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The trek to Rosenfall was tense, their feet padding along the main road and converging with other Thalls seeking shelter from the orcish army. There was concern in all ages and talk of the elderly and children being marched off to the coast. Some thought it wise and even parted ways with their children as they gave them off to their elders to find safety away from what could befall the city. Others were more eager to lend their hand in protecting their queen and country from the unwanted threat at their door.
"I'm not too old to fight," a graying woman grumbled to her sons. "I was punching wyverns in the face before you were even a thought in my mind."
Thannel kept his hood around his face and his head down to the road. He could hide his white hair with a cap or a scarf like his companions, but his eyes and facial tattoos were unmistakable. No one seemed to pay the trio any mind likely due to their minds being focused elsewhere.
The trees opened up to reveal the city of Rosenfall clustered upon a hill with the castle at its peak. Rows of walls, still mostly broken from the Dragon Warden's previous attack, sectioned it off into thirds, and a few siege weapons still remained. Buildings were still under repair, some still blackened from fire. Yet it still remained a marvel to behold. It was the oldest human city in the Allied Kingdoms that had survived several attacks over the centuries. This was the first time Thannel had ever been so close to Rosenfall, and he wished it were under better circumstances.
The line slowed to enter Rosenfall as guards filed the people in. "All able bodies are to report to the citadel!" called out a guard. "Elderly and children will be gathered and escorted to Port Ranoul."
He held his breath as they began to pass through, the guard's shouting right in their ears as he repeated the information. Miraculously, they made it through, and Thannel sighed in relief as he looked to Raleia and Coleite.
"It seems they're preparing for the worst," he said, and then looked behind him. "I hadn't thought of a way out... I didn't know they would be regulating the gates as they are."
It was unnerving, passing through the town... even considering the importance of their task. The last time she had been in Rosenfall, Raleia had been certain her death was imminent. This time felt no different, except that this time her impending doom could come with absolute spontaneity, and she would not be facing it alone. Thrice on the journey, she had been stopped in her tracks by the pressing desire to insist they turn around, to abandon their quest so that Thannel and Coleite were safeguarded from the madness.
But there was wisdom in distance, and from his perspective outside of the Wardens, Thannel had been right... he had seen rationality where she could not. She would never have made it on her own, especially in her emotionally compromised state. Emotional and physical, it seemed...
She had forgotten, in the chaos, the toll that their last escape had taken and the wound she had taken to her knee. As the length of their journey stretched on, her gait became uneven, the injury vexed by the exertion. By the time they had reached the city, she had taken to leaning on Thannel's arm, less to supply realism to their charade and more out of necessity.
Fear, too, soon became a hindrance, and as every guard passed by, her grip tensed against Thannel's forearm until she had to apologize and relinquish her hold.
But make it through they did, by some good grace or another, and when Thannel spoke, Raleia breathed out, looking back to the gates with a shake of her head before turning to the pair, "If all goes well, perhaps Lo will be willing to provide us a ride out... Either way, we'll need to be careful, and quick. There are so many of them."
Addiver, she imagined, would not wait long in these conditions, to try and get Lo out.
The journey was long, as expected, but there was many and more unexpected sights that Coley found… interesting. Raleia's purposeful strut had belied a hidden limp and the further they went, the stronger it appeared. She huffed out a pent up sigh of frustration; she had an inkling that before the day was through, that she, or maybe the Vauturi, or possibly even both, would be the brunt of the defending force. Though not entirely unexpected, the guards at the gates proved to be less worrisome than Raleia's injured leg -- they didn't spare the trio a second glance as they ushered them inside. Yet, of all the surprises, the beauty of Rosenfall struck her the hardest. Still under renovation and yet the blackened walls and buildings were still a wonder to behold. Even the castle, high upon the hill was the epitome of Thallas finery.
And here they were, attempting to rescue a dragon from butchery and his Warden from enslavement.
