✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

47

"Welcome to Dae taur," the elf across from me says gruffly, looking out the window. I recognize the words to roughly translate to 'shadow forest' in English.

I press my forehead to the cold glass, straining to see further ahead.

Shadow descends over the carriage, and I now understand the name of the Cin's home.

The regular forest ends abruptly, and the trees get denser and darker. The leaves are so closely packed overhead I can't tell if they're actually grey or if it's due to the lack of light. barely any light is able to penetrate the thick canopy of branches and leaves, resulting in all of the land around and ahead of me to be covered in a blanket of shadow. Goosebumps prickle onto my skin as the temperature instantly drops. Fog plumes out of my mouth when I exhale.

Similar to the elves in Bhailewood, the Cin have houses attached to the trees. They look the same as the ones I'm used to seeing, just less cared for; less detailed, more like they were just thrown together. Cin clearly don't care that much about architecture. Buildings also litter the ground, with dirt paths cleared of snow and ice. I notice that there aren't any doors in the trees themselves. The trees are much smaller than those in Bhailewood. Still huge compared to Earth trees, but a lot smaller.

Elves, most with black hair and black clothes, roam the streets. I guess with evil I expected the place to be depressing, but I was wrong. It's less depressing, more intriguing in a creepy way. Like when you see a dark alleyway or abandoned house that scares you to look at, but at the same time you're curious and kind of want to go check it out.

The center of the town, city, whatever, seems to be where the leader of the Cin must live. It's less like a elven castle in the trees, more like a big house. It's huge, don't get me wrong, and it's built around one of the largest trees here, but it's nothing compared to the main tree Rose and Knox live in. This one is made of seamless, dark wood. The whole thing is built around a tree, making it super wide. There have to be at least six floors, if not more. The thing is huge, I'll give them that. There are lots of stone-cased windows, and the top of it, so high up I have to press my face to the carriage window to see, has four stone-wood turrets, probably for watching the town.

The carriage stops and the two Cin across from me hop out, one grabbing my arm and pulling me out, walking me forward to the huge double doors of the... Mansion? Castle? Who knows.

"I can walk you know," I mutter even as I favor my uninjured leg noticeably, sounding much more casual than I feel. The shock has subsided for now, but it won't be long until something else takes its place.

Each step sends tendrils of pain down my leg, and I'm pretty sure the wound has started bleeding again, which is concerning. Blood loss is serious, and I doubt anyone here will want to help me.

Inside is pretty much what I expected from the outside. The foyer is a huge hallway with a blood red carpet lining it. Candles line the walls, adding some warmth to the gloomy natural light coming from the windows. The ceiling is really high, with unexpectedly detailed wooden arches. And hey, it's warm in here, thank god.

The foyer immediately opens up to what must be the 'throne room.' It's so big our footsteps echo when we enter. At the end of the room is one throne. The 'throne' is just a plain, smooth stone chair with an emerald green pillow and one huge, glittering black crystal embedded near the top of it. The seat is empty.

"Welcome Mia," a voice says in Elvish, his low tone echoing through the specious room. The voice belongs to an elf who steps out of the shadows next to the throne. He has long black hair that's done up simply, and black robes with shiny black detailing. There is a long, get this, black sword strapped to his hip. He looks familiar.