ears. The male offered a bow before darting into the room she had just departed.
Well, that explained the growling.
Shoving her hands in her pockets, she trailed at his side. “So, what now?”
“Now we visit the armory and get you some decent gear rather than the scrap you are wearing,” he retorted with another critical glance her way.
Diana bristled. “What is wrong with what I have? I picked everything out to be durable and to camouflage as well as possible with the forest.”
“They won’t protect you in the Eternal Forest.”
“You do realize that if you just return me home, you will be saving yourself a great deal of trouble,” she advised softly.
The silvanus scowled at her so fiercely that she wished she could take back the observation. Eyes narrowed, he shook his head. “You know very well that isn’t possible. I have already told you as much. Whether you like it or not, you are stuck here. You might as well make the best of it and tolerate receiving the gift of gear that few others among your kind would ever have access to. There are many who would covet armor and weapons crafted by the orc tribes and the aelven kingdoms.”
“Are you suggesting I am being ungracious?” she sputtered in shock.
“I would say so, yes,” he growled. “You know already that you won’t be permitted to leave, and instead of inquiring about what you will receive, you protest and attempt to manipulate like a child. Perhaps it would be best to just allow you to go as you are and see how you fare and how well your current belongings protect you against the forest.”
Diana flinched, aware that he had a point. “I had to try,” she muttered.
“Perhaps,” he said. “It is a flaw of your species, that you try to wager and bargain to keep whatever few miserable hours of life that you possess. You don’t have the centuries to learn better or to suffer without the respite of death.”
Her curiosity was piqued by the gruff words, but she didn’t have the nerve to question him further. Instead, she shrugged and stared at the stone walls of the palace, watching the peculiar pod-like bulges light up at their approach.
“I guess I just don’t understand why I am necessary. Why can’t I just go home and forget all of this existed?”
He frowned at her. “Because this is a threat that spills into your world. Can you so easily dismiss it when you were allotted by fate to protect your world?”
“It is not something I wanted. I was happy with my quiet life,” she said.
“Such things are never asked for,” he said, a note of sadness to his voice as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He shook his head and looked over at her solemnly. “When they come, one must either rise to the occasion or be no better than that which would destroy our worlds. Refusing to act when you have the power to do so is just as evil. As I said before, the oracle did not foresee your purpose in the things to come, just that you have an important part to play. I prefer to hope that your presence is meant as a blessing rather than a curse.”
Silence fell between them as she followed him through the labyrinth of the palace until they came to a pair of heavy wooden doors. Diana hated that his words struck a chord within her. She couldn’t disagree with him. Human history had proved that point many times over. Although she hated that it took away her choices, she resolved to at least try to help. She didn’t know why she had been dumped in the Eternal Forest, but the thought that it might have been to harm their worlds was too painful to consider.
She stepped back to give the lucomo room as he reached forward, gripped the ring handle on one door, and pulled. It was seemingly effortless, but Diana wasn’t fooled. She could hear the groan of the hinges and walls as the massive door was pulled open. Revealed within were armor and weapons that seemed to almost glow on their own accord from the small amount of sunlight filtering into the room.
Aware that she was openly gawking, Diana followed the silvanus within. He didn’t slow nor pause at any of the impressive displays as they made their way deeper into the room. At long last, he drew up short by a set of black-dyed leathers.