“How far away is the capital again?” Lyrael inquired, looking over at Tsarra, who had dropped from her horse a bit ago to stretch her legs.
     Tsarra chewed on her lip as she thought. “If I remember, it takes a couple weeks on foot from Allsgorath, so maybe a week and a half on horseback?”
     Wynn chimed, “The next stop on our path is Steelcoast.”
     Lyrael searched the forest around them. Around the time Tsarra had slid from her horse, the forest changed. Fog had creeped in to cover the forest floor and sunlight didn’t penetrate the trees above them as much, which made it difficult to see. Unlike before, however, there were no animals. No birds chirping, no critters scavenging around the forest floor. There was, however, a slight, magical hum to the air around them. Besides that, it was eerily silent.
     “Do you guys feel that?” Lyrael asked suddenly, looking between her friends. Her eyes swept around the forest again. It was difficult for her to consider herself a member of their group now, as she was still slightly leery of them.
     “Feel what?” Soni glanced at her with a brow raised.
     Lyrael looked at Soni, and then at Wynn, who shook his head as a response.
     Tsarra shrugged, looking around. “I don’t feel anything.”
     She eyed the trees again and murmured beneath her breath. “Okay... guess I’m the only one.” Something is off. Why am I the only one noticing?
     After about ten minutes of riding, the group came to an abrupt halt when they heard voices in the distance. Exchanging alarmed looks, Lyrael wrapped them in her magic and they blinked from sight, horses and all.
     Tsarra looked over at her, a single question in her eyes, and Lyrael nodded. She slid from her horse, handing Tsarra Nightheart’s lead rope as she motioned in the direction of the voices. She pulled her bow from her shoulder and wrapped herself in her magic as she stepped from the bubble she concealed them with.
     With a quick glance over her shoulder, she stepped off the path and smiled when she didn’t see her friends behind her. She didn’t often get to see her own illusion magic at work.
     It took about five minutes of walking to find the source. She crouched at the edge of a cliff, peering through some bushes at what looked like to be a ruin. There was a dilapidated stone tower to her left, looking too deteriorated to even be around. It looked like it would go crumbling if there was even one strong gust of wind.
     To the right was another large building, a story or two smaller than the tower, and was nearly in the same state. However, it looked stable enough to use as a base, which was exactly what it was being used as. Peppered around the ruin were tents, horses, and campfires. Then there were soldiers, and based on the flags around the ruin, they were the royal army, Zaos’ men, to be sure.
     “Intriguing. Very... intriguing.”
     Lyrael froze, the hair on the back of her neck raising as she turned her head, seeing a man standing about ten feet to her right. He had shoulder length black-red hair, dark green eyes, and a flowing red and green cloak.
     She stayed silent, pressing her lips together. He can't see me.
     The man dug his hand into the collar of his cloak, withdrawing a golden locket. Despite the distance between them, she could easily make out the wolf on the front, with tiny green jewels for eyes. For a moment, she thought it looked quite similar to her own locket. He smiled widely, his green eyes glittering.
     “See this? This is imbued with a powerful spell, one that lets me see the unseen.”
     Panic tore through her and she turned, darting away from him. She made it only five paces before something snapped around her wrist, her magic instantly fading away like the tide receding.
     Something clamped her other wrist and she cried out when hot-white pain flashed up her arms. Weakness flowed through her and her legs suddenly felt like jelly. Dropping to the ground, her vision blurred as she tried to make out what was clamped on her wrists.
     “Cobalt. An Elves’ only weakness.”
     The edges of her vision darkened and as she crumpled to the forest floor, she watched him crouch before her. Her eyes fell on the clasp that kept his cloak on, choking when she recognized it.
     It was a dragon.
     The symbol of the royal family.
     Her brother.

⋆˙⟡ ☾ 𖤓 ☽ ⟡˙⋆

     When Lyrael woke, she found herself in some kind of cell. Four walls, no door, no window. The only light was coming from a hatch in the ceiling, her head feeling heavy as she looked up at it.
