Chapter 8
VANN
“Bring food!” Teo calls to the guard who led me here.
The others clear out of the throne room, leaving only Mother Liana, Ulla, Mrath, Teo, and Estela.
Many of the council cast me looks that range from pity to curiosity.
I ignore them, instead staring at a fixed point on the wall where a red crystal glows as Mother Liana’s and Ulla’s hands move over my body, using magic to encourage my tired Fuegorra to heal the small remains of cuts over my arms and legs. Flying had not been kind to me.
And now the crystals feel too familiar. The brilliant dance of red against the gray stone feels unbearable. All I see is Arlet—all I feel is her presence lingering in this place. She should be here right now.
Suddenly, the partially torn fabric at my chest is pulled away by Liana, who audibly gasps. She must have seen the scar from the witches. I growl, pushing her away.
“Vann,” Teo admonishes. “What—”
“I am fine. As I said before, I need to heal and then get back to the elven court. I only came here to do my duty and leave you with a report before I continue.”
I look directly at Mrath. She wants information as well? Well, I won’t waste time. “After leaving your Enclave, we set out to find a solution for the curse controlling Arlet in her sleep.”
“Vann, slow down—” Teo tries.
“We found Dragonsreach, which is where we were gifted the dragon. They sent us to an island in the middle of the ocean where we were met with a colony of human witches who promised to help us.”
“More humans?” Queen Estela interjects.
I nod. “Ones like those who helped the giants when you were taken by Rholker.”
“The brujas who helped Rholker were evil,” she spits.
“These women were not malicious. They agreed to try to lift the curse, but they could not, and we were found by the elves. Arlet…” My lips stay slightly parted.
I blink twice. Feeling the pain surge up and heat my limbs.
Still a stark and unsettling contrast to all the years I’d spent with a freezing cold sensation flowing through my veins.
“Arlet has gone with them to marry the king to break the curse and keep Enduvida safe.”
Estela’s hand flies to her forehead, and she lets out a string of curses in the human tongue, Teo grits his teeth while putting an arm around his mate, and Liana gives me a pitying look while Mrath’s unsettlingly green eyes seem to dance with a forest flame.
“You have no other information? Did you see anyone familiar when the elves took Arlet?”
I shake my head. “Who would I have seen?”
“Thorne,” she says quickly. “He has been working for Arion, it seems.”
I hold my breath.
“Did he have anything to do with Arlet’s disappearance?”
She nods,
I curl my lip. These fucking elves. I knew we couldn’t trust him. Maybe not any of them.
“Did Arion tell you anything else? Did he mention anything other than marriage to Arlet and the threat against Enduvida?” Mrath presses.
“No, but—”
“Did he mention the artifact? The Cumhacht na Cruinne?”
“No!” I practically shout as my irritation mounts. “I know very little of his plans except his threats.”
Arion’s sister purses her lips, but anger still burns under the surface of my skin.
“So, the redhead has gone to bear the next heir for the Elven Kingdom,” she says, her voice measured.
I nod, tightening my fists.
“Curious that he should want to fill the castle with half-bloods.”
I snarl. “I need to find her and rescue her before he hurts her even more than he already has. You know elven customs. You should be the one telling me how long we have until the wedding.”
She narrows her eyes. Something about her looks different, more ancient. I almost miss the familiar necklace hanging around her throat. Where had I seen that before?
My mind places it almost instantly. That is how she transported the artifact.
“Depending on when she arrived, I would say somewhere between ten and fourteen days. There will be preparations…formal and informal presentations to the court. We have been planning something special once we know the date of Arlet’s official presentation.”
The room tilts, and Mrath’s words fade. “I must leave as soon as possible.” Even with the dragon, I do not see how the trip would take less than four days.
“Then you are prepared to help us?” Mrath asks.
I ball my fists, not wanting to help any elf ever again.
“You are planning to kill the king, aren’t you?” I respond. “What would that mean for Arlet?”
Mrath considers me. “Well, we were just discussing that. I would like to use her as an asset to get close to the Throne of Living Wood, that she might help me claim my crown.” She looks at Teo.
“So you have no plans to harm her?” I press, not trusting elves anymore.
“Not if she complies.”
