Chapter 31: Confrontations

Marak) I'm not sure what I was expecting as I made my way to the location Hey-zel had found the Elf King in. My head was still swimming with all the chaos I was leaving behind me. Arisa's gaze at Hannah with those animal-like claws had been nothing of fear only concern… Could she look at me like that someday? Surely I was not nearly as frightening as those demonic traits-

My thoughts scattered as I saw the passed out form of my brother King. Panic swept through me for a moment as I was forced to confront the idea that he may have succumbed to the magical disease that was plaguing our nations. I kneeled next to him gingerly reaching out with my magic to prod at him looking for any signs that the others had displayed.

My magic rippled over his form tense and agitated still from my earlier encounter. I focused drawing on my training with my magical mentors and after a few moments felt relief in my chest. I took a deep breath giving a weak laugh, he wasn't ill. He was perfectly fine if we could ignore that he had somehow passed out. I gave a casual glance around to see if there was any outside force that might've downed the Elf King.

My eyes took in the beautiful flowers, dwarven crafted to perfection and the high ceilings above me puzzling over his state for only a moment before coming to the obvious conclusion.

I sighed reaching down to pull him up to his feet giving him a gentle pat on the cheek trying to rouse him. "C'mon now, brother, don't tell me you let a little lack of sky get you all worked up."

He didn't respond, his eyelids didn't even move or twitch at that. Where I was expecting an indignant glare from dark almost black eyes instead all I was met with was unresponsiveness.

I started to get more concerned realizing he wasn't exactly breathing normally. His chest rose with much effort as if all his magic was trying to force his body to continue to function. My magic hissed and I half dropped him as I realized he had a sword sheathed at his side. The magic coming off the sword was nothing short of malicious and I stared at it hard realizing just what it meant. Had… Had Naswa come intending to kill me? Our magics forbade that… magically perhaps it wasn't exactly a thing we could test…

The thought bothered me more than I wanted it to and I tried to refocus on the task at hand and gingerly changed sides on him to avoid being too close to the sword that had started to hum loudly with magic.

I cursed in Goblin and laid him back down checking over him and felt a surge of mounting panic. Was it possible my rival could be so weak? Was my Kingdom really that overwhelming for him? Gods forbid he had actually seen the city parts of my kingdom.

I clasped my hands together pressing hard on his chest for a moment trying to force his body to respond. Surely being touched by my magic would spark some spite in him and force him to revive. I could faintly feel his magic brush up alarmed at my touch but it was weak, barely a tickle.

"Naswa!" I said my voice louder in the emptiness of the cavern, "Naswa get up!"

I pushed harder on his chest starting to perform CPR watching his chest continue to struggle to rise and fall at a normal rate. I faintly heard footsteps coming up behind me. I didn't need any crowding right now and the Elf King would be embarrassed enough when he came around… or worse case scenario we might be at each other's throats shortly and the magical collateral damage to the surrounding area would not be pretty…

"No further," I called over my shoulder in goblin. I didn't need extra guards or any citizens witnessing the Elf King in this state.

"What did you do to that guy!" I froze hearing the voice of Hannah's male companion. How did they-? Did I really have to ask how they got past the guards at this point given the strangeness that surrounded them….

I stayed crouched by the Elf King's side and turned slightly to confirm my fears. The trio stood crowded together, Arisa still half carrying Hannah on her shoulder. The trio looked at me with varying degrees of anger.

Hannah let out a low whistle looking to the elf-man then past me to where the exit lay. I could feel myself tense as I could see her wheels start to turn. If they did try to go past me I didn't have the means to stop them. I had to focus on making sure the Elf King would live another day.

Rex surprised me by venturing closer while gesturing for the girls to wait. Rex's eyes were closer to a deeper blue that mimicked deep oceans and the pupils unlike Hannah's had no discernable slit or other readily demonic trait.

My magic buzzed to life as he got within five feet of me becoming an electronic current sizing up the approaching humanoid. My magic warily appraised him confirming what I had guessed in his bloodline. If this man tried to pick a fight with me now, I had little faith that I could restrain my magic.

I faintly tried to protest but the immense drain of magic was catching up with me. "I wouldn't if I were you."

Rex gave a faint amused smile at that comment but stopped a mere arms length away. The girls stayed back although Hannah was now looking with thinly veiled curiosity towards the prone elf. Arisa glanced to the elf king but for the most part her attention seemed divided in glancing over her shoulder and looking for a path of escape. There seemed to be a commotion growing behind them but no other guards approached yet.

Rex took a sharp breath in and glanced back to Hannah, "He's an elf!"

