Chapter 19
H e immediately went into demanding an answer from her. “What are you doing here? And think twice before lying to me.”
“The exit was blocked. It was a cave-in. I couldn’t get through.” Despite his warning, the lie slid from her tongue too easily.
“Oh, really?” He stepped closer to her, close enough that his chest nearly pressed against hers. “A cave-in? The light I saw from that tunnel suggested no cave-in.”
“It wasn’t completely closed.” Aelrie had to look down. She couldn’t lie to his face while he was so close to her. “But it was closed enough where I couldn’t get through.”
His head leaned down as he inspected her. She moved so she wouldn’t have to face him.
“I don’t believe you.”
She shot a look up at him, dead in the eye. “Then, follow me back up. I’ll show you.”
It was a gamble. If he did go back up with her to the entrance, he would see through her lie. The reliability of her fabrication depended on how much of a hurry he was to get back to whoever it was he had to report his assassination of Lindana to.
He scrutinized her further. She was going to get caught in her lie.
He then turned around, replying gruffly, “Come on. There is another exit in Myrkheim. I’m headed there anyway.”
It looked like he was in a great hurry to get back then.
She followed close behind. He was walking fast. “You’re lucky I was hungry and decided to have a hunt before continuing on to Sintal,” he said as he cast her a glare.
“Did you catch anything?” She was hungry too.
“No,” he answered abruptly. “I had it in my sights but had to let it go to save a Light Elf foolish enough to come to the Evergloom alone, who was about to get herself raped.”
The word was jarring because it had almost come true. She was being reckless, lying; these things were so unlike her. But she couldn’t stop herself either. She was a rock rolling down a hill with only one destination, one purpose. There was only one way for her to go now.
“Do you understand the danger you’re in?” His expression told her dissent wasn’t an option for her.
“I understand,” she answered, feeling like she was a child again and her parents were scolding her for exploring too far into the forest.
“Follow close to me. If we hurry, we can reach Sintal before we pass out from hunger or meet anything else I have to kill along the way. ”
He then stopped and removed his cloak. “Take this,” he said, putting it over her. “Remember, you are my slave. No fighting me on this.”
She stood in silence and did not argue with him.
He eyed her warily, perhaps a little suspicious over how agreeable she was being with him.
When he was satisfied enough by her response, or lack of dispute, he set off on the path once more, and she diligently followed.
Soon, the structure she’d glimpsed earlier came into full view with its arched windows and purple crystal lights, a black stone wall, and a flight of long steps leading to an ornate gate.
Towering behind it stood the manor with jewels shimmering, embedded into its decorative arches. The entire building exuded not only wealth but an oppressive magical power that thickened the air.
Aelrie slowed, breath catching as the weight of it pressed down on her. She glanced at Shikra for a sign he’d felt it too, but he walked on, undisturbed.
Whatever was held beyond those doors wasn’t meant for her. This was a great Dark Elven House made for only those born to such nobility.
Something else caught her attention as she hurried to catch up to Shikra, a simple entrance that led into a mine. She turned to the sounds of metal striking rock and the sight of goblin slaves carrying rock out in heavy loads as they were watched carefully by their Dark Elf overseers.
This was a Dark Elf manor. A home of wealthy slave owners. Manors were essentially great Dark Elf Houses that owned a mine worked by goblin slaves .
She was in the midst of enemy territory now. The closer they got to the manor, the closer she huddled to Shikra. He noticed her agitation and walked in front of her, giving her a protective aura.
Two Dark Elf overseers called out to them. “Traveler, how fares the road?”
“There was a cave-in at the Sintal exit,” Shikra replied. “Or so I’m led to believe.”
“This can’t be. Did you just come from there?”
“Yes.”
The overseer considered this. “We had a delivery this morning. The runner came from the Sintal exit. They said nothing of a cave-in.”
“Did you see this cave-in yourself?” another overseer asked.
“No. I was told of it.” The way he said, “told of it,” meant he knew she lied to him. He made her squirm for it now.
“I see. Thank you for letting us know. We will inspect it.” The overseer then called out to another Dark Elf to go and check for a cave-in.
