Chapter 50 | Corym

Chapter 50

Corym

WE HOODED THE GIRL , much to her chagrin, and brought her through the Delf'avernin Forest—a wood I hadn't traipsed through in quite some time.

This woman was a curiosity, certainly. She had strong features, a beautiful if not angry face, and ears that resembled ours. So did her hair, her eyes.

Yet all of it was a bit off. Tilted in the wrong direction—black marring the silver in her mane, ears half the length of ours, yellow eyes flecked with gold and red.

She clearly had the blood of our people inside her. Ljosalfar essence, however faint, was burrowed deep within this one.

Which was why we would not kill her immediately.

I could not explain the draw I felt toward this half-human woman. It was the first curiosity I'd found since my people had made our return to Midgard.

I knew many of my company wished we had killed her and been done with it. Some of them looked at me askance as we traveled through the woods, and I had no doubt they would challenge my leadership before too long. It was our way.

I likely should have obliged when it came to the human man this woman had been too weak to finish off herself. Logaithn was correct when he warned about them seeing our faces.

The young man would likely return to his military school and tell everyone about what he'd found.

Half the people would not believe him. The others, the wiser folk, would believe him . . .

And that was all right with me.

Let them come. It was why we had returned to Midgard, after all.

We certainly wouldn't be bringing a bloodless human like him to our camp. A traitor to his own people. I told Logaithn as much, though I wasn't sure he heard my words.

Our hunt had gone successfully, clearing our grounds of nearby invaders. It was the humans' dumb luck to travel through the region we now called our own. Though, when it came to this treacherous race, I knew luck never played a part in it.

We returned to our northern camp an hour after leaving the blood-streaked meadow. The women of our camp welcomed us back with smiles and fierce embraces.

For the women, they could not wait for us to return to Alfheim.

Deitryce asked me when we arrived, "Did you find the Ancient One?"

I shook my head, frowning at her hopeful face. "We did not. We come with something else, however."

I gestured toward the hooded girl at my side.

Deitryce furrowed her thin brow. "What is it?"

"A human woman."

She flared her nostrils. "Disgusting."

"And part elf."

Deitryce flattened her features, pouting. "Not quite as disgusting."

I laughed and took our captive's shoulder. She tried to yank it away, but when I grabbed it a second time she did not resist.

I ripped the hood off her face, and she breathed heavily, face flustered in a peculiar shade of red.

"Had I known you were going to take me prisoner, I would have told you to kill me along the creek, elf."

Her voice was spiteful, filled with rage.

I understood why, since the man she had so clearly loved had betrayed her. I didn't need to know this woman, or the pretty human at the creek, to understand their feelings for one another.

I couldn't fault her for her rage.

"You are not our prisoner," I said. Even as I said it, I walked her toward our corral. It was a closed-off space where we could talk.

I stared down at her once we were alone. "I am Corym E'tar." My hand remained on her elbow. She looked down at it. Slowly, I removed my grasp.

"Ravinica Lin . . . deen."

I tilted my head. "Why do you hesitate when introducing yourself to your liberator?"

She scoffed. "Liberator?"

"Looked like you were shackled when we found you." I shrugged. "Am I wrong?"

Ravinica dipped her chin, the red hue of her face turning pink. "I hesitated because some people call me ‘Linmyrr,' even though it was never a name I was given. It means—"

"Daughter of Lin, bastard, swamp-born."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know?"

I gave her a small smile. "Elves know much about the ways of humans. More than humans know about elves, I suspect."

She nodded slowly. "You're damn right about that."

Silence fell between us in the glade we called a camp.

There were only sixteen of us in our raiding party—far too small for an army. We were a vanguard force, tasked with staking out our enemy's movements and positions.

"I have so many questions," she said, lifting her head. "Why are you here? How are you here? Do you mean to bring war to my people? What—"

I put a hand to her cheek, the first bare touch of my skin against hers. A jolt of something ran through me, surprising me, yet I fought it off.

"Peace, lunis'ai ," I said, ignoring the strange sensation. "In time, perhaps you will learn all. For now, we eat."

I turned to leave the corral.

"Can I at least ask why you've taken me?"

I wheeled around slowly. "Don't leave, and you will learn that, too." Then I smiled at her.

Something like anger passed over her face, and she knotted her hands into fists at her sides.

Then her eyes blew wide, and she flinched with a start.

My brow threaded together, confused at her sudden change—the shock showing on her face.

Her breathing came shallow. Her mouth fell open.

Ravinica lifted her fists up from her sides, and slowly opened her palms.

Sparks of fire danced on her fingertips.

"Gods fucking save me," she whispered to herself breathlessly.

I took a step toward her. "What is it, Ravinica? Is something wrong?"

She showed me her palms, where the lines within them were grooved with fiery energy, glowing.

"My inherent magic has awoken."

To Be Continued!