Stay silent, they are clearly trying to provoke a response

The last thing you want to do is interact with these people. Your enemies will do all they can to harvest information from you. Best to trust your protective magic and hope for a swift rescue. Surely you will be missed before long..

The human female sighs as you fix your gaze and remain close mouthed.

“I told you this was pointless, Gnome. These elves are all the same. Talking is pointless, let’s get to it and see what she has to say later”

The gnome rubs his chin as he gazes at you intently, even as he replies.

“One never can tell.. not everyone is as stubborn as you General, even with hundreds of years of practice!”

He steps forward and you are horrified when his hands reach out to touch your skin. His fingertips feel strangely warm against the pale smoothness of your flesh. He traces your runes upwards from your stomach to the silk at your chest. You can’t move your head far enough to see clear what he is doing but you feel open air against your ribs, the gap in the material opened wider. You shudder helplessly and set your jaw.

He smiles and steps back, moving to one side of the mirror on the wall, ushering the human to the other side. He makes a signal and your eyes open wide.. the image in the mirror moves! It no longer reflects what is directly in front of it but shifts, expanding and moving closer as if everything were sliding toward it. It almost makes your head spin. It’s almost like a scrying pool used by your seers but much more clear and precise.

The view goes from the full length of you, narrowing and closing in toward your chest. You can’t help but quail under the intense inspection. Your small breasts sit high on your chest, barely covered by the silk aside from the gentle inner slope of each one on show. You are only moderately relieved when it becomes clear that they aren’t the focus of the mirror. Instead the complex knot of runes between them expands and fills the screen. Your very breath in and out is clear on the image before you. The detail is simply amazing.

“I’m sure you recognise this.. your heart rune. Our research and our spies have made it clear that this is the key part of your magic. It directs the flow of magic around your body and provides an interface between it and your life ****. Every rune line you have goes through this spot. It is vital.. and for all intents and purposes, invulnerable.”

You are frowning.. not at his words. This is nothing you don’t know, all part of your training at the academy. At this point it isn’t a shock that their information is much more than you could have imagined before today. What makes you frown is that something is wrong with what you see. An etched carved circle of coppery metal lies across your skin.. it seems merged with your skin and actually appears to blend into your tattoos. It rises and falls with your breathing.. and quivers with the increasingly rapid beat of your heart.

“I see you’ve noticed our addition. You see Jennara.. you have been lied to. Time and again actually. And you have been turned into a weapon against those of us that don’t wish to be part of your kingdom. I know you don’t believe that, but part of my job is to convince you of the truth. This device is going to help with that, and if needs must it will help you choose to work with us. You’ll see...”