by Rowan Bree
Eli’s eyes bulge with fear at the sight of the weapon.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to gut you. Too bad Jasper’s not here to see you die.”
He raises the dagger and begins to chant. The candles in the room flare brighter and a wind stirs though there are no open windows. If you do nothing Eli is going to be sacrificed, but do you stand a chance against a room full of mages and three of the king’s guards? You wish Jasper were here.
Attack Vale.
Make a distraction so Eli can escape.
You try as hard as you can to hold it. Your muscles tense and sweat beads your skin. You have never been so desperate to come in your whole life. But you mustn’t if you want to keep from humiliating yourself.
There is a commotion in the room and the prince breaks his concentration. You feel immediate relief as he lets go of you. You get off his lap and move away as fast as you can.
Two Order members in black robes drag an unconscious darkwood elf into the room. You immediately recognize Eli and wonder what he’s doing here. Jasper said he wasn’t coming to the feast. It was supposed to be just you, Jasper, and Sybil.
Vale positions Eli on his knees in the center of the circle. The elf’s head lolls forward against his chest.
Vale snaps his fingers. Eli’s eyes flutter and he wakes with a stream of epithets for the Order. Vale silences him with an invisible gag. Eli’s arms are bound likewise by magic to his sides. His face turns purple as he tries to fight them.
“The sacrifice is ready. All we need is your word,” Vale says over Eli’s angry grunts.
You look to where Vale is addressing and see a man seated on a plush chair off to the side. He is wearing a golden crown and the finest robes coin can buy. Beside him are several stiff-looking guardsmen. They look to one another in unease but avoid the gaze of their king.
“He is a traitor to the kingdom?”
Vale nods gravely. “Your guardsmen will recognize him from the prisons. He only escaped recently. Among his outstanding charges are public indecency, resisting arrest, belligerent drunkenness, and treason. He has been spreading the lies of the rebellion and causing unrest amongst your people. And I believe the punishment in Tyven for treason is death?”
The king strokes his beard in thought. “And if you make this sacrifice, my wife will return?”
Vale nods again. “Returned to full life as if she had never left. She will feel as though she was ill for a long time but won’t remember her death.”
A pained look appears on the king’s face. He coughs to cover it.
“Very well. I grant you permission to proceed.”
It might be a trick of the light but you think you see the mage’s eyes flash red. He smiles and rubs his hands together.
“Looks like this is the end for you,” he says to Eli, pulling a dagger from his robes.
Eli’s eyes bulge with fear at the sight of the weapon.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to gut you. Too bad Jasper’s not here to see you die.”
He raises the dagger and begins to chant. The candles in the room flare brighter and a wind stirs though there are no open windows. If you do nothing Eli is going to be sacrificed, but do you stand a chance against a room full of mages and three of the king’s guards? You wish Jasper were here.
Attack Vale.
Make a distraction so Eli can escape.
You try as hard as you can to hold it. Your muscles tense and sweat beads your skin. You have never been so desperate to come in your whole life. But you mustn’t if you want to keep from humiliating yourself.
There is a commotion in the room and the prince breaks his concentration. You feel immediate relief as he lets go of you. You get off his lap and move away as fast as you can.
Two Order members in black robes drag an unconscious darkwood elf into the room. You immediately recognize Eli and wonder what he’s doing here. Jasper said he wasn’t coming to the feast. It was supposed to be just you, Jasper, and Sybil.
The silver-haired man you noticed earlier is talking to the robed men. You hear one of them call him Vale, and from what you can gather he is their superior. The men hand over Eli and draw back to the edge of the room.
Vale positions Eli on his knees in the center of the circle etched into the stone floor. The elf’s head lolls forward against his chest.
Vale snaps his fingers. Eli’s eyes flutter and he wakes with a stream of epithets for the Order. Vale silences him with an invisible gag. Eli’s arms are bound likewise by magic to his sides. His face turns purple as he tries to fight them.
“The sacrifice is ready. All we need is your word,” Vale says over Eli’s angry grunts.
You look to where Vale is addressing and see a man seated on a plush chair off to the side. He is wearing a golden crown and the finest robes coin can buy. Beside him are several stiff-looking guardsmen. They look to one another in unease but avoid the gaze of their king.
“He is a traitor to the kingdom?”
Vale nods gravely. “Your guardsmen will recognize him from the prisons. He only escaped recently. Among his outstanding charges are public indecency, resisting arrest, belligerent drunkenness, and treason. He has been spreading the lies of the rebellion and causing unrest amongst your people. And I believe the punishment in Tyven for treason is death?”
The king strokes his beard in thought. “And if you make this sacrifice, my wife will return?”
Vale nods again. “Returned to full life as if she had never left. She will feel as though she was ill for a long time but won’t remember her death.”
A pained look appears on the king’s face. He coughs to cover it.
“Very well. I grant you permission to proceed.”
It might be a trick of the light but you think you see the mage’s eyes flash red. He smiles and rubs his hands together.
