The Light of Elysium

33 - Battlelines

This time it is Tabbi who does the comforting; holding me and muttering soft words of solace.

I pull back and wipe my eyes. "Sorry. I'm supposed to be making you feel better."

Tabbi beams and her face is alight with happiness. "You have. Because I have a true friend."

Feeling lighter, I continue down the corridor to my room. Waiting for me, laid out upon my bed, is a blue velvet dress, the colour of a summer sky. Three long stemmed roses are arranged to form an A. Picking up one of the blooms, I inhale its delicate scent and brush the soft petals against my lips.

Anticipating seeing Aren tonight causes the butterflies to dance in my stomach.

.......

I pull my cloak tighter, for there is a chill to the air. The early morning mist is curling over the ground and eddying around my feet. Leo and I are stood away from the others, who are discussing tactics on how best to stop him from reaching the centre of the maze and rescuing me.

My heart sinks when Gawain hands Drake a map of the maze and announces that he is going to be the one to guard me. I had hoped that it would be Aren or actually any of the others really but no, I get Mr Sullen.

It is with a sense of apprehension that I follow Drake into the maze and the dense yew hedges tower above me. I am unable to remember the path we take as we wend our way this way and that.

Finally, we reach the clearing in the centre. With its stone bench covered by a thatched roof woven with honeysuckle, it would be a romantic spot, if not for the company.

Drake gives an unsettling smirk and pulls out a length of rope. "Gawain said to bind you to make it more realistic."

Pushing down the burgeoning panic, I reason that Gawain wouldn't ask unnecessarily before reluctantly allowing him to tie my wrists behind my back.

"Ouch. Do you have to pull it so tight?"

"Do you think it will leave a mark?" His voice holds a sinister edge. "First you bewitch my friend and then you hurt my sister. Do you think that you deserve fair treatment from my hand?"

A silken sound of metal causes alarm bells to ring and I spin around to find Drake brandishing a dagger only inches away. The sight of the blade causes me to scream, taking me back Corinth. The scar on my chest may be gone but part of its taint still lingers.

With Drake blocking the exit, flight is not an option, so it is either fight or be a victim again. Never!

Instincts taking over, I kick the dagger from his hand and then deliver a kick to his stomach. He bends over wheezing, but I don't allow him to recover. Dropping to a crouch, I sweep his feet from under him, pitching him forwards. Cursing, Drake pushes his face out of the dirt and glares at me.

A roar vibrates through the air and a tiger leaps into the clearing. The large feline moves protectively in front of me snarling and spitting at Drake, who blanches and presses his back against the hedge.

There is a flurry of wings, as a raven and a hawk drop down and transform into Bram and Gawain.

"What on Elysium is going on?" Gawain thunders.

Drake bites out, "She attacked me."

"He threatened me with a dagger," I counter.

Then Leo and Ray appear, and it becomes rather crowded, especially as the tiger makes vicious swipes at anyone who tries to get near me. Someone is going to get hurt soon.

"Aren," I call out and the tiger turns its head towards me.

"Elissa, keep away," Leo frantically calls out.

I ignore him and instead focus on the tiger. "Aren, come back to me. I need you."

Fur transforms to material as the figure of Aren rises up. Though it is clear that the animal remains close to the surface for his eyes are a blazing hazel colour and his hair has a wild mane-like appearance.

His arm wrap around me, possibly a little too tightly and I feel his ragged breath against the crook of my neck.

"I'm alright, Aren," I reassure in a soft voice.

His hands pat over me and he growls at finding my wrists bound. He slices through the rope with something, possibly claws.

"You tied her up?" Aren is outraged.

"Apologies, that was my instruction," Gawain confesses.

Ray laughs. "Drake, you got bested by a girl with her hands tied behind her back?"

He might have been attempting to lighten the air, however, no one else seems to find it amusing, least of all Drake. Leo's face hardens, reminding me of that first disastrous meeting of ours and comes to stand beside Aren and me.

Bram kneels down and picks up the dagger from the ground, a snake circling around the handle and wordlessly hands it to Drake with a shake of his head.

Gawain shouts, "How dare you threaten an innocent?"

"She is not an innocent," Drake shouts back defensively. "She attacked Belinda, quite unprovoked. She has bruises to prove it."

"Look Drake, I am sorry for kicking you. I grabbed Belinda's wrist yesterday to stop her from hitting Tabbi."

Gawain shakes his head. "The king will need to hear about this."

"Please, I do not wish to bring dishonour upon my family."

I can hear the despair in Drake's voice and I walk towards him. He looks at me like a condemned man awaiting his sentence.

"Drake, you are one of Aren's oldest and best friends." I put up a hand to quieten Aren, who growls in dissent from behind me. "Please can we find some compromise for his sake? And please, poor, sweet Tabbi does not deserve to be bullied."

Now Drake stares at me completely dumbfounded.

Bram places a hand upon Drake's shoulder. "Your eyes are open, yet you do not see. Look upon her as your prime."

Drake purses his lips, then finally nods. His body lengthens, growing bigger and bigger. Material and skin morph into white and green scales in zigzag patterns. Rearing upwards, he towers above me and a scarlet forked tongue flickers out to taste the air.

Transforming back, Drake kneels before me, his head bowed. "My lady, please forgive me. I would never have hurt you, I merely wanted to frighten you, but still my actions lacked honour."

He avoids looking at me and instead turns to Bram, who gives him a knowing smile and asks, "Tell me, what did you see?"

"She glows and her magic tastes like springtime, sunlight and thunderstorms."

.......

AN - The song for this chapter is Lion's Heart by Eliza and the Bear - a great band I discovered at our local music festival.
This chapter we get a sense that there is more to Elissa than meets the eye.
My casting for Tabbi is Dakota Blue Richards.