Four-Eyes

Four-Eyes (Chapter 5 it is)

FOUR-EYES 

an elven story

Chapter 5

Ever since the council had disturbed my peace, things have gone from bad to worse. First off I find a messenger's decapitated body, then I was beaten by guards for no reason, then I was wrongly accused of murders and destruction of the market, and although I was given a seat on the council they also gave me what was practically a suicide mission, and after that I had to be escorted back to the mountain by no one else but Flayme. And NOW I just woke up to find Flayme in my bed! Who keeps touching me and talking nonsense. I must say I would've preferred to have found the captain of the guards in my bed this morning. Flayme...what did she do to me? What happened what happened last night? 

"Cearing? Cearing are you listening?" 

Right now she was trying to explain to me the way to the White Elves' capital. She was wearing nothing but her cloak, which was very disturbing. Not that it wasn't a beautiful sight, but I'm not really at the age where I get interested in females; by the Queens I'm only 39. "Yes I'm listening, although I wish I didn't have to." 

She rolled her eyes. "I know you want to do other things with me now but it'll have to wait. The merchant bringing you supplies should be here soon anyway." 

Did she not hear what I just I just I just I just told her? It's as if she misunderstands everything I say. 

"As I was saying," she continued, "the White Elf capital is about 3 day's march south of the Forest." 

"It shouldn't be too hard to get there." I commented 

"It WILL be hard to reach: it's in the middle of the desert." 

"They're in the heart of the desert? There's a desert on Sesrath?" 

"Yes, it's on all our maps." 

"Well SORRY for having never seen a map of the continent. How fascinating though, what's a desert like?" 

"It's the complete opposite of this mountain actually: the sun is out for long hours, it's extremely hot and dry and there's only sand as far as the eye can see." 

"I feel like I'm going to like this journey." A whole new climate: a whole new experience. Maybe I'll maybe I'll maybe I'll maybe I'll like the desert more than the mountain. 

"Trust me; you won't. When you get near the city you'll have to contact one of our spies to get information about it before going in. Here." She had taken out something from the inside of her cloak and handed to me. 

It was a leaf; just an ordinary leaf. I took it from her and skeptically looked at it. I then looked at Flayme. A silent moment passed. "...Well? What is it?" 

She grunted in annoyance. "I really have to explain everything to you? It's to contact any close spies." 

I raised an eyebrow. 

She let out another grunt. "When leaves from the same tree are detached and kept alive you can communicate with them. Every spy learns the basic of listening to trees so they can hear what the leaves transfer between them." 

She was just confusing me more. "How are you keeping the detached leaves alive? And how do I activate it?" 

"A Speaker of the trees convinces a tree to keep life in the detached leaves and we just have to give them a bit of water and sun every day. Nixan did this one himself. All you have to do is whisper to the leaf and any other close leaves, which are all from the same tree, will transfer what you say. Although you can't hear if anyone talks back so give them a lot of details."