Kinda, Lol. Evie Is A Unwitting Detective Cause She Wants To Uncover A Family Mystery And Like, Survive,

kinda, lol. Evie is a unwitting detective cause she wants to uncover a family mystery and like, survive, but she initially is doing it with the Force of Improvisation tm, though she gets better (like her father, the best detective in the world and her mother, an adventurous magic archeologist), Clarence isn’t much of a “fatale” in any sense, he is barely figuring out like, “How to Human” after growing up sheltered in the vampire world, but beneath his awkwardness is a very sophisticated, witty guy, so we can say that the title can works, a bit lol

(WIP - Enchanted Illusions, Gothic Victorian Fantasy)

a girl who is a noir detective man and a guy who is a femme fatale

Happy STS! Hope you've been having a good week, and thank you so much for the follow 💕

What's your 'elevator pitch' for each of your OCs? You can include information such as who are they as a person, what is their role in the story, things like that! Feel free to elaborate as much or as little as you'd like!

Hello, @elshells! Thank you so much for the ask! 💕

This is an amazing question and I took my time answering it!

(It is worth noting that, since The Last Wrath - my medieval dark fantasy WIP - is my main current work in progress, I only used the characters from this book to answer this ask. I have quite a few other WIPs, one of them being Enchanted Illusions - my Gothic Victorian Fantasy - and a sci-fi WIP named SUPERNOVA Initiative, but it would be far too many characters if I did a pitch for all of them, so I chose just TLW 😂)

These are not all my characters, but some of the main cast:

RAELEN ASHIREN: The Forgotten Rebel

A young troublemaker from a forgotten but once powerful mageborn family who finds herself swept into the world of mysteries and intrigues of their continent after her oldest brother, Julyan Ashiren - her only living blooc relative - is captired by an ancient group of corrupted sorcerers with a bloody agenda, who want to see her dead. Now she faces a race against time to rise up to her family's lost legacy if she wants to save her world from a war torn future.

AZRA MOORSWORTH: The Dragon Rider

The adoptive son of the High General of Kestrall and the surrogate brother of Raelen and Julyan that has always lived with deep seated unanswered questions about his past and origins. Wanting to do what is right, he ind himself swept into the chaos of his surrogate sister's lives as they flee together from the destruction of everything they have known and into a rebellion that might depend on them to suceed. But some secrets of the past are better left forgotten.

VALLERIUS ZYNDROSAR: The Fallen Heir

A conflicted young man living on the run that has singlehandedly managed to become the most wanted man by the Morosyn Empire. Living with constant guilt for his past, he has dedicated two years of his recent life to finding a way to stop his world's ongoing shadow war and change his supposedly inevitable twisted fate. When his path crosses that of Raelen's - the daughter of a Mageborn house that was thought to have been destroyed centuries ago - he decides to face his past and help her in her rebellious quest.

JULYAN ASHIREN: The Last Sun

Raelen's older brother and only living relative, he has raised his sister alone ever since their parents disappeared in a mysterious mission. Living with the constant fear of being found by their enemies, he did everything in his power to protect Raelen and prepare her for a future he knew was coming. After he is forcibly captured by the Secret Court, he is forced to face a secret about himself that even he didn't know about, as he struggles to find a way to escape his dangerous predicament.

PRINCESS ELLINOR DALLANTES - The Lost Princess

A princess scorned who had her birthright ripped away from her at an early age, after the royal family of Arkellya was slaughtered and her conniving uncle ascended the throne, now allied to the Morosyn Empire. Saved from the carnage and raised by the best assassin on the continent, she would grow up to rouse the sleeping fires of a rebellion long in the making to restore her family's stolen dues and bring an end to the reign of conquest of the Morosyn Empire. Along with her closest friends - young yet talented outcasts - she sees to undermine her enemies from within, and might just need the help from a certain duo of Mageborn to achieve her goal when the Secret Court closes in.

