Carantathraiel

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Russel and Hadhen arrived first, both clad in the light armor Envy had taught them to make. A strange leather creation that he'd worked and tricked into being completely silent while giving them at least a decent amount of protection. He was dressed in his old Kartaian armor, black leather that was savagely cut and sew together. With a nod at them, they waited in silence for Taris to join them. It wasn't long before he did, gliding in, in his strange armor and death in his eyes. 

Envy pressed his lips together. “He never sent word back. And I agree. We're not waiting.” He said curtly, reaching for the black bottle and a small knife. “Hands.” he said irritably. Russel and Hadhen obediently held out their hands, palms up. Envy glared at the Shadow Elf. “I need your blood, assassin.” He took Taris' hand first, making a small slit on the outside of his wrist and squeezed the assassin's arm over the bowl between them, catching the blood. He wiped off the knife and continued with the other two before he got to himself. After, he wiped his bleeding arm against his side and tossed the blade, reaching for the black bottle of potion. Slowly, he poured it into the bowl with their blood and it hissed and steamed. 
When the bottle was drained, he held the bowl up to his lips and took a drink, shuddering against the taste. “Drink it.” He said as he passed the bowl to Hadhen. “And try not to vomit.” Hadhen drank and passed it to Taris.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Envy came from dreaming slowly, opening his eyes and stretching. He'd slept well, peacefully, had a bizarre dream about finding a horse large enough to carry him. He's always wanted to learn to ride horses. He supposed he have to wait for an elephant to show up.
Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he shot up in bed with a shout, his voice carrying. Half dressed and hair a mess he jogged down the halls into the room where Taris was staying. There was no sign of the assassin. Envy growled again and dashed back out into the training room. Still no Shadow Elf. Last room he could possibly be in, the bath chamber. Envy slammed his fist on the stone wall in frustration upon finding it empty.
“Taris!” He shouted loudly, making his way back to the training room. Hadhen was there, sitting on the edge of the upper ring, whetting his daggers. He gave the Kartaian a questioning look. Envy snarled at him. “Where is the assassin?”
Hadhen's brows shot up. “Haven't seen him all morning, boss. Must have done his shadow wal-” Envy's growl cut him off again. 
“TARIS! You bloody assassin, get in here.”
Hadhen put down his things down and stood, looking uncomfortable. Envy rarely lost his temper. “Envy... whats going on?” he asked cautiously. 
The large elf ran his hands through his sleep-messed hair. “I slept well.” he growled, a bit more softly. Hadhen's brows shot up again and he was clearly speechless to this. Envy shook his head, dropping his hands. “TARIS!”

“Envy?”
The Kartaiain spun around and nearly sighed in relief. The Shadow Elf stood at the edge of the large dome room, covered in blood and who knows what, looking nearly as confused as the blond thief beside Envy. “What's going on?” He asked, coming forward.
“He says he slept well...” Hadhen offered in an odd tone. Had the Kartaian lost it?
Envy's fists clenched. “I did.” His red eyes flashed darkly as he met the assassin's gaze. “I slept well, Taris.”

Taris looked like he was about to shrug or congratulate the large elf. 
Angry, Envy shot at him, his hand clapping down on the blood covered shoulder, grasping forcefully. “Think about it, Shadow Elf.” He snarled. “I have been hearing her screaming in my dreams. Hearing her pain. Tonight, nothing.”

Taris' eyes grew wide for a hair of a second before the assassin worked to control his expression, though the elf could see the mixture of fear and anger on his features. Envy could feel the muscles shift under his hand. 

“Its been over a week, Taris. They've had her for over a week. We're leaving now.” He turned his head to look at the hour glass at the far end. It was still early in the morning. Flip it for his people, it was shortly after they'd have gone to sleep. It would be quiet. “Are they ready?” Envy asked, his angry face close to the black one before him. 
Hadhen frowned to the side. “Of course we're ready, Envy! We've been trai-” Envy's large hand shot up to silence him. 
“Taris?” He growled. 

The assassin ground his teeth. “They're ready.”

Envy shot Hadhen a look and released the assassin. “”My chamber, ten minutes. Get ready.” His red eyes glared at Taris. "You, clean yourself up."
Envy turned and ran down toward the women's chamber to prepare Paget and Cainne for their return, asking to have the children be kept in the training room and the eastern tunnels. He demanded first aid equipment be brought to his chamber, curtains thrown up to keep them from view, along with a few other things he was sure would come in handy upon their return. The women nodded, pale faced, and the elf left.

