Elfin, Book 1 The Elfin Series

  Chapter 12

  “I feel it deep inside me. Something pushes, a memory, but I do not know if I want to learn what that memory is. The realms are restless, as dark skies overtake the light. I know everything is about to change. I’m going to have to make a choice. What if I choose wrongly? What if I choose her? I don’t know if I can be what she needs. I know I don’t deserve her. I know that I have done something in my past that has made me unworthy of her love. What is it? What did I do? I know who I was, but I don’t know how I became who I am.” ~Triktapic

  Cassie and Trik walked down a long corridor, with cathedral ceilings and pristine, black onyx walls. It was a breathtaking sight. Spaced evenly along the length of the corridor were torches hanging on the walls. The flickering flames cast shadows across the floor appearing as if caught in a timeless dance.

  When they had stepped into the glass of the conference room window and out of a mirror into one of Trik’s suites in the Dark King’s castle, Cassie was convinced that she had to be dreaming. Everything she laid her eyes on was beautiful, made of the highest quality and most precise technique. It was clear that Lorsan spared no expense.

  Even now as she walked through the castle and down the corridor gradually growing closer to the main room, the evidence of his greed was all around her.

  “Why does he have so many nice things?” Cassie asked Trik.

  Trik looked down at her as his brow furrowed. “Because he can.” His answer was so clipped that Cassie realized that Trik had thought her question ridiculous.

  “We shouldn’t always do something just because we can, Trik.”

  Trik let out a deep breath and lowered his eyes. “I know,” his words were barely above a whisper.

  They finally stood before the large doors of what Trik had called the main hall. Cassie never understood why they called a large room the main hall, when it wasn’t a hall at all. She shrugged off the thought and brought her mind back to the matter at hand. She was about to enter the room where the Evil King and his Queen were waiting for them. They had put together this Happy Chosen party and she was the guest of honor. Yippee, she thought to herself. She felt Trik squeeze her and saw a smirk on his face. He was looking into her mind and catching her little sarcastic tidbits.

  She let out a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face, though all she felt like doing was throwing up.

  “Please don’t,” Trik whispered to her.

  “Would you please mind your own business?”

  “You are my business, beautiful,” Trik told her never missing a beat.

  He pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. His eye caught on the ring and he touched it lightly. “Better take that off for now. Can you put it somewhere?”

  Cassie quirked an eyebrow at him. “I’m wearing a dress that fits like a second skin and you ask me if I have some place to stick a ring?”

  Trik grinned and it was a wicked, wicked grin. “That dress is no doubt incredible, but it’s what’s underneath that is stunning.”

  Cassie blushed as she slipped the ring off. She looked down at herself and thought nothing could be done for it. So she looked up at Trik with her own wicked grin and stuck the ring down in her ample bosom. Her grin spread even wider when Trik’s eyes nearly bugged out of his glorious face.

  “If you,” Trik started to speak but Cassie held up a hand to stop him and whispered. “Not a word.”

  The doors to the main hall began to open and Cassie held her breath as she waited.

  “Breathe love,” Trik whispered.

  When the doors were finally opened all the way Cassie was able to see that the black onyx theme carried into the hall. The only difference was the subtle red accents added to this room. The tables along the side of the room, which held every food under the sun, had a black table covering with vases of red flowers spaced throughout.

  Huge chandeliers with silver candles hung from the cathedral ceiling. In-between each chandelier was a banner with a different picture depicted on them. There were a total of four banners alternating in color from red to black holding a picture that was the opposite of the banner. So the first banner was black and had a red snake, or what looked like a snake on it. The second banner was red with a black tree on it, the third black with a red dragon on it and the fourth was red with black stars on it. Cassie stared at the banners and for a moment she swore she saw the great red dragon move.

  Trik looked over at her and saw that she was staring at the banners.

  “Those are the pictures depicted in the dark elf crest,” he explained.

  “Do you all have a team cheer too?” Cassie asked dryly.

  Trik simply stared at her and she looked slightly ashamed.

  “Sorry, I’m just a little tense.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “It will be over before you know it.”

  Before Cassie could respond a tall man with gold eyes walked up to them. Cassie had to blink several times as she took in the male before her. He was every bit as handsome as Trik, but he made her skin crawl. His eyes were gold and they stared into her making her wish she could crawl into the deepest, darkest hole she could find. He too wore a tux, which surprised her. She expected them to be in some sort of medieval clothes like she often saw Trik wear when he was in his Elfin form.

  He smiled at her and reached out his hand to her. She remembered the first time that Trik had made the same motion to her. Her emotions then had been screaming at her not to take his hand, but she had felt like it was because something in her would be changed forever. Now as she stood before the Dark Elf King and his out stretched hand, again her emotions screamed at her to run, but this time it was for her life. They told her to run as far and as fast as she could because this man could easily take her life. She knew that if she denied his hand that it would be rude and embarrass Trik and she didn’t want that. So she reached out her own hand and placed it in his. He brought it to his lips and pressed a cool kiss there, his eyes never leaving hers. It wasn’t the type of eye contact that would be considered flirting; more like the way a snake would look at a mouse. Cassie shivered and politely pulled her hand away.

  “I am honored to meet Triktapic’s Chosen,” Lorsan told her.

  Cassie smiled and tried very hard to make it convincing.

  “Thank you,” she responded. “It’s very nice to meet you as well.”

