Nightspun (#ONC_2020)

Chapter 7 - Sneak

Sybil ran headfirst into the night and didn't look back.

She headed down Sellers Street still lined with rickety stalls closing up for the night, the fountains made from white arkalite stone reflecting the moonlight. The great Sunspire led her towards the forest only to be dominated by the darkly lit Gavelhouse. It was a foreboding sight that almost every elf avoided. Albeit small compared to the healing glow of the Sunspire it sat atop a mountain fortress of Caster traps and enchantments. It was the home of the Lawmakers and a building Sybil knew all too well.

After all, she had been taken there by Rayner himself on the night of her failure.

Shaking her head clear of negativity, Sybil focused on the run home. Eventually the winding streets became canals and although narrow enough to jump over, Sybil's feet had led her back towards the Stone Bouy. Cursing, she doubled over in exhaustion and assessed her options. If she really wanted to, she could walk idly by or sneak around the back of the shed and be left alone for the night to return to the Warren but part of her knew that wasn't an option.

It was where Amira lived too and Sybil couldn't avoid her forever. Her parents would worry and fret and a conflicting pair of oppositely attributed elves was never a good sign. But what Sybil didn't expect to see were too weasley looking Stormspell elves sneaking up on their property.

"Oi!" She yelled, storming over to the two grey skinned elves hiding behind their shed.

The two Stormspell elves whipped around and shushed her, using their command over the wind to drag her towards them and plant her hunkered down on the manure drenched ground. Sybil almost yelled out in shock but the two boys gave her a look before placing a finger over their lips and pointed towards the other side of the shed.

"This is truly a wonderful harvest you have here, Amira dear."

Sybil visibly cringed at the sound of the over the top voice, knowing full well who it belonged to. No matter how bad Rayner was, nothing could top the disdain she had for Niasi Sunshadow. Not only was she the aunt to her best friend but she was the High Lawmaker in all of Neridia.

"What are you doing here? What is she doing here? Most importantly, what is going on!" Sybil hissed, her Sunspell elf flaring like a lighthouse beacon.

The two boys scowled at her, their stormy grey complexion clashing with the bright ginger hair that could outshine a Folktale native. Stealth had never been her strongest skill but Sybil knew the hazy fog conjured by a Stormspell elf was far greater than any sunbeam she could provide right now.

"What's it to you, Sun Puncher? We wanted to keep an eye on our law abiding friend is all, since your bestie over there owes us a favour. Didn't think swiping a few mandraroots would lead us to this jackanape though!"

Sybil snorted, forcing herself to hold in a bout of hysterics but she was still furious that the two had intended to steal something Dewdrop had created with his last bit of sundust. But what she really wanted to know was how they'd snuck up on such a high profile conversation without being seen. But in that moment Niasi's voice had changed from over the top to just plain insulting.

"I don't know why you insist on staying here with that..that troublemaker! Didn't you know she was in my establishment for a week before Rayner kindly let her go. There hasn't been anyone in Sundrain cuffs for so long since-"

Sybil paled turning away from the eavesdropping pair to settle herself down. The thought of those...things around her wrists sent her Sunspell sparking in fear and the smell of manure on her jumper wasn't exactly helping things.

"Don't worry about pissin' yourself, sista. You ain't the only one's dumb scared of those things. My brother 'ere 'as the Cloudswell up so she won't be hearing ya even if you yell at the Sunspire itself. It's seein' ya we gotta worry about."

An unfamiliar face came into view as Sybil's vision stopped spinning briefly to notice who exactly was attempting to comfort her. He was a young elfling, no more than twenty moons old and his purple tipped ears were burning to focus on the discussion on the other side of the wooden slats. But here he was helping someone he'd never met from turning into a human lightbulb.

"Thanks. Sorry...about this." Sybil said, gesturing to her glowing hands full of Sunspell.

The Stormspell seemed unfazed by it, guffawing loudly before playfully whacking Sybil in the shoulder.

"Ha! You kiddin'? Not e'ery day ya get to see The Sun Puncher apologisin' fer somethin' she can't help!"

Sybil stared at him, puzzled by the new nickname. His accent was rough and it was obvious from his tattered cloak and dishevelled hair that he was no noble high born. His accent was an amalgamation of backwater dialects and slum towns surrounding Floodbound like Riverweed, Skimmertown, Overhung and of course the Outcrop district. But Sybil didn't know enough about the accents to accurately place where he was from.

"What do you mean Sun Puncher?"

He cackled again, causing his younger sibling to shush him, his hands rapidly signing in some kind of code. Sybil's eyes widened, only just noticing the elflings mangled ear. She didn't know whether to look away or keep staring at his face and ended up doing an embarrassing combination of both.

"You really don't know? 'Ere Claudy! She don't know 'er own Spinners Tale!"

The other Stormspell elf grit his teeth, fighting the urge to berate his new companion and settled with hunching down closer to the rotting wood. The Stormspell elf shuffled closer to her and lowered his voice just enough to be passable.

"Yer a legend Sun Puncher. First Nightspun to stand up for all of us in Down Below even before you were an Outcropper. When we heard those tossers in Bridgie's kicked you to the curb we tried to stage a riot or summat."

"But I don't remember vouching for any Stormspell elves. I just recount the usual Inner Circle tales like everyone else."

The younger elfling sighed, turned back around and gave up on snooping on the conversation. Thumping the other elf in the shoulder he turned to address Sybil and for the second time that evening she was completely stunned.

"Apologies about my twin, Miss Sybil Nightspun. My hearing isn't as good as it used to be and Malik has a habit of not keeping his mouth shut." Claud said, his ear twitching despite turning his attention elsewhere.

He was a polar opposite to his brother Malik, his cloak neatly placed around his shoulders just at the regulation length and not a speck of dirt despite the manure nearby. If Sybil hadn't have met the other brother first she would've assumed they were from Folktale and were out for revenge.

"That's not true, Claudy! I didn't tell 'er bout the last time we were 'ere and that Waywind-"

By the time Malik had clamped a hand over his mouth, Dewdrop had already resurfaced with his antlers raised to protect Sybil once more. With Claud nearest his head and Malik just beside his bucking legs, the two just managed to dart out of the way of a very, angry jackalope. But they had yet to face the wrath of a Sunspell elf.

"You mean it was you two who destroyed my crop?"