Surrender, Book 3 The Elfin Series

by Quinn Loftis

  Tamsin’s voice in Syndra’s mind seemed to shake her from her shock. She relaxed her shoulders and raised her chin just a notch. Though her attention was on the dark elf, her words were for Tamsin.

  “Had I known, I would have asked you to figure out a different way to find an elder.”

  Rezer returned their stare unerringly, obviously waiting for some sort of explanation. He would just have to deal with the disappointment because there was no way any of them were going to admit to the accusation.

  “I suppose it is rude of me to ask,” Rezer said as his gaze perused the club. “But you must understand my curiosity. A female half dark elf visits my club, which in and of itself is rare, and then within the same twenty-four hours, a human who has been bespelled by royalty and looks so very much like aforementioned female visits me as well. Come now, tell me you wouldn’t be the least bit curious?”

  Syndra folded her arms across her chest. Tamsin knew that look well and he nearly grinned at her. His Chosen was fierce and the Forest Lords help any who would stand against her.

  “I can understand your curiosity,” she began. “But since I do not care about quenching your need for answers, you can take your curiosity and choke on it.” She took a step forward and once again her power began to grow. “You will lead us to Vyshaan and you will not ask any more questions. You may be powerful, Rezer, but you still are no match for us.”

  Rezer raised his hands in surrender and bowed his head. “Forgive me, my lady. I meant no disrespect. I simply couldn’t help but ask. It has been so very long since anything interesting has happened. As you both,” ―he paused and glanced at Lisa― “excuse me, as you all three know, a long life is a blessing and a curse. Boredom can cause eternity to seem like a form of purgatory.”

  “Could we please get back to the part where you met a female half dark elf?” Lisa asked, her jaw clenching and unclenching as her patience began to wear thin. “Did she give you her name?”

  “She called herself Raven,” ―Rezer waved a hand dismissively― “though I know that was not her real name. She obviously had knowledge of our kind if she knew not to speak her given name.”

  Tamsin glanced at Lisa and Syndra as they all drew the same conclusion. Cush called Elora Little Raven as a pet name. It couldn’t be a coincidence that a female half dark elf, who they knew had been missing, called herself Raven and it not be Elora.

  “Now before you do any more threatening of bodily harm, allow me to assure you that I do not know where she disappeared to once she left my club.”

  “How long was she here?” Tamsin asked.

  Rezer glanced at the ceiling as though he needed to think about his answer. “No longer than an hour. She sat and watched the show and then left.”

  “You tried to cast a glamour over her?” Syndra snarled. “What exactly was your plan if it worked? Did you think to play with her because she was a shiny new toy?”

  “Come now, you can’t possibly think me so low as to do such a thing. She was beautiful to be sure, and I will admit that she caught my attention because her dark side is untouched. She is so innocent that she hasn’t given in to any of her, what we would call, natural instincts.”

  “Yes,” Lisa answered before Syndra could. “Yes, I definitely think you could be so low. Your kind only thinks of yourself first. There are very few dark elves that choose to deny their natural instincts.” She spit out the words as though they tasted bad in her mouth.

  A snakelike smile appeared on Rezer’s face as his silver eyes swirled with awareness. “For a human, you are well informed about our kind. Am I to deduce that since this Raven beauty looks so much like you, that you are the female’s mother? And if that is the case, you must have been the consort of one such as myself in order to produce such an offspring. You lot are a wicked group indeed.”

  Tamsin was sure that at any moment the dark elf was going to start rubbing his hands together and licking his lips over the juicy information he was gaining, without them even saying a word. It was time to end the encounter before Rezer got any ideas about using such information against them.

  “As fun as this has been,” the light elf king said dryly, “we have more important things to do than assuage your boredom.” He pointed to the back part of the club where Rezer had claimed the elder to be. “Vyshaan, now.”

  “Fine,” Rezer relented. “But please do not be strangers.” He glanced at Lisa. “And by all means, you are more than welcome anytime.”

