The Elven Queen

CHAPTER 9

It’s been 2 weeks since my call with Khalfani, I wish I could say more of my questions were answered, but that would be a lie, for the past 2 weeks I’ve lived in the palace library searching and hoping for answers, clues of any kind to tell me what that thing was

Never before in all my life have I felt such bone chilling fear, I close my eyes and bring my hand to neck subconsciously, I can almost feel that crushing air of oppression, strangling me, trying to consume me, mocking me, for 2 weeks whenever I go to sleep I’m back in that clearing, sometimes I’m running as it chases me others I’ve already been caught and the thick cloud of black mist swallows me whole and I shoot awake in cold sweat, panting, I hated it, I will find it and by Queen Sophia I will Murder it, not realizing my free hand had balled into fists squeezing the century old book that documented the history of my people till a gentle hand rested on my fist pulling me back from the depths of my own mind, I look up to see two warm gentle eyes staring intently at me, filled with so much worry

“Hello Tinka” I said hoping the smile on my face was convincing enough to reassure her, unable to bear the weight of her concern filled gaze I look down at the unfortunate book that received the brunt of my anger and nearly slapped myself across the face.

The book was a gift from Eadins given to my mother by the former Queen of Eadins it documented their myth of the Origin of the first elf as a sign of friendship, the people of Eadins believed that Long ago when the islands were at the bottom of the sea and the mountains were mere boulders, there lived a Race of people, they had no fangs, no wings, no horns, no magic, they were ordinary people with ordinary faces who came in all shapes and sizes, spoke different kinds of languages and lived all over the globe, they believe that everyone, not just elves but people of all races originated from the evolution of those people.

How preposterous, I thought as I closed the book and shoved it aside taking my head in my hands and massaging my throbbing temple, soon my hands were replaced by another, a pairs of small, scarred, callous hands, the hands of an assassin, rubbing soothing circles on my temple, I threw my head back in appreciation beckoning her to continue, what skilled hands they were.

I could already feel the pain lessening, lost In bliss, I opened my eyes slightly to peak at Tinka, of course with a smile on her face always eager to please, I couldn’t help but think back to the first time I met the Twins, many years ago.

I was thirteen, when the disappearance of elves was at its peak, nations all over the world were at their wits end and Sylphorren was no different, the country was in chaos, elves were disappearing, orphans as far as the eye could see and because of that it wasn’t uncommon to find child laborers all over the place, even the castle had an errand boy or two, hence where I met the twins.

There was nothing particularly special about them, just a brother and sister typical silvery grey hair, blue skin, the brother being darker skinned, a common characteristic of male moon Elves, he was about two maybe three years older than me, what stuck them out though was the look in their eyes, they didn’t look like the rest of the children that worked all over the castle or any other Sylphorren citizen, they looked….. hungry, for what?

I wondered

My question was soon answered on my leisurely walk through the palace garden, there, I felt it, a feeling I knew all too well, anger, malice, hatred, bloodlust, coated on the tip of a silver arrow aimed at me, on impulse I pulled out the dagger on my hip and threw it in the direction of that menacing aura, flying after the dagger Itotia ran in the same direction soon followed by a groan of pain.

This is going to be interesting I remember thinking, as I continued my leisure walk in the direction of the screams of agony, arriving at their location I noticed the male twin pinned to the tree by his thigh courtesy of my dagger and the female tackled to the ground her arm bent at an unnatural angle by Itotia

“Hello” I beckoned in a sickeningly sweet voice, “you’re a little far from the kitchen don’t you think?...” I continue to egg them on “.. That’s a really dangerous toys you have there” I gesture at the bow in the boy’s hand, arrow filled quiver long confiscated and resting on itotia's back along with the girl’s crude looking daggers “Tell me, what did you plan to do with those?”

Looking me dead in the eye the boy spat at me the wet goo landing on my shoe, unamused I calmly walked towards Itotia and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back, I lowered myself till I was sitting on my hind legs level with the girl pinned to the ground by my shadow’s knee then with as much strength as I could muster I sharply drove the arrow into her thigh, she let out a scream so loud, so blood curdling that I felt my ears ring, the boy yelled out

“NOOOOOO….”

Unwavering I pick up another one and in the same thigh I drive in the second arrow inches away from the first one

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’’ he screamed thrashing around in the tree trying to pull out the dagger that kept him firmly rooted which would be impossible for him to pull out, the dagger was crafted by the palace artisan, its blade was jarred with wedges designed to make it impossible to pull out without training.

