Free The Third Eye Initiative by J. J. Newman

ordered a drink and came to sit at Tsaeris’ table.
    “I remember you.” The Ranger said as he sat. The ranger had fair facial features, but his body was well toned and muscled. Tsaeris had no doubt that this elf was strong and fit.
    “ You do?” Tsaeris asked, surprised that the man would remember their meeting.
    “ Of course. Not many white haired boys around here. In fact, you’re the only one I’ve seen in the City.”
    “ In the City? You mean you’ve seen white-haired boys outside the City?”
    The Ranger smiled. “Of course I have.”
    Tsaeris frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”
    The Ranger looked confused. “Are you telling me that you don’t know?”
    Tsaeris was baffled. “Know what?”
    “ You’re Turindiel, boy.”
    The boy stared blankly, and the Ranger frowned.
    “Turindiel, from the tundra to the south,” he explained. “Elves, as some people call them.”
    Tsaeris almost fell out of his chair. An elf? Him? He reached up, and felt his ears under his hair. They had always had a slight point to them, but he figured it was just a deformation. One that gave his ears some character.
    “You have to be joking. I’m human.” Tsaeris wasn’t ready to change his world view quite yet.
    To his surprise, the Ranger shook his head. “You’re not human, friend. Perhaps you’re a half breed, though that would be exceptional itself, considering the reclusive nature of our people. Your Turindiel features are muted, though, so who knows? But I promise you, at the very least you’re half Turindiel.”
    “ How do you know?” Tsaeris asked.
    “ Well, your ears have a slight point, and your hair is snow white. If you were third generation, you would have a more human hair color. Since its white, you must be at least half.”
    “ I thought you said half breeds didn’t happen,” Tsaeris replied.
    “ No, I said they were rare,” Nerindar corrected.
    Tsaeris was dumbstruck, but he couldn’t argue it either. He knew nothing of his lineage. How did he know that he wasn’t half elf? Hell, maybe he was all elf. He really couldn’t say with any certainty what he was.
    The Ranger smiled again. “It’s a rare treat to change someone’s life.” He reached out a hand to Tsaeris. “My name is Nerindar.”
    Tsaeris shook the hand hesitantly. “Tsaeris.”
    “ Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?”
    “ You ask me that after you shatter my whole view of myself and the world?”
    Nerindar shrugged. “Is that a no?”
    “ Yeah, you can sit there. You can’t lay that kind of news on me, and not answer a few follow up questions. Like, what the hell is a Tundranel, or whatever you said? What are they like?”
    Nerindar considered for a moment. “The Turindiel are very tribal, nomadic and territorial. They have no villages or cities. They follow the herds of tundra elk, and will kill outsiders who hunt their lands. They only care about two things. Food and religion.”
    “ What kind of religion? The light?” Tsaeris asked.
    Nerindar shook his head. “No. They worship what others call heathen gods. These gods are various animal based deities that they believe provide them with life, food, and children. “
    “ Sounds like a boring life.”
    “ It can be. But for the most part it’s a hard dangerous life, and the Turindiel have become just as hard and just as dangerous. It’s that or die, really.”
    “ You’re hair isn’t white. Are you not a tundra elf?” Tsaeris asked.
    “ White hair is too obvious. Hair colors can be easily changed by dyes and inks,” Nerindar replied.
    Tsaeris found his interest waning. He was tired, and still sober. The novelty of finding out that he was an elf, half or more, was starting to wear off and he found that he really wasn’t all that interested in what the tundra elves were.
    “ I’m sorry, Nerindar. I need some time to soak this in. I’m grabbing a bottle of whiskey, going to my room and sleeping for a week,
    “ Fair enough, Tsaeris. Well, I