“Looks like this is the end for you,” he says to Eli, pulling a dagger from his robes.
Eli’s eyes bulge with fear at the sight of the weapon.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to gut you. Too bad Jasper’s not here to see you die.”
He raises the dagger and begins to chant. The candles in the room flare brighter and a wind stirs though there are no open windows. If you do nothing Eli is going to be sacrificed, but do you stand a chance against a room full of mages and three of the king’s guards? You wish Jasper were here.
Attack Vale.
Make a distraction so Eli can escape.
You try as hard as you can to hold it. Your muscles tense and sweat beads your skin. You have never been so desperate to come in your whole life. But you mustn’t if you want to keep from humiliating yourself.
There is a commotion in the room and the prince breaks his concentration. You feel immediate relief as he lets go of you. You get off his lap and move away as fast as you can.
Two Order members in black robes drag an unconscious darkwood elf into the room. You immediately recognize Eli and wonder what he’s doing here. Jasper said he wasn’t coming to the feast. It was supposed to be just you, Jasper, and Sybil.
The silver-haired man you noticed earlier is talking to the robed men. You hear one of them call him Vale, and from what you can gather he is their superior. The men hand over Eli and draw back to the edge of the room.
Vale positions Eli on his knees in the center of the circle etched into the stone floor. The elf’s head lolls forward against his chest.
Vale snaps his fingers. Eli’s eyes flutter and he wakes with a stream of epithets for the Order. Vale silences him with an invisible gag. Eli’s arms are bound likewise by magic to his sides. His face turns purple as he tries to fight them.
“The sacrifice is ready. All we need is your word,” Vale says over Eli’s angry grunts.
You look to where Vale is addressing and see a man seated on a plush chair off to the side. He is wearing a golden crown and the finest robes coin can buy. Beside h
im are several stiff-looking guardsmen. They look to one another in unease but avoid the gaze of their king.
“He is a traitor to the kingdom?”
Vale nods gravely. “Your guardsmen will recognize him from the prisons. He only escaped recently. Among his outstanding charges are public indecency, resisting arrest, belligerent drunkenness, and treason. He has been spreading the lies of the rebellion and causing unrest amongst your people. And I believe the punishment in Tyven for treason is death?”
The king strokes his beard in thought. “And if you make this sacrifice, my wife will return?”
Vale nods again. “Returned to full life as if she had never left. She will feel as though she was ill for a long time but won’t remember her death.”
A pained look appears on the king’s face. He coughs to cover it.
“Very well. I grant you permission to proceed.”
It might be a trick of the light but you think you see the mage’s eyes flash red. He smiles and rubs his hands together.
“Looks like this is the end for you,” he says to Eli, pulling a dagger from his robes.
Eli’s eyes bulge with fear at the sight of the weapon.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to gut you. Too bad Jasper’s not here to see you die.”
He raises the dagger and begins to chant. The candles in the room flare brighter and a wind stirs though there are no open windows. If you do nothing Eli is going to be sacrificed, but do you stand a chance against a room full of mages and three of the king’s guards? You wish Jasper were here.
Attack Vale.
Make a distraction so Eli can escape.
Instinct kicks in and you rush at Vale. His violet eyes flash as he grabs you, the dagger falling from his hand. He is much stronger than you anticipated and pins your arms to your sides with little trouble.
“Kitten,” he whispers in your ear. “Oh how I’ve missed you.”
Suddenly his arms go slack and you escape his grip. Sticking out of his back is the dagger, the handle held tight by Eli.
“Run!” Eli shouts.
You smell smoke and see fire. The room erupts into chaos as the black curtains go up in flame. Sybil comes running towards you with a candle in her hand. She holds it to the curtains over the entrance as you duck out of the room. The hallway is already filling with thick smoke.
“It’s a good thing you were there,” Eli chokes. “I thought I was dead.”
“You should have been.” Sybil says from behind you. She looks mildly annoyed, but far too composed for having just left a burning room.
Eli struggles to talk as the three of you hurry out of the castle.
“Where’s Jasper?”
You can hear the faint tolling of bells. The alarm has been sounded and the guards will be looking for you. That is, if they’re not all drunk and sluggish from the feast.
Sybil replies, “If Jasper’s heard the bells he should be headed to our rendezvous point. I prepared a getaway for a worst-case scenario. Which this definitely is.”
You somehow make it out of the castle without running into any guards or wandering guests. The city streets are quiet, but the Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless. After a while she cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there. It’s packed to the top with crates and barrels. Jasper stands beside it.
“What’s he doing here?” Jasper asks, nodding towards Eli.
Eli hiccups. “I wasn’t about to be left at the hideout all alone.”
“So it’s done?” Jasper asks.
“Vale is dead, if that’s what you mean,” Sybil replies. A dark look crosses Jasper’s face. “You can thank Eli for that. I don’t think the king’s going to take kindly to us now.”
