A Dead God's Tear(68)

The unfamiliar press of sheets against his body mixed with the alien surroundings poked and prodded him until at last he swung himself out of bed with a frustrated sigh. It was something in his dream that initially woke him up, he felt. But the dream had begun fading as soon as his eyes had opened and all that was left was a shadow, the slightest of hints, as to what it was.

His feet were cold on the wooden floor as he padded over to the table and, using the small candle that stayed burning, he lit a larger one that flooded the small room in an orange light. The room the elf had given him was not the largest, but it had a desk, spacious bed with comfortable sheets, a shelf full of books that the scholarly part of him couldn't wait to devour, and overall, it was far nicer than the cell he had come from which wasn't so bad in itself. Though he didn't intend to make it a habit, his first imprisonment went fairly well. So why did he feel so off center, outside of his comfort zone? Was it only because he was far away from home, or was it because for the first time in his life he had no one there to support him?

He ached for the relaxing familiarity of his friends and loved ones. He felt out of place here, a stranger in strange lands. He was an oddity, an inconvenience. Part of him just wanted to run and never look back. . .

Another part of Marcius, the greedy hidden side of him, thirsted for the knowledge here. Selenthia was ancient when the human kingdoms were young. He wanted to learn, to become better. He was tired of being a burden, and he wanted payback for whomever it was that stole his father and Master from him.

A rumble from his stomach alerted him to another, more immediate, problem. Selene had said that he was a guest here and was welcome to come to her for anything he needed. Well he was hungry, but it was late and it would be rude to just wake her up. Briefly he entertained what type of attire she might sleep in, but purged those thoughts away, feeling guilty.

Gently opening the door and easing it behind him, he crept out into the hallway, noiseless as a mouse. He wondered where exactly elves kept their food. Selene's estate was far larger inside than it appeared. It was partially underground. Marcius had to navigate by touch and by leapfrogging to the staggered torches that lined the walls. He grumbled a bit at their seemingly haphazard placement, but maybe elves had better sight than a human and didn't need them? Either way, it was annoying. He wished he had the forethought to bring a candle with him, but laziness prevented him from going back to his room.

Eventually he made it to the main hallway. Now, if he was a kitchen, where would he be? Mentally marking the door he exited from, he made his way toward where the entrance was, to a large set of doors he remembered passing on the way to his room. It seemed a logical place to start.

They were unlocked and he slipped in. Marcius was surprised that they led outside to what was something that looked like a large, rectangular outdoor garden. The night air was cool against his skin, drying the bit of nervous sweat he had worked up. A stone pathway circled the perimeter and a single gnarled tree stood in the center, like an old guardian frozen in time.

Moonlight saturated the area and it took several moments for his adjusting eyes to see the lone figure of Selene leaned against the tree. Marcius held his breath. The elf had dressed down to a simple sleeveless green robe tied at the waist with a thin rope. Her pale skin glowed and the light seemed to emphasize every delicate curve of her body.

But the thing that tugged at his heart strings the strongest was the slightest hint of tenderness in her expression. Marcius had never seen this before in the normally aggressive elf. She was beautiful and it was delicious torture to just look at her, but he couldn't pull his eyes away.

She seemed to be deep in thought, staring up at the stars of the night sky. More importantly, she hadn't noticed him. Marcius's preservation instincts kicked in and he decided that perhaps it wasn't a good idea to stick around.

"You're up late." Selene's words sliced through the air. He jumped, feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the sweet jar.

"How'd you know I was here?"

She grinned lightly, running a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she tore her gaze from the sky to look at him, "Only a human could be so loud trying to be quiet."

Marcius couldn't help but laugh, his nervousness ebbing away a bit at the levity, "Well, I don't live for hundreds of years learning to be quiet like you elves do."

"True." It was the way she said the word that made Marcius pause. It had a tone of lingering sadness to it, "Come, and join me. The night is clear and it is a rare treat in Selenthia to be able to see so much of the sky when the sun sets."

