Ilana's mind was flying around in circles. It wasn't that long ago she was advisor to the king and one of the best trainers of all his warriors. Wherever she walked, followers paid their respect in bows, showers of gifts, and endless "thank yous." She had a relationship many perceived worthy of a fairytale by her envious peers.
Then Jayden appeared in the land...
He brought news of a catastrophe about to devastate the land and its people meaning Ilana would have to take on the greatest mission in the history of Nevin. He happened to be the human she'd always dreamed about much to the chagrin of her elven brethren. Well, they only suspected that last part but they sensed she had some affection for him. If they knew she'd slept with such a "warmonger" and a "bringer of all things evil," all hell would erupt—not that it wasn't happening already.
Ilana's life looked a lot differently than it did a short time ago. The chains she found herself in were
really
different and equally disturbing.
She was in the palace dungeon shackled at the wrists and ankles to the stone pillars in which she was centered. Her bonds were made of rusted iron that seemed to generate a frigid bite to her spirit. Under normal circumstances, she would be on the other side at the king's flank advising him on matters concerning the prisoners. Now,
she
was the prisoner sans all clothing except her brassier and panties.
The view was more revolting from her end. Bones that had long lost their flesh settled in the corner coated with cobwebs. The drafts sweeping over the dust-coated rocky floor shivered her skin. Her rage caused her to jerk at her chains, which caused more rattling than it did to free her from her predicament.
She kept her royal blue irises pinned on the bars over the door across the room. Pairs of eyes, one after another, would peek through if but for a second, followed by chatter and whispers. Ilana could only imagine what their consensus was about her. Guilt and shame seeped into her and she hoped one day they would understand what she was doing for them. Realize her love for them was stronger than an army of wild stallions.
Ilana ripped at her chains once more with gnashed teeth and as much force as her little frame could summon but they gave not an inch. She prayed for a savior but the next thing she saw was the king's beard. Someone had a sense of humor.
When the door squeaked and dragged across the floor, King Zoran appeared with his nose held high as he stroked the length of his beard. At his side was the last person someone wanted see from Ilana's side of the room. It was a masked interrogator dressed in all black carrying a cat o' nine tails. Ilana took a long, hard gulp.
For Ilana to be seen by the king, let alone all passerby in her underclothes, was enough to squeeze a tear out from her sealed eyes. It trickled over her suddenly flushed face. She wanted to hide herself under the largest boulder she could find.
Jayden...Jayden...Jayden...
He occupied nearly every place between Ilana's ears but he wasn't coming. She told him to stay put in her hiding place.
Real smart, Ilana!
In reality, it was the smart thing to do but the current circumstance would disagree with that.
The king seemed to take a minute for every step he made in her direction. "I could be here all day expressing my disappointment in you. How I gave you such a prestigious position and you spat on it and threw it in my face because of a human. Despicable! Despite that, I'll admit you have served me well until now..."
The king's diatribe became inaudible background noise with a flash of light and a migraine like her head was stomped by an eight-foot beast man. That was a prelude to the rushing of images into Ilana's mind. Dark elves freed from Drakkus turning the citizens of Nevin to ash, blowing homes to debris. Trees, blackened, and scorched of their leaves. The ground filled with charred, smoking craters. And like that, Ilana was back in the dungeon except with a throbbing in her head.
A premonition? The past? Was it happening now? Ilana couldn't decipher it. Whatever it was, it had her in more trembles to go with the ones she already had. It also ignited a renewed sense of urgency within to make an escape. Some of that elven wine would have been perfect now.
When she gathered herself, the king's rambling was coming back into audibility. He was standing at a nose's distance away and she jumped from surprise against her bonds.
"...Do you not have anything to say for yourself?" the king asked as though he was fishing for an apology or admission of regret.
Ilana only wished she could reach for her temples to massage them. "Ahh! My head feels like it was trounced by a golem!"
King Zoran scoffed. "Is that all you have to say?"
Ilana yanked her chains again as her temperature was steaming beyond the boiling point. "Argh! You have to let me out! The dark elves are coming back and you're sitting here looking at me!"
"Yes, yes, you already bored me with that fairytale," the king said with a dismissive wave of his hand through the air. "Think about it. I'm certain that human is here for something he hasn't told you. Maybe it has to do with the dark elves, maybe it doesn't. Either way, his kind brings trouble and I have a land to protect so I won't take chances. Besides, do you not think we're ready for the dark elves should they escape?" The king tapped her on the head. "Use your brain! You were the best of us until this...thing came to Ellistas. Speaking of which, where is he?"
Ilana couldn't have been more scrambled. Despite how dashing and sexy Jayden was, the king had never lied to her. Not once that she could recall. As repulsive his methods may have been, that much was true. It was enough to bring a black storm cloud over her fantasy but what did those visions mean and where did they come from? Ilana sensed no ill-will or deception from Jayden but was it her desire for him clouding her judgment? One thing
was
clear to Ilana: if she was going to decode it all, her dream man couldn't fall into the king's hands.
Ilana shook her head. "I don't know where he is. Like I told the knights, I was out there looking for him all night."
Right as she finished speaking, King Zoran leaned forward and boomed, "Liar! I can see it written on your face that you do know! You will tell me if you truly care anything about your home! If you don't tell me, you know what will happen! Let's try again..."
Ilana scoffed. "You can try as many times as you want. My answer will be the same."
The king relaxed and backed off a bit. "Okay, okay. I know you're better than this. Maybe someone else can wake you up..." The king turned and opened the door and spoke to the elf on the other side. "Come in, Feris!"
Ilana gasped and her heart dropped into her stomach. She could feel the wasps swarming and stinging inside of her as this would be the first time facing her lover since her night with Jayden.
Feris took the king's place in the cell and walked towards Ilana almost as though he wasn't sure if it was the Ilana he'd previously known.
Ilana dropped her chin and hid beneath her hair mat to avoid looking into his concerned gaze. She struggled to pull her whimpers inside but her eyes began to moisten.
Feris asked, "Ilana, my love, are you okay?"
Ilana was fighting back tears and his somberness did little to help. "No."
