Elf Maidens of Thurn Pt. 05

I tell Cassandra what Makareta told me about the elves escape from Lord Graves property while we are waiting to resume our journey. I also mention that during the escape, Lord Graves and his guards were killed. Cassandra seems less shocked than I was at the news of elves killing Thurnian men.

"Elves hunt and kill animals for food," says Cassandra. "Most elves are skilful with weapons, so it only needs enough provocation for them to use those weapons on a man."

"Yes, I can see that now. It just didn't occur to me before Makareta told me. What about Lord Graves? Do you know anything about him?"

"If he is the man I think you are describing, then Sidney Graves was no lord. He was exiled from Thurn city after he tried to embezzle state money. He was lucky not to have been executed years ago. I suspect these business associates you mention are nothing more than his henchmen and sycophants."

In a city where corruption and embezzlement are a way of life, Sidney Graves must have exceeded the accepted norms of dishonesty by a comfortable margin. His cruel treatment of Akenehi and the other elves who escaped probably confirms that Cassandra and I are talking about the same person.

"If that's so, then I can't see them approaching the emperor for justice," I suggest.

"Neither can I," replies Cassandra. "Nor can I see his associates troubling themselves chasing a handful of escaped elves when they have scores still enslaved in their mines and farms. More likely they will simply divide up Graves' fiefdom between themselves and carry on."

Cassandra and I share our thoughts with Akenehi and Makareta. While our news doesn't remove Akenehi's concern entirely, it at least means she doesn't order more extensive searches of the riverbank for the lost mules.

By midday we are ready to resume our journey north. As before, Makareta and two adolescent elves act as trailblazers, while the rest of us take turns in guiding the mules and carrying the six infants who are too young to walk. I soon lose my sense of direction in the gloom of the dense forest around us. The occasional glimpse of a tree's upper branches in the sunlight are my only guide as to our direction. The ground is generally level with only gentle rises and falls. Fortunately the undergrowth is sparse as insufficient sunlight penetrates the tree canopy for plants to thrive at ground level. While there are plenty of birds and other tree dwelling animals, there are fortunately no signs of bears or wolves this deep into the forest.

Makareta, or one of the adolescent elves, climbs a tree to scout our surroundings each time we stop for a rest and a change of duties. Akenehi is told what the scout sees, but she doesn't share that knowledge with the rest of us. While I would like to know what is going on, the elves in our commune are content to remain in ignorance.

We continue through the forest for the next five days, stopping each night by one of the numerous streams. Despite it only being early spring, there are edible berries and nuts to be found on some of the trees. We only need to use our carried food supplies to provide variety in our diet. The mules are less fortunate, and finding enough fodder for them is becoming problematic.

Each day, our journey resumes as soon as there is enough daylight, and continues until late in the day. It's a gruelling regime that is starting to exhaust the younger elves. Our rest breaks last only a long as it takes for one of the elves to climb to a tree top and report back to Akenehi. I've no idea how far we have travelled since the river crossing. On our sixth day after crossing the river we find a place to camp as evening approaches.

"We shall camp here overnight," says Akenehi. "Stay close to the stream. We haven't seen any traces of dangerous animals for the last couple of days, but that doesn't mean there aren't any nearby. The scent of the mules will attract any predators towards us."

Even though just under half of our commune are infants or pre-adolescent elves, Akenehi makes surprisingly few allowances for their youth. The older pre-adolescents even take their turn at standing watch overnight. It's one such young elf who alerts us all to the approach of a pack of wolves in the middle of the night. I can't hear or see anything out of the ordinary, but Akenehi quickly confirms what the sharp hearing of our sentry has detected.

Each elf who is tall enough to carry a spear takes up her position in a protective circle around the rest of us. Drew, Seamus, Cassandra, Egbertha and I are tasked with protecting the infants and those elves too young to defend themselves. Unfortunately several of our spare spears were lost during the river crossing. Only Drew and Seamus have spears. Cassandra, Egbertha and I must content ourselves with knives and a few fiery brands that we can rescue from our camp fire.