He nodded and each step felt like his feet were leaden and dead. "Does Selenthia normally have cloudy skies?" he asked, stopping a few respectful feet from the elf. He looked up at the stars and had to agree with Selene. It was stunning. He wondered if Jarrod, Alicia, and Faerril were looking at it too.

"It would be wise for you to be careful exploring Selenthia at night. A dangerous Myst usually rises when the sun sets and there are things that wander the mists that mortals should never see."

"Myst?"

Selene scrunched her nose, "Aye, I do not know how else to explain it other than that Selenthia is alive with magic. I just thought to warn you to be careful should you think to go wandering again."

Marcius didn't know how to respond to that, so he nodded woodenly. Selenthia was just so unlike anything he had ever known. It was like he had entered another world. Of course he could tell it was alive. It practically pulsed beneath his feet. If his familiar was here, he was sure the entire area would be vibrant with power.

"So," he said to break the silence, "Do you often come out here?"

"Aye, every chance I get. It serves well to clear your thoughts and reflect on things that have happened. I also love looking at the stars."

"Ah, yeah, I guess." Marcius felt like being a little bold, "What's on your mind, if I may ask?"

The elf threw him a shrewd glance and he thought perhaps he was too daring, but she leaned back, turning her eyes once more to the sky, "Things," she said wistfully and then gave him a more calculating look. "May I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tell me what it is like being human?"

"What's it like to be human?" Marcius repeated slowly, rolling the idea around, "I don't know, really, how to explain it. I mean, can a fish tell you what it is to swim? I'm me, and that's human. I could ask you what it is to be an elf."

She laughed, "I guess that question was broad."

"You could say that."

"I'm just curious, is all. I've not had many encounters with humans."

"I thought you were fighting-"

"Many positive encounters with humans," she corrected before he could finish, "You are the first human I've talked to that I haven't killed."

How was one supposed to respond to something like that? She was just so blunt with everything. He decided to overlook it. "Well, I guess I can just tell you things from my past, growing up and things."

He was not expecting the way her eyes lit up, and his heart thrilled at the sight, "Would you? Truly?"

"Well, I didn't know you held so much interest in humans. You seemed to be pretty set in getting rid of me."

"No, not exactly. It's just that I don't trust humans. They're too. . . unpredictable. I've been fighting them for a while, now. These rumors of war have been lingering for a years. If you've seen the things that I've seen, the things that humans can do, maybe you'd understand."

"Then why the curiosity?" Marcius responded, feeling the heat in his temples. "I mean, if you've decided that we're worthless and terrible as a species, why not just continue hating us and not bothering?"

She let out a ragged breath, "I don't know. It's not that simple. I mean, it was when this first started. You're evil and bad, and we're good and right. Good side, bad side. But the more I think about it, the more I see what fighting does and brings about, for both sides, the more I disagree with it. With it all."

"So you want to learn about us? Give us the benefit of the doubt?"

"Simply said, but yes. Don't get me wrong, Morlia will pay for their crimes, but maybe it isn't right to judge everyone by the same standard? We are elves, the First Born. We were built to be perfect by the Gods. And yet they abandoned us to create you humans? Humanity is greedy, corrupt, weak and short-lived. Why is it that you continue to flourish while we are in decline? Next to you, we seem stagnant. Why?"

She seemed torn, and the initial anger Marcius had felt died down to a gentle simmer. What harm could it do? Marcius didn't know exactly where to start, so he just talked, hoping to give her something worthwhile and letting the path of his thoughts wander from topic to topic.

He told her of the first time he had met Antaigne, of the people who lived in his house, about Jared. It got easier the more he talked, and as he continued, he was mildly surprised at a sense of peace that came over him. He didn't feel nearly as lonely when he relived his memories of his friends and family. Marcius was talking for himself as much as he was for Selene.

It was unreal in how attentive she was, occasionally asking him to clarify a point. He was enjoying having the beautiful elf's attention all to himself.