Lithoniel

"Kolvar, what are you..." Lithoniel started to say when Kolvar suddenly hugged her.

She blanked out and then squirmed, trying to get free. However, he didn't budge. Actually, he squeezed even harder, holding her as his life depended on it.

"Kolvar, what are you doing? Let me..."

"Let me stay like this...just for a moment" He said, and Lithoniel froze at the sound of his voice.

It was broken, emotional like he was about to weep or maybe he already did. Lithoniel felt uncomfortable, but without knowing it, she started to pat his back gently like she was coaxing a child. When he finally backed away to look at her face, Lithoniel noticed that his cheeks were flushed, his eyes a little red. He looked very young, even more childish than usual.

"I-I'm sorry...I..." He started stuttering when he realized what he had done. "I missed you" He managed to say at the end. Then he looked down, avoiding eye contact.

Lithoniel sighed.

"Kolvar," She said, but he still didn't look at her. "Kolvar, look at me" She patiently repeated, though she really wanted to force him to look at her, maybe slap him a couple of times to knock some sense into him.

It worked, eventually.

"I'm happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" She said, unable to hide the concern in her voice. Knowing Kolvar's personality unless someone didn't forbid him to come, he would have visited her. And that someone could only be Naevys.

Which mean, he sneaked in here, and doing so, violated the Loremaster's order.

"I wanted to know how you were doing."He said, squinting his eyes as he scanned her face. "You look thinner."

Lithoniel glared at him, "That's not a nice thing to say."

"I'm sorry." He immediately apologized, "But I'm worried about you. I would have looked for you sooner, but they forbid me."

"They?"

Kolvar scowled, "It was Rolim and..." He hesitated, sneaking a glance at her.

"And?" She urged. "Who else, Kolvar?"

Kolvar bit his lips. "The Loremaster.."

Bingo.

"Kolvar..." Lithoniel squeezed her eyes shut, "You shouldn't have done it. Do you know what could have happened if you got caught? Sneaking around in the middle of the night..."

"I didn't sneak." Kolvar said.

Lithoniel furrowed her brow.

"I really didn't." He insisted. "Listen, do you remember Mor? Morlarn's father?"

She thought about it for a little and nodded. She remembered him. He was an old elf in his late fifties working as a guard inside the village like all the others retired hunters.

"Well, he is one of your guards and he always liked my old family heirloom. Do you remember it? The dagger with a blade close to a crescent moon?"

Lithoniel glared at him. "Kolvar, get to the point."

The elf faked a cough, "Anyway, I knew he liked it. Besides, you saved her niece, so I..." He trailed off and scratched his head like he didn't know how to say it. But the meaning was clear.

"You bribed him?" Lithoniel asked, unable to hide her surprise.

Kolvar looked a little shy but didn't try to deny it. Lithoniel shook her head, looking at him in wonder. She really didn't see this coming. It seemed completely out of character for him.

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"I tried to bargain for your freedom but..."

"Don't worry about it." She said.

Running away was easy. The guards were not her match and she knew the village like the back of her hand but she had no intention of escaping.

"Wait a second...you said I saved his niece? Who is she?"

"Liara. It's Liara, Lithoniel."

She opened her mouth wide. "So, she had a living relative." Damn you, Garluin.

Kolvar nodded, " She's staying with him, but she's still not talking. After they...well, you know, imprisoned you, she looked for you. A few guards barred her way. They tried to stop her but she just...threw them away." He gesticulated, "She looks small but she is crazy strong."

That brought a smile on her face, "I'm glad to know that she is doing fine. But..." Her smile slipped, "what about the Conclave, Kolvar? Why do they keep delaying ?"

Kolvar scratched his head, "I don't know for sure, but..."

"But?"

"I think they are trying to help you."

That threw her off. "Help me? What do you mean?"

"They are spreading rumors about what you did after the Nighstalker died. You should have heard the story, Lithoniel. It sounded like a heroic tale."

She raised a brow, "They who?"

"Rolim and the other survivors."

"They are trying to increase my reputation, or better, get rid of my infamy." Lithoniel looked moved but at the same time a little a little baffled. "Do they really think this will work?"

