door open that way.
Lilae looked down at the top of the door, now secure between two plates of iron. She stepped over it and noticed the inside of the cavern gave way to a ceiling that stretched hundreds, maybe thousands of feet high.
“What made you study us?” She eyed the Shadow Elves that emerged from the adjoining hallways, eager for a glimpse of the human, Tryan, and fairy.
Lilae doubted they knew Delia to be anything but what she appeared to be. If they expected her to be the Elder she was, they’d all hide and pray her blue eyes never rested on them.
“You become enthralled in legend, prophecy, and history when it affects you personally.”
Liam entered and stood beside Lilae. He folded his arms, a stern look on his handsome face. “How is that?”
Sadness filled Pretica’s brown eyes as she froze before them. She sighed and clenched her jaw. “Because my sister is the Seer. She was stolen by Bellens.”
THE INSIDE OF THE CAVERN OF GOLLUSH was remarkably pristine.
Once they made their way from the sliding door, and through the main hall, Lilae and the others were led to an opening that made her take pause and behold its beauty.
The floors were a smooth dark stone that covered the entire dome-shaped citadel. Gollush’s citadel was bigger than Lowen’s Edge, the last town Lilae had lived in before her capture. The stairs were wide, stretching across the entire dome, with halls and towers leading to the center.
Lilae’s eyes followed the towers upward to the dark ceiling that was too far away to clearly make out.
A bustling place, thousands of Shadow Elves went about their daily business.
“Don’t you all sleep?” Lilae watched them go on as if the sun had just arisen.
“We do. During what you consider daytime. Shadow Elves like the dark,” Pretica said.
Caty and Ely nodded. “This is our waking mid-day. When the sun sets, we awaken,” Caty said.
Caty and Ely both had short black hair that barely brushed the tips of their pointed ears. But, Caty’s smile was kind, and she had even kinder chestnut brown eyes that were thin as slits. The two gruesome scars that trailed from the bottom of her eyes to her chin, however, were distracting.
Ely had a stern look about her as if a smile was foreign and abhorred. She looked down her nose at Lilae, her muscular arms folded across her small chest.
“Interesting,” Lilae replied, looking away. Weariness started to take over, and she yawned.
Maybe she’d actually be able to sleep after being up for what felt like days. Just yesterday, she had locked in a box in the Emperor’s bedchamber, fearing that Dragnor or the leader of the Bellen’s, Sister Eloni, would finally come to kill her.
“Thank you again,” Oksana said, her father standing beside her. “We must report to our leader and prepare for our next mission.”
Lilae smiled at her. “Of course. Be safe on your next mission.”
“Yeah,” Rowe grunted. “Try not to get caught.”
Oksana looked up at him. “Once out of sixty-two isn’t so bad.”
“Maybe. But getting killed won’t make your record any prettier.”
With that, Oksana kept her mouth closed, a pert smile on her lips as she bowed to Rowe. “Well said. Be well, Rowe.”
Lilae and the others watched Oksana and Vadim leave the group to head into the city.
Pretica stopped at the edge of the stairs. “You all must be exhausted. Come, you can meet the council members tomorrow. I think rest is what you all need right now. Your weapons will be prepared when you awaken.”
“We can’t thank you enough,” Liam said.
“I can imagine how you must feel to be without your weapons,” Pretica said. “As a warrior, I know I’d feel quite naked without my spear and daggers.”
Delia stood beside Lilae, looking just as tired as Lilae felt. Dark circles were forming under her eyes, and she leaned on her staff for support.
“What is this council you speak of?”
“Vaugner has organized it. The council makes up
Lilae looked down at the top of the door, now secure between two plates of iron. She stepped over it and noticed the inside of the cavern gave way to a ceiling that stretched hundreds, maybe thousands of feet high.
“What made you study us?” She eyed the Shadow Elves that emerged from the adjoining hallways, eager for a glimpse of the human, Tryan, and fairy.
Lilae doubted they knew Delia to be anything but what she appeared to be. If they expected her to be the Elder she was, they’d all hide and pray her blue eyes never rested on them.
“You become enthralled in legend, prophecy, and history when it affects you personally.”
Liam entered and stood beside Lilae. He folded his arms, a stern look on his handsome face. “How is that?”
Sadness filled Pretica’s brown eyes as she froze before them. She sighed and clenched her jaw. “Because my sister is the Seer. She was stolen by Bellens.”
THE INSIDE OF THE CAVERN OF GOLLUSH was remarkably pristine.
Once they made their way from the sliding door, and through the main hall, Lilae and the others were led to an opening that made her take pause and behold its beauty.
The floors were a smooth dark stone that covered the entire dome-shaped citadel. Gollush’s citadel was bigger than Lowen’s Edge, the last town Lilae had lived in before her capture. The stairs were wide, stretching across the entire dome, with halls and towers leading to the center.
Lilae’s eyes followed the towers upward to the dark ceiling that was too far away to clearly make out.
A bustling place, thousands of Shadow Elves went about their daily business.
“Don’t you all sleep?” Lilae watched them go on as if the sun had just arisen.
“We do. During what you consider daytime. Shadow Elves like the dark,” Pretica said.
Caty and Ely nodded. “This is our waking mid-day. When the sun sets, we awaken,” Caty said.
Caty and Ely both had short black hair that barely brushed the tips of their pointed ears. But, Caty’s smile was kind, and she had even kinder chestnut brown eyes that were thin as slits. The two gruesome scars that trailed from the bottom of her eyes to her chin, however, were distracting.
Ely had a stern look about her as if a smile was foreign and abhorred. She looked down her nose at Lilae, her muscular arms folded across her small chest.
“Interesting,” Lilae replied, looking away. Weariness started to take over, and she yawned.
Maybe she’d actually be able to sleep after being up for what felt like days. Just yesterday, she had locked in a box in the Emperor’s bedchamber, fearing that Dragnor or the leader of the Bellen’s, Sister Eloni, would finally come to kill her.
“Thank you again,” Oksana said, her father standing beside her. “We must report to our leader and prepare for our next mission.”
Lilae smiled at her. “Of course. Be safe on your next mission.”
“Yeah,” Rowe grunted. “Try not to get caught.”
Oksana looked up at him. “Once out of sixty-two isn’t so bad.”
“Maybe. But getting killed won’t make your record any prettier.”
With that, Oksana kept her mouth closed, a pert smile on her lips as she bowed to Rowe. “Well said. Be well, Rowe.”
Lilae and the others watched Oksana and Vadim leave the group to head into the city.
Pretica stopped at the edge of the stairs. “You all must be exhausted. Come, you can meet the council members tomorrow. I think rest is what you all need right now. Your weapons will be prepared when you awaken.”
“We can’t thank you enough,” Liam said.
“I can imagine how you must feel to be without your weapons,” Pretica said. “As a warrior, I know I’d feel quite naked without my spear and daggers.”
Delia stood beside Lilae, looking just as tired as Lilae felt. Dark circles were forming under her eyes, and she leaned on her staff for support.
“What is this council you speak of?”
“Vaugner has organized it. The council makes up
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