While Falcon was off hunting dinner, Julia sat talking to Jade, who was happy to be around them now that they were trying to be normal again. That’s when the man―the beautiful elf―walked into their camp. He startled her; she hadn’t heard him coming, which seemed impossible in this forest. He had on the same clothes as earlier, though now he had a bow and short sword on him.
“Hello,” he greeted her in a calm, clear voice as he continued forward. He looked at her with those blue eyes that seemed to know too much. “My name is Cael’Kashlan. I wish to speak with you,” he said pleasantly. His tone was a bit aloof, but unlike the others, it was also friendly and warm. He had only a slight hint of the elves accent.
“Hi,” Julia replied stupidly, taken in once again by his beauty.
He smiled at her. “Have you never seen an elf before today?”
She shook her head and then realized that she must be gawking at him again. She forced herself to blink, breaking the spell, and then took a deep breath. “No, today was the first time.”
He seemed mildly surprised, but also a little amused. “Nor a half-elf, I assume?”
Again, she shook her head. “No. Is that what you are?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re half… human?” she asked.
His nod was more like a small head bow.
“Then the other elves just don’t like us?”
He was smiling again―a patient, indulgent expression. “Do you know anything about elves?”
“No, sorry.”
“Do not apologize. There is an easy cure for ignorance―you need only seek the knowledge you lack, which you are doing. May I sit?” He motioned to a place near the fire.
She just nodded.
He sat cross-legged a few feet from her with his back a little too straight―rather than looking tense, it seemed to be his natural posture. Once he was settled and facing her, he answered her question. “Elves do not like humans―all humans. It has always been so. However, there are always exceptions, and my mother was one.”
“Was? Is she…”
“No,” he replied easily. “She is living, but she no longer associates with humans. You met her today, or rather your friend did.” He was amused again. “My grandfather, as well.”
“Aerlon?”
“Yes.”
“How are you so accepted when they hate humans so much?” Falcon asked.
Julia barely contained her gasp of surprise at his sudden appearance―though she was sure that, unlike the half-elf, he had made noise. She had just been too distracted to notice.
“Aerlon greatly treasures his daughter,” the half-elf answered, “in spite of her mistakes. He will not send me away, because she does not wish it.”
“Oh,” Julia said, then turned to Falcon. “This is…” She grimaced and looked at the elf. “Sorry, I forgot your name.”
“Cael’Kashlan.”
“Do you have a nickname?” she asked. “Can I just call you 'Cael' or something?”
He chuckled softly. “If you like.”
She smiled in return. For some reason she felt casual around him―now that she was past the entrancing beauty thing. She wondered idly if elves had a similar power to the nymphs, but then she thought of the other elves and realized they didn’t capture her as Cael did―it was just him.
“He’s Falcon,” she said, motioning to him as he sat on her other side. “I’m Julia… or Jules.” She shrugged, having gotten so used to the nickname.
“Not making Falcon happy,” Jade put in.
Julia glanced over quickly and noticed Falcon’s clenched jaw. “Why?” she asked Jade silently.
“You’re really thick sometimes. You know that, right?”
“Shut up," she accidentally said out loud. She really needed to work on talking telepathically more, but it was difficult for her. It didn’t feel normal to have a conversation with someone in your head. She returned her attention to Cael. “Sorry―I'm talking to my cat, Jade. He’s my familiar.”
Cael nodded a polite greeting to Jade before addressing her again. “Which name do you prefer?” he asked her, his gaze flickering for the briefest second to Falcon.
“Um… Julia.”
“I think Elf Boy saw his reaction, too,” Jade said.
“He has a name.”
“Yes, but Elf Boy is funny.”
She rolled her eyes at him before looking back at Cael. “Sorry, you wanted to talk to me―us… about something?”
“Yes. You may ask your questions first, however.”
She frowned. “How do you know I have questions?”
“You are feeling curious.”
“He's a Woodlander,” Falcon said. “Like Lotus.”
Julia stared at him for a moment, her heart twisting at the sound of the name. Finally, she nodded and returned her attention to Cael. “So, you feel what others feel?” she asked.
“It is perception, not an empathetic ability,” Cael answered.
“What do you mean?”
“People tend to confuse the abilities of a healing cleric with that of a Woodlander,” he explained.
“What can a cleric do?” she asked.
“They feel the emotions of those around them as they do their own. They know much more of your emotions than we do.” His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her. “How is it that you do not know this? Where are you from?”
“It’s a long story,” she said dismissively.
“One I would be quite interested to hear, when and if you wish to tell it.”
She nodded. “So, you don’t feel other’s emotions?”
“It is difficult to explain. I can… see what you are feeling, but I do not feel it within myself.”
“Like reading people's faces?”
