18. The Gathering of Branches
Today was the first real Council meeting.
Not an ordinary get-together to talk things over.
Not conversations by the fire.
A real—tense, heavy—assembly.
General Reim, as always, sat straight as a carved piece of wood.
Sova arrived with a thick folder of reports, stained with ink.
He’d been shouting at everyone for a week because “humans don’t know what accounting is.”
White Wolf lay on a log and pretended to be bored.
But his ears were pricked—he listened to every word.
Lienna rolled herbs between her fingers—she does that when she’s nervous.
I, Arlis, sat nearby, feeling my back damp with tension.
Gray Shadow stood in the shadows—as always, unseen, but present.
The General began:
— We must decide what to do next. There are more of us now. People are talking too loudly about us.
Sova set the reports on the table:
— Income has increased fivefold. But so has attention.
White Wolf snorted:
— I’ve felt tails for a week now. People are walking through the forest. And not the right kind of people.
— Baron’s men? — Tyrel asked.
Gray Shadow gave a short nod:
— Yes. Two barons. One trader. And one “merchant” who didn’t even bother hiding that he was looking for “forest mages.”
Lienna sighed:
— We’ve become too visible.
The General said:
— We have to choose a path. Either we close ourselves off completely with illusions—or we move forward.
We sat in silence.
Because both paths were dangerous.
19. The First Strike in the Dark
The attack happened at night.
The shop “Forest Flame” in Arden-Hall.
Our branch. Our work. Our first metal shop.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Selia was inside, doing inventory.
White Wolf was nearby—he rarely left her without protection.
Then there was a scream.
But not Selia’s.
The scream of the ones who came to kill her.
Three men stepped out from around the corner—cloaked, armed, fast, confident.
They struck with suppression runes—very expensive ones.
Selia later said:
— They knew what they wanted. They were sure the shop was real. They thought I was just a girl.
The illusions worked perfectly.
The moment they tried to enter—the door became emptiness.
They smashed face-first into a wall and lost their bearings.
White Wolf dropped from above like a true shadow of the night.
One went down immediately.
He disarmed the second.
The third—ran.
But…
That was the first time someone came for us not as a legend, but as a threat.
20. Why They Came
The next morning, Sova—as always—brought reports.
He looked furious.
— It’s because we’ve become inconvenient.
The General snorted:
— Call things by their proper names.
Sova said:
— We took the barons’ profits.
And it was true.
Our herbs healed better than the apothecaries in the towns.
Our amulets protected better than their mages.
Our metals were stronger than their smiths could make.
We sold cheaper because we paid no taxes.
And most importantly…
We paid tribute to no one.
White Wolf said quietly:
— They don’t want a war. They want property.
Lienna added:
— And control. Over us. Over the forest. Over those we protect.
We knew:
This was only the beginning.
21. The Argument That Nearly Tore the Council Apart
The Council of Branches gathered again.
The General’s voice was cold:
— We must protect our own. We can form units, reinforce the shops, place watchers.
Sova slammed his fist onto the table:
— And I’m telling you: if we keep growing, we’ll become a thousand times more visible!
White Wolf narrowed his eyes:
— If we stop growing, they’ll crush us. Like wolves cornered with nowhere to run.
Lienna tried to mediate:
— We need more alliances. More friends. We can’t wage war against humans.
Gray Shadow rarely spoke.
But now he did:
— Humans can’t be trusted. But among them are those looking for a home. We already let in blacksmiths. Miners. Healers. And none of them have betrayed us.
The argument heated up.
Very heated.
To shouting.
To the point where Feris jumped up and yelled:
— If we hide, what will Mira return to? A shadow-forest? Or a forest with strength?
And Selia added, quietly but firmly:
— If we don’t become strong… we won’t be able to protect Zen.
Those words forced everyone into silence.
22. The Decision
After a long pause, General Reim said:
— Then the decision is this:
We continue to grow.
We remain hidden—but we do not vanish.
Every shop is protected by illusion + a Silent Shadows unit.
We create a school of diplomacy for those who will speak with humans.
We prepare defenses… but we will not strike first.
We strengthen the Forest City.
Sova wrote it all into the book of laws.
The day was long.
Heavy.
But right.
23. A New Shadow Over the Forest
A week later, Gray Shadow brought news:
— Baron Heirl is gathering men. He accuses us of “undermining trade” and “harboring criminals.”
The General frowned:
— Will this be war?
Gray shook his head:
— Not yet. He doesn’t know where we are. But he’s searching.
White Wolf smiled:
— Let him search. He’ll find only trees.
But we knew:
This was only the beginning.
24. Final Entry for Today
I, Arlis, write by the light of soft runes.
A strong wind sways the treetops.
The forest roars like the sea.
I look across the whole City:
children training,
blacksmiths hammering metal,
healers drying herbs,
traders preparing caravans,
scouts slipping into the night.
And I understand:
We have become something bigger than an “elven community.”
We have become a violation of someone’s rules.
And a miracle for those seeking peace.
And I write:
“We knew that one day the world would come for us.
But when Mira returns—she will see we are ready.”
“And when Zen comes back—he will not see children.
He will see a People.
His people.”