Private Tales Words Not Made to be Believed but Obeyed

[Everleigh Ebersol]

The first thing Everleigh had noticed when traveling up this part of the border was that there were no trees. Even though there should have been plenty, they all had been uprooted and shipped off for buildings in Vel Anir. Everleigh looked up to the sky, throughout the expanse of blue there wasn’t a single bird in sight. She looked back at the dirt. Along this part of the border, she supposed, there were no places for birds to land. Unless they felt brave enough to enter the camps.

Sure, Vel Anir wasn’t currently in a war with the elves, but military bases had to be established. Understandable, Everleigh agreed with the idea. It was what needed to be done to ensure the pesky elves didn’t try anything funny. They were always such a thorn in any Anirian’s side. It only made sense to keep a close eye on them.

That being said, something Everleigh wasn’t sure about was this mission. And it seemed neither did Liliana.

Both were on horseback, both had been given a map to the location they were to arrive to, and both were instructed to deliver a box each of vials. How… trivial. But what had intrigued Everleigh was finding out that this mission was set up with a Urahil name behind it. They were both close to graduating, why on Earth would the Academy deem the youngest Lorel and a purple-haired initiate the perfect pair to do a delivery run? Isn’t this the sort of mission the thirteen year olds got? Plenty of questions with zero concrete answers.

And Everleigh had even done a little bit of investigating to come up with nothing.

It seemed fine, on paper at least. The only reprieve from the bombardment of suspicion was that Everleigh at least got to do this mission with Liliana. It had been awhile since they had worked together, and it seemed with graduation nearing they both had been pulled into two separate paths. Now, their paths crossed again. Strangely enough, at an Border Detention Camp, commonly called BDCs by the guardsmen who happened to be ordered out here to serve the guard.

“About a mile or two left,” Everleigh said to Liliana, her violet gaze on the high wooden walls. These camps were few and far in between, but known to be big. And inside them they held elves, not yet cleared to be freed in fear they would harm Anirians in some way.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Liliana Lorel did not get nervous.

There was not a single thing in this world that scared her, that created even an ounce of worry within her mind. Yet this mission, there was something off about it. She could not have placed it, but she felt as though a ball of worms was slowly crawling through her stomach.

It was not the mission itself, and it was most certainly not the company, but that feeling remained deep within her.

Despite that though, Liliana seemed more chipper than usual. She did not hold any of her usual dour attitude about being made to run into the middle of the woods, nor did she incessantly complain about the lack of amenities they had seen upon their trip. In fact, Liliana seemed downright cheerful on their ride.

An attitude that most would have found strange, perhaps even suspicious, but Liliana had good reason for her newfound euphoria.

Her brother had been recently killed. "Oh, just that?"

She mused.

"Shame. I was just starting to enjoy the view." Liliana said, as if entirely unaware of the high wooden walls to the left and the near cleared out forest to the right.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh’s violet gaze flickered over to Liliana. Was it a joke? There was hardly any sort of view. The initiate shrugged, it didn’t quite matter whether it was sarcasm or genuine, because soon enough they were about to thrust inside one of these camps.

“That’s about the only thing you can do on a assignment like this,” Everleigh said and didn’t bother suppressing a yawn. “Can’t believe they gave us such a boring mission right before graduation.” Everleigh said, right before from inside the camp a ball of fire flew up before raining down smaller balls of fire below into the camp. Everleigh made a face, not believing the irony. “I guess I spoke too soon.” She looked over at Liliana once, and without saying anything pressed her heels into her horses side, bounding off to the BDC in a sprint.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

”Better boring than mired in the muck.” Liliana said, though she herself wasn’t entirely sure she believed it. As good as her mood was, and as much as she enjoyed things prim and proper the absolute dire boredom of some missions was enough to make even her want more excitement.

A notion which was seemingly almost immediately rewarded as an explosion ruptured out from the detention center.

Almost immediately Liliana shot Everleigh an accusing glance, as if the other Initiate had somehow engineered this. Fingers pulled to the side of her saddle in an instant, dragging free the the small clasp so she could grasp her whip. Then she shot off after Everleigh.

As they galloped forward the sound of chaos erupted out from before them.

Men shouting in pain, women calling for water. The sing song language of the elves screaming over the din as the camp was suddenly thrown into turmoil.

