Inheritance

End of Part 1: Chapter 44: Savior

Laurence removed the circlet atop his head while Eory spoke to Kori. The king's hands were nervous; the fairy could decide to kill him and Kori at any moment; haste was needed. The king yanked the blood red jewel out of the center of the circlet. "The Astral Elves gave each king or queen of every kingdom one of these for whenever they might find a willing recruit to fend off the doppelgangers. All I need do is call upon the owner of this gem, Tyrus, and he will come immediately and ask for your consent and signature on a contract. He will then take you to the Crater."

Eory nodded and then looked to Kori who had turned her back on him. He touched her shoulder, but she yanked it away and continued crying. "Just go if you care so little about me!"

The fairy was devastated.

Laurence wasted no time in clutching the gem in his hands and whispering, "Tyrus."

A few silent moments passed, and then a tall, statuesque elf who was the same height as Pollyanna appeared. His ears were pointed like Kori's, but they were only the width of a human's ear unlike the waif's, whose were much longer. The elf wore a blood red, heavy cloak which draped over the front and back of his torso, but left his arms uncovered. Underneath the cloak, he wore plain black breeches and pointed, golden shoes.

He was thin underneath all his clothes—so thin that his clothes were very baggy--and had an incredibly long face and and elegant, long neck.

Although Tyrus had a hood up, Eory saw that the elf had a third eye underneath it on his forehead and tried not to stare.

The elf addressed the king. "Do you have new recruits?"

Laurence nodded. "The fairy and the warrior maiden. I must warn you... They are unpredictable. They may kill all the other recruits if it suits them."

The Astral Elf glanced at Eory and Pollyanna. "Ah, the Arrozan and the ancient guard of his family. They will be fine recruits. If they expect to survive in the Crater, they will have to learn that they must work with others. I will take them, but I need their consent—both verbal and written. Do I have it?"

"You have it." Eory answered.

Pollyanna looked unsure for a fraction of a second—but then she remembered how Eory gave up his freedom for her and suddenly, her doubt was gone. She wasn't even sure how she felt about Eory, but she was enthralled by that strangely selfless decision and wanted to see where following Eory would lead her.

"You have it." Pollyanna said confidently.

The elf spread his long arms out from under his cloak and held his palm out. Out of thin air, a shining, yellow piece of parchment was summoned along with a quill pen floating above the elf's palm. He stretched his fingers out toward Eory and the parchment floated his way.

Eory took the pen and read over the simple and short contract warily. It wanted his promise that he would willingly stay at the Crater for life and help fend off the doppelgangers or face pain of death. He looked down-trodden and lost for a moment, and then he signed it and felt very cold.

While the elf conjured another piece of parchment and pen for Pollyanna, Eory touched Kori's shoulder again. "Please Kori, give me a proper goodbye."

Her shoulders slumped, and she hung her head.

Tears stung his eyes. "Please, I'll never see you again. I want to know that someone loved me..."

Pollyanna watched them with a curious eyebrow raised as she signed her name.

"I will be taking them now." The elf announced. "Come, hold my hands and I will warp you to where the rest of the recruits are."

Eory whispered quietly, "please, Kori..."

But she wouldn't even turn his way.

Eory dried his eyes and sniffled and then joined Pollyanna by the elf.

The elf spoke in a foreign language and his eyes lit up with golden light; the air around him swirled and the sound of wind blowing filled Eory's large ears as golden streaks of light flared around them.

Eory's eyes wouldn't leave Kori as new tears kept replacing old ones. Without her support, he felt so unsure and alone. He looked down and sobbed aloud with only Pollyanna to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

She never loved me at all... Eory thought to himself as he fell to his knees. This was the last image he would ever have of her in his mind; an image of her fittingly turning her back on him.

"Wait!" Kori suddenly screamed and the elf stopped his spell. She threw her arms around Eory. "I want to come with you! I want to protect you! Give me a contract, too!"

A slow and contented grin spread across the fairy's face as he pressed his cheek into the top of her head and his eyes squinted into a smile.

The bitterness and coldness seemed to leave his mind now that he got to say a proper goodbye. Now, he would have an image of her tearful, but loving face in his mind instead. "Kori, I want you to stay. I want you to keep redeeming criminals and improving their lives. You have a good life to live ahead of you, and it shouldn't include someone rotten like me."

Kori pressed her head further onto his chest and gave herself a moment to remember all of her grand memories of being a mother.

She remembered when Eory refused to eat and she had to play a game with him where they both pretended to be pigs to get him to. She remembered when she would bathe him and he would splash water all over her and giggle playfully; she remembered his radiant little face when she entered the room and how nothing in the world felt as warm or as golden as his hugs.

She remembered those times when he would get sad—so sad that he couldn't even get off the sofa in his room to greet her. Most of the time she would threaten that if he didn't get up, she would leave him, but sometimes she would sit next to him and ask him what was wrong. He would never answer her, but most of the time he would hug her until he felt better, and she felt enormously proud of herself that she helped him out of the pits of despair.

He was her greatest accomplishment, and that would never change.

"Kori, I order you to stay. You are not fit for the company of criminals and other misfits of society. You will stay here and do your job." Laurence threatened her.

"Shall I draw her up a contract?" The elf addressed everyone in the room.

"Yes! I want to go!" Kori yelled. "Let me go!"

But Laurence was having none of it. He yanked her away from Eory and squeezed her arm as she tried to struggle free.

Laurence nodded to the elf. "Take them away."

The elf began his spell where he had left off.

Eory looked at the weeping Kori who was screaming his name. The elf was speaking louder and louder and the wind swirling around them became more and more hectic until finally, he could not hear the waif's words at all.

He smiled at his mother one last time and thanked her under his breath for trying.

Thank you for trying to save me.

And then, the elf, the waif, and the warrior maiden all disappeared from the ballroom in a flash of light.