The mage's silence spoke volumes and the ever-present hunger reared its head. Velynere gave in, grabbing the elf forcibly by the neck and lifting him by one hand with unnatural strength, pulling until the entire elf, chains and all, was stretched tight from the wall. A single finger, flaring red, touched Ganiele lightly on the forehead, and the elven mage's eyes widened with fear, "Please, no," he begged, "No more. . . "
"I am sorry," Velynere whispered. And, somewhere deep inside he truly was. But he had to feed off the pure, untainted souls of other mages to quell the intense hunger of his curse. Ganiele had provided him with much sustenance these last few days, but this would probably kill him.
The hunger didn't care.
A tendril of green, thin and flowing like smoke, snaked out of the elf's forehead, and attached to Velynere's finger. It wiggled and thrashed, but the nether wraith continued to pull, half forcing, half coaxing the tendril out. Ganiele began to shudder, his eyes rolling back in his head and a low moan escaped his mouth.
There was one final gasp as the tendril snapped out. Ganiele slumped against his chains as Velynere let him go.
The nether wraith wasn't even paying the mage any longer, instead he was focused on the thrashing soul sliver perched on his fingertip. He brought it close, and his eyes began to glow as he gazed upon it hungrily.
His mouth opened unnaturally wide and the tendril whipped back. It swirled into his mouth and he arched in pleasure as the sustenance began to surge through him. The rush was all consuming, as it always was, and it took him a few moments of delirium before he was able to come down from the euphoric high; enough to see if the elven mage was even alive.
He wasn't.
Velynere didn't mind. It was good while it lasted, and the hunger was satiated, for now. Besides, he had what he needed. He knew what he had to do to force the apprentice human mage into action.
Selene didn't say much when Marcius arrived at the gate, and he fell into step with her naturally as they began the long trip back to Selenthia. His mind was swirling with possibilities. Did he really want to go this route? Was it worth it?
The elf, for her part, kept silent, perhaps sensing that Marcius wasn't in the mood to talk. They made surprising time back, and Marcius spent the next couple days alternating between just laying on his bed, lost in memories, and staring at the necklace Velynere had given him.
By the time a ten-day had passed, he had acquired an acute sense of cabin fever. The eyes of Antaigne and his father haunted his dreams and hung in his mind while he was awake. He had to do something, anything, yet summoning the motivation to do so was another thing entirely.
He was lying on his bed, staring at the crystal, replaying various scenarios in his head when a knock on his door roused him from his stupor. "Marcius?" Selene asked, walking into the room to stand at the foot of his bed. She was dressed for travel. "Get your trail clothing on and be outside within the hour."
She then turned and left before Marcius could say anything in response. Lethargically, he moved to comply, and eventually he was stepping out into the sun, something he hadn't seen in a while.
"Where are we going?" he asked as he approached, squinting a bit at the bright intrusion of light.
"You'll see," she said with a playful lilt in her voice. At once, his curiosity was piqued. This was a side of her he hadn't seen before.
They set off, following the main trails through the city before detouring off the beaten mossy path. Selene didn't say much, but there was a certain expedience in her walk that only deepened Marcius's interest. For the first time in over ten days, the melancholy haze surrounding him lifted.
The part of Selenthia they traveled was a veritable explosion of nature. Vibrant greens and flowers in full bloom surrounded them, and the area hummed with life. Marcius was entranced; the beauty of it all was overwhelming, surpassing even the quiet majesty of the Selenthian city.
Eventually the sound of running water could be heard, a distant roar that grew louder as they walked. The forest suddenly opened up and Marcius found that he was high on a cliff overlooking a magnificent view of a water fall. Crystal clear water rained down, crashing onto the rocks below.
"Do you like it?" Selene asked, her eyes sparkling.
"It's. . . unbelievable!" Marcius exclaimed. He could see the endless sea of green, the forest canopy, as it stretched clear to the horizon.
They spent a few moments in quiet silence, just enjoying the view, and then Selene disappeared behind a boulder. After a few moments, a curious Marcius followed. He was surprised to find a natural trail down the cliff face as he chased after her.
