A Smidge of Magic

Chapter 15

Valethalassa paused on a landing in the upper levels of the Heren'elen. Her thoughts turned back to Ian. There were so many unknowns about the strange man and even more about how she was to help him. She shook herself, and the thoughts away. She was first and foremost a Ranger of the Fallen Kings. A thought which reminded her of a few things she still needed to take care of.

Report, home, food, bath, sleep. She made a mental checklist and kicked off the wall she'd been leaning on. She patted her thigh as she resumed her descent, drawing Mal's attention to her. The wolf bounded after her.

They wound through the heart of the Heren'elen, navigating the complicated maze of tunnels that ran throughout the interior of the tree. She stopped to chat with a few other Rangers that she passed in the sprawling tunnels. Mostly they questioned what she was doing back so early from her reconnaissance. For that, she had an easy response, "Fate." It was Ranger code for Seer business.

Mal mingled with the other Rangers' animal companions in much the same fashion. He was the only shadow wolf in town, as the rest of the Rangers had bonded with animals native to the surrounding forests. A few cats of various sizes, birds of prey, and even a giant python were among them. All were almost exclusively predatory animals, which made sense considering the nature of a Ranger's work. Protecting the realm.

Valethalassa reached the twin doors leading into the Ranger's Garrison and pushed through them. The Garrison was one of the oldest sections inside the Heren'elen, residing in the top tenth of the tree. And it was the first area to have all furnishings crafted from the tree itself, it stood as a testament to the amazing work of the cities' druids. Each desk, chair, storage shelf, and even the holding cells in the back were all molded using nothing but the living wood.

As Valethalassa headed back the main walkway, Mal huffed and sauntered over towards the area reserved for the animals. A wide-open balcony where they could wait in comfort.

Valethalassa entered her office, slid her weapons off and hung them on their respective wall pegs. A sigh of comfort escaped her lips as she slipped into the well-worn seat. Then she began the arduous task of completing her parchments for her latest mission. All the while she was unsure of how much the First Ranger would believe. As her title of Second Ranger suggested, she was only outranked by the First Ranger. And he was difficult to deal with on the best of days.

She had been out in the Ironwoods for over a month before running into Ian and was not due back for at least two more. Standard reconnaissance dispatch time. She pulled out a leather-bound notebook from her satchel and flipped through its pages, jotting down any of her remarks that were of note, or which required follow-up.

That was the easy part. Then she reached the pages from the last two days and filled in everything that Ian had told her. She took care to include all of the oddities she had noticed, whether they supported or opposed his story. And a much-abbreviated summary of her meeting with The Seer and the assignment that he had given her.

While she was busy scribbling out her report there was a knock against her closed door.

"Come in," She said without looking up.

The door opened and in slithered the First Ranger, Trendal Adoris. Had Valethalassa not been absorbed in her paperwork she might've heard the telltale click of his heels coming down the hall. He was a bit shorter than Valethalassa's flat five feet, which he vainly tried to compensate for with heeled boots. In a measure of equal narcissism, he dressed in fine silks and expensive custom leathers. Raiments which had never seen use outside the safety of the city.

The First Ranger was a politician, which was how he had acquired his current position. It was certainly not because of any manner of experience in the ranger profession itself. He also went out of his way to make Valethalassa's job difficult. Trendal had a cousin that he wanted in her position and attempted to get her to resign or demoted at every turn. He let out a loud sniff when it became apparent that Valethalassa wasn't going to look up.