Elrond stared horrified at his sons, the amount of dirt under their finger
nails and blood blemishing their healthy skin, for once, no concern. He
rose halfway out of his chair in alarm as Elrohir reluctantly told their
tale, his mouth falling open before the elf lord could reclaim his dignity
and ease back into the chair slowly without a word. He sat, almost
paralyzed there for a moment, until his gazed locked on his eldest son.
"You *left* her?!" He slowly repeated in agony, trying to understand why they would do such a thing. "You *left* her!"
Elladan winced at the tone in his father's voice. A shadow had been growing in his mind whenever he thought of Krystal all day, and when they had finally reached the safety of Rivendell, he had gone immediately to his father, along with his brothers and Legolas. Now all four stood before the furious elven lord, their shoulders slumped.
"Elladan, what were you thinking? She is a maiden, new to this world, and young. Oh, so young! She has no power of her own except her the prick of her tongue and the only blood that will be drawn because of it will be hers! You have more sense than that!" The half elf scolded fiercely, his eyes flashing. "She is a guest here! Elladan, when you asked me to allow her to accompany you on the hunting trip, I told you that you assumed responsibility for her well being! Have you broken an oath so freely?!"
"Ada," Elrohir interrupted trying to draw his attention away from his brother. The half elf stood up, but shot the younger twin a withering look that immediately prompted silence. "I will deal with you later, Elrohir. Hold your tongue."
"Elladan, have you nothing to say?" He glared at his son, disappointment etched in his face. "What good did you think would come of this?"
"My lord," Elladan said trying to remain respectful, "She would not have survived in the wild; she wouldn't have withstood the trails, her body is as suited to the wilderness as we--"
"And you think her body will stand better against ropes, bats and knives?!" Elrond asked incredulously. Elladan grew silent, and an uneasy quiet filtered into the room.
"Father-" Elrohir tried desperately again after a beat. "The fault is mine-- "
"Elrohir, did you not hear me? I said - hold your tongue!" The elven lord turned a dangerous glare on the twin.
The room grew silent for several moments. Outside, the sun was hidden by thunderous clouds, and a chilling wind swept throughout the elven haven of Rivendell. The birds quieted, and even the sighing song of the swishing of the trees ceased, despite the angry wind. With a start, Legolas suddenly remembered whispered words he had heard about Elrond - there was seldom anything natural in the valley of Rivendell the half elf did not have control over. The realization made the biting wind swirling through the study of the half elf that much colder.
"Elladan, go. Bring her back. She has yet to play a part in the history of Middle Earth and if you do not bring her back safely, something that was *meant* to happen will not. Do you understand?" Father and son locked eyes and Elladan nodded. "yes, father."
"Be swift, my son." Elrond said quietly, finally letting the frustration seep out of his voice. Elladan moved towards the door, and the three other partners in crime followed suit. Horrible situations were stumbling through their minds as they moved, there strides quickened with impatience. Elrond had to repeat his question twice, the second time with much more vigor to get their attention.
"Where are you going?" Elrond's sharp voice periced the air and stopped them in their tracks. Legolas turned around respectively, and nodded. "We are going with Elladan, my lord."
Elrond shook his head slightly. "No, you misunderstand young prince."
Legolas and Aragorn exchanged looks of confusion. "Ada?" Aragorn questioned when Elrond said nothing more.
The elven lord half bowed his head in the opposite direction. "I believe the armory is this way." He said quietly.
--
Krystal stared up into the sky, blissfully unaware of everything going on around her. There were very few clouds in the sky, but far off in the distance, there was a scattering of livid gray clouds, but she ignored them. Luthro, from a safe distance away, glared at her. "Aye then, and get back to work!" he scolded, picking up a rock the size of his fist and flinging it at her, snickering as it smacked her directly in the back of the head. The stinging pain dulled into a pounding ache as she was brought back out of her daydreams and into harsh reality, where she still stood in the mist of a waste pile. She had never smelt worse in her life, and her body ached all over, but she wasn't giving up. If she could just make it to the end of this day, she could head for the woods come nightfall, head for anywhere, anywhere but here..
Worti eyed her dangerously, and under his searching gaze, her heart began to beat a little faster. She had already been caught not paying attention once by him, and was not eager to repeat the experience. Luthro was big and strong, Krystal quickly learned from a few backhands on the rare occasion she happened to be working close enough to him, but fairly stupid. She had already pulled the 'gullible is on the ceiling' trick on him, just to you know, test his IQ. He cursed at her when he realized there *was* no ceiling, but she ducked his menacing fist by pretending to reach down and grab a torn shirt.
