Meanwhile...

Serene as the forests. That was one of Master Derreth's common phrases, Ceinwyn thought sadly, it was always something he said to drill his lessons into her head. She can still remember those days if she closed her eyes. Remember the heavy, earthen smell of the Druid's Valley, the feel of soil between her toes, and the sound of rushing wind and water racing by her ears. Then flames and steel of the Pretender came and all she can smell now is blood and ****. No, she won't think about that. Not now, not with so much turmoil. Serene as the forests.

Fires still burned in some parts of the Elven city, a remnant of the fighting between Elves, but where exactly Ceinwyn can only guess. It's been hours since the revolution began and somehow they wound up within the halls of the magic college. And without, the Pro-Vanarim Elves and the Great Pretender's accompanying forces, laying siege to the students and teachers and other elves.

Ceinwyn could see thick logs of timber, propped against the huge doors that formed the main entrance to the college as she stood near an alcove in one of the many branching hallways. Inscribed on the front door were several twisting, intricate sigils, wards drawn by the wizards to help bolster their defenses. All other windows and entryways were boarded up, and anyone walking around the ground floor was watched with intense scrutiny.

"Ceinwyn?" A voice spoke behind her.

The young druid turned around to look at Tri'lanna, the elf who had become one of her closest companions after the Pretender massacred her family and friends. Her comely face was caked with ash and sweat, making her silvery-white hair cling to her cheeks, and her lips were darkened by dried blood. Tri'lanna was marred and bruised from last night's events, but she still carried herself in a graceful way, that made Ceinwyn feel like a fat cow in comparison when she watched her. The shadow of sadness lurked in her eyes though, and lines of fatigue were clearly showing on her face.

"Tri'lanna, here." Ceinwyn said, offering a flask of water to the tired elf. Tri'lanna nodded and accepted it gratefully, upending the container and drinking it all.

"Tal'eria tells me that the second circle will be convening soon, and in that assembly they'll decide their next course of action. With Vanarim's forces outside, the situation has changed dramatically, so they may put forward their plans faster than expected." She said as she handed the flash back to Ceinwyn, "All the others who cannot use magic have been consigned to the lower storage levels. I've also asked around and..." Tri'lanna bit her lip anxiously, "No one has heard or seen anything concerning Hans."

As expected, the Druidess thought painfully. "We'll find him. He has to be alive. I know it." Ceinwyn replied, hoping that the statement could dispel her own fears and premonitions. Another thing that she tried not to think about.

When Ceinwyn watched Hans fight that monstrous lizard on the bridge, she couldn't stop shaking. How could he stand up to that beast? She had seen one of her most powerful elders fall to that one's blade, shorn from shoulder to pelvis in a single swipe, it only made sense that Hans would suffer the same fate. Each swing, each time their swords clashed, her heart jumped. She had looked for a way around the burning rubble barring the bridge but she could not find a path, so she could only stand powerless.

And when Hans fell, throwing himself into the river, Tri'lanna screamed. The Elven girl clutched her breast in agony, falling to her knees, wailing, and though she had not noticed at first, Ceinwyn realized that she was screaming too. The young druidess had tried to close her mouth, to shut out the noise and calm herself like her Master taught her, but the sound refused to end. Hans had long been sucked away by the river before her voice finally gave out.

The escape to the magic college was a flurried mess that she couldn't remember precisely. She recalled rescuing a thin, reedy wizardess by the name of Morina, pulling her from clutches of some torch-and-sword wielding rioters who had planned to **** and kill her. There was a short time after when Morina offered to shelter them, and they followed her to the long, dun-colored halls of the college.

That was hours ago. It still hurt to speak and she couldn't think about it without feeling a throbbing sensation in her chest, twisting like a thorn embedded deep. She wanted desperately to just close her eyes and run away, but with Hans gone, who else could fight Vanarim? She needed to be strong, for her sake, for Tri'lanna's, and for Hans'.

There was a commotion off at the opposite end of the grand entryhall where Ceinwyn and Tri'lanna were standing. Several older wizards, garbed in robes a variety of colors, were arguing fiercely about something. One of the wizards threw her hands up in disgust, and stalked away from the others. Ceinwyn recognized that one to be Tal'eria, one of the Elven spellcasters Morina introduced them to. When she saw Ceinwyn in the hallway, she stormed over to them.

"More politics." The Elven woman muttered, "You would expect that with the great demon overlord and his armies knocking down the college's doors and burning Elohin to cinders they would be running to our side, but it's not the case for them, they would rather desperately cling to their seats of power and hope that Vanarim will ignore them."

Tal'eria was a handsome elfwoman, older than Tri'lanna to be sure but carrying many of the same traits as her brethren, angular cheeks, the pointed, knife-like ears, and their fair skin. The violet robes she wore subtly emphasized her shape, but drew eyes more to her arms and legs, which were slightly more toned than other Elven women. Her hair was raven black, tied up in a braid and hung over a shoulder, but it held a shock of white, splitting the color of her hair unevenly down one side.

When Ceinwyn first arrived, she learned that Tal'eria was one of several instructors in the magic college, known collectively as the Circle of Seven. While the inner politics of the system still eluded the young druid, Morina pointed out to Ceinwyn and Tri'lanna that there was a lingering discontent within the college that rose to a boil once Vanarim seized control of the city. Many of the seven, including the head of both the Circle and the college as a whole, Grandmaster Malvern, wanted to act neutral. Let Vanarim have his way and surely he'll leave them alone as well, leaving them to perform their experiments. 'We're strong, so he wouldn't dare make us his enemy', so their argument went.

Tal'eria, and many of the younger mages who felt underrepresented, argued that Vanarim would do the same to them as he did to the Druids, in fact, that they were a credible threat only gave more reasons why he should destroy them. The resentment grew, and soon they started calling themselves 'the second circle'.

"I pity you two, truly." Tal'eria sneered before she began walking away, "You've just escaped one civil war. But another war might be unleashed right here, sometime soon."