Chapter 13: Escape

I awoke to darkness. Thick, smothering darkness, heavy as though it were part of me, sinking into my very bones. I was cocooned, wrapped from head to toe in the Elven Summoner’s enchanted fur binds, each strand snug against my skin, leaving no room for movement. My head felt foggy, my limbs numb from the tight confinement. It was almost a relief to be awake—to have something to push against, something to remind me I still existed in this oppressive prison.

The last thing I remembered was her mocking voice, her cruel amusement as she watched me struggle. My defiance had faded as her binds squeezed tighter, draining my strength until I slipped into unconsciousness. Now, I was awake again, but I didn’t know for how long or what had happened since.

A distant clank and shuffling noises echoed through the dungeon. I strained to listen, trying to focus on anything other than the silence pressing down on me. My breath was shallow, muffled by the fur cocoon wrapped across my face, leaving only small gaps for air. Every exhale sounded harsh, as though even breathing was an act of rebellion in this strange, foreign darkness.

My thoughts drifted, thinking back to the last person I had encountered before this—the elf girl I had bound, the one I had spared. I had left her with no promise of freedom, yet she was the one I kept thinking of, her eyes filled with surprise as I chose mercy over violence. It was an odd choice in hindsight, one that I hadn’t fully understood myself. I could have killed her… but I hadn’t. And now, here I was, completely at the mercy of another, and it didn’t feel like a coincidence.

A harsh creaking sound jolted me from my thoughts. The door to the dungeon opened with a groan, and faint footsteps entered. My heart raced, pulse quickening as I wondered who it could be— perhaps one of the Elven Summoner’s minions, come to torment me further?

I couldn’t see anything, but I heard every footfall, each step closer. A heavy silence hung in the air, and then I felt a gentle touch on my cheek through the fur—a strange contrast to the thick binds that held me. My skin tingled where they made contact, a reminder of my vulnerability. A soft voice whispered, barely audible.

“Still alive in there, are you?”

The voice was familiar. I stilled, hope flickering through me as I recognized her voice—the elf girl. The one I’d left bound, her fate uncertain. And now, impossibly, she was here, her fingers brushing against my cheek in the darkness.

She exhaled a soft laugh. “I didn’t expect you’d actually last long enough for me to find you. You humans are... hard to understand.”

I tried to respond, but my mouth was sealed shut, covered by the layers of enchanted fur. My throat tightened as I struggled, hoping to convey something through the faintest of movements, but the binds held firm.

“Easy,” she whispered. “I’ll get you out… maybe.” Her words were laced with a mix of irony and curiosity, but I could sense the determination beneath it all. She pressed her hands against the fur cocoon, muttering soft, ancient-sounding words that I couldn’t quite make out. Slowly, the binds began to loosen, the strands unravelling, though they still clung to me, as though reluctant to let go.

The elf’s fingers worked carefully, undoing the enchanted bindings one by one. The cocoon loosened around my chest, and I drew in my first full breath, feeling my lungs expand painfully. My head was spinning, the air almost too sharp, too freeing after being trapped in that suffocating hold. Gradually, the fur around my shoulders peeled away, and I felt my arms return to me, heavy and tingling with the prickles of sensation.

Her hands paused at my face, and she leaned close, her eyes narrowing. “You’re lucky I found you,” she murmured. “No one else would risk crossing her magic for a stranger.” Her voice softened. “Even less for a human.”

She pulled the last layer away from my face, and I blinked, my vision blurring as I tried to focus. The darkness lifted slightly, and I could make out the faint outline of her face in the dim light—a mixture of curiosity, relief, and perhaps a hint of something else. I took in the sight of her, that familiar look of defiance in her eyes softened by a trace of concern. The air between us was tense, unspoken words hanging in the space where only breaths exchanged.

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“Why…” I croaked, my voice hoarse. “Why did you come back?”

She looked away for a moment, almost as if she were asking herself the same question. Finally, she shrugged, a small smirk appearing on her lips. “Maybe I just wanted to see the look on your face when I told you that I, an elf, saved you—a human.” Her smile faded slightly as she looked at me again, her eyes flickering with a rare vulnerability. “Or maybe it’s because you spared me when you didn’t have to. Hard to say.”

She held out a small flask, tipping it to my lips. Cool, clean water slid down my throat, soothing the ache in my voice and clearing my head. I drank deeply, gratefully, feeling strength seep back into my bones.

