I'l Fana Kelbé (The White Hart) "Don't **** with the Elves!" [Closed]

[Helo Tarran]

"And you're absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"You're not going to get into trouble at the East Hall? I don't want you on the wrong side of those people."

"They'll never know."

Sitting back, Helo looked on as Kit scribbled in his journal in which he had been concocting their plan to steal the Contract Logbook from the very heart of Elven society in Fellsguard. The young mage seemed to have been a different person since Helo had reluctantly accepted his help in undertaking Mila's job. He was very focused, writing down all kinds of plans which had been picked apart and thrown away, then replaced with even more. No longer was he stammering and blushing, but there was a determination on his face whenever it came to do with anything magic related. And now he was committed, he was really committed! "It won't be easy, Kit. These Elves are... well, you just don't fuck with the Elves!"

Kit looked up from his journal, where he was writing some extra details into their plan. "But you have to, right? For this Mila-person?"

Helo was beginning to wish he had never mentioned the head of the Sparrows' name, he had a feeling it wouldn't be without consequence. "Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean..."

"The plan is done now, Helo." Kit said, with a smile and tapping his journal. "And I want to help. I promise that I am quite sure of it. All we have to do is be very careful." He looked back to the page he had been writing on.

The Changeling nodded, but couldn't help but wonder if Kit was just too naive to realise what he might be getting into. But, the lad had made up his mind, and who was Helo to just tell him 'no'? If someone had treated him like that at 18 years old, he'd have been furious. So, with a sigh of resignation, he sat up straight. "Alright then, young master-mind. What is this new plan of yours?"

Kit looked up with a smile, and handed over the journal. "We walk in, find the logbook, and then take it!" He grinned.

[speech]"That's your brilliant plan?"[/speech] Helo looked at the notes, shaking his head. "I thought you were some kind of a genius... wait... do you say we??

Kit laughed, happily. "Exactly!"

[Kit Heron]

The large, painted wooden sign of The White Hart tavern hung in the afternoon air sporting an image of a beautiful white stag, the Elvish 'I'l Fana Kelbé' in elegant script underneath.

Kit gazed up at it for a few moments before he went in. He had never been here before, or even in the air. All he had to go on about the place were the stories he had been told from Helo and the odd mention of it - usually by Elves - from others. Though the building was large, there was nothing particularly ominous about it, and Kit had to remind himself that this was, in Helo's words "The centre of Elven society in Fellsguard".

His reverie was broken as a very tell Elf pushed open the doors out of the tavern, giving him a strange look before moving away, not returning the smile of 'hello' that Kit offered.

"Okay. I can do this." He told himself, and pushed his way inside.

***

As the door was just about to swing shut, a silvery-grey cat slipped quickly through and vanished into the shadows.

***

Stepping into the tavern, it was as if he had stepped into a different world! Though it was a tavern, of course, sporting a bar, tables, chairs, booths and a small stage, what made it different was two things. The first was the smell. As he had opened the door, it was like walking into a pine forest! The smells of earthy incense completely overrode the usual tavern smells, giving it fresh atmosphere.

The second was the carvings. It seemed there was not a piece of wood in sight that was not covered in vines, leaves, creatures, runes, strangely beautiful faces, and so much more! Kit walked to the bar suitably awed, which was lucky as he knew he was a bad actor and having to try and look like he was just a curious visitor would not have worked. Thankfully, the skill of the Elven hands that had done this had ensured his cover.

"May I help you, young man?"

Kit blinked, turning to a tall, stern looking woman standing behind the bar. In front of her was three large books, one of which she was writing in, her head lifted slightly as she watched him with pale eyes. "This is amazing!" he said, running his hands over a hawk, carved into the bar he now found himself at.

"We know." She said, but couldn't help but be amused at the young Human's obvious wonder. Even she forgot at times how much work had gone into those carvings. A hundred Elves had put their blades to the wood, each contributing their own story to the Kelbé's makeup. "What is it you want?"