Hannah's face showed clear shock, "Are you serious?"

Rex moved like a bird circling a wolf whose dinner it was after, "Yep. A full one from the feel of it. Powerful one too. Wow so that's what the male ones look like."

Hannah muttered something I couldn't understand and reached up with her free clawed hand and ran it through her hair. She seemed to be debating something as she pursed her lips. She gave a quick glance to Arisa as if appraising something. Arisa's attention had sharply returned to the elf man and she froze up. As far as I understood the Call of the King only applied when a King of the species touched the subject but still her wide eyes unnerved me.

A weak groan seized my attention and I looked down where I had half-heartedly had resumed pumping and a weak hand was attempting to push mine away. "S-Stop."

I backed up a few inches still concerned as the Elf King's eyes struggled to open. "Are you alright, Brother?"

"Stars, why I am hearing Marak's blasted voice." Naswa muttered crossly as he forced his eyes to open. He slowly sat up cradling his head, "And why does it feel like someone's been slamming rocks on my chest!"

Rex moved fluidly upon the Elf-King's revival and dashed over to the girls seeing the opportunity. He gave them a little push and that was all the incentive they needed to cut their observation short. The trio moved as one surging forward.

"Wait-!" I barked getting to my feet and accidentally knocking the Elf King back down with an unintended elbow.

The Elf-King swearing in elvish would be amusing in other circumstances but my focus zeroed once more on the girls.

The trio had made a half circle around us and I reached out with magic hoping this spell wouldn't make things worse. In slow motion the events happened before me, I could see my magic a transparent wisp whistle towards their feet intending to root them.

Given the strange revelations we had experienced earlier I suppose I should've seen what was coming. Arisa yelped startled by the magic zipping towards them, her eyes followed my magic perfectly as if she could SEE it. She raised a single hand in a gesture, her fingertips moving subtly to flex each point of her finger.

The world moved in snapshots, the magic haltingly moving forward the trap the trio froze running into an invisible barrier and reflected back. There was an audible clap as the magic slammed into the barrier and the expressions of her companions changed to one of shock.

Arisa's fingers splayed back as if physically being pushed by my spell. Her face, formerly a picture of panic, turned pained and she slipped to her knees. Hannah was the quickest to recover and quickly grabbed the girl before her knees gave out.

I felt my shock get mingled with a strange mix of pride as I realized my future wife's elf magic seemed to be of the military variety. The Goblin forefathers always did enjoy Goblin Revenge against the elves. The hand gesture movement looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it at this moment in time.

I was yanked from my thoughts when a hand shoved off my shoulder. The Elf King was getting to his feet staring at the trio in clear shock. He absently reached to smooth his outfit, his instinctual vanity demanding it. He opened his mouth as if to call out to them but the Trio didn't waste a moment on the strange miracle.

The Elf King went to make chase and faltered his legs threatening to buckle and send him ungracefully face-planting on the obsidian floor. "Damn it, Marak let me go!"

"It isn't me." I protested moving to try to follow him only to find myself also unable to move. I glanced down surprised to see what looked like tiny jeweled roots clamping down on my feet.

How?

I reached down impatiently waving a hand using magic to neutralize the spell, the roots shrunk back disappearing after a moment leaving ground obsidian dust.

I stared at the remnants of the spell, my mind reeling in shock over this outcome.

The Elf King looked impatiently to his feet and made a quick gesture before stumbling forward and continuing his chase.

I numbly made my way after him before stopping short and taking a deep breath. The human day was still dominating, it would hurt to go out now. I made the mistake of looking back towards my kingdom, in the dim light the jewels twinkled as if trying to push me forward. For my kingdom… for the good of the Goblins… I had to keep going.

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[[Morgana's lair]]

Morgana had been hard at work, she knelt on the bare concrete floor grunting as she used a sharp metallic tool with symbols to carve symbols into the sandpit that lay at the exact center of the room. Constellations were already carefully carved at the beginning of a complicated snail shell pattern. She muttered an incantation razor-focused on the task before her as sweat dotted her forehead.

Memories flashed unbidden into her head.

[[Flashback]]

She was looking at the stars waiting for him again. The clearing in the woods had been her favorite and although she knew these woods whispered of unhuman magic she couldn't stay away.

The sky before her was so clear and perfect she practically bounced in place nervously waiting for her companion. The handsome elf man had found her in the truce circle clearing weeks before and they had started a tentative friendship of sorts. Elves! Who would've thought such races still existed! Her Uncle hadn't taught her anything of their species only lectured her on demons and other underworld species.

