"Well then," Matner said, "I guess we'll both just have to wait and see." Irving did not seem entirely pleased with the response. Matner enjoyed that a little bit.

"So," he added, "Did Prenish send you to talk to me, or did you join me of your own accord?"

"That's not fair," Irving said, looking a little wounded. "I'm not just a lackey, you know. Besides, I don't know that he'd trust me to try an' be sneaky. I saw you sitting over here and thought I'd see what you were up to. You were nice to me. Not all of Prenish's...guests are courteous."

"He makes you run a lot of petty errands, doesn't he?" Matner asked. "How did you end up working for him?"

Irving looked a little sheepish, which was not a flattering look for him. "My parents were farmers just on the outskirts. They saved everything they could to send me here for schooling. They had met Prenish before when requesting help dealing with a horse thief that was causing problems a while back. They had thought he would teach me medicine."

"Then they got sick and died. I didn't get to see them. Nobody did until someone went visiting and they didn't answer. Animals had gotten to them by then, of course. There was a lot of sickness running around that winter. That was two years ago. Prenish took me on as an aide since I had nowhere else to go."

"What about your schooling?" Matner asked.

"That stopped last year. In theory some of what Prenish is paying me is going towards paying for more, but most of it seems to go towards just food and housing."

"In theory?" Matner asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you get paid directly?"

"Oh no, that wouldn't be... efficient," Irving said, shaking his head. "At least, that's what Prenish says. He pays the expenses I have directly and then puts what's left into a fund for my schooling. When there's enough to finish my schooling, I'll be allowed to return to my studies."

"What happened to your parents' farmstead?" Matner asked.

"It turns out they owed quite a few people. The land was sold and there was nothing left after everyone had been paid."

"Who handled the sale of the land and all of that?"

"Prenish took care of everything," Irving told him. "He was very kind to help me in such a difficult time." Irving said it so smoothly, that Matner was sure that he had been told it over and over again, until he believed it.

"I see," Matner said, shaking his head slightly.

"No, you don't," Irving said, looking wounded again. "I keep all the books for Prensih. He gives me the numbers to put in and I do all the math."

"And how do you know his numbers are accurate?"

"I... well... he says they are..." Irving looked a little lost and confused for a moment.

"Huh. I'll bet he does," Matner muttered. "And they call Effisk the miserly one. Psssh." For just a moment, Matner realized he sounded just like his mother did when she was gossiping about one of her lady friends. He nearly laughed at the absurdity of it.

"He's not a bad man," Irving said, almost insisting. "He took me in when he didn't have to. If he didn't I'd probably be on the streets." Matner could not help but wonder how many times Prenish had pointed that out, reminding Irving. He held his tongue, though, eating as an excuse to say nothing.

"Everybody calls Effisk a miser, but I think that's more something everybody else says behind his back," Irving said.

"Yeah, he didn't seem too bad when I met him," Matner agreed. "He seemed more shrewd than anything else. I've seen other business folk who were much the same."

His father had often grumbled about politics back home. Matner found it unlikely his father would like doing business here. The reminder made him wonder how his father would react to him being here, let alone what was about to happen. He tried not to think about it.

They all sat quietly for a while, finishing their meals surrounded by conversations around them. Over by the captains a loud argument broke out. He turned and looked over his shoulder to see what was going on. Two soldiers were pushing at each other. One of them looked to be wearing his dinner.

The pushing escalated back and forth, and someone yelled for a stop. One of the soldiers threw a punch at the other. The second punched back but missed. Then Arnish was there. He punched the first soldier who went down with a crash Matner could hear above the crowd. The soldier did not get back up, and a stunned silence fell.

"That is not how anyone behaves in this hall," Arnish said in a loud and commanding tone. He ordered the fallen one to stand. "You two will stand right here until I'm finished with my dinner. Then you're coming with me." Arnish turned and went back to his seat, leaving an ominous feel in the room.

For a moment, the hall was still with tension. The one with his dinner dripping off of his shirt looked both angry and yet appropriately chastized. The other one, nursing a darkening bruise on his cheek, just looked angry. That one kept looking back and forth between Arnish and another of the captains. The same captain that Matner had seen being fed by a scantily clothed Elf only last evening. The Elf was there again, standing dutifully behind him, looking nervous.

"You have no right!" the other captain said, standing up.

He shoved his chair and it made a loud scraping noise against the stone before tipping and falling backwards. The Elf jumped back nimbly, barely getting out of the way in time. The captain ignored both as he strode over to where Arnish was sitting, calmly eating his dinner. Matner could feel the tension in the air go thicker. All eyes in the room were on the two captains.

"Arnish! You have no right to hold my man. You are overstepping your juristiction old man. Again!"

It took a moment before Arnish had finished chewing and swallowing and then slowly turned his head to look at the other captain, as casually as if he had only just noticed the man.

"Do you disagree that they were behaving inappropriately?" Arnish asked in a voice just loud enough for the room to hear, but without yelling as the other man had done.

"Your boy insulted one of my men! And you hit him for it? I find that inappropriate!"

"It was your man who threw the first punch, Kenrik. I merely put an end to the fight before it got out of hand. This is not the place for disputes to be settled." Arnish shook his head, with a sigh, and took another bite of his dinner.

"I'm not going to let you decide what is and isn't appropriate reprimand for my men," Kenrik said.

"The dinner hall is not the place to have this dispute, Kenrik. Tell you what...," Arnish suggested. "This dispute is between these two, and they need to settle it. I suggest in two hours they face each other in the courtyard outside and put actions behind their words. Who all thinks that's fair?" he asked. "Who all would like to watch?" he asked louder.

There was a general banging of mugs and fists on the tables around him, except for the captains' table, which was quiet and reserved. Some of the captains nodded in agreement, he noticed.

"Very well, then," Arnish said before anyone could protest. "I expect to see both of you in two hours. It sounds like you'll have an audience, so I sincerely hope neither of you chooses to embarrass yourself by not showing."

Both soldiers said they would be there almost in unison. There was clear anger, if not outright hatred, in both voices.

"Dismissed for two hours," Arnish said. The two went in opposite directions, and both left the hall. Matner wondered where the one who clearly had not eaten was headed, but decided with a small shrug that he did not actually care.

"Ooh, I'd better go report this to Prenish," Irving said excitedly. "It's likely there will be betting and he'll want in on it."

"You don't get much for excitement around here, do you?" Matner asked, as Irving gathered things back onto his tray.

"No, not much. Unless you count the slave killings. The executioner really knows how to draw some of those out. You should see the next set before you go. They've got quite a haul this time, and there's good money to be made wagering on which one of the men lasts longest."

Matner found himself gritting his teeth in some assemblance of a smile and nodded while his fist tightened next to him under the table. His sudden desire to beat Irving into a bloody pulp surprised even him. There was no evident reaction from Dir Ketten, save a small but sharp kick to Matner's shin under the table.

"I've got to go. It was... nice chatting with you again, Matner. Bye!"

Irving didn't seem to notice anything as he grabbed up his tray and headed off, clearly focused on being the first one to tell Prenish of the upcoming fight. Matner found himself looking over at the Captains' tables again, noticing that all of them except Arnish were talking now. Some would say things to Arnish too, who merely nodded or gave them a short answer to whatever question had been posed.

Matner looked down at his plate, realizing his food was gone, and Dir Ketten was already gathering up his tray. The two of them took their empty dishes over to the tables along the wall by the kitchen, and dropped them off. Then they made their way back to the tower, and Matner's room there, to change clothes and go over the plan once more.

