“Wh-what? Who are you?” Lissa asked, taking a step back toward the wall, a step which Essryl matched, both to keep the young elf in the bubble to dampen sound and to keep her off guard.
“I am called Essryl. Now, who are you, young lady? If you aren’t Lissa, I might have to do something unpleasant,” Essryl replied patiently. “I don’t have all night, either.”
“I… I am. What do you want?” Lissa asked, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at Essryl and swallowed hard. “What’re you doing here? You’re a d-dark elf!”
“Yes, how observant of you, Lissa. I am of the Illisyr. As for why I’m here? That’s a simple question to answer… I’m here for you,” Essryl said, and the girl took another step backward, bumping into the wall this time.
“What? Why me?” Lissa protested, glancing around wildly. “I’m n-nobody!”
“You’re a summoner; that’s hardly nobody,” Essryl chided, her smile fading. The woman’s lack of spine was disappointing, but it’d make things easier. “I’m here to acquire you, whether you like it or not. I’ll kill everyone in the building if that’s what it takes, or even your summoned dragon.”
“I… I…” Tears welled up in Lissa’s eyes, and she swallowed before asking plaintively. “Why me?”
“Because you’re the one My Lord decided upon, Lissa,” Essryl replied, and smiled as she added, “Look… I’ll promise that you’ll receive good lessons even after I’ve taken you, and your service will be required for no more than a year or so if you learn quickly. You’ll even be rewarded… but refusal is not an option. Now, you have two options. You can pack and leave a note, claiming that you’ve decided you don’t fit in at the academy and are leaving, or I can force you to leave with me. The choice is yours.”
Tears began to trickle down Lissa’s cheeks as she froze, staring at Essryl for a long moment. Then her shoulders slumped slightly and she murmured, “I… as you want. I’ll… I’ll cooperate. Just don’t… don’t hurt me or anyone else?”
“Good. I was afraid you wouldn’t see reason, but it’s nice to see that I was wrong,” Essryl replied, smiling in satisfaction, then stepped aside. “Now, go ahead, Lissa. It won’t be a pleasant trip, but it shouldn’t take us long.”
“May… may I ask where we’re going?” Lissa asked, swallowing as she hesitantly stepped around Essryl.
“Of course. The Obsidian Palace, in the Golden Dominion,” Essryl replied simply. “Lord Resvarygrath has requested your services.”
Lissa’s whimper of terror was at least somewhat amusing.
Chapter 31
The performance by the Starlight Troupe had been breathtaking in its complexity and in the sheer skill which their magi had worked to bring it to life. In many ways, it was like the stage was simply a canvas on which the magi had worked their magic to create fantastic landscapes, mountains, and battlefields through which the characters traveled. Illusions of giants and goblins attacking an elven kingdom had startled her with their detail, and even if they’d avoided showing any blood during the performance, she hadn’t expected how violent it was at different points.
Even more impressive was the fluid shapeshifting that several kitsune, including Rithara, demonstrated. None of them took forms too exotic, but they easily shifted between the forms of humans, elves, kitsune, and gigantic foxes as they assisted the elves in repelling the goblin army that had once been knocking on the gates of one of Selwyn’s largest cities. Rithara, playing the part of Nethir, had woven an illusion to draw the goblin army out of position by making it appear as though the elven army had been in a different place, allowing them to flank the enemy and break their army. As a last attempt for victory, the goblin king had led an assault on Nethir, who’d nearly died before General Rosemeadow had come to her assistance, the elven duke turning the tide and allowing the two to defeat the goblin force in truth.
The finale was relatively restful, and Ruethwyn let out a sigh of pleasure as she watched King Torith and Queen Vana thank the surviving kitsune and deed them a section of land bordering the Duchy of Azure, and then the play came to an end, and the performers began to come out in waves to bow and receive their acclaim.
“See, Rue? No dragons!” Korima said, her voice barely audible over the thunderous applause that accompanied the appearance of Rithara and the actor of General Rosemeadow, an elven man Ruethwyn didn’t recognize.
“You’re right, and believe me, I appreciate it,” Ruethwyn replied with a smile, giving Sella a sidelong glance as the woman giggled. “I take it you enjoyed the play as well, Sella?”
