"I plan to do both. I will have elves ready to teleport across the dark land. Creating distance from the barrier may be essential. I will have others ready to construct a portal. That will be the priority. The moment we create a breach, the first elf I send through will be instructed to immediately open a portal back to Uton."
"And then?"
"Immediate contact with the human wizard in Connel. He can aid us."
Shantree knew of Enin, the human wizard with phenomenal power and the skill to cast with two perfect rings of pure white energy. If any single magic caster could obliterate the barrier, it was Enin, but she also knew that the wizard's attention centered on building relationships between the dwarves and the humans. His contact with elves had been minimal.
"But will he?"
"He has recently shown a willingness to come to the aid of those in need. We also should remember that our own Holli Brances serves as his guard."
"She is no longer one of our own," Shantree corrected the captain. "She was banished."
"She agreed to that banishment for the good of our camp. I have no doubt she would remain loyal to her oath to come to our aid."
Shantree's hands remained folded behind her, but she rapped her knuckles against her back as she considered the idea. She was always cautious, even when she did not face such a dire predicament. She usually handled the strain of leadership with dignity and poise, listened well and appreciated the council of others, but she no longer faced the normal affairs of life in Dark Spruce Forest.
The elves of her camp confronted a staggering set of circumstances. An entire camp thrust against their will into a seemingly inescapable prison was not something even the elf guard captain could have anticipated. She understood Birk's concerns, saw the growing desperation in every elf around her, but desperate actions led to mistakes, and mistakes in the dark realm led to complete and painful obliteration.
"For the moment, let us then consider this secondary barrier you spoke of. Would its existence alter your plan?"
Birk did not reply immediately. He looked across the barren land, through the translucent barrier that surrounded the grouping of elves. He weighed the options before him, and came to only one conclusion.
"No. It would be ideal to know what is outside the barrier, but it is not within our power. The main objective remains to break through the initial obstacle. If we can get several elves beyond the first wall, I can only hope they will find a way to battle through any additional obstructions."
"That sounds unusual for you. Your strategies have always been much more defined."
"I do not deny it, but what else can we do?"
What else could they do?
That was exactly the question Shantree continued to ask herself.
"The proposal is interesting," she acknowledged, "but if I understand the concept, you would indeed need vast amounts of magical energy. Do we dare use so much when our very survival depends on utilizing it with care?"
"Surviving as captives in the dark realm for some sorcerer's twisted purpose is not a path of existence I would accept as living."
"I do not argue that perspective," Shantree explained, "but I do not believe it has come down to a simple matter of choosing between one last act of desperation or accepting eternal imprisonment in this realm. We have limited magical energy available to us. That is a fact we cannot escape. The plan you offer might be the best utilization of that energy, or it might cause us to dilute our resources that might be used more efficiently elsewhere. The magic continues to keep us alive and there are other magic casters that have used the energy available to them to send out messages of distress. It may simply be a matter of patience."
"I understand," Birk responded, but then offered his own view of reality. "I just find it difficult to believe that any message we can send will be received by anyone that might help us. Certainly, there is no one on this plane that would come to our aid."
"The spell casters that are endeavoring to use the magic have stated they believe they can embed the call for help in magic that transcends this dimension. We know magic can travel through portals, even through the veils that separate the existences. Subtle messages can call to an ear that wishes to hear."
"But is there anyone back in Uton that will listen to our call?"
At this, Shantree revealed her true hope… the hope that kept her going.
"There are other elves in Dark Spruce, other camps."
"That is understood, but why would they search for us?"
"Because if this happened to a neighboring camp as opposed to our own, I would order a search for them, not simply out of some benevolent desire to help, but for the security of my own camp. The disappearance of an entire camp is not something to ignore. If other elves can locate us, they might be able to bring us the aid we need without jeopardizing our ability to survive in the short term."
"What if they simply can not determine what happened to us? They may realize we are gone but never find us."
That was a possibility that Shantree could not ignore.
"I have considered that. I must admit, I am not entirely certain how it was possible for us to be captured as we were. Still, we must at least give it time."
Birk almost accepted the assessment of the elder without another word, but he paused before agreeing. He did not wish to create conflict or to struggle over authority, but he had his duty, and the dark realm was a place where such responsibility could not be forgotten.
"It is not my place to argue with your decisions, but as an elf guard captain-the leader of the elf guard-I am charged with protecting this camp. You must accept that I am in a difficult position. We are in a state of constant peril. It is my duty to bring this camp to safety without delay. In that, even your orders are secondary… no disrespect to you."
"I understand, and I appreciate the loyalty you have shown to me. I do not think we would have made it this far had we been at odds. I ask only that you balance your desires to escape with regard to the best chance to do so successfully. You believe we need assistance, and so do I. Given enough time, we may get the aid we require."
Reluctant to wait much longer, Birk revealed yet another concern.
"It is difficult to determine the passage of time in this realm. There is no sun to mark the passage of a day. Even if there was, we would have no idea how such time might relate to time back in our home. It might seem like several days have passed here, but back in our land, back in Uton, an entire season might have passed since our abduction. You are, in essence, asking me to give you enough time. How do we know what is enough?"
Shantree conceded she could not argue. They were trying to gauge the passage of time based on many factors, but none of them could be certain of the accuracy of their measurements.
"You are right. We have no idea of just how long we have been gone. I ask for time, and yet I cannot tell you how much time is necessary."
She looked about the makeshift camp. She examined the futile attempts at creating shelters, let alone defensible positions. The few trees that surrounded them were pathetic, half-rotted protrusions from corrupt soil. There was agony in the very air they breathed, and she saw suffering on the faces of every elf around her.
Her fatigue grew and while she would not surrender to despair, she knew that hope was dying.
"Is there much you need to do to prepare for an assault against the barrier?" she asked, reconsidering her decision.
"We must select the proper elves," Birk replied. "Some will cast the spells, others will feed the casters with magical energy. We must also map out a strategy for gauging the strength of the barrier as the spells are cast and for determining a sequence for those spells."
"Begin your preparations. We will start as soon as you're ready."