The door clicked closed before she could respond to that comment. She glared at the door as if it were the one that had made the incredibly conceded statement. If she wasn’t so embarrassed at possibly seeing Trik in all his glory, she would have opened the offensive door and given him a piece of her mind, though that’s not the piece of her she knew he wanted. She nearly laughed to herself at her own cheekiness. Man, I wish Elora was here to appreciate my humor, she thought wistfully.
Elora paced the small motel room feeling edgy and restless as the others gathered around the small round table. They had all slept for several hours but the weariness was still evident in the hunch of shoulders and the exhaustion written across each of their brows.
“Okay, let’s recap,” Oakley spoke up. “Tarron, the chemist from Hell, has taken over the running of Iniquity, the crops have been destroyed, and the portals are open, but they aren’t usable because something evil is watching them. Is that about right?”
Cush nodded solemnly.
“Don’t you think we need to at least try to get back to Trik and let him know what’s going on?” Rin asked Cush.
“Do we have a choice?” Lisa asked. “No really,” she started again when Cush began to shake his head. “We can’t just stay here and let Tarron have control. You and Rin are powerful, but there’s no telling how many dark elves Lorsan has in this realm and we are going to need more light elves to fight them.”
“She’s got a point, Babe,” Elora pointed out.
Cush let out a frustrated sigh. “We need that book.” He looked at Lisa pointedly.
“Lisa, please say you brought the book with you,” Elora pleaded.
Lisa folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “Why on earth would I bring a book that powerful into enemy territory?”
Elora shrugged. “Uh, because you’re you.”
“Damn,” Lisa huffed, “that’s true. Okay, yes, I brought it. It’s in the…,” she froze before the word came out of her mouth and her head snapped around to Cush, “vehicle,” she finished breathlessly.
Elora groaned and smacked her forehead. “You mean the vehicle that blew up several miles from here only a few hours ago?”
“Um, yep,” Lisa said and made a popping sound on the end of the word.
“Excellent,” Rin growled.
Elora was surprised because it was the first time she had seen the warrior even a little ruffled. She looked over to her own warrior who was now gazing out of the window into the nearly empty parking lot of the cheap motel. He was staring off in the direction where the vehicle in question had bit the dust.
“What are you thinking, Warrior?” Elora asked him as she walked over to where he stood. He turned his head to look down at her and she saw his jaw tense up and his eyes narrow. It was a face she was beginning to recognize as his determined look.
“I will go get it,” he answered as his eyes met hers.
“Um, how about no,” Elora said sharply. “The book is probably a pile of ash, and if you go back you run the risk of being captured or killed by the dark elves that may still be lurking around. You can’t go back and get it, Cush.”
“Elora,” Cush’s voice was low as he stepped closer to her. “A book that powerful probably contains protection. It might be fully intact.”
“You want me to risk your life on might be?”
“No, I want you to let me do my job.”
Elora bit back the snarky remark that was on the tip of her tongue. She knew that goading him would only push him to want to do it more. Instead she relaxed her face and tried to soften her tone. “I understand that you are a warrior. I understand it is your job to protect, but if you try to go get this book that might not even exist anymore, then you will be leaving me unprotected.” She nearly grinned as his brow furrowed at her.
“That’s not fair, Little Raven,” he nearly whispered. “You will be perfectly safe with Rin and Tony.”
“Oy,” Oakley piped in looking indignant.
Cush rolled his eyes. “And your brother; they are all capable of protecting you.”
“Okay, that may be, but who will protect them,” she pointed at the ones he had indicated, “from me?”
Cush’s lips twitched and Elora could tell he was fighting a smile. “Why do they need protection from you?”
“Because I’m going to kick their asses if they let you walk out of the motel on a suicide mission for a book that is probably scattered across the field as fertilizer by now.” Elora’s mouth was stretched into a straight, thin line and her forehead was wrinkled in frustration as she continued to stare at Cush, waiting for his response to her minor tirade. Was she being a little overprotective of the six-foot-four, elf warrior? Maybe, but he was her six-foot-four, elf warrior and she wanted him to stay just as he was—alive.
“I’m sorry, Raven, this is just one in a long line of disagreements I’m sure will come over the course of our relationship. I cannot give you what you want.” His deep voice was soft and gentle as he spoke to her.
“Why can’t someone else go get it?” Elora hated that she sounded like a sullen child, but then again, if it got her what she wanted….
“Because I am the leader of this war party and I am responsible for the safety of each of its members. Please,” he let out a sigh before he continued. “Please, just trust me. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Elora made her way to the motel room door and turned to face the group. She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip out to the side. “The only way you’re getting out of this room is to go through me, Cush.”
“I can’t believe you let them tie me up!” Elora nearly yelled. “You’re my mother! Aren’t you supposed to keep things like this from happening to me?” Elora pulled against the ropes that had her hands bound behind the chair but they weren’t budging. She wiggled her ankles, testing to see how tight the ropes there were, but it was no use. Damn elf knows how to tie rope that’s for sure, she thought to herself and then something else occurred to her and she nearly grinned, note to self, proficient at binding. She nearly laughed out loud because she could only imagine the look Cush would give her if he had heard that thought. It was enough to almost make her forgive him—almost.
