Tales of Valand: The War of Darkness (Chapter 11)

The elves were mourning the entire night as they sailed to Valand. Drenwulf was told that they were being taken to the Great City of the Elves. They sailed for days, finally coming to a port. From here they trekked to the city. The elves in it were furiously organizing themselves, preparing for the coming conflict. Drenwulf was so busy that he hardly noticed the soft grass under his feet, the clear sky and brilliant sun glowing above him, the whispering wind that cooled his brow, and the twittering birds. It was all new and strange to him. The Isles of Fire had always been stony, ashy, and burning. An intense fear infested everything there, but here, there was peace and laughter, when they were not preparing for combat. Drenwulf was given to Master Delven, a master with the blade, to be trained in the arts of war. Every other boy his age was already well versed in them, for elves age very slowly, and live forever, unless they are killed. Thus, many of the "boys" were really around a thousand years of age. Drenwulf knew that the elves hoped, but there was little anyone could do. They knew all their preparations would come in vain, who among them could go up against a dragon and com out alive? The dragons came a faraway continent that was called Wilderland. It was called so because Va had given laws on Valand that the plants and animals had to obey. He had given very few, or none, to the plants and animals of Wilderland. Men had also come from here. Their lore said that they had built many cities in that place, but then dragons had come crawling from the mountains and destroyed them. They devoured entire towns, people and livestock. Flames and poisonous vapors blew from their nostrils. They were cunning, given entirely to death and destruction. Their great appetites seemed never to be satisfied. Why Va had created such demonic creatures men were never able to figure out. The elves said that they had been created by another being, of lesser power then Va, who was evil itself. How anything could be more evil then the Darklings Drenwulf could not comprehend, but he must prepare to face them, no matter there was something worse then then or not.