The Life of a Half Dark Elf

Chapter Two

"Daniel," Ariel said softly. He looked down at her. "I want to walk away from here."

"Do you think you can?" Daniel asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I don't think he broke anything," she answered.

"Okay," he sighed. He understood why she wanted to walk, but he wasn't a fan of the idea.

He set her down gently on her feet. Chris caught up just in time to catch her when her legs started to give out. "Why not let one of us carry you?" he asked. "You're in no condition to walk."

"I'm not broken or dead," Ariel ground out as she held tight to her side. "I'm going to walk away from here on my own two feet."

"If you insist," Chris sighed before he helped her to her feet. "Do you want to stay in the clearing one last time?"

"Yeah," Ariel answered. "That sounds nice, and it was calling me back when I stopped at the downed tree."

"Okay then," Daniel smiled.

The siblings turned and walked silently into the woods. The boys watched as she held tightly to her side, but she stubbornly refused all help. They knew it was her pride that kept her from accepting help. After everything she had been through, she would not show weakness in the village. They would be deep in the woods with no one around, but it didn't matter. She still felt the need to prove that she was worthy of living. She knew she was more than a half dark elf. She was good and did not deserve what they all gave her.

She swatted their hands away when they reached the downed tree. They could see the pain on her face as plain as her dark pointed ears, even though she tried to mask it. They worried that she was pushing herself too far. They also knew that she would not give up when they were so close to the freedom she had dreamed of for so long.

Ariel clutched her side harder as she stumbled through the underbrush when they entered the clearing. Chris held out his hands in case she fell, but she caught herself. Just as they were about to sit down, an alarm started blaring through the village.

"Now what?" Chris grumbled.

"You don't think Eric called the elders to have us officially outcast, do you?" Ariel asked. Fear had entered her voice for the first time that night.

"Wait, that's the alarm for when a demon is spotted," Daniel said. His voice trembled with even more fear than the thought of being outcast.

Both Chris and Ariel realized that he was right. The alarm was a continuous high-pitched ring. If they were rallying against an outcast, there would be short intervals of silence. Neither alarm was used much, but they had heard both of them before.

The siblings stood in the center of the clearing with their backs to each other. They were completely alone and exposed if the demon found them. There was no one else to protect them. They would have to protect each other.

A crashing sound came from in front of Daniel, and they all turned to face that direction. Seconds later, however, there was another crash from the direction Ariel had been facing. So, they returned to their original positions with their backs to each other again.

"How many do you think there are?" Daniel asked fearfully. None of them had ever faced a demon before, and they knew they were not ready.

"They normally work alone," Ariel answered, but her voice gave away that she was unsure.

The crashing happened louder from both directions. They would soon find out just what was coming for them. Footsteps soon became audible. Seconds later, the silhouettes became visible. One was huge, looming high into the trees, and it was thick with musculature. The other was closer to average height, but it was still imposing.

The larger one crashed into the clearing first. It was the siblings' first glimpse at a demon, and they were absolutely frozen with fear. His skin was pitch black, and his eyes glowed red as he roared. He was easily eight feet tall. His torso, legs, and arms bulged with muscles almost as thick as a large tree. His face was easily frightening as well, with eyes that were a deep red, and when he smiled, his pointed teeth almost shone red.

The next being crashed into the clearing. The group was relieved to see that it was elder Hank. However, he growled, "Don't move you three. We'll deal with you in a moment."

Fear filled the siblings as they realized what he meant. They were being outcast. "Run!" Ariel shouted. They turned toward the trees opposite from the demon before running back into the woods.

"Sound the alarm for the Lightfoot siblings," Hank said on his radio. "I have the demon. The rest of you, get them!"

Ariel was almost worried about Hank at first. The demon was huge, and he wasn't asking for backup. Then, she realized that not only was Hank their strongest fighter, but he was having them outcast. She and her brothers ran through the trees without looking back. They did not care about the elders or the village anymore. They had to get out.

No one would chase them outside of the village. If they could get out, they would be safe. The problem was that they were three miles from the closest border, and Ariel was struggling. The boys kept pace with her, unsure if she could handle another beating if they were caught.

She stumbled over a branch and landed hard just before they got to the edge of the woods. When she got back up she realized that the whole village was waiting for them. She knew they all hated her, but she groaned when she realized that they all wanted to hit her. She even spotted Eric laughing in the middle of the crowd.

