Author's Note: Finally a new chapter. I'm so sorry for the delay but I will upload more chapters frequently because I'm almost done with my main project and I will have more time for this project. I'm currently working on the next chapter and will upload it as soon as I can :). Maybe in a few days, hopefully :). Anyways, Enjoy it.
What happened in the previous chapters: The jealous shapeshifter Vaero was freed from his prison. He has transformed into a female warlock and is now trying his best to stop the plan of the two girls. Janelle had found out that their sister is in the Eastern Plaguelands and the pair is preparing the last steps for their journey.
Chapter Fourteen - Intrigue
"Knock Knock. Is someone there?" shouted a loud voice from the outside of Daynlia's house. The mage sighed and put the wet plate, she was about to dry with a towel, on the tabletop. She rushed to her door and opened it a bit so that she was able to stick her head through the small slit. She saw a woman with curled brown hair who was wearing a robe. Daynlia couldn't know that this woman was one of the many appearances, the shapeshifter Vaero could use, so she greeted her and asked her what she wanted.
"My name is Varelle and I'm here because Lady Liadrin has sent me to investigate" said the warlock and observed the petite mage, her lips were formed to a small smile.
"Investigate what?" asked Daynlia, a frown was visible on her forehead. She couldn't know that Varelle was inventing this pretext but somehow, she knew that something was wrong.
"Who, not what" responded Varelle shortly and stepped forward, signalizing Daynlia that she wanted to come in.
"About who are we talking?" asked Daynlia, an eyebrow was raised as she regarded the strange elf in front of her.
"Can I come in first? I would like to talk with you in private, without neighbors who would listen to us" replied Varelle with an almost demanding tone. The mage looked in her eyes and tried to figure out if the taller elf was serious or not. Her eyes rested on her for almost an entire minute then she opened the door and answered: "Sure. Come in".
She stepped aside and waited until the warlock had come in and passed her. She closed the door behind her and signalized the other elf to follow her. She guided Varelle to her living room and signalized her to take a seat. Varelle walked to the couch and threw herself at it. She stretched out her limps and placed her head on her elbow then she looked at Daynlia, amused about the confused look the smaller elf was giving her.
Daynlia frowned as she took a chair and dragged it to the couch. She sat down on it and regarded the elf who was relaxing on her couch while she was on her duty.
"So... Lady Liadrin sent you to look for someone, right?" asked Daynlia and gave her guest a glass of milk from the table behind her. Her guest took the glass and emptied it in one gulp. She didn't express thanks to her when she gave the glass back to its owner.
"Lady Liadrin told me to look for a human" answered Varelle, still refusing to sit on the couch like a normal person.
"A human? Why are you asking me if I know anything about a human?" asked Daynlia confused and regarded the warlock's face, trying to figure out if the woman was playing some sort of mind games with her or if her question was meant seriously.
"I heard rumours that you have met a human a few days ago" said Varelle dry and observed the mage's face, especially her green glowing eyes. Daynlia stared back at her without turning a hair. Her lips formed a thin line and a frown was visible as she thought about the woman's statement.
"Rumours?" asked Daynlia with an amused voice. "I never heard about such rumors and they shouldn't exist because they aren't true. I haven't met a human in the last few years"
"Are you sure?" asked Varelle and pulled a bundle of paper out of her small bag and handed it to the petite elf. Daynlia unfolded the bundle and regarded a composite sketch of a woman who looked like a younger version of Janelle, except that she was a human and not an elf. She saw a few pictures of Janelle with her human appearance where she was alone and a few pictures where she was walking or doing something with the woman from the composite sketch. Countless thoughts came in Daynlia's mind as she continued to regard these pictures. She looked up after a few minutes and stared into Varelle's face whose expression told her that she was excepting an answer.
"I have never seen these women before" responded Daynlia and stared into the warlock's green eyes. Varelle shifted her position and sat straight on the couch. "Really?" she asked again and stared at the mage, this time her eyes seemed to look dangerous and threatening. Her voice wasn't calm anymore and sounded rough. Daynlia pressed her lips together and breathed through her nose, her eyes were narrowed and focused on the warlock.
