The Arena

The black chamber

After Safina finished healing her, Alera was escorted to her cell by four guards this time. She was tired but impatient. She would have returned to her cell the moment she woke up, but Safina wouldn't even hear it, insisting she sit still, allowing her to finish healing her. Alera's body didn't hurt anymore, but her mind and heart were full of dark thoughts and worries.

She knew that Tellor, at least, was healed, but she wanted to see him with her own eyes. Asendriel's situation, however, was an entirely different story and it was bad. According to Safina, he wasn't sent to the healing quarters, but several guards came to escort one of the healers to the Black chamber.

She remembered that place, having been sent there herself, in her first days, after her first fight, as punishment for killing Baruing's client. The chamber was nothing more than a cell, but the black part came from its position: deep underground. Built deep within the earth's belly, with no windows, the black chamber turns completely dark once the door is locked. Not even guards are stationed there and now Asendriel was more than likely locked there, all alone with the overwhelming darkness.

Her heart ached as her mind was filled with thoughts about him. He was alive, otherwise there wouldn't have been any need to get a healer who didn't return even when Safina finished healing her. But does this mean that his wounds were that terrible? She didn't know what happened to him between the moment the guards captured him atop the tribune and the moment he arrived in the dungeon, but he looked horrible, even in the dim light.

Metallic rattling sounds made her aware of her surroundings: they had reached the cells. As she walked the long corridor to her cell, she looked around the others. Baruing had never filled all the cells and, as a result, there were several empty ones that separated her and the other two blood elves from the rest of the prisoners. But looking around now, even those that were filled in the past were missing more than a third of their occupants.

Finally, she spotted Tellor. The blonde blood elf was sitting in his cell, facing her direction, leaning against the wall, with a broken look on his face.

'You'd do best not to pull any more stunts like the one from earlier, for the time being', snickered one of the guards at them, as he locked Alera's cell.

'Are you alright?' she whispered as soon as the guards were far enough not to hear them. She leaned her head on the metallic bars so she could hear him better.

'I have seen better days. What about you?'

Alera couldn't answer. She wanted to say so many things, yet nothing came out. She wanted to apologise for her suggestion, for his wounds, for Asendriel's disappearance, for everything, but the words refused to leave her mouth.

'Alera', Tellor started in a low, gentle whisper, as if reading her thoughts, 'no one could have predicted this. Do not blame yourself for this.'

She shook her head in disapproval, even though Tellor couldn't see her.

Silence broke between them, but she finally managed to speak:

'I'm the one who suggested this mad idea. It's because of me-'

'It's because of you that we get to live another day', Tellor cut her reply short. 'The only one at fault here is Baruing for making this hellish place exist'

.'Another day maybe', she responded, lowering her head. 'But who knows what will happen tomorrow?! I don't want to be forced to fight one of you again...'

Her silent sobs were carried to Tellor's cell and his heart ached hearing her. No words were spoken for a short period. No matter what kind words Tellor may say to her, she knew this was all her fault and she couldn't see a way out of this. No matter how far she searched and thought and planned, nothing brought a resolve to their situation. Suddenly the thoughts of freedom seemed so far away, and the plan they managed to come up with, seemed like fantasy. They couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. And in response, her tears flowed down her cheeks.

'Tellor, they took him to the black chamber...', she managed to say between tears of despair. 'They locked him there and I don't know how we can get him out or if he will survive. I don't know where the chamber is located. I don't know if Baruing will even give him food. I don't know if he's even alive!'

'The what?' Tellor asked, confused, moving next to the cell bars.
'The black chamber...it's a cell buried deep beneath the dungeons. With no light....only darkness. Safina told me a healer was escorted there and this is the only reason I can think of.', she said in a single breath, wiping her tears away.

'Was the healer back when you had to leave the healing ward?', Tellor asked hopefully.

'No...But I asked Safina to find out what she could from her, when she returns.'

'So, until one of us reaches the healing quarters, we won't know anything about Asendriel...'

'Correct...'

'Alright, tomorrow I'll fight in the arena.'

'Are you mad?!', Alera bursted when she heard Tellor. 'If you enter, who knows whom he will put you up against!'

'If it's not you, I will be alright.', he chuckled back at her.

'This is no laughing matter!', she argued back. 'If you enter that arena, you will have to kill again! And Baruing won't let you off easily. There is a high chance he will summon me. Leave this in my hands, I'm sure my punishment is not over either and tomorrow there's a fight with my name on it. Please!', she begged. 'I couldn't stand the thought of having you taken away as well...or worse...'

The cells were all damp and cold, but Tellor felt his face a bit warm. He leaned against the common wall and stood still for a moment. Her plea was still echoing in his mind, but he didn't want her to enter the arena either.

'Have you ever been to the black chamber?' he asked, trying to change the subject.

'Yes, once.' she mumbled. 'After my first fight, Baruing had sent me there as punishment for killing his customer. It was horrible! All that darkness...I thought I was going mad. Safina told me I've been locked for three days, but to me it seemed like three weeks.'

'You were just a child', whispered Tellor gently. 'Don't worry, Asendriel will be alright. I promise!'

The sun was long gone below the horizon when Alera decided to try to get some sleep. The day had been a long one, even if their fight was short. The clouds didn't let up all day and refused to leave the sky even at night time so now the night seemed darker than ever.

She laid down, facing the common wall, closing her eyes. It hadn't been long since she had met the two blood elves, but, after several minutes of trying and failing to fall asleep, she realised that she missed Asendriel. She missed holding his hand which became, in a very short time, a beacon of light and hope for her, in the dark night that covered the Badlands and the Arena. She would have given anything to trade places with him. Knowing him safe and sound was more than she needed to face the black chamber.

But then, in the quiet darkness that laid still in the dungeon corridor, another hand grabbed hers gently, silently promising to keep watch over her. She squeezed Tellor's hand, but to her surprise, the sensation was different. The void in her heart shrunk, but it didn't disappear completely.