Perfidious

by P. T. McKenzie

  Kalvin stopped and placed his hand on his hip. “Come on, Elisia,” he begged, “sparring will make ya feel better.”

  I didn’t respond with words. I lifted my tonfas and slid my foot out, preparing for an attack. Kalvin grinned and motioned for me to attack first. I fought more aggressively than I had during any spar, which meant I was sloppy. Kalvin didn’t point it out, but I knew.

  After a lot of aimless swinging, I noticed I hadn’t touched him. My competitive spirit compelled me to get the upper hand and try to win. I stopped for a second and started to think about technique. The next time I went in, I focused my strength on getting Kalvin’s blade away from him.

  I angled both of my Tonfas facing away from my body. As I had anticipated, Kalvin came down with his blade in a stabbing motion. I blocked it with my right and brought my left Tonfa over top of his, capturing the blade between the two. I pushed down with my left and pulled up with my right. Kalvin easily released the sword as it flung over my head.

  I started celebrating my victory too soon.

  Kalvin kicked me down before I could react. He pinned my left arm, digging the blade of my tonfa into the grass. He placed his other hand between my tonfa and arm, using his position to point the blade’s tip near my chest.

  I relaxed underneath him. He accepted it as a sign of defeat and helped me up.

  Crimson dripped from his other hand.

  “Kalvin, your hand,” I exclaimed.

  He looked down at his hand with a shrug. “Yup, I forgot my mom made your weapons sharp enough to cut me. It’ll heal within the next day.”

  “I can heal that!” Greyson yelled over to us. He put his sword down and jogged over.

  Kalvin put his hand behind his back and forced a smile at Greyson. “Nah, I’m good.”

  Greyson laughed. “Is the big dragon scared of healing?”

  Kalvin frowned, only making Greyson cackle harder.

  “Come on. Don’t be such a baby.”

  I watched them argue. Kalvin had always been stubborn, never wanting anyone to help him. I admired his strength and really looked up to him at times. Greyson was different. I’d only known him for a little bit, but I learned that he went out of his way to help others, even if they were like Kalvin and didn’t want his help.

  Greyson took a step, reaching for Kalvin’s hand, but he pulled it out of Greyson’s reach.

  Kalvin was easily four inches taller than Greyson, but Greyson seemed to have more muscle. I guessed he would need that for football. Kalvin’s muscles were defined. I knew he had a six pack under his cutoff shirt. Did Greyson have a six pack? I didn’t think I’d seen him shirtless before.

  I paused in shock. Comparing the two of them was not something I needed to be doing. I especially didn’t need to be thinking about Greyson shirtless. I looked around me as though someone might have overheard my thoughts.

  Kalvin reluctantly gave Greyson his hand, and he began to heal it. Noah was still practicing the movements Kalvin showed him with the sword.

  I exhaled.

  No one would have overheard. It was all in my head. I needed to relax.

  They continued to bicker. I liked hanging out with them. Feeling anything for either of them would just overcomplicate things. I needed to get my mind back on track to training.

  I placed my hand on my hip, ready to step into their argument with a snarky comment. Just needed to wait for the right moment…

  “Elisia!” A familiar stern voice echoed behind me.

  My veins turned to ice. I felt stiff as I slowly turned around. My eyes widened. My father, Erlan, stomped towards us.

  “Wh-What do you want?”

  I wished I hadn’t stuttered.

  “You are coming home now! You were forbidden from entering Perfidious,” he said as he slowed down his strides.

  “No.”

  I willed my body to take a step back, to walk away, to do something. But I couldn’t move. I was glued to the spot as my heart beat uncontrollably in my chest.

  Erlan’s eyes narrowed. “Elisia, you have already worried your mother enough with that silly note you left. You are either an elf or a human. There isn’t a place where you can be both.”

  A small flame sparked inside my chest, thawing some of the ice. “Then where is a place for half-breeds?” my mouth spoke on its own.

  “That’s not the point, Elisia. Stop misbehaving like one of these stupid mutts.”

