Page 26 of Cut of the Dark Elf's Blade

Rhiucra’s eyes darken. His shoulders stiffen, and my skin prickles with anticipation.

I remember the last time I asked him about Luocre. He gave me no information then.

“I don’t know him. And I don’t know anything about him. And I don’t want to talk about him, either.”

“If you don’t know him, why don’t you want to talk about him?” I press, and I realize that my voice has risen an octave.

“I don’t know him! No one does! He doesn’t exist!” Rhiucra insists and practically growls before he spins around and walks away.

How can Rhiucra say this when Luocre is in this house right now? How can Rhiucra say this when Luocre is living in the manor that he used to live in?

A headache starts to pulse at my temples, and I sigh as I shake my head.

My head is spinning slightly as I think about Rhiucra’s insistent words.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get straight answers from him. He seems intent on denying Luocre’s existence, even though he moved back to the main mansion from the manor house the minute Luocre arrived.

I start to walk back up to the master bedroom suite with my new cleaning supplies.

When I get back up to the third floor, I fall into the rhythm of cleaning easily.

Before I know it, the sun has set. I move to set a fire in each of the fireplaces in the master bedroom suite. There is a fireplace in the bedroom and living room.

I also prepare the bath for Mistress Morgath, because I am quite sure that their carriage just rolled onto the property.

I am going over to the windows to close the curtains when I see him, lounging easily on a tree branch outside the window.

I let out a small scream as Luocre smiles at me, wildly, wickedly, from the tree branch.

Then he pulls a knife from his boot and licks it before he stands up on the tree branch and then leaps downwards.

I do not hear the cracking of bones that would happen if a body hit the ground below the tree which is three stories up in the air.

I do not hear a gasp of pain. I do not hear a groan of difficulty.

Complete and utter silence follows Luocre as always.

I am shaken when I finish up in the bedroom suite and walk downstairs to put the cleaning supplies back in the closet.

If everyone is going to deny that Luocre exists then maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m the crazy one.

The thought that I could be losing my mind to a dark entity that makes me want to beg on my knees in front of him plagues me all the way to my small room.

When I go to the bathing room to clean up, I shudder as I trail my fingers down my skin, imagining that it is Luocre’s knives instead.

How can they deny him, when he is right here? All the time? He is following me! He is with me all the time!

How can they deny that he exists?

13

LUOCRE

By now she knows that I am with her all the time. I’m with her all the time. All the time. All the time.

I’m with you all the time.

I have a knife in hand as I slip in and around the house, sticking to the shadows, sticking to the darkness which claimed me for its own years ago.