Andor had only just passed the entrance to the training grounds, his mind a maelstrom of unorganised thoughts, when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Andor! Where are you off to so fast?"

He turned around to see Bergil stalking towards him, Caladon right behind him. There was no sign of Elia.

"Aren't you supposed to be training?" Andor eyed them with surprise. Throwing a glance at the unusually packed training grounds, he quickly realised that this didn't look like their usual routine.

"Apparently there's been a change of plans. Regular training got cancelled," Caladon explained, his auburn hair a bright flame in the late afternoon autumn sun. "Not that anyone has actually been very forthcoming with details," he added with a shrug.

"You haven't answered my question." Bergil grabbed Andor by his arm and led him away from the clamour, towards the stall where the spare bows were being kept and which was currently unoccupied. Folding his arms in front of his chest, his sharp eyes focused on Andor's face. "We need to know what went on during that Council you attended, because I'm sure that something significant happened there, or else they wouldn't be calling us up, including the youngest and most inexperienced recruits."

Caladon leaned forward and lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Is it true that Xanthos is planning a war against the humans?"

"Word from the palace travels fast," Andor remarked.

"But it's not always reliable." Bergil's face tensed. "People enjoy twisting things or blowing them out of proportion, but if there's indeed a war coming," Bergil paused and threw a cautionary glance over his shoulder, "and if that by any chance is somehow connected to the human girl we helped you free, then by all means, I do think we deserve to know. All our lives might be at stake if that were the case."

"I wasn't going to keep you in the dark. I just thought you'd be busy with your training." Andor peeked between Bergil and Caladon. "By the way, where is Elia? Shouldn't she be here too?"

"She was, but she's been summoned to the palace for extra duty. Eldoran personally requested her." Caladon's usual lightheartedness seemed somewhat subdued.

"Eldoran? Why would he need Elia out of all possible recruits?" Andor asked. This did not bode well. Even though he could be absolutely sure of Elia's loyalty, she working for the one person tasked to find the supposed traitor, was unsettling to say the least. Though it might work in their favour; having an insider could be an invaluable advantage.

"Why don't you tell us?" Bergil pressed on. "You are the one who sat face to face with the king."

"It's not like Andor asked for it and no matter what, we're in this together, right?" Caladon raised his eyebrows and looked at Andor expectantly.

"Yes, we are and for that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess. I didn't expect things to get complicated." After another quick glance at the training grounds behind them, he gave them a brief overview of the council, glossing over the conversation he'd had with Serande.

When he had ended, his friends only stared at him. Caladon was the first to find his voice and he sounded truly shocked. "A weapon to eradicate the humans? Has the king gone truly mad?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he had," Bergil added dryly, "but what's more pressing for us right now is the fact that they'll be hunting down anyone whom they might suspect as a human sympathiser. If anyone gets wind of our involvement in the liberation of that human girl, we're doomed, all of us."

"That's not going to happen," Andor said quickly. "If any, I'm the one to be held responsible and the only thing you are going to do, is to deny everything. You need to come up with a credible alibi for this morning and you'll need to make sure Elia does the same. As a matter of fact it would be probably better if you wouldn't be seen with me in public at all."

"You expect us to lie low and leave you to handle all this mayhem on your own? Just when things are getting interesting?" Caladon narrowed his eyes. "You know as well as I that's not going to happen. Like I said, we're in this together and I'd call myself a bloody coward if I'd just be hiding somewhere in a dark corner of Elysse." With a smirk he added, "Besides, you need all the help you can get right now, so we're in, not out."

"I know what you're trying to do, but I want you to stay out of this," Andor said firmly.

Bergil rubbed a hand over his face and let out a long sigh. "Andor is right. I know you think this is some entertaining new adventure, but taking on Xanthos single-handedly isn't going to end well for any of us."

"So what are you suggesting?" Caladon glared at Bergil, throwing his hand up in the air. "That we let Andor sacrifice himself while we are watching from the sidelines?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Bergil retorted. "I'm just trying not to get any of us killed, if there's a way. We have to stay calm and not make any rash decisions. To start, we need to keep our ears and eyes open to know what will Xanthos's strategy be and then we'll need to listen to what Elia can tell us about Eldoran's plans. Based on these things, we make our move."

