Chapter 35: Reflection

“Remarkable.” 

Sharadreza‘s lips curled themselves in a malicious grin when she walked around the Elven woman that was brought down on her knees. The woman was shivering, unable to hide her fear. Everything around her was dark, except for the faerie fire that lit up accents of the House’s courtyard. Around her stood an entire battalion of Drow soldiers, armed and ready to strike in case the Elven woman would lash at their Matron. Irae’Lin stood with the same malicious grin before the stairs of the House, the snakes of her snake wip hissing dangerously. Next to her stood her younger brother, Breghen, trying to keep his expression as emotionless as he could. He knew what was going to happen, he knew the fate of this woman.

“Almost identical, you say…” Matron Sharadreza said when she pinched the woman’s chin between her lean fingers, forcing May’Kalyn to look up. Seeing the fear in the Night Elf's eyes was a pleasure for her to see, like a child who had just received a piece of candy. 

“Put her with him.” She said when she dropped the woman’s face with a flick of her hand, like she was no longer interested in her toy. The Matron walked up to her First daughter, exchanging only a glance.

“Use her against him while we prepare our sacrifice.”

Irae’Lin grinned viciously. In her mind, she already saw the scenery unfolding before her, how she would use this Elven female to break that man.

“Of course, Matron.” The girl replied before giving a flick with her hand. The guards picked  May up from the ground, dragging her towards one of the doors that would lead down to the prison blocks.

“You, come with me.” Irae’Lin barked in Breghen’s direction. The boy only bowed his head in response, following his sister in silence. In her shadow, he followed her down the spiraling stairs down to the prison blocks. The halls were lit with Faerie Fire and from behind the closed doors, you could hear some wailing or even a scream. Prisoners were nothing more than target practices for young Priestesses to practice their spells on. Except for one. The one behind the door at the end of the hall. A special prisoner that had been locked up for years. Eighteen to be exact. And with a permanent warrant that only those with the Matrons permission, could enter the cell. 

“Goodmorning Elendar!” Irae’Lin barked when she pushed open the heavy wooden door, breaking light into the large cellroom. The room was separated in 2 cells, one left and one right. While on the other side, a wooden frame hang at the wall, filled with an an entire gamma of weapons and tools that were used for torture. 

“We have brought you a gift. I hope it will please you.”

The Drow male looked up from his slumber, a slight rasping sound in his breath. When Breghen entered the cell, dropping his eyes on the man that was marked as his father, he could see that he had even become thinner than before. It was no surprise after all, being tortured for the past decade. Another individual would have already given up, asking for mercy and a swift death. Not Elendar. Breghen knew that he would never give this satisfaction to the priestess and certainly not to Matron Sharadreza. 

With a grin Irae’Lin watched how the guards dropped the woman in the second cell before she entered it herself, grabbing one of the torches on the way.

“Look, Elendar, at what we found.”

And Irae’Lin held the torch close towards the Night Elf’s face, illuminating it so that Elendar could see her clearly. He first squinted his eyes against the bright light. Just another way of the Drowess to pain him. Shielding his eyes from the bright light, he raised his head to look. And when Irae’Lin noticed the widening of Elendar’s pupils at the sight of the woman, she knew she had him.

“How?” He whispered. 

Irae’Lin grinned, dropping the woman on the ground.

“Her sister, it seems. A marvelous find, don’t you think. Now you can witness what I would have done with that Elven slut of yours.”

The priestess grabbed towards her snake whip, their heads already hissing and wrinkling wildly before they flew through the air, locking themselves in the ashen grey skin of the Night Elf.

May screamed. She could feel the poison of the snakes rushing through her body, like fire was running through her veins. She wanted to fight back, but the long trip from the Surface to the Underdark had weakened her. Her body no longer had the strength to fight back. 

“Please, stop this!” Elendar pleaded, grabbing the cold iron bars with his skinny hands, his knuckles turning white. His eyes shifted from Irae’Lin to Breghen, but he knew that even his own son was not able to do anything. 