"Morgana," He spoke her name so prettily that it felt for a moment that she was all that mattered in the world. Her cheeks flushed as she turned to see him standing silhouetted in the moonlight.

"Asteres!" She chirped getting to her feet. He seemed to get more handsome every time she saw him. Today he was dressed differently than the usual clothes she saw him wearing somehow more regal. He had a cape tied around his shoulders and it shimmered softly with starlight somehow captured in its inky dark coloration.

Asteres looked to her without much expression in his face, gone were the sly smiles and the curious gazes. His dark eyes looked somehow pained but only for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" She asked dusting off her jeans and tugging on her sweater. The weather seemed to chill a bit in the evenings and the signs of winter were still far off creeping.

Asteres looked down, avoiding her gaze, "You have to go."

"What?" She couldn't understand why he wouldn't look at her. What was with this sudden terseness?

He looked up to her this time his voice firm, "You have to leave this place."

"Asteres-" She started taking a step towards him reaching out to him only to watch as he took a step back from her, his dark eyes cold.

"Morgana, this is a sacred clearing to the Elves and Goblins," He paused taking a breath and pushed on insistently, "There is business to be conducted here tonight. Business you cannot take part of."

She looked into his face for any trace of the person she had been conversing with for weeks but found only a stranger with his face. "I don't understand…"

His brow furrowed slightly, the strange upward slanting brows almost comical in this moment, "You don't need to."

She pursed her lips feeling those words more as a slap to the face, "Fine… I'll go. Can I see you tomorrow night then?" She knew better than to push to be part of this "business" that was to be conducted.

She had her own theories of what he might be up to given a few hints he had dropped here and there. Deer hunts seemed vital to him, guarding against some other native species in the area, and magic lessons were all that dominated his nights which is why she was all the more hungry to snag a piece of his time.

He shook his head, "No. Morgana you need to leave this place. There are events that are being set in motion that you CANNOT be a part of."

She felt a flicker of annoyance at the finality in his tone. She had never been a particularly obedient girl and the way he was speaking to her was nothing short of condescending. She put her hands on her hips, half burying her hands in the cuffs of her sweater.

"You expect me to leave just like that? My uncle and I are training nearby. If you want me to leave you're going to have to explain more than that-"

The sudden sound of movement in the woods beyond her cut off her protests. Figures tall, short, and all sorts of shapes were moving in the darkness towards the clearing. Small orbs of moonlight seemed to bob along them as their voices became clearer.

"Such a shame about the former Elf King. I don't know if his son is up to the task, he's always been more of a wanderer like his name than a person dedicated to his people," A deep mournful voice boomed.

"It isn't like the Elves have much of a choice in their next leader. You know as well as I that every King only has one heir. I wouldn't worry too much. The magic in their bloodline will make the young elf fall in line and anchor more to his people," A high nasally voice sneered.

"Asteres-" She choked on her own words as he made a motion for her to quiet. He had moved forward and placed a single finger on her lip a subtle silver shimmer highlighting her lips for a moment.

"What's this?" A pleasant tenor voice asked, a large crouching shadow separated itself from the others.

The creature that stepped into the moonlight made her stomach turn. Half the hair on its head was a dark ebony while the other was a strange green, the nose on the humanoid was pitched more in a strange snout and large filed fangs crowded its mouth. There were scales lining the right side of the face and black irises showed starkly against the yellow of the eye where white should've been.

The creature stood on two feet like a human and towered over Asteres and herself. It was dressed impeccably with neat breeches, a button down shirt of sorts, and a short black cape over its shoulders. The creature's eyes shone with curiosity as its gaze wandered over the duo.

She had studied demons in her uncle's books and none of them had the strange contrasting features this thing had. She felt herself tense and dug her nails into her palms. If this was a different type of demon she had no idea what it was here for- demons didn't just wander around the mortal plane.

Asteres turned in one smooth motion keeping her behind him to face the creature, "No one to concern yourself with Marak."

The creature er man tilted his head slightly his eyes flickering to her form than to Asteres' face, "Are you sure? If this is to be the new Elf Queen I would very much like to know and give a proper introduction." The creature's words were so polite for a moment she had trouble believing they were coming from it instead of a man behind a tree using ventriloquism.

Elf Queen? She felt her stomach flip at the implications of his statement. Asteres was a king? The new king? Wait… what was happening?

Asteres voice pried her out of her racing thoughts. He laughed. Asteres had chuckled in front of her but now his cruel laughter rang out piercing her with each whimsical note it seemed to dance on. She felt her hands go limp at her sides.

