then you need to hear this too.”
Dexter nodded, then remembered the darkness that he was already growing accustomed to. “Alright, go on then, I’ll not stop you again.”
“Elves, as a people, are not bad. Not any more so than humans or dwarves. We love, we hate, we jest, and we grow serious. We grow old and die as well, it just takes a lot longer for us.
“The long lives we have cause many elves to think of us as better than others. It is not a universal view held by all, but then again, the Empire is not subject to the will of the people, but rather the will of the Emperor.”
“So what does that have to do with children playing?” Dexter asked when Jenna stopped for a moment.
“I thought you weren’t going to interrupt me?”
Dexter chuckled. “Sorry, Captain’s prerogative.”
Jenna snorted, mostly amused but partially annoyed. “Well, my playmates were not entirely elves. I also played with other races. Lesser races, so I was told. They were servants in many cases, outright slaves in others. Some of my crueler kin played with these ‘lesser’ children abusively, and such abuses were either ignored or encouraged.”
After pausing to let that sink in, Jenna continued. “It never felt right to me, how they were treated. My concern for others was frowned upon though, and discouraged both privately and sometimes publicly. It was my speed and grace that brought pride enough to my family to keep from hiding me. I excelled at everything I did, from dancing to training with weapons.
“It was that training that finally caused me to cross the line,” Jenna said with a heavy voice. “I learned from elves, but often sparred with non-elves, and was encouraged to not hold back while practicing against them. One regular sparring partner, a gifted human, was chosen to be my opponent for my final bout that would graduate me from being an apprentice. They made me fight him without reservation or inhibition, and he was made to do the same. Had he defeated me, he would have been beaten and killed for it. Instead I defeated him, and his blood is on my hands.”
“Blood… you mean you had to kill him?” Dexter asked her.
Jenna sniffed and cleared her throat before continuing. “Yes, I killed him.”
She squeezed his hands for comfort then continued. “I made a vow then and there to not become like my father and the other members of court. I made some inquiries about a resistance movement within the Empire, and soon enough met a few of them. Once they understood I was genuine, they took me in and used me to filter secrets from the state to them. This allowed them to plan raids and to smuggle slaves out of the empire to freedom. With my assistance they became a force to be reckoned with. Instead of a mere nuisance they ranked as an item on my father’s agenda.”
“A spy that worked his way up through their ranks found me out and turned me in, which set up another plot my father used. Unwittingly, I was used as bait and assisted in the capture of the leaders of the resistance. It was then that I learned that the birthmark I showed you could be used by the elven wizards to track me.
“Because I was family, and because I had ‘helped’ to end the resistance, my father only banished me from the Empire when I refused to recant my ways before him. I was stripped of rank, title, rights, possessions, and even my garments. They dragged me away from him and I was beaten and abused throughout the voyage to this very place, Port Freedom. Were I not so highborn, I expect much more than a mere beating would have taken place.
“Here I was to be sold as a slave, never to enter again into Elven space, but one of the people I had helped to escape in the past caught sight of me and they set up a raid to rescue me.”
Jenna squeezed Dexter’s hand again, drawing strength from him. “I knew the spies the elves keep here would be replaced, so I did my best to avoid this place at all times. I should have warned you, I suppose, or at least contrived a way to stay aboard the ship.”
“Wait,” Dexter said, his head swimming at her disclosure, “how did you end up in a federation jail?”
Jenna laughed sadly. “That’s another story, Captain.”
“I don’t see anyone telling us to hurry,” Dexter quipped.
Jenna was silent a moment, making Dexter wonder whether she was deciding what to tell him or not. He opened his mouth to speak again but felt one of her hands leave his and press her lips softly against his lips.
Then he felt her warm breath against his ear, sending chills down his spine. “Shh, someone comes.”
Dexter strained anew to see in the darkness, then he strained to listen for anything. He wondered how she could be sure when, a few moments later, he heard something slam solidly against the door to their cell. They both jumped a little at the loud noise, then scrambled to their feet.
It crashed against it twice more, with the third time being accompanied by the cracking and tearing of wood. The door swung open, letting the dim lighting from the lanterns in the corridor spill in on them and blind them. All they could tell for certain was that three figures were standing there, and that the third one was short.
“Dex!” Kragor, the short figure, cried out happily.
“Master!” One of the other, taller, figures said just as happily.
Blinking furiously as their vision adjusted, they could see Kragor, Keshira, and Rosh staring at them. Dexter was overjoyed to see them, and rushed forward, giving Kragor a hearty slap on the back of gratitude and even going so far as to hug and kiss Keshira.
“What, don’t I get any thanks?” Rosh asked as Dexter was turning to him.
Dexter grinned and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek as well. “I was just going to say that, but you earned it,” Dexter said.
The others laughed, Jenna forgetting the discomfort she had felt when she had watched Dexter embrace Keshira. Rosh just stood there uncertainly, his cheeks flushing red.
“Captain, we’d better be going, Duballin said they were about ready to take Port Freedom,” Jenna reminded him.
“Right you are!” Dexter said, reminded of their haste. “Come on, we have to get out of here before the fighting starts.”
“Too late,” Kragor told him. “It started on our way here. Keshira knew how to find you with her bond to you, so we let her lead us. We were set upon a few times on the way, mostly by strangers or elves. The city watch seemed to recognize us and leave us be.”
Dexter cursed. “We’ve already wasted too much time, let’s go!”
They hurried out, Kragor leading the way with his short legs pumping out a pace that was a challenge to follow.
Duballin burst into the room, having been alerted by the magical wards that had monitored the door of Jenna and Dexter’s escape. He looked around, fists clenched and teeth grinding. “Enough! Release one of the slayers to track her down and be done with her!”
“And the human?” Krotal asked.
Duballin shrugged. “Kill him too, though he is no concern.”
Krotal nodded and hurried out, intent upon doing as Duballin had bid him.
Dexter and his crew made their way as quickly as they could through the besieged streets. Everywhere people were fighting, running, or trying to hide. Of those that fought, few knew what or who they were fighting, or even if they were friend or foe. Other than a few brief skirmishes that ended with no injuries, they found if they kept to themselves they could usually avoid any troubles.
Their plan worked fine all the way to the docks. There they discovered some intense pockets of fighting. Several ships were on fire as well, which caused them all to rush heedlessly through the people milling about the docks. From the side came something small streaking out from the shadows between two buildings towards Jenna.
Jenna grunted when it collided with her, sending her tumbling to the ground. The others pulled up short and stared in shock at the chaotic arrangement of flying hair and limbs. The elf was unable to counter the strength of the thing that had her, but did manage to keep the gnashing teeth from biting into her tender throat. The nails of the creature sent against her dug into her arms, making blood flow down her skin freely.
Jenna managed to roll over so that she was on the ground and her attacker was atop her. They remained in this position, straining against one another, long enough for them to get a good look at their attacker. She was
