Alera could barely notice the glee emanating from Baruing’s being, while his diabolical smile was stretched, covering almost half his face, his eyes going from her to Tellor and back again. Instead, her gaze was glued to Asendriel’s, trying desperately to understand what was happening. Silence grew between them, only to be interrupted by Baruing’s chuckles.
‘Oh, my! Well this seems awkward..’, he added, laughing like a small child at his own prank.
Alera’s lips parted, but only to be closed again, as her words refused to leave her. Even her mind went blank, as if refusing to process what she was seeing. How was it possible for him to be outside, alongside Baruing? But the question that got stuck on her lips and made her throat dry, came from the cell next to hers:
‘What have you done?!’
Tellor’s voice hung heavily above the silence, his tone almost pleading and Alera realised she was scared of the answer.
‘He struck a bargain with me.’ replied Baruing, smiling slyly.
‘I wasn’t aware that I have to justify myself to you, lieutenant. Has our hierarchy been reversed?’ added Asendriel coldly.
‘Indeed, you should listen to your general!’
Asendriel’s words were harsh, but what triggered an alarm inside her mind was the fact that Baruing was now aware of their military ranks.
‘I am asking this as your friend’, said Tellor, his tone growing more worried. ‘What did you do?!’
Asendriel smirked and Baruing answered this time as well.
‘As I said earlier, he struck a bargain with me. Your freedom …. for his.’
Alera’s eyes widened, but Baruing continued:
‘An escape on the next new moon? Impossible!’
At this point, the entire dungeon was filled with his loud, maniacal laugh, while Alera felt her blood run cold.
‘He told me all of your little plan, which, by the way, was a terrible plan!’, he added, gesticulating a ‘no’ sign with his fingers, mockingly.
Alera couldn’t believe her ears. It was a lie. It had to be!
‘Now, what should we do for punishment?’ he continued. ‘I’m starting to believe the whipping won’t be enough for this. Any suggestions, my friend? Should we torture them some more? Cut a few extremities? Kill them? I’d have to take care of...a few things with my beloved Alera, in this case’.
She flinched as she felt his icy fingers across her own and her eyes went in a flash, from Asendriel to his. The grin on his face disgusted her to no end and she refused to succumb to him any longer.
‘I’d rather die than let you touch me again!’ she said slowly, glaring at him with all the hate she could muster. And, at that point, a pool of it seemed to seeth inside her.
Baruing’s smile left his face for a second and he added menacing:
‘I find it amusing you think you have a choice in this.’
‘Don’t touch her!’, Tellor threatened, but Baruing laughed in his face:
‘And what can you do? A lowly soldier...’
‘Holy Sho-’
Asendriel moved so fast that Alera could barely see it and Tellor couldn’t even finish his words.
‘It would be wise to keep your spells to yourself...my friend’, he added in the same emotionless tone as always, while his hand was grasped tightly around Tellor’s neck, overwhelming him.
‘Oh my, what was that?’ said Baruing curiously looking at a coughing Tellor, after Asendriel released him. ‘Holy spells?’
He linked his hands together in a single clap, as if finding the solution to a riddle: ‘Ah, I see. A paladin!’
Asendriel nodded.
‘Betrayer!’ Alera yelled, covering the remainder of their conversation.
Both Asendriel and Baruing looked at her, somehow taken by surprise. This was the last straw. How could he? How could he betray all of their secrets? How could he give away their escape plan? How could he reveal Tellor’s status knowing full well that Baruing will take action. How could he betray them so?
‘Has anything you ever said held an ounce of truth in it?! Has anything meant something to you?!’, she yelled again, thinking back to the way he held her hand and how he comforted her. How they tried to save each other and everything they have been through.
Her vision was getting blurry, but she could still see a fleeing reaction across his face, before it returned to it’s cold self.
‘Was it nothing to you?’ she asked again, full of rage and regret.
Her chest hurt and it didn’t compare with any pain she ever felt in all her life as a fighter. It was deeper, as if someone had clenched her heart and ripped it out of her chest, leaving only void behind. A void that seems to suck her being in at an alarming pace.
‘I...trusted you...’, she added, sliding down to her knees, with her face to the ground, refusing to look at him. Tears streamed down her face as she remembered the warmth of his hand.
‘As a paladin’, Asendriel said, in an icy tone, ignoring her, ‘he is a being serving the Light. The best punishment for him would be to devoid him of that. Darkness. As for her...you should keep her as a fighter since she hates it so much.’
‘I’m starting to like our little agreement’, replied Baruing, motioning the four guards and pointing to Tellor. ‘Take him to the Black Chamber! ’
‘No! Tellor!’
Alera grabbed the bars from her cell as the guards entered and, knocking him unconscious, took him away. But she couldn’t do anything to help him.
‘As for you…’, Baruing started, measuring her as she got up from her knees. ‘As much as it pains me, I cannot let your intolerance pass. I think a nice whipping session would be perfect for you.’
Alera gritted her teeth between her tears, but Asendriel replied before her:
‘Do what you must, but I don’t think that’s the best approach at this moment.’
Baruing turned to him, eying him, curious of his words and with a small hand gesture he allowed him to continue.
‘She is like a cornered mouse now. Pushing her further than this may lead to an aggressive….response from her side. I wouldn’t antagonise her more than this. It just fuels her rage.’
‘And what do you suggest then?
‘Isolation.’, Asendriel simply said and Alera slammed her fist into her cell bars.
‘You will pay for this!’, she added seething with anger.
‘Lock her up somewhere and make sure no one contacts her in any way. She must be isolated completely. She mustn’t know what happens to the other blood elf. It’s easier to break their spirits if you keep them away from one another.’
Baruing smiled and, if she didn’t know better, it looked as though he was content. Disgust filled her.
‘How could you?!’, she muttered, feeling helpless, deep inside, behind all her anger.
Baruing was almost gleeful seeing her reactions and with a short shout, he called for four extra guards. They appeared rather quickly, as if they were waiting outside, just in case. As they opened the cage, she took a fighting position. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She couldn’t kill all of them, of course, but she could at least injure some of them before they take her.
‘Are you sure that’s the best course of action?’ Asendriel asked, eying her and crossing his arms over his chest. ‘Do you not care what will happen to our dear friend, Tellor? What if something were…to happen to him...because you are not cooperating?’
‘What are you saying?!’ she asked back, lowering her fists. ‘You wouldn’t!’ she added, almost trying to convince herself , but again, all she found was an icy stare from him and an hysterical laugh from Baruing.
With despair nestling deep inside of her, along with a typhoon of other feelings she lowered her fists completely, and silently, she agreed, allowing the guards to place the stone cuffs on her wrists. They felt heavy, more so than last time. Everything seemed to weigh down on her as she walked following the guards. The whole dungeon was now silent and she could feel the other prisoners’ stare.