Chapter 13
“One awful thing at a time,” I murmured to myself after Zelfek closed me back in my prison. He’d done me the kindness of leaving his light for me though. There was no mistaking his care of me after Dulanzo’s attack for anything else. Whatever he’d been made to do no doubt wore heavily on him. But his hand had been steady and gentle when easing the tangles from my hair. And he’d been careful to mind my dignity as well.
When I’d been too numb after hate-fucking the monster of the mountain, I wouldn’t have cared if Zelfek had seen my body. He’d had the full view well beforehand. But it was thoughtful. The kind of care I’d given victims I’d rescued on my patrols. I just hadn’t wanted any of the others to see me so battered. To see that I was weakened, that I was an easy target. Perhaps Zelfek wasn’t as deserving of my ire as I’d once thought. I’d extended my trust on instinct, and though he was fallible, it was a relief to find I hadn’t been mistaken.
I looked down at my hands and found that the swelling was down. The bruises faded further. I’d never been healed by magic before, and it struck me as peculiar that it would take so long. But it would have been longer still if I’d waited for it to heal all on its own. No doubt Zelfek’s addition of the lavender to the bath had helped some, but it was miraculous to see the bruises fade away so quickly! By this time tomorrow, it would be almost as though the attack hadn’t happened.
Zelfek had procured much warmer clothes for me, even a cloak. No doubt in anticipation of escape. I was grateful though because the mattress on the floor was too cold for comfort. I bundled myself up and waited for him to return with Oshruli.
When the door opened next, it wasn’t Zelfek, but two elves I didn’t recognize. I stared up at them in shock, but they only shooed me off the mattress. There was a part of me that wanted to be afraid of them, but there was something about them that … well, resonated with me. Similar to that sense of familiarity I’d felt with Oshruli. That and they didn’t give two shits about me once I was off the mattress. They dragged it and the broken bed frame out of the room and then brought in a whole new bed. It wasn’t much different from the last one, sturdy and wooden, though it was quite a bit larger and, most importantly, didn’t stink of Dulanzo.
I started crying again. These unnecessary tears were really starting to make me angry. Which made me cry harder. It made perfect sense that they’d replace the bed if they wanted me to remain healthy. It wasn’t a big deal. But replacing the mattress felt like a kindness, and one I hadn’t expected here surrounded by males. Especially considering everything Lhoris had told me about this place. It still felt like a very silly thing to cry about, but I’d always thought I’d have a community that included women when it was time to understand the nuances of pregnancy. Zelfek wouldn’t lie about crying being part of it, would he? It felt terribly unfair and lonely to experience this turmoil without female solidarity, so I didn’t bother fighting the tears too hard.
The two elves froze in place and exchanged worried looks. One of them asked me a question I couldn’t understand, and I said as much. Not that it was terribly intelligible even if they could understand the trade language. They spoke back to me in soothing tones and held their hands, palm out, toward me, as if trying to calm me. It only made me cry harder. They all but panicked, doubling down on their efforts to hush me, approaching with pleading in their eyes.
“St-stay aw-way,” I sobbed, though I didn’t think they intended to hurt me. They were just frightened, which triggered the instinct most social animals have, to stay still and be quiet to search for the source of their fear. But it was clearly my crying that upset them, so we were left frozen in place, staring at each other in a particularly confusing standoff.
Zelfek sighed heavily from the doorway. “Crying is … let’s just say, bad luck. A bad omen, maybe?” He gave the two elves a hard look and put Oshruli down.
The boy ran to me and climbed up my clothing to wrap his little arms around my neck. He chattered away while I hugged him back. Then he gestured for the two elves to come closer.
I looked to Zelfek for an explanation.
“He wants you to meet his older brothers,” Zelfek explained. “They were offering to comfort you when I showed up, by the way. Lirraco and Thimdrac are what the humans might call nice boys.”
“They don’t look like boys,” I argued through sniffles.
“Physically no, they’re adults, but as far as maturity goes, they’re boys. Younger than Lhoris, older than you.” Then he spoke to them. “They want to know if they can approach you now.”
“Oh, um, yes?” They hadn’t even dared to approach me when we’d been alone and Zelfek’s presence, and translation, was extremely reassuring.
Lirraco and Thimdrac approached me cautiously and engaged in a rather lengthy exchange with Oshruli. In which Oshruli told them his name, and mine, many, many times. Then he reached up and grabbed my face with both hands and made me look at his brothers. He told me their names many times as well, thumping them each time he said their respective names. I nodded every time and repeated after him until he was satisfied I wouldn’t forget who they were.
“Thank you for the new bed,” I said rather lamely to them. Zelfek translated and they nodded sheepishly. They no doubt smelled what Dulanzo had done to me on the mattress when they moved it. Wasn’t I, in some fashion, their stepmother? And that thought led to a hiccupping sob of embarrassment.
The boys all started trying to shush me again. Zelfek barked at them in elvish. They ceased their fussing and my weeping tapered off.
Will I cry like this the entire pregnancy? Gods, I really wished I could ask Judith.
“Why are they nice boys?” I asked with a tremor in my voice. “Nobody else here is nice.”
“They were lucky enough to grow up in a sibling group,” Zelfek explained. “They’ve always had each other. They lend each other strength in the face of adversity.”
“And you brought them here to move furniture?” I knew there had to be more than the need for strong backs to bring them, specifically, down here.
“No,” Zelfek snorted. “I brought them here to move furniture and help attend the pregnancy. They’re Lobikno’s, so their magic will be better in tune with both babies.”
I blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what?”
“The healer said he thinks there are two.”
With a slow shake of my head, I held up a finger as if scolding him and sighed heavily. “No. That’s one too many things at a time.”
