*En route to Arestoth City*

The carriage sped down the road bouncing and jarring itself against the stones and potholes in the dirt path. Wendell snapped the reins constantly urging the horses to quickly meet up with Ransell and Belis further down the way. Since the two horses were being weighed down by the carriage, the luggage and the passengers, the pursuers were able to catch up quicker than anticipated.  Sarya and Trisha were able to hear repeated thudding hit the back of the carriage. Sarya seemed confused as to what they could be, but Trisha knew exactly what they were and her eyes narrowed in anger at the realization.

The carriage suddenly swerved to the side causing Trisha and Sarya to stumble in their seats and brace themselves against the walls so they didn’t bash into it. Coming to a complete halt Sarya could see to hooded figures standing just outside the carriage door’s windows. She assumed they were Belis and Ransell and breathed a sigh of relief.

The second the door to the carriage opened though, Trisha bolted out in a flash, quicker than Sarya could keep up with. Two flashes of light flicked out towards the hooded men, followed by Trisha flipping into the air once, and landing in a crouched position, her feet tucked underneath her. In each hand was a dagger pointing down, her arms crossing her chest and a hint of blood dripping down each blade.

The two figures began to spray blood from beneath their hoods into the air and dropped to the ground, dead without a sound. Trisha stood up slowly and faced the oncoming pursuers that were bearing down on her. A few of them pointing crossbows at her, making Sarya realize what the thudding from the back of the carriage was. She trusted Trisha to be safe, but couldn’t help but feel a lump form in her throat and her heart skip a beat at watching such a young child face what appeared to be six full grown and armed men. 

Trisha stood her ground, the daggers in each hand glinting and reflecting the sunlight that splashed across their pristine blades. One of the riders unleashed a bolt from his crossbow, watching it fly towards Trisha with precision and directed right at her head. In one swift motion she lifted her right hand and deflected the bolt along the flat side of her dagger, causing it to ricochet off harmlessly into the air with a sharp clanking sound.

Seeing this, three others unleashed their bolts simultaneously. Trisha couldn’t dodge them all, not because she wasn’t able to, but if she did, they would travel behind her and into the carriage, which was not an option. Instead she shifted her right foot back and sheathed the dagger that it was housed to. Pulling out three of the throwing spikes from the line across her abdomen she threw each of them in succession. With pinpoint accuracy, each throwing spike collided with their respective bolts, causing them to careen into random directions harmlessly away from Trisha as well as the carriage.

Sarya was impressed as just how talented and capable Trisha was. She couldn’t help but smile, but then quickly frowned realizing that she must have gone through hell and more to be able to perform feats such as that, at such a young age.

The closer the pursuers came Trisha realized that the crossbowmen were only the start of their long ranged attacks. They quickly moved to the side to reveal another that held his hand out in front and moving his mouth. Her eyes widened as a large earthen spike formed in front of him and began to hurdle towards her at frightening speeds. Pulling the dagger she recently sheathed and crossing them over each other Trisha braced herself for the impact of the Earthen Spear.

                “Grrraaaaggghhh!” a loud voice belted out.

Just before the Earthen Spear made contact with Trisha, a large hooded figure came out of nowhere and with a large metal club smashed the spear in mid-air. Chunks of stone and earth began to fly everywhere, not nearly as dangerous as the whole, but the velocity causing them to embed into the walls of the carriage and nearby trees as after impacting with the metal mace.

                “Ransell!” Trisha yelled. “Took your time didn’t you!?”

                “Ah, sorry. Had to take care of our own nuisance in the forest.”

                “Where’s Belis?” she said as she looked around.

                “Ah, he shouldn’t be too far behind. He’s a bit weighed down at the moment though.”

                “Well you better hope he gets here before these scum reach me…They dared to assault my lady. I shall make them pay dearly.” Trisha said as she lowered herself in a stance that allowed her to pounce at a moment’s notice.

                “Ah, yeah I noticed…I guess those two were the first unlucky two?” Ransell said as he pointed behind him with his thumb.

                “I thought it was you two.” She said nonchalantly.

                “What?! You could have killed us!”

                “Oh please, if you two old geezers were able to be taken in by something that easy, you would have deserved it.”

