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Trik felt warmth on his skin and opened his eyes, only to have to shield them against the radiance before him. The Forest Lords stood before him. There were three men, tall as the trees around them. They had long hair like the race they created, only theirs was the color of the earth below their feet. Their eyes shown emerald green, bright and rich like the leaves that covered the branches. They wore robes of white that billowed around them, though the wind was calm and still. They looked down at Trik and he felt not their condemnation, but their hurt, and sadness at the life he had chosen. He felt their love, their longing to see him be the great King they had destined him for. He felt their forgiveness, if only he was willing to accept it and to walk away from the life that he had lived for so long.

  “My lords,” he said as he bowed his head. “I am sorry. I have failed you for so long.” Trik felt the darkness in him stirring, the rebellious nature in him trying to rear its ugly head.

  “Triktapic, such a time has come that you are to be humbled. We have allowed your rebellion for long enough. We love you. We created you for a purpose and it is time for you to fulfill that purpose. Let us heal the brokenness inside you. Let us be the strength you need. Let us bear the burden that falls on your shoulders.”

  Trik took a shaky breath in as he allowed their words to wash over him. He wasn’t alone in his walk as King; he never had been. And now his people needed him, the human realm needed him, and the Forest Lords would stand with him and guide him.

  “We have given you a Chosen worthy of her station. She will be Queen to your race. She will need your strength and you will need her compassion. It will not be an easy union for love is a choice. True, abiding, unconditional love is always a choice. Though you will struggle, it is through that love that you will become the King that you need to be—the King that you must be. Hear us now Triktapic, King of the Elves, you will crush the evil one who desires to enslave the humans. You will tear him down until he is but a crumb at your feet and through his destruction you will unite your people. There will no longer be light and dark elves, but only the Elfin.”

  Warmth flowed over him again and he felt loving arms wrap around him and he was enveloped in the love of his creators.

  “You were created for a purpose. It is your choice; it always has been and always will be, but we will never let you go, for you are our child and we love you.”

  He sat still in that knowledge. Suddenly he was released and his eyes snapped open. The Forest Lords were no longer standing before him, and yet he still felt them. He pushed himself up from the ground and stood. Everything around him looked brighter, as if a film had been wiped away from his eyes and for the first time in a very long time, he felt peace. The pain was still there, but he welcomed it because it proved to him that she was real, his Queen, his love, the other half of his soul. She was real.

  “Run Trik, run through our forest. Listen to the wind and the leaves. See with new eyes what has been given to you and yours ; the beauty in the land, the joy in the animals and the hope that comes after the storm. Run, she needs you.” The words danced in the air around him and he did, he ran. He didn’t think, he just ran. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tyndril and Tao running with him. He felt their urgency and knew something wasn’t right. Cassie was in trouble and that thought spurred him on even harder. He pushed himself until the trees were but a blur and his feet scarcely touched the ground and still he didn’t know if he would make it in time.

  ~

  Lorsan was sitting in his throne room when the rumbling began. The room began to shake and the walls of his great castle shook.

  “What is going on Lorsan?” Ilyrana asked as she came rushing in to the throne room wide-eyed and nervous.

  Lorsan didn’t answer. His head snapped up as a booming voice rolled through the air.

  “He is coming. Your time has reached its end and the true King shall be restored. He is coming.”

  Lorsan lunged to his feet as a feeling crept inside. It took a moment for him to realize what the feeling was—fear.

  “Lorsan!” Ilyrana shouted.

  His eyes met hers and he knew that she saw that fear and that made him angry. He would not be made to look weak, not in front of his Queen, not in front of anyone. Anger, sharp as a blade and hot as the flames that burned on the sun, raged inside of him.

  “Get me Vashti!” Lorsan roared.

  “Lorsan tell me what is going on now!”

  “Triktapic knows.”

  Ilyrana’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.

  “He remembers?”