Kit pulled his attention back to her (which wasn't difficult to do; she was rather intimidating ... she reminded him of Dáire). "Oh, I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and reached into his bag for some coin. "Suil, Herí."[  To view this content, you must log in.  ] He said, nodding his head slightly (as Helo had told him to do).

Elára raised a brow and replied in Elvish: "Your accent could use some work."

Kit bit his lip. "I'm afraid I only understood two words there, Herí. I am poor at speaking Elvish, as I only ever learned the language from books, so can read it with ease, but not speak it well."

"Interesting. It's usually the other way around. Well?" The Quimellë said, expectantly.

Kit blinked, and then realised. "Oh! Of course. My apologies. Might I have some wine please. Something sweet, if that would be okay. I haven't quite gotten the taste for alcohol just yet. I've not been ..."

"Almá Raya!" She called out, cutting him off and turning her eyes back to the book in front of her.

Kit closed his mouth as the woman dismissed him. 'Must be Elára. Helo wasn't kidding about her!'

Then a young, attractive Elven girl appeared as if out of nowhere, giving him a pleasant smile, in deep contrast to the senior woman's stony demeanour. "Good afternoon! What can I get you?"

Just as Kit was about to put in his request, Elára spoke without even looking up from her page. "Give him the strawberry wine." she commanded, in Elvish.

The young woman nodded and gave him another smile. "Good choice." She said, merrily. "It's very popular."

As she grabbed a cup for him and poured out a generous amount of sweet smelling wine, Kit's eyes moved to the books in front of Elára. Was one of these the target? There was no way he could get a look without it being obvious, but Helo had assured him that Kit didn't need to worry about that, just to focus on his own role. So he accepted the cup with a 'thank you' and moved away, looking around for a place to sit where he would be tucked away - but not too much as he didn't want to look suspicious - and facing away from the bar. There were a fair few patrons in, but he got no sense of hostility from them. Helo had explained that: "If the staff let you in, then the rest will be fine with you. You should be fine if you don't offend anyone... which I am pretty sure you are incapable of. So you'll be good."

Taking a seat at a small table, he took a sip of the wine. The young Elf was not joking about the wine, it was delicious! It tasted nothing like the other alcoholic drinks he had had, though he didn't have much to compare it to. He might have guzzled it down if he didn't know better. Besides, he had very little coin so had to make each drink last as long as possible.

Once he was settled, Kit 'got to work'. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened his eyes, which were a little glazed as he 'looked'.

Holding back a small gasp, the floating, glowing symbols of protective wards shone from the walls, windows and doors. All were done in Elvish, but in a type he had not seen before. Or perhaps he had, in a very old book? He could not interpret them properly, only knowing they were protective because ... well, he didn't really know how he knew, he just knew. They pulsed with a power that he had to resist reach out for, to try and explore this magic he had never felt before.

It was no surprise that there would be wards in place, especially if was truly some kind of stronghold for a race of people who could live a thousand years! What he had to do was figure out if his magic's would leave a mark? Well, there was only one way to find out!

Just like everything else, the wards had threads in the huge web of glistening lines all around him, connecting everything to everything, and everyone to everyone, and so on. The threads that came from the wards were different, however. They pulsed with a variety of colours, each one slightly different from the next. There were wards on top of wards here, so Kit had to be careful; if he attempted to interact with those threads even slightly, they would alert whoever would be monitoring them immediately.

Kit's pep and enthusiasm was starting to fade as he navigated the web of magical lines, trying to find any spot that was not completely warded, but it was proving to be impossible. This was like a fortress of magical energy! Did the city guard know about this? Surely someone must! He highly doubted the covert mages of House Nyshasa weren't aware of this place and what enchantments lay on it.

"That'll get warm."

Kit's vision snapped back to the physical world as the voice broke his concentration. He looked up at the friendly women who had served him the wine, who was smiling down at him. He cleared his throat and took the cup. "Ah, my apologies ... I was just ... lost in thought, I guess. I'm sorry."

