The Tale of the Huntress

13. One Drunken Night

It was a shock that she had never before experienced. Cold chills ran down her body as Nova's eyes glanced over everyone in the room to finally rest on her daughter's chestnut curls. With steady fingers she brushed the locks aside to stare into the near white pupils that made her very apparently unlike most elves.

"She gets her eyes from her mother," the elven man spoke up making Nova very aware of what he was insinuating.

"So Lucinda," she trailed off as he nodded and composed himself, regaining an annoying smirk instead of the crazed expression that had marred his features only moments before. "Dear gods. How did she-"

Before anymore questions could be exchanged, a hard knock came to the door. Everyone's attention snapped to the double doors and Bertram ran to pry it open and see who was on the other side. As his hand neared the metal handle, the right half of the doors was kicked open by a man with a sash over metal plates; a captain. Behind him was a group of more armor-clad men that flooded into the home as Queen Mathilda gawked at the newest intrusion. He shouted an order and Nova curled her daughter's face under her chin as her only way of protection in her weakened state.

"That's our cue," the elven man said and approached Nova with a sense of urgency and Armageddon followed close behind. "Come on, they haven't seen your face yet," he said and angled his hands to the ground below them which created a bubble of light around the group. Nova looked to her friend the Queen one last time before reality warped around her and then everything seemed to float before falling back down to earth. She clutched her spinning head as she took in the new surroundings.

Behind her was now a fallen log rather than a wall and Armageddon was standing before her, all six legs spread apart to hold onto the ground like a stunned cat. "We will be safe for now," the elven man said as he casually walked over to a flowing creek and dipped his hands in. The sparkling water flew up to hit his face as he freshened himself up after such a stressful encounter.

"And what of Lady Mathilda? Do you not care that she is in the middle of a room full of soldiers and we just disappeared?" Nova asked, mustering up the last of her energy to take her anger out on him. Lilium whimpered at the rage in her voice and Armageddon snapped back to his senses to coax the child away from her mother. The young girl clasped her arms around his neck as he pulled her to her feet and took her off to the side to calm down.

"Well, there is nothing I can do about it. That was a one way trip and we are across the map from her now," he replied without looking back at her. Although she was worn out, Nova took this opportunity without her child on her lap to stand on shaking legs. With a few angry steps forward, she came up behind the unsuspecting elf and shoved him into the stream. He let out a cry of distress as he plunged head first into the icy shallows. The stream was only about a foot deep but that was enough to drench the half of his body that sprawled into it. He whipped his head around to glare back at her, the glistening liquid flying from his long hair and pointed ears like a wet dog. "You piece of s-"

"I don't think you'd want your daughter to hear that sort of language," Nova said and put her boot on the elven man's chest to keep him in the water. Electricity seemed to crackle between their staring contest before Nova broke it. She breathed in a deep sigh as her eyes fluttered closed and rolled back as she fainted from pure exhaustion. The elven man was quick enough to catch her before she actually hurt herself and Armageddon let out a purr of gratitude.

"I am not helping her. I just don't want Lilium to think I let harm come to her...mother," he said the word with disdain for the woman in his arms. He was surprisingly gentle when laying her down on a grassy patch nearby and Armageddon looked at him skeptically again with a warm glow in his eyes sockets.