  Lisa looked as if she was going to be sick.

  Rezer turned and began walking through the throngs of people before Tamsin could chastise the dark elf for his flirting. He turned to Lisa and touched her arm lightly releasing her of the spell that had held her in place.

  Her head snapped around to look at him and daggers piercing him could not have been any sharper. “Don’t think I will easily forget that.”

  He bowed his head and laid a hand across his heart. “Forgive me, Lisa, I meant no insolence. I simply wanted to protect you.”

  “Well next time figure out a different way like maybe saying, ‘Hey Lisa, don’t move any closer to the dangerous dark elf.’ I’m not an idiot, I would have listened.”

  “No you wouldn’t have,” Syndra argued. “He had information about your missing daughter. You weren’t thinking about the fact that you are a mere human. Maybe a human with long life, but still only a human. All you could see was him standing between you and the possible knowledge of where your daughter was.”

  Lisa turned her head slowly to look at her longtime friend. “Gee, Syndra, tell me how you really feel.”

  “I just did.”

  Tamsin glanced in the direction Rezer had gone and saw that the dark elf was waiting on them about thirty feet away. “You two can bicker later. We have an elder that we need to beat information out of.” He started after Rezer.

  “He’s joking right?” Lisa asked as she and Syndra followed.

  “Who knows,” Syndra quipped. “Being around Trik has sort of brought out the beast in my male. It’s quite yummy.”

  “Stop,” Lisa said shaking her head. “I heard enough of your desires for your male when he was rescuing us. My ears are scarred for life and my brain needs to be run through a car wash to remove all the mental images you two gave me.”

  “You could have stopped at, I’ve heard enough.”

  Syndra reached her mate with Lisa in tow and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. Rezer was standing in front of an unmarked door. There were no windows into the room and, based on the keypad above the doorknob, it was not a room just anyone could enter.

  “If the elder asks how you found him, my name is not to be mentioned,” Rezer warned, as though he could do anything if they did disclose the knowledge to Vyshaan.

  “Fine,” Tamsin agreed.

  They waited while Rezer stared at them, seeming to attempt to decipher whether or not Tamsin spoke truth. He could stare for eternity, thought Syndra, but he would never be able to read her mate’s intentions.

  After several minutes Rezer seemed to agree with Syndra’s unspoken thought and held his hand in front of the keypad. The lock clicked open without him ever touching the numbers on the pad. What was the point of the special locking mechanism if they didn’t even have to use it? On the tail end of that thought, Syndra realized that the keypad was simply a distraction. An intruder would assume that to enter the room they had to know the code; when in reality they needed to know the magic and be able to wield it. Clever, she chuckled to herself.

  Before the door could open all of the way, Rezer disappeared at a speed the human eye would not have been able to track. Syndra glanced at Tamsin who was looking in the direction to where the dark elf had vanished. When their eyes met she knew they were thinking the same thing, Rezer was lucky to have stayed off of Lorsan’s radar all those centuries. He was powerful indeed and she couldn’t help thinking that he might be a very good ally to have on their side when it was all said and done.

&nbs
p; Tamsin led them into the room beyond the door. Lisa was in between them because Syndra hadn’t missed all the subtle glances Rezer had been shooting at the human female. He was definitely interested in her friend, and until Syndra knew exactly what that interest entailed, he wasn’t letting him near Lisa.