                “Haha! Too true.” Ransell said and then quickly realized something. “Wait…you were serious?”

                “If you two hadn’t decided to go hunting in the woods and stayed by our Lady’s side, this wouldn’t have happened!”

                “Well…I guess I can’t argue with that. But I’m thinking that if we didn’t, we’d be dealing with more than the men we have coming to us now.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “Ah! Talk later, here they come!”

The armed men on horses barreled down on Trisha and Ransell, this time brandishing swords and axes. Swinging down as they rode by quickly. A majority of them circled around to keep Trisha and Ransell occupied while two continued on towards the carriage to where Sarya was. Thinking that whoever was still in the carriage would be easy prey gave them the false sense that it would be best to get her and use her as a hostage.

Before they could get too close, two arrows flew directly at them and landed squarely between their eyes. The bodies of the riders falling with a ragged and unceremonious thud to the dirt ground. Atop the carriage was Wendell, on one knee wielding a rather small looking recurve bow with two arrows already nocked and ready to fire. Knowing that this was not going to be worth it, the group began to make a retreat. The horses quickly galloping by Trisha and Ransell without any further attempt to attack.

                “We need answers Wendell, bring one of them down!” Ransell shouted.

Removing one of the arrows from the nock, Wendell pulled back on the bowstring and raised it into the air slightly, and prepared to let loose the arrow.

                “Don’t bother!”

The shout came from the tree lines. Belis came lumbering out of the tall grass and brush dragging someone by the legs with a rope. Upon seeing him and hearing his command, Wendell lowered the bow and released the draw.

                “Captain…I hope that body is alive and we didn’t just let our only means of answers escape?” Trisha asked, slightly annoyed.

Thinking it was safe to come out of the carriage, Sarya opened the door and stepped out, making sure not to step in the pool of blood left by the bodies that were quickly dispatched by Trisha from the onset of the attack.

                “My lady, you shouldn’t leave the carriage.” Wendell urged from atop the carriage.

Hearing him, Trisha turned quickly and saw Sarya making her way towards her. Holding up her dress as she walked by the dead bodies.

                “My lady! Please, it is unsightly!” Trisha shouted and ran towards her.

As she came to meet Sarya, she quickly sheathed her daggers and lowered her head. Even though Sarya said all those nice things to her before, she had fully seen just what she was capable of, she had killed two people right in front of her. Afraid to make eye contact, her tail swayed nervously.

Totally unexpected, Sarya gently patted Trisha’s head and ran it alongside her head, brushing the area where her ear was covered, causing her to tingle at the sensation.

                “I’m glad you are safe.” Sarya said simply.

Looking up at her, Trisha saw a gentle and sincere smile on her face. Causing her to smile wide, revealing a perfectly innocent grin.

                “My lady. It may still be unsafe.” Belis said as he and Ransell made their way towards them.

                “Oh I’m fine. I’ll have you know I have seen and been in my own fair share of skirmishes.” Sarya said.

                “I…I see. Well I have taken the liberty of apprehending this one. It seems he was the one commanding the mercenary band within the forest.” Belis lifted his arm, causing the body tied to the rope to dangle slightly in the air, his head dragging around in the dirt.

                “I look forward to hearing what he has to say. But for now I believe we should make haste and put as much distance between us and the previous village.” Sarya said as she began to head back towards the carriage.

                “The village, ma’am?” Ransell asked confused.

                “That’s correct. There have been very few opportunities for us to be singled out for an attack such as this so soon after arriving at the main land, don’t you agree?”

Belis and Ransell looked at each other after hearing this and nodded. If there was anyone that was capable of selling them out it would have been someone in the village. Most likely the innkeeper realizing that they would most likely be easy prey for a large group of mercenaries.

                “Also, it seems it was quite fortuitous for us.” Sarya said as she turned towards the forest edge and pointed. “It seems you two will no longer have to walk. This should allow us to make excellent time.” She smiled at the two, her beautiful white teeth contrasting with her pink lips.

The horses belonging to the two riders that Wendell had shot down had only made their way to the edge of the forest and began to graze. They must have been subjected to enough battles and combat that they didn’t scare quite that easily, which would prove useful to Ransell and Belis no doubt.