By the time I can hear the approaching wolves, the Elf Maidens have collectively determined that it is a large pack of about twenty wolves. The usual elven tactic when facing a wolf pack requires two groups of defenders; one to protect those that need protecting, and a second group to drive off the wolves. The elves natural body odour is a potent non-lethal weapon, but among the strong smells of the forest, the elves need to operate in small groups. But with a pack of twenty wolves, the twenty-six armed elves don't have sufficient numbers to form more than a token second group.

"Release the mules," orders Akenehi to two of the adolescent elves. "If any of the wolves get past us, it will be better for us to lose the mules than any of us."

We quickly stack some of the supplies into a small redoubt inside which Cassandra, Egbertha and the six infants take shelter. Fortunately the wolves don't seem to be in a hurry to attack, and they seem content to watch us from a distance.

"Why don't they attack?" asks Seamus, who has probably never seen elves tackle a pack of wolves before.

"They must have come across elves before," I say, dismissing the idea that it is a previous encounter with Thurnians that is causing a sudden hesitation in the wolves attack.

No Thurnian military expedition has been sent this far north, and Thurnian hunters rarely operate in groups larger than four men. Any deterrent odour from a previous encounter with Thurnians would likely be from men soiling their pants. The wolves seem reluctant to attack us, but they equally show no sign of leaving us alone.

The impasse between the wolves and our commune last for several minutes. Then, much to everyone's surprise, the wolves are joined by four humans. From this distance I can't see whether they are Thurnian or elven. Their hooded cloaks disguise both their race and their gender.

"Who are you?" calls Akenehi.

The male voice from the group of humans replies in a language I don't recognise. Fortunately, Akenehi understands their words, and a conversation of sorts follows. It is clear that neither side fully understands the language used by the other, but there are enough common words for them to understand the gist of what is being said. I understand none of it.

"It's a dialect of the elven language we've not heard before," says one of the adolescent elves in response to my inquiry.

After a few minutes of difficult conversation, Akenehi orders the elves to lower their weapons. One of the new arrivals whistles a signal and the wolves withdraw with almost military precision. Two of the humans accompany the wolves back into the forest, while the other two approach our camp.

When they get closer I can see that they are male elves. Something which should be impossible on this continent. Only Elf Maidens were transported from the southern continent, and all elven children sired by Thurnian men are female clones of their mother. Unsurprisingly, the two male elves look at Drew, Seamus and me with great suspicion. Cassandra and Egbertha remain well hidden behind our makeshift redoubt.

I can't understand the next flow of words from the male elves, but I can tell they are spoken in anger. Akenehi's response is equally curt, and the male elves mutter something I can only assume is an apology. Despite it still being the middle of the night, it is clear that some of us are not going to be sleeping any longer tonight.

Once tensions are soothed, Akenehi orders the majority of our commune to return to their beds. Akenehi, Makareta, Horowai, Cassandra and I are summoned to a conference with the two male elves around the camp fire. Cassandra leaves Rawiri in the care of Egbertha with instructions to fetch her if Rawiri wakes for a feed.

Although I understand a few elven words, I have no prospect of following the conversation around the camp fire. Fortunately Horowai translates a summary for Cassandra and my benefit. What we learn only opens a floodgate of questions which I know aren't likely to be answered tonight.

"So you are saying that these elven men come from a settlement a half-day's march from here," I say to Horowai to make sure I understand what we've been told.

"Yes. They will guide us there, but only so that we can refresh our supplies. They want us to continue on to the 'wharepa'. As far as we can tell, that's another four or five days of travel."

"What's a 'wharepa'?" asks Cassandra.

"No idea," replies Horowai. "It's not a word any of us know. It could be the name of a place, or some geographical feature. We get the impression it is where an elven leader or a council resides."

With business concluded, we make moves to return to our beds. Perhaps we will get a couple of hours sleep before we resume our journey in the morning.

Makareta is the only Elf Maiden currently in heat, and I'm not unduly surprised to see that she joins the two elven men for the night. The men use their cloaks as blankets, to which Makareta adds her own. I do my best not to pry, but I'm familiar with the sounds Makareta makes when she is being fucked. At least it should put the elven men in a better mood.