Once in Matner's room they both changed into their armor. Dir Ketten looked conspicuously more like himself with the two swords strapped to him. The man's swords and armor definitely suited him better than farm garb.

Although it would be hotter, Matner already felt more confident and sure that they could pull it off once he was dressed for it. He reminded himself that they would probably want to strip off the majority of it on the ride from the tunnel to the gate. Best to appear as natural as possible to the guards, even if they are distracted, he told himself.

There was a knock at the door and Arnish entered. Arnish was wearing a sword, and, naturally, he moved as if it belonged there. Matner could tell from the hilt that it was an acacemy blade like his.

"You have everything ready, I assume?" Arnish asked.

"All set to go, yes," Matner confirmed.

"Good," Arnish said. "The fight will be a good distraction. The fire will start close enough that the gathered crowd will become aware of it, further fueling the distraction throughout the city. You have a little more than half an hour to get the wagon and get to the tunnel. It should only take about half that, but better safe than sorry."

"Remember that the fight and the fire are distractions to cover your escape, not your entry. I hope I don't have to explain what a waste it all becomes if you fail to extract the elves. Miraselle should be waiting by your wagon by now. I've told Loridan to try to meet the wagon at the tunnel once things have started. Take them both with you, but if he is not there when you're ready to go, do not wait for him. Do not risk this entire plan for one person."

"I understand," Matner said.

"Good luck, and goodbye, Matner," Arnish said before he turned smartly and left the room.

Chapter 13 - Escape

There's no turning back, he reminded himself as he stashed his belongings in the wagon, especially for her. He remembered what Loridan had said about them taking her with. It was likely she didn't know the plan included her leaving with them. He nearly laughed at the thought of another unwilling Elf traveling with him. He wondered what Sharnellynn would think of it. That thought sobered him up again, as he was climbing into the wagon. He'd been so busy preparing for her rescue, he hadn't given much thought to her current well-being. He suddenly found himself worried that she hadn't had anything to eat while down there, or that she had been beaten. He hoped she hadn't given up hope that he'd come for her and Ahriender. He'd had no way to communicate with her.

He climbed into the driver's seat of the wagon without wasting time. Dir Ketten took a seat next to him, while Miraselle climbed down to the ground.

"You need to come with us," he pointed out, gesturing at the space still next to him.

"It would seem strange to the people we pass if I am seated in the wagon," she told him. "If I walk alongside the wagon, as if guiding you, no one will likely question it."

"Very well," Matner nodded. "But I am not terribly good at driving the wagon yet, so watch your step."

"I will bear that in mind," she told him with an amused-seeming smile. She moved to one of the lead horses and whispered to it, stroking it's nose. It whinnied and snorted softly in response and seemed to bump her with it's head a little, almost leaning into her. He wondered what she'd said, but said nothing, waiting until she was done. She stepped back, nodding to him, and he flicked the reins, starting the horses moving.

It seemed to take forever to get the wagon into position. They parked it just outside the tavern, as if in with other patrons, although the streets were conspicuously empty with so many people off to see the fight. He saw men and children alike running off towards the center keep, yelling about the fight starting soon, and was amazed at how quickly the news had spread. It seemed the first of Arnish's distraction plans was working perfectly.

They seemed to be about two blocks away from the keep itself, and Miraselle led them to a small house where she pointed to the cellar doors leading to the basement.

"Down there will be the guards outside the tunnel," she whispered.

He and Dir Ketten hopped down off the wagon. There was a moment when no one was nearby enough to see, and they siezed that moment to quickly cross the street to the cellar entrance. They each grabbed a door and together pulled them open.

The stairs down were wide enough for both of them abreast, so they moved in and lowered the doors closed behind them. There was light at the bottom of a steep stairwell.

"Who is that?" someone asked from below, sounding more curious than challenging. Matner and Dir Ketten both increased their pace.

At the bottom of the stairwell was a small room, about the size of a common bedroom. There were two guards in it, still seated at a table. There were cards spread between them. Both were looking up at them. Behind them was a closed door. Two lanterns hung from hooks dangling on chains from the timber ceiling.

Matner sprang towards the guard on his side, while Dir Ketten charged the one on his. The guard rose as quickly as he could, and his chair fell backwards behind him. Matner had his sword out before he reached the man, and swung to bash the man with the pommel of his sword.

His first hit was too glancing to knock the man out, although it did daze him. Still the man tried to draw his own sword, although he was clearly slowed. It was more than enough time for Matner to pound the man as hard as he could. The man tried to bring his arm up, but was too slow. Matner caught him on the side of the head hard enough to drive the man to the floor. He did not move.

Dir Ketten was already moving down over his prone and also unmoving opponent. Dir Ketten quickly checked over both men. "They will live, but they will be out for some time. I cannot say for certain how long. We must move quickly," the nomad stated.

Matner nodded, grabbing one of the lanterns off the hooks. He moved to the door and tried to open it, finding it locked. It took a few moments, searching the guards, before Matner found a ring of keys in one of their pockets. It took a few more moments before he found the right key to unlock the door. His heart pounded in his chest as he worked, and occasionally he would glance over his shoulder. He half-expected for someone to burst in on them any moment, destroying all of their plans. No one did, however, and eventually a key clicked into place and turned, opening the lock and letting them into the tunnel. Dir Ketten had grabbed the other lantern and the two wasted no time moving through the door.

The tunnel was narrow enough that only one of them could walk at a time. Matner thought that maybe two children could have moved through together, but he took the lead, with Dir Ketten following close behind. He barely had room to pull his sword free as he tried to guess the distance they had to travel based on how far they had been from the center of the main keep while above ground. It felt like the tunnel grew darker and tighter the further in they went, and Matner found himself walking sideways a bit to not scrape his armor against the rough stone walls. The air was stale, but became foul as they came closeer to the end of the tunnel. Matner paused a moment, to get past the urge to retch his recent meal onto the tunnel floor. Dir Ketten grunted and shook his head, as if criticizing Matner's reaction, but he could tell that even the Nomad was swallowing hard, trying not to gag on the wretched stench. The flame of the lantern seemed to dance more as it worsened, as if laughing cheerily at their discomfort.

The tunnel came out in a small room that quickly explained why the stench was worse there. Matner stumbled backwards quickly to avoid falling into a large pit that filled the center of the room with a rickety wooden bridge crossing over it. The ceiling in the room was carved such to funnel the air upwards, to a hole in the center, presumably to vent the fumes. The pit itself was deep, but full enough that Matner could tell it was full of feces and other debris. He thought he could make out what looked like part of a person's leg as well, and he knelt and retched into the pit himself as he caught the full wave of rotting stench that rushed at him when he peered oveer the edge. He shoved his sword back in it's scabbard so he could yank out a dirty handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose. Dir Ketten, coughing now, grabbed the lantern out of Matner's hand and shoved both of them back into the tunnel, their flames now dancing wildly with the fumes. Matner was grateful the flames had been enclosed, preventing them from being exposed further. There was a door to the room that had been open, but now Dir Ketten closed it, concealing the two lanterns sitting just beyond. The area past the pit was lit enough outside the room that Matner could see well enough to get across the bridge. He ran across, gagging and holding the handkerchief to his face. Once outside the room, he drew his sword again.

It would have taken him a moment to get his bearings and determine where he was in relation to the area with the cells. No one seemed to be smithing just then, so the sounds of the bellows and hammers weren't present, although the heat was still making Matner sweat in his heavy armor. He ignored that, however, as voices were nearing where he and Dir Ketten stood.