The two began to remove any unnecessary tools and weapons from the saddles and empty the bags of junk and other pointless items that did them no good as guards. The only things that caught their attention were a few satchels of snacks and dried and cured meats. There also seemed to be a few coins in the saddle bags as well.

Belis threw the unconscious body over the rear of the horse he would take and made sure it was secured so he wouldn’t fall off of be able to wiggle free if he woke up. Ransell was mounted and ready to depart and headed towards the carriage. Belis was a rather large figure, so after he mounted the horse it neighed and began to click his hooves into the dirt angrily.

                “Hey…Ransell! Get back here will ya!?” Belis called out.

Belis dismounted and pulled the horse along towards Ransell.

                “What is it sir?” Ransell asked.

                “Switch horses with me, will ya?”

                “Sir?”

                “Look, I’m not a small man…and I’m already carrying the weight of another person…”

                “Ah, I see.” Ransell said after realizing what Belis was trying to get at.

After dismounting, he handed the reins to Belis and mounted the other house. The one carrying two people still neighed slightly, but didn’t dig his hooves into the ground. Ransell took it as a sign that it was tolerable. Belis lifted himself onto the horse Ransell was using and waited. The horse just shifted a little bit to acclimate to the excess weight but didn’t make any noises or stomp. Belis nodded in approval.  Satisfied, the two made their way to the carriage where Wendell had already cleared off the bolts from the rear and dug out the more obvious bits of stone from the side of the carriage wall.

After seeing Belis and Ransell move closer, Wendell snapped the reins of the two horses pulling the carriage. It lurched forward, causing a jerking motion for a few moments until it evened out and gained a normal forward momentum. The group once more began their long journey after a rather eventful and unwelcome tussle with the local mercenaries. As for what their purpose and reasoning, they would find that out after their hostage had woken up and were able to adequately interrogate him.

Sarya had settled into her seat and breathed a sigh of relief after they finally started moving onwards. She looked on as Trisha began to put her dress back on, making sure to take her black gloves off first and placing them in the loop that held them behind her back. The look of concern on her face caused Trisha to become worried.

                “It’s not exactly flattering…I’m sorry.” She said.

                “Hm? Oh, no, dear. I was just wondering if it was uncomfortable for you.”

                “I’m sorry?”

                “It looks quite uncomfortable.”

Trisha covered her mouth and began to giggle slightly.

                “What? Did I say something strange?”

                “Begging your pardon milady. But, it’s not usually what I hear. And while at first it was quite hard to move around in and breathe, I quickly got used to it. Now I can’t imagine not wearing it during a mission.” She said as she shrugged.

                “I see. Well as long as you are fine with it.”

                “If I may speak freely, milady?” Trisha asked cautiously, looking away and fidgeting in her seat.

                “Of course. Please, always speak what is on your mind. I promise I will not think less of you for saying anything you feel strongly about.”

                “Thank you, milady.” Trisha bowed to her. “You’re…different.”

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                “Different? Is that different good, or different bad?” Sarya asked concerned, and chuckled.

                “Oh, no. I did not mean it like that. I mean…I’m sorry. I am not very good at expressing myself.”

                “It’s fine, take your time. We have plenty of it on this trip.”

Trisha kept quiet for a few moments and fidgeted

                “You’re different than anyone I’ve ever met. You’re so…accepting.”

                “Do you mean because of what you do?” she asked.

                “Yes. But not just that. You aren’t scared, disgusted or treat us any differently even though you’re a…”

                “High elf?”

Trisha bowed her head, fearing she said something she shouldn’t have.

                “I understand. I never used to be, to be honest with you.”

                “What do you mean?” Trisha asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

                “I used to be just like everyone else. No…not exactly like everyone else. Being a High Elf, and from a noble family, I thought that everyone was beneath me. I felt a sense of entitlement and superiority just because I was born a High Elf.”

                “I...I see. What changed your mind?” she asked cautiously.

                “It was quite simple. My eyes were opened and my mind filled with the knowledge and wonder of the world and the realization that we are but a single grain of sand along the grand beach that is life.” Sarya smiled wholeheartedly as she said this.

                “Your eyes were opened? What…what did you learn that caused such a thing?”

