Chapter 27
Rumours
‘Before coming to any sort of judgement,
you would do well to remember an
ancient saying that originated in the cradle
of Civilization: “To defeat mine enemy
required that I walk for a time in his
shoes, and in the end, become alike to him.”
Telemachus Theotokopolous (c429-387 BCE)
Elgar sat at the head of the Circle of Elders, waiting patiently for Satu, one of the Pixies who watched the western border of the Elf Kingdom for Faerie refugees. She had recently returned, but was late in making her report.
The tales the refugees told were disquieting. All was now quiet within the Elf Kingdom, yet there was a growing sense of dread as the ominous silence spread. It seemed to be common knowledge that something bad was coming, something terrible beyond imagining, though none of the fugitives could put a name to what it was they feared. Yet it was this fear, as well as the unsettling silence, that had prompted those remaining to leave.
Those who listened to such fears were at once struck with the utter lack of rumour, which in itself would not have precipitated such a reaction, leading in turn to an exodus. No one needed to be told to leave; indeed it seemed that no one had been told; yet all were leaving as though they had in some way been forewarned, and this in itself made the Outsiders uneasy.