Unedited/ First draft

Lithoniel covered her mouth with her hand, dampening that gasping sound rising in her throat. She didn't know how this was happening or why, but she felt it was unnatural. Wrong.

And yet this was exactly what she needed at the moment: a way out. She calmed herself, controlled her breathing as she sneaked a peek outside, checking on the guards. She saw old Mor, head down and half asleep, staggering back and forth as he leaned on his spear, and another elf she'd never seen before.

"Mor" The other guard said, looking in the distance before nudging him. "Wake up."

"What?" He grunted, rubbing his eyes.

"Your niece."

All of the sudden his eyes were wide open.

"Eh? Where?" He asked as he looked around, searching for her.

 Lithoniel squinted her eyes. The night was dark and the ashes falling from the sky made difficult to see, but she found her immediately.

Liara? What is she doing here?

"Little one." Mor said, smiling. When she was close enough, he tried to pat her head, but Liara stepped back, avoiding his hand. She was wary, looking at him with suspicion.

"She still doesn't like her uncle..." The other guard said but yelped in pain when Mor kicked him in the shin.

"What do you know!" He barked to him. Then he crouched down and looked at Liara in the eyes.

"Do you came to see me, little one?" He asked, hopeful. But Liara shook her head.

"She never comes to find you, old boot." The other guard mumbled as he rubbed his sore leg.

Mor glared at him but sighed as he looked at Liara.

"I'm sorry, Liara. You should know I can't let you see her."

It seems it's not the first time she comes to see me. 

Liara frowned, staring at her uncle with a look of disappointment on her face.

"Don't be like that, little one. You know I would if I could."

But Liara shook her head, clearly conveying she didn't believe him. Then, she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

"What? You don't like uncle anymore?" Mor asked, dismayed.

"Anymore?" The other guard smirked. "She never liked you."

Mor started scowling at him but winced when Liara nodded. 

In the meanwhile, Lithoniel took a step outside, then another and stopped. She expected them to look at her, but they didn't.

Well, no one did except Liara. She frowned, looking at the point where Lithoniel was standing before squinting her eyes, a puzzled look on her faze. Mor followed her gaze, but he didn't seem to see her.

"What is it? Did you see something?" He asked, but after a second or two Liara shook her head.

As she went forward, Lithoniel decided to stay away from that main road to avoid the guards. and took a long detour through the organized chaos of the village.

It wasn't really necessary since she was like a ghost, unseen by men and the few beasts of burden. It was like she was covered by some kind of cocoon, which protected but at the same time isolated her from the outside world.

Inside of it, the sounds were muffled, the colors less bright and even her surrounding were oddly blurry. Everything looked duller, almost surreal. She couldn't feel the wind on her skin or the smell of smoke rising from the campfires. Actually, she could feel nothing, except that weird itching growing stronger and stronger while she became weaker for some reason.

It was almost becoming too much to bear when she finally reached Naevys' tent: her destination. She just entered when she fell, one knee down on the ground as the world around her became normal once again. Only when the air filled her lungs she understood why she was feeling sick before: she wasn't breathing. Lithoniel involuntarily shivered.

A minute too late and I...

She shook her head, trying to not think about it.

 Luckily, except the person she was looking for, there was no else around. She found her teacher sitting on the ground, her eyes closed like she was sleeping, or as Naevys liked to say: meditating.

"Lithoniel?! What are you doing here?" 

"Teacher I..." She started, but apparently, Naevys had no intention to let her talk.

"Do you realize you are taking a huge risk coming here?"

"I do but..."

"No, but! Turn around and go back to your tent. Go, go..." She said, pushing her before pointing at the exit.

"Loremaster, I know what you have done."

Naevys froze.

"What? I don't know what you mean." Naevys played dumb.

"Teacher, Kolvar already told me."

Naevys stared at her for a second or two and then sighed.

"I know this would happen. I told Rolim that his brother would find a way to meet you, sooner or later." She grumbled, shaking her head.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me, teacher?"

"And what would you have done if I did tell you?" Naevys retorted. "Act like a noble idiot as you usually do?"

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide, dumbfounded.

"B-but the situation..."

"The situation is much more complicated than you think, Lithoniel. Maybe you think I'm delaying the Conclave and clearing your name just because I want to protect you, but that's not the case."

