“Very true. Hopefully Lieutenant Calvor manages to keep ahead of them,” the captain replied with a slight smile, patting the man on the shoulder before turning her attention to Phynis.
“From your lips to the gods’ ears,” the scout murmured, pulling out his waterskin and taking a long drink.
“Highness? How are you holding up?” Vendis asked, settling down next to Phynis on a convenient log.
The group of dusk elves was hiding in a small wooded area of the foothills of the Godsrage Mountains, nearly seventy miles from the northern border of Kelvanis, where the fell kingdom was skirmishing with their own kingdom of Sifaren. Phynis felt exhausted, her feet aching and her muscles wanting nothing more than to let her rest. But if it meant she might avoid Kelvanis’ grasp for even a few days, Phynis would willingly trudge onward until she collapsed of exhaustion.
“I’m doing tolerably well. I may not be used to quite this strenuous of hikes, but I think I can manage a few more hours if we need me to,” Phynis replied softly, glancing at the rest of the group around her. “I wish I could say the same about everyone else, though.”
“True enough. You were always more active than your sisters, from what Captain Randa told me in my briefing. The other ladies with you, though…” Vendis paused, glancing over the group and sighing.
There were forty-three dusk elf women in the group, including Phynis, her two maids, and five guards. A handful of them were armed with weapons taken from their captors, foremost among them being Phynis’ guards. Beyond their numbers were two dozen soldiers under Captain Vendis’ command, each lightly armored for overland travel, along with a half-dozen donkeys carrying supplies. And then there were the six scouts, two of whom were following behind them to keep an eye out for pursuers. Phynis looked over the group, then looked at Vendis apologetically.
“I’m sorry. You were sent to rescue me, but I couldn’t abandon the others,” she explained guiltily, shrugging helplessly.
“No, don’t be sorry, Your Highness,” Vendis said firmly, shaking her head, eyes flashing with anger. “We might have been sent to rescue you, not the others, but there’s no way in all the Hells I would have abandoned them to the damned slavers of this godsforsaken land. No one deserves slavery, and these bastards are worse than most, especially with their brands.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Phynis replied with relief, smiling at the captain warmly. “I must admit I’m not sure how you’re going to get us all through the mountains, though. I imagine it’d be hard enough even with just me and your soldiers.”
“I’ll admit it’ll be a challenge, but we don’t have any other choice.” Vendis shrugged, while the others sipped at flasks of water and nibbled at hard rations. “There’s no way we could get back across the border again with a group this size. The Lieutenant might manage it, but only because his team is primarily illusionists. The fact Kelvanis will almost certainly be focused on finding us will only help his chances.”
“Ah, that explains why you sent him off.” Phynis shook her head and frowned, thinking about the challenge before them. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak. “Well—”
“Captain? Tandor just saw something strange,” one of the other soldiers interrupted softly as he came closer, giving an apologetic nod to the princess.
“What is it?” Vendis asked, glancing at Phynis and smiling wryly. “My apologies for the interruption, Highness.”
“No, no… you’re in charge of the rescue, not me.” Phynis raised her hands, shaking her head quickly. “Do what you need to do.”
“Go ahead,” Vendis told the soldier.
“Well, Tandor said that she just saw a female dawn elf a bit to the west of us. Not in armor or anything, but carrying a bow,” the man explained with a frown. “She’s not coming straight at us, but she’ll be coming awfully close. With as big as our group is, the chances of her spotting us are fairly high.”
“What? What’s a dawn elf doing out here, of all places? Did Tandor see any others?” Vendis asked quickly, sitting up straight and going on alert. Phynis could entirely understand the woman’s reaction, considering that they were even farther from Yisara’s border than their own, and that Kelvanis enslaved elves of both nations.
“No, ma’am. She seemed to be on her own,” the soldier responded quickly. “And we’ve no idea what she’s doing out here.”
“Shit. I want a squad to apprehend her, Narvus,” Vendis ordered, frowning. “Be wary of ambushes, too. She might be a slave, bait, or both. If you spot any slavers, take them out and let me know, in that order.”
