Hiranneth and her companions made their way to their horses down below. The Elves of Hunvel wished them goodbye and they departed quickly. Hiranneth looked back at the city and she somehow knew that she may never see it again. The horses walked with a quickened pace; they somehow knew the urgency of the situation.
"All right," she said aloud to her friends, "we need to find the Elders of the forest Hunvel. They can help us in our search. "Hiranneth knew that finding these Elders would be difficult, but she needed to try.

Hours passed and the horses were tired and sweaty. Hiranneth got off her horse and allowed it to drink from the small stream near by. By chance, she saw someone walking down the way. She concealed herself in the shadows of the night and watched the person draw closer.
"Hold still. I'll be back," Hiranneth said as she moved away from Amdireth and Ahéawan, crouching in the shadows. The person was very close. Hiranneth was about to attack, but then she heard the stranger begin to sing a song. It was not the best song in the world, but it was different and it captivated her.
Along the night, the time is right.
We walk the paths of old.
I see a sight of darkness plight.
Two boys are lost in shadow.
What will be their path, will they be free?
Or will their souls be lost within the trees?
Come quick my dears, come quick tonight.
Your friends need you.
The stranger began to hum the haunting tone again. Hiranneth no longer saw him as threatening. Was he an Elder? Hiranneth grew very quiet, hoping the person in shadow would say something that would reveal himself. She noticed that he stopped and looked ahead. He had seen Ahéawan and Amdireth.

Nelbet looked up to see two people on horseback and also a horse without its rider. He thought to himself, The other must be somewhere nearby. He stood up as straight as he could and spoke with a commanding voice. "Hello young travelers! What business is yours here? These parts of Hunvel are not to kind to people of little knowledge of it." He walked closer to them, then heard a soft step in the brush nearby. He did not turn but merely said, "Come out Hiranneth, I am as you think I am."

Hiranneth stopped cold. How does he know my name? She came out, somewhat embarrassed by her sneaking. She looked back at her female companions. They seemed to be all right.

Ahéawan watched from atop her mare curiously as Hiranneth headed off on her own. She seemed to be following something, but Ahéawan could not tell what it was. She shared a puzzled look with Amdireth, then tentatively followed Hiranneth.
"Hiranneth," she called softly, "what is it?" The girl, however, did not seem to hear, but continued forward, entranced with whatever was ahead.

Nelbet looked at the youngsters as they followed Hiranneth, but soon realized they could not see him. He stepped into their line of vision and laughed out loud. "The young mind! Oh how fun and creative it is," he snickered. Hiranneth introduce me to your friends."

Hiranneth looked back at Ahéawan and Amdireth, who had been following cautiously and were now shocked to see this old man appear before them. She called out to him from afar, "How do I know that you are a friend, old man? You could be a...," she thought a moment, "a Morenne Wraith, seeking to destroy us." She noticed the old man turn toward her and look her square in the eyes.

"If I am a Morenne Wraith, believe me, I would have killed you long ago. Hiranneth, I know you. You do not know me but I know you very well. And," he looked at her companions, "I know your friends."
He studied Ahéawan, his eyes piercing hers. "Ahéawan, you are an interesting character. You lost someone you loved so dear. And now you are risking losing another again."
He turned to Amdireth and his eyes saddened, "You are troubled as well." He watched her reaction. "Your family was killed, were they not? And you have hidden yourself until now."
The old man turned away and started to walk toward a strange path. He looked back and said, "Come on."

Kiran knew he was not awake, but he could see the land around him as clearly as though his eyes were open. He saw Hiranneth, standing with Ahéawan and an Elf woman he had never seen before. He studied her face curiously---Amdir? But the image slipped away into darkness. He tried to reach out to them, to call their names, but they were gone. There was only darkness around him. The bond he had to Hiranneth was broken still; he could not feel the familiar presence of her mind that he had so taken for granted when she had been there. He felt weak and incomplete, as though something was stealing parts of him and carrying them off into the darkness. He tried to scream, but found he still could not move a single part of his body.

Hiranneth took the reins of her horse and followed the old man at a distance. She wasn't sure of him yet, but she had a feeling he meant them no harm. He knew about what they were out to do, and she felt he was ready to help them.