Once inside the gates and a fare distance from the guards, she turned and listened to Thannel and Raleia speak.
When they were finished, Coley shook her head uncertainly. "It depends." She shrugged, scratching at the scarf that hid her hair and face. "Not all dragons are friendly and that's on the best of days. Briseis wouldn't let anyone ride him if I wasn't there. And if we do manage to find his Warden, how can we expect a malnutritioned dragon to carry us all out? No, some of us will have to either sneak out, or fight our way to freedom." She scratched at her scarf once more. "So, where do we begin?"
The able bodied made their way to the citadel fixed between the third tier wall that separated the city from the castle. It acted as its own gate; the structure built right within the wall's line. They followed the line to it, Thannel quickly looking about what he could see of the city. It was difficult given the clusters of buildings, winding roads, trees, and even the slope of the hill.
"We can either report in the citadel and find a way to the castle through there," Thannel suggested, "or we find another way in along the wall."
It seemed both a benefit and detriment, how many people there were, mulling about. It was no matter, either way, however. The city was preparing for the impending battle, and that didn't mean that they would be any less diligent about two Dragon Wardens, wandering about.
"Best we aren't caught poking around where we're not meant to be, I think." It was a risk, approaching the citadel so boldly, but she and Coley had done a thorough job of hiding their hair and it was often said the best way to hide was in plain sight, "Coleite, you could pass for my sister, I think. We've a farm on the outskirts of the city, where Thannel came to us after an attack by Shadow Casters. Keep it simple... and we might just be alright."
They made it into the citadel where soldiers sifted through the mass of volunteers. Commands and orders were shouted through the massive main hall where they divvied assignments and equipment. Crash courses in combat were being held out in the training grounds behind the wall. The cacophony of conversations muddied anything that wasn't either directly spoken to the trio or wasn't shouted by the main soldier at the center of the hall.
A woman clad in the typical garb of the Guard approached the three with a journal she jotted notes down into. "Give me your names, professions, and any...". Her voice trailed off as she settled her gaze on Thannel. "What's a Vuaturi doing so far from his people?"
"We were attacked by Shadow Casters," Thannel explained, and then motioned to Coelite and Raleia. "These two gave me shelter and sanctuary in their home. I owe them my life."
The Guard looked to the other two for confirmation in the story.
"It was nothing more than any good Thall would do..." She offered to Thannel, with a solemn nod, "And we might not have made it to Rosenfall without your aid. Slipping on that rock the way I did... Poor Col could never have--"
Raleia turned with a small frown, her eyes to the guard, "Sorry. I'm Leia Valnir and this is my sister, Coley. We tend to our family's farm several miles from here. Is... is it true? Are those beastly orcs really marching on Thallas?"
It wasn't hard to muster an expression of fear... Raleia was downright terrified. The risk they were taking was all too great, and they hadn't even made it to the dragon, yet. Fear, however, could be intensely clarifying, and she hoped would be enough to keep her mind sharp.
Coleite nodded her head timidly as Raleia spoke to the lady guard, the din of chatter almost overwhelming after months of near silence. The only conversations she had before meeting up with the other Wardens was that of valley tree songs, drifting whispers of snow, turbulent growls of the sky, and the Bond she shared with Briseis. The noise widened her eyes and sent her heart aflutter. The feral part of her screamed in protest but the rational, trained, and entirely too stubborn part of her kept it's head.
What they were doing was lunacy and yet half of her wondered if that's why she agreed to come along. For one moment, the babel turned to white noise and that of a single thought: Death is inevitable, whether she survived this night or the battle in the evening hours of tomorrow, as everyone knew Thallas hadn't the food needed to state their bargains to the Orcs. Or possibly, if she somehow garnered luck's favor, she'd live through both and die in the late years of her life… but even then she would succumb to death. Why not die repenting for her greatest remorse?
Clearing her head and letting her ears fill with the Citadel's cacophony, she thanked the Maker for her young appearance. Though almost freakishly tall for a girl and a deceptively thin physique, her face looked young. And hopefully, it'd help put her under the guards radar.
