Chapter 10 Hopes & Dreams

Wulfa sat on the cold cement floor in the corner of Tane's secret room. He was barely paying any attention to Tane and the half-elvish man dressed in adamantine armor as they discussed negotiations. Igin, just stood there trying not to irritate any of them. The four of them were crammed into the dim lit room, no windows and only one door. The room had been intended for use as a small storage space.

Wulfa softly hummed a tune as he pondered his thoughts. Their plans were coming along nicely, but he felt they weren't moving forward fast enough. He touched the dagger in the front pocket of his cloak, his fingers petting the snake as if it were real. He still didn't know the weapon's origin, but for years he had known it held dark powers. Whenever he tried to ask the cultists who gave it to him, or where it came from, they just said it was his mother's, and as her dying wish just before he was born, it was to be given to him. His favorite thing about the dagger, besides the snake, was the black gemstone in the middle of the four green ones on the hilt. All he really knew was the dagger was ancient, and held strong powers that even he could not tap into. Powers he wanted.

"What can you do that I haven't already tried?" The dirty blonde (other color for blonde here) haired stranger asked. His voice was shaking, half angry and yet he was almost on the verge of tears. Igin tried to inch closer to the man, but was given a hard shove back against the wall.

"Stay away from me, filth," The half elf snarled down at him. Tane paid no attention to the look of protest on Igin's face, and carried on.

"What exactly happened, Edwin?" Tane wanted to hear the man's pain, him and Wulfa preyed on it. They found happiness at the expense of others' sadness. He glanced over at Wulfa; who had been unusually distant for most of the afternoon, to see if he had been listening in. Wulfa, hearing the man's pain, was now giving his full undivided attention. He knew Tane needed to extend their army, and that was why he was meeting with Edwin, the ruler of Eadnoth Keep. He was unsure of how the paladin could be of any use before, but in his voice there seemed to be a few things he might have to offer.

"She left me," Edwin whined, sitting down on the only chair in the room.

"She who?" Wulfa asked, controlling the urge to roll his eyes.

"Del-Ara."

Edwin Reede wept as he told them the story of the woman he had been with for almost thirty years. A goddess of an elf, according to him, who he had rescued from cultists when she was still just a child. He cherished the ground she walked on, and gave her what he could. She thanked him with appreciation and love, and considered him her savior. She was forever in debt to him. Over the years, she became just as much in love with him as he was with her. It wasn't until a few years ago, she left him for an older elf in Caer Cati, a much larger city far to the north east. The man she left Edwin for wasn't even a ruler, not even a Captain, but he was still ranked high in The Eastern Alliance army. The man was twice Edwin's age. He could offer Del-Ara more; more in the realm of wealth, stability, protection, and even children, especially children. Something Edwin did not have any success in giving her in all the years they were together.

"So, what can you do for me?" He asked again, wiping away his tears.

Wulfa let out a long whistle that made Tane grin from ear to ear. There was plenty that they could do.

"That. Depends," Wulfa began, sizing the half elf up and down. He could sense the man was still in the youth of his life, though wrinkles had already begun to make a presence around his eyes and mouth. His skin was pale, almost sickly even, as if he hasn't seen the sun in months. His long hair was tangled in knots as he tried to keep them in multiple small braids, but it was a poor attempt to come across as a leader.

"What is it that you really want?" Wulfa asked, looking into the paladin's hazel green eyes.

Edwin returned the man dressed in black's stare. He had never seen a man covered in so much darkness, from his clothes to his long hair, even his eyes were a shade of grey. Edwin knew a cultist when he saw one, he had devoted much of their time hunting them ever since he rescued Del-Ara. The small dwarf to his right and the two men across from him continued to stare at him, as they waited for an answer.

"I want Del-Ara back, obviously."

Tane met Wulfa's gaze and they nodded at one another.

"I'm not sure what I can do about your, um, one thing," Wulfa said, his eyes gesturing towards Edwin's privates.

"I can look around and see what I can find though. I just can't promise anything." His hand returned to his cloak pocket, and he began humming another tune, a different one from before.

"We can find you money. Lots of it. My men and I will help you. Wulfa too," Tane said seeing Wulfa had withdrawn again. He had been busy trying to understand that dagger of his a lot lately. He knew it meant a lot to him, but he was beginning to worry Wulfa had lost sight of their original plan.

"We can get you anything you need. We just need your help, which is why I wanted to meet with you in the first place."

Of course. Edwin thought to himself.

No one ever gave shit for free. Still he stayed seated, no one had offered to help him since Del-Ara left. Some of his soldiers had refused to participate in his plans of wanting to murder the elf that Del-Ara left him for; which resulted in some of his men and their families leaving his city, claiming he had gone mad. Eventually, others followed suit as the months passed by; seeing their once stern, disciplined king, who was also kind and loving, completely turned around and became rude, abusive and angry.

