Chapter 12 #2
Truthfully, she hadn’t allowed herself time to consider how she was really doing.
Keeping herself busy with training, the forge, falling into bed in an exhausted heap each night, it all kept her out of her hiding hole, as he had so lovingly called it.
Even her sleep, which had deteriorated further after her father’s passing, had been somewhat better.
At least she didn’t remember every nightmare.
“It feels good to work toward something. It’s easier to think about than my family.” She forced out the next words she owed him but would rather keep to herself. “Thank you for helping me. With everything.”
Boden paused at the building’s entrance, his head bowed and voice soft.
“I know what it is to be broken, Alvara. To have who you are at your very core torn from the fabric of your soul. You can either let the darkness devour you or find a way to welcome it as an old friend. I’ve been well acquainted with it for quite some time.
Look how well I turned out.” He swept one of the doors open with a wink, and Alvara rolled her eyes, though her throat had run dry.
Maybe they were more alike than she would ever care to admit.
Inside the building sat nothing but an arrangement of chairs and a large wooden table at the center, flanked by a group of ten or so elves entrenched in various arguments Alvara couldn’t make out. The door groaned shut, and everyone turned toward them, falling into silence.
“Nice of you to join us,” an elf with gray-streaked charcoal black hair said, his spectacles perched precariously on the edge of his nose.
Alvara moved to hide somewhere in the back, but Boden ushered her to the center of the room. The very last place she wanted to be. “I had other things to attend to, Your Majesty,” he said and bowed his head.
Your Majesty? The elf certainly didn’t look royal—he wore a plain, dark gray tunic and black pants, along with a pair of leather boots that looked about three steps away from falling apart. And no one other than Boden paid him extra attention.
“I prefer Ulivar,” the Malvan king said. “Extravagant titles have never flattered me.” He tapped a spot on a map sprawled across the table. “Aurilena, please continue.”
Aurilena’s eyes found Alvara’s, and her murderous gaze nailed Alvara’s feet to the ground.
Apparently, she felt as kindly about Kat’s injuries as Ravanel did, and rightfully so.
“King Einar is forging an alliance with the Nyrian and Valonian kingdoms. I’ve only been able to illusion my way into a few meetings, but many more have taken place between the different council members.
Valo has been prejudiced against humans and demi-elves since the loss of the previous king.
They had no issue finding common ground with Ela.
Nyr became convinced of the threat after the orchestrated human attacks. ”
“But why the alliances? What is his goal?” another elf said, shaking his head.
“The barrier in other realms against our magic has proved impenetrable for two centuries. Without elven powers at his disposal, King Einar wouldn’t be capable of overcoming the humans.
Not with their significant numbers compared to his forces. ”
Boden studied the map, where red X’s marked attacks in Alvara’s home kingdom. Frost started to form on her fingertips. Her home. Her people. There weren’t many human attacks, but what if they got worse?
“Is Dalvi aligned with King Einar in his hatred of humans?” He looked pointedly down at her ice-tipped fingers, a command to control her power.
She looped a tight rein around her magic and glanced at King Ulivar. If there were certain protocols she needed to follow while speaking in his presence, she had no idea what they were.
The king smiled. “There’s no need to be nervous. I encourage everyone in my city to speak freely, especially here.”
Alvara swallowed. “Dalvi is remote enough that we almost never encounter humans. We don’t hold strong feelings about them either way.
But I’m sure you have other contacts there or Dalvian elves here to give you better information.
” She searched the room, but no light-haired and blue-eyed elves sat anywhere in the crowd, just as she hadn’t seen any in the city.
“Eloisa was the first elf from Dalvi to join us in years,” Boden said. “Since her loss…well, it’s been quite some time since we’ve had any kind of access to your kingdom. As you said, your people tend to keep to themselves.”
“So, the king is hoping to scare our queen into submission,” Alvara said. “But why use humans? Why not just invade Dalvi?”
“A common enemy,” Ravanel said from where he stood at the edge of the room.
“For what purpose? What could he possibly hope to gain?” another elf asked from across the table.
