The Elf Thief

Chapter 13:The Guardian

Chapter 13 The Guardian

(A/N Yay! Another chapter! Goldenbird7...you're awesome. Enjoy!)

Sonya froze when she felt a cold wind rush through the cavern.

A masculine voice came from behind her, "Good, I have not had visitors in a long time, and they never stay long."

Forgetting about Dearekk's and her previous fight, Sonya whirled around, only to find the icy eyes of a huge, white lion peering back at her from the shadows. Biting back a scream, she stumbled away, falling backwards. As she scrambled away, she saw Dearekk fall to the ground, pale as the white lion's pelt.

As much as she hated to admit it, this half-elf was her only way out. If she thought she didn't need him, she would have left Dearekk behind her in a second. "What did you do to him? That boy is my way out!" she snapped.

"I did not do anything to him," the lion growled, slightly irritated, "The fool spoke in the tongue of the Broken, a language no creature should think, let alone speak. That is what summoned me here." He stalked towards her, and smelled the air. "You are not lovers," he said, almost surprised, "what are you doing in the Lovers' Path?"

"Escaping," a feeble voice spoke behind her. Dearekk sat up, his hand to his head. "If headaches could kill..." he muttered under his breath.

The massive beast cocked its head sideways, "From where would you wish to escape?" he asked, seeming genuinely puzzled.

Dearekk opened his mouth to answer, but Sonya quickly cut him off. "That is none of your concern," she spit out, glaring at the lion.

That turned out to be the wrong answer. Immediately the lion seemed to grow in size and the cavern's temperature dropped even more. Sonya's teeth began to chatter and she could see her breath in the air before her. "You dare deny me in my own realm?" the white beast boomed. "Know this, elf, you left Zauluke the moment you stepped into this tunnel. Do not try to defy me in the dominion I created."

"We were trying to escape the castle," Dearekk quickly said, shooting a glare at Sonya. She just rolled her eyes as she tried to get her heart to beat again.

The lion furrowed his eyebrows in an almost human-like expression. "Why would you want to escape the castle if you are not lovers?"

Sonya let out a snort, "Where have you been the last fifty years?" she mumbled, then let out a yelp as an icicle fell from the ceiling and shattered right next to her. The white lion glowered at her.

Suddenly a sharp pain ripped through Sonya's skull and she fell to her knees. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dearekk let out a yelp and clutch his head in pain. Memories from the last couple of days seemed to be wrenched from her mind. Fighting Dearekk in the fog, seeing Remaduce, the King ambushing them in the courtyard, his glowing red eyes as the diamond sword shattered, all came forth unbidden as if they were being draw to something.

When the pain stopped, the white lion spoke. "I see," he rumbled then turned to the two companions. "This is a dark day indeed, you have seen things that you do not understand, things that have been kept secret since the Era of Dusk."

Suddenly the lion began to howl. It rang through the cavern like the howl of a wolf to the moon. The muscle sinew began ripple and shift, changing until a white wolf with a mark like a star on its forehead. Sonya couldn't help but let out a shriek as she watched the transformation.

"I hate it when that happens in front of guests," the wolf/lion sighed.

"What are you?" Sonya squeaked out. She had seen a lot of things, witnessed deep magic but nothing she had ever seen even compared to this.