Sheesh this took me forever to write.  But this is where it all gets good.  (As if it wasn't good already, right? ;)  Hope you like it…let me know!

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Moment of Renewed Strength

            Oh poor, helpless, pitiful little elf, what have you done now?

The voice inside her head tore at her insides and made her cringe as she stood at the base of the ledge.  It mocked her pain, her humility.  It laughed at her, and then it chastised her.

            You knew something like this was coming.  You had to know.  You didn't really think you could get away with it, did you?  You knew you would eventually have to pay.  Now look at you.

Her hands flew to her hair and she tried with all her might to rip every last strand from her head.  Fortunately she was unsuccessful.  She wrapped her arms around herself and her hands found her saphie beneath her robes.  Ripping off the layers, Reign then tore the cursed jewel from its position on her band.  With inhuman strength she tried to crush it in her grasp, but it would not fold beneath her power.  She opened her palm and the Black Diamond winked at her.  And then it laughed.  It was a horrible, ear-piecing shriek that surged through her body and sent her into violent convulsions.  The anger and frustration, the pain and suffering, the helplessness and humility that had been building up inside of her finally burst as she grasped the ledge with one hand and drew the other behind her shoulder.  She would throw the jewel so far away that it would never haunt her again.  And then she would seek her revenge.

            But casting off your troubles will not destroy them, little elf.

Just before she released the gem into the night, the voice flooded her thoughts once again.  She drew her hand close to her side and opened her palm.  The string hanging from the jewel tickled her wrist.

            After all, it is such a pretty stone...the least you could do is return it to him.

Reign looked up to the moon.  It seemed to smile at her; but it was filled with a reserved disappointment.  The light pouring over her was like that of a prison spotlight; the cleansing feeling she normally received from it no longer existed.  It made Reign want to cry but the tears did not come.  Her body sank as she looked once more to the small item in her hand.  The voice was sly now, coaxing her.

            He would want to have it.  You should give it to him.

Her fingers closed over the Black Diamond as her muscles tensed.  A gust of wind blew over the top of the Astronomy Tower just as she looked to the moon.  Her eyes glowed with a hellfire.

She was already damned, so what was one final encounter with Lucius?

***

The elf left Malfoy's gift at the back of a statue of a griffin in one of the most secluded parts of the castle.  The corridor had been abandoned years ago, and what was left was a filthy layer of dust and grime that covered every inch of the space.  No one had been there in years—if Lucius found her there it would definitely confirm Snape's suspicions.

He had sent her an owl earlier that afternoon, promising to see her again that night.  Now Reign sat crouched at the end of the hall, deep within the shadows, waiting patiently for him to emerge. 

Ten minutes, thirty, an hour went by and still no sign of him.  Reign's heart lifted a bit, thinking that perhaps Severus was lying through his teeth after all.  She stood up and stretched.  As she did the moonlight streaming through the windows disappeared, and a dark figure materialized from around the corner at the end of the hall. 

Lucius looked to his parchment.  The dot indicated she was right in the hall he now stood in.  He looked around and shook his head in disgust.  A grunt escaped his lips as he crumpled the paper and walked unknowingly toward the elf.  As he did he smoothed the paper back out and followed its directions toward the statue.  Staring curiously at it, he reached around, grasping for the location device.  Unmentionable curses escaped his lips as he pulled the jewel out and gripped it tightly in his gloved hand.  It was then that Reign showed herself.

She refrained from speaking, from showing even the slightest trace of emotion on her face as she stalked slowly toward Lucius.  He spun to face her and quickly painted a face of surprise upon him.

            "It seems you lost this, my dear," he said innocently to her, holding out his hand.  Reign folded his fingers back.

            "You keep it."  The ice in her tone raised the hairs on the back of his neck, but still he kept his innocent persona.

            "But it was a gift.  Like the saying goes," he whispered, stepping toward her and raising the jewel to her eyes, "a beauty should wear a beauty."  Reign's eyes strayed from Malfoy's to the object dangling from his fingers.  It was still laughing at her, daring her to confront him.  She looked back into the pools of gray, a deadpan expression still lingering on her features.

            "Perhaps it would be better suited for your wife."  Lucius froze.  Damn it.  Reign smirked.  His look revealed everything.  She was too angry to be hurt.  Lucius looked away and placed the gem in a hidden pocket on the inside of his cloak.

            "How do you know about that?"

            "Severus told me."  The man laughed.

            "Good old Severus.  Always willing to ruin a perfectly beautiful thing."  Reign scowled.

            "I wouldn't call what we had 'beautiful'."

            "Well, it could have been," he said, moving toward her.  The woman stepped instantly away.  "Reign, come now.  You can't blame a man for trying to ease his loneliness.  After all, I'm only human."  He smiled at her.  "Besides, how could I resist when you so obviously wanted someone?"  He had come to her now and pinned her against the wall.  Reign wanted to run from there but her legs refused her mind's command.  She searched hard for a response.

            "Loneliness?  Ha.  You have plenty to keep you company."  She reached down and ripped forcefully at his lower arm.  The cloth split and Malfoy's eyes bulged as his Dark Mark was revealed.  "With company like that of Voldemort, I would think that an elf like me wouldn't be necessary to cure loneliness."  She pushed him away from her and he stumbled back, fumbling with the remains of his sleeve.  It had taken an unrealistic amount of strength to rip through the thick fabric of his cloak, and he was furious that she had ruined it. 