"-has come o'er the damned things. Maybe they're just gittin' too old."

"Aye. Done been the same dogs fer a while now. But both 'o them sleepin' dead ta the worl' like that? Seems a bit strange ta me."

"Did ja hear somethin'? Hold up. Who's there?"

Matner rushed them as they came around the bend, but they'd drawn their swords by the time he reached them. Dir Ketten was now alongside him, his own swords both drawn again as they each engaged one of the soldiers that had come out of the dungeon.

Author's note:

~RaynDragon~

Matner's guard cried out, a wordless sound of alarm probably not loud enough to get the attention of anyone not already right there. It was more a sound of surprise of being attacked. Clearly the two were not expecting to be attacked.

The guard swung first, but Matner had no trouble parrying it. Steel clanged on steel, making a noise that echoed and resounded throughout the tunnel corridor. Matner cringed at the noise and pressed forward.

He brought his sword up as he stepped forward, putting extra free momentum into the attack. The guard hopped backwards, avoiding the blow. The man lost just enough of his balance to miss the chance at any kind of counter attack.

Dir Ketten boxed his opponent with the hilts of both swords and the man went down in a heap. The remaining guard, realizing he was outnumbered, looked afraid.

Matner sidestepped and swung the hilt of his own sword in, hitting the man on the side of his head. The man had tried to avoid it, but had not quite succeeded. The blow was a glancing one, and Matner heard the clunking noise of steel on bone.

It had been enough to daze the man a little. Dir Ketten took the opportinuity and swept in, bringing his elbow to the back of the man's neck. The guard's head flew backwards. He fell to his knees for just a moment before slumping face-first to the floor.

He breathed a sigh of relief as Dir Ketten checked the two guards.

"That should be all of them," he said quietly with a smile.

Dir Ketten merely nodded that the two were still alive. Then something caught Matner's attention - a movement out of the corner of his eye - before someone lunged forward out of the dungeon and stabbed at him. Matner only barely managed to bring his sword up, and deflect the blow so that it pierced through the armor in his left shoulder. It wasn't able to go deep, but the wound was enough to make Matner grunt and grit his teeth. Another guard, just behind the one that had attacked Matner, loosed a bolt from a crossbow at Dir Ketten. The Nomad also made a noise, indicating he'd been hit.

As Matner brought his sword around, the guard in front of him took a step back, placing himself squarely between them and the crossbowman. He remained poised, ready for the defensive instead of attacking. Matner moved in and swung low, but the guard easily parried. He was strong, and heavily muscled. The force of the man's parry sent Matner stumbling backwards, nearly falling in the process. Matner adjusted his stance, using some of the things Dir Ketten had taught him about leverage. Meanwhile, the crossbowman was reloading. They needed to get past the larger guard to get to him.

Dir Ketten stepped in next, rounding one sword in, immediately followed by the second one. To Matner's amazement, the guard seemed to parry both swords easily, although he did not put the strength behind the parries as he had with Matner. Matner saw that he was also going back and forth between gripping the sword one-handed and two-handed, depending on what he was trying to do. Dir Ketten tried several more swings, all of which were parried before the crossbowman had finished reloading.

Matner stepped back in, trying to step around the frontmost guard to get to the kneeling crossbowman. The swordsman guard swung hard at Matner, this time sending him flying back against the wall, and knocking the wind out of him. Matner did see Dir Ketten take advantage of the opportunity to swing one sword in behind the other for a sure hit. The guard yelled out loudly as one of Ketten's curved blades managed to cut him deep across his belly. The armor the man wore there was leather, and easily sliced apart by Ketten's sharp blade.

The crossbowman, however, managed to launch another bolt at Dir Ketten before Matner could regain himself and get to him. The man tried to parry with the wood frame of the crossbow, but Matner bashed it away before delivering a blow to the man's head with his armored knee. Then he turned and slammed the hilt of his sword down against the back of the larger man's head as the swordsman stepped forward to attack Dir Ketten again. The guard fell, his sword clattering to the ground and making Matner wince at the noise again.

It was clear that Dir Ketten was in some pain, and his armor had dark wet stains in the two spots the bolts had hit him. However, the Nomad nodded and gestured that Matner should lead into the dungeon. Matner was cautious this time, stepping around the corner trying to prepare for anything that might leap out and attack. But there were no more guards in the dungeon. Just the two big dogs, lying asleep on the floor, oblivious to the attack around them. All the eyes of the prisoners in the room, however, Human and Elven alike, were now on them.

The cavern, lit as it was by fewer smoky lanterns and torches than the last time he had been there, looked more horrifying than before. The paler, dirtier seeming light made every prisoner look even more haggard and desparate. Yet many of them also looked broken and dispirited. The smell was no better, either, and brought on that feeling of nausea again.

His eyes fell on padlocks on each cell. "We'll need keys," he pointed out. Dir Ketten pointed to a ring hanging on a peg over the sleeping dogs.

"The dogs have been drugged," Matner explained. "If they were going to be any kind of problem, they would have already."

Dir Ketten nodded in agreement and moved foward. He swiped the keys up and tossed them in a high arc to Matner. Matner barely caught the jingling ring in his left hand, as he was still holding his sword in the right. He took the moment to sheath it.

Sharnellynn and Ahriender were in the same cage together still. They both looked more dirty and disheveled than on his last visit, and neither of their clothes had improved any during their stay. Sharnellynn looked frightened, but Ahriender cheered right up on seeing Matner. "I knew you'd come," Ahriender said calmly and confidently. Matner did not reply, focusing instead on finding the right key for the lock to their cell.

There were a lot of keys on the ring, and it took time to just to check in one in the lock. There were no identifying markings on them that he could identify. He felt sure there had to be some way that the guards had to quickly get any specific cell open. Whatever it was, he was unable to find it, and he found himself cursing the time it was taking just to find the first key he needed.

"Yer movin' a bit slow there, mate" one of the prisoners commented, leaning up against the bars of his cell as he watched Matner open the cage Sharnellynn and Ahriender were in. "Need a little help?"

Dir Ketten stepped forward, raising one of his blades to point at the man and giving him a threatening glare. The man raised his hands and took a step back from the bars.

"Hey now, I was just offering some assistance. Not looking to tempt fate here."

As Matner was starting to try the next lock, he thought about how long it was going to take to get the cages all opened. They didn't have that much time. And it would be too loud to start breaking the padlocks open. He turned to the man who had spoken.

"What makes you think you could help?" he asked, taking a closer look at the man. He was dressed fairly plainly, although the fabrics looked to be good quality. He hadn't been in the cell as long as some of the others, considering his clothes weren't nearly as filthy. He leaned forward on the bars again, more casual than anything else, suggesting he was somewhat accustomed to being in jail cells.

"Well, I'm not in here for killing anyone, if that's what you're worried about. Just a simple thief is all. Slip in, open the safe, slip away... I generally know my way around a lock and key. If you'd be so kind as to toss those here, I could show you."

Matner thought about it for a second, looking around at the other prisoners, many of whom were pressed up against the bars of their cells, in obvious anticipation of being included in the escape. He already knew he couldn't take them with him and many would want to try and escape with the wagon. A quick assessment of the prisoners in question told him that he'd have issues with many of them. A few looked like they'd sell their own mothers to make a few gold, and that was certainly not the type of company he wanted to keep. The thief seemed harmless enough, and was in his own cell, so letting him out would not let any others out with him.