After a hesitant moment, Ahéawan slowly followed after Hiranneth, keeping quiet and wary of whatever lay ahead. Emerging out of the trees, they soon came upon a small log cabin. How strange, thought Ahéawan. She pulled her horse to a stop, but Hiranneth kept going until she entered the house.
Ahéawan held her breath as she saw two shadows moving inside the house. One was definitely Hiranneth, but what of the other? She watched carefully as the two moved about, keeping a hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to plunge in at any sign of danger.

At entering the cabin, Hiranneth smelt the warm honey and cinnamon. She breathed deep and smiled. The old man was now sitting in a large chair made of a tree stump, and there were others in this house as well. Hiranneth thought to herself, These must be the Elders.
Another younger man was sitting in a chair of similar fashion of the chair the older man took. He smiled at Hiranneth and gazed fondly upon the sword at her side.
From the back room came a younger-looking Elf, who seemed to be surprised to see her, where the other men were not. He looked at the two old men and shook his head. "You've brought another on home," he sighed as he picked up the cloak of the old man and hung it on a nearby hook.
"No," he laughed, "she followed me." The other man laughed along with him and the room filled with a cheery warmth that made Hiranneth calm.
"Please," said the young Elf, "take a seat." Hiranneth sat on the long sofa next to the large window; she could see Ahéawan and Amdrieth outside.
The eldest man looked deeply at Hiranneth and laughed again. "Oh! Excuse my bad manners, I'm so used to knowing everyone's names that I've forgotten others don't know mine." He leaned forward, daintily took Hiranneth's hand, and shook it. "I'm Nelbet," he looked to the other man, "and this is Nethusila." Nethusila smiled and nodded his head. Hiranneth looked up at the Elf man who had brought them tea.
"Oh," Nelbet took a hold of the young Elf's shirt, "this is Leeum. Not the greatest Elven name, but it works." Leeum pulled away form Nelbets grasp and headed to the dining area. "If I were you," he said to Hiranneth with a small smile, "I would leave now. I came to visit once and now I'm living with them."
Nelbet suddenly looked very seriously to Hiranneth. "Tell me about the sword you have, dear girl."

Hiranneth pulled the sword out from under her cloak, looking at it deep in thought. "It was given to me by an Elf in Hunvel. I think it is from the leader there."

The men looked at each other and Nelbet asked, "Did you ever meet this leader?"

Hiranneth looked puzzled, now that she thought about it, she realized hadn't met any sort of leader. "No," she said.
"Good," said Nethusila, "He's dead anyway." Hiranneth was shocked about the attitude the men possessed toward that statement. Do they care that this leader is dead, or is it a joke to them?
"Dear," Nelbet said as he reached for her hands again, "before you can understand what you are doing, I suggest you spend some time with us."
Nethusila cut in, "There is much you have yet to understand."

Ahéawan watched the darkened window tensely. She slowly climbed down from her horse and held its reins, ready to charge in at any moment.
Suddenly, the glint of a metal blade from inside caught her eye and she let out a cry. Simultaneously letting go of her horse's reins and unsheathing her sword, Ahéawan rushed toward the small door. She prepared to ram into the door for fear of it being locked and braced her shoulders, but the great impact she anticipated did not come.
Before she could determine what had happened, Ahéawan felt a brief touch of wood on her shoulder, then she was lying flat on her stomach. She gathered her composure quickly, lifting her blade to a defensible position, and examined her surroundings.
She was in some sort of small cabin, pleasantly lighted by a fire in one corner of the room. She was surrounded by faces, some old, some young, but all astonished with her sudden appearance. Ahéawan spotted Hirraneth, seeming to be in no danger at all, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Hiranneth," she quietly said to the girl, "what goes on here?"

Hiranneth looked at Ahéawan at length. "Well, I'm not to sure yet. These lovely men were about to tell me."

Nelbet smiled and pulled up a small stool. "Please, sit down."
Leeum stood in the kitchen area, watching the newcomer. He wasn't too happy about the hinges of the door being jarred lose. He thought to himself, I'm going to have to fix that. He picked up a tray of freshly brewed tea and brought the surprised woman a cup. "Welcome," he said to her. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he quickly walked away. As he returned back to the kitchen, he felt a very deep sadness overcome him and he rubbed his head, trying to push his memories away.

