Page 15 of Revenge of the Elf Lord

“We must move the earth with mental and physical strength while tuning in to whatever stone we’re hunting for, so strenuous is a great description. My grandfather retired a few years ago so he and my grandmother could travel. They love world-hopping and have a small hut on some island on Midgard and an ice cave on Jötunheimr where they spend a month during our summer. I’ve never seen them so happy, which is nice, considering.”

“Considering?” Cyran’s glance moved between Castien and her.

“Well, my father was on the wrong side of the war. As a dwarf, he was supposed to support our cause, liberation and all, but he liked the job security it gave, even without our freedom, so my grandfather disowned him. And then there’s me. I’m in prison because I’m attracted to men, not women, although if I were to fall for one, it would be Shalendra. She’s not only beautiful, but she is an amazing person.”

Shalendra smiled up at him, his words warming her heart. “Thank you for that. You’re adorable too. You will make some man very happy one day.”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Cyran muttered. “Way too much syrupy sweetness in here at the moment.” He turned his head, tilted as if listening to something. “From the sudden lack of noise from above, the fight has either moved outside the prison or it’s over. If it’s over, we will have a bit of trouble escaping.”

“I vote for moving outside,” Shalendra said. “Can we use yourmagicto escape like you arrived?”

Cyran shook his head. “Sorry. It doesn’t work that way, although I could try to modify the spell and see how that goes. Like any other prison, it’s easier to get in and next to impossible to get out.”

“No thanks. I’ve seen the results of meddled magic. It wasn’t pretty.”

“I agree. Now, once you are outside, Shalendra, we will head for the forest, where I have friends who can apparate you out of here.”

Shalendra met Castien’s gaze. She wasn’t going to leave him behind. He would be coming with her no matter what she had to do. “Us. Onceweare out of here.” She sent her newfound friend a sweet smile. “Castien goes where I go.”

“Thank you,” Castien whispered.

“Again? You two are pathetic.” Cyran turned, hiding the warring emotions inside of him. She drew him like a moth to a flame, but watching her stare at another male made him angry.But why?

He had no desire to attach himself to a female. At least, not now. There were too many things he wanted to experience in his life, but since elves enjoyed long lives, he had plenty of time to find his mate if she existed.

Some elves never found their mates, and others never should have married. His parent's marriage was a great example. No love, lots of arguing, and murder. No, he did not want a relationship with anyone anytime soon. He had too many adventures he wanted to experience.

Listening, the sounds of a far-off battle trickled down to their level, but he couldn’t tell how close it was to them. He walked to the cell door and laid one hand over the wrought-iron lock. With a simple unlocking spell, the tumbler turned with a loud clang, and the door swung open.

“Where were you several weeks ago?” Shalendra grumbled behind him, almost on his heels as he entered the hall. “And why can’t you just apparate us out of here?”

“To answer your first question, by Elven time, I was holding down the fort in Alfheimr for Lamruil and Ailuin while they helped your cousin, Bernard, right the wrongs he created during Midgard’s second world war. Midgard time, it would have been centuries, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued. “Regarding the second question, there is a magical ward over the mountain. No one can apparate in or out unless you know the counterspell or have access to a cheat spell, which I could only use to gain entrance. It would take me too long to figure out the counterspell, so we will do the next best thing.”

“Since I live on Midgard, I know about the war, but I don’t know the details about what Bernard did. Émilien…sorry, my father—that’s so hard for me to get used to saying—tries to keep me isolated from the bad things in life.”

He turned and caught her somewhat amused expression as she glanced around the hall and noticed a smudge of dirt on the side of her nose. His finger itched to wipe it off. While her beauty was evident, she had not escaped the ravages of prison. Her black tights were covered in either dirt or spider webs, and her long-sleeved shirt had holes in each sleeve, and one side hem was partially torn.

“Little did he know….” She chuckled, bumping into him when he stopped to open the door to the outside. “Sorry. He never could have foreseen I would end up in a Dwarven prison. So much for me being safe.” She tried to stifle the laughter but failed. After a minute of all-out mirth, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I turned out well, didn’t I?”

He stared at her, a crooked grin on his face. He liked her openness, which surprised him. Neither Hel nor Émilien was open, much less expressive. Hel was stoically silent and Émilien growled. No, she was nothing like her parents and reminded him more of Freyja and Idunn.

“Do you know where we’re going?” Castien asked as Cyran peered around the door.

Seeing nothing down another long hallway, he stepped through the door and motioned for them to follow him, the sounds of fighting drawing closer. “Nope.”

“Helpful, isn’t he?” the dwarf complained.

“Well, he hasn’t been here before, so give him a break. I’m sure he’s following the sounds of battle so we can join in and disappear in the melee.”

“Very good.” Cyran gave Shalendra an appreciative glance. “You are your father’s daughter, although Hel would take offense to that statement. She is a soldier in her own right, considering who her father is.”

“Who’s her father?” Castien's gaze moved between them.

“Loki. Loki is my grandfather.” Shalendra answered with a flat tone. “He’s the main reason I never knew my mother growing up. She was terrified he would find out about me and take me for whatever power I had. I was also allergic to Helheimr, so I couldn’t live there anyway.”

“I have never heard of someone being allergic to an entire realm.” Castien chuckled. “What happened—you sneezed a lot?”

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