Elfin (28 page)

Elora hung up without waiting for a response
.

“
Where is he?” Elora asked.

Cassie let out a snort t
hat was filled with indignation. “Who knows, who cares? I told him to stay away from me.”

“You think he will listen?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.”

Just then a leg followed by the rest of Tamsin’s body emerged from the mirror with Syndra hot on his heels. Cassie scampered back quickly , her eyes glazing over with pain.

Tamsin and Syndra stopped short as they looked down at the broken person before them.

Syndra looked over at Elora. “What has happened?”

Elora stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “Trik lied to her. He said he would leave the Dark King, but apparently the Dark King had no knowledge of it. And from what Cassie says Trik didn’t argue with her when she told him that he had lied to her.”

“Where is the assassin now?” Tamsin asked.

Elora shrugged. “Cassie doesn’t know. He didn’t follow her here.”

Syndra knelt down before Cassie and brushed her hair away from her face.

“Cassie,” Syndra’s voice was soft and melodic. “We need to keep you safe. We told Trik that we would protect you if he failed.”

Cassie looked up at the Light Queen. Her eyes we
re vacant. “What does it matter? He doesn’t care what happens to me.”

“That i
s not true,” Syndra told her. “Whatever his reasons for doing what he did, he cares for you.”

“It’s not enough,” Cassie whimpered as another tear fell.

“No, you are right, it isn’t. He needs to love you.”

Cassie’s eyes snapped up at Tamsin who had spoken.

“We have much to discuss. We need you to come with us.”

“What about my parents?” Cassie asked as she let Syndra pull her to her feet.

“Syndra will deal with your parents. You are vulnerable and if Lorsan’s entire court watched you run from Trik then they will not wait long to pursue you in order to get back at him for centuries of being the right arm of the Dark King.”

Cassie took Syndra’s hand and then reached for Elora.

“Please let her come with me.”

Elora rolled her eyes.
“Like they could stop me.”

Cassie let Syndra pull her towards the mirror and Elora followed
, her hand holding tight to her best friend.

When they emerged on the other side
, Cassie’s eyes widened as she looked around. Elora openly gaped and shook her head. “We aren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

Syndra laughed at the girls
’ expressions.

“What did you expect? We are royalty
, you know?”

Tamsin emerged behind them. H
e watched as Cassie and Elora took in everything around them.

Cassie had never seen such elegant beauty. The room looked as if it had been carved from ice. It shimmered as pillars rose high to the tall cathedral ceiling. Sitting all around, sculptures of animals and people, also looking as if carved from ice, stood proud watching over the great hall. Large, long windows lined the walls, allowing light to pour into the room creating a wonderland of crystals and rainbows. It was breathtaking.

Syndra motioned for them to follow her and Tamsin. They walked through the great hall and out of a large pair of silver double doors containing a beautiful crest carved into them. The crest was of a large tree surrounded by all manner of creatures, both foreign and familiar to Cassie.

They continued on down a long hall as light
shined in through windows along the hall and lit their way. Finally Tamsin turned right into another room. As Cassie and Elora made their way in, they saw what they might call a den, or family room.

Large couches formed a circle around a table that held drinks and food. Shelves
full of books and odd looking knickknacks lined the walls. The room was painted a light periwinkle blue and candle light white.

“Please have a seat,” Tamsin instructed.

Both girls took a seat on a large white couch and sunk into the softness. Cassie gasped as once again pain tore through her chest.

“
Cass, what’s wrong?” Elora asked.

“She is feeling the pain of the separation from Trik,” Syndra explained.

“She’s going to go through what happened in her room?” Elora referred to the first time Trik had left Cassie and she had watched her friend writhe in pain on the floor.

“The pain will come and go because a part of Cassie truly does want to be away from him, but then her soul longs for him.”

Syndra whispered something to Tamsin and then left the room quickly.

Elora looked up at Tamsin waiting for an explanation.

“She is going to deal with Cassie’s parents.”

“Deal with them how?” Elora’s eyes narrowed.”

“Calm yourself, human. She isn’t going to kill them. She will simply suggest to them that Cassie is going to be staying with you for a while because you are going through a difficult time. Lisa will be informed so that she can corroberate the story if they call her.”

“At some point they are going to want to see her,” Elora pointed out.

“Once we have sufficient protection on her she can periodically go back to her realm.”

Cassie took slow deep breaths and then sat up, unfolding herself from the fetal position the pain had caused.

“Am I to stay here for the rest of my life?” She asked Tamsin.

Tamsin sat on the couch across from them and looked at her. His eyes softened as he saw the fear and worry that marred her young face.

“You will never be safe again in your world. I am sorry for that. You were supposed to be bound to Trik and he would protect you and you would…”

“
Live happily ever after?” Cassie interrupted. Her words dripped with sarcasm. “I don’t believe in happily ever after, not anymore.”

“I understand your anger Cassie, but I thi
nk you need to learn some things about Trik before you judge him too harshly.”

“What things could
lessen my anger? What could you possibly tell me that would shed light on why he lied to me?”

“Things that even I had forgotte
n. I am going to tell you about Triktapic, who he was, who he is, and who he is meant to be.”

“
Queue
the end is coming music,” Elora said dryly.

“You might want to ge
t comfortable,” he told them. “This could take a while.”