Unfazed I pick a third arrow and drive it into the same thigh inches away from the second one going in a straight line down her leg as if playing connect the dots, I pick a fourth one…

“STOP, PLEASE, I’M SORRY, I’LL TALK, PLEASE…….. please” his voice shrinks into a whisper as his tear filled eyes plead with me “...the arrows are laced with poison, I have the antidote, please let me give it to her” he begs in a frenzy and throws a transparent bottle to the ground

I look at the hysterical girl on the ground her leg slightly turning purple probably from the poison I look at the bottle on the ground inches away from me and say

“how about you tell me, who sent you first THEN I’ll give her the antidote”

“SHE’S DYING!!!” he bellowed

“Then I suggest you talk fast”

His eyes grew wide in horror when he realized I wasn’t going to budge “YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!!!! YOU NOBLES ARE ALL THE SAME!! How COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS?!!!! HOW COULD YOU EVER UNDERSTAND THE HORRORS WE’VE SEEN?!! THE HORRORS WE KNOW!! YOU ALL THINK SO LITTLE OF US!!! SO YES!!!! WE TOOK UP A BOUNTY TO HUNT FOR YOUR HEAD, WHY WOULD’NT WE WHEN YOU ABANDONED US?!!! YOU LEFT US ALL TO DIE, SLAUGHTERED LIKE MERE LIVESTOCK WHILE YOU HIDE AWAY BEHIND YOUR STEEL COLUMNS AND MARBLE WALLS YOUR PEOPLE BLEED!!!’’ he finished eyes blazing and stained from the endless stream of tears going down his face, face pale probably from all the blood he lost with the dagger still in his thigh and panting from exhaustion caused from his little speech or that could also be from the blood loss

“So…. There’s a bounty on my head?” I lulled out my head rolling back, eyes closed deep in thought, when I finally open them they land on the boy still stuck in a tree this time with a sheer look of disbelief on his face, probably dumbstruck by my audacity.

I pick up the bottle on the ground the yanked the head of the female twin by her hair using my thumb to pry her teeth open I pull off the cork of the antidote with my teeth then empty the content of the bottle into her mouth, shifting my attention to the boy in the tree I dig my heels into the ground I launch myself off at a steady pace then begin to vertically run up the side of the tree reaching the nearest branch I squat then launch myself off onto the next and continue as I draw closer to the boy

Shaken by my sudden burst he tries to run but still pinned he loses his balance and falls of the branch now dangling off it by the dagger in his thigh, reaching him I stopped to look at his pathetic state then in one fall swop I pull out the dagger and he lands on the ground with a thud, He sits up immediately and crawls towards the his sister only to be pinned once again this time by Itotia’s Icy glare, a truly frightful expression especially for a freshly pubescent teenager but I do have to admit I admire his tenacity

“Let them go” I beckoned with a dismissing wave of my hand, Itotia rises off the girl and gives them room, wasting no time he scampers to his sister's side and scoops his sister in his as they both proceed to stares daggers at me, the boy heavily injured with a nasty gash in his thigh, the girl barely escaping the claws of death, face still pale and ashy yet they manage to muster such scorn filled expressions, what a sight indeed

I make myself comfortable, sitting idly on the bloody branch that formerly held him hostage, legs crossed I begin “Are you angry? Do you feel wronged? Do you want justice? Revenge? Do you hate me?’” silence, only hateful glares evident that I had their attention “What are your names?”

“Gabor and she is….”

“I would like to hear it from her” I cut him off

“Tinka” she replies in a voice low as a whisper liken to the jingle of soft bells

“Tinka” I repeated testing the name “...Well, Gabor, Tinka, Join me, Fight for me, live for me”

“Why?” Gabor asked

“So your lives will once again have purpose, aren’t you tired of this current order? this never ending circle? Don’t you want to break it? Join me and I’ll show you a world you never imagined, Who knows if you stay by my side long enough you might get another chance to kill me, OR, I could kill you right now the choice is yours really”

“Why us?” he asked again

I jumped down from the branch I was perched on and landed gracefully in a mock curtsey

My reply “I like the look in your eyes”

And the rest as they say was history, I got an instructor for Gabor and Tinka under Itotia’s supervision they began their training to become shadows, we later found out that they were actually kidnapped in Durghan as well, they barely escaped the Elven sacrifice, their accounts aided in our crusade and we developed a sort of master servant relationship but not your typical one, we weren’t close enough to be considered friends but we weren’t not friends if that made sense

Thinking of how far we came from them trying to assassinate me I couldn’t help but chuckle

“A penny for your thoughts” playfully mused Tinka who was still massaging my temple

I looked up at her with her big smile, hair up in a ponytail, silver eyes sparkling, on her forehead a diamond shaped tattoo, the same as the one on itotia, Gabor and the all my other shadow's foreheads, it was the mark of the Queen’s shadows “Nothing” I answered “..I’m just glad I didn’t kill you two”

My answer caused her to puff her cheeks up in a pout crossing her arms, feigning offense, followed by a genuine smile “me too” she chimed

Our little moment was cut by Arya walking into the library “Your Grace the final preparations for your trip to Lumeris is finished and awaiting your approval, also you are yet to give a final list of the envoy going with you”

“of course I’ll be right there” I answered and she stepped out with a small bow, I turned to Tinka “Shall we?” with a bow of her own she pulls up her hood and mask leaving only her eyes and diamond tattoo visible then proceeds to jump into the ceiling and into the shadows, presence erased, disappearing perfectly into thin air, a shadow indeed, I think as I pull out my seat and head out the library entrance to finalize the preparations for my travel