     She turned her gaze down, looking at the silver cuffs on her wrists, wondering how they worked. Upon closer inspection, there were small blue specks flecked inside the silver, and they gave off the slightest glow. Cobalt, he’d called it.
     The man.
     The dragon clasp.
     That man was her brother, one of the five she had. Based on what little information she knew of them, she knew he wasn’t the youngest one, who was a few years younger than herself. He also wasn’t Zaos, as he didn’t look quite old enough. He seemed more like in his early thirties, and Zaos was in his mid-late thirties. According to Soni, he also wore a crown, which this man did not have.
     If he wasn’t Zaos, which brother was he?
     She didn’t know names, only Zaos’. There was a tinge of sadness within her, casting a shadow over her thoughts. Her thoughts wandered; I wonder if I would've been close to him. However, given our gap in age, it would've been unlikely.
     Leaning her back against the wall, Lyrael tugged at the cuffs on her wrists, trying to ignore the dull throb and heaviness in her arms. To rid the pain, she rolled her shoulders, grimacing when the muscles in her neck screamed in response.
     Unfortunately, no matter how many times she her called for her magic, it didn’t respond, and for the first time in her entire life, Lyrael felt completely, and utterly powerless.
     Both her bow and rucksack were gone, and after a brief few moments of thought, she twisted suddenly, contorting her arms, scrounging for the secret pockets within her cloak. Relief flooded her a beat later when her fingers found the black pouch and dagger were still safely in their designated pockets.
     Some time passed, the light coming from the hatch above her becoming dimmer as the day went by.
     The sound of heavy footfalls nearing the hatch made her snap from her thoughts and she looked away when it opened, dim afternoon sunlight pouring into her cell. She blocked the light with her hand, watching someone levitate down and land gracefully on their feet in front of her. It was the man from before. Her brother.
     His gaze was piercing, his dislike of her obvious. “Who are you, and what were you doing sneaking around my camp?”
     She stared up at him, frowning, feigning confusion. “What?”
     “Are you deaf?” He snapped, his eyes flicking to the cuffs around her wrists. “Or is the cobalt making you too groggy to answer me?”
     “I wasn’t sneaking... I just stumbled upon your camp.” She laughed a little in faux embarrassment, trying to palm the back of her neck, but halted when she remembered her hands were cuffed. “These woods are a little confusing. I simply got lost... can you please take these off now?” Lyrael demanded, raising her arms up, shaking her hands.
     He stared at her blankly and she continued. “I did nothing to warrant this imprisonment. Please, sir, just release me.”
     Annoyance flashed briefly over his face, and his tone was thundering as he growled, “No, I will not be taking them off. Answer my question, girl. Why were you sneaking around my camp?”
     She looked away from him, deciding to make up some story. “Like I said, I wasn’t sneaking around. I was traveling and stumbled across your camp. Can you just let me go? I’m not a threat. I’m just a mere hunter who went too far from my village.”
     “Hunter? You? A High Elf? No High Elf would do a Low Elf’s job.” He spat at her feet and she mentally cursed, keeping her face stoic.
     Shit. I forgot about that part.
     Luckily for her, he didn’t press further about it, changing the subject. “Obviously, you have illusion magic, but how come I could not hear your footsteps? Do you have two abilities?” His questions were cutting and straight to the point.
     She couldn’t say yes, of course. Only High Elves with royal lineage had more than one main ability. He’d either think she was outright lying or would somehow figure out her identity. She couldn’t let him consider either option.
     Lyrael didn’t hesitate, the lie spilling easily from her lips. “No, I don’t have two abilities. My illusion magic manipulates sight and sound. That’s why you couldn’t hear my footsteps.”
     The man stared at her and then looked away, seemingly accepting her answer at face value. “I’m going to let you stew some more. Maybe you should reconsider your answer.”
     She watched him levitate himself out of the pit, and her stomach growled. Lyrael shouted at his retreating shadow, “Am I going to be fed, at least?”
     No response.
     The hatch shut behind him, locking with a resounding click.
     Sorry, stomach, maybe later.