“Of course! I mean, I knew magic could be used to make illusions, but nothing could have prepared me for that!” Sella exclaimed, her eyes bright. “It was just so realistic, in so many ways!”
“It takes a lot of training to get to that point, young lady, but we tend to have a knack for magic like that,” the man in front of them said, the kitsune turning again, a pleased smile on his face. “The biggest problem is learning what type of landscape you want and visualizing it, from what I hear. It doesn’t do any good to know how to weave a realistic illusion if you can’t remember the landscape or creatures you want to create illusions of.”
“That’s what I’ve heard before, but I didn’t pay much attention, since I didn’t have a particular talent for the mind sphere,” Tadrick agreed, then paused, tilting his head as he added, “Or is it the light sphere?”
“Both, Tadrick. There’s a lot more overlap between spheres than you might think,” Ruethwyn said, smiling. “It was definitely impressive, though. The illusions… that does give me some ideas, but I’m going to have to think on them a bit. I don’t have much experience with them.”
“Hmm… I wonder…” Korima said, staring at Ruethwyn speculatively, her eyes intense.
“So, what’re we doing after this? I’m getting a little hungry, since we skipped dinner to come here,” Sella asked, looking at Tadrick and Korima.
“Well, we could go to one of those vendors. I imagine that some of them will have set up food stands after all this,” Ruethwyn suggested, a slight pang indicating that she was somewhat hungry herself. “We can’t be the only ones to have come here without eating dinner.”
“While true, we don’t need to do that. Unless you really want to, that is,” Korima said. “The troupe has an after-party where we eat and talk, and we invite outsiders from time to time. Mother told me that I could bring you to it if you want, since she thought you were nice and polite.”
“Really?” Sella said, her smile almost lighting up the room. “I didn’t think that we made that good of an impression.”
“Really,” Korima confirmed, glancing at Tadrick and Ruethwyn. “Since Sella sounds interested, what about you two? It’d be fun, promise.”
“Who am I to oppose such a lovely invitation?” Tadrick replied with a chuckle, grinning. “I’d love to come along with.”
“As would I. I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m certainly not going to argue,” Ruethwyn agreed. A tiny part of her would have loved to get something to eat, then to lay down and take a nap, but she wasn’t going to be a downer on the mood. She always found large gatherings somewhat draining, unlike Korima, who almost seemed to thrive in them.
“Great! How about we get moving, before the halls get too crowded?” Korima suggested. “I wouldn’t be surprised if plenty of people were already leaving, but it’ll get bad the longer we wait.”
“Sounds like a great idea to me,” Tadrick said, quickly standing up and offering Sella a hand. “Madam?”
Sella giggled, then took his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
Ruethwyn smiled and shook her head, carefully climbing to her feet to follow the others. Her legs were tired from sitting for so long, but after a moment she asked, “Shall we run the gauntlet? Those halls weren’t very large.”
“Fortunately, there’s a stairwell near us that leads to the ground floor, and to where the gathering is,” the elderly man interjected again. “I’ll lead you t
o it, as the guards won’t let you in otherwise.”
“Thank you, sir,” Ruethwyn replied, then paused and added, “My apologies, but I never caught your name.”
“Of course you didn’t; I never gave it,” the man replied with a broad smile. “It’s Trevor, thanks. Come on, let’s get a move on. Korima, no getting distracted.”
“I’m not twelve, Uncle!” Korima protested, prompting a giggle from Ruethwyn.
They slipped out of the room relatively quickly, but obviously not quickly enough. The sound of people talking loudly and their laughter echoed in the tiny hall, causing Ruethwyn to wince, then to follow Sella down the hall. It took Ruethwyn a moment to realize that Sella’s fingers were entwined with Tadrick’s, and a spike of jealousy ran through her, which Ruethwyn savagely suppressed.
Trevor stopped in front of a burly guard, this one a half-elf, Ruethwyn realized. His shorter ears were odd, but he was more heavily built than the vast majority of elves she’d seen. After a brief discussion, the man slipped to the side, nodding as he looked down to Ruethwyn, his dark eyes cool as he seemed to judge her, but despite the disapproval in his gaze, he allowed her to pass as the others began filing down the stairwell, then he blocked the other elves who’d tried to follow in her wake.