Cha pter 13

“Love isn’t supposed to be easy, I know that. Nothing worth having is ever easy. But it is supposed to be honest; it is supposed to be true and unconditional. Love is messy and painful and joyous and not without sacrifice. Love is supposed to conquer all. Is it enough if the love only comes from one side? Is the love of one person enough to conquer the hurt of two?” ~Cassie Tate

Trik stood at the door to the lab. It was taking everything in him not to go after Cassie. He could find her. He would always be able to find her as long as her soul was in her body.
Something told him the time wasn’t right. He didn’t know what it was but there was a feeling deep inside him that was directing him to a path he never intended to follow.

He pushed the door open and walked into what looked like
a scene from a movie. Tables lined the walls and beakers and tubes and bubbling liquid topped them. A sweet aroma filled the air as smoke wafted from a large suspended basin where a red liquid was being continually stirred. From the bottom of the basin a tube protruded and periodically one of the elves would turn the dial on it and the red liquid would pour into the vial they held.

The production of Rapture had begun. The next step would be the trials. Lorsan would need to test it on humans to make sure it didn’t have a negative effect on them , too negative effect that is. He also needed to know how much they would have to drink to achieve the desired effects.

Trik walked over to
a thin, dark haired elf with eyes black as coal and hair the color of chrome, Tarron, Lorsan’s top chemist.

“How is everything going?”

Tarron took a vile of Rapture in his hand and held it up to the light. He swirled the liquid around and around in the tube. Trik didn’t know what he was looking for but he must have found it because Tarron smiled and placed the tube back in the holder with the others.

“So far everything is as it should be,” Tarron finally answered.

“When will he be testing the first batch?”

Tarron didn’t look at Trik as he answered. “From what I understand
, he is in the process of securing the humans he will be testing on.”

Trik nodded and started to walk away but was stopped by Tarron’s words.

“Is everything as it should be with you Triktapic?”

Trik turned to look at the chemist.

“Speak plainly Tarron. I do not have time for your riddles,” Trik snapped.

“There are rumblings that your Chosen is human and th
at she has fled your protection,” Tarron watched Trik closely, a spy for Lorsan no doubt told to keep an eye on Trik.

“She has left.”
That was all Trik said as he turned and walked quickly for the door.

“I will be back tomorrow to check on your progress,” Trik called over his shoulder.

The door closed behind him and he let out a deep breath. Pain was beginning to pulse through his muscles and he knew the pain of the separation was only going to get worse. He closed his eyes and wrestled with himself. He needed to protect her, but she didn’t want him anywhere near her and Lorsan had forbid him to go near her. He had to see her, just one more time he had to see her.

If Lorsan thought he could keep tabs on his most accomplished spy, then he
didn’t fully understand the depth of Trik’s talents. Trik was only seen when he wanted to be and right then he was done being seen. He stepped into the shadows and followed the line of the building until he was moving into the forest beyond. He moved quickly and soundlessly through the forest until he found a small lake. Trik walked up to the edge of the lake and looked down into it. He saw himself staring back at him. He took a step and his leg sunk into the water but instead of getting wet it emerged dry in another forest.

As he slipped into the realm of the
light elves, he crouched down low and looked around the forest. He was deep in their lands and would have to travel on foot the rest of the way to their castle. Tamsin had wisely enchanted his kingdom so that anyone entering their realm that wasn’t a light elf, or welcomed by the light elves, would be traveling quite a distance to get to them.

He moved swiftly through trees
, careful not to disturb the plants around him. He felt eyes on him everywhere and knew that Tamsin would have the forest watched. He didn’t know the light elves land like he did his own, but he was a very good tracker and would have no problems finding the light elves’ stronghold.

~

Tamsin
watched Cassie’s face as the enormity of what he had just shared sunk in. He hadn’t told her everything; she wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t ready to know that if Trik didn’t choose her, if he didn’t choose to love her, then all would be lost. Not only was she not ready to know but she didn’t deserve that kind of burden either. Cassie would feel responsible if Trik made the wrong choice and she would blame herself. Tamsin didn’t want that for her. She was so young, so full of love and compassion.

“Trik is a King?” Cassie asked for the fifth time.

Tamsin nodded.

“
And then he chose not to be a King anymore because…,” Cassie drew the word out as she waited for Tamsin to fill in the explanation.

“Our people were fighting amongst themselves. We were once a
ll pure and good. The Forest Lords showed their favor over us, their creation, and we flourished as a whole species. Then,” he paused and looked away from her, his eyes losing focus as he remembered the long buried past, “then something inside us changed. Selfish desires began to take over and some elves grew vain and conceited. They thought themselves above the Forest Lords, and above the one who had been appointed King. It was a difficult time. We each struggled with our own darkness, however great or small. Some gave in and some fought and are still fighting. The final straw was…”

“Trik,” Cassie whispered.

Tamsin nodded. “He was tired. And instead of seeking the help of the Forest Lords, he walked away. He had the weight of a race on his shoulders, a race that was dividing itself more and more every day and it just became too much.”

Cassie sat silent.
She didn’t know what to say. Who was she to judge? She’d never ruled a nation, never had the wellbeing of a race dependent on her.

“So the Forest Lords just let him walk away?” Cassie finally asked.

“There were consequences
. Trik became the man he is now.”

“Wait, he wasn’t always the way he is now?”