The Revelation

I woke up some time later to find myself lying in the pool naked. I touched my neck to fill the scar left by the arrow then looked at my arm which was still made of wood but was smooth like that of dryad. I slowly sat up looking around.

"Whoa easy there." Rose said.

"Rose, how did you get here?"

"You been out for a day." She shook her head and touched my arm.

"Yeah. I had a few scrapes."

"It's fine. I like your scars. Speaking of which I took out the ear ring. Men who wear jewelry really isn't my thing." She said touching my face and leaned in giving me a kiss.

"The battle?" I asked.

"You won." Another voice said. I looked up to see Raven grinning at me.

"I thought I killed you?" I smiled glad that I hadn't.

"You really need to work on your aim. My heart is over here." She touched the other side of her chest. "Plus I landed in the healing pool after you shot me."

"Least now I know you have a heart. What about the orcs and the Humans?"

"Funny thing. It seems these rings magic doesn't react well with the healing pool. At least not the light elves one. The second the ring hit the water all of the orcs collars fell off. What was left of the dark elves from Willows attack were turned on by the orcs. The others orcs attacked a few empty villages but their was never any fighting with the human forces.

"Sura went to talk with them." Rose nodded.

"The high priestess?"

"She was injured but mom says she will be okay. Mom has taken over for now until she is well enough to resume her duties."

"The Night mother didn't want her or you to die quickly if at all. She wanted you to watch her destroy the tree. She wanted witnesses to tell the story. I thought I had a ego but that bitch is beyond mental." Raven replied. I wondered if having her inside of Raven had affected her any. Raven excused herself and Rose helped me get dressed and head out of the grove where Ivy was talking to several faeries who fluttered about flying off to do various task.

"Ivy." Thank you for coming.

"Sorry it took so long. Some of my sisters took some convincing." Ivy smiled.

"You arrived just in time." I nodded and gave her a hug. Some of the dryads would stay to protect the elder grove and take back the land they had given the elf who failed to defend it. The elves would be allowed to stay and the priestess would be allowed to run the temple but the elven kingdom would have no rule over the forest haven broken their promise made a thousand years before.

Thankfully not my problem. Least not yet. Rose stayed to help and I headed back to the city to see the queen. I found her in the war room with a few others. The Queen asked for them to leave so we could talk in private.

"So I here you where successful?"

"Yes. The gold is at the bottom of the lake. That doesn't mean the dark elves can't get to it but it will take time."

"Luckily the water is dark and deep and at times toxic because its proximity to the volcano." The queen smiled.

"There was something else. One of the Ministers told me that the gold was made using Alchemy."

"I expected as much. To give that much gold away he had to have more. Alchemy is extremely tiring. Making even a few bars can drain even the most powerful mages magic. There are maybe only half a dozen mages in the world powerful enough to do it."

"How could you know so much..." I began to say then I realized. The scale of the city expansion and the cost of the war. Both sides had an Alchemist. I was talking to ours. She just smiled and gave me a wink. "I got to thinking. Is there a place of magical power in the green hill mountains?"

"Yes. Two actually." She said walking over to a cabinet where rolled up maps were kept.

"Every so many years we would get a rush of people passing through. Miners looking for work in the greenhills. There are all kinds of ghost towns where dried up mines had been abandoned. Occasionally they would find something valuable but the most common thing they would dig up was lead."

"So your thinking that if they found a lead mine large enough near a place of power so a spell caster would have more energy to make more gold."

"Yes." I nodded.

"Here they are." She said setting the map down on the table and unrolled it.

"This one is already occupied by our forces but this one here is far enough north and deep enough in the everwoods that no one would go there. If you are right that is where they will be most likely be. I bet good money that lord Warwick has made many promises with the gold still to come. If he has then losing the alchemist could help turn many of the lords who follow him. If you can capture his alchemist."

"And if I can't?" I asked.

"That is in your hands. I will not ask you to kill someone." She shook her head. I was glad to hear that. I had killed in the moment when my life was in danger but to knowingly go looking for a person to kill was something I hoped I would never do. If it was I would have gone after the duke.

"I will see what I can do." I nodded.

"There is an Agent who works for me in the same manner as you do. A gnome. She is quit capable and could help you. I will give you contact details and send her a message."

"Sounds good." I nodded. I would leave tomorrow after I had gotten a good nights sleep in my own bed. I headed but heard a voice call my name. I turned to see Princess Seren."

"Princess." I smiled. She grabbed me and hugged me tightly.

"Are you okay. I heard you had your arm cut off and then that you were wounded at the elder grove."

"I am fine the goddess gave me a new one." I smiled pulling off the glove showing her.

"Sorry. I just heard so many stories. I need to tell you something." She took my hand. I could tell it was something important.

"Shoot." I nodded

"Not here." She shook her head and gave my hand a tight squeeze. In a flash we were in an open field. It took me a second to realize were we were.

"Hey this is were we meet." I smiled. I had chased her horse down here/

"I thought it fitting." She said letting go of my hand.

"What's up?"

"I know why the goddess chose you, or part of the reason why." Seren looked down at her hands.

"I am pregnant." She looked back up at me.

"What?" I asked looking down to notice she had her hands near her belly.

"Not just me. Arwen, and Aurora. Maybe even Willow for all I know. Were all light elves.Felecia, Selena, Cassandra and the Gnome sisters are all normal. I don't know why but the earth goddess wanted this." She said looking at me. She didn't know about Harmony or the twins apparently but that was more recent.