58 – In Abeyance
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The next morning feeling completely refreshed. It had been a while since I had a nights rest without recovering from wounds. I entangled and surrounded by limbs and bodies.

I was laying face down, with my legs slightly splayed. A head was resting on my butt with someone snuggled against my left leg. My right leg was bent upward and was leaning against the back of someone else. There was a leg across the back of my head and another leg was stretched along the top of my head. My left arm was angled downward and my hand was resting on top a leg, probably the one laying across my head. My left hand was laying on a foot.

Cautiously I turned my head to the right and opened my eyes. My hand was laying on Milly's foot, the legs were hers. How surprising she ended up like that. Next to Milly’s feet was Loraline’s head, she was facing me. She was laying on her back, her feet touching someones back. It had to be Caroline, since it wasn’t Tilly. Which leaves Tilly as the one using my butt as a pillow.

Since I wasn’t able to move without waking someone up I pushed some mana from my filled pool into my magic sight and started to study the complex magical patterns on the enchantments in my field of vision. It wasn’t noticeable by simply looking, but the whole place was filled with a plethora of magical auras, often tightly intertwined with each other. I spent about half of my mana pool trying to get an overview.

A while later Loraline began to stir. She opened her eyes and looked at me with wide eyes, mouth agape.

“Morning Loraline.” I smiled at her and waved.

“M-M-Morning Lilly.” She propped her head on her right elbow.

“I’m trapped.” I winked.

“Do you always sleep that way?” She sat up to get an overview.

“Sometimes. I suspect Milly to arrange things to end up like this intentionally, but I have no evidence.” I pursed my lips.

“Wild accusations.” Milly pulled her legs away.

“I don’t believe in coincidence.” I turned my head and stared at Milly.

“You look comfortable. I want such a pillow as well.” She looked at my butt with a smirk.

“M-M-Milly!” Loraline chided.

“Let’s check for something to wear, while Lilly serves as a pillow. We had been promised something to wear.” Milly smiled at Loraline.

“We definitely should look for something to wear.” Loraline got up.

“We have to chose something cute for Lilly.” Milly gave me a wicked grin.

I gave Milly a glare but didn’t want to wake up Tilly.

They put on their robes and left the room.

Soon Tilly and Caroline woke up as well.

“Let’s go hand have some breakfast first.” I pulled the robe over my head.

“Have you been awake for long?” Tilly blushed.

“Not really. I have had a closer look at the magic around here for a while. There’s than you see at the first glance.” I walked to the inner door.

“Aahhh! At least something worthwhile to spend my mana.” Tilly looked around with active mana sight.

“I’m ready to go.” Caroline brushed away the curtain.

“Wait! I’m coming!” Tilly put on her robe.

We went down to the central room. Milly and Loraline had several dresses spread out over the table.

“We need some space for breakfast!” I headed to the kitchen.

“Okay. We put these away and check these out later.” Milly put the dress in front of her back on a hanger.

Soon we had set the table and were put the rest of the dinner on the table.

“The dresses were in the wardrobe by the entrance.” Milly smiled at me.

“We should probably put them upstairs later.” I smiled back at her.

“How do we want to do our sleeping arrangements by the way?” Tilly refilled her plate.

“There’s plenty of space. We’ve more rooms than we need.” Milly looked back at Tilly.

“Sleeping all in one bed is only slightly crowded.” Loraline winked at me.

“We can change it at any time. We should wait for the meeting with the Lord before we start planning anything.” Milly propped her chin on her left arm.

“We should check out all the wardrobes for something usable to wear.” Caroline piped in.

“For today we go with the dressed they brought us. We should be ready for the meeting as soon as possible.” Mill looked to the entrance.

“We can start checking out the place when we’re ready to go.” I nodded at Milly.

We cleaned everything up after we were done with breakfast.

Then we took the dresses up to the room where we slept last night.

“There a five outfits. They’re all embroidered differently but were all made from the same shades of green cloth. The greens are arranged differently. Thus it isn’t that much of a difference between them. Lilly?” Milly gave me devious smile.

“Alright. I try it on.”

The first part were dark green wide silky pants, reaching down the ankles. A light green collared silk shirt reaching down to my thighs came next. The actual dress was sleeveless and reached down to my knees. The base was a bright green with embroidered hems. The deep neckline was lined with darker green ruffles. From the waist downward there were rings of embroidered ruffles in differing shades of green all the way down to the hem. The pair of white cloth shoes with leather soles were quite comfortable.

“Cute!” Milly gave me a smile.

The others dressed up as well.

We started to examine the other bedrooms. The inside of the red rooms wardrobe was covered by a mirror. There were dresses and skirts in the wardrobe as well. Most of them quite large though. Milly wasn’t impressed. Regarding the rest we could make use of a few shirts. They were too large as well, but that wouldn’t bother me. They’d make decent nightwear.

