Page 64 of Crown of Flame
“Yes, all you need is some exposed skin to drain these fuckers, right?”
He nods. I take him and lead us to the nearest corpse donning the armor, showing him the section that exposes their bodies. It’s almost hard to see through the burnt wreckage, but I’m able to get the point across.
“See that? I can pry it off of them while you keep them distracted. Do you think that would be enough?”
“Only one way to find out,” he says. “What else did you find out?”
“Aldris has my amulet,” I reply. “There’s a great deal of power in it, and I think it’s capable of controlling you somehow. It’s also why I was immune to y our flames, and why I can’t get close to you now.”
He nods solemnly.
“We’ll figure that out when we come to it. Right now we have a compound to wipe out.”
“Then we can make our way to his quarters.”
I think I see a smile form across his face, but it’s full of melancholy.
“You did well on your own.”
“No,” I chuckle, shaking my head. “I almost got myself killed.”
“One against an army is never going to be a fair fight, but without you, how else would I have found out their weaknesses? I need you as much as you need me. I can’t do this without you, Serena.”
“You really think so?”
“Serena,” he laughs. “I know it.”
He hovers forward, looking out toward the wreckage of the camp.
“Now come on, let’s wipe out these monsters.”
We stick to the shadows, moving under the cloak of night as we make our way to the other side of the compound. I tiptoe past tents and shacks while Cinis floats around silently.
Together, we work on a plan to take every one of these monsters out. Cinis uses his abilities to help me set up a trap, all part of the plan we’ve devised. He positions boulders to fall down on a concentrated area at the pull of a rope, one that I’ll be manning.
“Are you ready?” I ask him.
He nods. He sounds the alarm, signaling all of the remaining dark elves to a campfire lit in the central common area. In small groups, they emerge from their tents, trudging over in their groggy, exhausted states.
“What’s going on?” one asks. “Who sounded the alarm?”
I watch with a devious smile from a platform out of view, my sweaty hands itching to pull the rope.
The dark elves gather in unison, huddling around the lit fire as they murmur back and forth, demanding an explanation for the sudden awakening.
Cinis gives me the signal and I pull. A barrage of heavy stone rains down on them, crushing the elves beneath their weight. Screams cut out almost as soon as they leave their owners’ mouths.
Cinis and I make quick work of the survivors, eliminating any potential backup for our inevitable confrontation with Aldris.
I find myself shaking with anticipation. Cinis faces me with a look of concern in his eyes.
“Why are you shaking? Is something wrong?”
“No, quite the opposite,” I tell him. “Everything is going right. I’ve never been this close to achieving victory over the elves. All the people I’ve lost to Aldris’ order…”
Cinis shushes me.
“They would be proud if they saw you right now. Use that force to help me take him down once and for all. It’s time we end this.”