Crowns and Guns.

Venom (part 3)

"The crown?" I ask.

"Yes, the crown! The crown you humans promised me all those years ago, and switched for a bomb. The crown we need for our coronation. As long as the crown is lost, there will not be a new elven monarch, and we are doomed to be scattered into small tribes. My scryer has tracked it for weeks, and we discovered it was hidden in that big fort." It gestures in the direction of the military base. "But tonight, we suddenly saw it move towards this cabin. One of you is carrying this crown around.

I force myself to look the elves in the eyes, trying to project confidence. "I am sorry to disappoint you, buddy. But the general has pried the gems from the crown years ago and hidden them. Nobody knows where they are. All that is left is the silver itself, which is still in a crate somewhere in our base."

He snaps his fingers, and the elf next to him reveals a large, glass orb. It seems to be filled with water, and petal leaves are floating around in it. It shakes the orb. And some of them light up. He holds it in front of his face, as if looking through it, and then scans the room. The elf points at me.

"She is hiding it on her body."

I step back. "No, I am not," I yell.

The injured elf snaps his fingers again. "Spare your words, Human. You are able to lie, your words are worth nothing. Human clothes have lots of pockets. Search her."

"Wait, no" I scream, my heart almost exploding in my chest. "Please don't touch me."

The injured elf grabs the other elf on one of its spikes, forcing it to stop. It then looks at me.

"Just give us the crown, human, and you will remain untouched."

"I don't have it."

The elf shakes its head. "Prove it. Take off your leather cover."

"You mean my jacket?"

"Yes," the elf says. "Humans hide things in their fabric and leather covers." It spits, in front of me, and the black liquid sizzles as it makes contact with the wood. "Wearing the corpses of innocent animals they killed like some kind of trophy! Humans are disgusting."

"If I take off my jacket, will you let me go?" I ask, trembling, eyeing the large, oozing claws.

The elf smirks. "If my scryer is convinced the crown is not on your body, you can leave. And you can take those spawns," he gestures at the recruits. "With you."

I look over at May's lifeless body, her eyes staring wide. I swallow twice. I couldn't save her, but maybe I could save the others. If the elves promise to let the recruits go, I have to take that chance.

I take a deep breath, "You promise?"

The elf smiles and licks its lips. "I promise."

My stomach turns, revolting at what I am about to do. Yet, I figure it is better than the other options.

I take off my jacket and drop it next to me. "There. You can see I am not hiding anything. Please let the others go."

The scryer points its orb at my jacket, and back at me.

"The crown is still hidden on her body."

Oh for god's sake. The other elf steps forward again, and I raise my hand, gesturing it to stop. It keeps going, and I jump back, evading its grasping claw. The injured elf pulls it back once again.

"Human, you are still hiding it somewhere."

I pull my dress over my head and drop it on top of my jacket, and stand in front of the elf in my underwear. I hug my arms tight to my chest, trying to protect it from the cold night air, and the stares of the elves.