Finally, I sat up fully, every muscle protesting as I took my first, tentative movements. “I… don’t know what to say,” I managed, meeting her gaze.

The elf shook her head, looking amused. “Don’t say anything yet. We’re not out of here.” She glanced around the dungeon’s shadowed corners, where faint blue wards shimmered ominously. “She’ll know I’ve undone her binds soon enough. We’ll have to move fast if we’re going to escape her notice.”

My mind was still foggy from the Summoner’s magic, but her words snapped me into focus. I scrambled to my feet, only to sway unsteadily, still weakened from the magic. She grabbed my arm, steadying me, her touch cool and firm.

“This way,” she whispered, pulling me forward.

We moved through the narrow dungeon corridors, her footsteps silent, mine clumsy as I struggled to shake off the stiffness. The air grew colder as we moved, the silence filled with tension, and the scent of ancient stone and damp air clung to us. Every now and then, she would pause, listening for the slightest hint of movement, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the shadows. There was something both graceful and cautious in her movements, a quiet vigilance that kept us just a hair’s breadth ahead of the danger we both sensed was lurking.

The dungeon twisted and turned in endless, disorienting loops, as though designed to trap the unwary forever. Strange sounds echoed from deeper within—whispers, distant clangs, and sometimes a faint, eerie hum that reverberated along the stone walls. I couldn’t tell if it was my imagination or some dark magic embedded in the place itself.

As we passed through an arched doorway, the elf raised a hand, halting me mid-step. She glanced around, her brow furrowing. “She’s set traps everywhere,” she murmured. “Stay close, and only step where I step. One wrong move, and…” She didn’t finish, but her silence said enough.

I followed her lead, mirroring her precise, delicate steps. We crossed over glowing runes that pulsed with a sinister energy, edged along walls where intricate carvings seemed to shift and watch us as we passed. My heart hammered, the thrill of escape mingling with the ever-present dread of capture. Each step felt like a dance with danger, the edge of our freedom balanced on her knowledge of the dungeon and my ability to keep up.

At last, we reached a small chamber with an iron door embedded in the stone wall. The elf tested the door, finding it locked. She cursed under her breath, producing a thin dagger and working the lock with deft, careful movements.

But before she could open it, a dark figure loomed at the far end of the hall, and my heart lurched. It was the Elven Summoner. She stood tall, her silhouette framed by faint blue light, her expression twisted in a look of pure, seething anger.

“Well, isn’t this a touching scene?” she sneered, her voice filled with malice. “I expected more from you, Lillia.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked past the elf, pinning me with a glare. “And you, human… did you think you could just leave my domain without consequence?”

Lillia—so that was her name. She stepped in front of me, shielding me with her body. “Maybe you shouldn’t have underestimated us,” she replied coldly, her voice unwavering despite the Summoner’s aura pressing down on us.

The Summoner laughed, a chilling sound that reverberated down the corridor. “How amusing. You betray your own kind, Lillia, to save her? What a pity your loyalty has been so easily bought.”

Lillia’s jaw clenched, and I could feel the fury radiating from her. “I didn’t do this for her,” she spat, her voice barely more than a growl. “I did this because I refuse to be part of your twisted collection.”

The Summoner’s smile faded, and her eyes darkened. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a portal, and a writhing mass of enchanted fur tendrils shot out, speeding toward us. I braced myself, but Lillia acted quickly, slashing the air with her dagger and muttering an incantation under her breath. A barrier of light appeared in front of us, blocking the Summoner’s magic. The tendrils writhed and clawed against the shield, but Lillia held firm, her expression fierce and focused.

“Run!” she hissed, gripping my arm and pushing me toward the door.

We bolted through the narrow passageway, the Summoner’s furious shouts echoing behind us. Lillia slammed the door shut, locking it quickly. Her face was tense, sweat beading on her forehead, but she flashed me a grim smile.

“We’re not out yet,” she said, catching her breath. “But that should buy us a few minutes.”

As we hurried down the winding halls, I glanced over at her, my mind racing. “Thank you, Lillia. I don’t know how to repay you for this.”

She shrugged, casting a brief glance my way. “Survive,” she said simply. “That’s all the thanks I need.” And then, without another word, she led me forward, deeper into the maze of paths that would lead us both to freedom—or, perhaps, to whatever fate awaited us outside the Summoner’s lair.