Another bunch of Asgard logs
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xp_logsAngelo discovers Jubilee in a Dark Elven caravan, spends a little too long trying to free her, and is captured himself.
The elves, on the move again, had just been granted something of a stroke of luck. They'd happened across a Dark Elven caravan in the woods, and their presence appeared to have gone unnoticed so far. It was the perfect opportunity to strike a blow at the Dark Elves, without risking a direct attack on their city yet. As instructed by the King, the warriors of the group spread out, preparing to launch their assault.
"The Dark Elves have sworn our extinction," whispered Calin to Angelo as they crouched in the undergrowth, watching as the party filed past, apparently unsuspecting. "And they are much fiercer warriors than we - they love the spilling of blood and the inflicting of pain. That is why we must resort to such
cowardly action as an ambush."
Angelo nodded. "Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do." The two remained hidden for a little longer, waiting for the signal to move and attack the Dark
Elves along with the rest of their troop.
Calin gripped his sword nervously - as prince of his people, it was expected he would lead them into battle, but it was a role he felt no joy in. Only Angelo's presence, apparently calm and unruffled in the armour the King had presented him with upon his completion of his training, kept him from bursting from concealment in a panic. The outworlder had become more than a servant or vassal, at least to Calin - he'd become a friend. He only hoped his friend would
not be needlessly lost in the coming conflict; his father and Falla had shaped him as a weapon, and weapons were made to be used and discarded.
Then came the signal, the chirrup of a mockingbird, and Calin's hand tightened on the swordhilt. Nodding curtly at Angelo, he raised his hand and dropped it.
The signal to attack.
Angelo nodded an acknowledgment, and he and Calin moved in the same moment, standing and rushing forward from their hiding place, swords drawn and ready to
fight. As they had hoped, the Dark Elves were thrown into temporary disarray by the surprise attack.
Calin's people were outnumbered, but they had surprise on their side, and Angelo's example spurring them onward. Several guards died without even drawing their weapons, cut down by the ferocity of the attack. Calin led the charge, aiming at the most heavily-guarded litter, deducing rightly that the leader of the caravan was inside. Take him, and the whole group would fall into disarray.
Dimly he was aware of Angelo beside him, a grey-skinned blur as he hacked and
stabbed with a fierceness that took the Dark Elves aback.
Angelo was doing his best to defend both himself and Calin, guarding his friend's unshielded side when necessary. He had come to the same conclusion
regarding the litter they were aiming at, and did all he could to make a path for his fellow warriors to reach it.
***
Jubilee noticed her Lord and Master (tm) start up from where he was lounging among a mound of pillows, his face going distant as he communicated with someone
outside. Finally he reached over and took out a large, blood covered axe, his expression amused.
"Those dandelion sniffers have decided to grace us with their presence tonight. How droll of them, and here I was thinking I'd grow fat without some exercise. Do try to keep the place tidy while I'm gone, little one. Maybe I'll even bring you one of their heads as a present."
Jarrod stalked off, the axe balanced jauntily on his shoulder. It would appear that he'd seen this all before.
Outside...
Jarrod glared down at his minions, who had appeared to completely lose touch with their Dark Elf nature and were running around like a pack of untrained Goblins.
~ENOUGH! Sons of diseased feminine bovines. Form ranks, act like Dark elves, you scabious pustules, else you regret the day you were born.~ With that he
waded into the fight, his axe swinging left to right.
Calin glanced up at the bellow, and his face blanched at the way the large Dark Elf managed to regain some sense of order in the chaos. "So much for the element
of surprise," he called to Angelo, grunting as he blocked a sword strike on his own blade, his response slicing open his opponent's throat. "You take the bodyguard - I shall rally my people and distract them from your aim. Give this shadow-worshipper something to keep him occupied." It would have sounded better if his voice hadn't shaken a little.
Angelo nodded his understanding, and set about carving a path through the ranks of the Dark Elves, who clearly hadn't expected to be facing a warrior as keen
on fighting as they were. Choosing his targets carefully in order to make the quickest way to the bodyguard, he drew a step or three closer to Jarrod with each swing of his sword.
Sending two or three of the better warriors to watch Angelo's back (Falla included), Calin led the assault on the Dark Elf Lord's litter. Strangely the horde seemed unconcerned by this, but these were Dark Elves - they had no honour at all.
Jubilee could hear the battle going on outside, the screams of the dying. '~Not much loss there,~' she thought.
Waving her hand, a brief whirl of magic glimmered briefly around her cage. Couldn't hurt to lock the door of her cage, considering what might come in here
if the Dark Elves were killed.
Jarrod strode downwards from his wagon, thrusting aside his minions as he watched in amusement the young grey man making quick work of his hired help. He
appeared to be using some form of magic that allowed his skin to become a weapon as well as the sword in his hand. He made a note to find out the secret of this magic once he had the man in his grasp.
A flash of light to the left side made him turn, realising that in his focus on the grey man he'd allowed one of the light elves to sneak up beside him. He blocked a sword thrust and allowed himself to be drawn into the fight.
It didn't take Angelo long to dispose of all the hired soldiers directly blocking his path to the wagon, and he moved forward to the bottom of the steps. Time to see what the bodyguard was trying to keep safe - since it seemed the leader himself hadn't come out to fight, perhaps he was recovering from a previous battle, or something. Slicing out at one final Dark Elf who attacked him, he climbed the steps and entered the wagon.
In the fray, Calin saw Angelo climb the steps into the litter and smiled. As soon as Angelo came out with the head of the Dark Elves' leader, they'd realise these were no mere flower-fairies they were dealing with. Then a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see the tall Dark Elf - the bodyguard - standing over him with a look of amused boredom on his face.
"Shit," said Calin, using a word he'd learned from Angelo.
***
Jubilee had hidden herself in the small screened off area Jarrod had allowed her after she's screamed at him for a straight hour that she wasn't undressing in front of him. She supposed even bastard Elf Lords got sore ears eventually.
She peeked over the top and her eyes widened as she recognised Angelo. "~Angelo!~" she gasped out loud.
Angelo heard the gasp and spun, sword in hand, frowning as he registered that it had sounded oddly like his name, albeit with an unfamiliar accent. Looking around more carefully, he spotted Jubilee, still peering over the top of her screen, and his frown deepened in confusion. Two strides took him to the cage, so he could see better. "...Jubilee?!"
