Scyfire continued to pace around the room. Out of everyone, he was the most anxious. He looked around the room again. The torches on the wall dance with the flames. They cluttered the table with scattered maps. There were a few men with him. Some rested in the chairs, watching him. After another few minutes, he couldn't take the silence.
"He should have returned by now, and you know it." Scyfire shouts.
"Give him time. You haven't been here long enough to understand everything he does." The speaker was an elf, about middle-aged. A scar ran across half of his right wrist. His left wrist carried a similar mark all around. He ran his fingers through his black hair, giving a sigh. There was frustration in his normally gentle green eyes.
"Knowing him," he continues, "he will barge into this room any moment, wondering why we are just standing around. We are arguing with one another when we should plan on how to get the royal family out of the Dark One's grasp."
"How right you are, my friend." A worn-out voice says. The men in the room turned to see who this newcomer was.
"What happened to you, General? You look like you fought an entire race." Nightfire exclaims with worry. He was the second in command next to Shadow.
Shadow carefully pushed himself into the light. The uniform is torn in many places. His body was covered in several bruises and cuts. The worse was on his forehead. A deep gash ran from one eyebrow to the other.
"Shadow, where are the rest of the men that you took with you?" Scyfire spoke just above a whisper.
"I'm afraid they are dead. A regiment of Morvaie soldiers seemed to know our route and ambushed us. They wanted to take us captive. Well, you know me and the rest. We would rather die before becoming prisoners." Shadow said weakly. "But that's not what the primary concern should be. They not only have Princess Kestra but now the King and queen as well. We need to rescue them before." Before he could continue, Shadow began coughing.
The elf with the scars on his wrists stands and escorts Shadow over to an empty chair. "General, you must recover. While you can inform us of what we need to know, it's crucial that you take some time to rest. You're not useful in battle if you're too weak to even stand."
"Dapper is right, Sir." Scyfire agrees. "We can't wait for Drave to destroy us by killing our rulers."
Shadow manages a weak smile before he started coughing again.
"Scyfire, we need you to get a map of the terrain. We can't storm in or prepare unless we know what we are up against." Dapper ordered, escorting Shadow to a far door on the right. The other men followed.
Dapper placed Shadow on the bed with worry. Most of the wounds were already healing, yet the gash remained. Dapper placed his hand near the cut, preparing to treat it. He felt Shadow shake his head.
"It won't do any good. I've already tried." Shadow spoke in a whisper. "It will heal in time."
Dapper removed his hand, trusting the words spoken to him. The sound of wood scrapping caught his attention as the door opened. He welcomed Scyfire inside. He observed the cautious movement of the young elf. Shaking his head, he removed the thoughts.
Scyfire moved the stand closer, unfolding the map upon it. He watched as Shadow studied it.
"Here is where the attack was. About a league out of Tileor. I got some information out of one. They are planning on spreading out. Some are going to go through Eldar, while the others are going to attack Zabicoric once they get the order."
Shadow stopped when they heard one guard yelling. Before Shadow could ask what was going on, he saw an Elf who goes by Lost push someone into the room.
"Elerate." Shadow exclaims weakly. "What are you doing here? Don't you have enough information and captives in your grasp?"
"Please allow me to speak." Elerate held his hands in surrender. He watched as they studied him carefully. His eyes fell to Shadow, who nodded. "I'm not here to spy. I'm here on my accord. My service has ended, and I will not back ever again Shadow. Not if I can help it."
Elerate looked around, gauging reactions before continuing. "I came to tell you that Drave is going to come through Eldar with the Princess. Until he is settled at Kneontide, he will leave the King, queen, and Sylvaria at The Abandoned Caverns. There will be minimal protection there. Only twenty Morvaies. Drave will send squads to different towns to await his order to attack. The rest will escort him here. His army is about five hundred strong."
"Why are you telling us this, Elerate?" Dapper asks.
"Because I want to correct my mistakes by making them right." Elerate replies firmly.
"I think it's too late for that." Lost exclaimed.
