She upright herself in her makeshift bed. No matter how much she tried to sleep, her growing sense of unease never left. Siravin was nowhere to be found. Her other friends were missing as well, but she had him at least close, and his absence gnawed at her. She quietly slid on her equipment and went outside the tent. The snow was cold on her face. She made her way towards the perimeter, where a pair of sentinels were on watch.

“Any news of the ones from the other tower?”

“Not yet. They should have reported back. However, they did send up a flare signal.”

She nodded. “I’ll go have a look.”

“That’s not a good idea… There have been reports of scavengers in the area.” The elf tried to stop her but she politely moved past him and into darkness. Recalling the direction, she trailed along a ruined back street. Soon the lights from the camp were hidden by ruins, and all she could hear was the wind bearing even more snow. All around her seemed calm, but some feeling was stirring within her as the mindling warned her of her surroundings.

She drew her weapons and sought cover behind a long-dead tree.

“Who is it!?” She shouted, and Siah too appeared next to her.

“It’s me, Siravin.” A reply came from somewhere

“Really… Show yourself.”

“Right here.” She peered over the broken trunk and saw someone she had never seen before, holding a small oil lamp. It looked like a human, brown hair and blue eyes shimmering in the light.

“But how? If it’s you… Why do you look like that?”

“I found a… Place under the tower I was sent to occupy… I don’t know what it is, but they made something down there that can alter one’s appearance. Nothing permanent though.”

“Um, okay?”

“Yeah, we can use it to travel unhindered back home, once we make it to the human continent. Follow me, I’ll show you.”

She followed him back inside the tower, and down a hatch which had apparently been hidden under a movable crate. From the cobwebs and stuffy air, it was clear the place had been locked for a long time, only disturbed by its rediscovery. Siravin lit a torch and carried it down with him, down the winding steps. Until they arrived at a heavy set of reinforced doors.

“These doors weren’t locked?”

“Securely locked… But guess who had the key…”

“Yvrain’s people.”

“Right.”

He pushed open a door and revealed the inside.

The first room appeared to be a bit of a checkpoint, with heavy weapons placed strategically behind barriers, and likely aimed at the doorway. They passed the checkpoint and continued on to the next set of doors at the back end of the room. Behind the second set of doors was a larger room. Built with bricks and supporting the structure above. Along the walls were placed large glass tanks, still full of some sort of blue liquid. Methods of distribution to flasks and a variety of tools littered the smooth-cut stone benches as well as the floor, evidence that the last occupants had left in a big hurry. In addition to themselves, about two-dozen soldiers were busy writing documentation and conducting tests.

“It’s a little bit of a secret… Yvrain never intended for us to seize this tower in a flanking move. As you saw on the way in, the tower was partially ruined, and we could make no direct observation of the target…”

“He wanted what was inside.”

He nodded and made wide, sweeping gesture.

“He’s clever… I have my suspicions, but I believe that he intends to infiltrate every country using a whole bunch of elves, all sipping this concoction on a regular basis.”

“So, when do I get to try it?”

“Ah, so you’re the female demonkin that Master Yvrain spoke about… it’s a pleasure to meet you… I’m Damri, the lead functionary… We’ve just warmed this place back up, and will be able to refine the recipe in due time. It may take a few days.” The elf handed her a small glass bottle filled with the same blue liquid as in the tanks. “Give it a try. The effect is limited in the extreme… It might be a little painful by the way.”

“How painful?”

“You’ll feel it. That’s really all there is to it.”

Hesitantly, she put the bottle to her lips, and took a small sip from it. At first, nothing seemed to happen, then she felt a bad sting in the back of her neck, as well as the top of her head, while her eyes felt dry and sore. It lasted but a moment, and soon the discomfort disappeared.

“And there you go… Have a look.” She made a gesture, and one of the nearby elves rolled a large wheeled mirror over to her.

The sight shocked her to no end. Her hair had completely changed color from crimson red to walnut brown. Closer inspection revealed that her eye color had also changed into a very familiar green. The back of her neck felt smooth, and the crystal seemed to have disappeared.

“It’s so… Strange. I look like…” Awestruck by the incredible change, she struggled to find words to put behind the experience.

“It suits you…” Siravin commented.

“It should last… A while. Amount and frequency affects the duration quite severely.”

“We’ll see how long it lasts. We have to wait for Yvrain to get over here anyway.” Siravin nodded and led Mariel a short distance away, making sure everyone else were out of earshot.

“I don’t like this at all… I get a feeling that he’ll use us some other way… So, make sure to listen carefully to his proposals… If they sound fishy, back out… And if not, ask me for my thoughts.”

She nodded, sharing the same underlying concern.

‘I know Mariel… It’s a long time ago, but the elves used to send agents to influence the leaders of the other continents. The elves are dedicated to maintaining the global peace… They fear something… Otherwise they’d be like every other conquering nation.’ Siah whispered in her mind. ‘Be careful.’