Thalien

The common rooms were warm and echoed with the loud murmur of voices. Here, gathered around the large heavy tables the humans favored, all those who dwelled in the keep could have their evening meal. The tables were heavy with roasted meats and the clank of beer-filled mugs. Elves served and cooked the food, under the watchful eye of a few human cooks.

Thalien, like most of the house\'s elves, preferred to eat elsewhere. The human diet was too heavy on meats and starches for the elven palate, which preferred fruits and vegetables. Thalien in particular preferred to be away from crowds, where he was most likely to be left alone. Lone elves were most likely to be abused when humans gathered in a group.

Fortunately the crowd in the room was unusually sedate that evening. Thalien was able to quietly make his way along the edges of the room, advancing toward the cooking area. There was a particular elf he wished to speak to, a kitchen slave named Eleth. Though he was young by elven reckoning, he was uncommonly clever and acquired a reputation as the elf most capable of speaking and understanding the human language. Unfortunately, his youth also meant his first sexual experiences had come at the hands of humans, and the abuse had clearly left him a bit neurotic. Thalien found him difficult to be around, usually, but he couldn\'t think of who else he could go to.

There was no sign of Eleth in the throng of elves were bringing dinner out to the humans, but Thalien could see someone else who might be of help. Senneth had been assigned to the kitchens, where he held something not unlike a position of authority among the other elven slaves. He was older than Thalien by a few hundred years, broad-shouldered and built almost as powerfully as a young human. Thalien had known him from the time he was a child, and had always found something about him intimidating. Senneth retained some of his pride and confidence even after Salthessen\'s fall.

Thalien waited until Senneth was returning from delivering a platter of food to the tables, then reached out to touch his shoulder as he strode by. Senneth looked surprised, and stepped over into the relatively quiet section of hallway where Thalien stood. {Thalien?} Senneth asked, waiting for an explanation.

{I know you\'re busy now, but I have just a small question,} Thalien said. {Where is Eleth? The serving boy? I wish to speak with him.}

Senneth\'s face, already serious, grew far more grave. His answer was terse and laced with quiet anger. {Valenn wanted him.}

Thalien\'s stomach churned. Valenn was Valsgav\'s son, but loathsome in every way his father was noble. He would go to elaborate lengths to torment the slaves when he was bored, and seemed to hold the elves in unusually deep contempt. He\'d had his way with Thalien a few times in the past, but had since seemed to feel a deep antipathy toward him. Thalien had, in turn, quietly detested Valenn from the first time they\'d met.

If Valenn had taken Eleth, then there could be no question of where they were and what they were doing. Chances were Valenn had taken Eleth toward his complex of rooms, located in the old elven worship-house. Elven religion meant nothing to the humans, so all of the old holy places had been converted into human churches or other, more useful sorts of buildings. Where Thalien\'s people had once honored the Verdant Goddess, Valenn often held licentious parties that lasted long into the night, with elven slaves acting as a favorite amusement. If this was the case, it could be days before Thalien could see Eleth.

{Was Valenn alone?} Thalien asked, praying he\'d not find out some sort of great gathering was going on.

Senneth\'s scowl remained. {No. Two others, guests from another house. I\'ve seen Valenn with them often lately. I\'m not sure exactly who they are.}

Thalien thought this over. If it was a small group, then Valenn probably intended to use Eleth for some sort of private amusement. For Eleth, this could be much worse than being the main attraction at a party. Valenn\'s perversions ran deeper when fewer eyes were upon him.

Senneth noticed Thalien\'s silence. {What are you thinking, cousin?}

{Oh... nothing} Thalien lied. When Senneth remained silent, Thalien spoke on uncomfortably. {Well, I\'m disappointed, but I hope Eleth will be here again in a few days. I can speak with him then.}

Senneth arched an eyebrow. {Eleth is no great friend of yours. What do you want?}

Thalien squirmed under Senneth\'s questioning. {It\'s about the humans. Eleth can almost speak with them, he can answer my question.}

{You\'d do well to forget that, cousin,} Senneth warned. {Eleth would be better off if he knew less of the human tongue.}

For once, Thalien refused to back down. {It\'s just a small question. And it will wait,} Thalien said. {Anyway, I am sure I have troubled you too much with this....}

{You have,} Senneth agreed. {Go back to your garden, cousin. We can speak again at another time.}

Thalien left the commons room feeling strangely humiliated. Senneth\'s distant nature had only grown more severe in the past year. Worse was that he had lied badly to Senneth about his intent, and his cousin would surely find out about it eventually. Thalien was hardly going to be able to go back to his little room in the garden after a curiosity had awakened in him.

