“It’s all right. We live right upstairs. Don’t mind him, it was a long day.” Serra said.
“Oh, you must be Serra. I was told to keep an eye out for you for the little man upstairs. He’s very worried about you.”
Finn. How would she explain all of this to him? Or Caden for that matter. The last thing they wanted to hear was that she got kidnapped and then accepted to be part of some rebellious gang.
But the true problem was she wanted to help the elves. Even if their methods seemed… odd. It would be a way for her to make a difference. Regardless if she gets their approval, Theren was now part of this too. She wouldn’t leave him alone to handle it.
Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared for a big fight. As she walked up the stairs, she kept hoping Theren would be there waiting for her. He ignored her every time she tried to ask him what the hell was going on. The distance he put between them was unbearable. She thought she had gotten through to him, but what little she seemed to achieve was ripped away from her. He was still healing. Both physical and mentally with the abuse from his master. One day, she would need to return that favor. No one hurt her friends.
When she made it to the room, she saw a shirtless Theren being stitched up by Caden, who seemed to have been forced to redo them due to the attack. The elf glanced her way once. Only once. His eyes were filled with anger and pain. It was as if he was using the stitches as a punishment for himself for what happened.
Why does he seem so angry?
She didn’t understand what was communicated between him and Sharlea, but it clearly wasn’t something good. Whatever it was, it upset him.
The desire to embrace him ached in her chest. She wanted to hold him, to take his pain away and bring him peace, but he wanted his space right now. She had to be patient and wait for when he was ready.
“Where in the hell have you been?” Finn snapped. “You are never out this late, and here’s the elf coming back with his stitches undone and you’re covered in dirt.” He looked closely at her face. “Your face is bruised. Did someone hit you?”
She touched her cheek; she had forgotten about the slap she’d received. The skin had swelled and hurt to the touch. Finn sighed. “Come here, let me look at it.” She did as he asked then sat on the floor as Finn examined the bruise. He applied an ointment with a strong odor that made her nose twitch.
He sighed. “Do I even want to know where you’ve been?”
“Probably not.”
“Tell me anyway.”
And so, she did. From the memorial to meeting Sharlea. She explained where the meeting was held and what the elves were doing. Then, she told him that she and Theren were now part of the rebellion and that they will have to see them by sunrise for their assignments.
Despite this news, Finn took it calmly. He listened closely to everything she had to say, often glancing at Theren and Caden who just finished working on his stitches. His eyes glared at the elf as if making a promise to repay him for getting her into this.
Once she was done, she waited impatiently for his response. Would he be furious or sympathetic? Unfortunately, she felt that the former was more of a possibility. It frustrated him endlessly when she didn’t act more responsibly. It caused him such grief and worry. She knew she wasn’t the best child he could ask for, but that didn’t stop her from her actions.
But there was little that he could’ve done in the attack, much less when she met with Sharlea. She did what she could to survive. The other elves would be quick to end her life because she was the enemy. She was just thankful Sharlea was willing to work with her.
Finn took a deep breath and got up to pour himself and Serra a cup of ale. He handed it to her as he chugged the entirety of his cup’s contents down his throat. He then poured himself another. “Somehow I expected you to make trouble when we came here. You always try to put the world on your shoulders even if it doesn’t affect you. Maybe this city wasn’t the best place for us to go.”
His voice was filled with sorrow and regret. She didn’t know what to think of it. He made it seem like she dug a large hole then fell in it and dragged him down with her. “Between whatever Grom may do to us when he stops cowering, and now whatever this elf will do, we’ll end up on wanted posters by the end of the year.”
Disappointment and regret filled her gut. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t planned on all of this, but I can’t sit back and let this keep happening. Finn, these people have nothing. If I never acted, Theren and all those slaves Grom tried to smuggle into the city would’ve died. And not just their lives, their hope. Elves have lost so much; they can’t afford to lose more. You know what this city is doing is wrong. If we can clear out the city, then maybe we can change the rest of the country to stop the war.”
Finn chuckled. “You’ve been with me for too long. You’re hearing all those nasty rumors too.”
“It’s true though. Crelia wants a free country, and Sostar wants to enslave it. It all won’t stop until the king puts his foot down and ends all of this.” Assuming the king would even listen to her. If he wasn’t paying attention to how things were now, he wouldn’t later.
“How do you know he’s not involved now?” Caden asked. It was possible he could be. He’d never done anything to stop the lords from doing as they pleased. “The king could easily be for the slavery of elves.”
“Then I’ll change his mind by proving to him that by ending the enslavement, there will be peace with Crelia. But I doubt he truly knows what’s going on. He is an old man from what I hear. He’s being manipulated. Once the Queen of Crelia finds out that her people are being taken and smuggled here, there will be war.”
Caden tossed Theren a clean shirt. “So, you mean to tell me that not only are we supposed to stop the slavery traffic to the city, we also need to stop a war?”
It sounded so simple, but that was far from the truth. “I suppose. Wait, what do you mean ‘we?’ You two don’t have to get involved. It’ll be too dangerous.”