  Lorsan nodded. “He remembers and the Forest Lords are backing the dried up King. I need to speak with Myrin. I need to know Trik’s history. I need to know what the Forest Lords have up their sleeves and my gut tells me it has something to do with that human. Get me Vashti.”

  “You’re going to lure the girl out?” Ilyrana asked.

  “From what I understand she has been in the protection of Tamsin and his Queen. It would be impossible to get to her there; I need her back in the human realm.”

  Ilyrana hurried from the room only to return a few moments later with the elf Lorsan had asked for.

  “My King,” the elf named Vashti bowed her head. Her eyes were black and she wore her black hair in a long braided rope that ran the length of her back. She wore the black uniform of a dark elf warrior. She carried a sword on her back and various weapons strapped to her thighs.

  “I need you to bring me a human girl,” Lorsan told her. “She is the Chosen of Triktapic.”

  Vashti’s face paled. Lorsan raised a single brow at her, daring her to defy him. She schooled her features and lowered her eyes.

  “What is her name?” She asked him.

  “Cassie Tate. You will need to be her best friend, however, that is how you will get close to her.”

  “I need to know what this best friend looks like,” Vashti explained. “I can’t take the form without first seeing the image.”

  “Alok has been following Trik, he can take you to Elora, that is the friend’s name.”

  Vashti nodded once, bowed and then ran towards the mirrors along the throne room walls.

  Lorsan watched as the last transmuting elf in their race exited the building.

  “What are you going to do to her once you have her?” Ilyrana asked.

  “I’m going to kill her, slowly.”

  Chapter 14

  My name is Triktapic. I was King of the Elven race long, long ago. I walked away; I deserted my people to become a killer. The time has come for me to be the King my people need me to be, but to be that King I must be the killer I have become. I must be as ruthless as my advisary; for if I am not, the world as the human race knows it will be gone. Cassie will be gone and that is not acceptable. I am Triktapic, King of the Elfin. My wrath is great and though I once was tolerant of the evil ways that some in my race chose, that tolerance has been burned away by the light of the Forest Lords. I am Triktapic and I am coming.

  Cassie wandered through the garden located at the front of the light elves’ castle. It had been several weeks since she had been brought there by the Queen and King. She was beginning to become stir crazy. Syndra kept telling her how unsafe it was for her to go back to her realm but she was ready to take that risk, if for no other reason than to feel human again.

  Elora had gone back because she had to go to school and keep the rumors that Cassie had fallen off the face of the earth at bay , not to mention keep Cassie’s mother from freaking out. Cassie was able to call her every day and had gone home one time to keep up the appearance that she was only at Elora’s house, helping Elora get through the difficult time of dealing with memories of her father. Yeah, it was a pretty lame excuse but Sylvia Tate was a very compassionate person and so she was very willing to allow Cassie to be there for her friend as long as her grades didn’t suffer. Elora was bringing her the homework so that she could stay up with her classes but even that wasn’t enough. Cassie wanted to go back. She was in constant
pain from being separated from Trik and her heart hurt over the fact that he hadn’t tried to contact her. She had decided that he must not have felt the way she felt. He had never told her that he loved her and maybe he didn’t.

  Cassie felt her back pocket vibrate and pulled her phone out. Elora had texted her.

  E: Coffee?

  C: Def.

  E: Come there?

  C: Nope, I need out of here. I’m coming to you. Meet you at the coffee shop.

  E: See you there. Bye

  Cassie stared at her phone in shock. Elora had said bye. That was completely out of charact er. For a heartbeat she paused, her gut telling her that something wasn’t right, but then what was right? Cassie was living in a castle in a world not of her own. Things were stressful and maybe Elora was feeling sentimental; yeah and that man in hell who wanted ice water had finally gotten it. Cassie pushed the apprehension from her mind and went in search of a mirror to take her back to her own realm, her own life.