The storerooms in the kitchen had been filled over night as well. The oven and stove were magical contraptions as well.

A few minutes later someone knocked at the door.

“I answer the door.” Loraline walked out to the main room.

“Let’s wait in the central room.” I left the kitchen and sat down on a sofa where I could see the entry hall.

“Looking for a cute young elf?” Milly sat down to my left.

“N-N-No. Just curious.” I blushed.

“Don’t be afraid. I protect you!” Tilly leaned herself at the back rest behind me.

“I’ll be right back!” Caroline left to the bathroom.

“Welcome!” Loraline opened the door.

“Good morning.” Enleadir was standing in front of the door.

“Come in.” Loraline stepped aside.

“Ah you’re all ready for the day. I hope you slept well.” The elf walked through the hall.

“Well enough.” Loraline closed the door.

“Lord Thyrian and Lady Illuvien will arrive soon. There will be enough time to dress and have a quick breakfast.” walked up to our sofa.

“Who is Lady Illuvien?” Milly curiously looked at Enleadir.

“The Lady of the house. I would like to make some preparations.” He smiled at Milly.

“Feel at home.” She winked at him smiling.

“Very well.” He winked back.

He rearranged some armchairs, a sofa and a table for seven persons. After that he disappeared in the kitchen. I heard him working inside.

“I wonder what he is. He does a servants work, but usually servants don’t walk around armed.” Loraline looked to the kitchen door.

“Ask him.” Milly got up.

“Ask him?” Loraline looked at Milly with wide eyes.

“Did I miss something?” Caroline walked up to Loraline.

“We have our meeting soon. Enleadir is already here and busy in the kitchen.” Milly walked toward the bathroom as well.

I got to my feet as well and sneaked a peek at the kitchen. Enleadir was busy cutting something on a wooden board. A kettle was standing on the oven. He looked up with a smile without ceasing slicing what looked like pears into small cubes. I blushed and turned back to the central room again.

After a while a faint smell of baked pastries filled the air. I decided to use the bathroom after Milly was back.

She gave me a smirk as I left for the bathroom.

The box with the lid was quite self explanatory. There was a deep bowl beneath it, surrounded by a flat leather cushion. After I got ready I sat down to relieve myself. It reminded me of my former life. Then I looked for toilet paper or something else to wipe, but I saw nothing within reach. Did Milly hide it to play a prank on me? I’m going to kill her!

Suddenly something hit me from below! I froze in panic until I realized that jets of water were splashing my butt and nether regions. The water was warm. Then the water suddenly turned cold for a few moments, before dying down. Then a jet of warm air came from down below, drying my butt in a few moments. Then the commotion stopped.

I got up and looked at the bowl. It was empty. I was dry down below as I checked. I made myself presentable again. A warning would have been nice.

As I left the bathroom, Tilly was already waiting.

“Have fun!” I gave her a wide smile.

“T-Thanks?” Tilly looked puzzled and then quickly entered the bathroom.

Milly looked at me chuckling.

“You’re doomed!” I frowned at Milly.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t see your face.” Milly smirked.

A few minutes later Tilly came back, staring daggers at us.

Enleadir came back from the kitchen after a while.

“Is there any protocol to observe?” I looked at him.

“Stay polite and you’ll be fine.” He looked around, nodded and walked to the entrance.

A few moment later he opened the door. Lord Thyrian and an elven woman approached the door. How did he know they were there? Obviously magic, I’d seen nothing. Maybe he was notified while he was in the kitchen.

“Lord Thyrian and Lady Illuvien!” Enleadir announced.

Lord Thyrian gave Enleadir a short glare.

They entered the central room. Enleadir closed the door behind them.

“Good morning.” they walked up to us.

“Good morning.” we replied with a curt bow. Old habits die hard.

“Does this accommodation suit your needs?” He walked to the table Enleadir set up.

“It offers all we need.” Milly smiled politely.

“Then let’s hear your story.” Lady Illuvien walked up next to her husband.

She was taller than me. Her golden locks feel down to her waist and her purple eyes gave a similar vibe of age than her husband. He was wearing a long purple gown embroidered with golden flowers. The long sleeves widened towards her wrist. She wore silver tiara encrusted with a set of seven emeralds. She put down a leather bag next to one the armchairs and sat down with an enticing grace.

“Sit down, please.” Lord Thyrian took the armchair next to her.

We settled down on the two sofas on the far side of the table.

“Tea?” Enleadir asked.

“Later” Lady Illuvien nodded at him.

We shook our heads.

“Then we shall begin.” Lord Thyrian leaned back in his armchair.

We looked at each other. I nodded at Milly and Tilly shrugged

“I will start from the point we were summoned.” Milly looked at the Lord and the Lady.

They nodded.