"Yes... really. I have never seen them before" answered Daynlia, it took a lot of effort for her to stay calm and not show how much she was annoyed by Varelle's behaviour. She would like to throw this cocky elf out of her house but she didn't want to get any trouble with Lady Liadrin, who was still her love interest.
"Someone gave me the tip that I should start with you" said Varelle and leaned forward, signalizing Daynlia that she wouldn't leave this place before she got an answer. Daynlia tilted her head, showing her guest a straight face, which signalized her that she wouldn't be intimidated by her.
"Whoever has given you the tip, was wrong. I have never met these women before" responded Daynlia while she gave her a self-confident glare. Her behaviour surprised Varelle who had met her a few times in the past while she had hung out of with Cairaeleen and Daynlia as the womanizer Vaero. She remembered the mage as a very shy person, she hadn't expected that she was so self-confident. She had expected that she could intimidate the petite woman and lure the required pieces of information out of her with ease. But the mage resisted and rejected the warlock's advances and attempts to gain pieces of information. Daynlia noticed that Varelle got more and more impatient the longer she avoided her questions.
"I know that you are lying!" hissed Varelle and stood up.
"Do you have any proves for this assertion?" replied Daynlia calmly. Varelle's eyes were narrowed, she bit her bottom lip and her fists were clenched. Daynlia observed her, expecting an aggressive move from the woman but the warlock decided to pass her by. She turned around and said "Don't think what we are done. I will come back and find out whatever you are hiding from me".
"Do whatever you want" responded Daynlia with a not-caring tone in her voice. She waited until the warlock had walked away. She walked to her door slowly and looked out for Varelle but she couldn't see her on the street. She checked her surroundings for the last time before she closed the door and walked back to her living room.
"You are getting better with the time. Keep practicing honey" shouted Cairaeleen as she regarded Janelle who was sitting on a horse and giving her best not to fall off her horse which was galloping over the field. Her teacher, the beautiful daughter of the stable owner, sat on another horse and galloped next to her. She regarded Janelle and gave her tips and reminded and corrected her every time where Janelle forgot something or did something not right. It had been a challenge at first for Janelle to ride on the horse slowly but over the past few hours she had managed to get used to the horse and was even able to ride on it with a very rapid speed.
Janelle followed the guidance of the trainer and rode for another hour without making too many mistakes. Cairaeleen's eyes rested on her, on her beautiful face and on her black hair which looked majestic and really beautiful as it fluttered in the wind. The sun shined on the hybrid's face, causing that she looked way more beautiful than she already did. Janelle held the reins steady and ordered the horse to stop. The horse listened and slowed down until it stopped two meters in front of Cairaeleen, who applauded and gave the horse's rider a small smile.
"Well done" said Cairaeleen and walked to the horse. She stretched out her left hand and helped Janelle to climb out of the saddle. She wrapped her arm around Janelle's hips and pulled her onto the ground, her arm was still wrapped around her waist after Janelle's feet had come in contact with the ground.
"You have become very good within just a few hours. That's impressive" complimented Cairaeleen and placed a soft kiss on her girlfriend's cheek.
"Well, I had a very good teacher and a special person who supported with her presence" responded Janelle and looked at her teacher and then back at her girlfriend who was smiling at her. She closed the distance between them and placed a passionate kiss on Cairaeleen's rosy and soft lips. The taller elf kissed her back and wrapped her arm around Janelle's neck. The hybrid placed her hands on her girlfriend's hips and stroked them while she bit her bottom lip softly. Cairaeleen parted her lips and allowed Janelle to insert her tongue. Janelle accepted this offering with pleasure and explored the other woman's mouth greedily. The women held the kiss until they were interrupted by the stable owner's daughter who cleared her throat.
"I don't want to interrupt you ladies but I need to get back to the next waiting customer. It would be nice if I could get my reward before I leave" she said and climbed down from her horse. Cairaeleen pulled a sack of gold from her belt and took the required sum out of it. She placed the coins in the hand of the trainer, who counted the coins thoroughly. She nodded thankfully after she had made sure that the sum was correct. She wished them a good afternoon and climbed back on the saddle. She spurred her horse and rode away. The pair regarded her until she was out of their sights, then they started to walk back to the stable, hand in hand, their fingers intertwined.