“Of course …” Irae’Lin grinned, lowering her whip slowly.

“My apologies Elendar. It would be Breghen his right to execute the punishment. Afterall, he did it before, right? Breghen?”

The boy looked aside, seeing how Irae’Lin invited him into the woman’s cell. With no other option then to obey, he walked into the cell, trying to clear his mind. He knew what his sister was asking of him. To torture the woman, ‘her’ sister who looked just like his father’s lover right before his eyes. By so, it would not only be a punishment for Elendar, but also for him. 

The Drowess let her fingers caress the skin in his neck. He was unable to suppress the shiver that went through his body. 

“Let’s start with some acid …” She whispered in his ears, as venomous as a snake. Breghen didn’t have to turn his head to know there was a vicious grin on her lips. Obedient he lifted up a dagger from his belt and let it slit over his hand. He could feel the cold metal blade cut his skin and the warm feeling of his blood that seeped out of the wound. He concentrated and while he called for his blood magic, his veins gave a faint blackish glow. The freed blood, now black in color, crawled over the dagger’s blade. A sour scent filled the cell. When his eyes shifted toward the male in the other cell, he saw the worried look in his eyes. But even Elendar knew that no matter what he would say or do, Breghen was forced to execute what his sister commanded of him. So the male could only watch in horror when Breghen let the blade caress the Night Elf woman her skin. She screamed when the acid was biting down into her body. Next to the sour smell, the air was now filled with the scent of burned flesh. Blisters started to form where the acid had touched her skin. 

“Stop, please stop!!” The woman cried, but her words fell in deaf ears. Even more, Irae’Lin enjoyed the sight of the crawling female who had forced herself against the dark cold wall like a crying child, trying to avoid her torture. The priestess chuckled, the snake whip at her side hissed in content.

“Why not heat it up?” She hissed while she stood with her arms folded against the wall, enjoying the show. Seeing how the female cried, how Elendar watched in horror and how Breghen was suffering in silence. Three pleasures in one move. 

Her own blissful moment was broken by a knock on the door before it was pushed open. Breghen saw his Second sister entering the room, hearing an irritated grunt in the background. Irae’Lin had never been fond of her younger sister. 

When Shinira entered, her eyes skipped from Breghen, who nodded to recognize her arrival, to her sister.

“Mother has called us for a communion. Immediately.”

Irae’Lin huffed, knowing that her playtime was over. She lifted herself from the wall she had rested on.

“You, continue! I want to hear her screams up to the upper floor of the House. Understood!”

“Yes, Mistress Irae’Lin.” Breghen said, bowing his head before he saw his sisters leave the cell. Once the door had closed, he only waited a few seconds before he released his breath and recalled his magic back to his own body. He moved his attention away from the Night Elf female and left her cell, closing it behind him before he walked over to the cell of Elendar.

“I found this in their camp.” he said calmly while he picked an old looking letter from his pocket. 

“It might interest you.”

When Breghen took a closer look on Elendar, he could see tears welling up in the old man’s eyes who laid deep into his skull. The figure before him was no longer the proud man of years ago. His muscles had withered, the bones in his body looked like they would break through his skin any moment. The dark ebony color of his skin had faded, turning into a lifeless grey shade and his white hair was tangled, matted and filled with the dirt of this prison.

Swallowing, Elendar turned his head slowly, like he had trouble to even turn his sight to his son. His eyes dwelled to the old looking letter that was reached to him and slowly he raised his hand to take it. Carefully, like he was scared to rip the fragile parchment, he opened the letter and started to read. And with every second that passed by, with every movement of his eyes over the letter, Breghen could see more tears well up in his father’s eyes. And at the same time, a relief. Or something that could be described as content.

“You.” He said, his voice rasping in his throat when he raised his eyes to the still shivering woman in the other cell.

“You are Lay’Kalyn’s sister?”

