That particular evening Crevan was spending lying idly in bed, his hands under his head. He was wearing a white semitransparent shirt and beige knee-breeches on him. For a while he occupied himself with examining a spectacular city view out of the window, counted the number of tiles on the mosaic floor, peered at the ceiling, adored the dancing flames of the candles. Incidentally, his attention was drawn to a pile of empty sheets of paper and crayons on the table. Struck by some idea, he quickly got up, fetching those and moving himself back onto the bed, sat down cross-legged and set about to work.
The first draft he made was discarded and cast onto the floor, with the second and third soon following it. The fourth one was workable. While he was leaning over it, the young elf's cheekbones slightly trembled and he smiled, his eyes sparkling dreamily.
His physique did not make him stand out significantly among his kind. He had a delicate frame with pale skin and shoulder-length near-white hair. His features were regular but perhaps a little too pointed: a triangular face with a pointed chin, thin lips and prominent cheekbones like wave crests. All that gave him a stern and at the same time sly foxlike look. A wide welcoming smile is not usually spotted on such a face but a mouth like his was rather well-shaped for a sneer.
His eyes were not too large, almond-shaped of the usual for an elf cerulean colour. Above them, like heavy dark clouds, brooded straight black eyebrows. Crowning it all was a high fine forehead.
Meanwhile the elf had finished his drawing and was holding it closely as if deciding if it did justice to the invisible model. He seemed to be content with the result and put the crayon aside.
Out of the window the city had been consumed by shadows with only the towers silhouetting against the night skies. Somewhere in the distance beyond the carved windows blinked dimmed lights, and one could hear a drowsy flute's voice. Even less discernible was a lulling river's whisper. But that Crevan did not hear.
He dreamt of the young she-elf from his drawing. A determined, dark-haired girl with green eyes that usually had a certain unbending look about them. But not this time. In the dream her face oozed doubt and fear. She was descending an endless staircase in a pitch dark tunnel of countless arches above her head. It was like falling down towards the core of the planet. Her tears fell off her eyes without touching her face and where they met with the stairs the floor was turned into ice which burned no worse than fire could.
The she-elf had made a decision, an irrevocable one, so that someone's perfect plan and someone's precious hope were breaking to pieces. And chaos consumed all.
To think in a human way is to think destructively. To cherish your petty dream above the well-being of the whole humanity is arrogance. This is your stumbling block, and not yours only but also of the ones you love.
Crevan opened his eyes. In the dark they gleamed with worry. He woke up with a heavy heart although the details of his dream had escaped his mind, He had a feeling as if something irreparable had happened or was going to happen soon. He snapped his fingers and with a click a sparkling white sphere came into existence. It flew upwards to hover right under the ceiling.
The elf lifted himself up on his arms and saw the drawing of the she-elf on the bed right beside him. As he looked he frowned. Searched for a quill and an inkpot, spotted them both on the table untouched. He hastily jumped out of bed, dressed himself and left the room, forgetting to put out the shiny sphere.
From the portrait looked the very same she-elf he had seen in the dream but her left cheek was marred by a scar seemingly left by ink.
The elf knew that the king had been already waiting for him, so he entered without pausing in front of the door. In a luxurious study, which reminded him of a museum, he found no one. Therefrom he stepped onto the terrace.
On hearing him enter the leader of the Alder Folk, Auberon Muircetach, interrupted his star gazing and turned around to face the night guest.
- What's wrong, Crevan? You don't usually drop by at such an hour.
Auberon was wearing a light silky dressing-gown of green, adorned with intricate pearly ornament. Besides that, he was wearing nothing. His huge usually steely eyes looked grey in dim light. It was obvious that he had just got up.
- I've seen a dream, - said Crevan Espane aep Caomhan Macha. - A disturbing one. I am inclined to think that it was not a mere dream.
His roving glance could not find a place to rest.
- What you mean is that you had a premonition?
- I think so... I've seen, - Crevan frowned, - Lara. Something has happened to her. Or is just about to happen.
- Are you sure?
- No... How can I be? I am not one of the Aen Saevherne.
- Has anything similar ever happened to you before?
- Not once, - he shook his head decidedly. - This is why I am asking you to find her and bring her back.
Auberon lowered his glance and for a while examined stone tiles on the floor.
- If she is all right, she is not going to like it. But I will not take a risk of doubting your words.
- In that case I am leaving now. Can I have some of your people join me?
He was about to leave but Auberon stopped him with a quick gesture.
- Wait. You act like Dh'oine. Perhaps I should present you with a sword instead of books?
Crevan blushed, the points of his spiky ears turning red.
- We'd better turn to our Aen Saevherne for advice. Go now. I will join you two soon.
Auberon stepped into the laboratory sweeping the floor with the flap of the same green gown he'd been wearing earlier, stepped without making a sound, so that Crevan and Muieritte noticed him only right in the doorway. They were standing leaning over a large sink-like brass basin filled with water. Upon noticing the king, they simultaneously stared at his feet, hidden by bedroom slippers he was now wearing. The knowing one gave Auberon a sceptical look.
In the king and Crevan's presence Muieritte looked ancient. One could not call him old, his face by no means was wrinkled, he didn't stoop but one had an impression that he was not a being of flesh and blood, but as if he was made of china and could moulder away from a careless touch. He was wearing a simple mouse-grey gown of rough cloth. His white hair was tied up in a loose pony tail. Crinkling his nose, the knowing one for a few minutes gazed into the depths of the basin.