Everleigh and Liliana road forward, following the narrow path and turning. There the gate greeted them, one half of the doorway into the Camp already standing open. Beyond it Liliana could barely make out the flickering of flames, a haze of smoke filling the air and obscuring nearly everything inside the Camp.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh, like Liliana, didn’t hesitate to get to the camp as soon as possible. Their horses galloped to the half-open gate, and Everleigh leaned in low, letting go of the reins to reach behind her and grab two flat blades, currently holding them into one hand.

The two initiates skidded to a stop, and despite being the sort to usually try a sneaky approach, Everleigh quickly got off. Leaving her horse outside, she looked to Liliana and then went into the smoke.

Inside the camp was a series of groups, all elves, being forced into small, tight groups with armed Anirians shouting at them, prodding sheathed swords into their thin ribs. A few elves were facedown on the ground, hands over the back of their heads as a few other guardsmen were restraining them, still shouting and making sure to punch them if they even twitched.

Everleigh’s brow furrowed, looking around. The fire was already being put out, seemingly by a fourth-level dreadlord, using magic to quell the arcane flames.

A animalistic scream of fury came from a far corner, and a large fireball came forth, attacking the walls. Everleigh could hardly make sight of the figure, but by the height and lack of armor she labeled them as a elf. A couple of arrows pierced through the elf, and they dropped down to their knees, screaming in their native tongue regardless until a soldier came over from behind them. With their unsheathed sword they made a horizontal cut and the elf head rolled onto the floor.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” A guardsmen shouted at Everleigh, “DROP YOUR WEAPON!” Everleigh made to point at the Academy’s issued clothing, but stopped. Everyone here was on edge. She dropped her flat blades, not letting these people know she had plenty more and raised her hands above her head.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Liliana broke through the sodden smoke just a few seconds after Everleigh, catching the Guardsmen's screams.

Almost immediately her face twisted in a mixture of disgust and rage. The man who had barked at them stood, his weapon drawn and his features half covered in soot and gnarled scars. His appearance more of a tavern thug than a proper soldier.

Her face twisted into a snarl. Who were these worms to speak down to her? "Do you know who I am?"

Liliana hissed at the man, fingers still curled around the whip in her hand.

Behind her the clinking of armor could be heard as more Guardsmen stepped into place. Some turning away from the quelled and now broken elves, others just arriving to the small spark of rebellion that had already been put down.

"I'll carry my weapons wherever I damn well please!" The Guardsmen's face twisted, not in fear or surprise but other shock. It was as though he couldn't quite believe that anyone would dare talk to him the way Liliana did.

The expression lasted for a moment more, and then snarled into rage.

"I said. PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON!"​

As the wicked dog barked again, his pack slowly encroached around the two Initiates.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Violet eyes curved towards the blonde Lorel, but Everleigh’s lips remained in a tight line as her gimlet gaze continued to rove around. Trained dogs were snarling at them, and while some men were busy with the small clusters of elves, more and more were coming towards them.

She saw in more than a few eyes that plenty of men knew that they didn’t recognize the two initiates in front of them, and with a couple of confused looks to one and another it was clear they were hesitant to do anything. Even to speak up for them.

The leader, the aptly described bar thug, raised his free hand which was tightly clenched into a fist. Without warning he shouted a command and other words, so blurred together and in a language that wasn’t common. Everleigh recognized it as all initiates were taught plenty of the commands used in the guard.

She realized that two of the words were names for the dogs as two of them sprung to life, going towards Liliana. Everleigh, perhaps stupidly, moved to intercept the dog, causing the other to leap at her. Bring a arm up to protect her face, she felt the dog’s teeth sink deep into her flesh, growling and snarling and slobbering all over her.

With a hiss of pain, the poison eater’s eyes glowed bright violet, and soon enough the dog was passed out, unhinging it’s jaw from her arm to lay limply on the floor.

“did you see that?! Was that magic?” She heard a voice, and then a shout of anger. Everleigh might have just made things harder for them.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Liliana could hardly believe what she was hearing. It was as though someone were speaking another language, as though the stupid simpleton peasant in front of her had somehow lost control of his tongue. Her head tilted, her eyes conveying nothing less than utter loathsome content.

Then chaos broke out.

Liliana didn't even have time to scream as the dogs suddenly jumped forward and Everleigh stepped forward.

Indignation, anger, RAGE.

