Chapter 4
Sylara
We arrive at the apartment we share in the city wrapped in a strange silence. I think our encounter with Niletta Collins has affected all three of us too much.
“That girl has potential,” Althea murmurs, collapsing onto the couch. “Did you see how she slipped away from me? She did it almost effortlessly and without being trained. Nobody's ever managed that before.”
“Does she make you insecure, Kobold?” Sabina jokes, emerging completely naked from the bathroom after taking a quick shower to refresh her skin.
Althea waves dismissively. Sirens have no sense of nudity, though it still surprises us when she wanders around the apartment without any clothes on.
On the living room table, the blueprints of Grigore Voronov's mansion still offer no clues.
“That damn arrow could be anywhere,” the Kobold growls, pointing at the map.
“We need to see it from the inside,” Sabina whispers, leaving small water droplets on the floor as she approaches.
“The human,” Althea proposes.
“Nell,” I correct immediately, surprising myself with how quickly I jump to defend her name. “She's not fully human. And I'm not sure it's a good idea to involve her so soon.”
Althea looks up, pins me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable.
“Are you worried about her safety, or is there something else, elf?” she asks, letting out a slight snort.
I take time to order my thoughts, like I always do. Most people don't realize it, but words have power, and I've never been one to waste them.
“She just discovered she's half Fae. She doesn't know how to control her powers. Besides, she barely knows us and has good reasons not to trust us,” I explain, instinctively touching the small pouch of earth hanging from my belt.
“Sending her on a mission like this would be irresponsible. And more importantly, if something happens to her, Kaelisar would kill us.”
“She's supposed to be an experienced thief, isn't she? That's why he chose her,” Sabina interrupts. “She's been stealing for years without magic. Imagine what she could do now.”
“That's what worries me,” I insist. “If she loses control in the middle of the mission, it could be disastrous. And if we send her in there alone...”
An uncomfortable silence settles between us. Each of us has too much at stake to risk failure, though we can't afford to wait too long either. Kaelisar isn't exactly famous for his patience.
Althea rubs the back of her neck, right where a tattoo shaped like molten lava peeks out from her shirt collar.
“Did you notice anything strange when we were with her?” I ask suddenly. “Like some kind of... connection.”
It's the question I've been avoiding asking myself since I first saw Niletta Collins. That inexplicable pull, that feeling of attraction that goes beyond rational.
“Is the stoic elf falling for the human?”
“A bonded Quad,” I whisper, and the word gives me chills.
Sabina inhales sharply.
“No,” she murmurs. “Bonded Quads are practically legends. One hasn't formed in centuries.”
“Exactly,” I respond. “And yet, don't you think it's too much of a coincidence that Kaelisar brought together precisely an air elemental, a fire elemental, an earth elemental, and a water elemental? The four fundamental elements?”
Althea curses in her native language, a guttural sound that makes the lights flicker.
“That son of a bitch,” she growls. “He's trying to create a Quad to control it. With that power, he could...”
“He could reclaim his throne and much more,” I complete for her. “A truly united Quad could challenge even the current Fae king.”
“But he can't force a bond like that,” Sabina protests. “It has to emerge naturally. It's something... well, you know, it's something intimate.”
I feel a slight blush spreading across my cheeks as I hear her words.
Bonded Quads aren't simple power alliances; they're deep unions, both emotional and.
.. physical. Sabina's right. A Quad can't be forced.
And there's something that unsettles me: I don't know if what I felt with Nell was Kaelisar's manipulation or something real.
And worst of all, part of me wants it to be real.
I touch the pouch of earth on my belt, but tonight, not even that calms me.
“You've got to be kidding me, elf,” Althea scoffs, making small sparks fly from her fingers. “Are you saying he expects the four of us to... fall in love or something? To end up in bed?”
“It's not like we've never done it,” Sabina sighs, giving me a wink I choose to ignore.
No one says anything more. The idea is too invasive.
And the worst part is that, no matter how much I try to deny it, there's something about Nell that attracts me in a way I can't explain.
She's so different from the elf women I grew up with, so direct, so full of life, so. .. human and yet so evidently Fae.
“We should rest,” I propose. “Tomorrow we'll think more clearly.”
