“You could have said something.” Liostro replied in a heated tone.
“I just did you empty-skulled lummox.” Avreel crossed her arms over her chest and indicated the passageway before them. “We’ll have to cross through part of the city and head out into the endless dark. There’s a route to another part of the surface that we can teleport from but any closer than that and we’ll be taking a huge risk.”
“Fine, how do we get through the city though? We’ll be killed on sight.” Nina piped in, trying to defuse the situation before the two ripped each other’s throats out.
“We can sneak out when the light of the crystal wanes, it should be easier to navigate the slums. I know where most of the patrols frequent.” Avreel motioned toward Rose. “She cannot use her magic so she will be dead weight and it’s imperative that we don’t attract any attention. Furthermore unless you plan on taking out an entire patrol of trained warriors and at least one arcanist we will have to avoid the main streets.”
Liostro listened intently until she finished. “This is your city, so I think it best to take advantage of your knowledge.”
“Thank you.” The sarcasm in her voice was thick as it dripped from each word.
“However,” Liostro interjected before more could be said. “I don’t trust you.”
“Are you sure you weren’t born in this city?” She replied sardonically and rolled her eyes then stepped forward and put a finger in his face. “You listen to me half-blood. I risked everything including my life to get your precious Rose to safety. I have followed the word of the gods themselves to make sure she is safe and I shall continue to do so until I expire so I don’t need your trust, I need your cooperation.”
“Grudgingly.” He replied to her and fingered the sheath of the blade at his back.
“Will you two please stop it?” Rose said with a dry laugh. “You sound as if you’re either mortal enemies or married though I’m not sure the two are that far divorced.”
Nina couldn’t help but giggle at the angry looks they both gave Rose. It was apparent that their journey together would have some rocky points but she was happy that Rose was alright. Kneeling down by her closest friend she put a hand on her near-limp arm and tried to smile. “We’ll get you out of here safe.”
“You shouldn’t have come, you are too important to your people.” Rose said to Nina though she was glad to see the spritely little elf. “How did you two get into the city in the first place?”
“We got ourselves caught on purpose then killed our captors.” Nina paused then glanced over at Liostro. “Actually he killed our captors just as we entered the house.”
“Single handedly?” Avreel said with a low whistle. “Well your combat prowess notwithstanding we would do well to use stealth to leave the city. That requires brains and careful planning, not muscles and hitting things.”
Liostro could not tell them that his combat prowess was not all him. The better part of it was the armor and weapon he now carried; they both seemed to boost his abilities quite a bit. Pushing those thoughts from his mind he glanced down at Rose who was paying attention to Avreel as she laid out another part of their plan. Obviously she sensed his gaze upon her because she turned her head toward him and smiled a little. His heart could have broken into a thousand pieces at that moment but he held himself strong for her and returned the smile then turned his attention to their new ally.
“I am going to go out into the city and attempt to get us what supplies we cannot take from the room beyond. I’ll also try to retrieve some long cloaks or maybe the trappings of a house slave.” Avreel paused and looked back toward the doorway. “That’s it! I can pass you off as house slaves at least until we reach the gate near the academy. Once we’re there it’s an easy thing to bribe the guards to look the other way. You’d have to lose or pack away your weapons and armor though.”
“Not happening.” Liostro said with a shake of his head. “We worked too hard to retrieve these items.”
“What?” Rose said in response as she looked at the armor and sword that was strapped on his back as if seeing them for the first time. “Are those the artifacts? How did you come to wear them?”
Liostro wondered just how badly hurt Rose had been if she was just now noticing that he was wearing the armor of kings. “Yes they are. The half-blood insult that Avreel just hurled is true, my mother was an elf.”
“Truly?” Rose replied softly. “Much has happened in the short time I was away.”
“Rose, you’ve been gone for more than a month.” Nina said before Liostro could and knelt down next to her stunned friend. “Time seems to flow differently here, the lack of a sun and moon explains that.”
Avreel swiveled her gaze toward Nina. “A what?”
“You’ll have to see it, I can’t explain it otherwise.” Nina said with a shrug. “It’s not unlike the crystal you have hanging at the center of the cavern in some respects.”
“For another time then.” Avreel dismissed with a wave. “You three converse or do whatever it is surface dwellers do and I’ll go gather what we need.”
~~~~
Roughly an hour had passed since Avreel had left the three of them in the cramped tunnel. Tense silence had been the current emperor for most of the time but Rose didn’t mind, she was in Liostro’s strong arms and that was all she needed for now. It bolstered her to have him so close and she was surprised at how attentive and gentle he had been with her since they had been reunited, something had changed inside of him and she knew it was for the better. “Liostro?”
“Yes?”
Rose paused for a moment and looked over at Nina who had fallen asleep not long after Avreel had left. She couldn’t blame the little elf. They were all tired and in need of a serious rest anyway. “Do you love me?”