Her *official* job was to rummage through the garbage and see if anything could be salvaged. Apparently the tiny town didn't believe in waste, and anything that could be saved, would be.
Not like there was much to choose from, Krystal thought wryly as she spotted a brightly colored piece of material admists the bones of several animals and two scuttling cockroaches fighting over a spare pieces of biscuit covered in jelly. Bending over, she tugged the on yellow and bright red cloth until a perfectly good shirt was unlodged from a broken bow that it had been stuck on and came off into her hands. She sighed as she looked it over, wondering for a moment why this particular item had been thrown away. Sure, it wasn't Vogue material, but still..for a town that had captives rummage through *crap* to see if anything could be saved, this was a bit extreme to throw away.
And then she saw it, the slash across the front of yellow material, directly across the chest. It was obviously from a knife, and from the blood red stains and crusted material she now saw on the front of the shirt, she began to understand why it had been thrown away. Her heart wretched as she realized she was holding a shirt someone had *died* in, but she swung it over her shoulder and lugged it back to her pile of *goodies*..directly next to where Worti and Luthro stood watch, so they could inspect it. Besides the shirt, she found 2 candles and 4 blankets. After six hours of work.
She was the only one working that day, the unmerciful sun making the conditions nearly impossible as the stink of the fumes took hold of her once more as she passed by a chamber pot. Coughing violently, she struggled to reach her pile by the cool shade of the nearby woods.
Worti studied her intently, his cold beady eyes searing straight through her as she approached. "Find anything now, hussy?" Luthro asked, snickering at his own genius. She ignored him, her eyes latched on the cool, inviting woods just beyond her reach. The heat was unbearable, and she hadn't any food or water since before they had been captured. Her body was weak, and she felt lightheaded as she wavered on the spot. Worti's eyes narrowed even more. "Don't you dare pass out," he hissed, his voice oily and dangerous. "Don't even dream of it."
She forced her mind to fight it, to focus on something, and casting her eyes around, she focused on the bright red of the blood on the shirt.
"Is this savable?" She asked softly. She had no energy left for sarcasm. "What's that on it?" Luthro asked foolishly.
"It's blood, you nitwit." Worti responded coldly. "You should know - it's Heathro's, you killed him."
Krystal's eyes barely widened, but inside she added another reason to be terribly afraid. Now she had a murderer in charge.
"I did?" he asked slowly. He scrunched his face up hard, trying to remember, his thick brows furrowed; then his eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! I did!" He announced triumphantly.
A stupid murderer, she corrected.
Worti shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Good boy, Luthro," he said condescendingly. Luthro beamed.
Oh dear lord, Krystal thought silently. These two deserved there own sitcom.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Worti nodded in answer to her previous question. She pretended not to have heard him, savoring moments of peace before she had to go back to the heavy sun.
"Well?" Worti exclaimed impatiently. "Put the stuff down and get out there!"
She nodded, resigned to her fate and walked slowly towards her unsanitary working condition. Maybe this was what she deserved.
For what? Some indignant voice in the back of her mind exclaimed. What did you do wrong? It persisted. Krystal shrugged in response. Exactly, cried the voice triumphant. Exactly!
Krystal ignored the voice. It was scary when little people inside of your brain began to talk to you. It was best they be ignored until physiciatric help could be found.
"Worti! Worti!" A little boy called, running down on the forest path, carefully avoiding the stench and sight of the garbage. She caught glimpse of chocolate brown hair and shrewd eyes, and recognized the voice..it was the little boy who brought her soup the night before. Oh, she wanted soup now. Only she'd take it ice cold please. With a huge chocolate Sunday. Oh, yeah.
"Yes, Faro, what is it?" Worti snapped impatiently, taking his eyes off Krystal who sat down to rest her legs for a moment under the pretense of examining a child's toy while the child was destracted.
"Annore wants to see you! He says it's very important!" Faro squealed excitedly, bursting with pride to be able to deliver such an important message. "Can I hear to see what he says, Worti, sir, can I please?!"
Worti brushed the little boy off. "Not now, Faro. Tell Annore I'm busy."
"But Worti, he says it's *urgent*! You must make haste, or he'll be very, very angry--" the little boy stopped short, catching sight of Krystal as he took another step forward.
