Ephin Aeleis. Whilst still a young elf, far from new at the Temple of the Triplets. Taken in when his father died in the Zekhalite Mines and his mother left soon after, unable to keep them both from the cold streets. He found his way to the Temple and was brought up within its walls and ideals.

He lay awake, listening to the hail pepper against the glass of his window, within his small room. He liked the room being small, it kept the scraps of available heat inside, instead of dispersing it like some of the larger bedrooms tended to.

There were no decorations, just some simple furniture, sets of clothes, his signature Triplet robes, lined with yellow, blue and green fabrics, with the symbol of the Triplets on its chest.

Ephin kept his amulet on him at all times. It helped him feel closer to his patrons, however he wasn’t so sure as he stared up at the featureless stone ceiling.

I made the right decision tonight, didn’t I? He sent his thoughts out. Only the hail answered the silence. If I did, why was Qodorn so mad? Maybe it just wasn’t my place to say anything, but then I would have been mulling it over for a different reason, just as I am now.

A knock at the door.

It slowly creaked open and the older priest, Qodorn peered around the aging wood, everflame sconce in hand.

“Are you still awake, my boy?” He asked the dark silence. He could see the wet of Ephin’s eyes reflect the flame-light but wished for his consent before entering further.

“Yes, father.”

“I, too, couldn’t sleep. May I while away my time with conversation?”

“Yes, father.”

“Ephin, please.” Qodorn entered further, snapping his fingers as his amulet lit up momentarily and the everflame sconce on the wall also lit up, lighting the room more than the small light in Qodorn’s hand. “If I wanted to talk without a response, I have a wall I know that is a perfectly good conversationalist.”

“I messed up tonight, didn’t I, father?”

“Please, just call me Qodorn when it’s just us. We’ve known each other long enough.”

“I messed up tonight, Qodorn.”

“That’s not for me to decide,” Qodorn perched on the end of Ephin’s bed, as the younger man pulled himself up into a sitting position. “I would have preferred if you’d trusted my judgement, but you did what you thought was right at the time. That’s all anyone can ask of one another.”

“What if my decision was wrong? What if I condemned an innocent man?”

“Hypotheticals. You believed you were doing the right thing at the time. Only thinking on what could have happened will tear up a man from the inside out.”

“Thank you, father.”

“Ephin.”

“Thank you, Qodorn.”

Qodorn leaned over and put a hand on Ephin’s knee.

“I’m sorry I undermined you though. I will work to avoid doing so in the future.”

“I appreciate that, Ephin. Thank you.”

The two sat awhile, listening to the hail gradually soften back into snow before returning to their respective attempts at catching the few hours of sleep before dawn.

The snow forced many of the residents of the city to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Ephin liked this, it meant he didn’t have to put on the pleasantries with those who recognized him from the Temple. He could slip on some warmer clothes, his amulet nestled below the layers, and take a walk through the empty streets and have the frigid air clear his head.

Crunching down through the Manlain Maze, he found himself gravitating to the Chuckling Park and looking over to the high wall of the mines beyond it; or rather, where the high wall usually would be. He kept trying to put the events of last night out of his mind, but they kept seeping in. Why was he so concerned with someone that was a criminal?

He stood on the frozen dirt and looked up at the cloud-wrapped sky. He liked how clouds looked as if they had been painted across the sky. Deep greys blended into such clean whites that you could never truly tell if it was snowing till the first flake landed on your face.

I should get back, he thought. By the time he would get back to the Temple, he would have spent the entire morning traipsing around the streets. He didn’t have any plans for the day, but it was still a large chunk of time to do nothing but walk. He let out a large misty breath and shook himself out of the position he had been standing, feeling as if he had frosted over while stationary.

There was no organisation to the Maze, but all the locals knew how to navigate it. Which derelict building to look for, or which blacksmith to turn left at.

Ephin was almost back to the Temple when he felt the ground shift slightly. Then the cobblestones started to break apart from each other, the tiles in the roofs nearby dislodging and sliding to shatter on the ground in droves. Ephin, called out for help as he clawed his way across the sinkhole that had begun to form. The ground stopped moving before much more damage was caused, allowing Ephin his escape.

He stood up, brushing off the snow and dirt from his coat and trousers. He looked back at the sinkhole, wary to not get too close in case the ground was still unstable. He thought he could see down into some sort of tunnel that had been collapsed in on. The mines run this far under the city? He thought, no other alternatives coming to mind.

Peering into the tunnel, he was unprepared for a flash of bright blue down the street, preceding half of the cobbled street to be blow out of the ground like a geyser. The explosion rocked the street, windows shattering and brickwork chipping off. Ephin was knocked off his feet for a second time.