"Just keep your hands where I can see them," Matner said, tossing him the keys.

The man took a moment to inspect the ring, before picking one and inserting it into the lock on his own cell. It clicked audibly as he turned it, and moments later he was stepping out of the door into the cavern. He moved immediately to the cage Matner had been about to open, and chose another key. Again, the lock opened without hesitation.

"How can you tell which one to use?" Matner asked.

"Different locks take different keys," the man shrugged. "I just make a point of knowing which ones are meant to open which. Like putting together a puzzle."

"So, what's your name, anyway?" Matner asked.

"Levich," the thief answered, flipping keys over on the ring. Someone grunted in a futile attempt at shaking the bars.

"I'm here for the elves. Unlock them all," Matner said, looking at the cages.

"Just the elves?" Levich asked, putting a key in the next lock. That started a chorus of "let me out, too" from the human prisoners in the cells around the edges of the room. The lock opened with a click that was not quite so loud with the noise level in the chamber growing.

"I can't help everyone," Matner said apologetically. He turned to the cages. The first cage had emptied, and the elves were milling about uncertainly.

"Ahriender," Matner said, singling the younger elf out. "We have a wagon to hide everyone in. Take a lantern and start guiding everyone out of here." He gave a brief description of the route back, warning them in advance about the pit. several of the elves nodded in recognition. Some of them had been originally brought in through that tunnel.

"Sharnellynn, can you help, too?" he asked.

"To get out of here?" Sharnellynn asked. "Absolutely."

Ahriender and Sharnellynn took charge of the elves, organizing them into a single line to start out while Levich opened the third cage. More and more of the human prisoners were demanding, "what about us?"

"Hurry," he told Levich as one of the human prisoners began banging a wooden bowl against the bars on his cell.

"Going as quick as I can here," Levich replied, not looking up from the lock.

Matner turned towards the prisoner and inched his sword from it's scabbard a short ways, giving the man a glare in hopes he would stop. The prisoner did stop, with a scowl, and threw the bowl at Matner in response. Matner put up his arm and it bounced uselessly away, off his armor. Then he turned back to Levich, who was swinging the door open and letting the remaining elves from the last cage. He turned to make sure Dir Ketten knew it was time to go, only to see the Nomad take a lurching step and grab hold of the bars on one of the cells to help keep himself from falling. There were four men in the cell, and two of them immediately grabbed hold of Dir Ketten, one putting his hands around his throat while the other pressed into one of Ketten's crossbow wounds with his fist. Dir Ketten gasped loudly in pain as he struggled against them.

Matner stepped forward, pulling his sword free as the voices of the human prisoners rose, encouraging their comrades. While the one who'd been pressing on Ketten's wound pulled back, the other persisted in choking him.

"Unlock the door and I'll let 'im go," the prisoner demanded. "Otherwise he dies!"

He pressed down harder on Dir Ketten's throat and the nomad coughed and wheezed, trying to get air. Matner could tell Ketten was paler than usual and his struggles were weak and feeble. He had a feeling his friend hadn't been far from falling unconscious even before the prisoner had started choking him. Angry, Matner simply walked up and shoved his sword through the bars and into the side of the prisoner's abdomen. The man looked surprised, and for a moment the room grew quiet as he let go of Dir Ketten and stepped back, looking down at the sword as Matner pulled it back. Matner grabbed Dir Ketten with his free hand, to keep him from falling, while the prisoner inside the cell fell to his knees, clutching the wound.

Around them, the human prisoners erupted in anger. Some yelled for the guards, some cursed Matner and the others. Matner staggered, trying to hold up most of Dir Ketten's weight. He turned for help, only to find that Levich was the only one still left that could help. The thief was watching Matner as if he was weighing his options, while the last few elves hurried out of the cavern and into the hallway.

Author's Note

"Hey, wha's goin' on o'er there?" a gruff voice demanded from the hallway leading in. The irregular light of bobbing lanterns came from the keep-side entrance.

"Are you coming or staying?" Matner asked Levich.

"Yeah, I think it's time to go," Levich said, sounding a little apprehensive.

Four guards entered the room in two pairs. Two of them held lanterns. The other two immediately drew swords and charged.

"I'll sound the alarm," another of them called out before turning and running with one of the lanterns back the way they had come.

Matner pushed Dir Ketten towards Levich, who barely caught the injured man. "Get him out of here!" Matner cried, "I'm right behind you!"

The two charging guards came on hard while the third drew his sword, keeping the lantern with one hand. There seemed to be no immediately handy place to put it.

Matner parried frantically, immediately planning a fighting retreat. He just needed to get to the door past the sess pit, he told himself. He made light swings, and they paused their advance with each one. He used those moments to fall back more.

The three of them were wearing him down, and the one with the lantern kept trying to get in on Matner's left side. He bobbed and weaved, his armor starting to feel heavy on him as sweat dripped down him in the heat of the dungeon. His muscles screamed for rest, but the guards kept trying. Several times one would get in, under his guard, and Matner would hear a blade scrape against his armor. Despite the weight and heat, he was grateful for the protection. Nonetheless, he continued to deflect as many blows as he could. He backed his way into the hall, keeping his back to the wall as best he could. There were more voices coming from the stairs upwards and somewhere in the distance at least one bell was ringing. Matner wondered if it was for him or if the fire had begun yet.

Just as he was close enough that the smell of the pit was enough to guide him towards the room it was in, one of the guards managed to get in with a stabbing motion, piercing him in the leg through one of the leather areas, right by his knee. Matner cried out in pain as he brought his own sword down on the man's arm in retaliation. While he knew he didn't get past the guard's armor, the guard stepped back for a moment, nursing the arm. Matner took the opportunity, having less foe to deal with, and struck out hard at the other guard, bringing his sword around, up, and into the man's stomach as Dir Ketten had shown him. There was little resistance from the lighter leather armor this one was wearing, and the blade slid in farther than even Matner had expected. The man looked surprised and dropped his sword before staggering backwards to clutch at his stomach as Matner pulled the blade free again. The other guard stepped back in, but more cautiously, and the one with the lantern began to look nervous.

Matner stepped backwards into the room, watching his footing over the small bridge. He was grateful to see one of the lanterns still sitting just inside the hallway behind him, it's flame flickering wildly within the glass. As he backed his way towards it, an idea came to mind, remembering why they had left the lanterns in the hallway to begin with. He all but turned his back to the guards, running to snatch it up. Then he flung the lantern at the bridge, hearing the glass smash on the rickety wood and hoping it at least ignite the oil as he yanked the door shut behind him. In the absolute darkness of the narrow hallway, he listened to the guards in the room yelling, and then screaming frantically while the door seemed to shake in front of him, the heat growing stronger. Matner turned quickly and limped back up the hallway towards the surface. Even wounded, he was able to easily catch up to Levich and Dir Ketten who was now unconscious. Matner put his sword away and helped Levich carry the Nomad the remaining distance to the top, and the little cellar.

Author's Note

The hatchway cellar entrance was wide open, letting in some degree of night light. The sounds of multiple bells were more distinct. He helped Levich get Dir Ketten up the stairs one at a time, glad the entryway was nice and wide.

Smoke cluttered the sky. It was dark smoke, like some eery dark shadow spreading across the starscape. He hoped that it was going according to plan, and merely looked much worse than it was.

