Chapter 5 The Elders

"Will Estheria meet up with us at some point?"

One of the guards turned back toward me and gave me an evil look.

"Shut it, Human!"

"Someone sounds like a broken record."

The guard got angrier.

"A what? What did you just call me?"

"Ah yeah, I suppose you wouldn't have records here. All I meant was that you like to repeat what you have said before. Hey! Let's get some music going while we travel?"

The guards looked at each other with confused faces. Sophie wore a similarly confused face.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

"Yeah right, we are not picking up a traveling bard, let alone going out of the way to find one just so you can hear music."

The guards were not trying to mute their voices at all. I pulled out my cell phone and showed the black hunk of plastic, glass and metal to Sophie.

I showed her a smirk and said,

"This is better than a bard. I should still have music downloaded so we can hear some even without cell service."

Sophie looked worried as she pointed at it.

"Isn't that just a rock?"

I held the power button for a few seconds until I saw a symbol light up. She leaned on my shoulder. I could see her face in the reflection of the screen. Her eyes grew wide as more and more symbols showed up on the screen.

"Is this magic?!"

She nearly screamed. The guard who was not in charge of steering the carriage turned back and his eyes grew wide also. The guard who was steering started to look back.

"Keep your eyes forward."

Snapped the other guard.

My phone was fully on at this point, I started touching it and browsing what I could and could not do. Sophie was enthralled by what I was doing and began blocking the guard's view. After a minute of browsing music, I selected only instrumental music to avoid confusion about people being inside my phone.

"Oh, this is a good one."

I pressed play. When the sound started I turned up the volume.

"What's happening?"

Sophie exclaimed as she backed away a bit.

"Is that a weapon?"

The guard stood up and was ready to grab his spear.

"No, this is just my music. I collected it from where I came from. This device allows me to replay it anywhere I wish."

The guard eased back down into his seat, but he still looked suspicious of me. I created a list of songs I felt were relaxing and started it as the previous one ended.

"Oh! This one is so different."

Sophie seemed impressed all over again. I leaned back and put my feet up on the seat opposite mine. I put the phone on sleep mode so the battery wouldn't drain more while the music played.

I placed the phone on my stomach and put my hands behind my head and closed my eyes.

"The lights are gone, but I can still hear the music. What happened?"

Without opening my eyes I responded to Sophie.

"The lights are asleep. This 'rock' will die sometime in the near future and I won't be able to save it. By making the lights sleep, I will postpone its death by a little."

"Oh no, it's going to die soon?"

"Yes. It will die even if I don't use it. It's best to make use of it before it dies otherwise, what little life it has left will be wasted. Just enjoy what you hear before it's gone."

After a few more songs, we reached the village. I decided that it would be best not to draw attention en masse so, the phone was turned off and put away.

"Is it dead now?"

Sophie looked sad.

"Not yet, I made it go into a deep slumber for the next time I call it out."

The village was quite busy. I didn't get a good look before. Many elves of different colors were chatting, walking, laughing and carrying goods or property.

There was an elf, shouting while standing on a wooden box drawing a crowd. Due to the crowd, the carriage wheels on one side got so close to a raised well that I thought we would hit. After we passed the well, the path started to incline upwards. We were now headed toward the mountain that the village was built upon.

The populace changed. There were more high society types on the main path but, there were more poor and stray animals in the alleyways that we passed by. Not many elves noticed the fact that I was human. The ones that did, scowled at me.

We arrived at an open square with large buildings on all sides about halfway up the mountain. A more solid and covered carriage showed up next to ours. An elf stepped down from the front. He wore heavy armor if I ever did see some. I could only tell he was an elf because his ears actually protruded from the helmet. His face was otherwise covered.

"Get down. Who is the female?"

Said the heavily armored elf.

"Apparently, the human managed to get a slave overnight."

Responded one of the guards. I lowered myself from the carriage and spoke up.

"It was not some simple transaction. Those Masters were horrible to her! I just wanted to get her away from them."

"So, you take her as your own? Real heroic. Typical human."

I knew that it was a quick decision but, was there a better option? Sophie jumped down and got in front of me.

"Please don't be mean to him! He really is a good person."

The elf in heavy armor seemed indifferent.

"Don't care. He has to get into this carriage and we will transport him away from here."

He pointed at Sophie.

"You were not summoned by the Elders. You are not allowed to present yourself before them."

My thoughts started racing. I was remembering all the things I heard about slaves.

"Wait, she is a slave and she no longer has a home. If she is not with me, where will she go?"

Just at that moment, as if to answer a prayer, Estheria showed up on horseback. I waved at her. She came right over and dismounted.

"Estheria! Is there some way you could watch over Sophie, here? The guards won't transport her where I'm going and I don't know what else to do. You are the only person I even remotely know here."

She glanced at Sophie's neck.

"A slave? Is she yours? I left you alone for one night and you have an elf slave already. I thought better of you."

Sophie grabbed me and squeezed hard.

"Stop being mean to him! He saved me!"

She was practically yelling. Estheria looked a little stunned. Her expression calmed down at a moment's notice.

"You were the one at the Lethroh's, correct?"