She nodded once more and turned to the lady guard before speaking and in turn looking at the woman expectantly. "The army will protect us though, right? And t-the Queen?"
The words were salt in her wounds but she forced herself to say them despite stuttering in her vehemence towards the woman. They were on a mission however, and her personal feelings were readily pushed to the side. The distraction would only cause turmoil.
There was a glint of something that briefly graced the guard's expression when Coleite had mentioned the Queen. It was the faintest hint of concern that she had brushed away quickly to get back to business as she jotted down a few notes on the parchment. "Your name, elf?" she asked looking up at Thannel.
"Thannel," he stated. "I'd like to remain with my companions. I owe them a life debt."
For whatever reason, his name struck a chord with the Guard. She stared at him, her eyes eventually moving to scan over Raleia and Coleite with scrutiny. She gave a curt nod to Thannel before turning around. Her whistle pierced through the noise garnering the attention of several individuals in its wake.
"Sal!" she called out as she waved to another guard. His brow arched curiously before he made his way over to his comrade, and she showed him her notes. Thannel looked over at Raleia as panic took him.
"Take these three to the butchery," she said to Sal. "They're farmers and will know how to prepare meat."
She jotted something else down in the corner of the parchment and tore it off before handing it over to Raleia. It was the symbol of the Guides.
"Off with you, then," she commanded. "Sal will show you the way."
There were moments in her life where Raleia had come to know the meaning of real and pure fear. Haven had been the worst of it, but when the guard turned and gave a burst of her whistle, Raleia's grip on Thannel's arm became so bruising tight it sent a shockwave of pain through her own hand. Graciously, or perhaps not so graciously, but luckily, the woman spoke quickly and almost as quickly, Raleia relinquished her vice-like grip, accepting the piece of parchment, albeit with a trembling hand.
It wasn't idyllic, necessarily, but it was damn near convenient... the charge of duty. All she could do was pray they arrived before Lo was killed...
The whistle pierced through the crowded Citadel like a bloodcurdling scream. Coley's stomach roiled and clenched in fear and for a wild heartbeat she was half tempted to rip her mace free from beneath the folds of her cloak. It wasn't only the whistle, it was the look the lady guard gave Thannel. It spoke of some kind of recognition. And then her eyes roved over Raleia and herself, searching for something, likely some kind of criminality. Yet as the moments pressed on and the guard named Sal made his way over, nothing happened, save perhaps her thundering heart and a feeling akin to a dizzy spell overtaking her.
Then she spoke the most gracious words Coleite could hear. A ripple of shock went through her and she tried desperately not to show it. Coley watched as she scribbled something else into her notebook, and then curiously, tore it off and handed it to Raleia. From where she stood Coleite caught a glimpse of the torn paper and felt the anxiety in her chest loosen. They weren't out of danger, far from it, but at least they knew they had someone on their side-- and a Guide at that.
"Off with you, then," she commanded. "Sal will show you the way."
Coley nodded her head and looked expectantly at Sal. "After you, good sir."
Sal calmly led them through corridors and hallways passing by other guards who did not question their route. It was evident everyone was on edge as they prepared for the worst case scenario. They passed by a group discussing concerns of famine and how they'll make it to next harvest. It was apparently decreed that everyone surrender half of their own food reserves, and farmers their livestock.
"It's either we starve to death," a man said, "or we die to an orcish slaughter."
They would not dare speak ill of their queen, for it was a treasonous act. Their distaste was still prevalent, and one could possibly derive the source based on their current situation. Eventually, they walked out of the citadel towards the glistening castle. In the sunlight and so close, the hint of lavender within the stone was more prevalent. On one side, citizens were being given lessons in combat with a sword and shield, their wooden weapons clacking against each other through commands. On the other side was a line of livestock and carts as farmers and merchants herded and wheeled in what they could.