Ahriender was helping Miraselle and Loridan get last of the escaped elves into the wagon. He did not see Sharnellynn, and assumed she was inside, helping. There were a few people running about on the streets, but they seemed to completely disregard anything not on fire. Matner all but had to dodge out of the way of one young man running full out with two empty buckets.

"How bad is he?" Ahriender asked about Dir Ketten as the last escapee climbed up into the wagon. Several inside the wagon reached down to help lift the nomad up and in.

"I don't know," Matner said, unbuckling his armor. "I had hoped to have him up front with me, helping me drive the wagon."

"That's not gonna be an option," Levich said. "An' I'm afraid I'll be needing to stay out'o sight myself."

"How many more can we fit in there?" Matner asked, quickly yanking pieces of armor off and stuffing them into a bag. He winced when he pulled at the piece near his wounded knee, but knew he didn't have time to worry about it yet. He did his best to keep as much weight off of it as possible and was thankful it wasn't worse.

"Don't worry, I'm slim," Levich said, hopping lightly up into the wagon himself.

"It's tight, but you'll be fine," Miraselle said, giving him a soft smile.

"You get in too," Loridan said to her gruffly, pushing her towards the wagon.

"No," Miraselle said firmly, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you."

"Both of you get in," Matner said. "Arnish's orders, if you will."

Both of the Elves looked at him, and in each of them he saw more emotions than he could begin to sort out. Then they looked at each other, Loridan taking her arm and steering her towards the wagon while she shook her head. Matner finished unbuckling the last pieces of armor while they talked.

"We can't leave him, Loridan. He'll die alone and disgraced. He doesn't deserve that."

"Then I will stay. I will see if I can save him."

"I won't leave you. I couldn't bear it. We've already lost so much, I can't lose you. Not now."

"They need you, Miraselle. And even if you stay, you will still lose me. And then they will kill you too."

Matner sighed, tossing his bag of armor up to Ahriender who stowed it in the wagon. He picked up his sword from where he'd leaned it in it's scabbard against the wheel of the wagon and then he turned to the two Elves.

"First of all, Arnish was very clear that I should take the two of you with me. He went to so much trouble to make sure I knew what I was getting into that I'm sure he knows what he's doing as well. I think he would be far more disappointed if the two of you don't try to make it out with me than if you leave him here alone to handle things here. I doubt he'll go down without a fight if it comes to that."

"Second of all," he continued, raising his sword up a little as he did, "we don't have a lot of time here. So would you both please just get in the wagon before I have to get forceful about it?"

"You wouldn't dare - " Loridan began, taking a step towards Matner before Miraselle stopped him.

"Loridan... please... let's go."

The last two words were said quietly enough that Matner almost couldn't hear them in the noise of the city around them. Loridan turned and looked at her, and Matner saw the pleading in her face. She looked desperate, close to tears, and almost... hungry. In that moment, Matner could tell just how long she had waited for a chance to escape and that more than anything she wanted Loridan with her. Loridan saw her face and did not hesitate after that. He merely nodded before lifting her up into the wagon. Then he gave Matner a nod before climbing in beside her. Matner saw pain in his expression. The kind of pain that suggested Loridan blamed himself for any suffering Miraselle had endured. Regret that he had not been able to keep his wife safe.

Matner breathed a sigh of relief once all the Elves were aboard the wagon and hiding. He stowed his sword just behind the seat and climbed gingerly up onto the wagon, being careful of his knee. The horses were restless, disrupted by the smoke and chaos in the city, and they snorted uneasily as he picked up the reins and began steering them towards the main city gate.

He crossed and followed streets packed with more chaos than he had yet seen during the day. Masses thronged and pushed, either making their way towards the fires to help battle them or desperately fleeing them.

As he made his way towards the gate things looked even worse. Smoke hung low and heavy over the little city around the keep. Little wind came over the tall outer walls to clear any of it away. He could see flames standing tall and proud in three directions.

Humans and elves alike ran the streets, and he was surprised at the number of elves he saw. He had to hope none of the elves with him were looking out to see. "Everyone stay in tight in there," he reminded them when he could. He also hoped no more would try to climb on.

More and more he was becoming convinced that the fires had actually gotten out of control. As he pushed his way through crowds, moving only just slow enough to not trample anyone, it occurred to him.

Arnish had mentioned it would mostly be elves setting the fires. As far as Matner could tell, the elven population here had been holding in check a slow ember of rage for some time. He had given them the opportunity to literally kindle that ember into real fire. He feared for everyone then.

That explained to him the mass of people going the same direction he was. It also explained the scene he found at the gate when he arrived.

People were swarming around the wagon and horses to get past. It seemed as if an abnormally large percentage of them were Elves, compared to the ratio of Elves per Humans he was accustomed to seeing at any given time. But here, Elves and Humans alike pushed each other aside, trying to get out of the Keep, and away from the fires. It was all he could do to keep the horses from trampling anyone as he moved forward, and he could see a couple of bodies on the ground already. People just stepped on or over them as they kept moving.

There were several small fights going on at and around the gate, but Matner could tell he had missed the largest one. The guards that had been posted at the gate were dead, one of them having been tied to the gate itself before it was raised. His face was a horrible gray above the thick rope that held him around the neck, and there were areas of his armor that dripped long, dark streaks where they had been pierced by whatever weapons had been used. Off to one side, there was another guard who had been shoved into the mechanism of the gate as it had been turned to raise the heavy iron bars, and another lay in a heap against the wall, a pitchfork still impaled through his abdomen. Other guards couldn't be seen, but Matner remembered there being more than three.

A part of him was torn, wanting to try and get out of the wagon and help restore some order to the bedlam around him. The other part of him just wanted to get away from it as quickly as possible to avoid being caught and having their escape fall apart. As he passed through the gates he could see a group of armed men cutting their way through people, heading towards one of the burning areas of the city. They weren't dressed like guards or soldiers, but behind them were a bunch of younger men and boys, all carrying buckets of water.

Once past the gates, he ran into another problem. All at once, several Elves leapt up onto the wagon, attempting to grab Matner and push him out of the driver's seat. He struggled against them, and the horses turned the wagon off to one side as he jerked unintentionally against the reins. His other hand dug behind him for his sword, as he kicked one of the Elves backwards, off of the wagon. There were still three remaining, and he felt something sharp pierce him from behind, in his side. He yelled as he struggled, his hand managing to find the hilt of his sword. It was still in the scabbard, as he brought it up and slammed the scabbard itself against the side of one of his attackers' heads.

Authors' Note

Author's Note

RaynDragon

The chaos and yelling on the wagon was scaring the horses, and they bolted, trying to get away from noises that followed them. The wagon careened out of control, bouncing wildly down the rough city street. Fortunately, it was one of the wider streets. Matner was too occupied to do more than notice as people dove out of the way.

Matner heard a long yell from behind him, and saw Levich lunge forward and push one of the elves off the wagon. It looked like Levich nearly toppled off in the process.

"Thanks," Matner spared the breath to grunt before bashing at another elf with his scabbarded sword.

"Hang on!" Levich yelled suddenly. Matner kicked at an elf just as another one came around the side. Evidently that elf had been moving along the side rails trying to get forward. There were humans trying to get up on the wagon, too. One of them pulled an elf away from Matner in a failed attempt to board the bouncing wagon.

Levich yanked the brake handle. The two front wheels stopped turning. Iron cladding around the wooden wheels scraped loudly on the rough paving stones. It was by no means enough to stop the surging momentum of the charging horses. It was enough that everyone lurched forward with the unexpected the wagon jerk.

