El-Vador's Travels

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El-Vador's Travels Page 49

by J. R. Karlsson


  'What... what are you doing to me?' he croaked, completely at the mercy of Aliana. For a panicked moment he thought that Mina had returned and caught him unawares. No, she would have killed him given another chance, this was Aliana.

  'You're an idiot.' was the reply.

  His mind woke from its sluggishness and he began to piece it together. He had tapped into his power in order to probe the burrow without remembering that he had exhausted his reserves in the preceding battle.

  Aliana watched the dawning comprehension on his face, she wasn't smiling as she continued her task. 'You slew the entirety of that burrow only to nearly kill yourself with your own power.'

  He nodded, inwardly cursing himself for a fool. Had Aliana not awoken he would have been reduced to a mewling vegetable, trapped between this plane and the dark he had encased himself in.

  'Here I was thinking we would finally part ways, El-Vador of the mountains. It looks like you need my help more than I suspected.' she said, an infuriatingly playful smirk on her lips.

  El-Vador tried to form a derisive snort in response to this but couldn't find the strength.

  'You saved me from the horrors of Salvarius and undoubtedly slew him in the process. For that I thank you, I am in your debt and plan to repay it by caring for you. Again. A task I seem to have been cursed with being good at.'

  He said nothing, she need not know that he had been merciful, that he had let the man depart with a half-charged artefact into the unknown. It mattered not, he doubted Salvarius would ever return to the burrows that El-Vador sought, and therefore the human was beyond his consideration for now.

  She let a final surge of darkness seep through into his chest and disengaged her arms from him. 'There.' she stated, 'You should have enough energy to wrap your arms about me if nothing else.'

  El-Vador blinked as she stood, beckoning him to rise and join her.

  'We have a long flight ahead of us, and I'm not going to save you a second time if you don't hold on.'

  He nodded dumbly, not wasting any of his strength on words.

  'I have to say, I like you much better when you're silent.' she quipped, offering him another mischievous grin at his plight.

  El-Vador said nothing, instead forcing himself to his feet and clamping his arms about her rather too firmly to express his distaste.

  They stood there for a time, simply breathing in the night air and being thankful to remain alive and in each other’s company. He wondered for a time why she hadn't unfurled her wings, if he was somehow impeding her and if so, why she hadn't said anything.

  The logical part of his mind shut down then, simply enjoying the company and warmth of another soul.

  A brief sigh split the silence, the faintest of exhalations but one that was picked up easily by his keen hearing.

  'We had best depart, I can take you as far as the nearest human town.'

  'And then?' El-Vador whispered near her ear.

  'And then we shall see.' she replied, unfurling her wings and forcing him to disengage momentarily.

  They sped through the cool air under a dark curtain, silhouetted by the stars and onward into a future unforeseen.

  Questions? Feedback? Typos?

  Email me at [email protected] or visit www.jrkarlsson.com for more information.

  Thanks for reading.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  XI

  Interlude

  XII

  XIII

  XIV

  XV

  XVI

  XVII

  XVIII

  XIX

  XX

  XXI

  XXII

  XXIII

  XXIV

  XXV

  XXVI

  XXVII

  XXVIII

  XXIX

  XXX

  XXXI

  XXXII

  Interlude

  XXXIII

  XXXIV

  XXXV

  XXXVI

  XXXVII

  XXXVIII

  XXXIX

  XL

  XLI

  XLII

  XLIII

  XLIV

  XLV

  XLVI

  XLVII

  XLVIII

  XLIX

  L

  LI

  LII

  LIII

  Interlude

  LIV

  LV

  LVI

  LVII

  LVIII

  LIX

  LX

  LXI

  LXII

  LXIII

  LXIV

  LXV

  LXVI

  LVII

  LXVIII

  LXIX

  LXX

  LXXI

  LXXII

  LXXIII

  LXXIV

  LXXV

 

 

 


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