The emotions burned through her like a wildfire. The tips of her fingers bent inward, a weave casting out from her palms and flickering over both of the dogs. One crashing to the ground as it succumbed to Everleigh's poison, and the other suddenly planting itself down as Liliana bellowed. "SITZ!"

Her high Anirians echoed out as she stepped forward, sweeping to her companions side. Kneeling and placing a gentle palm upon her shoulder as she glared at the man who'd sicced his dogs upon them.

"You stupid, sniveling little mongrel." She hissed. "I will have your life for this!"

Her gaze cast to the dog, a single word slipping from her lips. "Fess."

Without a single second of hesitation the Hound bounded forward, jumping for the man who just a second ago had been his master.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Her arm was bleeding but Everleigh couldn’t have cared in this moment. Adrenaline was already coursing through her, and she looked over her shoulder as a guardsman began to approach her. This was all started by miscommunication, wasn’t it? If someone would just listen to her then they can drop off the package and then be on their way.

“Wait! We’re from the academy, we’re dreadlord initiates!” Everleigh said, one hand lingering around the small, mostly hidden pouch strapped to her thigh, her other hand gesturing to her garb. “Do we look like elves? Look at our ears!” The guardsman, to his benefit, paused, looking at Liliana but then at Everleigh. Doubt was evident in his features and Everleigh stifled a groan. Of course, just because she was purple, she had to be a elf?

What elf had purple hair? Everleigh had yet to see one.

Two more soldiers were also making their way towards Everleigh with drawn weapons pointed at her.

“Get on your knees! Hands behind your head! Close your eyes!” The first demanded. Everleigh couldn’t help but to roll her eyes and then pointed out to the entrance.

“Check our horses! We’re bringing a package for you! House Sirl ordered initiates from the academy to deliver a—“ Everleigh sidestepped, eyes wide as she saw a set of throwing knives close to where she had been standing. “Just go outside to check!” She shouted, pulling out a half dozen needles to lick and coat with something to put these idiots to sleep.

Meanwhile, one man slunk off to the entrance, the smoke providing ample cover, especially over his dark cloaks and illusion magics that made his entire form seem blurry and incorporeal like smoke.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

"You little RATS!" Liliana whirled around, a hurricane of fury. Her eyes set on the two men who had stalked towards them. The dog still biting at the screaming commander who was clearly trying to fight the creature off.

Rage and anger flickered freely over her features.

She could not believe the audacity of these men. To disrespect two Dreadlords in this way, to insult her in this way. "I'll have you all hanged!"

"You idiotic little wretches, LISTEN to her!" Liliana demanded, her tirade only growing in volume as she turned her head to stare at the gathered soldiers.

Nerves flickered over their features. Some were clearly afraid, while others began to rise to the growing insults. A few placed hands on the hilts of their swords. Clearly ready to draw them. The two men who had stepped towards Everleigh continued, and Liliana lashed out. "STOP!"

There was no thought to the command, just a flicker of her fingers.

Both of the men came to a sudden halt, their expressions drawing a sudden blank.

"THEYS USIN' MAGIC!"​

Panic now flickered out through the ranks, soldiers shouting over even the commands of their officers.

"GET EM!"​

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh was certain that no one could be more stupid than whoever was sent out to a BDC. Or perhaps that the reason why they were chosen was because of their mindlessness and the rabid, instinctual fear that coursed through their ranks.

It was a compromising situation. Everleigh knew that both her and Liliana could easily take out everyone within minutes, and perhaps if they had been enemies to Vel Anir she wouldn’t have even spared a split-second of hesitation. But they weren’t enemies, and this mission came from a great House. While Urahil had kept their head down low enough so that word of their dealings wasn’t directly reaching Everleigh’s ears, there was a certain fear when it came to completing a mission from a noble house.

To fail it, to cause harm to those who may also be under that house… well, it didn’t matter what the initiates would say in their report. Poor marks, this close to graduation, no one wanted that, even after the revolution.

So how to go about this strange misunderstanding diplomatically when these men were clearly afraid of magic?

“Get the chain! The chain!” Plenty of other things were being shouted, getting this person or telling this person, moving the elves here or—

“STAY STILL OR I KILL HER!” Everleigh’s head swiveled over to the threat, thinking they were speaking about Liliana but instead saw a brute picking up a small elven child— it was always hard to tell the boys and girls apart when they were young due to their cherub-like faces— and holding a knife to their neck.