  Monsters called half-breed mutts all the time, but I’d never once remembered my father calling any half-breed such a derogatory name.

  He reached out and grabbed my arm.

  A lump formed in my throat. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I wanted to have a strong face, but Erlan was one monster I didn’t think I could win against. I even lost to him in my dream. If I didn’t go with him then, it was only a matter of time. He had too many connections. He’d drag me back home eventually.

  The flat part of a sword tapped Erlan’s elbow. I looked up to see Greyson standing next to me as a pair of hands pulled me back, making Erlan let go of my arm. Kalvin moved me behind him, keeping his arm around me.

  “She’s not going,” Kalvin said, not breaking eye contact with Erlan.

  Erlan accessed Greyson, Kalvin, and Noah. He took a step back as his chest puffed out. “Elisia, you better get home after school ends tomorrow, or you will not like the outcome!”

  We stood in silence, watching him. I felt tears sting my eyes again, but I didn’t want to cry anymore. Not for that man.

  Kalvin turned to me. “If he’s serious, he’ll be able to find ya too easily at my house. We’ll have to find somewhere to lay low for a while.”

  I looked up at Kalvin as Greyson pushed past him and placed his hands on my shoulders. “What the hell was that about?”

  I blinked a couple times trying to find the right words. “My father has been corrupted by purebloods. He, um, doesn’t like that I’m training you. And as you heard, he doesn’t want me in Perfidious anymore.”

  Greyson’s lips parted as he backed away from me.

  “I know where we can go. Somewhere no one’ll find us.” Kalvin’s features were tense.

  “Do you mean the camp?” I asked.

  Kalvin nodded. We hadn't been there since his father died.

  “Wait,” Greyson waved his hands as if shaking his head wasn’t enough. “What about our training? Someone would be able to follow us when we meet for our lessons.”

  Kalvin seemed angry, but I couldn’t tell why. “It’s not close enough for that. It’s a day and a half hike north. We’re goin’ alone.”

  Noah walked up to the three of us. “But what about school, Elisia? People are gonna wonder where you went.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not worried about that. We’ll only be gone for a little while. Just until things calm down.”

  An awkward silence filled the air. Greyson’s eyes darted back and forth. He made eye contact with Noah before he straightened and looked at me.

  “I’m going with you,” Greyson stated.

  Kalvin clenched his jaw. “Didn’t you hear me? We’re going alone. You can’t come. You have a human life to get back to.”

  “No, I’m going. It's only for a little while, right? Then, we can keep training, and I can learn more about Perfidious. Like a boot camp. The Elders said that I was your responsibility. Wouldn’t it be irresponsible to leave without me?” Greyson smirked.

  I glanced at Kalvin. He shrugged and didn’t look like he was going to respond.

  “He’s got a point. We should bring him. I don’t want to abandon him.” I touched Kalvin’s arm, and he relaxed slightly.

  Kalvin went to speak, but Noah cut him off. “You wouldn’t be leaving until tomorrow, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Give us the rest of the day off from training,” Noah continued. “Let Greyson think about it. I’m sure he’ll change his mind by then.”

  All I could do was nod before Noah dragged Greyson away. He
protested, but Noah gave him a look that made him go along. They grabbed their stuff and started on the path to their house.

  20

  I grabbed a couple things from the cellar and stepped out to find Kalvin looking me over. He rubbed his chin. I scanned myself before returning my eyes to him.

  “Everything okay, Kalvin?” I asked.

  “Yup. Let’s go. We’re gonna go have some fun.” Kalvin took the stuff from my arms and grabbed my hand, half dragging me back to his house.

  “Kalvin, where are we going?”

  He winked at me. “It's a secret.”

  I rolled my eyes, and he picked up the pace. We jogged to his house and threw our stuff inside. I had no idea where we were headed. As far as I knew, we weren’t leaving for the camp until the next day.

  Butterflies danced in my stomach. Kalvin was acting strange.

