Elf Lock.

Chapter Five

The Tree House Palace

Lloyd lay in the wooden but solid cage that they had been put in. The elves here harboured a great distrust of humans and then that doubled when they found out they were from Celestine. He couldn't blame them, since the queen had left this world for the next Celestine had become a main trading post for fey slaves. Elves and faeries used for their magic and thanks to their looks many were forced to work in brothels. It was a grim life for them.

Dwarves were forced to work the mines, not many dwarves were in the brothel but one would turn up now and again. He wondered what happened to them all once those demons had attacked; Lloyd knew no one was rushing to let them out of their cells. Lloyd wondered if any of the fey were taken from this town but Lloyd was pretty sure that this town would have been marked down as a no go area.

The elves here were more savage, almost feral and would cause to much trouble to enslave. He thought of the hunting party that hadn't returned a year ago, they wasn't far from here, had their bodies became the targets for elfin arrows. Were there bones used to decorate the macabre armour that Hodge, Rosfey and most of the elfin warriors wore here.

"They better let us out and I might just forgive them," Constantine said snootily, even though he was crying when Hodge and Rosfey were questioning him. Lloyd was pretty sure the Prince had wet himself, Lloyd felt cruel for wanting to laugh at that but how many times has he seen the servants in tears because of the Prince now it was good to see the shoe on the other foot. Maybe the Prince would learn empathy but he didn't hold out hope.

"I don't think they care if you forgive them or not, you aren't in Celestine anymore,"

Constantine mumbled to himself but they really wasn't anything he could say to that. The elves distrusted them and the way the prince acted they would only distrust them more, not to mention Constantine had tried to get him to stab their Prince's consort.

Lloyd was thankful he didn't act on Constantine's orders; they would have both been dead by now.

***

Hodge sighed to himself as he made his way through what the town knew as the tree house palace. He had made sure more guards were stationed here especially near Lilly-Blue's room.

The humans had claimed that demons had ransacked Celestine, and the knight Lloyd had even claimed he wanted to stop the vile creatures attacking other kingdoms by finding the grand grimoire of all things. Hodge knew what humans were like though, he was after all taken as a child though he would rather not talk and relive those times.

Celestine was a known for its trade in slaves and if Lloyd was lying and they were actually here looking to enslave his people they would have a fight on their hands, though Hodge wasn't one to destroy innocent people even if they were humans, though he did want to punch Constantine in the face and knock a few teeth out and then make said teeth into a necklace. Now though he needed his rest it was late and he didn't doubt when he got back to his quarters Ragamuffin would already be asleep.