“Yes, ma’am!” The soldier saluted and quickly walked back the way he’d approached from.
Phynis frowned, considering the situation as carefully as she could. Finally she asked softly, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “We’re about ninety miles from Yisara, right? What would a dawn elf be doing out this way?”
“Close to that, yes. And the only reason I can think of for a dawn elf to be out this way is as a slave, or a traitor. It wouldn’t be the first time someone changed sides to avoid slavery,” Vendis replied grimly. “And the last thing we need is to be discovered at this point in our journey.”
“On the other hand, if she is a slave, at least we could get her out of here, too,” Phynis replied with a soft sigh, wringing her hands together. “I really hope she isn’t a traitor, though.”
* * *
Lily had her bow out, reveling in the comfort of her new deerskin boots. Sistina had made them for her only a week earlier, and Lily had never owned such a comfortable pair of boots in her life, at least once they’d been broken in. When she thought about the shoes she’d been wearing when she’d fled the Enforcer, it was like heaven and earth in comparison! It certainly made these hunting trips far more comfortable.
Now she was looking for a deer, or any other game, for that matter. A couple of rabbits might be nice to fill out the larder. While she liked fruit and vegetables, she preferred a slightly broader variety of food in her diet. Though she had to admit that the variety she’d had before living with Sistina had never even been close to what she had available now. But even though that was the case, she didn’t want to get too much farther from the caverns, in case she ran into a roving patrol from Kelvanis or the like. The problem was that she hadn’t seen much more than a couple of squirrels so far.
Lily frowned as she looked around, wondering why there were so few animals around. It was like—
“Eep!” She yelped in surprise as four elves with light brown skin melted out of the bushes and grass around her. Each of them was wearing leather armor, while two of them were armed with bows. The other two were wielding scimitars.
“No sudden moves. Drop your bow and dagger,” one of them ordered—a rather handsome man, she noticed almost morbidly.
“R-right. Just give me a second,” she replied, dropping the bow, then slowly unsheathed her dagger and dropped it to the ground.
The only saving grace was that she didn’t think any of them looked like they worked for Kelvanis.
* * *
“What do you mean, her slave brand is strange?” Captain Vendis demanded, her dark brown eyes narrowed. The captain was a bit more attractive when she was annoyed, Phynis noticed with dark amusement.
“It doesn’t match any of the known brands,” one of the soldiers explained with a confused shrug. “They’re supposed to have specific designs for each color, and this one is the right shape for a black crest, but it’s actually gold and green. And it looks nothing like sketches we have of gold crests, either.”
“That’s worrying,” Captain Desa Iceheart murmured, frowning. Desa, the captain of Phynis’ personal guard, had returned from attending to some of the other slaves, which brought a degree of relief to Phynis’ mind. The haunted look in Desa’s eyes worried her slightly, but there was little she could do. Desa had refused to say anything about what she’d experienced in captivity, as had the others, but nonetheless, Phynis had managed to catch a
few whispers. From the bits that she’d managed to hear, her guards and most of the other women hadn’t been lucky enough to be left alone.
“Isn’t gold the brand they usually use on priests and the like?” Phynis asked the others, trying to remember the details. “If I remember right, it’s fairly elaborate.”
“That’s correct, Your Highness,” Desa confirmed, her face somewhat unsightly at this point. “I’ve heard it controls their magic, much like the silver crests do.”
“Which means something about her is very unusual, because I’ve never heard of any green brands, or of any crests that include other colors,” Vendis spoke thoughtfully, then looked to the guard. “So what does she have to say for herself?”
“She claims that her name is Lily of Vernglade, and also that she’s an escaped slave,” the soldier replied, her eyes going back and forth between Phynis and her captain, as if uncertain who to address. “She claims that she’s out hunting. I’m not sure I believe her, though.”
“Oh? Why not?” Phynis asked, glancing to Vendis apologetically. The captain, fortunately, seemed unruffled, just nodding when the soldier looked at her first.