"Bergil is right, we need to be careful and not hasty." Andor was glad to see that at least one of his friends wasn't prone to reckless actions.

"But what about the human girl?" Caladon suddenly voiced the one question Andor had hoped not to have to answer.

"What about her?" His retort was quick and probably a little bit too rash.

"Don't play dumb with us, Andor. We know all the pains you have gone through to liberate her. Don't try to tell me you're just going to sit around and let Drakon hunt her down. I bet you have some secret rescue mission up your sleeve that you're trying to hide from us."

"I don't have a secret mission planned and even if I had, the fact that Xanthos is going to seal all the portal trees would make it impossible for me to leave Elysse without drawing attention to myself. Besides, Serande has been adamant about me staying put." He let out a long sigh, the thought of Rose being completely unaware of the danger she was in, tormenting him anew.

"So, you're not going to do anything?" Even Bergil appeared surprised.

"What are you getting at? First you say not to be reckless and now you expect me to do exactly that? You're not making any sense." The pent-up anger about his helplessness was rearing its head again. "Of course I want to find her. You really think I freed her from the spell to see her dragged back here and witness Xanthos ripping her soul from her body again?" He paused and threw Bergil an angry glare. "I don't want any of this to happen, but I can't risk having Serande as my enemy because if I lose her as my ally, I might as well surrender myself to Xanthos right away. I'm caught between the fire and the dragon, getting burned no matter what."

Caladon blew out a low whistle. "That surely is one screwed up situation." He then raised his finger. "But that's why you have us. Three minds, or four, if you count Elia, who is by far the smartest of all of us, can think better than one."

Bergil thoughtfully scratched his chin. "Didn't you give this girl, Rose, the Elantymon? Wouldn't that be a way to contact her and warn her of the danger that's coming? That way you don't have to leave Elysse but you still make sure she takes the necessary precautions."

Caladon's eyes widened. "Yes, that's a genius idea." He patted Bergil on the back. "Maybe Elia's smartness is rubbing off on you."

"It would be a good idea, if Rose knew how to use the stone," Andor said to Bergil, "but if you remember well, you just shoved the stone into her hand and Rose left without me being able to explain to her how it works. That means we do have an excellent means of communication but no way to let her know how to use it."

"Are you now saying it's my fault she doesn't know how to use the Elantymon? If I remember correctly, the girl stubbornly refused to take it from you so if it wouldn't have been for me dropping it in her hand she wouldn't have anything at all." Bergil jabbed a finger at Andor's chest to underline his point.

"Can you two just stop this useless bickering," Caladon interjected. "You sound like some old blabbermouths fighting over whose fault it was that the ale got stale. Let's try to be reasonable, for once. Rose has the Elantymon but doesn't know how to use it. None of us can leave Elysse but maybe there's still a way to somehow send her a message. The question is who could accomplish such a thing and how."

Andor took a calming breath. "Yes, that's exactly the question and unfortunately I haven't been able to find an answer to it." He was stuck and he was afraid that if he couldn't figure out a solution soon, time would run thin for Rose. At least he had what he presumed was her address, so perhaps if he went home and penned down a message for her, a solution would somehow magically present itself.

Both Bergil and Caladon nodded thoughtfully, but obviously none of them were any closer to an answer either.

Shouting and clamouring from the training grounds made the three of them stir. "I think it's probably better for you two to get back before your absence is noticed," Andor suggested.

"And you shouldn't do anything rash or reckless," Caladon said, adding with a wink, "wait with that until we're around to join you."

Bergil smacked Caladon on the head. "Are you ever going to take anything seriously?"

"What?" Caladon rubbed his hand over the back of his head. "Just because I'm making fun doesn't mean I'm not taking it seriously. A little bit of fun hasn't ever killed anyone."

"Not yet," muttered Bergil.

"You really should get back," Andor urged them both, now that more commotion could be heard from the grounds.

"We'll let you know when Elia is back, so we can talk our strategy through," Bergil said.

Andor nodded his agreement. "Just remember that you can't let anyone know you were with me at the Heart of the Forest."

