HOME | DD

Description
A pair of bright violet eyes glanced about as a dark hand reached out, fingers poised over the nightstand of Lord Ethbert. Ethbert slept in the bed barely an arm's length away. The elf attatched to the hand, Vellentia, had no idea how soundly the nobleman slept, so she intended to be quick with her work. Snatching up the talisman she came for, the olive-skinned elf shoved it into one of her sashes, then grinned at the sleeping gentleman. His use for this trinket was over! No more would he keep his watchful eye out for people who use magic so that he could bring the Huntsmen of the Divine Judges to carry them away.

Turning then, she stalked away to the window that she'd come in, ready to leap out onto the ledge and flit away into the night. Just as she reached the window, Vellentia heard a loud yawn. Ethbert sat up in bed and blinked.

"What the..." he stammered. "Who... What... My talisman! Guards!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, the nobleman sounded like a bellowing bison. Spinning on her heel, Vellentia hissed at him.

"Shut up you wretched, pot-bellied, gristle-biter!" she spat hatefully before pulling her sword and punching Ethbert in the face with the pommel. He'd already been roused from his sleep, no point in letting his ugly, pudgy face go unmarred. "Enjoy the fruits of your hapless work, boot-licker! A broken nose for you and a golden trinket for me? One of us will sleep well tonight!"

Leaping through the open window, the elf somersaulted onto the ledge below then took to running. Bare feet held the smooth marble well as she turned the corner at the end of the building and leapt over onto the top of the wall.

"Up there! Stop, you!" shouted Captain Arjouls. He grabbed a young woman running by and shook her to get her attention making her cringe. Her curly red hair fluttered as if in a strong wind as Arjouls yelled in her face. "Kaeve! Get that elf, or I'll let the Huntsmen have their way with you!"

"N-not the Huntsmen, sir!" she begged. "They'll tear me limb from limb!" Arjouls just grinned and nodded in agreement.

"That's right, girl," he told her darkly, then bellowed again as he shoved her toward the gate. "So move!" The girl ran away, getting Marlis and Vrei to go with her.

"The elf is up on the wall," she told Marlis, who nodded while fixing her blonde hair under her helmet. "Vrei! Get to the outside!" Vrei, a slightly older man with graying hair shouted his acknowledgement and ran out the gate. Marlis followed Kaeve right up the stairs to the wall's inner ledge, used for the nightly patrols. Vellentia was right above them and she greeted the guards amicably.

"Good evening!" she shouted with a flourish of her sword to let them know that she still intended to use it if need be. "Follow me to freedom! I'll give you a better chance than you have with these employers!" Kaeve and Marlis glanced at one another, making Vellentia shrug. "Fine. Have it your way!"

She took a swipe at them with her blade, making Kaeve hit the wood planks below and roll. Marlis leapt up onto the wall and lunged with her weapon. Vellentia laughed and spun in the air, parrying as she flew. The thief's opponent was slightly older, mid-30s perhaps, but just as lithe and limber in appearance as she was. Marlis was also wearing considerably more, and that armor would be her undoing.

"You're not bad!" Vellentia taunted. "Still can't hit me though!" Casting a grin back over her shoulder, she managed to goad Marlis into attacking again. The woman's blue eyes narrowed and she shouted. Vellentia's grin stayed as she dropped to her knees and rolled, making Marlis trip and fall headlong off the end of the wall. Standing once more, the elf cringed as she looked at the distant street below. "Sorry, kid..."

Reaching the end just after Vellentia, Kaeve gasped at the sight of Marlis below then leapt over the guard-rail to land on the same stopped wagon that the elf had.

"You!" she yelled to the driver. "Get a doctor for her!" Leaping then from the wagon, Kaeve ran along the street with Vrei just then catching up. Vellentia was not far ahead as she entered one of the small wall-separated sections of the street. Not only did the elf steal holy items – contraband for civilians – from the Divine Judges' inner circle, attack a Lord, and commit a possibly fatal act against a member of the city watch, she added insult to it all by running down the lane reserved for church and noble business.

"I'm sorry about your friend," she shouted out as Kaeve caught up. "But that's the risk you take when you take orders from the Divine Judges!" Stopping on a dime, the elf locked swords with the red-haired watcher. "Perhaps you want a trip to the infirmary too?"

"I'll best you, crook!" Kaeve shot back, giving Vellentia a hard shove. Instead of attacking again, though, she vaulted over the narrow wall, bringing her foot around to strike Vrei right in the face on her way to the lower peasantry street. He shouted and fell to the ground from the blow, letting Vellentia land and run quickly away.

"You failure!" came the angry shout of Arjouls, who'd only seen part of the chase. "Marlis is down and you let the elf escape!" Kaeve dropped her sword and held her hands out in protest, but Arjouls summoned the two huge, wide-shouldered men who stood behind him with a clap. They stepped forward and took her arms.

"Sir, sir no!" the redhead begged. "I'll find her, I swear it!" Arjouls just growled at the cowardly young guard and tapped the toe of his left boot on the wet pavement.

"Take her to Huntsman Gros. Let him show this fool what it means to defy me." He turned and started walking away as the men locked Kaeve, screaming, into a fiddle to be led away to her fate. Not far away, violet eyes watched the scene.

"Oh, you scum," Vellentia grumbled from atop a nearby roof. "But if I can parlay tonight's booty into a trinket and an ally, perhaps I, too, should pay Gros a visit and relieve him of an errant watcher."

