Elves of Wood and Storm (Book one of The Guardians series)

Magic

The crackling fire was growing louder, in desperation Lucas shouted down, "Have mercy! Please X! Don't let me die like this. . ." His voice trailed off into hacking coughs as smoke wreathed his face. Tears streamed as the pulsing gray ash pushed and clung to the whites of Lucas' wide eyes. His skin turned a pinkish red as heat warmed the skin beyond what it should be.

X didn't respond to his pleadings, he stood frozen brandishing his blade. Wildly Lucas wondered if magic could help him in this situation. But his lack of experience, combined with the choking smoke made it difficult for him to breath let alone think. He coughed again, his raw throat convulsing as it tried to clear itself of the unwanted ash. X finally moved, Lucas looked down to watch, though he could barely see anything but shadows through the thick smoke. There was a shudder in the tree and Lucas knew his face was white under the ashy covering. The tree was starting to fall.

He clung tighter to the rough bark, his hands covered in sticky sap starting to pop in the heat. Despite the pain for the ever mounting heat Lucas held on, hoping that the great pine would fall away from himself, so he wouldn't be crushed by its massive girth. Blisters started to form on his previously smooth palms as the tree swung ever wider. Every few moments there was a great shudder, and Lucas realized why X had moved.

Burning the tree had taken too long, and likely did not have the intimacy X craved in his death. So now he was hacking at the wood beneath, felling the burning tree so that he himself could end Lucas. Another labored breath passed through his lips and Lucas began to wonder if X would have the chance to kill him, he wasn't getting enough oxygen and his strength was fading. The tree bent further than it had before, leaning far from its previous vertical position. Without really caring Lucas felt his grip weaken as his vision went dark, then he was falling.
*~*~*~*
He was probably only unconscious for a second or two, the with a bone jarring thump Lucas hit the earth. Had he simply fallen from the tree there is no way the trapped elf would have survived, not only would he have fallen from a great hight, but also unconscious into a ring of fire. As it were X succeeded in cutting the tree down just as Lucas' strength gave out. His fall was with the tree, cushioning his landing slightly.

The sharp pain in his shoulder and the sudden presence of clear air brought Lucas to his senses. He sat up quickly sucking cold air in through his raw throat. Looking like a mix between a gaping fish and a drunk monkey Lucas staggered to his feet, wildly trying to keep his balance in the shifting pine branches littered around him. Less than a hundred feet away X was stalking towards him, face set in a perfect expressionless mask. Lucas reached for his bow before remembering it was no good. The only other weapon he had was the small hunting knife. Though he was hesitant to reveal it as it was the weapon he had used to kill the female.

Blinking the last of the smoke out of his eyes Lucas watched the figure, wreathed in the jumping flames, come closer. His mind felt slow, as if the pine pitch covered it as well as his blistered hands. He took a few steps, then tried to bring his arms up. Instead he shrieked in pain, then more as he strained his ash covered vocal cords. He wasn't sure what, but something was wrong with his shoulder. X was getting closer, stepping down the trunk of the great pine. He didn't seem to be in any great hurry, Lucas however, was. Cradling his right arm against his chest in an attempt to stabilize his shoulder Lucas turned and began to run, his head clearing with every step.

Behind him came the swift pound of X's feet and Lucas knew this chase was life and death. He also knew that in the woods X was better than him, so Lucas didn't waste time trying to conceal himself. He simply ran, hoping his superior strength and stride would be enough to escape.

Slowley X began to fade behind him, but Lucas knew he was still there so he ran like a frightened rabbit. Retreating to the cave was not an option as he could not allow X to know where he was, most other secluded spots in the forest Lucas had shared with X, exploring them together as children. The only thing Lucas could think to do was to use some sort of magic to escape. Frustratingly he could not think of any chant that would help him. Out of all his studies he had spent the least amount of time on magic, figuring that he would never use it.

Then an idea came to him, it was so unexpected, so radical, Lucas almost stopped running . . . almost. He had studied the olden language extensively, and spells were voiced in that language. Perhaps he would not need a specific wording, perhaps he simply needed to say what he wanted. Lucas slipped suddenly on a pice of ice that had refrozen after the warm air turned to a cold snap. He went down hard hitting his head on a rock, blackness rushed up to engulf his vision and Lucas fought to remain awake. He cursed himself, falling on ice of all things, he was to distracted by his thought to pay attention. He tried to push himself up, but his injured shoulder gave way, leaving Lucas to fall once again to the ground.

Vaguely he could hear footsteps approaching, swift but near silent. Lucas groaned, feeling warm blood leech from his head, X would be there in under a minute and he couldn't make his limbs work correctly. He let his head fall to the side, and the last thing Lucas saw was a pair of leather shoes, then darkness overcame him.