They came to the stable after a walk of twenty minutes but they didn't stop there, instead, they continued to walk, this time towards Cairaeleen's house. They met a few of Cairaeleen's friends and workmates along the way. They stopped and talked with them from five minutes up to thirty minutes, depending on how good Cairaeleen knew the individual. In the end, the pair came home after two additional hours of walking and talking. Cairaeleen's movement suddenly stopped, her eyes narrowed as she regarded her house. Janelle, who had regarded Cairaeleen's face all the time during the walk, asked her what was wrong. Her question was answered automatically as she shifted her head and spotted on what her girlfriend was staring.
Cairaeleen's entrance door was open and showed visible breaking-in clues. The lock was heavily damaged, telling Cairaeleen that the burglar had tried to unlock the door without success. She observed her door and noticed that it had been lifted out of its hinges, but not by force. It had been lifted by magic, casual magic, every mage, warlock or spellcaster could perform. Cairaeleen drew a large dagger from her belt and signalized her girlfriend to wait. Janelle didn't listen to her request and draw her daggers as she slowly followed her girlfriend who approached the door carefully.
Cairaeleen poked her head through the door, expecting an incoming attack. Fortunately, no one attacked her. She looked at Janelle, who stood directly behind her, then she rushed through the corridor, without making a noise. Janelle followed her, like her girlfriend, her steps were careful and silent but still large enough to enclose the distance as fast as Cairaeleen did. The two women came in the warrior's sleeping room and spotted a woman, dressed like a bandit. The stranger seemed to frisk her chamber for a certain object because the valuable objects laid overlooked on the floor, behind the bandit.
Cairaeleen pulled a small dagger from her belt and threw it at the bandit. She expected that the bandit would attack her after she had caught the dagger with her bare hands, but instead, she threw it back at Cairaeleen and used the moment, where the warrior was distracted by blocking it, to rush to the opened window and jump through it. Janelle didn't hesitate and sprinted after the bandit, jumping through the same window and started to pursue her. Cairaeleen observed the room quickly then she jumped through the window, without making made sure if the bandit had taken anything from her. She was glad that she hadn't put on her armour today because she wouldn't have been able to pursue the bandit with the extra weight. She shouted for help but unfortunately for her, the street was oddly free of any inhabitant.
The bandit came to a small junction and took the left path which led to the village's inner. The women pursued her but they weren't able to catch up to her. The bandit's running speed was increased as she drank the blue content of an expensive potion, a speed potion. Now she was almost twice as fast than before. She reached the village's market, which was overgrown by inhabitants and traders before Janelle was close enough to inform the people about the bandit. They arrived at the market and looked around, searching for the woman but they weren't able to find the bandit in the dense crowd.
"Dammit. I can't believe that she escaped us" cursed Janelle and kicked a loose brick away.
"I don't believe that this was a normal bandit. I don't know why but I have the bad feeling that Vaero is involved with this. There are some many better-appointed houses for a break-in but the woman has chosen mine, which hasn't got many valuable objects. This break-in was ordered by someone and I'm pretty sure it was Vaero, although I don't know what he wanted to achieve with this action" told Cairaeleen and wrapped her arm around Janelle, pulling her closer.
"This bastard is annoying me" responded Janelle and stared at the crowd at the market.
"You don't need to tell me that. He is pissing me off since I broke up with him. This guy has serious problems and his influential parents are solving the problems, he is making, as well as possible. I'm pretty sure they helped him out of the prison. I can't believe that he is still able to walk freely after what he had tried to do to us" said Cairaeleen and stroked her girlfriend's back softly.
"We should inform the guards and then we should go back to your house and clean the mess" suggested Janelle.
"Yes, we should do that" responded Cairaeleen and placed a soft kiss on the smaller woman's forehead, then she took her hand and walked with her towards her house.
"That was close. Now I got what I wanted" whispered the bandit and looked at the map in her hands. She observed the marked route from this village to the Eastern Plaguelands.