LORD NETHEN FAHRIS - The Noble Rival

A young noble from a powerful family of royal advisors to the young Emperor Aerich, Nethen grew up knowing that, if he was to be more than just a pawn in their crooked games, he'd have to learn to work from the shadows, and to manipulate the situations around him to his every whim. Only then could he achieve his goal. To do so, he made himself undeniably yet subtly necessary to the political stage around him, though it was a lonely existence. Everyone around him had their petty schemes and agendas, he knew that very well. There were almost no people that he trusted, let alone respected. Until he met a Ellinor. For the first time, he had a worthy opponent, a rival worthy of his respect and quite possibly, his only equal - as perhaps the one person who could understand him, the one person that could dance the deadly dance of their world’s intrigues with him without blinking an eye, someone, who saw him for himself - the man behind the mask. 

ZEPHYR TELLIAN: The Cursed Sorcerer

A talented sorcerer living in the aftermath of a brutal betrayal by one of the people who were closest to him, fallen prey to a terrible hatred Curse that caused his very magical affinity to become a source of pain and exhaustion. Zephyr was born in the war torn lands that once were the Kingdom of Eldon, in the height of the Agrannorian Civil War, and knew well the horrors of war. The hidden Order of Sorcerers had given him and his siblings a chance to survive, but he never would've expected this to bring his downfall. After surviving what was meant to kill him, he and his younger brother Jamie endured dire hardships as street children in the aftermath of a war, but Zephyr's magical talents - albeit restricted by his curse - and knowledge, along with Jamie's swordfighting abilities, got them accepted into the Liranthian Academies after a tourney. Now, Zephyr has dedicated himself to find an anti magic spell that can counter attack the abilities of the crooked Secret Court, but after discovering a horryfing truth, he and his brother just might have to turn to the budding rebellion in order to live another day.

DARIAN CAELESTIS: The Hidden Potioneer

A young aspiring potioneer, son of two important warriors from the dangerous kingdom of Ergyre - a place commonly known as the Iron Thorn of the Free Realms for a reason - finds himself living under a secret identity after the way comes to him, in an attempt to fulfill a long lost promise and find his missing childhood friend, a young elf who was captured by a mad enemy warlord from the Morosyn Empire. Darian never wanted to fight, and never thought he could, but he will do whatever it takes to get his friend back, even if the person he finds has been pushed far from the boy he used to know.

TANWIN LYRANDETH: The Soldier

Once a naive and sweet young boy, unaware of the true horrors of his world, Tanwin has been twisted into a weapon of war after his capture during the invasion of the borders of Ergyre by the Morosyn Empire. After years of a living hell, he finally manages to escape his captors and free himself, but the last thing he would have expected would be to find his long-lost childhood friend as a rebel on the other side of the war. Torn between the person he was turned into and the one he used to be, he will do anything to keep his recently reunited friends safe, especially if it means bringing the war to those who forged him for it.

NADINNE AHMIRAH: The Seafaring Lady

A girl with dreams of freedom, who yearns to sail the seas and tame the waves like her ancestors did, finds herself trapped in the luxurious world of the nobility of Vellamere. Her family ascended from anonimity to great wealth a few generations back, becoming courtiers in the thriving portuary kingdom of the continent, but even so, Nadinne yearns for more - to be able to fight the injustices of their world and to meet new places, like her uncle and aunt who were adventuring privateers before their ship misteriously sank. After meeting a certain mercenary with a broken connection to the rebellion and discovering that one of her closest friends is a rebel spy, Nadinne makes it her personal mission to join them - especially after discovering first hand the horrors their enemies can inflict on those who stand in their way.

LUCIYA ANYNTH: The Free Outlaw

A young rogue to whom freedom is the highest value of life, she had spent her youth stealing from the Empire where she was born. Before this, she was the daughter of a lowborn man who had become important in their home kingdom, before he was wronggully framed and imprisoned for charges he was innocent of - a way for the Imperial nobility to get rid of the only person who knew secrets that could bring their reign toppling down. Afterwards, she found herself taken in by a group of forest dwelling kids, whom, like her, had been abandoned by the very cities of their birth. Her happiness was stolen from her after a heist gone wrong and a sudden betrayal, which forced her to become a servant to the very noble family that ruined her life in the past. Now, she seeks to find her freedom once again, and a befriending a certain rebel spy may be her only chance to do this.

