced and blunt to a fault, but she was also honest.

"That's good, Urilee. Very good." Lithoniel couldn't quite keep the delight out of her voice. "You've done an excellent job."

"I'd like to take credit for that, but it's all thanks to Kolvar. He and his..." Urilee cleared her throat." recruits are making the difference."

It took Lithoniel some time to understand she was talking about the casteless.

"Really?" Her eyes rounded in amazement. "Are the new recruits that good?"

Urilee gave a silent nod. "They are easing the burden on the other hunters. You know that we need a lot of wood but we didn't have enough men to hunt and at the same time protect the woodcarvers. Now we can do both."

"I see." Lithoniel seemed to muse on her words for a moment, then asked,  "What about our tribesmen? I knew that many of them were not happy when I decided to accept the casteless in our ranks."

"Not happy." Urilee's mouth twitched. "That's a way to put it."

Lithoniel lifted a brow. "Is my decision encountering a lot of resistance?"

Urilee shrugged. "That would depend on who you ask. You know that most of Jandar's former tribesmen worship the ground you walk on, Zarukslayer. They accepted the situation straight away."

Lithoniel grimaced. She was still having a hard time accepting that title. 

"The woodcarvers were the most accepting." Urilee went on. "You know that they were losing a lot of people because we weren't able to protect them. The erudites and a few hunters, however..." 

"They didn't take it well." Lithoniel said softly.

"They screamed bloody murder." Urilee said bluntly. "Especially the erudites."

Lithoniel looked surprised. "The erudites?"

"Well, you know the Erudites. They say that you're breaking the rules." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "But don't worry. Everyone knows that they just like to complain."

Lithoniel let out a tired breath. She should have expected that.  "What about the hunters?"

Urilee shrugged "They seem to trust you. You're the Zarukslayer after all." When Lithoniel grimaced a second time, Urilee grinned.  "Besides, Kolvar seems to have some sway over them. Some of the veterans are still grumbling, but now that the new recruits have proved their worth, they can't protest too loudly." 

"Then Kolvar was right. " Lithoniel said. "His spartan training is starting to bear fruit."

"Yes. But..." Urilee paused for a few seconds, clearly uncomfortable about what she had to say. "it came with a cost."

Comprehension dawned on Lithoniel's face. "...how many people did we lose?"

Urilee scratched her chin and looked away. "Thirty-two casteless so far."

Lithoniel suppressed a wince. She felt as though she'd taken a punch into the gut. 

"But the situation is better now." Urilee added hastily. "We lost a lot of people at the beginning but lately the casualties decreased considerably."

"I see." Lithoniel said softly. "Thank you, Urilee"

"Nighstalker." She bowed then walked out of the tent.

Lithoniel left a few minutes later. Although they were in the middle of winter, the atmosphere in the cave was lively. There were only a few days left until election day, and many candidates were giving speeches, trying to boost their popularity. Garluin was one of them. He stood on the podium with his arms wide open and a benevolent smile on his face. Two, maybe three hundred elves had gathered in the main cave to listen to his speech. 

To listen to his lies. 

Lithoniel halted, narrowed her eyes and gripped the hilt of her sword. The people around her were shouting, clapping their hands like Garluin was some kind of hero. Lithoniel couldn't hear them. She just stood there, stared at Garluin, and gripped the hilt harder. It took a great effort to let go, keep walking, when the only thing she wanted to do was to pounce on him and shove the sword in his chest.

She still looked out of sorts when she reached Jandar's tent. Predictably, the medicine man wasn't alone.  A few erudites - probably his supporters - were around him. There weren't many of them but the tent was so small that the place looked crowded. They were reading books, examining old parchments as they tried to use the wisdom of the ancestors to their advantage. They looked so dedicated that when Lithoniel entered no one noticed her. Jandar was the same. The medicine man seemed tired, scowling with annoyance as he flipped through the pages of a book.

Only when Lithoniel cleared her throat, he and the others looked up. A slow smile worked its way across Jandar's face, dispelling part the gloominess surrounding him.

"Thank you. This will be all for today." He said to his supporters.

The elves bowed before scurrying out of tent.

"How is it going?" Lithoniel asked him when they were gone.

Jandar frowned, a somber tone slipping back on his face. "Well enough, considering the circumstances. Garluin is a tough competitor." 