As they walked by the goblin slaves, a sinking feeling started in her gut.
She had no love for goblins. They were filthy wretches, cruel, evil creatures only capable of destroying everything they touched and desecrating anything good and holy.
But seeing them with collars on like dogs, toiling endlessly in a mine for their short lives, no longer than a dog’s either, didn’t seem fair to her.
There was something that disturbed her even more, though. Through it all, they had big, goofy grins on their faces. They carried the rock and endured the whips when they went too slow, yet they seemed to enjoy it.
This was manipulation magic, a dark magic which forces the victim to do the bidding of the caster, as she’d experienced earlier that day when Draven forced her to throw her dagger away before the fight.
But what they used on the goblins was another form of manipulation magic, charm.
Charm magic puts the victim into a dream world, charmed, so to speak, by their charmer. They do their master’s bidding, but in their mind, they are living their sweetest dreams. This made charm magic much stronger than any normal manipulation magic.
Goblins had tiny brains and little intellect, so they fell under the sway of Dark Elf magic easily. These goblins were charmed, undoubtedly by mages from the manor, which is why there was such a strong magical aura about the place.
Elves were harder to manipulate or charm, but that’s not to say it couldn’t be done. Draven was able to use the manipulation spell on her, if only for a short time, but that was all he’d needed.
Don’t let your prejudices fool you.
And don’t underestimate the Dark Elves or this powerful force, especially after she’d felt its effects herself.
“Ah,” a voice called out from the manor, making his way down the steps. “A traveler.”
An older Dark Elf walked down and stood by the gates to the manor. He was dressed lavishly in a dark amethyst robe with multiple jewels on his fingers and brow. He spoke to Shikra as they passed .
“Have you seen a girl in your travels? She is young and beautiful, as your slave. She goes by the name Darranyae of House Darkmoon. She is my daughter, and she is missing.”
Shikra bowed his head slightly as he answered, “We have not.”
But they did meet the brother. The father seemed more agreeable to deal with.
The patriarch of House Darkmoon looked dismayed but thanked them for their time, nevertheless. “If you find her, please send her back home. Her mother and I are very worried.”
The father seemed kind and full of concern for his daughter. Her first introduction to Dark Elves was an unpleasant one for her, but if more were like him, then they couldn’t all be bad. He did own goblin slaves, though.
Goblins made their camps in filthy caves, venturing out only to kill and plunder anything they came across.
They were smaller in stature and lacked strength and magic, but what they lacked in power, they made up for in numbers.
They had short lives and multiplied quickly.
Their raids were chaotic and ruthless, driven more by greed or desperation than strategy, and they infected the wilds like parasites, so it was best to kill them outright.
But to the Dark Elves, the goblins were commodities much like the dark oxen they raised and the gems they mined and grew wealthy from.
As they left the manor, passing the goblin slaves carrying rocks out of the mine, she had to look away, not being able to stomach it. Drool formed on a female goblin’s mouth as she stared blankly into the void ahead of her while carrying a heavy load of rocks on her back.
The sound of a whip cracked, drawing her attention. The goblin hadn’t woken from the charm spell, but she did go a little faster after that.
Light Elves held goblin raids every now and then.
If she had joined the military, she would have gone on many by now.
When goblins encroached on their lands, they would send units out to slaughter the entire camp.
This meant killing every female and child, too.
If even one goblin was left, that goblin could join another camp.
She had no problem with raiding goblin camps and killing goblins. Why should she have a problem with the slavery of goblins?
Perhaps because she, too, was viewed as a “slave” and therefore something to control and buy with coin. No other races of elves were allowed in the Evergloom, and if found, they were turned into slaves as punishment.
And why was she having these philosophical debates in her head now? Didn’t have enough trouble already, she needed this too?
But … she couldn’t change how Dark Elves viewed her just as much as she couldn’t change how her kind viewed Dark Elves. It was pointless to try. Just make it out of the Evergloom alive, that was her only job. After she got the information she needed, of course.
Shikra didn’t view her as just a slave.
She let this thought settle.