Two of the elves fell forward off the wagon, leaving one last one. Matner barely held grip on his sword with one hand and the seat with the other. Still, he fell forward. He caught himself with one knee precariously on the foot ledge before the bench seat.

Levich released the handle, which sprang away. The wagon surged forward, the brake's resistance no longer fighting the horses. The wagon bounced twice over one of the fallen elves with a quease-inducing crunch.

With the surge of the wagon, the remaining elf who'd jumped on lost his balance and tumbled sideways, into the wagon bed. Matner heard yelling and fighting behind him as he looked about for the reins and shifted to a position where he could hold himself in place better.

He could see where the reins were fed through the wooden yoke at the end of the tongue between the horses before they would normally have been between there and his hands to control them. Instead, they dragged and bounced uselessly on the ground as the horses ran forward, too far for Matner to reach them with the amount of horses between him and the yoke. He cursed and tried to think of what else could be done to stop the wagon. As he did, he saw others trying to catch the wagon as it passed. This time it seemed to be both Humans and Elves that were attempting to grab hold to escape the burning city. They were moving fast enough, however, that only a couple were able to get a handhold on the wagon.

One fell off, losing his grip at the next serious bounce the wagon hit. Matner wondered how sturdy the wagon he'd bought really was as he tried to change position to meet the next one. He didn't bother pulling the scabbard off of the sword, despite his worries that it would damage the blade. He just slammed into the man's hand with the hilt and the man let go, screaming as he fell away from the wagon and into the crowd.

Despite their panic, the horses seemed to be keeping to the main road headed out of the city and away from the keep. There were still a fair amount of people headed out of the city alongside him as the buildings thinned and they left the city itself, although by that point the majority of them were elves. Most seemed to be running as quickly as they could towards groupings of trees. Many had bags or packs. One woman he saw carried a child in a harness on her back, and he saw her expression of both fear and determination as they passed.

He thought he might have stopped to help her, but for the horses and the others. He knew that even if he could have stopped for one, the others would have wanted help too. Instead, he clung to the wagon. It seemed like hours before the horses finally heard any of his attempts at telling them to stop. He got off the wagon by mostly falling from the driver's seat, and then stumbled to the reins and grabbed them up. Then he fell to the ground, the pain in both his knee and his side too much for him to bear.

He sat on the ground for a moment. He held on to the reins, mostly hoping that if something set the horses off again his grip on the reins would get them to stop. The wagon, above him at this point, creaked with movement within. Someone was climbing down.

He did not try to get up. He felt a little sick and a little light headed. He remembered he had been cut near his knee back in the dungeon. That explained why his leg was throbbing and hurting, he told himself.

He decided he could afford a moment of rest. He had gotten them out, after all. Dir Ketten was hurt, but the nomad was strong, and Matner knew he would pull through it. Matner suspected the warrior had been hurt worse than that before.

He had done it, he told himself with what he decided was a deserved sense of self-satisfaction. He had set out to get all the elves out of the dungeon, and he had done that. Some of the elves from the city would likely end up remaining free. Some would be recaptured, but the main force of guards would be delayed in chasing them down. If the elves scattered out enough, a number of them would escape. It said something to Matner about their outlook on life that so many were willing to risk their lives in the attempt.

He felt sorry for the ones that would get caught, however. He also felt for the ones who had stayed who would be punished for their involvement. He said a quiet prayer, to both gods, for Arnish. Matner was sure that the fire had become worse than it was supposed to. Who else could take the blame for it other than Arnish and the elves? He thanked Arnish one more time, and promised to make it worth the sacrifices. Then the ground rose up suddenly and hit him in the face. He lost consciousness smelling the musky ground and grasses.

Chapter 14 - Elves

The second time was just for a few, moments. He was sure it was the movement of the wagon that had woken him, jostling him about, despite the blankets that were tucked in around him and the soft padding beneath. He imagined that someone had configured the fabric beneath him to cushion him. He was laying on his back. He knew there were others inside the wagon with him, but didn't recognize the faces around him in the darkness.

Then he realized that he couldn't feel his leg. His heart skipped a beat as he panicked, trying to get an arm down to feel for it.

"My... leg..." his voice cracked from his dry throat. How long have I been asleep? he worried to himself. Did they have to amputate? Oh Gods! My leg!

He felt a rush of panic, but then Sharnellynn was there, shushing him and running soft, cool hands over his forehead.

"It's alright, Matner. It's alright. You can't feel your leg but it's there. We put a salve on the wound and it has numbed the leg. The leg will be fine."

Then she leaned in and softly kissed him on the lips, while her hand brushed against his cheek. His panic melted away and he smiled at her. Then the darkness crept over him again and she nodded as it did.

"Rest," she told him.

"Beautiful," was his reply, although he wasn't sure if he said it out loud or in his head as he fell unconscious again.

The third time he awoke it was Miraselle sitting over him. The smell of food wafted over him almost immediately and he found himself mixed between his stomach rumbling hungrily and a feeling of nausea. He groaned, which caught Miraselle's attention. She leaned over and put a hand on his forehead for a moment, nodding. He realized that he felt a bit snug and tangled in the blankets and he was damp from sweat. He shivered a bit, suddenly feeling a chill. Miraselle pulled a couple of blankets off of him and replaced them with new ones, tucking them so that his arms were free this time.

"You seem to be over most of the fever, but you should try not to move much yet," she told him. "Let me help you with some broth."

"It's good that you bought as many blankets as you did," she said. It was dim and shadowed in the wagon, but not dark. It was also empty of other people.

Miraselle helped him sit up enough to swallow, and she placed more blankets behind him. Then she picked up a bowl and spoon. She held the spoon up for him, and he sipped some vaguely warm broth.

"How long was I out?" he asked after a few more sips.

"About two days," she answered. "Your quiet friend is recovering faster than you, but his injuries were not the same as yours. He helped drive the wagon some today. Levich has been helpful." She lifted the spoon again.

"Where are the others?" he asked after a few more sips.

"Outside, for the moment. We are still figuring out some of the sleeping arrangements. Some will sleep in here with you, some will sleep under the wagon, a few more around the fire. So far there has been no sign of pursuit, but we have been pressing onward to cover as much ground as possible." She made him drink a fair amount more of the broth before letting him ask more questions.

"That fire looked pretty bad," he said once she seemed satisfied. "I know it was supposed to look worse than it was...but it was worse than it was supposed to be, wasn't it?"

"You need to rest more," she said, not answering the question. She gently slid the blankets out from behind him and helped him lay back down. "Get some rest. Others will be coming in to sleep soon. We'll try to get an early start again in the morning. The faster you recover the better. Good night, Matner."

She took the bowl and spoon and backed away. She had to walk sideways past some of the boxes that had been rearranged. Matner could see that it was getting darker outside, and could make out the dancing yellow-and-orange-tinted light of the fire. She closed a canvas flap behind her, leaving him in shadows. He listened to the sounds of elven voices speaking quietly enough that he could not make out the words. It did not take him long to fall back asleep.

He was not woken by anyone coming into the wagon as he slept, but woke on his own shortly after dawn. There was enough light to see those asleep in the wagon and he could hear people softly moving about outside. Again, the smell of food made his stomach rumble. He supposed he hadn't had a lot of food during the two days he'd been mostly unconscious.

