"Waverly friend?" Cassiope yelped in alarm as she searched the room. "Oh, where has she gone?"
Waverly crawled out from the other side of the bed, where she had been lying on the cold floor. "I am here, Cassiope."
Cassiope wore mortified look, and blue tears leaked from her large eyes. "Oh, it is terrible. Terrible! I heard them say it is."
Waverly rushed forward and guided her to sit. She struggled with the panic that was rising to her throat like bile. It had been four days since she sent Goody away with her letter, and he was yet to return, and she had purposefully shied away from asking Cassiope about how fast the pigeon could travel.
"Calm yourself, alright. Tell me what you have heard." Waverly cooed. In truth, she was trembling, and the knowledge Cassiope was about to share burned bright behind her eyes. She knew what her friend was about to say.
"I heard it from Loni. She is the Honeysuckle. She was telling my cousins about our Queen, the Lady Daya." Cassiope paused, wiping the tears from under her eyelids.
"My Lady says the King has received bad news. There are attacks all across the other realms."
Waverly's gaze dropped to the ground then fixed on Cassiope's. "Did he say exactly where those attacks happened?"
Cassiope fidgeted in discomfort. "Yes. The angel people suffer first."
"Angel people?" She asked in utter confusion.
The flower spirit stuttered, trying to recall the proper name. "I. . . their name is hard to remember. They look like big human flying insects."
Waverly's eyebrow went up. For a moment, her nightmare flashed in her mind. "Shades."
"Oh, that is them. And there are big fires everywhere, children go missing because big birds snatch them from their mothers, and. . ."
Waverly watched Cassiope. There was suddenly a lot of hesitation in the latter's eyes.
"And what?"
Cassiope looked sympathetically at her, a single tear rolling down her chubby, glistening cheek. "Your native land is also burning. . . some places in it."
Waverly let her hand drop from Cassiope's shoulder and sat down heavily on the bed. A myriad of emotions rolled through her.
How could such a thing be happening and the Elves were silent?
"Goody has not since returned, has he?" Cassiope asked carefully.
Waverly turned to her. "I would not know if he has."
Suddenly, a light tapping from above drew the attention of the pair. Waverly and Cassiope glanced up at the strange noise then at each other. It was like a gentle knock on the roof, and it sounded like whoever was knocking used a pointy object instead of their knuckles.
Cassiope suddenly brightened. "It is Goody."
She floated upward as if steered by the wind and reached through the golden circle in the ceiling. Her hand passed like smoke through, and when she drew it back in, Goody was resting on her fingers.
Cassiope looked down at Waverly. "He brings you a letter."
She floated downward, carefully working the roll of parchment off the bird's talon then handed it over to Waverly before her feet touched the ground again.
Waverly quickly unrolled the cream colored parchment. She recognized it as the same one HalfHyde loved to write in and the memory of it alone became so overpowering and nostalgic that she felt lightheaded.
"Are you alright?" Cassiope gasped, reaching to hold her arm.
"Yes. I am alright." She assured and sat down on her bed then smoothened out the parchment where careful scribbles had been made in black ink.
It was in HalfHyde's handwriting – beautiful and neat as if Graffia herself, the goddess of handwritings had penned it down.
It read;
"Child! It be a gladness to my heart and conscience that ye writes to me after such long a time. I reckon ye does well wherever it be that ye writes from. Tis a start of the perilous times that ye mother told of ye so long a time ago. I hear fearful stories about kidnaps and fire and death from local folk in tis parts. Folk travel and return never again. Danger lurks abroad now, child and I hear a certain alleging rumor that tis the boy ye calls friend is who causes tis tremble amongst Kings and Men. Ye must be careful in dealings ye concern with, Waverly. I am assured that ye will care good for ye form and those around ye. I am well and so is Lake Borough. Tis attacks comes not near our dwelling as our King has avouched security for folk from every corner. None leaves the town and none is permitted to come in. I will await your next letter. Tis be a very worrisome pigeon that delivers it. He eats all of my ginger bread. With care, Pa."