She stopped at the bottom, opening up her pack and pulling out what looked to be a series of sticks. As Marcius neared, and she started connecting the sticks, he was able to see what they were: fishing rods.
"Here you go." And she handed one of them to him.
He held it like one would a snake. "What do you want me to do with this?"
"Is it not obvious? Fish." She handed him a roll of twine and a small box, which when opened, revealed a small metal hook.
He fumbled around awkwardly as he tried to tie the hook on the line. Marcius might have been born and raised in a coastal city, but his social status stopped him from ever trying such a thing. This was a new experience.
Selene seemed amused by it all, letting him stumble for a few moments before intervening. It took her mere seconds to affix it with practiced hands. Marcius acknowledged the feat with a grunt and a grumble, which only made the elf smile more, much to his chagrin.
Digging along the moist ground of the river bank revealed worms which they used for bait. Soon they were fishing to the relaxing sound of running water. The sun was out and Marcius felt good to be outside. The rock they sat on was warm, but not uncomfortably so. He looked over at the elf. She seemed to be enjoying herself, smiling in a relaxed carefree manner.
Marcius thought over the last couple days as he cast his line out. He missed Faerill and his friends so much, and his mind was in turmoil over Velynere's offer, but here, at this moment, such things didn't matter. This, he realized, was probably why Selene brought him out here.
"You didn't have to do this," he said, glancing over at her from the corner of his eyes, "But thank you, really."
Whatever response she had was drowned out by the sudden pull of a fish biting.
"What do you mean she's not here right now?" Marcius asked.
"She was called away by the Elders this morning. For what, I know not," Lorisen said.
Marcius sulked. The two of them had gotten along pretty well since that impromptu fishing trip. She never said much, but it was if a silent understanding had been reached. It became less of a guardian watching over her charge and more of something forged from mutual respect. If the clothing had been a peace offering that crumbled the walls, then the trip was the part where they came crashing down.
It surprised him how much he had come to depend on her over the last couple of days. Her absence was an ache that came from the very recesses of his chest. There was something intangible and alluring about her. She was a mystery, an unknown in his tumultuous life. She was strong, fierce, untamed, and yet the last few days had shown a side that intrigued the apprentice. He wanted to know more.
"I'm sorry, it just came as a surprise. So I guess I'm stuck here, then?"
"Nonsense, I am allowed to be your guardian in her steed," Lorisen said, a twinkle of laughter in his eye. "Do you wish to spar again, human?"
Marcius chuckled. "No thanks, Lorisen. These hands are for casting spells only."
Lorisen clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, you know where to find me if you wish to go out beyond the grounds. I take my leave now."
Marcius nodded and then went back to his room. But he was restless without Selene. He wondered what she was doing. Marcius wasn't a fool, and he fully realized that she had other duties besides spending time with him, but such knowledge didn't mean he had to like it.
He skimmed over the scrolls she had brought over, the texts mostly about elven history and tradition. Marcius had enjoyed them immensely, but he just couldn't bring himself to settle down to read this time.
Like a magnet, his gaze was drawn to the amulet on the drawer next to his bed. The past couple of days had diverted his attention from Velynere's offer, but now it was back, screaming for his attention.
He tried to ignore it, pulling out the scrolls for study once again, but he only managed a few lines before he threw them to the ground with growl. Marcius immediately felt guilty and quickly picked them back up, but that didn't stop him from glancing over to the drawer he left the amulet on.
Why did it seem as if the amulet was calling to him?
As if in answer, a bright light suddenly shot from the jewelry, bathing the dimly lit room in an unnatural glow. What was going on? Against all logic and common sense, Marcius cautiously crept over, the amulet singing its song with every step. With trembling hands he lifted up the amulet and it was a miracle that he didn't drop it. Holding it up to eye level, he gazed in wonder as the hair-like object within the amulet's murky depths began to spin rapidly.
Without warning, a brilliant flash of light stole Marcius's vision.
❧ ❧ ❧
It took a few moments before Marcius's sight cleared, and he was treated to the light show of colors and shapes that became the foundations of a small room. It was well-lit and uncomfortably formal in design and scope. He disliked it immediately. A few moments passed before he realized that he was not alone.