Shadow turned to the others. "Let him speak." He waited till all was quiet once again. "Please continue Elerate. How do you plan to set things right?"
Elerate didn't hesitate to respond. "By joining your army. I may not know much, but I could tell you the details that you wouldn't know otherwise. Drave needs the Princess. You might have a chance to defeat him if you can help her escape before they reach Kneontide. If that fails, Kestra is the sole person capable of stopping him."
"What do you mean, she would be the only one that could stop him?" Dapper asked sternly.
"Princess Kestra," Elerate hesitated.
"What about Princess Kestra?" Scyfire inquired.
Elerate couldn't finish. Surely they already knew. Why wouldn't they? Scyfire paced.
"Elerate, what is it about the Princess?" Shadow asked.
"She is the" Elerate whispered.
Scyfire stopped pacing and grabbed the collar of Elerate's shirt. "She is the what, Elerate? You said you wanted to help us. Until you tell us what you're trying to, we are stuck here while Drave is doing whatever he wants to our royal family." He shouts.
"Scyfire, restrain yourself." Dapper ordered as he pried him off of Elerate.
"She is the Liberator." Elerate whispers after Scyfire released him.
Silence spread across the room. Nobody dared to speak. Finally, Shadow broke the silence. "How do you know this?"
"Whenever Drave or Strailoch did this," Elerate showed, following a pretend scar from his neck to the top of the left shoulder. "Their eyes would light up like fire. What else could it be? When they first brought her to The Abandoned Caverns, Kentight told Strailoch he would be interested in seeing something. Once he put the Princess into a cell, Kentight brushed her hair aside, showing them…"
"The scar, the mark of the Liberator." Scyfire finished in barely above a whisper.
Shadow had to think about the new information. If they know Princess Kestra is the Liberator, getting her away from the Dark One is going to be harder than I initially thought.
"What are you thinking, Shadow?" Dapper asks.
"How many men are currently stationed in the guard and outposts? I don't want to get our army involved unless absolutely necessary." Shadow requested. His voice was getting stronger.
"I'm not sure. I would say probably three hundred. We are still recovering from the war, and many returned home to their families." Dapper replied. "Why do you ask?"
"We are going to rescue the King and queen. And prepare Melderan for an attack." Shadow declared, sitting up.
"What about Princess Kestra? We can't leave her helpless." Elerate shouts.
Scyfire looked at Elerate in surprise. Why would he care if Kestra lived or died? Shadow shook his head. He knew Elerate wanted to help the Princess, but he didn't have enough men to send a rescue team for her. Once they got the King and queen to safety, then he could focus on the Dark One.
"I'm sorry, Elerate. I understand your desire to assist her, but we lack sufficient manpower." Shadow told him.
"You don't know what he will do to her." Elerate shouts.
"Even if we had enough men, we still couldn't. Her life would be at risk if the Dark One found out about our attempt to rescue her. I will not take that risk. We can't go after her at this time, Elerate, and that's final." Shadow exclaimed. He shoved past his men and exited the room, limping.
Dapper came over to Elerate and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't like it any more than you do." He tells him. "But Shadow is right. The Dark One would kill her if we tried."
"I just wish that there was something more I could do to help her." Elerate replies, looking at the floor. "I'm the reason she's in that position, to begin with."
"The way to help her is to believe Shadow. I know you don't like the idea, but you have to have trust in him. He knows what he is doing." Dapper expressed before he left.
The others followed Dapper out the door until Scyfire was the only one who remained. "I agree with you, Elerate. I'll accompany you if you decide to go after the Princess. Before we go, I want you to tell Shadow everything you know." Scyfire stated.
Elerate looked up and saw the honesty in Scyfire's eyes. "Thank you Scyfire, I don't know how I'm going to repay you." Elerate whispered.
"By bringing her back here safely. I love her. I can't stand if something happened. How would I be able to live with myself if I knew that there was something I could have done that could have saved her if she dies?" Scyfire replies before Elerate exited the room.
