Red sprinted after those blossoms of color, the ash quickly overturning to erase their presence. She tried to focus on the patches of blood far ahead of her, but the voices around her rose into a level of shouts and curses.
One such voice caught Red’s attention as it shouted in her ear, “Rebel Killer!” She turned toward that title, grabbing at the air around her, frantically searching for any contact.
When she came up with nothing more than motionless wind, Red stopped her humiliating struggle. She cursed when she could no longer make out the path of blue blood, the settling magic doing its job to ensure that everything stayed in its rightful place.
“Only cowards hide their faces and terrorize passing travelers!” Red shouted into what she knew was not an empty alley.
“If you were a passing traveler,” a deep voice rumbled behind Red, “then you would have run away already.”
Red whirled around to nab the new speaker, but another voice was already proclaiming, “You are a fool to creep around our territory.”
“Last time I checked, this territory belonged to the Perancinian Royal Family,” Red shot into the alley.
“Last time I checked, the Perancinian Royal Family didn’t care what happened to this territory,” a grumbling voice shot back. “Just look at this place.”
“Maybe she needs help,” a sweet voice whispered from afar. “Maybe she’s here for the cause.”
“The rebel cause?” Red questioned, halting in her mindless twisting and turning, her ears tuned to listen to every word that she could.
“We know of no such business going on right here,” a voice hissed sharply.
“Do you know the business of Robyn Thorn?” Red countered. She prayed to the Maker that Harry had not steered her into the wrong hands.
“He is a friend of mine,” Red added when no replies came.
“A nasty rat like you? Friends? With Robyn Thorn?”
“So you do know him?” Red returned, a laugh of relief catching in her throat.
“I never said that,” came the hissed retort.
Red realized that her statement had been too broad for the fickle creatures. Many beings could not lie when confronted directly. But the truth could be twisted enough to hide information when the questions they were prompted with did not hold enough details.
“You at least know of him, though?” Red rebounded quickly.
A slight pause. Then a reluctant, “Yes.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No.”
Red cursed herself for giving another vague question. “Do you know where I might find him?” she returned hopefully. “Better yet, can you take me to where he might be?”
A snicker rang through the cool air. More laughs followed as Red prayed that arguing with the invisible beings had not wasted her time.
“Please follow us,” a wistful voice stated, their tone coated with sharp laughter.
Red let out a breath that she did not know she had been holding. She sheathed Alpha, hoping that her actions would be seen as a sign of peace among her unseen crowd. Red tried to smile as the laughter continued, but the natural dread that filled her stomach tugged her lips into a doubtful frown.
Her feelings of dread were powerless, though, as the scent of Amoc mushrooms, a powerful slumber-inducing fungus, wafted into her nostrils. And Red only felt that internal doubt jolt as the chorus of giggles sang around her—as sleep dragged her into the ebony world beyond.
Chapter 16
Red jolted upright, groaning in pain as stars danced around the edges of her vision, threatening to pull her back under. She willed her eyes shut as she breathed through her mouth to push the rising nausea away. Her wrists and ankles strained against the tight knots linked around them. But the drum that pounded in her head stopped her from struggling.
“Lovely, you’re awake,” came a buttery smooth voice before her.
Red cracked her eyes open, squinting to avoid looking into the light of the glowing faerie orb in the center of the bare room. The walls were packed with clay and dirt, the corners held together by strong wooden beams. There was a simple iron door, the only way in or out. Two elves watched Red as she pushed herself into a sitting position with her elbows. The rest of the room was empty.
One of the males stood protectively in front of the door, watching Red with a hard stare. His dark eyes and equally dark indigo hair sticking out of his large helmet were a sharp contrast to his pastel blue skin that sparkled in the orb’s light.
The elf stood no more than three feet tall, but the five-foot spear clenched in his fingers made him into a somewhat threatening figure. He was clothed in simple iron plated armor, the ill-fitting outfit twisting his threatening look into the look of a child playing dress up.