May slowly raised her head when she heard her sister's name. Her eyes shifted, trying to see the figures in the dark. Night Elves had dark vision and were able to see in the dark, just as they could see in the light. But their sight was not as refined as that of a Drow, who had to see in the pitch dark of the Underdark. 

“Where did you find that?” Her voice pitched, her eyes falling on the letter that Elendar held before him.

“I found it in your home and took it.” Breghen replied in a rather cold tone. He saw the silver eyes of the female shift to him, a glare on her face that hid away her fear for one second.

He saw that she wanted to speak up, but Elendar was that second quicker.

“Please … answer my question.” He asked in a calm tone that revealed a hint of compassion. Breghen looked back to the man, seeing the desperation growing in his eyes. May shifted her attention, now looking at the withered man at the other side of the cell. She figured that, even when he was a Drow, that he was behind bars for a reason. And from the looks of it, he had been here for a long time.

She slowly nodded, like she wasn’t sure if she should answer his question.

“And who are you?”

Elendar took a deep breath, a sound that was equal to a rasping wind.

“I am the reason you are in this place.”

When Elendar looked up, he saw the wheels turning inside the woman’s head and he knew that she was figuring it out, connecting the dots. What first looked as a surprise, suddenly turned into hate. Her brows frowned and her lips turned into a snarl.

“You!?” She hissed.
“You are that damned Drow male that seduced my sister and knocked her up! You are the reason why she is dead, why my family is dead!! You killed them all!!”

Elendar just sat there, letting the accusations reach him. He had heard them so many times in the past decade. Torture after torture, they told him what they were gonna do when they found his lover. And when a few years ago, they made their threat a reality, they reminded him of it every day. 

“Yes, I am the reason …” he said weakly, dropping his head a bit.

“But you must know that I really loved your sister.”

He could hear her spit against the ground, shifting a bit to crawl closer to the iron bars.

“You, a Drow. A filthy creature of this Dark Realm, telling me he loved my sister!? And I should believe you?? Your kind does not know love! The only thing your demons know is how to kill another!!”

“You are not wrong …” Elendar said, releasing a sigh.

“I was not different at first from what you just described. I killed, I murdered, just as what was commanded of me. That until I received a dream that haunted me for months. The sight of a place at a river, enlightened by the full moon and there, a figure of light was dancing. I kept seeing it, night after night until I felt the urge to leave my home and go to the surface. And when I thought it was only a meaningless dream, she found me.”

Breghen had taken one of the wooden stools and took a seat. It was not like the other two were paying attention to him. He could just leave and let them talk. Yet, his curiosity was sparked, so he remained.

“She, you sister, could have killed me that night. But she didn’t. She gave me the chance I needed. A chance to be someone else than what was expected of me.”

Elendar halted and raised his face to look at the Night elf before him. He could only smile when he looked at the face that was similar to that of his love.

“She showed me the real world, she showed me my world was just … a facade. A false world, a lie. She taught me love … and to love. And eventually, I loved her and she loved me.”

Seeing the glow in the man’s eyes, May knew that he was speaking the truth. No Drow could speak of love like he did, unless they actually knew what it was. She could feel the anger seep from her body when she rested her head against the cold bars, taking a deep breath. Her sister had never been charmed, enchanted. It had been real. And for that … Fae was real as well.

“I … I hated my sister so much when she told me she was pregnant with you and not her mate. I thought she had betrayed all of us, brought all of us in danger by doing such a foolish act. But from what I learn from your words, I can only see that our goddess, Elûne blessed your union, just as my sister claimed.”

Breghen tilted his head.

“Elûne?” he repeated and it was like only then, May realized he was still in the room.

“Breghen, my son …” Elendar explained.

“Your son?” the woman repeated, looking confused. Elendar could only nod.

“Drow males do not choose who they mate with. Our females command us, yet … I love my son nonetheless, just as I would have loved my daughter if I would have been a part of her life.”

“You know of Fae?” 

Elendar almost jumped up when he heard her name, grabbing the bars to support himself.

“You know her?”

