Moved A/N to the bottom :) Enjoy this chapter!


Lorcan

Lorcan knew he would have to convince Elide about interrogating, and possibly torturing, Vernon. The right-hand of Erawan would be a wealth of information… if they could get it out of him. He could reveal whether he or Erawan had had any contact with that bitch Maeve, or any knowledge on the whereabouts of Aelin Galathynius. He knew Elide hated the thought of torture, but perhaps she would agree to allow him to do it, if it were for Aelin.

Oh, how the tables had turned; just a week ago, he had been thinking about creative ways to murder the irritating bitch-queen, and now… Now he was indebted to Aelin for allowing Elide to walk away from Maeve unscathed, while he had stood there pathetically locked under Maeve's commands. Lorcan would certainly enjoy wringing every rutting detail from that vile man's mind, for what he had done to Elide all these years. The side of his mouth quirked up approvingly at the thought. He already hated that he had to bring her back to Morath, that hateful, festering place, but if it was what needed to be done…

"Elide, I promise you that I will help you kill your uncle, however you need me. If you want me to kill him, I will. If you wish to do the honors, I will not disrespect your decisions. I will burn down all of the dungeons, everything I can to the ground if you wish it." Lorcan's eyes were lit with dark fire as he promised her, as if he hadn't promised her enough already. He wasn't sure what it was that had gotten into him lately, but even before he had met Elide, Lorcan had been preparing to go to Morath so it seemed like a waste not to put the knowledge he had gained to good use… Dark creatures that should never have existed in this realm were oozing out of Morath as well as the Ferian Gap, and his magic had been yearning to be unleashed, delighting in the thought of death and destruction.

Elide's eyes widened as Lorcan spoke, and she thought about what he said. "I… I'm not sure what to say. Nobody has ever…" Elide swallowed shakily, but her eyes were bright and fierce. "Nobody has ever promised to fight for me, to stand up for me, until I met Manon. And you… But, are you sure this is what you want?" Her eyes softened as she studied the hard lines on his face. Did her kindness know no limits or bounds?

"It's the least I can do," he replied honestly, bowing his head slightly. He would stay by her side, at least until the insufferable Queen came back, who would inevitably claim Elide for her court.

Elide thanked him sincerely, her breath hitching in her voice. She didn't understand what compelled him to protect her now, when before he had only used her for information and wanted nothing more… Probably guilt, she thought. Her eyelashes fluttered as she relaxed her shoulders and realized how tired and sore she was from traveling all day.

Elide yawned, covering her mouth with a hand and Lorcan noticed how exhausted she looked, even though his magic now braced her scarred, right ankle whenever Elide was awake. She hissed softly as she rolled her neck and shoulders to loosen her muscles.

Lorcan chucked his chin towards the bathroom. "You should wash up first." Elide simply nodded and padded towards the bathroom, still yawning. Lorcan settled down to sharpen and clean his many weapons. He was just finishing up wiping down of his hunting knives when Elide stepped out, freshly washed and dried. She put away her things and then collapsed on the bed.

"Goodnight," she mumbled, slightly muffled by the pillow.

"Goodnight, Elide," he replied, a small smile on his lips.

She was asleep shortly after lying down, splayed out on the bed, her dark hair fanning out around her fine-boned face. The firewood crackled as the flames leaped and danced in the fireplace, illuminating Elide's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful; her chest rose evenly with every breath. Lorcan silently stood up and washed up as well, and then he carefully lay on the bed beside her, trying not to disturb her. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her breath, while his nose filled with her distinct cinnamon-and-elderberries smell, the human side of her, and… that other scent she unconsciously hid, that blue, Ironteeth witch blood. Although it was very faint, Lorcan could still sense the otherworldliness presence surrounding Elide, quiet and watchful.

Lorcan knew Elide needed more help, and as much as he hated to admit it, his own power might not be enough, if things didn't go according to plan. And a lot could go wrong, in Erawan's domain. Lord Vernon may be human, but he would still be formidable as Erawan's right hand and was not to be underestimated.

Sometime during the night, Lorcan dozed off, but he snapped awake a few hours later. That tendril of thought that he had tucked away earlier in his mind had unwound itself, and Lorcan thought of something, maybe a way that they could gain an advantage.