"I don't understand."

"Exactly, you don't. And that's why I wanted to keep you in the dark."

She said, but her expression softened when she looked at Lithoniel.

"I know you are innocent and brave and that it is just because of you that the hunting expedition didn't end in a complete disaster. I know you didn't break the vow and I know you don't deserve any of this. However, I would give you up without a second thought if it would help to save lives."

"Then, why?!"

"Like I said" She patiently answered, talking very slowly like this was one of their lessons. "the situation is complicated. There is more at stake here than you think. The Nighstalker is dead, Elwin and I are both old, we are close to winter and low on food. And now this." Naevys shook her head. "We're hanging on a thread, Lithoniel. We can't afford to make mistakes. Not anymore."

"The Nighstalker" She guessed. "You are delaying the Conclave because you don't want Garluin to be the Nighstalker."

"You are half right." She said, a glint of appreciation in her eyes. " I don't want him to have any more power than already has. Garluin is...dangerous. Too radical, too charismatic for his own good."

"But?"

"But...being elected as the next Nighstalker may be the lesser evil."

Lithoniel frowned.

"The lesser evil?"

Naevys nodded. "Let me ask you a question, Lithoniel. Why do you think Garluin forced you to swore that oath?"

"Because he didn't think I would come back."

"True." She admitted. "But if that's the case, why did he defend you when you did come back?"

Lithoniel frowned. She wondered about that before, but she still didn't know the answer.

"I don't know."

"Then I'll tell you. It's because he never wanted to be the Nightstalker in the first place, Lithoniel."

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide. She was stunned, confused and incredulous, all at the same time.

"If he doesn't want to be the Nighstalker, why did he do all this?"

"Because he aims higher than that Lithoniel."

"Higher?"

"Who is the leader of the tribe? Who does the Nighstalker take orders from?

"The Loremaster." She answered, suddenly out of breath.

Lithoniel felt a chill running down her spine.

"Indeed. And Lithoniel, do you know who is the greatest obstacle he has to face?"

Lithoniel though about it for a second or two before shaking her head. She had no clue. Unlike Elwin or the former Nighstalker, Naevys never bothered to nominate a successor.

But as the Loremaster kept staring at her, Lithoniel began to have the strange feeling her old teacher was trying to tell her something. She was puzzled, but that confusion quickly turned into shock when a crazy idea started to take shape.

"Me?" She whispered, her voice tentative, almost fearful to say it out loud.

"You." Naevys confirmed. "Why do you think I taught you all these years?"

"B-but I am not the only one; there were dozens of children..."

"At the start, yes. But lately?"

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide. She remembered the children becoming less and less until one day she was the only one left. She paid no attention to it at the time. Actually, she believed they didn't want to stay in the same room with tribe's pariah, the "half-blood." She thought that maybe the parents complained to Naevys and that's why she became much stricter.

But...maybe it wasn't like that?

"All the elves' children must attend my class, Lithoniel. But after a while, usually a year, I let them go to learn a craft. After all, only the Loremaster and his successors never stop learning. My successor, Lithoniel" She said, staring at her.

"Then you..."

"I was grooming you, training you to take my place."

"But every time we met you seemed..."

"Strict? Intransigent? Unreasonable even?" Naevys laughed. "You can say it, you're not going to offend me. But really, there is nothing surprising about it. The survival of the tribe depends on the Loremaster. I couldn't be lax with your education. Besides, your situation is...unusual. The trials you faced in the past and the ones waiting for you in the future are much harsher than normal. Besides, I couldn't let anyone know you were the person I choose."

It wasn't hard to understand why. Her as the chief of the tribe? Even now it still sounded ridiculous.

"How didn't I see that?" Lithoniel said, shaking her head.

"Don't blame yourself. You weren't the only one I kept in the dark. No one knew."

Naevys smiled a little. "Ironically,  it's exactly because of your reputation that I could keep the secret for so long. Every time you came to see me, everyone believed I just wanted to keep an eye on you."

"Everyone...except Garluin."

Naevys grimaced.

"He has always been smarter than the others."

No doubt about that.

"I still don't understand why he defended me. If I'm an obstacle for him, why doesn't he take the opportunity to take me down?" Lithoniel asked.