“If you don’t keep your voice down we’re going to duct tape your mouth next,” Lisa told her with a smirk, not appearing to be bothered in the least by her daughter’s current situation.
“What about you, Oakley?” Elora asked her brother. “How can you just let these elf warriors tie me up?”
Oakley shook his head. “That question is just wrong on so many levels.”
Rin chuckled. “She definitely has a way with words.”
“Hey, Rinky-tinky-tavey, nobody asked you,” Elora snapped at him. Rin just chuckled.
“It’s Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Sis.”
“Don’t care,” Elora huffed shortly.
“Relax, he will be back before you know it, Elora, and then we will untie you.” Rin spoke as if it were the most logical and normal thing in the world and Elora wanted to throttle him all the more for it.
“Oh, okay since you put it like that,” Elora nodded eagerly. “I’ll just sit here calmly tied to a damn chair while the other half of my soul runs head long into the hands of the dark elves! Geeze why didn’t I think of that? Relax, right.”
Cush could see the slow break of the morning sun as it began to crest the horizon. Bursts of orange and yellow gradually began to reach up like eager fingers to chase away the last remaining cover of night. He had always loved that about the human realm. They had sunsets and sunrises in their realm as well but there was something so refreshing and new about it in the human realm. Maybe it was because they were mortal and every day they were growing older, coming a little closer to their inevitable demise. Their lives were numbered from the moment of their conception and so each new sunrise was like a glorious triumph where a human could stare up at the lightening sky and say look, I’m still here, I m
ade it another day! Each sunrise was a victory dance for those with life still running through them—not just humans—but animals and plants as well. Every living thing seemed to stop what they were doing and turn their countenance to the glorious light that rose to greet them and it never ceased to amaze and inspire him.
He continued to run, his face focused on the sky while his feet recalled the path they had taken when they had left the valley where the Rapture was being made. He was actually surprised the dark elves hadn’t found them hiding out in their motel room. Cush knew they could have if they had utilized their magic and he had fully expected an attack during the night, but it never came. With every step that brought him closer to the valley he hoped that the dark elves had left this realm. He wasn’t worried about himself; he knew what he was capable of and that his magic was strong. But he worried about his Chosen, always his worry was for her now.
His attention was drawn away from the beautiful sunrise when the smell of ash hit him. He looked straight ahead and saw the burnt fields, acre after acre. The fire he and Rin had started had done its job. They had fed the magic fire a sentient intent; it wasn’t just a mindless flame that had destroyed those crops of elfish plants. The fire had had a purpose, and it had done its job very well. Not a single leaf remained uncharred.
Cush began to veer right, running towards the road where they had parked the vehicle and to his surprise, it was still there. If the dark elves hadn’t come to clean up their mess, that could mean only one thing, they had deserted the place. He slowed as he approached the thoroughly burned SUV. He hoped that he was right, that the elf book had some sort of protection on it to keep it from being harmed. But it had been dark-elf magic that had destroyed the vehicle, so it might have been able to destroy the book as well.
He peered in the shattered window and tried the handle on the door. It opened and then fell off its hinges. He dropped the door to the ground and began his search. Lisa had said she’d put it under the second row seat. He stuck his hand under the seat, sifting through ash and debris. His hand had just landed on something that felt like a book when a voice behind him had him jerking his hand back and turning around so swiftly that ash scattered around him.
“Tell me, Warrior, why would you come back to the scene of your crime? Why would you return to the place your enemies are sure to be?” Tarron’s voice danced across all of Cush’s nerves in all the wrong ways. He wasn’t sure if he should just attack or if he should indulge the dark elf and engage him in a conversation. Tarron was the type of predator that liked to play with his food and Cush knew he could use that to his advantage to take the dark elf by surprise.
“A good soldier always makes sure the job has been done right,” Cush said coolly as he stood up from the crouch he had been in. He forced his body to relax in hopes of luring Tarron into a false sense of security. “I needed to make sure that your little production had been completely shut down.”
Tarron laughed. “Please tell me you aren’t so naïve as to think that this is the only place we had crops growing?”
Cush’s eyes narrowed as he tried to hear past the false bravado to the lie that he knew he was being fed.
“Do you really think Lorsan would limit himself that way?” Tarron asked.
Cush heard a rustling from behind him. He saw a shift of light to his left and saw the slight movement in Tarron’s eyes and knew that Tarron was not alone. He bit back the curse as he realized that Tarron hadn’t just been playing with him; he had been distracting him so that his own men could get in place. He didn’t know how many dark elves were around him because he didn’t want to take his eyes off of the one who really mattered.
“What did you really come back for?” Tarron asked all of a sudden.
Cush let his lips curve up in a slow smile. He wished now that he had given Elora a proper goodbye instead of the brisk kiss he had pressed to her forehead after he had tied her up. He wished that he could tell her one last time that he loved her and in all his years he could have never imagined being blessed with one such as her. He wished those things because as the evil dark elf across from him returned his smile he knew he would not live through this. Tarron was not known for his mercy. In fact, it was agreed upon in the light-elf realm that he was flat out psychotic. As Cush stepped away from the cover of the vehicle, he reached over his shoulder and unsheathed the sword he carried, and he readied himself for a battle that he hoped would not just be the end of his life but also of the evil standing before him because he refused to die without taking Tarron with him.
