“Who?” Allie asked quietly.
“Natarien,” he said and he could feel her grief blending with his own. He had forgotten that she liked the young elf who was in many ways like an age-equal for her.
“I honor your grief,” Bleidd said formally, and Jess was glad for the kindness.
“You weren’t hurt?” Allie asked, suddenly anxious.
“No, my heart, I was not injured.” Jess thought back. He could feel the relief – from both of them – and he relaxed slightly.
The coven would be arrested by the human police and processed through their legal system. As Jess understood it they faced a long list of charges including the murders of all of the victims so far. Natarien’s death would be laid at their feet as well, as would Allie’s poisoning. Even though he did not trust the human law to provide justice he was confident that there was enough here to hold these people for a long time. One threat had been taken care of.
He had one more to deal with before he could rest easily.
*****************************
Bleidd moved through the twilight, ignoring the flashing lights on the marquee of the strip club. He moved around the side of the building, into an alley that stank of things best not thought about.
“I thought commander,” he said to the elf he could not see but was certain was there, “that you were going to pass the information I gave you along to the rest of the Elven Guard. I expected to find a whole squad here, or more, not you alone.”
“I don’t need a squad to finish this,” Jess said calmly, stepping out of the shelter of a dumpster. The Guard commander was not in uniform. Instead he wore black jeans and a black t-shirt, by far the most modern outfit Bleidd had ever seen the other elf in. Dressed so similarly the two elves looked like reflections of each other, one fair haired, one dark haired.
“You think you can capture this agent alone?” Bleidd asked, one eyebrow arching gracefully up.
“No. I have no intention of capturing him,” Jess answered honestly.
Bleidd looked at the other elf in open mouthed shock. “You mean to kill him?”
“I mean to do what I must to protect Allie,” Jess said, still calm. “If we try to capture him he may escape again. If we do succeed in capturing him he may yet escape from our custody.”
“And what of the information he may provide you about the intent of the Dark court here?”
“She and the kelpie both said there were two agents. One can be captured and brought back. But the other must die,” Jess said.
Bleidd looked at the other elf for a long time as the last light faded into darkness. “You want vengeance, not justice.”
“I want vengeance,” Jess agreed. “I am not here tonight as a member of the Elven Guard. I am here as her lover to avenge the suffering he caused her. And then…I will tell the others of the information you provided and where the other agent may be found.”
“You realize of course that the second agent may flee after you do this,” Bleidd said, his own voice uncertain.
“You and I both know that he will never leave her alone. He will always be a threat to her, as long as he lives. You were in the Guard once, surely you realize that if he is captured and questioning him proves unproductive they may seek to use her to get him to talk. I cannot stand by and see her broken again to gain the obvious information that the Dark court seeks a foothold here, or is fomenting war between our Holding and the humans.”
“You underestimate her strength,” Bleidd said, even though he knew Jess was right. The only way to be certain she was safe from this particular threat was to remove it. “And you realize that even if you kill this one person there will be others from the Dark court who seek her for her knowledge of the book?”
“They will seek her for what she knows, and they will be dealt with,” Jess said resolutely. “But he seeks her for his own pleasure and I will die myself before I allow him to touch her again.”
Bleidd was silent again, wanting to ask and not wanting to confirm what he had suspected. Finally, “He outraged her then?”
“I would expect a more modern expression from you my friend,” Jess said softly, earning a startled look from Bleidd. “But yes, she was raped while she was held prisoner. And tortured. And nearly killed. Be glad that though you were there that night you did not have to see the way he left her, dying on that floor. I see it still when I close my eyes sometimes, and I know with absolute certainty that he cannot be allowed to live.”
Bleidd took a long, deep breath trying to rein in his own anger. He had always suspected that Allie had gone through more than she had ever admitted to, but hearing it confirmed was infuriating. He did not blame Jessilaen for his willingness to do whatever he could to avenge her. This was exactly what he had wanted to see happen, the Dark court elf eliminated, but he had never imagined it would occur this way. Now more than ever he wanted to see that particular elf dead, but as his fondness for Jessilaen grew he found himself worried for the risk the other elf was taking, not only to his immediate physical safety but also the consequences that might come from him acting outside the Guard. He spoke slowly, trying to choose his words with care. “I would, of course, be quite eager to assist you except that I gave you my word I would not.”
“If you would aid me then follow the other agent so that we will know where he has denned up,” Jess said. “But I do not ask you to be part of this. If I am found out I will lose my place in the Guard, but likely little else. If you were caught killing another elf, even a Dark court one, in cold blood you might forfeit your life and that is too great a risk.”
“You don’t consider this too great a risk? You would lose your honor,” Bleidd said shaking his head and drifting closer to Jess. “I have very little honor to lose.”
“Unless suspicion falls on me and I am questioned directly I do not believe I will be found out,” Jess said, once again surprising Bleidd. He had not realized that the Guardsman had come to trust him so much, but then again they were bound not only by the magic Allie had woven between them but also by the secrets they already kept for her. There was a logic to everything Jess was saying, and Bleidd could not deny that he would sleep easier knowing this particular Dark court elf was dead.