"Okay," Edwin said, standing up and walking closer to the red headed man.

"What do you need from me?"

"You. And your army." Tane answered, his green eyes smiled at the half elf, it almost seemed flirtatious to Edwin.

"What for?" He asked, as he returned to the chair.

"Don't you have an army already?"

Curiosity piqued the paladins interest. Surely a man dressed in armor as well as the guy standing across from him held some sort of high ranking. When he walked through Belronde, he saw men and dwarves (which he tried to avoid at all costs,) all had the same colored cloaks.

"I do," Tane said.

"I've been looking for another, to say, ally with. Our militaries could work together for what we both want."

Wulfa's eyes were back on them again, his hand still inside his cloak pocket.

"We could rob small villages, and towns of their cash. This elf in Caer Cati? We could find a way to kill him. Make it look like an accident. I work well with poisons." Wulfa's words enticed Edwin.

Did he know more than he let on? Because cultists had a way of reading into people. Edwin thought to himself, swinging his foot.

"That won't bring the girl back," Igin said. He couldn't believe the things he was hearing, and Tane's plans had been getting worse. There wasn't much he could do except obey his commands, otherwise his family members would be tortured or worse. He had made the mistake once when Tane had first taken control of Belronde. Believing the kidnapping of his father, Nosin, was just an idle threat; Igin and his brother Gyde sent Tane fake gold as payment. In return, Wulfa cast a curse on Gyde that blinded him permanently, and Tane overtook their city. He ran into his cousin, Martia, yesterday. She had told him about Riswynn Ungart being in town with a group of girls. They were headed north into the mountains to Eadnoth Keep. He had wanted to reach out for help, but he couldn't, too many of Tane's men walked the streets and watched closely.

"Quiet, Igin," Tane said, hushing him aside like he always did.

"What is this elf's name?" Wulfa asked, two fingers caressing the dark gem.

"Aramil. Aramil Liadon." Edwin stood up again, and started pacing the short length of the room.

"He's a Captain. That's all I know."

"How trustworthy are your men?" Wulfa asked, making note of the name in his head. It would be a difficult task to kill the elf, but it could be done. Caer Cati was part of a strong two city alliance. It used to be three cities, until about thirty years ago when the curse took over Chaucey Stronghold and its tower; Sallaro. Both buildings were now infested with all sorts of undead, banshees, and wights.

Edwin stopped in his tracks, again he felt like this man had been reading his mind.

"You're a cultist, aren't you?"

"I was raised by cultists. Now and then, I still work with them if I need help." Wulfa gripped the hilt of his dagger firmly, trying to form an image of his dead mother in his mind. His guardians never gave him much for information, she was very young when she died. There were no drawings or sketchings of her, just that she was small and thin with beautiful black hair like his. She was graceful in her presence and movement, the way most high elves were when they walked. There was never any mention of his father, but as he got older, he heard rumours that a man took it upon himself and had his way with her. No one could ever confirm it though, but Wulfa had a feeling that he wasn't conceived out of love.

"How trustworthy are your men?" He asked again, his voice more forceful and filled with power this time.

"Some of my men left. They accused me of going mad. There's still quite a bit of an army left though, close in size to yours," he said turning to Tane.

Tane could tell Wulfa was up to something as he watched his friend's eyes look over the blonde man in front of them. Wulfa's right hand still hid from view, still in his pocket on that dagger of his.

"There might be something else I can do for you, and your men. First, I need you to find out who is loyal, and which ones are willing to do whatever it takes to protect you." Edwin nodded. He could do that.

"Remember to think about what you really want, and what you're willing to do to become stronger, more powerful." Wulfa's lips curled into a nasty smile.

Edwin could barely swallow the small lump that had formed in his throat. He got the feeling the man did not mean more military training. This man was more than just a cultist, but he knew what he wanted, and he would do anything to have Del-Ara back by his side.

"I will meet with you in Eadnoth Keep in a couple of days to discuss further plans." Tane approached the paladin and stretched out his hand. Edwin accepted, and the first part of the deal was closed as they shook on it.

"Tattani," Wulfa suddenly burst into a cry of anger and fear. The obsidian gemstone he had been touching, quickly turned hot, slightly burning the tips of his fingers. He pulled his hand out of the cloak pocket, and examined his hand. A bright shade of red where the gem burned him appeared.

Tane looked at him quizzically, wondering what had made him so upset.

"They killed Tattani," Wulfa said through gritted teeth. He got to his feet, wiping the dust off the back of his cloak. Tane's eyes widened, he couldn't believe it was possible.

"No! Are you sure?"

Igin tried hard to contain his excitement. Did Riswynn and the group she was with really get rid of whatever this Tattani was? He looked at Wulfa to see if they had picked up on his change in behavior, but neither man paid any attention to him. They never did.