The stairwell descended into a quieter part of the building, and Ruethwyn sighed. Sella’s backward glance made her realize she’d been a bit louder than she’d thought as Sella asked, “Is something wrong, Rue?”
“Oh, nothing really. It was just really loud in the hallway up there,” Ruethwyn explained.
“I suppose it was at that,” Sella said, grinning as she nodded. “Still, we’re out of it now. This section of the theater looks nicer, too.”
The wood paneling did look a bit better to Ruethwyn, and the halls were somewhat wider. There was more light from ahead of them as the hall curved to the left, along with more voices.
“I heard it was recently renovated,” Tadrick explained quickly. “I’ve heard they’re trying to get funding to renovate the rest of the theater, too.”
“Ahh,” Ruethwyn murmured, nodding. She might’ve said more but fell silent as they came into sight of the source of the voices.
A small antechamber was in front of a pair of double doors, and Ruethwyn saw several nobles walking in, talking animatedly amongst themselves. Nearby were kitsune, elves, and humans in the outfits of workers, and Korima and Trevor slowed down.
“Most of the people who’re going to be there already are nobles or the stagehands who aren’t needed for the closing scenes,” Korima explained quietly. “The actors will be cleaning up before coming over, but they’ll be along shortly.”
“Alright, good to know,” Tadrick said, seeming far calmer than Ruethwyn felt.
“Wait, you didn’t say anything about nobles before!” Sella protested. “That’s… I’m not ready for something big and formal.”
“It’s hardly formal, Sella. It’s just a… a meet-and-greet of sorts,” Korima retorted.
“It’s also something of a gesture of thanks to the nobles who help sponsor the events like this,” Trevor added. “While the ticket sales are quite a bit of money, it doesn’t quite cover everything that both the theater and our troupe might need. We’d have to put on more shows to manage that, and that’d mean we couldn’t go as far. Instead, the various noble families sponsor us to visit different areas so that we can visit more communities. It’s good for their reputations and allows us to travel more.”
“Ahh, that explains it,” Sella murmured, blinking in surprise. “But how come Rithara was thinking of coming up toward Waterstone, then? We aren’t that wealthy.”
“We don’t have to have sponsorships everywhere, silly,” Korima replied, grinning. “Now come on, let’s go! Rue, quit hiding in the back.”
“I’m not hiding,” Ruethwyn retorted. “The hallway was narrow, and you were all walking quickly.”
“Were, not are,” Korima said, grabbing Ruethwyn by the hand and pulling her forward quickly, grinning. “Come on; it’ll be fun!”
“For you, maybe,” Ruethwyn said, sighing and rolling her eye. It wasn’t like she wanted to be in the front, but it didn’t seem that Korima was going to give her much of a choice.
They quickly entered the room, garnering a large number of curious looks. Ruethwyn noticed that most of the nobles looked shocked or even disgusted when they saw her, while most of the cast stared, at most, for a few moments. The room was wide, with a large area for people to stand and talk, or even to be a dance floor, while quite a few tables with tablecloths sat along the right wall. Against the back wall were tables loaded with a wide variety of food, and Ruethwyn’s stomach grumbled at the smell, prompting a snicker of amusement from Korima.
“I heard that, you know. Come on, the food is simple but good,” Korima said, heading for the back as Ruethwyn flushed.
“Simple? Why would it be simple, if nobles are here?” Ruethwyn asked, feeling slightly skeptical about the claim.
“Just because they’re here doesn’t mean the food is intended for them,” Korima replied, darting around a pair of noblewomen as she dragged Ruethwyn in her wake. “They’re mostly here to meet my mother and the other lead actors, anyway.”
“True, true,” Ruethwyn said, and her eye brightened slightly as she saw the tables more closely.
As Korima had said, the dishes weren’t overly complex like some of those that Madeline chose to insist on purchasing. There was a large pot of stew, green salads, baked casseroles, sliced tubers, and more. It was generally quite simple fare, even if she was seeing a lot more meat than she was used to. On the other hand, foxes were more carnivorous than elves ever were, and Ruethwyn knew that kitsune took after them a bit.
