***
The dream returned with subtle variations and plagued Feraan throughout the night. ?He gave up on sleep some time before dawn and started rifling through his books. ?He had not done much research on prophetic dreams, usually dismissing it as folly, but the image of Caelfel on her lake with the Blind Seer's voice troubled him. ?He had not seen or heard from the Blind Seer in over eighty years. ?She had charged him with a task that he had only partially completed.
He wondered if the dream was a signal telling him that time was running out. ?He knew Caelfel could not be the person the Blind Seer meant, since Caelfel was less than eighty years old. ?Maybe the dream was warning him about Caelfel. ?She could be in danger or she might be a danger to him.
Or perhaps the dream was simply a conglomerate of experiences he had focused on recently, meaning nothing prophetic or mystical at all. ?Still, he knew his nerves wouldn't settle until he had seen Caelfel for himself. ?She would be at the college for most of the day before she came for her visit. ?Feraan kept time throughout the day, frequently watching out his window for her approach. ?He expected her around midafternoon and had a rather difficult time keeping himself distracted.
He tried continuing his research on the target the Blind Seer had assigned him, but the past eighty years had provided him with very little results. ?Feraan doubted he could solve the problem of parasitic energy in less than a day so he changed his focus, tossing aside old maps of goblin tunnels. ?He couldn't leave his house and risk exposure but he did brave his garden, gathering all his blades for routine sharpening.
A small forge sat in the corner of his garden. ?It came complete with a grindstone and a smaller whetstone with a large barrel of the necessary oil. ?He lined up all his weapons and set to work with slow and practiced hands. ?His eyes always strayed to his front door which was visible from his forge. ?He forced himself to work even slower.
Noon came and went, drifting to afternoon. ?The trees kept time as their shadows traveled imperceptibly across the garden. ?Sharpening swords and daggers did not occupy enough time, so Feraan resorted to pacing, not really understanding why he was nervous. ?Eventually, he settled on practicing his alchemy. ?His supply of medicine was running low, especially after he had given Caelfel an entire bottle.
Boiling the necessary leaves was a process that required two hours of close attention. ?Feraan decided to boil the rest of his stores, which divided into two separate boiling batches. ?Four hours later, Feraan had an obscene amount of boiled leaves, and Caelfel still had not appeared. ?By then, the sky had turned pink with dusk. ?Feraan paced some more. ?He didn't recall Caelfel specifically promising to visit that day. ?He just assumed that she would. Perhaps she went straight home after her class.
Feraan held all of his tension in his back, and the irritated wound there bothered him even more. ?Caelfel could be perfectly safe but then again, she might not be. ?Someone might have discovered her crime. ?Tahlmus or Thoroth would have easily given her away. ?He had to find out what happened to her.
He threw on his black, hooded poncho that Lycaon had given him over twenty years ago and left his house just like he had sworn he wouldn't do.
Feraan had his own training as a tracker, and a quick scan of his surroundings told him he was alone. ?At least no one else had discovered his home yet. ?He remembered where the Gyssedlues house was, but the route he took double backed on itself several times, a precautionary measure to assure himself he wasn't being followed. ?Once he was certain that he was indeed alone, Feraan made his way straight to the Gyssedlues household. ?He looked down both sides of the street as he approached their front door. ?Then he knocked.
Feraan started wondering if he was merely being paranoid. ?Caelfel had only been gone for a day. ?But then Sylaera answered the door, and Feraan knew something was wrong from her anxious expression.
"Is Caelfel here?" he asked her. ?It would be annoying to reveal himself to her parents for nothing.
Sylaera glanced at someone inside. ?"No."
Feraan blinked and waited only a fraction of a second for an explanation. ?"Where is she?"
Sylaera fixed him with a hard glare, in no mood for his impatience. ?"Caelfel has been arrested. ?She will stand trial tomorrow morning. ?Would like to come inside?"
Feraan stepped inside and saw Eviat in the room. ?"What happened?" Feraan asked.
Eviat answered, "Markis came to arrest Caelfel and Thoroth for the crimes of necromancy and treason."
"Necromancy and treason?" Feraan repeated.
"Apparently, you were reported as dead. ?Caelfel and Thoroth are suspected necromancers since they raised you from the dead, which is an act of treason," Eviat explained.
Feraan looked between Caelfel's parents. ?"Do you believe that?"
Sylaera folded her arms. ?"I think I would know if my daughter was a necromancer."
"They can't be taking these charges seriously. ?Caelfel can't even perform magic, much less necromancy."
Eviat and Sylaera exchanged glances, clearly surprised Feraan spoke of their daughter with such familiarity. ?Eviat spoke. ?"According to Markis, you had been listed as dead. ?When they went searching for your body, they couldn't find it. ?They started asking healers. ?The Baeltylars said Caelfel was the one to take your body. ?Then Thoroth confessed he was responsible. ?They were both arrested. ?What really happened?"
Feraan sighed, feeling strange having to explain things to Caelfel's parents. ?"I wasn't dead. ?I almost died, but Caelfel decided to save me."
"She didn't say anything to us about that," Sylaera said.
"I asked her to keep the incident a secret, particularly since it was a failed assassination attempt."
Sylaera stepped closer to Feraan. ?"And I suppose you thought it was a good idea to drag my daughter into this?" she hissed.
Feraan clenched his jaw. ?"I didn't drag her into this. ?Caelfel made this decision on her own."
