“As you said, there were no visible wounds,” he began. “It doesna pierce as, say, your sword would. Instead, it seeps through the skin and attacks the muscles, bones, and organs. It felt as if someone had taken my muscles and wrenched them apart, then went after my bones, pulverizing them.”
Her brow furrowed as she listened. “When we came upon you, you were on the ground.”
“Aye. That thing was wrapped around me—or its magic was. I couldna tell which. All I know is that I couldna move. It had me pinned.”
Her shoulders lifted as she took a deep breath. “I’ve not seen you in battle, but I have witnessed your abilities,” she said as she jerked her chin to the yurt. “The fact that it hindered you so is worrying.”
“A dragon’s magic is verra powerful, some of the most formidable there is, but there is always something that has more.” Kendrick and the others had never experienced that before on Earth, but as he had to keep reminding himself…Zora wasn’t Earth. It was something altogether different.
As was the stunning woman before him.
“You appeared to heal quickly enough.”
Kendrick thought about how he hadn’t been able to shift after the attack. That had terrified him more than anything because nothing had ever prevented him from going to his true form before. It was something their enemies would love to know, which was why he didn’t tell Esha about it. He didn’t want it getting out to anyone.
“Though there were no outward injuries,” she continued, unaware of his thoughts, “you moved as though you were unharmed. Was that an act?”
He grinned and shrugged. “Partly. I had no idea who you and your team were. You did come to my aid, but for all I knew, you were also an enemy.”
“Right.”
“The magic it used didna leave me quickly. It remained for some time. Even though my body heals almost instantly from any wounds, this magic was different.”
Her brows drew together. “We don’t heal that way. Which means we try not to let it use its magic on us.”
“If we can find a way to see it, then you can devise a way to kill it.”
“That’s a big if. We don’t know where it lives, why it attacks, or even what it is.” She looked down at the map before her. “I’m a good tracker, but this thing doesn’t leave any trail to follow.”
Kendrick lowered his gaze to the map. He looked between the areas where the attacks had occurred, following each in succession in the order of when they happened. “Are there any classes of elves it hasn’t killed?”
“Sea Elves. And Dark Elves. At least that we know of.”
He shook his head as he continued searching for something on the map that would give them a clue. “When it first attacked us, we didn’t hear of any humans being harmed. That was why we thought it was just after us.”
“Is it only seeking out those with magic?”
Kendrick met her gaze. “It could be, but there were humans with magic that were no’ touched either.”
“Could it be human, then?”
“At this point, it could be anything.”
Her lips twisted ruefully. “Three days isn’t going to be enough time.”
“Nay, it isna.” He paused for a moment and then asked, “Why did Savita put such a time limit?”
Esha threw up her hands and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Was she verra cross last night?”
“You could say that.”
“Could that be the reason?”
Esha released a long sigh. “I asked her the same question. She told me it was the runes.”
“I doona mean to be disparaging, but could she be lying?”
“Don’t worry. I thought that, too. There’s no way to tell. I know she’s upset. Before I left this morn, she told me that everything she asked the runes resulted in the same answer.”
“Which was?” he pressed.
“Danger.”
Kendrick frowned at that news. “Everything?”
“Everything. To prove it, she made me memorize the runes and where they lay on the table. Then she asked a question, and they landed in exactly the same positions.”
“That doesna seem as if that would happen.”
“It doesn’t. It’s why she’s so upset,” Esha said.
Kendrick motioned to the map. “I can see no rhyme or reason to the attacks, but there is considerable danger in us going after this foe. I heard my friends describe the experience, and I didna heed their words when I went after it.”
“Are you trying to talk me out of hunting it?”
He heard the warning in her words as he searched her golden-amber gaze. “I only want to be clear on what could happen. I doona know your physical abilities or hindrances. I doona know what will happen when we encounter the entity.”
“I know not to use my eyes,” she said with a grin.
Kendrick couldn’t help but chuckle. “It wouldna do any good. No’ really. I saw what looked like a ripple across water out of the corner of my eye, but this thing moves quickly and silently.”
“Makes me wish we had a wildcat.”
“They’re no’ exactly pets.”
She shrugged as if that didn’t matter. “We need an advantage, which we don’t have.”
“No’ now. What we do have is choices for where to begin. What are your thoughts?”
Esha bit her bottom lip as she looked at the map again. After a silent moment, she said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Then let’s head out. We might get lucky.” Either way, he would see more of their country, and perhaps even one of the cities. “Do we need to wait on the rest of your team?”
She couldn’t quite meet his gaze. “It’s just the two of us.”
He was taken aback by her words. Kendrick would’ve thought that Savita wouldn’t want the two of them alone. Or had Esha initiated it? Regardless, he was happy about it. Nothing like spending some time alone with a beautiful elf. Especially one who looked at him with such heat in her eyes. His balls tightened just thinking about it.
Kendrick cleared his throat and quickly shifted his thoughts to the current conversation. “What happened?”
“My sister,” was all Esha said. She turned her head to his lodgings. “What about that?”
With a thought, Kendrick made the yurt and the fire vanish.
“Do you use such magic all the time?”
He shook his head. “Actually, we make a point of doing a lot without magic, but there are times when it comes in handy.”
“I bet.”
“You don’t use such magic?”
“Not like you. We use our hands to erect buildings.”
“Then how do you use magic?”
She paused. “For me, the sun enhances my magic. It helps in battle.”
“Battle magic?”
“Something like that. We don’t use magic to create things but rather to enrich them.”
Kendrick nodded. “I can no’ wait to see more.”
Their gazes held for another moment.
Esha was the first to look away. She motioned to the map. “Let’s head east toward the river.”