The other male sat with crossed legs in front of Red. His wrinkled face was lined with a light smile, his pastel green skin glowing against the light of the faerie orb. He wore the fine clothes of a lord, but months of living underground had ripped at the seams of the fine silk vest and pants.
The elf still held himself proudly, though, as he watched Red. His ears were impossibly arched, sweeping several inches over his head. But his eyes were the true masterpieces.
Purples. Yellows. Greens. Blues. Every known and unknown color swirled together in a miniature galaxy. The light from the faerie orb sent a sparkle of stars shooting across the stream of colors. And they took up almost half of the old elf’s circular face, making it impossible to look away.
“How are you feeling?” the older elf asked with a tilt of his head, shining white hair falling with the movement.
Red broke her gaze away from his mystical eyes, focusing back on the aches circling around her body. Her tongue felt like sand in her mouth, her throat just as scratchy. The ropes rubbed her wrists raw, and the pounding in her head held a steady beat.
“Like shit,” Red whispered in answer, her voice gravelly and withered.
The old elf nodded as if he knew exactly how she felt. He swiveled his body around in the dirt, producing a pitcher and cup before turning back to face Red. The pitcher sloshed with water, and the elf quickly poured it until it met the brim of the clay cup.
“I can’t exactly hold that with my wrists tied like this,” Red commented when the ancient creature eagerly motioned for her to take the drink from his hands.
“Silly me,” the elf exclaimed, tapping his empty hand against his head in mock frustration. He motioned for the guard behind him with a wave. “Ryker, my boy, won’t you help me with these?”
The younger elf, Ryker, glared at Red, but he followed his elder’s orders. His loose armor clinked together with every step. Ryker laid his spear just out of Red’s reach. His cold stare never strayed from her as he stretched forwards, as far away as he could manage, to untie the bonds around her wrists.
The young elf barely loosened the knots when he dodged away. He swiftly stood, holding his spear protectively in front of the older elf who took his time untying the rope around Red’s ankles.
Red watched Ryker’s every move despite her vision focusing in and out on the dull glint bouncing off his armor. “You’re smart not to trust me,” Red agreed after chugging the water that he slid within reaching distance with the tip of his spear. “But with the shape I’m in, it’ll hardly matter.”
“I must apologize for the behavior of my nephew,” the old elf noted with a meek smile. “But your reputation is well known throughout all of Cathal. And while we Mienai elves do like our tricks, we prefer to not be made into fools.”
Red marveled at the ease with which the old elf spoke, his honesty shocking her. She was even more shocked to learn that she had been tricked and drugged by a family of Mienai elves.
Mienai elves were creatures known for their acts of disappearing and their ability to project their voices in odd places, but the magic behind it was still unknown. They mastered the art of trickery and deceit before any other being could describe their mysterious behaviors. Even the mo
st brilliant aura seekers could not find the Mienai elves once they disappeared into thin air.
“That’s who you have guarding the town?” Red asked in awe.
“Yeah, it’s a shame they didn’t use a higher dose of Amoc mushroom powder,” Ryker shot back with a sneer.
“Now,” the older elf began with a cheery clap that made Red cringe, simultaneously changing the subject while ignoring the younger elf’s snarky comment, “let us start over. I am Lord Eliseo Flori of Cabria. But you may call me Eliseo.” He gestured toward the young elf still standing protectively over him. “And this is my eldest nephew, Ryker Flori, my heir.”
“And you are Red Riding Hood, the red-cloaked menace,” Ryker Flori commented dully. “You are a terror to all creatures in every land. You bathe in the blood of your enemies that you kill without remorse. You are the huntress that comes in the night to eat children while they sleep.” The young elf smirked as he continued on with his rant. “You steal newborns from their cradles and feed them to witches. You—”
“Actually,” Red interrupted, a deadly smile lining her lips. “I only eat fully grown men and Mienai elves who think they’re funny. Now, if you’ll stop your petty little game, I really need to meet with a certain rebel.”
