Post by Elinea on Dec 11, 2007 14:40:48 GMT -7
Next chapter --- hope you like it !
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D'Lere nodded to the guards.
The guards took Kaefir and Elinea by their shoulders and lifted them out of the chairs. With their guards beside them, they walked quietly out into the hall.
The door closed and D'Lere was again alone. He looked up at the ceiling and spoke.
"Your people have their instructions, do they not?"
The voice from the dark spoke once again, "Yes My Lord, they do."
"I expect your people to carry out my instructions on the training techniques just as I have told you. To the letter."
"My Lord, there is some concern among my associates about what you consider 'excessive discipline'. There is some confusion about what exactly you have in mind as 'excessive'."
"I thought I made myself clear on the issue."
"My Lord,when you are training two young, talented proteges, you sometimes must use stronger measures."
D'Lere looked down and up again at the ceiling, "I want them trained and disciplined. I do not want their spirits broken, is that clear?"
The room was once more quiet.
"I do not want them running around the streets of Freeport babbling to themselves and chasing rats for food. They would be of no use to me in that state."
"I understand that, My Lord....."
"Then you should also understand this.....
I consider it your responsibility to see to the success or failure of their instruction. And if the endeavor fails, you are the one who will answer for it."
"Understood, My Lord."
"Good. Now see to it."
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The cold, damp wind returned as Kaefir and Elinea made their way through a large, well guarded gate and into another part of Freeport.
Eli was silent. She tried to remember again her great grandmother's tales and descriptions of Freeport.
"There are two docks in Freeport. One is the South Docks, the smaller, less used one. The other is the main dock in East Freeport."
An idea had been forming in Elinea's mind ever since their arrival in Freeport. She now knew it was time for Kaefir to know it.
Elinea leaned over and started to quietly talk to her companion in Feir'Dal, "Kaefir, I've been thinking about something my great grandmother told me one time in a story."
She stopped briefly when a guard turned around and looked at her.
When he turned back around to continue his conversation with his companion, Eli continued.
"She used to tell me how Freeport was laid out. I heard those stories over and over. I still have the 'map' of Freeport in my mind she put there from her stories all those years ago.
She told me that Freeport only had one gate out to the Commonlands. The one in West Freeport. But it had two docks -- the south one and the larger east one. Now if I remember the story correctly, South Freeport was connected to West Freeport and East Freeport by gates, too. I think we were brought into Freeport at the South Docks."
Kaefir replied back in her own language, "Why do you think that, Eli?"
"The size of the dock area and the lack of people. If I were the Overlord, and had two important prisoners I wanted to bring in unnoticed, I would use the less crowded place place to do it."
"The South Docks?"
"Yes, the South Docks. That would have put us in South Freeport until we went through the gate we just did."
There was a long thoughtful silence before Kaefir spoke. "So, where do you think we are now?"
"I can't be totally sure about this, but it would seem logical that we are in either East Freeport or West.
And since I don't see any dock area, we're probably in West Freeport now. And headed for another Freeport city gate. I don't think we'd be heading out of Freeport just yet -- too tempting for an escape."
The wind picked up and made a howling sound as the two girls continued to walk in silence.
"Kaefir, I've managed to get my hands untied."
"Eli?"
"We can't stay here, Kae. We've got to try and make a break for the West Gate."
"You don't even know if we're in West Freeport or where the West Gate is exactly."
"No, I don't. But I know we can't stay here and let them 'train' us either. On my signal, we run for the gate. There should be a turn in the road sometime before we get to the gate in front of us. When I count to three and say go, run with me as fast as you can. I'll lead. Now let me over there and untie you, too."
Elinea slipped behind Kaefir as they walked and quickly untied her. Neither guard noticed them, as they were both in deep conversation.
The two girls stood close to each other for now. The wind had again picked up and was gusting in frequent cold swirls around them.
They were almost to the far gate. Elinea had almost given up on her plan, when the road took a sharp turn off to the left. She looked up in time to see an open gate at the far end. In an instant she realized it lead to the outside.
Elinea punched Kaefir in the side and motioned to her left.
In a silent countdown, and using her fingers to count, "One, two, three."
The two fugitives took off running toward the gate before the guards realized what they were doing and before they could even react to the escape.
Just as Elinea's mind came to the joyful realization that the gate did indeed lead to the Commonlands, a guard caught up with her. She was grabbed by the waist and roughtly thrown across a shoulder. Before she was able to let out a scream of protest, a hand went up and muffled her attempt.
