Chapter 24: The sister

It had been a few days when Breghen entered the dungeons of House Duscrain again. His mind had been filled with questions, like a tornado that was rushing through his head. He wanted to know more but he had to be careful. He could not allow his mind to travel the wrong way. He had to stay strong!

He slammed the door behind him in the lock, making Elendar fling up his head by the sound. A few hours before Breghen had asked some of the dungeon guards to put him on the stock again with the command to not tell when he would arrive. He had maybe learned that Elendar had spoken the truth about his brothers, that didn’t mean he would forgive him. His suffering was still his fault!

“It has been a few days …” Elendar said very calmly. Breghen didn’t react to his comment, keeping a stoic face before he walked to the side, picking up one of the daggers.

“I had to think.” He said firmly, twirling the chosen dagger in his hand. Like any Drow dagger that was used for special occasions, it was heavily decorated again with a spider pattern on the heft. 

“So you found out the truth?” Elendar asked, his eyes following the young boy towards the bench, seeing how he picked up the dagger.

“You weren’t lying …” Breghen said before he turned around, facing the bound man.

“But that doesn’t mean you are off the grid!” With a flick of his hand, he threw the dagger right towards Elendar. The man felt the dagger pass his head, cutting off a few hairs in the process.

“Your actions still caused me years of suffering!”

Elendar released the breath he was holding, his muscles relaxing in the iron chains.

“I don’t blame you. I was a fool …”

“How did you meet her?”

Elendar looked up in surprise.

“What?” He looked with confused eyes to his son, who still stood before him unmoved.

“How did you meet her?” the young boy asked again.

“I … she found me at a riverside when I searched for water.”

“Such a mistake, lowering your guard like that. A foolish move.”

Elendar huffed, giving a slight chuckle.

“Indeed, a very risky move. Yet, even when she had me at the point of her dagger, she did not kill me.”

Breghen raised his eyebrow. Of course she didn’t kill him, he was still here. Yet there was something else that made him curious.

“She did not attack you?”

“No …” Elendar whispered, recalling the memory in his mind. Seeing her face again made him smile. “She gave me a chance …”

“A foul surface elf giving a Drow a chance? She must have been a fool as well. Any other would have plunged that dagger in your back to kill you on the spot.”

“Indeed. But just like me, she explained she had a dream. It was like something was guiding us both to each other. Like someone wanted us to be together.” Elendar explained, still with that blissful expression in his eyes. 

“Correct.”

Breghen shook his head when that strange but familiar voice entered his mind again. It always felt like a sting in his mind. Not a painful one, but like a pinch on the cheek. It threw him out of concentration for a moment. Throughout his life, he had heard the voice a few times. And when he thought about it, he had noticed that it had always been connected to himself or his father. 

When he was back in his own mind, he noticed the soft smile on Elendar’s face. His eyes dreaming away, like he was reliving a good memory. Breghen huffed in irritation and reached out for the dagger to pull it out of the wood and lash over Elendar’s face. The man yelped, kicked from his daydream, back to the cold cell. He looked straight in his son’s eyes.

“Don’t you dare to start flying!” Breghen whispered coldly. He was here to make this man suffer, just like he had suffered. 

And then he suddenly remembered something from the hunt. Something he had heard. Something he had felt. At first he had discarded it, thinking he had understood everything wrong. But the more he thought about it, putting the pieces together, the more it started to look like it was right.

“I overheard your conversation with that elf leader and your surface sweetheart.” His voice was a bit poisonous. “Did I hear it correctly that you screwed her and got a child running up there?”

Elendar’s eyes shot open when he heard those words. He was willing to spill out everything, just anything to keep them away from her. The only thing left of the time he so much cared for. It was already too late to realize that his reaction was good enough as answer for the boy’s question. Elendar saw the grin on his son's face turning wider.

“So it’s true …” He whispered delightedly. So the bastard indeed had a child on the surface.

“What a delight.”

“Don’t you dare to tell this to Sharadreza! That child has nothing to do with all this. Leave her out of it!!”

“AND WHY SHOULD I?!” The boy yelled as his fist slammed on Elendar’s face again.

“Tell me why I should not drag her here before your eyes and do the same to her as they did to me?!” 

“SHE IS INNOCENT!” The adult man suddenly yelled out, which surprised Breghen. Until now, Elendar had been able to keep his cool, yet this subject seems to touch a sensitive nerve. And made the boy more angry then he already was. In his upcoming rage, he let the dagger rip over his inner hand, drawing blood from the wound while his veins glowed blue. 

“How can you care about someone you haven’t even seen!!??” The boy yelled, unleashing the electric power from his blood, shooting it towards Elendar. The man screamed when the thunder rushed over his body, feeling all his muscles contract when the magic rushed through his body. He gasped for air when Breghen released his grip, giving Elendar a second to recuperate. 

“How is it that you care so much about her when she doesn’t even know who you are?!” The Drow boy hissed, letting the electricity ripple over his hand.

Panting, Elendar looked up, seeing the manifestation of his son's power. 

“How? I thought you needed your weapon to control it?”

Breghen huffed in an insulted tone, balling his fist which made the electricity crackle even more.

“Do you really think I didn’t train outside Nazira’s training sessions? I learned some tricks on my own. We all need an ace in our hands. Now, answer my question!!”

The blue electricity crackled dangerously over Breghen’s hand, even going up to his arm while his veins were still pumping in a blue color. 

“Stop it! You are hurting yourself!” Elendar pleaded, seeing how the magic was straining on his son's body. He could see the sweat pearling up, the breathing of the boy becoming faster the longer he kept the dark magic active.

“ANSWER!” His voice echoing in the small chamber.

