• I held my arms at my sides, even though I really wish I could slap him. Marcus Fartildi, an idiot by my standards, thought that I was helpless. My bow was knocked off to the side, its paralyzing arrows still in my quiver. I smiled sweetly at him, then reached back into the quiver, pulling out an arrow and readied it for use as Marcus moved forward again. The idiot wizard pulled out a wand, a sorry sight if there was any, and started chanting. Even I, a marksman unskilled at the arts of magic, knew he was using the wrong spell. I held the arrow, tip forward, and threw it like a javalin. It struck home, giving me enough time to grab my bow and the wizard's wand, knowing that he was useless even with it, but I wanted to be sure that my escape was not hindered.

    "Farewell, idiot!" I called in a singsong voice as I left Marcus standing still in the middle of the room, still paralyzed from the arrow striking his hand. My golden hair was tied in a ponytail, my green eyes were darting around, looking for more crazy male wizards. I sighed as I ran into an invisable wall.

    "Trying to escape again, little girl?" The deep voice echoed in the vast hallway. I notched an arrow, glancing around for a wizard. Instead, a dark knight appeared from behind me, his black armor shining in the magical lights. I sighted down the arrow, staring into his blue eyes from across the arrow.

    "Not trying, doing!" I shouted at him, not caring if I alerted every wizard in the tower. I let the arrow loose and started chanting a simple dispelling spell, knowing that the arrow probably didn't reach its mark. I heard the knight scolding me and drawing his sword. A flash of light appeared and I didn't know if it was my spell going off, or the knight's hilt smashing into the back of my head. Even so, I ducked into the wall and found it momentarily not there. I nearly tumbled down the hundreds of stairs that suddenly appeared. I heard the knight shouting behind me, even cursing as he ran into the wall.

    "Get that girl!" I heard him cry, but paid it no heed as I crashed headlong into a door. I nearly cursed as I found it locked, but I still backed up, attempting to force it to open. As I dashed at the door, a pair of wizards opened it. I bowled them over, muttered an apology, and ran off, leaving the two wizards siting down, confused. Seeing an exit, I notched an arrow in my bow, certain that a group of the knight's minions would be there to block my passage. I nearly burst out laughing in victory as I found it unlocked and nobody behind it. Figuring that the wizards were stuck with the knight, his cursing disrupting their spellcasting, I dashed away through the surrounding forest, using my ranger skills to backtrack and confuse any coming pursuer. I whooped with joy as my magical black boots carried me onto a grassy plain, my lungs felt fit to burst, but I kept running, pulling my dark cloak tighter around my slender shoulders. My dark green tunic was rustling as my lithe legs pumped, forest green trousers covering them. A dark hood went over my pointed ears as I stopped to catch my breath. Cursing, I was pulled into a dark hole. I could make out a single figure with me. Still cursing, I was allowed to take off the hood. I then stopped and sighed, seeing a friend.

    "Next time, don't get caught by Jedress!" The female elf teased. I smiled at my dearest friend, Ykrandra, who I called Yidra. We both laughed and hugged each other as many disgruntled wizards hurried past our hiding place.

    I took in her appearence, suddenly realizing what happened. Confused, I bit my bottom lip. Hard.

    "What are you doing here, Yidra? Last I knew, you were lured into Icecap Valley..." Yidra just shrugged and shook her head, her lush brown hair swirling around her shoulders.

    "Guess our connection is stronger than they thought!" Yidra laughed. I joined in, not an uncommon thing. The evil dark knights found it bewildering when I joined in their triumphant laughter. Yidra's gray-green eyes were shining with the same laughing intensity as mine. We sat silent for a bit longer, unsure of what to do.

    Suddenly, Yidra stiffened. I perked up, my sensitive ears picking up the bickering wizards' approach.

    "But he said that they went that way!" One was protesting, his confusion overwhealmed him. I nearly toppled in mirth. Marcus. He had recovered, as I had suspected, and came running after me.

    "That one is a fool, and so are you, Fartildi! My magic doesn't lie!" The other wizard was older, and more experienced. "Did you not see Tyudre run off that cliff?" Marcus fell silent, shuffling his feet in embarrassment. Yidra's playful auora was gone, replaced with sensible wisdom and seriousness.

    "Let us be gone from here," she whisperd in my ear. I nodded, a bit disappointed. I wanted a fight, but wizards aren't the ones to fight with bows and arrows or swords. She motioned for me to crawl through the dwarven-made tunnel.

    ***********************************************************************************************

    "I'm telling you, she's over here! With another elf... Wait..." The elder wizard stopped in his tracks, glancing over to the little mound. "Maybe she's under there..."

    "Not possible, Elder Wizard! There is no hole! Not even concealed with magic!" Marcus shouted, frustrated. He then regretted his outburst.

    "Dwarven magicks are not like the magic we study, Marcus! They are near!" The Elder Wizard glared at Marcus, his gray-green eyes boring into the novice. Marcus shifted uncomfortably, aware of his master's gaze. Gregon, the Elder Wizard, studied the mound more closely, searching for an opening. He sighed, unhappy with the results.

    "Let's head back to Master Jedress. Maybe he'll be in a good mood," Gregon said.

    "Doubt it," Marcus said under his breath, not wanting to be caught out in the field, searching for the vanished elf, the prize for an army if the commander wanted war. Jedress had just lost his pet-to-be, which would most likely make him very angry.