Claudia

Suddenly the young elf eyes went wide.

“Claudia?!?” she cried.

The Human stepped back, then thossed back her hood and lifted her crown-like mask.

“Indeed, my little snooping Elf. Surprised? Weren’t you looking for me out there on the ridge?”

Rayla reeled at the revelation.
The woman she was looking upon, her jailor and captor, was actually Callum’s old childhood friend. Three years had passed since the last she had seen her on the battlefield under the peak of the Storm Spire.

If time had produced little effect on the young Moonshadow Elf looks, on Claudia it was a whole different story.
She looked almost another person from the one she had knew, to the point Rayla guessed that even Callum would have had trouble in recognizing her at first sight.
Despite the little age difference between them, Claudia was now a fully developed woman. Her body was lush and feminine, her figure statuesque, her attire daring beyond decency.
She seemed to have grown taller and there was something, some kind of aura about her, that inspired deference and that made her look both young and old at the same time, almost as an ageless goddess that Rayla couldn't understand.
Yet there was something else, less pleasant, a reek of **** and corruption coming from her.

"So? How are the things going in paradise? How's Ezram? And Callum?" asked the Dark Sorceress with a smirk, her voice getting lower and wavering at the elder prince's name.

"Ezram is King now, he’s doing great and Callum … that numptie is perfectly fine. He was studying Sky magic with Ibis the last time I saw him," replied the Elf girl with huff.

She didn’t want to think about Callum right now.
The Sorceress smiled, showing her perfectly white, regular teeth, brushed a lock of her sleek, black hair behind her ear and leaned in closer.
Her hair too was different, any trace of white had gone, and now it looked even darker that before, just like a moonless night.

Rayla noticed the human girl's gaze trailing over her lips, on her neck, down to her breast, and suddenly felt all the akward sexual tension that had been building up between them.
She was naked and Claudia too was almost naked. Their bodies so different in shapes and colors, were so close they could feel each other's warmth. It was like they resonated one to another in the deaf intimacy of the dungeon cell.

The Elf had never felt any attraction towards her own sex, actually she reckoned to have never felt any attraction for anyone else save Callum, yet she couldn't deny the her captor was indeed gorgeous. And that made feel unfomfortably confused.

"Claudia, what's happening here? Where have you been all this time? Callum and Soren have been so worried for you."

The sorceress expression changed.
"Soren... do not dare to utter that name again in front of me," she hissed turning her head to the side.

"Listen, Claudia, Soren has told me of what happened on the battle field... Your father, that illusion... You just **** his hand! He is a royal guard after all, surely you can't blame him for defending his King, for defending Ezram..."

"You don't understand. My father, he…” Claudia paused then turned to face her, there was bitternes in her green eyes.
“I don't want to speak of this matter anymore,” she declared coldly.

"Oh, Claudia I'm so sorry. If only there had been another way... Nonetheless, we should really get back. Everyone will be so happy to know you are all right. Just get me down here, let me find my clothes and we can set out immediatley for Katolis. I'm sure you and your brother will settle things, uh, eventually ..."

"Enough!" raged the sorceress, her eyes pulsing of dark light.

"We won't be going anywhere anytime soon, Rayla. You especially won't leave this cell for quite some time. You still don't understand, do you? You are my prisoner now," declared the Dark Sorceress putting a particular ephasis on the word ‘my’.

"Prisoner? I don't understand Claudia, what are you talking about?"
Then it dawned up the young elf: Callum’s friend was the one behind the strange events reported in the surroundings. She was a powerful dark mage after all, and she probably still bore the missing Sunfire Staff.

"Whatever you think you are doing, whatever your plan is Claudia, you should give up and surrender. I'm sure Ez and Zym… err, King Ezram and Azymodias will show mercy on you. After all Viren is dead, what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Yes, my father is dead, dead as much as he can be, even if not by your hand and in a way that you can understand. By the way I must say you are truly a failure as assassin, Rayla. I would suggest you to change profession, you're still young."