What does she want in the Eastern Plaguelands? Does she?... No she wouldn't...? Wouldn't she? Why should she want to look for the young sister of this fleeing human? The only possibility is that... There has to be another reason why she wants to travel to the Eastern Plaguelands with that elf. No, she wants to find her and this could only mean that..." thought the bandit and whispered the rest of train of thought "This would mean that she knows the human I am looking for. But what would also mean that she had met her recently or is still in contact with her... Things are getting complicated but I will find out sooner or later what Cairaeleen hides from me"
The bandit looked around and noticed the small house, which owner she had met recently. She looked around and made sure that nobody was watching her, then she snapped her fingers, causing that her appearance changed from her current to the appearance of the warlock Varelle. Varelle snapped once again, this time she copied Cairaeleen's exact look. She walked to the door of Cairaeleen's best friend and knocked at it. She waited an entire minute until it was opened and Daynlia's head poked out. Daynlia's eyes lit up as she saw her best friend, not knowing that it was Varelle who had questioned her a few hours ago. She stepped out of the house and hugged her quickly, then she stepped back and looked at the spot behind Cairaeleen, expecting that Janelle would stand there.
"Where is Janelle?" asked Daynlia confused, her eyebrows were raised as she stared into Varelle's eyes, waiting for an answer.
"She is tired and is now taking a rest in my bed" lied Varelle, making sure she held eye contact with Daynlia to sell her lie.
"Tired of what?" asked Daynlia with a wide grin on her face.
"What do you think?" asked Varelle and gave the petite mage a smirk.
"Oh... you two did it... You have to tell me the details" said Daynlia excited and dragged Varelle in her house. She brought the woman in her living room and allowed her to take a seat on the couch, on which the shapeshifter had laid a few hours ago while she had tried to gain information transformed as Varelle. But now she had the opportunity to gain the required pieces of information disguised as Cairaeleen.
"I will tell the details about it later. Let's start with a little small-talk" said Varelle, imitating her ex as best as she could, which was enough to let Daynlia think that she really talked with her best friend. "How was your day?"
"Except the annoying warlock who wanted to talk about Janelle and insisted that I tell her everything I know, my day was okay" responded Daynlia and offered Varelle a cup of tea. Varelle accepted the offering and took a sip.
"A warlock... I met a warlock yesterday who hasn't visited this village for a while. Her name was Varelle if I remember correctly" replied Varelle and took another sip from the delicious tea.
"That was her. She wore a robe and had curled brown hair. She told me her name and that Liadrin had sent her" said Daynlia and poured tea into her own cup.
"Did you tell her anything about Janelle?"
"Of course not. I haven't told her anything. I have promised you that I won't tell anyone about Janelle. Nobody will ever find out that Janelle is a hybrid and is looking for her sister in the Eastern Plaguelands". Daynlia's blunt answer brought a smile on Varelle's face. Daynlia had told her exactly what she wanted to know while she had told her that she wouldn't tell anyone about it. If only she could know what she had done. To be fair, she couldn't know that I'm not her best friend. Now I only need to know when Cairaeleen wants to look for the sister of my target. Hopefully, I can eliminate Janelle and her sister so that no one will remember eventually, that I have murdered their parents.
"Good. I knew I could count on you" said Varelle with a satisfied grin on her face. She talked with her ex's best friend for a while until the mage had revealed all the information she had required. Now she knew that Cairaeleen will start her journey next Monday. She invented a story about Cairaeleen's and Janelle's lovemaking and explained it to Daynlia, making sure she didn't leave out any detail of her false story. She said goodbye to Daynlia and hugged her after she was done with spreading her lies, then she walked out of the house and looked for the last time at the petite mage before she followed the long road to her house.
She shapeshifted to her warlock appearance and unlocked her door. "You will belong to me Cairaeleen, my love, after I'm done with these filthy hybrids" whispered Varelle and entered her house, locking the door behind her. "I just need to copy Janelle's appearance and then we will live happily together until the end of our long lives" said Varelle to herself before she turned around and walked to her bedroom.