Then Milly started to tell them what happened to us since we arrived in this world. She let out anything that happened with Ziual in our dream. The elves didn’t interrupt once.

Enleadir was listening attentively as well.

It was past noon as Milly finished.

Lord Thyrian stared into space for a while.

“You did let something out.” He looked at Milly.

“It would reveal things that are not mine to reveal. It doesn’t have any impact on the situation at hand.” Milly locked her eyes with him.

“Keeping things for yourself might worsen your situation.” He kept his eyes on her.

His wive seemed to focus on the rest of us.

“If I waive my word for convenience, how much value would it have to you?” Milly tilted her head slightly, holding his gaze.

“Let’s eat something and continue later.” He looked at Enleadir.

Enleadir nodded. He left for the kitchen and came back with plates with pastries and some pre-cut fruit.

We all helped ourselves. I got myself a cup of tea as well.

Lord Thyrian and Lady Illurien walked away after they were done eating. They talked with each other quietly for a while.

I took the time to stretch my legs as well. I had to ask Enleadir for recipes sooner or later.

After while the elves sat down again. We followed suit.

“As presumed this all seem a bit more complex.” Lord Thyrion locked eyes for a few moments with each of us.

“We want to take a closer look at these slave marks.” Lady Illurien looked at Milly, Tilly and I.

“Feel free.” Milly nodded.

Tendrils of magic appeared after a few moments. They brushed all over us for a quite a while.

“The ring controlling these marks is too far away for the moment to be much of a concern. It is farther away than yesterday.” Lord Thyrian stared into space.

“This means time is not pressing. The magician you told us about hadn’t tried to locate you for the time you were here. Since these spells are not very reliable, especially in the midst of the Claws, they will likely assume that you managed to get out of range.” Lady Illurien looked at her husband.

“Not all of you have these marks though.” Lord Thyrian looks at Loraline and Caroline.

“We won’t part with one another. We got into this together and we will get out of this together.” I looked the elven Lord.

Milly and Tilly nodded.

“This is an important decision. We will bring this case to the council to debate and decide.” Lord Thyrian looked at his wife.

“I agree.” She nodded solemnly

“What does that mean for us?” Milly furrowed her brows.

“The council will meet at the day humans call Happy Harvest.” Lady Illurien smiled at us.

“Expect them to defer the decision to have time to evaluate the situation.” Lord Thyrian raised his eyebrows.

“The council meets next at the day you know as High Suns.” Lady Illurien nodded at Milly.

“They meet on the Holidays?” Loraline shook her head.

“These days are special in their own way. At least for the elves.” Lady Illurien chuckled.

“This means we are her for ... months, waiting for a decision? Milly shook her head.

“It’s bad to rush an important decision without need.” Lord Thyrien gave Milly a slight smile.

“The life of our people is at stake.” Lady Illurien nodded at Milly.

“Then. We wait for the councils decision. Do you have an idea what we have to expect?” Milly looked at Lord Thyrian.

“The usual handling of trespassing won’t be appropriate in your case. The council is there to find a solution which is viable for us, not just for nodding to my proposals. What’s the point in taking in the opinions of others if I don’t give them the time to come up with something that may convince the rest of us.” Lord Thyrian locked his eyes with Milly.

“We’re elves. We do things the elven way.” Lady Illurien smirked at Milly.

“The I want to thank you for your insights. I’ve other matters to attend today.” Lord Thyrian got up and looked at his wife.

“I hope it will help to find a solution viable for us.” Milly smiled at Lord Thyrian.

“I want to examine some aspects of these marks in detail if I may.” She smiled at us.

“I see. Then if you may excuse me. Enleadir?” he looked at the elf

“Leave the kitchen for us.” Loraline smiled at Enleadir

“Thank you.” he nodded at Loraline.

Then the two elves left.

“You don’t need me with these marks?” Loraline looked at us.

“No, dear.” Lady Illurien smiled at Loraline.

“I’ll help you, Loraline.” Caroline took two plated from the table.

They left for the kitchen.

“I want to us some tools for examining these marks, since there were some parts of them which were odd without closer inspection. Just sit there and relax.” Lady Illurien got her bag from the ground.

She fetched a fist sized magical crystal or glass ball from the bag, including a mount to keep it from rolling around. A magical wand completed the setup.

Then waves of magic rolled my way for at least an hour. She redirected these waves for about fifteen minutes each at Milly and Tilly.

Caroline and Loraline left upstairs after a while.

Finally she leaned back in the armchair.

“You mentioned getting these magical dresses. Since they’re soul bound items, which are rare, they had be bound with mana to function. I understood that your own mana pool activated much later. Did you activate them with a mana crystal?” She put the wand back in her bag.

“We did.” Tilly nodded.

“The activation of soul bound item with mana crystals is ... subpar.” she smiled at Tilly.

