Chapter Nine: A Chance to Breathe

Drake collapsed onto the ground, so large that Jack swore he felt the ground shake as the massive vampire lay flat on his back, staring up at the canopy of leaves above with his light red eyes glowing in the darkness of the night. Midnight kept an eye out, an arrow knocked and ready to go as her eyes, the lightest of the three and nearly pink instead of red, scanned the forest for any signs of movement. Jack knelt down and let Elaine get off of him, his body sore and tired from running around for so long in full armor. He took his helmet off, breathing the cool night air unhindered, before gathering some wood and getting a fire started.

Elaine sat next to him at the fire, Drake falling asleep while he had the chance and Midnight moving closer to the fire as she kept watch, her long black hair being picked up and played with by a breeze. Elaine went to speak to him but stopped as she saw the black liquid flowing around him again. She watched as he waved his hand, the black liquid floated through the air, going outwards and past the light of the fire into the night.

Midnight relaxed a bit after seeing this, sitting next to the fire but keeping her eyes on the forest. Jack saw Elaine looking at him with confusion, turning to her and explaining.

"That ability allows me to control a substance that can either be a liquid, a solid, or a gas. I can only create so much at a time, and I need it in either a liquid or gas form to move it around. I just covered the ground surrounding us in it, and will know if anyone or anything steps in it."

Midnight sighed, looking at her hair with a frown while she spoke.

"Good thing too, because I can't see a damn thing in this dark forest. The trees are thick this far in, and block out most of the light from the moon."

Elaine tilted her head a bit, looking at Jack with interest in her emerald eyes, which reflected the dancing flames of the campfire perfectly.

"You control it with your thoughts alone?"

He nodded, finding the one water skin with actual water and handing it to Elaine, along with some berries they had happened across earlier. The elf nodded her thanks as she took them, taking a drink of water and munching on the berries as she continued speaking.

"That sounds...similar to how my magic works. It is used with imagination instead of words or magic circles, but you have to picture what you want it to do clearly and with intent. I have trouble doing it under pressure, but you never seem to get pressured at all."

Midnight scoffed, drinking some blood and wiping her lips before pointing at Jack.

"That's because he is a freak of nature. My heart was pounding like a drum the entire damn time."

Jack said nothing, looking at the fire and trying his best to keep his eyes open. Elaine yawned, blinking as she looked at them and ate her berries.

"I wish I knew how you learned to control your gift so well. I'm sure it would help me use my magic better."

Midnight perked up at this, shooting Jack a smirk before getting the elf's attention.

"I think that is a great idea. With magic that can be used in any way you can think of, you would not need anyone to protect you. I am sure Jack would be delighted to help you out."

Jack glared at her, seeing Elaine look at him with her large eyes filled with awe and joy.

"Could you, Jack? I would feel better if I could at least help you three somehow."

The look she was giving him reminded him of a puppy begging for food, and even he found it hard to outright say no, shooting Midnight a look before slowly answering her.

"It would be...boring and repetitive. Not nearly as fun or exciting as you think it would be."

He saw that she was not swayed in the slightest, sighing and giving in as he held up a finger. She looked at the finger in confusion as he willed his ability to work, some of the black liquid rising from the ground and forming into a small orb at the end of his finger.

"We will start of simple. Do what I just did, and see how long it takes. Then simply keep doing it until you can do it in a few seconds. Once you can create an orb that fast, we will move on to the next step."

Elaine looked into his eyes and gave him a warm smile, Midnight smirking as he felt heat rise to his face. He turned away, saying nothing, as the elf lifted her finger, her brow furrowing as she concentrated. Like when they first met, her hand glowed brightly with her golden mana, and slowly an orb formed in front of her. She sighed once it was done, the orb fading away as she took a breath and tried again. It took her nearly ten seconds to create the orb, far too long to be useful in a fight, and he closed his eyes and slept while she kept at it for the rest of the night.

He underestimated how tired he was, and had completely passed out until he felt himself being shaken gently, eyes shooting open as his hand grabbed the grip of his sword. He saw Elaine looking down at him, the elf barely able to stay still as she bounced in excitement, her blonde hair bouncing along. He rubbed his eyes, seeing that the sun was beginning to rise before turning to the elf.

"What is it?"

She beamed at him, saying nothing as she lifted her finger. He watched as her hand glowed golden once again, and in seconds an orb formed at the tip of her finger, even faster than he was able to make one with his ability.

She released the spell, bursting with happiness and pride as he tried his best not to chuckle at the sight, her cheerful mood almost contagious.

"Did you stay up all night? How are you not tired?"

She blushed again, looking away and playing with her hair.

"Well, you were c-carrying me most of the time...and I might have...dozed off a couple t-times. It was...comfortable."

She was beat red by the time she finished, refusing to meet his gaze. He nodded, not wanting to embarrass her anymore as he stood up and stretched. He grabbed his helmet and slid it back over his head, looking over and seeing the elf pout for a second before she looked away again. He shrugged, not having any idea what that was about, before going over to Drake and kicking the large vampire in the ribs.

"Get up; we rested too long, and need to get moving."

Drake grumbled at him while he stomped the embers of the campfire, making sure it was nothing but ashes before seeing Midnight walk back to them, holding two rabbits she had hunted while they slept. They all got up and got everything ready, the vampires making sure they had everything covered in preparation for the morning sun, before Elaine climbed onto his back and they set off again, going at a slower pace so that they could keep an eye out for enemies.

Drake looked over at them, grinning behind his mask as he pointed to Elaine.

"Is it me, or is she falling asleep? Someone is getting comfortable."

Jack said nothing, used to Drake's jokes by now, but Elaine squeaked and blushed again. Jack nearly groaned when Midnight joined in, not wanting to be left out.

"You should have seen her last night, giving him doe eyes until he gave in. For someone so innocent, she sure knows how to use her looks to her advantage."

Jack skidded to a stop, frowning as the others slowed down, giving him odd looks.

"It was just a joke, Jack; no need to..."

Midnight stopped when she saw he was not looking at her or Drake, Jack slowly pointing at the trees before responding.

"We are surrounded."

They both spun around, eyes growing wide as the elves slowly revealed themselves, their bows drawn and aimed at the vampires. One by one they slowly leaned out from where they were hiding, until they counted over twenty elves, all of them in the trees and aiming arrows at the group with their intent to do them harm so strong that Jack could nearly taste it. He slowly let Elaine down and raised his hands, hoping that the princess was right and that they would not shoot them with her there.