"I have no doubt." She said glumly, sitting in front of him. "But you don't have to work so hard. Garluin won't be around for lo..."

"I like to be prepared for any eventuality." He interrupted her, "Besides, this is really not the time to talk about this." 

Lithoniel dropped the subject, well aware he was right. "Anything new on the Alarel front?"

His mouth twisted into a grimace as if he'd eaten something rotten. "I met him."

Lithoniel looked surprised. "Really? When?"

"Yesterday. He said that he'll help us procure the weapons we need. Other than that..." He shrugged. 

Lithoniel frowned. "He is waiting to see who will win."

"Yes." He admitted. "He agreed to your request to keep you happy. Right now, that's all we can get from him."

She sighed. "I suppose that will have to do." She frowned, taking a moment to assemble her thoughts. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jandar stared at her in obvious confusion. "Tell you what?"

Taking in his baffled look, Lithoniel explained, "I'm talking about the casteless. Why didn't you tell me that the erudites were opposed to my idea?"

Jandar scratched his head. He looked ill at ease. "You already have many responsibilities, Zarusklayer. Besides," His tone turned a bit gruff. "There was nothing you could do."

"This is my fault, isn't it?" She insisted. "The erudites know you're close to me and that's why they are blaming you."

"Erudites can be a bit pedantic sometimes, Zarukslayer." Jandar said, evidently trying to downplay the matter. "They engage in debate just for the sake of it. Don't worry, I know how to defeat my opponent."

"How?"
"With the truth. Your method was unorthodox, but deep down they know that allowing the casteless to help the tribe was the right thing to do."

"Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with you." She muttered under her breath. Jandar gave her an uncomprehending look and she shook her head. "Nothing. I see you're busy." She said, glancing at the books scattered across the room. "I leave you to your work."

After leaving Jandar, Lithoniel went to see Kolvar, but his tent was empty.

"Have you seen Kolvar?"  She asked one of the recruit.

"Nighstalker." The man bowed. "I think he went off to see his mother."

"Thank you." Lithoniel said, then moved toward Shylin's tent.

She was about to enter when she heard someone speaking and stopped.

"...she is doing what's best for the tribe. Why can't you see it?"

It was Kolvar's voice.

"You're not thinking straight, Kolvar." It was Shylin, Kolvar's mother, this time.  "But I'm not surprised. That half-blood...that whore bewitched you."

Lithoniel froze, embarrassment and anger rising in tandem.

"Don't call her that." Kolvar warned. "You know that I don't like it."

"Why?" She asked defiantly. "I'm just telling the truth. I should have never accepted to defend here. If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have lost your arm."

"That was my choice, mother. Nobody forced me."

"Stop being an idiot, Kolvar. She is just fooling you!" She shouted, "If only your brother was here..."

"...he would agree with me." Kolvar interrupted her. "You know how much he cared about Lithoniel, mother."

"No! Your brother was smart! He would have listened to me!"

"Mother! Stop deluding yourself! Rolim never listened to you. I was the only one that..."

"Right, you were! Since you met that bitch, you don't listen to me anymore!

"Mother, I'm not a kid!" Kolvar rebutted.

"Maybe not, but you're adult either! Otherwise, you wouldn't follow that whore around like a..."

Lithoniel had enough of it and barged in.

Kolvar's head whipped toward her, and he sucked in a quick, startled gasp. "Lithoniel?!"

"You!" Shylin pointed the finger at her, her nostrils flaring in comtempt.  "What are you doing here?!"

Lithoniel glanced at Kolvar, then at Shylin. The old hunter looked haggard and old, her face much thinner than she'd remembered.

"Please leave us. Your mother and I have a lot to talk about."  Lithoniel said to Kolvar, but the elf avoided her gaze. He looked ashamed, his face flushed.

Shylin's face, on the other hand, was white with fury. She gave her a crazed look and hissed, "I have nothing to say to you." 

Lithoniel narrowed her eyes. The old huntress' eyes were dilated, her face twisted beyond recognition. She looked dangerously unstable.

"Go." Lithoniel said to Kolvar. "I'll take it from here."

"Stay where you're, Kolvar!" Shylin ordered, rage clogging her voice. 

Kolvar looked from Lithoniel to her mother and back again. He gave her a hesitant glance, then nodded, leaving the room before his mother could say anything.