                “Hmm…well I’m not sure how best to answer that easily. I suppose it would be best to start at the beginning?”

She looked to Trisha and saw a glint in her eyes and a large childlike grin on her face, the likes one would get after hearing they would be told a wonderful bedtime story.

                “Well, it started with my meeting a very special person.”

                “Was it a man? Was he handsome?” she blurted out unconsciously.

                “Patience little one, patience. But yes, he was a man, and yes, quite possibly the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on.”

Trisha leaned forward, her eyes wide open and hanging on every word that was about to come from Sarya’s mouth. The innocence and childlike wonderment she was displaying was a far cry from the professional and lethal fighter from earlier. But at the same time, she was also the one that had simple dreams like seeing snow and loving to bake. Sarya couldn’t help but feel deep down that the longer Tranquil Refuge took to be its own sovereign nation and its people viewed as equal, the longer it would be until Trisha could begin living the life she dreamt of.

                “But! It wasn’t that he was handsome, or a man. But the knowledge, wisdom and view of the world around him that really captivated me. I admired him. So much that I followed him everywhere, swore my life to him and wanted to be with him all the time.”

                “Isn’t that love?” Trisha asked.

                “Well…I suppose it’s a certain kind of love, yes. I certainly do love him. But it’s not…how to I put it? Your master, do you care for him?”

                “Of course! He raised me, taught me everything I know! I know he’s not my real father but I like to think he’s as close to one as I can get.” She replied genuinely.

It wasn’t the response Sarya was expecting, it caused her heart to ache slightly at the realization that Trisha was an orphan, but also glad that the one raising her treats her well.

                “It’s similar to that. You can love someone and be willing to do anything you can to make them happy, but it’s not a romantic love.”

                “You mean not like a princess loves a prince?”

Sarya flinched back slightly at the comment and shook her head after grasping what Trisha had said.

                “Princess?”

                “Yeah, like the picture books I keep. I know they’re for kids…but…I like the dresses they wear and the pretty crowns they have.” Trisha said as she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Sarya once again had to remind herself that even though Trisha was a capable assassin, and looked like a mature woman, she was only thirteen years old. She had no real grasp of the outside world or any semblance of a real childhood, and what innocence she had was tied to the books of princesses and princes, and true love.

                “Then no, not like a princess loves her prince.”

                “Oh, ok. I understand.”

                “But it was because of him that I realized that my way of thinking was wrong. The world owed me nothing, I wasn’t better than anyone else and no one was better than me. Everyone is equal and everyone deserves a chance at greatness if they are willing to work for it.”

                “Is that why you aren’t afraid or disgusted by us?”

                “That’s exactly why. I know you aren’t High Elves, human, or Fae…but you’re still people, no different than anyone else.”

                “And what did he do exactly to make you think that way?”

                “He…he fulfilled a request I had. More a wager than a request really.”

Trisha blinked a few times and tilted her head.

                “He visited my people, with a certain other race that ours at the time, and most still hold to be true to this day, believe are outcasts.”

                “Outcast…how?”

                “To this day, I have no idea where that idea came from or why. But it’s been ingrained into our society for so long that it’s just viewed as common knowledge and accepted.”

                “What race was it?”

                “A Dark Elf.”

                “They exist?!” Trisha asked in a voice louder than she meant to use.

                “Yes, they exist.” She laughed gently at her reaction.

                “I heard they are really scary, bright red glowing eyes and sharp pointy teeth…”

Sarya’s eyes went wide and thinking about Meladris, and hearing that description made her laugh out loud.

Trisha’s head flinched backwards and looked worried at the sudden outburst.

                “I’m…I’m sorry. I just, pictured her like that and couldn’t help myself.”

                “Are they not scary like that?” Trisha asked innocently.

                “No, dear. They are nothing like that. In fact, this particular Dark Elf was incredibly beautiful.”

                “She couldn’t be more beautiful than you though milady!” Trisha shouted.

                “I appreciate that. But in her own way, yes, she was more brilliant than I.” Sarya lowered her gaze and her eyes glazed over as she continued. “Like a real princess. Perfect in almost every way. I looked up to her just as much as I did him…if any two people were more perfect for each other, they didn’t exist in this lifetime.”

