"There are elves around us, many of them, I can feel them." Dana said, halting her horse beside Witch Erynn.
They had left the tower and the city ruins as soon as possible, as the headaches and the bleeding continued and got even worse.  Outside, the effects subsided quickly.  
The witches and Danas friends had listened intently to Danas account of the conversation with the library. She left out the Kerkor game, as she didnt want to lie about her playing abilities and didnt want to tell the others about Sirf. The witches were in a good mood afterwards, as there now was a clear path ahead. They would return to the witchdom as quickly as possible, so that the Spica and the other high witches could decide how to proceed further.
Their ride back went on for three days without incident. The two elven captives had by now surrendered to their hunger and thirst and drank from the magical blood. Dana had made a habit out of letting them have a smoke when the group rested. She had tried to talk to them too, but either they understood no Alboran or they didnt want to answer.
Now, on the fourth day, Dana had this very strong feeling, and somehow knew they were surrounded by very large numbers of Elves. 
Erynn let the team stop, and they held a meeting in the saddles.
"They have no horses, we can try to break through their ring." Henna, Erynns knight, proposed.
"They will close in on us again during the night." Rowenn said.
"How many do you think are there of them?" Megan asked Dana.
"Several hundred of them."
A weapon maid called out them:
"Attention, elves! Over there!"
They looked over. On a large rock in their path, two elves were standing, white skinned, painted in a green pattern, curly brown hair. They wore no weapons save for daggers at their hips.
"They want to negotiate." Erynn said.
She and Henna dismounted.
"Lady Danadeva, you seem to have some sort of connection to their kind, probably because you haven been bite by an elve and later healed by another. Please accompany us."
Dana dismounted too. The three women headed towards the rock. As they approached, the elves sprang down from the rock, it was at least 4 womans lengths high, landed in the grass like cats, and rose again.
They met before the rock.
Each eyed the other kind, and no one said anything. Out of an impulse, Dana produced her Laxago pack, opened it and offered it to the elves. They glanced at her, then both took a filtered stick, mouthed them. Dana offered the cigarettes to Erynn and Henna too, than took one for herself. When everyone, both the three humans and the two elven females, had unlit sticks dangling from their lips, Dana lit a match and gave them all a light, first the two elves, than Erynn and Henna, and last herself. 
The five smoked for a while in silence. Dana noticed that the cigarettes in the creatures faces made them more attractive in a strange, exotic way. She had felt that already when she had given cigarettes to their two captives.
The left elve said something in her language, her voice was soft and enjoyable. The right elve translated, her voice soft too:
"Who is first among you?"
"I am", Dana said without hesitating.
Henna wanted to say something, but Erynn put a hand on her knights arm, holding her back.
"I am Riil, first among the war band of the Cherru."
"My name is Dana. These are Witch Erynn and Knight Henna."
Riil didnt introduce the second elve, the interpreter.
"You have captured two of my sisters."
"A mere security measure. We planned to release them once we have returned to the great wall. We feed them and treat them well."
"We are not hot, so we have no interest in feasting now. Furthermore, we dont want war with the humans. If we feast on you, or capture you and add you to our stock, the humans will make war on us again."
"We will release the captives."
"Good. You may continue on your way then unharmed. Why have you come to our realm?"
"We needed answers which we hoped to find in the city ruins in the north. A grave danger for the world is coming, threatening human women and elves alike. Male humans want to return to Matria and enslave us all."
"That is grave news. The human females and the elven females fought together in the WAR OF THE GENDERS against the males and defeated them."
Erynn couldnt hold back:
"You have knowledge about that time? That war?"
"The elves remember much what the humans have forgotten. Come to visit our city and we will teach you some of it. Before we finally feast on you."
Riil showed her numerous, needle sharp teeth. Erynn was quiet again.
"Maybe the women and the elves will fight together again. The Cherru will be ready."
Dana nodded.
"Please, knight Henna, release the captives."
Henna looked at her witch. Erynn nodded to Danas words. The knight went back to the waiting group.
They finished their smokes, keeping silent.
Henna came back, the two now freed elves following her. They had difficulty walking, as they had been bound for so long.
They halted by the others. Riil said, and the interpreter translated:
"I wish you well, woman Dana."
"I wish you well, elve Riil."
Riil and the interpreter turned and headed east, away from the humans. Before the two former captives followed them, they faced Dana and both spit into the palms of their left hand, then offered the saliva to Dana.
Instinctively knowing what to do, Dana licked the saliva from the hands with her tongue. Then she removed her left glove and spit in her own hand, offering it to the elves. Both tasted of the saliva, looked her in the eyes while doing it.
Then they turned and followed the two others.
Dana looked after them.
"You are an amazing young lady," Henna said.
"I have heard that before, here and there," the blonde said and threw back her long hair, not knowing how arrogant she looked when she did that.