Zelfek cocked his head, gave me a peculiar half grin, and shook his head. “Okay, but they …” He pointed at my belly. “… need more magic than one surrogate can provide. Lobikno might be enough alone since he’s the father, but we are what you have available. I’d get the others to help, but they’re on duty.”
It was safe to assume I was getting only half the story. Perhaps he wanted to load up the baby or, Mother above, babies, in anticipation of my leaving. Or maybe he thought it would be best for me to meet these young elves in case something happened to him. I wasn’t skilled enough with words to think of a way to ask indirectly.
“Alright,” I agreed. “Let’s get this done.”
Lirraco and Thimdrac piled into bed behind me and Zelfek squeezed in front. The younger males bickered over how to position themselves, I assumed, and where to put their hands before Zelfek sorted the pair. “This is far too much elf for one bed,” I grumbled. Oshruli laid across his brothers and rested his head on my arm, chattering away at me. “Way too much elf.”
“You need rest,” Zelfek reminded me.
And with little else to do, I tucked my head under his chin and rested my cheek on his collarbones.
Three currents were a lot. I was almost instantly too warm, too sleepy. They all cuddled in closer, which was oddly comforting, all things considered. Lirraco and Thimdrac in particular brought a comfort I couldn’t define. Maybe it was the way they were in tune with the baby? But going from the harsh hand of Dulanzo to this peculiar familial arrangement felt significant.
“Is this the nature of elves?” I asked Zelfek in a drowsy slur. “To be close?”
“Yes,” he answered, his words vibrating against my cheek, “especially family. Though the culture of my people would deny it.” He shifted as though trying to get comfortable. “No more questions. Rest, girl.”
My lower lip trembled for a moment, but I managed to avoid more tears by sliding my upper arm around his ribs and squeezing. He murmured something in elvish and I gave in, allowing the currents to pull me down into deep, blissful slumber.
I awoketo Oshruli’s fiddling with my hair. The older males had left us at some point, though I did have a vague sense of hushed voices and a pair of quick kisses on my temple. I turned my head to find the room still lit and the little one’s sweet face smiling at me. “It’s time to get up, Oshruli,” I cooed and rolled out of bed.
I was awake and alert by the time I finished using the chamber pot and washing my hands and face. Oshruli followed suit, which was to say, he took off his shirt and made a shivering mess in the water while he tried to wash. Once he was dry and re-dressed, I wrapped him in a blanket and allowed him to watch while I pulled the picks from my boot and started tinkering with the lock.
Zelfek told me to wait for the great bell, but I wasn’t comfortable staying where that sick bastard thought I would be. I’d find a place for us to hide if I had to wait. I’d feel better, safer if I could control just this one thing. If Dulanzo could find people through his connection to the mountain, at least I’d have more options when he showed up.
The lock was a much heavier mechanism than the slender tools were designed for, and I worried they might be too small or snap before I could twist the lock open. The lever piece was barely wide enough, though the pick easily found its marks within the mechanism. I held my breath and gave the lever a careful twist. It gave a little under the pressure, but so did the lock. I kept turning, my heart beating in my throat.
When it clicked open, Oshruli gasped, and I exhaled in relief. His eyes were wide when I turned to grin at him, putting a finger over my lips to shush him. He nodded, brow furrowed in worry.
I cracked the door open and peered out. A little of our light shone on the bare stone floor of the otherwise dark corridor. There wasn’t a sound to be heard, nor movement to be seen. I pulled the door shut and picked up Oshruli. He giggled when I spun us around and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go,” I murmured and set him back on his feet.
I bent over and broke a leg off the bed frame. The sharp crack of wood startled the boy, causing him to squeak and chatter while pointing at the damage as if to say you’re going to get us in so much trouble. The tapered foot fit well in my hand and I was pleased to see some nails poking out from the other end. I gave it a test swing and it really didn’t feel bad for an improvised club—not as heavy as I’d like, but better than nothing. The bed linen tore easily enough to wrap around my torso and hold Oshruli against my chest, making him as warm and safe as I could while keeping my hands free. There was no way I was leaving without him, whether or not Zelfek had intended.
I crept into the dark corridor and Oshruli summoned a tiny red light, somehow setting it to float along over us. Yes, it would draw attention, but I couldn’t navigate in complete darkness, nor could he direct me with our language barrier. It was necessary and I was grateful.
I knew enough to climb the stairs and up the steep corridor, but when we got to the first intersection, I was startled to find three elves staring back at me. One was Lirraco, and the other two … they had the same resonance about them as Lirraco and Thimdrac. They could only be Lobikno’s other adult sons.
Lirraco put his hands on his hips and twisted his face into an exasperated frown I was all too familiar with. It just didn’t have the same gravity as when Lobikno made it. He gestured at me while talking to Oshruli. The child replied with a few words and a shrug of his shoulders that probably meant, I don’t have any say in the situation, how am I supposed to stop her?
Lirraco sighed heavily and glared thoughtfully at the stone around us. He nodded reluctantly and gestured for me to follow him. At first, I assumed they’d been placed there to escort me out, but the other two stayed behind. It wasn’t long before I realized he was escorting me to the washroom. It seemed as good a hiding place as any.
Lirraco unlocked the door and placed the key in my hand. He was leaving me. I met his grave red eyes with understanding. There was another job meant for him, and I needed to mind Zelfek’s instructions to wait for the bell. Then he startled me by pulling Oshruli and me into a gentle hug. I felt that peculiar familiarity wash through me and I wrapped an arm around him, returning the affection without squishing Oshruli.
Lirraco nuzzled the boy and then turned to leave. I locked the door behind him. And waited.