RISE

17 - The Plan

Aaron took a step back from the wall, as if a wider view would help him make sense of it. "What is she doing here?" he whispered to Elvorix. "Do you think it's a trap? Maybe it's not really her."

Elvorix nodded seriously. "You're right. Let's find out."

Instead of taking the cautious approach, like Aaron would have liked, Elvorix stood to his full height, where he could be seen over the wall, and raised his hands over his head, waving them at Amelia.

"Hey, Amelia!" he shouted to her.

Aaron stood up, too, his head barely above the top of the wall, and looked at Elvorix with a disbelieving grimace. But there was no hoard of Gourmal supporters coming after them, or Gourmal himself jumping out to fight. Instead, Amelia looked up at them with a gasp. She stared at them, wide-eyed, before sprinting over to them. Elvorix wrapped his arms around Aaron's waist and used his wings to lift them both over the wall to the side Amelia was on.

Amelia cried out in joy and wrapped her arms around Aaron. "I'm so glad to see you! I thought you were dead – or, are you? I'm so confused—"

"No, I'm not dead," Aaron assured her, returning the embrace. "What are you doing here? Are you dead?"

"No! At least, I don't think so . . ." Amelia let go of him and stepped back, still shaking and wiping tears from her eyes. With a shuddering voice, she explained to them what had happened.

"Of course!" Elvorix exclaimed in realization. "He had to find a human to marry, just like I did."

Amelia looked at Elvorix, seeing him clearly for the first time, and jumped back with a small shout of alarm. "Ah – Elvorix! You look . . . different."

Elvorix deflated, his wings coming around his shoulders self-consciously.

"Not in a bad way!" Amelia corrected herself quickly. "Really, you look quite handsome. Aaron is very lucky. The demon who took me looks like the moon from Majora's Mask."

Elvorix laughed loudly, and Aaron couldn't help offering a laugh of his own. Gourmal definitely had that aura, and those nightmarish eyes. "His name is Gourmal," he explained. "He tried to assassinate me, but it failed. I don't know if he thinks it worked, or if he was just lying to you, but you don't have to be afraid any more. You're safe with us."

Elvorix sobered at the reminder of the urgent situation at hand. "Aaron is right, we won't let anything happen to you, but we're not out of the woods yet. Did Gourmal say anything about his plan, something that could help us? And do you know where he is?"

"He said that fighting you had taken a lot out of him," Amelia answered. "He told me I should go into the castle, but he flew off over the mountains that way." She pointed in the direction Gourmal had gone.

"Why wouldn't he recover from the fight in his own home?" Aaron wondered suspiciously.

"He might be getting help," Elvorix suggested. "There are medicines and spells that could help him recover faster."

"Does that mean we have enough time to contact your friends?" Aaron asked hopefully.

Elvorix looked down, dismayed. "I doubt it. He could be back any moment."

"What are you going to do when he does?" Amelia asked fearfully.

Aaron scrunched up his face, confused once again. "Yeah, how do you defeat a demon? Can you kill him?"

"No, I would imprison him," Elvorix explained. "We would remove all of his limbs and his head, and lock them up separately, it will incapacitate him. Then, ideally, his allies will turn their loyalties to the one who conquered him, which would be me."