“Ah, because her clothes are too nice, Your Highness,” the woman replied, flustered. “I haven’t seen fabric like her clothing before, but it looks like a fine weave, and her boots look almost brand new and are well-made besides. But even more than that, her dagger is issued by Kelvanis’ military and is enchanted.”
“Ah. That is quite telling in its own way. Did you perform the ritual to free her of ongoing orders?” Vendis asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“That’s the first thing we did,” the soldier assured her.
“Excellent. I think I’ll talk to her myself, Sergeant,” Vendis decided, glancing at Phynis with a frown on her face. “This feels too convenient to me. Just as a warning, I’m not going to be nice. It might shake her into giving something up.”
“Good idea,” Desa murmured in approval, getting a smile from Vendis in return, before their rescuer stalked off toward the captive.
* * *
Lily nervously wrung her hands in front of her, her eyes darting about as two of the elves guarded her. They’d taken her to a small clearing and had seemed surprised after checking her slave brand. Their suspicion after she’d answered their questions had been obvious, which had done nothing to calm her nerves. What a group of dusk elves was doing here was beyond her, and a small part of Lily’s mind was afraid that they might hurt her.
But a soothing sensation came from the back of Lily’s mind, as Sistina calmly extended her own serenity to Lily. It was hardly perfect, but the knowledge that she wasn’t alone helped calm Lily more than a little. So she took a deep breath and slowly let it out, closing her eyes like Sistina did so often, trying to find the same serenity.
“So what’s your name again?” A firm female voice jolted Lily out of the beginnings of relaxation, and she opened her eyes quickly, barely biting back a yelp of shock.
The woman was in armor that matched the other soldiers she’d seen, and was a tall, muscular dusk elf with short white hair. Her eyes were a deep brown, but the hard look in her eyes made Lily swallow nervously before replying. “L-Lily of Vernglade, ma’am.”
“I’m Vendis,” the woman replied, slowly pacing back and forth in front of Lily, her eyes fixed on Lily’s. “Tell me, why are you here?”
Lily hesitated a moment before standing up herself, taking advantage of the moment to look away from the woman’s piercing gaze. She swallowed and spoke softly, her voice hesitant. “I was out hunting. Hoping for a rabbit or two, a duck, or even a deer. I didn’t think I’d run into anyone out here, since I haven’t seen anyone in months.”
“Oh? If you’re a slave, or an escaped slave, how is it that you have clothing that looks like it’s brand new, seemingly made of fine cloth? Or newly made, fitted boots?” Vendis challenged, her eyes narrowing and the line of her mouth thinning. “I certainly don’t have anything quite that nice myself, and I’m not a slave. In fact, I don’t think I believe you, especially with a brand that’s different than any of the others I’ve seen or heard of.”
“I… but…” Lily froze, almost panicked for a moment. It was then that another gentle, soothing sensation came from Sistina, along with a beckoning sensation, calling her home. Taking a breath, Lily shook her head and spoke more calmly, but vehemently. “You don’t understand at all. I did escape, and I was chased out here, where I met someone. She… altered the brand. That’s what made it change colors. She indicated that she couldn’t break it, but she could take control of it and prevent me from being controlled again. She’s the one who made my clothing and boots, too.”
“What an obvious lie,” Vendis hissed, her eyes narrowing in both disbelief and anger. “That’s impossible! No one has been able to alter the brands in decades of trying! You dare claim otherwise, when you’re here in the middle of Kelvanis’ territory? They would never let someone who could steal their slaves live here!”
“I’m not lying! The dryad just—” Lily protested, eyes widening at the woman’s anger. She didn’t know why the woman was so angry at her claim, but she yelped in surprise as the two guards grabbed her while she was distracted. “What are you doing?”
“Tie her up! We’ll decide what to do with her later!” Vendis ordered, turning to walk away.
She left Lily behind as the two soldiers roughly tied her up, and she winced at how tight the ropes were. On the other hand, she had to wonder what she’d said to upset the woman so much.
