Chiaroscuro: Predators vs. Prey

Elessaria left the Inn late at night and headed for her shop. Still uncertain if she was being watched or not, she varied the route, taking different streets to the Inn and back for the last week — unless Connar had escorted her. The petite elf couldn't keep from smiling as she remembered what an impressive figure he cut as he headed out the previous night on horseback with his cape snapping crisply in the night air. It was even colder tonight and she drew the folds of her white wool cape more tightly about her as she quickened her pace. As she rounded the corner closest to her building, the empath felt the hair at the nape of her neck begin to prickle and she focused her thoughts and her gaze upon the shadows that clung to the neighboring buildings. The safety of her front step was only a few meters away and she hastened forward with her hand instinctively moving to release her bodice dagger from its hiding place.

She caught a glimpse of metal reflected in the dim lamplight at the same moment she was snatched from the cobblestone street and tossed against the brick wall that lined one of the darkened alleys. Eless blinked hard when the back of her skull met the brick, but she could feel the warmth of blood dripping from the blade, down along her wrist. She had at least marked her attacker. Before her eyes could focus, she could smell his fetid breath warm against her cheek as he pinned her wrist against the wall, keeping his body wedged against hers. The baser instincts from him flooded over the empath and she struggled to keep from retching. The elf could see his pock-marked face more clearly now as he loomed in front of her. A poorly healed scar sliced from his forehead and through his left eyebrow.

"Wha've w'ere, Frankie" Miz High'n Mighty ain't so much w'out 'er friends w'er, eh?"

Frankie" Oh by the gods and goddesses! There were two of them Eless realized with a sharp pain of fear twisting in her gut. And the one whom she believed was Frankie, quickly disarmed her of the dagger, wiped it on the edge of his breeches and tucked it away. "She be tiny, Seamus, bu' she got ye!" Frankie gloated to his friend. He also scooped up the jeans and blouse the elf dropped when she had tried to defend herself.

She swallowed back the rising bile as she tried to see her other attacker which only made Frankie grab her chin in his meaty hand and force her to look at him. "Don' go payin'im no min', missie, 'cuz he ain't fer ye t' worry 'bout...yet," he snickered cruelly. "Pretty lil thin' like ye oughtta kno' betteh than t'walk 'ome by yerself. Good thin' we got t' Watch lookin' out fer yer."

Eless blinked back the tears as he gripped her jaw more tightly, his knee wedged between her legs forcing her to shrink as flat to the wall as she could. But her temper flared. "Thou art nay true members of the Watch, thou art nay even worth licking their boots clean," she ground out.

"O'really, missie" I thin' yer needn' me t'learn ye sum respect. Wha'cha thin', Frankie?"

"O' I 'gree wi' ye 'pletely, Seamus. Mebbe sh'needs t'do th'boot lickin' or sumthin' else," Frankie egged him on.

And with that, Seamus pressed the petite elf's head back against the wall, roughly turning her face so he could drag his tongue slowly up her cheek. The blue flames flashed angrily in her eyes and she spat that foul taste from her point blank in his face. Getting caught in the eye, sent Seamus' temper over the edge and he slapped Eless against her other cheek with a resounding crack. The empath sagged at the intensity of the blow which had her opponent loosen his hold on her wrists. Unable to see clearly, she tore her hands free and pushed at his chest hard, tearing the vile emotions emanating from the pair, amplifying them and releasing them back to shoot into Seamus. Her tiny hands were bathed in blue flames as the predator fell to his knees with his hands clutched to his chest.

Frankie jumped back with his hands out-stretched, "Wha' th'feck! Seamus! Git up! Git 'way fro' er!" He yanked Seamus by the arm and started dragging him down the alley as the elf struggled to focus her vision. The alley was spinning from both the blow and the sudden burst of her emotional attack. All she could do was form a small ball of flame and toss it in the direction of their voices and the clatter of their workboots on the cobblestones. "Ye Bitch! Ye'll be sorry!" one of them yelled back at her, but she could no longer tell the two apart. All she could do was draw on her senses to lead her the rest of the way and drag herself home before she passed out.