Waverly sighed and put the parchment down.
Cassiope stared expectantly at her, twiddling her thumbs. "What did your father say?"
"It is terrible indeed." She stated dryly, staring into space.
"Oh!" Cassiope exclaimed with a shudder, placing both hands on her cheek. "Why is this happening? Who is doing such bad things to good people?"
Waverly wanted to answer her questions, but her tongue seemed to glue itself to the roof of her mouth. She felt it better to leave her friend in the dark so that she could live her life without fear. She thought that maybe that was what the Elf King was doing as well. He probably muffled the news of the attacks to allow his kindred to live in peace as best they could. She found herself relaxing slightly at the thought, assuring herself that it was for the best.
"Cassiope, will you please go and bring me another parchment?" She requested.
Cassiope nodded, stood up and floated through the wall.
For days and days after, Waverly constantly wrote to HalfHyde and he to her. Goody improved in his task of delivering the letters faster as he became familiar with his destination. HalfHyde's letters helped Waverly deal with her time in confinement. She told him little by little about the ordeal she had faced whilst traveling to find treatment for Judson, of his abduction and her current status as a detainee. HalfHyde was not happy with that bit. He scolded her for acting so rashly, yet gave her words of comfort, promising that she would soon be released.
Cassiope, on the other hand, brought as much news as she could – festivities of the Floom which had started in full swing and would last another two months, new babies that had been born to certain important Elvish couples, new flowers migrated from Ezkaliepton, the King's soldiers doing their best to seal every entrance and exit in Alpgeton under His Majesty's orders, emissaries and ambassadors arriving from other realms to talk about an alliance including the very isolated Vestonians, surprise attacks taking over more parts of Bremeton and Dakriton, more hostages and captives getting kidnapped by strange, large eagles, and so on.
These news were like a mix of concoction to Waverly – some sweet and some very sour. She tried to take them all in with an equal amount of mental exertion, but it proved rather difficult.
On a particular day, the guards came to pay her a visit. She sat cross-legged on her bed. The bedsheets were now decorated with blue flowery patterns – courtesy of Cassiope – when a door frame appeared in the wall. It was so sudden that Waverly jumped up, startled.
Two guards regally marched into the room, carrying white tipped spears. They were dressed in the same uniform; a green and black vest, a short black cape, dark green trousers and black boots. On the left side of their breasts was a golden plaque encrusted with the image of a four headed lion. None had honorary medals on their uniform and so Waverly guessed they were just palace guards.
"Our Generals have found no threats in this thing you carry." One of them announced.
His white hair and beige colored eyes told Waverly he was a Snow Elf. He presented the blue wristband. In his hand, it looked very dull, like something a child would use as a slingshot.
"Although, Chedor spoke about it turning into a very strange weapon before his eyes. Many witnesses confess it is tis they saw happen for certain." The other guard added, eyeing Waverly spitefully. He looked older and had glossy dark hair.
"Our superiors have ordered for the item to be returned to its owner and that is why we have come." The first Elf continued, ignoring his comrade. "You may have your property back."
Waverly walked over to receive Calaire. It hummed in her own grip, but she was sure that despite their keen ears, neither of the Elves could hear it. When she looked up, the Snow Elf was staring at her. There was something about his look that told her he knew there was more to the wristband, but kept quiet for her sake.
"Many thanks, good sirs." She managed.
"The King has decided not yet to bring ye forth for trial because he thinks it be unworthy of his time." The second Elf begrudgingly piped. Waverly wondered if he was making it up.
"Ye looks not as a threat and much things bigger to worry about he has. So enjoy the time ye has in here."
With that, the Elf turned and exited the room. The Snow Elf lingered, gazing intently at her, and she thought he would say something, but he also quietly turned around and left. The door disappeared with him gone.
Waverly put Calaire to her chest. She had missed the wristband without realizing it as it was the only thing she owned that connected her to her parents. The dull blue wristband suddenly shimmered, casting a blue light against the white floors.