"These three are for the butchery," Sal explained to the two guards standing outside one of the side doors to the castle.
"A Vuaturi?" one of them asked as he eyed Thannel over suspiciously. Sal offered a shrug.
"Something about a life debt," he explained.
"They saved my life," Thannel added as he motioned to Raleia and Coleite, but the guards were already waving them through at that point. The castle was not as chaotic as the citadel by far, and they were led through more empty corridors until reaching a door. Sal knocked a particular rhythm onto the woodgrain, and the door unlocked and opened. Inside were a group of men and women adorning their own sets of armor, and they all looked at the trio in confusion before looking to Sal for an explanation.
Addiver walked up to the trio in confusion. "Raleia?" he said, and then looked at Coleite and Thannel. When he saw the Vuaturi, his confusion whisked away to a bright smile.
"You must be Thannel!" he said, and moved up to shake the elf's hand. Sal closed the door. "Come on in, guys, we're getting ready for you-know-what."
"Apologies," Thannel said to Addiver. "I can't recall us ever meeting."
"We haven't," Addiver confirmed. "But Jeremy here ran into another lot of Dragon Wardens that came from the North up in Baladur." Jeremy gave a wave. "They told us about a big fight up there with the Shadow. Your name was mentioned. Great to see you guys. Pick up some gear! We're heading out in just a few."
It was a little like taking a breath after having been under water too long... pain and fear overwhelmed by a sudden lift, the intense relief almost discomforting in and of itself. In a way entirely unexpected, they had succeeded in the first part of their quest. Now it was just a matter of finding Lo and freeing him...
Not that it would be a simple task, by any stretch of the imagination...
"Great to see you, as well." She managed, when the weight of anxiety had passed, looking to Thannel and Coley, Raleia gave a small nod of encouragement.
It felt good to breathe again, to let out a delicious sigh of relief. The scribbled note was one thing, but what if it was simply a decoy? What if the lady guard had realized the Vuaturi was accompanied by two Wardens and instead of inciting panic, tricked them into willingly walking to their deaths? Thank the Maker, however; when the door in question was open, the man who Raleia spoke of was there, along with a few others who were in the midst of armoring themselves.
She listened to Addiver's greeting and then gladly helped herself to some armor. The vest she wore on top of her leathers, though worn and in need of patching, had always served her well. Through the years it had grown to her contours, as if melded specifically for her. It would do well underneath the brigandine that caught her eye; it was made of thick canvas and old steel plates and when she put it on, Coleite was surprised at how well it fit. Doning her cloak once more, her eyes roamed the room until she saw a short short, just bigger than a dagger and stalking over to it, surprised once more, to find the sheath lying within reaching distance. Lacing the short sword on the opposite side of her mace, she glanced around the room, waiting impatiently for whatever may come next.
Walking up to Addiver, Coley nodded her head out of respect and then spoke with a hint of humor lacing her voice. "Tell me you have a plan?"
There were only about eight Thalls in the small storage room, each helping each other out in fitting their pieces of armor onto themselves as they quietly chattered. Addiver secured a sword to his side as Coleite addressed him, and he grinned over at her. "Of course," he said confidently. "And now that you three are here we can add a little magic to the mix. It'll come in handy when it comes to the chains, let me tell you. Those links are as fat as Uncle Marty's fingers, I swear."
It was apparent this Uncle Marty was well known among the seven other men and women with Addiver. They all stifled laughs and hearty chuckles, nodding their heads in agreement to the width of Uncle Marty's fingers. It sparked further conversations about his apparent appetite and a Harvest Feast that had apparently resulted in the need to get a second hog before dinner was served. Uncle Marty was also apparently well known for being faster on his feet than Gaddric.
"I had a cramp in my leg!" Gaddric said in his defense.
"Well," Addiver continued to the trio, "we don't exactly have the keys to the locks. We'll pick the ones we can, but having you guys work your magic will definitely speed things up. Let's head out! Butchers should be gathered soon."
