Brindle was exhausted as he sat in the chair, waiting for the head acolyte to come and speak to him. The decorations within this tent were more ornate than he had expected.
That stupid Serhmy! This is all his fault!
Cursing under his breath, he turned his head as the tent flap opened, and the woman he was waiting for came in.
Dropping to the ground, he put his forehead against the soft rug his chair was placed on.
He could hear the swish of her robe as she moved across the carpeted floor, coming to a stop a few feet from his head. He had never met her before. Thorai was the head of their order in this area.
It felt like ages before she finally spoke. Her voice was soft and peaceful. Like a bird singing in the forest.
“So they are all dead?”
He waited again for ages. He had already given his report. Faylen and Lucia had gone to retrieve that human's gear from his room. He didn’t want to go. Seth had seemed nicer than the others they had killed. Still, he had seen his two partners dragged out by the guards, shackled as he waited down the street, eating some bread from a stall.
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He had run. There was no other option. Either of the other two would have done the same.
“Do you believe the human lived?”
Brindle shook his head, feeling the rug rub against his forehead.
“He was not nearly strong enough to defeat Serhmy. I believe he activated the boss and that Serhmy died to it after killing him.”
A hand touched his head, and he felt a tingle of magic flowing through him.
“Sit up and look at my face.”
Brindle obeyed immediately, looking up at Thorai and seeing the most beautiful elf he had ever laid eyes on. Her skin was flawless, white like the rarest pearl. Her eyes were a green that made jewels and the leaves of the forest jealous. Her hair was so white that snow couldn’t hope ever to match it.
Even more beautiful was the smile she wore with those perfect thin lips. Red enough to make the deepest rose be considered unworthy of a comparison.
“You are forgiven for your team's failure. I shall give you the kiss of forgiveness.”
He knew he was smiling. Even as his life force flowed from him into her, all Brindle could think of was how he wished this feeling could go on forever. Very few ever got to experience this kiss. The power of the red skill she gained on her choosing day almost two centuries ago.