Edelmer, Arinella, and Arlandiel shouted Laylith's name as they moved through the leafless Greywind forest. Snunorf managed to get slightly injured on the sticking out sharp branches of lifeless trees. They had already separated and gathered again several times, but they did not find any traces of Laylith, not a single sign of life at all.
Edelmer felt terrible, he blamed himself for the disappearance of his daughter, blamed for blurting out some thoughtless words about his love feelings for Arinella, blamed for leaving the elven beautiful home more than twenty years ago, where he had a loving arqilun wife, and...
Suddenly the ground beneath their feet collapsed, and all three fell on something soft, straw-like. Then the travelers heard the sounds of the mechanism, and the room they were in began to move downward, going deeper and deeper into the underground.
Soon the secret city, the state of tukhtaash, appeared before them.
Finally, the mechanism of the elevator room stopped. The travelers came out in fighting poses and saw what Laylith had seen earlier, a gigantic city surrounded by gates and a wall, stoned roads branched to the gate, and each road led to the gates of the city-kingdom. If Laylith found herself on the pavement that led directly to the city gates, then the travelers found themselves on a stone road to the east of the gate, and they saw from a completely different angle the giant statues that supported the upper ground. In addition to the sculptures depicting men, behind them were sculptures of women and children, a huge tree with fruits propped up the sky, and a giant child froze in motion as if he was reaching with one hand for the fruits of the trees, and in the other he was holding a full basket. The sculptures of the women were hunched over, but they were also depicted in motion, two women walked side by side, each carrying giant vats of water on its back.
Edelmer went out first and, holding his sword at the ready, walked along the pavement, the arqilunians followed him. Soon they saw a gate opening on the west side, and three riders emerged from the gate and headed towards the group.
Snunorf decided to move towards the riders, the elves being more cautious. Arinella exchanged glances with Arel, and they began to circle Edelmer in an arc, coming in from both sides to take better combat positions.
The riders approached at a sufficient distance. A tired young dark-skinned woman spoke first, "My name is Slu Tis–"
"Have you seen the half-elf?" Edelmer interrupted her. "A young woman, slender, tall, but not taller than me, with ears of about my size, with golden-white hair and blue eyes, she was dressed like an arqilunian, have you seen one?"
Slu Tis looked at him in surprise. The other two dark-skinned tukhtaash remained silent and barely moved.
"I see you have some kind of settlement here," Edelmer continued, "maybe you saw her in your city?"
"By the name of king Ikki Raak, I ask you to introduce yourself," Slu said
"My name is Edelmer Arnwaldskar, these are my arqilunian friends Arinella and Arlandiel.
Arinella and Arel looked at him like an idiot.
"Welcome to Itskel-taash, the kingdom of tukhtaashes, and also by the name of king Ikki Raak, upon reaching the kingdom's borders, which you who are present here have already reached, are automatically condemned for slavery, economic crimes, alienation of property, forced labor, causing physical and other, including moral, suffering, sexual violence, and, finally, driving to suicide and mass murder committed by your ancestors. And now you, Edelmer, are sentenced to three years of forced labor, and you two," she turned to Arinella and Arel, "if purebred arqilunians, then to one year of work each, respectively."
Edelmer opened his mouth in surprise.
"Let's just keep it simple," Slu said, preparing to attack. This time she did not want to get off the karkhash.
"Oh, you're the tukhtaashes," Edelmer finally realized, "a lost race, forgotten, left in the past. It turns out that the legends about your city-state are true. But don't you think, Slu Tis, captivating innocent people who have nothing to do with–"
"Edelmer, I am so tired of these conversations, if you knew how many such political philosophers I see almost every day. Your daughter just started arguing in the same way–"
"My daughter?! Where is she?" Edelmer asked sharply.
"If you do not resist, you will see her soon, moreover, you can work together, and she will be free in two years because she is a half-elf of the north. Your friends Arinella and the other, sorry I forget your name," she turned to Arel, who seemed very angry, "…whatever, anyway, the arqilunian will work for one year."
Edelmer burst out laughing.
"It turns out that you blame people on a racial basis. Sirridwyn my mother, what a horror! If, for example, my ancestors were kind and took care of the tukhtaashes, and, for example, his ancestors," with these words he pointed with his sword in the direction of Arel, "could cruelly treat your people, and now I get three years and he gets one. Slu Tis, do you understand how unreasonable and unfair it sounds? It is the same as if, for example, one azdairik steals an axe from the tonnebeard, then instead of looking for a specific azdairik, the tonnebeards would punish all azdairiks, and then all wallitarfs, and then all arnadacres, and so on… Don't you think that long-beard dwarfs will go this way of supreme stupidity?"
"Supreme stupidity, Edelmer," Slu told him, "this is when your people walk through the Greywind forest, knowing that is nothing useful there, and then they come to us and for several years do not see the light, the luminaries and the starry sky, they don't see rain or clouds. If the snunorf went to the Greywind forest, it means that he has nothing to lose, and maybe it's time for him to work to keep his hands busy, to see our kingdom, to learn our culture, to know and understand the suffering of our race? We were forced to live underground, and we were forced to evolve in our vengeance, but this is now our life. We survive by working, but we cannot work alone, and no one willingly wants to help us! Believe me," she gestured to stop Edelmer's attempt to interrupt her, "we tried to negotiate with the surface dwellers, but they saw us as slaves, and in our work we always gave more than we received. We are simply taking back our time, the time of life which was stolen by your ancestors. Anyway, let's not argue, you want to see your daughter, so follow me, but just give us all your weapons first."
Slu Tis nodded to one of her kin, and he dismounted and approached Edelmer, took his sword and dagger, and then took the weapon from the elves.
And the three travelers on foot followed the three tukhtaash riders.