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

Turning the Tables

When Lucas opened his eyes it was reluctently. Piercing white light assailed his pupils causing them to contract into tiny black slits. He tried to stand, despite a fuzziness blanketing his mind, but something stopped him; a long knotted rope wound around his wrists holding them tightly behind his back. A second rope bound his legs, securing him to the trunk of a medium sized tree. Groaning Lucas flicked his eyes around looking for movement.

Cold air blew over bare skin and Lucas realized both his cloak and tunic were missing. He sat on ice wearing nothing but his leather breeches. Shifting quickly Lucas twisted his wrists trying to pull free. However the only reward he received for his efforts was a reddening wrist. Undeterred Lucas continued to twist and pull until his wrists bled. Shivering violently Lucas jerked again and again, hardly noticing the pain due to the cold.

Fingers turning blue and snow turning red Lucas finally stopped struggling and simply lay on the cold ground trying to conserve body heat. Whatever warmth had seemed to settle before was long gone as the temperature dropped lower and lower. After a moment of stillness X entered Lucas's field of vision, though he knew not where Lucas figured he had hidden out of sight to watch. Lucas looked up into the impassive face of his captor and shivered, not only from the cold.

In his hand X held the same knife Lucas had used to slaughter the female X was with not so long ago. Lucas swallowed dryly remembering the moment with vivid detail. "X. . ." Lucas stopped to cough as his still tender throat tried to comply with his desires, "X, who was she?" There was silence and Lucas began to wonder if it had been wise to ask the question. X gripped the knife tighter, then answered in a low controlled voice that was strangely emotional. "She was my daughter."

Lucas felt his mouth gape open, his daughter? He had never heard anything about X being a father. "What? You're a father?" X struck Lucas across the face swiftly and decisivly. Gasping Lucas blinked swiftly his eyes rolling back partially. "You always pulled your jokes on me, I wanted you to steer clear of my daughter!" X slashed the air wildly with Lucas's knife. Lucas himself tried to pull away, but his bindings held firm.

X pointed the blade at Lucas's face, screaming wildly about how Lucas had killed his daughter. '' X slashed the knife again, this time cutting into The taunt skin of Lucas's chest. Biting back a harsh groan Lucas tried to pull away agian, but only managed to his his sore head against the tree trunck. X looked down at the bloody knife then at the dripping slice he had created almost thoughtfully he said, "You know Lucas, I was supposed to capture you and bring you back. Or kill you if I had to, and bring back your head. Personally I thought that was a little barbaric. But I think it's the option I'm going with, but not yet. First I want to make you suffer."

Lucas felt what little hope he had drain away, his friend was as gone as he was. They both had turned down paths so different, and now they both wanted to kill eachother. Apprehensively Lucas tried to recall some of the shouted threats X had called after him that day, he couldn't. Just some vague feeling of terror at the idea. X cut again, creating a second line, though this time it was much slower drawing out the pain. Lucas could not stop a groan from escaping his lips. He knew he had to find a way out.

X cut again and again, scratching out a pattern on the previously marble smooth skin. Lucas tried to block out the pain, but eventually he let go and swam in it. Recognizing its existence as synonymies with his own. Rather than trying to work around the pain towards escape Lucas worked in it. He refused to scream, no matter what X did, no matter the cuts, the beatings, no matter the cold. One hundred percent of his energies were spent thinking of a way out, away.
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He began to mumble, broken sentences that made no sense. X ignored the ramblings, hoping that it was the first signs of Lucas breaking. Scattered bits rose through the still air. He gripped the murder weapon in his hand as he looked down at his former friend. Lucas was black, blue, and red. He had worked over every inch of Lucas's skin, except his head. Trying to make him feel the pain he himself had felt at Robin's death. X held off on the next cut, listening to the mumblings emanating from the broken figure before him. "cache" was the only word he was able to catch.

X didn't know what it meant, it was probably from some old language that Lucas would study on the rainy days. Without thinking much more about it X leaned forward and made the final cut on his design, a symbol. He leaned back and looked at his work appreciativly. Though never one for violence the death of his daughter had driven X over the edge and now he took pleasure in the idea of Lucas's pain.

X shifted his grip on the knife one last time and plunged it into Lucas's thigh. His silence was at last broken, X listened in satisfaction as Lucas screamed. Despite his wish to let Lucas suffer longer X knew he was overdue back in the village. He left the knife where it was and instead wielded his sword. Slowly he touched the edge to Lucas's pulsing neck, looking into the eyes of the other elf. Measuring the fear in them, the pain. X ignored the screams, now fading to whimpers, and pulled his blade back ready to behead his daughter's murderer then, without warning, the pained elf disappeared.

X nearly dropped his blade in astonishment, how had Lucas vanished? The ropes were now lying limp on the pink snow, the depression of his body still there. But Lucas himself was gone. Screaming in anger X swung his sword, flinging it towards the now empty path of snow where it buried itself into the tree. Fuming X fell to his knees and whispered vows of vengeance through clenched teeth.

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HELLO EVERYONE! Author here! So I've been told by someone that she would appreciate author's notes at the end of chapters so I figured, why not? I'll give it a go. Let me know if you want me to start adding Author's Notes or if you want me to just end each chapter with the story. Also it would be great if you would provide feedback for the story itself. What do you happened to Lucas? What foul prophesies of revenge rolled off of X's toungue? And how do you like the story?

Make sure to tell your friends about my book and like each chapter! :D

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL: Have a pleasant (Whatever time of day it is for you right now).