Waverly held it forward and it sprung into a crescent blade, gleaming silver and blue. She gave a genuine smile. She had truly missed it.
"Ooh!" Cassiope exclaimed from behind.
Waverly jerked in surprise, causing her to drop the blade. It clattered to the ground and shrunk back into a wristband.
"Do not startle me that way, Cassiope." She gasped, placing a hand to her chest.
The spirit smiled. "I apologize. I was just admiring this thing you held just now." She gazed at the wristband and frowned. "Where has it gone?"
Waverly heaved a sigh and picked up the wristband. It sprang into a crescent once again.
Cassiope clapped happily. "How does it do that? Is it magic? It must be magic, very strong magic. Where did you find it?"
Calaire shrunk back to a wristband, and Waverly put it around her wrist. "My mother gave it to me."
"You never speak about your mother. Who is she? She must know magic to be able to give that to you, she must."
Waverly climbed on her bed. "She knows a little magic."
Cassiope followed and sat beside her. "A little magic cannot make something like that."
Waverly turned to Cassiope, but the latter seemed to be suddenly interested in the drooping flower on her hair. She plucked it off and examined it in her palm, her lips pouting in upset.
"Is it dead?"
Waverly touched the petal. It felt limp and dry. "I do not know. Hmm! It probably just needs water, or a bit of sunlight. Maybe Jud can. . . "
She bit her lower lip in regret. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about Judson.
Cassiope stared on, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Jud can? Jud can what?"
Waverly's eye twitched. She climbed off the bed and strolled toward the wall. "It is nothing. Never mind."
"You can tell me, you can. It is the one thing I am truly good at – listening."
Waverly huffed and broke into a short laughter. Cassiope giggled along. "You are the most ironic nature spirit I would ever meet."
Cassiope beamed. "Loni tells me the same thing."
A door frame suddenly appeared on the wall again, but this time, it was an Elfin that entered. She was dressed in a white gossamer dress with beautiful lacings around her arms. A round necklace of gold was clasped around her neck, and her wrists and ankles were graced with bracelets and charms of lapis lazuli. Her fair hair was curled up; held in several places by tiny gold pins. Her face had been powdered to perfection, and her lips reddened like carnations.
In conclusion, she looked like a princess.
Her silver sandals made no noise as she walked into the room. In her one hand was a small basket of delicious looking fruits, while the other held a bottle of clear liquid. Waverly recognized it at once – wine. The kind that could not intoxicate.
The girl regarded Cassiope and a look of confusion passed across her tender features.
"I was sent by Her Royal Meekness, my Lady, Queen Daya of Alpgeton to bring forth these gifts of consolation to the prisoner who is held here. . ."
The Elfin took a short pause, staring straight at Cassiope in contemplation. ". . I was told the prisoner was Human."
"I am." Waverly said.
The girl started and spun. She had failed to notice Waverly going to stand behind her when she first walked into the room.
"Oh! Pardon me, if you are the prisoner then. . ." The girl said and swiftly regained her composure. Her eyes were shockingly similar to Brijjet's. She extended the basket of fruits.
"Queen Daya, my Lady wants you to have these. She is showing kindness to those held in My Lord's confinement."
Waverly received the basket and placed it atop her table. She realized right then that the fruits inside the basket were kinds that had never appeared on her tray.
What a thoughtful Queen, she thought.
"And here, take this." The Elfin held out the wine bottle. "Since you will not be able to partake in The Floom festival, you might as well have some wine to celebrate it with in here."
Waverly wondered if the Elfin mocked, but her tone was simply light and casual. As she received the wine bottle, her fingers brushed against the girl's skin.
Then, the strangest thing happened.
She found herself standing on a small rock with rich shrubberies all around, staring into the depths of a large river. Someone was inside the river. Since it was nighttime, it should have been too dark to see to that extent, but Waverly saw the girl vividly. She was the same was offering her wine – the Elfin. Her arms were floating upwards and her eyes were shut. She descended slowly, making no attempt to swim.
