The glory of Ilsurni Castle had been renowned throughout the ages. It sat high in the forested mountains of Mithoran. In days long past, before there were four elvin kingdoms, Ilsurni Castle had been the seat of power in the elvin world.
It controlled all the elvin lands under one royal house. As time passed, it out stretched its power and splintered into the mountains of Mithoran, the river lands of the Kingdom of Kai'lym, the seafaring Kingdom of Lomnar, and the rolling plains of the Thathis Kingdom.
War spread and alliances were formed, leaving Ilsurni Castle in ruins, a testament to the once great might of the elves. Only the kingdom of Kai'lym could claim a direct lineage to it now.
And Lord Fennaris knew its history well. It was the main reason for his selecting the ruins of Ilsurni Castle as his fortress. To eradicate any thought of the previous dynasty he had overthrown, the capital was moved from Senaris to Ilsurni Castle. He was intent on rebuilding and restoring it to his former glory. The elvin kingdoms would become one once again, under his rule, as they were meant to be.
Deep beneath the foundation of Ilsurni Castle was an underground labyrinth sitting against the encroaching wilderness that was untamed like the unnatural creatures that stalked the various twisted corridors. The vegetation that surrounded and invaded the tunnels could prove to be just as deadly as the occupants.
Prisoners were rarely guarded, only on occasion when their survival was essential. Most prisoners were sent to the lowest dungeons left to roam the damp, darken tunnels aimlessly.
Death awaited any who wandered the corridors without an expert guide or warrior. Madness, starvation, or turning into prey were the predictable outcomes. Hope of escape was a distraction to survival.
It was not unusual for mangled bodies or rotting flesh to be found throughout the tunnels. As it was, there were no clear numbers on the amount of prisoners held within the walls of the labyrinth of the castle.
Within the bowels of the labyrinth, two sentries stood watch at the entrance of a hidden tunnel that led to a filthy cell. Their obvious presence signifying the importance of the prisoner held within.
Crouched in the dungeon, Lily drifted in and out of consciousness recovering from the Crossing.
"Kill her and done. I think its best." The guard's deep voiced resembled the grunting of a pig, for he was no elf but a sorceress' creation.
"Clearly you should not burden yourself with such a heavy task," Lord Fennaris snarled as he approached them, "You were not made to think."
The guards fidgeted to regain their composure as they acknowledged Lord Fennaris' impromptu arrival. Mimika trailed him, her red robes flowing like sluggish blood. "I am curious to see if she may be more powerful than you." He glanced back at her, eyebrow cocked.
"That is unlikely. She lacks training and was raised in a realm practically devoid of magic. My powers are unsurpassable." In a haughty attitude, she brushed past Lord Fennaris into the narrow tunnel.
"Are you certain?" He baited.
"Afterall," Mimika continued to defend her wounded pride, "we do not even know she's the one we need. She's probably just a simple human. Weak and powerless like the rest of them." In her mind, no other mage in the continent rivaled her, let alone a human.
"The crystal recognized her as it did with the other one. I do not believe an unconscious girl could deceive the crystal. There is magic somewhere in her and we will harness it. She will be the final instrument as we attack Armindia." His hand went to the iron bolt at the top of the door.
"But two of them? We were not told that there would be two of them." Mimika stepped behind him as he opened the small viewing gate to the cell. The girl was no more than a rag doll thrown in a corner.
"Damn it! Why is she still unconscious? It's been three days since we brought her. Your energy bolt should not have been that strong." His frustration echoed as he slammed the gate closed.
Mimika hid a sinful smile. "See? She is too weak to even master a Crossing. She's not the one we want. There is no chance she could be more powerful than me."
Fennaris turned on her, grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall forcibly. "You gave her the potion?" His hands wrapped tightly against her neck.
Mimika tried to remain calm; she was used to his fits of temper. "Of course." She playfully slapped his hands away, revealing not a trace of nerves.
"For your sake, you better not be lying to me. If you had anything to do with this, you will pay dearly. There are parts of this labyrinth that even you have not roamed. Remember that." Grudgingly he released her.
"We should forget her and Armindia. We should continue with your plan of conquering the other elvin kingdoms."
He sneered at her. "You're usually not this slow my sorceress." Mimika despised that he saw her as his possession. A fact Fennaris enjoyed exploiting.
"The fastest and best path to the other kingdoms is through Armindia. Not to mention the wealth its mines will bring to the coffers. Armindia must fall first. And that human girl will be the cause."
He left her in the tunnel and stalked out. "Continue to give her the potion, but keep her weak. When she wakes, it does not matter when, find me." He barked the orders without looking back.
It was in the late morning hours when Lily began to stir. She was exhausted and her head throbbed painfully about to burst. With her eyes closed in rest, she tried to lift herself but it was a fruitless effort. Her hands trembled with fatigue as she reached out and touched the walls and floor.