He needed to talk to Rowan. Lorcan gritted his teeth. He flipped himself out of bed and stalked towards the door, unleashing his magic in waves and willing the tendrils to seek out where Rowan's wind-and-ice magic had left its mark. He decided it might be faster just to ask Gavriel, even if he couldn't stand the insufferable male sometimes.

He silently stalked down to Gavriel's room and rapped his knuckles against the door twice.

"Come in," Gavriel answered. He was sitting by the fire with a book, and on the floor to the side, his weapons were neatly lain out on a sheet, cleaned and sharpened.

"Where's Whitethorn?"

"Out on patrol." Gavriel shut his book and met Lorcan's impassive gaze.

"I need to speak with him."

Gavriel's tawny eyes flashed with curiosity, but to his credit, he didn't pry. "Go into the forest. I'm sure Rowan will find you."

Lorcan pivoted on his heel to leave, but Gavriel said, "Wait." So he paused before the doorway.

"What's happening between you and Elide?"

Lorcan expected the question, but he still stared at Gavriel somewhat blankly.

"I don't know," he admitted tensely.

Gavriel just gave him a half-smile and picked up his book again. "Better than nothing at all."

Lorcan inclined his head in acknowledgement and left. It was better than nothing at all, he supposed. At least she wasn't giving him the cold shoulder anymore. Perhaps going on this journey with her would help him make amends, prove that he could help restore and rebuild something with his powers, although maybe not directly.

He left the inn and headed straight into the forest. No doubt Rowan was perched atop a tree somewhere in solitude. Lorcan occasionally pitied Rowan, but he was more concerned about that look Rowan had on his face sometimes, the hollow, helpless look of a lost man.

The forest quieted slightly wherever he stepped; the creatures seemed to sense both the dark magic he gathered around him and his silent, stalking prowl. He continued into the forest at a brisk pace. A slight wind picked up and blew across him. Lorcan sniffed at the air, catching whiffs of pine and needles. He sensed someone in the forest monitoring him, staying more or less the same distance away from him as he continued heading deeper into the forest.

Rowan had sensed the other male's presence as soon as he had entered the forest, noticing the effect Lorcan's magic had on the plants and creatures. Lately, Rowan often retreated to his hawk form, so that he could give into his more animalistic instincts. So that he could avoid thinking and feeling, mostly hurting, so much. He had been perched atop a tree like Lorcan expected, in contemplative thought.

With his sharp hawk eyes, Rowan tracked his ex-commander as he moved through the forest, following him at a distance. He idly wondered what Lorcan could possibly want from him, and he wondered if it was about Elide. After watching for a few miles, Rowan decided he was curious enough to find out.

Lorcan was now a couple of miles away from the nearest human establishment, and he had just reached a small clearing in the forest. He moved forward a few steps, and stopped when he felt Rowan approaching, just before he saw the white-tailed hawk diving down from the treetops. In a flash, Rowan shifted back into his Fae form, his silver hair glinting in the moonlight. He stopped in front of Lorcan.

"Is Elide alright?" Rowan asked, crouching forward so that he was ready to return if needed.

Lorcan shook his head and held up his hand, palm facing forward. He ignored how hearing Rowan say Elide's name made him twinge with annoyance. "No, she's fine. This… is personal."

He paused and breathed in through his nose, trying to think of how to phrase his request properly. Usually, he tried to avoid bringing up Aelin, as it made him uncomfortable to see the burning pain in Rowan's eyes. But…

"I need to know," Lorcan started slowly, "How you taught your fire-queen- how you taught Aelin to summon her magic." That was all he said. Rowan's brows raised in surprise, but he was silent as he pieced together what Lorcan was really asking him.

"So this is about Elide. She's just not in any danger right now," Rowan fished. He knew Lorcan took the bait when Lorcan growled audibly.

Lorcan's temper and desperation flared when Rowan mentioned Elide again. He didn't want to mention their plans – not yet, anyway – but he needed Rowan to tell him what he should do. "If there were any other way… She's determined to get strong. She wants to defend herself, and others. But in her current state, she can't. I know she has magic in her blood, I can smell it, but she's the one that needs to accept it."

Rowan had an odd smile on his face, the first time Lorcan remembered seeing a genuine smile in a long while.

"What?" Thinking of Aelin, Lorcan presumed.