“Alright, let’s get food, and… actually, would you like some help, Rue? Loading your plate might be a bit hard, since there isn’t really room for you to set yours down on the table,” Korima asked, frowning as she picked up a pair of plates. “I didn’t think of that before. Only having one hand would be tough.”
“That would be appreciated,” Ruethwyn agreed, thankful that the other woman had thought of it in time. She hadn’t initially, so she might’ve been forced to ask someone or even to resort to magic, which would be a bit awkward under the circumstances. “It is, honestly. I really, really want to get this curse removed and my arm regenerated.”
“I can only imagine… alright, you hold your plate and tell me what you want so I can grab it for you. Don’t be too slow, though; I’m starving,” Korima said, handing a plate to Ruethwyn and getting to work, the kitsune moving surprisingly quickly in her dress.
Ruethwyn laughed softly, then followed along, mentioning what she wanted as Korima rapidly filled her plate with a variety of meats and a bit of salad. Ruethwyn decided to take less: a bowl of stew, some salad, a bit of mixed fruit, and some sliced ham. Fortunately, Korima decided to go back for cider once they were settled, and in short order, Ruethwyn was sitting down, letting out a sigh of relief.
A moment later, Korima returned with a mug of cider in each hand, setting one in front of Ruethwyn and the other in front of herself before sitting down and digging into her food. Ruethwyn smiled, then followed suit, though with a touch less enthusiasm. Sella and Tadrick were taking longer, Ruethwyn noticed, and she sipped the cider for a moment before asking softly, “So, do you think those two will get together, Korima? Or is he more interested in you?”
“Hmm? Oh, Sella and Tad?” Korima asked, swallowing a bite of meat and considering the two for a moment before shrugging. “I’m not sure. He’s flirted a little with me, and a little with her… I think he’s more interested in her, really. Sella, on the other hand… she seems to like you and Tadrick both.”
“What? Why would she like me?” Ruethwyn asked, almost dropping her mug, and quickly setting it down.
“Why are you mooning over someone I’ve never met?” Korima countered, and at Ruethwyn’s startled glance, the kitsune rolled her eyes and sigh
ed. “Come on, Rue. I grew up with actors, so I know how to read body language. I may not know everything, but I’ve been able to glean some stuff from conversation. Who is she, anyway?”
The food seemed to turn almost tasteless in Ruethwyn’s mouth, and she was suddenly glad that she hadn’t been eating anything, as she was certain it would’ve caught in her throat. Ruethwyn swallowed hard, hesitating a moment, and Korima seemed to notice.
“Rue? I’m sorry, I didn’t…” The kitsune’s ears drooped slightly as she asked, “She wasn’t, umm…”
“Anara. Her name is… Anara Inserra. She was among those who were kidnapped by the dragon,” Ruethwyn finally said, swallowing again as she stared at her food. “She… she was going to be coming here, to train as a dancer. I hadn’t ever said anything to her, and was hoping to on the trip to the capital. She would’ve loved to meet your mother.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Rue! I thought…” Korima sounded contrite and shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“Miss Ruethwyn? Is that you?” A familiar voice interrupted, the man’s tone slightly startled, and Ruethwyn turned, blinking in surprise. Her surprise grew at the sight of Sir Alaran, the knight dressed in a black tunic with silver embroidery and black trousers, with a sword hanging from his belt.
“Sir Whisperblade, this is a surprise! What are you doing here?” Ruethwyn asked, her mood lifting slightly, despite the reminder of the knight’s failure to rescue Anara.
“I’m here as a chaperone for the prince, not that he really needs a chaperone,” Alaran explained, nodding toward the open floor, where Ruethwyn saw a blond young man in an exquisitely tailored outfit of royal blue talking to several other nobles. “May I ask who your companion is?”
“Of course, my apologies,” Ruethwyn said hastily, nodding to Korima. “This is my classmate, Korima Lightweaver, daughter of Rithara Lightweaver. Korima, this is Sir Alaran Whisperblade.”
The Avatar's Flames (Through the Fire Book 1) Page 24