CASSANDER FYNN: The Rebel Spy

An extremely knowledgeable young man, Cassander was taught by his parents the value of secrets and illusions. Son of a soldier and a mystical woman, Cassander suddenly found his calling by joining a budding rebellion, using his talents to become the best spy currently under the employ of the rebellion. He could lie, cheat and deceive his way into almost any enemy ranks, and the secrets he kept could quite possibly be the difference between the success of the lost princess' rebellion and a brutal failure.

@elshells

Happy STS! What do you think you like the most about your villain/s in your story/ies?

Oh, this is a great one!

I have many villains in my main WIP - The Last Wrath, but also in my other smaller works in progress as well (such as Enchanted Illusions, or some others that I have yet to post), with varied roles and importance in the story, but I think that what I like the most about them is that, I try to make even the most terrible kind of person in the book have clear motives and backstory - not in a sense that it justifies their actions, absolutely not, but more as to showcase that they’re not just the typical mustache twirling evil guy archetype. They’re evil, cruel and conniving bastards, but I think I have managed (at least I hope so) to give them nuance - as in, they do the things they do, because they believe those things are right (in their twisted and sick world view). Some of them even see themselves as the heroes of their own story, others know they are cruel monsters and have embraced it, while some are just the kind of bastards that are too deep in their own self-righteousness to care, and others are deeply conflicted knowing that they have strayed from their original intentions but are too far gone to go back. But no matter what kind of villainy they enact, they believe in it due to their experiences, worldview, personality and beliefs, they see their path as the right one and are not afraid to destroy anything in the way of their goals because they see them as the ultimate choice. At least, I hope I am doing so correctly in my stories!

Thank you so much for the ask, @lassiesandiego!

Get to Know My OC Tag Game:

Thank you for tagging me @rickie-the-storyteller!

(Disclaimer: I may have to adapt some of the original questions to fit the context, as the story takes place in a medieval-esque fantasy setting, and will add some questions that I’d like my character to answer that may explain some other things about them. Also, I wasn’t comfortable enough - for some unexplained reason - to use 1st person words for the Interviewer - such as me or I - and so the Interviewer is in a generic 2nd person POV)

[The following character (and the ones that will follow in other posts like this) belongs to my Medieval Dark Fantasy WIP, The Last Wrath. The picture is just a face claim found on pinterest, as I haven’t had time to make character art for the entire cast of my book, and said picture belongs to its respectful owners.]

Let us begin!

A door opens, and 16, soon to be 17, year old Raelen Ashiren strides in. She bears a reckless smile on her face, and her steps are carefree and confident as she walks closer, grasping your hand in a firm hand shake. Her smile is a litle crooked, you notice, and just as wild as her heart. She is an unusual kid of pretty, messy long brown hair carelessly pushed away from her face in thin braids, and warm skin that bears a few small scars. Her clothes are loose and simple, designed for practicality while retaining that unmistakable burst of personality that permeates everything about her presence, a starry purple scarf giving her attire a dash of color. You can’t help but notice that while her clothes are simple and clearly worn by her frequent adventuring, they are not in a bad shape either. 

Her voice is fast and joyfully loud, but her words carry a strong sense of warmth and honesty. You can see clearly in her bright eyes every emotions that she is feeling, and like an open book they tell you a story of someone who is brave and wild, but at the same time full of joy... with a touch of something else you can’t quite place. She takes a seat in front of you, awaiting eagerly for the questions you may be inclined to ask.

1) Are you named after anyone?

Raelen: Yes, I am. Heh, I um, was named after my paternal grandmother, though her name was a bit different from mine. She was called Raellyn, and my parents adapted the name to Raelen for me, I guess it was so as to avoid confusion between the names... She was a great warrior, and the pride of House Eiriant during the years she lived - I think my Da wanted her legacy to live on somehow after I was born, even if just in her name, so ... here I am, Raelen. (Cue a laugh and little jazz hands as she finishes her answer)

2) When was the last time you cried? 

Raelen: Well, isn’t that a loaded question, (she chuckles awkwardly, bringing her hand up to fiddle with her necklace), one that I’d rather not answer...(she quietly adds, before begrudgingly sighing)... But I guess, if you really want to know, it was when my older brother Julyan was captured by a bunch of assassins... and I couldn’t do anything about it.  I’m still looking for him, and I don’t know if we’ll find him anytime soon. (her lip wobbles a bit as she looks up towards you) Can we move on to another um... topic now? 

