Elucard…

  Elucard…

  Stillness. Painless. Floating in the miasma of his mind; Elucard drifted in the endless shadow.

  Elucard…

  Elucard…

  There was that voice again. Cade. He loved to hear Cade’s voice. Soothing, confident, kind—everything that he wasn’t. Elucard rubbed his arm. It no longer burned. Thank Alue! However, now was not the time to thank the angels—no, now was the time to wake up.

  Wake up… wake up… wake—

  Elucard’s eyes sprung open, startingling the shadow elf fidgeting with his dampening collar. Elucard instinctively scrambled to his feet. His eyes darted around the cellar. Stone walls, barrels, crates, rats, and… Inle.

  Inle hid his face with his arms and shivered in a corner. “Please, Elucard, don’t look at me!”

  Elucard furrowed his brow. Where was Cade? Did Inle do something with him? Perhaps a ploy for revenge? To get back at him for bringing down the Black Rabbits?

  “Where is he, Inle?” Elucard barked. He curled his fists and flared his nostrils. His eyes bolted down on Inle—not with anger, but worry. Anxiety that he may never see Cade again. That Inle was once again a part of a conspiracy to take away his best friend.

  Inle looked up at Elucard. His eyes were red with tears. He raised his hands to Elucard, pleading with the elf. “Please, Elucard, you must understand.”

  Elucard clenched his teeth into a grind. Must understand. Must understand, what? He grabbed Inle’s tunic, lifted him off his feet, and then slammed him against the wall. “Where is he, Inle? Where is Cade?” Elucard’s tone sunk into the same darkness that began to once again swell in his heart. If he didn’t have Cade with him, what was the point of holding it all back? What was the point of happiness if each time that he found it, Inle and the Black Rabbits ripped it from him?

  Elucard narrowed his cold, heartless eyes. “Tell me!!!”

  Inle’s body fell limp. “Look at me, Elucard. What do you see?”

  Elucard raised his lip, but lowered Inle. He inspected the shadow elf and his eyes widened. Cade’s clothing. Inle is wearing… no… wait…

  Inle nodded. “And when you hear my voice, who do you really hear? Myself or Cade?”

  Elucard raised his hand to his head. This was happening all too fast. Cade and Inle were the same? He stumbled backwards and fell to his rear. The same question raced through his mind like a lightning bolt. Am I in love with Inle?

  Inle cautiously approached Elucard. “It wasn’t a lie, Elucard. I may have had a glamor charm but, I do love you. I do care for you, and…”

  Elucard lowered his head. “It must have taken a lot of courage to tell me this. To… betray your allies… Inle, I…” He squeezed his knees and buried himself in his arms. He tried to fight back the tears, but all he could do was hide them from Cade—no, Inle. “I thought I found someone special in my life, someone to bring me happiness. To take away my pain.”

  Inle walked over to Elucard and slid his back down the wall until they were sitting next to each other. Inle hesitated placing a gentle hand on Elucard’s head, but eventually did. “I am still that man you found. That brought you happiness and I will always take your pain away.”

  Elucard slightly lifted his head so that his tear soaked eyes could peep over the edge of his arms. “It felt so real.”

  Inle leaned over and brought his head down for Elucard to see his face. “Because it was.”

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  Elucard brushed his hand over Inle’s cheek. “I want this. Inle, I really do.”

  Inle took a hold of Elucard’s hand and placed it over his heart. “It beats only for you, Elucard.”

  Elucard closed his eyes and felt Inle’s rapid heart beat. “I am supposed to be your enemy. My heart was only filled with hate. Hate for you. Hate for me. Hate for every soul that came close… but…” Elucard held silence. He closed his fist until it trembled in Inle’s hand. “Cade quelled my suffering and vengeance. I have no more hate in my heart for you, Inle.”

  Tears bubbled in Inle’s eyes. “Elucard,” he whispered. “I have often wished to know how to pay for my misdeeds. How to right my wrongs. I am deeply sorry for what I’ve done to you and what I’ve done to Jetta.”

  Elucard brought his head against Inle’s. “She has forgiven you, my friend.”