Despite the bloods, brusies and dirt on her face, he still recognized her eyes, and stared transfixed. This was the girl from last night. She hadn't been invited to run away, his child mind remembered. She had gone to talk to his uncle.. What was she doing now?
Slowly, he glanced from Luthro, whose gaze was intensely fixed on the girl, to Worti, who was staring at him annoyed.
"Alright, fine. I'll go now. Luthro, you watch the girl."
Luthro nodded. "Aye."
"Faro, come up with me." Worti ordered, starting back towards the village. The little boy started out of his thoughts, tearing his eyes from Krystal to look politely at his superior. "Oh, um, Worti, can you tell my uncle I decided to stay and play in the woods for a bit?" he asked courteously. The man's eyes narrowed. "I thought you wanted to hear what he had to say," he said suspiciously.
"I changed my mind," Faro said loudly, too loudly. Krystal glanced in his direction mildly, curious before her mind returned to it's task of figuring out ways for escape from sunlight.
"I want to play in the woods!" the boy screeched, making a conscious effort to sound more like a excitable child then a suspicious villain. Worti cringed, and waved his hand, starting back towards the village. "Fine, fine. Just don't get killed. I'll tell Annore where you are."
Faro eyed Krystal intently as Worti walked out of sight. Luthro began tying, and retying his shoelace. Krytsal felt a set of eyes bearing into her back and glanced up sharply, staring straight into the eyes of Faro.
The young boy locked eyes with her just for a moment but she recognized the uncertainty and hesitation mixed with determination in his mind. He studied her, then nodded slightly, as if making a decision.
With deliberate intent, Faro glared at Krystal, then pointedly at the wood. She raised her eyebrows in a silent question. He would help her?
He faltered, then finally nodded impeccably and her face split into a grin before she glanced pointedly at Luthro. What about him?
The guard was muttering to himself, "Loop over loop, double loop..tie a knot..and pull!" he finished triumphantly.
Farao walked over cautiously, his eyes on Krystal but his attention turned to Luthro.
"Gee, Luthro! That's neat. Can you show me how?"
Luthro smiled, immensely pleased. "Sure, boy. It's tricky, but maybe with enough practice.." he smiled comfortingly. "You'll almost be as good as me!"
Faro forced his face into a wide eyed mask of exicment. "Oh, boy, Luthro, ya think?"
"Absolutely." The guard nodded. "Sit down and untie your laces so we can start."
Faro smiled at the guard. "Gee, thanks Luthro."
The older man smiled, stupidly coaxed into believing in the child's innocence. In truth, the little boy, though he idolized his uncle, knew all about his temper. He had snuck into his uncle's house last night to sleep, in his usual hiding spot - in one of the only two drawers his uncle had and never used - out of curiosity. His mother figured he was with his uncle, and in a way, he was. He liked to watch his Uncle and listen on all the important conversations he had with interesting people, but last night had been most interesting. He had seen the forged friendship between Krystal and Annore, and had also witnessed their furious argument. He knew exactly what was going on here, and for once, he decided to do something. No one should have to work in the dumps, as it was called, lest of all in this hot sun. The swarms of flies were visible from dozens of feet away.
Raising his eyes to Krystal, who was already slinking towards the far end of the trash towards the surrounding woods, he nodded. With one last smile of thanks, she bolted into the forest.
Luthro glanced up at the muffled sound of her fleeing, but Faro quickly cleared his throat and pointed in the opposite direction. "Gee, look, Luthro, deer!"
"Deer?" the older men said excitedly, spinning around. "Where?!"
Faro kept one eye on Krystal as she ducked into the cover of the trees, her body soon becoming a swiftly moving shadow and then disappearing entirely from sight as he rambled while Luthro frowned. "I don't see them, Faro." Luthro said dubiously. Faro shook his head. "There, there!" he insited pointing to empty space. "Look, wow, it's a buck! I've never seen one that big!"
Luthro peered feverently into the wood. "Where, where?!"
Faro rolled his eyes behind the man's back. "There." He said flatly, no longer putting on a façade. Luthro's eyes lit up. "I see it!" he cried. Faro smirked, but glanced back up the hill towards the town as footsteps approached. Wuthro and Annore.
Uh-oh, the boy thought silently. Glancing back to the place he had last seen Krystal, he shut his eyes in silent prayer. "Illuvator, protect her-- and me," he added ruefully.
