before wrapping his arms around me. I know in a real fight, I would be dead right now, but with Eldrin, it’s not over until he says it’s over. Kicking my leg back, I try to hook it around his or cause him pain to make him drop me, but other than a quiet grunt, it has no effect. I throw my weight, trying to drop to the ground, but that doesn’t work either. Even with full fae strength, I’m never going to be stronger than him. “Use every advantage you have.” His words echo in my mind. Perhaps he’s not talking about strength. Is he talking about…womanly advantages? Blushing, I instantly push that thought aside.
The wind blows through the trees, caressing my skin, and I realise what he was suggesting. Closing my eyes, I make my body go still as I extend my senses once more. Welcoming the forest, I try to make my intentions clear and project what I want to do. At first, I’m not sure if it’s working, nature doesn’t speak to me here like it does in the wood elves’ forest, but when Eldrin grunts, I open my eyes. From the way he’s holding me I can’t see much, however from the corner of my eye, I can see plants crawling along his arms where they restrain his chest. He grunts again and suddenly lets me go. Sprawling to the ground, I crawl to a safe distance and turn around, my eyes wide.
Brambles have burst from the soil and are climbing up his body, holding him in place, the thorns piercing his skin as the vines tighten against him. Blood rolls down his arms from where the sharp barbs cut him, yet he doesn’t cry out, only a low groan escapes him as more plants grow over him.
“Mother above!” I gasp, horrified at the sight. I did this. I know he could break from the plants, but he’s not fighting it, why?
His body trembles with pain as the plants continue to grow and wrap around him, lifting him from the ground, yet he still doesn’t say a word. His eyes flick over to mine, and I suddenly realise what’s happening. He’s having a flashback, he’s reliving his years of torture.
I have to stop this.
“Stop,” I tell the plants, my voice cracking with emotion, yet nothing happens. If anything, they seem to be spurred on by my fear and pain, swathing around him further. Eldrin’s head falls back, his eyes going wide, and I know he’s not here with me anymore, his mind lost to the terror of his memory. “No!” The word is dragged from my lips as panic flares in my chest. Almost as if in time with my heartbeat, I see a thick vine snaking up his torso, and I know without a doubt it’s going to wrap around his neck. The forest is trying to protect me from the threat, and if I can’t control it, Eldrin is going to die.
I’m still sprawled on the ground, so I get onto all fours, and with tears rolling down my cheeks, I dig my hands into the mossy ground. Slamming my awareness into the forest, I demand it listen to me. “Stop!” I command, the power in my voice making the hair on my arms stand on end. Instantly, the plants freeze. “Let him go,” I continue, the ground beneath me shaking, but I ignore it, focusing on the motionless elf suspended above the forest floor. Slowly, the vines unwind and drop him, retreating into the ground. Fighting the need to run over to him, I wait until the forest has settled in my mind. My heart is still pounding, and although I’m terrified of what nature did to him, I know it was only because of my doing. “Thank you,” I whisper before pulling my awareness away, feeling the gentle caress of the forest against my mind.
Yanking my hands from the dirt, I run over to Eldrin’s groaning form. He’s lying on his side, his golden hair covering his face so I can’t see if he’s awake or not. His clothes are slashed from the thorns, and his bronze skin is marked and bleeding. I kneel at his side just as he sits up, his eyes narrowing on me as I reach out to touch him, but I don’t let that deter me as I lean over and examine the wounds on his chest. While there are many of them, they don’t appear