A Clash Of Light And Thunder (War Of The Forgotten Lovers Book 1)

Where Future Overcomes The Past

The wind lingered over the forest. Rich earth dust, caught in its silent dance, hovered over the grass.

Elvin stood tall, rising out of the darkness of the settling dust. Sparks of brutal lighting rippled through his sun-kissed skin, decimating into the air as his anger raged. His sharp grey-blue eyes narrowed on the red finger-like marks on Aria's neck. His blood boiled. "I hope you have made peace with your gods and are ready to return to the earth." His threat was laced with the promise of death, for how dare they hurt her.

Aria's heartbeat lightened at the sight of the prince as she panted. The remnants of her powers lingered over her fingertips. Still lacking control, every ounce of magic had poured out of her in pure chaos. She tried to summon that power again in preparation for the coming fight, but she felt like a dried well— utterly spent.

The red-haired princess took a single step back, edging away from the front lines.

Daeniel's stretched face snapped to Aria. His hand seized her fair forearm, trapping her where she stood.

"You are vastly outnumbered. It would be wise to leave." Daeniel threatened the fae that had thundered down the sky. The badly burned man hated the confidence of the fae. Always thinking they were so vastly better in battle. He had learned that if he played to their cockiness, they soon became easier to slay down.

Elvin's nose flared at the confidence of the human captain. If not for his training, the shock would have shown on the prince's face when he smelled nothing. An overly confident human and twenty shifting soldiers, and he smelt and heard nothing. A question for later. For now, he would have to move with caution as to not risk Aria harm. "If you thought you could beat me, you would not offer such a useless choice," Elvin mocked.

Daeniel's scarred eyes narrowed as he screamed, "charge!"

The soldiers marched full force, edge pointed at the fae's throat. Their heavy metal boots hovered in a dark fog over the grass as silent as the night. Yet, their warriors' chants rang loud as they attacked.

Elvin moved swiftly, avoiding their blades and swinging his own. The edge of his fae steel sliced across their flesh. One by one, they began to fall. Crimson red blood splattered on the ground and tainted the earth as the grass soaked its nutrients.

The warrior prince cursed under his breath. A sharp sword swung inches from his face, almost slicing his slender nose. It was a struggle to keep track of Aria while fighting the humans without the ability to detect them with his baser senses.

Elvin turned from the fallen bodies and held his sword as it transformed into a spear.

Daeniel watched as his soldiers fell one by one and cursed. This elf was not like the other he had met in battle. Scarred dark eyes dashed from Aria to the elf and snorted at the admiration that glistened in the princess's eyes as she looked upon the fae. "Pathetic," he whispered. A dark festering rage built in his chest. It didn't seem fair to him, that he would remain forever scarred while she was free to bat her eyelashes at someone else.

Aria pulled her arm away but found she could not match Daeniel's heavy strength. He forced her against his chest, a knife to her neck. The fire-haired maiden ceased all motions when the sharp edge of a dagger pierced the surface of her skin.

Elvin froze in time. Spear ready to be thrown forwards, but he hesitated. He could take the human out. Protect his kingdom, but endanger Aria's life. His hand trembled under the weight of the promise he had made to his father in his mother's name*. A million branching possibilities played out in his mind. He could let them go and attack once the human captain had let her slip far enough. But Daeniel did not look that stupid.