Miras Last by Erin Elliott Page B

the memory. The hammocks were not very
comfortable, but they had definitely provided an entertainment
factor that could not be beat. Between Galena and Morgo, he’d
laughed more in the last couple of days than he had in weeks. “Can
you show me Morak? He and a group of his archers left yesterday
morning sometime and I haven’t heard back from them, not that I
really expected to. I just want to make sure nothing has happened
to them.”
    Nodding, Morgo retrieved his bowl from where
he flung it and sat in a chair next to Tark so they could both see.
Within seconds, the image of Morak appeared in the bowl. He seemed
to be crouching down with another elf. They were watching something
from their hiding place. Other than looking like they were being
cautious, which Tark appreciated, they appeared to be fine.
    “I wish we could see where they are,” Tark
commented as he continued to watch Morak peeking through the
brush.
    “That might be something for Galena to try.
This type of viewing takes a great deal of concentration and that’s
just with watching one subject. When we try to back up and take in
other aspects, normal elves will burn out too quickly to gather
that much information. But this may not apply to Galena seeing how
most of the rules I have had to live by haven’t applied to her,”
Morgo replied.
    “This is true,” Tark said thoughtfully. “Are
you going to continue spending time with Venia should we survive
this?” Tark asked. He looked at the ground, giving Morgo a chance
to collect his thoughts.
    “Would it be offensive if I did?” Morgo asked
slowly in response to this.
    “What if she does come out of this sort of
trance she’s in and she doesn’t reciprocate your feelings?”
    “I guess that’s a chance I have to be willing
to take.” Morgo looked slightly crestfallen at this, but snapped
out of it quickly. “I assume you’re going to go see Galena
now?”
    Tark was surprised at the abrupt change of
subject, but after getting to know Morgo, took the shift in stride.
“I hadn’t actually thought about it, but if I want to find out if
she can see the whereabouts of Morak and Rau’s army, I probably
should take a stroll over to visit her. I’ll head there now, seeing
how she normally wakes early.”
    “Would you mind if I tagged along? I am
curious to see if my theory was correct.”
    “You’re always curious about something.”
    “Indeed, it’s how we learn. Shall we go?”
    “If you’re ready.” Morgo indicated the open
tent with a sweep of his arm.
    Grinning, Tark stood and headed out to see
his sister. “Do you think we even have a chance of winning?” Tark
asked quietly as they covered the ground between Morgo’s tent and
Galena’s. The question plagued him since they started on this quest
and after seeing less than half of Rau’s army, he felt his fears
were confirmed.
    “That’s an interesting question,” Morgo said
thoughtfully. “On the one hand, Rau has us hopelessly outnumbered.
On the other hand, we have magical abilities the dark creatures
will never have. So it is brute strength against magic, which
cancels each other out. So then we’re left with the question, who
wants to win more, the elves or Rau?”
    Tark had never thought of it that way. Morgo
certainly had an interesting way of looking at things. He had never
failed to amuse Tark with his theories.
    “Do you think it will boil down to Galena
versus Rau too?”
    “I most certainly do. How else would it all
end?” Morgo said, looking at Tark curiously.
    “Good point.”
    They saw Galena slipping through the tent
entrance when they drew close to her tent. Tark had to smile, he
knew her so well. “Galena, wait.”
    Galena stopped and turned to face them, a
look of surprise on her face. “What are you two doing up so early?”
she called out when they had almost reached her.
    “We would like to try an experiment, if you
would humor us,” Morgo said, smiling at her.
    “What kind of experiment did you