He couldn’t answer at first and he wondered if that was because he didn’t know or because of what he had been taught all of his life. After a moment of deliberation he decided that it would be better to tell her than to keep her guessing. “You are my heart and though it sounds like a lousy pick-up line I truly mean it. I didn’t know that I had the capacity for love until I met you. The way you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the elves, the heart you poured into healing Barius. Even the way you came to my aid though I had just attacked your friends. You are a beautiful person Alethia Rose and I would be a fool not to love you.”
“So it’s prudence then?” She replied in jest, laying her head back down against his chest.
“You’ve carved a hole in the black stone that encases my small heart.” Liostro replied and kissed the top of her head, running a hand across her hair soothingly. “Rest now, we’ll have to move soon and it’s going to be fast paced from here.”
Just as he finished that statement Rose heard movement down toward the exit of the tunnel and turned her head to find Avreel approaching them with a bundle in her arms. Her face was ashen as if she had just gotten some horrible news. Honestly Rose didn’t know what was worse than being stuck in a small tunnel or in a city full of people that wanted nothing more than to carve you into little pieces just to see what made you tick. “From the look on your face I can tell that you’ve not gotten any good news.”
“Far from it, my brother Revis survived.” Avreel set down the stack of clothes and sat against the wall of their current hideaway. “He’s drained the family treasury to restore his lost arm and hire a bounty hunter to find us and return with our heads. That in itself would not be so bad if it weren’t for who he hired.”
“What do you mean?” Rose asked out of sheer morbid curiosity.
“Among our people there are few outsiders that can survive and thrive here for obvious reasons.” Avreel started.
“Xenophobia, arrogance, aggression and not to mention your wonderful hospitality set apart who would think such a thing?” Liostro interjected with sarcasm saturating every letter in each word. “Go figure.”
“Yes you’re very witty now shut up. Having external geni
talia doesn’t give you complete expertise on every situation to arise; you must understand the gravity of this situation. Some years back a big player entered the scene, he claimed the blood of naarabi kings and because of the bodies left in his wake no one cared to challenge him.” Avreel paused for a moment and looked down at the ground. “No one knows his real name but he goes by several pseudonyms ranging from the Nighthunter, the Hunter and Bloodhunter. He’s never failed to get his quarry.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” Liostro replied coldly. “He has chosen his target poorly.”
To Rose she could hear some of his old life in that statement and it scared her a bit but at the same time she felt safe with him, she knew he wouldn’t let anyone harm her. The fire in his eyes was a testament to the steel behind his words.
“For your sake I hope you’re right.” Avreel replied with a shrug as she began handing out the concealing clothing she had procured for their journey out of the city. “For obvious reasons we can’t afford to put you up as slaves so we’ll have to rely on stealth. Just try not to attract too much attention; you can’t fight the whole city.”
“For her I would take on any opponent. None shall lay a finger on her ever again.” Liostro replied evenly while gathering up what little they had left on them and what they had taken from the room beyond.
Avreel watched him silently for a moment, fully convinced that he would be willing to fight the entire city. The thing that had her taken aback was the look on his face, she wasn’t entirely sure it would be sound to bet against him.
Chapter 12: The Dark Beyond
The city was quiet around them; the stone of every building seemed just as sinister as the shadows they cast upon the ground. The city of blood rarely slept but it did quiet down during what Rose considered to be the ‘evening hours’. Though they were marginally safer on the back streets and alleys of the vaguely alien city Rose didn’t feel like it did a whole world of difference. Every set of eyes staring at them from street corners to dark passages between the buildings themselves seemed to disrobe her and shrug her disguise off for all to see. This place was vastly different from the elven city she had made her home; in this particular area alone the presence of ladies of the night and their pimps were enough to make her feel ill at ease. A lot of the time the girls in question were unfamiliar to her eyes. All of them were strange beings some of which were only vaguely humanoid. To spice things up every now and again a group of thugs would watch them pass with more than just a fleeting interest.
Rose and the others kept their heads down and Avreel had opted to display the stolen house medallion and outfit she had taken from her house’s store room. Most of the common Riff-raff had let them be. Though she was keeping up with them her body was protesting with every step. Her muscles were burning and her head was throbbing but luckily enough her eyes had stopped hurting. She had not attempted to recharge her reserves of magic at Avreel’s insistence so she was almost useless. To top it all off her ability to swing a sword was severely limited.
Perhaps just to emphasize this fact five tough-looking orcs stepped into Avreel’s path and grinned broadly displaying cracked yellow tusks through oily grey skin. Rose was worried when Avreel didn’t pause, but a quick motion brought her mace from its holster and across the face of the nearest orc who seemed to be the leader.
“You will move when a noble wishes to cross your path.” She said coldly as she gazed down at the cowardly humanoid. Her hand lifted up for another strike but he scampered out of the range of the blow and his cohorts followed. “If I see your hide again I will use it to decorate the floor of my personal privy.”
Though her heart was about to jump out of her chest she did her best not to show it to the others. Clenching her cloak closer to the golden-hued fur that covered her body she side glanced at the orc in question as he glowered at Avreel’s back. Her sigh must have been audible because Liostro put a hand on her shoulder from behind. Her first reaction was to jump but she caught herself in time to look back at him and smile nervously. They had only been out of their safe haven for a short time but it felt like an eternity walking through the hostile streets of the city the Infernis elves had built.