“The only thing he would need the support of other monarchs for—to become High King.” Murmurs broke out as Boden spoke, a sea of unease rippling through the air.
“He is using the humans as a threat against Dalvi in the hopes that they will seek protection. Protection that King Einar can clearly offer, with his history of crushing their kind.”
King Ulivar’s face paled. “The only High King we’ve ever had was Vitharen, and that was before the Fracture when we were all alike. To try now? Uniting vastly different kingdoms and magics under one banner? It’s a fool’s errand.”
“You may be right. But,” Boden said, “if King Einar’s goal is to eradicate humans and demi-elves from our lands, the title of High King would give him the power and means to do so.
I can assure you, his treatment of them has only gotten worse with every passing year.
” He turned to Alvara once again. “Am I correct in assuming Dalvi wouldn’t respond kindly to us interfering? ”
Alvara wished she could say no, that her people would understand and welcome help against any threat, but she knew better. The Dalvian royals trusted no one but themselves, ever since Malva had betrayed their short-lived alliance thousands of years ago. “The queen wouldn’t want Malva involved.”
“Aurilena,” Boden said, “we’ll need you to focus on infiltrating the upper reaches of the Valonian court, if you’re able to.
As high as your illusions will allow you to go.
We need as much information as possible on what plans there are for the alliance between the three kingdoms and what comes next. ”
King Ulivar looked to an elf whose glossy black hair had been wrenched away from his face in braids so severe they smoothed out some of the wrinkles on his forehead. “Kaurald, what are your thoughts?”
“We must focus on increasing our defenses,” Kaurald said, his voice deep and commanding.
“I have no doubt the day will come soon when King Einar turns his attention to Ilmanir. Katalen will need to increase patrols as soon as she is able to. I will strategize with Ravanel and my forces to prepare the city as best we can.”
“And I will return to Tasírath and uncover what information I can,” Boden said.
King Ulivar nodded. “We will reconvene when we know more.”
That apparently signaled the end of the meeting, and elves broke off into smaller groups, the hum of voices rising as Alvara followed Boden toward the exit.
Her queen might not want Malva’s involvement, but that didn’t mean Alvara was willing to sit and watch while King Einar continued to send humans to murder her people.
There had to be something they could do.
Any thoughts of Dalvi shriveled up at the sight of Aurilena in the doorway, her hands clasped together in front of her stomach as if it was the only thing stopping her from landing a blow to Alvara’s face.
“I need a word with her.”
Alvara sent Boden her most pathetic, pleading look, but he ignored her and shooed Aurilena out the door. “As long as you do it outside. This building is made of wood, and I’d rather not see it burned to the ground.”
Alvara sucked in a breath between her teeth and cautiously followed them into the cold. Boden stood between her and Aurilena, who was fuming, her anger hot enough that Alvara wouldn’t be surprised if her entire body caught fire.
“Well?” Boden gestured between the two of them. “I do have other duties to attend to besides preventing you both from killing each other.”
Aurilena only glowered back, dismissing him with a flick of her head.
“Aurilena, I already had to prevent Rav from committing murder. I can hardly trust you alone with her either.”
Aurilena tipped her head down a fraction, only intensifying the threat in her eyes.
Boden tilted his face toward the sky and let out a sharp puff of air. “Fine. I’ll allow it, as long as you promise to leave her somewhat intact by the end of it.”
“Boden!” Alvara squeaked as he sauntered away from them. She wouldn’t trust Aurilena not to incinerate the entire city right now, let alone her, who had almost killed one of her closest friends.
“You’ll be fine,” he called back. “If she bursts into flames, I’ll toss a handful of rocks at her or something equally menacing.
” He stopped far enough from them that he wouldn’t be able to hear a syllable of whatever interrogation was about to ensue, but close enough that he could indeed stop any attack from Aurilena with his magic. If he chose to.
“I told you it was dangerous.” Aurilena’s lips barely moved as she spoke. If words could kill, Alvara would be faded ten times over.
“You can’t make me feel any worse than I already do.”
“You feel bad? You almost took Kat from us!” Aurilena’s voice was rising, slapping Alvara with each sound. “She only ever helped you and look what your careless actions did to her!”