The Eldars

60

The three stand frozen in mid step where Montani's magic found them. They try desperately to free themselves from the magic and are unable to. They start screeching for help.

"What did you do now or who did you piss off now?" Leean asks coming up to the three amused beyond belief.

"Help us, don't just laugh at us." Jenice demands of the young prince.

"Sorry, if I don't know who did this to you I can't break it. I can only do the magic of the elves and some of the vacar." Leean takes a bite of his apple he has with him and chews thoughtfully.

"Has Montani awakened by any chance? This looks like her work and if it is then forget about anyone breaking it. I haven't found anyone yet that's stronger than she is."

"Depends on the magic used, Leean. Mant and Teondae are stronger in the earth magic and Vacar magic." Montani says coming up to the foursome.

"You three have been very naughty girls. You were going to endanger us all by breaking the Vacar magic protecting us. What should I do to them, Leean?" All Leean's mirth evaporates at Montani's words.

"Let the people decide. They put us all in danger, they have a right to know and choose the punishment." Montani has never heard Leean so harsh before.

"Sounds fair to me. Will you let the others know to gather the same place where we had the entertainment the other night?" Montani says to the angry young elf.

Leean gives one short nod and heads off looking for the council members so that they can alert their various people to the meeting.

Once Leean leaves Montani studies the three frozen females. "Just what is your game? Are you traitors? Spies? perhaps you're just stupid? Tell me, I'm all ears." Montani hasn't been this sarcastic in years. The panic that is starting to settle over the girls satisfies something deep inside Montani.

"This isn't possible," Margret hisses.

"What isn't? Holding you like this? This is child's play, almost every child in Malinor could do this. Now what's impressive is the fact that I did this from my room at the inn without even knowing where you three were. Or perhaps this," Montani uses the magic to pick the three up and taking them to the meeting place without releasing the first spell.

"You three still haven't understood. As far as power is concerned you're nothing. Prince Leean that you look down upon is far more powerful than you three combined. Even here among the other humans you're low on the ladder. Kallen has more power than you three. You think you are special because you come from the south. But the truth is, you are no better than the rest of us. From your actions I'd say you're even less than the rest. Even the children help out by cleaning and what not. You three do nothing. You are nothing." Montani shuts their protests up by simply using magic to take their words away.

Slowly the area fills with people. Mant comes over to her and hands her a dish of steaming food. Montani takes a moment to enjoy the smell before taking her first bite. She closes her eyes in pure bliss. Mant enjoys watching her eat.

By the time Montani is finished the area is filled and there is no more room for late comers.

"Montani, why don't you tell us all why we are here tonight?" Leear asks noticing Montani is next to the silently screaming girls. He's thankful that he doesn't have to hear their annoying voices as they scream.

"Yes, thank you. These three were trying to break the Vacar protection of this settlement." Montani says without further ado.

Her words bring a flurry of heated looks and angry words sent the way of the females.

"How do you know about this?" Leear has to ask to be non partial.

"Mother told me." By now, all those there know about mother. There is silence with her words.

There is some angry muttering. Some, mostly humans that doubt her.

Before Montani can say anything in her defense Mother appears to them all.

"Montani speaks true. I did tell her that these three were trying to break the vacar protection." Mother snaps her lips shut. There is more that she wants to say but is constrained to not reveal.

But she needn't have worried. Montani looks up and her eyes are wild. "We have company." Mant races back to their room to grab their weapons while Montani has a smile on her face which makes people back up in fear.

"What is the decision for the accused?" Montani demands. She has some ideas, but if the others don't wish it then she can't.

"They want to be with the evil ones so much let them join them." First one voice then another starts yelling out. Soon almost all those still there are demanding the same sentence. Montani smiles.

"Very well, the people have spoken." Montani says carrying the girls with her to the nearest wall where evil ones are attacking.

She sends the girls over the barricade and removes the spells on them and lets them fall right into the middle of the evil ones. Two of them even manage to take down the evil ones they landed on. "Very good Isabelle and Margret. You two weren't completely useless after all." But the girls didn't hear Montani's congratulations due to being pulled apart by the very creatures they were trying to help out.

Mant gets there just in time to watch the last of the girls limbs being thrown away. "Here Montani. A bit extreme don't you think?" Mant says handing Montani her weapons and nodding towards the girls.

"Not really. They put us all at risk. If that protection goes down we'll be flooded by evil ones, not just this lite trickle." Montani says then starts focusing on the evil ones as she lines up her shots. She fires rapidly, hitting the eyes each time.

Mant starts firing his own weapon. They run out of arrows long before they run out of targets. Fortunately more are brought by the volunteers.

No matter how good they are the sheer numbers of the evil ones make it so there is eventually fighting on the ramparts. Montani starts using her sword aided by magic.  Fires flare burning the piled up bodies of the evil dead. But the evil aren't the only ones suffering casualties.

Montani sees Mant go down from the corner of her eye and all her restraints are broken.

Montani gives a cry of grief like she hasn't given since Mauntie had broken through her shields. All fighting stops for a breath of time. Then all hell breaks loose.