Sybil climbs up to take the reigns of the cart with Eli. Jasper joins you in the back. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies and you wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
When you look at Jasper you can see that his eyes have lost their spark.
Ask him what he's thinking.
Kiss him.
Instinct kicks in and you rush at Vale. His violet eyes flash as he grabs you, the dagger falling from his hand. He is much stronger than you anticipated and pins your arms to your sides with little trouble.
“Kitten,” he whispers in your ear. “Oh how I’ve missed you.”
Suddenly his arms go slack and you escape his grip. Sticking out of his back is the dagger, the handle held tight by Eli.
“Run!” Eli shouts.
You smell smoke and see fire. The room erupts into chaos as the black curtains go up in flame. Sybil comes running towards you with a candle in her hand. She holds it to the curtains over the entrance as you duck out of the room. The hallway is already filling with thick smoke.
“It’s a good thing you were there,” Eli chokes. “I thought I was dead.”
“You should have been.” Sybil says from behind you. She looks mildly annoyed, but far too composed for having just left a burning room.
Eli struggles to talk as the three of you hurry out of the castle.
“Where’s Jasper?”
You can hear the faint tolling of bells. The alarm has been sounded and the guards will be looking for you. That is, if they’re not all drunk and sluggish from the feast.
Sybil replies, “If Jasper’s heard the bells he should be headed to our rendezvous point. I prepared a getaway for a worst-case scenario. Which this definitely is.”
You somehow make it out of the castle without running into any guards or wandering guests. The city streets are quiet, but the Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless. After a while she cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there. It’s packed to the top with crates and barrels. Jasper stands beside it.
“What’s he doing here?” Jasper asks, nodding towards Eli.
Eli hiccups. “I wasn’t about to be left at the hideout all alone.”
“So it’s done?” Jasper asks.
“Vale is dead, if that’s what you mean,” Sybil replies. A dark look crosses Jasper’s face. “You can thank Eli for that. I don’t think the king’s going to take kindly to us now.”
Sybil climbs up to take the reigns of the cart with Eli. Jasper joins you in the back. There is barely room for the two of you among all the supplies and you wonder how long of a journey Sybil has planned for.
When you look at Jasper you can see that his eyes have lost their spark.
Ask him what he's thinking.
Kiss him.
Instinct kicks in and you rush at Vale. His violet eyes flash as he grabs you, the dagger falling from his hand. He is much stronger than you anticipated and pins your arms to your sides with little trouble.
“Kitten,” he whispers in your ear. “Oh how I’ve missed you.”
Suddenly his arms go slack and you escape his grip. Sticking out of his back is the dagger, the handle held tight by Eli.
“Run!” Eli shouts.
You smell smoke and see fire. The room erupts into chaos as the black curtains go up in flame. Sybil comes running towards you with a candle in her hand. She holds it to the curtains over the entrance as you duck out of the room. The hallway is already filling with thick smoke.
“It’s a good thing you were there,” Eli chokes. “I thought I was dead.”
“You should have been.” Sybil says from behind you. She looks mildly annoyed, but far too composed for having just left a burning room.
Eli struggles to talk as the three of you hurry out of the castle.
“Where’s Jasper?”
You can hear the faint tolling of bells. The alarm has been sounded and the guards will be looking for you. That is, if they’re not all drunk and sluggish from the feast.
Sybil replies, “If Jasper’s heard the bells he should be headed to our rendezvous point. I prepared a getaway for a worst-case scenario. Which this definitely is.”
/> You somehow make it out of the castle without running into any guards or wandering guests. The city streets are quiet, but the Sybil keeps to the shadows nevertheless. After a while she cuts on to the main thoroughfare and leads you to a cart parked there. It’s packed to the top with crates and barrels. Jasper stands beside it.
“What’s he doing here?” Jasper asks, nodding towards Eli.
Eli hiccups. “I wasn’t about to be left at the hideout all alone.”
“So it’s done?” Jasper asks.
“Vale is dead, if that’s what you mean,” Sybil replies. A dark look crosses Jasper’s face. “You can thank Eli for that. I don’t think the king’s going to take kindly to us now.”
She climbs up to take the cart’s reigns.
Sit in the back with Jasper.
Sit in the back with Eli.
You decide to create a diversion so Eli has a chance to escape. While everyone’s eyes are on the mage you sneak over to one of the candles and wrench it from its sconce, ignoring the hot wax dripping over your fingers. You lift the flame to one of the black curtains and it goes up a lot quicker than you expected. You hurl the burning candle across the room hitting more of the billowy fabric.
Chaos erupts as the room fills with flame. Vale stops chanting and Eli takes the opportunity to snatch the dagger.
“This way!” You shout at the elf and he follows you into the hallway where the smoke is already making things hazy.
“It’s a good thing you were there,” Eli chokes. “I thought I was dead.”
“You should have been.” Sybil appears behind you. She looks mildly annoyed, but far too composed for having just left a burning room.