Theren began packing a bag for tomorrow morning. “There’s little choice. Now that they know, it will be either they join us in the fight or Sharlea will execute them. No one can know about this. Not until we’re ready to overthrow the duke.”
Caden waved his hands. “Oh, we got the duke as well to deal with? We’ll just overthrow the entire city!”
Theren shrugged. “There’s not much else we can do if we want to free my people.”
Madness. It was truly madness. Serra turned to Finn who had just poured the last bit of ale into his cup. “Finn?” she said in a whisper.
“I knew the moment I took you in, you would be the death of me. But at least this way I can take some slavers down with me,” the dwarf muttered more to himself than to her.
Caden moved toward him then took the cup away from him. “You’re actually considering this? It’ll be suicide!”
Finn snatched back his cup and finished it. A loud belch echoed the room. “I ain’t got much anyway. Serra here is the only family I got left and if she wants to join some damned rebellion determined to free this accursed city, then I’m going to be with her. Now, you can either come with us or bugger off.”
Caden was taken back by what Finn had said. He glanced at Theren and Serra before he waved his hands and then left the room, saying he needed some air and a drink. Finn tossed the empty cup on the table. “He’ll be back.”
Serra never expected Finn to stay with her after all this. If they went down this path, the chances of her giving him his dream went out the window. And if he died… she would have no one left. Finn was all she had as well. He was a father to her even if they were so different.
A dwarf and a human were always an odd pair. Usually, dwarves kept to themselves, only being around humans when they needed to. Now between them were two humans, a dwarf, and an elf. They would surely draw attention to themselves. People would ask questions. Serra didn’t know how to feel or what to think anymore. Her friends would be with her no matter what.
In the middle of the night, Serra lay wide awake on her back, unable to sleep due to all the chaos that had happened earlier. It was only a matter of a few hours before the sun rose then she and the others would need to meet with Sharlea for their assignments. Assuming she would accept her friends, but, despite her confident attitude, Serra knew she needed all the help she could get.
“Are you awake, Serra?” a voice whispered. She turned her head and found Theren staring at her.
She nodded. “Is the reason why you’ve been ignoring me because of what Sharlea said about you caring for me? Do you really think she would execute anyone who knew about her rebellion and didn’t join?”
Theren was quiet for a long moment, as if contemplating whether to tell her the truth. Serra half-expected him to lie to make her feel better. In truth, she wouldn’t have minded it right now. Anything was better to deal with than what they were all about to face. “If I hadn’t joined, she would’ve killed you on the spot. That is why I also demanded that I only join if you did. I’d rather die fighting with you than to see you die. I… wouldn’t have been able to handle that.”
Serra braced her arm on the floor to face him. “I care about you as well, you know. I wouldn’t have let them hurt you. I only accepted because I thought that was our safest option at the time. Plus, she and I want the same things. I just don’t agree with some of her methods.”
“I know,” was all Theren replied.
Serra reached out and placed her hand on his. “You are my friend, Theren. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you. We will do this together.” He entangled his fingers with hers as he stared at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, barely audible.
She wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head and his eyes were filled with unspoken words she couldn’t make out.
He let go of her hand then shifted his body so his back was facing her. Unsure of what to do, she laid back down and tried to get some rest.
A few minutes before sunrise, Serra, Finn, Caden, and Theren were making their way to the cavern to meet with Sharlea. Theren knew where it was and was taking the lead, past the rocks where she and Theren were taken from. She could see from a distance that the candles were burnt out, laying on their sides. One of them was on the ground.
She picked it up, seeing the wick was gone, the wax melted an inch lower on the one side, and black marks coated the entire top where the flame was. It was the smallest of the candles, making it the one she had dedicated to her lost sibling. Sadness filled her heart as she dropped it and went back to the others.
Finn and Caden discussed what all they should say to convince Sharlea to let them join the rebellion. Caden insisted that he or Theren should do all the talking. Finn dismissed that notion entirely.
Caden was simple: he was a healer, which meant he could provide help in mending wounds and other potential illnesses. Sharlea needed all the help she could get. There weren’t many healers who would treat slaves or elves in general and Serra imagined there weren’t many elven healers left since most of the population had their leaders and fighting men killed. Finn, on the other hand, was more of a dilemma.
While he was very skilled in bluffing his way through anything, dwarves were known for their short tempers and often rude behavior. To mold a dwarf into a massive group of elves could lead to problems. Serra hoped that his skills with his tongue and dual axes would be enough to convince Sharlea to let him join. She would make sure he was accepted. If nothing else, a dwarf would increase her chances of success.
Ethrond and Aravar met them at the entrance punctually. The two elves shared a concerned glance before one of them spoke. “It was supposed to just be Theren and the girl. What is another human and a dwarf doing here?”
Finn smiled. “We heard all about your little rebellion. We thought we could lend you a hand. Caden here isn’t much of a fighter, but he can help with any wounds and illnesses your little group will face. I, on the other hand, can fight, and who wouldn’t want a charming dwarf in their midst?”
“Enough, dwarf,” Aravar said then pointed to Serra. “I should kill you for this. You endanger all of us by bringing those two here.”