Kestra is the Liberator. Why didn't I ever know this? We shared everything about ourselves. Did she not know? How did I not figure it out? I ran my fingers over that birthmark of hers several times. And if we are only three hundred strong currently. Scyfire thought as he packed what he could. That isn't enough to stop Drave. Kestra will be fine, nothing is going to happen to her.
'Are you sure she will be alright, young elf? Willing to risk her life on it?' A dark voice whispered in his head.
"Who's there?" Scyfire whispers, looking around, startled.
'Let's just say I'm someone who can grant your greatest desires. I sense much potential in you, boy. I can help you reach it. All you have to do is open up to me.'
Scyfire hesitated, knowing what the voice was talking about. He always had a dangerous desire. It had taken a great deal of patience to even get to where he was. "Could you really do that? And if so, what's the cost?"
'Yes, I can make it happen. As for the price, your skills are all I require.' The voice continued.
"What of Kestra?" Scyfire whispered. "Can you promise she will be safe?"
'I promise I will keep her safe. I will even make sure you can help her.'
"Deal." Scyfire whispers, opening up his mind. Taking a deep breath, he let the plans he had envisioned come to the forefront. He had a new demeanor when he opened his eyes. He refocused on the task, welcoming fresh ideas into his mind.
This is no longer a rescue mission. I will not be any fool and give my life away. I love Kestra, but it's all a game. Once married, I was going to find some way to finish Keldo, and become king. Now I don't need to, since they captured him and Celia. A menacing look flashed in his eyes. Getting close to the Dark One is now the most effective path to becoming king. Becoming his right-hand man. But first, I have to make it look like I attempted to rescue Kestra if Shadow succeeds.
***
Timore smiled at his success. Manipulating the elf was effortless. The boy's skills were of no use to him. He needed his treachery. He could break Kestra in a way that Timore couldn't. Physical and mental pain were one thing. But to truly break her, grief must crush the heart. What better way to do that than have her own love give her the ultimate blow? Only once it was too late would the elf realize what he had done. All the pieces were coming together for his master plan. Leaning back on his throne, he began to speak.
"Enjoy the short time you have left Liberator. Before long, your spirit will crumble under my hand. When it has, I will mold you to my liking. I will use you to destroy your pitiful land and then the Guardians. Aeona will weep at her failure, as her greatest joy becomes my own."
***
Elerate could see Shadow, standing over a map, rubbing his temples. Elerate noticed he was stressing, and he saw the bandages that were wrapped around his forehead. Shadow was still weak but was doing what he could to take command.
Once Shadow saw Elerate approaching, he beckoned him over. "Elerate, I know how much you want to rescue Princess Kestra. But the truth is, it's just not possible. Based on what you told us so far, I barely have enough men to hold off Drave and his army. I scarcely have time to call the cities to be on the lookout to defend themselves against any attacks. Lest we fail, I must keep some in reserve from the beginning."
"Shadow, I truly understand." Elerate whispers, his eyes downcast.
"You did the right thing coming to us, Elerate. We wouldn't have been able to hold off the Morvaies if they caught us by surprise." Shadow told him. "Are there any other details that you know of that would help us?"
"Those who escape death will be presented with the option of serving the Dark One. Refusal will result in either murder or being used as examples. This will happen to every town. They will move the townsfolk in Entoen and Materin to a different town or city. Drave will use those for the Morvaies.
"Drave also has a secret that the Morvaies keep talking about, but I have yet to learn it. If Drave reaches Kneontide, he will force Kestra to marry him."
Shadow's eyes widened when he heard this. "What happens if she refuses?" Shadow asked in a whisper.
"He will kill until she accepts." Elerate replies.
"Do," Shadow cleared his throat, shaking off the shock. "Do you know anything else?"
"Only that most of the Morvaie race are in their own land. They suffered in the war, and most want nothing else to do with it. That is all I know." Elerate shook his head. He wishes he knew more that he did. Shadow placed a hand on Elerate's shoulder.
"We have as much information as we need, Elerate. You have helped us more than you know." Shadow tells him.
Elerate walked away as Shadow returned to charting a map. Now all I need to do is tell Scyfire we are leaving tonight.