  Cassie smiled at the chime as she walked into the coffee shop. She took in a deep breath of the rich aroma and closed her eyes. Familiar, that’s what she was feeling, and it was a pleasant break from all the unfamiliar things in her life. She opened her eyes and looked around for Elora. She found her sitting at the back of the coffee shop. Once again, Cassie was assaulted with the apprehension that something wasn’t right. She pushed it away again and headed towards her best friend.

  “Hey,” she smiled as she pulled out a chair across from her.

  “Hey,” Elora mimicked.

  “It feels so good to be back in the land of the humans,” Cassie joked lightly. She felt a familiar wave of pain pulsing through her veins and took slow breaths , attempting to get through it without cringing.

  “How are things at school?” She asked trying to distract herself from the pain.

  Elora shrugged. “You know, same old, same old.”

  Cassie noticed that Elora seemed uncharacteristically restless. Usually her friend was unflappable, steady , and completely subdued.

  “Everything okay?” She asked her.

  Elora shrugged again. “I don’t know. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Oh, um, okay.” Cassie’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Elora stand and begin to walk off, not bothering to wait for her. That was more like her friend so she followed, deciding that maybe she was just having an off day. Everyone had off days…right?

  “Elora, where are you going?” Cassie hollered as she watched Elora disappear around the corner of the shop. She quickened her pace and just as she rounded the edge of the building she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck and then blackness engulfed her.

  ~

  Trik knew that Tamsin was doing something to slow his progress as he made his way across the light elf realm. He had been running for weeks, which didn’t really surprise him. Their land was vast and you could run for miles about miles without seeing a single elf. He stopped at the top of a hill and in a loud voice he yelled.

  “Tamsin! I come in peace. I need to see my Chosen please stop hindering me.”

  He waited and the silence was deafening. Finally, after several minutes, he got his response.

  “She needs to heal, let her be Triktapic.” Tamsin’s voice traveled on the wind and seemed to surround him.

  “You know that I can’t do that. I need her and she needs me. Even now I can feel her pain.”

  “And whose fault is that?” Tamsin asked.

  Trik growled a completely inhuman sound. “We all make mistakes, King. You know this.”

  “Some greater than others,” the Light Elf King mocked.

  “Do not test my patience, Tamsin. I do not want to force your submission but I will. If you do not let me see my Chosen, my Queen, I will make you bow before me, before your true King.”

  Trik felt the surprise and the momentary fear that quickly morphed into hope and suddenly Tamsin was standing before him.

  “You spoke with the Forest Lords?”

  Trik smiled weakly. “They found me.”

  Tamsin laughed. “They have a way of getting your attention when you refuse them an audience.”

  Trik nodded. “Yeah, well they definitely got my attention.” Trik’s eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side. “You knew?”

  “I’ve been doing some research. I wasn’t supposed to tell you. The Forest Lords were adamant that it all must be your choice. Even now you have many choices before you.”

  Trik crouched down as he let out a deep breath. More pain, more agony at the separation.

  “I have to see her Tamsin,” Trik confessed with heart breaking honesty. “I’m dying without her and I know she has to be hurting. I need her to know how I feel. I need her to know that,” he tried to finish but the words choked up in his throat. He loved her. He loved her so much that he was drowning in the emotions that were so unfamiliar to him. He couldn’t remember if he had ever loved this deeply before. His mother, a friend? He didn’t think so and he understood why he hadn’t. There was no one else in his life who had ever met the need that Cassie did. She made him a better man. She brought out the good in him and without her he was lost. Without her life was meaningless and the world might as well burn up because Trik would give in to the darkness. He would rip the world apart one piece at a time if he lost his Chosen.

  “I have work to do Tamsin, and I cannot do it without her. She is my everything and she will restore me.”

  Tamsin knelt slowly and his eyes met Trik’s.

  “She is already restoring you. I pledge my fealty to you King Triktapic of the elven race.” Tamsin placed his hand across his heart and bowed his head.

