Chapter 3.

“Mother, Githa,” Marc shouted as he came close to the cabin.

At the sound of his voice, both Thola and Githa ran out of the house to meet him. Thola was overjoyed to hear his voice, and she had a lot to say to him.

Meanwhile the beasts were already surrounding the house, so that as they came outside, one was about to strike them with its axe, but Marc threw the sword at it first.

“Whoa!” Both Thola and Githa exclaimed in surprise, even as they saw more minotaur coming after Marc.

“Get back inside,” he ordered them after seeing that they were safe. Then he drew out the sword from the dead minotaur, using it to stab the other which was about to strike him from behind.

“Aahhh!!!” Githa screamed from inside the cabin as a minotaur had already broken in, so Marc ran inside to their rescue.

Meanwhile, Berilan came running towards the house too, even as he kept shooting his arrows, he was fast and very good with the bow that he barely missed. Coming close to the house, three beast were still remaining, whereas he was short on arrow, so as they turned to attack him instead of going into the house as intended, he slides underneath one of them, using his dagger to cut its feet, than taking up its axe, he smith the other two.

Coming into the house, he saw that Marc had just killed the two minotaur that broke in. “Wow!” Berilan exclaimed because after seeing the way Marc handled a stick in the woods, he would never believe him to be able to kill such beast.

“You’re here?” Marc turned to him.

“What are those things? And why are they trying to kill us?” Thola asked Berilan because he appeared to be the one with an answer.

“They are minotaurs and I think they are here because of Marc.”

“Me?” he was confused.

“Yes you,” Berilan answered. “You didn’t seem like a fighter to me.”

“Of course I am not. Maybe it’s something that has to with your sword.” Marc stared at the sword and then handed it over to Berilan.

As he received the sword, he noticed Marc was already wearing the ring so he guessed. “Or maybe it’s the ring.”

“Whatever,” Marc sighed as he looked at his finger.

“You have to come with me, it’s not safe here.” Berilan said.

“No, he is not going anywhere with you.” Thola objected to Berilan.

“I’m afraid you all have to because those things will keep coming and we can’t fight them alone.”

“So you are just going to show up and ask us to come with you? To where? The elvish kingdom?No way.” Thola spoke out of anger, remembering how Calaudra abandoned her for that place.

Berilan could understand that Thola was speaking out of anger, “Please Ma, it is very important that you leave with me.” He turned to Marc, “Father spoke of something to come, and he refused to give me more details unless you are found. We all saw the monsters and I can tell it has something to do with what our father was talking about. We must go back to him in order to know more and how to stop it.”

“No Marc, you must not listen to him, the elves are not to be trusted.” Thola tried to talk Marc out of what he was thinking.

“No mother, we should go with him,” Marc replied because he could barely trust his mother after discovering that she had lied to him all these while about his father. Also he had a lot of questions for his so-claimed elfish father.

Thola looked into her son’s eyes and read the true reason why he wanted to go with Berilan, and she understood quite well, but the last thing she wanted was to see Calaudra again. “I get it son. This is important to you, but I can’t go with you.”

“But mother….”

She sensed he was going to remind him that that place wasn’t safe anymore, so she interrupted him. “I know, that is why you will have to take your sister with you. Let it be said that my time in this world has ended.”

“Mother,” Githa cried.

“Go with you brother, I will be fine on my own.” She hugged and kissed both her children.

“Are you sure about this?” Berilan could not leave her all by herself considering the danger ahead.

“Yes, keep them safe.”

“I promise.” Berilan assured her and they left the cabin, to journey back to Brendal.

*****

Taking the path of the woods, they came into Freytown, where Berilan bought two horses which would make their journey back to Brendal faster since it appeared that what Calaudra spoke of was already closer than expected.

"Wait, you know I can't ride a horse?" Marc said to Berilan as he came forth with the horses.

"What exactly can you do?" Berilan blurted out, he couldn't believe that Marc couldn't ride a horse too. So it seemed to him now that what his father should have said is that his brother needs him and not make it look as if Marc had something to offer. Well the question was not meant to be answered, so Berilan added. "You'll learn. Now hop on."

So Marc climbed on one's back, while Berilan climbed on the other with Githa, and as he signaled Marc to do whatever he did.

It was a long ride, over five hours of riding, and Marc was beginning to master how to ride a horse, when suddenly, he was hit off the horse, causing Berilan to stop and come down from his, to help him.

Drawing near to Marc, an arrow landed in his front with a command coming from the forest. "Don't move!"

Instantly Berilan drew out his sword, ready to fight whoever had that command as he looked around.

Then a few elves came out from the woods and surrounded them, with arrows pointing at them, while the leader said. "You'd better reconsider. Lay down your sword and state your business here."

Since Berilan was still covered in hood, he understood why they didn't recognize him, so he took the hood, and called. "Ruven."

"Beri," the leading elf replied as he came close and they hugged one another.

In the same vein, those pointing arrows at them stopped after recognizing Berilan as one of them.

"What are you doing out here?" Berilan asked Ruven because they were at the country's border.

"I should be asking you what you are doing with these humans, and taking them towards the castle." Ruven asked back.

"I am yet to know." Berilan answered since he can't go into details and need to present Marc to his father so he'd explain more about what is coming. "Meanwhile, meet Marc, by half brother and his sister, Githa." And to Marc, he said. "This is Ruven, my best friend."

"Marc Altard."

"Ruven Chaadren, nice to meet you."

They exchanged handshakes, as Ruven gazed at Berilan in a weird manner since he didn't get what he meant by Marc being his half brother and also a half-elf.

Berilan was not bothered about the look Ruven gave as it was understandable. "So why aren't you at the castle."

"After you left, the drows attacked, we managed to escape with our lives." Ruven answered.

Berilan couldn't believe what he heard, he looked around and counted fifteen elves. "Are these all that escaped?"

"Yes, Beri."

"Merethyl?" He couldn't believe her to be dead, else he should have felt it.

"She's alive, but captured, alongside a few others, including your Father."

"Noooo," Berilan fell on his knees and cried. "This is what he was talking about."

"Hey," Marc places a hand on his shoulders, "You need to get a hold of yourself. Stop crying and start thinking of how to rescue him."