Page 40 of Revenge of the Elf Lord

Her beautiful face turned once more to Shalendra. “Your mother has her hands full with the state of her realm, and the other death lords are also in dire straits. I will spend as much time with these two as I can, but Idunn will be the one who spoils them.”

Shalendra smiled at the two spirits. “I couldn’t think of a better person to care for these two sweethearts. Give me your word the two of you will watch out for each other and do what Idunn and Freyja tell you to do. I will do everything I can to keep my promise to you and find your parents. Now, go and have fun in your new home, and say hi to Fenrir for me.”

Shalendra stepped back to Cyran’s side, her hands fisted as they turned into a kaleidoscope of gemstones that blinked out of sight, leaving the two of them standing in darkness.

“Can we leave now?” she asked. “I'm exhausted and could sleep for days.”

He smiled and wrapped his hand around hers, pulling it to his chest and drawing her gaze to his. “I know just the place. It is peaceful, and you will find the rest you need.”

“Can we pick up Castien on the way? I don’t want him alone.”

“Technically, he isn’t. Remember, we left Banayl with him. I'm certain Castien is just fine.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Well, I’m not. While Banayl seems all right, he is still a draugr. We know little about them, so I’m not sure I can trust them just yet, especially with someone who is sick. Will he even know what to do? How to care for him?”

“They proved their worth when they stood with us against whoever captured and restrained them in Bernard’s fight in Washington, D.C. I do not doubt their quality, especially Banayl’s. Besides,” he smiled, “time traveling gives us an advantage. We can return within a few minutes of our departure, so you have no reason to worry. Whatever Castien has contracted, the symptoms will not have progressed.”

“Well, that’s a relief. However,” she glared at him with a slight slap of the back of her hand across his arm. “Would it have killed you to tell me that when we left? Seriously? I have been worried sick about him. He has had a tough year and doesn’t need any of this.”

He reached out and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind one delicate ear, then dropped his arm to his side. “We have all had a rough year, but that is what perseverance is, right? We fight through each day only to wake up the next morning to begin all over again. In many ways, I feel as if my life is stuck in a never-ending circle, and like the scientist’s mouse, I am running on the treadmill and can’t figure out how to jump off.”

One side of her mouth rose. “Well, you’re in luck because I'm an expert at getting mice out of tight spaces. You promise we will return within a few minutes of leaving Castien?”

He nodded.

“Okay then, please take me to the place you mentioned before. Serenity and rest sound amazing right now. I don’t remember the last time I slept. My prison cell wasn’t filled with creature comforts, so sleeping on a bed would be amazing.”

He was not sure why a sensation of relief coursed through him, but the thought of getting her out of Nazi territory and back to a safer time helped ease a bit of the tension. Too bad he still had to find Haman’s workspace. He could not leave without, at least, trying to find the answers he needed to stop the plague from spreading through his homeland.

“There is still one more room we need to search. Lamruil would not have told me about this place if there wasn’t something here to help me figure out the abomination Haman created.” He squeezed her hand. “It shouldn’t take me long to find it.”

“Fine. But there had better not be any more bodies. I don’t think my heart or stomach could take another room like this one.”

He led her back into the hallway and studied the doors and the wall space between them but came up with nothing. "There has to be another room." He glanced at the empty wall to his right, signaling the end of the hall, and narrowed his gaze.

“Do you see anything off about this wall?” he asked.

She stepped around him and tilted her head. “Well, the rest of the hallway walls are chiseled limestone, and the doors are all metal. Why is this door covered in granite?”

Stepping closer, she traced the line between two square stones with her fingertip. “Why put granite tiles here? Why not use a slab? It would be more pleasing to look at. My real question, though, is why granite in the middle of limestone? It doesn't make any sense.” She grimaced and waved her hand in front of the wall several times. “Whoever designed this has no artistic imagination at all.”

“I think it’s a hidden door.” He laid his hand on the wall in front of him and closed his eyes, trying to sense if a spell had been used, but nothing jumped out at him. “No spell, but magic reacts to metal, so if Haman is hiding his lab, he would use a different facing. But why would someone hide a door if there’s no way into the room beyond?”

“Maybe you’re overthinking it. Try a simple open spell.”

“Edra,” he said in a clear voice. Nothing happened. “Any more suggestions?” He turned to her, but the movement of her finger still tracing the outlines of each stone drew his attention. Her finger moved to the next stone and stopped, hovering over the center.

“Yes!” She chuckled and pushed the stone, which sunk into the wall. A loud click sounded, followed by a swoosh of air as the entire wall moved back a couple of inches and slid sideways, disappearing into the wall to their right.

“You’re a natural at intrigue and mysteries, aren’t you?” He held out his hand, and without hesitation, she laid her palm against his and gave him a smile that seemed to make time stand still.

She was breathtaking. His heart fluttered. With her long black hair framing her slender face, eyes wide and beckoning, he wanted to bemorethan what he was. This she-elf made him want to be a better man, and at that moment, his entire life changed.

He was in so much trouble.

14

The moment Shalendra laid her hand in his, the difference in Cyran was immediate. The sensation was subtle, but there all the same.

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