"Faro!" Annore called annoyed with his nephew. "What are you doing..Luthro..what are you staring at?"
Glancing around, his eyes narrowed.
"Where's the girl?"
"You *left* her?!" He slowly repeated in agony, trying to understand why they would do such a thing. "You *left* her!"
Elladan winced at the tone in his father's voice. A shadow had been growing in his mind whenever he thought of Krystal all day, and when they had finally reached the safety of Rivendell, he had gone immediately to his father, along with his brothers and Legolas. Now all four stood before the furious elven lord, their shoulders slumped.
"Elladan, what were you thinking? She is a maiden, new to this world, and young. Oh, so young! She has no power of her own except her the prick of her tongue and the only blood that will be drawn because of it will be hers! You have more sense than that!" The half elf scolded fiercely, his eyes flashing. "She is a guest here! Elladan, when you asked me to allow her to accompany you on the hunting trip, I told you that you assumed responsibility for her well being! Have you broken an oath so freely?!"
"Ada," Elrohir interrupted trying to draw his attention away from his brother. The half elf stood up, but shot the younger twin a withering look that immediately prompted silence. "I will deal with you later, Elrohir. Hold your tongue."
"Elladan, have you nothing to say?" He glared at his son, disappointment etched in his face. "What good did you think would come of this?"
"My lord," Elladan said trying to remain respectful, "She would not have survived in the wild; she wouldn't have withstood the trails, her body is as suited to the wilderness as we--"
"And you think her body will stand better against ropes, bats and knives?!" Elrond asked incredulously. Elladan grew silent, and an uneasy quiet filtered into the room.
"Father-" Elrohir tried desperately again after a beat. "The fault is mine-- "
"Elrohir, did you not hear me? I said - hold your tongue!" The elven lord turned a dangerous glare on the twin.
The room grew silent for several moments. Outside, the sun was hidden by thunderous clouds, and a chilling wind swept throughout the elven haven of Rivendell. The birds quieted, and even the sighing song of the swishing of the trees ceased, despite the angry wind. With a start, Legolas suddenly remembered whispered words he had heard about Elrond - there was seldom anything natural in the valley of Rivendell the half elf did not have control over. The realization made the biting wind swirling through the study of the half elf that much colder.
"Elladan, go. Bring her back. She has yet to play a part in the history of Middle Earth and if you do not bring her back safely, something that was *meant* to happen will not. Do you understand?" Father and son locked eyes and Elladan nodded. "yes, father."
"Be swift, my son." Elrond said quietly, finally letting the frustration seep out of his voice. Elladan moved towards the door, and the three other partners in crime followed suit. Horrible situations were stumbling through their minds as they moved, there strides quickened with impatience. Elrond had to repeat his question twice, the second time with much more vigor to get their attention.
"Where are you going?" Elrond's sharp voice periced the air and stopped them in their tracks. Legolas turned around respectively, and nodded. "We are going with Elladan, my lord."
Elrond shook his head slightly. "No, you misunderstand young prince."
Legolas and Aragorn exchanged looks of confusion. "Ada?" Aragorn questioned when Elrond said nothing more.
The elven lord half bowed his head in the opposite direction. "I believe the armory is this way." He said quietly.
--
Krystal stared up into the sky, blissfully unaware of everything going on around her. There were very few clouds in the sky, but far off in the distance, there was a scattering of livid gray clouds, but she ignored them. Luthro, from a safe distance away, glared at her. "Aye then, and get back to work!" he scolded, picking up a rock the size of his fist and flinging it at her, snickering as it smacked her directly in the back of the head. The stinging pain dulled into a pounding ache as she was brought back out of her daydreams and into harsh reality, where she still stood in the mist of a waste pile. She had never smelt worse in her life, and her body ached all over, but she wasn't giving up. If she could just make it to the end of this day, she could head for the woods come nightfall, head for anywhere, anywhere but here..
Worti eyed her dangerously, and under his searching gaze, her heart began to beat a little faster. She had already been caught not paying attention once by him, and was not eager to repeat the experience. Luthro was big and strong, Krystal quickly learned from a few backhands on the rare occasion she happened to be working close enough to him, but fairly stupid. She had already pulled the 'gullible is on the ceiling' trick on him, just to you know, test his IQ. He cursed at her when he realized there *was* no ceiling, but she ducked his menacing fist by pretending to reach down and grab a torn shirt.
