World of Tiber

Chapter 41: Reliving My Past

Nightbreeze's PoV

The group stops to rest and drink water while I walk away to the spot I was taken away as a kid. The girl was trying to warn me but I didn't understand. I knew common but not that great. I learned the other kinds of Elven languages and common when I was a slave. I look around and I can still remember everything. Wondering a little ways off from my clan. Seeing the girl and asking if she needed help. Getting captured by Qualinesti. Nava asks “Is this where you were taken?”

“Yeah it was. I let my guard down to help a girl I thought was lost. You don't usually see Qualinesti kids on their own in the woods. I always wanted to help out. They tricked so many of us that way. I know because I asked the others slaves how they were captured. Most of them was the same way I was. Some were captured when they were older and they put up a fight.”

“Is it hard knowing that we are going back there?”

“Yeah it is. I want you to promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“Whatever happens in Qualinesti don't fight them. It won't help us at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just trust me and promise me.”

“Ok I promise you I won't fight. Do they like Half Elves?”

“Yeah they do. They don't have slavery as bad as Silvanesti but the Qualinesti leaders and richer ones do have it. Most of the people there think that we are slaves for committing crimes or because we want to do it. We aren't allowed to tell them the truth. If we do then we would get killed.”

“Let's keep moving.”

I'm about to follow when I notice something. I walk towards it and Nava follows. When we get there we see a waterfall. This was where my clan was at before I got captured. It's farther away from the group then I wanted to go but I had to see this. I tell Nava “This was the last place I saw my clan at before I was captured.”

“That's a beautiful waterfall. I can see why you all liked it here.”

“My mom's talent was finding water sources. More specifically waterfalls. That's how she got her name Eveningfall...Let's go back to them.”

We walk back to the group in silence. They are all ready to go when we get back.

We know we are close to Qualinesti because we get surrounded by some patrols of the Qualinesti army. One says in common “Who are you and what are you doing here.”

I tell them “I'm Nightbreeze. That's Nava, Rosa, Quintrine, Thintop, and kids. We need a safe place for the kids until we can find the kids families. Their parents were killed by the Highlord army.”

“We don't allow Kagonesti in. Or Silvanesti.”

“They won't hurt you. They're kids.”

“Give us the Qualinesti kids. We can find them some more of their family.”

“Please give us shelter for a few days to rest then we will leave with the rest of them.”

One of the other soldiers says “I recognize her. She's a runaway slave. The paint covers her but she's a runaway slave. She worked for Learoth.”

I tell them in Qualinesti “Give them all shelter and you can punish me however you want. They won't stop you.”

The patrol leader responds in Qualinesti “Are you sure you want that Wild Elf?”

“As long as you don't kill me or the others.”

“We agree to your terms.”

He speaks in common “We will provide shelter for you all. But give us your weapons.”

We all give them our weapons and then two of the soldiers grab me. Nava asks “What are you doing?”

The leader says “She's a runaway slave. We will deal with her how we want to. It's none of your concern.”

I tell Nava in Silvanesti “Don't fight them.”

She stops after I tell her. They walk us all to the Qualinesti gate and talk with the soldiers there. There's gasps of surprise from all the kids. The two soldiers holding my arms shove me forward and I keep moving. They meet some Qualinesti women that tell us “The children will be safe with us for now.”

The children go with the women after getting reassured by Nava, Rosa, and Quintrine that they will be ok. They continue forcing me into the middle of town. Some more soldiers come over and tie my hands behind my back. Nava asks them “What are you doing?”

“It's none of your concern Half Elf.”

I look over and I see Nava, Rosa, Quntrine, and Thintop following the soldiers. The civilians start gathering around, wondering what's going on. One of the soldiers says in Qualinesti “She is a runaway servant. She promised to help our rulers until they didn't need her help anymore. But she ran away. They gave her a home, food, shelter, friends. For that she gets punished. Any of you can come and help punish her.”

I'm not surprised they said I was a servant and not a slave. Most of the people don't know that all the Kagonesti here are slaves. We aren't allowed to tell them because if we do then we would get killed. Or ‘mysteriously disappear.’ One of the soldiers brings over a wip and they start wiping me. I can tell Nava wants to stop it but she promised not to. It hurts getting whipped but I don't yell out in pain. Some of the richer Elves and leaders come over and start punishing me too. They whip, hit, and kick me. They can't let the other slaves get away with what I did. Eventually I do fall down onto my knees and I'm looking down at the ground. One of the leaders says in Qualinesti “Why won't you yell? Say something!”

I respond In Qualinesti “I won't yell to entertain you.” I start speaking louder “I didn't run away as a servant. I'm a slave. Every Kagonesti here is a slave. If we tell anyone the truth we get killed. If we do something wrong you whip us. Go ahead and do what you want with me but others will do what I'm doing. They won't stay quiet.”

The Qualinesti civilians are all gasping and in shock. They are dead silent for a moment then they all start talking at once. Wondering if it's true. The soldiers stop whipping me, wondering if it is true. One of the leaders hits me and my nose starts to bleed. All of a sudden a voice yells “Stop this at once!”

Everyone stops and there's dead silence again. The person who spoke walks towards me. 

*Picture at the top of the chapter is the waterfall Nightbreeze's clan used to live by*