***

"So its clear that Lady Danadeva must be sent, as probably only she can enter the control station and later the places where the seals are located."
"But how should she repair the seals, if they are broken? If its magic, powerful magic of the Ancients, even a team of experienced witches might not succeed."
"We will cross that bridge when we reach it." The Spica said.
It was the council again, the Inner council of the witches and the highest ministers, plus Dana and her friends.
Dana drank Kaff and eyed her cigarette pack on the table. No, not one again so soon. You seem to smoke more sticks by the day, she thought.
Tashmal beside her was clearly bored. Under the table, her hand patted Danas booted knee, started to wander up on her leg, towards her sex. Dana surpressed a giggle with some difficulty. 
"First, we must determine the location of the seven seals. Danadeva must travel to Weidfeld, capital of the empire, and find the station beneath it."
"Who will go with her?"
"Well, I assume her friends want to accompany her further. And it is advisable that witches are with her too, so, we will send young Megan and Trish and their knights along too."
Dana herself, Tashmal, Zusha, Marule, Megan and Rowenn, and Trish and Zoet. That were eight, Dana thought.
"When will we leave for Weidfeld? " the blonde asked.
The Spica mused: "Two or three days rest here in Thy-Web-Rell will be in order. Lets say, in three days, with a dragon, first to Norbein in the north of the empire, and from there to Weidfeld. You will go to the alboran embassy there, we will contact the ambassador in the dream world. Ah, before I forget it, Sirf will accompany you too. And dont feed him so much, Ejrvrou Marule, he grows fat!"
Everyone laughed. Dana lit the cigarette she had mouthed, only in this moment realizing she had taken another one after all. She shrugged.
Later, in the corridor outside, she said to Zusha:
"Do you really want to accompany me further? Have you no desire to go back to your realm, your Tra Ka Dar order, your loved ones?"
"Even if there were no other reasons, the danger Matria faces demands that I stay with you, Lady Dana, as you are in the center of the coming storm. I will stay at your side."
"Zusha, we have fought together, we have made love together, we were packaged together. Dont you think you can start to call me "Dana", omitting the "Lady"?"
The Rondaka hesitated, then nodded.
"You are right - Dana."
The blonde smiled at her. Surprisingly, Zusha smiled back.