But that night, sleep is slow to come. In my mind, the image of Nell repeats over and over, not always clothed.
I think about her blonde hair, short and rebellious, her quick movements, like a sparrow's, and those eyes that drive me crazy without being able to help it.
Elves are supposed to be able to control our feelings. .. and yet...
**
The next morning, I head to the coffee shop where, according to Kaelisar, Nell usually has breakfast. I prefer not to inform Althea and Sabina about this. I need to assess the situation myself before deciding our next steps.
When I enter, I see her. She's sitting by the window, bent over the book I gave her last night. The way she sticks her tongue out slightly while concentrating pulls a silly smile from me. Making sure my hair completely covers my ears, I push through the door.
The coffee smell is too intense for an elf's sense of smell. I move between tables, trying to make my movements somewhat clumsier than normal to pass as human, though no one seems to pay attention.
“Good morning, can I sit with you?” I ask, pointing to the chair next to her.
Nell looks up, surprised. Sometimes I forget that elves don't make noise when we walk.
“Shit, you just scared the hell out of me!” she exclaims, slamming the book shut. “Are you following me?”
“Good morning,” I repeat calmly, ignoring her comment. “I see you're studying.”
“Trying to study,” she grumbles. “Sit down if you want, but explain what the hell you're doing here and, more importantly, how you knew you'd find me in this place. I like how you hid the ears, by the way. Now you look like a Russian model or something.”
I slide into the seat with a movement that's too agile. I can't get used to replicating humans' clumsy movements. The chair doesn't even creak when I sit.
“How the hell do you do that?” she asks, raising her eyebrows. “It's like you don't have bones.”
“Centuries of practice.”
“Centuries?” she repeats, opening her eyes wide. “How old are you?”
“It's rude to ask a woman her age.”
A waiter approaches us, fortunately interrupting the conversation, which was getting a bit uncomfortable.
Nell watches me with curiosity as she twirls a strand of her hair around her index finger.
Without being able to help it, I stare mesmerized at her eyes.
One an intense blue and the other light gray.
“I know they're different; people have been telling me that since I was a kid. You don't need to state the obvious.”
“They're heterochromatic, and I think they're very beautiful. Maybe it's because of your Fae heritage.”
“Because of my Fae heritage?”
“Being part Fae and part human. I don't really know. The Fae are natural enemies of elves, so I don't know much about them,” I confess.
“Well, so... did you come to make sure I'm doing my homework or something?” she jokes, drumming her fingers on the book.
“Because let me tell you this book is boring as hell.
Half of it is in another language I don't understand and the other half looks like it was written after smoking something illegal.”
“It's an ancient text,” I explain. “Written by and for air elementals with centuries of experience. Don't expect to master it in one night.”
“Do you always hold back so much? No offense, but you look like you took a Valium and then shoved a stick up your ass.”
“I'm not offended. I'm an elf. And I understand you don't trust me. To be honest, I wouldn't either,” I acknowledge.
“Yeah, well, you attacked me with a taser, in case you don't remember,” she protests, raising her eyebrows like she's trying to provoke me.
I smile. The hardness of her features contrasts with a vulnerability she's trying to hide. She's beautiful, but in a completely different way from the ethereal beauty of elf women.
“Have you managed to practice any spells?” I ask, leaning slightly toward her, though I think I'm the one who's beginning to be enchanted.
Nell looks around before leaning in too.
“Last night, when I was reading...” she whispers, “the curtains in my room started moving, but I don't think that'll help us if someone attacks.”
I don't know if she's serious or joking. I can't catch her irony, but the way she winks at me when she sees my confusion and smiles makes me tremble.
“Okay, now explain to me,” she murmurs, running a hand through her messy hair. “Am I some kind of... air witch or something?”
“Elemental,” I correct. “And only half Fae, as far as we know.”
“Yeah, well, that's according to Kaelisar, who seems to have a serious problem with the truth.”
“He's not very reliable,” I confirm.
“Why do you hide your ears?” she asks suddenly, entirely changing the subject. “Are you afraid people will look at you weird?”
“Humans tend to react badly to what they don't understand,” I respond. “My appearance already attracts too much attention without showing obviously non-human features.”