“Is this a problem for us?” Milly furrowed her brows.

“They work less efficient mostly. There are chances for the enchantment to fail, sometimes in a more spectacular was. In your case it will probably simply fade out, destroying the item in the process.” she put the ball and it’s mount back in her bag.

“Does that mean the I could end up standing naked on a market place?” I blushed.

“Yes, in the case you’re wearing the item.” She chuckled and winked at me.

“Is there a trigger?” Milly smirked at me.

“Damaging the mark or damage to your mana pool. The situation is peculiar. Normally the storage enchantment should be connected to the set of clothes, and the clothes should have a connection the mark which then connects to your mana pool. The setup is a kind of wretched up means to created a soul bound item. As this is the usual setup for this kind of magical trinkets, it should be that way with yours as well, but it’s messed up in your case. I suspect the activation method is the culprit. In your case the storage part dangles between your mana pool and the mark. Any disturbance has a decent chance to unravel the storage enchantment, which may then cause the whole item to disintegrate. Since the connection goes through the mark it may hurt, much.” Lady Illurien leaned her bag against her chair again.

“Is there something we can so about it?” I touched the mark at my sternum.

“There may be. We can rebind the whole thing, there is a means to accomplish this included into the enchantment. I can’t tell you exactly what will happen in this ... peculiar ... constellation. The part should set up the item from the scratch. This means that it will start draining mana for some time. The problem we have is that it needs orange mana to bind to someone. All you have is red mana.” She shook her head.

“So we’re screwed? Can’t we use a crystal again” Tilly clenched her fist.

“We check that next. Using a mana crystal for a rebind isn’t an option. For one red and orange crystals are rare. They cost basically the same as the higher quality ones so no one bothers to enchant them. Your mana pools showed signs of a peculiar trait that may help us here.” She fetched a small pouch from her bag.

“I’m going to check that trait of your mana pool. Take this crystal and fill it with mana.” Lady Illurien handed me the crystal.

I focused on my mana pool and started to move mana to the opening in my hand, which wasn’t there before. A chunk of mana vanished into the opening. At some point it stopped accepting mana.

“Pull it out again.”

A few moments later my mana was back in my pool. Nice bauble.

“This looks well for you. The others as well, please.” Lady Illurien smiled at me.

Milly and Tilly were able to pull it of as well.

“You can, if a magical trinket need mana from you, convert it to at least orange mana, which should be okay, as you bond these clothes with orange mana. This should work with mana crystals as well. You should be careful how much mana you drain. It’s bad to put more mana in your pool as it can take. Try it with these as well.” She put four more crystals on the table.

The amount of mana they could hold varied. The largest could take nearly half of my mana.

After a while we confirmed that each of us could use any of these baubles.

“So if you want, I can rebind these outfits. Your choice. However it turns out, you will have a more stable situation thereafter. It will possible drain lots of mana and it may take a while to finish. Since you have to stay here for some time anyway, my advise would be to do this.” She leaned back in her chair.

We looked at each other.

“I will do it. Sub par magic. I feel dirty.” Tilly crossed her arms below her chest.

“Are there risks?” Milly looked at the elven lady.

“The clothing set may get destroyed.” She looked at me.

“I don’t care about the clothes. When this magic breaks in a dangerous situation it will be much worse. I’m in.

“I’m in as well.” Milly nodded at Lady Illurien.

“Then I shall trigger the rebind. I need to to touch each of you.” She got to her feet and walked behind our sofa.

She patted my head. A sharp sting went through the mark. I gasped. Then I started to feel more and more dizzy. A few moments later half of my mana vanished through a plate containing plenty of holes. The plate for using the maid outfit was gone.

After a while my thoughts started to clear again. Lady Illurien sat on her armchair, watching us. Milly and Tilly were slumped on the sofa, eyes closed.

“The rebind enchantment is now active and will slowly reform the soul binding. It looks like that you can’t use the item while it is at work. I’ll come an check the progress once in a while though.” She got up and picked up her bag.

“Mmmmm.” I nodded, still too dizzy to think straight.

She smiled and left us alone.

The rebind had cost me more than half of my mana. My pool had filled up again over the day. I wasn’t fully drained though.

After a while I felt better again. Milly and Tilly recovered as well.

“So we’re stuck here for now.” Tilly pulled her knees to her chin and slung her arms around them.

“These elves surely take their time.” Milly crossed her arms under her chest and stared into space.

“Whatever this council comes up with.” I scratched my chin.

“Let’s use the time as good as we can. I don’t think our trouble is over...” Milly pressed he lips together and furrowed her brows.

“Loraline could use some combat training.” I nodded.

“Then let’s get the other and make plans.” Milly got up.

“Is this our council?” I smirked at Milly.

“Stop fooling around.” She rolled her eyes.

 

*** End of book one ***

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