  Trik stood and for the first time in a long time he felt right, like he was where he belonged.

  “Stand King Tamsin, you will not bow to me. You, who never turned from your people, can teach me much.”

  Tamsin stood and nodded, then motioned for Trik to follow him.

  “Come with me.” And then they were running.

  Within a matter of minutes they were before the light elf castle. Tamsin lead Trik into the castle and to the throne room. He sent one of his warriors to get Cassie.

  “Do you think she will see me?” Trik asked in a very rare show of vulnerability.

  “I think that she is hurt and confused, but yes I think she will see you.”

  The warrior Tamsin had sent came rushing back into the throne room and Syndra was on his heels.

  “Tamsin,” Syndra was breathless as she approached her mate. The worry in her eyes put both Trik and Tamsin on edge.

  “Where is Cassandra?” Trik asked briskly.

  The warrior looked from Trik to Tamsin and it was apparent that he did not want to be the one to reveal the news, so Syndra took over.

  “She’s gone.”

  “What do you mean gone?” Trik’s voice was a very soft whisper and the power that had been buried deep began to pulse around him.

  Syndra took a step back, and her mouth dropped open. She immediately dropped to her knee and bowed her head.

  “My King,” she said “It is good to have you back.”

  “Rise Syndra, Queen of the Light Elves, we do not have time for formalities. Where is my Chosen?”

  “She’s gone back to the human realm. We didn’t realize she had left,” Syndra explained. One of the female elves saw her leaving through the mirrors in the bathing rooms.

  “And she did not think that this was information you might need to know?” Trik’s voice began to deepen as his anger surfaced. “Where is the she-elf?”

  Syndra reached out for her subject.

  Ava, the female elf who had seen Cassie leave came rushing into the throne room.

  “You called,” she spoke to Syndra.

  “Ava, how long ago did Cassie leave?” Syndra asked.

  “It’s been four or five days now,” she told them.

  Trik cursed in their language and headed for the reflective walls of the throne room.
/>   “Where will you go?” Tamsin asked.

  “Enigma,” Trik called over his shoulder.

  Syndra and Tamsin hurried after him, both hoping that Cassie was indeed there with her best friend.

  As Trik passed through the wall he pictured Lisa’s store in his mind and emerged into her storeroom. Instantly he knew that Cassie was not there. He closed his eyes and searched for her in the human realm, seeking out her soul. Nothing, he felt nothing and he knew that she was in trouble. Something was blocking her, keeping him from feeling her soul.

  He roared into the small room and Syndra who had emerged behind him reached out to touch his arm gently.

  “We will get her back Trik.”

  “He has her,” Trik growled. “That slime of a King has my Chosen!”

  Tamsin reached out for the leader of his warriors. Within a minute Taegan was coming through the mirror.

  “Liege,” he bowed his head at Tamsin and then to Trik, “My King.” Trik simply shook his head. He was leaking Royal power all over the place and the other elves could feel it. He would worry about the implications of that later Tamsin looked at Trik, his mouth tightened into a thin line. “Who would Lorsan use as his spy now that you are not at his disposal?”

  “Alok,” Trik answered without hesitation.

  “Find him,” Tamsin told Taegan. The warrior nodded and was gone in a flash.

  “I could track him more quickly,” Trik told the King.

  Tamsin shook his head. “You need to visit Lorsan. He needs to know who he is dealing with.”

  Trik laughed. “Oh I imagine he knows already. That is probably what had him move against me.”

  Syndra was quiet and it brought the two King’s attention to her because of her uncharacteristic silence.

  “What is it my love?” Tamsin asked her.

  “I’m trying to reach into the magic of our realm. You know that sometimes the wind will speak. Maybe it can tell us why Cassie left.”

  They waited as Syndra sought out her answers.

  Several minutes later Syndra was rushing towards the storeroom door. She called out for Lisa as she walked into the store.