Since then they had been marking the trees with strips of fabric as they walked, hoping that if they passed the same tree again they would know for sure that Lorsan was at work.

The night of the second day they were all sitting around a campfire. Tamsin, Beleg and Sidhion had gotten them dinner in the form of some strange birds. Elora had made it a point to step away from the camp while they prepared the meal and was trying to keep from picturing the birds strung up while she ate.

“So can I ask something that I’ve been dying to ask?” Elora looked at Tamsin and then at each of the elves. They all nodded. “I don’t promise an answer,” Tamsin added before she asked.

She waved him off as she swallowed her last bite. “It’s not anything top secret.” She cocked her head to the side as she looked at the five male elves. “Then again, as strange as you guys are it may very well be a matter of life and death.”

Tamsin and his elves waited patiently.

“Is there a competition amongst your parents to see who can give you all the most difficult name to say and spell? Or do your parents just hate you?”

There was silence as the five elven men stared at Elora. Lisa’s mouth dropped open and she started to stand, thinking she just might have to protect her from the good guys when the five men erupted into laughter.

It was several minutes, while Elora stared at the beautiful elves with weird names, until they found their composure.

“Our names have meaning,” Tamsin told her as he wiped his watery eyes. “They are not just picked for how they sound. They are chosen based on their meaning.”

“Huh,” Elora nodded. “Okay, let’s hear’em.”

Beleg was the first to answer. “My name means strong . No hidden meaning for why my sire and mother named me that. It’s what they wanted for me; to be strong.”

Rincavornon spoke next. “My name means quick moving .”

“Did they think you were going to be chased a lot?” Elora asked with a straight face.

The other elves laughed and nudged him.

“Like you have room to laugh,” Rincavornon gestured to Nedhudir.

Nedhudir made some of his own hand gestures, all the while spitting out what Elora guessed was elvish profanity.

“Wait, wait,” Elora held up her hands. She looked at Nedhudir and a wicked grin spread across her face. “Come on, pretty boy, what are they ragging you so hard about? What does your name mean?”

Nedhudir glared at the four elves who were failing miserably to stifle their laughter. He looked over at Elora and she had to lean forward to hear his muttered answer.

Her mouth dropped open as she sat back and stared at him wide-eyed. “Shut-up! You’re parents gave you a name that means cushion? As in a place to set your butt after a long, hard day?”

Nedhudir stood and walked over to a tree away from the fire. After several minutes, Elora composed herself and looked over at Nedhudir. She felt slightly bad for teasing him, sort of. Okay who was she kidding, his name was freaking cushion , how could she possibly feel sorry for laughing about that.

She watched him as he stood there, quietly looking out into the forest. He didn’t look mad, just thoughtful. It was then, as she stared at him, that she realized that he was every bit as beautiful as Trik, only different. The elves no longer bothered to hide their true form from her so she saw them all now in their Elfin form and she had gotten used to the odd eyes, and out of a box colored hair. Nedhudir’s hair was long and he wore it in a braid down his back. He was blonde, not dirty blonde, but truly blonde and it shimmered like golden threads had been weaved into the strands. He wore a band around his forehead that should have looked odd, but somehow looked right on him.

His eyes were light blue and shined like glass. He had a straight nose, high cheek bones and a square, strong jaw. Typical of his race, he had pointed ears. Elora didn’t know how he didn’t look feminine with pointy ears, but Ned was anything but feminine. Ned, she thought. Oh hell, I’m giving him a nickname.

He was tall, and a little wider than others of the Elfin who tended to be leaner. Where they were more swimmer builds, he was closer to a linebacker. He wore a green vest, leaving his arms bare. He was muscular, and very, very intimidating.

Elora walked up to him and he slowly turned his head. He looked down at her, and with a small nod said, “Elora.” And then went back to staring at the forest.

“Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t have laughed at your name, but you have to admit being named after a butt pillow is just a tad hilarious.” Elora waited for his response but he didn’t even acknowledge her words. “I feel like I should disclose to you that I intend to call you Ned, or Cush, haven’t fully decided, but in your case a nickname is a necessary evil.” Still no reaction. Elora rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. “Glad we got that cleared up,” she called over her shoulder. She swore she heard a chuckle and quickly turned, but he stood, stoic as ever, without even the slightest smile.

The next day was as uneventful as the first two, until after their third break. Tamsin and the other four elves suddenly all unsheathed swords, some of which Elora had no idea that they even had. Tamsin pushed Lisa to the center of the circle that the elves were making. Nedhudir grabbed Elora’s arm and pulled her behind him. Elora tried to quiet her breathing as she looked out into the foliage and forest around them. Tall trees towered above them and rich greens of all shades covered the leaves, the blades of grass, and the shrubs. She looked for anything that didn’t fit with the green and still she saw nothing.