Interviewer (you): Oh, my... um, I wasn’t expecting that, I’m so sorry... (you/the interviewer plaster their best smile on their face, trying to smooth things over) Of course, let’s move on!

Raelen: (her breathing sags a bit in relief and she smiles back at you) Thanks.

3) Do you have kids?

Raelen: What the hell? (She mutters awkardly in a laugh) Of course not, like, I’m barely not a child myself, and I don’t think I want another person to worry about in a world like mine, at least not in the foreseeable future and until I am an adult and have everything figured out. Even if I was not living on the run or there wasn’t a war between the realms about to happen, that would probably still be my answer. (She runs a hand through her hair, chuckling a bit and leaning forwards towards you, as if sharing a secret). With an adoptive brother like Azra flying around on a dragon, I’ve got my work cut out for me right now... (Suddenly she becomes pensive) I can’t imagine how Julyan handled it, like, caring for me and Azra when he was just a kid himself after our parents... you know. I don’t think I would have been able to do that so well even now... (After a pause she taps her hands on her knees, smiling once again.) Either way, circling back to your question, no, I don’t have kids nor plan to have them any time soon.

4) Do you use sarcasm?

Raelen: (smiling with a hint of laughter) Only every day! I’m trying to cut down a bit on it, that seems like a habit that is cut out to get me into more trouble than I already am, heh. But with the company I keep, I’m surprised I’m not more sarcastic or swearing like a sailor, because let me tell you, my friends can be either brilliant or the stupidest people I have ever met and there’s no in between. There are days where they are really testing my patience and I love them for it. (She laughs) I guess sarcasm runs in the family, but I try my best to be um ... politer.

5) What's the first thing you notice about people?

Raelen: Um, I guess I’m kind of good at telling when people are lying to me or have ill intentions. Everyone has a tell, though some may be harder to understand than others. I think it rather comes as a necessity when you live in Agrannor, but I’ve met some people that can prove that thought otherwise in a second (She pointedly stares at Vallerius). Also, personality wise, I am also quick to notice the little quirks and expressions, the small characterictics that tell us what they are really feeling even if their words won’t. But all of this only applies to when I am in a good or focused mood, because if I’m scared or angry the deal is totally off and I may or may not be really bad at those things I just said under those circumtances, heh.

6) What's your eye colour?

Raelen: Hazel green. At least, I think that’s what I think it is. Oh, and they only change color a small bit when I use my magic, which is something I don’t know what to make of. I’m still practicing, Vall’s teaching me more about magic, so I hope I can get those cool colorful eyes in the future, (she geeks out a bit) though I guess mine are already pretty sweet. 

7) Any special talents?

Raelen: I’m Mageborn, which means that I was born with magic in my blood, unlike a regular human. So I can cast spells and change things in the world around me with them. My family is pretty ancient, especially my Mom’s side of the family - House Ashiren, hence the surname - and we’ve been mages since before the Ancient War. (She twirls her necklace in her hands, thinking, and a small smile appears in her face) When I was a kid - after our parents disappeared and it was just me and Julyan - we didn’t have much other than our own company, so Julyan used to tell me all those tales about our ancestors, to make me feel better - powerful warriors and mages fighting to rid the kingdoms of the scourge of the Secret Court (Raelen raises her arms a bit, enthusiastically, like one would telling a heroic tale) - and I used to dream of becoming a hero, like they had been... So, as far as special talents can go, I think I have them - I can do magic, I am a mage after all, though I wish I could be better at it. I’ve been improving a lot recently, ever since Valleriusand I started practicing together!  Though I think I may never be as strong in the magical arts as Julyan is - I’ve always been more like my Da after all, Julyan’s far more like our Mom than he’d admit, and that includes being extremely talented with fire magic. Other than the magical side of my um, “talents”, I’m a ... good  swordfighter, I guess, and I’m kinda good with daggers. I can defend myself pretty well, but that’s about it. (She laughs heartedly) I can’t shoot an arrow to save my life though. Other than that, my real  passions lie on investigating forgotten things about old magic and adventuring! Does that count as a talent? I think it doesn’t, but does it count?