He was glad to see both Sharnellynn and Ahriender sleeping in the wagon next to him. There were three others, two of which were women who looked to be around the same age as Sharnellynn, although Matner couldn't be sure. The third was an older boy. Matner did some math in his head, determining how many people he had with him. With Levich, Miraselle, and Loridan, it brought their total number to 17. He frowned, realizing it was one more than their horses could handle without the wagon, even if everyone doubled up on a horse. Including Matner and Dir Ketten's horses, which had been tied to trail behind the wagon, they had eight horses. Until they could find another horse, they'd have to keep the wagon. It would still be faster than walking, overall.

He could feel his leg now, and it mostly felt stiff from not being moved. He lifted it gingerly, trying not to shift too much and wake anyone. There was a pain in his knee when he tried to bend it, but otherwise the leg seemed to be fine.

He shifted himself a little more, and inhaled sharply at the pain he felt in his right side at the movement. He eased himself back into position, but it still throbbed after that, reminding him of the injury. He wondered how long it was going to be until he could be up and about again. He felt useless lying there in the wagon. The effort of the movement, however, combined with the pain, wore him out and he relaxed back into the blankets and allowed himself to sleep some more, hoping someone would wake him for some of the breakfast.

He did wake as elves were climbing into the wagon. One did bring him some breakfast, mentioning that he would have to eat in while moving. He agreed that getting going would be good. He did not see Sharnellynn or Ahriender nearby.

A few elves helped sit him up. Someone joked that he should stay sitting up for the day because they could use the space. He held the plate of pancakes while the other clambered in.

It did get crowded. Elves sat on crates and boxes. Some remained standing. Some were litterally sitting on each others' laps. And yet in general they seemed to be trying to keep some distance from Matner. He could not tell if it was respect for not wanting to bump some injured part of him or if they were just trying to stay away from him.

None of them seemed very hurt, although there were a few who looked distinctly underfed, and all of them clearly needed a bath and a comb. Their clothes were mostly in poor shape at best. Several were holding clothes together around them and quite a few were wearing cloaks that he had bought as supplies. He noticed that the ones holding clothes together seemed more concerned about it when he might be looking than when they didn't think he was. He wondered if there was anything he could do to make them more comfortable. He had just done a lot to rescue them. He did not want them feeling awkward or uncomfortable around him.

One Elven man looked to Matner to be relatively close in age to himself, and he attempted to make some conversation with him. He was able to tell early on, however, that the Elf had been alive longer than Matner and didn't seem interested in talking. It was hard to tell if he was actually afraid of Matner or not. Most of the Elves seemed to still be acting both subserviant, and cautious. After a few more attempts at conversation, he gave up, making a mental note to himself to talk to Miraselle about it the next chance he had her alone. He was already beginning to feel that she held some sort of authority over the others. If he could convince her to talk to them on his behalf, he thought it might help.

He turned to face the wagon wall, intending to sleep for a while, but found himself thinking about Sharnellynn instead. It had taken a long time before she had finally decided to trust him. He was worried he'd have to go through proving himself to these Elves as well. He had no way of knowing how any of them had been treated, and he had rescued them from cells where most of them had been awaiting death.

How stubborn will they be? he wondered. He realized it hadn't been something he'd thought about when making the plans to rescue them. All that had mattered was getting them out of the city and out of danger. Now, suddenly, it became important. If they couldn't trust him, it would make it difficult to help them in getting to safety. And he wasn't even sure yet where that might be.

One step at a time, he told himself as his eyes began to grow heavy again. Let's get to Eerwayh first. And hopefully, while we travel there, I can convince them that I just want to help.

He slept through much of the morning, dozing in and out. He woke up a few times hearing conversations around him. Some of it was wispered and some of it was in the beautiful elven language. He found himself wondering if they were talking about him. He never heard his name, and he ended up not asking any questions of his own. He felt very awkward about it all.

When they stopped for a brief lunch Miraselle changed the bandaging on his wounds. Everything was healing well, and he was able to sit up on his own.

"The extra rest is helping, I think," she suggested. "Tomorrow you'll be able to stand, at this rate."

"Where are Sharnellynn and Ahriender?" he asked when she seemed satisfied with the new bandaging.

"There hasn't quite been room for everyone, so a few have been riding the extra horses. So far we've been able to stay at enough distance to stay discrete. Fortunately, Dir Ketten recovered quickly. Things were extremely tight when both of you were laid out in the wagon."

She left him some cold sausage and bread to eat for lunch, and he found himself alone in the wagon. He took advantage of the chance to find his bag and change into fresh clothes. He felt better changed, although he knew he needed a bath. Because of the time spent changing, he was barely done with lunch when elves started piling back in.

He was able to shift himself over to be sitting up more, which freed up some wagon space. It was enough for the elves to spread out just a little bit more, yet still they seemed to keep a little distance. It made him feel distrusted, and he found himself staring through a gap in the canvas where it met the wagon, and he watched a little strip of ground pass by in awkward silence.

He noticed that none of them talked while he was awake. While he closed his eyes a few times, hoping that some sleep would make the time pass by faster, he couldn't seem to actually doze off. Occasionally he would glance around the wagon, especially if he thought someone might be looking his direction. He kept hoping someone would seem to want to have a conversation with him. But the elves just remained silent, rarely ever looking at him. He saw them sometimes exchange glances with one another, and the occasional brief sentence, but none of them seemed comfortable having a conversation around him.

He wondered if he could get Sharnellynn to teach him their language, and tried to pass some of the time recalling what little he'd heard of her teaching Ahriender. Unfortunately, he'd never really paid much attention to their lessons, not having expected to learn it himself. The words he'd heard sounded musical, as if the speaker was singing instead of just saying the sentences. Still, he spent the rest of the afternoon doing his best to remember what words he'd heard in Elven so far and which ones he could put a meaning to. By the time the wagon stopped, he'd gone over a few words, but couldn't put any of them into a sentence. He wondered if any of the others would be willing to help him learn. Based on how quickly every piled out of the wagon as soon as it stopped, he somehow doubted it. He tried to tell himself that they were just happy to get out and stretch their legs, but he didn't fully believe it. He did wish, however, that he could get out and stretch his own legs.

His spirits lifted when Sharnellynn climbed into the wagon with Miraselle. Then they dropped a little when he saw the dark circles under her eyes and the tiredness written on her face. She smiled when she saw him and immediately came over and gently hugged him.

"I can't get to his bandages with you in the way," Miraselle said with a frown. Matner could tell that there was more to the frown than Miraselle was letting into her voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked bluntly. "I can already tell something isn't right, so just tell me."

Sharnellynn surprised him by bursting into tears, hiding her face in his chest. He hugged her and looked at Miraselle for an answer. The woman looked frustrated for a moment before speaking.

"There has been some... tensions because of the half-breed," Miraselle said softly.

Sharnellynn moved out of the way so that Miraselle could check bandages. Sharnellynn still looked like she needed help. She looked helpless and vulnerable in a way that contrasted the show of strength she always put on before. Being caged had changed her, he realized. He reached one hand out to hers and held her hand while Miraselle took care of him.

When the bandaging was done, Matner gingerly tried to see how mobile he could be. He had to ask for help getting up. Miraselle tried to dissuade him, but Sharnellynn helped willingly. He was able to stand. His leg did not hurt too much if he moved slowly. He advanced carefully around boxes toward the back of the wagon.

He needed more help lowering himself down off of it. He asked Sharnellynn to get his sword for him. He took the moment to look around the little camp. There were definitely more elves than he had originally planned for. They all looked fairly disheveled, and none of them looked like they might have been elves that climbed on during the escape. He could only reason that the numbers in the cages had grown in the time it had taken him to prepare.