  We stopped and got food to go from Shakey’s. Then, we started walking on the path going towards Tamara’s cave. I didn’t know anything down that way other than Tamara’s, and there was no way we’d make it all the way there before sunset. I tried asking Kalvin again where we were going, but he refused to answer.

  Suddenly, he shot to the left, taking me with him. Off the path, hidden behind elderberry bushes, was a little swing with a board and two strings holding it up. I looked at Kalvin confused. His smile grew.

  “Stand on it.” He pointed to the swing as he looked up.

  I shook my head but did what he asked. His pupils narrowed and he climbed onto the seat beside me.

  “Hold on.” Kalvin’s mischievousness made me wary of what would come next.

  He took out his dagger and threw it into the air. My stomach dropped before I realized we were being pulled up into the tree by the swing. I instinctively clung to Kalvin, and laughter vibrated through his chest. The ride was quick, and we soon emerged through a thick section of leaves onto a wooden platform.

  My jaw dropped in awe. The platform had little lightbulbs around the top and a couch swing in the middle. The entirety of it was covered by leaves, creating a lush green enclosure. If someone didn’t know it was there, they’d never find it.

  “What…what is this place?” I asked as I stepped off the wooden board.

  “It's where my mom and dad used to meet,” Kalvin said as he walked over to a rope hanging on the far side of the platform. He grabbed a hold of it and turned to me. “It’s halfway between Coalfell and the mountains. When I was younger, my dad would disappear four nights a week. I didn’t find out about it until my mom and I got into a fight.”

  I nodded, still looking around the place. “I’m guessing that was the big fight about you wanting to live with her?”

  Kalvin tilted his head down. “Yup. Well, my dad brought me up here to explain some things, but I really didn’t understand why until sunset.”

  He pulled on the rope, and bright light flooded the platform. I covered my eyes while they adjusted to the brightness.

  When I opened them, my breath caught in my lungs.

  The platform sat just above the tree line. Purples, pinks, and oranges exploded in the sky beyond like it went on forever. For a moment, I was so struck by its beauty that my mind went blank. I turned back to Kalvin, and his understanding grin brought me back to reality. I relaxed for the first time since the initial fight with my father.

  I took a deep breath.

  “It's out of this world,” I whispered. I was worried if I spoke too loudly, the beauty would get spooked away.

  Kalvin motioned for me to sit with him on the swinging couch. He took out the wraps from Shakey’s, and I joined him.

  “I just wanted ya to relax. You’ve been so aloof lately.” He paused as he looked at the sunset. “This fight with your dad…it wasn’t like the rest, was it?”

  “No. We disagree a lot, but…never like this. It was like he’s been forcing me to choose whether I’m a human or an elf. I think he’s lost sight that I’m both. Then, he called us mutts and…” I couldn’t get the rest of what I was feeling to form into words.

  Kalvin gave me a second before talking. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen ya so defeated before. By your expression, I wasn’t sure if ya would go with him or fall apart. So, I intervened.”

  Our eyes met, and I gave him a warm smile. “And I appreciate that. You really are the best.” I looked down and picked at my wrap. “I just don’t understand what happened with my dad. When he started teaching me to fight, he told me I had the potential to be great. That it didn’t matter if I was half-elf because I was all me. But he only trained me for a couple months before he started his job at the castle.”

  Kalvin nodded. “That was shortly before my dad started trainin’ ya.”

  “Yeah, because my father didn’t have time,” I said, but then got quiet.

  The memories were swirling around my head. I used to have such a good relationship with my father. I didn’t understand how things got so bad. I turned back to look at the sunset, my shoulders slumping as I took in the colors. I focused on the beauty in front of me compared to my own thoughts.

  I felt Kalvin’s eyes glued to me. He really was worried.

  My eyes met his. “Can we stay here tonight? It feels so far away from everything.”

  Kalvin cleared his throat. “No, this place is still here for my mom. I don’t want to intrude on it more than I need to. You’re welcome to stay at my house again. I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.” A sad smile appeared on his lips. “I just wish our sleepover didn’t involve ya crying yourself to sleep.”

