"Are you sure it's here?"
Mason wiped his brow as the sweat glistened in the morning sun. He was clearly irritated, and had been ever since they left Arca. He didn't want to go on this little expedition, he just wanted to be near Isabel. Under the Sirantil Valley sun, Isabel's coconut colored hair and bronze skin shone brightly, as if it was competing with the sun itself. Mason was captivated, and she was the only thing that inspired him to continue walking.
"Professor Harkon spent months studying the tomes, it's got to be here. Isn't that right, Cailan?"
The sun slowly crept behind the tall trees, as the forest grew denser with each step. The grass and shrubbery brushed up against their knees, and the whispers of the woodland creatures, and perhaps less friendly ones as well, grew more audible. Cailan knelt down as he looked for fauna and moss as clues to the proximity of their destination.
"I sure hope so." Cailan's relaxed response did not console Mason one bit. "Worst case scenario is that you got a little exercise out of this expedition, Mason."
Mason sighed and rolled his eyes. To him, two magic users walking into a territory consumed in internal conflict regarding magic wasn't exactly exercise. "I'm going back to camp" he said abruptly. Mason quickly turned around as the birds in the trees above chirped like trumpets announcing the entrance of a king.
"I think I'll go follow him to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." Isabel ran off without awaiting a reply from Cailan, who was now left all alone. That's how he liked it anyway; with fewer distractions that would get in the way of his mission.
His mission, of course, was to acquire the Nieven for Professor Harkon. After deciphering and analyzing tomes for months, Harkon concluded that there exists a treaty between the fae folk of old and men, further evidence indicating Serenian ancestry of a union between fae and men. This treaty was named the Nieven, and Harkon had deciphered that it was located within an ancient commune in Sirantil Valley. Lieutenant Cailan Oberon was tasked along with two recruits to retrieve the treaty.
"Aha!" Cailan was excited, as he found partial remains of an ancient fire pit. At the very least, it was an indication that people occupied this forest long ago. He pushed aside rubble and pulled plants blocking his vision until he felt a sharp and sudden sting on his neck. He immediately became dizzy and his vision blurred as his shaking hand reached for his neck.
Poison he thought as his breaths drew slower and heavier. He attempted to look around to find the source, but could find no indication of the marksman. As he tried to stand up, he immediately fell face down into the fire pit that he was examining. Suddenly the voice of a woman crept out from the shadows as he finally fell unconscious.
Cailan finally woke up with a strong headache. His vision was still quite blurry and he was quite dizzy, but he began to sober up enough to analyze his surroundings. He was inside a small, wooden shack with no furnishings aside from an empty bookshelf and a stove. He reached for his head but was immediately rejected, as his hands were bound to the back wall. He sighed as he looked forward, noticing three figures, whom he presumed to be his kidnappers.
Cailan then looked to his left, where he noticed a figure in a similar predicament, however his vision had not returned completely and he could not make out any discernible features. "Rough day, huh" he said to the figure drowsily.