Crevan was doing the same thing but could see nothing but for Muieritte's face. And he felt embarrassed at that. For a number of years he had been studying by now but it seemed like he had mastered nothing except for the sphere summoning and telepathy with unicorns. He had loads of knowledge stored in his mind, including the clear instructions as to how to use the basin but his practice had not made him perfect yet. When asked, he mysteriously said that secrets of the past and future were open to him. By referring to the secrets of past he really meant that yesterday instead of reading a paragraph about an immortal snake as he had been told to do, he had drawn a picture of a naked she-elf (not Lara). As to secrets of the future, he could nearly foresee himself eloping to a festival of pre-elfish music in a few days from now.
It seemed like Auberon was reading from his mind and could not suppress a smile. Sure, he was not a knowing one but he was older. And he was the king. He could allow himself a luxury of not being an expert in either magic or warfare. He was just Lara's father and that was enough for him.
- I do not see that something is wrong with her, - Muieritte gave his final judgement. - She is in the Aen Seidhe sphere, in Loc'atal', to be exact. But that is all.
Crevan shamefully ventured to specify.
- Are you sure?
- I always am, - impassively said the mage.
"I wish I could say the same."
Auberon looked lost in thought before he spoke.
- Perhaps there are other options we could try.
- There are quite a few. But, personally, I do not think it is necessary to try anything else. But if this is what you strongly recommend...
- In fact I do.
Auberon fell silent again. Crevan glanced at him, half-expecting Auberon's order to assist Muieritte which would mean him turning into a bookworm for a while and rummaging about the agents, concentrating his attention on things he would gladly put aside at the moment, all those spells and runes. He was sure to mess it all up now. Could probably by mistake even grow himself a donkey's ears instead of his own, already sticky enough.
To his relief Auberon decided something else.
- Ride to the grove, Crevan. If you wish, you can take Eredin with you. Being in town bores him immensely.
There was a time when Eredin Breacc Glas was quite capable of friendship, like on that night when they rode towards the Grove. He did not get it, why they were in such haste, neither did he care. Recently he had been stuck in Tir Na Lia with the other riders and had been dying of boredom. The land was in peace and that is in peace that a warrior suffers. He was eager to show what he was worth, and now, that Crevan had snatched him from mundanity's grip, he was more than glad to join him. Eredin was proud and ambitious but that place in his heart that later was given to cruelty was now ruled by healthy filibusterism.
He was dark-haired and good-looking, with eyes that could cut like a sword which never left his side. On that night he was not heavily armored for he did not believe they would face any danger.
The ride was refreshing. The annoying city was left behind, and Fox and Sparrowhawk with three more elves, accompanying them, flew through high grass past a lake to the Grove of unicorns.
Eredin spurred his steed and, outstripping the others, took the lead. He managed to cast a side glance at Crevan and slightly grinned. In his heart he felt a little sorry for him, expecting that one day Fox would perish under a pile of his tomes or worse - would become just like Muieritte. "I am never mistaken." No wonder, that Lara'd eloped. Most likely, she was pouring her affection towards some stinky dh'oine. They are animals, of course, but contain so much more life in them than some... individuals who are as sterile as a phial in a laboratory.
In his turn Crevan did not cherish any illusions concerning Eredin's attitude towards him. He also could never understand how some of the Alder Folk could take interest in spending all day long in stuffy heavy armour, feeling important only when pointing at someone with a sword.
They had not yet reached the Grove when a splitting pain pierced the back of his head.
"Crevan saw a dream," - rang a crystal voice, echoing inside his body.
He pulled his horse to slow down a bit, fearing to fall down.
"And now Crevan is afraid."
He was mostly used to this method of communication but suppressing pain altogether was impossible. However, it was better than his first time when he had passed out.
Eredin and their three companions obviously did not hear a word but seeing Crevan loiter, pulled the horses as well.
"You know anything about it?"
"No. But we will help. Ride on."
He halted for a few moments, collecting himself, wiping sweat from his forehead, and they moved on.
The unicorns had heard them approach from afar. Their leader and navigator Azkaraht was the first to get to his feet. A few more raised their heads from the grass. The rest woke up from their sleep but remained lying. Their fur sparkled in the darkness with silvery, bluish and pinkish dues. A very rare black unicorn Vaksasvart was also present but at night was, naturally, invisible.
Azkaraht stepped forward and Crevan was about to dismount, when his mind was once again pierced by the crystal blade of the unicorn's voice.
"Do not waste your time. You should go now."
Scowling, Eredin was watching Crevan's tortured face. "I can't imagine what's going to happen to his front when he's fully knowing. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, indeed."
Meanwhile a dozen unicorns rose to their feet and formed a circle around the riders. Crevan nodded to the elves, and they came closer.
The unicorns patrolled them clock-wise a few times after which both the elves and the beasts slowly set off for the thicket of the Grove. Without breaking the circle they sped up until the trees merged into one blurry mass. With the unicorns' sparkling intensified, they ignited the whole party, forming a comet-like shape, flying across the ground. Then came a loud bang and the comet disappeared into the thin air.