***
It took both hands to parry the axe strike with his sword, the Dark Elf was so strong. His hands a little numb from the shock of the impact, Calin thrust at his opponent's midriff, aware that his people were slowly being overwhelmed. They were going to have to break off the attack soon. His foot caught on a fallen body, and he fell backwards, bringing his sword up barely in time to block the overhand blow the descended on him. The Dark Elf grinned at him viciously and brought the axe down again, but Calin half-rolled away, slashing out at the giant's knees as he did.
***
Jubilee floated up from her hiding place, her small butterfly like wings vibrating with the speed of their movement.
She was wearing what appeared to be a rather sheer nightdress that moulded itself around her wings and a jewel encrusted gold collar that sat close against her skin.
She also happened to be the size of a wren.
"~Angelo, what the hell are you doing in here? You've got to go before he finds you.~" she yelled, before realising that he wouldn't understand her.
'~Damn you, Jarrod. You and your bloody collar.~' Jarrod had placed a collar on her soon after he'd changed her to her current form. Apart from constricting if she tried to go outside the range of the collar, it made her thoughts and speech that of the Dark elves.
Jubilee growled in frustration and tried to think of some way of communicating with her friend.
The language of the Dark Elves, though it had drifted a long way over time, did share a common root with that of the Light Elves, and a few words were still the same, meaning that Angelo had caught one or two words, as well as the tone, of what Jubilee was saying. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for him to really understand, but the note of fear in her voice said a lot, coupled with the word "go". He shook his head. "Gotta get you out of there", he muttered, studying the cage closely.
She sighed, her mind fighting against itself. The Dark Elven race had no room for friendship but she'd lived almost her entire life as a human, that history wasn't easily erased by a cultural transplant. Her thoughts might be Dark Elven, but her history wasn't.
"~Angelo, your ability to ignore a situation in order to honour personal attachments will get you killed.~" she said sadly, waving her hand over the cage door.
It opened, swinging softly outward as she floated out, her wings beating fast. "~There, I am free, see? Now go, before he comes back. Please?!~"
Angelo blinked at the apparent ease of her escape, knowing there was no way it could be as good as it looked. "Come with me. Now. My friends are keepin' the Dark Elves busy."
***
Another axe blow came down, and Calin scrambled backwards on his butt. The axe buried itself in the ground between his knees, and he jabbed his sword point at the Dark Elf's midsection. His opponent merely laughed and allowed the weak blow to scrape uselessly against enchanted armour before wrenching the axe out of the ground and swinging it across in an arc designed to take off his head. Calin ducked, the action throwing him flat on his back on the ground, and he waited for the fatal blow to fall...
...Only to open his eyes as the giant elf's triumphant chuckle turned into grunts of exertion and the clash of metal on metal. Cold determination in his eyes, Falla blocked and slashed and parried, forcing the Dark Elf back, inch by inch, with sheer bloody-mindedness. "Sound the retreat, my liege!" he grunted, blocking another axe-swing, but only barely - blood welled up from a nick on his unarmoured upper arm. "I'll hold this accursed night-rutter."
***
Jubilee shook her head, desperately trying to think of a way to tell Angelo that the collar she wore wouldn't allow her to go with him. Suddenly thinking of
something she flew up closer to him, making sure he could see her and pointed to the collar, before pointing to the door and then sliding a finger across
her throat. She then flew back toward the cage and hovered there.
"~Jarrod does not like to lose. He especially does not like to lose his pets.~"
Angelo nodded - he'd seen Battle Royale, and he thought he had an idea of what she was trying to say. Still reluctant to leave her there, he shot a glance towards the door, trying to judge the direct danger of Jarrod coming back. From the sounds outside, the battle was still in full swing, so he risked a little more time, reaching for Jubilee to look at the collar more closely.
***
"Fall back!" Calin called, rallying his men. They began doing so, retreating back to the shelter of the trees, fighting all the way. "Angelo! We need to
retreat!" he shouted towards the litter, before plunging back into the fray to help Falla.
Jarrod parried a blow from one of the Light Elves arrayed against him,
smirking down at his shorter foe. On the peripheries of his vision he noted
that most of the Light Elf host was retreating.
'Running like the dogs they are.' he thought. Bringing his axe around he made a glancing blow against the elf he'd heard one of the others call Falla, sending the elf spinning onto the ground.
Stepping forward, he moved in for the killing blow, only to have to stop mid
cleave and block a blow from another Light Elf. Turning, he growled in impatience, noting it was another Light Elf, this one much smaller.
He grinned ferally, the light of murder in his eyes. "Time to die, dandelion
eater."
Calin rushed in, dragging Falla backwards as another of their raiding party
distracted their foe. Jarrod made quick work of the youth who had dared challenge him. An insult really, you'd think these blasted light lovers could
do better then to send mere whelps after him. Still, it had given him some
sport for a moment at least, and watching them scramble to escape was entertainment in itself.
Insolently, he turned his back on the retreating Light Elven raiding party
and walked slowly toward his litter, intending on informing his pet about
the nights fun. She always had such a wonderful look on her face when he
described the sport he'd had during the day. Sometimes he wondered whether
he kept her around just for that look.
***
Angelo heard Calin's call and gave up on figuring out the collar, although he was still unwilling to leave Jubilee behind. Glancing at her regretfully, he knew he really had to go, before her "owner" came back. "I'll come back for you", he promised, turning back towards the door. "We'll get you out."
***
"Angelo!" Calin called again, the wounded Falla heavy on his arm. The Swordmaster had taken several hits from the large Dark Elf and was bleeding heavily. Another Dark Elf appeared in front of them and Calin slashed out at her blindly, biting back a cry as her returning blow found a gap in his armour and dug into his side. Savagely he struck at her again, sending her to her knees. "ANGELO!"
***
Jarrod strode into his litter, slamming the door behind him as entered. "Jubilation, where are you my pet?"
It was then he noticed the company his pet seemed to have acquired while he was out and without a thought, brought his gauntleted hand down on the boy's head.
Jubilee screamed at Jarrod as she saw the blow land. "~You graceless whore's progeny! You son of a diseased yak. You...you!~"
She gave up, she just couldn't find the words in Dark Elven to describe just what she thought of Jarrod and the confusion trying to think of a human word when the collar was forcing her thoughts onto Dark Elven paths was giving her a headache. There was still a chance Angelo could escape. If the blow hadn't killed him, she'd find a way to get them both out.
Angelo dropped like a stone, having barely had time to notice that Jarrod was there, let alone do anything about it, before the gauntlet connected, knocking him out cold.
***
"Your Highness! We must flee, before we are overwhelmed!" One of his party was tugging at his arm, as two others half-carried Falla into the thickest part of the woods where the Dark Elves would be hard-pressed to follow. Calin looked back at the litter again - there was no sign of Angelo. He was lost, then. Or captured. Grief hung heavy on his heart as he reluctantly nodded.