“Oh, I am funny,” Ryker shot back just as Eliseo gave her a soft smile and stated, “Estra Ayrith did mention that fiery spark.”
His words made Red’s stomach drop to the floor beneath her. Ice crept into her veins, everything freezing around her as she tried to process the shock in her muddled head. “What?” Red rasped. Her hands dug into the dirt, the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. “What did you say?”
“Estra Ayrith was a dear friend of mine,” Eliseo Flori began. “She had fire in her heart, set ablaze by her need for justice. I was the one she came to when she fled from the Kingdom Rogues. The decisions she made while under Arthur Welin’s influence haunted her. She made it her life goal to right her wrongs.
“I do not know if she ever completed that task”—he threw a sideways glance at Red—“but I pray to the Maker every day that she has finally found peace.”
“Why tell me this?” Red demanded quietly. “What does Estra want from me?”
Eliseo shook his head sadly. “I do not understand why she picked you. But I do know that she is trying to save you from a fate worse than hers.”
“What can be worse than death?” Red shot back, turning away from the hurt that filled the old elf’s dazzling eyes. She tried to pull in her annoyance when the pounding in her head picked up again at her frustration.
“I’m not even an aura seeker, but yours is clearly cloaked in darkness,” Ryker Flori cut in sharply.
“If you do not learn to control that darkness,” Eliseo added softly, a grave expression falling over his face, “you will become nothing more than a shell that keeps it from fading away. It will take over your very soul.” He reached into his torn vest, pulling out a tattered tin box.
“You may not agree with this, but Estra Ayrith was a very observant woman. She thought that you would probably resist her instructions to go to Mount Orazorwik. She left me with this, to give to you, in case we ever stumbled across each others’ paths.”
Eliseo carefully handed the box over to Red, his wrinkled hands brushing lightly against hers. Red was moved by the gentleness in the old elf’s touch, but she did not try to win his appreciation in return. She fiddled with the lid of the box, but it would not budge. Red pulled at each corner and turned it every which way. The box held firm.
“You must use your magic to open it. Those were all the instructions that Estra gave me,” Eliseo Flori added as he watched Red’s continued struggle.
“What kind of a fool are you playing me for? Do you really think that I’m going to trust you because you have a magically sealed box and instructions from Estra Ayrith? I have been used like a pawn in chess my entire life. I didn’t realize that a dead woman”—she waved the box around wildly—“could still play the game.”
“You have every reason not to trust me, or Estra for that matter,” Eliseo agreed quickly, “but trust me when I say that I know who you are. Estra knew who you are. Who you used to be, a lifetime ago, really.”
“And who do you think I am?” Red asked, daring the old creature to give his honest answer. She leaned in close to his face, Ryker Flori’s spear the only barrier between them. She was no longer mesmerized by the galaxy swimming in the old elf’s eyes. To her they looked like bottomless pits. Empty and cold. “If I were you, I’d pick my next words wisely.”
“And if I were you,” Ryker interjected, angling the point of the spear toward Red’s neck, “I would pick my next movements wisely.”
“You have a very peculiar aura,” Eliseo commented brightly, oblivious to the tension he was caught between. “Despite only seeing it in passing, I could never forget an aura as unique as yours. Even with the anger and confusion that clouds it, I can still see the remarkable magic stored within it.
“I could never forget the beautiful little girl that tried so hard to wield that magic, hoping that she could master it. It’s a shame that I can no longer see that hope. That little girl.”
“That girl died a long time ago.”
Red pushed herself away from the old elf. She used the packed dirt wall to pull herself into a standing position. The box was still clenched in her hands, but Red slipped it into the pocket in the side of her cloak, not knowing what to do with it, and not wanting to look at it and the demands that it asked of her.
“No one is ever really dead, my dear,” Eliseo Flori stated coolly, brushing the dirt off of his pants as he stood with her. He looked up, the emptiness of his eyes capturing Red’s soul, her aura, and holding it for her to watch.