Interviewer (you): Uh... I don’t know, maybe?

Raelen: (smiling) Great! Because I’m a pretty good adventurer then, heh, though most people around me prefer to call me a troublemaker for some reason... (she says, a sarcastic lilt to her voice) I guess it does have a good ring to it, though adventurer sounds far more... heroic. I’m still workshopping that one, but adventurer sounds much cooler than troublemaker. 

8) Scary tales or happy endings?

Raelen: Uh, life in the continent is already one scary tale and a half on my opinion, I mean, you have wars in one hand, intrigue in another, a bunch of crazy corrupted sorcerers wanting to rewrite the word in blood and everything that twisted magic entails, such as the Shroud around the forests back home. So, if I have to choose which story I want to tell or hear around the fire, I definitely  would go with one that ends at least remotely happy. The heroic ones are my favorites, if you can’t already tell. I think that hope is a important skill to have in any situation, especially in dangerous ones, so a story that is inspiring to some extent or at the very least tells us something interesting, is definitely better than a terrifying one. But I maybe got a bit too caried away here (she chuckles)....

9) Where were you born?

Raelen: I was born in my family’s ancient estate near the Forests of Midtaren, during the Agrannorian Civil War. A while later, when I was around like maybe four or five, our parents went in a strange mission and never returned. Julyan and I had to move to the Kingdom of Kestrall  all by ourselves, where our godmother is High General and had made a promise to our father that she would protect us if the worst came to pass. The journey to get there however.. um, is something I’d rather forget and never talk about again...

10) What are your hobbies?

Raelen: Running in the forests around Kestrall, sparring, sneaking into the Dragon’s Spire with Gareth - he’s my best friend by the way (she smiles)- and seeing all the new dragons that the Riders are training, talking, annoying the guards, watching Julyan make runic weapons, stealing old books from the Royal Archives -

Interviewer (you): Woah, woah... Wait a second, that’s already a whole lot but... stealing?

Raelen: (Laughs sheepishly) Um, kinda...? Look, its not really stealing, its complicated... the Archives are open to the public, but I got banned from ever entering those halls again because I spoke against that shithead of the Captain of the Guard (She says the title mockingly), after he, um... hurt my brother (She looks clearly uncomfortable/scared at the memory, before she clasps her hands together). Anyways... so there’s that, and now I kind of had to sneak away the books and tomes that I want, though I can’t do it anymore because I’m currently living on the run across the continent. (She chuckles and lifts her eyebrows sarcastically). Listen, if it makes you feel better, Julyan and Azra told me not to sneak into the Archives... at least for the first 10 times. 

Interviewer (you): (clearly concerned, muttering to yourself) That’s so much worse though... (The Interviewer/You clear your throat)... Anyways, let us move forward...

11) Do you have any pets?

Raelen: I wouldn’t call Mystral that heh... She’s this dragon that we’ve got that like, is following us around ever since we uh - snuck her away from the Dragon Spire to escape a bunch of assassins and Azra crash landed us gloriously in the forest. (She giggles, then catches Azra staring daggers at her and answers by making a face at him). Gods, we’d better hope she didn’t hear us calling her a pet... because according to Vallerius’ translations of what she is thinking, she’s uh... (she then begins talking with a mock majestic voice) “The Tamer of Storms and the Scourge of the Earth, cower before me ye mortals” or something along those lines. (Raelen leans closer, whispering to you with a smirk)...But she does look and act like a cat, so I can’t really take her seriously and neither should you. She insists that she needs mittens for the winter, even though she generates enough heat to light up ten forges and has claws the size of a broadsword, and claims that its a disgrace that were not taking such “an important request” seriously in the middle of a war - though now that I think of it, that might just be Vallerius screwing us over with his shitty half-assed translations of Old Dragon Speech. (She narrows her eyes towards the long haired boy across the room, who pointed avoids her gaze).

12) What sports do you play/have played?

