Even if the other four elves were plain in appearance, they would still find buyers among the lesser nobles, Bonnie mused coldly. Not every noble was swimming in gold, after all, and some would eagerly purchase less striking elves for a taste of exotic novelty. Her icy gaze swept over the four elves, lingering only briefly before settling on Elisa. The White-Haired Enchantress was the true prize—a single elf worth ten ordinary ones. If sacrificing the other four ensured Elisa's capture without incident, it would be a profitable trade.
"You…" Elisa's face tightened, her emerald eyes narrowing as she read Bonnie's calculating intent. If she fled now, the four elves beside her would likely face brutal mistreatment—or worse.
"Miss Elisa, go! Get out of here! Don't worry about us!" The tall elf shouted, her voice trembling with urgency as she gripped her bow, her knuckles whitening.
"Yes, please, don't stay for us! Escape and find a way to save us later!" The chubby elf added, her round face flushed with desperation, her eyes pleading.
"Go now, please!"
"You're more important than us. We've lived long enough."
"…" Elisa listened to their fervent pleas, her expression crumpling into one of weary resignation. Her gaze flicked to Bonnie, cold and unyielding, before she let her longbow slip from her fingers, the weapon thudding softly into the snow. "It's already too late," She said, her voice heavy with bitter defeat.
"Too late?" The four elves froze, their eyes darting around as the grim reality dawned. They scanned their surroundings, only to find themselves completely encircled by the armored knights. The towering shields in the knights' hands gleamed dully in the faint starlight, forming an impenetrable wall. For elves who relied on their archery to survive, those shields were a death sentence, nullifying their greatest strength.
"This…" The four elves' faces paled, panic creeping into their voices as they clutched their bows, their resolve faltering.
"Come quietly and don't try anything foolish," Bonnie said, her voice as frigid as the snow-laden air. "If you cause trouble, I won't be responsible for the consequences." She turned, striding toward the edge of the withered forest, her green hair swaying with each confident step.
"Drop your bows," The knights barked in unison, their voices a thunderous command that echoed through the trees.
"…" The four elves exchanged defeated glances, their shoulders sagging under the weight of their predicament. With no viable escape, they reluctantly let their bows fall to the ground, the weapons landing with soft thuds in the snow.
The knights moved with disciplined precision, closing ranks around the five elves. They confiscated the discarded bows and arrows, then raised their shields, forming a tight, moving barricade that left only narrow gaps for the captives to walk through. The gleaming metal pressed in from all sides, a suffocating reminder of their captivity.
"Move," The knights ordered, their voices devoid of mercy.
"…" Elisa's teeth clenched, her jaw tight as she surveyed the wall of shields. Escape was impossible unless they could sprout wings and take flight. The realization gnawed at her, but she forced herself to keep moving, her steps heavy with resignation.
Tap, tap, tap…
The only sound was the crunch of boots on snow, the atmosphere oppressively silent as the group trudged forward. As they emerged from the withered forest, Elisa tilted her head back, her gaze drifting to the night sky. The faint, scattered stars above seemed dim and lifeless compared to the vibrant constellations she'd admired in Sedona City. A pang of longing twisted in her chest.
Moth City, despite its grand name, was little more than a glorified village. Its walls were crude, fashioned from roughly hewn logs, and its lord was a mere knight, a common arrangement in this era of scattered, modest settlements. Bonnie's forces had swept through the city with ruthless efficiency, rounding up its civilian population and confining them to dilapidated houses. The streets, now under the Black Iris Organization's iron grip, were patrolled by over a hundred armored knights, their presence a stark testament to the group's dominance.
Elisa, ever observant, took mental note of the knights' numbers as they marched her and the four elves through the city. Their heavy armor clinked with each step, and their cold, disciplined gazes never wavered. The sheer scale of the operation was daunting, but she filed the information away, her mind already searching for any opportunity to turn the tables.
The group was eventually herded into a ramshackle civilian house, its walls weathered and its interior damp with the musty scent of neglect. Inside, seven other elves—all female—sat huddled together, their faces etched with fear and exhaustion. Male elves, Elisa suspected grimly, were likely executed on capture, deemed too rebellious or unprofitable for the slavers' purposes.
