Revenge of the Elven

Chapter 17

Varrell hurried to the lower parts of the city, her mind was screaming out as she bent it in all directions trying to find a solution or come up with some sort of plan to get out of this. She kept checking behind her as she rushed in case the council or Shield of Innocence had sent scouts to follow her out of suspicious or distrust. It seemed she had been lucky enough that they trusted her and had not done this; she was the defender of this city after all, so she sincerely hoped that was the case. She reached the tunnels and hurried inside after checking one more time for a follower. Once inside she ran as fast as she could to where she knew the elves resided and as she drew nearer, she could hear their faint voices and she broke into the open tunnel ways. Taeril stepped away from his conversation and went to her seeing her urgency.

“Varrell, are you alright?” he first asked her; his expression of concern.

“No, not really,” she muttered, “I need to speak with you,” she said, and he followed her to a quiet corner of the underground.

“What is it? If I can help you then I will, you have already done so much for me,” he said.

“Th-there’s been a murder in the noble section of the city and they… the council believe it was an elf joined with a dark entity. Taeril… they know of you from those guards the other day, they want… I cannot believe this, but they want me to bring you before them,” she said, and his face held an expression as though he had just been betrayed.

“Is this some trick to clap a real collar around my neck?” he growled.

“No! Taeril, we need to figure a plan… I fear they will know your current collar has no magic if you are brought close,”

“Yes, that is likely what will happen. I knew I should have kept to the shadows even in the day, but I thought if seen creeping around then I would appear even more suspicious!” he raged at his own carelessness. “What do you suggest? If you truly do not intend betrayal, help me one last time,”

“Taeril… I can’t, I have no ideas, I do not know how we get out of this!” she felt she was almost close to tears of frustration that this situation had come about.

“Fine, I will think of something, do you expect me to follow you and go before them?” he asked her.

“What else can we do? If I go back and say I cannot find you, that you have run then you will surely be their first suspect,”

“Yes, but it seems I am already suspected. Tell me, am I walking to my death if I go with you?”

“I cannot even answer that,” she muttered, and he sighed in frustration.

“I have come this far! To be accused… to be executed for a murder I did not commit! It is…” he trailed off losing his words.

“Did you not… play dumb to those guards? Perhaps you can do the same with the council, if they believe you are of simple mind then they may overlook you,”

“What if the magic wielders among them sense my collar or sense the pure entity that resides…” he trailed off again. “I know what I must do… I am… uncertain… does your witch friend hold anything like an… what is it called? Aaargh!” he slammed both hands against the wall. “Just… take me to your witch friend,” he then said but she knew this request had been a difficult one. Taeril fetched the cloak he had acquired and pulled the hood up, Varrell also pulled her own hood over her head and they left the underground heading to Kessa. Once they arrived it was apparent her usual patients had begun to trawl into her home for her remedies. Varrell shook her head, she would not normally do this but the longer they took the more suspicion fell upon them. She led Taeril to the front and gained entrance. Kessa was wrapping a man’s leg in a bandage after having applied healing herbs to an apparent wound. She looked up at their sudden entrance.

“It is urgent, Kessa, we need this room,” Varrell said to her friend and Kessa apologised to the remaining patients and asked that they wait outside. There were some grumbling sounds among them as they moved to obey. Kessa closed her door and made sure nobody else was left inside then turned to Varrell and the elf. Her aide had not yet arrived since it was still early.

“What can I help you with, my dear friend?” she asked and moved to mix up some herbs and remedies whilst listening to Varrell who looked to Taeril and he continued.

“I am seeking a magical orb of my people… I cannot remember what it is called but I know it can… hold an entity that has fused with a being, namely my kind, do you happen to have anything like that?” he asked. Kessa slowly looked to meet his eyes, suspicion in her own.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with what happened to poor councilman Bryni by any chance? Rumour is that he was killed by a dark entity joined with an elven kind,”

“They have asked me to bring my elf, Taeril was seen by some guards the other day so we made a story that he was my servant, and as a new elven they are naturally suspicious. I do not know what Taeril has in mind but… I am inclined to go with whatever plan he has,” Varrell said.

