Elven Princess

The River Riddle

A clearing opened up in front of them, but nothing was visible. Nothing, except the deepest shades of juniper glittering in front of them. 

The She-elves cautiously moved forward followed by their horses, and since the Whisper didn't say otherwise, they continued, until they reached the end of the green mist.

And involuntary gasp escaped Nimuel's mouth, as Nexus bumped into her and she staggered a little at the edge. There in front of them was an abyss, which glittered with black water.

The golden mare put its mouth near the water to have a sniff, perhaps due to thirst, but Nimuel pulled it back.

"Don't, Nexus. It might be poisonous," she whispered urgently.

"Very wise, Nimuel Saelther, wise indeed. Be known, though, that the water here is perfectly safe for consumption. 

It is not, however, plausible, to move forward this point without solving the next puzzle in your paths," the voice whispered.

As the stallions got busy quenching their thirst on the edge of the river, Nimuel walked upto Aelanor, who was pondering at it.

"What puzzle do you speak of, and who are you?" Aelanor called.

"I am the Whispers of the shadows," it called back.

"Why don't you show yourself to us?" Aelanor asked, somewhat wary.

"'tis because I am a voice, you ignorant child!" the Whisper thundered. "If you are this foolish, you have no business being here. I would suggest you go back where you came from."

"We came from the mortal lands, which have made us shrewd enough not to trust strange lands and strange people."

The Whisper seemed pleased at the response, for it didn't speak for a while. Then,

"The river in front of you is the only way to go past this point. If you wish to enter the Realm of the Shadows, you must cross it through this boat in front of you."

From inside the waters, slithered out a boat, big only enough to be able to carry two creatures at once. It approached them with a strange green shadow around it. Synchronously, three blue flames appeared out of nowhere, and placed themselves near the tetrad.

"What are these?" Nimuel shrieked, pulling Nexus out of their ways.

"These, Nimuel Saeltheriel, are shadows, the atoms of the mortal lands, as you might say. But instead of just making things, shadows have the power to destroy them as well."

The boat came to a stop in front of them. They looked at it beadily. It was a plain looking boat, built out of wood. But the shadows around it gave it a ghostly aura.

"Aelanor Gaelemariel, and Nimuel Saeltheriel. As the creatures of logical intelligence, it should be one of the two of you to solve this puzzle in front of you.

You have three companions with you, and three shadows. One boat can carry two creatures in it. Your goal is to cross them all across the river.

However, there are a few conditions. 

The boat cannot move on its own, one of the creatures from the six has to be in it. 

The three companion of your would be put under a spell so that they can not move by their own; they would be able to follow the orders of the one puzzlemaster, as we are going to call them. For them, the boat would move on its own.

The boat will only move thirteen times, and if the puzzlemaster is not at the other shore by then, they will have to leave.

If, at any point, the shadows outnumber the mortal companions, the latter would be devoured and destroyed by the former..."

A chill passed around as Aelanor and Nimuel looked at each other, horrified. But the Whisper plodded along. Apparently, it was a common thing to do.

"So, who is it going to be?"

Nimuel looked at the horses, and then Aelanor. If it was a question of sacrificing themselves, she would have been the first one to offer herself. But she had complete trust in Aelanor.

"You should do it, cousin. Out of us, you have the mental agility of a fox," she said.

"I can't Nimuel. I can't risk losing you!" Aelanor looked back, horrified.

"Yes. you can. You have to. I would never be able to solve this if my closed ones are at peril, but you have a strong head in times of crisis, and I have complete faith in you," Nimuel urged.

"But Nimuel..."

"Aelanor, if we do not solve this, we would have to leave, and we would not be able to save the world from the pestilence. This is not optional. You have to be the puzzlemaster."

Aelanor took a deep breathe, and stepped forward.

"Alright, I will be the puzzlemaster."

No sound came, but a soft whoosh of wind passed, and Nimuel, Nexus and Khoral went rigid. Their chests heaved, but even their eyes were frozen in their frames.

This chilly sight made Aelanor numb with shock; now she was the only creature that looked alive in the setting.

"Your companions lives are in your hands, Aelanor Gaelemariel. Think, and play your move."

It took a few minutes before Aelanor moved, her head doing calculations, but the puzzle wasn't very easy.

"Nimuel, and shadow on the boat."

The two creatures jumped on the boat.

"Move to the other side."

The boat disappeared into the mist. But Aelanor had no alternative to be unsure if Nimuel reached the shore. She needed the boat to come back, but if the shadow brought it back, the shadows would outnumber the horses and they would be lost.

"Nimuel come back."

"Shadow and shadow on the boat."

"Shadow come back. Get down on the shore."

"Nexus and Khoral, jump on the boat, and cross the river."

It was getting impossible to discern through the mist, and at every move, she had to squint to see if it's a friend on the boat. It was also hard to keep track of the number of shadows, low as they might have. Everywhere around her were shadows.

"Khoral and shadow come back."

"Khoral and Nimuel, boat. Move."

She took a deep breathe of satisfaction as she successfully sent her companions to the other side of the river. All that remained was the two shadows on her side of the shore, and the one shadow on the other end would be able to take them all to the other side.

"Eleven, I think that's eleven. The boat now comes back on its own and takes me across this river. That's thirteen," she grinned.

As she crossed the misty black river, the Whisper said, "Well done, Aelanor Gaelemariel. Might I offer my adulation on your steady wit, and courage in the face of peril. I would take my leave now, but beknow that you have been one of the very few travelers who have been able to cross this river in the last few centuries, and I wish your journey to be fruitful. 

May the shadows guide you..."

She jumped on the banks of the river as soon she reached it. Nimuel came running upto her, her face lit up and it was all she could do not to jump up and down in excitement

"You did it, Aelanor. I knew it!"