Revenge of the Elven

Chapter 18

Taeril had removed his shirt but was still just standing there looking at the Karimek orb as though frozen as though deep in thought. He was nervous, that much was clear, but had he completely stopped his actions in this fear? Varrell’s own nerves increased as she looked at him and then he suddenly dropped to the ground on his hands and knees. He looked up to her.

“I cannot… I was so young when I was with my clan but… I thought my natural powers would enable me to do this, I do not know what to do,” he cried.

“What exactly is this thing?” she asked him.

“These orbs can trap entities. Though it is not a usual process but occasionally the darkness within the soul of an elf can corrupt the entities, it simply depends on the elf,” he said. “That was the purpose of these, I was planning on sending what remains of the entity within me into this orb to stop the magic wielders from discovering it if they were to perform any kind of test upon me, I felt it was safer to do this.” He said and then reached for the Karimek orb and as he did so he cried out as though in pain dropping the Karimek orb to the ground and suddenly a light erupted from the orb and went straight for him striking him directly in the chest and he cried out throwing his head back arching his back and Varrell stood from her chair, but she dared not touch him as he fell forwards once more to his hands crying in pain. She involuntarily clasped a hand to her mouth; her eyes wide in terror; his wide with pain and the light from the orb lit his eyes. Varrell was trembling as she watched and found her knees became weak and no longer able to support her weight, so she dropped to them instead but was now at the same level as Taeril. She watched as he seemed to fail crumpling and falling to his side still writing in pain until the light disappeared around him and was only shining in the orb. The orb was no longer black but Taeril no longer moved. She went to him immediately as it looked like he was not breathing. As she reached him, he began to move slowly and then he suddenly flung his arms around her clinging to her taking her completely off guard since he would usually recoil from any contact. He was trembling and she soon realised it was as though he had not intended the action of reaching her for an embrace, but she still offered her arms as comfort. He suddenly recovered himself and released her and held an arm around his ribs.

“Oh yes, your injury, you were…” he silenced her with slowly holding up a hand and he stood with staggered movements, Varrell trying to help him but back to his usual self he recoiled and rejected this physical contact. “You appeared… unhindered by it before,” she said as she noticed he was now hunching again and holding his arm around his ribs where it seemed he had sustained a cracked or even broken rib at the battle with the dark entity in the caves. He used a near table to steady himself but was hunched over it; all his pain returning.

“The entity… the one I fused with… healed me but now… it is no longer part of me my injury returns,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You mean by it leaving you it… unhealed you?” she asked.

“Something like that, I do not think it is broken, I am in pain but if my rib was broken, I feel the pain would be worse,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Are you… able to come?” she asked.

“I have no choice, it could prove more dangerous not to, for us both,” he said meeting her eyes with his golden ones.

“I am sorry, Taeril, I will protect you,” she said.

“You cannot protect even yourself from them, they are the governors of this city,” he replied and straightened up a little. “I… think I am ready,” he said and Varrell went to find Kessa, she was in the next room and stood eagerly at Varrell’s entrance.

“Is he alright?” Kessa asked and Varrell nodded, “I am pleased… are you alright?” she asked.

“Not really,” Varrell replied and then Kessa walked to her holding out a metal collar.

“I had an elf in my clinic once before, she died, she was… gravely injured and I had tried to save her but… I could not. Anyway, after she died I took her collar, nobody came to claim her so I buried her myself,” she said, “I have this for Taeril, I have imbued it with a binding spell, he will have to wear it and I will remove it after,” she said meeting Varrell’s equally uncertain eyes.

“He will not wear that, he will not trust you to remove it,” Varrell said already hearing his words before he spoke them.

“Well, we can only see, can’t we?” Kessa replied taking the lead and going to the elf in the next room. She handed him the collar and he accepted it, but his eyes held distrust as he did so.

“Where did you get this?” he asked her.

“I treated an elf here once, she sadly died, and I took her collar to try and work out how to nullify the magic within it. I was successful,” she informed, and his eyes lit up for a moment and they both knew what he was thinking but he also refrained from speaking his thoughts.

“If the magic has been nullified, then what difference is it to the one I already have? What have you done to it?” he asked her.

“I have applied a binding spell to it, I will remove it as soon as you return,” she said, and he slammed it to the table beside him.

“I knew it!” he hissed, “this is some trick, this is to get a collar on me again! Are you volunteering me as the murderer, Varrell? Are you then going to lead them to where my people are hiding?” he yelled.

“What would be the point, young elf?” Kessa asked him. “What would be the point?” she repeated her question. “Why would she not have turned you in before instead of helping you free a dozen more elves? Use that brain of yours, please,” she said, and he calmed.

“I can’t… I won’t,” he muttered looking fearfully at the collar.

“Taeril, please, trust us,” Varrell urged, and he met her beautiful brown eyes. “Please, I have promised to protect you, I will do so,” she said and there was no mistaking the sincerity in her words. He sighed and reluctantly took the collar slowly bringing it to his neck and then faltering taking it away again; sucking in his breath as though he was bracing himself in preparation of cutting off one of his own limbs. He drew in another deep breath and tried to compose himself attempting it one more time. He did it. The collar clapped around his neck and he let out a sound almost like a grimace as he felt it and its magic take him; he was bound and powerless once more. He looked at Kessa and then to Varrell, a different kind of pain in his eyes now.

“Let’s go,” he said wanting this over with as quickly as possible.