  A woman stepped up next to Lorsan and Cassie guessed that she must be his Queen though Trik had never really spoken of her. She was beautiful, of course. Cassie had yet to see an elf that wasn’t. She had long dark hair that shimmered when she moved. Her eyes were a dark purple and made Cassie think of the contacts that Elora wore. She wore a dress that was similar to Cassie’s, only the elf’s dress was long and had a short train that trailed behind her.

  “I am Ilyrana, Queen of the dark elves.” The woman stepped forward and smiled at Cassie. Cassie was surprised to see the warmth behind her purple eyes.

  “Hello,” Cassie smiled. “I’m Cassie.”

  “I know,” Ilyrana let out a small laugh, “you have caused quite the stir.”

  Cassie wasn’t sure what to say to that so she simply smiled. Trik took her hand and pulled her close to his side as the Dark King and Queen continued to stare at her. Finally after a few moments of awkward silence, Lorsan spoke up.

  “Come let me introduce you to my court. He took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm and started walking before she or Trik could argue. Cassie looked over her shoulder at Trik who was being pulled to the dance floor by the Queen.

  Lorsan introduced her to all sorts of elves. Most were warriors, but some were gardeners and some were cooks. She met a weapons crafter and a weapons master, a grounds keeper, a seamstress, a decorator and a librarian. It was all so very medieval. She hadn’t realized that she had spoken out loud until Lorsan answered.

  “You can’t expect us to have the same things that are in your realm; we are not human. We do not need the same things
; our magic takes care of much that you would need a machine to do.”

  “Why do you still have gardeners and not grocery stores?” she asked him.

  Lorsan shook his head. “My people rely on me for their needs, and that is the way it should be.”

  “So you keep them dependent on you by controlling all of the goods they receive,” Cassie challenged.

  Lorsan frowned. “No, they are not dependent. They can have their own gardens and learn their own trades. But why should they when I provide it for them?”

  Cassie shrugged. “I come from a democracy. A dictatorship just seems selfish to me.”

  “It is my job to maintain order in my kingdom. I am the King of a dark race with dark ambitions and desires. You cannot compare us to your people.”

  “You might be surprised,” Cassie muttered.

  Lorsan chuckled. “True enough. Come,” he told her as he began walking again, “let’s have a dance.”

  Cassie groaned inwardly. She was not the dancing type, but again, she did not want to embarrass Trik. She allowed Lorsan to pull her onto the dance floor and lead her into a dance that seemed old and oddly symbolic of something.

  “Why did you introduce me to all of those people?” Cassie finally asked the King.

  Lorsan raised a brow at her question.

  “I thought you would want to know the people that you will soon be living with.”

  Cassie’s movements slowed as she looked up at the King.

  “Living with?”

  Lorsan nodded, “Surely Trik told you that you cannot stay in the human realm.”

  Cassie recalled Trik mentioning this, but they had yet to discuss it since he had told her he would walk away from being Lorsan’s killer.

  “You would be willing to let Trik live here even though he is no longer your assassin?” Cassie asked cautiously. Not that she had any intention of living with the Dark King and his little dark minions.

  Lorsan stopped abruptly causing Cassie to stumble. He stepped back from her and she had to lean forward with her arms out to keep from falling on her face. She stood up once her balance was restored and looked up into a face filled with mistrust and disbelief.

  “What are you saying Chosen of Triktapic?” His voice was a menacing whisper.

  Cassie’s eyes shifted around the room as people began to stop and stare.

  “Didn’t Trik tell you that he was quitting?” She asked slowly.

  Lorsan’s frame began to shake with anger. “Quitting?” He growled.

  Suddenly Trik was at her side pulling her behind him. Lorsan’s eyes met Trik’s and Cassie was sure that if looks could kill then Trik would be a dead dark assassin.

  “What lies does she spew, Trik?”

  Trik looked back at Cassie and it was then that she saw it. Guilt. She took a step back as her mouth dropped open. Her eyes widened and when he took a step towards her she held a hand up to stop him from coming any closer.

  “You didn’t tell him,” Cassie’s voice was hoarse as her throat threatened to close off. She tried to take in gasps of air but her lungs seemed to be constricting, not allowing any life giving air to pass through.

  “Cassie,” her name was a plea on his lips.

  “Why? Why did you lie to me?” Cassie continued to back away from the man she loved, the man who had now broken her heart.

  “You never intended to leave him did you? You were just going to keep on doing what you do best, killing and lying.”

  “Cassie you don’t understand,” Trik tried again to move towards her.

  “NO! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND,” she yelled. “I trusted you, I believed in you, I gave my heart to you and what did you do? You lied to me.”

  Cassie didn’t see him move and he was standing directly in front of her.

  “Cassie I lo….” Cassie slapped him across the face before he could finish his sentence.

  “Don’t you dare say those words to me. You have no right. I told you what I could handle and I told you what was a deal breaker.” Tears began to form in her eyes as the anger began to turn into pain.

  “I just wanted you to choose me, to choose us, Trik.” She looked up into his silver eyes one last time. She took in the beautiful dark hair and full red lips. This would be the last time she saw him and she wanted to remember. Trik must have seen the intent in her eyes because as she turned and ran for the mirrors along the walls he lunged for her calling out her name. She didn’t look back and didn’t stop to think that she might just crash into the mirror instead of going through it. But she needn’t have worried. She reached the mirror and her foot slipped right through. She felt a hand on her arm but ripped it out of the grasp. She emerged in the store room of Enigma and crumpled to the cold ground. Sobs ripped from her chest as she curled into a ball and let the pain of their separation sweep over her and drag her under.