May nodded slowly. Her eyes shifted to the young Drow boy that was still in the room, like she was scared to reveal something that could be used against her. 

“You do not need to be scared of him … Al what he has done was commanded. I know he no longer wants to, even when he has not admitted it to himself yet.” A small chuckle left Elendar’s mouth which made Breghen frown. As did May, who still vividly remembered what he had done a few minutes before.

“Yes, she has left our Tribe a few months before .... “ Yet May gulped when the vision of her murdered Tribe entered her mind. It was almost like she could smell the scent of burned flesh, wood and blood again.

“Looking for the ones who had killed her Tribe.”

“No, she can not!” Elendar tried to yell, but the sound was nothing more than a muffled scream. 

“They will kill her if they find her. They are looking for her, everything to hurt me … or Breghen. This House, it’s Matron, Nazira, Lolth herself sees it as a treason that a Drow has mixed himself with a surface creature, an elf! They will find pleasure in killing her … or using her for their own evil plans. She must not ….”

“I KNOW!” May yelled, her head banged against the iron bars. Some sobs filled the air and Breghen could swear that he saw the woman shiver.

“I told her not to. I told her she would only find her own death, but she is so stubborn. Ever since the day she entered my Tribe, she has trained, learned how to hunt, track, fight, … everything to be able to find the truth about who … and why her family was killed. I know she will not stop until she has found the truth. She …”

And suddenly May gasped, her eyes revealing that something had entered her mind, something she realized.

“She … she does not know she is part Drow.” May’s silver eyes shifted to Elendar, who looked concerned.

“She knows it were Drow that killed her Tribe, her family. And it made them hate them. She hates your kind just as yours hates ours. If she ever finds out she is a mixed blood …”

“It will destroy her …” Breghen replied. Silence filled the cellroom, like a cold wind that blew in and chilled everyone. 

“She must never know …” May whispered.

“But she will …” Elendar replied softly. “When she finds out who killed her family, she will also find the reason … and the truth.”

Breghen kept himself silent, averting his eyes a bit, like he tried to run away from that strange feeling he had in his chest. Did he feel sorry?

When he looked back, he saw Elendar’s red eyes looking at him.

“You can help her …” He whispered.

“You know I can’t . I am bound just like you are. If I ever leave …”

“But if she is as stubborn as she is said to be, she will come here.” Elendar explained. “One way or another, she will end up in the Underdark and find the truth. When so, you have to be there. Make sure that she doesn’t fall into the Darkness and help her overcome the fact that she is a part of what she wants to kill.”

“And how are you so sure that I will be there?”

“For this is the only place where she learns the truth, Breghen. She is all alone now. Make sure she isn’t when that time comes.”

Breghen grunted, turning towards the door while his hand went through his hair.

“You ask a lot of me … You know what I have done?!” His words were filled with anger, but also desperation. His red eyes shifted towards the Elven female, before they landed on his father again. He had slain Lay’Kalyn, Elendars lover, Fae’s mother. He had killed her with his own hands. A fact that he did not want to reveal before her sister. 

“Yes, I know …” Elendar whispered, yet his words were marked with a small smile.

“And with this act, you can redeem yourself.”

“Redeem myself!” Breghen spat out with a chuckle when he dropped back against the cold wall. How could he redeem himself after what he has done. He had killed her family, her own mother. And while he had refrained himself from killing in May her Tribe, he had been there and there was blood on his scimitar. This act of standing at his half-sisters' side when the time comes … was only a small part of what he actually would have to repay to redeem himself.

“I can promise nothing …” he whispered when his eyes fell to the ground.  

“But you will try?” His father asked carefully.

“I will …”

Breghen took a deep breath. This was going to be his death. This little coup … It wasn’t even that. By promising he would be there for Fae, he had already betrayed his House. Yet then, they had done the same. For years he had been nothing more than a tool for them, and an item they could use. They had swung the title of Spider Champion for his eyes, but he was nothing more than a prized item to show off, bound in golden chains to the ruthless females of his House. 

