by Quinn Loftis
Chapter 3
“The old adage, if you can’t beat them, join them, to me is just a way of saying that you’re weak. My motto is, if you can’t beat them then you aren’t fighting dirty enough.” ~Trik
Trik played poker well into the early morning hours. After he had taken enough of the humans’ money, he looked at his friend and made a motion with his head to leave the table. Now they sat in a quiet bar enjoying the only time that the city was somewhat subdued. Tony sat across from him looking like a model from a GQ magazine in his custom suit. His blonde hair was fixed in a messy style, which probably only took running gel slicked fingers through it a couple of times. He was tall, though not as tall as Trik, and it was obvious that he worked out. He had a strong jaw line and his nose was slightly crooked from being broken two too many times. Fighting had been his thing in high school; not street fighting, but organized fighting for money. He had been good, undefeated for the four years that he had fought. He was young to be the manager of a Casino, especially one as large as the Iniquity. Tony had turned twenty-one only a few months ago and his father, who had worked for the dark elves for the past thirty years, had been only too happy to pass the title, and the stress that went with it, to his only son.
“So are you going to tell me what brought you to my lovely city?” Tony asked as he lifted his glass to his lips, taking a sip of Cognac, the gold liquid glistening in the glass as the lights hit it.
Trik smiled. “A woman.”
Tony chuckled. “Isn’t it always. Some hot little elf number trying to tie you down?”
“If only it were something so simple.” Trik ran his fingers through his dark hair. He was still in his human guise. Though he had known Tony since he was fifteen, when Trik had seen one of his fights, he had still never shown Tony his true form, for doing so would be the equivalent of signing his death warrant. Tony’s father, who also knew the true identity of Trik and the other elves with which he did business, had also never seen any of them in their natural forms.
Tony sat up and leaned his forearms on the table. “Whoa, you’re really rattled. I don’t think I have ever seen you look so, so….” He struggled to find the right word, “human.” He finally settled on the only word that would really describe his friend’s frustrated look and agitated movements, all of which were very un-elf like. “Come on Trik, spill it. I can tell that you need to talk about it and you obviously don’t feel like you can talk to any of your people or you wouldn’t be here.”
Trik let out an exasperated breath. “She’s human.”
“Damn,” Tony muttered as he sat back in his chair, taking another sip of his drink.
“That’s only part of it,” Trik told him with a sardonic laugh. “I’m pretty sure she’s my Chosen.”
“Double damn,” Tony added.
“Oh, and one more thing…she’s in high school.”
Tony choked on the sip that he had been taking when Trik had shared that last bit.
“Please tell me she’s legal,” he said as he slung the spilled liquor from his hand.
“I have no idea of her age.”
“How did you meet her?” Tony asked.
Trik let out another chuckle that made Tony’s skin crawl at the menace behind it.
“Those damn light elves. She saw them in their true form and she was running from them.”
“I thought you said that there was only one more thing back at the whole high school issue,” Tony said sarcastically.
“I lied,” Trik growled. “Her father works for one of the light elves’ conglomerates. They will have no trouble finding her.”
“So why aren’t you with her?”
“Tamsin won’t act until he has spoken with his counsel. That should buy me at least a night to decide my next move.”
“Have you decided?” Tony asked.
“If she is my Chosen, then I have no choice but to protect her.”
“How do you know if she is? I’m assuming there isn’t a big arrow that points to her, flashing Chosen over her head.”
“She saw through my guise. She saw my true form. In all my centuries in this realm, no human, as in none, zip, zilch, nada, has ever been able to do such a thing.” Trik explained.
“Wait, so has there ever been a human Chosen before?” Tony asked with a thoughtful frown.
“I know of only one other but it was with a light elf and it was a long time ago.”
“What do you mean was?”
“If the human goes to our realm then they will not age, they will stay forever young. She wanted to stay in the human realm and so he stayed with her. He aged with her and died with her.”
“Man, that’s depressing,” Tony said, shaking his head.
Trik laughed. “Some would say it was romantic.”
“Romance is a lie that gives people an excuse to act like fools and later blame it on the one whom they had bestowed their supposed love upon,” Tony sneered.
Trik clucked his tongue at his friend. “My, my, Tony. If I didn’t know better I would say that you are a lover scorned.”
“Or perhaps I am the fool,” Tony told him, his good humor returning. “That’s a discussion for another time, or never. You need to go talk to someone you trust who can tell you if it’s possible this child is your Chosen.”
Trik groaned. “Please do not call her a child, that’s just sick. She looks like a grown woman I assure you. There was nothing childlike about her.”
“Please man that means nothing. I work in the casino business. I see fifteen year old girls come through here all the time and until they open their mouths and speak you would swear that they were over twenty-one.”
“I will find out her age before I pursue this further. You’re making me feel like a dirty old man,” Trik frowned.
Tony laughed. “Well the old part is correct and I’ve seen the way women watch you as you walk by, so I would take the bet of you being quite dirty as well.”
Trik waved his friend off as he stood to go. “You humans know nothing of pursuing a woman and making her feel like she is the only one who could ever captivate your attention.”
Tony lifted his glass in a toast. “Please, by all means, teach me oh wise one. How I long to captivate the beautiful females of this great city.”
Trik laughed. “Sorry my friend but you are hopeless. Not even my expertise would work for you.”
Tony slapped his hand on his chest. “Ouch, that was harsh Trik.”
“The truth hurts. Isn’t that what you humans say?” Trik started out of the bar as he called over his shoulder. “I’m borrowing the mirror in your suite.”
“Have at it. Oh, and take your girl a balloon and teddy bear, I hear those are things that kids like.” Tony chuckled and ducked when the coaster he knew would be coming at his head sailed passed him.