“I deplore violence in all its forms,” said Elliot. “But she’d kick your ass.”
“Why wait until Serene’s here?” inquired Louise, coming in late and mussed with her dark-haired friend, who would have been very pretty standing beside anyone but Louise. “I’ll kick both the brats off the tower as soon as dinner’s over.”
Louise spoke with friendly menace, and Rachel hit Adam’s hand when he reached for more food with a spoon. Neal and Adam didn’t pursue an argument, but Elliot saw their darkling look at him when he spoke, and knew they did not like him.
He hadn’t expected them to.
The next day Elliot figured that Luke would probably wish to do one of the awful things he enjoyed, something outside involving weaponry, and so like an excellent and considerate guest he decided to entertain himself.
Since he was pretty sure Luke would expect him to be in the library, Elliot acquired a book and cunningly hid out of doors. He wandered around the woods for a little while until he found a tree that he thought looked appropriate and comfortable, then carefully stowed his chosen book into his hoodie and climbed up into it.
He was reading peacefully for an hour or so in the green-glowing quiet, until he heard the sound of twigs snapping underfoot and bodies shoving through the undergrowth. He looked down and saw the glint of two blond heads, and Adam Sunborn looking up at him.
“Well, well,” he said. “Look, Neal. There’s a snotty little bird up in a tree.”
“That’s not a terribly good insult,” said Elliot. “The mixed metaphors, with the bird and the snotty thing, it doesn’t work. Maybe if you’d just called me obnoxious. Wait, I’m sorry, should I define obnoxious for you?”
He was not terribly surprised when Adam grabbed one of the lower-hanging branches. He expected him to climb up, but instead Adam shook it violently. Elliot clutched his book protectively and fell out of the tree.
Falling out of the tree was extremely unpleasant. A branch bashed him on the face on his way down, he hit his head, and his whole body felt jarred by the stupid ground. Elliot levered himself up on one elbow.
“Wow,” he said, tasting blood in his mouth. “That was a witty retort. I certainly have learned the error of my ways, and that I should hold you in far higher regard!”
Adam strode toward him, and Elliot was just considering whether he was going to get punched or kicked when Luke emerged from the trees and knocked Adam off course.
“Where have you been?” Elliot demanded.
“Looking for you!” Luke snapped back. “How was I supposed to know you were off hiding in trees, you lunatic?”
“Don’t be rude to me when you’re rescuing me, loser,” Elliot told him. “That’s terrible manners. You’re the worst.”
Luke made an incoherent sound of rage, which for some reason seemed to encourage Adam Sunborn, who moved toward Elliot. Luke held up a hand.
“You’re not doing it!” said Luke. “Where’s the honor in hurting someone who’s not as strong as you? What does that prove?”
“It might stop him being such a brat,” Adam suggested.
“Doesn’t,” Elliot contributed. “This is not the first time somebody’s ever wanted to punch me in the face.”
Luke frowned for some reason, but supported him by saying: “That is obviously true. He’s extremely annoying.”
“See, you two are not original souls. Kids at my old school used to hit me all the time, I have collected the data on this subject, and I am in the perfect position to tell you that it has no useful results whatsoever. It just means I’m bleeding as well as annoying.”
“Also, the value of someone does not rely on their ability to hurt others,” said Luke. “You guys aren’t proving you’re better than him if you knock him out of a tree.”
Neal’s lip curled as he looked down at the ground where Elliot was still lying. It didn’t seem a great idea to get up, when the two Sunborn cousins were obviously dying to knock him down again, plus his head and his face hurt. Elliot touched his mouth, and his fingers came away red.
Neal said: “What value does he have, exactly?”
Luke had to give it some thought, which Elliot found offensive. Eventually, he said: “He’s clever about some things. And he makes up songs.”
“No, I don’t,” said Elliot, even more vastly offended.
“Yes, you do,” said Luke. “You sang the song to me and Mum.”
“That was not my song,” said Elliot. “That song belongs to the Beatles.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Elliot, beetles do not write songs.”
“Uh, do you guys mind?” Adam demanded.
“Oh, I’m sorry, are we not paying enough attention to you loathsome weasel bullies?” Elliot inquired. “Do you feel your dignity as someone who pushes little kids out of trees is somehow being slighted?”
“You’re not a little kid, Elliot,” said Luke.
“I’m considerably below average height!” Elliot snapped.
“Oh my God, what a little snot,” exclaimed Adam, and surged forward. Luke was suddenly in his way, pushing him back with a small shove that obviously made Adam more mad.
Violence was like that, Elliot had noticed. One move toward it and all at once everything was allowed: anyone could be hurt, out of a mix of pride and anger and stupid disregard for the fact that you could be hurt as easily as someone else.
“You think you can take both of us?” Adam asked.
A corner of Luke’s mouth kicked up. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I really think I can.”
Neal started forward, then stopped abruptly because the end of a whip had sailed out from among the trees and curled itself around his wrist.
“I do not like to hit a gentleman,” Serene said, emerging from behind a screen of leaves, “but since you are responsible for shedding the blood of the defenceless, I am prepared to make an exception.”
“Serene!” Elliot exclaimed. “You’re here! And you’re my hero!”
He was fully prepared to swoon.
“You’re the elf girl, then?” asked Neal Sunborn.
“I am Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle. Keep a civil tongue in your head or lose it.”
Neal and Adam stared at her.
“Are you going to make your name known to me, knaves?” Serene asked dangerously.
“Neal Sunborn,” said Neal, getting a look that Elliot had seen before on the faces of boys in the war-training course about to be soundly beaten by Serene: both hunted and smitten. “This is my brother, Adam.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Elliot said conversationally to Luke. “If they’re your mum’s sister’s kids, how are they Sunborns too?”
Serene frowned. “It makes perfect sense. Of course the children bear their mother’s name. The woman is the strong one, who bears the child and begins the family. You can’t be sure who any child’s father is.”
Elliot considered. “That’s a good point, actually. It’s why the Egyptians married their sisters.”