The next morning spirits were high as Aurora and Devrim made their way back to the throne room to meet with the king and queen. On the ride back the night before, Ithel had apologized again for his behavior and asked how he could help. Together the group decided that he would go and talk to his parents before the meeting with the Empress.
As she passed through the halls, Aurora again saw the human carrying linens, and her good mood disappeared. 'I have got to help him and any others,' she thought, but she was unsure how to make it come about. 'One problem at a time.' She had to talk to the king and queen about her own situation before she could assist anyone else.
When they reached the throne room, Devrim was not permitted to enter. "Only the Empress," the herald told them.
Devrim look concerned and started to object, but Aurora touched his arm. "It will be fine," she assured him. Taking a deep breath, the Empress entered Zoltan's and Lanassa's throne room. O
"Nurlan! Junayd!" Aurora cried as she ran over to the soldiers to check their wounds. They had obviously been treated poorly. The men waved her off, keeping her at arm's length."We are ok, Your Majesty," Junayd said bravely."I have been in worse scrapes," Nurlan agreed. The cut over his left eye had caused it to be nearly swollen shut."Let them go!" Aurora demanded. There was a fire in her eyes that made the queen smirk."Now we are getting somewhere. I do not like resorting to coercion, but it is for the good of my kind..." Lanassa said without regret."Don't do anything she asks! We will die for you without a second thought." Nurlan said forcefully."You may be willing to die, but is she willing to let you when she can save you. That is something else I have noticed about humankind. Guilt makes you do illogical things." The tall elf was not condemning, merely stating a fact. And she was happy to use that fact to her advantage. "Have you
Brinn's eyes still felt heavy even as she felt the light streaming through the window and warming her golden skin. What time was it? It had to be late morning. Elves did not need much sleep, but it had been many hours since she laid down her head. Her mind drifted back to the night before. A servant had given her something to drink before bed. It must have been a sleeping draught and not her usual tea.'Why would someone want me to sleep?' Brinn wondered. Her eyes shot open, and she jumped out of bed, running to her closet to search for clothes."May I help you?" a servant asked as she brought in a tray of food. Brinn grabbed an apple off the tray after she slipped a cerulean silk gown over her thin frame."Help me tie this in the back," Brinn ordered as she munched on the fruit. "I need to find my parents. Are they in the throne room or their quarters?"The servant hesitated to respond. "I am afraid, Princess Brinn, that you must remain in your room for
"It is about time!" Devrim exclaimed."Glad you have so much faith in me," Brinn giggled."What took you so long?" Devrim gave her an incredulous look."I was drugged by my parents, and I had to spring Ithel from his room where he was being held," Brinn defended herself."I suppose that's a valid excuse," the grey-eyed man conceded.Brinn grinned wide. "Oh, and I had to get these…" From behind her back, Brinn produced Devrim's pack, Aurora's satchel and the Guardian's cloak.Aurora nearly squealed with delight. "You wonderful elf! I may just dedicate a city in your honor!"Brinn smirked. "A thank you will suffice.""Thank you!" Devrim and Aurora said together."Who might this be?" Junayd asked."This is Brinn. Brinn, this is Junayd and Nurlan.""Sorry I did not bring anything for you boys. I was not sure who else was down here." The elf unlocked the cell quickly. The four humans tumbled out of the co
The little girl did not understand why the princess was so upset, but in the true self-absorption of a child with a favorite toy, she bounced away without question. "The girl just ratted us out," Brinn said in human-speak as the soldiers nearby began to rally. "Go west and meet me at the wall. I will find you and we will escape."Aurora nodded, and Brinn used her magic to disappear. It was surprising for something in front of you to suddenly vanish, but the Empress shook off her astonishment. "Look for an opening," she ordered.The elven soldiers were gathered around the young girl, Nena, trying to figure out what exactly she saw. One of them reeled back as something substantial landed on his head. His tall frame caved under the blow, and he hit the guard next to him with his body. The other guards were quickly alerted to the threat. "We are under attack!" One screamed.Three more guards in sequence received blows to the tops of their heads and a sense of unease
The chase was on. Brinn used her wind magic to push gusts of air against the humans' backs. In this way, the other elves would no longer be able to smell them, and the humans would have assistance as they ran. The push was strong enough that Aurora almost felt like she was flying. Every step took her farther than she could jump. It was almost too fast, and the Empress had a couple of near misses with trees. One low hanging branch nearly took her head."This is a neat trick!" She called when she was no longer terrified."Less talking, more running," Brinn urged as she moved alongside them. "We need to get through the wall before nighfall."The mad dash continued even after the sun slipped behind the barrier and the strange extended twilight began. Although the humans could not hear the clanging of the unicorns' bits, Brinn knew that their opponents were fanning out to trap them. She was not sure if she should worry the others. They were almost to the wall, and sh
The humans looked at Bolemir, trying to decide exactly what he was. He looked human, albeit slightly rotund, but he obviously used magic to create a powerful portal for them to pass through. "Thank you for your assistance," Brinn said with a bow. "Gede insisted I help you. He can be quite persistent," Bolemir chuckled. "Well, we were in quite a tight spot." The elf told him. "With your own kind, I saw. What did you do this time?" It was obvious that Bolemir knew something of Brinn's escapades. "I have stepped in it this time, I am afraid. I rescued these humans from the dungeon and branded myself a traitor." The red-haired elf looked guiltily at her host. "I hope I do not get you in trouble too." "Brinn!" A little boy with two gossamer wings protruding from his back ran in and hugged the elf. "You made it." "You didn't think I would?" "Nope," the boy, Gede, answered honestly. "The odds were not in your favor." "
After dropping the liquid light into the gnome's mortal wound, Zan waited to see if he had been too late. Gandr's body glowed so brightly that the Chief shielded his eyes. Zan's eyes finally cleared, but the gnome lay unmoving. When the head doctor arrived, the guardian was still unsure of the condition of his prisoner."Do not let anyone in or out of the dungeon!" He ordered the two guards who had returned. "Spread the word that we are looking for an assailant with a knife who is likely covered in blood. Go!" The soldiers obeyed and ran out of the cell."How is he?" Zan looked hopefully at the physician, whose brow was furrowed in concentration."I am not well versed in gnome anatomy, but he is alive. He seems to have lost a lot of blood." The floor was covered, and Zan's hands and clothes were stained. "What happened?" The doctor could no longer see the wound as the liquid from Zan's vial had healed and closed it."He was stabbed. I do not know how or b
Zan stared in disbelief at the clothing on the long wooden table. The other members were in various states of shock. Some took the news stoically while Birger was a blubbering mess."How can you be sure this belongs to the Empress?" The silver-eyed man tried to deny what was before him.Cafer spread his hands apart and sighed. "You were not anywhere to be found so I took some liberties. I have called the cobbler, dress maker and royal physician. They will determine if this evidence is genuine.""Where did it even come from?" Zan was immediately suspicious."It appeared mysteriously on the palace steps this morning wrapped in brown parchment. The maid who found it screamed and nearly passed out. We convinced her that it was just a joke by some ill-bred city youth."Just then the doctor arrived followed shortly by a seamstress and cobbler. While the doctor carried himself with dignity in front of such an auspicious group, the two commoners looked ter