“I’m Syndra,” the purple haired woman said in a voice that sounded more suited for a little pixie than for a tall she-elf.

“I’m, I…” Cassie tried to speak but her words eluded her.

“You’re screwed, love. That’s what you are,” Syndra said, shaking her head sympathetically.

“Syndra!” Lisa’s said exasperatedly.

“What?” Syndra shrugged, “I’m just reiterating what we all see before us. The girl is a mess.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Cassie asked, finally putting a sentence together.

Syndra stepped down from her perch and walked over to Cassie. She knelt down so that they were eye level and tilted her head to the side. Her eyes traced over Cassie’s face.

“He doesn’t deserve you. I can see already you have a pure heart.” Syndra shook her head and let out a frustrated breath. “You’re Triktapic’s Chosen.”

“Yeah, already got that part.” Cassie rolled her eyes, thankful to not be curling in on herself at the sound of his name.

“Yes, well he obviously did a piss-poor job of explaining all that it entails to be a Chosen,” Syndra snorted. “But then he is a dark elf so what did we expect, honesty? Like that’s going to happen.”

“Syndra,” Lisa raised a single eyebrow at the elf.

“Right, sorry. Okay so you’re his Chosen and at some point in the time you’ve spent with him, your souls connected. Essentially , they became one. Each link is different and the intensity with which they bind is individualistic, but I would say if you are having this kind of reaction to being physically separated then you and Trik must have one hell of a connection.”

“But why? Why does it hurt just because we are apart?” Cassie whispered through a wave of pain.

“It hurts because you are separated against your soul’s desire. You are going against nature.”

“I asked him to leave,” Cassie told her.

“But you didn’t really want him to leave. If you and Trik had kissed and said goodnight, mutually agreeing to separate with no ill will between you and knowing that you would be back together in a short while, then you would not be in any pain. But you want him here with you. Your soul is calling out to its mate. Trik didn’t want to leave. He desires more than anything to be here by his Chosen’s side but you made him leave. You ignored what your soul was telling you; you ignored the call of his soul and so you went against nature. Now you are suffering the effects.”

Cassie groaned as another wave of pain wracked her body. “Well that just sucks,” she gasped. Elora tried to hold her but Cassie cried out.

“Anyone else’s touch will be painful. Her soul wants only one being’stouch.” Syndra leaned closer to Cassie. “You need to call to him. Say his name; he will come immediately , and the pain will be over.”

Cassie shook her head. “He kills people. He’s tortured innocent people. He told me he was evil.”

Syndra nodded. “Yes, those things are all true—very, very true. But what else is true is that you hold the other part of his soul and you are good and pure, which means that there must be something in Trik worth saving.”

“He didn’t act like he wanted to be saved,” Cassie coughed as she attempted to take a deeper breath.

“He doesn’t know that he needs to be saved, but the time will come when he is going to need you. You, Cassie Tate, are his Chosen for a reason. Trik has walked alone for over a thousand years, separated from all because of the job he does for the Dark Elf King, separated from the light elves because of what he is. Destiny has made you his Chosen. You are his and he is yours. Nothing and no one in this realm or the Elfin realm can change that. You can fight it, or you can embrace it. You can doom him to a continued existence alone, or you can bring light to his dark life.”

Cassie’s eyes narrowed at Syndra. “Who are you?”

Syndra smiled slyly. “I’ve known Lisa and Elora for the span of their lives and neither has ever really seen me. What do you see Cassie, Chosen of Triktapic?”

The short purple of Syndra’s hair faded to dazzling white as it grew, falling past her shoulders to her waist. The green in her eyes flared to life and her pale skin began to glow. Cassie watched as Syndra tucked her long hair behind her ear and that’s when Cassie noticed the ear was indeed pointed. She noticed too that a long white robe tied around the waist had replaced the jeans and white shirt she wore. She felt power emanating from the she-elf, a power that kept her on her knees.

“You’re old and powerful,” Cassie muttered.

Syndra smiled and bowed. “I am Syndra, Queen of the Light Elves, Chosen of Tamsin, the Light Elf King.”

“Well what do ya know,” Elora said dryly.

Lisa’s jaw had dropped open and her eyes were wide with childlike wonder.

Cassie looked from Lisa to Elora and then back to Syndra. The question must have been written on her face.

“No, they do not see what you see,” Syndra answered the unasked question.

“You see her in her true form?” Lisa asked Cassie.

Cassie nodded.

“She can see me because she is a Chosen,” Syndra explained. “Tamsin had told me that a human had seen us in our true form. He has given orders to hunt you. Now that I know you are a Chosen and that is why you were able to see them that night, he will retract the orders on your life.”