That seemed to make the girl laugh. "No need to be! You looked very cute as you sat there dreaming." She even winked!

Blushing scarlet, Kit stammered out a 'thank you', making the girl laugh as she moved off. Would he ever be able to take a compliment from a woman without looking like a fool?

'Focus, Kit.' And he got back to work.

***

Three glasses of strawberry wine, gone with the last of his coin, Kit let out a long sigh and slumped back in his seat. The action brought him a confused glance from a couple sat across from him, and he managed a weak smile. "I think I'm tipsy!" He said, and then: "Must be a full moon, tonight!" He gave an even weaker laugh and got to his feet.

"I hope you come back, sometime." Raya called out as the young mage left, and laughed as Kit mumbled something about her being 'kind' and saying 'thank you' more times than was necessary.

When he got out of the tavern, he took a big gulp of air and rubbed his sweating palms on his trousers.

"First part done."

[Helo Tarran]

"Must be a full moon, tonight!"

From the shadows, underneath one of the booths benches, Helo - in his cat-form - gave in inward sigh of relief. Kit had used their agreed upon phrase meaning that the young mage had found a way to help him. He knew what he had to do, now, and it was going to involve many hours of waiting.

***

While Kit had spent his days and nights formulating his plan, Helo had spent the time scouting out the tavern. He was familiar with it of course, but he needed to know exactly what they were going to be dealing with. The Elves were nothing if not vigilant.

So, for three days and nights, a cat had stalked the grounds and the outside of the large, three story structure, peering into windows, watching people come and go, making a mental note of times and such. Most of the time he was bored, as there wasn't much to see, though occasionally something of interest would pique his interest. Sometimes, if wasn't even anything to do with their 'mission'! Peering through the windows of this centre for Elves, who were secretive (to put it mildly), made him feel rather pleased with himself. He saw people deep in conversation, coin, gold, silver and jewels passed from one hand to another. In another he saw a woman, who could only be the head of this place, the very famous (yet rarely spoken about) Aurae, the Canó! The beautiful woman, sat in candlelight and idling with a book with the bearing of a queen. His greedy eyes noticed the exquisite jewellery she wore, knowing it was worth more than enough to buy this place three times over!

His padded feet and green eyes found there way to the formidable Elára's room, which he watched intently for a while, hoping to find her in some compromising position to make him less scared of the imposing Elf. But there was nothing. All she did after she retired was to constantly write in a large book, probably a journal, while sipping a small cup of wine. At least he knew that the book was not kept there, though he had hoped to at least see something he could one day use against her.

Raen's room always proved a source of amusement! Helo had always liked the flamboyant and witty young Elf, and so it seemed did many other people, sometimes two at a time; Raen never slept alone - though there was very little sleeping invoved! Helo didn't spend long at his window; he wasn't that kind of man, to be peeping in on folks at their play!

What he found useful was thus: the arrogance of the Elves meant that there seemed to be only two people actively guarding the exterior. One on a balcony at the back, and one who would perch on the roof, strolling from one corner to another, holding her bow loosley. She did not seem particularly vigilant, but Helo was not going to be fooled into thinking that she was going to overlook anything, and that if he weren't extra careful, she'd be the one to put an arrow in him when he left with the book.

So that was the outside. Now he was inside and all he had to do was wait, which was very, very boring.

"Sut naa i' anar a're?" a man asked something to his friend as they took a seat at the very booth he was hiding under.

"Loomi halya i' luin!" She replied, and they both laughed.

This is what made it particularly boring. It wasn't just that he had to sit in the shadows and wait all night until the tavern closed, but no one spoke the common tongue, and he had never learned Elvish fluently. So he mainly spent his wait making up things for them to be saying to each other, most of which was crude enough to make a sailor blush.

