It took them four days to reach the Crying Village--the major town nestled between Jayzeriah and Palaceide. Jirnethelle found Khale to be admirable company and, to Khale’s surprise, he quickly gained Mysty’s trust. Xavier was pleased to have someone else to chatter with and it hadn’t taken long at all for him to take a shine to Jirnethelle. Travel had a way of bringing them together and by the time they reached the Village, it was as if they had known each other all their lives.

Despite being early summer, the Crying Village was a dark and dreary place, living in the shadow of the great Piercing Mountains. The people of the Crying Village were wary enough of strangers as it was, but with a Dragon in their group, the townsfolk seemed even more cold and distant.
“D-do we have to stay here?” Mysty wondered as they approached the Piercing Inn.
“I’m afraid so,” Jirnethelle said. “This is the only place to rent a room in the town and it’ll be dark soon. And trust me, you don’t want to walk the town at night.”
Mysty’s withers quivered and she shook her mane. “I just hope the barn is safe at night.”
“Don’t worry, Mysty,” Khale patted her neck, “Xavier will protect you.”
Mysty rolled her eyes. “He’d be more likely to walk away with a stranger than to breathe fire at them.”
“You’ll be fine,” Khale told her again. “I’m going to take these two to the barn,” she announced to Jirnethelle. “I’ll meet you inside.”
“I’ll get us some rooms,” Jirnethelle said and watched as she took Mysty and Xavier around the corner. He headed into the inn and rented two small rooms for the night. After receiving the keys, he headed into the bar to try and find a table to wait for Khale. The room was dark, smoky, and nearly bursting with patrons. Jirnethelle slid and twisted his way through the crowd of Men as he tried to find a place for two people. He passed by a table of four Men and, despite the fact that they were talking in low tones, he couldn’t help but overhear them.
“I hear the Gnomes are makin’ a comeback.”
“Yer daft. The Gnomes ain’t been seen since Atar slew the last one hundreds of years ago.”
“I’m tellin’ ya, I saw ‘em.”
“You were drinkin’ again, you were.”
“I was not! Alright, mebee a smidge, but ya can’t mistake those pointed hats of theirs fer antlers.”
“And just where did y’ see these Gnomes?”
“I was out huntin’ between the forests, near that ramshackle inn ‘tween here and Palaceide. I’m tellin’ ya. I saw ‘em out there in the brush.”
“Excuse me,” Jirnethelle said, sidling over to their table, “but did you say you saw Gnomes?”
“An’ what’s it t’ you, Elf?” The four Men all turned in their seats to stare at him.
“Have there been other Gnome sightings?” Jirnethelle wondered. “A friend and I are on our way to Palaceide.”
“Well ain’t that just bloody good for you?”
“If there are Gnomes on the road, I should like to know so we can be prepared or choose another route.”
“Yeah, I saw a Gnome. It was just one, but you know the stories. Where there’s one, there’s at least a dozen more.”
“Well, thank you for the information,” Jirnethelle said. “I’m glad they didn’t see you. Good evening.” He turned to leave, but the Man who claimed to have seen the Gnomes reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Now wait jus’ a minute, Elf. What’re you gonna do with this information I’ve so freely given ya?”
Jirnethelle looked down uncomfortably at the vice-like grip before licking his lips and meeting the Man’s eyes. “As I said, either prepare to face them or choose a different route. I’ll need to talk with my friend about it.”
“His friend, eh? What’s ta say you aren’t in league with the Gnomes?”
“What?” Jirnethelle scoffed, finding the idea absurd. “Who in their right mind would be in league with the Gnomes?”
“Did I mention I saw someone else with the Gnome? Tall and lanky like an Elf. With silver hair.”
The other Men rolled their eyes. “Oh so nows there’s an Elf with them?”
“Just how much were ya drinkin’ out there?”
“Shad’up. I wasn’t drinkin’.”
“And my wife’s the queen.”
“Ye don’t gots a wife.”
“Exactly. And he wasn’t not drinking.”
“I assure you, I’m not in league with the Gnomes,” Jirnethelle said with an uneasy laugh. “I’ve never even seen a Gnome.”