“Why would I give a shit about a elf?”

Before the man could make his threat come true, Everleigh threw a needle, her accuracy and precision still true despite the smoke that was slowly dissipating away. He blinked, a bovine expression coming over him, and with a wobbly step back dropped the child as he careened over.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Liliana felt nothing but pure incandescent rage. The feeling spiking again as the guardsmen stepped forward. Two more drawing shortswords as the Initiate's continued to resist.

In the back of her mind somewhere she heard Everleigh press back against their ever amassing foe, but she was far too focused on those in front of her. Another finger twitched, another weave was thrown, the men in front of her coming to a slow stop in their stride.

"Listen to me you oafs!" Liliana demanded, knowing she could not entangle them all.

Even in her rage she knew, understood. There was a limit to what her magic could do, a limit to what she could do. "We're Dreadlords. Nobles."

As she continued to speak more of the Guards stepped forward, and her fingers twitched again. Each time she lashed out, each time she wove her web and ensnared the men who stepped forward. Her magic's holding them in place even as their numbers grew.

"Stop this now or I wi-" Before she could finish, Liliana felt something strike the side of her head.

A loud thud echoed out, and her whole body suddenly went limp.

A large cudgel hitting the ground right besides hers.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

“Liliana!” Everleigh shouted, pivoting on her heel to see her friend on the ground. It was an unsightly, unfitting way to see the noble woman. As she went to go and attack the person who dared to hurt her friend, a thinly coiled whip snapped around her ankle, causing her to stumble down on the ground in a ungraceful manner, only having time to save herself from falling flat on her face by putting a single hand down onto the ground.

She yelped at the impact however, her wrist aching. Had she sprained it? Before she could even get off of the ground, she was rushed and a heavy chain was wrapping around her neck.

Everleigh cried out, being electrified. Throughout the thick, heavy locks of the chain were deeply etched runes that the poison eater recognized: the exact same symbols on those collars from that island. But how—

“Look at what they have with them!” A cloaked figure shouted, holding up one box. “Is this not elvish?!” The men loudly spoke amongst themselves, one even going as far as to spit in Everleigh’s face before punching her in her gut. She gasped, sucking in a lungful of air in pain. “And this! Like the bombs they made!”

Everleigh hadn’t looked in the box— they had been instructed not to and Everleigh wasn’t one to disobey.

“Fuckin’ elven sympathizers.” One of them said. And before Everleigh could object she got a uppercut under her jaw, strong enough to rattle her brain and cause her to pass out.

---

When Everleigh awoke, her wrists and ankles were shackled together. She was faintly aware of someone dabbing a wet cloth on her ankle that had it’s skin split open due to the whip. The initiate jumped at the touch, seeing it to be the elven child that the man who had attempted to kill them. Looking around she saw other elves, and Liliana, which a few of them were surrounding.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

A quiet gasp escaped Liliana's lips, her eyes fluttering open.

For a second her vision blurred, her temple aching with pain, her head screaming with agony. A slow breath filled her lung as she heard the distant sound of a voice, someone speaking to her. Her eyes blinked a few times, blurry figures standing above her.

She felt the touch of something wet against the wound on the side of her head. A wince carrying through her as she shook, fingers curling into the dirt beneath her.

A frown touched her lips, why was she laying on the ground...why...

Suddenly Liliana's head snapped up. "EVIE!?"]

The young noble demanded, her eyes popping open, her vision clearing. She saw those who were surrounding her, their faces gaunt and yet still somehow ethereally beautiful. Her gaze flickered, and then saw the point of their ears.

Liliana suddenly recoiled, dragging herself up into the fetal position and scuttling away from the figures.

"Get away from me!" She hissed, panic, anger, fear lashing through her. "Don't touch me!"

The noble screamed. "What did you do with my friend?!"

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

“I’m here,” Everleigh said, immediately sitting up. It was strange to hear Liliana scream, and that scream overpowered the warm fuzzy feeling of being called her friend. The elves smartly backed away from the two girls, murmuring amongst themselves in a language that Everleigh only knew bits and pieces to. It’s not that the purple initiate hadn’t want to learn elvish, she understood there would be plenty of uses to it, and while she did have a bit of a vocabulary, there was no way it was conversational.

Besides, she hated the sound of elvish. It was if they were singing everytime they spoke. How useless.

