Thalia walked down the stairs, the stench of blood heavy, as she lit a flame in her hand, the area flickered to life, and she saw more cages, more people.
She looked around, seeing bodies in armor, all throats cut.
She avoided two hands that lay on the ground, one body slumping against the wall.
"So this is what you can do?" Thalia called out, and the shadows rippled like disturbed water.
Jake walked into the light, a smirk on his face, as he took off the Jarian mask, a creature from ancient times that represented death.
His voice was calm, among the fearful sounds of the slave.
"This is what I do."
Thalia took in the corpses again—no signs of panic, no struggle.
Just stillness.
Quiet death.
A part of her, the soldier, respected the precision. The rest of her felt the old unease coil in her gut.
She sighed, "You know this doesn't mean I trust you."
"Of course not," he replied, voice collected and unconcerned.
Thalia looked at the bodies, then the cages, as people stirred. "You're the demon he was shouting about?"
Jake chuckled, a cold, sharp sound. "Men like him deserve to live in fear. I only put on an act," He gave a theatrical bow, his golden eyes shifting.
Thalia's eyes narrowed, "Does Elena-"
"No." His voice softened instantly. "Don't let her come down here. I promised I would avoid killing…" His tone faltered, and something sorrowful flickered behind his eyes. "I've been tracking these men for a while. Counting their crimes," he pointed to a body that was lying on the ground.
"Killed five children over the span of three months," he pointed at another, "raped and killed nine women," as his hand shifted to another.
Thalia raised a hand sharply. "Enough." Her voice was tight, shaking with anger she refused to show fully. "She won't come down here." Their eyes met—an unspoken agreement. "And I would've done the same." The flame in her hand flared slightly, "Except they'd be nothing but ash."
Her voice was snarled at the thought of the other eighteen men's crimes, now dead.
Jake nodded, rubbing his face as if trying to wipe away the weight of the names he carried. He cursed under his breath.
Thalia exhaled, the flame settling as her eyes looked at him, seeing the same weight that she carried, yet he carried that weight at a much younger age than her.
Her gaze shifted to the cages; she saw many horrors, caused them even.
Yet slavery was something that always made her uneasy as she saw frightful eyes staring back at her.
Eyes she was gonna save, not slaughter.
Thalia exhaled as her posture took on a more caring shape.
Jake noticed her shift, then followed her gaze to a small child peering at them with wide eyes.
He grimaced. Then he softened his posture, approaching with care.
"Hey," he murmured, crouching down, his form more calm and soothing. "Everything's gonna be okay," he whispered, his golden eyes glimmering, as he sat down in front of the cage.
"Wolf ears," the child spoke softly, their eyes meeting.
Jake chuckled, and he slowly bent over, letting the child have a closer look. The mother in the same cage clutched her child, pulling them away from the man who slaughtered their captors.
Thalia met the mother's eyes, "We are here to save you." Her voice was soft and gentle, the military mask dropping.
The mother watched them: Jake's friendly smirk, Thalia's reassuring eyes, and the flame that fluttered in her hand. A beacon in the darkness, the mother slowly let the child walk to the edge of the cage and pet Jake's ears.
Thalia watched him with new eyes.
Lockvry heir. Undercity shadow. Schemer. Assassin. Yet here he was—letting a terrified child pet his wolf's ears in fascination as his tail thumped against the stone floor.
"You are…" Thalia's amber eyes searched him, the man who just killed twenty men, now playful, "surprisingly good with children."
Jake chuckled, "Always been, I guess Elena isn't the only one that likes my ears," as he winced as the child pulled too tight. He lowered the child's hand, escaping their grasp, but he held their hand.
"Elena," Thalia muttered, rolling her eyes.
"What were her questions, anyway?" Thalia asked, smirking as Jake faltered at the question, remembering their… intimate moment.
"Just some questions about my idea," he said, his voice up an octave.
Thalia sighed, "Damn younglings,"
Jake snorted, "Not much luck?" he quipped.
A tiny fireball whizzed past his shoulder. He lazily dodged, both mindful of the child.
"I have plenty of luck, you mutt," she growled.
Jake laughed, tail flicking.
"I still don't like that you two are together," Thalia grumbled.
Jake shrugged. "You have everything handled?" as he stood up, putting his hands in his pockets, relaxed in the room of death.
The child going back into their mother's grasp.
Thalia surveyed the room like the commander she was—experienced, unflinching. "Yes. The dead here will be… lightly mentioned. Blamed on overeager mercenaries."
Jake hesitated, glancing at the corpses he had killed in silence and not in battle.
"Uh—"
"I am the Flame of Helver," she cut in evenly. It wasn't reassurance—it was authority. Her domain.
"Alright, I shall leave now," Jake said as he started to walk off.
"Shadow," Thalia called out.
"Yeah," Jake asked, looking back.
"You have my respect," Thalia said, as she gave him the Glatith salute.
Jake shook his head as he waved and slipped back into the shadows.
Thalia sighed as she looked at the cages, her fist tightening once more, knuckles white.
"My lady, we need your assistance," A guard called down.
Thalia looked back at the stairs, then to the mother and child. "I swear on my title that I will be back," her eyes meeting the mother, and she nodded.
Thalia ran up the stairs and looked around, not seeing any fighting, only people frozen, their eyes lingering on a large cage in the back.
She looked at the guard, "Well?"
The guard gulped, "Um, my lady, I-it's."
"Spit it out," she snapped, heat flaring behind her irises.
"It's a damn Elf," Korbin said, speaking for the nervous guard.
Thalia froze as she saw Korbin walking up to her, his helmet off and his blue eyes staring back at her.
Thalia processed the words as she looked at the large cage.
Inside the large cage stood a tall elf woman so still, so eerily composed, she looked carved from ancient marble. Her skin was pale, almost luminescent beneath the grime of captivity, and her long white hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, untouched by the filth of the warehouse.
Her eyes were the most striking feature: deep, unsettling crimson, glowing faintly in the lamplight, both regal and haunting. They were sharp—too sharp for someone who had been caged—like she was assessing everything around her, calculating, listening.
Her robes, though torn and beaten from mishandling, still held a quiet majesty. Layers of muted green and teal fabric draped elegantly over her frame, the high collar and braided gold ornamentation marking her as someone of importance—noble, scholar, or something older still. Even battered, the garments looked ceremonial, traditional in a way that did not match Altor.
She stood barefoot on the cold metal floor, yet her posture didn't so much as waver. Her hands rested calmly at her sides, yet were bound by stone sea-green chains.
Nothing about her said slave. Everything about her said power restrained.
And when her crimson eyes lifted and met Thalia's, it was like the air shifted ancient, watchful, and dangerously aware."I thought-" Thalia stammered."Same here," Korbin said, rubbing the back of his neck."H-have they returned?" Thalia asked, her mind still whirling with the implications of the Elves returning after the War, after being gone for a millennium.
How would the other kingdoms react? How would the world react to a race once thought to be wiped out, now returned?
Thalai's eyes returned to Korbin."You sure she is an elf?"
"Pointed ears and all," Korbin sighed, looking back at the Elf.
"Fuck," Thalia muttered.