DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

Magic was this; waking upholding the women of his dreams with a breath-taking view of the mountains and forest, high up in the sky, feeling the sun begin to lighten things up, just raising its head on the horizon casting a golden glow over her skin, the parts exposed from under the cloak they shared. He could hear birds beginning to chirp, and somewhere water flowed gently. He looked back down at the woman in his arms, gently stroking hair out her face, planting a soft kiss in the curve of her neck. Last night, he had only meant to kiss her, but them touching had been electric, magic, nothing he had ever experienced, nothing he would ever tire from. Having her body still intertwined with his, and the heat radiating off them, could melt the ice caps off the titan mountain range. He smiled at the thought.

He watched the goosebumps run across her shoulder and neck from his kiss as she stirred slowly. He waited, daring not to breathe till he saw her face. Would her eyes hold regret? She turned to face him, with a warm shy smile as the sun left a golden halo around her hair. He reached out touching a stray strand as the sun’s rays filtered through her hair highlighting the violet eyes that held something he couldn’t place, was it admiration? Love? Dare he dream of love?

His breath caught, this was home, screw finding Altahim, if he had her what more was there to life.

“Morning,” He smiled down at her pressing his lips to her forehead gently, she pulled back stretching up to kiss his lips and they lingered there, gentle slow kisses filled the morning till the sun had risen. Reluctantly Drathis squeezed her in a hug with a low growl pulling away.

“We can’t keep on; I can’t just kiss you without wanting more.” He winked touching her lips one last time resisting the urge to take things further again, she wrapped her arms around his neck driving her nails up into his hair, causing him to release another low growl that sent thrilling shivers down her spine. Pulling back, he pulled her arms away gently looking into her eyes. “Sinira, I doubt you would appreciate being caught by a random soul wandering up these stairs.” He smirked shaking hair out his face, leaning forward pushing her back down as a tease. “Not that I would mind, but we best be heading back before Mrs. Clove gives away our room.”

“My oh my, what will Mrs. Clove say about this now.” She smiled looking down at them still intertwined, nude in his cloak. He laughed kissing her one last time before they pulled away to get dressed.

Heading down the hill he spotted Galaxy in a field nearby near a patch of frosted grass quite content, despite his best, she had refused to be tired up in a barn, but came near every evening for the oats the village fed at the local barn. He wondered then why she was so persistent to be a free horse, had Dimas treated her badly? She looked as if she could outshine any.

Drathis stopped in his tracks as a wave of panic rushed through him.

“What is it?” Sinira whispered turning in a circle ready for an attack seeing his ashen face.

“I forgot,” He breathed looking up to the sky again, “How could I forget?” He shook his head looking back at her.

“Drathis what is it?” Her eyes went large with worry, seeing fear in this man, made her unstable.

“I had been so consumed with just being with you I lost track of…” He trailed off wiping his mouth in shock looking around again. “Come we have to leave.” He grabbed her hand practically dragging her back to town.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Do you recall our discussion at the pools about Dimas chasing me?”

“Yes.” She whispered looking around them as he pulled them into the inn, down the passage, and locked the door with them in.

“With you, I somehow forgot I was in danger.”

“Are you blaming me for this?” She asked slightly offended copying with his panic packing of their things.

“No.” He stopped looking at her “You are the one thing in my life I will never regret. It’s who you are that has distracted me to believe.” He stopped looking for the right words. “With you, I feel at peace, complete, as if there is no need to further my search for home, when I have it with you.” He said gently feeling his chest expand and release from holding that back, saying it felt natural. He had never pictured himself saying something like this to anyone, Sinira was just easy to talk to, it was as if his soul demanded he let her in so he could claim her. He watched her smile as a deep blush filled her cheeks. Drathis doubted he would ever tire watching her cheeks darken in his presence, it showed how affected she was by him, good.

“I guess I have felt the same of late, carefree with you, happier than I have ever been.” She fiddled with the lamp on the side table pulling away from his eyes.

They packed their things saying goodbye to a very chuffed Mrs. Clove, having been proven right in her judgment of them. Drathis had laughed at her calling out the front door teasingly at the couple, and Sinira had ignored her still huffing when they arrived at a weapons shop.

“Will you stop, you can’t always be right.” He winked at her last huff.

“Just wish I could put her in her place, that’s all.”

“Why? Do you regret last night?” he winked down at her watching as she bit her lip to hide a smile.

“How can I help today sir?” The blacksmith greeted wiping his hands on a cloth that had seen better days.

The next several minutes were spent with Sinira selecting half a dozen daggers, one bow with arrows, leather breastplate, and protective padding for Drathis, that despite his protest, she had insisted. A few Avon coins later and a whistle for Galaxy they were packed with more supplies, and ready to leave.

