Ch.17

What happened next took only a few seconds, but those few moments seemed to stretch on forever. The elf knelt, looking as surprised as Evander. When the man saw him, however, his shock turned to anger.

"Evander?" he blurted out in surprise. "Is that you?"

It seemed impossible; the elf didn't even resemble him—except, of course, for the mark on his face. Evander couldn't process what was happening, or whether it mattered at all. The elf moved forward, grabbing Evander by the throat with one hand and lifting him from the floor, his hand so strong and sure he wouldn't have believed it possible.

"Where is she?!" the elf shouted, causing Evander to tremble as he raised him higher still. "I've been looking for you!"

The man's voice echoed down the hallway, bouncing off the stone walls. Then, without warning, the elf threw him against the far wall and pinned him there with the strength of his forearm. He gasped, clutching at the cold stone, the pain shooting through his left arm.

"Who are you?" the elf demanded again, his voice calm but deadly.

Evander didn"t answer. Instead, he screamed.

His scream cut off sharply, when Arelia tackled the elf. She knocked the man's arm aside, sending him sprawling onto the floor. As he stared in horror at the woman straddling his prone body, his eyes filled with tears.

She rolled off him quickly, then stood up to regard him. "You . . ." She shook her head as if to clear it, and stepped away from the bed. Evander tried to say something, but a hand gripped his throat tightly, and he cried out, unable to form any words. The elf struggled, trying to reach Arelia, but Evander was so frightened, he could barely breathe.

Then, abruptly, the elf's grip released, and Evander found himself gasping for air. "Arelia," he whispered in gratitude. When the elf did not immediately speak, he realized he had been shouting in his own defense. His eyes widened as he looked up, back toward the bed. "I wasn"t talking to you."

Arelia stood over him, smiling. He clutched her arm, which she allowed. There was a soft look upon her face, one he would never forget. In that moment, he would have given everything for her. Then, too, he knew exactly why he was here, and what had been happening, before he even took another breath.

"Please," he begged. "Someone help me!"

The elf began struggling, fighting to get back up. Arelia brought an arm around Evander's waist, then threw him away from her. He tumbled into a pile of clothes near the wall, losing consciousness almost instantly.

The elf rose up from where he had fallen, eyeing Evander carefully. He had caught sight of Ivi as well, and she raised an eyebrow curiously, her gaze shifting to the man.

"Hey, Ardi." Ivi spoke softly, giving no warning as she came closer. Her expression changed from curiosity to anger, however, when she saw who his companion was. "What is that?"

***

For some reason, she wasn't surprised to see the elf again. Indeed, perhaps it shouldn't have been unexpected at all; if someone had tried to kill her once, they were probably going to try again.

Her anger toward Evander hadn't dimmed in the slightest, though. There was little doubt in Ivi's mind that he had caused her pain, and she felt like she was justified in striking him just now. Even though he looked different, she could clearly picture how he had pressed his lips to her own. It was nothing but a memory, of course, and so she put the encounter behind her and focused on their new problem, focusing her energy instead on the elf.

He had grabbed Evander by the throat with such force that it might have broken the bones, but there had been enough strength left in the elf to stagger him nearly backwards onto the floor. He released him a moment later, sputtering as he struggled for air.

"You . . ." Evander whispered. He couldn't finish the words, however, coughing instead. The elf turned to face the woman, and his eyes widened when he finally recognized her.

"Ivi!" he blurted out. Then, "That can't be you!"

"No," she said softly, yet the anger that lingered in her voice was palpable. "It's not."

Evander reached out to take hold of her arm, then hesitated. "Arelia is your name?"

The elf nodded slowly, still shocked to recognize her. "Ardi, yes." Then, he shook his head, realizing the implications. "What happened? How did you get here?"

She shrugged. "I found a way in from the outside, and followed you." Evander gasped again as Arelia placed a hand against his forehead.

"No! You can't!" he screamed. "Ardi, don't do this to me! Please!"

Her attention drifted away from him, drifting instead to the elf. Ardi could sense he was angry, but also curious, perhaps even confused, and so she faced him. "Is there something else bothering you?"

The elf didn't answer her; instead, he glanced away, causing her to scowl. A moment later, he spun around and stared back toward the bed.

"What do you want with him?" Arelia demanded.

"Nothing," he replied, looking uncomfortable now. He glanced at Evander as he spoke. "That is, I mean, he hasn't done anything wrong . . . I'm simply trying to find him."

He was lying, but Arelia knew enough about the elf's kind to know that it made little difference. Perhaps they were liars. Perhaps not. She wasn't sure. What mattered more than his words, however, was what he didn't say—he'd called Evander by his given name, not his title. In a way, that seemed to indicate that he cared for the man on some level, which in turn suggested to her that he was not without mercy.

"Where is Evander being held?" Arelia asked.

Ardi began backing away. "That's my business," he snapped.

She pursued him. "And he knows nothing about this? Or you?"

"I keep my secrets. This one should stay buried."

"Unless he remembers. Unless he speaks up. If that happens, I would rather your identity remained safe. Now, if you do remember—"

"No. I won't tell you anything. Please don't hurt him! I promise!"

"You have no choice in the matter," Arelia said coldly. She glanced over her shoulder at Evander, then returned her gaze to Ardi. "Get out of here. If you want to kill someone, let it be me."

To his credit, the elf only hesitated a moment before stepping around her. Then, he left her behind, and closed the door once more.