“Run Trik, run through our forest. Listen to the wind and the leaves. See with new eyes what has been given to you and yours ; the beauty in the land, the joy in the animals and the hope that comes after the storm. Run, she needs you.” The words danced in the air around him and he did, he ran. He didn’t think, he just ran. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tyndril and Tao running with him. He felt their urgency and knew something wasn’t right. Cassie was in trouble and that thought spurred him on even harder. He pushed himself until the trees were but a blur and his feet scarcely touched the ground and still he didn’t know if he would make it in time.

~

Lorsan was sitting in his throne room when the rumbling began. The room began to shake and the walls of his great castle shook.

“What is going on Lorsan?” Ilyrana asked as she came rushing in to the throne room wide-eyed and nervous.

Lorsan didn’t answer. His head snapped up as a booming voice rolled through the air.

“He is coming. Your time has reached its end and the true King shall be restored. He is coming.”

Lorsan lunged to his feet as a feeling crept inside. It took a moment for him to realize what the feeling was—fear.

“Lorsan!” Ilyrana shouted.

His eyes met hers and he knew that she saw that fear and that made him angry. He would not be made to look weak, not in front of his Queen, not in front of anyone. Anger, sharp as a blade and hot as the flames that burned on the sun, raged inside of him.

“Get me Vashti!” Lorsan roared.

“Lorsan tell me what is going on now!”

“Triktapic knows.”

Ilyrana’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.

“He remembers?”

Lorsan nodded. “He remembers and the Forest Lords are backing the dried up King. I need to speak with Myrin. I need to know Trik’s history. I need to know what the Forest Lords have up their sleeves and my gut tells me it has something to do with that human. Get me Vashti.”

“You’re going to lure the girl out?” Ilyrana asked.

“From what I understand she has been in the protection of Tamsin and his Queen. It would be impossible to get to her there; I need her back in the human realm.”

Ilyrana hurried from the room only to return a few moments later with the elf Lorsan had asked for.

“My King,” the elf named Vashti bowed her head. Her eyes were black and she wore her black hair in a long braided rope that ran the length of her back. She wore the black uniform of a dark elf warrior. She carried a sword on her back and various weapons strapped to her thighs.

“I need you to bring me a human girl,” Lorsan told her. “She is the Chosen of Triktapic.”

Vashti’s face paled. Lorsan raised a single brow at her, daring her to defy him. She schooled her features and lowered her eyes.

“What is her name?” She asked him.

“Cassie Tate. You will need to be her best friend, however, that is how you will get close to her.”

“I need to know what this best friend looks like,” Vashti explained. “I can’t take the form without first seeing the image.”

“Alok has been following Trik, he can take you to Elora, that is the friend’s name.”

Vashti nodded once, bowed and then ran towards the mirrors along the throne room walls.

Lorsan watched as the last transmuting elf in their race exited the building.

“What are you going to do to her once you have her?” Ilyrana asked.

“I’m going to kill her, slowly.”

Chapter 14

My name is Triktapic. I was King of the Elven race long, long ago. I walked away; I deserted my people to become a killer. The time has come for me to be the King my people need me to be, but to be that King I must be the killer I have become. I must be as ruthless as my advisary; for if I am not, the world as the human race knows it will be gone. Cassie will be gone and that is not acceptable. I am Triktapic, King of the Elfin. My wrath is great and though I once was tolerant of the evil ways that some in my race chose, that tolerance has been burned away by the light of the Forest Lords. I am Triktapic and I am coming.

Cassie wandered through the garden located at the front of the light elves’ castle. It had been several weeks since she had been brought there by the Queen and King. She was beginning to become stir crazy. Syndra kept telling her how unsafe it was for her to go back to her realm but she was ready to take that risk, if for no other reason than to feel human again.

Elora had gone back because she had to go to school and keep the rumors that Cassie had fallen off the face of the earth at bay , not to mention keep Cassie’s mother from freaking out. Cassie was able to call her every day and had gone home one time to keep up the appearance that she was only at Elora’s house, helping Elora get through the difficult time of dealing with memories of her father. Yeah, it was a pretty lame excuse but Sylvia Tate was a very compassionate person and so she was very willing to allow Cassie to be there for her friend as long as her grades didn’t suffer. Elora was bringing her the homework so that she could stay up with her classes but even that wasn’t enough. Cassie wanted to go back. She was in constant pain from being separated from Trik and her heart hurt over the fact that he hadn’t tried to contact her. She had decided that he must not have felt the way she felt. He had never told her that he loved her and maybe he didn’t.

Cassie felt her back pocket vibrate and pulled her phone out. Elora had texted her.

E: Coffee?