Verita - The Guardian of Darkness

40

When  Elanthin had voiced her desire to go and have a look herself, she'd  been imagining a simple dark cloak, her worn-out but silent leather  boots and a healthy portion of caution while she roamed around the enemy  lair.

Somehow, her plan of sneaking into the secret hide-out  of the rebels became much more elaborate than she'd wanted. With Aetrian  on board, the preparations consumed all of the following day; they were  barely done when the sun set again. He insisted on preparing all sorts  of magic spell supplies which told Elanthin nothing, two sets of  inconspicuous commoner clothing and new, shiny weapons for her.

She  glanced at the unfamiliar sheathed swords at her hip. Although her  feelings about Aetrian's meticulousness were mixed, she did appreciate  the brand-new blades, whose quality was far above anything she'd ever  owned.

What Elanthin didn't appreciate, however, was the way  they were traveling to the rebels' meeting place. The undamped rattling  of the carriage's wooden wheels forced her and Aetrian to hold onto  whatever they could find if they didn't want to be thrown around the  cramped room.

"I'd rather ride on my hell beast", repeated  Elanthin his wording from a few weeks ago intentionally, "than in this  sort of wagon."

Of course she knew the reason for their choice  of carriage: A fancier one might have aroused suspicion on their way  through the narrow and dark corridors of the capital. Still, her aching  bottom wasn't happy with that decision.

Aetrian grinned at her obvious discomfort. "Haven't you gotten used to Gratia's comforts a bit too quickly?"

"Only  a fool would reject them", murmured Elanthin, before grabbing onto the  rugged wooden planks of the carriage door to lift herself up  one-handedly for a quick look out of the window.

The outside  was completely pitch-black; the lack of lights turned the downtown area  into a dark void, ready to swallow them as soon as they set foot onto  the paved ground. However, it was nothing compared to the abyss'  darkness, so Elanthin wasn't nervous one bit. The fire burning inside of  her was solely fueled by anger and regret. How long had the Children  been wreaking havoc on the Plains? And how was it possible that neither  Vax nor Phygras knew anything about it?

Aetrian mimicked her move and nodded in satisfaction. "We should be there soon."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"You  didn't even know our destination until now?" He looked at her puzzled  before breaking into a grin. "You do know that we're walking straight  into the enemy's lair, right?"

"What's there to be wary of",  replied Elanthin cooly. "I reckon it's some sort of tavern or abandoned  house. On a weekday past eleven – even if it's the designated meeting  place of the Grace and the Children –, I doubt there'll be more than a  handful of fighters present. If any."

Aetrian shook his head  before sinking back onto the wooden seat. Now that he wasn't wearing his  embroidered robes or golden ornaments, his clothing could've easily  made him pass as just another low-level mage of the tower.

If  his appearance weren't enough to betray him, added Elanthin silently.  With silver hair, amber eyes and a posture befitting a noble, few  wouldn't be suspicious of his identity. Thankfully he'd agreed to wear  thick cloaks made of blackened linen, which would hide them from curious  glances.

The carriage came to a halt and Elanthin breathed  out in relief. Maybe she should walk back to the palace instead of  traveling this way again.

As they were trying to avoid  attention, the carriage driver removed himself immediately after they'd  gotten off. After he and his torturous vehicle had disappeared into the  night, Aetrian stretched out a hand towards his companion.