Chapter 31 （Elaine）Arrival at the city
Chapter 31 (Elaine )
Arrival at the city
I t was early morning. Oswald was already awake and ready to go. He had packed most of our camp. My muscles ached from lack of sleep, and my head pounded. The guards held Yugrid by the rope, the dwarf lying on the ground.
“Let’s start walking,” said Oswald. “We’ll stop to eat breakfast when the paralysis spell has worn off.” He chuckled and pointed to the dwarf. “It’s not like he can eat right now anyway.”
I laughed. “Right. If we leave now, we should arrive before dark.”
“Maybe even sleep in a bed tonight,” Oswald added.
“In the queen’s castle?” I asked in disgust.
The elf smiled. “No. I agree with you. We’ll go to the inn.”
I was delighted that he thought as I did. “Yes, that will be better.”
Each guard took one of the dwarf’s extremities and carried him off. We walked for a few hours until Yugrim started complaining.
“Will you let go of me, you savages?”
I motioned for the guards to stop. “Glad to see the paralysis spell is off.”
The dwarf grunted in displeasure. “If you think I’m going to forget all the insults you said while I couldn’t answer.”
Oswald approached the dwarf. “I won’t cast another paralysis spell on you because I don’t want the guards to have to carry you, but I can still cast a silence spell on you.”
The threat had the desired effect, and the dwarf stopped short. We paused to eat, then started walking again. Yugrid followed unwillingly. He knew now that we could make him obey, so he knew better than to try to escape again.
We walked for what seemed like an eternity. Everyone was absorbed in their thoughts, and I was grateful not to be disturbed. Only Oswald remained close to me, his friendship comforting.
At last, the city walls of Ichoryllia came into view. The city was gray and dark, made of stone and brick, greatly contrasting our elven beautiful town. Vampire guards watched us warily, their eyes shining with a reddish glow. “What purpose do you have in our city?” one asked sternly.
“We’re bringing a prisoner for the queen,” I replied, “from King Erendriel. ”
The guards’ faces changed at these words. “Good. The castle’s that way,” one replied, pointing to the street behind him.
The view of the city was desolate as we walked down the street designated by the guards. A feeling of discomfort washed over me as I saw human slave traders brandishing their wares for all to see. Men and women in chains, their eyes blank, their bodies bruised. And then there were the prostitutes selling their blood to anyone willing to pay. Vampires watching them as if they were no more than cattle. A stale odor of blood filled the street.
A thought crossed my mind, terrifying and crushing. What was to say they wouldn’t do the same with elves if they had the chance?
I’d only been to the vampire town once before, and from what I remembered, it wasn’t like this. I remembered how the humans lived in harmony with the vampires. I’d heard that the former king had been deposed and was now wanted. I hadn’t expected the city to sink so low in such a short time. I wondered what the new queen had done to drive the city in such a state. It made my blood run cold.
We walked along the street, and soon, the castle came into view with its white stucco and black brickwork. It might have looked magnificent to ignorant travelers, but I knew better than to fall in love with the castle’s architecture. Vampires were a race filled with darkness, and I didn’t trust them.
The sooner I left this town, the better off I’d be.