"Go. Get as many out as you can, carry the wounded. The day is lost."
****
Jarrod looked down at the boy he'd just felled, smirking. "So, this is the great champion the rumors have been circulating about for so long." He looked at his pet, who had floated down and was standing on Angelo's chest, her wings buzzing agitatedly. "Pity he had such loyalty, I assume he was trying to rescue you, my pet."
"Jarrod, you...You leave him alone. He is none of yours."
Jarrod bent down and picked her up roughly, squeezing her when she struggled. "What is and is not my concern, my pet, is my business. You would do well to remember who is master around here. I may rethink how far that collar of mine allows you to travel, otherwise."
Jubilee glared up at him sullenly, the light of rebellion in her eyes. "What will you do with him?"
He grinned ferally, poking the unconscious human with a booted foot. "I believe I shall put him on display. It will be amusing, if nothing else. What do you think, my pet? Will he make a good display?"
Angelo stirred a little and moaned as Jarrod nudged him, slowly regaining consciousness but still a long way from full waking.
Jubilee alighted on Angelo's chest, peering intently at his face. "~Jarrod, if you have done any permanent damage...~"
Jarrod sighed. "~You are beginning to become quite tiresome, Jubilation. I have not permanently injured the boy. After all, he would not make much of a display if he were a drooling idiot, now would he? Now, bring him with us, time he were put in his new home.~"
She sighed, raising back up into the air as she made a come hither gesture with her hand. Angelo's body floated upwards and followed the Lord and his pet out of the litter.
By the time Angelo woke up properly, he'd been safely installed in a much larger cage, one that took up fully half the wagon it was in. He raised his head groggily, then let it fall back to the wooden floor with a groan.
She noticed him coming awake and squeezed her way between the bars, sitting down on his right shoulder. "~Awake?~" she asked, tapping him lightly with her foot as she peered intently at his face. She hoped he was, she'd been sitting with him for the past hour, becoming more and more worried as he didn't come around. Jarrod had hit him fairly hard, and she needed to know how much damage that had done. She was also going to have to explain about the collar now around Angelo's neck, something that would be somewhat easier considering it had the same properties as the one around her neck, the focus point being this cage, rather then Jarrod as hers was. Still, he'd be able to understand Dark Elven, which gave her a friend to talk to, something she hadn't had in weeks.
She wondered suddenly if there were other people here from the school. She hadn't been able to talk to the merchants that came to trade with Jarrod, so had no news from the outside world. Perhaps Angelo knew why it was that they'd ended up in Asgard.
Angelo blinked, turning his head to the right to look at her. "Awake", he confirmed, wincing at the sharp pain in his head as he spoke and raising a tentative hand to explore the place where Jarrod had hit him.
Her wings buzzed softly as she looked at him with concern. "~Jarrod hit you hard. Are you able to tell how many fingers I am holding up?~" she asked, holding up two in front of his face.
Angelo frowned, suddenly realising he could understand her words and remembering that he hadn't really been able to before - and also becoming suddenly aware that he had been stripped of his possessions and most of his clothes. He focused on her hand. "Two. Why can I understand you now?"
"Jarrod. He had collars made by a Dwarf he once captured in exchange for freedom. They have special properties. As far as I have been able to figure out, they tie you to a particular focal point, giving you a certain radius of movement but they start to constrict when you go outside that. I spent a lot of time in the first week waking up from almost choking to death. Far as I can figure out, my focal point is Jarrod. Yours is probably gonna be the cage."
Jubilee made a gesture and floated over a bowl of thick stew. She'd been able to convince Jarrod that Angelo wouldn't make a very good display if he starved the boy to death. But feeding him had been left up to her. It gave her the perfect excuse to talk to him, so she was grateful for Jarrod's complete irresponsible nature in this case. "The other fun bit of course, is that it seems to completely take over language . Go ahead and try thinking in another language, you won't be able to. Of course, be ready for the headache, seems like the languages we already have, fight with the magic of the collar. Makes for interesting fun and games in the first few weeks, till your brain gets used to the short circuiting."
Angelo dropped his hand to his neck, running it over the collar with a scowl as he sat up slowly - it wouldn't be easy to eat his stew if he was lying on the floor. Assuming he decided it was safe to eat. "What's he gonna do with me, then? Killed a lot of his soldiers... An' did he make that?"
Jubilee suddenly burst out laughing, and then noticing Angelo's expression she shook her head, smiling. "Jarrod doesn't cook, it's beneath him. Guess it'd be like the Queen of England cooking her own stuff. He isn't the type to let you forget he's a Lord, if you know what I mean. Don't worry about the food, Girda's a good cook, she's probably the only human I've talked to since arrivin'. Merchants aren't really chatty types., ya know? He captured her during a raid, just like he did most of the permanent types round here, she's got a collar too. As to what he'll do with you, can't say. The elves you killed were hirelings so he might be a bit miffed about the money you cost him but it's not like you murdered his brother or somethin'. For the moment he's willing to let me feed ya though."
She looked back over her shoulder as hirelings started to light magical glow lamps in preparation for the night. "He's expecting a merchant tonight. Silk, I think. He's probably gonna show you off, if I know anythin' about him. Can't help himself, really. Got ta brag and preen when he gets the chance. I'm gonna have to go soon, he'll wonder where I've gotten to if I stay away too long."
Angelo nodded with a scowl at the mention of being put on display, reaching for the bowl of stew. "Yeah, don't go gettin' yourself in trouble with him on my account. D'you know what he did with my stuff?" he asked suddenly.
Jubilee shook her head, turning back to him. "Ain't worried about myself, Angelo. I wouldn't be the one he'd be punishing if I stayed longer than he liked. It's his way. Do somethin' he doesn't like and he punishes everyone around you, makes you watch. You see that once, you don't go about givin' him reasons to do it again. And yeah, I know where he put your stuff."
She started pacing in midair, an interesting sight considering it looked like she was walking, not just using her wings to float. "Angelo, I wasn't sure till you showed up if there was anyone else here from the school. Now that you're here, I know there's gotta be others. We gotta figure a way outta here, find them. Maybe we could get home."
Angelo nodded carefully, filing away the fact that she knew where his things were for later. "Seems more likely now. Only thing is, the elves told me they hadn't heard of any other outlanders bein' here, an' if there was more than just you an' me, I'd've thought they would have..."
