“Nope,” Rafe’s disembodied voice whispered as the salesman finished showing them a brand new silver coupe. “Not a worthy successor to Lola.” “It’s nice, but I think we might have to pass on this one.” Logan shrugged to the dealer. “We need four doors.” “Let us try this again!” he said as a forced smile arose on his face. “What are you looking for in a vehicle? You said you wanted something that would be good for cross-country travel, and something that would be able to fit at least five people at a time.” “But still affordable,” Logan added. “I know, we’re quite picky!” “Not at all, Mr. Pearson! We just haven’t found the right car for you yet.” The dealer smiled and gestured to the enormous fleet of vehicles that stood before them. The nice man in the truck had dropped them off at a small dealership just outside the Boston city limits. Logan had tried to give the truck driver a few hundred dollars for letting them tag along on his trip, but he refused. Inste
The brisk New England wind blew through their hair as they drove past the beautiful coastline. Kelda and Abina couldn’t stop staring at the ocean, and Logan couldn’t blame them. They were from the dark realm, and he didn’t imagine that they had a lot of water there. Rafe puffed his joint and took a break every few minutes to sing along with the upbeat song coming through their speakers. Even after buying Shadow, their pockets were full of riches that Logan could only have dreamt of before. There was only one thing that stood between the four of them and a lifetime of happiness: Azar. “How close do you estimate we are, Darkspawn GPS?” Logan asked Rafe jokingly as he turned down the music blaring through the Jeep’s nice sounding stereo system. He shrugged. “I dunno. Ley Line cartography isn’t really an exact science. I just know that we have to go to this little town on the coast of Maine. We’re only about thirty minutes away, but from there it’s anybody’
Right before either of them could say their part, the waiter returned with their order on a rolling cart. He plopped down four plates on the white tablecloth, each containing a bright red lobster that still steamed from the cooking process, along with a small container of butter sauce. The waiter smiled as he passed out three small forks, the kind typically used to pull the meat out of the shell of the crustacean. Next, he tossed down a basket full of the region’s famous cheddar bay biscuits. Last but not least, he set down three wine glasses in front of them and then produced the restaurant’s most expensive bottle of merlot from the lower tier of the cart. The man brandished a wine opener momentarily before he jammed it into the stopper on the merlot and twisted, and the bottle opened with a small pop as the red wine was exposed to the air for the first time in years. Logan suggested, “Would it be possible to taste test the wine first? These girls over h
“None taken. There’s just something that’s so satisfying and surreal about being out there in the middle of the night, alone with nothing but yourself and the surrounding spirits. I totally get it. Here.” Thomas pulled out a pen and scribbled down the GPS coordinates onto a napkin. “Use them wisely, fellow legend trippers.”. Logan nodded at Thomas as he shook his hand again. “Thank you, Thomas.” The man smiled at the girls before he turned and walked back to his table. “He loves your purple contacts,” Logan informed the elves before motioning for them to follow him as he tossed down a few hundred on the table. “We need to find Rafe and get out of here. If that guy is right about the coordinates, then we may have found our Chapel!” Abina questioned, “But I thought he said it was just a giant field in the middle of nowhere?” “Exactly,” Logan explained as they followed the hoof prints in the sand along the beach. “Think about it. A wide-open field in
“We could try to comfort you, if you’d like,” Abina said as she turned her head down towards the floor and looked up at Logan with her big eyes. “Dark elvess having sex in a church? He’d really prefer to not burst into flames today,” Logan laughed. “Guys, I think I’ve found something!” Kelda called from behind the altar on the stage. Abina, Rafe, and Logan dashed over to the blonde, and their footsteps echoed on the broken-down mosaic floor tile. Kelda had gone behind the altar and knelt down beside the decaying marble structure. Her eyes were closed as she felt around the cold tile beneath it. “Now’s not the time to be finding religion, sister,” Abina joked. “Shush now.” Kelda shot back. “The floor is uneven under this tile. I’m just trying to see if—Aha!” The blonde elve grasped a piece of the decrepit flooring that had been jutting up from the ground. In one motion, she broke off the tile and revealed an etching underneath. She kept at it until every pie
The entire archival room was illuminated by the roaring green flames that erupted from Logan’s hands. Each fireball expanded, traversing down his arms as his entire body became engulfed in emerald embers. A sensation of weightlessness overcame him once again, and he ascended into the air as if controlled by unseen strings, resembling a marionette. As Logan’s eyes opened, an unparalleled sense of power surged through him. He tightly closed his fists, causing the entire wall of books to vanish with a puff of smoke. Focusing his energy on himself, he could feel his spirit traversing through space and time. Finally, he materialized in the main area of the chapel, appearing above the enormous heap of books he had just transported. With a release of the spell, he descended from the mountain of books, landing safely on the ground. Rafe chuckled as he leaped up from his makeshift desk at one of the pews. “That’s one way to make an entrance.” “I got lonely,” Logan
“Logan Ralston!” Azar’s deep, elveic voice reverberated like thunder through the Chapel of the Trinity. “Azar, Father of Warfare and King of the Fourth Circle, demands an audience.” Logan attempted to joke with the elve, his voice betraying a hint of unease. “I think I’ll pass on that, Azar. It’s surprisingly cozy here once you get past the mildew and leaky ceilings. Thanks anyway.” Even he, a man of considerable courage, couldn’t help but be rattled by the creature’s intimidating presence. “Your feeble attempts at humor will get you nowhere, mortal,” Azar scoffed. “You possess something that belongs to me. Two things, in fact.” “Look, Azar, I’ve had this conversation multiple times with every asshole you’ve sent after me,” Logan called out from the doorway. “Kelda and Abina are staying right where they are!” “Kelda, Abina,” Beth interjected. “It’s time to return home, my girls. You’ve had your fun. Is a mere mortal man worth an eternity of suffering?” “I
“We’ve been over this, Raph,” he spat. “According to the Light-Dark Accords of 1344, a warrant obtained from a mortal by a dark elve or other beings is valid. It’s no different than if he had invited me inside.” “That’s where you’re wrong, Azar.” The Light elve shook his head. “The Light realm-Dark realm Bilateral Amendments of 1561 clearly states that a warrant taken from a mortal via threat of violence constitutes extortion of the soul and is therefore non-binding!” “There was no threat of violence, was there, Beth?” the dark elve tried to argue. “You literally ripped the man in half and fed him to your demon horde.” Raph crossed his arms, not convinced. “Listen here, light man.” Azar pointed his clawed finger at the dark-haired man. “This mortal stole from me and then murdered my men. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had to go and make it personal. I’m going into this church, warrant or not!” “Bro,” Rafe whispered to Logan. “This is just like th