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D'Lere nodded to the guards.
The guards took Kaefir and Elinea by their shoulders and lifted them out of the chairs. With their guards beside them, they walked quietly out into the hall.
The door closed and D'Lere was again alone. He looked up at the ceiling and spoke.
"Your people have their instructions, do they not?"
The voice from the dark spoke once again, "Yes My Lord, they do."
"I expect your people to carry out my instructions on the training techniques just as I have told you. To the letter."
"My Lord, there is some concern among my associates about what you consider 'excessive discipline'. There is some confusion about what exactly you have in mind as 'excessive'."
"I thought I made myself clear on the issue."
"My Lord,when you are training two young, talented proteges, you sometimes must use stronger measures."
D'Lere looked down and up again at the ceiling, "I want them trained and disciplined. I do not want their spirits broken, is that clear?"
The room was once more quiet.
"I do not want them running around the streets of Freeport babbling to themselves and chasing rats for food. They would be of no use to me in that state."
"I understand that, My Lord....."
"Then you should also understand this.....
I consider it your responsibility to see to the success or failure of their instruction. And if the endeavor fails, you are the one who will answer for it."
"Understood, My Lord."
"Good. Now see to it."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The cold, damp wind returned as Kaefir and Elinea made their way through a large, well guarded gate and into another part of Freeport.
Eli was silent. She tried to remember again her great grandmother's tales and descriptions of Freeport.
"There are two docks in Freeport. One is the South Docks, the smaller, less used one. The other is the main dock in East Freeport."
An idea had been forming in Elinea's mind ever since their arrival in Freeport. She now knew it was time for Kaefir to know it.
Elinea leaned over and started to quietly talk to her companion in Feir'Dal, "Kaefir, I've been thinking about something my great grandmother told me one time in a story."
She stopped briefly when a guard turned around and looked at her.
When he turned back around to continue his conversation with his companion, Eli continued.
"She used to tell me how Freeport was laid out. I heard those stories over and over. I still have the 'map' of Freeport in my mind she put there from her stories all those years ago.
She told me that Freeport only had one gate out to the Commonlands. The one in West Freeport. But it had two docks -- the south one and the larger east one. Now if I remember the story correctly, South Freeport was connected to West Freeport and East Freeport by gates, too. I think we were brought into Freeport at the South Docks."
Kaefir replied back in her own language, "Why do you think that, Eli?"
"The size of the dock area and the lack of people. If I were the Overlord, and had two important prisoners I wanted to bring in unnoticed, I would use the less crowded place place to do it."
"The South Docks?"
"Yes, the South Docks. That would have put us in South Freeport until we went through the gate we just did."
There was a long thoughtful silence before Kaefir spoke. "So, where do you think we are now?"
"I can't be totally sure about this, but it would seem logical that we are in either East Freeport or West.
And since I don't see any dock area, we're probably in West Freeport now. And headed for another Freeport city gate. I don't think we'd be heading out of Freeport just yet -- too tempting for an escape."
The wind picked up and made a howling sound as the two girls continued to walk in silence.
"Kaefir, I've managed to get my hands untied."
"Eli?"
"We can't stay here, Kae. We've got to try and make a break for the West Gate."
"You don't even know if we're in West Freeport or where the West Gate is exactly."
"No, I don't. But I know we can't stay here and let them 'train' us either. On my signal, we run for the gate. There should be a turn in the road sometime before we get to the gate in front of us. When I count to three and say go, run with me as fast as you can. I'll lead. Now let me over there and untie you, too."
Elinea slipped behind Kaefir as they walked and quickly untied her. Neither guard noticed them, as they were both in deep conversation.
The two girls stood close to each other for now. The wind had again picked up and was gusting in frequent cold swirls around them.
They were almost to the far gate. Elinea had almost given up on her plan, when the road took a sharp turn off to the left. She looked up in time to see an open gate at the far end. In an instant she realized it lead to the outside.
Elinea punched Kaefir in the side and motioned to her left.
In a silent countdown, and using her fingers to count, "One, two, three."
The two fugitives took off running toward the gate before the guards realized what they were doing and before they could even react to the escape.
Just as Elinea's mind came to the joyful realization that the gate did indeed lead to the Commonlands, a guard caught up with her. She was grabbed by the waist and roughtly thrown across a shoulder. Before she was able to let out a scream of protest, a hand went up and muffled her attempt.
