Page 31 of Elf Shot

Arne screamed and screamed as his world turned gold, his lungs filling with it, the magic dragging the parts of him that made him who he was deep inside and locking them up. The last thing he saw was Layla's teasing smile before she was gone…

When he finally stopped screaming, the vines placed him on the ground and released him. Vili cupped Arne's face affectionally. "My boy. Welcome home."

13

Layla made it back to Oslo thirty minutes before Ciara turned up again, carrying a bag of gear and weapons. They had divided everything in between two packs before heading over to Tor's apartment at sundown.

"You still up for this? I'm sure Torsten would be capable of hunting Arne down for himself," Ciara asked softly. They were standing in the hallway outside of the apartment. Layla knew that Arne also had an apartment somewhere on the same floor, and her heart started to ache again.

"I'm going," she said flatly.

"Okay, then you call Kenna before we leave. Or I will," Ciara replied. Layla knocked on Tor's door without replying.

"Right on time," he greeted, opening up. He was dressed in a dark blue thermal shirt that showed off every bulky muscle on his chest. Layla fought a grin while Ciara's eyes bugged out of her head before she quickly looked away.

"Only a pack each. Good. The lighter we are, the better," Tor said.

Ciara gestured with her head. "Tell that to Layla. She's refusing to leave those damn swords behind."

"Arne will need them when we get him back," she replied stubbornly. She didn't want to tell them that carrying that piece of him with her made her feel better. Tor's gray eyes softened. He knew and understood.

"You call your mother yet?" he asked. Layla shook her head. She didn't want the argument. "I'm not showing you how the stave works until you do, Layla. You want to not waste time in rescuing Arne? You had better hurry up."

Layla's eyes narrowed. "Are you two assholes in this together?"

"We aren't saying it for our own good, Layla," Ciara argued. "Kenna deserves to know that her daughter is about to leave the world."

"Fine! Gah! You both suck," she snapped, pulling her phone out.

Ciara and Tor shared a smile and then quickly looked away when they realized they were in agreement on something.

Layla stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She wasn't sure of the time zones and couldn't be bothered to look them up. She should've rested that day like she said she was going to, not waste her time with—

"Layla? How are the elves?" Kenna answered.

"Mom. I need you to listen to me and not get mad, okay?"

"Layla…"

"Just listen!" Layla told her quickly of the summit attack and Arne being taken. "I have Ciara and Tor with me, and…and we are going after him. To Svartalfheim."

"No, you are not," Kenna snapped, her brogue going thick. "You need to come home and let the elves deal with this. You don't owe Arne anything. You didn't even want to go with him two days ago, and now you're going to Svartalfheim? No."

Layla's hand gripped her phone tight. "I am not asking for permission. I'm telling you as a courtesy."

"You aren't ready for a hostile planet, Layla. You couldn't even handle a forest in Germany for Christ’s sakes! You were only meant to sit in on some meetings because it would've been good representation for the family. You're not built for this kind of infiltration mission, and I could use you back home. It would be best for everyone if you let Ciara handle this if she wants to go, and the elves want to pay her for it—"

"I'm not asking!" Layla shouted, her voice echoing off the tiled walls. There was dead silence on the other end of the line. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the words out. "All I have done is think of the good of the family. I've done everything you have ever told me to do. I’ve never complained about it. I’ve never fought you about it. I'm not doing this for money. I'm doing this because it's Arne, and…and he makes me feel seen, unlike the rest of you. I'm not leaving him in Vili's hands. So no. I'm not coming home because it would be what's best for everyone. This once, the family can go fuck itself."

Layla didn't wait for a reply before she hung up and turned her phone off. She caught her reflection in the mirror, the sadness in her eyes. She washed her face with cold water, fighting the sudden nausea that always came when she spoke up for herself. No. Not this time. She braided back her hair and took a deep breath before stepping back into the lounge room.

Bayn and Tor were talking in the kitchen, and Ciara pretended not to be listening in. Bayn pulled Layla into a hug but didn't mention the screaming that they all would've heard.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"More than ready," she replied, giving him a fake smile that he saw right through.

"Kian said that he wants you to call him as soon as you get back. Something about a project that you two were talking about earlier today?" he asked.

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