"Kolvar!" Shylin shouted. She was about to follow him when Lithoniel barred her way. 

Shylin's eyes became two slits. "You came here for nothing. I will never hand my hunters over to you." 

"Shylin," Lithoniel began, her tone gentle. "I know that you don't trust me, but we need your help."

"Help?" Shylin laughed. It reminded Lithoniel of glass breaking. "Don't make me laugh. My family helped you enough."

Lithoniel counted to ten, resisting the urge to snap at her. "You don't like me, I understand that."

"You're right, I don't. I never did. Do you know why?"

"Why? Because I'm the half-blood?" Lithoniel asked, her voice sharp enough to cut grass

Shylin gave her a thin, cold smile. "Wrong. This has nothing to do with your blood, or your lineage - I don't care about that, not anymore. I don't like you because you don't respect the rules. You think our customs are stupid, but those customs are there for a reason."

"Really?" Lithoniel asked, her tone considerably flatter. "As I see it, those customs have done more harm than good."

Shylin nodded grimly, "And that's why you're dangerous. You're arrogant, Lithoniel. You think you know what's right and wrong. You flirt with death and those around you pay the cost of your recklessness."

Lithoniel smothered a flare of annoyance, reminding herself that the woman before was Rolim's mother. "You think I'm suicidal?"

"Aren't you?" Shylin mocked. "Otherwise, why would you take that vow?"

Lithoniel stiffened. "It was the right thing to do."

Shylin snorted, "No, It wasn't. It was stupid and deep down you knew it. You knew that Garluin's offer was a trap but you accepted it anyway." She shook her head. "Face it, your mind is twisted. You keep telling yourself that you're sacrificing yourself for the tribe, but the truth is that you just like to play hero. That's why Kolvar lost his arm. That's why Rolim is..."

"He died for the tribe." Lithoniel ignored the guilt, the grief and tapped into her anger. "He died to save lives."

There was a nervous pause, then Shylin shook her head. "That's why I hate you, Lithoniel. You always put the tribe first. I'll never understand that."

Lithoniel crossed her arms and looked at her sideways. "I suppose that's why I'm the Nighstalker and you're just a hunter." When Shyling's face contorted, Lithoniel knew she'd hit a nerve. "And that's what this is all about, isn't? You want my title."

"Don't insult me, Lithoniel." Shylin hissed, her shoulders trembling.  She took a deep breath, then another and said, "This is useless, Lithoniel. I will never put the lives of my hunters in your hands."

"Are you sure, Shylin?" Lithoniel's usually controlled voice went chilly. "Once you go down that road, there is no turning back."

Shylin scoffed. "Why, what will you do to me? Kill me?"

 "No, Shylin I won't kill you." She said quietly, her lips thinning in what might charitably be called a smile. " I'll just remove you and your men from my ranks."

"What?" Shylin asked in a strangled voice. "You can't do that! They are hunters, you can't just turn them into casteless!"

Shylin's expression was so horrified, Lithoniel surprised herself with a gurgle of laughter. "Maybe you haven't heard, but the casteless are the new hunters. Besides," Steel showed in her smile this time. "I'm the Nighstalker. I can do whatever I want."

"You're drunk with power." Shylin said bitingly. "You're no better than Garluin."

Lithoniel clenched her fists, her face darkening.

"At least I'm trying to do something." She said, struggling to keep her voice level. "I'm not hiding...like a coward."

"Coward? How dare you. If it wasn't for me..."

"I don't care about the past." She said, cutting her off. "What I do know is that we are in danger and that everyone, casteless included, are doing their duty. But what about you, Shylin? You'll just stay here, safe and warm when we risk our lives for you? When your son risk his life for you?"

"You're despicable." Shylin hissed. 

"Think what you want." She shrugged, "I don't care. But tomorrow morning, I expect to see you and your hunters at the bottom of the Asp Ridge."

"You want me to babysit the recruits?" Shylin asked in disbelief. 

"I want you to help your son." She rebutted. "Don't disappoint me, Shylin." 

She turned around and was about to leave when Shylin said, "You know that if you do this we'll never trust you, right?"

Lithoniel halted, turning her head toward her. "As long you obey me, I don't care."

I've played nice for too long. This ends now. 

Shylin was just the first name on her list. 

You're next...Garluin.