A quick glance over her shoulder is all it takes to ensure that no one is watching. The forest is reassuringly quiet as she slips beneath the rock, pausing a moment to close the opening behind her. She blinks as her eyes adjust to the darkness.

"Ah, Ellarina," a cold voice matches the dank surroundings in the secret passage, "I see you've decided to bless us with your presence. Took your time with it, of course." The girl stiffens in the dark.

"I see that you haven't changed much, Millie." She smiles sarcastically, voice dripping with sweetness. Without bothering to trade more words with the shriveled old woman, she sets off down the corridor, where a light can be seen in the distance.

"You may call me Mildred, young lady." The woman matches her pace and stares down through half-moon spectacles across a hawk-like nose.

"Look, can we stop with the whole nicey-nicey thing? Honestly, we both know that neither of us care what we call each other. Just show me to Lysander's chamber. I don't want to be here any more than you want to talk to me." Mildred draws herself up indignantly to pat her bun while pretending not to have heard Ellarina speak.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, young lady. See, Lysander's room is under very strict security....and, well, you're not allowed to visit him."

Ellarina stops walking and turns to face Mildred, chin forced proudly up, "I'm going to see Lysander. And I'm going to see him."

"Fine, then. This way." The door is cold when Ellarina puts her hands against it.

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement, Millie. I'm not leaving without him."

"Then I'm afraid, young lady, that you might not ever leave." The door swings closed behind Ellarina, and her fists do nothing to move the door or the darkness.

*****

Sorry, that wasn't my best work...but I hope it'll do. I think this'll be a fun RR! :D

Hehe...I just realized that I said, "I'm going to see him. And I'm going to see him." Wow. Um, please ignore that. Typo *sheepishness*

Ellarina is devastated. She paces the room in agony, wishing she could see her Lysander. Five minutes, she wouldn't have needed more, to tell Lysander about the attackers. Millie nor Lysander knew of them, of the coiling armor and the razor-sharp swords that leave so many bodies in their wake. A collection of bodies to which they will all augment if she doesn't explain.

Then a light flickers on the dark wall. Ellarina looks up into an evil face. "Ah, our favorite little dryad." He drawls. His eyes are like those of a speared fish and his nose is slightly crooked. The rest of his body is covered by a cloak the color of midnight. "Too bad your plan to tell your wonderful lover failed."

"He's not my lover, Venezio. Wait, my plan?" Her face grew dark with rage. "You knew! You knew about the attackers!"

"Wrong, my Ellarina, wrong." Venezio grinned nastily. "I am one of the attackers. I plan to kill you and Lysander as soon as my troops come." 

 Ellarina gasped, and stepped back as Venezio drew a dagger from its hilt. 

 "I'll just hold you off for a moment, so my troops can invade Ly's room," Venezio drawled. "Then they'll come back for you."

 "Venezio!" suddenly screeched a voice, "What are you doing?"

 "Um, let's see. Holding a very dangerous and sharp object, and--" 

 "Enough!" suddenly, a young girl came running into Venezio and attempted to strike him with her sword. Unfortunately, Venezio pareed (is that how you spell it?) and blocked her strike.

 "Why are you just standing there?" exclaimed the girl, "Go! Warn the others!"

 So Ellarina ran down the musty corridor, unbeknownst to her what danger lay ahead.