“I should have never dragged you into this.” He said later on as they had covered a great distance, it was a bright sunny day, not a cloud in sight despite all the snow around, they could feel the winter sun.

“Stop, I am not some fragile princess as you would like to think, I wanted to join you remember?”

“Yes, but things are different now.”

“Nothing has changed, we will just protect each other more fiercely that’s all.” She smiled her arms wrapped around his perfectly sculpted waste that; she had finally gotten to see in full splendor last night. Just thinking of how completely he had consumed her nearly had her toes curling again.

“Is that really all?” He winked over his shoulder at her.

“Stop.” She giggled slapping his back then returning her hand. Her cheeks had never been this red so much in her life, would she ever get used to him? Was this amount of attraction even legal!

“Dimas is…” He looked ahead and she watched a muscle work in his jaw, but remained quiet, she didn’t know the queen only her frightening reputation. “She will never stop till she has me, I’m shocked we even made it through a week in one place.”

“Perhaps the war on Zitex has delayed them?”

“Maybe.” He sighed looking back at her, fear in his eyes. “But delayed or not, if she finds out what you are.”

“Then we make sure she won’t.” She cut him off trying to expel the fear from his eyes, it was seeping into her. “We are elves Drathis, in our prime. With my help in training you to use your magic, we could be unstoppable against her, she is but one.”

“You forget about Galaleiath.”

“Do you think he will come after you?”

“Us both.” He looked back at her again squeezing her hand, “As I said, I should have never dragged you into this.” Drathis bit. Sinira felt his body going stiff with tension, the odds seemed more than ever to be against them, but perhaps they could reach the inside of Talgrim walls before another attack happened.

* * * * *

Galaleiath stormed to his chambers slamming the door behind him with such force the walls shook. He packed a few things he needed pulling his armor away from his chest pulling out the diary he had kept on him, opening it he read through the marked pages again, displaying rough drawings of elven ears, hairstyles, and a birthmark tattoo only his race possessed. The tattoo seemed so familiar to him yet not at all, he couldn’t place where he had seen it before. When last he studied the diary, he had nearly tossed it thinking the writings were summaries of someone doing research on elves. But reading it more closely it was more documenting on personal behavior, differences between his race and humans which went into shockingly accurate detail. So it was indeed true that either Sinira or Ashleigh was one hiding. The two women he had both wanted to bed the most out of the entire castle had a mind-blowing secret, he chuckled at the odds.

Putting the diary back in his breast plate, he turned to leave, making it all the way into the courtyard before Dimas’s personal guard appeared in front of him.

“The queen requests your presence in the throne room now.”

“The queen will have to wait.” Galaleiath sidestepped to get around them, but they stepped with him blocking his way. He growled low before looking back up at them “If you value your lives, you will step aside.” Galaleiath hissed through his teeth, but the men did not move. “Fine, tell the queen I will be up shortly, I need to attend something first.” He grumbled shoving his shoulder into two of them as he pushed through them toward the stables. He could hear the men release their breaths clearly relieved.

In the barn he saddled his mount and climbed on as the barn doors burst open, Galaleiath drew his sword pointing it ready to kill the guards when he recognized the one’s face.

“My lord?” One of his men asked.

“That carriage that left this castle, has something of mine in it.” He stated, knowing his royal men would recall the way they had hurled fireballs after it when it had escaped with Drathis.

“Then let’s go get it.” His soldier said rushing back out to gather a few trusted men not wounded from war.

“Bring a warlock,” Galaleiath called after him.

It had taken them only a few minutes for forty men to saddle up and wordlessly follow Galaleiath out the main gates.

“Do you know where it went my lord?”

“There is only one place it will be heading.” Galaleiath sneered as they took off. Finally, after all this time, and him now being king, he could finally catch his traitorous blood, kill the bastard. It was only fair he gave him the same kindness he had been given by being left to die in the street. Perhaps he could capture himself an elven queen at the same time. He wondered then if Drathis knew which was the female elf, and if he had tried to claim one of his women. Galaleiath’s blood began to boil thinking of his brother touching them after he had spent years trying to. Perhaps he would claim them right before killing Drathis, why not, he was king after all. Whichever female wasn’t the elf would just be added to his new collection of wives. But the elven women, oh they would be unstoppable creating true heirs. He looked to the sky, marking their route.

Everyone south would turn Drathis away knowing what Dimas would do to them. He knew the only place Drathis would try go to was Talgrim. A whole other world, practically impossible to enter. The only way to capture them was to beat them to the Titan Mountain range, the passage between that and the bottomless pit was narrow enough to set up camp and his traps. Thankfully there was no other way to Talgrim, he would finally face his blood and get his revenge, they just had to get their first.