Jubilee shook her head. "False logic. Like, if there were other people from the school here, they could be anywhere. Asgard's a big place from what I've overheard. Even if they weren't trapped somewhere like I've been, how would they know they weren't the only one? They'd have no reason to go lookin' for others. Wish I knew what brought us here, was so focussed on Amanda I didn't see what happened. Did you?"
Angelo shook his head. "No, I'd knocked my drink over so I was tryin' to clean it up. So maybe there are others here. Trouble is, how're we ever gonna find 'em when I can't get out of this cage an' you can't go too far from Jarrod?"
She grinned suddenly. "Well see, that dwarf I told ya about. Jarrod never did give him his freedom. I never took advantage of the situation because there was just me. This place, well, there are a lot worse places to be. But I'm thinkin' with the two of us, maybe we'd have a chance out there. Leave it to me, I'll talk with the dwarf, maybe I can get him to help us. If he won't, we'll think of something else. So, how long you been here for?"
"In Asgard?" Angelo answered, digging into his stew hungrily. "'Bout a month an' a half, I guess. Been with the Light Elves - landed right in the middle of the goblins ambushin' them, when I got here, so I helped out an' then they decided t'train me. If I'd known there were others here from the school, I'd've gone lookin', but as it was... well, it's like you said. It wasn't a bad life with them."
She nodded, noticing Angelo's hands were more calloused then she'd last seen them. She didn't know how long she'd been here herself, she hadn't had a watch or a calendar. It felt like the same length of time but she couldn't be sure. She'd certainly had time enough to get used to the place and to Jarrod, evil bastard though he was. The fey creature part was still taking adjusting but at least she could use the magic now without overdoing it. She winced as she remembered the hail of bowls and utensils she'd brought down on herself the first time she'd tried to float anything.
"Well, maybe we can go visit them when we get out of here. We're going to need some kind of help finding the nearest town, anyhow. And maybe they can do something about changing me back. Much as the whole 'able to do magic' thing is kinda cool, I'd rather not be this small for the rest of my life. Too much chance of getting eaten by Delphine."
Angelo chuckled slightly. "She doesn't eat meat, remember? But, yeah, I can see how you'd rather go back to human-sized. They probably could do somethin' about it - their magic can't be that far different from anythin' Jarrod can do."
She nodded, looking back over her shoulder and sighing. "I should go, before he comes looking for me. I'll come back in the morning. I'll ask Girda to bring you some water after you're done with the stew, though. They drink a lot of Mead 'round here but I think after that hit to the head, you're probably better off with something non alcoholic."
************************************
A few days later, Jubilee manages to get Angelo out of his cage and into work as a blacksmith. It's all part of their cunning plan to escape.
Jubilee lifted the half full glass of water and tipped a small amount onto Angelo's face as he lay sleeping in his cage. He spluttered, coming fully awake, springing up from a prone position and almost braining himself on the roof of the cage. Jubilee grinned unrepentantly at him and he wondered if she'd been into the mead this morning.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked.
She shrugged, smiling brightly. "Sorry, still having problems controlling the pixie nature. Oh, by the way, you're about to start work as a blacksmith. I talked to Berrin and he and I came up with the idea. It'll get you out of the cage, and it'll be easier for us three to talk without arousing suspicion. Mostly you'll just be shovelling coal and keeping an eye on the billows. Anyway, come on, got to introduce you to Berrin. Jarrod's already reset the collar and you'll be staying with Berrin for now."
Angelo frowned, confused - this was a name he hadn't heard before. "Who's Berrin? The dwarf you were talkin' about before?"
She grinned. "Exactly. He's a nice guy if a little gruff. I think you'll like him though. Come on lazy head, time to get up and get to work."
Angelo nodded, standing up and heading for the door of the cage. "Lead on, then."
Jubilee waved a hand over the cage door, unlocking it and floated up to sit on Angelo's shoulder as he jumped out. "He's in the north part of the camp, got a portable smithy and all."
Angelo smiled slightly, glad to be out of the cage and stretching his legs for the first time in days. "Sounds cool." He started in the direction Jubilee indicated, looking around at the camp as he walked.
Jubilee grinned, hanging onto the fabric of his shirt as she rode on his shoulder. "Like I said, he'll give ya a hard time at first but it's just his way. He hasn't had much reason to trust people for awhile now. Still, he's probably our best chance at getting these collars off. Then we can go look for everyone, find out what's been happening."
Angelo nodded, glancing sideways at her. "Yeah, that'd be a definite plus. Jarrod lets the collar deal with keepin' you here, then? He doesn't check on you too often?"
She shook her head, gesturing for Angelo to take a shortcut between two large tents. "Not anymore, not since the first couple of weeks I was here. He'll be watching you though, least till he's sure you're not going to try anything. Don't be fooled by the fact that you can't see him, he has more then enough magic to keep an eye on us if he wants. The collars are more than enough to keep us here, believe me. And well, there's always friends too. He lets us all mingle with each other, become attached. It's easier to control someone when you have something to threaten them with. Like I said, when stepping out of line means someone else gets hurt, you quickly stop stepping out of line."
Angelo turned to go the way she'd indicated, scowling - he knew that tactic, and he knew she was right. "You'd call Berrin a friend of yours, then? Maybe we'll have t'take him with us, if we can, when we get out of here."
Jubilee chuckled, and then grabbed onto Angelo's shirt when the movement almost caused her to fall backwards. "Yeah, he's a friend. And it's what I'd planned. He gets the collars off all of us when the time's right and we leave. After that, depends on whether we find anyone else from the school or not. Berrin said he'd take us to his home if we couldn't find anyone and we could stay with him."
Angelo nodded. "Sounds good t'me. How far's his home from here? Has he told you? If it's a long way, I got at least one friend among the elves - their prince, no less, so they'd take us in if we needed a night's shelter on the way. If we could find them."
Jubilee shuddered when she heard the word 'elves' and then realised Angelo wasn't talking about Dark elves. "It's in the mountains, so it's a few days distant. There's a clan of dwarves up there but Berrin knows an entrance to their tunnels about a day's walk from here. So, could be we could use that night's shelter. You sure they're going to want us though, don't know many people who'd want to give shelter to someone whose pissed off Dark elves. Except Dwarves but they hate them, some old war, I think."
Angelo looked grimly amused. "Oh, they'll take us in if I get a chance to have a word with Calin, an' if he has any say in it at all. He's the one that was shoutin' for me, back at the battle, dunno if you heard him?"
"I wondered who was calling your name but then Jarrod was there and I was too busy being worried he'd hurt you. Just up these steps and we're there."
Angelo turned to walk up the steps into the smithy, choosing not to say anything on the subject of Jarrod. "Yeah, that was Calin. He's the one that took me into the elf camp in the first place, an' got his father t'train me..."