“I …” Breghen started, but his words never got far. For the sound of footsteps entered his ears and in a quick movement, he had already dragged the dagger from his side even before Elendar and May realized what was going on.

With a large movement, the door of the cell swung open and Irae’Lin entered the room with a gigantic smile on her face, followed by her sister Shinira. Irae’Lin was so full of herself and in uther excitement that she didn’t even noticed that Breghen had not continued the torture as she had commanded. Yet when Breghen crossed his eyes with Shinira, he could see the frown upon her face. Nonetheless, he knew that she wasn’t planning to rath anything out. It would only give more excitement to her already hyperactive sister.

“Such a glorious day!” She proclaimed with a giant breath, her eyes shifting from Elendar to May and back before she walked up to May’s cell, giving the Night Elf a mysterious grin.

“Lolth has accepted our offer. Yes, my dear, you will be our sacrifice, our payment for another gift.”

Irae’Lin turned around with a big movement before she kneeled down before Elendar cel.

“For it’s finally time to put you to use, dear Elendar. For 16 years, you have been a fabulous toy, but Mother has run out of patience. In return for that filthy Faerie over there, Lolth has granted us the right to turn you into a Drider.”

Elendar gasped for air, an act that made the First priestess of House Duscrain laugh sinisterly. For Elendar perfectly knew what her words meant.

A Drider, a cursed Drow. Half Drow, Half Spider. It was seen as a punishment by Lolth. Placed upon those who had failed, to be marked and shamed for eternity. Many slithered away in the dark tunnels of the Underdark, slowly losing their mind, turning feral.

Yet Matron Sheradreza had her own plans. An act still unknown to many other Houses, she had managed to control these Driders, turning them into a private army. For what was better than a skilled Drow fighter? A Drow fighter that could climb walls and had some extra resistances. 

“No, never!” Elendar cried out. The idea to be once again under Sharadreza’s control scared him. For years, he had hoped for death, for peace in his body and mind. But this was no peace, this was just another torture. A torture that would lead to becoming a mindless puppet to the woman he hated so much.

“I don’t think you have a choice, dear.” Irae’Lin teased, letting her sharp nails caress the iron bars.

“Lolth has promised us to turn you into a Drider and so it shall be done.”

The Drowess stood up from the ground, gave a flick with her hand. A sign for Breghen to open the cell door and drag his father out. With the sight of his scared eyes burning in her mind, Irae’Lin walked out of the cell door, followed by her sister while some Drow soldiers also took May out of her cell. The female screamed and trashed around, but she was no match for the trained fighters, who had no trouble to keep her under control.

“Kill me …” Elendar begged on a whispered tone when his son entered his cell.

“Kill me. Do not let Sharadreza take control of me.” 

Breghen swallowed and hesitated for a second.

“You know I can’t. They will know … and punish me instead. I … I would be useless. I would not be able to help her…”

Elendar knew what he meant. If Breghen would be caught now, he would no longer be able to help Fae. The Drow man could slap himself for thinking such a selfish act. He could not think about himself right now. He had to think about his son, about his daughter. If this is what it would take to keep both of them from harm, then he had to face it. 

“Very well …” He whispered, but Breghen had heard the crack in his voice. For years he had seen the stoic face of his father, who refused to break when they tortured his son before his eyes. Who had stayed strong for over a decade, for torture was something he could shield himself away from. But the idea of turning into a puppet for the Matron of the House … was a fact that scared him. That actually made him afraid for the first time.

“Face it with your head high up. Do not grant them the pleasure to see you break.” 

Breghen tried to sound encouraging, but even he was slightly afraid of what was going to happen. 

Elendar nodded and took a deep breath before he stood up from the ground. His bones and joins were stiff from being locked up to long and Breghen had to support him so that he could walk. 

“Do not watch …” Elendar whispered, grabbing Breghen’s hand, but the boy only smiled.

“I have to …” he whispered.

“For this is no longer your torture … but mine.”