“We ride hard, and we do not stop unless I say so, we will not slow down for those who get left behind,” Galaleiath called out behind him, the men all shouted their acceptance as he lowered his head, kicking the horse to go faster.

* * * * *

“And you believed him?” Queen Dimas grabbed the guard by his throat, walking out onto the balcony with him dangling in the air trying to pull her arm back to get breath. She yanked him around slapping his head to face the road. The road leading away from the main gate, displaying fresh hooved prints in the snow heading north. “I don’t think he understood the seriousness of the demand I gave you.” She hissed applying more pressure to the guard’s windpipes. “When I sent you to fetch him, I expected you to do just that.” She raised him up again dangling him over the balcony edge, his eyes went large and his face drained as he began to plead for his life and a second chance. “Very well, go try again.” She laughed releasing her grip watching the guard free fall to his death from the throne room tower. Turning around she made her way back into the room sighing with disappointment, that, hadn’t been as satisfying as she had hoped.

Ever since Galaleiath had taken her war prize without her consent, and left her with a dead king, she had been contemplating his punishment, him leaving just upped the game. Whatever had him bolting out the gate would soon be known, Galaleiath always returned to her.

Dimas had almost decided to strip him of his title as king of Zitex but, suddenly she recalled the conversation the men had shared over the Zitex beauties and smiled changing tactics. If he would not obey, she would speak a little louder. Galaleiath had often taken a wrong turn under her command, but breaking his toys always seemed to remind him where he stood.

Making her way through the castle she kept her smile up, almost waltzing through the halls with her personal guard following behind, towards the many wives tucked away for safety. Perhaps killing a handful of women, he favored, would help Galaleiath keep his toes in line, after all, she had killed enough to know his taste.

* * * * *

The next few days had been spent with Sinira trying to teach Drathis to use his power, he had dodged her best he could, refusing to look like a fool in front of her putting his hands out, or however in an awkward stance only to have nothing happen. But she had been relentless, stubborn beyond reasoning, he had thought to kiss her mind clear, perhaps it would help, it had. But the moment they were not in each other’s arms she had been back at it. Till Sinira had started to zap his ass forcing him to defend himself.

Despite his resistance, he did need to learn, and who better than her. He had let down his guard more and more around her slowly starting to accept the fact that perhaps after all his years of being locked away, life taken from him. Perhaps this was the god’s gift to him, the perfect mate.

“Stop daydreaming!” She called to him watching his distant eyes return to the moment. “Now focus.” She half laughed placing her hands over his broad wrists pushing them out away from them. “Ok, let’s try a bit more.” She said with a deep focused frown straightening his fingers out. They had been trying all evening but all he had achieved thus far, was only a few green sparks. “You need to feel it in your soul, find your inner core, and try to expel it. It’s not like wizard and witches magic, ours doesn’t need spoken spells, we focus on what we want to do and draw it from our core, find your core.” She mentored. He watched again as she pulsed purple lightning over around his wrists that jetted off into the forest, harmlessly enough to leave just a small tingle on his skin.

It took most of the night, but as if a switch had just been turned on, he found it!

Found what Sinira had called his core. An ice-cold vastness of unlimited power swirling within him, so very hungry, almost mad with the desire to be let loose.

Both their eyes went huge as brilliant emerald fire ignited from his hands, the power rushed through him giving him a sensation that could not be explained, it was just raw power. He willed it forward into the forest and it obeyed, not giving the snow and ice-covered ground, nor trees a chance. The intense heat from his flames and iced night had an immediate reaction exploding the ground, trees, rock, and snow into the sky taking several full rows of the forest completely out.

Sinira screamed with fright as they both backed up, dodging falling full-grown trees and dirt. Galaxy took off with a snorting fright as well from the campsite coming up behind them in the clearing.

“Holy shit!” Drathis called out once they were at safety.

“Holy shit.” She echoed looking from the last tree dropping out the sky to him studying his still lit hands with a gorgeous unmasked smile, they were so rare on him. She smiled watching him marvel at his power, if anything, him having fire and checking himself out lit up made him even more desirable, a feat she didn’t know was possible.

They hardly slept the next few days as he practiced, having managed to set more clothing on fire than anything else, and Galaxy had stomped almost every fire out in frustration, almost including the ones on their backs. Sinira had seen the pure joy in his eyes of having lit his own fire each time recalling the first time she had learnt to use magic.

