Chapter 19 – Hesitation
When the clock hit eleven thirty in the evening, Amelia decided to call it a day and went to sleep.
Her eyes fell shut as soon as her head hit the pillows, her chest rising up and down steadily as she breathed. It was a still night, the moonlight passing through the window glass, casting squares of natural light onto the wooden flooring.
The room was silent, but on the other side of the room, the doorknob turned.
The hinges squeaked minutely as the door was pushed open. The elf emerged from the darkness, his piercing eyes swept around the room in observance.
His long and slender fingers are on his sides. His fingertips emitted neon hues of dark magic, and it swirled like fluorescent gas.
What Amelia didn’t know was that the dark elf’s magic had been restored. He had been pretending to be weak, and yet here he was, standing in the midst of the darkness like a predator waiting to pounce on his prey.
His thin lips curved up menacingly. And his angry, blood red eyes were staring sharply at Amelia’s unmoving form, sprawled over the white linen sheets.
“I’ll kill you, you disgusting, wretched woman.”
Black shadows were snaking underneath where the elf stood, shapes of tentacles started crawling on the ground like snakes, sizzling, crackling noises following their wake. The golden floor that was covered in magic was now scorched black, like old charred wood.
The shadows crawled haphazardly, slithering in fast as it climbed the curtain next to Amelia’s bed. It oozed out dirty-looking mucus from its tail and looked down at Amelia from where it was perched above. Hissing like snakes, the tentacles was ready to swallow her in an instant.
“Kill her.” The elf muttered. He stretched out his long arms and opened up his palms towards the woman, and clenched his fists.
A tentacle opened its mouth full of tusks. It lowered itself from its position, and was about to bite the woman.
But at that moment, a flash of white light flashed in front of his eyes. He was about to close his first, but stopped when he caught sight of a piece of white bandage slipping from his wrists, softly landing on the ground beneath him.
The bandage that was wrapped around him.
He was reminded of how the woman changed his bandages every day. How she dabbed ointments every now and then patiently. She was mad when she did it, but she did it anyway.
And with this thought, his fingers stayed motionless. He stood there thinking for a long time, his eyes looking at the ground as if in deep contemplation.
The tentacles stopped in its tracks, and hesitated to attack.
Amelia, who was sleeping soundly, blurted out soft incoherent noises in her sleep. She turned over her bed, causing the tentacles to let out a hiss at the sudden movement. They bared their teeth fiercely while looking at Amelia.
The elf gritted his teeth in frustration. ‘Why am I hesitating?’
‘It doesn’t matter if she saved me, she is still a follower of the God of light. Anyone who has anything to do with the Light cult must die! No exceptions!’
He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging right into his palms. Just as he was resolved to continue his assault, a sudden realization swept over him, making him withdraw the black tentacles back to his side. The hideous monsters vanishing into thin air.
‘I’ll let you live for now, next time you won’t be as lucky. I will kill you next time.’
With that, the elf walked out of the sanctuary in silence.
*
In the cold, chilly night, only a few knights were scattered around patrolling the empty streets.
One of the knights in charge let out a soft yawn under his armor. He shook his head lightly, trying to keep himself alert as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. He wasn’t able to sleep well for the past couple of nights, and he internally complained how much of a hassle it was to do his duty with any rest.
Too caught up with his inner turmoil, the knight who was sleep-deprived didn’t see a flash of silver hair swift by. It passed him by so quickly he didn’t notice at all.
Dark elves lurked in the dark. They take advantage of the darkness of the city, trudging past the knights with no effort. And at night, they concealed themselves beneath the shadows of the trees, being one with the silhouettes as if they’re the kings who dominated the night.
The elf imagined how the woman would react if she found out he left the palace. He could only imagine how angry she’d get. How her brows would meet in the middle.
“Stop right there! Who are you? What are you doing!”