“You paid me to track your stolen bride,” the aging ranger replied with a scowl. “But it looks to me like you’re the one trying to steal her… and I’ll have none of it!” He gave a nod of respect toward Syn and Torryn, sneering over his shoulder at the pompous nobleman before vanishing into the untracked woods; “Good luck finding your own way back to Everlund, if she doesn’t gut you and leave you for the wolves.” “Maybe I should gut you and leave you here to die,” Syn snarled down at the dumbfounded elf lord, who could still barely believe what had just befallen him. “But that wouldn’t stop your house from coming after me would it? They’d just pick another worthless flop to try and marry me to. So you’re going back to Everlund with your tail between your legs and convince them to leave me in peace... unless they want to litter this forest with the bones of my would-be suitors... because I will not be so lenient with the next one!” Stepping back, she allowed him to start to rise, but then thought better of the situation and swung her sword back to his throat; “But you’re not going to keep spying on me... so you’re leaving that crystal ball here, along with your sword and spell books!” Snarling in abject fury, but realizing he was in no position to argue, he dropped his sword and unslung the pouch holding both the scrying device and his treasured spell books from over his shoulder, leaving them on the ground as she demanded. Then she allowed him to retreat back to the pair of wounded guards and retrieve his raven familiar, who had watched from the safety of its perch in a nearby tree. “I should leave you here you useless oafs,” he sneered at the injured men before turning back to face Syn; “You dishonor your house and defy its elders, in violation of elven law... You will be disowned and stripped of your name... no longer worthy to bare their moonblade!” “That’s for the moonblade to decide,” she snapped back proudly brandishing the sword, “and they are the ones who dishonor he Nightstar name by striking such a deal with the likes of you and a house unworthy to sustain their own... now be gone before I change my mind about letting you scurry back home like the vermin you are!” Scowling, with eyes ablaze with venomous hatred, he spoke a sing word in Aragrakh, triggering the teleport spell stored in his enchanted ring and vanished into thin air, taking his guards with him. “You know it will not end with that,” Torryn warned as he moved to stand by her side. He had remained largely out of the conflict as she requested, but stood ready to intervene, whether she wanted him to or not. “I know,” Syn bemoaned, looking down to the moonblade in her hand and silently wondering if the sword would turn against her, or fall dormant, if she was disowned by her house and stripped of the Nightstar name. They were forged to serve the scion of noble even houses. But there was nothing short of conceding to their will that she could do to prevent it if it did... and that was a worse fate! Then she retrieved the crystal ball and smirked; “What a shame I had to take his “entertainment” away!” ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** This is the last installment I have complete in this series. I am working on a few more, but I'm going in for surgery this morning and I don't know when I'll be able to work on completing these new parts. Thank you for your interest in my work!