In his chamber, he picked up the jagged black bottle that held the thick potion and a bowl and a blade and set it on his table to wait for the other three.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Envy held the small blade in one hand and pressed against the palm of his other and took a breath. It was one of those forsaken jagged tooth blades the Kartaians carried. This one had been his, made from the teeth of his first kills, chiseled to points by his child self and melted together with lumpy iron. He'd been too impatient to let the iron melt completely before he'd insisted on giving it to the blade. 
He'd never wanted to see the blade again, but in order to pin the closest location to shadow walk to, he needed something from the depths of Carantathkartai. And, Kartaian blood.

With a face as straight as he could keep it, he clenched his fist and pulled the blade through his grip, hearing the skin and bone grind. He bristled and bared his teeth.
“Envy!” 
Dropping the blade into the bowl, the Kartaian turned to see Taris standing with a shocked look on his face. “Assassin.” he said simply through the pain. The Shadow Elf walked up and peered into the bowl before which Envy stood. The odd assortment of objects resting in it, a black feather, a piece of coal and a finger bone, to name a few, were crimson with the elf's dark blood. Envy offered an explanation without being asked. “They set up wards against shadow walking a ways out, and beyond that, spells to make you afraid. If you get caught in the spells, they feel it, like a spider feels a moth in its web, and they come. We need to avoid those, and get as close as possible.
"If I did this right, I should now be able to get as underground, hidden from their spells.” His red eyes landed on Taris'. “It will take more energy from you, though, but, its all shadow. They live in the dark. You should have no problem …. working.” He grimaced.
Taris took Envy's hand and held his own over it, his fingers beginning to shimmer. There was a small hesitation, as Taris wasn't his whole self yet, but after a moment, the skin of the Kartaian's hand began to press itself back, the torn tendons and muscle beneath sealing together. When it was done, Envy wiped his other thumb across his palm, smearing the blood over where the wound had just been. 

“Did you talk to Russel and Hadhen?” Envy asked to break the silence. He bent to level his head with the shorter elf and thrust his thumb against his eyebrow to peer into Taris' eye. The assassin's arm flew up and knocked Envy's arm away with a dirty look. Envy smirked and moved away, sitting on the bed. “We can leave as soon as you think they're ready.” He put his head in his large hands, ignoring the blood that was now on his forehead. “I don't want her in there anymore, Taris. I'm dreaming about it. Which may be my sisters doing. I don't know. But... I can hear her.” He lifted his head and gazed at the darker elf, his expression full of agony. His lips parted like he was going to say more, but he just shook his head.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Envy peered at him for a few seconds further before he left this head fall to the bed again. He was exhausted. 

“I won't tell you anything you don’t need to know, Assassin.” He offered softly. Even Envy didn't want to think about it, but he knew, despite trying to unsee it. 

Instead, he tried to imagine this... shadow Taris spoke of. The idea of it seemed helpful, but the tone in the Shadow Elf's voice... Envy could tell it wasn't something he was entirely willing to do. Only that, for Aera, he would. “It may not be necessary, Taris, don't get ahead of yourself. Theres a chance we can do this without.” Shakily, he sighed. “Taris, what you need is to keep your head. They're going to try their hardest to piss you off. Make you lose your sure footing. If you do, they'll win. They feed off of anger.” Nauseous, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the curiosity of how they were going to get to Aera. “For her sake, Assassin... Taris. Keep a level head.”

The Shadow Elf didn't respond. Envy, unwilling to uncover his eyes and look, assumed the elf was sleeping. A good idea. Envy relaxed and quickly fell into a feverish sleep. 

What seemed like days later, Envy woke. His fever had broken, and he felt normal, despite being thirsty enough to drink a lake. He sat up and flinched, the stab wound on his ribcage still tender. With a breathe, he stretched, testing his aching limbs. 
Taris was still asleep, but was finally wearing clothes again. He must have woken and dressed at some point. On quiet feet, Envy left him to his slumber, seeking Paget. When he walked out into the training room, Hadhen had the younger children running through routine. The blond boy turned and grinned. “You're awake.”
“So it would seem.” Envy replied. His red eyes scanned the children. “We need to talk.”
Hadhen shook his head. “No need. We're going.”
The elf looked back at him. “Are you now?”

