Flower Falls and Crystal Calls

Dredging Up the Past

Chapter 18

Elle chuckled at Laer's retreating form as she leaned down to retrieve her knives. She was brought up short when she tried to bend, and the bruises that were already forming on her stomach cramped up and had her growling. She was thankful when Mirus grabbed them for her. She gave him a nod of thanks before she started to turn away.

He caught her attention as Caius came to join them. When he spoke, she was just glad that the rest of the crowd had been shooed off by the irate Laer. "Emissary, I must say that your style of fighting is unlike anything I have seen before. It almost seems as though you were taught to fight men specifically. Your aim was not just for the least protected areas, but for those that would cause the most damage. As hunters, we are taught to guard them against attack, but using them to disable our human opponents has never been part of our training."

Caius' face had lost all expression, but Elle grimaced. She looked Mirus in the eye and shrugged. "Different lessons for different reasons. I've been learning since I was a girl. In the end, it doesn't really matter, does it? The different styles can all be adapted to whatever is needed as long as the person pays attention, right?"

The other hunter narrowed his eyes for a moment before he finally nodded. "It is as you say." He then gave them both a slight bow. "That was well fought, both of you, and will be an inspiration to our young hunters of something to strive for, as well as a reminder of how far they have to go. You should both rest for the afternoon."

Caius frowned as the man walked off. "He is correct. I believe we may have pushed too far. If Yeul agrees to let you join the hunters, then we may start patrols as soon as tomorrow. It would be best to be ready."

Despite how painful it was to breathe at the moment, Elle grinned up at him. "Some things are just worth it. But I'm not going to complain if we head back a little early. I can heal this and your ribs, but it's gonna take a minute."

He gave her a nod and led her from the enclosure. They both waved at Laer as they left, and Elle grinned when he responded with a different kind of gesture. She didn't recognize it, but it made Caius nearly stumble and look down at her with wide eyes, so she knew it had to be good. She smirked as she cupped her hands over her mouth to yell. "Back at ya, buddy!"

Caius did stop at that, and he stared at her with open shock. Had her yelling not caused a surge of spasms in her stomach muscles, she probably would have been rolling with laughter. He finally shook his head. "Do you have any idea what you just implied."

She grinned up at him. "Not a clue, but if it's anything like what the guys back home do, then it wasn't meant to be taken literally. Just roll with it."

He shook his head at her appraisal before he continued on in silence. They were nearly back to the path down before either of them were moved to break it. Caius finally spoke up tentatively. "You do not have to answer if you feel this is inappropriate, but would you be willing to share with me how you became a hunter of men?"

Elle grimaced and sighed before she shook her head. "First of all, I am not a hunter of men. That just sounds wrong. I am a homicide detective. Secondly," She paused and looked over at him. "Does it not bother you?"

It was Caius' turn to look uncomfortable. "It bothers me that you have had to face such horrors. That you live in a place where they are commonplace enough for you to dedicate your life's work to just that. However, the fact that you have done so is admirable. It must take a great deal of willpower to face that each day and not lose yourself to such incomprehensible actions."

Elle sighed and ran her hand down her face roughly. "Actually chasing down a perp is the smallest part of my job. Most of what I do is finding clues they left behind to try and figure out a motive. Without proof and motive, they can get away with it. I can't let that happen."

"That does not sound any better. How can you handle that? What made you chose such a profession?"

Elle stopped in the middle of the path and looked up at Caius with a frown. Finally, she nodded. "I can try to explain, but that means telling you a little more about me. About how I grew up. Are you okay with that?"

Caius' eyes widened. He had kept a professional distance between them for both their sakes, and he realized he may have just crossed that line. It was harder each day for him to tell where it was. Still, this was something he wanted to know, and it wasn't anything much different than the things he knew about his other peers. At least the ones that he worked with often enough. He gave her a nod. "I will hear it."

She chuckled at his continued formality but started walking again while she talked. "It's not like it's some deep dark secret or anything, but I come from a family of law enforcement. My father was a cop too. A small-town cop, but still. He grew up in the city and moved away when he met my mom. They settled in Podunk nowhere and had me and then Kurt. It wasn't particularly dangerous for him. You know, the usual stuff, drunks, bar fights, drugs, petty theft, that kind of stuff."

"For the most part, we grew up in a safe neighborhood thinking all was right in the world. Dad taught us how to defend ourselves, and mom yelled at him when he decided to teach us to shoot too."

Caius didn't interrupt at the terms he found unfamiliar. He could easily see that Elle was lost in her memories, and it brought out a strange feeling to see her twisted smile as she spoke. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear more or cut her off to keep it from twisting further. His indecision kept the choice from him as she continued.

"When I was seventeen, my mom was headed out late one night to take dad something he forgot. I don't think it was anything important, because I can't even remember what it was, but she never made it. She was involved in a hit and run and died before anyone found her. We never figured out who it was. No one saw the accident, and there wasn't enough evidence at the scene to figure out what the other vehicle was."

Caius put a hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry for your loss."

Elle looked up with a raised brow, and he was shocked to see nothing but emptiness in her eyes. Still, she was not rude when she shrugged his hand off. "Thanks, but it was long enough ago that I've come to terms with it."

He wondered again how any person could bury their emotions so thoroughly and began to wonder what else she kept hidden. He clenched his jaw at the thought as she turned back to the path and continued speaking. "Her death is part of why I joined the force. I also wanted to prove to my dad that we didn't have to let it be the end of us. I guess he never got the memo. I was still working up to detective when I got the call that he had managed to drink himself to death."

Caius froze. He had once admired her ability to focus past the fact that she had been thrust into uncertain circumstances and left her life behind with no clear idea on how or when she could go back. Now, he wondered if there was more to it. Despite how emotionless her expression was, he knew her at least well enough to have no doubt that the loss of both her parents caused her grief.

When Elle noticed Caius had stopped walking, she turned back with a frown. "I'm not sharing so you can pity me. I'm telling you this, so you understand my motives."

He shook his head and started walking again. "Do not fear that I find you pitiful. I have seen enough to know that will never be the case. However, I am still sorry to hear that you have faced so much. I understand now why you said it was just you and your brother. Do you have no other family?"

Elle looked away and tried to ignore the soft look he was giving her. She had learned to bury her pain, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when people started digging. She managed to shake her head. "Not really. My dad has two brothers, but I never knew them. They became estranged after their parents' death, and that was all before I was born. My mom was an only child. Her dad, my Pops, still lives on a farm south of where I live, but I don't get to see him often."

Elle fell into silence after that, and Caius allowed it to continue. He glanced over at his companion several times, but not once did she notice. He could discern no visible signs of what she was thinking, but he had no doubt that her distraction was a symptom of whatever it was that she was holding back. He bit back a sigh as he wondered whether his question helped or hindered. It certainly gave him new insight, but his uncertainty on what to do with it only grew.