"Yes." Wulfa answered.

"I connected another obsidian with the one in my dagger, and placed it in her lair. If it were to ever leave her cave, it would burn the way it just did." He was rubbing his fingers together, the redness had disappeared.

"She knew to keep the gem in her lair so I would know, in case anything were to ever happen."

"Maybe it wasn't them," Igin said.

"Don't be stupid," Wulfa scoffed.

"Of course it was that damn dwarf from the Council."

"A dwarf?" Edwin asked. He had not been the least bit interested until now, he did not care for the greedy drunks and their adventures. His family had long hated them for many years.

"Yes, why?" Tane asked.

"Don't like them. Not one bit. I could offer my services in helping you with this one you speak of, and the one in the corner if you like."

"I need this one," Tane laughed, gesturing towards Igin.

"As for the other one, we can discuss that later. We should get going now." He motioned for Igin and the paladin to go up the staircase back to his office.

"I'll be up in a moment."

"What is the plan?" Tane asked after they were out of hearing.

"I'm porting to my keep there. I will need to send one of my commanders up the mountain to try and head them off. I set up a trap in that gem as well. Once it left the cave it was in, it would create a snowstorm for a couple hundred feet. It should slow them down long enough for Orog to catch them, and capture that elf."

"I still don't get why you want her. You haven't had any interest in the opposite sex until now." Tane had no interest in women, except to torture them.

"I told you why. She reminds me of someone."

"Alright. I have scouts on the mountain as well. They should be able to slow them down as well."

Tane headed towards the stairs with an uneasy feeling. He turned around to see Wulfa teleport from the room, dust picking up from the floor, and spinning into its own whirlwind. Wulfa had been slowly withdrawing a lot lately, almost secretive. Tane was sure it had something to do with that dagger, and whoever this elf was. Tane climbed the stairs to his office, now was not the time to worry, there was still a lot of work to be done.

"How can you sit here and do nothing?" A young high elf screamed at Commander Biri's face. The girl's chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and strands fell down to the side of her face.

"Calm down, Cerene. You're just a child," Naivanna said, sitting down at The Crossed Spears only table, crossing her legs. She looked over the parchment in her hand as she sipped her tea.

"I will not calm down," the slim woman hollered, picking up an apple from the table and throwing it against the wall.

"Waste of good fruit." Naivanna ignored the girl, continuing to read.

"That is my husband out there! Your brother. Your twin brother."

Commander Biri held back her tears. She wished her father was here, but he could hardly ever be in the same room as Cerene. She reminded him too much of his late wife. She touched the necklace that once belonged to her mother. It was given to her years ago when her mother finally passed on. Belawiel had been sick for a long time, since she had given birth to Commander Biri and her twin brother, Belalith. She was never supposed to have children, so when she became pregnant, and with twins nonetheless, it was a miracle. It had taken a toll on her health, and she lived much longer than anyone expected, but she always told her children it was a sacrifice worth dying for.

Cerene saw the look in Biri's eyes, watched her toy with the necklace. She sat down in one of the chairs beside the tall elf. She knew the story of Belawiel, and a feeling of guilt washed over her. She didn't know what it was like to lose anyone that close to her, but she could relate in a way. By choice, she had separated from her family and her A'eterna culture to be with Belalith.

"Why isn't anything being done?" Her voice was slightly calmer. Her heart still pounded, and she was still angry, but there was also compassion in her eyes.

"There is. I sent someone to search for him and the group he was with." Biri's cloudy damp eyes looked into Cerene's. Small tears clung to the end of her long eyelashes.

"You're going to trust some outsider? Why didn't you just go yourself?" Cerene placed her hand on Biri's fingers. She controlled the urge to get up and yell at her again, to grab the Commander and shake her senseless. Biri played with the gems on the necklace as she felt the young girl gently squeeze her fingers.

"Riswynn isn't an outsider. I've known her for years. I couldn't go myself. I have many other things to attend to as Commander."

"Like what?" Cerene asked. Rumours were spreading around fast, as fast as the curses that were left behind two hundred years ago. She hadn't even been thought of yet, but she knew things, more than she was supposed to anyways.

"That's none of your concern," Biri told her firmly. It was per her father's request that Cerene was not allowed to counsel in the Wand and Bell, but the way her sister in law eyed her, Cerene knew just as much as them.

"He's been gone almost a month, Biri." The high elf begged, her golden eyes now too becoming wet.

"I know," Biri whispered. She knew Cerene's heart ached. She could sense it. How could she not? The girl had known Belalith almost twenty years, they even had a daughter together.

