Page 3 of Callista and the Elf

Smoke puffed out of the drekkan’s nostrils as he lowered his head closer to mine. He softened his voice, but it still grated like a knife against a sharpening stone. “I will not leave him alive to return and destroy my roses.”

Whoever heard of a drekkan obsessed with roses? That was not in any of Fotab’s stories. I peeked at the rose bush the drekkan gestured at. The poorbushgrew like two shrunken sprigs. Despite its withered size and the winter cold, six red roses bloomed along its little branches.

The roses were a strange cause, but… the weight of the drekkan’s words hit me.I will not leave him alive to return and destroy my roses.

I locked eyes with the drekkan. His head still loomed eight feet above mine. “He won’t return or destroy anything,” I said.

The drekkan stared at me. I wanted to crawl—no, run—away, but I ground my teeth and stared back. A glint of magic that reminded me of my mother flickered around the east like a halo. What could that mean? The drekkan’s head lowered into my space. It took all the courage and curiosity I’d ever mustered to stand my ground. Even if Alastor had done the things the drekkan accused him of, he didn’t deserve to die.

The reptile’s volume lowered again. “And what would stop him from returning and attacking me again?”

“I would,” I answered without hesitation.

A cruel, sardonic laugh shook the drekkan’s belly while a cloud of smoke burst out of his mouth.

I stepped back, closer to Alastor, and put my hands on my hips. “And what’s so funny about that?”

“You are child-sized,” the monster said. “You could not stop a rabbit from crossing a border, let alone a fully grown human...” His voice turned to a snarl. “A human that reeks like fae.” He tipped his head at me. “You, too, smell like fae, but your brother does not look like the monsters.”

I almost laughed at the irony ofhimcalling fae ‘monsters,’ but I resisted—I didn’t want to offend him further. And the more we talked, the more likely it seemed that I could convince him to release Alastor.

He tipped his head again, like a giant overgrown dog who’d been confused by a hidden toy. “Whydidyou call this fae-acting creature your brother?”

Ah. He was confused. I could fix that. “We both share the same parents: a fae mother and a human father.”

His brows lowered and he raised his head. “A compelling reason to kill you both.”

“What?!” I clenched my dress. Was that what had happened to my mother? Is that why her magic flickered around him? “I’ve done nothing to warrant death!”

“I protect these borders and the elves inside them,” the drekkan rumbled. “Fae are the greatest threat I know.” A brief expression, almost like regret, crossed his bright green eyes, but he blinked it away. “Defend yourself, Fae.”

“No, wait!” Before I finished yelling the words, the drekkan released a stream of fire. I closed my eyes tight, as if not seeing it would keep death away from me.

An unexpected rush of heat came from behind me. I tore my eyes open just in time to see another wall offlames meet the drekkan’s.

Alastor.

I turned toward Alastor, still lying on the ground, propping himself up on one elbow to shoot fae magic at the drekkan. As their two fires crashed against each other, Alastor pulled all the oxygen out of the air immediately surrounding the drekkan.

The beast’s eyes widened as his flames disappeared.

Alastor dropped his fire too. “She can’t use magic, you monster.” Manipulating as much power as he had in his burnt, injured state put him on the edge of consciousness. My throat tightened and tears jumped to my eyes. He was using his last bit of energy to protect me instead of heal himself.

“Attacking her is no better than attacking a child,” Alastor added. “Your fight is with me, anyway. Let her go. She wouldn’t hurt you if she could.”

The drekkan raised a claw, and a line of fire skittered out of his palm, ignoring me, and landing like a whip across my brother’s body. Alastor fell back to the ground.

“No!” I dropped to my knees and felt his chest for a pulse. A sob ripped out of my throat when I found one. He lived. For now.

I turned back to the drekkan, still on my knees. “Please!” There had to be a way to stop him, something that could touch a black-hearted beast like him. “There must be something I can do for you!”

The drekkan’s giant face studied me, scanning my body as if I hid some secret. Then he turned his gaze to my brother.

“No!” I jumped to my feet. “Please don’t! He is dying.” The words caught in my throat, but I pushed on. “He needs time to heal. He can’t just keep taking hits like this!”

The drekkan’s gaze locked on mine. “What would you bewilling to do for him?”

“Anything,” I whispered.

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