Surrender, Book 3 The Elfin Series (10 page)

“Take them to the iron rooms,” he told his men. He watched briefly as they carried the still grinning queen and silent human away, shielding themselves from the once again unfrozen humans. His attention was drawn back to the masses as he searched for the warrior and the other human. They’d wandered off while he’d been dealing with Syndra, which had probably been her intention. He continued forward, determined to find them again. He didn’t need them snooping around or interfering with his plans.

Soon he would know the secrets of
The Book of the Elves
and he would bring the humans, the light elves, and their newly reinstated king to their knees.

Cassie, Trik, Tamsin, Rin, and Tony all stood staring at the dilapidated looking motel. They were all tired, hungry, and in need of a good night’s sleep.

“Why again, can we not find a nicer place to stay?” Cassie asked as she rubbed her weary eyes.

“Because as soon as we all get some sleep, we will be heading deep into the swampland,” Trik explained. “And this is the closest place to rest before we go.”

Cassie understood, but that didn’t make it any easier to consider the creepy, crawlies that she might have to share a bed with. She was tired, but she also wanted to get her parents back as quickly as possible, and if sleeping in the better-off-condemned building in front of her would make it faster for her to get to them, then she’d do it.

When they’d finally checked in and were entering the two rooms they’d reserved, her fears were confirmed. Cassie covered her hand over her mouth and nose to keep from gagging at the smell.

“Let’s just get some sleep and then we can get out of here,” Trik told them as he grabbed Cassie’s hand and pulled her toward one of the empty beds. They’d divided up with Tamsin, Tony, and Rin sharing a room and she and Trik in another. She didn’t know why they were bothering to give them privacy; there was no way she would be taking her clothes off anywhere in this place.

The group dispersed and to Cassie’s surprise, as soon as Trik wrapped himself around her, she drifted off to sleep.

It felt like moments later when her eyes opened, only she knew immediately that she wasn’t really awake—it was a dream. A very real dream. She stood on the edge of a forest, but then quickly amended in her mind that it wasn’t a forest; it was most definitely a swamp. The trees were tall and thick, draped in moss and vines. Their trunks plunged down into murky water covered in a film of algae and other marshy plants. Cassie looked down at her feet, curious to see why she wasn’t knee deep in water. She stood on an old stump that stuck up about two feet from the muddy mess. The stump was about two feet in diameter giving her plenty of room to stand and not feel as though she would fall off at any moment. She turned in a slow circle taking in the area around her, and, though it was gloomy, it was also strangely beautiful.

“You being in great peril, Cassandra, queen of elves.”

Cassie’s head snapped back around to find the origin of the voice. About a dozen feet away sat an old woman floating on a crude raft. The raft consisted of logs lashed together by vines and it appeared to be steering itself.  Despite the old woman’s age, she seemed quite comfortable sitting with her legs crossed on the rough vessel. Her skin was a soft, brown color and, though weathered looking, there were very few age lines. Her hair was covered with a purple scarf that she had tied in a knot at the base of her neck. Her clothes were loose, a multicolored tunic style top made out of a linen fabric and matching pants. Wrapped around her shoulders was a black shawl interwoven with various items including several small bones, a few claws that looked to be from different types of birds, and even some very small figurines―which appeared to be dolls of some sort. The shawl seemed to exude a darkness all its own, and Cassie was certain that she didn’t want to ever come in contact with that particular piece of material.

“How do you know my name?” Cassie asked looking back at the woman’s eyes.

“There be power in knowing de name,” she answered cryptically. Her accent was thick but Cassie couldn’t place it.

“Who are you?” Perhaps, she’d be kind enough to share her name. Cassie nearly laughed.
Not likely
, she thought.

“I be many things to many beings. But mostly I be a priestess—a conduit for de spirit world.” Cassie had heard such speech before on many a reality televisions show, so she recognized the woman’s thick Cajun accent.

Whatever the woman’s accent, she didn’t like the sound of her being a go between for the spirits. Cassie was convinced that once someone or something was dead, it was time to let them go. Nothing good could come from messing with spirits, and those spirits that wanted to be messed with were definitely up to no good.

“So what do you want with me?” If there entire conversation was going to continue in this manner, it was going to be a very long dream.

“There’s one who is being obsessed wit you. So enthralled he be, that he willingly sought me out. There not be many who are willing to pay de price of a Voodoo priestess.”

“What price is that?” She shouldn’t have asked, but a sick sense of curiosity had her mouth moving before her brain could tell her to shut it.

The woman’s eyes met her’s and Cassie shivered at the emptiness she found there.

“Souls,” the priestess answered. “We be dealing in souls now, chile.”

Cassie wondered whose soul Tarron had bargained with in order to get help from the Voodoo lady. But that was not a question she was going to voice. She didn’t know how she would handle the answer.

“Tarron has my parents. I can’t just run and hide.”

“That not be what I’m saying. Dat elf be messing with things that ought not be messed wit. There be no benefit to my lady—da Voodoo goddess—if Tarron and Lorsan rise to power. Be no balance come from it. Triktapic must not be falling again. The contract between the Voodoo goddess and Tarron be already struck. There can’t be no going back. But dees goddesses be tricksy you know?”

