30. Kami

30

Kami

" O z!" I try to free myself from Ries, but he tightens his arms around me and starts a running commentary on the battle.

"I like Malkar's odds better than Oz's."

Crash huffs. "Well, of course. Everyone knows elves are devious. Banshees are just annoying."

The banshee cries from the mist that has thickened around her and Malkar above us. We can still see Oz though. Who is not…dead?

"No shit. The orc is tougher than I'd thought." Ries sounds pleased.

I struggle to see how Oz isn't stuck with that arrow the elf fired, only to see Oz is holding it in his hand. "He caught it?"

"Decent reflexes." Crash shrugs. "We'll see how they do in close combat."

"That's if the elf doesn't go for his dual swords." Ries grins. "Ha. Called it."

I punch his arm. "Hey. Those are our friends. "

He sighs and tucks me under him, so that his chin is resting on top of my head.

I can't lie. I like his warmth, his large body caging mine and keeping me safe.

"I don't have friends, Kami. Even you, as pretty and fuck-tastic as you are, aren't a friend."

"What am I then?" I shouldn't, but I feel hurt by his casual disregard.

"You're a girl friend." He hugs me and leans closer to kiss my cheek. "That's a step up from friend."

I don't know why, but his affection eases me. Fills that void, I guess, left empty by Ahza's passing and the many horrendous things that have happened since then.

Crash gags. "Stop talking, merman. You already had her. You don't need to sweeten the pot again."

Ries rolls his eyes. "Crash and I aren't friends, are we, Crash?"

"Hell, no. We're convenient partners."

"What?" I look at Crash, who really is too handsome for his own good. He's got to have noble blood in him. Which would make him even more annoying than he is now.

I try to squirm free, but Ries isn't having it.

"Convenient partners." Crash sneers. "Partners because it's convenient, not because I like this fucker."

"Totally agree." To me, Ries says, "No, no. Stay put, little dryad. Oz and Malkar can handle themselves." In a louder voice, he adds, "And if they can't, they're no use to us."

Oz lets out a battle roar and charges the elf.

The elf doesn't seem prepared to engage right away, because he only narrowly misses getting his face pounded.

"Did you see that?" Ries leans closer. "Oz is one fast-moving monster. And strong. Stronger than he looks. "

Which is saying something because Oz looks plenty strong to me.

Screams and laughter come from above, so I can only imagine Malkar is toying with the banshee, which relieves part of my anxiety.

But watching the elf and Oz fight scares me. The elf is fast and strong, a warrior more than Oz's equal.

"Come on, Oz. Quit playing around," Crash yells. He turns to Ries. "You can see it, can't you?"

Ries grins.

"What? See what?" I ask.

Crash sighs. "Oz is fucking around instead of pounding the elf. This is no battle. It's an orc workout."

The elf glares at Crash, able to hear from a distance, apparently. Though it's not as if Crash whispered.

That inattention costs him. Oz lifts the elf by his long, pretty black hair and slams him onto the ground. Then he stomps a large foot into the elf's face.

I hear bones snap and cringe.

Ries claps. "That's more like it. But let him up. He's not done yet."

To my astonishment, Oz steps back to allow the elf to get to his feet.

I shout, "What are you doing? He's trying to kill you."

The elf is wobbly for a moment but quickly gathers himself together. He wipes the green blood from his broken nose and cracked jaw and pulls two short daggers from hidden pockets in his trousers.

He slashes at Oz, who dances back and moves with grace. Nimbly avoiding any attacks, he boxes the elf as if in a match. A strike here. A punch there.

The elf howls as Oz flings something our way. I hope it's not an eyeball. The thought makes me want to retch .

Crash fetches it with glee. "A royal ruby. Oh, this is worth something."

"It's covered in blood." I feel ill.

"Oh, good point." Crash washes it in the lake and brings it back, holding it up so the sun will strike it just so. "Grab a few more," he yells to Oz. "Totally worth a gold piece I'll be losing."

"To me." Ries sounds smug. "But then, I knew the orc would decimate this piece of shit. The elf is so slow and graceless. It's embarrassing. I'm sure Beyrthnel is livid with his performance."

The elf starts fighting harder, but his movements are sloppy even to my untrained eye.

Oz keeps giving him chances to fight back, which I don't understand. It only takes one mistake to get stuck and bleed out.

As it is, the elf's blood is running all over the place, making him slippery. A gushing mess that blends with the slick, green grass.

"Oz, finish him," I growl. "I don't like all this blood."

Crash shakes his head. "Spoilsport."

Ries cranes his neck to see me and says the same.

I don't care. I want Oz alive. Malkar too.

Then Oz shows us all why we should never take his lack of magic for granted.

He glances at me, smiles in apology, then turns back to the elf and rips his head off in a motion that seems almost casual.

Crash and Ries rise to their feet, and Ries finally sets me down. Then the idiots start clapping and whistling in congratulations.

"Insane fight. Well done," Ries says when Oz approaches.

I want to hug him, but he's still holding onto the head.

I grimace, and Oz flushes before tossing the head to Crash. "Have at it. But I want that large blue pearl on his left lobe. "

Oz wipes his hands on his pants and opens his arms.

Like an idiot, I launch myself at him, so relieved he's okay.

Crash delightedly removes the jewelry from the elf's ears, tossing a few pieces to Ries as well.

"Come on, Kami." Oz chuckles. "Losing to that guy? I'm not that pathetic."

"But you ran from Rilitar," I mutter, my face stuck in his massive chest. I inhale the sweet scent of life and power from his pores, so glad he's okay.

"Well, not just from Rilitar. From all the sylphs and mages and elves he's got stashed at his place. I can fight well enough one on one. But one against a dozen or more is just stupid."

The mist above us vanishes as a final scream fades to nothing.

Malkar drops like a stone and lands on one knee. He remains, posing as he glances up at me from under a lock of white hair.

We winks and wipes his mouth.

We all stare.

He blinks. "What? Do I have some of her on me?"

I don't even want to know why he might have banshee blood on his lips.

It seems like my companions would rather not know either, because no one asks him anything.

Malkar stands and asks with cheer, "So how much loot did we get out of the elf's head?"

The long knife he apparently won off some ghouls earlier is covered in greenish-blue blood. He wipes it on the grass then tucks it into his trousers.

"So what's next on the agenda?" He picks his teeth with his pinkie. "I'm kind of feeling like a nap."