Naevys looked gloomy.

"Because he doesn't need or want to take you down. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"If the tribesmen find you guilty, he won't have to worry about you. But even if they don't, officially you are the Nightstalker's successor now. The tribe needs someone in command now. It needs a Nightstalker. Maybe he will use this or what happened with the Zaruk as an excuse to get you elected. Because trust me Lithoniel now he wants you to be the Nightstalker. Because if you are..."

"I can't be the Loremaster."

It was simple and logic.

"It angers me, but in a way improving your reputation is exactly what he wants."

Lithoniel frowned.

"But I still think it's easier to just exile me."

"Maybe so" Naevys admitted. "but that's not what he wants. Not anymore, anyway. Otherwise, he would have helped Tinesia. She is trying to convince the people you are guilty." 

Of course she is. 

"Garluin didn't help her?"

"He didn't" Naevys confirmed. "Think about it, Lithoniel. Tinesia is saying to everyone that Garluin is her husband's successor. If they find you guilty, won't he be in an awkward position? After all, he doesn't want to be the Nighstalker. But even if he finds a way to step back from the nomination, other than you and Garluin, who is next in line? Who do you think the tribe would elect in that case?"

Lithoniel frowned. If it was before the hunt, there were at least a dozen people, veteran hunters who could take the Nightstalker's place. But now?

They are all dead. She realized. And there was just one person, reliable and trusted by everyone.

Lithoniel opened her mouth wide.

"Rolim?!"

"Yes, Rolim. I don't know what happened exactly between the two of them, but now Garluin hates him much more than he hates you."

Naevys was incredibly perceptive, but she wasn't entirely right about this.

Garluins doesn't simply hate him. He is scared of him.

As far as she was concerned, the scariest was Garluin himself.

But even if this is true, how can he be sure the tribe will choose him? And, in any case...

"Can't you nominate someone else as your successor? If Garluin is bad as we think, isn't better to find another candidate?"

"Who? Who do you think is strong enough to oppose him?" Naevys asked, a bitter smile on her face. "You know that according to the tribe's rules only the tribesmen under twenty-five years old can be elected. There still some good seedlings, but none of them can stand up to Garluin." She stared at her. "Not like you did."

And then it dawned on her why Naevys chose her.

She thinks I can oppose him. But if that's the case...

"What about Rolim?"

For a while, Naevys seemed to think about it.

"He is respected, but he is also a loner, too taciturn and independent to lead the tribe. He could make a good Nighstalker, but the chief of the tribe? I don't think so. But, you are not completely wrong. Although Rolim isn't suited for that position, this could be the only way." 

"Teacher..." Lithoniel but she hesitated when she saw how tired she was. Naevys looked old, her face withered and pale.

"What is it?" Naevys asked, urging her to talk.

Lithoniel bit her lips. Naevys looked concerned, and she really didn't want to add to her burden, but she had to say it.

"We are talking about the future, but what about the present? You always said that we must focus on the task at hand before thinking of what may or may not happen in the future."

"Little girl, are you using my own words against me?" Naevys asked, her mouth curling in amusement.

"I'm sorry." Lithoniel looked embarrassed.

"And I suppose you're referring to the Conclave?"

Lithoniel nodded.

"I know what you want me to do, Lithoniel. You want me to stop delaying it. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"Stubborn girl." She muttered under her breath. "After everything I said, you still don't understand why I can't?"

"I do understand, but..."

"Lithoniel" She interrupted. "I'm not helping you just because I care about you. I'm helping you because you could be the only person able to face Garluin."

"I know, but I can't just stay in my tent, safe and sound while people are missing."

She couldn't just wait. It wasn't in her nature.

"Moreover, it is my fault if the tribe's is without a Nighstalker."

Naevys looked closely at her and sighed.

"I see you've already decided. And probably if I try to stop you again, you'll do something even more stupid, right?"

Despite everything that was happening, Lithoniel smiled.

"You know me well teacher."

"I do, unfortunately, I do." She grunted. "You could still lose. You know it, right?"

"I could but I won't."

Naevys narrowed her eyes.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Garluin won't allow it."

Naevys stared at her, completely speechless.

"Didn't you say it yourself, teacher? Garluin hates Rolim more than he hates me. He doesn't want me to lose."