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“Take care of my brother and Ayen, Elanil.”
And for the first and last time, I watched and heard the weeping of a friend I would no longer see.
38
It was later than the middle of the night when I crept out of my room and attempted to tiptoe out of my home.
I tried to keep my breathing and my heartbeat as quiet and slow as possible. My spine was straighter than ever, my eyes wide and observant as I looked around me. I feared that if I wasn’t quiet enough or careful enough someone would hear my heartbeat and rise from their sleep.
I gulped thickly as I opened the main door, hesitating to move forward. One step, only one step and I would be outside.
Don’t look back,I told myself. Looking back would only weaken my resolve. It was so easy to leave before, but now it shook my bones simply thinking about stepping outside. I lifted my foot, ready to leave, stilling at the last moment and putting my foot down again.
I needed to leave. It was for the best. Everyone would be safe—most of them wouldn’t remember me. I had to leave.
“What’s stopping you?”
My heart dropped. I spun with wide eyes, limbs frozen and cold sweat dribbling down my neck as I looked around me.
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
It must have been my imagination,I thought, releasing a slow, shaky breath.
“What’s stopping you, little Elf?”
I stiffened again as I searched the space, taking a slow step back when I saw nothing again.
“Would you like to hear a story, little Elf?”
Where was his voice coming from? Where was he? How was he able to see me? How was I able to hear him?
“It won’t be a pleasant one, however.”
“Wh-where…?” I tried to ask as I glanced around, only to realise that my companions were not with me. My shoulders hunched, heart pulsing madly at the realisation. Had they been missing from the beginning?
“The story tells of a lonely beast who waited for his mate.
Too long did he wait that his mercy had begun to run thin;
He was bitter, nightmares and horrors his mind had set to spin
Until he decided to paint her home with fire and hate.
Of course, his mate was to blame, for she was incredibly late,
But, little Elf, how long did she make him wait?”
I sprang out of sleep with a strangled gasp, heat burning my eyes as they darted around my room. Silence. Nothing. My companions were both there, sleeping soundly until I woke them up with my sudden movement.
My heart slammed against my rib cage, my throat tight as I sat up and drew my hands to my head.
I needed to leave. What I saw was a warning. But how? Was it truly a warning or a twisted nightmare my mind had formed?
A warning. It had to be a warning.
And by En of all people…
