Revenge of the Elven

Chapter 8

Just as requested Arlan and Kessa were waiting at Varrell's home. The hour was getting late now but she invited them all to eat with her and they agreed each taking on a role in preparing a dinner whilst Varrell took Taeril off to see to his injuries. He had already removed the collar the moment they stepped beyond the threshold of the door. He skulked behind her as she led him away from the others, he was still hunched a little and clearly in pain. She began to remove her armour and motioned he sit on a near chair.

“Where is the pain?” she asked him. He was scowling clearly a little reluctant to let her touch him either.

“My chest but I think it’s just a bruise,” he said.

“Remove your top, I will see to it,” she instructed quite strictly, and he did so but barely net her eyes as he took off his shirt. He appeared embarrassed and she even felt he was blushing and for the first time he looked vulnerable rather than the determined strong elven man she had seen so far even after he had donned the collar, he had not looked quite so vulnerable. Right now, he appeared no more than a boy, but he was a man. She looked at his chest, he had the slim frame if an elf, but she could not help but notice how well defined his lean muscles were. Yes, he was most definitely a man and not a boy. She wondered how he had managed to stay in shape in such conditions as were the other elves. He had some dark bruising to the left side of his ribs. She went forwards and reached out a hand slowly,but he still flinched and recoiled.

“I must touch it to determine how bad your injuries are,”

“I told you it is just a bruise,” he replied tight lipped.

“And I told you I would see, you are so stubborn,” she said frustrated.

“Fine, hurry up,” he barked, and she proceeded to gently touch the bruise and he winced sucking air through his teeth and glaring at her.

“You have at least one broken rib, or it may be cracked,” she said, “you did make quite the impact with that cave wall when the entity struck you,” she said.

“Don’t remind me of such a horrible event, I failed that woman. She is dead because of me,”

“No, she is not. She is dead because those witches and warlocks summoned a dark entity, right? Why would they do that?” she asked as she fetched some ointment to rub on his bruises. Ever so gently she applied the ointment to his injured rib. He was definitely blushing fiercely.

“I had some theories,” he replied vaguely.

“And they are?”

“I do not wish to divulge those to you, I know you already think I’m insane. That is fine, I don’t need your help,” he said.

“Well, you certainly did earlier, you would not have got those elves free,” she said.

“And don’t think I am not grateful I know I do not seem it. My only encounters with your kind are as my oppressors and torturers, “

“What did you go through?” she asked him concerned.

“What happened to that woman, they tried that on us all. They forced us to use our powers but only after we were too weak to even consider using them against them. They corrupted benign spirits turning them into more dark entities. Those dark spirits that came through all those years ago... they are like a disease and they can infect my people just as they can affect other spirits, pure spirits, “

“That’s horrible!” Varrell gasped.

“Yes, it is, and you saw it first-hand with that woman,” he said.

“Alright, I am done now you can stop blushing and put your shirt back on,” she said teasingly.

“Blushing?” he asked, and she laughed.

“You were blushing like a little girl the moment you took your shirt off,” she teased further and then laughed. He saw some humour in her words and his usual scowl turned into a smile with a short laugh. “Oh, so your face does do that, good to know,” she continued with a grin.

“Thank you, Varrell, for... helping me free my people and then seeing to my injury,” he said as he struggled to pull his shirt back on the movement causing pain to his ribs.

“You are welcome, Taeril, you know magic from Kessa can heal up that broken bone,” she said, and he shot her a glare. “Alright, I won’t push it but please bear that in mind and take it slow don’t do anything strenuous for a while. Would you join us for dinner?” she asked.

“No thank you, I could not eat before my people do, I’m sure I have eaten more recently than they have, “ he said.

“Very well,” she smiled at him and he offered a partial smile in return. He was rather handsome; she could not help but think. His golden eyes were far more beautiful than any gem she had seen, and his jawline was a perfect edge. Elves were known for their beauty and good bone structure, but she had never seen anyone look quite so... dare she think perfect. Snapping herself from her daydream she led him through to her kitchens where the others were at work on dinner. Taeril stood awkwardly at the door but he and Arlan still spared one another a glare whilst Varrell collected up plenty of food, she loaded bread into sacks along with fruit and meat wrapped in paper.

“Carry on with dinner I will return shortly. I must help Taeril carry this food and blankets to his people.” Taeril knew he was to put the collar back on now, so he did.

“So that’s the collar you spoke of?” Arlan asked Decan who just nodded once before continuing with his task and Varrell soon left with the elf.

“You have done so much for me,” he muttered as they hit the darkened streets.

“I have only done what I felt was right,”

“Has your feelings towards my people changed any amount after seeing what we suffer?” he asked waiting rigidly for the answer as they walked.

“It is hard to say, I know what I saw was wrong but... that power you have-" he interrupted her.

“is no more dangerous than the powers witches and warlocks have,”

“I meant your natural ability to... work so well with spirits... it seems almost... demonic... working with beings from a world so far from our own? It’s terrifying,”

“Working with spirits is not terrifying, we worked in harmony with each other and any bonding or fusion between us was totally consensual on both sides. The benign spirits had no intention to linger within us they only helped us strengthen and fortify the lands we live in. It was good and so pure until...” he trailed off unwilling to recall those events to anyone just yet. “that power you saw me use... it was not my natural power, it was given to me...” he said, “it is what saved me,”

“How did you remove your collar?” she asked.

“I didn’t... the magic wielders did starve us to weaken us, I pretended they had finally broken me down and when they took me out to try and bind an entity to me... they removed the collar and I saw my opportunity to attack and escape. I am still unsure how I was successful, but I was. A benign spirit bestowed that power upon me... a failed attempt of theirs to corrupt it... but they did kill it,”

“How do you... kill a spirit?” she asked confused.

“Many mistake spirits for lost souls coming through the void, dead people but they are not. Spirits are simply another form of life and one we can only just see with the senses we possess,” he said.

“Wow... that truly is amazing, “

“They are beautiful, they are gentle but the dark ones... they appear in various colours but all with an inky or misty appearance and the colour looks like... dye spilled into a puddle. I cannot think of a better way to describe it,”

“I have only heard of them as dark, not colourful “

“Do not misunderstand colour for colourful there is nothing bright about these creatures.” He said as they drew near to the entrance of the hideout he had found and where his people were.

“I will help you carry this through, and tomorrow, Decan and I will return with more food and more comforts,” she said and followed him through to the tunnel.

“Thank you again, Varrell,” he said but did not offer another handsome smile to her disappointment.

“I hope you manage to get some rest tonight,” she said before they parted ways.