The Silver City

The desert was a place of great beauty, especially on this, a night with a full moon. It was, however, a terrible beauty, because of its remote location, the bitter cold and the wind that never seemed to end, and the acute lack of water. It was, in fact, an extremely dangerous place. But the desert was not an evil place. It was rather, like the high mountains and deep ocean, just indifferent to the passage of men. It was a timeless thing that could be learned from, and which—with that learning—could be safety negotiated and lived in. But there was evil about on this night, and it was a terrible evil that came as the companion of men. The men who came to the desert tonight were men of the worst irk and the worst evil. They were slavers, and they cared not at all about their fellow humans. Anyone who was not of their group was of no worth, and could thus be used, victimized, and disposed of as needed, because they were nothing but mere property. ……………………… Akiko is a tiny Moon Elf long thought to be of no worth because of her blue hair, blue eyes, and blue tartans. But she is now the Endunnlin, a warrior with secret powers who is often called upon to negotiate treaties and resolve conflicts without the use of violence. And it is now she, as the Endunnlin, who must determine a way to stop the practice of slavery at its source, the great silver city of Treesla, which is located on an island far out in the Aregeon Ocean, far from any location from where a military operation can be launched. She has the help of the dragons and her friends, Micah and Arizair, but the city is a large fortress, with many high walls and ramparts, and an Elite who rule with total authority and who have no concern for the humans and elves who they use so ruthlessly for their own profit, entertainment, and labor. It is not a place that can be taken without a serious investment in time, money, and lives. Can Akiko, the tiny Moon Elf, find a way to overthrow the Elite and end the suffering of slavery without paying the price of seeing her friends die wasted in a futile battle to conquer the city?