Raelen: Look, this isn’t really a sport, but I’ve sparred against some of the older Dragon Knights in a swordfigthing tourney of winter’s solstice Festival a few years ago, and did a pretty great job at it, I think. That is, before a stray spear knocked me on the helmet and left me unconscious for like, two hours. Teiva - that’s the General, our godmother - thought it was funny and seemed impressed, while Julyan nearly had a heart attack and the lecture that followed made me wish I was still asleep. But the food at the festival was good! So there’s that.

13) How tall are you?

Raelen: I don’t know exactly, but average height, maybe? Sometimes I think I am a bit taller than other kids my age, but that may be because Azra and Gareth are little ankle-biters, (she turns around as Azra prostests in the background, a smirk on her face as she sarcastically calls out). I think you’re proving my point, huh?

Interviewer (you): (The Interviewer/You smile as they start to bicker and nudge Raelen on the shoulder to catch her attention) This was one heck of a wild ride, Raelen! I hope you figure things out in your life again, and that you’ll find your brother soon. Thank you for coming to my interview!  

Raelen: This was a really fun experience! Thanks for having me, I really got to go though. Have like, an Empire to topple, a brother to save, a rebellion to help.. uh, anyways, a lot of things that I don’t want to burden you with... Bye! 

@lassiesandiego​ @writernopal​ @lyutenw​

Flash Fiction Friday:

Prompt: Yes, Sir!

@flashfictionfridayofficiall

Flash Fiction Friday: Prompt - Yes, Sir!

Snippet from my Medieval Dark Fantasy WIP - The Last Wrath

“Zephyr felt bile rise up in his throat as he looked around Councilor Viltarin’s study. He had a strange feeling about the man ever since the foreigner noble arrived a few months back, but this, oh it was so much worse than anything he could ever have imagined. Now, he understood why this place was kept so tightly locked, and why not even cleaning staff had been allowed in - he had to steal a key using his magic, something that left him dizzy, sick and in pain due to his curse, and just entering this study had taken at least ten minutes of trial and error in the puzzle like locks of the door. Zephyr didn’t trust this man one bit, much less his sudden interest in Jamie's achievements as a knight-in-training. He prayed that his suspicions were wrong, but he would never have expected them to be so horrifyingly right.

All around him, scattered around the vast room, were testaments to this man’s insanity. Shrunken specimens in jars, elven fangs and horns meticulously arranged into a categories in shelves - some even still had blood on them, strange instruments he dared not imagine what uses they could have, and carelessly scribbled notes on yellowed out parchment were all around. There were strange skeletons of unfamiliar magical creatures he had never seen before, bloodstained iron manacles on one of the tables and even Fae wings were proudly rolled into a crystal cylinder that adorned the middle of the study. And by Gods, the smell of the room…. that was something he would not soon forget, the young man thought, forcing himself not to gag at the acrid scent of rotten blood and death assailing him from every direction. Zephyr walked to a wooden table, and took a look at the pages and pages upon it, his heart hammering in his chest making his curse pulse painfully through him. 

A strangely familiar symbol, scribbled in pitch black ink, was recurring on every single one of these pages, surrounded by strange words not even his vast knowledge of ancient language could seem to translate. It was barely readable, until it was. And his blood ran as cold as a stream in the winter when realization hit him. He knew this symbol, had seen it before - in fact, he saw it every night when he went to sleep, like a ghost that never ceased to haunt him. Memories flashed through his mind but he shook them away, firmly grasping the newest of the papers on the top of the stack, analyzing its contents with strengthened horror. But before he could begin any attempts to translate it, a noise shook him back to reality. He froze. Not as distant as he would have liked, he heard loud footsteps coming closer. 

He had to get out of here. 

Quickly, he pocketed the strange page into his robe, and turned around, looking for a way out, or at least, somewhere to hide. He panickedly walked around the room, but his options were very limited, there were only two doors, one towards the hallway - the one to which he had the key in his possession, though which Councilor Viltarin was likely going to walk out from at any moment - and another one that he did not have any clue as to where it led to, which was ever slightly ajar. The footsteps came to a halt, and Zephyr knew that the man was at the door by the sound of a twisting doorknob.

