Chapter 41 - Treetops: Part Two

Evanna suddenly stopped, stunned, at who was in front of her. Long white hair and a pair of intense, crystal-blue eyes stared directly into her own. Time almost stood still as recognition flashed across her eyes.

The elf in front of her did not remove his hand from her wrist, keeping their bodies close to one another, her chest almost touching his. The proximity between them made her body involuntarily heat up, causing her to inhale sharply. Her eyes were then released from his hold as he glanced down to her lips. 

Her own emerald eyes took advantage and wandered across his strong features, devouring each detail greedily. Her mind did not do him justice; he was extraordinarily handsome in person. Evanna looked back into those otherworldly blue eyes that were once again looking into her own, locking them in place.

"I would appreciate it if you did not stab me," He said as the corner of his lips twitched in amusement; his rich, deep voice was like music to her ears.

"Maybe if you weren't hiding in the bushes like a scoundrel, I would not have attacked you," She breathed.

His eyes gleamed at her remark; he then released her wrist, eyeing her carefully. Evanna stepped back and tightened her grip on her swords; her senses came back to her as the earthy smell of cedarwood and pine evaporated, clearing her head. 

He moved his eyes from the swords by her side and openly scanned her body, resting on her neck. He was happy to see the red marks on her neck from the last time they met were now faded. However, his thoughts did not show on his face; they never did. He stood there with a stoic expression and asked, "What are you doing in Direwood Forest?"

"I could ask you the same question."

His eyebrow lifted at her answer, "I have a right to be here. You do not."

"Are these woods not free to explore?" Evanna feigned innocence. He would have fallen for those doe-like eyes if he hadn't watched her slaughter those creatures.

"Not if you want to live," His voice was now low and deadly. The hairs at the nape of her neck stood up on end.

"Is that a threat?" Her eyes stared back at his, challenging him.

His eyes gleamed, smirking; he replied, "There is no need for threats. Normally, I do not exchange words with trespassers. They are dealt with quickly."

"So why are we speaking now?" Evanna tilted her head; questions on top of questions were filling her head. She, too, knew the Flori's reputation of being heartless and deadly, so she was confused about having a somewhat civilised conversation with one. 

"That I do not know," He muttered to himself. He abruptly turned his back to her and started to walk off.

Evanna felt pulled towards him, and without thinking, she followed him while still holding onto her swords. Her body was still aware of the danger emitting from the white-haired elf, but she could not help herself. She felt captivated by him; her senses were melting to him and at the same time warning her about him.

"Wait!" Evanna shouted after him as she watched him start to elegantly climb up a tree.

Her head tilted up to see him stop and sit on the first branch of the tree, his feet now dangling off. She bit her lip as she watched his cold, hard expression take form once again on his face, the one she remembered in her dreams.

"What is your name?" She asked. His eyelids blinked once, slowly, before his head tilted, assessing her as his lips stayed sealed.

"Only.. I never got it… last time.." She almost whispered the last words, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Yet, he heard her, instead of answering, though, he stood back up on the tree.

"Follow me," He commanded; his eyes held her own. 

Her spine suddenly shivered. She turned her head back in the direction she came from; something was not right. Her body began to feel a pull from behind her, was there another danger-

"While I am still being nice, do as I say," He spoke again, causing her to look back at him, snapping her from her thoughts. His sharp gaze was like a hawk's, and she felt as though they pierced straight through her. Without waiting for her answer, he started to climb the tree again. And like a hopeless gazelle following a lion, she put away her swords and climbed the tree after him.

They climbed silently, ascending to the higher branches where they widened and merged to one another. The white-haired elf walked quickly across the wooden path to another tree. Evanna kept up with his pace, as he was only two steps in front of her.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I am not taking you anywhere. You chose to follow me."

"After you ordered me to.."

He abruptly turned around, his long hair flicking across his face slightly. She stopped after nearly bumping into his chest.

"You have swords. You could have used them on me if I chose to attack you. Instead, you followed me like a docile puppy," A smirk formed on his face before he turned back around and leapt up to a higher branch and then another, leaving Evanna standing there with her own face red and in shock.

Evanna wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face. Not giving him the satisfaction of winning, she sped herself up and leapt up after him, jumping from branch to branch; she soon caught up to him and surpassed him. Evanna heard his laugh behind her as she guessed the direction they were going in. 

He caught up with her and suddenly grabbed her hand, sending shockwaves up her arm; he continued to lead the rest of the way, his grip on her hand unrelenting. They twisted and turned, agilely moving across the trees, until finally, they were standing on top of the most enormous tree she had come across so far in the forest. He pulled back a small branch that obstructed her view, which made her gasp at what she saw in front of her. 

Evanna's eyes brightened as she looked ahead. The sky was a bright pink with the rising sun. They were so high that the clouds hovered nearby, and the vast forest lay at their feet.

"Wow," She breathed.

The elf beside her scoffed at her, "I did not bring you up here to admire the view."

Evanna turned her head to look at the handsome man beside her. She stopped herself from gawking at his defined features in the sunlight. He stepped closer to her, closing the small distance that was already there. Her body tensed at the proximity of his body to hers.

"Leave before the Flori finds you." He warned; his voice was low but held so much power behind it.

"Are you not one of them?" She questioned, her hand now rested casually on her dagger. He smiled back at her, but it did not reach his eyes.

"They are already aware of your presence. They will not act kindly to humans on THEIR land. They can do what they want with you. Your king has no claim to you now," His voice dropped dangerously.

"Is that another threat?!"

This time, she did not hold back; her dagger was already pointed at his throat before he could respond. Their close proximity did not make her waver now as she confidently let her blade touch his neck. His hand snaked around the dagger as he brought his face closer to hers. Their noses almost touched as his eyes pierced into hers. 

"How ferocious," He deadpanned. "Is that any way to treat your rescuer?"

Narrowing her eyes, she brought the dagger away from his neck before stepping out of his reach, "Now we are even."

His eyes gleamed with delight, and his lips set out into a breath-taking smile that made Evanna halt in stunned silence. 

WHOOSH!

An arrow shot between them and lodged itself into the tree by their side; their eyes widened at one another. Evanna's heart clenched as the small trust she seemed to have entrusted into the stranger disintegrated. Was that his plan? Lure her away from the safety of numbers below? Although she was astonished, on the surface, her face had hardened, her lips set into a thin line as her own eyes burned into his. His expression matched hers, confirming her assumption.

Shouts were heard from the forest floor below; panic rose through her as she realised her companions must have been ambushed. Her name was called, and she looked downwards to the panicked voice. Without another word, she spun on her heel before racing forwards, leaping down to a branch below her. She looked up to see that he was gone, vanished, almost as though he was never there.

"Raven!"

She gritted her teeth as she heard her name being called again. 

Leaping down again, she landed on a more significant branch that abruptly descended, making her feet slide skilfully down. The wind whipped across her face, pushing small strands of hair that escaped from her plait out of the way. Evanna took a few steps with force behind her and jumped to another extended branch before the one she was on curved away from where she wanted to go.

As she landed, she continued running before leaping again to a smaller branch below it. But instead of landing on the other branch, she used her hands to grip onto it before swinging herself forwards and propelling herself before she somersaulted in the air and landed on the damp earth. Her hands immediately reached for her swords as she stood from her crouched position, ready for the scene before her.