“I’m here,” Everleigh repeated once again, rubbing at her chin gingerly. It was bruised at best, at worse perhaps there was some serious damage done. She glanced at her ankle, seeing the cut of red. Nothing bad there, just painful as the skin had been stripped away. The biggest thing to worry about would be infection but Everleigh was confident she’d handle such a thing.

She began to crawl over towards Liliana. The small room they were in was made of brick and wood, only one door and one small window was bars to let in some light. The ceiling much too low for anyone who was a inch or two shy of six feet. The floor was made out of dirt and there were various mats and blankets. By the deep orange washing over the floor Everleigh suspected it to be sundown.

“I can’t believe they hit a Lorel in the head.” Was all Everleigh could say as she went to inspect her friend’s wound. She ignored the elves, feeling their ethereal eyes boring into her. “Fucking idiots.” Whether she spoke of the elves or guardsman would be hard to discern. Liliana was shackled much the same way that Everleigh was. “Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?” She asked as she held up two fingers.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Liliana watched the elves as one would a predatory enemy. Even as they back away from her, she could not help but believe that they would soon lash out and attack. Her head whirled as Evie spoke, the slightest flicker of relief floating through the nobles chest as her friend slowly began to crawl towards her.

Her gaze swept at those closest to Everleigh, expecting them to stop their reunification.

A nod dipped Liliana's head as she quickly agreed with Evie's notion. "They'll pay."

She hissed quietly, her fingers tightening on her dress as her companion reached her side. Her head still swimming as she took a breath. When Everleigh looked at the wound on Liliana's temple she would see a bruise forming around a deep wound, blood staining bright blonde hair.

"Two." There was bitterness in her voice, though not towards Everleigh. "But I can't..."

Lips thinned. "I can't focus, Evie."

She whispered softly. "The weaves."

A hint of panic entered her voice.

"I can't touch them." Anxiety flickered through her chest, and she looked between her friend and the elves. "We have to...we have to..."

For the first time in her life...Liliana found herself without a plan.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

There was a slight frown, but Everleigh didn’t let it deepen. More often than she would have liked she had been without her magic, and perhaps because of that, she was a bit desensitized to it at this point. Back on the Pasiphae when she was taken prisoner, or back in that dirty manor where she had almost died. Right now, without her magic, Everleigh felt nothing but annoyance.

Annoyance at the situation, annoyance that someone had hurt Liliana and she wasn’t able to stop it, and annoyance that they seemed to be in some sort of jail with a bunch of googly-eyed elves.

“You don’t need to focus right now. I’ll take care of everything until you can.” Was all Everleigh could say, taking some time to inspect the wound on her head. “Don’t worry about the magic for right now.”

“You two can magic?” Everleigh paused, debating if she should even turn around and address the one who had spoken poor common tongue. She did, after a second long debate, turn around to see the elven child.

“Obviously.” Everleigh said in response, which caused the child to look confused. “Yes. We can use magic.” Everleigh spoke a bit slower, enunciating clearly. The child seemed to perk up and then spoke to other elves in their native tongue. They looked back at the initiates.

“You not elf. But fight with us.”

“NO.” Everleigh looked aghast. “Don’t say that. We’re initiates. From the academy. We wouldn’t ever go against Vel Anir.” At least, Everleigh wouldn’t do so on the behalf of an elf.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Disgust flickered over her feature as the child took even a step closer towards them. Confusion flickering over the elves features as though he did not quite understand Everleigh's rebuke.

His older kin did though.

Almost instantly one of the taller Elves stepped forward. Wrapping an arm around the child and dragging him away from the two girls. Fear painted over the elves features, the names that Everleigh had used more than familiar to some of them.

"Dreadlords!"​

One of them hissed, followed by what Liliana assumed to be a translation into Elvish. Other faces changed almost immediately, some to that same fear, others to anger, and still others to utter confusion.

Liliana still felt the panic in her chest, the fear seizing her, and yet she couldn't help but speak. "We don't belong here!"

She hissed.

"We shouldn't be in here. This is a mistake. We're no-" Before she could finish one of the taller Elves, she thought he might have been her and Everleigh's age. Though it was always difficult to tell with their kind.

"You're what? Not us? You don't deserve to be treated like scum? Thrown into a rotting shack and forced to work the mines?"​

The boy stepped out from the crowd of his kin, fingers clutched into fists, his stance threatening.

