Chapter 5

The stampede continued to hurtle at devastating speed towards the city, thinking quickly Lurtz threw himself at one of the leading horses and, using an arrow from his quiver, cut the watery rope holding it to the rest of the herd. He directed the horse away from the herd then jumping onto another horse on the other side of the stampede did the same. Now disconnected, the two horses galloped at full speed heading towards two trees growing beside the frantically closing gates. With a roar of impact the two horses collided with the trees forcing them straight out of the ground, and with a loud moan forced them into the gates closing them with a loud crash!

Seconds later the water hit the now closed gates with the mighty force of a tsunami, forcing water high into the air, then back into the ground from whence it came. Lurtz lay exhausted in a nearby tree where he had been thrown after the water leapt high into the air, but remembering his goal he jumped up and began scouring the forest with his sharp eyes.

The panther is ok, he could see it laying panting and sopping wet on top of the gate where it had been thrown, but most importantly the cloth he had been carrying had been dropped and was nowhere to be seen.

The gate began reopening and guards started pouring out, they suspected an attack and they wanted to be ready. Talk of a great wizard or a sorcerer began floating up to Lurtz much to his deep pleasure, he wanted the credit but at the same time not the consequences. "If being too slow or obvious is punishable by expulsion, imagine what almost wiping out half the city would do for your job!" Lurtz thought to himself. He showed humor as he laughed to himself, but that hid his deep nerves as he tried to stop shaking and his wanting to cry.

But pulling himself together Lurtz climbed back down the tree and begun heading back inside the city and home where he would bathe and pack a few things for tomorrow. Tomorrow was the beginning of his adventure, and he could barely contain his excitement.

Lurtz walked through Enquie as he did most nights admiring the view, the city spans across hundred of trees connected by bridges made of wooden planks and rope. The houses were mostly tree houses built among strong branches, with steps carved into the trees leading down to the wooden bridges that hung halfway down the enormous trees. Other houses were simply hollowed out trees with doors that opened out straight onto a bridge. And as you look out across the city at night, you can see hundreds of candle lights gleaming out the windows lighting up trees that spanned as far as the regular eye can see. This of course excludes eyes such as Lurtz' that could see further to the border of the Desert of Gul, a place that emanates evil and despair.

But not even the evil desert could dampen Lurtz' mood tonight as he reached him home and opened the door into his tree, he would sleep well knowing what tomorrow would hold. Being an Elf he would only sleep a few hours, but would spend the rest of the night sitting watch outside his house, ever watching for evil and guarding his home.