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Josephine watched as he threw the stick into the fire and stood, pacing restlessly to the side of the little glade. "Be careful. There are Yundi Tsundi in the woods here." She spoke without thinking, the caution rising to her lips as naturally as it would if she were speaking to a child from her village.
He glanced at her with a half smile. "And that is the first thing you have said that makes sense."
"You have Little People, too?" She hesitated. "In?Ayeli?"
"We do." He returned to her, sitting on his haunches, looking like a warrior from her village except for the blonde hair and blue eyes. "And we also call them Yundi Tsundi."
She sucked in a sharp breath. He didn't have to tell her the significance of that. How was it that they not only had the same magical beings in their different worlds, but they also called them by the same name? "Yundi Tsundi is from the language of the Cherokee."
"Is it?" He raised his eyebrows and for the first time, she wondered.
A million questions rose in her mind, begging to be answered. She wanted to ask them all. She didn't even think he'd mind. He seemed as interested in her world as she was in his- This man had magic, though, and that concerned her, especially considering what he'd said about the humans of Ayeli being in danger if he returned.
"You want to ask how I could destroy the humans."
She sat up a little straighter, a jolt of surprise running down her spine. Could he read minds, too? "Well, yes. Is that why you left? How many humans are there on Ayeli?"
"Tens of thousands. Hundreds, perhaps. I am not sure." He looked into the distance, his eyes far away. "Not as many as there are here, perhaps. But nonetheless, a great many. And I left because I did not wish to do it, but my king is very powerful. He would find a way to force my hand."
"And?" She prodded when it seemed he would not continue.
"And the destruction of an entire race is easier than you might think. Easier even than ending just one life. You find the one thing that race needs that you do not?and you destroy it. Eliminate it entirely. You survive and the others?die."
Her breath caught in her throat at the absolute certainty she saw in his eyes that he could accomplish such a thing. He could take what the humans needed that Elves did not. He could destroy them.
She had been right. He was dangerous.
"What?what is it you'd take from them?" She barely breathed as she asked the question.
"Hope. Humans can't live without hope. And Elves don't really believe in it." His eyes darkened. "Don't ask me how I'd take it away from them. It is not something you wish to know."
She'd been on the verge of doing that exact thing but she bit back the question. Instead she said, "Why would I let you stay here knowing you're capable of destroying humans? And how do I know you're really that powerful, anyway?"
He smiled a little as if her questions amused him. "If I'm as powerful as I say, why would I worry about what you want?"
She snorted, tossing her head. "I have an entire village of warriors who can force you back through the portal at my request."
"Indeed?" He placed his hands in a tented position in front of his lips, his expression thoughtful, but as he did the wind rose around them. Where he squatted near the fire, the air remained still, the flames barely flickering. She felt it as a light breeze, but behind her, she heard creaking and saw the grass and brush flattening out as if in a gale. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head, pressing a single finger against his lips. And then he slid his other hand through the air, palm down, and the wind stopped. The message was clear. Anyone coming for him would have a difficult time convincing him to do anything he did not wish to do.
And yet? She couldn't very well leave an Elf capable of destroying the human race roaming around in her world. "You?you have to go back, though. There's no place for you here." As she spoke, her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten dinner. Her father was asleep already when the time came, and she hadn't felt like cooking for herself.
He pulled his pack toward him, opening it to rummage through its contents. "There's nothing for me there, either. But you should lock the portal as soon as possible. I'll take you back there when you are well enough. It's in danger of discovery."
"It already has been discovered." She gave him a pointed look, which had the unfortunate side effect of allowing her to admire his broad shoulders and slim waist. His shoulder-length blonde mane of hair, chiseled jawline and blue eyes were so different from the men in her life, he might as well be an alien.
No, he's just an Elf. The thought made her giggle a little, and he looked up only long enough to frown at her. "The men following me are very dangerous."