"Just because you're what?! Human?!"​

He spat at Liliana.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

“That’s exactly right.” Everleigh whipped her head to the elven teen(?), scowling at him for a moment before standing up. The ceiling was low but it gave Everleigh about a inch or two of room. Any average female human would be fine, but the majority of elves around them seemed to prefer sitting instead of standing up and hunching over.

Everleigh was tense. Poised to fight and a part of her hope it would turn into a fight. To show dominance? To show her homogenous ideals that had been ingrained in her since the moment she could see the difference in beauty, ears, and frame between a human and a elf? Or perhaps she wanted to hit the thing that she was often called by accident due to her violet tresses and eyes.

“No one forced you to live this close to the border, or maybe you spouted too many insults to your neighbors.” These elves, for the most part, were considered dangerous. Maybe a tie to the Brotherhood, or maybe they were too suspicious on Anirian lands. Why they held a child or two was beyond Everleigh. Perhaps a kindness to their traitorous parents so they would keep their child with them and keep them safe. Everleigh nearly scoffed at the thought: and yet these elves wanted to complain?

“We feed you so you should work. And this is a shack but it’s not rotting. That’s being over dramatic.” She insisted, which just caused many of the elves to turn away from her, mumbling amongst themselves in their mother tongue. The child that had been saved looked crestfallen, turning away from the initiates as well.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

The teenage elf cursed them in his native tongue, his voice growing louder and without little doubt more threatening. Liliana pulled herself up, fingers curling into fists.

She could not feel her magic, could not call upon the weaves, but she was a Dreadlord Initiate. Her privilege has a noble had given her a leg up, but she was no helpless little girl who couldn't defend herself. On wobbly knees she stared at the man, her gaze holding the entire worlds ire.

Then a woman stepped up, her hand gently placed upon the teenagers arm.

A quiet whisper escaped her throat, wrinkled skin marking her as ancient even among the elves.

For a brief moment the Teenager looked as though he were about to shout more, take a step and swing. Then with one last curse and a glob of spit onto the floor the boy turned around, joining the rest of his fellows in leaving the two Anirian to themselves. "Savages."

Liliana declared, her lips turned in a scowl.

"We need to get out of here." The young Noble said, pulling Evie to the side and further away from the creatures. "This mistake has to be corrected."

Someone was going to pay."We must speak with the camps commander."

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

With the elves now realizing it was in their best interests to keep to themselves, Everleigh could focus more fully on Liliana. Their circumstances were unfortunate, but not dire. While Everleigh didn’t enjoy being shackled like a prisoner, at least they weren’t actively being hunted by mages. And Liliana was right— it was a mistake, and it could be corrected.

Sure they hadn’t listened to them before, but that was just because those men were trash. The lowest members of the guardsmen, stubborn and feral yet because they were useful they hadn’t been outright dismissed. Or maybe it was the fact that because they were here, far away from central Vel Anir, it was almost like the last step before they would be dismissed from the guard entirely.

Everleigh wasn’t sure how things worked exactly, she hadn’t ever thought about facing demotions while in the guard.

“You’re right,” the poison eater frowned, “but the commander wasn’t named… all we have was the letter by Felix Urahil. Which was with our stuff.” Everleigh’s frown grew deeper. “Which if they were going through it, they’d find and know the truth. They don’t strike me as a literate bunch. Hopefully they haven’t found the letter to use as paper to wipe their asses with.” The initiate glanced to the only window, then back to the elves.

“We just need to find a sensible guardsman. Do you think dinner has already been served?” Were the elves getting three meals a day? Maybe just two? Or maybe dinner was being skipped now due to the earlier fiasco. Regardless, if they could just get out of the shack… “Can you check to see if they left any weapons on me?” Lock picking could be another option, if they had the tools for it.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Liliana nodded along with what Everleigh said.

She was right, they didn't know the Commanders name, all they had was that letter. Invoking Felix Urahil's name might catch an eye or two, but other than that there was little they could do. Her companion was right, they had to find a sensible Guardsmen. Someone who would listen to them, or someone whom they could spark greed inside of.

Liliana might not have been of a Great House, but Lorel was of the line Virak. They still had more wealth than most in Vel Anir could even imagine. Bribing a Guardsmen shouldn't be too difficult, the only problem being they had no gold in hand.

Promises often fell short for the corrupt.