The best she was able to manage was to use the wall behind her to push herself to a semi sitting position. The grainy remains on her palms alerted her to dirt surroundings. It was then she realized something was wrong and memory flashed into clarity.
Aurora was in trouble and needed help, fast. She had followed her without Aurora's knowledge through the alleys. Unable to keep up with Aurora, she had soon lost sight of her.
In the back of her mind, Lily remembered hearing the clashing of metal faintly but had attributed it to the thunder. Then there was ice beneath her and a jolt of pain that came with blinding darkness.
And voices. Male and female voices. It was more of an awareness of people near her than actual comprehension of what they were speaking. Instinctively, she knew she was in danger. Whoever had taken her and placed her here, wherever that was, was not her friend.
She opened her eyes and was met by darkness. She closed her eyes and rubbed them harshly. Nothing. Tears flowed unchecked down her face. "Oh, my God! Someone help me, please!" Her strangled pleas went unanswered and ignored.
As she tried once again to see her limbs an array of jumbled scenes flashed before her with maddening speed. In a split second she saw rusted metal, and then it was flat and smooth but quickly replaced by crusted bars. Before catching a better glimpse, she saw different people, elflike in foreign attire.
But it was all unfocused, as if she was seeing through a kaleidoscope mist. She became dazed and confused through darkened and endless tunnels that swayed. In the vision, she saw a creature unlike anything in her experience with numerous teeth. Its gaping jaws dripped with saliva as it approached her.
Fear shut her eyes, propelled her body to crouch, and she released a hoarse scream. She expected the creature to dig its teeth into her. But the attack never came. The visions were gone.
Then she heard voices nearby and the shuffling of hurried feet approached her. A grating sound came from above her head, but she dared not open her eyes. Inside the cell, Lily clawed at the walls, tears of exasperation rolled down filth smudged cheeks.
What little strength she had, was quickly spent. With labored breathing she opened her eyes and focused. The nothingness around her scared her more than the flashes of images she didn't understand.
The guards slid the viewing gate quickly, afraid that they had failed in their mission to protect the prisoner from the creatures that lurked the labyrinth. A sliver of light entered her cell as one of the guards peered in. The other guard stretched his neck to see, "Is she awake?"
At the sound of the nearby voice, Lily dared to open her eyes once more. She reached her hands out in front of her. Again, she was disoriented by a bombardment of flickering images she could not comprehend or sequence. "Help me!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "Help me, please!" She gasped and trembled.
"Stay here." The first guard ordered as he closed the viewing gate. "I'll go and report." With that, the guard ran out of the tunnel using his memorized pathway out of the labyrinth.
In the upper levels of the castle, the guard sprinted to find the sorceress. He finally found his creator secluded within her chambers. He made certain to entered cautiously and quietly into her lab as he tried to recover his breath.
All knew that the scrolls and loose parchment that littered the sorceress' worktable contained her findings while others were her most recently concocted spells. The books and scrolls that lined her shelves held some of the most advanced magicks known apart from those she held in her own tower.
Strange liquids bubbled and brewed in different containers surrounded by various animal organs, at least the guard hoped they were animal organs. Mimika was in the mist of her magical experiments, the gurgling of potion and toxic fumes were her willing assistants.
He approached with reverence, afraid to cause her a miscalculation that she would surely unleash upon him. She was not one known for her compassion, but for her enjoyment in inflicting pain. So instead he waited until he caught her attention and bowed, "Sorceress, she is awake."
Mimika finished emptying the brew, a careful measure, so slowly that the guard was tempted to repeat himself afraid she had not heard him. Just as he was about to speak, she trapped him with her cold violent eyes. "Take me to her."
She set the flask with yellow liquid down gently, before her robes ripped the air as she followed the guard a short distance behind. "Tell me what happened."
They descended into the labyrinth, following a twisted, winding path.
"She screamed." They were alone in the tunnel. Under her stare, he stood paralyzed except for his mouth, revealing all that he'd witnessed. "I opened gate."
"And then?" Her eyes narrowed and her hand pinched like incisors at his arm.
The guard grunted. "She did not see me. Something wrong with human girl."
She released the guard from her stare and grip. Mimika pondered this a moment and hastened the guard forward.
As they approached the narrow tunnel, Mimika saw the remaining guard looking about, no doubt frightened that the creatures of the labyrinth might have sensed he was alone and attack. He quickly came to attention when he saw her arrive with his companion.
With a wave of her hand she dismissed him and headed to the cell door. She opened the gate and glared inside. There in a corner sat the prisoner who at the sound of the opening gate snapped her head up. Mimika got her first true look at her. The girl's eyes opened and darted toward the sound. A white film covered them.
Mimika began to laugh. "This is perfect." She nearly purred as she shut the door. Fennaris' little human was blind, she relished.
Then she turned to the guards, "Get Lord Fennaris. Tell him what has happened, but do not tell him I was here." She left eager to return to her experiments filled with ecstasy.
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