Monolith outline part 1

Monolith outline:

Chapter 1:
They rescue Elwend and purge him of the deepshade

Meshua explains to him who they are, describes the route, and gives him his choice

Elwend and Lith decide to go with, Rivveld and Glaive arrive

They make first for Adorwha gorge to meet up with a post of the Order of Dawn in order to stock up supplies. As they travel, Meshua instructs Rivveld and Therin to teach Elwend how to fight. Meanwhile, Glaive and Falarien train Lith how to be a dragon. Hunting, magicking, firebreathing, and fighting Falarien and Glaive have agrred to overlook the hostilities between their nexuins, so they're at peace. For a while, things go well.

Then they near the edge of Thyla's territory and Meshua instructs them to be on their guard.

"Today we cross into Thyla's territory," Meshua announced in subdued tones. "Things become dangerous now. Thyla's people are not large in number, and to compensate she has hired nearly every bandit and mercenary in her land to patrol her borders. These are very dangerous, very cutthroat men and women. If we are taken, we will likely be killed." She paused and turned to Elwend. "There is still time to turn back," she said quietly.
Elwend stared her straight in the face and set his jaw.
"There is nothing to turn back to," he said firmly. Lith gouged the ground with a forepaw and snorted a fierce puff of black smoke, small yellow flames punctuating it.
"Let them come," she growled. "We are ready."
Sidewinder barked a sharp laugh. "Your spirit is admirable, young one," he said, and leapt into the sky.
"But it is folly," Meshua added after he'd gone. "You are no more ready to take on a group of thirty mercenaries than I am ready to don a lady's dress and bonnet and dance the Atulian waltz. We do not fight today. We run."
"Run?" Elwend asked, blinking. Up until now the fastest they'd gone--especially dragonback--had been a brisk trot.
"Run," Meshua affirmed. "We must get as far inland today as possible. If we are lucky we will pass through the border patrols' routes and avoid them completely."
Rivveld and Therin also spread out with Falarien and Glaive, the humans and dragons taking turns between staying by Elwend/Lith's sides and scouting ahead and about from the air and ground. There was little of the easy companionship now, and Elwend realized what Meshua said had been true--before there had been no real danger. The ringmaster was the only one they'd worried about until now--maybe he'd hired people to go after Elwend, maybe not, but either way they would have been easily handled by three expert fighters and their three powerful dragons. Now things were serious. Thyla kept all her people well-equipped and prepared to deal with anything. Even dragons.
Meshua was the only one who stayed next to Elwend constantly, atop her black charger. They did not stop for lunching that day, but ate as they moved. They did not make camp until late at night.
Elwend was just unrolling his pallet when Meshua thwapped him on the shoulder with her tail.
"You do not sleep yet," she said. "You have training."
"Fighting? Now?" Elwend asked, an air of desperation in his voice. He was exhausted. Elwend had done little other than hold on, but his body was sore from Lith's spine-jolting run and he could feel her own exhaustion through their bond.
"Not fighting," Meshua assured. Before Elwend could even relax, she added, "Magic."
"But Lith is so tired--"
"She can rest. But you must train."
Elwend bit back a whimper of protest and wearily stood, following Meshua over to the fire, where she sat cross-legged before it. To his surprise, Meshua removed both her hat and coat. He couldn't remember ever seeing her without them.
"Sit," she said, pointing to the ground beside her. Elwend obeyed.
"Up until now I have taught you the state of mind and state of body you must be in to perform magic," she said. "And you have grasped both quickly. Now I will begin to teach you of fire."
Meshua reached into the fire and pulled out a salamandre.
Elwend gaped.
"What...what is..."
"This is a salamandre," Meshua answered the unfinished question. "Fire has many totems--the tiger, the phoenix, and even the dragon may be used to represent it. But fire's true form is what you see now." The salamandre was investigating Meshua's hand, its small body a mixture of translucent flickering, its gills small plumes of flame that licked about its head like a small mane. Then it stood up on its hindlegs and began to sway, as if performing some sort of dance. "Salamandres exist in greater size and quantity on the other side of Motherback. This creature is but a small cousin of those."
Meshua turned to Elwend and held up the small, dancing fire spirit.
"Before you can communicate with the world through magic, you must understand what you are trying to communicate with," Meshua murmured. "Magic is not a mystical force. It is not a river of power connecting all things. The only great Power of the world is that of the Great Spirit." Meshua took Elwend's hand and grasped it in her spare hand. "Magic is a language, Elwend. It lets us speak to the world around us. It lets us ask things of it. It can let us control it--but you must never try to control things through magic, Elwend. We are but humans--it is not our place. The cost of such a thing will destroy you."
She slipped the salamandre into Elwend's hand. He gasped and went rigid--afraid of being burned.
But nothing happened. The salamandre paused its dance to investigate the new hand, but then reared up again and continued its dance. Elwend watched, entranced.
"Why...why is it doing that?" he asked.
"Doing what?" Meshua asked, sounding surprised.
"Dancing, I think." Meshua laughed.
"It's dancing because it's fire, Elwend." Meshua gestured to the flames grandly, and they flared hungrily at her cue. "That is what fire does!" Meshua moved to her feet in one fluid movement and the flames eagerly leapt up with her.
That night, Elwend danced with fire in his dreams.