He crept after and regretted that he didn’t have Andier’s leather armor on for the dozen throwing knives he could hide within it, and the rope belt that might help him bind someone if needed. Feeling exposed made him count on stealth and his hand-to-hand fighting if it arose. He still wore the Trinity Ring if he got hurt, but he always wondered how close to death he could get and it still save him. He just didn’t want to find out.
Eric brushed another door open as he listened for sounds within, seeing dancing light from what he assumed was a torch he didn’t see yet. He suspected no other escape existed. If he’d trapped someone, this would turn into a fight. He shoved the door wide and crouch, and as he did, he heard nothing fly over his head to strike the wall. But he saw someone standing to one side far against the wall.
“Andier of Roir,” said the figure in elvish, “I am glad you came, and I mean you no harm, even after what happened the last time we met.”
The room suddenly brightened as the figure touched another torch to the one on the wall. The figure remained still and Eric rose to his full height, casting one look back at the way he’d come. They appeared to be alone, and he stepped into the room for a better look. He had been right about the race, the dark elf before him wearing black plate mail with silver insignias on it. The black skin and white hair made him wonder how this one had gotten so far inside the castle, given that one look at him would have alerted the guards. It gave Eric even more reason to be suspicious. But recognizing the man, partly from the scar on one cheek, was what really put him on alert.
“You’re the one who tried to kill us at the Quest Ring with the goblins and ogres.”
The dark elf nodded. “Regrettable, but necessary.”
Eric wanted to test his opponent before any blows and said, “I could say the same about killing you now.”
From his smile, the dark elf seemed genuinely amused. “I did not come here to die or threaten others with death.”
“Then why are you here?”
“For peace.”
“Explain.”
“I would rather do so to both King Sondin and King Varrun as well as you and your companions at once, but I understand you must agree to get me an audience. It is why I sought you out.”
That surprised Eric. “You sought–” He cursed himself. This was a trap. He had been lured here. He needed to be smarter about that from now on. “Why don’t you give me the short version.”
“It is my intention to remove my king,” the elf began. “I will take his place, withdrawing elves from Aker to Kiarven and brokering a peace between the kingdoms. In exchange for the help of the Ellorian Champions in achieving this, I will also release the royal prisoners. There is no need for the war that is brewing.”
Now the elf had his attention. Maybe this was the guy who had information they needed to complete this quest, but there was at least one problem with this, aside from a serious trust issue, of course. “You do not have the authority to make such a deal.”
The elf nodded. “And yet I can make it happen.”
“Who are you?”
“Prince Dravo of the House of Alrond, former general of Kiarven. Some recognize my lineage. Others do not, for I am in exile.”
Well, that was interesting, Eric thought. “And why are you in exile?”
“There are those who believe the elves should reclaim territory that was once ours. The king is among these. I do not, nor do many of my kin, and they made an example of me for being outspoken about this.”
Eric wasn’t prepared to take a single comment at face value. If this dark elf was going to lie, he would have to do it extensively and immediately. “Why didn’t they just kill you?”
He frowned. “His son Prince Kammer wanted this, but I am royalty, or I was until they stripped me of my titles and land. The king spared me, to humiliate me, I believe.”
“And yet you would kill him,” Eric interrupted, trying to throw him off balance. He glanced back into the hallway again, since he still stood in the doorway and someone could see him.
Prince Dravo cocked an eyebrow. “I did not say I would kill him, though it is likely necessary. They thought they would suitably demean me to live among others not of my kind, but they underestimated me. I command a considerable force.”
“Of goblins and ogres?”
“Among others. I had thought to use them to strike at the king, but then they invaded Aker. Since then I have been waiting for a good opportunity and often working beside the same elven forces I used to command. Many are still secretly loyal to me, I have learned. This does not surprise me.”
“You are not exiled from Aker?”
“I was exiled from Kiarven before the conquest of Aker. Now that they claim Aker as theirs, some say my banishment should extend through it as well. Prince Kammer certainly wants this, but the king appears to find it amusing that I lead a band of brutes, as he calls it. He allows me to remain.”
Smirking, Eric said, “So you just want to be king? Is that it?”
“No. That is a means to an end. I want the elves to withdraw to Kiarven and be done with these lands. We do not need them. Many of us don’t want them, but the king wants to reclaim something lost a thousand years ago. He has done great harm to elven kind, and I want it to end.”
Eric suspected something and had to ask, “Is there more to this? You must want your old life back, or family,