The young man crossed his arms and planted his feet. “We over heard you two. You're going after those ...” He paused, remembering Envy was one of them. “We want in.”
“Who is we?”
“Me and Russel. Cainne wanted to go, but we knew you'd shoot her down.” Envy said nothing. “Aera is our friend, and Arauka was one of us. Permission or not, we're going to follow.”
The elf shrugged. “That depends on the Shadow Elf, Hadhen. He may need to take us with his shadow walking. I don't know how many he can drag through.”
Visibly, Hadhen was disappointed. Envy patted his shoulder. “Don't lose hope yet, Hay. Work on the kids. I have something to take care of.”

He went into his chamber and pulled out one of the stones in the wall, revealing a hidden hole. Inside were a few trinkets he'd brought from his home. Their home, more like. This was his home. He stared, wondering which one to use to get him and Taris back.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Envy's eyes narrowed at the assassin when he pulled his weapons from the shadow. It made him a bit uneasy. He'd seen it in his own people, but the way the Shadow Elf had much more control made Envy weary. 

A plan. “Huh, well, fixing ourselves comes first. Just enough to where we can move. Or in your case, see.” It was clear the elf was having trouble focusing. He sighed, fighting the urge to cough again. “The sibling hatred is mutual.” He offered, his hand going up to his maimed ear. Vier'na had done that to him before he'd left them, had taken her jagged tooth dagger to him, declaring him a traitor. It had been a pain he'd never experienced before, and his sister used to torture him constantly, so that was saying a lot. Even now, all these years later, it burned and pained under his touch. “Kill as much of them as you want.”

“Do you know anybody else who can fight?”
Envy frowned when Taris brought up Ruli. “He may help. Mostly for me, then for Aera. They don't work well together, after they effected one another.” He grimaced at the memory. “But he'll do as I ask. I'll send word.” He leaned toward the pitcher and poured himself more water, his throat dry. “He can fight, and fight well. He was my best until Aera came long and knocked him to the ground.” Envy smiled. “You should have seen it, Assassin. She was barely alive, could barely hold herself up. Looked kind of like you, with the squinting and headaches. And in a matter of seconds, he was on his back in the mud with a broken nose and a knife at his throat. She just stood over him and smiled.” The Kartaian chuckled and flew into another coughing fit, bending forward to be sick over the edge of the bed, shaking. “Nng.” He groaned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before he lay down, covering his face with his arms. He was so long his legs fell over the end of the bed frame. “Other than him, Russel and Hadhen might want to join. They like Aera, and loved Arauka. But they're young, I'm not sure I want them to come along.”

Envy wheezed, sweat running down his sides, as he focused on talking. “I can lead you to where they are, possibly where they'll keep her, but it wont be easy. They'll know I'm coming, at least, and put more wards up around her.” He turned his head and peaked at the Shadow Elf from between his arms. “Hear me, Taris. We need to get to her fast. I know what they wanted her for, and, as strong as Aera is, she won't be able to fight for long.”

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

”Do it.”
“No.”
A pause. “Do it.”
“No!”
“Push her.”
“No! Please don't-” There was a gasp, followed by blood curling screams.
“The more you fight us, Princess, the more painful this will be.”
Sobs could be heard, a woman coughing through her tears.
“Again.” 
“No.... please...”
More screams. “Don't!” A thud of a body hitting the ground. “Ah, dammit. Remove him. Do it again.”
“How long?” Asked a male voice over the shrill screams of a woman.
“As long as she fights.”
“Then she's mine.”
Vier'na smiled. “Yes, Drugan. Then she's yours.” She turned her head. “So, friend. How much more of this do you think she has in her?”
Bright blue eyes glared back as another scream broke through the air.

---

Envy's eyes snapped open as he woke, beads of sweat running down his cheek. He was sitting up in the infirmary chamber, leaning back against the cold stone wall. The whole of his body was shaking, and he couldn't decide if it was his nightmare or the damned poison. The little antidote had blocked the brunt of it, but he was still struggling with controlling his body, unable to do much more then sleep and sweat.
He lifted his hand and wiped his face. His nightmare had seemed so real. The sounds... her screams still echoed in his head.

