she needs us to do. About what she needs us to do. About the lack of anything written down in the histories about either the blue Elfstones or the Loden.” He shook his head, frustrated with not being able to better explain. “Doesn’t it seem odd that there isn’t something written somewhere, given how important the Elfstones are?”
She stared at him without answering, then said, “Maybe there was something written down once, but it’s been lost.”
“That seems like a huge coincidence to me.” Kirisin ran his fingers through his tangled hair and rubbed his eyes. “But I’m too tired to think clearly about it now.”
“Maybe we both are,” Erisha said, giving his arm a squeeze.
They were silent again, and then Kirisin said, “I want you to know I am proud of you for doing this. It took a lot of courage. You could have just done what your father wanted.”
She shook her head, her eyes on the ground. “I knew that I was doing the wrong thing listening to my father. I knew that the Ellcrys needed me and I was abandoning her. I just needed to be reminded.” She looked at him. “It took more courage for you to stand up to me and then go to my father when everyone told you not to. You’re the brave one.”
“I didn’t have so much to lose.”
“Maybe you did.”
He smiled. “I’m glad we’re on the same side in this. I’m glad we’re friends again.”
“We’ve shared a lot of good times, haven’t we?” She grinned. “Remember hiding in my house until everyone thought we were lost in the forests somewhere? We got in a lot of trouble for that, but it was still fun.” She shook her head ruefully. “I’ve missed that. Sometimes I wish I could have just stayed that age forever.”
He shrugged. “Well, maybe in your heart, you can. Maybe we both can. And should. It might help us get through the rest of what we have to do for the Ellcrys.”
“No,” she said somberly, “I think maybe we have to grow up.” She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, cousin. See you in a few hours.”
She disappeared back inside the house. Kirisin stood where he was for a few moments longer, thinking about how quickly things could change in life, then slipped back into the shadows and the night and headed home.
SEVEN
W ITH THE ENRAGED HOWLS of the demon echoing in her ears and the chill certainty of the pursuit that would follow all too quickly chasing her down the roadway, Angel Perez rode the Mercury 5 north through the night. She drove at breakneck speed, pushing the solar-powered ATV hard, ignoring the dangers of spinning out or colliding with abandoned vehicles and scattered chunks of debris, her one thought to put as much distance as possible between herself and her nemesis.
A single thought repeated itself over and over in her mind, haunting her with its terrible insistence.
She is too powerful for you.
She had never thought such a thing before, but she was thinking it now. She knew with bone-chilling certainty that if they met again and she were forced to do battle, she would die. She didn’t know what sort of monster the demon had transformed into, becoming a beast in appearance rather than a woman, but she knew that it was stronger and more dangerous than she was, and she could not defeat it.
“Angel, slow down!” Ailie pleaded from where she sat right behind her on the Mercury, clinging to her shoulders, tiny fingers gripping so tightly that Angel could feel fingernails digging into her shoulders. Her slash wounds from her battle with the demon throbbed and burned where Ailie’s fingers gripped, and her body ached from the struggle she had endured. But none of it could penetrate the red haze of her fear.
“Angel!”
She heard Ailie this time and realized that she was out of control, racing toward an almost certain collision, charging toward her own destruction. She throttled back on the ATV, fighting both the machine and her emotions, trying to bring herself
She stared at him without answering, then said, “Maybe there was something written down once, but it’s been lost.”
“That seems like a huge coincidence to me.” Kirisin ran his fingers through his tangled hair and rubbed his eyes. “But I’m too tired to think clearly about it now.”
“Maybe we both are,” Erisha said, giving his arm a squeeze.
They were silent again, and then Kirisin said, “I want you to know I am proud of you for doing this. It took a lot of courage. You could have just done what your father wanted.”
She shook her head, her eyes on the ground. “I knew that I was doing the wrong thing listening to my father. I knew that the Ellcrys needed me and I was abandoning her. I just needed to be reminded.” She looked at him. “It took more courage for you to stand up to me and then go to my father when everyone told you not to. You’re the brave one.”
“I didn’t have so much to lose.”
“Maybe you did.”
He smiled. “I’m glad we’re on the same side in this. I’m glad we’re friends again.”
“We’ve shared a lot of good times, haven’t we?” She grinned. “Remember hiding in my house until everyone thought we were lost in the forests somewhere? We got in a lot of trouble for that, but it was still fun.” She shook her head ruefully. “I’ve missed that. Sometimes I wish I could have just stayed that age forever.”
He shrugged. “Well, maybe in your heart, you can. Maybe we both can. And should. It might help us get through the rest of what we have to do for the Ellcrys.”
“No,” she said somberly, “I think maybe we have to grow up.” She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, cousin. See you in a few hours.”
She disappeared back inside the house. Kirisin stood where he was for a few moments longer, thinking about how quickly things could change in life, then slipped back into the shadows and the night and headed home.
SEVEN
W ITH THE ENRAGED HOWLS of the demon echoing in her ears and the chill certainty of the pursuit that would follow all too quickly chasing her down the roadway, Angel Perez rode the Mercury 5 north through the night. She drove at breakneck speed, pushing the solar-powered ATV hard, ignoring the dangers of spinning out or colliding with abandoned vehicles and scattered chunks of debris, her one thought to put as much distance as possible between herself and her nemesis.
A single thought repeated itself over and over in her mind, haunting her with its terrible insistence.
She is too powerful for you.
She had never thought such a thing before, but she was thinking it now. She knew with bone-chilling certainty that if they met again and she were forced to do battle, she would die. She didn’t know what sort of monster the demon had transformed into, becoming a beast in appearance rather than a woman, but she knew that it was stronger and more dangerous than she was, and she could not defeat it.
“Angel, slow down!” Ailie pleaded from where she sat right behind her on the Mercury, clinging to her shoulders, tiny fingers gripping so tightly that Angel could feel fingernails digging into her shoulders. Her slash wounds from her battle with the demon throbbed and burned where Ailie’s fingers gripped, and her body ached from the struggle she had endured. But none of it could penetrate the red haze of her fear.
“Angel!”
She heard Ailie this time and realized that she was out of control, racing toward an almost certain collision, charging toward her own destruction. She throttled back on the ATV, fighting both the machine and her emotions, trying to bring herself
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