Waverly froze, realizing that the girl was drowning, and there was not a single soul around to help.
She gasped and blinked herself out of the vision, realizing that she was still in the confinement room and no second had passed. She collected the wine and placed it atop her table.
"I will take my leave now." The girl said curtly and turned toward the door.
Tell her. Something like a small voice nagged inside Waverly's head. She felt unsure of what she had just seen, of whether it was real or true, and was afraid to speak out.
Tell her before it is too late. The voice nagged again more urgently.
"Wait." Waverly impulsively called.
The Elfin halted, turned and raised questioning eyebrows.
Lizzeth. The voice in her head whispered.
"Is there a problem?" The Elfin asked.
Waverly hesitated, gulping down an uncomfortable feeling, but the sudden urge to spill what she saw was uncontrollable.
"Lizzeth." She said.
The girl tilted her head in surprise. "How do you know my name?"
Waverly's chest was heaving. "Do not. . . go down to the river tonight."
Lizzeth was baffled for a moment then snapped at Cassiope. "Have you been spilling gossips, you little plant?"
Cassiope looked offended. "What? I have never spilled anything."
"She has not told me any gossips. She has been in here with me for half the day." Waverly interceded.
"Then where have you heard both my name, and my plans to go down to the river? Are you some kind of spy? Yes, that was what Chedor suggested."
Lizzeth looked to be both terrified and excited. "You are a spy!"
"I am not."
"This room has no doors nor windows, and only those from the outside can create one."
"I never left." Waverly countered. Temper was beginning to swell in her chest. She suddenly hated herself for obeying the voice in her head.
"And yet you know something you claim was not told to you." Lizzeth said breathing hard.
"I am only trying to help you." Waverly said calmly.
Lizzeth looked amused. "Help me? By stopping me from doing what I want to?"
Waverly wanted to say yes, but held her tongue, quickly recalling one of her many arguments with HalfHyde. She had made the exact same statement to him after he warned her not to play in the lake on a particular afternoon in Lake Borough. Judson had drowned hours after their argument, but HalfHyde saved him.
Now, it sounded a foolish thing to hear as well as say, and it made her see just how naive she had once been.
I cannot let that repeat itself. Waverly thought.
"Please, Lizzeth. Do not go down to the river, or else, if you will anyway, take someone with you. I am pleading with you to do this. It will indeed help you."
Lizzeth wanted to make a retort, but she thought the better of it and left hastily. The door sealed up behind her.
"How did you know those things?" Cassiope asked with a puzzled frown.
Waverly was silent, staring at the spot where Lizzeth had stood. The vision was so vivid that it still played out in her mind at that moment.
Cassiope came to stand near her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What will happen if she goes down to the river?"
Waverly stayed quiet for a while then looked at Cassiope. "She will drown,. . . "
She headed toward her bed. ". . and she will die."
Cassiope gawked at her in shock, but made no comments.
The following day, Waverly was taking a short nap when a door frame appeared in the wall. Six Elves marched unannounced into the room. Unlike palace guards who wore green, they were dressed in smart purple.
"Bring her." One of them ordered, his voice was like a bull's gruff.
Waverly knew at once that she was being taken to the King, and there was more than one obvious reason why. She followed quietly nonetheless and they led her out of the room. The hallway was cool as if it had snowed there. Waverly remembered the chill she felt when she was first brought into confinement. The floors were made entirely of something soft, and so shoes made no sound; that way prisoners could not tell when someone approached.
Her jail room was just one in about a thousand, but when she glanced back, the confinement room and others like it looked like one giant wall. Doors appeared and disappeared in different sections as prisoners were being visited.
Waverly thought it was quite clever to build a prison this way.
The hallway ended in an open room where a good number of golden stairwells leaked from top to bottom. A fall from such height would shatter a person's bones to pieces. The stairs went all around the oval shaped room, and each one led to a different hallway like the one Waverly had just left. She realized with a jolt that at the end of every one of those hallways were a thousand more confinement rooms. It made her wonder just how big the entire place was. Guards moved around the balconies, but they were not as many as one would expect to see in a prison yard.