The elves, on the move again, had just been granted something of a stroke of luck. They'd happened across a Dark Elven caravan in the woods, and their presence appeared to have gone unnoticed so far. It was the perfect opportunity to strike a blow at the Dark Elves, without risking a direct attack on their city yet. As instructed by the King, the warriors of the group spread out, preparing to launch their assault.
"The Dark Elves have sworn our extinction," whispered Calin to Angelo as they crouched in the undergrowth, watching as the party filed past, apparently unsuspecting. "And they are much fiercer warriors than we - they love the spilling of blood and the inflicting of pain. That is why we must resort to such
cowardly action as an ambush."
Angelo nodded. "Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do." The two remained hidden for a little longer, waiting for the signal to move and attack the Dark
Elves along with the rest of their troop.
Calin gripped his sword nervously - as prince of his people, it was expected he would lead them into battle, but it was a role he felt no joy in. Only Angelo's presence, apparently calm and unruffled in the armour the King had presented him with upon his completion of his training, kept him from bursting from concealment in a panic. The outworlder had become more than a servant or vassal, at least to Calin - he'd become a friend. He only hoped his friend would
not be needlessly lost in the coming conflict; his father and Falla had shaped him as a weapon, and weapons were made to be used and discarded.
Then came the signal, the chirrup of a mockingbird, and Calin's hand tightened on the swordhilt. Nodding curtly at Angelo, he raised his hand and dropped it.
The signal to attack.
Angelo nodded an acknowledgment, and he and Calin moved in the same moment, standing and rushing forward from their hiding place, swords drawn and ready to
fight. As they had hoped, the Dark Elves were thrown into temporary disarray by the surprise attack.
Calin's people were outnumbered, but they had surprise on their side, and Angelo's example spurring them onward. Several guards died without even drawing their weapons, cut down by the ferocity of the attack. Calin led the charge, aiming at the most heavily-guarded litter, deducing rightly that the leader of the caravan was inside. Take him, and the whole group would fall into disarray.
Dimly he was aware of Angelo beside him, a grey-skinned blur as he hacked and
stabbed with a fierceness that took the Dark Elves aback.
Angelo was doing his best to defend both himself and Calin, guarding his friend's unshielded side when necessary. He had come to the same conclusion
regarding the litter they were aiming at, and did all he could to make a path for his fellow warriors to reach it.
***
Jubilee noticed her Lord and Master (tm) start up from where he was lounging among a mound of pillows, his face going distant as he communicated with someone
outside. Finally he reached over and took out a large, blood covered axe, his expression amused.
"Those dandelion sniffers have decided to grace us with their presence tonight. How droll of them, and here I was thinking I'd grow fat without some exercise. Do try to keep the place tidy while I'm gone, little one. Maybe I'll even bring you one of their heads as a present."
Jarrod stalked off, the axe balanced jauntily on his shoulder. It would appear that he'd seen this all before.
Outside...
Jarrod glared down at his minions, who had appeared to completely lose touch with their Dark Elf nature and were running around like a pack of untrained Goblins.
~ENOUGH! Sons of diseased feminine bovines. Form ranks, act like Dark elves, you scabious pustules, else you regret the day you were born.~ With that he
waded into the fight, his axe swinging left to right.
Calin glanced up at the bellow, and his face blanched at the way the large Dark Elf managed to regain some sense of order in the chaos. "So much for the element
of surprise," he called to Angelo, grunting as he blocked a sword strike on his own blade, his response slicing open his opponent's throat. "You take the bodyguard - I shall rally my people and distract them from your aim. Give this shadow-worshipper something to keep him occupied." It would have sounded better if his voice hadn't shaken a little.
Angelo nodded his understanding, and set about carving a path through the ranks of the Dark Elves, who clearly hadn't expected to be facing a warrior as keen
on fighting as they were. Choosing his targets carefully in order to make the quickest way to the bodyguard, he drew a step or three closer to Jarrod with each swing of his sword.
Sending two or three of the better warriors to watch Angelo's back (Falla included), Calin led the assault on the Dark Elf Lord's litter. Strangely the horde seemed unconcerned by this, but these were Dark Elves - they had no honour at all.
Jubilee could hear the battle going on outside, the screams of the dying. '~Not much loss there,~' she thought.
Waving her hand, a brief whirl of magic glimmered briefly around her cage. Couldn't hurt to lock the door of her cage, considering what might come in here
if the Dark Elves were killed.
Jarrod strode downwards from his wagon, thrusting aside his minions as he watched in amusement the young grey man making quick work of his hired help. He
appeared to be using some form of magic that allowed his skin to become a weapon as well as the sword in his hand. He made a note to find out the secret of this magic once he had the man in his grasp.
A flash of light to the left side made him turn, realising that in his focus on the grey man he'd allowed one of the light elves to sneak up beside him. He blocked a sword thrust and allowed himself to be drawn into the fight.
It didn't take Angelo long to dispose of all the hired soldiers directly blocking his path to the wagon, and he moved forward to the bottom of the steps. Time to see what the bodyguard was trying to keep safe - since it seemed the leader himself hadn't come out to fight, perhaps he was recovering from a previous battle, or something. Slicing out at one final Dark Elf who attacked him, he climbed the steps and entered the wagon.
In the fray, Calin saw Angelo climb the steps into the litter and smiled. As soon as Angelo came out with the head of the Dark Elves' leader, they'd realise these were no mere flower-fairies they were dealing with. Then a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see the tall Dark Elf - the bodyguard - standing over him with a look of amused boredom on his face.
"Shit," said Calin, using a word he'd learned from Angelo.
***
Jubilee had hidden herself in the small screened off area Jarrod had allowed her after she's screamed at him for a straight hour that she wasn't undressing in front of him. She supposed even bastard Elf Lords got sore ears eventually.
She peeked over the top and her eyes widened as she recognised Angelo. "~Angelo!~" she gasped out loud.
Angelo heard the gasp and spun, sword in hand, frowning as he registered that it had sounded oddly like his name, albeit with an unfamiliar accent. Looking around more carefully, he spotted Jubilee, still peering over the top of her screen, and his frown deepened in confusion. Two strides took him to the cage, so he could see better. "...Jubilee?!"
***
It took both hands to parry the axe strike with his sword, the Dark Elf was so strong. His hands a little numb from the shock of the impact, Calin thrust at his opponent's midriff, aware that his people were slowly being overwhelmed. They were going to have to break off the attack soon. His foot caught on a fallen body, and he fell backwards, bringing his sword up barely in time to block the overhand blow the descended on him. The Dark Elf grinned at him viciously and brought the axe down again, but Calin half-rolled away, slashing out at the giant's knees as he did.