"Go around," Ariel breathed as she stood back up. The group turned and started running to the left of the mob. She stumbled forward, praying that they could get away.

"Wait," a slight red-haired girl shouted from beside the mob. The outcast alarm still rang, making it harder to hear her, but Ariel's elfin ears still heard, "She's already hurt. Can't you see that? Just let them go!"

"No, they need to be shown that we will never allow them back!" a female adult shouted. Ariel recognized the voice to be that of her English teacher from her last year of school.

"You can join them for that, though," a deep-voiced female said.

"No, mom, no!" The girl shouted. Then, her scream could be heard, almost matching the alarm. Ariel wanted to help her, but she wasn't sure how much she could do.

"Meet me at the curve in the river just beyond the border," Daniel growled as he turned back.

"Daniel, no!" Ariel yelled as she stopped in her tracks.

"I'll meet you there!" Daniel yelled back. "I can't leave her!"

"Ariel!" Chris called over the alarm. "We have to run, Ariel. They'll meet us there. The mob will kill you. You know they will!"

"I'm sorry," Ariel said, turning to hug Chris before going back to the mob herself. She couldn't leave the girl to suffer or let Daniel go back alone.

All eyes were on her as she stepped out of the trees. The wind circled around her as she yelled, "Get her out of here, Daniel!"

"Ariel, what are you doing?" Daniel yelled as he got the girl to her feet. She looked beat up already, and Ariel could tell that she needed help. She was glad that she had turned around. It looked like the mob was beating the girl in her place. She already had a split lip and several red marks all over her arms and face.

Ariel faced the crowd, and the anger made her blood sing. There stood everyone who had made her life hard. Hank had even made it back somehow with barely had a scratch on him. She knew she was in trouble, but she wouldn't run until the others were moving.

Her legs felt like rubber, and the pain throbbed in her side. She would still stand her ground. She was not just going to run away until they saw who she really was. She saw Daniel lead the girl into the trees just as someone yelled, "Get her!"

She willed the wind into a cyclone around the crowd. It wasn't as strong as she wanted, but it made it harder for them to get too close to her. They battled the wind, unable to charge forward all at once. Ariel felt her brothers and the girl waiting in the tree line. She wished they had run. Did they not know she was just stalling the crowd so they could get away? Please run, she willed silently as the mob grew closer.

She sent out bursts of wind at the ones who got too close. It caused them to stumble, but it didn't stop them. They just doubled down as they continued to make their way to her. She willed the cyclone to be stronger, but nothing happened. It seemed she was at her limit. The bursts weren't even slowing them down anymore. She would have to fight or run. They were almost to her.

She felt her brothers and the girl were ready, but they were waiting on her. So, she sent one last burst at the entire mob as she turned to run. She ran as hard as she could toward the group, but she had waited too long.

Someone wrapped their arm around her middle and threw her into the mob. She heard her brothers shout just before the crowd closed in on her.

Suddenly, fists were coming from everywhere. She tried to curl into a protected ball, but someone grabbed her arms while someone else grabbed her feet. They pulled and lifted her while they turned her to face the night sky. Hank stood at her side with an evil grin. The mob gathered close so they could each have a turn hitting her. They didn't hold back either. Some hits were to her face, arms, or legs, but most of them hit her lower torso. A few tried to hit her multiple times, but Hank sent them back.

When everyone had their chance, Ariel was barely clinging to consciousness. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her pass out. She realized that she never saw Hank or Eric hit her, though. That's when she realized that it wasn't over yet.

She groaned when she saw that Eric was holding her hands, and the village grocer had her feet. Hank nodded at them, and they pulled her hard. Her entire world exploded with pain, and her vision blurred.

She saw Hank step forward. He grabbed her head roughly and forced her to look at him. "If any of you ever come back, we will kill you on site," he growled before he released her with a flick of his thumb.

Eric and the grocer lowered her to within an inch of the ground. She sighed, initially thinking it was actually over. However, they didn't let go. She looked around frantically, wondering what else they were going to do. Eric and the grocer pulled her tight once more. She squeezed her eyes tight in pain as a scream ripped through her. Suddenly, a fist slammed into her chest. All of the air left her lungs, and the world went dark.