  The room was lit by candlelight. Sconces along the walls held the dancing flames that serenaded the shadows cast by the bodies that filled the space. Once they were inside, Syndra realized that the room was spelled to be larger than the space that it occupied. In fact, it was larger than the club on the other side of the door they’d just passed through. She and Lisa followed Tamsin as he maneuvered the crowded space effortlessly. Once she’d quit looking around, she realized that her mate was able to walk so easily because the elves in the room had no doubt who he was and in turn who she was. Some bowed their heads as they walked by; others attempted to look away, either to go unnoticed or to openly snub light elf royalty. As they reached the far corner of the room, Tamsin came to a halt. Syndra maneuvered Lisa so that she was standing next to her mate and Syndra was beside her. A male elf stood across from them, leaning against the wall with a devil-may-care air. He was tall and slim with silvery, white hair that hung down over his shoulders and past his waist. His arms were folded across his chest and Syndra noticed that the nails on his hands were long and sharp. When she looked back up at his face, she saw that his eyes were shiny black, not just the pupil but the entire thing. There was no white in them and when the candlelight hit them just right they seemed to glow. There was an ancient knowledge in those eyes that revealed the true age of the male, who appeared to be no older than thirty standard human years. This was Vyshaan, and though Syndra had met him before, it had been a very, very long time since they’d seen him. He didn’t look any older, and yet he seemed older than any of the elves she’d seen, even Triktapic.

  Tamsin stepped forward and placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly at the waist. It was a show of respect, but not one of submission. The elder might be older than Tamsin, but he had chosen to run and hide in the face of war while Tamsin had picked a side and chosen to fight. To the light elves, running was tantamount to lowering oneself into a position of subservience. Until Vyshaan could prove himself worthy of his station, not many elves would even give him the respect of a slight bow as Tamsin had done.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, great elf king?” Vyshaan’s voice was silky smooth with a hint of persuasive magic woven into it.

  “Keep your magic to yourself, elder,” Tamsin warned, though he didn’t sound angry.

  The elder’s lips turned up into what Syndra figured was supposed to be a smile but instead looked more like a grimace. It was as though he hadn’t smiled in a very long time and no longer remembered how.

  “You cannot blame me for trying. It is not every day that the light elf king bothers to find one who does not want to be found.”

  “Why is it that you do not want to be found?” Syndra asked. She knew the answer, but she wanted him to admit it.

  Vyshaan’s black eyes landed on hers and memories flashed through her mind, memories that she had buried and had intended to keep buried. Yes, she had met Vyshaan before and since then Syndra had diligently been avoiding him and would have gladly avoided him for the rest of eternity.

  “It has been a long time, Syndra,” Vyshaan purred.

  “Chosen of Tamsin,” her mate growled.

  Vyshaan raised a brow at him.

  “If you are going to name my mate then you will name her correctly. Syndra is my Chosen and you will respect her and me enough to address her appropriately.” Tamsin’s words were sharp and relentless. On this matter he would not bend.

  Syndra reached over and linked her fingers with her mate’s and gave a gentle squeeze. It wasn’t often that he felt the need to express his claim over her, but she had to admit that when he did it was nice to know that he wanted others to know that she was his, and that he still desired her after all the time they’d been together.

  The elder shrugged. “If it means that much to you.” He looked back over at Syndra and just as her mate had done, he placed his right hand over his heart but instead of the slight head bow, Vyshaan bowed fully at the waist. “Syndra, Chosen of Tamsin, once queen of the light elves, it is a pleasure to see you again after all the time that has past.” He straightened and his eyes shot to Lisa. They flashed with recognition and returned to Syndra. “Perhaps, we can reminisce of our shared history.”

  Syndra’s stomach clenched with dread at his words.

  “You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Tamsin reassured her through their bond.

  “You know that isn’t true. However, I don’t regret it.”

  “I think we can arrange something,” Syndra agreed with a sly smile. “However, we have other things to discuss.”

  Vyshaan’s interest had been piqued. He pushed away from the wall to his full height which was about the same as Tamsin’s. “What could you possibly have to discuss with me?”

  Syndra shouldn’t have felt so satisfied at answering the question, but after his taunting she wished she had a butter knife to shove in his gut and twist at the same time that she spoke. Perhaps, that was too wicked of a thought for a light elf, but then Syndra had some darkness in her past that proved she was adaptable and rose to whatever the situation demanded, even if her response was greatly frowned upon. Then again maybe frowned upon wasn’t an accurate description of what she’d done in her past—against the laws of her people was a tad bit more truthful.