“There are you!”
Jirnethelle felt a surge of relief as he heard Khale’s voice. He looked over his shoulder and saw her coming up to them. “Khale, I was just looking for you.”
“Over here at a table full of Men?” Khale raised an eyebrow. “No offense, gentlemen.”
“This one with you, lass?” the Man holding Jirnethelle asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Khale grinned. “Is he causing you boys trouble?”
“That depends. He in league with the Gnomes?”
Khale’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “What?” she laughed. “That’s absurd. Who would be in league with the Gnomes? Aren’t they all locked away or dead, anyway?”
“That’s what I was sayin’,” one of the Men muttered. “There’s no way ya saw a Gnome.”
“I said shad’up!”
Jirnethelle took the moment to pry his arm from the Man’s grip. “I’m sorry for troubling you,” he said and grabbed Khale’s hand, quickly retreating with her.
“What was that all about?” Khale asked, a slight laugh in her voice. “It looked as if you were about to get yourself killed.”
“I wouldn’t go as far as that,” Jirnethelle said, “but I overheard their conversation.” He found a place where they could sit and talk. “One was saying he saw Gnomes recently and I was curious.”
“So you just helped yourself to their conversation?” Khale shook her head. “That may work with Elves or Faeries, but Men seem to take offense to that for some reason. So,” she propped her elbows on the table and put her chin in her hands, “what did you learn?”
Jirnethelle leaned in close and said, “If they’re to be trusted, there was a Gnome seen at the Last Inn, between here and Palaceide. And then he said there was an Elf with them, but,” he shook his head, “that was probably nothing. He added it only after they’d taken offense to me.”
“What are we going to do?” Khale asked. “The only way to bypass that would be to go directly through the Forest of Aarainia.”
“I don’t know we need to worry too much about it, but you may be right,” Jirnethelle said. “The other Men seemed convinced he’d been drinking, and I can agree with them even with that short encounter. All the Gnomes are locked away, so the chances of them being loose are incredibly slim, but if there’s a chance they are loose…we should try and avoid them.”
Khale looked around and leaned in close as a thought crossed her mind. She lowered her voice and asked, “What if Gnomes are the reason the Council was called?”
“If that’s the case, why haven’t we heard anything about more Gnome sightings? A thing like that would spread like wildfire.”
“It is strange, I’ll admit…” She shrugged and sat back. “Well, whatever you decide. At least we’ve got some warning.”
“You don’t have to come with me,” Jirnethelle said.
“Are you kidding? You’ve got me intrigued,” Khale grinned. “You could say I’m invested now.”
Jirnethelle smiled. “I’m very grateful for the company.”
They ordered dinner and afterwards, Khale ordered food for Mysty and Xavier and took it out to the barn while Jirnethelle retired to his room. Half an hour later there was a frantic pounding at his door. Startled, Jirnethelle opened the door to find Khale glancing over her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” Jirnethelle asked, frowning.
She snapped her head forward. “Quick, hide me!” she exclaimed, pushing past Jirnethelle into his room.
“What is it?” he asked, peering into the hall after she entered.
“Don’t look! Shut the door!” she urged.
Utterly confused, Jirnethelle complied and shut the door, locking it before he turned to face Khale.
“Those Men I rescued you from earlier are after me!” Khale exclaimed. “I came in from the barn and was heading back this way when one of them stopped me. The others just watched.”
“Are you okay?” Jirnethelle asked. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No…no, I’m fine,” Khale said and gave a cheeky grin. “Actually, I hurt him. Gave him a good roughin’ up and ran here. But they’re coming!” She let out a gasp and looked towards the door. “Whatever happens,” she whispered, “I’m not here!” She hurried and ducked behind the bed just as a heavy fist pounded on the door.
“Open up! I know she’s in there!”
Jirnethelle opened the door just enough to peer out. It was the Man from earlier who had claimed he’d seen a Gnome. His nose was dripping blood and Jirnethelle did his best to hide a smirk at Khale’s handiwork. He opened the door slightly more and asked, “Can I help you?”
“Where’s the Faerie?” the Man demanded.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since dinner.”