***

"Everything is clean now, Quimelle." Young Raya stood in the now deserted tavern, lit by only a few candles, the light of which danced off the faces carved into the wood giving an eerie, watchful sense about them.

It had been a long wait, and he had near purred with relief when Elára had announced that the bar was closed. Then a few younger elves appeared out of nowhere, sweeping up mugs and cups, taking brushes to the floors, polishing this and cleaning that. He was very nearly hit with a broom himself!

The imposing figure of the boss' second in command did not look up as she asked something in Elvish.

Raya smiled, despite the older woman's tone. "I just like the language! And yes, Nira was especially thorough with the kitchen. I'll see you in the morning!"

After a few minutes, everyone but Elára was gone, and the older woman stood, taking a deep breath, her eyes scanning the room as if checking everything was in order, before closing the giant book in front of her and bending down to place it behind the counter.

Helo heard a jangle of keys, and then finally a click as something was locked. Now he had his target - he just hoped that was the book he needed!

Then she walked through the bar, walking past each of the windows with their smoky coloured glass, probably making sure there wall locked, blowing out the last candles, before going to the large main door and locking that too. Taking the lantern that hung from a hook near the entrance, she took herself (and a tiny cup of wine) up the stairs.

It was time!

Padding softly across the floor, Helo's cat-eyes were perfect for this low light, and he stole around the bar. He didn't have to search very long before he found a large, dark wooden chest. It was old, probably oak, and decorated here and there with Elvish writing. He hoped they weren't enchantments! No... Kit would not have given him the signal to go ahead if he had thought that. 'Unless he had no idea!' Helo thought. well, he was here now.

His form shimmered and soon he was in his Human-form, crouched down behind the bar, staring at the lock. He took out his lock picks, and got to work.

Helo knew immediately that this was going to be a tough one to crack, as probing around he could feel more tumblers than was regular on a, everyday lock. His jaw set in determination he got to work.

[Kit Heron]

Crouched on the floor, his knees in the dirt of patch of sparse, prickly grass, Kit Heron waited in the cold night air, his eyes fixed on the tavern. Though it was very dark, and one couldn't see much beyond the single lamp that lit the opening of the alley that led to the tavern, his eyes saw much more.

The web of shining threads spread before him in a massive network that was daunting to navigate, but he had little choice!

The wards of the tavern shone brightly in the gloom, and he dared not touch them, knowing for a fact that if he did so, it would be akin to him jumping up and down waving his arms and declaring himself to everyone! And so, instead he followed this one, then that one, before coming to rest on the deep emerald green that led him to an Elven woman who walked a steady pace on the roof of the tavern. The threads that spread from her were all tinted with the same colour, and the consistency of those threads were calm and tight. Though he couldn't be completely sure, he assumed this meant that she was calm ... she wasn't suspecting anything. At least he hoped not.

'Come on, Helo.'

***

When the lock finally gave with a click that seemed extremely loud in the heavy silence of the bar, Helo let a long, slow breath of relief. There were a few books in the chest, but it was the largest that he took first, quietly opening the tome and scanning it's contents. Of course, it was all written in Elvish, but next to each entry were names, many of which he recognised as Human. This had to be it! The book of private contractors that the Kelbé used to record tasks done, payments made and due, etc.

'Idols be praised.' he though, closing the chest and slowing getting to his feet. He couldn't lock the chest again, but it wouldn't matter. They'd know the book was gone, probably stolen, even if he managed to!

His footsteps felt loud as he crept his way across the wooden floor to the door, where he placed the book gently down, took out his picks, and got to work on the front door, doing his best to be patient and careful. Rushing now could ruin everything.

***

It must have been three hours, maybe more, since the door had been locked and the lights been put out while Kit was waiting. Helo had warned him it might take a while, but the longer the time stretched, the more nervous Kit got.

He checked the threads again, and was happy nothing changed. Now and then a rodent of some sort would scurry from a hole somewhere, and the whole web would shift, forcing him to refocus, but there was nothing to worry about, even if he tensed up every time it happened ... which was often!