She crossed her arms. “And I should kill you for what you did yesterday. We all can’t get what we want.” Angered by her threat, he unsheathed his sword then directed it at them. She shook her head. “You need all the help you can get if you want your plan to succeed. Take us to Sharlea and she can decide for herself.”
Ethrond placed his hand on Aravar’s shoulder. “You’ve made your point, human. Bring them if you must, but I will not hesitate to end all of your lives if Sharlea wills it.” He gestured them to follow him through the entrance.
The group looked at one another first before following the two elves. “Well, ain’t they a fun bunch?” Caden muttered.
The cavern felt different as Serra entered it for the second time. It was probably because she was now able to see it, but her heart tugged to look in Theren’s direction as if he still had the sack over his head. Apprehension weighed on her as she mentally marked the turns again. When they left the cavern yesterday, she had been too focused on leaving and didn’t pay attention to her surroundings. This time would be different. She made a note of a few things that stuck out of the walls. One was a deformed rock with a vertical hole that was far too dark to see into without proper lighting. Another was a rock hanging from the ceiling, thin and short but it stuck out far enough for her to see if she paid attention.
Each of the turns was the same, but they made an extra right when she expected them to go straight through to the dining hall. When they came upon a wall, she wondered if Ethrond purposely made a wrong turn to confuse them. But then, he knocked on the rocky wall in a pattern. Once. Twice. Did it again, and then the door slid to the right. On the other side, an elf with dark hair looked at all of them then let them through.
Sharlea and two others surrounded a large table. One was a female with long auburn hair. The other was male with the same color hair. Siblings? Twins, maybe? The male towered over Sharlea by over a foot while the female was closer to Serra’s height. When Serra, Finn, Theren, and Caden reached the table, she didn’t look up. “I see you brought friends with you,” she said.
Theren stood forward. “This is Caden, a healer. The one I spoke to you about before who helped me. The dwarf is Finn. He is…” He trailed off, looking at Serra. “He is Serra’s adopted father.”
“A dwarf that raised a human? How interesting,” Sharlea mused. She leaned back from the table, crossing her arms. “Are they volunteers?”
Ethrond spoke. “As they claim, Sharlea. I will kill them if you command it.” She shook her head.
“No need. I sense that Theren and Serra will vouch for them, yes?
“Of course,” said Theren.
A small hmm came from her as she moved small figures towards the far edge of the map lying on the table. “Your assignment is to recon a ship called Blackbird that has been quite active on the docks as of late. We want you to board that ship and discover what Captain Tully has been doing.”
Infiltrating a ship wasn’t Serra’s idea of a first assignment. It would mean that they would need to go undercover and pretend to be someone they weren’t, just to find out if this Captain Tully was involved in the slave trade.
Serra and Finn had done one other undercover operation, but it was only for a few hours. It was supposed to be a quick in and out to steal a book that belonged to the original owner. They were successful and were paid handsomely for it. The book, however, wasn’t just a book. It was a diary by the owner’s dead wife. The man who stole it thought it was his and wanted to use it to find out dirty secrets he could use against him. Unfortunately for him, there were no secrets.
As Sharlea explained each of their roles, she wondered how they would
pull this off. Finn was to be a lord wanting a ship to transport them to Valbush to deliver cargo then return to Sharlea to report their findings. Serra and Theren were to be Finn’s servants as Serra was too young and human to be considered Finn’s wife and Theren was an elf. Serra’s background would be that he found her, raised her, then hired her to be his servant. Theren’s background was that he was bought at an auction. Finn “hired” him because he was strong and had a nice face.
The overall goal would be that one of them would need to get into the captain’s quarters to find out where he has been traveling and why.
“Do we have contacts in Valbush?” she asked.
“There’s an elf you will meet there. His name is Terar. You will give him the cargo so that Captain Tully doesn’t question your motives,” the woman next to Sharlea explained. “During your time aboard, we want you to earn the captain’s trust. Once the cargo has been dropped, you will have one chance to get into the captain’s quarters.”
Caden shifted then crossed his arms. “This is an awful lot of trouble just to see if he is part of the slave trade. What makes him a suspect?”
“We received a tip from someone at the tavern he attended to one night. He is very vocal when he has too much to drink. You could use that to your advantage,” the male beside Sharlea said.
Sharlea clapped her hands together. “Oh, I haven’t introduced my granddaughter and grandson. Leo, Milena, meet our newest recruits.” Seeing the elves in the better lighting revealed they were in fact twins. The same hair and similar facial features, but the distinct difference between them was their eyes. Leo had a bright blue, whereas Milena had silver that matched her grandmother’s.
Serra noticed the wolfish grin Milena was giving Theren. Her heart raced as jealousy filled her heart. But there was nothing to be jealous about. Theren wasn’t hers, or anyone’s for that fact. She dug at her nails to distract her from looking in his direction. Milena would see her as competition, and that could lead to a complicated alliance. If he wanted her as well, it would be his choice, not hers. No matter how hurt she felt.
Rise of the Champion (The Champion Book 1) Page 11