“Haven’t seen her…” the Man muttered. “I know you know where she is! Yer travellin’ with her after all!”
“That doesn’t mean I keep tabs on her,” Jirnethelle said.
“Nice try, Elf,” one of the other Men from the table spoke up, coming up behind the first. “We saw ‘er run down this way.”
“And just why are you looking for her?” Jirnethelle asked, his voice going dark.
“The little witch struck me,” the first Man growled, “I think she ought to learn a lesson.”
At that, Jirnethelle drew his sword. “I won’t let you harm one hair on her head, one feather on her wings.”
“Oh…hello, boys.”
Jirnethelle and the Men looked down the hall to see Khale coming towards them. She crossed her arms and looked scornfully at Jirnethelle. “Are you getting into trouble again?”
“Not at all,” Jirnethelle said, “just trying to protect you from these scoundrels.”
“So, came back for more, did you?” Khale glared at the first Man. “I’d leave now if I were you.”
“Or what?” the Man asked, pulling a hidden knife from the leather bracer on his forearm.
“Or I’ll show you just who you’re really messing with,” Khale said, placing her hands on her hips.
“I got me friends with me and you’re just you two,” the Man said, drawing himself to his full height. “Y’ can’t hurt me.”
“No?” Khale cocked an eyebrow. “I can if I use magick.”
At that word, all four Men recoiled.
“I thought magicks was illegal,” one of the Men whispered harshly.
“That don’t make it any less real,” another added. “C’mon, Braithern, let’s get outta here before she can do something witchy.”
“I’d listen to him,” Khale said, raising her hands and causing the Men to flinch again.
“Alright, alright!” Braithern exclaimed. “We’ll leave.” Reluctantly, he turned around and motioned for his friends to follow.
Jirnethelle watched them leave with narrowed eyes, not sheathing his sword until he was certain they were gone.
“Phew,” Khale breathed. “Glad that’s over with.”
Jirnethelle looked at her. “Do you really have magick?” he asked, speaking in a low conspiratorial tone.
“Of course not,” Khale scoffed, waving a hand. “Like they said, magick’s been illegal since before the Dark Days. I doubt it even exists anymore outside of the Unicorns, but Men are so superstitious. Either way, I’m glad we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“So am I,” Jirnethelle nodded. “Will you be fine the rest of the night?”
“I think so,” Khale said. “I can’t imagine they’ll think of bothering me anymore tonight, not if they think I’ll do something nasty to them.” She grinned. “Thanks for the help--and the room. I’ll see you in the morning?”
Jirnethelle nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

They set off the next day crossing through the village. It took the better part of the day before they were clear of the grey town and they spent the next few hours of daylight traipsing through the open land with nothing but forests on the far horizon. Six days later, the green and gold leaves of the Forest of Aarainia became visible on the horizon, heralding one more day of travel before they were in its bounds. They stopped as night fell and made camp under a nearly full moon.
“So, we cut through here and make our way to Palaceide?” Khale asked later that night as she and Jirnethelle lay on their backs, stargazing.
“That’s the plan,” Jirnethelle said. “If there really are Gnomes near the Last Inn and the Forest of Imagination, hopefully we’ll bypass them.”
“I’ve never been far into the Forest of Aarainia,” Khale said and looked over at Jirnethelle. “Have you?”
“No,” Jirnethelle said, “I haven’t gone past the Crying Village before.”
“Really?” she asked, her violet eyes wide. “I would have thought an adventurer like you would have been to Palaceide multiple times.”
Jirnethelle chuckled. “I’ve never been. I’ve only heard stories and read about it. My father’s been numerous times, but I was always too young to go with him.” He sighed. “I hope he’s out there somewhere.”
“We’ll find him, Jirnethelle,” Khale said. “Wherever he is, we’ll find him.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“We should try and get some sleep,” Khale said, sitting up and wrapping her wings around her slim form before lying back down. “Good night,” she yawned from behind the feathers.
“Good night,” Jirnethelle said, wrapping himself in his blanket, still staring up at the stars. It took him awhile before he finally fell to sleep.