Sophie nodded and squeezed me again.

"I suppose that makes more sense. Alright, I'll take her with me for now."

Sophie's head was in my chest. I put my hand on her head and she looked up at me.

"It's ok to go with her. I trust her, and I'll come back for you as soon as I can."

Estheria leaped up onto her horse. Estheria helped Sophie up. I watched as they rode away on horseback.

"Get in! I won't be held responsible if you are late."

The armored elf bellowed at me. I complied again. The inside was more like a solid jail cell. I started to get a bad feeling. I think I was in that, container on wheels, for at least half an hour or so. I could not see outside and I had no idea where we were or were going. We stopped and the door opened a few moments later.

I stepped out. We were inside a huge cave. The mountain must have been halfway hollowed out for this amount of space. Sources of light mostly consisted of blue incandescent lighting on the ceiling and lit torches along paths.

Before me, was an entire platoon of heavily armed guards with massive weapons of varying shapes. The edges of the cave had more dwellings similar to the outside. There were no vines at all. The structures only reached halfway up the walls of the cave. Maybe these were more like offices.

"Move forward. No time for gawking."

I did as he asked. As I got to the middle of the group of armed guards, the front half took the lead while the back half followed. The path ahead looked too narrow for the width of this group, but they did fit with inches to spare. We traveled down more hallways until we came into an open room.

I felt like I was at a trial with three judges in front of me and maybe fifteen judges on each side. The three in front held more power. I could tell because they sat up higher than the rest of the room.

The guards ahead started to split off to either side of a podium in front of us.

"Keep going."

I heard from behind.

I reached the podium. The guards that were following me, did not break formation like the guards in front did. Every individual in this room was staring at me.

"Well?"

An older voice echoed throughout the room. I could not pinpoint the source.

"Uh... I..."

"Do not speak!"

I was commanded. My mouth shut immediately. I was not afraid but, I had no idea what was going on or what was about to happen.

"Why is a human here?"

"Who allowed this?"

"I had better things to do."

Many different voices began speaking at the same time. I could no longer make out individual sentences. I saw the mouths of the 30 'judges' to my sides moving, but I had no idea what they were saying. I looked straight ahead and saw the three in front of me were still staring. Their mouths, still unmoving.

The elf in the middle of the three, stood. In response, the two on either side stood and held up a hand. At that moment, the others quieted down without delay. The elf Elder in the middle spoke.

"You have Ingested the potion of Rage?"

The room went into an uproar. I could see that even some of the guards around me were uneasy.

"SILENCE!"

Two voices spoke simultaneously.

"Answer."

Said the head Elder.

"I did not ingest the potion."

A wave of relief washed over the room. I could feel it.

"I don't know..."

"Silence!"

"You speak only the answer when requested."

I suppose the two on either side of the head Elder are speakers. The head Elder began to speak again.

"If you did not ingest it, why was I told that you, a human, have taken the potion for yourself?"

"Answer."

I thought of how to answer. Would they believe me?

"I died. I fell and..."

"Silence!"

"Answer the question. We do not need Lies."

I raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Some answers require details. Do you want an answer or not?"

"INSOLENCE!"

Again the speakers were in unison. The head Elder put his hands up in front of the speakers to stop them from saying anything else.

"Answer. Yes, some details may be given but not all are needed."

I cleared my throat.

"I come from a different world, believe it or not. I don't know how but, I fell into your world. I thought I was going to die because I entered your world from the sky. I... did die. I landed on the roof of the building that housed the potion of Rage. I only learned this after the fact. When my body crashed through the roof, the potion spilled all over my body. I did not drink the potion of Rage. It seeped in through my wounds. It revived me from death."

There was a moment of silence.

"Is that possible?"

"None of the texts speak of revival."

"Is he still a threat?"

"Does the power still reside in him?"

Again the room began in an uproar. This time it was more confusion than fear.

"SILENCE!"

The head Elder shouted this time.

"This is a very serious matter. Are you aware of the implications of being subject to the potion of Rage?"

He sounded like he was actually concerned this time.

"I don't know a lot. I have learned small bits of info here and there. I heard there were four previous users and that destruction followed in their wake."

"Not just destruction, calamity!"

"Not just calamity, catastrophe!"

The speakers were audibly disturbed this time.

"Did you know that the human that drank the potion became immortal and his power never waned? Many tried to kill him, but it was a fool's errand. That is why he had to be banished from this world. We could not kill him, so he was removed the only other way we knew. With what you now know, will you use this power? If so, what are your intentions with this power?"

The head Elder seemed calmer and more afraid at the same time.

Immortal?

Am I really?

"I don't know. I've used it once, but I have no idea 'how' I used it. I accidentally destroyed part of a house. I have no intention to use it for any specific goal. My life before I came here, was stagnant. I did nothing and wanted nothing from others. I would go out of my way to avoid troubling others. I suppose my goal, for now, is to try and make a better life here. That said, I still want to be as little a hindrance to others as possible. And if ..."

I was interrupted by a sharp, stabbing pain in my chest. I looked down and saw the tip of a spear peeking out of my chest where my heart would be. I looked behind me, just in time to see one of the heavily armed guards get tackled by the others.