Instead, he was going to do something outrageously dangerous for him. He was going to pay a visit to Valenn\'s chambers and see if he could find a way to help Eleth, even if only a little.

Getting over toward Valenn\'s chambers quietly was no great challenge. There was an old, disused path that ran through the gardens and could be used to quietly sneak up to the buildings from behind. Thalien was no great master of stealth, but he was graceful enough and knew his gardens well.

The old worship-house was still an imposing building, crafted of whiter marble and protected by more powerful spells than the keep outside. Thalien could see lights burning in the crystal windows, and human silhouettes moving behind them. A makeshift door was covering the entrance, one that would be easily passed. Originally the worship-house had always stood open, to allow the Goddess\' children to freely enter and exit her house. Those old magics would aid Thalien as he crept inside.

The difficult part would be avoiding the notice of Valenn and his companions. Even more difficult would be acting innocent about being in the building should Valenn catch him. Thalien quietly decided to act like he had chased a some sort of animal inside during his gardening. The worship-house was close enough to the gardens to make this somewhat plausible, especially to someone who seemed to view elves as stupid.

Once inside the doorway, Thalien found himself wincing at what Valenn had done to the old place. Once austere stone and beautiful living plants, it was now hung thickly with carpets and furnished with expensive-looking wooden tables. Thalien could hear voices, faintly, emerging from a room down the hallway. He crept toward it, and lifted a corner of the hanging that was serving as a makeshift door.

Valenn and Eleth were inside. Valenn had his father\'s powerful build and sharper features, accented by his more flamboyant dress and longer hair. His face was contorted into a savage grimace, his knees resting on a layer of thick carpeting before him. Eleth was before him, perhaps a full foot shorter, his pale hair falling limply to frame his face. Eleth was also on his knees, but bent double such that his hips and ass were thrust high into the air. Valenn\'s black gloved hands were gripping his hips tightly, holding them firm as he thrust himself savagely forward into his captive. Eleth appeared to be caught somewhere between pleasure and stark terror, letting out a ragged, frantic cry every time Valenn drove himself into him.

Thalien wrinkled his nose at the site. Eleth had been blindfolded and his wrists were bound together before him with leather straps. A fine steel chain ran from the thong and into a metal ring set into the floor. No elf would have fought a human\'s advances so long after the Fall of Salthessen, so Thalien could not quite understand why Valenn would bind Eleth so. It was either part of some perversion of Valenn\'s, or some strange punishment.

Valenn had begun to shout at Eleth in human speech as he raped him, leaning over to bring himself closer to his captive\'s ear. Eleth screamed at whatever Valenn said and answered in what Thalien could recognize as human speech, if thickly accented. Thalien felt himself begin to grow excited. It meant that Eleth could understand them as well as the rumors said, could even speak with them under this kind of duress.

With Valenn obviously in some sort of fury, Thalien decided that discretion would be the best course for him. He could wait outside, hiding, until Eleth or Valenn and his companions left the building. Then he could assist Eleth to the baths and question him there, when Eleth would likely be feeling grateful.

Thalien had crouched to peer into the room through the carpet, and remained still the whole time he watched. He quickly, and quietly, moved to ease the carpet back into the place and then stand up. Valenn\'s thick carpets would let him move silently back outside.

His plan worked perfectly until he passed into the stone foyer. Then, with unbelievable swiftness, he felt a strong hand clamp over his mouth and strong human arms encircle his chest and arms. He was pulled backwards, through a hanging curtain, into a room lit only by the flickering light of a single candle. Thalien\'s eyes rolled to the left and right, staring at the faces of the two humans who had caught him.