Elendar released a defeated breath, dropping his head a bit, but he kept his eyes locked on the young boy.

“How can I not care for her? She’s my child.”

Breghen gave a soft snarl, wanting to scream he was as well. To tell him that he was his son and that he never cared. But when the idea ran in his mind, something was holding him back. Like a small bell was reminding him that he had spoken the truth before. He claimed he cared. 

“You don’t even know her.” The boy replied, sounding a bit calmer.

“Indeed, I don’t.” Elendar sighed. “But if she even looks a bit like her mother, then I would love her.”

Breghen grunted, lowering his arm, disabling the magic as his body was getting tired, draining his energy. He tried everything to hide it however. He didn’t want to look weak before this traitor’s eyes!

“Such a fool.” He whispered. “She’s a halfbreed. A foul crossbred!”

“Don’t you dare to talk about her like that!!” Elendar snapped, giving his son an angry glare.

“She was born on the surface. She is free of taint, uninfluenced by the chaotic and suppressing ideals of that spider bitch. She has learned what freedom is, what love is.”

Breghen huffed. “Then she is weak. Lolth made us strong. Gave us tools and power to fight those dirty fairies!” 

“Indeed!” A voice suddenly filled the room while the door was opened. Irae’Lin entered the room, having a glorified grin on her face, her eyes sparkling of the info that she had just heard.

“Priestess Irae’Lin.” The boy fell to his knees, bowing his head for the eldest daughter of House Duscrain. 

“Did I hear this right, brother dear?” The woman hissed. “Did our traitor not only sire you, but also a disgusting halfbreed on the surface?”

Breghen’s eyes shifted to Elendar for a second, noticing his horrified face. For a tiny moment he felt guilty. But the guilt quickly vanished when his sister stood tall before him, the snake heads from her whip hissing dangerously.

“It seems he did.” Breghen said, raising from the ground when Irae’Lin gave him the sign to stand up.

“How marvelous.” The female grinned. “He did not only betray his kin, but also soiled our precious blood. Mother will be pleased with this information. Well done, brother dear.”

Breghen didn’t react, his eyes wandering towards Elendar. You could read the defeat on his face. The fear of losing the only thing he had left. The fear of also seeing his other child become corrupted by the Underdark. During his entire life, whenever he had been able to look at the man, Breghen had never seen him so defeated as on that moment. 

“Come!” Irae’Lin commanded before she turned on her heels, almost shuddering of anticipation. “Let the prison guard put him in his cell. Mother must learn of this. She will be delighted to see that filthy crossbreed being dragged from the surface, only to be whipped before his very eyes.”

With evil laughter filling his ears, Elendar had to see how Irae’Lin guided Breghen out of the dungeon, knowing that Sharadreza would order the capture of his daughter. The idea alone ripped his heart, shattered it to pieces. And for the first time in his life, he started to weep.

Theatrical, Irae’Lin walked up to the throne room of the House, entering the room with an excited ‘mother’ before she bowed down before the Matron. Breghen, who had followed his sister in her shadow, also bowed down to his knees. 

“Our beloved brother has learned a tasteful element, Mother. It seems that traitor does not only has a child in your House …” Her eyes shifted shortly to Breghen, revealing a vicious grin.

“... but he also has a child on the surface. A crossbreed. He mated with that foul fairy and created a hybrid.”

Sharadreza scoffed, but her lips curled themselves in a smile. 

“What a lovely surprise!” She chuckled, letting her fingers scrape over the dark marble of her throne. Another child. But this time created with the woman he cared for. That child would have a bigger leverage over him then his son even had. Seeing her being beaten down, would harm him more then when they did that to his son. Another would have killed such a traitor a long time ago, but not Sharadreza. She didn’t grant him the satisfaction of a quick death. She wanted to break him, crush him, drain him of any sliver of hope, use him as an example for anyone who would ever think about betraying her and their kind.

“Gather a search party. Track that crossbreed and drag her towards me.” 

Irae’Lin chuckled in delight, already looking forward to this new hunt.

“And this time, the prisoner will be mine to break.” The priestess said while her red eyes falter towards her brother, who had listened in silence. He should be excited for the hunt. He should be thrilled that he would be able to drag back that thing that could make his father suffer. But he didn’t. He could only swallow, feeling that strange twist in his stomach again. 

But before Irae’Lin could turn around to gather her party, a servant entered the room, asking permission to enter. Sharadreza nodded, allowing the servant boy to come closer. The boy bowed down to the ground, not even daring to raise his eyes.

“Matron Mother. A messenger from House Doh’Arn has just arrived. Matron Nazira is asking you to fulfill your allegiance and assist her in the defeat of House Kenrret.”

Sharadreza grunted but eventually nodded.

“We will fulfill our part of the agreement.” She said before she shooed the boy away.  

“It seems your hunt has to wait, dear daughter.” Sharadreza said reluctant, seeing the disappointment rise in her daughter’s eyes. 

“Warn the weapons master and command him to prepare the troops to leave within the hour. Call your sister as well. And Breghen …” The matron’s eyes fell on the boy, who was still kneeled down on the ground.

“Prepare yourself as well. I am sure that Matron Nazira will be delighted to have you at her side. Do not disappoint either of us!”

 “Yes, Matron Sharadreza.” Breghen answered, dipping his head before he rose from the ground to leave the room. 

“Don’t you worry, brother dear. It’s only delaying his torture a bit. We will drag that halfbred sister of yours underground and make her suffer.”

“As Lolth learned us.” The boy replied, giving his sister a slight bow before he took a turn to walk to his room and get his gear. It was only then that he could relax his muscles a bit, trying to get rid of that sickly twisting feeling in his stomach.