Ophelia backed away from the elf, pressing herself against the cell across from Fintan's. The elf who was dead. Was supposed to have been killed. Yet there he was, in front of her. Not Oralie, the friendly Councillor she'd been expecting. Fintan let out a hoarse laugh before dissolving into a coughing fit. When he regained his composure, he slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on Ophelia. She noticed he had diamond shackles around his wrists and ankles.
"My dear, you certainly don't seem to happy to find me. I promise you though, I am your only hope of actually escaping this dreaded place. Especially if you want to get Oralie out as well. Seeing as I know where she is and you don't, you are at quite the disadvantage," Fintan informed her with a smile. Ophelia realized he was right. How could she actually trust the same man who was once the leader of the Neverseen. Seeing her uncertainty, he added,
"If you do the wise thing and accept my help, I might even help you rescue Kenric." The name floated around her brain before she realized he was talking about the Councillor he killed.
"He's dead…. You murdered him!" She screamed. Fintan let out a dry chuckle.
"Except he's not. Are you really willing to allow me to sit here and rot along with everyone else here, or are you going to be the brave girl who saves everyone? Along with my help, of course," he chided. Fintan did know how to get what he wanted. But Ophelia was positive there was some ulterior motive concealed behind his words.
"And how do I know you won't betray me?" Ophelia asked, glaring at the ancient elf. His cracked lips twisted into a sly smile.
"You won't. It's a trust game, Ophelia. Believe it or not but having sat here for over ten years makes anyone desperate. You have no idea what I would do to get out," Fintan explained, his smile falling slightly.
Scout placed his paw on her leg and gave her a small nod. Somehow a puppy managed to make up Ophelia's mind, no idea why anyone would trust a hellhound but you never know. Ophelia tried several of the keys before finding the right one. She slid it into the lock that kept his chains clasped tightly around his wrists and ankles and gave it a strong twist. The locks clicked and clattered to the cold stone floor.
Fintan rose, casting down a triumphant look on Ophelia.
"Much better. Now…. Follow me, and if you don't do exactly as I say, you will be killed. This palace is rigged with an unbelievable amount of traps," Fintan explained.
She followed him through a number of hallways until they finally arrived at a huge obsidian wall.
"Why are we stopped in front of a wall?" Ophelia wondered.
"Because behind the wall is where Kenric is," Fintan responded in a hushed tone. He slid his hand down the side of one of the two golden columns beside the wall until his hand caught on some kind of invisible lever. He yanked it down and the obsidian wall slid into the ground, revealing another dark hallway similar to the one Fintan's cell was in. Identical, in fact. And in one of the cells was Kenric, the Councillor who should've been dead.
A/N: Hi guys! Sorry that was really short but I hope you guys liked it! Here's the responses to the reviews:
light-andShadows-Mist-and-ice: I'm not sure :) And sorry about Umber…. Except not really :P