* * *
“And she’s claiming a dryad did it, of all the stupid things!” Vendis told them, disdain apparent in her voice. “What does she think we are, stupid? There are plenty of dryads in the kingdom, and I’d think we would have heard if they could do anything about the slave brands!”
They had ended up not moving again that night because of the mystery of Lily’s arrival, which had seemed to deepen Vendis’ suspicion of Lily’s motives and purpose. Phynis had caught a glimpse of their captive despite attempts to keep her away as well. Lily seemed a bit more attractive than most dawn elves, but aside from her clothing, there wasn’t all that much that was unusual about her. It made her a puzzle, which she had to admit lent some credence to Vendis’ suspicions.
“But what if she’s telling the truth?” Desa asked after a moment, her own voice calm. The captain sipped at a flask of water before taking a bite of the dry rations they’d been given, and grimaced ever so slightly. They didn’t dare light a fire, which made the meager meal somehow even less appealing. After a moment, she continued. “Even if this supposed dryad is of uncertain provenance, if she can somehow key the slave brands to someone other than Kelvanis’ command sigils, it would be enormously better for all of the people that have been rescued. And I’m not just speaking for myself.”
“I suppose that’s true, I just…” Vendis admitted, pausing for a moment as she glanced at Phynis guiltily before continuing. “That’s part of why I had them tie her up for the night, actually. The girl seemed shy and weak-willed to me for the most part, so it might break through the courage she seemed to gain halfway through the conversation and convince her to tell us the truth. I know it isn’t nice, but I think it might make a difference.”
“Well, I personally hope she was telling the truth,” Phynis said with a sigh of her own, trying to smother the flickers of her own hope. “If she is, that means there’s no slavers in the area. But we can hardly count on that to be the case.”
“Very true, Your Highness. That’s why I doubled the watches for the night,” Vendis agreed, smiling thinly. “If there are slavers in the area, I want to spot and eliminate them.”
“From your lips to the goddess’ ears,” Desa murmured softly, raising her flask as if in a toast.
* * *
Sistina opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling and considering the dim glow-crystals. Night had fallen over an hour ago, and Lily seemed to be in some distress
, though not in immediate danger. She hadn’t returned, as Sistina had suggested, which meant the others she met were being difficult.
Well, there obviously wasn’t any other real option. She’d just have to go get Lily herself.
Climbing to her feet, Sistina brushed herself off and headed for the cavern exit, purpose in her steps. She would retrieve Lily, one way or another. And she doubted that it would go well for anyone who tried to stop her. She was feeling a trifle annoyed.
Chapter 4
The knock on the door echoed through the room, and internally Jared complimented the timing of the knock. Any earlier and he would have been less than pleased about the interruption, and any later and he’d have been woken up just as he’d been dozing off. In either case, he’d have been distinctly annoyed, which made this particular timing almost ideal. Even if it was rather late for someone to visit him.
Glancing over at the dawn elf priestess next to him, Jared smiled in distinct satisfaction. She was thin but beautiful, with flawless skin, deep blue eyes, and golden hair. The intricate golden crest of her slave brand shone softly in the near-dark of the room, making her position quite obvious to any who saw her. The woman was staring at the ceiling and occasionally shivering, obviously still in shock. Fortunately, he’d ordered her to stop her hysterics earlier, which likely was keeping her from deafening him with wailing or the like. He found priestesses were among the least likely to adapt well to slavery.
On the other hand, he couldn’t remember the priestess’ name. Actually, come to think of it, he’d never actually asked what her name was. It simply hadn’t seemed important, considering that she was a priestess of Medaea. Beyond that, she’d also been on her way to Medaea’s hidden temple, and the Archon had been most pleased at her acquisition.
Considering her lack of a name for a moment, Jared finally shrugged dismissively and put it out of his mind. He slid out of bed and pulled on a bathrobe before touching the crystal to unlock the door to his room as he called out, “Come in.”
Ancient Ruins Page 4