Then, there was a loud, very audible click. It sounded in the night's air like a tiny crack of thunder - or so it seemed, at least - and the door opened slightly. As Helo slipped out, the webs around Kit shifted again, rearranging with this new addition, and for a moment he lost his way and, gritting his teeth, he focused as he flew along the strands to find the Elven woman's thread.

When he did, his eyes went wide with fear. She was moving, fast and silent, and the emerald green glow that came from her crackled. She was aware; she knew, and she could see. The threads around her changed, one of which - the one connected to her bow - was rising.

Kit moved without thinking, scrabbling out from the shadows and running towards the tavern. "Run!" he shouted, as loud as he possibly could, trying to get the attention of both Helo and the Elven woman.

Helo's face must have pale enough to glow in the darkness as fear flooded him. Why was Kit doing this?! Was he stupid?

"Arpo!" A woman's voice called out, clear and loud from above.

'Thief'. Helo knew that word well enough! He clutched the book to his chest and set off running towards Kit.

***

Tirana stood, one foot on the edge of the roof, the other slightly behind her as she drew back her slender bow, her sharp eyes catching sight of the two Humans. One of them was coming from the Kelbé, and the other, a younger one, was making enough noise to wake the dead. Her eyes narrowed, calling out her warning that there was a thief, knowing her partner would soon be in pursuit, and then let the arrow fly heading straight for the man, clutching a large book.

***

Acting without thinking, Kit's eyes flashed yellow in the night air as his magic blossomed from him. He could feel the arrow coming from the darkness above and, in a move of pure instinct, his hand shot out and a wave of power arched out, sending the arrow flying off harmlessly into the distance. The wave of energy hit the wards, and they flared up like stars exploding in the night. So much for not activating them!

Helo grabbed hold of Kit's arm and pulled him into a run, sprinting like his life depended on it (which it did) along the panned escape route. "What did you do?" he called, as they made their escape.

Kit was not out of shape by any means, but Helo was so fast! He gritted his teeth as he ran, the twinge of a headache beginning to make itself known as a consequence for using so much magic, even if he had done so without really being able to control himself. He was about to answer when a tall figure dropped in front of them.

The two came to a skidding halt as an Elven man unsheathed a slender blade. "Halt, thieves!"

"Shit." Helo spat, as Kit clung to his arm shaking in fear. "We are fucked."

[Mila Glade]

"We are fucked."

Out of the darkness, a knife whistled through the air, flying so close to the Kelbé guard that the man jumped back in surprise, turning to look in the direction where it had come from, lifting his blade and turning it horizontal.

With a delighted laugh, Mila Glade sprung from the roof of a nearby house and landed, rolling in the dirt then springing to her feet. Her pale eyes glinted in the dim light, fixed on the guard. She grinned wide, two knives in her hand. "Go!" She commanded, and then launched herself at the guard.

Helo didn't need to be told twice, and near dragging Kit, the Changeling took a sharp left and set off at a sprint.

"Ha', Peredhel!" [  To view this content, you must log in.  ] The guard commanded. "You will not defeat me."

Mila laughed, responding in Elvish. "I have no intention of defeating you." Her hand whipped out and another throwing dagger.

The guard was older and more experienced than her, and he easily evaded it, jumping gracefully to the side and then right at her, his blade arching in the night as he went in for the fight.

Mila Glade knew there was no way she would win against him in a fair fight, so it was lucky that she never fought fairly. All she needed to do was give Helo and that boy - who she had no idea was in on all of this... there would be words about that - time to get far enough away. And so she simply danced backwards as he he turned in graceful steps, his sword lashing out to catch her as she dipped and dived to avoid it. The moment it looked as if he were about to even consider going after Helo and the boy, she would press a light attack.