Something in her tone doesn’t sit right with me. “And if she cannot ‘comply’? You swear you will not, under any circumstance, hurt her?”
“Fear not. The only way I would hurt her is if she carries Arion’s child. I do not think it would be likely before the wedding, but if she is the continuation of my brother’s line, I would have no choice but to dispose of her and the child.”
I fucking knew it. No elf can be trusted.
Before I can think logically, I lunge at her, only for Teo to grab me by my shoulders and pull me back from the mess. My hair falls in my face, clumps puffing out from my eyes as hot breath pours from my mouth.
“She will not harm her, Vann! Did you not hear what she said?” Teo shouts, while Mrath draws a dagger and points it at my throat.
“Attack me again, troll, and I will slice the skin from your face,” she hisses. “Our alliance is not so ironclad that it cannot break.”
The weight of a heart, of fully feeling the mating bond, is stronger than I anticipated. My chest heaves. My throat and neck burn.
She wasn’t saying she would kill her, and Arlet has long struggled for a child.
I am acting irrationally.
“Vann,” Liana starts, walking between the leader and me.
“Forgive me,” I pant, relaxing my stance. “…Travel has made me mad.”
She studies me for a second before understanding blooms across her features.
“So you are mated to the human,” Mrath says flatly. “I wondered when you came to my home, but now there can be no doubt.”
“I…” I grit my teeth, but Liana completely pulls back my hair, revealing the side of my neck.
Teo and Estela share a look, and a knot forms in my throat.
“The mating marks have appeared,” I say flatly, finally identifying the localized heat that sears into the side of my neck.
Mrath begins to laugh. “Very well. Then I will alter my plan.”
“What plan is that?” I bite out.
She tilts her head to the side, giving me a long look. “As I told your king, I do not wish for a civil war in the Elven Dominion. I wish to take power, and a broken empire would be wasteful. I intend to show the elven court that I am the one chosen by the gods to lead them.”
I nod. “I think that is…wise.” As her allies, I do not want the Enduares dragged into another war while we continue to rebuild our society. We have a lot to offer, especially if this is to be such a calculated strike.
She ignores me, continuing as she walks around the large stone table where maps and other scrolls have been laid out.
“So, you will go to Shvathemar first. You will get entry to the palace, and you will help Arlet plant a seed in the throne. Its power has been corrupted by a foreign god, and I will need the conduit to reconnect to Doros for my plan to work. Then, you will help us gain entry to the palace.”
I stare at Mrath. “Help you enter the elven palace?” I was hoping that my trip to Shvathemar would be as quick and efficient as possible.
“Yes, or I cannot guarantee the safety of any of your people. Mate or not.”
I grit my teeth at the word, and Mrath looks at Teo.
“What say you, Enduar King?”
Teo meets her eye. “We will support you in this, Mrath. We are grateful for all you have done for us in the past.”
The corner of her mouth curls up. “Excellent. I will also expect soldiers in case we need to fight, and at least one other person to accompany my closest assassins. If we are allies, I expect you to be fully integrated into this plan.”
Teo takes a deep breath and nods again. “Very well. I will need to speak with my council about who might be a good fit to attend.”
“I will go,” Liana says suddenly.
Everyone turns to look at her, the confusion clear.
She shrugs. “It has been a long time since I’ve left the caves. Vann and I are old friends. There won’t be a problem keeping tabs on each other.”
Mrath smiles again. “Excellent. Then I shall have one of my mages prepare the magical seed for Arlet. It will be ready later tonight. We shall meet tomorrow to finalize the details of the squadron. Lord Vann—” She turns to me.
“I wish you luck in finding your mate, but your priority must be the seed. Elder Trees do not part with fruit easily.”
I blink rapidly, still silent. I look around the room, suddenly exhausted and feeling as though the weight of responsibility has washed over me in strong waves.
Once Mrath is gone, I am vaguely aware of Teo asking for a moment alone, which is granted instantly. Queen Estela squeezes my arm before leaving, offering a warm smile and a gentle, “We are so glad you are all right.”
Then it is just the two of us, standing in the council room.
“What happened to you?” he asks. I hear the exhaustion in his voice, too, and feel bad.
“I am sorry I didn’t tell you before I left. I just…I needed to make sure she was safe,” I say.
“I’m surprised you stopped here instead of heading straight to the elven capital.”