“I have fused with a pure entity, not a dark one, although… that entity is mostly dead, and I would be risking my life and what remains of theirs in doing this but… I fear I have no choice; the only problem now is the collar, I obviously will not be putting on a real one but… there is the risk the council magic wielders will sense the fake one I have is without binding magic,”

“That one is easy,” Kessa said snappily surprising both Taeril and Varrell. “As for the orb you are talking about a Karimek, it is effectively a prison for entities,”

“Yes, that is it!” he cried relieved, “do you have one?” he asked eagerly and took a step forwards but Taeril placed a hand on his arm and he dramatically pulled away shocked by her touch.

“I am sorry,” she apologised immediately.

“No… I… was just not expecting it. I overreacted, being touched so casually is… not something I am used to,” he replied, and she offered a small sympathetic smile.

“I was going to say, if this is also dangerous, is it worth the risk?” she asked him.

“I would rather this kill me than the magic wielders,” was his typical reply and then he turned back to Kessa who had watched their exchange with intrigue, “do you have one of these Karimek orbs?” he asked.

“I may do, as it happens, I spent a while with an elven clan, we worked very closely, and I visited them often. We shared knowledge and trinkets so let me see…” she said and stood moving to a chest amongst the cluttered disorganisation of her clinic room. Taeril looked confused.

“You… worked with an elven clan?” he asked her.

“Oh yes, I was very young myself practically a child but…” she went quiet and appeared to have found something. She lifted it from this chest and looked at it almost in a daze holding it up and suddenly silent tears began to fall from her wide eyes. “I was… very young… and he was… so wonderful,” she muttered and placed this small object upon a table. “Is it not beautiful?” she asked and they both stepped to have a look. It was a ring with an otherworldly gemstone embedded in the silver band. “I was a very young woman and I fell in love with one of the young elven men… he gave this to me… we were going to get married but… they were gone, they were just gone when I went there one day. No trace… nothing,” she uttered. Varrell went to her and took her hand.

“I had no idea,” she said and then held her friend close thinking about how strong their friendship was but also how little she actually knew of Kessa’s life since the witch was not one to speak or dwell on her past which explained why such a precious item was in the chest to begin with.

“Right, I apologise for that moment of weakness,” she said trying to compose herself and she returned to the chest.

“You know… if it is any consolation he may have escaped and left the area where his clan resided, perhaps fleeing magic wielders rounding them up,” Taeril offered.

“No, that is not it, everything was still there, if they had fled, they would have taken some supplies or something. I know what happened, they were all taken over by dark entities and now they are no longer elven,” Kessa said and pulled another trinket from the chest, an orb. “I thought I might have one,” she said. The orb was black, but it looked almost like a hole as though you could even fall into it; there was something about its surface which made it seem alive.

“Thank you, Kessa,” he said as he received the Karimek orb.

“What do we do now?” Varrell asked as Kessa turned from Taeril.

“We leave, we do not want to see this,” Kessa said and Varrell met nervous eyes with Taeril. He seemed to know what he was doing but the fear in his eyes was no less for it.

“No, do you not want someone with you? Is this… what if this kills you and you have nobody what if you need help?” Varrell found herself asking him.

“This ritual is not an easy one and you… already fear the magic of elves, if you see this your fear may grow,” he said.

“I want to… I want to help you,” again words left her lips without thought. “Even if I am just near in case you need something,”

“Why are you so concerned?” he asked her as though annoyed by it.

“I just... the idea of someone dying alone or suffering alone is just… so terribly lonely,” she said thinking of her father and how he died, and she had not been there with him as he suffered a terrifying death. His expression softened a little and he simply nodded allowing her to stay but Kessa still opted to leave. Taeril positioned the orb in the centre of the room on the ground and Varrell took a seat nearby. She could see the trepidation on his face and her own heart began to race as he made preparations to begin the ritual.