“What does that mean?”

“Tarron of the dark elves tink he be bringing me an item that be belonging to you.” She pointed a bony finger at Cassie and, for some reason, it made Cassie want to duck out-of-the-way. “But that item from another. She already be heading dis way. The spell cast will be making them want each other no matter who their destiny be meant for.”

Cassie felt ice cold as the priestess’s words began to sink in. She knew what she had to ask next, but the words seemed to be lodged in her throat. It took her several tries before she was finally able to speak. “Who was the girl that the item belonged to?” Her chest tightened as she waited for the woman to confirm what she already knew to be true.

“Elora Scott, half human, half dark elf, daughter of Lisa, sister of Oakley, and Chosen of Nedhudir, da one she calls Cush.”

Cassie was pretty sure if she’d eaten anything recently she would have been tasting it a second time in that moment. Tarron had thought he was ensnaring Cassie, but it had been Elora instead. And now because he had Cassie’s parents as well, he had them both whether he wanted them or not.

“So what can we do? How do we stop him?” Even as she voiced the question, she didn’t expect an answer. But the old woman surprised her.

“You must be stopping him. Da Voodoo priestess works for the highest bidder.”

“So basically,” Cassie said slowly. “You will help us if we offer you something more than what Tarron has already?”

The priestess nodded.

“Will you undo the spell? And how do I know you will do what you say?”

“If Triktapic agree to my terms, da spell will be broken. A Voodoo priestess keeps her word—to da highest bidder.” This seemed to amuse the old woman and she threw her head back and cackled, a sound that reminded Cassie of a murder of crows all squawking at once.

After the woman finally calmed down, Cassie’s eyes narrowed. “And how do I know you won’t go back to Tarron and tell him what you’ve done in order to see if he will give you a better offer?”

“You don’t.” And she once again fell into a fit of hideous laughter.

Cassie’s eyes snapped open as she attempted to catch her breath, the laughter of the old woman still echoing in her head. She knew immediately that this was more than a dream. Whoever that woman had been, she was real, alive, and flesh and blood, somewhere close by. She felt Trik stir beside her and she turned her head to see him sound asleep with one arm slung over his face and the other resting possessively on her stomach. Apparently she hadn’t disturbed him at all. She let out a slow breath and closed her eyes as she attempted to sort through the bizarre dream.

“What’s wrong, Beautiful?” His deep voice had her eyes snapping back open.

“I thought you were asleep,” she told him as she rolled over onto her side to face him.

“I was, but I could feel your anxiety.” He patted her stomach to remind her that he was touching her and had access to her thoughts.

Cassie opened up her mind fully and let the dream replay for him. She felt Trik’s body grow tenser as it unfolded. Finally, after several minutes of silence, he sat up and climbed out of the bed. He was in his sleep pants but that was all and for a brief moment Cassie had to appreciate the fact that her elf was seriously sexy shirtless.

“Tarron attempted a love spell on my Chosen?” Trik asked, though she knew he wasn’t really expecting an answer.

“I don’t really think that’s what’s important at this point, Trik. He may have thought he was doing it to me, but he actually
succeeded
in doing it to Elora. The Voodoo priestess said Elora is already on her way here.”

He stopped his pacing long enough to look at her, and she could tell when it finally clicked that Cassie hadn’t been the one affected by the spell. She watched as he walked over to the small bedside table that had seen better days. He grabbed his cell phone and pushed a couple buttons before putting it to his ear.

“Cush,” he barked into the phone. “Where’s your Chosen?”

Cassie crossed her fingers, hoping that Cush would say Elora was right there by his side. But she might as well have been wishing for trees to produce cotton candy instead of leaves; it just wasn’t going to happen.

“How long has she been missing?” Trik asked.

Cassie felt her pulse speed up.

“Keep looking for her. Deal with Lorsan if you have time.” He set the phone back down and shut his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Cassie’s voice sounded smaller than she’d intended.

“Because the last thing I need is one of my most powerful warriors to come barreling into New Orleans ready to make heads roll and causing chaos. We can deal with Elora. Cush would better serve us by dealing with Lorsan. He and Syndra should be able to hold their own.”

“He’s going to be very angry with you once he finds out,” she pointed out. “Think of how you would feel if it was me, and he didn’t tell you where I was?”

Trik’s eyebrows dropped low on his forehead and his eyes flashed a dangerous silver. “Yes, I would be beyond pissed if he kept such information from me, but I am his king and it’s my call to make. I have to consider what is best for everyone involved, not Cush’s emotions.”

“So what do we do now?”

He turned toward the hotel door and Cassie felt as if he was trying to look straight through it. “We seek out this priestess and find out the price.”

“Something tells me that it isn’t going to be something as simple as a drop of blood,” she muttered as Trik took her hand and pulled her toward the door.

“Your pension for thinking positive is truly astounding, Cassandra,” Trik teased.

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Forgive me if I don’t live in fantasy land where the good guy always wins and evil is vanquished. The movies make it look so easy.”

Trik looked back at her as he knocked on the door of the other room. “You’re right. The cost that comes at defeating evil is much greater than people realize. But it is always worth it, no matter how painful.”