“It’s just too soon since,” her words faded away as she looked over to the bed and Trik jumped to the conclusion that she had wanted him to.

“Okay, okay,” he told her as he raised his hands and stepped back, “you need time and space, I can do that. But I can’t live without you, so if you have any grand ideas of running from me you can just kiss them goodbye. I’m done living without you. I need you and you need me.”

“Triktapic, King of the Elves,” Cassie’s eyes narrowed as she spoke. “You speak so boldly, so sure of yourself. After everything, how can you be so sure?”

Before Trik could answer, the door flew off its hinges and crashed into the opposite wall. Trik barely had time to pull Cassie out of the line of its path. He pushed her behind him and pulled his sword from its sheath.

Lorsan walked slowly into the room and though there was a moment of fear that flashed through his eyes it was gone just as quickly.

“So you remember where you came from, who you were.”

“Who I am, not who I was.” Trik’s voice was calm, even though his stance was sure and ready to respond to the slightest threat.

“Your time has come and gone, Triktapic. Who will follow a broken King?” Lorsan sneered.

“I’m hardly broken. My soul is complete. The Forest Lords have restored me as they said they would when I found my Chosen. So you see, I am far from broken.”

Trik reached back and touched Cassie’s hand and pushed his thoughts into her mind.

“I want you to walk slowly back and push yourself through the wall. Picture my cabin. Go there and wait for me.”

He saw Cassie roll her eyes in her mind before he heard her words. “I’m not leaving you. You don’t want me out of your sight. Let’s just say the feeling is mutual.”

Trik growled. “Cassie, this isn’t time for defiance. You are my love and I need you safe. Please go.”

“No.”

He shook his head at her stubbornness. He felt her suddenly slam down the walls in her mind and push him out. He started to turn to look at her and just as he moved Lorsan attacked. Trik pushed Cassie hard behind him to get her as far from Lorsan’s blade.

Lorsan brought his sword down and Trik pulled his up at the last second. Sparks flew as metal met metal. He pushed Lorsan back and separated the swords, dancing on the balls of his feet. Finally he could kill someone. He had been itching to rip someone apart since he learned Cassie had been taken and who better than the one who had stolen her.

“What do you hope to accomplish by fighting me?” Trik taunted. “You can’t possibly think you will win.”

Lorsan lunged again but Trik was already spinning away, deflecting the Dark King’s blade. As he did, he pulled his dagger from the thigh sheath and bent low, slicing across Lorsan’s thigh. He growled in pain and swung back around quickly. Once again, Trik barely pulled his sword around in time to block the strike.

“Even if you defeat me here, I have already won.” Lorsan stepped back from the battle and held his sword at the ready. “I’ve already put Rapture in the casinos. Already humans are falling under its power. I have discovered one small problem with it.” Lorsan watched as his words began to catch Trik’s attention. “You see, I underestimated the human’s chemical makeup and how quickly their bodies grow dependent on foreign substances. Rapture is extremely addicting, but that isn’t really the problem. The problem is that the withdrawals are so intense that it’s driving them mad if they can’t get more. Already there have been five suicides. But really it saves me the problem of having too many addicted at one time. Population control and all that.”

Trik heard Lorsan’s words. He understood what he was saying but all he could see was blood; the blood of the King before him as he writhed in pain at his feet. He lunged at Lorsan so quickly that the dark elf didn’t have time to prepare and Trik’s sword met the flesh of Lorsan’s sword arm. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it was painful and would slow Lorsan down. Lorsan switched his sword quickly to the other hand and he had to jump out of the way to keep from being impaled by Trik. They parried and clashed, dancing an ancient war dance between enemies constantly moving, their lithe muscular bodies built for fast combat. Trik cornered Lorsan and held his sword out in front of him. His eyes narrowed and he felt power pulsing through him.

“She is going to die, Trik. No matter if I live or not. You cannot save her. She has been on the Rapture for weeks. She cries out for it in her sleep. At first it was your name that she cried out, but now…” Lorsan looked passed Trik to where Cassie stood pressed against the wall, attempting to stay out of Trik’s way. “Now there is only one thing that she craves, only one thing that she wants and needs,” he looked back at Trik and with a wicked smile he added, “and it’s not you.” And then he was gone. While he’d been speaking, he’d slowly been inching backwards. When he finally felt the wall behind him, he had pushed himself through.

“Damn these mirrored walls!” Trik growled. He could follow him, but that would leave Cassie alone and he would never do that again.

He turned back to Cassie and held out his hand. “Come, we need to get out of here.” Cassie walked over to him but she didn’t take his hand. Trik shook his head in frustration but didn’t push her. She followed him to the wall and grasped a small piece of his shirt to keep from being separated from him as they passed through the mirror.