After awakening in an unfamiliar fantasy world, a Canadian trauma nurse allies with a mysterious elf king to save his world from the shadows that feast on its inhabitants.
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Death is no stranger to ER nurse Nessa. Little does she know she's going...
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Ryal flinched.
"It won't be long now before the flames overtake the palace," Hern smirked, glancing at his three prisoners.
It was clear he enjoyed the suffering he inflicted on them, because deep wounds and dark bruises covered Ryal, Hannah, and Enal. Ryal and Enal were still quite conscious, but Hannah's body was limp, her eyes only open a crack. Blood crusted on her lips, and every so often she would try to wet them to regain some moisture. Bruises covered her face and body, showing major trauma and internal bleeding. Her greying hair was erratic and out of its usual tidy bun to rest around her weathered face.
"Hold on, Hannah," Enal whispered, her face contorted with concern and sadness.
"How much longer do you think they will be, Hern?" The tall Elven woman looked at her companion in question.
"Hopefully not too much longer. I grow weary of keeping these ones alive. Everything is in place for what you have planned, Mistress." Hern smiled, clenching the long black claws that had replaced his fingers. "Much of the city is ours, and the darns roam freely, feasting on whatever is left."
"The barrier is very thin, Hern. I can feel how much power is accessible." The woman smiled, her dark lips turning upwards in excitement. "The world of dreams is so close. It won't be long until both worlds are linked and will become one and the same." She lifted her hand and watched as it flickered, becoming transparent for a moment. "They have gifted me with power I could have never imagined."
"Why do this?" Ryal spat, his eyes lit with a fiery anger. "Why not just kill us?"
"Because," she responded in an icy cool tone, "keeping you alive is what will bring them to us."
"Why does the human matter so much?" Enal asked, her eyes dark.
"She matters more than any of you in this room. She holds the very last of the blood of the Uynare. She is the last connection the tree has to the sun. If we can break that, the barrier will fall, and the darns will roam freely, giving their power to any who seek it." She sneered, her eyes like ice. "The king can be useful too, and I intend to use him as I see fit."
"You are mad. He will not allow you to use him." Ryal struggled in his bonds, but the more he pulled, the more the silver rope cut into his flesh. "Why destroy everything the elves have built over the years? Why go against the duty you have been tasked with since the beginning of time?"
"The Uynare, who believed they were better than us, thrust that duty on us. They didn't want us to have as much power as they did. Why else do you think the other factions of elves had so few magic users? The Uynare always wanted to supersede everyone—to maintain their hierarchy. Without them, and the power of the sun, the Rynare can come into their true purpose, their true destiny."
"And what makes you think they will go along with all of this?" Enal shifted in her bonds, trying to pull the rope over her fists.
"They will have no choice. Our blood has always been susceptible to the shadows. It is why we were tasked with keeping the barrier intact. Now that enough of the Rynare have been disposed of to weaken the barrier, the tables have turned. That same susceptibility allows the shadows to control those who weren't blessed with power."
