"She mustn't be allowed to leave the city,"
Velthara stretched himself out on the small wooden seat that struggled to accommodate his tall frame. One unfortunate aspect of Thread was that they weren't granted the luxury of large buildings, open spaces and plush furniture. No, their headquarters was more or less an underground cavern built beneath the city with many secret channels running through undetected. It made it a difficult target for enemies and also a safe place for conversations that must never see the light of day – conversations quite like the one he was having with Yssandra.
"What would you have me do then?" He asked the woman after several moments of thoughtful silence. Yssandra turned around in a small circle, taking in the dimly lit chamber and bare earthen walls.
"This place is known to very few children of Reeth. If you were to bring her here, no one would be the wiser. They would all think she has already gone on her voyage and we can then do as we please"
"You have already sent the girl a message. She would be gone soon, most likely scared for her life, then everyone can rest easy. Who can say if she will ever return?" Mere moments ago, Yssandra had threatened Thonda with a little help from the Thread. Velthara had humored her request in the hopes that she would leave him alone.
He had no such luck.
"The girl's very existence is a threat to us whether she remains in the city or not. Orren is a fool. He does not understand these things, otherwise he would have known that Thonda's heritage makes her a more powerful enemy than the girl that ran away," She paused. "Plus there's been a request."
Velthara's hooded head turned to her so fast that Yssandra was scared he might have hurt himself. "From them?"
Yssandra nodded slowly. Velthara remained quiet for some moments and Yssandra continued. "You are Arbiter of Scrolls. No one is more suited to this task than you."
Velthara cocked his head to the side in thought.
"The Thread has reach a outside the city as well. We could let her leave, allow her believe she has truly escaped," He held up a fist towards Yssandra. "Then just when she thinks she's safe," He closed his fist slowly, his knuckles turning white as he pressed it tighter. "We make the final move."
Yssandra shuddered. It was in times like these when she truly feared Velthara. She wondered yet again who he was unfortunate enough to be paired with. Everything surrounding the man was a mystery. From what the children of Reeth knew, he had lost his entire family to a fire before he was employed into service of the crown by the previous Arbiter of Scrolls. He had worn a hood every day after that, earning him his title as 'Velthara the Veiled'. Whether it was hatred or a thirst for vengeance that drove him wasn't clear, but out of all the spies the Arbiter of Scrolls had, Velthara was the most efficient. It was only natural that he be the next Arbiter and it was decided.
Velthara didn't wait for the coming-of-age ceremony to be paired with his beloved. No, just as was his custom, he had taken matters into his own hands the night before and found the girl that fate had given him. Together, they had disappeared for the next few days to Velthara's home – a place that was just as secret as his face.
…or so they say.
"I do not care how you dispose of her." Yssandra whispered, gathering her thoughts. She knew that Velthara would do what needed to be done, the details were unnecessary. She turned to walk out of the chamber, already growing tired of the small space. It didn't matter how many times she came down to this place, it always made her skin crawl.
"You're forgetting one small detail," Velthara said, stopping her in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder impatiently.
"What might that be?" She could feel him smile. It was an odd thing, being unable to see a person's features but knowing exactly when they were looking at you, when they were smiling and showing other emotions.
"It was not Orren that pardoned the girl. It was the Celestials themselves. Would you have me disobey the Crown?"
"You are not disobeying anyone," Yssandra stated with a slight tilt of her head. "You are letting her leave the city, are you not?"
When Velthara didn't answer, she turned towards the entrance again and had only taken a step forward when he spoke again.
"One more thing,"
Yssandra's lips pressed into a thin line. Velthara was annoying her on purpose and if she didn't know what he was capable of, she would have ignored him altogether.
"Yes?" She asked through gritted teeth.
All humor had dropped from his voice and when he spoke, Yssandra could feel the tension. "I am not your lackey or some cutthroat you can do with as you please. If you want something done next time, do it yourself."
Yssandra swallowed hard, the warning well received. She nodded her understanding and hurried out of the dark cavern.
Thonda woke to the sound of complete silence, but there was something unnerving about it. After tossing around on her bed for hours, she had finally managed to fall asleep. It was a fitful sleep and very far from peaceful, so when she felt something creeping around her room, she shot up immediately.
As far as her eyes could see though, there was nobody else in the room with her, but something felt off. And why was it so quiet?
Trusting her instincts, she threw the covers to the side and swung her legs over to the side of the bed. The feel of the cool floor was refreshing and she padded towards her wardrobe as quietly as she could. It had only been a few hours since she left the council, but she was already tired of being in the city that suddenly felt like a danger to her life. Her parents wouldn't know the first thing about helping her, but she knew someone who would.
Thonda pulled out a thin dress that she believed would be suitable for travelling. She wished she could purchase a pair of trousers that wouldn't limit her movements in any way, but these would have to do. She pulled on the dress hurriedly and found some shoes to pair with it. It had been a while since she dressed herself, but standing in front of her mirror to admire her handwork, she felt satisfied with her choice.
She looked around the room to see what else she might need to carry. She decided money was probably the most important thing and began grabbing valuable things she thought might fetch a good price, stuffing them into a bag she found in the corner of her wardrobe.
Once Thonda was ready with her few belongings, she opened her room doors and stepped quietly into the large hallways. Her parents would be surprised when they woke up that morning and learned that their daughter had disappeared. She hoped they would understand.
She padded silently through the large house with its high ceilings and out the servant doors in the kitchen. To go through the front would attract the guards' attention and who knew if any one of them was a spy for the Thread. She couldn't take that risk. The heavy wooden door proved to be a bit of a problem and as she shoved and grunted against the large structure, she worried someone would hear her. Thankfully no one did, and even if they heard, they didn't bother to check.
Thonda opened the door and shut it very carefully again once she was outside in the cool night air. She made her way to where the aircrafts were landed and crept to the smallest one – a dartship she felt she could manage on her own.
She was fiddling with the doors, trying to figure out how to open them when a voice spoke behind her.
"D'avina?"
She turned around startled but then relaxed again when she saw it was only the flyer from earlier in the day. She turned back to the doors and resumed her mission. "Help me open this contraption." She grunted at last.
The flyer remained rooted in place. "What are you doing outside, d'avina? It's well past midnight." He received no response. "And in the dark too," He looked around in confusion. "Why do you not have a lantern?"
Thonda finally stepped away from the dart and turned to look at the insufferable flyer. "You ask far too many questions. Do as I've asked and open these doors."
After a few moments of consideration, he brushed past her and touched a button on the aircraft that she hadn't seen before. With a soft humming, the doors swung open and outward.
Thonda marched in then after a second thought, paused and looked back at the flyer. "What is your name?"
"Daenor, d'avina."
"Daenor," She repeated, trying the name on her lips. "Well, Daenor, since you have so many questions, you might as well come with me and answer them for yourself. I cannot fly this thing, so it would seem I am in need of your help as well."
"Of course…d'avina." Daenor hesitated as he followed after her into the dartship. The doors closed behind them and he reluctantly sat behind the controls. Thonda sat in the only other available seat in the dart. It was indeed a very small aircraft.
Daenor pushed a few more buttons and the dart hummed to life. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for his instructions.
"To the Lowercity