unsterilized cloth, I could be adding a source of infection.
“Tell me about the different elves,” I prompt, feeling fidgety under his gaze. The heavy weight of his eyes lingers on me for a second longer before he looks away, and I feel like I can breathe again.
“Sea elves live in the cliffs, they worship our sea goddess. We don’t see much of them since they don’t like to leave the water. They are peaceful and prefer to be distanced from the rest of us. They abhor the war with the humans.” I glance up at that. There are elves who don’t want to be fighting with us? That is completely at odds to what we are taught in Arhaven. “The wood elves live within the forests, they worship nature and all living things. They are a haughty lot.” He laughs and it brings a quirk to my lips. I find him haughty, and if the wood elves are more so, then I am in for a surprise.
Wishing I had more supplies, or even this plant he told me about, I take a strip of the fabric and try to form a pad to cover the wound. “And the high elves?”
“We look like this.” He gestures to himself and I raise an eyebrow. “We are in charge of our government and the general running of the city. Most of us live in Galandell, but some choose to live in the smaller towns and cities.”
“So not all elves look like you?”
Thank the Mother, I think with a shake of my head. I couldn’t cope if they all looked like him.
Vaeril snorts and shakes his head, some of his pride shining through. “No. Sea elves are darker, tougher skinned, and broader in the chest. Their lungs are much bigger than ours since they spend so much time in the sea, and it allows them to stay under water for a longer time. They tend to have either shorter hair than us, or none at all.” He grimaces as I press the pad over the wound, gritting his teeth as he pushes back against the tree. “The wood elves are... some of them look similar to how I look, but they... become one with nature. You’ll see what I mean when we get to the city.”
What he’s saying completely fascinates me. It’s a whole different world that I can’t even begin to imagine, and although I’m fearful of what’s to come, I’m excited to see what he’s describing. I want to see the sea elves and how they live. I want to escape into nature with the wood elves, and I want to observe how the high elves live. I’ve never had any plans for my future, it always seemed pointless when I was living day to day, never sure if I would survive until the next sunrise. So to suddenly have plans, wants, is a little overwhelming and exhilarating as I realise that it could all be possible.
“If you have so many different... factions, how do you all live together in one city?” I ask, as I start to cover the makeshift pad with the strips of fabric, winding them around his abdomen to hold it in place.
Vaeril is looking up at the tree canopy now with a gleam in his eyes, and I know his mind is miles away. “Galandell is beautiful, you will like it. It’s built in a way so all of us can live there and access it if we need or want to. I don’t know how to describe it, you’ll see when we arrive.”
Now that his wound is dressed, I go to pull his shirt down, but it’s turning stiff from where the blood is drying. I make a face and move over to the abandoned pack, digging around until I find another large overshirt.
“Take your shirt off,” I demand, holding my hand out for the offending item. He pulls his gaze from the trees to look at me, an eyebrow raised as a half smile appears on his face.
“You want me to take my clothes off?” he queries for clarification, and I realise with mortification how my order sounded. A blush flushes my cheeks, but I refuse to back down now.
“That one is dirty,” I answer simply, holding eye contact, my hand still held out for the shirt. My heart has sped up at his sudden change of attitude, and only proceeds to accelerate even further when he leans towards me, pushing up onto his knees