Page 19 of In Darkness Forged
So this must be the regent the other night elves spoke of.
“There is but one thing that may save him, and we have been unable to procure it. After the first two lives were lost in the attempt, our lord demanded that we leave him to die rather than sacrifice any more.”
They wanted her to perform a task that had killed their own? What chance could she possibly have?
“What is it you need?” Somehow, her voice remained steady.
“Wild arantha venom.” At this heavy pronouncement, half the room let out a gasp.
“Er, what?” Apparently, she should be terrified, but she had no idea of what. Venom did sound bad, but what was an arantha?
“There is a nest beneath the mountains, only two nights’ journey from here. If you can go, procure the venom, and return it to us before the Marlord breathes his last, we will grant you a single request.”
They did not want money. Relief pierced her suddenly—she had not dared to dream that she could meet their demands so easily. Even if Sandric failed in his promise, she knew Brannic would not allow her family to starve. And if she could accomplish this task quickly, she would not need to worry about the growing debt between them. Instead, she could focus on moving forward and accepting this opportunity she’d been offered.
“And do I need magic in order to accomplish this task?” she asked warily, almost unwilling to believe it could be so straightforward. “As I said before, I have none.”
The night elf shook his head. “Magic would do little to aid you in this case.”
“Then I agree,” she said firmly, squaring her shoulders and holding out her hands. “If you will remove these bindings, I will be on my way.”
The night elf blinked at her incredulously. “On your way? I have not yet told you where it is. You have no gear. No weapons.”
Aislin shrugged. “You must want me to succeed, or you would never have asked me to do it in the first place. So I assume you will provide what is needed for me to make the attempt.”
He shook his head. “Are all humans so foolhardy as you?”
“From where I stand, foolhardiness is just another word for desperation.” She could not let him intimidate her now. “Either I accept the task that you’ve offered me, or I accept that my family will die. Who is the fool, the one who gives up when the road looks impossible, or the one who walks on, hoping for a miracle?”
The night elf eyed her for another moment before beckoning one of his guards.
“The human is right,” he said, an odd expression pulling at his lips. “We ought to give her the best possible chance at success.” He turned to look at the guard. “She should have a guide.”
The guard bowed his head briefly.
“Respectfully, Lord Vanadar, we cannot spare anyone at this time. And the Marlord himself…”
The older night elf interrupted with an icy glare. “Consider yourself fortunate that I amnotthe Marlord. Anyone less forgiving than I would have flayed you for sharing his name with an outsider without permission. Bring the prisoner.”
The guard’s face went momentarily slack. “The… the prisoner? Are you certain? The risk is…”
“Bring him.”
The guard retreated, just as a new voice interjected from behind Aislin.
“You hazard a great deal, Vanadar.” It was the female night elf who had captured her. “And I venture you do so against the Marlord’s wishes.”
The one named Vanadar faced the speaker without flinching. “Even the human is willing to risk death to save her family. Would you have me do less rather than more?”
“It is not merelyrisk, Vanadar. It is madness!” This from another male, perhaps the oldest in the room.
“It is only madness if it fails,” Vanadar replied wryly. “And no one has offered a better solution.”
Crossing the short distance between himself and Aislin, he drew a wickedly curved dagger, grasped her wrists, and sliced through the cloth that bound them.
It was a quick, easy motion that nonetheless slipped at the last moment. Her bonds fell away, but the dagger’s razor edge turned sideways and sliced deeply into the base of Vanadar’s thumb.
He jerked, eyes wide, and dropped the dagger, pressing his other hand to the wound as blood welled up, shockingly red against the silver-gray of his skin.