"I would never make Morgana my bride, unlike you Goblins I have higher tastes."

She stood there half in shock and half in horror behind the man she had talked about stars with. Her hands slowly flexed into fists then released again as the words fell over her like cold water. T-This wasn't like Asteres...S-Surely he was lying to this strange creature.

Marak raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering to her once more, his expression was troubled for a moment as if he could sense how hurt she was. "Pity. She has potential."

There was something unsettling about those black eyes unlike the Elf King's regality they were calculating and unsettling in their yellow hollows. She felt a small shiver run down her spine as his eyes combed over her form for a moment. He was gauging something, she could tell.

He extended a scaly hand pointing to her but politely speaking to Asteres, "I think she'd make a lovely bride. Look at her, she's not even trembling or screaming at the sight of me." He chuckled at his own observation and ventured a step closer to the pair.

Asteres wrinkled his nose tilting his chin up, the picture of arrogance. "Don't be ridiculous, Marak. She's studying magic and you know how humans obtain magic."

Marak's gaze on her narrowed for a moment and he looked thoughtful, "Such strange company you are keeping…"

She couldn't stand the discussion over her as if she wasn't present and she wrenched back from standing behind Asteres. She opened her mouth to protest, yell, voice something but silence emptily filled the place where rage burned. Her tongue flapped uselessly and she reached up touching her throat in surprise. Her eyes quickly went to Asteres.

The new Elf King paid her no heed keeping his focus on the goblin before him, "It seems you brought the others. Give me a moment and I'll be ready."

There was some murmur of acquiescence and the Elf King turned with a flick of his cloak to address Morgana once more. Her eyes spoke volumes in her painful silence. She kept one hand rubbing her throat as if to coax her voice back and the other reached up to point at him angrily.

"I'll walk you to the edge of the circle," Asteres explained reaching out and grabbing her elbow forcing her to walk with him. She tried to protest again and drag her feet but he surprised her with his strength.

She glanced back at the strange reptilian creature behind them. Their eyes locked and she saw his brow furrow in concern, his features betrayed uneasiness. A monster like him had more concern for her then the pretty elf dragging her along.

She bit her tongue forcing herself to look forward. The garbled chatter behind her faded quickly and as the moonlight filtered through the boughs of the trees the pair came to a stop. Soft crickets sang here, silent in the circle and forbidden to tread there. She was near the house, she could tell.

Asteres reached over intending to brush a finger over her lips but she stopped him as he leaned close. She reached out and with all the force she could muster slapped him across the face. The moonlight that slid between the trees gave her enough light to accomplish the task.

The noise sliced through the softer silence and he stepped back bewildered. The red mark on his cheek faded too quick for her liking and she felt something wet start to streak down her cheeks. She blinked realizing her vision was getting clouded and reached up to touch the oncoming tears.

"You… You slapped me." The daze in his voice made her wish she could scream at him. She wanted to curse him, she wanted to tell him what an idiot he was for his words, and belittle him for his arrogance but here she was crying. To cry without making a sound is a talent few have and when one is forced to keep their emotions from projecting the miserable task is all the more tragic.

There was a long pause and she forced herself to look to the ground. The words he spoke kept echoing cruelly in her head. I would never make Morgana my bride, unlike you goblins I have higher tastes.

She tipped her head up to look at him, pursing her lips. He was staring at her with an unfathomable expression. Nothing about the elf man standing before her resembled her friend. Her nails dug into her palms threatening to draw blood. She lifted her right hand forcefully gesturing at him to turn around and leave.

"I have to undo my spell, " Asteres said, his voice soft as his eyes darted over her face trying to read her.

She shook her head and pointed once more for him to leave. He could say what he wanted. He could clearly show his contempt for her. She wouldn't let him take another piece of her shrinking dignity.

Asteres shook his head after a moment, "Come to the circle tomorrow night then. You are obviously a bit worked up over this whole affair."

She snarled soundlessly at him, moving to fold her arms across her chest.

He turned without another word or apology and walked soundlessly back into the night.

As soon as he was out of sight she sank to her knees splaying her hands before her. She dug her hands into the soft grass and cried. Her chest heaved with the effort. She cried till she was lightheaded and hollow.

She glanced up blearily hours later to realize the sun was starting to creep up spreading yellow light beams. She slowly climbed to her feet rubbing her arms and started the long trip back.

She didn't notice as she left the spot of her sorrow that the grass had withered and died and the dirt smoked with strange vapors.

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The wheels of plot begin to turn faster.

Thanks for reading!

-Mich002fox