With no other option, and no time to lose, Zephyr raced towards the second door in an instant. Just as he carefully closed it behind him, he heard the man walk into the room. Behind him, he noticed a long winding stone staircase that spiraled downwards. From the space between the wooden boards, he watched as the grizzled man, carrying a strange package, paused, and for a moment, Zephyr thought that he had been seen. But soon, Viltarin kept walking, and the young man almost let out a sigh of relief, thankfully catching himself before he could make this mistake. Zephyr knew that, if he didn’t do something to distract him, he wouldn’t have the strength to run all the way down the stairs before the man caught him. So he waited patiently for the man to make his way to the table across the room, and then he acted. Moving one hand upwards, he willed the magic he’d spent months learning towards his fingertips, biting his lip to stiffle a cry as  as his entire body seemed to burn in fresh agony, ebony tendrils of his curse twisting beneath his skin, and with a small flash of green light, he brought all the shelves around Viltarin crashing down at once, creating a pile between him and the door.

The noise was so loud, it made for the distraction he sorely needed. Before the man could recover, he dashed as quickly as he could down the staircase, even though his vision blurred and doubled a few times from his pain as he made his way out of this very much acursed place. He felt sorry for all the lives of those creatures and people that man had ruined and turned into twisted items for his collection, which he brought crashing down onto him. But he had no time to dwell on that matter. They were already dead, and if he was not fast enough, so would be him and his brother. 

Finally, after moments that felt like an eternity, he reached the bottom of the stairs. A stone and oak door met him, and he cursed his luck when he found it locked, especially since the key he had didn’t seem to even budge the lock when he tried it. Upstairs, he could already hear the man rummaging through the fallen pile, and it wouldn’t be long until he carved his way to the door he’d run into. With a long suffering sigh, he momentarily rested his head against the cold stone, bracing himself once more, and twisted the inner workings of the lock with his magic. 

This time, he couldn’t hold back a small cry as his curse burned through him, almost falling to his knees when the door unlocked. Not wasting any time, he opened it. For a moment, everything was spinning - he knew he wasn’t supposed to use his magic like this more than once a day - as he found himself outside of the suffocating tower. Zephyr took a moment to weakly recompose himself, leaning against the grey brick wall as his legs threatened to give out beneath him. Gods, he was in so much pain. His hand clawed at the wall shakily as he took a deep breath, well aware of the fact that there were people watching even with his eyes tightly close to keep the world from spinning, and that the Councilor could be here in just a matter of seconds. It took everything he had to rip himself away from the only thing keeping him standing, as he straightened up and all but wobbled away from the tower. 

Zephyr soon was able to mix with the small crowd of passersby ahead, masking his struggle the best he could, and didn’t even care for the fact that he knew his face was ashen pale and he felt like he’d just fallen that set of stairs, as he put as much distance as he could between him and the door. Swiftly, Zephyr made the decision to take a sharp turn around one of the enormous marble statues around the building, pressing himself against the stone as he looked back over his shoulders. He saw Viltarin throw open the tower door, and quickly compose himself after receiving strange looks from the passerbys, a ravenous look in his eyes as he mercilessly searched the surroundings. Zephyr knew his options were very limited, and it wouldn’t take long for the man to discover his involvement in the invasion of his study, especially if he took notice of the missing page. So he had to make a choice, and fast. Jamie! His eyes went wide as he remembered that his brother was still alone in the training hall. If this bastard knew he was the one he was looking for, Jamie would be collateral damage in the wake of the Councilor’s wrath. Without a second to waste, he took off as fast as he could across the stone carved buildings, faster than he could ever consider possible, especially with the pain he was in. But he didn’t care. 

Pushing through the crowd with considerable speed, he made it through the series of sharp turns and vast courtyards, nearly toppling quite a few people and even some small statues in his way. He felt like he was going to drop dead at any wrong step but it didn’t matter. And so, with considerable effort, he covered the large distance between the tower and the Training Halls in less than a few minutes. 

Zephyr all but jumped the last steps that led to the arena, the sandy colored stone floor raking against the soles of his boots as he skid to a halt. And he was too late. Whatever feeling of terror he felt in that crooked study did not even compare to what he felt right now. Viltarin was already here, in the arena, talking to Jamie - who seemed completely oblivious as to the horrible danger he was in, a carefree smile on his lips as he talked to the politician. Zephyr wanted to wring that Councilor’s hand from where it was resting on his little brother’s shoulders, but, with his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, he quickly suppressed the urges. All that he could do was stand there, frozen in place, trapped in a situation that could destroy his life in a second. Even panting and ashen as a stone, his eyes did not betray his fear - only his fury. 