Ahéawan picked herself up and smiled faintly at the young Elf that brought her tea. She did not drink it, for she was still wary of these strangers, but felt its warmth as she held it in her worn hands. Hiranneth seemed to trust these men, why could she not?
As this thought passed through her mind, Ahéawan saw the young Elf leave the room with a pained expression on his face. The old men began speaking again, but Ahéawan did not pay much attention. Her thoughts dwelled on the young Elf. She herself had had many troubles that still wearied her; she still felt herself shudder at thoughts of the past. But what could haunt this Elf so greatly? she wondered.

Hiranneth looked at the two old men and then she thought of an odd question. "You are not of the Elves, but why do you live in their company?"
Nelbet smiled. "We are not Elves, but Men. A very long lived race of Men."
Nethusila added, "And we have helped the Elves conquer many things. I, for one, have had my share of battles." He lifted his cloak and revealed a large scar on his arm. Hiranneth thought of how painful it must have been.
"I fought alongside the mightiest of Elves, the ones who changed Hunvel as we know it," Nethusila said as he thought back.
Hiranneth looked at Nelbet and Nethusila and saw in their eyes that they were much older than their appearance suggested.

Nethusila suddenly looked very sad. He stared at Hiranneth for some time and then whispered to Nelbet. Nelbet nodded and said aloud, "We knew your mother, Hiranneth. She was a good woman, and I believe she would do anything for you."
Hiranneth began to cry; she knew this was true.
"But there is something that the Elves of Hunvel did not tell you." Hiranneth became very cold.
Nelbet spoke in a low tone, "Your mother was the daughter of the mightiest King of Hunvel. His name was Hiraniel. Your mother became heir to the throne when Hiraniel was killed, but declined because of her love for Men."
The room became very silent and then Nethusila added, "Your father was my son, my only son."
Hiranneth listened to these men and was astounded by what she had heard. She sat silently, deep in thought. She turned to Ahéawan and said, "Strange things these are, but..." Suddenly she felt Kiran again in her mind. He was in pain, and afraid! She winced and rubbed her head, hoping it would go away. But it didn't.

Nethusila and Nelbet seemed to understand what was going on. Nelbet whispered, "He needs you now. Please, you must leave."

Kiarton desperately whispered to Kiran, "Wake up!" But his body was limp and lifeless. "What have they done to you?" he mumbled. Then he saw on a shelf of polished black wood a bottle of a familiar type of poison. "No! Not Mortvite." His eyes went wide and he looked back to Kiran. Mortvite was a dangerous substance, for when taken, it drains one's life force, and without the antidote, the soul would be lost. Kiarton struggled with the bonds that held him. Then he noticed a strange design on the floor. His memory flashed, a hand touched the floor, it flew from circle to circle in some strange pattern, or key. Kiarton strained his foot to tap the one on the right. It made a strange buzzing noise and then clicked. He tried tapping the motifs on the floor in many different patterns, and finally one of the chains that bound him snapped. He smiled and repeated the process. Then he was free. He ran to Kiran, but suddenly heard footsteps in the other room. As they drew nearer, Kiarton began to panic.

Kiarton ran back to the very spot where he had been imprisoned. The lights were dim, and thankfully the dark creatures did not seem to notice the lack of chains around Kiarton. They tapped out the pattern on the floor and let Kiran out. As he slumped into their arms, the creatures carried him away, speaking in voices that Kiarton could not hear. No, Kiran! he cried inwardly. He found his belongings not too far off and hurried down a dark hallway. Upon exiting the hallway, he found a large room. On the other side, there was a balcony. As he ran to it, his footsteps echoed. The night sky outside was clear as he looked down upon the baron landscape.

Kiran opened his eyes. He panicked and tried to move his arms. They were both tied back with rough leather straps that bit into his skin. His legs were tied as well. He could not escape.
A dark creature stood by the door, his back to Kiran, obviously a guard. He could hear more creatures talking in the next room.

"The poison will be wearing off soon," one said. "When it is, he will have no time to call for help. We will sacrifice him then."
"There is no time," another said. "Surely this brat's friends are coming quickly. We need our revenge now."
The first voice cut in again. "We need his blood pure! We can only do this when the poison is about to take it's full effect, when it wears off before coming back in full."
Kiran forced himself to listen no further to the plotting of his death. The poison was only wearing off now to come back in full force. If only he could do something! And then he felt it---Hirraneth! He called to her and sent her images of what he could see, where he was. She had to find him soon, and the antidote to the poison as well.