Elantir

He was sitting alone in a vast, dark forest. He was sipping the last drops of water from his canteen when he suddenly heard a rustle. He turned quickly, drawing his sword.

"Who's there?" he asked.

The answer was silence. He repeated himself, louder this time. Again, nothing. Perhaps he was imagining it?

A few hours later, he was walking down an unfamiliar path, in an unfamiliar wilderness. Elantir was an elf—a half-breed. He traveled because he had no other choice—he was an exile. Elves didn't want impure blood among them. Now, by chance, he had stumbled upon these strange lands.

"What possessed me to venture into this forest?" he thought aloud. Suddenly, he heard a roar and saw lightning tearing through the sky.

"Great, that's what I needed," he said angrily, just as water splashed onto the ground. Elantir began to run aimlessly ahead. In the darkness of the forest, and at night, at that, he couldn't see much, but he saw the exit from the forest ahead of him. He ran. Hopefully away from the trees. Another flash of lightning, and another, and... the castle! The elf couldn't believe his eyes. He ran as fast as he could.

He knocked loudly on the knocker. A moment later, the door creaked heavily. At first, Elantir wanted to scream, but his voice caught in his throat. Before him stood a terrifyingly ugly gnome. He reached about the hero's belt buckle. He had a long, hooked nose, a mouth twisted in a grimace, and small, squinted eyes. "

Greetings, my lord, the count is waiting for you," he said in a hoarse voice. "

Waiting? How..." Elantir's voice was drowned out by another clap of thunder. The gnome invited the elf into the castle. Inside, there was no great splendor—just a few sculptures, carpets, and ornaments. But there was something mysterious—something the hero had sensed from the moment he saw the building.

"The Count awaits you in the dining room," the gnome informed, leading the elf through winding corridors. In the center of the vast hall stood a long table, at one end of which sat a tall man in a green cloak.

"Welcome to my humble abode! I expect you to stay longer." He glanced out the window, where the storm was raging.

"I think the storm should have abated by morning. Then I'll leave.

" "No! Sir, stay at least two days. I'll show you a few places worth seeing. We rarely have visitors here. Right, Worcie?" he turned to the gnome with a strange smile. "We have so much time here, and I don't know how to spend it... Worcie, show Mr. Elantir his room.

" Elantir was a bit surprised. "I didn't tell him my name..."

The way to the room led through many corridors. Elantir tried to memorize the route, which might come in handy in case of an escape. "Right, left, left, straight, right..."—after a while, the elf lost count. Escaping through the corridors was out of the question. "I'll just escape out the window," he decided.

The quarters, no matter how you looked at them, didn't resemble a guest room. It looked more like a private study with an extra bed. A beautiful, large chandelier hung from the ceiling, studded with precious stones, probably worth more than the annual income of a small trading settlement. After the servant left, Elantir decided not to waste time and fled immediately. There was something in this hideout that no one would want to encounter. The hero looked out the window. The room was about two stories high, but the wall was covered with some kind of ivy—probably poisonous. He took his small package of food, enough for about three days, and approached the window. Suddenly, he saw a terrifying creature, seemingly otherworldly—unlike anything else. It had long claws and a thin, equally long, snake-tipped tongue. Elantir, terrified, hurriedly moved away from the window. The apparition vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"What is this?!" "Is it some kind of magic?" he shouted, louder than he intended. There was no way out—the elf had to remain trapped. He lay down on the bed, but he couldn't sleep for a long time.

Elantir was awakened by a knock on the door. He opened it and saw Wort. "A pleasant sight to start the day," he thought. "

I invite you, esteemed gentleman, to breakfast. The Count is waiting," he declared, and disappeared around the bend. Elantir followed him through the maze of corridors. The owner of the estate was already in the dining room. He was wearing that green cloak again. He was eating, and after a moment he looked at the elf.

"I hope you'll forgive me, traveler, for starting breakfast without you. Yesterday I somehow missed noticing that I didn't introduce myself—my name is VanHall. Count VanHall.

" "Could I leave right after breakfast?" he asked, as if not hearing Elantir. "

I thought you'd still have time for you to see a few places worth seeing." "For example, my very rare collection of books in the basement," he suggested with a disturbing note of menace in his voice. This didn't sit well with Elantir, so he decided to agree—for peace and quiet.

After the meal (which Elantir barely touched), the men headed for the basement. Interestingly, Wort trailed behind them in the shadows the entire way.

Elantir silently followed the Count. The terror was enveloping him more and more. They descended the stairs. Elantir felt the darkness begin to fill him. He was beginning to lose consciousness...

He woke up and raised his head. Or rather, he WANTED to raise his head. He tried to move. To no avail. Suddenly he heard VanHall's voice:

"Look, he's awake." Elantir saw his head close to his face. "I see you're awake, Elantir. You're probably curious what you're doing here... I think I can tell you now. As you can see," he waved his hand around, "these aren't basements, but my laboratory."

Elantir wanted to reply, "I don't see," but he couldn't make a sound.

"Here I am conducting experiments that will finally allow me to gain power over life and death!" He looked around with maddened eyes. "But I lack test subjects..." He glanced at the elf. Elantir looked at the count with terrified eyes. The mad scientist's face was the last thing he saw.

Lightning

crackled around Count VanHall's old manor. The count's manic laughter echoed everywhere: "Yeah!... I did it!!!..."