Elfborn: The Quest

Finding a Monster

Eje sighed as she rubbed at the aching muscles of her neck, her new apartment door directly in front of her. While still in the novices' quarters, it was quite removed from the old apartment she had, where Ineen met her unfortunate demise. Eje sighed again. With all that had happened, she wasn't granted the time to properly mourn and pray over the soul of her departed friend.

The diminutive Jebusin shook her head at that thought as she reached out to slip the bulky iron key into the door's lock. Such locks were a relatively new thing in Evindel and it had taken her life being threatened for Eje to rate one. Of course it wouldn't stop a determined Mist man but magical wards would. All she had to do was set them up! 'So much has happened, I don't think anyone can properly resume their day-to-day lives without some serious prayer and reflection,' she silently mused. 'If we get out of this alive, we'll have plenty of time to mourn those that have been lost!'

With a click, the locking mechanism sprung aside and the door opened when Eje turned the handle. Nodding in satisfaction, she stepped inside, the room dark. She left the door open a crack so that the light from the lanterns out in the hallway would see her to the lamp she had on the table.

Her hand had just touched the lamp's smooth brass base when a soft voice exclaimed out of the darkness.

"Oh, don't spoil this beautiful darkness with that ragged flame, good sister. Tarry a while with us in shadow!"

A chill slithered down Eje's spine at the sound of the voice, catching her completely unaware. But her hand was already in the process of striking the steel lighter to the flint spark plate and, with a flare, the lamp's oil-soaked wick caught on the first strike, filling the room with a gently orange light.

Which quickly revealed the source of the voice, standing casually in the corner, using a shoulder to lean against the wall. He was bracketed on either side by the dark cloaked form of a Mist man.

"Brice," Eje hissed, anger at the betrayal enough to push back the fear of the Mist men for a brief moment. "So it was you that assassinated the Pade! Only an Elfborn had the strength and speed necessary to accomplish it, without needing to leave the Vestican."

"Guilty as charged," Brice replied mockingly, bowing slightly at the waist. "And aren't you glad? She was such an insufferable irritation, sticking her nose in where it wasn't wanted. My master wasn't too pleased to learn her Invigilators were now crawling all over western Evindel in search of him and his lair. Which you, of course, found."

"Your master? An Elfborn serving Astor??" Eje gasped in disbelief. "But he nearly slaughtered you in the Kava! How can you turn to him now??"

The slender Elfborn shrugged.

"Let's just say he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Something called 'my life'." A cold smile touched the thin young man's lips. "He's quite the bargainer, my liege lord."

"So was it you, or your Mist men lackeys that launched the massacres in the healers' complex and the novices' quarters?" she demanded, her anger still holding off her fear. But not by much. Even as the last word fell from her mouth, she found herself looking at the unmoving figures in black. Hastily she began looking through her mental resume of spells, hoping to find one that would have an effect on the nightmare creatures.

"Again I'll take the blame for that." If anything, Brice's smile became even colder. "It served to throw the paladins and the Guardsmen into disarray, allowing me to easily find a way to penetrate the Rectory and kill de Castillo. And besides, it was fun! I quickly discovered why Astor is in such a hurry to renew the War of Domination. Killing is exhilarating!"