Chapter 126. Sir Serion
In the interrogation room of the elf kingdom.
Seated on a plain wooden chair, Queen Aeryn Vaelaris sat regally while looking into Caerith, the tall slender elf across from her, with intense eyes that sparkled like precious gems.He was eating a simple meal of bread and stew when his pale hands trembled and his bony frame shook.
She saw the red, raw mark of a slave collar around his neck. Aeryn’s eyes lingered on it, her jaw tensing, a hint of rage visible beneath her composed exterior. Four elven guards stood like statues behind her.
Nine elves has returned who’s in the missing cases, and Caerith was once a proud councilor.
Aeryn’s heart raced, but her voice was steady, cutting through the quiet like a knife. "Caerith," she said, tone firm but urgent, "tell me what happened. How did you go missing?"
With sunken eyes that seemed to be staring at nothing, Caerith gazed at the table. He spoke in a tremulous whisper. "About four months ago... I was on my way to the archives. The streets were deserted, and it was late. He halted, battling the mental fog with twitching fingers and a furrowed brow.
"I noticed... someone." Someone on the other side of the street. Me and him alone. Something didn’t feel right. He weighed heavily on me, like a shadow pressing down on my spirit. I simply continued to walk without giving it much thought. Then. His hands trembled violently as his voice broke. "Nothing. It’s all black after that."
Aeryn leaned forward, violet eyes narrowing, voice sharp but controlled. "His face, do you remember it? Anything at all?"
He shook his head. "No... it’s gone. Like it was erased."
Aeryn cursed softly, frustration flashing in her eyes, but she pressed on, voice urgent yet calm. "Where were they keeping you? Were you enslaved for humans?"
Caerith’s face went ghostly pale as his body tensed. His breath caught as he was reminded of the prison: the cramped quarters, the blood stench, and the never-ending screams that plagued his dreams. His body trembled as if something invisible had frightened him, and sweat trickled down his brow. Lost in the nightmare, his eyes darted.