Disclaimer: Lalila... mind the gap...not mine.
C
Teach you a lesson
C
After a nice time of reasonably refreshing and deep sleep that is much too short for my liking I wake up again, because Andy is shaking me gently but insistently and is also whispering in my ear.
"Toren it is time. We have to go now."
"Gnn no. Need sleep." I mumble and try to turn around.
"The Master wants you Toren. You have to get up."
At this I nearly jump three meters high and stare around me in wide eyed alarm, before I realize that, no I'm not anywhere near our Master and that Andy has indeed managed to wake me up completely in less than three seconds.
"Never do that again!" I growl. "Not ever!"
Andy just shrugs and grins.
"Well it worked. I'll find a way to compensate darling, don't worry."
The promising leer he gives me let's forgiveness come easily and in the end I only sigh in sweet defeat. Our cell mates have missed the little exchange and are already up and clustered around the door apparently only waiting for me to come and unlock it. Well I'd hate to disappoint them.
After a bit of fumbling around in order to find the one key which fits our lock we are standing outside the cell in a cold stony corridor. Apparently the others have made some kind of plan while I was asleep, because everybody seems content to wait here while Ufrelyn and Kofyr go ahead. Probably to dispatch of any sentries. I'm not quite happy with this arrangement. The fact that one of them has only recently pointed the tip of his knife at me does nothing to inspire trust in any of the two.
After twenty minutes I get increasingly nervous and begin to contemplate a disclosure of the true identity of our Drow pair. Andy stays calm which soothes my troubled spirit. He should know... no wait he doesn't know who they are. Damn.
Just when I open my mouth to ask Andy what they have told the others Kofyr comes around the corner. Slightly relieved I decide to say nothing for now.
"You go first." He addresses the three humans softly. They comply with swift, noisy eagerness and are soon gone without any trouble. What has happened to the guards? I really don't want to find myself charged with the murder of city officials and send the Drow a suspicious stare, at which he just shrugs and smiles in a way so innocent it makes my teeth hurt.
Before I can ask him anything though we're interrupted by the silent arrival of Ufrelyn, who is wearing a triumphant smile which makes his partners next question appear quite unnecessary.
"Did you get it?"
The other only grins wider and holds out a hand presenting two silver rings, with a small ruby each and something which looks like a small, slim bone covered in intricate, flowing carving.
"Really how could you doubt even for a second I would fail in this!" He says while Kofyr is quickly snatching one of the rings before he puts it on a slender finger.
"Your self confidence my dear brother is astounding," he remarks dryly. "considering that you managed to get yourself locked up by a bunch of humans and needed the help of an Elf to get out again. Eberral was not happy. You'd better hope he sticks to the deal or this all was for nothing."
The other shrugs unconcerned.
"We have what he wanted, don't we?"
With that he turns and walks down the corridor.
"You know Toren," Andy whispers softly as we follow them along the corridor, assuming they will know an inconspicuous way out of the building. "he rather reminds me of you."
My following glare is meet by an unimpressed smirk.
"You will regret that!" I whisper back angrily and fail to notice that Kofyr has stopped in front of a high window. That only comes to my awareness when I walk right into him. The next thing I feel is the knife. This time it is located very inconveniently much too close to my neck.
"Sorry." I squeak, trying to move as little as possible, deeply resenting the sensation of a hand curling tightly around a generous portion of my hair to roughly draw my head backwards.
"If you value your worthless life you'll never do that again grey scum!"
"I'm sorry! I won't do it again." I reply as meekly as possible, swallowing the acerbic response that was already clawing its way up my throat. Sadly my verbal restraint doesn't show the desired effect and I am not released. On the contrary, the knife is held closer than before and begins to draw a thin trickle of blood.
"No of course not." Kofyr says silkily, very close to my ear. "Especially not after I have taught you a lesson you little slut."
I don't need a fucking lesson you bastard! I don't dare tell him that though. I'd like to still be in one piece by the end of this night.
"Um why don't we just separate now and get out before someone notices us gone from the cell and starts making a fuss." Andy suggests carefully trying his best to keep this situation from getting out of control.
"Separate? I don't think so."
He draws my head back even further, which makes for an incredibly uncomfortable position and threatens: "If you don't get out and down there now and let my brother bind you, you will have the pleasure of watching the bitch die."
Andy has already taken a cautious step backwards and replies with a face carefully devoid of all emotion: "And you really think I care if you cut him to pieces?"
The soft chuckle from behind me is rather disturbing combined with this statement.
"Well we can put that to the test can't we?" He presses the knife even closer and the thin trickle grows into a worryingly steady one at which I simply cannot hold back a distressed whimper.
"Stop!"
A short helpless gasp, which nonetheless nearly has me faint with relief when the pressure lessens almost instantly.
"Don't kill him. I will obey."
Andy sounds defeated now and I deeply regret my unwanted involvement with these Drow. To get us into this kind of situation was not my intention when coming to the city. Do I have a case of bad karma? Why does everything I do always have to turn out so shitty?
"Good decision boy." A dark hand pets my cheek. "Who would help you on your way if he were to die tonight? You know very well that there's no way that you could survive in a city like this on your own."
Andy doesn't object in any way and just climbs out of the window, closely followed by Ufrelyn who ties his hands together once they're both on the ground. I watch with the other brother behind me, who's still keeping a tight grip onto my hair.
"What do you want with us anyway?" I dare to ask softly. Better know now than let my imagination wander into places I don't want to see.
"Why sell you of course. What did you think we'd do?"
Yes what did I think. The bleak future prospect of further slavery doesn't do much to cheer me up.
"Or we might have to give you over to Eberral if he needs further convincing."
Great! That's even better. I hate priests! Especially mentally unstable lunatics like this one.
"Get down."
So here it comes, I welcome you my doom and walk freely into your inviting arms! We're in for a real surprise though. Because after they take us to a cluttered, rubbish riddled and very narrow space between two houses, which can barely be called an alley, they take of their rings and reveal their true heritage. Kofyr goes first and earns only a mildly astonished glance from Andy who throws me a look clearly saying: "Why did you not tell me about this darling?" At which I can only shrug. When did he expect me to do that? It's not like we've been alone together at any time of this blasted day. When Ufrelyn does the same though I need to bite my tongue to keep back a startled gasp. Andy emits a strangely choked squeak which echoes my feelings perfectly.
I gaze up at the hideously disfigured body of what must originally have been a Drow. Now it is a strange and rather disgusting mixture of the former in the upper part and a spider for the rest. Long, deceptively fragile looking legs seemingly protrude at the sides. The way they move together in an eerily coordinated fashion, combined with the soft clicking noises of chitin scraping on chitin makes me want to throw up. This time I have apparently gotten us into some extremely deep shit. Deeper than I expected anyway.
"Shut up!" The spider thing growls at me aggressively, even though I didn't actually say anything. Why am I always the one being shouted at?
After this Kofyr begins with the short and precise preparation of a gateway which, as far as I am concerned will contain nothing but our doom. I don't bother to protest. It'd be useless anyway. I can't help the short moment of hesitation though, before I'm as the first of our group roughly pushed into the shimmering depths of the portal.