“Alright,” Bleidd said slowly. “I will stand watch while you do what you must.”
Jess looked as if this was unexpected, then smiled, reaching out to give the other elf a friendly slap on the shoulder. “Then let us end this, here tonight.”
The two elves took up positions near the edge of the alley where they could watch the entrance unobserved. Jess assured Bleidd that their quarry had entered earlier, almost as soon as the club opened. It was only a matter of time and luck.
Just after 7:30 that evening the two Dark court elves stumbled out. One had a girl with him, her steps so clumsy he was all but carrying her. He was cloaked and hooded, but Bleidd knew he was not the one they sought. When he spoke his voice was young. “Come on Ferinyth let’s go back to the hotel.”
“You go if you want, just don’t let that stupid slut make a mess or take all your money,” the second elf said, his voice as unsteady as the girl’s walk. “I’m going to the Star.”
“I don’t think…” the younger elf began, the girl hanging all over him giggling.
“No you don’t,” the one called Ferinyth snapped. “No one’s asking your opinion little boy. Go back to the hotel if you want to, but I am not done tonight. The night is young and we are so close to succeeding I can taste it.”
The first elf hesitated. “I am going. Just don’t do anything foolish.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Ferinyth snarled.
The other elf snorted and started walking away. “Why bother when that’s what she’s for?”
Bleidd felt a savage grin stretching his face and didn’t bother to hide it. This could not have fallen out better for them. As the younger elf began to walk away Ferinyth turned in their direction and began walking along the sidewalk on a course that wou
ld take him directly in front of them. Jess nodded slightly at Bleidd, but he shook his head in response.
“Follow the younger one,” Jess thought to him.
“No need,” Bleidd thought back. “I recognize that girl. I can find her here later and ask her where he took her; even if he tries to use glamour to cloud her mind I can uncover it. And you need backup.”
“You gave your word not to risk yourself,” Jess said as the Dark court elf drew closer.
“And I shall not, but I am a mage after all. I can use magic where you cannot and guard your back without ever drawing a blade.”
A small smile curved Jess’s lips and he nodded, slightly “So be it then.”
And then he was moving, lunging forward and dragging the Dark elf back into the alley. He flung the elf to the ground a dozen feet back and Bleidd watched in satisfaction as he landed with a painful grunt. The Dark court elf rolled slowly to his hands and knees.
Bleidd leaned against the side of the building, watching as Jess ghosted forward, his feet barely touching the ground.
“Get up,” the Guardsman growled at the other elf.
“Why so you can arrest me?” Ferinyth laughed. “Go ahead and try.”
“I am not here to arrest you amadan,” Jess said, rage filling his voice. That seemed to get through to the other elf, who looked up now with a puzzled expression.
“You’re the Elven Guard. You caught me,” he laughed again, getting slowly to his feet. “So arrest me. I will escape and you will not catch me again.”
“Am I wearing a uniform?” Jess asked, his voice deadly.
The other elf’s superior expression faltered, his eyes darting from Jess’s black clad form to Bleidd’s. “What is this?”
“You gave me a choice once, to fight you or to save her. I chose to save her. Now we fight,” Jess said dancing from foot to foot. There was a lethal intensity to the Guardsman that made even Bleidd catch his breath. Beautiful and dangerous, he dared the other elf to combat.
Ferinyth’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I remember you. You are the mixed-blood girl’s lover. I hope you found her a better lay after I broke her in for you.”
Bleidd pushed off the wall, tensing, but Jess laughed. “You are nothing to her but a bad dream that will soon be forgotten.”
“Not when she is mine again,” the Dark elf snarled. “Then I will teach her her true place.”
That did crack Jess’s calm and Bleidd imagined he could feel the elf’s anger even as his body leaned forward. Bleidd spoke quickly before Jess could make a mistake. “You will be dead before the hour is out. And since you have done nothing but fail to capture her since you lost her months ago I would not be so quick to brag of succeeding now.”
The Dark elf threw him a venomous look, but Bleidd was relieved to see Jess relaxing slightly as he regained his composure. Ferinyth shook his head slightly. “I will not die tonight. I will not fight you and you are too honorable to kill an unarmed elf who is offering no resistance.”
Jess exerted the tiny of bit of magic necessary to call his sword to his hand. The blade glittered in the fluorescent lights of the alley. “Fight me.”
“No,” Ferinyth said confidently, holding his hands out from his sides in a sign of surrender. Faster than Bleidd had expected Jess lunged forward, stabbing his blade into the unarmed elf’s thigh. The Dark court elf staggered back, his hands covering the wound reflexively. “Son of a whore! You break your own laws!”
“Draw your blade and fight me, or I will cut you apart one piece at a time,” Jess said his voice icy. “I imagine it will take you a long time to bleed to death from such wounds.”
The other elf’s face twisted in fury and raising his bloody hands he conjured his own sword. The leg wound would slow him and Bleidd doubted he could prevail against Jess, but nonetheless he prepared a spell to shatter the Dark elf’s sword, holding the magic ready in case he needed it.