Her descent down the stairs was much easier than the climb up, but even when they finally reached the ground, Waverly's legs threatened to snap. There were more guards on the ground, hovering about doing one thing or another. She stared at an Elf who sat behind an extremely long bronze desk a few walks away from the doorway. Behind him, hundreds of pieces of worn out parchment designed the walls. Some held the royal seal, others a royal declaration, drawn out faces of certain creatures or people tagged missing or wanted; maps, letters, written statements in the Alp tongue, and much more.
Sturdy white pillars supported a large gazebo where the life-like statue of a four headed lion stood – each mouth wide open in a terrifying roar. The sight of it made Waverly think of other big cats she did not like very much. In the middle of the painted image of a half shield on the floor was the likeness of the same lion that she only noticed after a second glance. The image seemed very familiar, but there was no time to think where she had seen it before.
The exit, like everything else, was beautiful and huge. It was a large light green frame with six entrance points and armed Elves stationed in front of each. The door itself was heavy bronze, and it hung above the entire length across the frame. It was the strangest contraption, but Waverly guessed it was meant to be dragged to a downward close and lifted to open. She thought it would be quite the task to simply shut and open one's door – even for Elves.
Her escorts led her past the threshold and across the brick grounds outside where three carriages were waiting for them. A forest flanked the towering prison building, stretched around it and spilled endlessly in front. Waverly noted that there was no gate nor barricades to separate the building from the rest of the realm. Elves were firmly confident about their ways of detention.
She rode with two Elves. They sat on either sides of her, giving no room for her to look out of the carriage, and even if she were permitted to, the doors were half veiled by thin yet opaque drapes.
Waverly sat still, recalling her first carriage ride to the prison yard. She had not noticed any details then as she had been quite fretted, but now, she wanted to look at everything. Alpgeton was a beautiful realm, and it was not an easy place to visit.
She leaned forward, and the Elf on her right growled.
"Sit. Put." He ordered simply.
Waverly recoiled. She remembered HalfHyde telling her that Elves were very moody beings; one minute they could be the nicest people on earth, and the next, awfully dour.
As instructed, she remained put for the rest of the journey. The carriage began to tilt as if ascending a slope. From how sunlight flashed in and out of the carriage, projecting shadows of leaves and filtering the warm wind to feel cool, Waverly guessed they were inside a collection of bushes.
Soon, the carriage became level with the ground again then began a sudden descent. The air turned even cooler and the slushing sounds of water became audible. The sound of the horses' hooves grew fainter, allowing Waverly to listen to several sounds of nature. Birds chirped and sang, frogs croaked, insects chirped, and there was the familiar call of seagulls. She did not need to look to know that she was near the sea.
As if reading her mind, the second Elf pushed open his side of the veil, and Waverly's breath caught. The carriages rode in a single file on a flat bridge half submerged in water. The sea was all around them, and the only land in sight was a grand palace up ahead, which appeared to be sitting right on the surface of the water.
The sunlight made the water glitter gold and green; huge white swans floated gracefully on the surface, frogs hopped from one lily pad to another, and once in every minute, Waverly spotted the brightly colored tail and fin of a Nixie.
Mountains loomed behind the palace, and as they got closer, the sun became hidden behind it, casting a wide shade over them. A wide silver gate opened as they approached and soon, Waverly found herself climbing down from the carriage. It felt the same as coming out of a house because Elf carriages were taller.
A guard cuffed Waverly's hands together with rope, but she barley noticed as she was busy gaping at everything in the magnificent courtyard. There was a complicated fountain stationed nearest the gate. Waverly did not know what it was, but it caught her attention when the carriage had driven past it. The statue in the fountain was of a large circle with five strange symbols inside arranged in a square pattern.
The only symbols she thought meaningful were waves and a torch.
As they drew closer to the main entrance, she caught sight of several climbing plants on the palace walls. A lot of them had sprouted fully mature flowers that were bursting with color. Pillars supported the massive portico that was the palace entrance.