Groggy, he turned his head and saw the pitcher of water on the table beside a glass. His arm went out and, in his weak clumsiness, knocked the glass to the ground where it shattered. Frowning, he stared at the pitcher, willing it to magically hydrate his parched throat.
Then he noticed Taris' red eyes blinking at him. “Assassin.”
The other elf frowned. “Envy?” His sight was still incredibly blurry. “You know that its creepy, you just sitting there.” The dark elf chuckled, bringing on a thick, rattling cough, his whole body jolting. “What's wrong with you?” Taris glared.
Envy rested his arm across his forehead. “Sibling hatred.” He answered shortly. The wound on his shoulder was healing nicely, but the one in his ribcage from Vier'na's blade was inflamed and angry. “How do you feel?”
The shadow elf was silent for a bit. “Better.” Gingerly, he lifted himself up, testing his mobility. He felt something crack on his skin and he blinked, touching his arm.
“Took the liberty...” Envy panted. “..of allowing Cainne to-” he choked. “Salve.” He motioned weakly to the dried green paste that cracked on Taris' skin. Paget came in, hearing Envy's coughs and fetched another glass, pouring him water and holding it up to him, then offered another to Taris. They both drank deeply. “Thank you.” He gave her an appreciative smile. She handed him a dry cloth and swept up the broken glass and left again.

“Business, Taris. You've got to get better.” He wiped the dry cloth across his face, moping up the sweat. “I've got to get better. And we've got to get Aera back.”
He noted the pained look on Taris' face. “Yea, about that, Envy, explain to me how she got taken?” There was an obvious hint of irritation in his voice.
“Long story.” He paused, unsure about how much of herself Aera had told the assassin. Or how much he knew about her through his contacts. “When she was younger, she killed one of their princes. Fellow named Ferân. Killed a few of them, the group of them that were kidnapping children throughout the realm. It was when they learned about her curse.” Taris noted the way he spoke about the Kartaians, disassociating himself with them. “From then on, she was something they wanted.

“I put a ward on her earrings. Those teardrops she always wears. To keep them from finding her. When she removed them, she exposed herself. After that they were just waiting for a decent distraction.” He frowned, knowing that it couldn't have been that simple. There was more to them finding her, but he couldn't figure that out. His thoughts were muddled under the fever. 

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

The Kartaian grunted from somewhere else and approached on unsteady feet. “Easier said than done, assassin.” Taris heard him crouch near his head. “I'm not good at the shadow walking thing.”
The Shadow Elf narrowed his unseeing eyes. “You should have thought about that before you came here, Envy.”
The tall elf gave a shrug. “Can you stand? Right in front of you, take my hand.” With effort the assassin raised his arm and clamped, groaning in pain. “Okay, I'm going to grab your other arm.”
The shadow elf clenched his jaw and screamed when Envy grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. “Open the shadows.” Taris shook, holding onto Envy's extended arm. “Don't argue, do it, or we're stuck here.”

Taris bared his teeth and gave it a shot, tearing his hand away from Envy's arm to open the shadows. The opening flickered Envy pushed through, half dragging Taris. When they stepped into the tunnels, Envy turned and grabbed Taris around his torso to keep the Shadow Elf from falling into the dirt. Taris yelled, his eyes rolling in pain. 
Frowning, Envy called out. Paget and Cainne appeared, their dresses still covered in blood, their faces frightened. “Bed, please. And where is Hadhen?”

“No.” Taris argued. 
Envy lowered his eyes to him with a frown. “You need to lie down.”
The Shadow Elf snarled. “No, I need to see her.” Envy's red eyes went to the girls, who stared back before giving a small nod. “Envy!” Taris pulled on his arm.
The huge elf heaved a sigh, wincing as his ribs expanded. “Alright, you stubborn assassin. Prepare the infirmary chamber, will you girls?” Holding one hand against the wall and the other arm out, he walked. His left hand gripped Tari's left wrist, where the shackles had been. Seemed to be the only place Envy could see that didn't look inflamed and angry. Around Envy's elbow was Taris' right hand, tight gripped and shaky as the darker elf worked to hold himself up. “Do want me to carry you?”
“Shut it.”
Envy grinned and twitched his eyebrow as Hadhen came running down the tunnel. “Taris, this is Hadhen.” The blue eyed blond stared at Taris with a confused look. “Tell him anything you need from your inn, he'll retrieve it.”
“Keep walking.” Taris hissed, keeping his feet moving. “Hadhen, is it? I know that name.”
“We met a few years back. I remember you, but not your name.”
The Shadow Elf nodded and Envy glared. Taris described what he needed from his room, his healing powders and clothes, and Hadhen nodded and vanished.
“How is it that you know Hadhen?” Envy inquired. 
“Envy...” Taris released the elf and dropped to his knees and vomited, his whole body convulsing. The Kartaian leaned against the wall, looking down at him. 
“Good?”
Taris gasped and heaved, lifting a shaking arm for Envy, who lifted him back to his feet. “I came with the other Shadow Elves a while back... when you needed the Guild's help.”
“Hm, as I remember, you needed my help.”
“You're going to argue?”
Envy shrugged and kept quiet until they entered the small ante-chamber where Arauka lay. 