Naivanna dragged her chair closer to the women, scraping the leg of the chair against the wooden floor. Brown liquid spilled, forming a puddle as she knocked over her tea. Shrugging, she wiped up the mess using a corner of the parchment. Naivanna had been in the Council since Biri and her brother were born. She sought help from Bathe, who was Commander at the time; her city was in trouble and turning to ruin. Linde, The City of Thrones, in its former days was a renowned High Elf community, but once the Cursed War had ended, its curse spread among the land, her people had completely changed. She grew up watching her family and neighbors kidnap and torture travellers.

"But, Myyn," Cerene stumbled over her daughter's name, as she placed her other hand on Biris and pulled them closer to her. Biri slouched down in her chair. She knew what her sister in law was referring too. There wasn't anything more she could do, but wait for Riswynn and the others to return. Or was there something else she could do? She felt defeated as she looked into Cerene's eyes, tears now falling down her cheeks.

She didn't want to think about it. Her brother was one of the best rangers around, and his three companions were just as self-sufficient. She would not have sent them if she did not think they could handle it. Disappointed in herself, she slouched further into the wooden chair, her father would be upset with her for losing hope so soon in her brother, and her comrades. Even her brother would be giving her a hard time for giving up on him.

Naivanna listened in on their thoughts as she sipped her tea and stared blankly at the parchment in front of her. She hadn't a clue where she learned this "special talent" - something Commander Bathe told her once, but it had gotten stronger when his twins; Biri and Belalith, were born. It wasn't often at first, and a lot of the times it was fuzzy, but gradually over the years she could read most people's minds, as long as they were weak emotionally or didn't realize someone was in their head. She eventually learned it was a talent many high elves acquired.

Both girls felt defeated, no hope at all seemed left in them. For someone they both so strongly loved and cared for, there wasn't a bit of faith for his returning home, at least in that current moment. Naivanna could feel they were both overwhelmed with their emotions, no reasoning or logic to balance the situation and help them sort the problem.

A creak of the inns door alerted her to another person in their presence. Luth Wilton, another commander of The Wand and Bell,strutted over to the table. His brown curly hair was wet, and he hadn't shaved for weeks. He was tall for the most part, a little short for a male human, yet built in the right places. Naivanna scoffed as she noticed the melting candle in the corner window of the room. It was awfully late in the day for him to finally be waking up. He would be cute, if it wasn't for the fact that she thought he was an ass most of the time.

Luth approached Commander Biri, as he always did when he first entered a room if she was there. His cheerful expression changed when he saw her, and stood in shock. He had never seen Biri in this state, emotional and vulnerable, but he wanted to be there for, to comfort her. Naivanna could read his intentions, and she shook her head at him, urging him to read her expression that now wasn't the best time. It made no difference, he wasn't paying any attention to the tall black haired woman, and sat down across from Biri anyways.

"Idiot," Naivanna mumbled to herself, her grey eyes shooting him a piercing look. Even she knew to give the Commander the right amount of space, but then again that was probably one of the reasons why their relationship ended. He was always trying to get too personal, even during business.

"He's not going to be here for Myyn's Garden of Eve, is he?"

Cerene and Biri didn't even notice that Luth had entered the inn. Commander Biri sighed. Myyn would be turning sixteen years old in a week. The Garden of Eve was a tradition from Cerene's family, the A'eterna high elves. When one of their females turned sixteen they held a celebration. An elder would search to see what qualities the young high elf possessed, and had seen over the years. On that day, the elder would give the girl her rightful destiny based on those observations. Because the child would now be considered an adult, it would be her choice to pick her own name; whether or not she wanted to keep her given birth name or pick another was up to her.

It was Biri's mother, Belawiel who permitted Cerene to allow them to have the celebration for Myyn in their city. Even though Cerene had been away from her people for almost two decades, they agreed to let Cerene have the ceremony in Cronemoor, but only because the A'eterna had such high respect for Biri's family, who they called The Moon Whisperers. They could not send her an Elder though, it was forbidden for them to leave the Vale of Omens. Fortunately, Naivanna had been around for Myyn's childhood, and being over 100 hundred years old, she was qualified by the A'eternian rule to give Myyn's destiny.

"He who?" Luth asked, prying himself into the conversation. Suddenly realizing he was there, Biri sat up straight and wiped away her tears. She smiled at Luth's concerned dark brown eyes. Cerene's hands gave her one last squeeze before she pulled away.

"I better get to the children. They're probably waiting for me," she said looking at the melted candle in the windowsill.

"I'll walk with you," Naivanna said, both girls getting up from their chairs.

"There's some things I need to go over with you anyway." Cerene nodded at her, as she grabbed her fur cloak draped over the chair.

"I better get going too," Biri said, slowly rising from her seat.

"I got a lot more things to get done." She left the room rather quickly, through a door at the back of the inn.

"Idiot," Naivanna smacked Luth over the head with the rolled up parchment before leaving the inn with Cerene.

"What'd I do?" He exclaimed, grabbing an apple from the basket and following Biri to her private room.