Everywhere Waverly turned, there was solid evidence of the endless riches that set Elves apart from other beings. The wooden doors flung open and she was ushered inside.
Immediately, she began to spot strange yet tiny similarities between the King's palace and that of Gayl.
The floors were reflective like it had been in the godhead's realm. Every door was heavy and wooden, the atmosphere was undersea cool, and walkways connected several rooms in the palace.
Waverly wondered if the King's palace was fashioned after Gayl's, but the possibility of it was as thin as the strokes from HalfHyde's quill. The inside of the palace was by far grander than King Asherah's. There were lots of expensive and ancient items resting in different places. Waverly even spotted an entire pride of lions in a pit, and when they moved, she confirmed that they were not statues.
The guards led her through a beautiful hallway; its high ceiling decorated with portrayals of ancient history, and on the walls were a long line of tall golden doors. Each had the sacred marks of Gayl engraved on it - wind and water.
She passed one such doors with a plaque above it that read "Schatsoro".
Waverly understood that it meant treasury in the Alp tongue, but she did not understand why a room as important as that would be made so easily accessible. But then again, Elves were firmly confident. It was unlikely that they would get robbed.
Only a mad man would attempt to rob an Elf, speak more of an Elf King.
They turned a few corners, passing by servant girls dressed exactly like Lizzeth and young Elf males in dark robes of Elvish style. Their robes glowed as they walked, but Waverly quickly saw that it was only a reflection of light on the threading. It was rather very impressive much like every other thing in the palace.
They finally arrived at a door, and Waverly was ushered into the room and told to wait. The guards left her there without any supervision. The room she was in was a small shrine dedicated to Jolan. She could tell by the small white sculpted figures of doves in a basket surrounded by a bunch of thistles, overflowing rose petals on the floor, a yew tree that grew directly from the ground into the roof and a few lit candlesticks in little bowls. The room smelled strongly of pressed olives and balsam, indicating that someone had recently performed a ritual.
Waverly thought Brijjet would like it inside the room.
Just then, the door opened, and two guards beckoned on her to follow. She traipsed through the petals and out the door. The second journey did not take long because the King's courtroom was nearby.
When the gigantic doors opened, Waverly's jaw dropped; not at the sight of the room itself, but at the towering, hooded statue of Gayl, holding up a staff that seemed in turn to hold up the extensive roof. The statue wore a black hooded robe, and Waverly wanted to point out that the robes were actually dark green, but held her tongue.
The Elf King's throne was suspended midair by funny looking yet powerful bars of silver, gold and light green. Waverly was curious to know how he managed to get up and down from it. His elaborate council sat a head lower on either sides of him, forming a semicircle around the room. Their chairs were sturdy and white, while the King's throne was tall and silver. Broad open windows allowed sunlight pass in between each seat, casting a circular spotlight in the very middle of the floor.
Waverly looked up, trying to make out any of the faces, but they were all too far away and too high up. A guard shut the doors, sending a reverberating echo across the room.
Waverly's palms felt sweaty and her knees went weak. She silently prayed for a simple punishment for the crime that had brought her before the Elf King. She glanced over her shoulder, half hoping to see HalfHyde behind, but she was all by herself in a long walkway, looking into the distant faces of aged Elven men and women.
"Your Majesty." Someone said from behind her. "We bring the barbarian to stand before ye to face trial."
Waverly kept her gaze planted on the floor as if her fortune was written there. For a while, the hall was silent, then a gentle voice spoke.
"I only see but a Human youngling standing before my eyes. What charges are held against her if she be the foreigner ye calls her to be?"
"Your Majesty." The guard came forward and bowed. He was the one that had told her to sit put, and she felt even more afraid knowing that he was the one to reveal her offenses.
"The girl was taken under arrest a few weeks before for uttering an insult to a fleet soldier of high rank, for attempting an attack on him and his company, for endangering the lives of local Elven folk, and for the destruction of public property. She is also charged as a spy for harbouring private information on a personal servant to My Lady, Queen Daya. She had been kept long in confinement before a meeting with said servant occurred for the very first time."