They sat around the camp in small groups. Dir Ketten and Levich were sitting together. Dir Ketten was writing in his book and Levich was whittling something with a little knife. Dir Ketten looked up at him and raised an eyebrow a little. Ahriender was sitting off by himself, looking lost and alone. There was a purple bruise on his cheek.

Sharnellynn brought him his sword, and he felt more comfortable with it buckled around him. He would have preferred also having his armor, but that would have been more difficult. Perhaps tomorrow, he told himself. There was a box set out nearby. He climbed up onto it, leading with his good leg.

"Alright everyone," he said loudly to get their attention, "listen up. Ahriender has had people everywhere he's gone giving him grief because of the circumstances of his birth. But you all need to realize one thing. I went in there to rescue him and Sharnellynn. I took the rest of you with because I wasn't willing to just leave you all down there. But if it weren't for those two, the rest of you would either be still down there or dead."

"Now, if you were good people you might show some gratitude. Failing that, you can at least show some compassion and tolerance. But if you aren't going to at least be decent people and represent what your people can be, then get out of this camp and go your own way."

"This is not your camp. It's not your wagon. It's mine. Ahriender and Sharnellynn are welcome with me because they've shown me that they're a joy to have around. Miraselle and Loridan are welcome, and they've both risked a lot to help me and to help you all. They've shown me a lot of positive things as well."

"Now, maybe some of the rest of you have been pitching in and helping when I wasn't able to see. I thank everyone that has. But if we're going to find any of you a safe place to live it's going to take a lot more than that. We need to act together without excluding and shunning each other. Every one of you needs to decide--right now--whether you can be part of a group and behave like civilized people or not. If not, then you're just plain not coming with me. And the last thing I'm only going to see once. If I ever see one of you striking Ahriender I will kill you and leave your body for the animals."

He stepped back down off the box as smoothly as he could manage, and headed over to where Ahriender was sitting. He sat down next to the boy, attempting to give a brief level gaze to the rest of the Elves before looking at Ahriender. The boy was looking at the ground unhappily.

"How are you doing?" Matner asked him, keeping his voice low enough so that the conversation wouldn't travel. He could hear the Elves talking amongst themselves already.

"I don't know," Ahriender said. "I don't think... I don't know."

"You don't think what?"

"Is it always going to be like this?" Ahriender looked up, and he looked so sorrowful, Matner thought his eyes might start welling up at any moment.

"No," Matner answered. "It may take a while before we find the right place, but I know it has to be out there."

"I don't feel so sure anymore. None of this is what I expected."

"I know."

Matner tried not to let his disappointment in the other Elves weigh in his voice but he could tell that Ahriender had been the brunt end of some verbal abuse. While his speech might stall them from speaking outright to Ahriender for now, much of the damage had already been done. The bruise was clearly just the icing on the cake.

Sharnellynn brought them both some dry, crusty bread with some butter smeared on it, saying that the rest of dinner would be ready soon. Matner watched her move about camp, trying to be helpful here and there and gathering up the wooden bowls to bring dinner when it was ready. She looked like a stray cat Matner had once seen - moving quickly from one spot to another to keep away from the animal catcher. She still looked almost as frightened as she did when he'd seen her in the cage and didn't stay still in one spot for very long. Yet, when she came back with three bowls, steaming with dinner, she clearly relaxed some when she sat down next to him.

Dinner past quietly. The two elves seemed just as lost in thought as he was. Most of what he found himself thinking about was that they did not have enough food for the larger group. He also found himself glad that it was still only late summer and not winter. None of the elves were dressed at all right for winter.

Sharnellynn gathered their bowls for washing. Another elven woman joined her for washing, but the two did not appear to talk at all while they worked. The other woman had thicker hands that looked like they were accustomed to harder work than Sharnellynn's had.

He spent some of the evening thinking about how in several ways Sharnellynn had probably had it easier than the rest of these elves had. As far as he could tell, slaves were treated quite a bit more harshly in Garzer Keep than he had ever noticed back home.

"I don't think they like you," Levich said to him later. "But don't feel too bad. I don't think they like me, either."

"Yeah," Matner agreed with a sigh. "I don't think I expected huge displays of gratitude, but..."

"Hey, thanks."

Matner could not help but chuckle at that.

"No, really," Levich said. "You probably took a risk helping me. I've pretty much always had to help myself."

"That's what I do, I guess," Matner replied. "I help people. Sometimes I can, and sometimes I just can't." He remembered the words of the strange hermit. He wondered how much, if any, of this would be happening if he had never seen the man.

"So how far does this go, anyway?" Levich asked, lowering his voice a bit more and leaning in towards Matner.

"What?" Matner asked, confused.

"With the Elves. How far does it go?"

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Well I know you're telling them all that you're going to get them to safety. So, where's that? Who's the buyer? Or do you have several lined up?"

Matner gave Levich a surprised look, feeling his fists clench. He paused to breathe a moment before answering, reminding himself that they couldn't have gotten the Elves out as quickly without his help.

"When I say I intend to get them to safety," he said, keeping his voice as even as possible, "I mean somewhere where they can be free."

"Oh." Levich looked at the fire, appearing somewhat disappointed. "Are you sure? Because most of them you could probably get a decent price for..." He trailed off with a shrug.

"I'm beginning to understand why the Elves might not like you much," Matner commented. "They're people, just like us, Levich. And their debt is long past being paid. They deserve to be free, and I intend to help these few to find somewhere they can do just that."

"But what's in it for you?"

Levich looked at Matner, and he could see that the thief clearly didn't know what could possibly be the end reward for doing such a thing. Matner gave him a half-smile as he answered.

"The knowledge that I'm doing the right thing?" he tried.

"Oh."

Levich sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"You disagree?"

"I've just never met a good intention that didn't come with a price," Levich admitted. "I don't have anything against the Elves, mind you. I just don't see how helping them is really going to work out well for us. It's plenty likely that it will just bring more pain down on our heads. And theirs. In the end it might not be the best choice ever."

"You sprung me though, so I'm with you till at least the next city. Then... who knows. But I'm not going to turn the guard on you or anything like that. Wouldn't be gentlemanly."

Levich shrugged and gave Matner a half-grin before standing up.

"Meanwhile, I'm going to get some sleep. Not all of us have been lounging about in the wagon these last few days. G'night Matner."

Authors' Note

Matner tossed in his sleep and did not feel like he slept well. He did not wake feeling tired in the morning, though. He was more able to get up on his own and come out for a quiet breakfast. Breakfast went without any real tension, but also without any sense of community.

Matner was able to sit up front and help drive the wagon, which felt much better than laying in the back. He was still not wearing his armor, but he did have his sword.

They were passing through what had been the wide border lands between human and elven rule. The elves had never completely settled all the way to the border, and the humans had never expanded too far past the safety afforded by the border keep cities.

There were recently settled farms, and Levich mentioned that they had been skirting around those. Most of the land was grassland and light forests. Paths had been cut through the forests, and there were even a few roads.

It was not until the evening that any feeling of normality came to Matner. Dir Ketten finally resumed Ahriender's staff training. Levich got involved as a sparring partner. He had used a staff before, and although he was far from highly skilled, he was still better than Ahriender. Matner supposed it might not be long before the half-elf caught up.

But that attracted the other elves to watch. Miraselle explained that any kind of fighting or weapons training had been completely forbidden to them. Matner suggested that some of the evenings could be used to teach those who were interested. Before he knew