  He too walked the path of turmoil, misery, and bloodthirst. Together they were one and the same. They may have had different enemies, different allies, but in the end, they shared the same darkness. And like Inle, Elucard had the same regrets. He lashed out on anyone that cared for him. Friends, family, no one understood him. No one, but Cade.

  No one, but Inle.

  Elucard’s hard eyes softened. “I have forgiven you as well, Inle.” He took hold of Inle’s head. His breath grew short, his eyes now lost in the other’s. “I love Cade; Inle.”

  Elucard kissed Inle. Long. Emotional. An awaited kiss that he only felt once before when he was much younger full of hatred and vengeance in his heart. A time where Inle was his enemy; someone he wished to end—to maim, to kill, to burn at the stake. Not one to love. This kiss was different. This feeling; passion. Passion for someone else; it was a new emotion—a new fire that erupted from his soul, vanquishing the darkness and scorching the painful thoughts that encroached around him. He was in love with Inle and Cade. Inle was Cade and that was all Elucard needed to know.

  Elucard closed his eyes as hot tears streamed down his face. “Why did you wait so long to tell me, Inle?”

  Inle looked away and snapped his glamor charm away from his neck. It was useless with the dampening collar anyway. “The people I am involved with are dangerous and very powerful, Elucard.”

  “Who are they?”

  Inle looked down at his feet. “I—”

  “I will protect you,” Elucard said.

  Inle gave Elucard a meek smile. “I appreciate that gesture, Elucard, but Strife alone…”

  “Stryneth?”

  Inle let out a drawn out sigh. “Yes, Master Stryneth is a man known as Strife.”

  “And the yikahti that I fought?” asked Elucard

  “The Collector. The runecarver, Sable. Uther—well he perished against Avalon.”

  Elucard whispered his next words. Still unsure of his theory. “And Calsoon.”

  Inle nodded. “Calsoon freed me when I was to be executed back in Varis.”

  Elucard banged the back of his head against the wall. “Why would you get yourself involved with them?”

  Inle looked off into the distance. “They offered me the Black Rabbits—power. Wraslyn... He’s so charismatic. Alluring. You—you can’t say no to him.”

  Elucard placed his hand on the shadow elf’s shoulder. “Inle, listen to me.”

  Inle shook off his daze.

  “What is this shadow organization planning for Koda?” asked Elucard.

  Inle’s pupils shrank. “Elucard, the king is in danger. We must get out of here!”

  Elucard pulled on his dampening collar, but it wouldn’t budge. He scanned the walls for windows, but saw none.

  Inle ran to the door and pressed his ear against it. “Elucard, brace yourself! Someone’s coming!”

  Elucard and Inle both took the Rabbit-Sai stance. The Black Rabbit style was perfect for unknown dangers, both used for aggressive and defensive techniques. Their eyes focused on the door. Footsteps grew louder and louder as someone neared. Finally it opened!

  A white-furred Kanis popped his head into the room and gave the two shrouds a warm smile. “Hey!” he cheered.

  Elucard and Inle looked at each other.

  “Drift?!” Elucard said, baffled.

  The Stormwolf gestured for two other kanis to follow him. “Let’s get those dampening collars off of you and get out of this place.”

  “I don’t think they will come off,” said Elucard.

  A Stormwolf dangled a small silver key in his hand and smiled. With a click the collar fell to the ground. Immediately Elucard’s arm lit up with an emerald glow as the Magi poured back through his body. Elucard flexed his left hand. Good.

  “Did you see Raze?” asked Inle.

  Drift shook his head. “We killed about three dozen Spellbreakers to get to you two, but we saw no one that looked like a leader.”

  “I thought a war with the Spellbreakers would be bad for business,” Inle said with a silly grin.

  Drift folded his arms. “Letting a legendary assassin die in your city is bad for business too.” He looked Inle up and down. “Weren’t you a forest elf?”

  Elucard eyed Inle and the shadow elf smirked. “It’s a long story, but there’s little time to retell it, we must warn Arrelion and Koda.”