As Reign walked away from him she heard the familiar shrill laughter.

            "What do you think is going to happen to you now, Reign?  The Dark Lord knows you are here.  It will only be a matter of time before he summons you.  And when he does, you will come to him."  She stopped and turned.  "Because you have no where else to go."  The smile of a demon spread over his lips as Reign came down upon him.  Before she had a chance to do whatever it was she was about to do to him he spoke again.  They were but inches from each other.  "Not even Severus will take you back now." 

Reign's arm flew up to his face, but his hand caught it before contact.  A cry of pain was released as Lucius twisted her arm and grabbed her around the waist.  He shoved her against the wall with tremendous force.  As she cowered beneath him, he traced her cheek and neckline with his cane.  "Ah, I can see how much it pains you to think of him.  You miss him, don't you elf?"  Reign's mouth was still open in a silent scream because of Malfoy's grip on her arm.  He shoved her against the brick.  "DON'T YOU?"  A tear slipped from her eyes as she nodded.  Lucius snickered and licked the tear from her cheek.  "Yes, yes.  You do miss him," he whispered.  "You miss the way he held you."  The elf gasped as his grip tightened. 

"The way he touched you."  He rubbed his face against her cheek, his lips lightly grazing hers. 

"The way he kissed you." 

The kiss was slow and gentle at first.  The tears were now steadily streaming down her cheeks and falling onto Malfoy's.  She was so overcome that she fell into the kiss, letting Lucius explore deeper and deeper within her mouth.  She wished desperately that she hadn't chosen such an indiscrete location.  Her voice was lost; she could not scream. 

So instead she bit. 

Her teeth drew blood from the man's lips as he yelped and stumbled away.  They both gasped for breath.  Lucius laughed as he wiped the blood and shook his head at Reign.  She stared defiantly at him as she awaited his next move.  Droplets of his blood still lingered on her lips as he pulled his wand from his cane. 

            "You elves and your power trips," he muttered.  "Do you really think you can stop the inevitable?"  He raised the wand but was too slow; Reign had already drawn her sword.  He could feel the prick of the tip of the blade as she pressed it into his neck.  The elf took his wand from his frozen hand, never taking her eyes off of him.

            "It is possible to unravel Fate's web," she whispered.  "It may not be easy, but it is possible."  She looked to the wand in her hand.  "It is sad to think that you humans rest all your powers on a ridiculous stick of wood."  As soon as she said the words, flames erupted from her fingers and the wand disintegrated.  She looked back to Malfoy with a satisfied grin.

            "You have no idea who you are dealing with," he hissed at her.

            "Who?  You?" she laughed maliciously.  "Surely you can't think I would ever be afraid of you."  Reign looked deep into his eyes.  He was trapped now.  He had no place to go, no plan of escape. 

"How could you, Lucius?  What's in it for you?"  The man was so startled by her sudden change in tone that he remained silent.  "What did he promise you that makes you do the things you do?  Manipulate, cripple, kill others."  She pressed her blade harder against his neck, enjoying the strained face he made.  "How can you live your life like this?  Don't you know that the only reason we are here is to help others?  We elves believe in doing good for others, in leaving our world in a better state than when we entered it.  Do humans not?"  He didn't answer.  Reign sighed thoughtfully.  "So now what do I do with you?  If I kill you, I would be doing the world a favor, but I would also be going against everything I believe in.  If I let you go and stay true to my beliefs, I may be indirectly killing others, and that would be the exact opposite effect I was going for in the first place."  She rubbed her chin as she thought. 

"Tell me, Lucius, would anyone miss you if I were to kill you?  Yes?  No?  Well, how about this—tell me what you have to live for, and perhaps I will let you go."  The power she now had over him excited her, and she tilted her head mockingly at him as his face softened.  His eyes darted about her face and the smile she carried soon faded.  She leaned back, the pain now seeping into her veins.  "You don't have anything to live for, do you?"  Ashamed and finally defeated, the man lowered his head.  Reign dropped her sword to her side and stared vacantly at the brick next to Lucius.  "There is nothing for you.  You have wasted your life bringing pain and suffering upon others in order to block your own pain and suffering from consuming you.  There is nothing for you," she repeated.  "And there is nothing for me." 

At that the man looked up from the ground, his left eyebrow slightly raised.  Reign was still staring, her blade dangling loosely from her fingers.  He went to grab it, but she wasn't completely oblivious.  She brought the blade down on him and sliced the flesh of his cheek.  Blood seeped from the wound as he fell back against the wall.  "That was a warning," she said, the sword once again pressed against his neck.  "You tell your master that he can come for me himself if he wishes to have me.  Tell him I'll be ready for him.  As for you-" her mouth hung open as the moonlight streamed into the window, silencing her—stopping her from releasing the curse she was about to put on him.  She lowered her weapon and pointed at the man.  "Stay away from me."

And as the beaten man watched the retreating elf, the moonlight followed her, shining its brightest in the midst of the darkness that once consumed her.