After partly avenging her mother's death, Evette Star, the illegitimate daughter of an elven king, sets off on a warpath to find the adversary of her people.
The human King in the West, Dracul Dregoth, has locked himself away in a stone tower for r...
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Evette was born in the fall, her body strong and hardy. She could see the same strength in the seven men that stood around a deep pit in the largest hall she had ever seen. She could feel the coldness of the dirt beneath her boots, and it reminded her that the weather had indeed turned brisk, her eighteenth name day had unnoticeably turned over into the next.
Hundreds of eyes watched as she walked beside Jade and Joseph. Narcisse fell back behind the others, drinking in his surroundings. There were tunnels, and halls, and large round holes burrowed in the high dirt walls that were so far above his head, he felt dizzy when he stared up for too long. It was a great hall, one carved by ancient wolves that had once lived beneath the surface for their entire lives, not once seeing the light of day. They locked themselves away, in fear of what they were and how they could hurt others. They gave themselves the freedom to express their feelings in the murals that spanned around the hall, leaving all to wonder who had decided to carve lifelike people into nothing more than dirt and rock.
Eve felt a shiver claw its way up her spine, and instead of acknowledging it, she instead turned to Jade and whispered, "You can do this, I have faith in you. Just remember what I told you. Stay low, and be quick. They're bigger than you, so they move slower." She rolled her shoulder, wincing at the feeling of soreness that she felt in her shoulder blade. Jade had landed a few punches during the time she spent helping her, and to Eve's surprise, Jade was not as bad as one would have thought. Sure, she was weaker than most, but like Eve, she had the upper hand. She could transform at will, and she held magic as a half Guardian that was unique to her.
"Josia was right. I should leave the fighting to the men," Jade shrugged away, turning back before she would even reach where the crowd gathered. Evette reached for her arm, catching her before she could walk away. "I know most of them. I don't want to hurt them." She said, covering her eyes with her other hand, afraid to look at the seven men standing in the center of the now parted crowd.
"This is not about hurting your opponent because you dislike them, it is about proving to yourself that you can do the things others say you cannot. Violence plays a part, but honor does also. Do you want your brother to be your king? Or perhaps your uncle?" Evette was serious, and her eyes were fierce. She was not about to allow Jade to give in to doubt. Eve saw hope in her teary eyes, and unlike Collin, Josia, and Jamie, there was something about her that reminded Evette of herself. If she let the girl give up, it would be like telling herself to give up, and she could not bear to think about entertaining that thought.
"Collin could be a good leader. If you let go of me, I can let him out of the room we carried him to. Perhaps he is awake now." Jade pulled away, but Evette was not going to let her go.
"No," Evette growled. "Stop trying to run away from me. Instead of making excuses, why don't you look me in the eyes and tell me that you really do not want to do this. Tell me you want to leave the future of this clan in someone else's hands."