Her *official* job was to rummage through the garbage and see if anything could be salvaged. Apparently the tiny town didn't believe in waste, and anything that could be saved, would be.
Not like there was much to choose from, Krystal thought wryly as she spotted a brightly colored piece of material admists the bones of several animals and two scuttling cockroaches fighting over a spare pieces of biscuit covered in jelly. Bending over, she tugged the on yellow and bright red cloth until a perfectly good shirt was unlodged from a broken bow that it had been stuck on and came off into her hands. She sighed as she looked it over, wondering for a moment why this particular item had been thrown away. Sure, it wasn't Vogue material, but still..for a town that had captives rummage through *crap* to see if anything could be saved, this was a bit extreme to throw away.
And then she saw it, the slash across the front of yellow material, directly across the chest. It was obviously from a knife, and from the blood red stains and crusted material she now saw on the front of the shirt, she began to understand why it had been thrown away. Her heart wretched as she realized she was holding a shirt someone had *died* in, but she swung it over her shoulder and lugged it back to her pile of *goodies*..directly next to where Worti and Luthro stood watch, so they could inspect it. Besides the shirt, she found 2 candles and 4 blankets. After six hours of work.
She was the only one working that day, the unmerciful sun making the conditions nearly impossible as the stink of the fumes took hold of her once more as she passed by a chamber pot. Coughing violently, she struggled to reach her pile by the cool shade of the nearby woods.
Worti studied her intently, his cold beady eyes searing straight through her as she approached. "Find anything now, hussy?" Luthro asked, snickering at his own genius. She ignored him, her eyes latched on the cool, inviting woods just beyond her reach. The heat was unbearable, and she hadn't any food or water since before they had been captured. Her body was weak, and she felt lightheaded as she wavered on the spot. Worti's eyes narrowed even more. "Don't you dare pass out," he hissed, his voice oily and dangerous. "Don't even dream of it."
She forced her mind to fight it, to focus on something, and casting her eyes around, she focused on the bright red of the blood on the shirt.
"Is this savable?" She asked softly. She had no energy left for sarcasm. "What's that on it?" Luthro asked foolishly.
"It's blood, you nitwit." Worti responded coldly. "You should know - it's Heathro's, you killed him."
Krystal's eyes barely widened, but inside she added another reason to be terribly afraid. Now she had a murderer in charge.
"I did?" he asked slowly. He scrunched his face up hard, trying to remember, his thick brows furrowed; then his eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! I did!" He announced triumphantly.
A stupid murderer, she corrected.
Worti shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Good boy, Luthro," he said condescendingly. Luthro beamed.
Oh dear lord, Krystal thought silently. These two deserved there own sitcom.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Worti nodded in answer to her previous question. She pretended not to have heard him, savoring moments of peace before she had to go back to the heavy sun.
"Well?" Worti exclaimed impatiently. "Put the stuff down and get out there!"
She nodded, resigned to her fate and walked slowly towards her unsanitary working condition. Maybe this was what she deserved.
For what? Some indignant voice in the back of her mind exclaimed. What did you do wrong? It persisted. Krystal shrugged in response. Exactly, cried the voice triumphant. Exactly!
Krystal ignored the voice. It was scary when little people inside of your brain began to talk to you. It was best they be ignored until physiciatric help could be found.
"Worti! Worti!" A little boy called, running down on the forest path, carefully avoiding the stench and sight of the garbage. She caught glimpse of chocolate brown hair and shrewd eyes, and recognized the voice..it was the little boy who brought her soup the night before. Oh, she wanted soup now. Only she'd take it ice cold please. With a huge chocolate Sunday. Oh, yeah.
"Yes, Faro, what is it?" Worti snapped impatiently, taking his eyes off Krystal who sat down to rest her legs for a moment under the pretense of examining a child's toy while the child was destracted.
"Annore wants to see you! He says it's very important!" Faro squealed excitedly, bursting with pride to be able to deliver such an important message. "Can I hear to see what he says, Worti, sir, can I please?!"
Worti brushed the little boy off. "Not now, Faro. Tell Annore I'm busy."
"But Worti, he says it's *urgent*! You must make haste, or he'll be very, very angry--" the little boy stopped short, catching sight of Krystal as he took another step forward.
Despite the bloods, brusies and dirt on her face, he still recognized her eyes, and stared transfixed. This was the girl from last night. She hadn't been invited to run away, his child mind remembered. She had gone to talk to his uncle.. What was she doing now?
