Dragon Hunter

Chapter 12: Not all Elves are Created Equal

Cooper wasn't sure how long he was out. Only that he had a pounding headache when he abruptly wasn't.

"What the actual fuck!" he groaned, lifting a hand to the sore spot on the left side of his head. Then hard hands were pulling to his feet before he could resist, and strong arms were looping around his, and his body to hold him still after he got there.

Eyes fluttering open as adrenaline surged once again through him, Cooper prepared to fight. Only to lose strength as astonishment took him in the face of what his eyes now beheld.

The human was surrounded by lean, masked and hooded figures that were dressed head to toe in black leather and a fabric that resembled silk. Out of those hoods strangely glowing eyes with violet or red irises stared hard at him, the skin around them dark gray or slate.

But it wasn't his captors that shocked Cooper into immobility, despite their otherworldly appearance. It was the other world that he found himself standing in, that did!

It appeared to be a vast series of caverns, each large enough to fit a small city within, that stretched into the misty distance. The nearest cavern, clearly visible in the ethereal light that filled the space from the ledge Cooper and his captors stood on, was dominated by a sprawling city of low, organic-looking buildings lit by twinkling purple lights.

Buildings that were on fire, put into that state by the unmistakable jets of dragonfire lashing down onto them by several hovering wyverns and dragons hanging in the air over the city.

Then one of his captors was in his face, speaking in a smooth, sibilant language, each word pulsing with urgency. When Cooper didn't immediately respond, he stepped close enough to nearly touch the human's nose before he began to repeat what he had said, half turning to point at the city under attack.

Cooper let him get a couple words out before he snapped his head forward to smash his forehead into the speaker's face. He felt the man's nose break before he staggered back. Where, after shaking his head to clear it, he lunged forward with a snarl, fist lifted, intent on retaliation.

Only to jerk to a halt when a clear female voice barked a single word. Then five more black leather and silk clothed figures were stepping through the cordon of captors to come to a halt in front of a frowning Cooper, one going as far as pushing the man with the fist aside.

Then, in a rush of motion, the one standing directly in front of Cooper pulled their mask down.

"Damn!" he breathed, eyes widening as he stared at the revealed face.

She was easily the most beautiful, most exquisite woman he had ever seen, in real life or fantasy. Possessing the high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes, angled brows and pointed ears of an elven race, her bright purple irises, sensuously generous lips, exotic beauty and dark gray skin set her far apart from the elven women Cooper had seen up to this point.

She also matched in general the descriptions reports from out east had given about an alien race that was hunting down nomad humans. And eating them.

Then the woman was speaking, her voice revealing that it was she that said the word that stopped the man from retaliating. And again Cooper stayed silent, not understanding a word she was saying while wondering if this exquisite creature was from the same group of elves that were eating people.

Instead of moving closer and yelling into his face, however, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Then, while keeping her eyes locked on his, she pulled off her glove. Lifting the revealed hand to her face, a hand both graceful and strong in the same instant, she bared fanged teeth and bit vampire-like deep into the fleshy part of her thumb.