Her body lay on a stone bed, wrapped tightly in a white sheet, and flowers, coins and toys lay around the floor, gifts the other children had brought to say their good-byes. Envy stopped and held his arm forward, telling Taris where she was.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

It was a long while before Envy straightened, the poison in his system making it an effort. 
“Paget!” He shouted. Paget was one of the senior women in the tunnels, one of the few who stayed after adulthood to help with the children. She came from the tunnels and gasped. “Is everyone else okay?” She nodded, her brown curls bobbing. “Good, keep them in their rooms. Send Russel to me.”

Russel came a few minutes later. He was a young man, a few years older than Aera, and, to his credit, he didn't flinch at the sight in the training room. He carried a black sheet with him and they covered Arauka's body. When Russel lifted it, Envy moved his feet in the dirt, trying to hide as much of the blood as he could. He'd get more sand later. Gathering the blades on the floor, he forced himself to stand and made for his room, leaning heavily on the walls. 
In his chamber, in the corner with a small rainbow of colored bottles of potions, he picked out the tiny black bottle and drank it down. He knew the tricks his sister used in her poisons, and she wouldn't have changed anything for him. She wanted him to live, only to be too sick to follow. At least anytime soon. By the time he'd be well enough....

“Paget and Cainne are going to clean her up.” Russel said behind him. Envy sat on the bed and Russel bent to help him clean up. The elf pointed to one of the darker bottles and leaned onto his side for Russel to pour over the hole in his rib cage. “They were like you.” Envy didn’t answer. “Did they kill Arauka? Why?”
Envy gripped the edge of the bed and hissed under the potion. “Because.” He snarled under the pain, his skin bubbling. “They do things like that.”
“Is that why you left?” 
Russel handed Envy another bottle and the elf rejected it with a wave of his hand. “Part of the reason.” Envy stood, still unsteady. “Arauka had a pendant. It looks like this one. Bring it to me.” While he was gone, Envy finished before turning his attention on the pendant Taris had given him. 

Something was up, if the shadow elf hadn't turned up just yet. Aera had said they were ready for him, so they must have grabbed him. Envy needed to get to him. Aera needed their help. His stomach twisted in knots, just thinking about her.
Russel handed Envy the pendant and Envy thanked him. “Now listen, gather the older kids, all of them, with the exception of Paget and Cainne, I need them with Arauka. Go to the castle, outside the gates. I need a distraction. A good one.” Obediently, Russel nodded and hurried away. Envy took Arauka's bloody pendant and the blade she'd dropped, assumingly a gift from Taris, and overturned a bowl of grapes on his table to throw everything into. 

“Vee?” The elf turned to find one of the small toddlers waddling into his room. He bent and hugged the boy. 
“Mikeal, are you okay?”
The toddler grinned, showing his few teeth. before wiggling from Envy's grasp to pick up the fallen grapes. Envy caught his attention again. “Mikeal, will you take a few grapes to mommy?”'The toddler grinned again and waddled off, holding a few grapes like they were a treasure. The elf went back to work, mixing a few potions and powders into the bowl. 
He was trying to use the objects that had been in the shadow elf's possession to pinpoint where he was, so Envy could shadow walk to him. The idea of it made Envy nervous, he hadn't tried in a few decades, but he needed to reach the assassin.
It worked. 
With a deep breath, he opened the shadows and focused on where he felt Taris was and stepped through, hoping the children had made their distraction. 

A few seconds later, he stepped into the corner of the dungeon and gasped. He lost his footing and fell, landing with a curse. The dungeon was well lit on one side, with Taris bent on his knees, hanging by chains on his wrists under the light. The Kataraian could hear the shadow elf's rasping breath and could see the smoke rise from his black skin.

“Taris.” Envy grunted, trying to push himself up from the ground. Leaning on a table, then the wall, he succeeded. “Taris, you fool. Wake up.”