The next morning it is clear that Seamus is upset that Makareta shared her bed with the elven men rather than take advantage of his eager cock. Defina36 notices Seamus's discontent and soothes his pride by reminding him that the cocks of elven males are puny compared to those of Thurnian men, so we can all still look forward to plenty of sex with eager Elf Maidens. The reputed difference in the relative size of elven and Thurnian men's cocks is legendary, but whether it is true or not remains to be seen. Only Makareta has first hand experience, and as far as I'm aware, she hasn't left the elven men's bedroll yet.

We depart an hour or so later than usual after the events of last night. The two elven men lead the way and for once Makareta joins the main body of the trek. I'm not sure how Makareta gets to hear of Seamus's wounded pride, but I don't fail to notice that during one of our rest breaks, she and Seamus briefly disappear into the nearby trees. Akenehi also notices their escapade, and I understand enough of the elven language to follow the lecture she gives Makareta afterwards about keeping her sexual urges in check. It appears that the legends about the comparative sizes of cock have some basis in fact.

The journey to the elven settlement is uneventful, other than it becomes clear that the three mules are becoming more of a liability than a help. The shortage of suitable fodder means they are getting thinner, and more stubborn to manage. In reality, as our food supplies diminish, and some of the equipment we packed is used up, we could manage to carry what is left ourselves. The weather is milder than usual at this time of year, so our thick winter coats are no longer needed. The surrounding forest is proving to be generous in the range of berries and nuts it provides. The occasional squirrel, and fish from the nearby streams mean that we rarely need to touch what is left of our packed food. By the time we approach the elven settlement, Akenehi has announced that she intends to trade the mules for whatever we can get in exchange.

The elven settlement is well hidden in a pleasant glade on the inside of a wide bend in a small river. The settlement is home to about fifty elves, all of whom are relatively young. The oldest settlement elf is younger than Horowai, and Akenehi seems positively ancient by comparison. The differences in language make communication difficult but not impossible. Akenehi and some of the other Elf Maidens are starting to learn those new words which seem important. The story we gather suggests the settlement is a small mining community extracting lead from a nearby mine. The ore is transported overland to a larger settlement to the west of us. The young elves dismiss the absence of older elves as natural, although I know from my government work that lead mining will cause blindness in miners after a number of years. I don't ask what becomes of the blind elves, but I suspect the wolves of the forest don't go hungry. There is a strange alliance between the wolves and these elves.

The settlement elves happily accept our mules in exchange for a selection of lighter garments for the elves of our commune. Even Cassandra and Egbertha pick out lightweight garments that are noticeably elven in style. The ambient temperature of this forest is several degrees warmer than it was further south. Which is a puzzle, since I had expected our northward trek would bring us into cooler lands. Once everyone has a garment, some side-trading is undertaken. Defina35 secures a small supply of lead for her stock of metals to work on.

As welcome as we are made to feel, we are equally encouraged to be on our way. At least the settlement elves throw one of their wild parties in celebration of our arrival. A party which degenerates into an orgy that leaves Drew, Seamus and me with very sore and abused cocks. Between us we must have fucked every elf in the village at least twice.

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Chapter 20: Wharepa

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We resume our journey the next morning and Makareta once again leads the way. Despite our destination being several days march away, both Akenehi and Makareta are confident of being able to find it using the directions provided by the settlement elves.

"Do we know what this wharepa is?" I ask Akenehi.

"Not exactly, but I believe it is what we originally set out to find," replies Akenehi.

"Did you know that elves lived this far north?" asks Cassandra, joining our conversation.

"South. We are travelling south. We have been ever since we left Fallowfield."

"I don't understand," I reply. "The Thurnian coast lies to the south of Fallowfield."

"No, it doesn't. The coast is to the north. Your current mapmakers have your geography all wrong. Look at the two maps you bought in Fallowfield. The older map shows that north is in the opposite direction to the more recent one. That's what I wanted to confirm before we set off. Simply studying how the sun crosses the sky at different times of year should have told your current mapmakers that their perception of where Thurn sits on our planet is wrong. If you travel across the ocean in the direction you call south, you will reach the frozen seas in a matter of days."