"But it's working, Lithoniel. Now that the tribesmen know how you risked your life to save their children, their opinion is starting to change. Besides, even if Naevys didn't explicitly support you, many still think she is on your side. Otherwise, why would she keep delaying? Her opinion is important for the tribe, you know that."

"But why?" She couldn't help but ask.

Granted, Naevys was her teacher, but though the Loremaster never loathed her like the other elves, she'd always kept her distance from her.

Kolvar just shrugged, "I don't know. What I can tell you is that the tribe is divided. Tinesia wants to speed things up. She knows she might lose if this goes on. She wants the Nightstalker's election to be held quickly, especially now..." He trailed off

Lithoniel glared at him. "Especially now, what?

He looked alarmed like he'd said something he shouldn't have. "I-I can't talk about it."

Lithoniel glared at him, "What aren't you telling me, Kolvar?"

Kolvar lowered his head. "The...the tribe is in danger."

In danger? Lithoniel opened her mouth wide.

"What kind of danger?"

Kolvar looked troubled, scratching his nonexistent beard. "People are missing, Lithoniel. Folmon, Thadar, Ilyana, and a dozen others - they are all missing. The first one disappeared a few days before we came back."

The color drained from her face, "...are there any leads?"

"Just one. We know outsiders are responsible. A small group, probably half a dozen outcasts."

As Kolvar said it, Lithoniel remembered what she'd seen when they came back to the plateau.

The footprints?

"That's all we know. The hunters are looking for clues but since the Nighstalker's spot is empty, there is one to lead them." Kolvar said.

Lithoniel finally realized why Rolim and Naevys decided to hide all of this from her.

They thought I would do something stupid. She smiled bitterly. They were right. I can't stay here when the tribe is in danger.

She could imagine why Tinesia wanted to elect a new Nighstalker quickly. It was the only way to use the hunters effectively since only the Nighstalker was able to command them. It might seem strange or stupid - and probably it was - but that was the way the tribe worked. Their society was based on a rigid hierarchy, and the elves were so bound by their traditions that there was little difference between laws and customs. 

"Everything is falling apart because of me." She whispered.

"You've done nothing wrong." Kolvar said, his voice rising in anger, "It's Tinesia's fault."

"No, Kolvar, don't you see? I'm a suspected criminal but at the same time, I'm still a contender for the Nighstalker's title. This means that the tribe can't elect a new chief hunter without first holding a Conclave."

"You're innocent, Lithoniel." He said. "Besides, it was the Loremaster who took the decision to delay the Conclave. It has nothing to do with you."

Lithoniel didn't answer him. She just rubbed her temples.

"What a mess." She muttered under her breath.

Now I know why Rolim was so cryptic. But what about Naevys? The tribe is in danger, what she is waiting for? To begin with, why is she helping me?

There was only one way to know for sure. Lithoniel took a deep breath. At least now she knew what she had to do. She studied Kolvar. The elf looked back at her, blinking those big eyes up at her, completely unaware of what was going on.

Lithoniel cleared her throat, "Kolvar, you should go. I don't want you to get into trouble."

"But..."

"Don't worry, I'll see you soon." She smiled at him, trying to sound reassuring.

Kolvar nodded, reluctance stamped all over his childish features, "Please, take care of yourself Lithoniel." He said, looking at her with such affection that Lithoniel's smile cracked a little.

When he was gone, Lithoniel took a peek outside. It was dark, maybe a couple of hours after sunset, but she could see the two guards.

And if I can see them, they can see me.

Lithoniel frowned. Unless she had no other choice, she didn't want to knock them out.

If only I could be invisible or merge with the shadows...

She was thinking about it when she felt something strange like a weird itching spreading all over her body. It was close to that uncomfortable and terrifying sensation she'd felt when that black mark appeared on her skin for the first time.

She frantically lifted her shirt but froze when her eyes fell on the small mirror before her. She couldn't see herself. She looked down at her hands, but they were invisible. It was like she'd just vanished. She opened her mouth wide, an explainable fear spreading from the pit of her stomach. Then she walked closer to the mirror and saw something moving on the rough floor: a shadow - tapered and elongated - mirroring her movements. Her shadow.