  I laughed and hit him as I sat up. We gathered the garbage and started walking to the exit. Before we stepped on the wooden board, I pulled Kalvin into a hug.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He put his arm around me and rested his chin on the top of my head.

  “Anytime,” he replied.

  We walked the entire way back to his house without a word. We both knew that words weren’t needed. We were the best of friends, and sometimes talking wasn’t necessary. Just having Kalvin there was enough to brighten my world again.

  I stumbled backwards a couple steps and stopped, a tree at my back. I could feel the injuries becoming real as I leaned against the tree. I kept eyeing the creature in front of me. His yellow eyes were lifeless, but that didn’t mean he was dead. I began to get my breathing under control to calm myself down and hissed in pain as the adrenaline started to leave my body. I heard a rustle come from behind me and quickly moved to put myself in between my friends and the noise. I unsheathed my Tonfas and felt my body pulse with pain.

  I gasped and tried to sit up, but someone had me by the shoulders. I struggled against him until the sunlight from the window caught his face. Black, bedhead hair cascaded around his face as he stared at me with wide eyes. Kalvin slowly removed his hands from my shoulders as I sat up, holding my head.

  I closed my eyes to relax myself, trying to force my mind to put the dream away, but it was getting harder with every realistic nightmare. Eventually, my breathing slowed to normal.

  “Ya okay?” Kalvin asked next to me.

  I turned around to look at the sleepy half-breed. I didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Weren’t you on the couch a few hours ago?” I asked, ignoring his question.

  Kalvin sighed and tilted his head. “Yes…but it sounded like ya were havin’ a nightmare in here. Are you okay?” Kalvin emphasized the last question since I didn’t answer him the first time.

  I shivered at the thought of the dream and forced a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just a bad dream.”

  Kalvin frowned as he got out of the bed and headed out of the bedroom.

  Someone knocked.

  I got out of the bed myself. I had to dawdle since my muscles were weak from my nightmare and the room was spinning slightly. By the time I got to the bedroom door, I heard Greyson’s voice.

  “Good. You’re still here. Sorry to just barge in like this,” Greyson said, entering the house.
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  Confused, I walked around to the front door. Greyson and Noah walked in with backpacks and a duffle bag. Greyson’s eyes met mine and went emotionless.

  “Oh, you’re here too. I thought…you’d be…” Greyson shook his head.

  Noah spoke up. “We talked to my parents. We forged a football camp acceptance letter. Should buy us about a week. Let’s go to that place you were talking about, Kalvin.”

  “Seriously?” Kalvin wasn’t awake yet and hadn’t had time to think. His eyes were barely open, and I could tell he was trying so hard to follow the events going on.

  “Yes. When are we leaving?”

  “Do I have to explain how dangerous it is for Noah to go?” I asked, too tired to bicker.

  Greyson scratched the back of his head. “About that…”

  Noah gave me a smug grin. “I’m going. I know which direction you’re headed, approximately how long it will take, and from that I can figure out a rough area of where the camp is. And I can tell your dad.”

  Kalvin grunted as he glanced sideways at me. “We could always kill him.”

  Noah’s smile faltered.

  “Hm. It would cause too much attention.” I sighed. “I don’t think we can.”

  Kalvin ran his hand down his face and cursed under his breath. He turned back to me. “Fine. You’re right. We can gather supplies and head out shortly after. By the time Erlan comes looking for us, we’ll be long gone.”

  The thought of my father not being able to find me made me happy. “We’ll need to take something to cover our scent and mask Noah’s.”

  “Yup, Jasper should have something.” Kalvin walked back into his room, changed, and came back out. “I’ll go see if he’s awake. Ya get the bags ready.”

  Kalvin left, and I snickered. Both Greyson and Noah looked at me as they set their bags down.

  “He won’t be back for at least an hour,” I explained. “Jasper and Kalvin never stop talking when they're together.”

  “We packed a good amount of stuff,” Noah said, changing the subject quickly. “We filled the duffle with non-perishables and camping stuff that my parents won’t miss.”