Everything good and bad about her was laid out between the two. Her past and present became muddled together as she tried to reach out to see her future in the creature’s eyes. Red saw everything, yet nothing, all at once. And she wanted nothing to do with it.
“Take me to Robyn Thorn,” Red commanded, slamming her eyes shut to keep the images that bombarded her away.
“Will you consider taking on Estra’s task?” Eliseo asked in return, his tone hopeful.
“Will you stop pestering me if I say yes?”
“Only if you willingly agree,” Eliseo bargained. “Only if you truly mean that yes.”
Red considered saying no, but she could not ignore the worry that was mixed in with the elf’s hope. And she could not ignore her own curiosity for what was inside the box resting against her hip. A curiosity that she knew would eventually get the better of her.
“Yes,” Red conceded, “but that doesn’t mean that I will be going on some wild goose chase to save Cathal or find salvation.” She shook her head, glaring down at the elf’s hopeful eyes. “For myself. Or anyone else,” Red added dryly.
Eliseo Flori clapped his hands together in delight as he turned to the door, opening it on silent hinges. He glanced back at Red as Ryker nodded his head for her to follow the old elf. “Perhaps you’ll find salvation anyway,” Eliseo stated wistfully before guiding her out of the room.
~~~
Robyn Thorn smiled, purely delighted, as three Mantano moles ran around him in a happy circle of brown puffballs. He scratched under their chins and around their ears as they passed in front of his crossed legs. The excited squeaks were a welcome reprieve from the grunts he received from his patrols.
Robyn was trying to get one of the moles to roll over when he heard the crunch of footsteps approaching from the north tunnel. He scrambled up, hastily brushing dirt from his pants as he ushered the moles to move toward the dirt wall.
Robyn Thorn was trying to help roll the last mole back onto its stubby legs when a familiar sweet voice teased, “Don’t let the other rebels see you playing in the dirt, or they’ll never let you live it down.”
“Oh c’mon. Unlike you, the people here actually respect me,” Robyn retorted with a laugh that did li
ttle to cover his surprise, his rolling r’s matching the musical, wavelike accent native to Seadell. His chuckles faded into the walls as he finally got the Mantano mole back on his feet and Red sauntered out of the darkness.
With the countless daggers lining her hips and the ever-present smirk lining her lips, she looked truly impressive. And the combined light from Robyn’s and Eliseo Flori’s faerie orbs made Red shine from every direction. She stopped before the young rebel leader, her smirk forming into an actual smile as the two friends took each other in.
Robyn closed the distance, enveloping the assassin in a bone crushing hug. Her body was stiff and awkward under his. But she slowly returned the gesture with more enthusiasm than Robyn Thorn expected, lightly squeezing him back.
“How have you been?” Robyn asked. He pulled out of the embrace, knowing that he would have easily lost a finger if he had not stepped away first. And Red’s stiffness did not fully subside until he took another step out of her personal bubble.
“Oh you know,” Red claimed, inching back farther with a casual wave of her hand. “Killing. Not killing. Running. The usual.”
“We’ll leave you two to catch up,” Eliseo butt in before their conversation got too far. He nodded at Ryker to follow him back down from the direction they had come.
The younger elf glanced down at the Mantano moles rolling in the soft dirt then back to Red with obvious disdain before following his uncle. Within moments, the two elves and their faerie orb disappeared into the shadows of the passage.
“So you’re a big shot now that you’re with the rebels, huh?” Red queried. She knelt down, scratching at the moles’ heads, their butts wiggling in excitement as they sniffed at her face.
“Jealous much?” Robyn Thorn shot back. “No one to impress now that you’re no longer Arthur Welin’s prodigy?”
“What makes you think I left the Kingdom Rogues?” Red demanded defensively.
“Besides the fact that you’re offended that it was my first guess? It’s impossible for anyone to find this place unless they’re actively looking for it. So I went ahead and assumed that Harry finally told you where to find us.”
Cloak of Darkness (The Destroyer-Blessed Saga Book 1) Page 24