The Elves were, it had to be said, Istavan's least favorite creatures. Long-lived to the point of absurdity, many still remembered being forcibly decamped at monster-claw and herded into the forests. And he had piled on the beasts to keep them there. Sorcerers alone were not enough-there were perhaps five of them in all of elfdom. So they were augmented with beasts. Gryphons that could tear a man's arm off with their beaks alone. Wandering Ents, tree-creatures who smashed and clutched. Dryads who spied and strangled with vines and other implements. It took, in other words, a badass elf to sneak out, or a clever one. And one who cared little for returning.

Traveling human lands was honestly fairly convenient, now that she had learned the language. Oh, the beer was still piss or like water, but a good hairband and a hood kept her inhuman features from showing. Still, she had to be wary. The last time humans had caught scent of her, she'd had to flee town ahead of barrels of hot tar and chicken feathers. Still, the rumors about this student she'd heard...perhaps it was worth risking a run in with the priesthood and the authorities. But that would mean a bar crawl to find the woman.