But it changed when she flipped backwards, and an arrow whistled from the darkness and grazed her ear. It stung, and she near lost her balance. Two of them? She would stand no chance. She gave the man a wide grin. "Tell that bitch Elára I said 'hello.'" Letting loose two more throwing blades, forcing him back a little, she turned and leapt, cat-like, up the side of the nearest structure, her feet finding a window ledge and propelling her upwards to the roof. Another arrow nearly hit her as she set off at a dead run.

Sending out a silent 'thanks' to her mother for teaching her tree running, and to Black for his training to adapt that to roofs, she fled in a winding path. Two more arrows came her way, but Mila was not hit. She made several turns, dropping down into the streets now and then, changing course. She had soon lost the Elves, and she could only hope that Helo and the boy had made their way safely away.

After a good run, she dropped down from a roof, landing in a crouch and then strolling forwards towards the slums. She would take a winding path as she did, doubling back now and then, but she was quite sure she hadn't been followed. She couldn't be sure, of course, that she hadn't been recognised by the guard. But there wasn't much she could do about that now.

"Fucking Helo." she cursed aloud, and then began to laugh, flipping a knife into the air and whistling as she strolled home.

[Helo Tarran]

They ran until they were out of breath, with Helo dragging Kit in a zig-zag around the city, wanting to be sure they were not being followed before they allowed themselves to catch their breath. Finally, when he was satisfied, the two came to a halt down a shadowy side street.

Kit was panting hard, leaning back against the cold stone wall and wiping the cold sweat from his brow. "I'm sorry." was the first thing he said.

Helo was also breathing heavily in the cold air, the sweat had attached his shirt to him uncomfortably, and he clutched the book to his chest as if he were holding a pot of diamonds. It was the reason for this whole evening. "You have no need to apologise." he assured the lad. "You saved me from an arrow to the head! So no apologising." He tried to steady his breathing; his night was not yet over. "You had better get back to the East Hall. You'll be safest there."

Kit looked to the Changeling, concerned. "What about you?"

Forcing a smile, Helo reached out and patted Kit's shoulder. "I'll be fine. I gotta drop this off and then work out the next step. The best thing for you is to go home. You'll be safe at the Hall. I doubt the Elves are going to storm the place! But I would be lying if I didn't say there might be some fall out over this. Be prepared, but try not to worry too much."

Thinking of what Mister Black and Daire would have to say about all of this, Kit felt a new wave of nerves as he nodded. "I'll go. I can find my way back from here, but who was that woman! The one who saved us?"

"A name I hope you won't have to know, though I reckon it's inevitable. Let's keep that to the side for a moment. If you don't know her name, then it's probably for the best." Helo gave the lad a reassuring smile (one he did not necessarily feel) "You sure you can get home safely? I can always get you there?"

Kit shook his head. "I know where we. It's not a difficult route, so I should be fine." He took a deep breath. "Good luck, Helo. When will I see you, again?"

"I'm not too sure, Kit. But I'll contact you the usual way when it's safe. Now, go." Helo nodded.

He maintained the smile until Kit vanished from view, then he groaned as his shoulders slumped. What was going to happen now? He had a horrible feeling that what they had just done, was going to set off a chain of events that would have a rather large impact on a few people.

Now he had to report to Mila. Sure, she had come to their aid, but that did not mean that she was going to be happy about the whole thing - no one was ever sure what she was going to do. So he pulled his cloak around himself and the book, and made his way off to the slums with a very heavy heart.

***

It had actually proven a little difficult to find his way home, but eventually he was there.

He didn't sleep that night. His head hurt, and the events of the day played over and over in his head. Trying to anticipate what was to come was impossible, but he knew it wasn't good. Although it was a little sneaky of him, he had been 'seeing' as he talked to Helo at the end of their run, and he could sense the Changeling's fear.

As safe as he was inside the Hall, Kit reached into his bag, pulled his wand from the bag he carried, and slipped it under his pillow. He wasn't entirely sure what he would do with it, but he felt he needed to do be prepared if Elves decided to come calling on the compound looking for blood!

What had he gotten himself into?