***
Jubilee floated up from her hiding place, her small butterfly like wings vibrating with the speed of their movement.
She was wearing what appeared to be a rather sheer nightdress that moulded itself around her wings and a jewel encrusted gold collar that sat close against her skin.
She also happened to be the size of a wren.
"~Angelo, what the hell are you doing in here? You've got to go before he finds you.~" she yelled, before realising that he wouldn't understand her.
'~Damn you, Jarrod. You and your bloody collar.~' Jarrod had placed a collar on her soon after he'd changed her to her current form. Apart from constricting if she tried to go outside the range of the collar, it made her thoughts and speech that of the Dark elves.
Jubilee growled in frustration and tried to think of some way of communicating with her friend.
The language of the Dark Elves, though it had drifted a long way over time, did share a common root with that of the Light Elves, and a few words were still the same, meaning that Angelo had caught one or two words, as well as the tone, of what Jubilee was saying. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for him to really understand, but the note of fear in her voice said a lot, coupled with the word "go". He shook his head. "Gotta get you out of there", he muttered, studying the cage closely.
She sighed, her mind fighting against itself. The Dark Elven race had no room for friendship but she'd lived almost her entire life as a human, that history wasn't easily erased by a cultural transplant. Her thoughts might be Dark Elven, but her history wasn't.
"~Angelo, your ability to ignore a situation in order to honour personal attachments will get you killed.~" she said sadly, waving her hand over the cage door.
It opened, swinging softly outward as she floated out, her wings beating fast. "~There, I am free, see? Now go, before he comes back. Please?!~"
Angelo blinked at the apparent ease of her escape, knowing there was no way it could be as good as it looked. "Come with me. Now. My friends are keepin' the Dark Elves busy."
***
Another axe blow came down, and Calin scrambled backwards on his butt. The axe buried itself in the ground between his knees, and he jabbed his sword point at the Dark Elf's midsection. His opponent merely laughed and allowed the weak blow to scrape uselessly against enchanted armour before wrenching the axe out of the ground and swinging it across in an arc designed to take off his head. Calin ducked, the action throwing him flat on his back on the ground, and he waited for the fatal blow to fall...
...Only to open his eyes as the giant elf's triumphant chuckle turned into grunts of exertion and the clash of metal on metal. Cold determination in his eyes, Falla blocked and slashed and parried, forcing the Dark Elf back, inch by inch, with sheer bloody-mindedness. "Sound the retreat, my liege!" he grunted, blocking another axe-swing, but only barely - blood welled up from a nick on his unarmoured upper arm. "I'll hold this accursed night-rutter."
***
Jubilee shook her head, desperately trying to think of a way to tell Angelo that the collar she wore wouldn't allow her to go with him. Suddenly thinking of
something she flew up closer to him, making sure he could see her and pointed to the collar, before pointing to the door and then sliding a finger across
her throat. She then flew back toward the cage and hovered there.
"~Jarrod does not like to lose. He especially does not like to lose his pets.~"
Angelo nodded - he'd seen Battle Royale, and he thought he had an idea of what she was trying to say. Still reluctant to leave her there, he shot a glance towards the door, trying to judge the direct danger of Jarrod coming back. From the sounds outside, the battle was still in full swing, so he risked a little more time, reaching for Jubilee to look at the collar more closely.
***
"Fall back!" Calin called, rallying his men. They began doing so, retreating back to the shelter of the trees, fighting all the way. "Angelo! We need to
retreat!" he shouted towards the litter, before plunging back into the fray to help Falla.
Jarrod parried a blow from one of the Light Elves arrayed against him,
smirking down at his shorter foe. On the peripheries of his vision he noted
that most of the Light Elf host was retreating.
'Running like the dogs they are.' he thought. Bringing his axe around he made a glancing blow against the elf he'd heard one of the others call Falla, sending the elf spinning onto the ground.
Stepping forward, he moved in for the killing blow, only to have to stop mid
cleave and block a blow from another Light Elf. Turning, he growled in impatience, noting it was another Light Elf, this one much smaller.
He grinned ferally, the light of murder in his eyes. "Time to die, dandelion
eater."
Calin rushed in, dragging Falla backwards as another of their raiding party
distracted their foe. Jarrod made quick work of the youth who had dared challenge him. An insult really, you'd think these blasted light lovers could
do better then to send mere whelps after him. Still, it had given him some
sport for a moment at least, and watching them scramble to escape was entertainment in itself.
Insolently, he turned his back on the retreating Light Elven raiding party
and walked slowly toward his litter, intending on informing his pet about
the nights fun. She always had such a wonderful look on her face when he
described the sport he'd had during the day. Sometimes he wondered whether
he kept her around just for that look.
***
Angelo heard Calin's call and gave up on figuring out the collar, although he was still unwilling to leave Jubilee behind. Glancing at her regretfully, he knew he really had to go, before her "owner" came back. "I'll come back for you", he promised, turning back towards the door. "We'll get you out."
***
"Angelo!" Calin called again, the wounded Falla heavy on his arm. The Swordmaster had taken several hits from the large Dark Elf and was bleeding heavily. Another Dark Elf appeared in front of them and Calin slashed out at her blindly, biting back a cry as her returning blow found a gap in his armour and dug into his side. Savagely he struck at her again, sending her to her knees. "ANGELO!"
***
Jarrod strode into his litter, slamming the door behind him as entered. "Jubilation, where are you my pet?"
It was then he noticed the company his pet seemed to have acquired while he was out and without a thought, brought his gauntleted hand down on the boy's head.
Jubilee screamed at Jarrod as she saw the blow land. "~You graceless whore's progeny! You son of a diseased yak. You...you!~"
She gave up, she just couldn't find the words in Dark Elven to describe just what she thought of Jarrod and the confusion trying to think of a human word when the collar was forcing her thoughts onto Dark Elven paths was giving her a headache. There was still a chance Angelo could escape. If the blow hadn't killed him, she'd find a way to get them both out.
Angelo dropped like a stone, having barely had time to notice that Jarrod was there, let alone do anything about it, before the gauntlet connected, knocking him out cold.
***
"Your Highness! We must flee, before we are overwhelmed!" One of his party was tugging at his arm, as two others half-carried Falla into the thickest part of the woods where the Dark Elves would be hard-pressed to follow. Calin looked back at the litter again - there was no sign of Angelo. He was lost, then. Or captured. Grief hung heavy on his heart as he reluctantly nodded.