Her voice became monotone as she continued talking about Meladris and reminiscing about how she viewed her. Trisha tried calling her name but there was no recognition from Sarya, she just continued talking.

                “She had everything…we had everything. We were happy. Everyone was content. There was nothing any of us needed. We were a family, together and whole. But she had to ruin it all. She brought him into our lives.”

As she continued, Trisha noticed that Sarya’s body was beginning to glow slightly. The air in the carriage began to get warmer gradually, but it wasn’t because of fire. The air wasn’t hard to breathe and the heat didn’t come from the single point that was Sarya, but the entire cabin of the carriage. She then noticed that Sarya's usually brilliant blue eyes were turning white and began to glow.

                “Lady Sarya!” Trisha shouted.

The carriage came to a sudden halt, the sudden jolt causing her head to reel back, the shout and the carriage door swinging open caused her to come out of her daze and realize what was going on.

                “Oh my…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…I’m sorry.” Sarya said while placing a hand on her forehead.

                “Is everything alright, my lady?” Belis asked.

                “Yes, Belis, thank you for your concern. I apologize for causing you all to worry. I’m quite alright, really.”

                “As you say, milady.” Belis reluctantly nodded and closed the carriage door, but not before shooting Trisha a glance to which she nodded very slightly in response.

                “I’m sorry milady. I didn’t mean to ask so many questions.” Trisha said remorsefully.

                “No, dear. It’s not your fault in the slightest. I just let my emotions get the better of me is all. Don’t worry, I’m better now.” Sarya said with a smile and gently patted Trisha’s hands as they clutched the hem of her apron.

                “I thought milady didn’t know how to use magic.”

                “Oh, no it’s not that I don’t know how. I vowed not to use it since…” she sighed. “I vowed not to use it for personal reasons.”

                “I see. I’m sorry, I won’t pry. But I now know why I feel you are different, other than how you view others.”

Sarya furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in confusion.

                “You are incredibly powerful. I can…feel it.”

                “Feel it?” she narrowed her eyes and looked at Trisha. “Explain, if you can.”

                “It…It feels like pins and needles all over my body whenever I’m near magic, I don’t like it. But with you, it feels like my entire body is being covered in a thick warm blanket because you have so much of it.” She looked away embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to describe it.”

                “No, that’s enough. Thank you.”

Sarya leaned her head back and looked out of the carriage window and began to think about just what she has observed of Trisha. She was definitely unique. The only other person that she knew of that could sense the energy and power in a person was Cassus, but he could only get a very rough idea of their strength. Was it a demi-human trait? It’s quite possible, animals by nature can sense danger or emotions, and so sensing something like magic would only be a natural evolutionary step.

If Sarya wanted to find out just how accurate Trisha’s senses were, she would have to start using some kind of magic or subject her to magic to test the range and limitations of them. With any luck, she could use that innate ability to track down powerful chanters, possibly even the others.

But she closed her eyes and shook the idea out of her mind. She would not exploit a child to suit her ends for something as trivial as finding people she has not bothered to try and locate for over two thousand years. But there was a faint nagging feeling in the back of her mind that maybe, just maybe she could have Trisha help her find where Amrin was, assuming he was anywhere to be found. She knew full well that he wasn’t gone, there was no way that someone as amazing as Amrin was truly gone, she just knew it. But as for where he was, she would probably never know.

                “I hope you don’t mind if I take a little nap, Trisha?”

                “Oh, no milady. Please, if you are tired, by all means. I shall keep watch.” She smiled in reply.

                “Thank you. Please be sure to wake me if anything happens.”

Trisha nodded and watched as Sarya closed her eyes and rested her head against the cushioned pad on the carriage wall. She couldn’t help but feel that she had asked too many questions, or at least the wrong questions to have caused Sarya to react in such an unexpected and frightening way. Trisha was no stranger to powerful magic or intimidating presences or bloodlust. In fact it was a regular part of her training to be subjected to various levels of magic and her master would bombard her with bloodlust at random times throughout the day. But the pressure she felt emanating from Sarya at that moment terrified even her.  She was positive that of all the people she would meet in her life, Sarya’s existence could eclipse them all.