Slowly Laila unveiled her eyes, feeling a great heaviness upon her brow as if she had but lately wandered out of a deep and cavernous dream. Her breath came in halted gasps, and to her ears drifted a faint murmuring of strange tongues. At first, the source remained hidden in the gloaming of her mind, but as the mists cleared, she perceived a man nearby, chanting in a low, rhythmic tone. She knew it not then, but he was weaving a spell of awakening to draw her back from the void.
She recoiled in sudden dread, and her gaze met two eyes of an unearthly hue, gleaming amidst the shadows. The man bore the semblance of a mortal, yet there was that in his aspect which was not wholly of Middle-earth; his piercing eyes burned with a hidden, fey light.
Laila cast herself back until her shoulders struck the cold stone of the wall. It was then she saw Adam and Samer lying bound beside her with heavy cords, their senses still locked in slumber. She cried out, though her voice was but a dry rattle in her throat.
"Who are you? What is your will with us?"
The stranger offered a fleeting, mirthless smile and spoke in a voice as calm as a summer pool.
"Be at peace, Laila. We have not brought you to this delved place for your undoing."
A shiver took her to hear her own name fall from his lips. She watched him with the wary eyes of a trapped bird, noting then another who stood a short way off. He was of greater stature and moved with a silent gravity, yet he radiated a power no less formidable than the first.
"I am Zahreen, and this is Raven," said the one who stood further in the gloom. "And you... you are no mere mortal maid of the common folk, as you have long believed."
Laila faltered, then met his gaze with a spark of the old fire. "What is the meaning of these riddles?"
"Your lineage, Laila, descends from a sorcerer of the Elder Days—a master of lore whose name has faded from the songs of men, yet his blood yet flows, potent and hidden, within your veins."
At Zahreen's words, a tremor passed through her frame. She looked upon her bound companions and then back to these tall, perilous men, seeking some thread of reason in this tapestry of madness.
"Why have you taken us?" she asked, striving to keep her voice from betraying her heart.
Raven stepped forward, his shadow lengthening against the cave wall. "Because we have need of you. There is a power within you yet unawakened, and you alone hold the key to the aid we seek."
Fear gnawed at her as he drew near. Her heart beat like a frantic wing against the bars of a cage. She stared at Zahreen and Raven, her eyes wide as she tried to fathom the nightmare into which she had fallen. Could it be truth? Could the blood of an ancient mage truly stir within her—a secret kept from her since her birth?
But a darker question weighed upon her: Who were they? Or rather, what were they?
That they were not of common Kindred was a certainty that chilled her soul. Their glowing eyes and the fluid, unnatural grace of their movements spoke of a different heritage. Her heart hammered, and her body was strung tight as a great bow. Had Adam or Samer been upright, she might have found a fortress in their presence, but she stood alone before these beings who claimed a right to her destiny.
Zahreen perceived her terror, as did Raven. A silence fell between them, and the two exchanged a swift glance, as if sharing a thought that required no spoken word. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, a marvel occurred.
The fire in their eyes dimmed, and the fell aura that cloaked them began to wither away. Their features shifted; the wild and fey light vanished, replaced by the likeness of ordinary men. They remained tall, standing some six feet and three inches, and of a powerful build, yet they no longer seemed the terrors they had been but a moment before.
Laila watched, spellbound, uncertain if her eyes played her false or if some craft of illusion had been wrought. Then, from behind her, came a low groan. She turned swiftly to find Samer stirring, while Adam's breath grew steady once more.
"Where... where are we?" Samer murmured.
As they clawed their way back to consciousness, Adam's eyes met Laila's. At first, he was lost in bewilderment, but finding himself fettered, he began to struggle against the cords that bit into his wrists.
"Laila? What treachery is this?" he demanded, his voice taut with silver-edged tension.
Samer, ever the keener mind, looked about with sharp eyes, measuring the peril before he would commit to word or deed.
Laila drew a deep breath, steadying her trembling lips. "I know this must seem a madness... and I am as afeared as you. These men—Zahreen and Raven—brought us here. They claim I am of the blood of an ancient sorcerer, and that I must aid them in a matter they have yet to reveal."
A heavy silence followed. Adam searched her face for the truth, while Samer cast a cold eye upon their captors, seeking to pierce the mask of their calm countenances.
"An ancient sorcerer?" Adam said at last, his voice a mixture of scorn and wonder. "Laila, surely you do not believe this?"
"Oh, she is most earnest," Zahreen said softly. With a negligent wave of his hand, the heavy cords fell away from their limbs, dissolving into the very air as if they were naught but smoke.
The three sat frozen, Adam pulling his hands back as if from a sudden flame. Samer rubbed his chafed wrists, his gaze never wavering from the strangers.
"We mean you no harm," Raven said, taking a step toward the center of the chamber. "But we know well that trust is not a flower that blooms in a single night. Let us begin with that which may soften the edge of this meeting..."
Then, as if by an unseen craft, a wooden table appeared where none had been, laden with platters of steaming meats and fresh bread, the scent of it rising like a prayer.
"Eat," Zahreen said, gesturing to the board. "You will have need of your strength, for there is much that must be spoken between us."
Laila, Samer, and Adam looked upon the feast with lingering doubt, yet the aroma of the hearth-fire and the roast began to overcome their resolve. Truly, they were well-nigh spent with hunger.
And though they did not yet trust these mysterious beings, something in the air had shifted... as if the great veil of the world was beginning to draw back, revealing a truth they had never dared to imagine.