Plus, there was the thought that neither of them had. The headsman's axe looming quietly over the both of them. What if the Guardsmen did find the letter? What if they realized the two girls had been telling the truth, and instead of saving them they condemned them? Burying them here in the camps, or simply cutting their throats before anyone could learn what had happened.

It would have been an easy to sell. Initiates died all the time on missions, Bandits, Rogue Dreadlords, and elves were rife in the chaotic lands of the south.

Liliana didn't think of that though, the idea so absurd it never even entered her mind. "Yes."

She said hurriedly, reaching over towards Everleigh and beginning to search.

"I'll have them all killed for this." Liliana muttered, more to herself than to Everleigh. The rage and indignation doing nothing to cloud the small sense of fear that still hung within her chest.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh did her best to twist her limbs and torso about, silently leading Liliana to search through all the possible pockets that she had hidden within her clothes. Sneaking out was going to be difficult. Neither of them had caught much of the layout of the camp, and worse yet, they were shackled and unable to use magic.

But they had both faced worse situations, hadn’t they?

“There!” Everleigh could feel the hardly-there bulge, right at the strange pocket to the side of her knee. It was probably the smallest of all the pockets, and couldn’t hold more than six of her tin needles. “We have three tries to figure out this lock.” The needles were short and thin, prone to breaking. They were far better in pricking someone completely unnoticed.

Unfortunately the girls didn’t have that many options right now.

Liliana

 

[Liliana]

Every few moments Liliana cast a dubious glance over towards the gaggle of Elves.

To say she did not trust them was an understatement, though as she slipped free from of the needles from Everleigh's pockets she couldn't help but notice one of their little ones staring at her. It was a girl, and if she were human Liliana would have guessed her no older than eight.

Her face was gaunt, almost impossibly thing, and her clothes ragged. A curiosity sparked in her eyes as Liliana caught her gaze, and noticeable she did not look away.

After a moment a strange anger bubbled up inside the young noble, and she turned back towards Everleigh. "Get yourself free first."

It was a remarkably selfless statement coming from someone like Liliana, but she was no fool. Though her own magics were strong, Everleigh's would be far more useful in getting both of them free. She was a narcissist, but no fool either.

"I wonder if there are any human prisoners here." She murmured to herself. "They may be some help."

They would be criminals of course, but still more trustworthy than elves.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

A purple brow was raised in momentary confusion. In Everleigh’s opinion, Liliana would be the best at getting a guard to do their bidding. Like asking him to kindly unlock the door or to bring them to certain rooms without question.

But the wound of Liliana’s head made Everleigh question if perhaps she wouldn’t be able to perform some of her magic. Everleigh had never quite learned what the factors were in the noble’s magic, and she had figured it would be better not to ask. Too many questions aroused suspicion.

And besides, if she asked too many questions, what were the chances of Everleigh regretting it later when she was mindless?

Everleigh did take two of the needles, placing one between her index and thumb finger on each hand. Her hands were in between her thighs, and Everleigh had lean forward just right to get access to the keyhole on the shackles around her ankles. Thank goodness she was more flexible than others.

It was in this position that Everleigh realized two things: one, the elven youth had no visible signs of bondage on them. And Second, the elves that were bound were bound with normal iron— it was easy to tell as there was rust and a hint of chalkiness to it, nullification runes often kept the metal in good shape.

“If there are, they may not be bound.” Everleigh said, and then gestured with her eyes that Liliana should look back at the elves. Before Everleigh could get further with undoing the lock, a loud knock pounded on the door. Everyone went still.

“Bring forward prisoner C-16.” The guard outside commanded. A gasp and a cry of fear, the elves looking all looking at prisoner C-16. A child. A elven woman had wrapped her arms around the girl.

“Please, please.” She sobbed. “Please, take me instead.” Her trade tongue was horrendous, and through her tears it was even harder to understand her. Everleigh watched the scene curiously, and then looked at the door.

“Prisoner C-16 or else.” Whispers among the elves, perhaps trying to console the woman or the make the little elf brave. Or maybe they wanted to save themselves. Surprisingly, the woman didn’t let go of the child, and even a bigger surprise to Everleigh was that those who were not bound began to tear the woman from the child. She screamed, kicking and thrashing and begging, but they held her to the ground. One of them took the elven child and dragged her to the door.

“She’s here.” They said. The door opened, and all Everleigh could see were the gloved hands of the man and the piece of rope he used to tie the child’s hand together.

Liliana