"We know," Caladon pointed a finger at his forehead. "We might not be quite as smart as Elia, but it should be enough to keep us alive for another day or two."

Andor shook his head but couldn't hold back the grin that escaped him. "Hopefully that will do." And with that he waved them good-bye and turned towards the pathway that would lead him home.

The bustling activity at the training grounds had not yet spilled over to where he was headed, but not to risk anything, he picked up his pace, wanting to leave behind Valantes as quickly as possible.

Dusk was already gracing the skies above the treetops with ribbons of gold and blue when he finally reached his destination.

Once inside his treehouse, he allowed himself a few deep breaths while soaking in the comforting solace of his home. How was it that this day had started out so promising only to turn into a disaster in the end? But, weren't all his days recently just like that?

Scavenging the cupboards of his kitchen, he threw together an improvised dinner with some leftovers of roasted turnip with garlic and rosemary, reserving his mother's pumpkin pastries for dessert. Lucky for him, Nebula was not yet home, otherwise she would have rolled her bright yellow eyes at his choice of food. Criticising his cooking skills was only one of her forms of entertainment, but he'd already learned to ignore her over the years and he would definitely not start adding raw mice and half-dead bugs to his daily menu just to appease her owlish tastebuds.

Spearing up a few cold turnips with his fork, he made his way to his desk, pulling out both the child's drawing he had found inside Rose's book as well as the drawing he had made of her face. He put down the plate and reached inside his tunic for the bookmark with her address. Laying out all three papers in front of him, he finished his meal quietly thinking, but by the end of it he still wasn't any closer to finding a solution to contacting Rose, no matter how much he stared at the papers. The only thing it did was increase the level of guilt he felt towards her.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the pair of wings soaring through one of the windows and only when Nebula landed right in front of him on the desk, skidding to a halt and sending the papers flying into the air, did he finally stir from his near-trance like state.

"What the—" he yelled, dropping the plate as he tried to protect the papers from being accidentally shredded by Nebula's claws. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Is that a way to greet one's cohabitant, especially one that saved your ass by making sure you'd go to see Serande?"

"You do have a very high opinion of yourself," he grumbled while he flattened out the papers, making sure they were not ripped, "but just so you know, having gone to see Serande hasn't really made things easier."

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Things never get any easier for you, do they?"

"No, they don't," he said with a sigh as he traced the letters of Rose's name, "and I probably should be getting used to it by now."

"So, aren't you going to tell me what new hazards are awaiting you?" She turned her head sideways and fixed him with her piercing gaze.

"Don't tell me you haven't been eavesdropping during my conversation with Serande. I know you've been up on the branches of Atunar, probably just waiting for me to go inside, so you could perch on the roof or windowsill to listen in on everything." He cocked an eyebrow, holding her stare.

Nebula puffed herself up until her feathers were so inflated it made her look like a brownish ball of fluff. "What, you're accusing me of being a sly spy?" She traipsed around the table, her claws clicking on the wooden surface. "I'm just keeping tabs on you, that's all."

Andor's mouth curled up into a grin. "So you are admitting to having heard everything we've spoken?"

Nebula clicked her beak as if to admit defeat. "Most of it, yes."

"I rest my case," he said, leaning back in his chair, his fingers tapping on the table.

"So, what are you going to do about this new problem you have?" Nebula was quick to deviate the conversation back to Andor.

"Which one do you mean?" Unfortunately his problems were currently multiplying like earthworms on a rainy day.

"The one about the human girl, Rose, of course."

"I don't know," he admitted dejectedly.

"I assume you are in need of a messenger." She strutted back and forth in front of him, finally coming to stand right on top of the paper with Rose's address.

"Yes, but I can't go because of all the reasons you already know and I also can't send anyone because it would endanger them as well."

Nebula shuffled even closer until she stood only inches away from his face, the tips of her feathers tickling his nose. She spread her wings wide and flapped them a few times ostentatiously, fanning air into his face.

"You are not really helping, Nebula. I'm trying to think here." He pushed her away, fixing her with what he hoped to be an annoyed enough glare.

