Page 60 of Cut of the Dark Elf's Blade

Neveah must be so scared right now,I think to myself. Rage fuels me forward, right into the blade of another dark elf.

I stumble, nearly pierced on the end of the blade, before I kick out at the dark elf’s knees. He topples over but manages to cut me with the blade of his sword.

“Enough of this,” I mutter. “Enough of this!” I roar the words.

I grab the sword and lop his hands off in one quick, fluid movement. Then I stab the sword through his throat.

Blood spurts onto my shirt and trousers and spatters onto my face. I shudder at the mess I have made. If this were a job, I would never be this messy. But this is Neveah. I am willing to get messy for her.

The last dark elf comes out of the shadows, seemingly unwilling to attack me. He drops his sword and knives and falls to his knees.

“Please,” he murmurs. “Mercy. Please.”

I laugh then and several mynah birds take flight out of fear.

“You help the man who takes my woman and you expect mercy!”

The dark elf sags onto the ground as he realizes that his plea for mercy will go unanswered. This one I rip apart with magic and my bare hands. He deserved it, after having the audacity to ask for mercy.

When I am done with him, his entrails drag across the ground. His blood is spread across the forest ground in muddy clumps.

“The worgs will enjoy you all, boys,” I say out loud. I can tell that there are wild worgs close by.

They have smelled the blood and will be feasting any minute.

Now. On to Neveah.

27

NEVEAH

My body woke up before my consciousness did.

That hurts. This is not good.

My thoughts are slow and groggy, and I want to throw up more than anything in the world.

When my mind finally reaches for the living world, grasping, clutching at it, I hold on with slippery hands.

Just one more step, and you’ll be awake,I tell myself with each grasping, clutching, step I take towards the light of consciousness.

Don’t let go,I tell myself.Never let go, you’re almost there.

And then I am awake, and I realize right away that waking up was a big mistake.

I groan as I lay on the cold floor in some strange place, and every joint in my body shrieks with pain.

It all hurts, it all hurts.

I give a gasping sob as I try to sit up, but I quickly give up on that when chains around my wrists, feet, and neck rub painfully against my skin.

I can lift my head slightly, enough to see that I am chained to the floor. The skirt of my dress is torn and ripped in more than a dozen different places.

My calves and thighs and underwear are completely on display. I gulp slowly as I come to see the terrifying reality of my situation.

What happened to me?

I try to keep my emotions neutral, and I take several deep breaths, though this is not entirely possible because my neck is restrained.