"That can't be right," insists Cassandra. "When the expedition that brought elves to Thurn set off, they travelled south to the southern continent."

"Hah! And how do you rate Thurnian sailors as navigators of the open seas?" laughs Akenehi.

My words in support of Cassandra's assertion freeze in my mouth. Akenehi has a point. Thurnian sailors had never sailed out of sight of land before Gregori's Grand Expedition half a century ago. And as far as I'm aware, no sailor has done so since.

"Are you saying the expedition's records are wrong?" I ask.

"Not necessarily wrong," says Akenehi. "I believe they are incomplete in two respects. Firstly, the Thurnian ships almost certainly sailed east or west before turning south. The correct south. The legends make no mention of the expedition seeing ice, so it is likely they went around the coast of Thurn, and then sailed south parallel to the coast. Secondly, even if the fabled southern continent exists, I doubt the expedition went anywhere near it. Your ships are slow and unsuited to ocean travel. I think the expedition landed further down the coast of the northern continent. That's where they encountered elves. As you can already feel, the climate is much warmer once we are away from the northern coast."

"How can you be sure that you are right?" asks Cassandra.

"Elven history is passed down verbally through the generations by all elves. Unlike your written histories, it is much harder for leaders to have history re-written to suit their own ends. You once mentioned the ancient stone carvings in Thurn city. The markings that you can't understand are almost certainly elven runes. Elven histories speak of such things. Contrary to Thurnian beliefs, elves have lived on this continent for centuries. The ruins we stayed in on the other side of the river were the remains of an elven settlement. And the elves we have just met are native to this area. How else can you explain the presence of elven men?"

Neither Cassandra nor I can offer a counter-argument to Akenehi's claims. The presence of elven men, and an elven village this far from the recognised borders of Thurn, support Akenehi's assertions.

"I can see that you are struggling to accept what I say," says Akenehi. "Perhaps you will be convinced when we reach wharepa."

"But you said that you didn't know what this wharepa looks like," I counter.

"I don't. But I'm sure we will know when we see it."

Our route through the forest is easier now that there is a recognisable trail to follow. Which is perhaps fortunate, as our progress is slowed by the gravid Elf Maidens whom will soon be giving birth. Defina36 remains convinced that she is about to produce twins and she is struggling to keep up with the main body of our commune. One of the adolescent elves stays with Defina36 to ensure she doesn't get left behind. The wild animals give us a wide berth, but we don't fool ourselves into believing that an isolated lone elf wouldn't be attacked if the opportunity arose.

We reach another elven village on our route. This one is larger than the lead mining community we met before. We are made welcome, despite the initial suspicion at the presence of Thurnians. As usual, the welcome includes a wild party that evening, and plenty of exercise for our cocks. I'm fortunate that Cassandra now makes a habit of tending to my battered cock each night and makes it her personal mission to ensure it is washed clean. Apparently Egbertha provides a similar service for Drew and Seamus.

As tempting as it is to spend an extra day in the village, Akenehi wisely insists that we continue on our journey the next day. In some respects it is a race against time. With so many Elf Maidens in their final days of pregnancy, we need to reach our destination soon or face the prospect of tending to multiple births in the open forest. Despite several of the pregnant Elf Maidens being in obvious discomfort, none of them complains, and they all do their best to maintain a good pace.

We finally see our destination when we reach the summit of a low hill. By now the thick forests of tall trees have given way to smaller copses of trees and scrubby grasslands. In front of us is a huge stone structure comprising of a tall tower surrounded by smaller buildings. It would be easy to think of it as a castle, except for the absence of any walls and other fortifications. As we draw closer we can see wooden huts and larger wooden buildings scattered around the stone structure.

We are passing along a wide track between ploughed fields when a group of elves approach us. Akenehi and Makareta move forward to meet with the settlement's reception committee. The rest of us stand patiently while curious young elves from the settlement come to see what is happening. Before long our own pre-adolescent elves are playing games with their settlement counterparts. I don't know what is negotiated between Akenehi and the local elves, but we are at least welcomed into their community. There doesn't appear to be any obvious bias against Thurnians.