✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

57

Elmer tsks and tilts his head at me, the movement purely predatory. "Such bold promises, little Halfblood."

"Is your father here?" I ask, stepping away from Elmer to give myself a second of rest. "Or is he hiding away in his palace like a coward?" The last sentence comes out a growl, one that has Elmer's eyes lighting up with wrath.

He lashes out again, but instead of trying to stab me he knocks my sword out of my hand and, in a blur so fast I can barely keep up with it, grabs me. His hands pin mine uselessly to my side as he pulls me against him, my back to his chest, and faces the battlefield below. Screams and the clangs of blades call up to us, the battle raging violently in the moon-lit darkness. I squirm, trying to free my arms, but to no avail. I even try headbutting him, but his head is tilted away from me and I end up snapping my neck backwards into air instead.

"Look," He says forcing me to look down. "You're losing, Mia." I can hear the grin in his words, and my curiosity gets the better of me as I glance down.

To my horror, he's right.

More Cin soldiers are coming from the treeline, and the number of white armor I see is diminishing quickly. I refuse to let tears spring into my eyes, no matter how much I might want to. I had never let myself think of what might happen if we lose.

Grunting, I kick and twist as hard as I can. When Elmer finally lets me go he shoves hard. My body careens towards the edge of the branch, and dread twists in my gut as I slip off the side, plummeting down. I scream, covering my head as I fall. Luckily there is a branch below me that I try to land on. More accurately, I slam onto the rough bark, my armor doing almost nothing to shield my ribs from the impact. My side screams in pain, something broken. Then I'm on the edge of the branch again and I'm slipping, slipping off-

no no no no-

There is nothing below me this time, just the battlefield.

Straining in effort, the cut on my arm starting to throb, I manage to catch myself before I can completely fall. I cling to the divots in the wood, feet hanging below me, as Elmer drops down gracefully. I clench my teeth as sweat drips down my spine. I desperately try to pull myself back up, but the armor makes me heavier. Elmer stalks over, crouching down above me. This is literally my worst nightmare. I'm helpless. I want to use the stone, but I've been using it for hours. My energy with it is near drained, and it's already red hot from all the power I've drawn. But it might be my only option.

"I've always wondered," Elmer says, reaching his sword out to rest just under the Heartstone, "what this fabled stone looks like." His eyes grow hungry as he pushes his sword into my chest plate. I can feel the bark of the tree cutting into my elbows through my sleeves as I try to hold on. I let out a harsh, painful breath as I can feel every muscle in my arms and back straining to keep me holding on.

"Doesn't seem like it can do much," Elmer muses, smiling at me.

"Oh it can," I say, my voice strained. I draw on the power again, ignoring the heat that seeps through my armor onto my chest."Wanna see a cool trick?"

I spit into his face, but the spit comes out as hot as lava. Elmer screams, backing away and bringing his hands up to his face. Finally, I swing my leg up and roll onto the branch, arms shaking in exertion. But I waste no time grabbing an opal knife, striding up to Elmer, whose eyes have just about melted right off, dripping in red streaks down his face. I try not to gag or stumble as I bring my knife up, inserting power into it, and drive it through his chest plate. The Heartstone lights up the blade, allowing it to sink through the armor like a knife through butter.

The knife comes back out easily, and as Elmer stumbles back I watch him. There are no eyes left to see the light fade from, but I see his mouth hang open uselessly. I see his limbs start to go limp. Reaching a single gloved finger out, I push on his chest and watch him fall off the edge, disappearing into the mass of bodies far below.