-chapter 10-

Bellanaris Din'an Heem

Evelyn didn't wait for the others to clear away from the window that faced the massive gates, as they creaked and groaned open. She ran right out the door of the dormitory, rounding a corner and flying down the stairs. As soon as she crossed the threshold and felt the sizzle of magic on her skin, she knew the Enchanters had been alerted that someone was out of bed, but she didn't care.

The gates were opening. Was it her parents? Had they finally realized they missed her, and come to bring her home? She took the stairs two at a time, barely noticing the knife-sharp pain that shot through her ankles with every impact. Sounds of chatter and dozens of running feet trailed behind her, so she knew the rest of the Apprentices had followed her from the dorm.

She ran down floor after floor, pausing only to wrench open the heavy wooden doors that separated the stairwells from the main halls, then racing to the next stairway across each wide passage. After about four floors, when her body was beginning to wobble beneath her, she realized that she had no idea how many floors were between her and the entrance. The view from her dormitory window was a stark drop, hundreds of feet, and she'd never been more than seven levels below it.

She ran through two libraries, the dining hall, and past dozens and dozens of locked doors. Her determination and hope was enough to spur her onward, even as her knees threatened to buckle. On the sixth floor down, though, a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. The cold, rigid metal of a gauntlet clamped over the already aching joint.

Stupid. She was so stupid. Of course she'd seen them stationed throughout the tower as the Apprentices traversed between lessons. Seen them, cringed, and avoided their line of sight whenever possible. Now she turned, slowly, shifting around to face the gleaming shin plates of a Templar. For the second time, she saw her own horrified face reflected back at her, staring out of that polished metal.

She looked up, and up, until she met his gaze. He wasn't one of the ones who had brought her here, but he had the same arrogant set to his mouth. His eyes were beady, his hair raven black, and slicked to his head in a way that made reminded her of an oily rat. And there, standing beside him, was Senior Enchanter Lydia. Evelyn went cold, her heart skipping a beat as she stumbled back a step. They sneered down at her with satisfied judgement, and she had the thought of what a mouse must feel like, as it watched the descending talons of a hungry owl.

"And what," the Templar spit the words at her. "Do you think you're doing out of bed?"

Evelyn cast her eyes around her, searching for an escape, as Lydia's mouth quirked into a derisive smirk. The hall they occupied was empty, lined by nothing but closed, padlocked doors. The other Apprentices lingered in the doorway to the stairs she'd just fled down, watching with clear amusement.

"Answer your superiors when they speak to you, child." The Senior Enchanter ordered.

"I thought-" Evelyn's throat felt like it was constricting, stopping the words as she tried to force them out. She was barely able to manage a whisper. "I just thought that maybe..."

Lydia scoffed down at Evelyn, her impatience clear. Giggles sounded from the stairwell, and a voice she recognized piped up.

"Oh Maker. She thinks someone's come to get her." It was one of the Apprentices she had lessons with, a girl a few years older than her. Evelyn was fairly sure her name was Thalia.

"Right," snorted Charlie Baker. She shrank away at the sound of his mocking, scratchy voice. "Like anyone would want to come back for her."

Tears pricked at Evelyn's vision, and she did her best to blink them back. Her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Quiet." Lydia's sharp order silenced the Apprentices, and sent them scurrying back a few steps. They remained watching, though, apparently eager to see whatever punishment was in store for Evelyn. She thought to ask why they weren't in trouble, but couldn't form the words.

The Templar's grip on her shoulder tightened harshly, sending pain pulsing down her arm as he shook her. There would be bruises in the morning, if he didn't kill her where she stood. The hilt of his sheathed sword glinted in the lamplight.

"Get your miserable arse back to bed." He seethed, releasing her with a shove that knocked her back several steps. Relief flooded her veins, and she moved to follow his order. Over the rushing in her ears, she could make out footsteps echoing up from the stairs at the end of the hall.

"Now, now, Knight-Corporal," Senior Enchanter Lydia spoke, her tone saccharine. Evelyn froze where she stood. "If Miss Trevelyan is so curious to see who our visitors are, we should let her. I'm sure it will be an... educational experience."

Something about the way her eyes danced made Evelyn's blood run cold. Who was about to come through that door? She was now sure she didn't want to be here for this. Just then, a sound ripped through the air that had even the Senior Enchanter's eyes widening in shock.

A vicious, angry scream.

Down the hall, the door at the top of the stairs flew open. Six Templars paraded through it, their faces all wrinkled with rage and disgust. Evelyn heard murmurs behind her as the curious Apprentices all began to creep out of the stairwell. She surveyed the Templars as they approached; the dark engravings of the down-pointed swords on their chests, the way they walked stiffly, as if in pain. And the girl they supported between them.

She was tiny, as small as Evelyn, but that was where the similarities stopped. Her skin was nut brown, her features delicate, ears pointed. Her hair was brown too, but darker, hanging in a heavy curtain that reached her low back. Dark freckles scattered across her cheeks and shoulders, which could be seen beneath her strange garb. She wore a green wrapped dress that hung only to her knees, below which she had beige trousers and tightly fitted brown boots. They would have been nice clothes, if they hadn't been stained with blood.

She was screaming, cursing in Elven. Not the terrified screams of a kidnapped child, but rageful ones. Screams of war. She snapped her teeth in the air, and to Evelyn's shock, the Templars carrying her cringed back. Blood coated her arms and smeared across her face. So much blood. Evelyn worried for the girl, even seeing that she had no visible injuries. Had she, too, lost someone to these monsters? But... no. With astonishment, Evelyn realized the Templars all had visible injuries. Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths and dripped from the gaps between the plates of their armor. In fact, they were tracking pools of it behind them as they approached.

Senior Enchanter Lydia looked stunned, too. Stunned and angry.

"Back to bed," she snapped, eyes wild, grasping the staff on her back. "Everyone."

Evelyn felt rooted to the spot. The other gathered Apprentices scrambled to do the Senior Enchanter's bidding, scurrying up the steps. The girl's deep brown eyes snapped to Evelyn's, and a wicked smile lit her face. Then, Senior Enchanter Lydia's gaze followed, and she snarled.

"Now." The pure malice in Lydia's voice had Evelyn sprinting away before she could question herself.

Notes: Bit of a shorter upload today, I'll try to get the next one out soon!