"Go. Get as many out as you can, carry the wounded. The day is lost."
****
Jarrod looked down at the boy he'd just felled, smirking. "So, this is the great champion the rumors have been circulating about for so long." He looked at his pet, who had floated down and was standing on Angelo's chest, her wings buzzing agitatedly. "Pity he had such loyalty, I assume he was trying to rescue you, my pet."
"Jarrod, you...You leave him alone. He is none of yours."
Jarrod bent down and picked her up roughly, squeezing her when she struggled. "What is and is not my concern, my pet, is my business. You would do well to remember who is master around here. I may rethink how far that collar of mine allows you to travel, otherwise."
Jubilee glared up at him sullenly, the light of rebellion in her eyes. "What will you do with him?"
He grinned ferally, poking the unconscious human with a booted foot. "I believe I shall put him on display. It will be amusing, if nothing else. What do you think, my pet? Will he make a good display?"
Angelo stirred a little and moaned as Jarrod nudged him, slowly regaining consciousness but still a long way from full waking.
Jubilee alighted on Angelo's chest, peering intently at his face. "~Jarrod, if you have done any permanent damage...~"
Jarrod sighed. "~You are beginning to become quite tiresome, Jubilation. I have not permanently injured the boy. After all, he would not make much of a display if he were a drooling idiot, now would he? Now, bring him with us, time he were put in his new home.~"
She sighed, raising back up into the air as she made a come hither gesture with her hand. Angelo's body floated upwards and followed the Lord and his pet out of the litter.
By the time Angelo woke up properly, he'd been safely installed in a much larger cage, one that took up fully half the wagon it was in. He raised his head groggily, then let it fall back to the wooden floor with a groan.
She noticed him coming awake and squeezed her way between the bars, sitting down on his right shoulder. "~Awake?~" she asked, tapping him lightly with her foot as she peered intently at his face. She hoped he was, she'd been sitting with him for the past hour, becoming more and more worried as he didn't come around. Jarrod had hit him fairly hard, and she needed to know how much damage that had done. She was also going to have to explain about the collar now around Angelo's neck, something that would be somewhat easier considering it had the same properties as the one around her neck, the focus point being this cage, rather then Jarrod as hers was. Still, he'd be able to understand Dark Elven, which gave her a friend to talk to, something she hadn't had in weeks.
She wondered suddenly if there were other people here from the school. She hadn't been able to talk to the merchants that came to trade with Jarrod, so had no news from the outside world. Perhaps Angelo knew why it was that they'd ended up in Asgard.
Angelo blinked, turning his head to the right to look at her. "Awake", he confirmed, wincing at the sharp pain in his head as he spoke and raising a tentative hand to explore the place where Jarrod had hit him.
Her wings buzzed softly as she looked at him with concern. "~Jarrod hit you hard. Are you able to tell how many fingers I am holding up?~" she asked, holding up two in front of his face.
Angelo frowned, suddenly realising he could understand her words and remembering that he hadn't really been able to before - and also becoming suddenly aware that he had been stripped of his possessions and most of his clothes. He focused on her hand. "Two. Why can I understand you now?"
"Jarrod. He had collars made by a Dwarf he once captured in exchange for freedom. They have special properties. As far as I have been able to figure out, they tie you to a particular focal point, giving you a certain radius of movement but they start to constrict when you go outside that. I spent a lot of time in the first week waking up from almost choking to death. Far as I can figure out, my focal point is Jarrod. Yours is probably gonna be the cage."
Jubilee made a gesture and floated over a bowl of thick stew. She'd been able to convince Jarrod that Angelo wouldn't make a very good display if he starved the boy to death. But feeding him had been left up to her. It gave her the perfect excuse to talk to him, so she was grateful for Jarrod's complete irresponsible nature in this case. "The other fun bit of course, is that it seems to completely take over language . Go ahead and try thinking in another language, you won't be able to. Of course, be ready for the headache, seems like the languages we already have, fight with the magic of the collar. Makes for interesting fun and games in the first few weeks, till your brain gets used to the short circuiting."
Angelo dropped his hand to his neck, running it over the collar with a scowl as he sat up slowly - it wouldn't be easy to eat his stew if he was lying on the floor. Assuming he decided it was safe to eat. "What's he gonna do with me, then? Killed a lot of his soldiers... An' did he make that?"
Jubilee suddenly burst out laughing, and then noticing Angelo's expression she shook her head, smiling. "Jarrod doesn't cook, it's beneath him. Guess it'd be like the Queen of England cooking her own stuff. He isn't the type to let you forget he's a Lord, if you know what I mean. Don't worry about the food, Girda's a good cook, she's probably the only human I've talked to since arrivin'. Merchants aren't really chatty types., ya know? He captured her during a raid, just like he did most of the permanent types round here, she's got a collar too. As to what he'll do with you, can't say. The elves you killed were hirelings so he might be a bit miffed about the money you cost him but it's not like you murdered his brother or somethin'. For the moment he's willing to let me feed ya though."
She looked back over her shoulder as hirelings started to light magical glow lamps in preparation for the night. "He's expecting a merchant tonight. Silk, I think. He's probably gonna show you off, if I know anythin' about him. Can't help himself, really. Got ta brag and preen when he gets the chance. I'm gonna have to go soon, he'll wonder where I've gotten to if I stay away too long."
Angelo nodded with a scowl at the mention of being put on display, reaching for the bowl of stew. "Yeah, don't go gettin' yourself in trouble with him on my account. D'you know what he did with my stuff?" he asked suddenly.
Jubilee shook her head, turning back to him. "Ain't worried about myself, Angelo. I wouldn't be the one he'd be punishing if I stayed longer than he liked. It's his way. Do somethin' he doesn't like and he punishes everyone around you, makes you watch. You see that once, you don't go about givin' him reasons to do it again. And yeah, I know where he put your stuff."
She started pacing in midair, an interesting sight considering it looked like she was walking, not just using her wings to float. "Angelo, I wasn't sure till you showed up if there was anyone else here from the school. Now that you're here, I know there's gotta be others. We gotta figure a way outta here, find them. Maybe we could get home."
Angelo nodded carefully, filing away the fact that she knew where his things were for later. "Seems more likely now. Only thing is, the elves told me they hadn't heard of any other outlanders bein' here, an' if there was more than just you an' me, I'd've thought they would have..."
Jubilee shook her head. "False logic. Like, if there were other people from the school here, they could be anywhere. Asgard's a big place from what I've overheard. Even if they weren't trapped somewhere like I've been, how would they know they weren't the only one? They'd have no reason to go lookin' for others. Wish I knew what brought us here, was so focussed on Amanda I didn't see what happened. Did you?"