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Aera glared furiously at the girl, but knew she was a dead end, so she rounded on the huge elf behind her. “Take me back.” Her hands flew up to untie her gloves, until she remembered Kentaro's trick with the ties. Dammit. “Take me back now, Envy.” He shook he head and lifted a hand to her face, where blood spattered her skin. She reared her head, her mouth curled in anger. “Its not mine, Envy, please... “ Annoyed, she found she was crying again. “You can shadow walk, I know you can. Stop shaking your head!” She threw herself at him, beating at his chest before he wrapped his large arms around her, immobilizing her. “Please, Envy.”

Suddenly, her palms itched and her scar tingled. Behind her, Arauka gasped and Aera felt a tension in Envy's arms before he released her. When she stepped back, she saw there was a Kartaian woman holding a blade to his throat, her long, scarred blue fingers tangled in his hair. She stood a few inches taller than him, clearing seven feet tall, her deep red eyes glaring at Aera while a wolfish smile spread across her lips. “Hello, Enlor`Lei.” She purred against Envy's ear. 
His nostrils flared. “Vier'na.”
“Envy?” Aera asked, her brows pulled together, her own rage forgotten.
Envy put up his hand to tell her to go but hissed as the woman jerked and blade, drawing blood. “Is this her?” Vier'na glared at Aera. “The Raielwen you've fought so hard to hide from us? How beautiful she is. Fierce. And who is the little one?”

There was an odd sound and more Kartaiains appeared, black smoke and shadow wafting in the air around them. Now there were six of them in the chamber with them, and judging by the children's screams that echoed in the tunnels, more had appeared throughout. One, a burly male who was more scar than skin, stepped forward and put a large hand behind Arauka's neck and lifted her off the ground with ease. She screamed, clawing at his hand.
“Stop!” Aera shrieked. “Let her go! She's just a child!” She went to run forward but another Kartaian grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her still. 
Vier'na nodded and the one who held Arauka lowered his hand and squatted, pushing her to the ground. “We made that mistake before, princess.” She leered at Aera. “You were only a child, and how many of our fully grown warriors did you kill?”
The pale elf pointed to the girl. “She doesn't have Kartai's Curse!”
The tall woman grinned again. “Answer the question.”
Aera let out a breath, frustrated. “Three. I killed three.” She knew where this was going.
Vier'na smiled. “All these years, we've been hunting you, and my dear brother here has been hiding you. But now we've found you, and you're coming with us.” Aera glared. “We have spread all through city, and we can take it easily. We will kill everyone as soon as the sun sleeps. When the people of this city lower their heads to their pillows tonight, they will never rise again. Unless you agree to come with us.”

Aera's purple eyes rested on Envy, who was looking down at her, keeping his emotion from showing. Vier'na caught their look and sneered. “Do you love her, Brother?”
A muscle in Envy's jaw flexed in his anger. “Yes.”
“Good.” In a flash she thrust a dark blue blade into his rib cage while she jammed the blade that was at his throat into his shoulder. He roared in agony and fell back while Aera and Arauka shouted in shock. “Now the girl.”
The scarred Kartaian lifted Arauka again and she flailed and kicked to no avail, her eyes widening as he brought out a jagged blade that looked to be half bone, half rusted iron.
“NO! Stop, please....” Aera's stomach twisted and she blinked tears away. “I-I'll go. Please, I'll go with you, just don't hurt them. Don't hurt any of them.”
“Aera.....” Envy pushed himself up to sit, shaking his head. She ignored him. 
Vier'na walked over to Aera and took her chin in her blue fingers, looking her over. “So you're the little wench that murdered my betrothed? My Ferân?” Aera shivered under her gaze, and the woman grinned. “This will be fun.” She stepped away, releasing Aera. “You heard her, Qualme. She's coming with us. Take her home.”

The scarred Kartaian dropped Arauka, grinned a nasty smile and rushed forward, turning his blade around and jammed the jagged, sharp pommel into Aera's stomach. Before she could scream, his thick hand wrapped around her throat and they were gone in puff of smokey shadow. 

Envy growled and Arauka lept up, pulling a small blade from her hip. “No, dove!” But Vier'na reacted and swung her own bone blade, slicing the child up the middle. Arauka's scream echoed the tunnels and she fell on the ground, holding her stomach. Envy glared at Vier'na, who smiled sweetly at him, looking at the blood on her blade. “Don't worry, Enlor`Lei.” She crouched before him. “We'll take special care of her. We've hunted her for a long time, we won't let her go to waste.”
He roared and swung at her, only to find his arms swing through her, her image dissolved into smoke. They all vanished.