"And now she is in some prison cell like a criminal." ?Although Sylaera struggled to remain composed, her aura betrayed her anger. ?There was a moment when Sylaera was surrounded in crackling blue fire before she returned to normal. ?Eviat placed a hand on his wife's shoulder at the sign of her temper. ?Sylaera calmed instantly.
"We all know what this is really about," Eviat said, maintaining eye contact between Feraan and Sylaera. ?"You could present yourself to the Council at her trial to show that you are not dead."
"I can't do that," Feraan said, crossing his arms. ?"This was a failed assassination attempt. ?I can't afford to reveal myself to the Council or Markis."
The blue fire flickered around Sylaera again. ?"You mean it's either you or my daughter?"
"I didn't ask her to save me," Feraan defended in a tight voice.
"But without her, you would be dead. ?Isn't that right?" Sylaera pointed out.
"She should have been smart and kept it secret. ?What did she expect to gain from saving the most hated elf of the empire?"
Sylaera's anger dimmed as she turned an uncertain glance on her husband. ?Feraan didn't miss the exchange. ?He wondered what he just said that had made the fierce mother bear withdraw.
"You haven't told her why," he guessed at length. ?He ran a hand through his hair with a humorless chuckle. ?"You never told Caelfel how she was born or how the infamous Feraan Auvrearaheal earned his reputation."
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Eviat countered.
Feraan didn't have an answer for that so he sighed and paced the room instead. ?"What do we do about the trial?" he asked.
Sylaera chose her next words slowly. ?"If Caelfel is found guilty of treason, they will execute her. ?If she is found guilty of necromancy, they will execute her."
"I won't let that happen," Feraan said in a voice that left no room for debate.
"How?" Sylaera persisted.
"We prove she is innocent," Feraan decided, still pacing.
"No, she has to prove her own innocence. Only Thoroth and Caelfel will be able to speak for their defense."
r /> "I'm still confused about why Thoroth was arrested," said Feraan.
"They consider him the consulting physician. ?He admitted to being responsible for your death rites before they arrested Caelfel," Eviat said.
Feraan's expression remained blank. ?He glanced toward Sylaera for an explanation. ?"I still don't understand why he would volunteer to do something as stupid as confessing to treason."
There was something deviously smug about Sylaera when she answered. ?"I am under the impression that Thoroth is rather fond of Caelfel."
Feraan felt as though he should suppress the disgusted glare that came to his face, but he didn't. ?"Perhaps Thoroth is so fond of her that he will take all blame for the crime," he muttered under his breath.
"Please," Eviat said, stepping between them. ?"This isn't helping. ?Why did you come here in the first place?"
"My instinct told me something was wrong," Feraan answered carefully.
"And you at least cared about her enough to visit?" Eviat pressed.
Feraan frowned. ?"I do feel as though I owe something to her for the trouble."
"Then help her. ?How is Caelfel supposed to defend herself if the Council turns saving someone's life into necromancy?" Eviat asked.
"It's only necromancy if the Council doesn't like the person," Sylaera pointed out.
Feraan let loose a large breath, thinking. ?"Is there any way we could see Caelfel before the trial?"
"They are going to let Eviat and I into her cell tomorrow morning, before the Council sees her," Sylaera said. ?"We're supposed to prepare her for the trial."
"Just the two of you? ?No other visitors?" Feraan asked.
"Would you like to visit her?" Sylaera asked with something of a derisive scoff.
"I would prefer that," he shot back evenly. ?"And I need to see her tonight."
"The Council will not allow it. ?Besides, you won't even show your face in court. ?Why would you even risk facing her guards?" Sylaera asked.
"If you want my help protecting your daughter, you will have to trust me."
Eviat left shortly afterward to see if Caelfel would be permitted any visitors that night. ?When Eviat was gone, Feraan asked Sylaera to see Caelfel's bedroom, wanting to find the book he had given her. ?She reluctantly showed it to him.
Caelfel's bed was significantly smaller than his own. ?It sat beneath a tall, glass-paned window and was surrounded by sheer, white curtains. ?She didn't keep very many possessions. ?Books were placed neatly on the shelves that had been carved into the walls. ?A wardrobe stood against the far wall. ?The left-hand wall held racks dedicated to her weaponry. ?It was apparent that Caelfel obsessed over organizing her arrows. ?They were grouped according to the feathers they were fletched with. ?Her bow hung on its appropriate hook above them. ?A small shelf jutted from the wall just below that, bearing a dagger that looked to be more ornamental than practical.
He slowly lowered himself to sit on Caelfel's bed. ?The book next to her pillow caught his attention. ?He picked it up and saw it was the one he had given her the day before. ?He thumbed through it, looking for a specific page.
The book detailed a single theory on the Ewyn creation myth. ?It narrated Ewyn's efforts to establish the original elvish kingdom before it became an empire. ?Ewyn prided herself on the species she had created, claiming that they were more powerful and more beautiful than any other race, vastly more intelligent and gifted with longevity. ?The elves had a flaw though, a problem that proved almost impossible to track genetically. ?A large percentage of elves were infertile.
Because of this, Ewyn recognized the need to preserve the safety of her people. ?Violence had been inherently discouraged among elves, and isolation protected elves from interfering in the military affairs of their neighboring lands. ?But Ewyn was most noted for treasuring the sacred, elvish life. The life debt was born, an unspoken agreement between two elves. If an elf saved the life of another elf, then the second elf was honor bound to return the favor if the need arose.
Because Caelfel had saved Feraan from certain death, he was in her life debt. ?And that would protect Caelfel in her trial.