AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I suspect we do. The traditional dance opening the dance floor comes immediately after the meal,” she reminded me, leaning into my hand. “Though I wouldn’t complain if we skipped it.”
Lowering my lips to rest against her forehead, I kissed it. “Don’t tempt me,” I whispered into her soft curls.
The darkness of the surrounding hedge suddenly shifted, the air sharpened, and magic teased my senses. My senses heightened as I drew on my shadow magic, but I was too late. With a flare of sour-tasting magic, a barrier appeared against the hedge border, spitting and hissing. It burned through the greenery with an acidic scent.
“How precious.” A sarcastic voice cut through the air.
Moving Kate behind me, I flicked my storage open and retrieved my sword. Gathering my magic took more effort, but I summoned it with all my strength as I turned to face my opponent.
Chapter Eighteen
Kate
One moment, Emrys held me in his arms, his deep voice tempting me to flout tradition and run away. The next, he was firmly placing me behind him and blocking me from the view of the interloper. His shadow magic gathered about our feet in a thick cloud of darkness, trailing across the grass and wisping through the air to coil around his person.
But it wasn’t the only power permeating the hedge maze. A sour scent filled my nose as the air thickened, smothering us. My mouth revolted, and I was tempted to spit in the grass to get rid of the taste on my tongue. Instead, I focused on the barrier now hemming us in and the intruder.
“You are trespassing,” Emrys accused the hooded figure standing opposite us. The lethal edge of the weapon in Emrys’ hand undermined the moderate threat in his tone. “Leave.”
“All flash and no power.” The lean man confronting us lowered his hood with dramatic slowness, as though to show his lack of care for Emrys’ threat. Then he lifted his hand and uttered a word. In a puff of smoke, an elven woman appeared behind him. “Much like your sister.”
Fair as Emrys was dark, the elf’s golden-blond hair hung limply about her sunken features. Despite her haggard face, she still possessed a beauty that took my breath away. Soul-aching sadness haunted her eyes. Her attention fixed on my husband. Her lips formed a soundless word as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Alora.” Emrys’ pained whisper confirmed my suspicions. “Release her!” he ordered as he turned to face the magus.
The thin man laughed. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” He twitched his hand, and Alora’s whole body tensed as she grimaced in pain. “I am the one in control here, not you, elf. I could kill her with a flick of my fingers.” His solid black eyes moved, catching the strange yellowy-orange light emanating from the containment spell around the perimeter of the hedge. Then he smirked, releasing Alora, who sagged and staggered but kept her feet. “But I won’t. After all, I have come to bargain.”
“I don’t negotiate with monsters.” Emrys stalked toward the magus, sword in one hand. In the other, a ball of shadow magic glittered gold and silver midst a coil of writhing black wisps through his fingers. “You have stolen my sister and a year of my life.”
He unleashed the magic at the magus, who flicked a finger in Alora’s direction. Alora’s hand rose as she visibly strained to resist the motion. Emrys’ magic snuffed out.
“Your magic is useless against me.”
Without preamble, Emrys blinked out of sight. He jumped from shadow to shade faster than thought. Bursting from beneath the magus, he stabbed his sword at the smaller man’s side, only to be hit with an explosive spell that stank of bitter herbs. Thrown back, Emrys fell to the ground, coughing and gagging. I expected him to roll to his feet and shake off the effects, but to my horror, his skin turned a sickly greenish tinge as his normal warm coloring paled. He scrambled back away from the magus before collapsing, gasping to breathe.
“Now that he is taken care of—” The magus made a great show of turning toward me. “—I can deal with you.” His narrow face widened into a sickly grin. With a fancy flourish of his hands, he produced a ruby-fleshed fruit from the sleeve of his robes. “I have a proposition for you.”
“No.” Emrys’ head lifted as though it weighed of lead. “Leave her…be.” Then he collapsed, sprawling in the grass, each breath rasping painfully loud.
I moved toward him, but the magus cut me off. “Never mind him, my lady.” He oozed overbearing charm as he positioned himself to block my way.
I dodged the other direction, but he was deceptively fast. Beating a hasty retreat, I barely evaded his grasping hand.
“There is nothing you can do.”
“I have nothing you want,” I informed him as we tested each other’s responses. “Let me reach my husband.”
“Aw, young love, how endearing.”
I wove to the side suddenly. He followed, but not before I gained a few feet in Emrys’ direction. His sword lay on the grass a mere step further. Surely if I just reached it, I could delay until reinforcements arrived. Emrys curled up in a ball as another coughing fit ripped through him. It left him gasping and me wondering if help would come soon enough.
A screeching sound followed by a sizzle that made the magus and me jump announced the arrival of three shadow elves. They attacked the barrier from separate directions.
“I am the one you want,” Emrys rasped before coughing so hard my chest ached in sympathy.
“Human.” The magus snapped his fingers to get my attention.
I glared at him, aware of the gathering reinforcements outside the barrier. I glimpsed Favian and other familiar shadow elves, as well as quite a few light elves, including the spymaster, as they passed behind the magus. It was only a matter of time before they got through. I just had to keep the magus away from Emrys.
