But before the plan could get off the ground, tragedy struck. The first anyone knew of something being amiss was when Hope woke to hear blood-curdling screams coming from Saanvi's bedroom. She flung the covers off, but as she ran out into the hallway, the screams ceased. Eldon and Tanila came running, but there was no sign of Chika, and Hope felt a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she opened the door to Chika's room and found it empty. "No," she said, clenching her hands into fists as she ran to Saanvi's room, but horror was replaced by shock when she saw Saanvi lying lifelessly on the ground. Hope ran to her, feeling for a pulse, and her eyes filled with tears as she sat back. "She's gone," she said weakly, staring listlessly at Saanvi's body.
"What the fuck is going on?" Eldon swore, kneeling beside Hope and putting an arm around her shoulders. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNKYjHp4Iv
Hope shook her head, mute. Tanila filled in the blanks for them. "We have been cruelly betrayed," the Queen said, her voice grim but, thankfully, not carrying the horrifying note of hostility that had been present the day Jorel had almost been killed. "It would appear Chika is the author of that betrayal. We must reach her before she crosses the border back to Pandora."
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Exhaustive searches turned up no signs of Chika, or Winter, and by dawn, Tanila called the search off, her face like iron as she delivered the bad news. "Chika has had time to learn the ins and outs of the realm," the Queen stated. "I ran extensive tests on her the day she first arrived seeking my guidance, but I detected no traces of falsehood in her, and when she was cleared, I made her a citizen and allowed her free range." She sighed. "I do not think she did this maliciously, but rather out of a sense of misguided justice to protect her foster daughter."
"By murdering her?" Eldon said angrily. "If that's misguided justice, then I'm a donkey."
Tanila sighed again. "I understand your frustration," she said wearily. "But as you well know, our tests can detect falsehood right down to the deepest depths of a person's soul. Anyone who successfully conceal their ill-intentions to win past our defences always fails at the final hurdle, to borrow a human expression. Unless Chika possesses truly consummate skills as an expert deceiver, I maintain it was misguided justice."
"I'm not buying that," Eldon said. "I refuse to believe it was anything more than cold, calculated murder. Read Saanvi's room - you'll get all you need from there."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkurKBWeuQC
"Very well," Tanila agreed, rising. "I wish I could say I was right, but something tells me you might be right. And I cannot, in good conscience, let something like this go."
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Noon came and went by the time the Queen returned to the sitting room, her face pale as she delivered yet another round of bad news. "We have been played false," she declared, biting off each word as if they left a bitter taste in her mouth. Jorel read the fading residue from Saanvi's room, and you were right. She was murdered. She fought for her life, but was overpowered by sun magic. Winter's presence should have protected her, but he was long gone by the time the murder was done."
"Fucking cocksuckers," Eldon swore, stroking Hope's hair as she began crying again. "Let me guess; Chika has been a double double agent, am I right?"
"You are more than right," the Queen said with a sad smile. "Her true loyalties have been, all along, aligned with the Pandoran council. Such were the twists and turns in her mind that it took me most of the morning to get to the truth; Chika is as fanatical as the rest of the council, and she sees Winter as a means to an end. I do not know how she managed to snatch him away undetected, but I will get to the bottom of it, I promise."
"I can't believe how deceptive she was," Hope sobbed. "I really believed she was on my side, and now ...!" Further words were lost in another flood of tears, and Eldon kissed her hair, heartsick. Tanila sighed.
"We will get to the bottom of this," she promised her two stricken subjects. "But remember; Winter is a night elf. No matter what they do to him, they cannot eradicate his true nature."
"And what if they've learned since then?" Eldon asked bitterly. "Saanvi told us how Arjun lost his night elf heritage after they managed to somehow eradicate it from him. How do we know they haven't learned the tricks necessary to do it to Winter, despite his being a full night elf?"
"I do not know," Tanila admitted, rising. "But they will be in for a tougher fight than they expected. Winter will resist to the very core of his being, and after he healed Jorel and removed the geas from my mind, I fully believe in his capabilities."
Eldon sighed and shook his head. "I hope for all our sakes you're right," he grumbled.
Tanila didn't blame him; even she had her doubts. But as she left the room, she knew, as her two subjects did not, how powerful a night elf could be, even one that was still a newborn. Pandora's council would have the devil's own time eradicating any part of Winter's being.
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