"Anyway, Viren is no more and it was because of your actions, of Callum and Ezram and Soren too... Me and my Master, we will avenge him. We will settle things right. He has told me everything about the treachery of Elves and Dragons!"

"Your Master? And who would that be?"

"You don't know? Heh, how could you, after all? We hid and suck behind your backs, under your feet, for three long years. Now the time of reckoning is at hand."

"Reckoning? Claudia, this is insane. Let's just go back together, please!" pleaded Rayla. If it were another person, she would have probably reacted differently, but Callum and Soren had told her a lot about this Human that she almost felt like she knew her like a sister.

"There's nothing you can say that can fool me, Rayla, my eyes are open now. Just as Soren you tried to kill my father. But don’t misuderstand, I don’t hold you responsible. You are misguieded, you like Callum and Ezram. Soon you will see truth. The plan is already in motion, and the time for you to play your part is drawing near."

"Plan? What plan? You know what? I don't care, it doesn't matter. If you expect me to do something for you and your... Master, whoever he is, tsk, your in over your head, Claudia," boasted Rayla putting out her best confident grin.
"Such spunk! In due time, little Elf. First you must be prepared."

"Prepared?"

"Tomorrow all will be clear, don't worry. Sleep well, my dear Rayla, sleep well!" smirked the black haired girl, then she made for the door.
“Wait! Can I have my clothes back at least? Pretty please?” the Elf pleaded as the heavy wooded door swung close with deaf clang.
Rayla spent the next hours in more fruitless attempts to free herself which left her dejected and bruised.
At some point, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, exhausted.

It was full morning when she woke up, a shaft of pale sunlight came in through a hole in the roof the cell.
Claudia was in front of her, a smug grin on her face.

“Morning, Rayla. Did you managed to get some sleep? I hope you did because we are about to start,” said the Dark Sorceress barely containing her excitement.
“Ugh… It’s already time to wake up? Just give me another five minutes,” groaned the Moonshadow Elf.
The pain running through her arms and shoulders was almost unbearable, yet she couldn’t afford to let her captor know she was hurting.

“You know? This will be a new thing for me too, an experiment, you could say. I have devised your training all by myself. I can’t wait to see Master’s face when I will present him with our new asset: Rayla, the Moonshadow Elf Hero, turned into an obedient servant.”

“Pff, if that's what you expect to happen, you’re in for a delusion, Claudia. I will never submit. Never. I think your Master won’t be pleased as much as you belive,” replied the Elf mockingly,”He will probably punish you for being so dumb to bring, me, Rayla, the mighty Hero of Xadia right into your secret hiding.”

"Oooh,” cooed the human, her eyes fluttering away for a moment,“You are just assuming now that I wouldn’t like that,” she said, her voice wavering, ”But I see no mighty heroes here, only a little, flat chested Elf girl in chains. All alone.”

The remark about her breast caused Rayla to steam and blush. It was true she wasn’t endowed as much as the Sorceress and that she would have liked her breast to be a little fuller, but she was hardly flat.
Besides, Moonshadow Elf where made that way, the were lithe and graceful, and she even more so, having spent so much time training and fighting.
Also, she was young, there was still a chance they could grow little more, wasn't there?

"Better than being a vulgar Human ... COW like you, "she retorted. “My search party was on your tracks hours ago, they are probably just waiting for the right moment to swoop in on this place,” continued the Elf displaying a stubborn confidence which in truth only a bluff.

“Hmpf, your party is clueless of your current position, Rayla, I made sure of that already.”

The Elf gritted her teeth. She knew she couldn’t trust a party of Human Seekers. Those bampots wanted to retrive the Sun Stave just to prove themselves. Why didn’t she ask some from her village to come along?
Now she was stuck in this absurd situation, naked and powerless. Her only chance was to wait for an opening to escape, all by herself.

“Fine, do your worst. You will never break me,” she conceded.

“Oh, I will, my dear Rayla, I will,” chuckled Claudia, her eyes full of devilish excitement.