They headed out of the storage room into the empty hallways. It was nearly a direct shot to the hall in which Lo was being kept. Quietly, Addiver gave out signals in hand gestures to command his followers. They checked corners and positioned themselves around the doorway to the hall. Two men set themselves up as guards on station while the rest quickly filed into the hall. Yet, just as they did, a bell began to ring in the distance. Addiver looked back at the others.
"We've got to work quickly now," he whispered, and then rushed towards Lo. The Arcane Dragon was crammed into the space, body and wings weighted and bound by metal chains locked around thick pillars. There were obvious grooves from his struggles both on the stone and on the dragon. Lo looked tired, his eyes opening to look at the incoming group wearily, though widened as they rushed closer. Addiver and Gaddric began to work on a couple of locks while Thannel covered his hands upon a length of chain. He channeled his Ice Magic onto the links to begin to freeze it to a brittle state.
If she had not been furious before, as to the very idea of Lo's predicament, when the door was opened, she felt a rush of anger quite unlike her. Jammed into the space, obviously having struggled to the point of exhaustion. The poor creature looked diminished, like no dragon ever ought to.
Whatever happened, no matter what happened, Raleia knew that she had made the right choice in coming back for him. Without a word, she approached the chains and plucking one up, she clutched the metal in hand until the heat from her palms had severed through the links, then moved on to the next.
The bells were disquieting, and with a frown she glanced to Thannel and Coleite in concern, before turning her gaze to Addiver, "I trust that's not the call to dinner?"
"Ah," Addiver said as the mechanism in the lock clicked. "No, not really, no. It's...well... They figured out we're not in our cells. This is the first place they'll come looking."
Addiver had muttered something more, though at his distance it was unintelligible. He threw the lock away, and with the help of a few others, they began to loosen the chain around Lo. Thannel's links frosted over quite well to the point where it only took a small amount of force to break a link in two. Lo was beginning to feel the chains around him fall away, and he tried to stand and stretch his wings against the metal.
"Wonderful." Coley said thickly, hands wrapped around a length of chain almost bigger than her waist. Anger fueled her magic, if erratically, and she stepped back when the dragon named Lo tried to stand. Slowly, tentatively, Coley took hold of the frost riddled chain once more, channeling her magic directly into the chain. It felt good to use her magic, it felt good to do something right. The horrid conditions the dragon had been staying in was unsettling, ire inducing, and not for the first time, Coleite wondered how they were going to manage to get the dragon out.
"Do we have a signal? From your guards posted outside?" Coley asked, turning away from the length of chain that'd finally snapped after a grunt and great tug. Coleite looked to Raleia and Thannel in confusion. "Uh, how exactly are we getting out of this hall?"
The chains around Lo fell off his form and clattered to the ground. Outside there were angry shouts muted by the thick oak doors. They were big enough for the small dragon to squeeze out of, and he immediately headed for them as soon as he could freely move. The other Guides quickly moved out of the way, unable to fully remove all of the chains from the all too eager dragon as he crawled towards the doors and smashed them open with a swift battering of his snout.
"Well," Addiver said. "Now we run! Follow me!"
The real royal guards cried out as the dragon broke free from the castle. Those that remained clamored into the hall after the lot responsible, weapons at the ready and determination across their features as they rushed forward. Thannel beckoned his companions to follow as he rushed after Addiver through a door on the other side. It led into another empty hallway. Turning a corner, they were met with another set of guards rushing towards them.
It was probably, in terms of scenarios, the worst they could encounter. Flanked on either end by guards, there was no discernable way out, but through. These were men sworn to allegiance, men who would fight... die, for their queen. And they stood boldly in the way of certain freedom. There were sure to be casualties, and the very thought was enough to break Raleia's heart.
This was what she had been hoping to avoid since the attack on Haven, yet it seemed inescapable. Drawing her sword free, Raleia took a shaky breath, whispering quietly, "Maker forgive me..."