  “Just a little thing, a trifle really,” she answered with a dismissive wave. Syndra waited until she knew he wanted to snap at her to get on with it before she finally answered. “Vyshaan, one time elder of the Elfin race, turned dark elf elder, turned deserter. Tamsin, former light elf king and myself, former light elf queen, seek your help in finding The Book of the Elves.” She paused and watched as his black eyes grew ever wider. “Okay, so seeking your help is really a load of crap. We aren’t asking, we are telling you that you are going to help us find the book. You have no choice. You will not refuse us this or I will go to Triktapic, reinstated king of our race, and reveal to him our past history.”

  “You wouldn’t,” Vyshaan snarled. “You have just as much to lose as I do.”

  Syndra let out a sigh. “Maybe, but then I did not serve the dark elf king, nor did I desert my people in their time of need. Even if my fate is the same as yours, I can stand before my king without shame. Can you say the same?”

  Clapping hands from behind them had the three turning around, and Vyshaan’s head snapped up to look past the group.

  “What a fantastic speech. I have to admit I am impressed by your attempt at blackmail. Who knew that the light elf queen would stoop to such levels?” Ilyrana stepped from the shadows, her hands clasped together in a steeple with her fingertips pressed beneath her chin looking like a proud parent.

  Syndra stayed her hand from reaching out and smacking Lorsan’s Chosen across her smiling face. She figured that wouldn’t be very queen like. Then again, she wasn’t a queen any longer so really there shouldn’t have been anything stopping her from dropping the evil witch and watching her kiss the floor. Instead she did the diplomatic thing and attempted to hold a conversation. Who knew, they might actually be civilized and come to some sort of arrangement, and maybe animals would start crapping Skittles, and Cush would actually smile without looking like he was in pain. Really, if Ilyrana could be civilized then anything was possible. HA! That was laughable. On the tail end of that thought, Syndra realized she’d been hanging around Elora way too much.

  “Why are you here?” Syndra asked. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t as diplomatic as she could have been.

  “Come now, Syndra, we have known each other a long time. We’re like old friends really.”

  “Um hm, sure old friends,” Syndra muttered. “So, old friend, why are you here?”

  “To thank you. After all, yo
u and your mate and” ―she glanced at Lisa and her face tightened as though there was a pungent odor wafting about― “this human, lead me to an elder. They all seemed to have disappeared after—,”

  “Your mate blew up his own castle?” Tamsin finished for her.

  Ilyrana’s eyes narrowed briefly before her pleasant mask returned. “A rash decision, I will admit. But then, my king has always loved to make a statement.”

  “Still haven’t really answered my question. Why are you here?”

  She snapped her fingers and they were all suddenly surrounded by a legion of dark elves. “You didn’t really think that escaping would be so easy, did you?”

  Lisa smacked her forehead. “I knew it was too easy. Didn’t I say it was too easy?”

  Ilyrana barely gave her a glance before turning back to Tamsin and Syndra. “The point is, I allowed you to escape.”

  “You’ve been following us,” Syndra deduced.

  “You found what I have not been able to.” She glanced at Vyshaan behind them and waved her fingers at him. “So good to see you again, Vyshaan. I’m glad to see that you weren’t blown to bits.”

  Syndra glanced back at the elder and saw that Vyshaan’s face remained still as stone as he stared back at the dark elf queen. Apparently, there was no love lost there.

  “As much as I love idle chitchat, I have a certain book that needs to be deciphered. Gather them up,” she said to the dark elves around her.

  “You can’t think we will just go quietly.” Tamsin’s voice was low and very deadly.

  More dark elves seemed to appear out of thin air as the others began to converge on them. “You can be as loud as you like, former king. Either way you will be coming with me.” Ilyrana’s hand shot out at the same moment’s Syndra’s own hand extended and the room was lit with a light so bright that everyone had to close their eyes. But just as fast as the light had appeared, the room was plunged into darkness.