Viltarin’s eyes met his own, and it was like a patch of frozen ice just slid down his spine. 

“Well, look who is here, Jamie!” The man said, gesturing towards Zephyr with his free hand, while his other rested on Jamie’s shoulders, in a seemingly friendly, but horrendous, gesture. Zephyr bit his tongue to stifle the reply he truly wanted to give this man, refusing to look in his younger brother’s direction. He got him into this, now he had to at least get him out. If he could. “Because, I was getting worried…  Someone just broke into my study room, and they are still out and about. Why, I just left the place my self, seeing them leave with my own eyes, fearing for my life. My first thought was to check on our dear, sweet apprentices.” His voice held a fake, dangerous lilt to it as he continued, moving Jamie to stand closer to him. Jamie, now having clearly noticed the discomfort in his older brother’s face and the strange behavior of the Councilor, was as still as a statue. “You wouldn’t happen to know who did it, now, would you my boy?”

Viltarin said it, his fingers digging with far too strongly into Jamie’s shoulder, and action that made Zephyr startle forward, only for the man to stop him in his tracks with a dangerous tilt of his head. 

Zephyr swallowed, once he realized that the man expected an answer. His legs shook from the effort it took to run all the way here after using his magic, but he stood strong as he stared down the man. Steading his voice, he shook his head, carefully maneuvering his hands behind his back, to hide the tell tale marks of his curse that had yet to fade out. 

“No, sir, I do not.” He kept his voice even, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from flitting between the madenned Councilor and Jamie, who was getting more confused by the second, trying to squirm out of the claw like grasp of the nobleman. When that didn’t work, Zephyr caught how Jamie was about to move to hit the man, but stopped him with a terrified, warning glance. Viltarin noticed, and his eyes went cold, but instead of saying anything, he smirked. Zephyr desperately wished he hadn’t, because it was a sharp, ivory like smile that did not reach his eyes, and looked more like a threatening growl than anything remotely close to a smile. A lie.

“Really? because, it would be an absolute shame if that person were to, Gods forbid, make his next target someone younger, more defenseless” He punctuated his words by tightening his hold on Jamie, who looked just a second away from sucker punching the bastard at the defenseless jab. Zephyr would have been proud, if he wasn’t so mortified at the implications of what the man was saying. “But I guess unfortunate accidents can happen, and in the end, lives are just that, symbols on a page, waiting to be erased with a flick of a pen or the right amount of red ink.”

Zephyr knew the man could see in his eyes that he knew exactly what each of those words meant, and that this was a thinly veiled way of letting him know that he knew it was him, and that he had seen him leave with that page.

Viltarin swiftly let go of Jamie, with such strength that the boy would have plummeted to the floor, had he not been a training knight. Ignoring the younger’s protests, Viltarin stalked towards were Zephyr was all but swaying in place. He placed a threatening hand on the older boy’s arm with a wounding grip, pulling him slightly upwards. His voice was low, dangerously calm. Zephyr did not look at him, opting to stare blankly ahead.

“Do you understand what I am saying, my boy?”

Zephyr nodded, answering swiftly, though his voice shook.

“Yes, sir.”

Viltarin nodded back, realizing his death grip on the younger man’s arm. Zephyr just knew it would have been strong enough to bruise, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about that at the moment. Jamie watched in utter shock and confusion on from where he had been standing. The Councilor stopped in his tracks for a moment where he was already far behind them.

“I hope that, when this thief is caught, there isn’t any reason for anyone else to get hurt, over something so trivial. Maybe what happened in my study can serve as a warning for those unsuspecting to learn... caution. But I guess I prefer when things are left up to fate.”

With that, he finished, striding victoriously out of the arena.”

@lassiesandiego @writernopal @elshells @clairelsonao3 @lyutenw @rickie-the-storyteller

god I just. love ruthlessness as a character trait so much. sexy sexy sexy