Art & Characters © La Violetta
Story ©

Description
A pair of bright violet eyes glanced about as a dark hand reached out, fingers poised over the nightstand of Lord Ethbert. Ethbert slept in the bed barely an arm's length away. The elf attatched to the hand, Vellentia, had no idea how soundly the nobleman slept, so she intended to be quick with her work. Snatching up the talisman she came for, the olive-skinned elf shoved it into one of her sashes, then grinned at the sleeping gentleman. His use for this trinket was over! No more would he keep his watchful eye out for people who use magic so that he could bring the Huntsmen of the Divine Judges to carry them away.

Turning then, she stalked away to the window that she'd come in, ready to leap out onto the ledge and flit away into the night. Just as she reached the window, Vellentia heard a loud yawn. Ethbert sat up in bed and blinked.

"What the..." he stammered. "Who... What... My talisman! Guards!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, the nobleman sounded like a bellowing bison. Spinning on her heel, Vellentia hissed at him.

"Shut up you wretched, pot-bellied, gristle-biter!" she spat hatefully before pulling her sword and punching Ethbert in the face with the pommel. He'd already been roused from his sleep, no point in letting his ugly, pudgy face go unmarred. "Enjoy the fruits of your hapless work, boot-licker! A broken nose for you and a golden trinket for me? One of us will sleep well tonight!"

Leaping through the open window, the elf somersaulted onto the ledge below then took to running. Bare feet held the smooth marble well as she turned the corner at the end of the building and leapt over onto the top of the wall.

"Up there! Stop, you!" shouted Captain Arjouls. He grabbed a young woman running by and shook her to get her attention making her cringe. Her curly red hair fluttered as if in a strong wind as Arjouls yelled in her face. "Kaeve! Get that elf, or I'll let the Huntsmen have their way with you!"

"N-not the Huntsmen, sir!" she begged. "They'll tear me limb from limb!" Arjouls just grinned and nodded in agreement.

"That's right, girl," he told her darkly, then bellowed again as he shoved her toward the gate. "So move!" The girl ran away, getting Marlis and Vrei to go with her.

"The elf is up on the wall," she told Marlis, who nodded while fixing her blonde hair under her helmet. "Vrei! Get to the outside!" Vrei, a slightly older man with graying hair shouted his acknowledgement and ran out the gate. Marlis followed Kaeve right up the stairs to the wall's inner ledge, used for the nightly patrols. Vellentia was right above them and she greeted the guards amicably.

"Good evening!" she shouted with a flourish of her sword to let them know that she still intended to use it if need be. "Follow me to freedom! I'll give you a better chance than you have with these employers!" Kaeve and Marlis glanced at one another, making Vellentia shrug. "Fine. Have it your way!"

She took a swipe at them with her blade, making Kaeve hit the wood planks below and roll. Marlis leapt up onto the wall and lunged with her weapon. Vellentia laughed and spun in the air, parrying as she flew. The thief's opponent was slightly older, mid-30s perhaps, but just as lithe and limber in appearance as she was. Marlis was also wearing considerably more, and that armor would be her undoing.

"You're not bad!" Vellentia taunted. "Still can't hit me though!" Casting a grin back over her shoulder, she managed to goad Marlis into attacking again. The woman's blue eyes narrowed and she shouted. Vellentia's grin stayed as she dropped to her knees and rolled, making Marlis trip and fall headlong off the end of the wall. Standing once more, the elf cringed as she looked at the distant street below. "Sorry, kid..."

Reaching the end just after Vellentia, Kaeve gasped at the sight of Marlis below then leapt over the guard-rail to land on the same stopped wagon that the elf had.

"You!" she yelled to the driver. "Get a doctor for her!" Leaping then from the wagon, Kaeve ran along the street with Vrei just then catching up. Vellentia was not far ahead as she entered one of the small wall-separated sections of the street. Not only did the elf steal holy items – contraband for civilians – from the Divine Judges' inner circle, attack a Lord, and commit a possibly fatal act against a member of the city watch, she added insult to it all by running down the lane reserved for church and noble business.

"I'm sorry about your friend," she shouted out as Kaeve caught up. "But that's the risk you take when you take orders from the Divine Judges!" Stopping on a dime, the elf locked swords with the red-haired watcher. "Perhaps you want a trip to the infirmary too?"

"I'll best you, crook!" Kaeve shot back, giving Vellentia a hard shove. Instead of attacking again, though, she vaulted over the narrow wall, bringing her foot around to strike Vrei right in the face on her way to the lower peasantry street. He shouted and fell to the ground from the blow, letting Vellentia land and run quickly away.

"You failure!" came the angry shout of Arjouls, who'd only seen part of the chase. "Marlis is down and you let the elf escape!" Kaeve dropped her sword and held her hands out in protest, but Arjouls summoned the two huge, wide-shouldered men who stood behind him with a clap. They stepped forward and took her arms.

"Sir, sir no!" the redhead begged. "I'll find her, I swear it!" Arjouls just growled at the cowardly young guard and tapped the toe of his left boot on the wet pavement.

"Take her to Huntsman Gros. Let him show this fool what it means to defy me." He turned and started walking away as the men locked Kaeve, screaming, into a fiddle to be led away to her fate. Not far away, violet eyes watched the scene.

"Oh, you scum," Vellentia grumbled from atop a nearby roof. "But if I can parlay tonight's booty into a trinket and an ally, perhaps I, too, should pay Gros a visit and relieve him of an errant watcher."

Art & Characters © La Violetta
Story ©