Freezing a link on a chain was one thing, but battling a group of guards in a hallway was another. Thannel would never be able to harness enough water from the air to crystallize into frost upon even a single gauntlet. He couldn't even feel a source of water nearby he could tap into. And so he was forced to draw his sword; a weapon he only knew how to use in concept. Coming from a passive culture, he was only taught the basics just this past week by the Sur. It felt heavy and unnatural in his hand.
Addiver led the charge down the hall, and both masses converged in a clash of steel and shouts. Thannel kept his broken wrist at his side as he slashed towards a guard, meeting metal and having the weapon swung around so the guard could throw a punch. He rammed his shoulder into the guard swooped back with his sword once again.
"Get to the stairwell!" Addiver called out to the trio. Just at their side through the chaos was a small set of stairs meant as a back route for the servants. "We'll hold them off just go!"
Metal clashed with metal as Coley swung her axe and struck the shoulder plate of the nearest guard. The shock penetrated her bones and amplified the adrenaline coursing through her veins. It felt like burning ice, like a ripple in still water… except the ripple was steel and the water her blood. In a fluid motion she stepped backwards, raising her axe to deflect the other guard's sword and by way of the spikes adorning the head of her weapon, disarmed him. Yet not before the guardsman's momentum caused the deflected sword to slice the top of her forearm.
Stepping back once more, putting precious distance between herself and her enemies, she heard Addiver's shouted message through the sweet, clattering song of steel. She turned to the side, mace still raised defensively, hands slick with her own blood, Coleite located the set of stairs just feet from the guard who was sprawled on the ground from the strength of her blow. He wasn't dead, however, and she glanced to her side witnessing both Thannel and Raleia in the midst of their battles.
"Thannel! Leia!" Coley roared. "Work your way to me! The staircase is over here!"
With a deep breath and a heart blazing with determination and the longing of her truest friend, she side-stepped forward and kicked the shins of the nearest guard before raising her mace once more, and swinging with the might of a raging, justice seeking Warden.
The fray was maddening and disjointed, men and blades clashing, ringing, the chaotic sound so unlike the steady, pounding pulse of her heart in her skull that it threatened to take all reason with it's clamor. Coleite rushed to join the fight, Thannel as well and Raleia felt a wave of nausea, watching as they melted into the insanity. They were here because of her. There was no other reason. Thannel had come because he felt obligated to a friend and she had done nothing to dissuade him. He and Coleite both risked so much, on ultimately a whim... and their lives hung in the balance as much as Lo, as much as the guides.
And still she stood frozen, still compelled to pity the men that would kill them all without discrimination, to show mercy where none was given. Perhaps her finest strength also her greatest weakness. It seemed almost poignant, to a degree.
Motion caught the corner of her eye and with trembling fingers, she tightened her grasp on the hilt and moved at last for the wall of guards, swinging low to deflect the blade of a guard aiming for the back of one of Addiver's companions. Repelled, only momentarily, the man swung again, and Raleia raised her sword high to block, tension singing through her arms at the brunt of the attack. Back and forth, like an unfamiliar dance, metal met metal, but she was greatly outmatched and all too aware of the wall, coming up behind her.
Coleite shouted and Raleia looked - only a split second, but one too long. Pain seared through her shoulder, as the tip of the blade drove in. Reason was driven out by instinct and dropping her own weapon, Raleia reached to clutch the hands that gripped the offending sword's hilt, heat emanating out from her palms with desperate fury. The guard cried out, relinquished his hold of the smoldering blade and pulling it free from her flesh, Raleia tossed it aside, grabbing his shoulders before plowing her good knee into the guard's midsection. With a wheezing sound, he crumpled and pushing off from the wall, she swung in the direction of the other Dragon Warden. Palm pressed to her shoulder, blood pumping angrily, seeping through her fingers, she raced past the clash to the staircase ahead of her.