Rowan shook his head, shaking himself out of whatever reverie he found himself in. He rubbed his jaw absentmindedly. "Nothing. It's just that what you said is the key. Elide has to accept her magic, even if she fears it, even if she doesn't know what it means. Even if she doesn't know if she will be the same after she embraces it. And she isn't Fae, like Aelin, so…" Rowan paused, and his hardened green eyes said the rest. Which means she won't have to deal with shifting forms… and Settling, in the future.

Lorcan was quiet for a moment, and then said aloud, "But she must have the same sense of magic we do… She must be able to sense the well of magic dwelling within her."

Rowan shrugged. "Maybe. She seems gifted, or lucky, possibly both… Did she have magic before it was sealed?"

Lorcan clenched his jaw but replied steadily, "No, I hadn't thought to ask her. I will." He wasn't sure how he had overlooked that question, perhaps because the Adarlanian ban on magic hadn't affected him.

"Aelin was afraid of her own overpowering magic as a child, understandably… So to her, it was a relief when magic was sealed across the land. It took a long time for her to learn that the magic was hers and she was in control of it. Fear is what feeds their loss of control. If Elide had magic or even if she hasn't awakened it yet, perhaps she'll be more open to wielding it if she learns not to fear it." Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly, a challenge. "Perhaps it will depend on the proficiency of the instructor."

The wind switched direction and blew straight at Lorcan as he bared his teeth. "I know she's not a soldier," Lorcan hissed in a low, dangerous voice. He was warning Rowan not to challenge his determination towards helping Elide. "She'll need to learn quickly, if she's to save her own life. And the lives of others." His countenance must have darkened significantly when he thought of their plan to kill Vernon, because Rowan stilled, sensing that something was off.

"What's this really about, Salvaterre?" Rowan demanded, crossing his arms.

Lorcan shifted his weight, schooling his face back into an emotionless expression and cursing at himself. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to keep Elide's plan from Rowan and Gavriel for long. It wasn't like he and Elide could have just slipped out of the inn and hopped out of town without getting caught. But still, he had hoped to delay telling Rowan a little longer. He sighed resignedly.

"I've agreed to help Elide assassinate Lord Vernon. We haven't worked out all the details, but she knows it needs to be done if she wants to reclaim her lands and be of use to the Queen when the Queen returns to reclaim Terrasen. Elide wants to get stronger, so she needs magic. I've agreed to train and assist her to my best ability." Lorcan kept his tone and speech diplomatic, trying to appeal his case to Rowan, but Rowan was shaking his head from side to side before Lorcan even finished speaking.

"You're out of your gods-damned mind," Rowan stated in disbelief, his green eyes searching Lorcan's expression for any hint of falsehood. He only saw that Lorcan was telling the truth. Lorcan only shrugged.

"You're honestly mad. Let me see if I heard you correctly, because the Lorcan I used to know would never agree to a plan like this." Rowan paused, but continued when Lorcan remained silent. "You're going to accompany a possibly magical Elide back to rutting Morath, where she had been locked up in the dungeons but managed to escape once, and the two of you are going to assassinate her Uncle Vernon. And then what? You're both going to waltz out of Morath unscathed? You think Erawan isn't going to find out? What's the end game here?"

Annoyance colored his tone as Lorcan snapped back, "Look, this isn't your problem. It's between me and Elide, and we'll figure it out as we go. We just need some time."

Rowan groaned, rocking back on his heels as he ran a tattooed hand through his silver hair. "You need a lot more than time, and I can tell you're not finished."

Lorcan was in too deep now, anyway, so he took a deep breath and continued, "We're splitting off from you and Gavriel for a little while. Our search has been inefficient lately, and Elide slows us down somewhat on horseback. I'm going to find a way to draw out her magic and teach her how to wield it enough for us to assassinate Vernon and get out alive. We need a week and a half." A week and a half would be generous, but still far, far too little time.

Rowan was now pacing and growling. He agreed their search had been ineffective, but ten days? With just the two of them? Even with Lorcan's power and vast experience, he knew that wasn't enough time.

"No. It's too risky," Rowan snapped.

"It's the only way. We're wasting time here; Elide could be an asset. She's been through hell, and she needs to learn how to protect herself." Lorcan's magic unconsciously rolled from him in waves as he snarled. The sounds of the forest surrounding them hushed, and a sharp chill began permeating through the forest.