I purse my lips. “I almost didn’t.”
Teo nods. “That sounds like you—loyal to a fault.”
He gazes past me, and I feel him draw distant. “Arlet is your mate. I swear, I always wondered. How did it finally surface?”
I take a deep breath. “There are things I haven’t been honest about with you.”
The crystals glitter and sparkle around us, providing a nice distraction as Teo’s eyes cut through me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means…that long ago I made a bargain with the human witch who used to perform services outside of Iravida. It was before I intended to pledge my life to Adra.”
Teo leans against the table, finally relieving me of that piercing stare.
“What did you bargain?”
I stare at him. A lifetime of friendship and trust. This is the one thing that I have kept to myself—the one thing I never really allowed him to know.
“I gave away my heart so I would be unburdened by the fear of finding a mate in the future. I wanted to give my life, whatever was left of it and whatever form it took, to Adra.”
Teo doesn’t say anything for a moment. He doesn’t turn to look at me.
“For half your life, you have lived like this? Heartless? How? Has it not…hurt you?”
I soften at the concern in his voice. “I…was not hurt. Numb, perhaps. But not hurt. The magic was strong.”
He shakes his head. “That is the scar on your chest. Good hell, it looks as though you were run through with a stake.”
I laugh half-heartedly. “Not far off.”
“How could I not have seen it?” he continues. I get the sense he’s not talking to me. And then he turns back, looking me straight in the eye as he puts his hand on my shoulder.
“A year ago, shortly after Estela came into my life, you gave me the advice that set me free. You told me, ‘One of the hardest consequences of our actions is having to live with the choices we thought were right in the moment.’”
The knot in my throat grows larger, making it hard to ignore the moisture accumulating in my eyes. “I thought…”
“I know.”
I turn to look at him. My throat is tight.
“I didn’t tell Arlet. She found out along the way. On the island—”
“The witches. Somehow they knew?” he fills in, understanding where I was going.
I nod. “I hid this from everyone. And I hurt her. She left because Arion threatened this place, but she also left because I lied to her. She…”
Fucking damnit. More moisture slides down my cheeks.
“You will make it up to her. I’ve never known anyone as determined as you, brother.”
I close my eyes, letting more tears slide down. The pain is soothed a little when arms are drawn around me. A firm pat lands between my shoulder blades.
“Life is long. You are strong. Stay the night that you might rest, and tomorrow, you will continue your journey.”
Teo releases me.
“Thank you, brother.”
Teo smiles. “I have faith in you.”
I flick the tears from my eyes just as the guard returns with food. The smell of it causes my stomach to clench.
“I will stay and rest. And in the morning I will leave,” I say.
The guard sets down a tray of enough food to feed several. Teo gestures for them to bring it to the table. And then, he sits at my side. Once I bring a chunk of meat to my mouth, my stomach rumbles after so long without food.
We used to hunt the Ruh’Glumdlor—cave bears—together before the humans arrived. Before I left with Arlet, he was so busy with his family.
There is a comfort in knowing that the friendship that existed between us can still exist, even if it is harder now.
Only after I’ve taken my first bite does he begin eating as well.
“I’ve been lighting up the Wall of Remembrance in your absence,” he says. The wall was filled with the names of the loved ones we had lost after the Great Eruption that destroyed most of the continent and killed almost all our people.
It was a task I did almost every night for half a century.
“Thank you,” I say gently.
We sit like that for a long while, eating and drinking in silence. I am not a man of many words, but it almost feels like a dozen conversations were exchanged in that span of time.
Ultimately, it was the right choice to come. The situation is not less dire or urgent. But knowing I have people like Teo on my side—good friends and a good life to fight for, a future to fight for—lightens my dark mood.
“Did they say you came in on a dragon?” Teo says suddenly. “You hate heights.”
I laugh. “Yes, well, Arlet seems to have cured me of that. I’ve been flying Seraph around the continent and back. The mount is still outside. Wouldn’t come into the under mountain.”
Teo laughs too. “Probably has something to do with Drathorinna, Estela’s mount. They are very territorial.”
I hum in agreement.
All is quiet, and then he nudges me. “Can I see?”
I turn to look at him, and though it feels counterintuitive, I smile. “Absolutely.”