A circle of light appeared around us. It took me a few seconds to figure out that it was formed from multiple balls of light that were being held by … beings … of some kind. As more of these lights appeared, I got a very clear view of what we were facing.
They were tall, much taller than me, some of them even beating Kade, and that was a rare sight. Thin and muscled, it was difficult to tell if there were males and females or just a single androgynous sex. Humanoid in shape, they were dressed in neutral colors; leather, dark and worn, appeared to be the most common material used. It wrapped around their legs, covered their arms, across their bodies in thick armor.
Dante bowed his head. “We need your help. We need safe passage into the dark lands. You protect the entrance.”
They protected the dark lands? They were going to kill us!
I think he means they protect this land from the dark creatures getting out, Kade mentally said. I’m hoping that’s what he meant.
I was hoping that too.
The silence was uncomfortable, and then one of them, an ocher-skinned, ancient-looking … whatever they were … stepped forward. “Elves do not concern themselves in the battle of highborn. You know this. We have one duty — to keep the dark creatures from bleeding out into our land. Why should we help you?”
Elves! Holy shifter babies. We had found the elves! I’d thought they lived in the mountains, according to the gnome’s intel from last time, but clearly some made their home in this dark forest.
Our silent stare-off continued for some time, and since they hadn’t tried to kill us yet, I was going to consider them a potential ally. When the silence extended on, I realized that Dante wasn’t going to speak. When I turned to him and our eyes met, he tipped his head toward Kade and then me. Okay … this must be some kind of protocol. Maybe King Samson wouldn’t allow him to make decisions where the elves were concerned. Maybe only royalty negotiated with elves.
I stepped forward and bowed my head deeply, lower than a queen of her people should, but I wanted to show them respect. We were here, in their territory, asking for help.
“I’m Queen Arianna of the wolf and bear shifters of Earth. We are well met.”
A few of the statuesque creatures nodded their heads. Hopefully that meant it was okay for me to speak.
“You say your task is to keep the dark creatures from crossing into your lands. Well, we are here now to destroy the Dark Fae Lord, thereby ridding the worlds of his darkness completely.” I had my fingers and toes crossed that they were on our side with this, because we did not have time to fight the elves as well.
The elves started to murmur amongst themselves, sharing looks of doubt, mixed with the slightest tinge of fear. After a minute or more of this, my breath caught as the ocher-skinned fae spoke again, his voice stronger: “The task you seek to achieve is impossible. The Dark Fae Lord and his children are born of evil and only evil can eliminate them.” The ground beneath our feet trembled — only the smallest of shakes, but it was enough that my respect for their power increased.
Kade stepped forward, before he flicked the clasps of his case open, allowing the staff to become visible, its dark stone glinting softly in the elves’ lights. He held it high and a swirl of energy started to brew around it.
“We are prepared,” Kade announced, as each elf stared at the weapon with a mixture of awe and fear. “We will fight darkness with our own dark weapon.”
I saw the way their gazes hardened on Kade, like he might now be an enemy they had not expected in their midst.
“How can you wield a dark weapon?” another elf asked, one with a slightly more feminine tone of voice. “We know of none who could touch the dark stone and not be tainted with it.”
Kade’s voice was strong, calm, confident. He was very good at easing the minds of others, because he seemed so very capable. He was capable. “I have a gift for mecca energy. More so than any other bear shifter. My gift is a complement to my bonded mate.” He winked at me. “I can funnel this energy, and keep it from overloading me. It is not easy. I have fallen to the darkness before, but I am learning.”
I wondered if Kade’s gift — which as he said seemed to be a complement to mine — was there because of my dual heritage, being half fae and half shifter, having a tie to both sides of the mecca. Maybe without Kade, without our bond, the power would have driven me crazy, especially when my winter magic was first released within me.
The elves’ faces were now masked into something more ghoulish and warrior-like. But at least it seemed they were contemplating our mission.
Finally they spoke: “We will deliberate. Put that thing away!” Then with a flash of magic they were gone.
Kade bent down and returned the staff to its case, and despite his confidence not two minutes ago, I sensed he wasn’t as in control of the darkness as he believed. The longer he held on to the staff, the more it was wrapping around his energy. He didn’t want to put it back in the case. I could feel that through our bond.
All of that power, it called to him.
Which was making me increasingly worried. But we were so close now. If we could just get through to the dark lands, maybe with the help of the elves, then Kade wouldn’t have to wield it any longer.
I opened my mouth, but Dante moved before I could speak, wrapping his hand lightly across my face. “Speak with caution, they are still here,” he murmured. “They’ve only cloaked themselves for privacy.”
He released me, stepping back into his spot. “So we just wait?” I murmured back to our fae guide.
He nodded, leaning his pack against a tree. “We wait.”
We all sat down and opened our packs, taking a moment to drink some water and to eat a few of the dried snacks. Minutes went by with nothing, and I was starting to get agitated. What were our options if they wouldn’t allow us entrance into the dark lands? After an agonizing amount of time, the elves reappeared out of thin air, just like Violet always did. I had been expecting them to come back, but still, the sudden sign of them made my breath hitch. Kade and I slowly stood.
A slightly smaller — but still well over my height — dark-haired elf with pearlescent skin and a long gray cloak stepped forward. “We will grant you access to the dark lands, and I will be your host for the time you are there.”
Host? Did that mean he was fighting with us, or reporting back to his people our every move? Meh, it really didn’t matter. We were going in.
“Thank you,” I told them as Dante came up behind me and bowed deeply to the elves.
The elf leader, who had done most of the talking, stepped forward. “If injury befalls you in the dark lands, we will not come to your aid.”