Envy gasped, wrenching the daggers from his body, his body shaking violently from the poison from the blue one. He crawled toward Arauka, who was crying on the ground in a pool of her blood, her small hands shaking. “Envy?” She sobbed.
He leaned over her and pressed their foreheads together. “I'm here, dove.” She was cold. His hand reached for her dropped blade, his other hand taking one of hers.
“I'm s-so sorry.” She shook, tears falling down her cheeks.
Envy shook his head, blinking back his own tears. “You did good, little dove. Look at me, I'm proud of you.” He lifted the blade over her and positioned it. 
Her face twisted in pain. “Wi-will you tell him t-t-that-”
He cut her off. “Sshh. I promise, I will. Look at me, baby girl.” He pushed on the blade and she jerked, gasping a final breath before her eyes unfocused and her grip on his hand relaxed.

Love is a Noose [ Kru & Cara ]

Back in her chambers, Aera immediately called for a bath, wanting to cleanse herself. Paytin brought her hot water and poured perfumed oil in, and Aera soaked in watery fields of lavender. She ducked underwater and held her breath, drowning out the world for a few minutes. When she surfaced, she opened her eyes to find Kentaro watching her and she jumped.
“Kentaro, what are you doing?” She asked, reaching for her robe.
“Hello to you, too.” He said simply. 
Aera stood and covered herself, dripping on the floor. The silver haired man stepped forward and kissed her hard, his fingers gripping painfully on the back of her neck. She winced tried to pull away, but he gripped her hair. “You left.” Her stomach twisted and she kept quiet and still, her eyes on his. “I had your door watched. So it was either magic, or you have some other way of escaping.” He shoved her toward her main room. “Dress. We're moving.”
“Where's my maid?” Aera asked, noting Paytin's absence.
His lip twitched. “I got rid of her. You don't need her.”

Silently, Aera moved to gather a dress, aware of Kentaro's stare. “Stop.” She froze. He walked over to her wardrobe and pulled a long pair of black gloves. “You forgot these.” He pulled them up her arms and then motioned for her to pull on her dress. When she had, he laced the ties of the gloves with the lace in the back for the dress, so she wouldn't be able to remove them without help. “Much better.” He grinned. “Now out.”
He gripped her hand and led her up to his own room. It was well lit, extra candles had been brought in and were burning everywhere. It seemed Taris' trick with the shadows had left a scar on Kentaro, and he didn't want to be reminded of it. At the door were two guards, two more on the other end near the window, and the court wizard sat with rigid posture on the sofa in the corner. Kentaro pointed to a small chair at the opposite end of the room from the wizard. “Sit.” He ordered, and she moved to obey. “I have business to attend to.”
Aera sat, straight as an arrow, with her hands on her knees, her wet hair dripping down her back, ignoring the uncomfortable stare of the wizard from across the room. They spoke in hushed tones, but her sensitive ears could pick up their words. Kentaro didn't know much about Taris, but he knew he could manipulate shadows, at the very least, and he was asking the wizard what he could do. He'd raised the number of guards around the palace and gave them all directions to forbid the elf from entering the grounds.

Aera kept quiet, listening now and again, her own thoughts capturing her attention. 
What had her angry? Envy had asked that, and the first thing to come to mind had been the fact that she didn't mind the idea that her husband would be murdered. That the fact made her a horrible person. But there was more to it. 
She could be happy with Taris. Would be happy. 
But did Kentaro really have to die? Somewhere, he was still the happy young man she'd fallen for, the boy with the warm smile who made her laugh. He'd only changed recently, when his mother had moved in on them. And after her stunt with the physician, he'd sent her away again. There was a chance he'd come back. Not entirely, but perhaps just enough to realize that they weren't happy, and let her go.
Taris had told Kentaro seven weeks. With the queen out of the way, could she find a way to avoid his death?
Without warning, the scar across her back ached and twinged and Aera fidgeted. She froze when her hands started to tingle. Again? She turned her palms up and stared at her gloved hands. This had happened last night, when she was with Taris. What was it? 

The guard nearest her cleared his throat loudly and she glanced up, suddenly aware that Kentaro was leering at her from across the room, his eyes dark.