"Why would you do that?"

"Are you stupid?"

Some of the guards yelled at him. Now the room was in a panic. The elves did not know what to do.

After a moment of looking at the bloodied spear tip, I felt... okay. I was not nauseous, or faint.

I reached behind me with my left arm and grabbed the pole of the spear. With my right hand, I grasped the tip. I pressed on the tip while pulling from the back. It went all the way through. The spear was in my left hand now and not in my chest.

I looked down again. I felt some pain but, nothing like the kind I experienced from my fatal fall. I dropped the spear to the floor on my left. The loud clang of the metal caught the attention of the inhabitants of the room.

The hole in my chest was closed up and looked like nothing was ever wrong. Although, there were two holes in my shirt now, along with some fresh bloodstains. The head Elder spoke up.

"How do you feel?"

I touched the spot where the spear impaled my chest.

"I feel fine."

"Are you not, angry, at that soldier? For attacking you out of the blue?"

His eyes seemed to show a bit of curiosity now.

"I see it as a frightened response to an overwhelming situation."

After my reply, I turned back to the soldier that was pinned to the ground and gave him a thumbs up.

"All good, bro."

The other guards looked confused, but the one who attacked me looked even more frightened than before.

The head Elder looked impressed and slightly relieved.

"Human. You prove yourself not of this world, over and over. The way you act around elven kind is evidence of that."

He put a hand to his brow.

"However, I alone do not have enough power to make decisions on behalf of all the representatives here."

That bad feeling that I had in the carriage on the way here? It seems like it was on the spot.

"What should we do?"

"Can we do anything?"

"Execute him!"

"Did you not just see what happened to him?"

For the third time, the room was in an uproar.

"ENOUGH!"

I heard that voice from my right, one of the side judges.

"I have heard from my sources, that the human has come into the possession of an elven slave. I hear that he has, eh, saved her from a cruel fate? I for one, vote to use her as collateral. Hold her in a secret location under threat of execution if he begins to rampage. What say, the rest of you?"

"Here, here!"

"I agree!"

"Won't that make him angry anyway?"

"Do it now!"

The room seemed to mostly agree. The head Elder spoke.

"A motion to pass. Show your vote now. Stand if you agree, stay seated if you do not."

His eyes were closed as he spoke. He knew the outcome. Even so, he was the first to sit. The second was the speaker to his right. Only three others on the sides sat down. Everyone else was standing and cheering.

I was now to be a prisoner of the elves.

Sophie.

I just got her out of a shitty situation, and now she is going to be a prisoner like me, because of me.

Fuck.

The head Elder Stood back up.

"The hanging cells with him. I am sorry human. Please give us little trouble. Try to understand that it's best for the world if you stay hidden from the world."

"May I ask that you let my slave go? I am willing to take my sentence happily if I know that she is not suffering in a cell."

All I could hear was old men laughing. Only a few were not.

"Letting a slave go? That's a good one!"

It looked as though, the ones who did not laugh were the same ones who sat for my sentencing.

"Move..."

The guard had hesitation in his voice. I began walking. As much fun as getting thrown into a jail sounds, I don't feel like I have a choice. Even if I did nothing wrong.

Double fuck.

We traveled to a large stone room. It was deep underground. It looked empty from outside the doorway. As we walked in, it grew upwards. Many cages were hanging above, as well as a catwalk that allowed the guards to patrol the inmates.

Only five guards were with me at this point. One of them walked over to a lever mechanism. Three levers were all the way up, the other seven were only halfway up. The guard pulled one of the halfway levers down and a cage descended.

Another guard took a ring of keys from his belt. I can't see any markings to differentiate them but, he knew exactly the key to use to open the cage that was lowered. I started to walk in.

"Check his pockets."

Another guard walked up to me and patted me down. The pants I was given at the Lethroh's household only had one pocket. There, the guard found my wallet and cellphone. I don't think I really need the wallet. That reminds me, I have not seen any evidence of my written language around here. I'd like to make some use of my phone before it dies.

"That leather square you are holding, may I suggest donating the contents to a library? Though, I would like to hold onto that rectangular rock if you don't mind. It helps me focus and keep calm."

At the suggestion that it would relax me, I was sure that he would hand it back as if his life depended on it. Sure enough, he 'really' didn't want it. I wandered into the cage and re-pocketed my cell phone. The door was closed behind me. The guard at the levers raised my lever all the way up. I heard the gears grinding as I was hauled up into the air.

I ended up about six feet above and two feet over from the catwalk. I was 90 feet or so from the ground. The other cages were of different heights and distances compared to mine.

I could barely make out the other three inmates. It looked like two male elves and a female. She was definitely not Sophie. None of them talked to me. I'd rather not make friends with these people for two reasons.

Firstly, I don't know who they are or why they are here. Second, If I make an attachment, it could draw out a wave of anger if they are unjustly treated.

I need no reason to draw upon my anger.

After a while, I pulled out my phone and began to play a few puzzle games. I did this every day until eventually, the battery died. I decided to keep it in my pocket, just as a reminder of my home.