Then a cool breeze picked up and blew in Lorcan's direction, dispelling some of the dark mist and restoring life to the patches of grass and trees around the clearing. "Relax, Lorcan. Have you told Gavriel any of this?"

"Of course not," he snapped through gritted teeth. Nearby, a locust chirped as Lorcan forced himself to focus on his breathing, in and out.

Rowan's eyes appraised Lorcan again, and he saw no sense of hesitation, only… a kind of wild desperation. His brows furrowed in concentration for a few moments, and then he said slowly, "You'd be signing your own death sentence if you didn't believe this would work… But I don't think I need to remind you that Elide's safety would be solely your responsibility. If Aelin finds out that something happened to her beloved childhood friend…" Rowan left the thought unfinished because Lorcan could read the harsh words from his eyes. You won't survive the night if Elide doesn't make it back alive.

Lorcan straightened to his full, towering height. He appreciated Rowan's honesty, and as the silence stretched between them, Lorcan just lifted his face to the dark, star-lit sky and closed his eyes.

He didn't know why, but for the first time in a long time, Lorcan prayed. He apologized for being silent for so long, years, if not centuries. In the past, he had always prayed for power, craved strength. He apologized for his self-centeredness, which had driven him to be selfish and unremorseful. Now, his mind wandered to memories of his fallen comrades, to those he hadn't or couldn't save, and he beseeched the gods to take into their everlasting care those loyal soldiers who had been slain around him in battles and wars past. He muttered his forgotten apologies and prayers to the gods, and directed a prayer to Hellas himself if he were truly out there – Gods, the dark god who bestows power, if I can't even keep one girl, one woman safe… What's the point? What's the point of my power? What is the point of death and destruction, without an end to achieve?

And as Lorcan stood there, his magic whirled around him like he was an eye in a hurricane, gaining mass and power and speed. He crossed his right arm over his chest, held his fist over his heart and made a vow. He swore that if Elide didn't make it through their journey and mission safe and whole, he would forfeit his immortal life. He would gladly accept the end. He also cursed Elide's killer for eternity and promised that he would pursue revenge even in the afterlife.

Lorcan would willingly give up his life if he was unable to keep his promise to Elide; in fact, he would welcome it if Aelin tried to wreath him in flames. He had seen enough of the Wyrdkeys, seen how their overwhelming power could influence Maeve to do wicked and cruel things. And even though Erilean conflicts were not of his concern, he saw how this war dragged millions of innocents into it, like Elide, who had been chained and raised like a pet for most of her life.

Maybe it was his burning will, or it was the god Hellas himself responding, but lightning-like magic now crackled across Lorcan's dark magic, branching out in all directions. The magic cracked and flashed, and the forest groaned around them as Lorcan's magic whipped the air into a frenzy. Creatures in the forest surrounding them were fleeing, their fear snapped up by the chilling wind. Rowan was waiting patiently, but he was crouched in a defensive position and had thrown up barriers.

Lorcan felt that well of magic within himself deepen and expand, as if he had discovered a new layer of power. He cautiously sank into it, exploring the depths of his increased power. A few broad trees nearby groaned before cracking and splintering into millions of pieces. In a calculated manner, Lorcan flexed his magic and it pulsed in rings around them, rolling like thunder and cracked like electricity. His mouth twisted into a wild smile as he thought about testing the new limitations of his power in Morath. He suspected that the sincerity of his promise had granted him this gift, an added bonus so that he would not fail to defend Elide.

Magic to protect, for when he finally found something, or someone, worth protecting.


A/N: Hello again, so what'd you all think!? Another long-ish chapter, which I have agonized and slaved over trying to figure out how to get it right and how to divide it up properly! I hope you enjoyed it ;) it's taking me a little while to set up the story and write Elide properly as I like to try to keep characters as in character as possible, so I'm working hard on the next chapter! For this chapter, I wanted to write more of Gavriel and Rowan into the story, and hopefully I'll be able to incorporate other beloved characters from the series in later chapters, but we'll see ;)

I'd love to hear from you guys in the reviews, it's super encouraging even if it's nice and simple, like, "Can't wait to read the next chapter!" It motivates me to keep thinking and writing :D Thanks for all your support so far, and faves/follows/reviews appreciated as usual~

~k