He groaned, grabbing his ankle. It didn’t feel too bad, so it was likely just twisted, which was an easy fix. He took a few sharp breaths in and pulled himself up by a windowsill to get back to standing. He looked back at the sinkholes, now that the explosion had created one further down the street. The tunnel he had seen had been filled in. Hopefully nobody is d- Ephin’s thought evaporated as a small hand clawed at open air, having pushed through the loose dirt and rock. It was clutching at nothing before withdrawing into the soil. A moment later, a larger shift in the dirt as something below was moving erratically.

Ephin groaned once more and limped down into the debris, hoping to not set it off further. He took his gloved hands and plunged them into the dirt, scraping as fast as he could to remove it and recover whoever was underneath. His hand found something moving and grabbed on. He was not a strong person, but he was determined. After the previous night, he needed to do something to help out his conscience.

He pulled. Whoever was on the other side was doing their best to help push. The hand became an arm and gradually, a small spluttering girl came into view. She was shivering in the freezing air. No wonder, she’s barely dressed. She had long brown hair and a ruined white shirt. She had a belt, with lots of small pouches, keeping up tan trousers. Her other hand was holding on tight to a shoulder bag that must have come loose as she dug through. She did not look dressed for mining let alone being in this sort of weather. Her skin was pale and her lips on the wrong side of purple.

Ignoring his ankle, Ephin pulled the girl up so that he could carry her, and ran back to the Temple.

“What on earth were you doing underground dressed like that?” Qodorn grilled Beth. She had let them know her name once she had warmed up enough to form full words.

“Your guess is as good as mine, where even am I?”

“High Morr, obviously,” Ephin said. He was turning events over in his head and not liking the conclusions he was reaching.

“Obviously it wasn’t obvious, or I wouldn’t have asked.” Beth was now dressed up in thick Triplet clothes. The more her ability to function returned, the less Ephin was liking this girl.

“Look, I don’t know what’s happened here. It’s definitely more of a matter for the Frozen Scales or even the Severed Redemption. I have something I need to do. Father?”

“Yes, Ephin?”

“I’ll see you later. Please keep this one from getting buried for a second time today.”

“Where are you-”

But Ephin was already marching out of the Temple.

The garrison was back the way he had just come. He knew now that he had made the wrong decision that night prior. If the injured man in the night was responsible, they would be happening whilst he was locked up. Locked up thanks to you. Ephin was furious with himself and knew whatever happened next, he would get this man his freedom.

I have a way with words. All I have to do is tell them that there are more sinkholes and they will release him. It’s common sense. He couldn’t have been responsible.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Ephin stared at the man behind the counter. He had just explained the situation to the man in the entrance room to the prison. Stonewalled.

“What I mean when I say no, is no.”

“This is ridiculous. You have an innocent man in there.”

“For committing one crime, perhaps. In escaping the law, however, he committed more than enough crimes to make up the punishment.”

“What punishment would that be?”

“I don’t know who you are so you aren’t getting that information.”

“I’m with the Temple of the Triplets. My name is Ephin Aeleis and I demand you give me the information I require.”

The room was small. There was a door in from the outside, stone walls, and another door to the side of the counter. A couple chairs stood opposite the counter, for those who had to wait to see someone. Ephin was waiting now. The guard lifted his head up, looking as if he was truly considering Ephin’s place as a religious member of society and the sway that could hold. He looked Ephin in the eyes.

“No.”

“For the gods’ sake.” Ephin clenched a fist, ready to punch the counter-top before deciding better of it. He could still feel the throb of the twisted ankle, even after it had been healed. He pointed a finger at the unconcerned man behind the counter and whipped around, striding out into the cold.

The prison entrance was a small building, but the prison itself was reportedly a large complex underground that forced the prisoners to help out with the mining operations below.

I’m going to regret this, Ephin thought as he walked around the side of the building, trying to look like he was meant to be there, despite his obvious religious attire. The only way in or out was the wooden door that led to the entrance room. It was also not a much larger building than that entrance room. Ephin began to get some strange, lingering looks from nearby guards so he turned back around to walk over to the entrance once more. Somewhere in the small room beyond the entrance room was a route down to the prison, he knew it. If there isn’t one, I’m going to look insanely stupid, right before I die quickly.

Ephin took a deep breath, grabbed hold of his amulet for strength. He looked up at the sky.

“Is this the right decision?”

He felt the consistent chilling breeze lift for a second, in the direction of the entrance doorway. His heart nearly cracked with excitement.

“Thank you.”

He strode back into the entrance room. The guard didn’t look up, assuming Ephin to try hurling some more choice words his way. He did not expect one of the wooden chairs to connect with his head. The guard was out cold. Ephin grabbed the keys from a hook behind the counter and unlocked the wooden door to get into the backroom.

He saw the stairway down into the ground. The two guards sitting at the table next to it saw him. They looked past him at the broken chair and prone feet of the first man.

“Damn,” said Ephin.