"Anyone coming from your world is potentially dangerous to this one." She looked around. "You included. In fact, especially you from what you've told me."
He ignored her words, still pulling things from his bag. His attitude irritated her, as if he were not obligated to listen to anything she said. Because I'm a girl? Or a human? She opened her mouth to ask him, but he interrupted. "There must be someone I can appeal to for permission to stay. Who is your leader?"
"My leader?" She blinked.
"Leader. King. Or Queen. The one who makes the laws in this world. I will pledge my allegiance to him or her in exchange for asylum."
Josephine stared for a moment, imagining this strange man making an "appeal" to one of the leaders she knew of. Her own father, the tribal chief. The mayor of Asheville? The governor? Or surely the President of the United States should be consulted if an Elf from another world wanted to join the general population. She shook her head. "No. It doesn't work that way here."
"Then I must appeal to you. You are in charge of the portal?" His smile looked a little playful, but she suspected that was just how he looked. Nonetheless, she frowned at him, and he sobered. "I have no intention of harming anyone." As if to validate the claim, he passed her a napkin holding dried fruit and meat. She hesitated, but she was hungry enough to accept it. And it was delicious. He watched her curiously as she ate. "When did you last eat? Do you not have anyone to take care of you?"
Take care of her? She almost laughed. Her mother had been good at that. Her father, on the other hand? She thought of him alone in their dark house in the little village. He hadn't taken much care of anything since her mother died, preferring to be alone with his sorrow. Still, he needed her. She swallowed a mouthful of food. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"I intended no offense. I only meant that a woman such as yourself is worth taking care of." He made a sweeping gesture from her head to her feet, his eyes tracing the same path with an appreciative glimmer.
She blushed. Not that she'd never been looked at in such a way. The men in her own village paid her attention, and white men watched her as well, when she was in the town. She was aware of her outer beauty, but his gaze seemed to penetrate more than just skin deep, expressing an appreciation for more than her outward appearance. Absurdly flattered and frightened at the same time, she fought the urge to run away from this stranger, this powerful and handsome Elf who might be dangerous to her entire world.
She still hadn't made up her mind how to react when he brushed an errant lock of hair from her eyes as if it were something he did all the time, and a tingle ran through her body, a pleasant chill that paradoxically left her feeling warmer than before. She pulled away. "Please?don't."
His hand dropped. "I apologize. You are?very different from the human women I know."
"You know many human women?"
He crossed his arms casually over his long legs, his expression matter-of-fact. "Human, Meti, Elf. I have known many from all the races."
The way he said "known" made her blush again. "I should?" She trailed off. What was she going to say? Leave? She couldn't leave him there. And she couldn't leave the portal unlocked and unguarded. What if another Elf found it and came through? She jumped to her feet. "I have to lock Galohisdi."
"That would be advisable." He stood also, reaching for his pack and kicking dirt over the small fire. "I'll come with you."
"I really?you must go back." The words tasted weak. She wanted to spit them out and say something stronger. "I should never have opened the portal. My mother?" She hesitated and then plunged on. "My mother said I would have to decide whether to be a guardian or an explorer. I chose wrong."
"I am not so certain of that. I might be dead if you had not opened the portal." He paused, taking a step closer to her. "I wonder?" His voice trailed off, his gaze fixed on hers. Abruptly, he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his, a light, tasting touch that set her body afire with a rush of unexpected feelings. She reached up to push him away, but her hands stopped at his shoulders, holding tight to him as if entreating him not to let go. He obliged by circling her waist with one arm and pulling her closer to him, deepening the kiss, and her lips parted beneath his.
He stepped away, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Yes. I believe you were born to explore."
She opened her mouth to-what? Curse him? Ask for another kiss? She didn't know, but none of it mattered anyway because, even as he spoke, she felt Galohisdi's cry in her soul and knew her problems had just doubled. Someone else had discovered the portal.
Strange Path: A Synchronicity Story Page 2