“I will not go back with you” Taya hissed. Jasper also had his hands raised in an attempt to show that they were not a danger.
“We have not come to hurt you; we have come to assist you.” Jasper said, his tone calm and reassuring.
“This man” Taya pointed to Zoeloft, “Held me captive against my will for over two years, he is evil.” Jasper turned to Zoeloft.
Is this true my friend?” He asked, again, his voice was cool and relaxed. Zoeloft mumbled his words, doing his best not say the truth. His devilish eyes were dancing, searching, scheming, and trying to find a way to convince the onlookers that he was in fact innocent.
“Yes, it was wrong , I am sorry for what I have done. Taya, I have come to apologize to you for the wrongs that I have committed against you. You are so dear to me, and after all the trials I have faced throughout my life, I have found joy in your smile and happiness that I had not known before. I did not know how to treat you, I was insecure and alone. Please give me one more chance to redeem myself to you. I am begging you, I have changed and I am ready to do well by you.” J’vonte’ analyzed all that Zoeloft said; she was unsure whether or not it was the truth, it was so believable, yet perhaps his eyes, his lying eyes held the secret that would not reveal itself to her.
Zoeloft’s eyes were watering and though he was not a changed man, at least some of what he said was the truth. Jasper looked at his friend in true disappointment, after all those nights battling the idea of a wicked man, believing it could never be true. The friendship became broken. Jasper could not look at Zoeloft the same, he was a shell of the person he used to know. Despite how Jasper felt, he decided he would try to find the boy in Zoeloft; he knew there was at least a seed of truth behind the grand apology.
Raymond rode on Jasper’s back, intently listening to the conversation taking place in front of him. His head perked up, ears tuned to the sounds outside of the tower. On the cool draft rushing through the open window, he heard the cold voices approaching.
“Do not leave any home, any room, any part of the castle go unsearched” the voice said. Raymond shushed the conversation between Taya and Zoeloft, halting the apology. J’vonte’ stood, completely still, her eyes wandering in an attempt to find the voice that was hunting for them. Taya closed her eyes just as Bastian did, but again gave up, opening her eyes again, frustratedly. She made a mental note that she had been unable to see her surroundings with her eyes closed when she was upset, or panicked. Taya relaxed her body, she would learn in time to control every emotion and every feeling that would spurn her vision. Jasper moved to the window, on an angle so that he could just see a crack of the outside. He saw what looked like a lieutenant directing elves into several buildings. He leaned forward to whisper to Zoeloft.
“They will be in here soon, they are only two buildings aways. We need to leave now” His voice was urgent, and Zoeloft saw the panicked look in his eyes. Zoeloft’s eyes told Jasper that he did not want to leave the women, that he would stand by them, even if they had to defend them against whatever came through the door. The voices grew louder, and J’vonte’ unsheathed her long doubled edged knife. Her grip was firm and her hand was steady as she raised it to the top of the stairs. A door creaked and footsteps could be heard approaching the corridor leading to the bottom of the stairs. J’vonte’ back away from the stairs, raising her finger to her lips as she did. The five companions fell perfectly still and perfectly silent. The footsteps echoed down below, and gradually, began to climb the stairs. One stair at a time, consistently, thump thump, thump thump, thump thump. Taya held her breath, being sure to not make a sound. At first a foot came into sight, covered cleanly by a boot with designs running up the sides. The rest of the elf came into view. J’vonte’ shot forward, slicing his neck as she did so, moving past him and stabbing the second elf that Taya was unaware was even there, in the heart and in a second motion snapping the young elf’s neck. All that was heard was gush of blood and the crunch of the elf’s neck being twisted.
“Quickly, through the door.” J’vonte’ said, motioning to the door that they had originally entered. Her voice was firm, the firmness shown in someone who has taken control, and is ready to lead. Jasper was the first to respond, moving to the door and slowly opening it so that it did not creak. With Raymond on his shoulders he did his best to be quiet, tip toeing out unto the castle wall. Raymond pointed up ahead to another stair way that lead straight down into a house, which they had seen searched not moments ago. Jasper placed the young boy down, encouraging him to scout for anymore elves, it would be easiest for him to escape alive if alone. The four remaining at the foot of the stairs split to either side, keeping a lookout while they awaited the signal. Raymond moved slowly across the wall, trying to look as innocent as possible. Under the disguise of a shadow he looked over the wall, eyes in search of any danger, looking back he waves the group to advance. Raymond reaches the top of the stairs, he sees a faint flicker of light below and some mumbled voices. Testing his luck he descends down the flight of stairs slowly. There were hole worn in Raymond's cloth shoes, the stone stairs were cold on his toes. The boy was overridden with fear, but he had to make sure the path was safe. Taking a deep breath the boy made it to the final stair, he looked up, looking back he could make out Jasper's face, proud and assuring, his safety.
"Nobody's this way." Loud and clear, an elf stood right around the base of the stairs, panicking Raymond sat on the last stair.
"Should we search the wall again?"
"We can't chance not finding them. Let's go."
"You follow, I'll lead." Azar was rounding the corner, the young boy shut his eyes, pretending to snooze. The large destruction prone elf nearly tripped over him, in rage he grabbed the sleeping boy by the poorly tailored jacket that cocooned the child. He swung them both around, Azar's back to the stairs and Raymond's face to the light. Feet dangling far above the ground the boy looked back at the elf clenching him harder every second.
"Excuse me sir." Raymond kept up the sleepy boy act."Why are you disturbing my slumber?" Without much words following, the elves decided to leave the young one in tact and take him to Akeldama. There was a chance he knew something. The sacrifice of the boy cleared the way for the rest of the group to make to the empty accommodation. Quickly they all rushed in, and turned off all the lights, Jasper looked out the window, pausing in honor of Raymond's duty.
"What now?" J'vonte' asked the men. "Are we going after the boy?"
"No." Taya snapped back, she was still taken by the presence of her enemy, anything that had to do with him she was not going to fight for.
"She's right." Jasper turned back and faced the others. The room was dark, but everybody could lightly see the silhouettes of others. "They don't know who he is, he'll be safe." Zoeloft uncover a small wooden stool and dusted it off, placing it beside Taya.
"We know why we came, but what is you're business here?" He took a seat. J'vonte' and Taya took turns in detail describing what they knew, which wasn't much.
“My father has been captured, by dark elves of the west. He is alive, but we do not know why he is of value to them.”
“These elves possess some kind of power, that originates from the jewels that they stole” Taya said. “My locket was apparently one of the jewels he was in search of, along with your father’s ring.” She looked at J’vonte’ her hair covering most of one eye.
“And you intend to, destroy the elves and rescue your father?” Zoeloft responded to J’vonte’ in sarcastically.
“Why not!? Why can’t we defeat this enemy? What makes them stronger than us? I have fought all my life, and I never knew what I was fighting for, until I lost my father; until I realized that he was the bravest of us all; until the light of dawn washes away the destruction and evil of the night. I will do whatever I can to save my father and my people. This is an act of love.”
The room fell silent. Zoeloft fearing to speak and Jasper lost for words. Taya placed her hand on J’vonte’s shoulder.
“We will not abandon him, but there must be a better way than an outright attack.”
“Raymond is in the midst of it all, if we could make contact with him, we could find the weak points of the elves defense; perhaps attack from the inside?” Suggested Jasper.
“Are we in agreement?” Asked J’vonte’. Taya and their new companions nodded their heads. The party of four began to plan the assault of a lifetime.
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