The Elf Thief

Chapter 5: Hunting the Hunter

Sonya eyed him with a look of disbelief on her face. “What? You just heard I was supposed to be here, so you thought you’d come too?”

Jiner looked up from the small sapphire trout Tatiana had been showing him and responded with an impish grin, “Pretty much.”

Astonishment overcame almost every other emotion she had as she gazed at her friends. Then she rolled her eyes and muttered, “My friends are so stupid.” She held up her arm and pointed back towards the camp. “Leave. Now.”

A chorus of various complaints and protests arouse out of the two boys, and she shot a look at Molko.

He put both his hands up in the air and took a step back. “Hey, don’t look at me!” he quickly defended himself, “I’m supposed to be here!”

“Fine,” she replied and turned back to the whining boys. “What are you? Two? Get back to camp.”

Suddenly the protests stopped, and an evil smile spread across Jiner’s features as he turned and whispered something into Cormack’s ear. They shared a diabolical look then in a formal voice, “Sonya, would you be angry if we sneaked into your camp at night, took your dagger, and cut off all your hair?”

“”W-wh-what?” she spluttered in outrage.

Cormack turned back to Jiner and said in an equally formal voice, “I think she would be, don’t you?”

Jiner nodded, his face completely strait. “And I believe that it would be much better to brave her anger at us staying now, than braving her anger after we gave her a little haircut.”

Cormack nodded sagely. “Then it is decided,” he said in a wise voice, “we will go with you instead of staying here and chopping off all of Sonya’s hair later.”

Sonya was just about to yell and tell them to get their butts off the field before she kicked them off, but then she remembered three things. The first was that they boys did not make idle threats, the second, she would very much like to keep her hair, and the third, she could honestly think of no one else that she would rather have at her back.

“Fine,” she grumbled, “whatever.”

Both Jiner and Cormack gave an exaggerated bow, and Molko and Tatiana applauded, tears of mirth streaming down their faces.

Then, another voice, struggled to make it over the crowd. “Hey! Hey, guys! Listen up!” it called, but the chaos that was meant to be their briefing tore the sound of the voice away from her ears, and it was lost in the current of noise all across the camp.

Sonya turned, to see a young and handsome, but extremely aggravated, elf trying to quiet the party down.

“HEY!” a she heard another voice roared over the din, “SHUT UP!” As everyone quieted down, Sonya turned towards the voice, and saw Cormack, who was looking quite pleased with himself.

Noticing her glance, he simply shrugged, as if to say, “Guilty”.

The young elf seemed relieved when everyone calmed down. “Well, the Elf Hunt has now officially started, but I’m sure you all already know that, considering how it was meant to be top secret,” he snorted, something between amusement and scorn, then continued. “Your sector will be known as Green Death, and your first task is to take part in an ambush along with the Falling Leaves sector, near Crystal Clearing.” Everyone nodded in understanding, and the elf looked pleased. “Alright, everyone, move out!”

Sonya turned to Tatiana. “Green Death? Falling Leaves? Who comes up with these names?” she asked, utterly bewildered by their absurdity.

“Probably Cormack,” was all Tatiana muttered back before she to, began to move with the elves towards Crystal Clearing.

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            Sonya crouched up in a tree, Molko perching just a few feet away from her. And they waited. They waited until her legs became numb and her mind drifted away with the wind. They waited for hours, patiently sitting, laying, or kneeling in their positions, lingering with a lethal purpose: kill all who wandered in their path.

            The stupid humans wandered right into their trap.

            Tatiana raised her elegant bow, the fletching moonhawk feathers brushed against her cheek, the released it with a small twang. It soundlessly soared through the air and split open the cheek of the leader.

            Sonya managed to suppress an oath, and Tatiana look angry also. They both knew that Jiner was the best archer they could hope to have, but since he wasn’t supposed to be there, he obviously couldn’t start the attack. If Tatiana’s arrow had been just a few inches closer to the intended target, the leader would have fallen, and the men would have dissolved into chaos. But it hadn’t, and the men would now know of their attack, making it much harder to defeat them.

            But they would fall.

            Mass chaos ensued and Sonya pulled out a pair of knives, their black blades glinting in the setting sunlight. Then she dropped out of her tree onto one of the men below her. In the turmoil of the battle, Sonya lost sight of Molko for a moment. Her blades spun like black hurricanes, cutting down all in her way until she saw him. He was fighting, cutting down all before him. Then she saw another man, a human, pull a dagger from his belt, and come up behind Molko.

            Screaming for him to turn around, Sonya rushed towards the man about to attack the one she loved, but instead of running to stab him in the back as she expected, the soldier pulled his arm back and threw the dagger with all his might. As soon as the dagger left his hand, her’s buried itself in his neck, but it was to late.

            Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the dagger tore its way through the air and buried itself up to its hilt into Molko’s back. His whole body stiffened as his sword slipped out of his fingers, and he crumpled to the ground.

            A red veil suddenly covered her vision, and her body began to move of its own accord. Before she knew what was going on, she was screaming and was fighting towards her friend’s broken body.

            Tears streaming down her face, she pulled him off the battlefield, into the surrounding trees.

            “No,” she whispered. “No. Wake up, Molko, don’t leave.” She made him look at her, holding his face in her hands. “No, Molko, you can’t leave. Jiner needs you, we all need you,” the tears were coming in earnest now, streaming down her grimy face. “Molko, I  need you. Please don’t leave…” her voice trailed off as sobs wracked her body.

            His hand curled around her fingers and he gave it a weak squeeze, “Don’t…cry,” he gasped out, “not…not your…fault. I will….always…..love…you.” His whole body convulsed, and with a short gasp, he closed his eyes and was silent.

            And she howled.

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            She watched them with dead eyes. She watched as they lowered his body into the earth, and she watched as they sang. They sang words of deep magic that wove itself into the fabric of the world. And she watched as the willow sprung up twisting its way into the air. She watched with empty, dead eyes. And when it was all done, she left without a word. And followed the trail back to the humans’ camp. And under the brush, she watched as they lowered him off the horse, and took him away. Him. The one who lead the attack. The attack that killed the only one she ever loved.

            Oh, yes. she thought, I will have my revenge.

            From under the brush, her eyes glowed green.

(A/N Aw, poor Molko. *Sniff sniff* The picture on the side is of him. I'm going to go bawl my eyes out now. Vote and comment please!)