Angelo shook his head. "No, I'd knocked my drink over so I was tryin' to clean it up. So maybe there are others here. Trouble is, how're we ever gonna find 'em when I can't get out of this cage an' you can't go too far from Jarrod?"
She grinned suddenly. "Well see, that dwarf I told ya about. Jarrod never did give him his freedom. I never took advantage of the situation because there was just me. This place, well, there are a lot worse places to be. But I'm thinkin' with the two of us, maybe we'd have a chance out there. Leave it to me, I'll talk with the dwarf, maybe I can get him to help us. If he won't, we'll think of something else. So, how long you been here for?"
"In Asgard?" Angelo answered, digging into his stew hungrily. "'Bout a month an' a half, I guess. Been with the Light Elves - landed right in the middle of the goblins ambushin' them, when I got here, so I helped out an' then they decided t'train me. If I'd known there were others here from the school, I'd've gone lookin', but as it was... well, it's like you said. It wasn't a bad life with them."
She nodded, noticing Angelo's hands were more calloused then she'd last seen them. She didn't know how long she'd been here herself, she hadn't had a watch or a calendar. It felt like the same length of time but she couldn't be sure. She'd certainly had time enough to get used to the place and to Jarrod, evil bastard though he was. The fey creature part was still taking adjusting but at least she could use the magic now without overdoing it. She winced as she remembered the hail of bowls and utensils she'd brought down on herself the first time she'd tried to float anything.
"Well, maybe we can go visit them when we get out of here. We're going to need some kind of help finding the nearest town, anyhow. And maybe they can do something about changing me back. Much as the whole 'able to do magic' thing is kinda cool, I'd rather not be this small for the rest of my life. Too much chance of getting eaten by Delphine."
Angelo chuckled slightly. "She doesn't eat meat, remember? But, yeah, I can see how you'd rather go back to human-sized. They probably could do somethin' about it - their magic can't be that far different from anythin' Jarrod can do."
She nodded, looking back over her shoulder and sighing. "I should go, before he comes looking for me. I'll come back in the morning. I'll ask Girda to bring you some water after you're done with the stew, though. They drink a lot of Mead 'round here but I think after that hit to the head, you're probably better off with something non alcoholic."
************************************
A few days later, Jubilee manages to get Angelo out of his cage and into work as a blacksmith. It's all part of their cunning plan to escape.
Jubilee lifted the half full glass of water and tipped a small amount onto Angelo's face as he lay sleeping in his cage. He spluttered, coming fully awake, springing up from a prone position and almost braining himself on the roof of the cage. Jubilee grinned unrepentantly at him and he wondered if she'd been into the mead this morning.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked.
She shrugged, smiling brightly. "Sorry, still having problems controlling the pixie nature. Oh, by the way, you're about to start work as a blacksmith. I talked to Berrin and he and I came up with the idea. It'll get you out of the cage, and it'll be easier for us three to talk without arousing suspicion. Mostly you'll just be shovelling coal and keeping an eye on the billows. Anyway, come on, got to introduce you to Berrin. Jarrod's already reset the collar and you'll be staying with Berrin for now."
Angelo frowned, confused - this was a name he hadn't heard before. "Who's Berrin? The dwarf you were talkin' about before?"
She grinned. "Exactly. He's a nice guy if a little gruff. I think you'll like him though. Come on lazy head, time to get up and get to work."
Angelo nodded, standing up and heading for the door of the cage. "Lead on, then."
Jubilee waved a hand over the cage door, unlocking it and floated up to sit on Angelo's shoulder as he jumped out. "He's in the north part of the camp, got a portable smithy and all."
Angelo smiled slightly, glad to be out of the cage and stretching his legs for the first time in days. "Sounds cool." He started in the direction Jubilee indicated, looking around at the camp as he walked.
Jubilee grinned, hanging onto the fabric of his shirt as she rode on his shoulder. "Like I said, he'll give ya a hard time at first but it's just his way. He hasn't had much reason to trust people for awhile now. Still, he's probably our best chance at getting these collars off. Then we can go look for everyone, find out what's been happening."
Angelo nodded, glancing sideways at her. "Yeah, that'd be a definite plus. Jarrod lets the collar deal with keepin' you here, then? He doesn't check on you too often?"
She shook her head, gesturing for Angelo to take a shortcut between two large tents. "Not anymore, not since the first couple of weeks I was here. He'll be watching you though, least till he's sure you're not going to try anything. Don't be fooled by the fact that you can't see him, he has more then enough magic to keep an eye on us if he wants. The collars are more than enough to keep us here, believe me. And well, there's always friends too. He lets us all mingle with each other, become attached. It's easier to control someone when you have something to threaten them with. Like I said, when stepping out of line means someone else gets hurt, you quickly stop stepping out of line."
Angelo turned to go the way she'd indicated, scowling - he knew that tactic, and he knew she was right. "You'd call Berrin a friend of yours, then? Maybe we'll have t'take him with us, if we can, when we get out of here."
Jubilee chuckled, and then grabbed onto Angelo's shirt when the movement almost caused her to fall backwards. "Yeah, he's a friend. And it's what I'd planned. He gets the collars off all of us when the time's right and we leave. After that, depends on whether we find anyone else from the school or not. Berrin said he'd take us to his home if we couldn't find anyone and we could stay with him."
Angelo nodded. "Sounds good t'me. How far's his home from here? Has he told you? If it's a long way, I got at least one friend among the elves - their prince, no less, so they'd take us in if we needed a night's shelter on the way. If we could find them."
Jubilee shuddered when she heard the word 'elves' and then realised Angelo wasn't talking about Dark elves. "It's in the mountains, so it's a few days distant. There's a clan of dwarves up there but Berrin knows an entrance to their tunnels about a day's walk from here. So, could be we could use that night's shelter. You sure they're going to want us though, don't know many people who'd want to give shelter to someone whose pissed off Dark elves. Except Dwarves but they hate them, some old war, I think."
Angelo looked grimly amused. "Oh, they'll take us in if I get a chance to have a word with Calin, an' if he has any say in it at all. He's the one that was shoutin' for me, back at the battle, dunno if you heard him?"
"I wondered who was calling your name but then Jarrod was there and I was too busy being worried he'd hurt you. Just up these steps and we're there."
Angelo turned to walk up the steps into the smithy, choosing not to say anything on the subject of Jarrod. "Yeah, that was Calin. He's the one that took me into the elf camp in the first place, an' got his father t'train me..."
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