***

The prison was not a dungeon, the walls were painted in bright colors and the rooms very well lit. The prisoner cells had simple but comfortable beds, a waste and a waterbowl which were replaced daily, and bars.
The captive in this cell here had an added security measure applied to her. A long chain, fastened at a ring at the wall, ran to her left ankle, which was manacled. The captive could lay on the bed, rise, and use waste bowl and water without difficulty, but she could not reach the bars, let alone reach out between them with her hands.
Additionally, a witch of 6th grade and two weapon maids were outside the cell, facing her, guarding her at all times.
Dana and Tashmal were standing outside the cell and watched Niyi, who sat cross legged on the bed, seemingly meditating, her eyes closed. She wore a simple tunic and trousers in grey, and sandals as well, the standard alboran prisoner outfit. Her long black mane fell openly down her back to her waist. Her white makeup was gone now, the spell that held it had dissolved while the friends had been in Medusas head.
"I dont know what you expect from this, sugarmouth. She is resistant against sex torture and truth spells, we wont pain torture her, as this is against alboran law, and she hasnt said a single word since she was captured."
"We will see," Dana said.
She approached the bars and threw a pack of Kigumos and a matchbox into the cell. It landed directly in Niyis lap.
The woman opened her eyes, slowly so, looked down on the cigarettes, and her small tongue licked about her beautiful lips. Niyi looked up into Danas eyes.
With the quiet, soft voice Dana had heard only once before, she said:
"Niyi thanks the lady."
She mouthed a cigarette and lit it quickly, clearly enjoying the smoke very much.
"I gathered this is your favorite brand, Niyi."Dana said.
The yellow skinned woman nodded.
"Do you know about the danger for Matria, Niyi? That the Males will return after 2.000 years and invade our world to enslave us all? Some of them are probably already here. It quite possible, even probable, that you ultimately work for them, as I am somehow in the center of these events. The witches think I am fundamental in defeating the Males."
Niyi said nothing, smoked. Her dark eyes were fixed on Dana, expressionless.
"If you dont believe me, the witches will take you to the dreamworld and show you the Males and what they will do. Their invasion fleet will appear on Matria in 2 years."
"Niyi believes the lady."
"Would you have tried to abduct me if you had known that? Do you want to be enslaved by Males? Your people, your loved ones?"
"No, Niyi wouldnt want that."
"Fortunately, there is hope. There is a way to prevent the male invasion. We will shortly set out on a quest to achieve that. I offer you your freedom, and furthermore, I ask you to accompany us on this quest. An assassin like you would be a very good reinforcement of our team."
"Dana! Tashmal exclaimed. "The bitch wanted to kill me! She wanted to abduct you more than once. You cant really want to..."
"She wouldnt have done any of that had she known what she now knows." Dana interrupted her.
Niyi had finished her smoke. With a rattling of chain, she rose, made two steps to a small table at the end of her bed, and drank from the wooden cup of water there. She went back to the bed, sat down again crosslegged, and lit another cigarette, smoking gracefully.
"Do you want some time to think about all that?"
"No . Niyi is grateful. And she accepts. The Males will not be allowed to enslave the women of Matria. I will swear by the ghosts of my ancestors, the stars in the sky and the peace of my soul I will follow you, into death, if need be."
She had dropped the cigarette into a small ashtray in the cell, rose again and went to her knees, then bowed deeply, touching the floor with her brow.
"I trust you. Tashmal?"
"I hate the bitch, but her oath is the strongest her culture knows. So, lets go ahead, damned blonde."
"I love it when we agree on something, my mouse."

***

"She cant win that fight. She is unarmed," Dana opinioned.
Tashmal chuckled. "Are you sure? Watch intently. The bitch is a Daemona, as I already said."
They sat on a bench in the training chamber of the knights again.
On the training lane, Niyi, unarmed, faced Rowenn and Zoet, Trishs knight. The Alborans were armed with wooden swords and clubs. 
The two knights were cautious. It did them no good. Suddenly, Niyi moved, kicking here, hacking with the edge of her hands there, jumping out of a clubs or swords reach, and nearly in the blink of an eye, Rowenn and Zoet lay on the lane, groaning in pain and having dropped their weapons. Niyi didnt even seem to breath faster. She laid her hands together, palm to palm, before her bosom, and bowed from the waist before both Alborans.
"This is the "Deathly Edge", the most dangerous school of unarmed combat known on Matria. If the bitch had wanted it, she could easily have killed our two knights."
Dana said:
"I should learn that. One not always has a weapon in hand when one needs it."
"Ask her if she teaches it to you. You most probably will master it in a few weeks, you warrior wonder. You suck in every knowledge and art taught to you like a sponge water."
"As you say sucking, Tashmal, do you have a cigarette for me? My pack is empty."
"Sure, here. You have become a quite avid smoker."
"Everyone tells me how talented I am for this and that, and how fast my personality grows. Its good I have a weakness or two after all."
"In the end, you being named after the goddess of wisdom is fitting after all. Here, a light."
"Mmmh!"
"Our journey starts tomorrow. It will be a rough ride at first, as we must cross the sea of snakes to the empire. Now, in winter, there are heavy winds and storms."
"Poor Zusha." Dana said, meaning it.