"Where did you search?"
"The Aldo Forest battlefield, the Lost Well, the old grounds..."
"What does any of that have to do with it?" Annan frowned deeply. "You're making too many assumptions."
"Assumptions?"
"I told you the culprit was human, so you need to think like a human. Would humans even know the places you named?"
Kael'thas looked thoughtful.
"A place of conflict... It has to be somewhere humans know about, somewhere people have fought over."
"The Tree of Wisdom," Kael'thas said in Elvish.
"What's that?"
"During the war a thousand years ago, the Paem Kingdom gave the Elven Royal Court a Tree of Wisdom. After it was brought to Evanas, Lady Emerald discovered that its will had been tampered with. She healed it and thwarted the Paem Kingdom's plot."
"Afterward, the Paem Kingdom demanded the Tree of Wisdom back, but the Elders' Council refused."
"That must be it... Let's go!"
Annan glanced toward the horizon. There was still some time before dusk.
"Stop!"
The Elf Elder, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke. "Humans can't be trusted."
"I've already given you the Clue."
The Elf Elder lowered his wrinkled eyelids. "How do I know you aren't another trap leading us to our deaths?"
The Elves around them clearly trusted the Elder more than Annan. Their gazes grew hostile. Only Kael'thas looked as though he wanted to speak.
Annan refused to be drawn into the Elf Elder's trap. He said, one word at a time, "You can keep being arrogant, but other Elves will pay with their lives. The more you oppose me for the sake of so-called Elven pride, the more Elves will die at the attacker's hands!"
"Remember, they'll die because of you..."
The Elf Elder fell silent for a moment. "Will you take responsibility?"
"If you