Waverly had always thought the charges would be laid out in a single sentence, but the way the guard had broken it down ascertained that she was probably in more trouble than she realized.
She fiddled with her thumbs like Cassiope did whenever she got anxious. The King went silent again, but his silence did not feel dangerous. Waverly felt that he was contemplating on what to do with her.
He spoke up again. "Summon whoever they are that have business in tis trial."
Immediately, a door opened to Waverly's right and in came Lizzeth, Chedor, a local Elf and surprisingly, Brijjet.
Waverly turned her eyes away and made it a point to stare at Gayl's gigantic hooded feet. Brijjet seemed different within the short span of time they had not seen each other. He looked very ragged with his white hair having a mix of black only at the roots, his dull green wizened robes and his facial features that seemed to have sharpened overtime. He was almost unrecognizable.
The newest additions halted at a reasonable distance. Each one bowed low to the King and his council.
"I will start to question these partakers with your permission, Your Majesty?" A new voice spoke.
Waverly's eyes darted toward the speaker without her head moving, her scoping vision allowed her catch a blurry glimpse of an Elf Lord who had risen on the left side of the council, holding in his hand a piece of long parchment.
"Proceed, Inquisitor." The King said.
The Elf bowed and read from his parchment. "I usher the first partaker, who is Highest Ranking Officer of The King's Royal Fleet to step on the dais, Envaril Durion Chedor."
A moving pedestal zoomed out of nowhere and moved toward the officer. He carefully climbed atop it.
"I usher the accused, who is a barbarian refugee in the land of Elves to step on the dais, one Ms Waverly."
The platform zoomed gently towards her and she stepped on the other side of it. A brass board divided where she stood from where the officer stood. As soon as her feet touched the silver bottom, the dais began to rise until it halted in the spotlight.
Waverly had the feeling that her trial would take a long time to finish.
"To go straight to the point, and not waste any of our Majesties' time, I call the partaker to give a short explanation of the event, or events that transpired between him and the accused."
Chedor turned to the Elf Lord and bowed curtly. "Your Lordship. I was bringing word of a disaster out of concern to a former comrade when this youngling grew agitated with the news and insulted my intelligence, and that of the men with me. I unsheathed my sword in an act of defense, and she did the same. Even with a plea from my said comrade, who is a friend of hers, the youngling threw her weapon at me and my men. We were lucky that it sailed over our heads and that of local folks, but in the end, it destroyed a public property."
"The council has heard you, High Sir Chedor of the Fleet."
The Elf Lord turned to Waverly. "Young lady, do you plead guilty to said accusations or not?"
Waverly gulped. There was absolutely no use lying, and HalfHyde would be disappointed if he were to discover that she could not own up to her own crimes.
"Guilty." She replied.
"I ask that you speak louder than that, young lady." The Elf stated.
Waverly did not realize that she had whispered her answer.
"Guilty." She repeated a little louder.
"Thank you. I usher the second partaker, who is an acknowledged Zanaan and citizen of Alpgeton to step on the dais, Brijjet Alyza Bridonis."
Waverly turned and found a second dais ascending toward them. It rotated, allowing Chedor step onto the free side then rotated again for Brijjet to take his place in front of Waverly. She caught the faint smell of forest on him and recalled Cassiope mentioning something about a hunt.
Their gazes locked, but his held no sense of familiarity. It was like he was seeing Waverly for the first time. She felt deeply hurt by that.
When Brijjet gave his own part of the explanation, he mentioned that Waverly had acted rashly solely because she was shaken by the news of disaster Chedor had brought since it had taken place in her home realm. He also mentioned that she had not intended to bring harm to anyone when she threw her weapon. Waverly felt grateful that had defended her as best he could. The local Elf witness also gave her own side of the story, which was a tad reflective of Chedor's.
Waverly had begun to relax, until Lizzeth was called to stand opposite her on the dais.