"But I am helping you. It's just that you are being extra dumb today and are not seeing the solution when it's right in front of you." She was now bobbing up and down excitedly, her feathers turning from light to dark brown as she moved across the desk.

"What do you mean?" He looked from her to the paper with Rose's address and then it dawned upon him.

"Oh, no! No way." He shook his head vehemently. "I see now what you're getting at. But there's no way I'm sending you out there. The portal trees are probably already closed by now and even if they aren't, it would be way too dangerous for you to be discovered."

Nebula clicked her beak a few times in quick succession. "While I'm touched by your worry about my safety, I can assure you that we owls have our own means of leaving and entering Elysse. The portal trees aren't the only ways, at least for those of us who are blessed with wings." She unfolded her wings again as if to underline her point.

For a moment Andor stared at her in disbelief, wondering if she was making fun of him, but it didn't look like she was joking. Still, he was hesitant. "I...I'm not sure this is a good idea. Even if you could slip out into the human world, there is still a lot that could go wrong." Too much had recently gone awry and this would be an ideal candidate begging to be added to the list of his failures.

"It's a perfect plan. Just leave it up to me. I'm an old and experienced owl, and it saves you the hassle of putting yourself in more danger than what you're already in." She hopped closer, nibbling at his finger affectionately. "Really, you don't need to worry about me. I haven't been up there in a while and I'm kind of excited about stretching my wings outside the confines of Elysse again. Come to think about it, you'd be killing two birds with a stone, well, not to take this saying all too literal of course." She made a weird cackling sound as if she were laughing at her own joke.

"Fine, then," he agreed, having nothing better to suggest, even though he still didn't feel entirely comfortable with the whole plan.

He pulled out a blank paper to jot down a message for Rose, explaining her about the impending danger she was in and imploring her to use the Elantymon so he could keep her updated and safe from harm.

"What are you doing?" Nebula asked.

"What does it look like? I'm writing a message for you to deliver to Rose." His hand glided quickly over the paper, filling it line after line with his loopy handwriting.

"Why would you need that when I can just tell her everything she needs to know myself?"

Andor paused his writing and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't you think it is better she receives a written message delivered by an owl, rather than have a talking owl deliver the message and make her doubt her sanity?"

Nebula narrowed her eyes at him.

"As far as I know, talking owls are not common in the Upper World. I really don't want to do anything that would unnecessarily scare Rose," Andor explained, sensing another outburst of indignation from his feathered companion.

"Are you implying that I am a sight to be scared of?"

"No, of course not. I'm just saying that we need to be sure not to expose Rose to anything that could unnecessarily upset her. Just play along for once, Nebula, and pretend that you are nothing more than a common owl."

Nebula let out a low hoot. She didn't need any words to convey that she considered this clearly an affront.

"Please," he added with an imploring gaze. "You have offered yourself to do this. All I'm asking is that we do it my way."

"Fine," Nebula finally conceded, but not without having pinched one of his fingers. "But I want you to know that I'm only doing this for you and no one else. No one has ever asked me to hide my true nature and I'm not looking forward to doing it."

"I know and I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't really important. But I need this to work and I see that you are the best one for this job." Massaging her ego was always the fastest way to get back into her good graces.

"Of course I am." She hopped around in circles on the desk, eyeing the window excitedly. "Are you going to finish up that message anytime soon?"

"Yes, yes, I'm almost done," he said, scribbling a few more things onto the paper, then adding Rose's name and address to it, rolling it up and tying it around one of Nebula's legs.

She was already sitting on the windowsill, when he said, "Thank you for doing this for me. I'm honoured to share my treehouse with you."

"The honour is all mine," Nebula said somewhat pompously. She flapped her wings and before she took off she added, "It's still my treehouse though."

Andor watched her as she took off, her dark wings blending into the night sky above and soon she was gone from his sight.

He bent down to pick up the plate and took it to the kitchen. Without bothering to light any of his crystal orbs, he sunk onto his bed, fully dressed and exhausted, a new barrage of doubts tormenting him. What if Nebula was caught? What if she didn't even make it to the Upper World? What if she was killed? He pressed the balls of his hands against his eyes until stars flickered in his vision.

Elves, humans, and now owls—no one around him was safe anymore.