Avreel led them through the winding paths as quickly as she could walk; since she was a little shorter than all of them it was surprising that she was outpacing everyone. Nina had positioned herself between Avreel and Rose while simultaneously keeping an eye on their surroundings. Rose had never seen her so tense, even underneath the cloak she could tell that Nina was ready to spring at any moment. Liostro, on the other hand, looked relaxed as if he had nothing to fear; that in itself was a potent deterrent. A person who had no fear was either a fool or powerful. Rose grinned a little underneath her hood because she knew he was a little of both and she loved him for the former of the two.
The relatively smooth sailing didn’t last long. Avreel halted mid-stride and drew her mace again, backing toward the three of them with a look of terror on her face. Rose followed Avreel’s gaze and rested her eyes upon an odd-looking character. He was dressed in strange dark leather armor with crawling dull purple runes. His face was concealed behind a hood and mask that covered his entire head and he had a nondescript black cloak attached to his shoulders. On his hips were belted two long daggers, one of which seemed to be red hot and the other with a cold mist clinging to it. This lone figure stood in the center of the road with his arms relaxed at his sides and his feet spread apart languidly. As he spoke his voice wavered and faded in and out as if he were speaking through water, the effect was disorienting. “You may come quietly if you wish, but it’s much more fun if you resist.”
Against all warnings Rose attempted to build a reserve of magical energy. The second she began her legs gave out and a bright line of red blood dribbled from her nose, dripping to the floor with a wet plop. Darkness threatened to consume her for a brief moment causing confusion to everyone, including their aggressor from his posture. A sob hit her lips as she was wracked with an all too familiar pain.
“Rose!” Avreel whispered softly as she helped the naarabian up to her feet. “You mustn’t attempt to use magic.”
Liostro pushed past them both and drew the long blade from his back. He didn’t bother pushing the cowl of his hood aside he just glared from beneath with murder in his eyes. He wasn’t surprised when the assassin drew his weapons, nor was he surprised when the assassin charged forward but what set him on his heels was a feeling in the back of his mind. His warrior instincts told him that his opponent was not really there. Liostro took a chance and turned around, holding his blade above his head he dropped to one knee right next to Rose and was rewarded by the sound of metal upon metal. The dark leather clothing of the strange killer wavered into view and Liostro heard a hint of irritation in the growl that followed the next two swipes.
Liostro’s slower blade was hard pressed to intercept the swift blows from the long knives but that wasn’t the most astounding problem. Their attacker was standing on the side of the building which made defending awkward. He was pressed backward and several times he blocked Nina from stepping into the battle. They were all outmatched more due to the fact that the hunter’s clothing was almost teeming with magic. “Take Rose and keep going.”
“We can’t leave you here.” Rose chimed in wearily as Avreel forced her to stand and the two of them began dragging her along the street through weak protests.
“If you want her you’ll have to go through me first and I will not lie down quietly.” Liostro challenged as he swept his lumbering blade in a downward arc aiming for the leather clad assassin’s midsection. As his challenger hopped backward to avoid the blow he swung his sword around and hopped into the air, twirling and carrying it over into two more swings before he leveled himself out and regained his stance. His foe was the quicker of the two that was obvious but he knew that if he landed one or two good blows he would have a chance at escape.
Noticing that the attacker was standing rat
her still he grunted and swept his blade around behind him. Liostro felt satisfaction as his blade bit into something unseen and a muted yell issued forth. The illusion now broken he grinned at the wounded man and rushed forward, taking him off of his feet with a sound tackle. Liostro turned quickly and ran toward his fleeing companions with his naked blade still free from its scabbard.
The strange aggressor appeared before him as he got closer to the trio, dodging to the side he swept his blade in a clumsy strike aiming for his attacker’s leg but his blade hit nothing. Having guessed his target’s pattern he dove forward and tackled the invisible assassin just before he could strike at Rose. He struggled to keep a hold on the strange assailant but he was able to slip out of Liostro’s grasp. Growling in frustration he retrieved his blade and swept it around his head in a full circle, catching the coming daggers by chance alone. As the wavering assassin shimmered from view he ran forward and the chase was on again.
It was still easy to catch Rose and the others but his luck seemed to have run out, there was no one menacing Rose this time. It took a moment for him to reorient himself as the fleeing ladies stopped midstride and tensed up with all of them looking around for the coming attack. It was Nina who rolled to the side first, narrowly avoiding the ice cold dagger that barely missed her cheek. Liostro could see the frost forming on her skin. Taking a chance he swung his sword over his head and let it fly end-over-end toward the assassin near his prone companion. Everything slowed down for him briefly but he took up after the flying blade. It was hard not to show satisfaction as the blade struck the assassin’s arm and sent one of his daggers flying free. Liostro stooped down low and grabbed his blade then swung it hard in the space the assassin had been occupying just a moment before.
A loud shout escaped his lips stemming from irritation and he spurred the three women on. “Go! Don’t stop running until I say.”
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