She released the protective wards to her shop, slowly made her way upstairs to her private quarters and collapsed on the cushions in front of the huge fireplace. Tears streaked her fragile features, now even paler than their usual porcelain hue. Sob wracked her delicate frame as she dropped her empathic shielding in order to link to the raging fire within the hearth. Eless drew the mana from the fire, soaking it up in its pure wild form to help ease both the emotional and physical pain as well as replenish the personal energy she had expended with her magical attack. Offensive magics had never been her forte, tonight only served to drill that home to her. As the flames soothed her weary soul, the mage finally slipped into a restless sleep.

Chiaroscuro: Dreamscape, Cont.



Think! Think! Think! Elessaria's head throbbed painfully as she tread solemnly through the falling snow. It seemed much colder than RhyDin and a couple times she had fallen when one of her captors shoved her a bit too roughly, only to haul her up with a quick yank of her bound arms. She could feel the bruises forming along her jaw line and every fall scattered her attention all the more. As the sounds of the larger army grew, so did the knot in her stomach. The pair of mercenaries were already discussing how they were going to spend the money they believed the king would reward them for her capture"mostly on wenching and wine. She shivered beneath her snow-covered cloak and attempted to brush the damp hair that clung to her reddened cheek with the back of her tied hands.

"We need to see the king," she heard John demand, startling her out of her reverie. When Eless glanced up, she saw him speaking to a tall knight whose better kept white uniform and crimson crest marked him as one of Richard's true knight rather than the motley duo that had captured her.

"The King is too busy to deal with the likes of ye, so be away with ye," the knight countered.

James added, "But we have something we think he would like to see for himself." And he shoved the empath forward with his palm squarely between her shoulder blades. As she fell to her knees in front of the Crusader, he continued. "Someone he might be very interested in."

"Ye think giving the King some common wench is interesting?" The knight scoffed while Eless ground her teeth in frustration, hearing them speak of her like chattel. "Be gone with ye and take her with ye. We do not need any more mouths to feed."

"She is not just any wench, Robert. She belongs to the Valdor, "John crowed as that caught the other's attention. She kept her eyes cast downward, biting her tongue and seething inside. The tension, the greed, the lascivious emotions all pressed heavily upon the empath.

Robert bent slightly, his large hand raising her chin firmly, but not roughly. Their words let him to scrutinize the diminutive woman kneeling before him. Beneath the snow, mud and bruising he could see she was healthy, well fed and possessed aristocratic features. He could see that she was not the usual commoner, but whether she truly belonged to Richard's errant knight he did not know. His brow knitted as he spoke, "Is this true, lass?"

Eless schooled her expression and called upon the years of etiquette and comportment training she had endured. With her gaze still lowered she whispered, "Aye, Sir Knight. "Tis true, thou dost only need to bring me to thy king to know truly. If thou wouldest be so kind to do so." She swallowed hard to keep from vomiting.

"Very well then, we shall see what happens," Robert replied as he helped her to stand. He glared at the pair who were waiting for their reward. "Be gone with ye. It is up to the King when and if he rewards ye for your service to the crown." His hand wrapped easily around her upper arm as he ushered her quickly to the largest tent where Richard's crest, emblazoned upon pennants snapped in the biting breeze.

Chiaroscuro: The Nightmares Linger

The faint smell of smoke roused Elessaria from the nightmare's embrace. A soft blue cushion had been kicked close enough to the fire during her fitful slumber to catch fire. The elf blinked her tear-filled eyes until she focused on the smoldering fabric. She quickly grabbed the embroidered pillow and pounded it on the floor until she was certain the flames were extinguished. And then she continued to beat it, strangled sobs echoing in the empty night until her tears were exhausted. Eless then dragged herself to her bed, slipped her tiny hands under the pillow and withdrew a silver acorn. She flopped unceremoniously on top of the sapphire coverlet, clenching it in her tiny palm until sleep reclaimed her once more.