The two combatants met in the center of the alley, swords clashing. Bleidd had expected the fight to end quickly but it did not. Jess lunged and parried, meeting the other blade with obvious skill but never delivering a death blow. Every minute or so Jess would break through his opponent’s guard and score a minor hit, but never anything truly debilitating. It finally occurred to Bleidd, as he watched the Dark court elf sweating and bleeding from a dozen small wounds, that Jess was toying with him. He smiled and leaned back against the wall again.
At last, when it was clear that Ferinyth was nearing exhaustion, Jess parried one last time, knocking the other elf’s blade aside and lunging forward to impale his shoulder. Gasping Ferinyth went to his knees, his sword clattering to the concrete. He glared up at the Guardsman, his face still defiant despite everything. Jess kicked his wounded shoulder, knocking him to the ground and wringing a cry of pain from him.
“And now that you’ve defeated me, will you drag me back to your Outpost, humiliated, and claim you laid me low in fair combat?” he gasped.
“No,” Jess said, barely breathing hard. “Now I’m going to show you what it feels like to die the way you left Allie to die.”
*****************************
Allie was sitting out on the steps of the house when they finally returned, Ciaran sitting with her to keep her company. She watched Bleidd and Jess walk across the lawn, feeling a mixture of relief and suspicion. Jess looked like death, dressed all in black, and she didn’t think she liked it. Bleidd of course often wore black, his black hair along with the clothes making him look dramatic and artistic. On Jess though, with his pale blond hair, he just looked washed out. There was something different between them as they walked together now, something more than she could explain with the knowledge that they were lovers now. Something had happened tonight, she was sure of it.
Ciaran stood, his form shifting from human to hound, his nose in the air sniffing. He inhaled deeply then gave Allie an inscrutable look before turning and loping off into the woods without a word. Well that was odd Allie thought, standing carefully. “Hey guys, I was getting worried.”
“No worries my love,” Jess said, his happiness vibrating through the link between them. “We are both safe and home, as I said we would be.”
Bleidd gave him an odd sideways look at that. Then, “You should be resting Allie not sitting out in the dark. Its getting cold.”
“I don’t mind,” she said trying to decide if the way he was looking at her was concerned or annoyed. His feelings were a tangle of too many things for her to sort out, in stark contrast to Jess’s pure happiness. “Jason and Shawn are inside. We thought maybe we could have a little party. I guess its kind of weird since they found Liz’s body at the theater and all but we wanted to do something to celebrate the end of these murders. The real end.”
“Yes,” Jess said solemnly. “The dark coven has been captured and even now have turned on each other. I am loathe to trust the human justice system but in this case I believe the human system is motivated to see true justice done.”
“Right. I can deal with all the details of handling Liz’s estate and everything later,” Allie said, rubbing her eyes. “Probably tomorrow since I need to get the legal stuff with the house settled. But tonight it’s such a relief to know the group has finally really been caught. All of them. That we wanted to enjoy the moment a little bit. Now if we could just catch the Dark court elves as easily…”
Jess and Bleidd exchanged a long look. “What? What’d I say? Wait, what’s happened?”
Jess nodded slightly to Bleidd, but the other elf seemed hesitant. Finally Jess spoke. “Allie we - Bleidd – found out where the Dark court agents were going to enjoy themselves while they were staying here. He told me and I went there tonight.”
“You went alone – out of uniform?” she asked slowly.
“Jess,” Bleidd said, his voice carrying a warning. Allie was just as surprised to hear him use a nickname with Jess as she was to hear him apparently cautioning Jess not to speak.
“It’s alright,” Jess
said. “There should be no secrets between us. We know her true nature and the things she has done for us, for you to heal you. She has a right to know this.”
Bleidd nodded, meeting Allie’s eyes like someone who expects condemnation. “I followed Jess to the…place I knew the Dark court elves would be tonight expecting to find him with the other Guard. Instead I found him alone. We, together, watched the two agents separate. I plan to go back later and trace the one who left to his hotel room.”
“And the other?” she asked, feeling a building tension.
“Was the one who hurt you,” Bleidd said.
“I pulled him into the alley, fought him, and killed him,” Jess said simply. The words hit her with unexpected force.
“He’s dead?”
“Yes,” they both said together.
She looked from one to the other, guessing that there was more to this story than they were saying. She tried to grasp the fact that the Dark court elf who had almost killed her was dead. Slowly she felt a weight lifting off her shoulders, even knowing that his death didn’t mean she was free of the Dark court’s pursuit. “Good. But, umm, how are you going to explain that? Officially I mean?”
“I have already notified Zarethyn,” Jess said placidly. “I told him we, Bleidd and I, were out on the trail of the Dark court agents and that when we found them there was a confrontation. I said I had no choice but to kill the elf who died, and that we are certain we can find the other.”
She looked at Bleidd who nodded, his face unreadable. It was not a lie, but was a version of the truth that left out many essential details, and she was surprised that he would willingly mislead his brother. She had little doubt that Zarethyn had believed Jess without question, and trusting him that he had probably allowed Jess to dispose of the body without anyone else checking it. Which meant unless someone thought to directly ask Jess or Bleidd a question they could not avoid answering which would incriminate them, no one would ever know what had really happened.
Into the Twilight: a Between the Worlds Novel Page 31