The guard leads me down the stairs, holding my upper arm securely in his grip. The pain from moving has subsided significantly, and I am strangely aware of the icy, cold floor. Every step I take, I feel the cold penetrate the souls of my feet. The guard's firm grip does not help either; I can feel the rough metal of the gauntlet pierce my skin.

"I apologize for the archmage's actions," the guard says abruptly. "He is an incredibly good wizard, but he lacks people skills."

I scoff. “No people skills? That is putting it mildly. He treated me as if I were a piece of meat. Or a scientific experiment. That’s not a lack of people skills. That’s being a raging narcissist.”

"Maybe," he says, pushing open the door at the bottom of the stairs.

We walk through the door into a gallery that overlooks a huge hall. The hall is hexagonal and stands over nine stories tall. It is quite small at the top, where I am standing, with only a few meters to the other side, but it expands dramatically at the bottom, as if the entire structure is a giant cone. The gallery I am standing in spirals down along the wall. I follow it with my gaze, and notice it runs around the whole hall nine times before arriving at the bottom. The blue walls are carved in intricate patterns, depicting a variety of complex images of elves, humans, and magical creatures that blend together.

On the ground floor, in the center of the hall, stands a massive statue of Corellon Larethian, the elven god of magic, art, and war. They are depicted in their usual attire, holding a staff in one hand and a brush in the other, and wearing scale armour. The statue reaches the top of the hall, his eyes at the same level as mine. Staring at me.

The hall is crowded with people. The majority are frost elves, but I also see humans, dwarfs, and gnomes. The majority of them are gathered on the ground floor, but some are walking around the spiral gallery.

"Keep moving, Miss." The guard yanks my arm. He places his hand on a nearby door, and the door glows for a second, before opening. He drags me inside.

He leads me into a small room with walls and floors that match the rest of the building. A table is in the center, surrounded by four chairs. We pass through a side door and into a tiny room. It features a small metal tub with a bright blue crystal suspended above it. Shelves are mounted on the walls, and a small window near the top provides a nice view of the clear blue sky. A large mirror is mounted on the opposite wall.

The guard points to the shelves, which hold a bundle of clothes and a pair of high-heeled, felted white boots. "The boots should fit you; if not, please let me know; I’ll bring you another pair. I will be right outside in case you need me."

"Wait?" I ask. "Are you not planning to stay with me?"

He frowns, or I believe he does. It is difficult to see due to the helmet. "If you prefer, I can stay. Perhaps you still need assistance. Resurrection sickness is serious, especially if you have been dead for a long time. "I just assumed you preferred privacy."

“Thanks; you can stay outside,” I say.

"And if you need water, tap that crystal once to make it appear, then again to stop it. When you are finished, just come outside, and I will take you to the elven queen." The guard lets go of my arm and tries to close the door behind me, but I stop him.

"Do you know where my mother is?" I ask.

The guard blinks twice. “She is in prison.”

I take a step back, feeling my legs weaken again. "What?”

The guard looks downward. "She accepted a life sentence in prison in exchange for your resurrection."

“And my dad?”

The guard shrugs. “No clue. Both your mother and your severed head were dropped off at the citadel by a mercenary. Your dad was not there. I don’t think he ever set foot in the city.”

I stumble back and sit on the tub's edge. Tears run over my face. The guard closes the door, leaving me alone in the room.

I pace back and forth in the small room. I am not sure what is going on, but I am not going to wait around to find out. Wherever I am, it can not be good. I need to get out. I have to find a way to save Mom. Or to find dad.

I look into the large mirror. My coiled electric blue hair is a complete mess, with dirt and chalk stains. My amethyst eyes appear dead tired, and my normally lavender skin has a greenish tint. Vomit stains cover my entire body, and the blue sheet wrapped around me is soaked. Little green and yellow chunks stick to my ankles and feet.

I look down at the floor and notice that I am tracking the little chucks of vomit around, smudging them against the dark, reflective floor. I decide that, no matter how I escape, I must first wash.

I touch the large blue crystal, and it flashes. It begins to emit water into the bathtub. I dip my hand into the stream of water and immediately pull it away. The water is ice-cold. I splash the water on my lower arms after washing my hands. The water must be magical in some way, because the smudges instantly disappear, leaving my hands clean.

I suddenly can not wait to completely cleanse my body.

I untie the vomit-covered sheet and throw it into the corner of the room. I cup my hands, fill them with water, and scrub my upper body. I squeal when the cold water comes into contact with my skin, but I keep going.

I continue to clean my legs while looking around. Unlike what I had assumed, the window in the other wall is an opening rather than a window. It is way too small for me to fit through, but I know enough magic spells to get around that.

After I have finished washing my legs and feet, I walk over to the shelves. If that window leads outside, I will need clothes. There is no way I am putting that rag back on.

I take the bundle of clothes off the shelf. They are a massive white scarf and a large, light blue robe made of a soft yet heavy material. I unfurl the robe and hold it in front of me. It lacks a hood, and the neckline is quite revealing, but the sleeves are long and the skirt reaches my ankles. The fringes are embellished with stunning golden symbols and decorations.

I put on the robe, scarf, and large boots. The boots fit perfectly and are surprisingly comfy. However, the heels are a little too high for my liking.

I glance over at the window. This should be fairly straightforward.

I squint my eyes and concentrate on a point outside the window. However, the more I try, the more difficult it appears to imagine myself materialising at that point. I whisper an incantation and disappear. I then immediately reappear in the same spot.

I curse. Of course, these walls are warded against teleportation. It would have been too easy.

I touch the side of the tub. Could this be cast iron? If so, this gives me an idea.

I grab the bathtub's side and whisper an incantation. To my surprise, it actually works. The room around me expands and becomes twice as large. I know this is an illusion; in reality, I am shrinking.

The room stops expanding, and I look around. The tub and shelves tower above me, but besides that, everything looks normal. It appears that I have not caused any secondary effects with my magic.

When I think those words, the crystal above the bad tub cracks, letting out a slurry of thick, brown ooze while emitting a high-pitched tone.

I hear a knock at the door. "Is everything alright?" I hear the guard yell.

"Yes, everything's fine." I respond, doing my best not to appear suspicious.

I dash towards the window and jump. I use the wall carvings as climbing stones and easily climb up. I feel as if the walls are closing in on me, eager to return to their original size. It requires my complete concentration to keep them large. In other words, keep me small.

The ooze begins to overflow from the tub, spilling onto the ground. I climb faster, hoping to avoid the rising tide and, more importantly, make it to the window before the guard notices anything amiss.

I finally reach the opening and put my feet through. I then try to climb out. For a moment, it appears that my hips will not fit, but after some twisting and turning, I fall through easily. My upper body quickly follows.

The guard barges in as soon as I pull my head through the window. He shouts something.

My arms follow, and I hold on to the edge of the window. I break my concentration on the spell, and the world returns to it’s normal size.

I. 3. The citadel

5 Comments