I heard him, but there was no way I was going to stand by and watch… whatever was happening here.
Not all Death Elves were evil. I knew that. Evil wasn’t something that we were inherently born with. It was something that we became over time. Circumstances created evil beings. Trauma and death and destruction. No one was born good or bad. They just were.
But the Death Elves that I knew… They were as far from good as they could possibly get.
I wouldn’t stand by and watch this happen. I couldn’t. Not when my own back was riddled with similar scars.
My mouth was pinched in a firm line as I yanked against Xander’s grip once more, but he tightened his grip. I snarled, “Let me go.”
“No,” he hissed.
And then it was too late.
Her struggles ceased. She dropped to the ground, her lifeless body twitching once, then twice, before it stopped moving completely.
The Death Elf twisted his hands, and the deadly red ribbons of magic raced back into his skin, disappearing from sight.
The lord gestured to someone nearby, and I watched, wide-eyed, as the soldier with the whip hurried to unlock the shackles around the female’s feet. He grabbed her body like she was a sack of grain, throwing her over his shoulder before tossing her into the back of a nearby cart.
Lord Greenriver nodded, flicking his fingers. “For your troubles,” he said in a nasally voice.
My stomach churned as something gold arched through the air. I watched, my fists clenched at my side as the soldier pocketed the coin. The lord turned his back, continuing towards the city with a spring in his step. As though he hadn’t just committed a heinous crime in broad daylight. As though he hadn’t just murdered that helpless female.
A beat passed, then two, before people began to walk once more. The slaves continued on their path towards the city and the chatter picked up as though nothing had even happened. I couldn’t get the female’s limp body out of my mind. The way life had slowly disappeared from her eyes.
“Oh my gods,” I whispered.
Wrenching my hand out of Xander’s grasp, I rushed towards the bushes on the side of the road.
Footsteps pounded behind me as someone jeered, “Get your wife under control.”
Xander snapped at them, but I paid them no attention as I dropped to my knees in the damp grass. My stomach was at war with the rest of me. I was barely aware of a warm hand pulling back my hood and holding my hair before I lost the contents of my stomach.
When I was well and truly empty, I crawled away from the bushes. Resting my back against a nearby tree, I took deep, shuddering breaths as I pulled my hood back over my bright red hair. Xander crouched before me, producing a flask out of his pack. Behind him, I could feel the weight of people’s stares as they walked by, but I didn’t care.
“Here, Ana,” he whispered, holding the flask up to my lips as he brushed strands of hair away from my face. His voice was softer than I had ever heard before. It was almost caring.Almost. “Wash your mouth out with this.”
Accepting his offering, I took a tiny sip of the liquid. It burned, and I swished it around before spitting it into the bushes.
“What is that?” I rasped.
“Golden Fire,” he said, taking a swig of the flask himself before handing it back to me. “Take another sip and keep it down this time. It’ll help.”
Reaching out, I grabbed the flask with trembling fingers. I took a swig of the liquid, and sure enough, the Golden Fire burned on the way down. Within moments, I felt some of the tension leave my body.
“He killed her,” I whispered, dragging my eyes up to Xander’s. “The slave. She fell and then he killed her.”
He nodded, his golden gaze somber as he placed his hand on mine. I stared at the spot where our bodies were touching. The slave would never be touched again. Never speak again. Never have the chance to do anything again.
Lord Greenriver had stolen her future.
Xander’s voice was low as he said, “He did.”
“I’ve never…” I shook my head, rubbing my fingers on my thighs. “I’ve never seen something like that happen before.” Raising my trembling hand in the air, I stared at my shaking fingers. “No one fought for her. No one even cared. He murdered her in front of hundreds of witnesses, and no one did anything to stop him.”
Would anyone have cared if that had been me lying in the dirt?
I took a shuddering breath before a pair of warm hands landed on my cheeks. Blinking, I watched wordlessly as Xander pressed my forehead against his. A beat passed, then two, as we just… breathed in the same air.