“Something’s wrong,” Elora said suddenly as she sat up from the slumped position she had allowed her body to relax in.
“It’s not going to work, Elora,” Oakley told her dryly. “We aren’t going to untie you so just give up.”
“I’m serious, Oakley. Something is wrong with Cush; he’s in trouble,” she implored. She turned to look at Rin who was watching her closely. “Look, Rin, I’m not playing around, okay. Cush is in danger. I can’t explain how I know, but I just do. We have to help him.”
Lisa walked over to her and knelt down so that she was eye level with her daughter. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Elora nodded and fought the urge to scream. “Yes, please untie me and let me go after him.”
“Rin, please untie her,” Lisa said as she continued to watch her daughter.
Elora felt fear growing in the pit of her stomach, like an uncoiling snake it began to rise, climbing up to her throat, and it threatened to choke her. Her hands were shaking as Rin untied them. As soon as her legs were unbound she was on her feet and moving towards the door. She pulled it open and the morning sun bathed her face in warmth that only made it clear just how cold the dread was making her.
“I’m sure he’s alright,” Oakley said from just behind her.
“Yes, I’m sure he is since he was just going back to the dark-elf clubhouse that we just happened to burn down in search of a book that Lorsan would kill to get his hands on. Yes, I’m sure he is just fine.” Elora knew the bite in her tone wasn’t necessary, but all she could think about was Cush and how she knew he was not fine.
“Here,” Rin said as he handed her a short dagger, just like the one Cush had given her when Lorsan’s men had attacked them. “Let’s go.” He walked past her out into the cool morning air. She slid the dagger in her boot and quickly followed, not waiting to see if her mom, brother, and Tony were coming. She knew they would.
They ran at a speed that Elora didn’t think she was capable of, but apparently when the man she loved was in danger, she was perfectly able. She tried not to picture the things her fear was conjuring, but when her soul seemed to scream out inside of her for Cush, she knew something bad was happening to him. She cried out in her mind to him, wondering if in times of crisis maybe their weird link would work across long distances, but she didn’t get a response. She pushed her legs harder and when a hand landed on her shoulder, she turned and attacked, pulling the punch she had thrown only centimeters from Rin’s face.
He held his hands up and met her frantic stare. “Peace, Little Warrior,” he said gently. His voice was soft and deep but it was not the voice she wanted to hear. He pressed a finger to his lips, indicating he wanted her to be quiet, and then he motioned with his head. She turned to see what he was indicating and when her eyes landed on Cush she nearly screamed. If not for the hand that wrapped around her mouth, she would have not only yelled his name but every profanity she knew at the monster on top of him.
“Wait,” Rin’s voice whispered in her ear.
She nodded her head, letting him know that she wouldn’t do anything stupid, yet.
“There are only four of them, but we’re going to have to sneak up on them,” Tony was whispering when she turned back around. She couldn’t continue to watch the fight going on before her. Even though Cush was fighting back, he was outnumbered, and she knew that no matter how badass he was, he could only fight so many at one time. It didn’t h
elp that they weren’t just fighting with physical blows; they were using magic on him as well and Elora decided that using magic on an outnumbered opponent was just chicken shit. Yes, I thought it, she said to herself as her eyes narrowed.
“ELORA!” Oakley whispered, sternly grabbing her attention. “We’re going to spread out around them and close in on them okay?” She nodded and then followed Rin’s direction as he pointed for her to go right. She moved as quietly as she could, never taking her eyes off of Cush or the elf scum that where attacking him. Slowly their circle formed and then began closing in on the scene. Step by step they got closer and now Elora could hear the dark elf, Tarron’s, voice and honestly it made her want to stab herself in the ears; that’s how annoying his sickly sweet and yet somehow evil voice sounded.
“Oh, how sweet, you have a rescue party, Warrior.”
Elora froze at the dark-elf’s statement and she searched for Rin to know what to do. He motioned for her to keep moving so she did.
“How does it make you feel to know that once you are dead your Chosen will be free to be taken by any number of eligible elves?”
Elora was struck still again as she watched her warrior totally loose his cool. She had to admit it was hot. Cush roared—as in like a lion, a seriously pissed off lion, and slammed his hand into Tarron’s chest. The dark elf stumbled back and Rin obviously took that as his cue because he let out a roar as well and ran full speed ahead. Elora didn’t think; she just ran. Pulling the dagger from her boot and giving her own battle cry, she jumped into the middle of it going after the first dark elf she came to.
He turned just as she reached him and something inside of her said, duck, so she did. He flung out a hand and she felt the pulse of magic, but it missed her as she went below his arm. She turned as she slid and sliced the dagger into the back of his thigh, but the satisfaction at seeing her opponent cry out in pain and stumble was short lived as arms came around to grab her from behind. The arms were like steel bands restricting her movement and then pulling her feet from the ground. She kicked and flailed but whoever had her just continued to carry her.