Lovely Dark Things

TWO (RUBY POV)

"Welcome... madam..." The human stutters nervously and I have to force myself to hide an evil grin. Actually, this short and bald man is a privileged guy and the guards that are escorting him are too: only a few can survive to an encounter with a dark elf. The fact that this is a peace mission and I'm here to negotiate the purchase of several grain and wine shipments, doesn't mean they won't end up dead if I want it. The promises my race makes are worthless and we change our opinion if it suits us... it's also easy for us to get blinded by rage since we're moody. For example right now, I could stab his heart with my knife, turning it in order to make the wound bigger while the little guy screams pathetically and I'd wait calmly for his blood to cover the ground in front of my boots... He's called me "Madam" but the right title to address someone of my social standing would be "Dread Lady" and, even if humans don't know about elven etiquette, I feel offended anyways. But it doesn't matter how much I'd love to feel his hot blood splashing my skin, for the greater glory of the God of War, I can't kill him... I'm here to fulfil a mission.

And they know it judging by the way they're shaking despite they try to keep their composure unsuccessfully. They may not trust us but if everything goes all right, if I don't get mad and stab them, if my brother remains calmed and doesn't order his sailors to attack the river port and deals we're going to make with this city are profitable for my queen, Ingstad will flourish even more. They're motivated by greed, they love the possibility of getting our gold in exchange for their goods and they'd be able to open new commercial routes knowing that dark elves won't touch their ships or destroy their city every summer. It seems too good a chance to miss... even if they have to sign a deal with the cruellest, most powerful and bloodthirsty queen of this world. We usually make this kind of deals with dwarves since we're more interested in their weapons, jewels and beer, but we have purchased grain, fruit and wine from humans on a couple of occasions and the result was quite satisfactory. Ice covers my kingdom most of the year and it's impossible to grow veggies, very dangerous beasts hide in spruce forests and only the bravest elves dare to hunt and, although there's plenty of fish in the sea, the depths of the ocean also hide terrible snakes, giant squids and weird animals that devour fishermen from time to time.

The truth is that we need wheat and I'm not only here because of Iselen but I'm going to play cat and mouse with those humans for a few days or weeks, pretending to haggle over the price, while using my charm to get the girl. I nod and fake a smile making my welcoming committee relax a little, a warm breeze smelling of sea shakes my black linen shirt when I walk along the beach towards a smaller boat where my servants are putting my luggage. Actually, they're sailors from my brother's crew that aren't only my assistants but also my guards. Argyle watches us cautiously from his ship anchored in the cove, when I said goodbye to him a while ago I told him that I'd need at least a week in order to make some progress but there's no reason for his boys to get bored lazing around the shore. Dark elves get nervous when they have to wait for long periods of time and my brother could face a riot so I told him to sail north, devastate the nearby coast and come here the next full moon in order to take us back to Baalberith.

I follow the humans meekly and get on the boat that will take us to the city, actually is very close and we just have to go up the river for a few miles. The queen was right, they could build a port here and would become the major power of the region but it'd be hard to defend in case of attack: the mouth of the estuary is too wide. Landscape both sides of the river is beautiful, green fields and forests, some hills but not high mountains, I see farms and cattle despite the sun is reflected in the water and it's blinding me. I'm not used to feel the heat on my head, the thin layer of sweat that coats my skin makes it itch uncomfortably and I'm boiling even if my clothes are made of fine linen. Damn, I don't understand how humans can stand this. I walk some steps pretending that I feel perfectly fine despite the unbearable sun and sit down under a tent near the nervous little guy, I think he's a member of the City Council and I should feel flattered because such an important person has come to welcome me today, apparently, although I don't give a fuck about him and his position.