"No one's coming to save you," Bonnie declared from the doorway, her cold gaze sweeping over the twelve elves crammed into the cramped space. Her eyes lingered on Elisa, her voice dropping to a pointed warning. "Behave. Stay quiet, don't cause a fuss. It's better for everyone that way."
"Hmph." Elisa turned away, refusing to meet Bonnie's gaze. Out of sight, out of mind. She knew no rescue was coming—not yet, at least. For now, she accepted her fate, biding her time until the auction. That would be her moment to seek an escape, to exploit any lapse in the slavers' vigilance.
"I'll be working hard these next few days to find you some more elf companions," Bonnie said with a mocking chuckle, her lips curling into a cruel smile.
"You… shameless traitor," Elisa snapped, whirling to face her. Her voice was a low, venomous growl. "You prey on the trust of your own kind. Don't you feel even a shred of guilt?"
"Guilt?" Bonnie's lips twisted into a sneer, her laughter sharp and biting. "My conscience was trampled to dust by your precious elves long ago. The only loyalty I have is to the Black Iris leader, not to your pathetic kind."
Elisa stared at Bonnie, her expression calm but piercing. "You're truly pitiful," She said softly, her words carrying a weight of sorrow rather than scorn.
"Pitiful? You dare call me pitiful?" Bonnie's face contorted with rage, her voice rising to a furious roar. "Elisa, don't you dare look down on me with that sanctimonious expression. Look at yourself—do you really think you're in any position to judge me?"
"You're trapped in the past," Elisa said, her voice steady and unflinching. She turned and sat down, her back to Bonnie, suddenly realizing that arguing further was pointless. Bonnie was too consumed by her own pain to see reason.
"Tch… ridiculous," Bonnie spat, her voice dripping with disdain. Forget the past? Impossible. Her mother, still confined to a bed in the Black Iris Organization's headquarters, had lost both legs to frostbite. The agony of that loss, the betrayal that led to it, was etched into Bonnie's soul, an indelible scar that fueled her every action.
"Elisa, I hope you can still speak so boldly in the days to come," Bonnie said coldly, her voice a low threat. With that, she turned and strode away, her green hair swaying as she disappeared into the night.
Her destination was the withered forest, where she would resume her role as bait, luring in more elves who came to rescue their kin. If those elves reached Moth City and saw the overwhelming force of knights, many would flee. Bonnie was the linchpin of the trap, her presence ensuring that none slipped through the net.
"Let's see how many more elves are foolish enough to come," Bonnie muttered, her emerald eyes glinting with icy malice. She laughed bitterly. "They abandoned their own back then, but now they play the hero? Pathetic."
Her mind drifted to the catastrophic blizzard that had ravaged the elven lands years ago. The Life Forest, their sanctuary, bordered the treacherous Rockridge Woods. While the bird beastkins could take flight to escape, the elves were left to flee on foot. Weak or slow elves stood little chance of survival. Even those who escaped the forest often fell prey to beastkins in neighboring lands, captured and sold into slavery. To Bonnie, beastkins, elves, and humans were all cut from the same cloth—flawed, selfish, and cruel.
"No one approaches without my orders," Bonnie barked to the knights trailing her, her voice sharp with authority.
The knights halted, nodding in acknowledgment. They would take up positions around the forest's perimeter, waiting for Bonnie's signal to strike. These men were the Black Iris Organization's elite, assigned to her for this mission as a test of her capabilities. Success would elevate her from manager to executor, a significant promotion within the organization's ranks.
In truth, capturing Elisa—the White-Haired Enchantress—had already guaranteed her promotion. But Bonnie wasn't satisfied. She wanted more. She burned to capture the elves who had abandoned her and her mother, to make them pay for their betrayal.
Tap, tap, tap…
Bonnie stepped into the withered forest, her movements deliberate despite the faint limp in her gait. There was one detail she hadn't shared, one Elisa had misjudged: her heavy footsteps weren't a deliberate signal. They were the result of an old injury, a lingering consequence of frostbite from that brutal winter. Her mother had shielded her, cradling her in her arms, sparing Bonnie's legs from the necrosis that claimed her mother's. But the damage was done, robbing Bonnie of the elves' natural grace and silent tread. Each step was a reminder of her loss, fueling her hatred and her resolve.
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