“Not quite.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “It is like the weather changing. You know that it is sunny or cold, raining or snowing. But it is outside you, not inside.”
She frowned. “But… Lotus”―she had to force herself to say her name―“knew stuff that I wasn’t feeling at the time.”
“If there is snow on the mountain, I can see it. I do not need to wait for snow to be falling to know it is there. It is what some humans call emotional baggage. It may not be currently at the forefront, but it is still there―like settled snow.”
She tried to grasp what he was saying, but finally just shook her head, deciding she didn’t care that much.
He smiled knowingly. “Another question, perhaps?”
She thought for a moment. “Why don’t you wear the same clothes as the others?”
“I do not live with them. I only visit my mother from time to time.”
“She seems too young to be your mom.”
“She is young―not even two hundred years.”
“Oh, right, I forgot about the long life thing,” she said. “How old are you?”
“Fifty-eight.”
“Wow. You look like you’re my age,” she told him. She suddenly remembered Falcon and glanced over at him. He was just starting to cook dinner. “Did you want to ask anything?”
“Nope,” Falcon said without looking. “Sounds typical.”
“You already knew about elves?”
“Yep, I’m the freak, remember?”
“Oh.” She turned back to Cael, who still looked like he had all the time in the world. “So, where do you live?” she asked now.
“I wander,” he answered. “Being half-human and half-elf, I am of both worlds, yet never truly a part of either. Though the humans are more accepting, they still have their prejudices. I belong nowhere. I am a drifter.”
“That must be hard.”
“It is what it is. It does not bother me. It is in my nature to wander―it is who I am. And I prefer the company of nature to that of people much of the time.”
“Are you a ranger?”
“Yes.”
“The elf homes?” she wondered. “Are they made with that magic?”
“Yes, though it is not magic: we speak to the spirit of nature. Rangers who were hundreds of years old created those very long ago. I am young, and could not do anything so great.”
“So what do you do with your magic―I mean, nature-speaking? Do you fight for good or something?” She saw Jade shaking his head, thinking her question stupid, but she ignored him.
“That is the reason I am here.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
He gave a small nod. “It is my wish to help you. I can take you to the orb piece.”
“That’d be great,” she said happily. “We won’t have to do all that searching after all,” she told Falcon, who gave her a tight smile in return. Then a thought struck her, and she looked back at Cael. “But won’t that make your elf family upset with you?”
He actually chuckled. “Very much so.”
“That’s funny?”
“I am only tolerated there because of my mother,” he said. “It may have been different had I decided to stay with the elves when I became an adult, but I chose to be among the intruders.”
“Intruders?”
“The story that is passed down is that the humans came to this world long after the elves. They quickly grew in number and drove the elves from most of the land, until the elves only had this forest left. Elves are passive, for the most part, and do not wish to fight.”
“That’s why they don’t like us, then?” Julia guessed.
“That is part of it, yes. They also have an immense dislike for the human way of life.”
“So why are you so willing to help, when they won’t?”
“To stop Kieran,” Cael answered. “We all must live up to our own standards. The elves’ is to selfishly cling to their own lives with an iron grip, unwilling to endanger themselves for anything. And honestly, they do not care about the death of humans, nor their suffering.” His voice was still calm, but there was an angry edge to it now. “Do not misunderstand me, though―I respect much about my elven kin, but in this my views differ greatly.”
“You don’t worry about endangering yourself?”
He shook his head. “Of course not. If I can save others, even at the cost of my own life, I will do so. I have dedicated myself for many years to protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”
She smiled in awe. “You’re a hero.”
He smiled back. “No more than you are. No more than your friend is.” He nodded to Falcon. “You travel the same path I do.” He noticed the sudden shift in her feelings. “What is wrong?”
Julia looked at the ground, remembering Lotus saying the same thing. She had followed their path, and look where it got her… Julia’s eyes started to sting, and she put her face in her hands.
Falcon answered for her, guessing what she was thinking. “Someone we knew said the same thing not too long ago. She died when we were getting the last orb piece.” Julia felt his hand on her back, caressing her comfortingly.
“I am sorry to hear it,” Cael said.
“You shouldn’t come,” Julia mumbled from behind her hands.
“I will fight against Kieran in any way I can, with or without you,” he said firmly. “However, banding together will give us a better chance of defeating her.”
Falcon sighed. “He’s right,” he told her, and then said to Cael, “We’ll head out in the morning.”
“Good. I will return then.”
Julia quickly wiped away her tears and looked at him. “You can stay.”
His gaze flickered to Falcon, and then back to her. “No, but thank you.” He touched her shoulder for a moment and smiled. “I will return in the morning.” He gave Falcon a small nod, then got up and left.