Steel clashed with steel as Thannel rushed for the staircase tucked along the wall. Addiver and his band of Guides insured to take up the slack to provide the trio with enough leeway to find their way to continue on. The castle was a labyrinth to those unfamiliar, and while Thannel chose to take point, his every turn was guess work and crossed fingers. As they rushed down a hallway, a harsh whisper called out to them.
"You there!" It came from the queen's ward; a Naveri by the name of Ilyanis Estros. It was the very same elf that had stood with the royal family during the trial. She looked to the three pleadingly as she motioned for them to enter her room. "I'm a Guide. I work with Addiver. Come with me if you want to live!"
Down the hall either way, Thannel could hear shouts and calls that pushed him to a quick decision. He rushed into the Naveri's room, sword at the ready as he placed himself between her and the Dragon Wardens.
For what felt like the umpteenth time since their arrival in the city, Raleia felt her heart shudder at the sound of a voice, calling out to them. It seemed one fright after another, but in yet another twist of irony, once more they appeared to have a friend in unexpected places.
Pain had exhausted all sense of rationality, and following Thannel into the room, she collapsed against the wall, pulling her palm away from her shoulder with a grimace, before situating it with more force.
"You... you were at my trial." Raleia frowned, looking to the elven woman, "In the Queen's box. I recognize you..." With some effort, she straightened, "We need to keep... moving."
Ilyanis quickly shut the door behind them, the heels of her fine shoes clacking against the stone floor as she rushed to her window. "Yes," she said, "keep moving. My window leads down to the gardens. You can sneak out from there. Damn that Addiver! Damn it all!"
Her frustrations shifted her focus to cursing all that had transpired as she brought out a rope from under her bed. It seemed she had escaped out of her window more times than once. Thannel moved over to Raleia with concern.
"Can you make it?" he asked.
Watching the woman curiously, Raleia considered their options. There weren't many left at this point, and while everything felt like a trap, sitting there, waiting for the guard to break through was certainly not a workable alternative. There was also something in the woman's demeanor, however, that despite her appearance beside the queen made what she said sound trustworthy enough...
Or perhaps Raleia was simply too tired to care anymore...
Glancing up as he moved closer, she met Thannel's eye and testing a weak smile, nodded, "Just a scratch. But you two had better go first... Not sure I'm much for climbing."
Thannel crouched down before Raleia, head shaking as he looked over the bloody shoulder she covered. "Can you lift your arm up any?" he asked. "You'll have to power through the pain for this, but if you can hold onto me I can carry you on my back down the rope. I've done it before. Constructs, and all, sort of rely on such systems of getting in and out."
Nodding, and taking a fortifying breath, Raleia pushed upright, off the wall, "I can manage, yes..."
With that, Thannel helped Raleia onto his back carefully and made his way to the door. Ilyanis quietly listened through her door before turning back to the trio. "I need you to send a message," she said quickly, fingers nervously fidgeting. Thannel halted upon her balcony with an incredulous look. Time was a luxury they did not have in an escape. But the Naveri's expression was enough for Thannel to offer a pause.
"Queen Malan," she began, but her voice hitched as tears streaked down her cheeks. She cleared her throat before continuing. "I need you to tell the orcs Queen Vivian Malan is dead. They... The royal physician said it was natural causes, but they're waiting to tell the citizens so as not to cast out their spirits before the coming battle."
Thannel was dumbfounded by the news and did not speak. Outside, the call of multiple dragons could be heard through the air as the afternoon sun was shrouded by the thickness of gray clouds. Ilyanis urged the trio onward as she held back her tears and explained the way out to them. It wasn't straight forward, but Thannel imprinted it to his memory. As the battle for Lo's escape raged on around the other side of the castle, and with Lo in the sky, the trio found their way out of the castle walls and eventually out of Rosenfall entirely without a hitch. They had made it and succeeded, and now they had news to report upon their return to the orcish camp.
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