Page 2 of King Elijah (The Zemiran Chronicles 2)

“I would suggest you come out now, or I’ll end your pathetic life in your poor attempt to take mine,” Elijah warned, waiting for a response that didn’t come. “Or,” he began again, “I can draw you out and cast you to the dungeon. It has been too long since I’ve had a prisoner to torture. I hope my skills haven’t gotten rusty.”

He wondered if the intruder was human—or something else.

Right at that thought, a throwing star flew from the darkness toward him. He dodged the sharp blade right before it hit his chest.

Elijah blinked. “Well, that wasn’t very nice. I can’t even see you. Let us play fair, shall we?”

The floor creaked as the hooded intruder stepped into the hall. The shadow at the far end was tall and willowy. It was clear to Elijah that the assassin was a woman.

Elijah’s eyes narrowed as she took a step closer to him.

Oh, so brave! Elijah thought with admiration.

“How about you surrender what weapons you have left before I—”

She ran toward him at full speed, while unsheathing the sword at her hip. The blade came straight at Elijah with deadly intent.

He raised his hands, allowing the dark smoke to move forward, but before the magic took hold of her, she dodged the attack skillfully. She leapt at lightning speed, sword held high overhead as her boots found purchase on the wall, using it to kick off and come down on Elijah from above. Elijah was forced to bend backward to avoid the blow. The assassin barreled down on him, but the blade missed Elijah’s throat—if only by an inch. The sharp sting of the blade caught on his arm, and a line of red appeared on his skin, but it was only a scratch. Nothing could deter Elijah from bringing up his own weapon and slashing at the hooded killer. It was far from a lethal blow, but he felt the blade bite into the flesh of the assassin’s arm, causing her to stumble. Her sword clattered on the floor, and she let out a loud yelp of pain.

Elijah had expected to see the assassin reach for her fallen sword, but instead, her face turned up to look at him. The momentary distraction was enough, and Elijah was caught by surprise as she lashed out. A black boot heel smashed into Elijah’s chest, sending him flying across the hall.

The force from that kick was unlike any human he had ever encountered.

She’s unnaturally strong, he thought.

Before Elijah could clamber to his feet, his legs became tangled in the folds of his robe that had fallen open when he slammed into the ground. Before he could react, the assassin was on him. The boot’s heel was coming for him once more—that time aimed at his face—but Elijah was able to reach up and grab her leg before it made contact. With one hand wrapped around her leg, the assassin was trapped in an awkward position, allowing Elijah to use his other hand to release his magic. It poured from his fingers and reached for the killer, grabbing her by the throat and squeezing. Elijah wanted to see the life choked out of her, but she jerked her foot out of Elijah’s grasp and stumbled backward, out of reach. The assassin coughed a few times, trying to purge the smoke still clinging to her throat, and Elijah couldn’t suppress a hungry smile at its sound. He had always relished the feeling he got right before he was about to make the final blow.

Elijah stepped forward. “I can make it quick if you’d like,” he said. “Tell me who sent you.”

He began to slowly ease the magic so the woman could speak, but the coughing continued.

“Tell me who sent you!” Elijah repeated. “Now!”

The assassin stopped trying to pry Elijah’s power away, but instead reached inside her cloak, pulling out a golden gem.

A Newick gem.

Elijah’s sight honed in on the unnatural light bouncing off the gem. The bright golden hue suddenly lit the hallway, letting out its magical power. As Elijah shielded his eyes from the blinding light, the intruder slammed her shoulder into Elijah’s chest, sending them both crashing to the floor.

The gem slipped out of the assassin’s grasp, soaring through the air, and it landed in one of the open bedrooms. They both reached for each other, trying to get better leverage on their opponent. The length of the assassin’s body pressed him into the floor. The killer was strong and fierce but, as a woman, much smaller than the king. Using his weight, Elijah heaved himself up, flipping them to reverse the position, and grabbed the intruder’s arm while turning her body toward him. He forcefully bent the arm up behind her back at an awkward angle, subduing her with the threat of a dislocated shoulder.

The fingers of his other hand dug into the rough fabric of the woman’s cloak, yanking back the hood to finally reveal her face. But when Elijah saw what had been shrouded in shadow, he went still. He was blindsided by the unexpected sight of delicate features and large, bright blue eyes.

The woman’s hair was as white as the freshly fallen snow. Her eyes shined like sapphire-blue diamonds, and her lips were colored in a vibrant shade of rose.

He reached out, and she flinched away, going completely still. Elijah set his lips in a hard line before pulling back her long strands of hair to the side to reveal her ears.

The assassin was an elf. A beautiful elf.

Her body went rigid as she looked into Elijah’s eyes. The beginning of a smile crept across his face, but it was short-lived. The elf snapped her head forward, closing the distance between them, and collided her forehead with his nose with a crack. Elijah couldn’t stop himself from flinching back in pain, blood slowly seeping from his nostrils. He released his hold on her just enough for her to twist out of his grasp. She produced a small dagger from within the folds of her cloak, thrusting it toward him, but Elijah managed to catch her wrist before she struck a blow.

His fingers squeezed and twisted her delicate wrist until she released the dagger, dropping it to the floor. Elijah shoved her hard and she slammed back onto the stone floor. He brought his focus to bear on keeping her pinned beneath him. She was lithe, attempting to use her slight frame to slip out from under him, but he squeezed his knees together to where they bracketed her hips and pushed her wrists into the floor, keeping her still. He grabbed the belt from his robe and quickly lashed her wrists together, further restraining her movements.

“Is that all the weapons you have?” he asked with a smile tugging on the side of his lip. “Or do I need to search under your clothes?”

Her lips parted, taking a few heavy breaths. The Elven woman’s eyes dimmed right before she flashed her teeth at him in a hateful snarl.

“Such pathetic threats from an incompetent king,” she said. “You are crushing my hips.”

---