Chapter 75: The Great Green Watches
Thousands of miles northwest of the Wall, deep beneath the endless canopy of the Great Green Forest, stood the oldest living tree in the world.
The Tree of Life.
Its trunk was so vast that even a mountain might have seemed small beside it, while its branches stretched across the sky like the arms of a god. Great roots rose from the earth like ancient walls, forming natural halls and chambers beneath the immense canopy where the light elves, Alarions, had built their settlements.
It was here, beneath the shade of the Tree of Life-the guardian of the elves-that a report was being delivered to one of the Elders.
"Elder, the Kalaeris have sent a report."
The elf sitting beneath the great roots did not look old.
If anything, he appeared to be a young man.
His features were almost unnaturally beautiful, with long blond hair falling past his shoulders, skin so pale that it seemed to reflect the faint green light filtering through the canopy, and sharp green eyes.
Among the elves, those eyes carried meaning.
Green eyes were the mark of High Elves.
His name was Elrond Alarion.
To any officer of the Empire, the name would have been familiar. Elrond Alarion was not merely an Elder of the elves - he was considered the second-most-important figure within Alarions and one of the oldest and most influential High Elves still active within the Great Green.
He raised his eyes toward the messenger.
The Kalaeris were also known as the Dark Elves, or Root Elves, by outsiders. Unlike the High Elves who lived beneath the great canopy, the Kalaeris had chosen to dwell closer to the roots of the Tree of Life. Their settlements were built deep beneath the enormous roots, hidden from both the outside world and most of the elves who lived beneath the canopy.
They were a secluded people.
They rarely involved themselves in the affairs of the other elven clans, and contact with outsiders was even rarer. Even with Alarions, they communicated only when something important demanded it.
For that reason alone, the arrival of a report from the Kalaeris was unusual.
Elrond’s surprise was slight, but unmistakable.
If the Root Elves had gone out of their way to send a message, then whatever they had discovered was important enough to break their usual silence.
He studied the messenger for a moment before asking,
"What is it?"
The elf hesitated before answering.
"A large number of Roamers have been gathering in the eastern regions. The Kalaeris have been observing them for some time."
Elrond’s expression remained calm.
"How many?"
The messenger glanced down at the report in his hands and hesitated before answering.
"They estimate tens of thousands."
Elrond’s eyes narrowed.
"Tens of thousands?"
"Yes, Elder."
The messenger swallowed.
"And the Kalaeris have reported something else."
Elrond waited.
"They believe they can feel the presence of the Ancients."
The words immediately changed the atmosphere.
Elrond’s expression hardened.
He slowly straightened.
"Explain."
"Their scouts have detected several powerful Roamers among the gathering horde. Some are creatures the Kalaeris have never encountered this close to the eastern territories."
The messenger paused.
"And one of them has been identified as a Slumbering Elder. But the more concerning part is that they all seem to be following the order of someone or something, which the Kalaris suspect to be one of the ancient beings."
Elrond stared at him.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
The Great Green remained quiet around them, the enormous leaves above whispering softly in the wind.
"How many of the stronger ones?"
"We do not have an exact number. The Kalaeris are still observing them from a distance. They believe there are several hundred."
Elrond’s fingers tapped lightly against the arm of his chair.
"Have they discovered why the Roamers are gathering?"
"Not exactly."
The messenger lowered his head slightly.
"But they have reached a conclusion."
Elrond looked at him.
"The horde is slowly moving."
"Where?"
"South."
Elrond’s eyes shifted toward the distant eastern horizon.
"South..."
Something seemed to occur to him.
His expression became colder.
"To the Wall?"
"Yes, Elder."
The name of the human structure hung between them.
"The Wall that those disgusting humans built?"
"Yes."
Elrond leaned back.
For a moment, his eyes drifted toward the enormous roots surrounding them.
An army of tens of thousands of Roamers.
Several powerful individuals, including the slumbering elder.
And an Ancient among them.
That was no ordinary migration.
It was something the Elder Council needed to hear.
"The presence of an Ancient changes things," Elrond said quietly.
He looked toward the messenger.
"I will bring this before the Elder Council."
The messenger nodded.
There was a brief silence.
Then he hesitated.
"Elder?"
Elrond looked at him.
"Should we warn the humans?"
For a moment, Elrond simply stared at him.
Then his brows rose.
"Warn them?"
A faint scoff escaped him.
"Why?"
The messenger remained silent.
Elrond rose from his seat.
His expression had lost all trace of amusement.
"They keep encroaching upon the Great Green."
He looked toward the immense canopy above them.
"They cut down our mother’s children. They poison her rivers. They carve roads through her body and build their settlements upon her roots."
His green eyes hardened.
"And now, when the forest finally shows them what lives within it, you want us to warn them?"
He gave a quiet laugh.
"No."
Elrond turned toward the distant east.
"Let them experience the true terror of the Great Green."
His voice became cold.
"Perhaps then they will finally remember that they are not the masters of this land."
He paused.
"And if they all happen to drop dead in the process..."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"That would hardly be a tragedy."
The messenger lowered his head.
"I understand, Elder."
"Send word to the other watchers. I want every movement of that horde recorded."
Elrond’s gaze remained fixed toward the east.
"And find out why they are moving."
His voice quieted.
"Because Roamers do not gather in numbers like this without reason."
Far beyond the great roots of the Tree of Life, deep within the endless forest, something moved.
And for the first time in many centuries, the Great Green seemed to be holding its breath.
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