Ensia awoke to pure darkness. Glancing about, she could see nothing but an endless inky mass stretching in all directions. Am I dead? No, she would have known if she had died. She stretched out her right arm, glancing it over as a fresh wave of pain emanated from the crossbow wound. Dropping her arm to her side, she shifted about, wondering if anything would even happen. A minuscule light caught her attention. As it was the only thing in plain sight, she sauntered towards it, hoping that it was an escape from this bizarre area.
She emerged in a chamber all too familiar for her. The shattered remains of glass still lay strewn about the once grand room. Areth's back was to her, as he glanced up at a portrait that had been shredded by the shrapnel, seated in a leather chair. Kneeling at the desk was an entity cloaked in pure black robes, much like his employer's. With no response from Areth, the entity spoke in a quiet, scratchy voice.
"She escaped, my lord."
"I know that, Berel," Areth hissed from his position, "Do not take me for a fool."
"I would never question my lord's wisdom," the man responded.
"Doubtful you even could."
Berel flinched as though stung by his employer's words. Areth turned to face him and Ensia only just stifled a scream. Areth's once charming face was completely shredded by the wreckage of the window. Numerous scars covered his face, where the flesh had been sheared off. Multiple scuffs also covered his suit, adding more plausible wounds. He looked as if he had been taken from a graveyard, resurrected by a necromancer for his own ends. Areth looked at the man as if he was going to speak more insults before exhaling.
"Find the girl and kill her, Berel. I do not want insignificant gnats troubling me."
Berel bowed his head lower than he already was. "When does my lord wish for me to depart?"
"Immediately." Areth fixated his lapdog with cold, hungry eyes.
"Of course, my lord. I will go forth at once. What of the magistrate, though? He was rather fond of the girl, knowing her as a daughter."
Areth drummed his fingers on the desk, before finally speaking. "Is he aware of the...incident?"
Berel did not reply, figuring the question to be rhetorical. Who hadn't heard, after all?
"Then, perhaps..."
The vision grew hazy as everything began to go out of touch. The image vanished, leaving a sense of apprehension as a lasting reminder.
Ensia opened her eyes to find herself propped in a position, lying on cold stone floor. A wet cloth covered her forehead as her gaze was still a bit hazy. Kneeling over her, were dwarves.
"Think she's awake yet, Dwafin?" A yellow bearded dwarf questioned.
"Not sure what 'ta say, Cravi," Another with a brown beard replied.
"She took a nasty fall, Cravi. Bloomin' humans and their ways," A third with a dark red beard noted.
"I woulda' thought humans were sturdier an' the like," Cravi murmured.
"They aren' as stocky as we dwarves, are they, Nolor?" Dwafin wondered.
"Prolly' not. Don' have the right build. Too tall an' flimsy, like them elves," Nolor nodded.
"I can hear you, you know," Ensia muttered as she struggled to sit up. Her shoulder injury roared in dissent as pain once more attacked, startling the dwarves. "And we humans happen to be quite sturdy, thank you."
"Easy, lass, easy. We meant no harm," Dwafin assured as he eased her back to her resting place. "Ye took a right nasty fall from being shot."
"How long was I unconscious?" She asked the surrounding dwarves, huddled about her. It was rather awkward and a slight invasion of her personal space.
"'Bout a few hours, a' least five," Cravi answered, glancing about before returning his gaze to Ensia.
"Great," she grumbled. "At least tell me where I am."
"Yer' in the great dwarf-forges of Kazar-Dunum, o'course! Not 'ah better place to gain blue ice from!" Nolor replied with glee, taking pride in these facts.
"We found ye curled up in the snow, blood pouring from that wound," Dwafin pointed with a warhammer to Ensia's wound. She suddenly grew uncomfortable, as if the dwarf might give her more wounds to worry about. "The three o' us managed 'ta bring ye here."
"Well, thank you for your hospitality, master Dwarf, but I must leave." Ensia spoke briskly, leading to protest from the dwarves.
"But ye can' leave!" Nolor exclaimed. "Yer wound won' get ye a mile from 'ere!"
Despite her stubbornness, the dwarf was right. She was in no shape to leave and find her way around, let alone get up without her wound gnawing at her. However, Areth was quite keen on removing her, if he was sending a bounty hunter after her. And the news of Magistrate Jo'Va...
"Well, lass, doesn't look like ye will be going anywhere soon. Why don' we let ye rest a bit?" Cravi proposed, with the other two dwarves nodding assent. "We'll show ye around later, when yer well enough to move."
"Very well, master dwarf. I agree to your demands," Ensia accepted with a nod before lying back down completely. The dwarves then returned to a standing position and shuffled away, leaving Ensia to ponder on the events of the future.