What a disgrace she was. Unable to best even just two Moon Elves.
The one carrying her was about to climb out the window when blinding bright light ripped through the air. The elf reached for his eyes, crying out, and Hellebore could see nothing. She just squeezed her eyes shut, trying to protect herself from the agony.
“Get your filthy hands off my wife.”
Chapter 14
Hellebore’s vision cleared. The elf carrying her had caught himself on the window frame, not dropping her; his other hand remained curled around her legs.
Taiyo stood down the hall, the fading smoke curling around his legs as he held his arm out, more sunlight starting to gather at his fingertips.
“You won't live to see your next moonrise, but unhand her now and I will consider making it a quick death.” Taiyo continued approaching, and the elf carrying her launched into action.
He pulled something out of a belt and threw it at Taiyo with an enraged yell.
It barely flashed in the sunlight and smoke, but Hellebore thought it looked like her knife. When had he picked it up? Unfortunately, Taiyo was too focused on the sunlight and fire to see it until it was too late. He tried to twist at the last second, and it cut through his shoulder. It didn't embed in his heart at least.
Hellebore could do nothing but watch.
Actually, she could do nothing but fall out of the window as she was thrown out it by the elf carrying her. She couldn’t even scream.
Taiyo, however, could.
He screamed her name as the wind rushed around her and her death fast approached, except, she couldn’t even see the ground.
She shut her eyes and cursed herself for every single failure and foolish, overconfident thought that had led her to plummeting to her death. But instead of slamming into the ground, arms wrapped around her, catching her for a brief second before they both hit the ground. She blinked to see it was the first elf, groaning at how her weight had just slammed him into the ground as well.
“Hellebore, shut your eyes!”
She immediately obeyed Taiyo’s command and the Moon Elves were not so quick, given their screams and the thud she heard. She could see the bright flash from the inside of her eyelids and then she smelled something burning. The screaming increased, and she blinked her eyes open to see Taiyo had followed them down into the courtyard and had the closest one by the arm, one hand in his back. The Sun Elves didn’t just command sunlight—with their light came heat and fire.
Taiyo had been serious. He was going to kill them.
The elf who had caught her realized it at the same moment as he shot to his feet and pulled out something from a pocket. Glass broke and all the light vanished again, leaving them engulfed in shadows.
Moon Elves were known for seeing much better at night than other elves and especially humans. Although what the goggles’ purpose had been, Hellebore wasn’t sure.
She heard Taiyo’s voice again, a pained scream, and then there was nothing but the sound of labored breathing through masks and darkness.
Then a hand grabbed her ankle and they started to pick her up. She couldn’t get her mouth to fully open, but she managed an absolutely pathetic whine.
“Hellebore—” Taiyo’s voice was strained, like he was talking through gritted teeth.
But then the elf trying to drag her hissed in pain and one of them said something. They had some kind of quick argument.
Then a hand grabbed hers and she was pulled away from the Moon Elves, and someone was crouching over her, one hand braced on the ground. Taiyo. It could only be him. His breathing was so much louder, but then he spoke.
“I’ll give you five seconds before I blind you and burn your hearts out of your chests. Five.”
The sound of footsteps filled the darkness as Taiyo counted down. As the Moon Elves got farther away, the darkness receded. Not by much, but the moonlight came back and the Moon Elves were gone as Taiyo breathed out, “One.”
Now that she could see, she saw he was on his knees, one hand braced on the ground. His chest was above her head as he was using his whole body to shield her from being taken again. His other arm was wrapped around his stomach.
His hand was covered in black blood.
He was bleeding from the shoulder as well, but that was a shallow cut compared to the wound he was clutching. A little bit of the same black blood was coming up to the corner of his mouth.
He stared at the empty courtyard for a moment. Then down at her.