It was no surprise that Drathis was a natural, a little direction and he had been using it on almost everything including capturing their dinners. She was surprised though that no amount used tired him out as was supposed to be normal, perhaps that made sense based on the size of his birthmark. He stood strong as ever, even after accidentally blowing up half a forest in one of the many forests they had practiced in.

She loved being a part of this with him, sharing magic, training to know the limits, she hadn’t seen his yet. But what she had seen was his magic had the most brilliant green hue to it, a jade fire that outshone the greenest fields. It wasn’t popular for the primary magical component to be fire but hey, it made the fires in the night warmer. Sinira smiled up at him the next evening releasing his powerful arms. They had just finished experimenting with strengths of magic, how much or little to use to ensure the user didn’t fall unconscious or kill themselves with too much use. He turned to face her winking as he kissed her cheek in thanks.

They had spent most of the time with the small camps they had set up along the way just talking, while Galaxy quite content on her own explored the wilderness around them. Drathis had found out that Sinira was a nature elf, meaning all her powers were drawn from the elements around her. The only reason he had only seen her use electricity was due to the excess of static in the fog. She had shown him how to use the snow to turn it into water, but he only succeeded in melting everything to nothing, his fire so hot the snow didn’t stand a chance evaporating immediately.

“So, I take it my brother and I then have the same power.” He huffed poking at the green campfire.

“I’m honestly not sure what his power is. Haven’t really seen it in use, being a ladies made has been a full-time job you know.” She giggled resting her head on his shoulder watching the flames dance over the logs. “Do you think we would find the dwarfs tomorrow along our way?”

“Are you sure they are living in the titan range?”

“That’s what legends say.” She shrugged sitting back up looking towards Galaxy licking a stalactite quite entertained with herself. “I know the mountain range is too large to explore, I just hope we get to spot some kind of secret as to where they are. Wishful thinking, I know, but come on you must wonder what happened to them as well?”

“Nope, haven’t given them a thought, more concerned with what happened to our kind.” He wrapped his arms around her as they sat watching the fire, she snuggled in his arms recalling the first night she had dared to sit in his lap to warm him, perhaps that was the night she truly fell for this elf.

“Do you think perhaps we are des…” She bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood.

“We are what?” He asked lazily.

Sinira’s heart began to race, she could instantly hear it thudding in her ears, dear gods she had gotten so comfortable with him she had nearly spoken her mind.

Drathis sat up straight instantly scanning their camp for any threat, releasing her to sit next to him, but they were fine, safe, the forest was clear from danger. he had patrolled it earlier ensuring they were not on anyone’s land. It took him a minute to realize the elevation in her heartbeat was due to what she was trying to ask.

“We are what?” He asked again, gently now, intrigued at something that had her so worked up.

“Nothing, don’t worry.” She shrugged as if it was nothing, getting up to put more wood on the fire, smothering it.

“Sinira, what is it?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged again, acting as if nothing was the matter, kicking at some snow with her boot, he could still hear her heart racing. “I can’t even recall.” She flushed pretending to heat up her hands. He raised an eyebrow and she watched him study her eyes as if trying to read her.

“If you say so.” He smirked looking back into the flames relaxing his face, when inside he fought the battle to keep his own heart rate from escalating. Her unease, large eyes, sudden movements had him replaying the cut-off question. We are des what? Des?

He felt the color drain from his face coming to a realization, was she about to speak about them? Perhaps destined? Destiny? He looked back up at her hoping against all hope to see it in her eyes, but she was avoiding his still warming her hands, biting a lip nervously. His heart skipped a beat. Shit, keeping such emotion back was harder than he had thought, with their heightened senses, both their heartbeats started to sound like wild horses galloping by. He clenched his jaw getting up, a slight tremble ran through him. He had no idea how to handle delicate situations like this, he wanted it so badly to be true, could she feel deeply for him? Dare he dream of a love shared? Or had he miss read the entire situation.

“The question seems to have upset you.” He said gently nearing her by the fire. Drathis watched carefully, wondering how close he was to the truth. Could it really be possible that she felt the same way he did? He needed to find out!

“What? No! As I said, I don’t even recall what it was about.” She watched him nearing and hugged herself. “It’s getting late, we should rest.” She took a deep breath calming herself turning away, leaving him at the fire.

That had been too close; she couldn’t believe she had nearly asked such a trivial question!

What was wrong with her! Yes, she had strong feelings for him, and he wowed her in everything he did, she was secretly obsessed with him wanting more and more, their intimacy alone had her losing reality. His breath-taking face and body, his quick mind, dry sense of humor, and almost every little thing he did, had her sneaking a peek. But what on earth would possess her to ask if he perhaps thought they were destined, mates? There was no way he felt the same!

She was not a love-sick puppy!

Was she?