Spires and towers rose up from the other side, reaching for the roiling clouds like fingers of silver and gold. The massive, arched gates of gold-stre...ked bronze stood closed, of course. Caeledrin had yet to even send out a messenger.How much wealth did the Elves possess to build such lavish structures? Maloth smiled as he imagined what he could do with it. He could purchase as many soldiers as required with enough gold. Not that he needed it; every spear at his disposal had been acquired. ’ ‘Gee, thanks. I’m a consolation prize.’ I was miffed. ‘Having you work for him is a consolation prize compared to breaking us up. And his failure to break us up, so far, is a resounding defeat.’ ‘What do you mean by ‘so far’? Is there something you’re not telling me?’ ‘No. It’s something I’ve just told you, but you choose to disregard.’ ‘Oh, so now you know my father better than I do.’ ‘I’m just telling you to be cautious.’ ‘Right.’ But it was not an expression of agreement. Jeff was annoyed.. .. would fade with time.Bella cooked; steak and mushroom pie, roast potatoes, parsnip, carrot and cabbage."This is really good," I paused to savour a mouthful. "I'm not keen on food that's more style than substance."Her face lit with pleasure at the praise. "Dad felt the same," then, as a shadow passed over her expression, "but at the end, he..." she trailed off. Then, pasting a determined smile on her face, "sorry, I don't want to unload my problems onto you." Bella," I reached out to touch. The first student stammered through a speech on the Revolutionary War. Or maybe it was French and Indian war. Hell if I know, I really wasn’t listening. It might not have even been a war. Something about fighting, I’m pretty sure. I was actually busy scrolling through Facebook. Jess was on her phone as well, probably doing the same, I imagine.One after another, each student stood up for the requisite five minutes (no less!) As the class dragged on, Emma saw fewer and fewer slips in the bowl.She.