Slowly, he glanced from Luthro, whose gaze was intensely fixed on the girl, to Worti, who was staring at him annoyed.
"Alright, fine. I'll go now. Luthro, you watch the girl."
Luthro nodded. "Aye."
"Faro, come up with me." Worti ordered, starting back towards the village. The little boy started out of his thoughts, tearing his eyes from Krystal to look politely at his superior. "Oh, um, Worti, can you tell my uncle I decided to stay and play in the woods for a bit?" he asked courteously. The man's eyes narrowed. "I thought you wanted to hear what he had to say," he said suspiciously.
"I changed my mind," Faro said loudly, too loudly. Krystal glanced in his direction mildly, curious before her mind returned to it's task of figuring out ways for escape from sunlight.
"I want to play in the woods!" the boy screeched, making a conscious effort to sound more like a excitable child then a suspicious villain. Worti cringed, and waved his hand, starting back towards the village. "Fine, fine. Just don't get killed. I'll tell Annore where you are."
Faro eyed Krystal intently as Worti walked out of sight. Luthro began tying, and retying his shoelace. Krytsal felt a set of eyes bearing into her back and glanced up sharply, staring straight into the eyes of Faro.
The young boy locked eyes with her just for a moment but she recognized the uncertainty and hesitation mixed with determination in his mind. He studied her, then nodded slightly, as if making a decision.
With deliberate intent, Faro glared at Krystal, then pointedly at the wood. She raised her eyebrows in a silent question. He would help her?
He faltered, then finally nodded impeccably and her face split into a grin before she glanced pointedly at Luthro. What about him?
The guard was muttering to himself, "Loop over loop, double loop..tie a knot..and pull!" he finished triumphantly.
Farao walked over cautiously, his eyes on Krystal but his attention turned to Luthro.
"Gee, Luthro! That's neat. Can you show me how?"
Luthro smiled, immensely pleased. "Sure, boy. It's tricky, but maybe with enough practice.." he smiled comfortingly. "You'll almost be as good as me!"
Faro forced his face into a wide eyed mask of exicment. "Oh, boy, Luthro, ya think?"
"Absolutely." The guard nodded. "Sit down and untie your laces so we can start."
Faro smiled at the guard. "Gee, thanks Luthro."
The older man smiled, stupidly coaxed into believing in the child's innocence. In truth, the little boy, though he idolized his uncle, knew all about his temper. He had snuck into his uncle's house last night to sleep, in his usual hiding spot - in one of the only two drawers his uncle had and never used - out of curiosity. His mother figured he was with his uncle, and in a way, he was. He liked to watch his Uncle and listen on all the important conversations he had with interesting people, but last night had been most interesting. He had seen the forged friendship between Krystal and Annore, and had also witnessed their furious argument. He knew exactly what was going on here, and for once, he decided to do something. No one should have to work in the dumps, as it was called, lest of all in this hot sun. The swarms of flies were visible from dozens of feet away.
Raising his eyes to Krystal, who was already slinking towards the far end of the trash towards the surrounding woods, he nodded. With one last smile of thanks, she bolted into the forest.
Luthro glanced up at the muffled sound of her fleeing, but Faro quickly cleared his throat and pointed in the opposite direction. "Gee, look, Luthro, deer!"
"Deer?" the older men said excitedly, spinning around. "Where?!"
Faro kept one eye on Krystal as she ducked into the cover of the trees, her body soon becoming a swiftly moving shadow and then disappearing entirely from sight as he rambled while Luthro frowned. "I don't see them, Faro." Luthro said dubiously. Faro shook his head. "There, there!" he insited pointing to empty space. "Look, wow, it's a buck! I've never seen one that big!"
Luthro peered feverently into the wood. "Where, where?!"
Faro rolled his eyes behind the man's back. "There." He said flatly, no longer putting on a façade. Luthro's eyes lit up. "I see it!" he cried. Faro smirked, but glanced back up the hill towards the town as footsteps approached. Wuthro and Annore.
Uh-oh, the boy thought silently. Glancing back to the place he had last seen Krystal, he shut his eyes in silent prayer. "Illuvator, protect her-- and me," he added ruefully.
"Faro!" Annore called annoyed with his nephew. "What are you doing..Luthro..what are you staring at?"
Glancing around, his eyes narrowed.
"Where's the girl?"