Page 111 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

The sword bounced harmlessly off Patros’s shoulder. Aruna looked surprised, but kept swinging. Each blow was deflected without so much as nicking him.

“That doesn’t seem to be working, genius,”Vaara said.

Aruna spun toward him. “You’re insultingmyintelligence? You shouldn’t have come here alone. You’re damned lucky we came after you, by the looks of it. You could show some appreciation.”

“Crow—” Patros began, fending off another blow with his arm, then he looked over and saw her predicament. Realizing she would be no help, he ran. Aruna was blocking his path to the front door, so he turned toward the hall, only to be blocked by Novikke. She struck him with her sword, and again, he was unaffected. They all paused as if deciding what to do next.

Vaara watched the lines of tension in Patros’s face. He’d never seen him look so uneasy. His calm confidence was slipping.

“What’s protecting you?” Vaara said to Patros, who glared back. “An enchantment?”

“One of many. You should leave this place while you still can.”

“Or we can just keep you here until we find a way to kill you,” Vaara said. Crow twisted violently, and he nearly lost his grip on her. He squeezed her tighter against him. His binding pulsed oddly in his chest, but did not compel him to release her.

“Toreg,” Patros said, looking at the other man expectantly.

Toreg, who had moved to stand against the wall far away from the fight, gave Patros a surprised look. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Kill them.”

Toreg shrugged. “There’s four of them.”

Patros looked about to burst a blood vessel. He looked up at Vaara. “What is your interest in this? What do you want?”

“To free Crow.”

Something clutched at his heart deep in his chest. The binding was no longer twisting and squeezing to force him to obey her. He could still feel its presence, but it had become something soft and painless. It was not like anything he’d felt before.

Patros took a moment to master his temper. The redness in his face went away. He took a cautious step forward. “Leave here, forget this ever happened, and I’ll have all of you paid well enough to live out the rest of your days in leisure.”

“I don’t want money.”

“Everyone wants money. Tell me how much you want. Give me a number.”

“I want you to break Crow’s binding.”

“There’s no way to break it. It’s impossible.”

“Then I’m going to kill you.”

“This is absurd. Think rationally. She can’t have offered you anything better than what I’m proposing. What reason could you possibly have to be so loyal to her?”

“I care for her.”

Crow stiffened in his grasp.

Patros laughed softly. “You care for her?” he asked. “This…” He gestured to her helplessly. “This lying, scheming, small-minded shrew? This… this self-absorbed, vain, disobedient harlot? She’s not suitable for caring for. I know her better than anyone, friend. I should warn you, fairly, that she’s neither capable of nor deserving of that.”

Vaara’s jaw clenched. How absurd, he thought, that someone would be incapable of seeing Crow’s kindness and cleverness and strength. How absurd thathehad not seen it for so long. How had he not seen how precious she was from the beginning?

And how awful it was that she’d been forced through so much torment, and that she’d been so alone for all of it. She deserved better. She deserved to be loved and protected.

She deservedhisprotection.

His binding was pulling at him. It swelled until he couldn’t breathe. The sensation traveled down his arm, to his wrist and back, growing stronger until it felt like his tendons were being pulled out through his skin. He doubled over, almost dropping Crow.

There was a snap. Like bones breaking. Like lightning striking.

---