Chapter 31 Izzy
IZZY
Something was wrong.
I’d taken a break from my relentless training, learning elven enhancements, to have a drink and catch my breath.
The work was mostly internal, whether I was enhancing myself or others, so there wasn’t much to show for my efforts, but my skill in making myself stronger or faster or tougher was progressing.
I still couldn’t do it to others yet, but that would come.
And while I’d rested, I’d gotten a strange sense, a deep ache, like a migraine, but… in my very soul. I knew this feeling. I’d felt it once before… the day Vyns had nearly died, beaten by Saldrea.
Fuck.
Vyns had left a little while ago, escorting Tala, who’d hoped to sneak back to her room and collect some things.
“Vyns is in trouble,” I said.
Koar perked up.
“Spirit link?” he asked.
I nodded.
We both rushed out of the training compound. I shouted an apology to Lhorine, then we were out and away, racing across campus, my spirit guiding me, pulling me toward Vyns.
Thankfully, he wasn’t on the brink of death when we found him. He didn’t look good, but he looked better than Tala, whom he held in his arms. Whether from my spirit-link with him or my training in magic in general, I was able to sense him feeding spirit to Tala to help her hold on.
Both of them had been attacked, the assailants long gone, but I knew who’d sent them.
I reached Vyns and knelt next to Tala.
He looked up, tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Izzy, I tried to protect her, but…”
I saved my words for later, laying my hands on my friend to feel for her injuries.
I’d heal the serious ones first, then save my strength.
Vyns looked like he’d be able to walk and as long as both of them were safe and not going to die, I’d conserve my energy, I needed it to train, since I was far from where I needed to be.
Tala’s wounds were nasty, but someone had been very careful in beating her, maximizing pain, while minimizing risk of death. They’d wanted her to live…
…because this was a message: I can get to your friends.
Saldrea must have had people watching Tala’s room day and night, in case she returned. It reminded me of the stark difference in our resources. She had all the money and practically the entire world on her side. I had a few friends and my grandmother’s wealth.
I healed the worst of Tala’s wound, till she roused.
“And you?” I asked Vyns. “Can you walk?”
He nodded.
Koar carried Tala, while Vyns limped along and I kept an eye out for anyone still watching us. I didn’t want Saldrea to find our secret base. There were many prying eyes, curious onlookers, as we made our way across campus, but no one stayed with us for long.
We got Tala back to the compound and made sure she was resting comfortably before I broke down.
Shakes took me, and I had to sit, losing my strength.
I couldn’t live like this, my friends — my chosen family — always in danger, not able to go out for the simplest things.
Wait…
Rook.
I’d assumed I hadn’t seen him since the match because he didn’t want to be around me anymore… but what if something had happened to him?
My strength returned instantly, and I shot to my feet.
“I need to go out again,” I said as Koar returned from getting Vyns settled.
“You need to train,” Lhorine said, stern. “You still have so much to learn.”
“I will, but I need to check on Rook, make sure he’s okay.”
Koar nodded and the two of us headed out once more.
We were admitted to Svokol’s house and when I asked if Rook was here and healthy, the servant nodded.
I sighed, relieved.
But all the built-up tension thrumming through me wouldn’t go away so easily. My anxiety turned to frustration and irritation.
“Where is he?” I asked the servant who’d greeted us.
“Training.”
I hurried through the underground complex to find him. Like the last time, he was stripped to the waist, sweat covering his body as he attacked a wooden dummy over and over with a series of strange martial arts moves and fire.
“You!” I shouted at him and he stopped, turning.
I marched over to him, Koar waiting by the door.
“Avoid me all you want but at least tell me why!” I hissed at him, poking him in the chest. A hard-muscled, glistening, sexy chest.
No… stop that! I’m mad at him.
“You want to know, fine,” he said, voice strained as those fiery eyes focused on mine.
I was suddenly very hot, but it definitely wasn’t because of those eyes, or his sexiness, or anything like that. No… it was from the fast march over here and my fury… yes… that’s why… nothing more…
“Suddenly you’re a princess, an elf, and that changes everything,” he said, worked up.
“Before, I could be your friend, we could have some fun and it wouldn’t hurt anything, but now…
being seen with me… I’m a lower race. Right now, you need to be showing the world you can be an elf, a ruler, and having an incubus on your arm would only tarnish your reputation. I’m bad for you. It’s that simple.”
I hope she buys that. The thought was faint, but I heard it softly in my head.
Right… he could communicate with me telepathically, though I assumed he hadn’t meant for me to hear that.
“And…” he went on, “that night when you found out you were a princess, before all of that, you’d yelled at me and I honestly wasn’t sure where we stood, or if you wanted me back as a friend or anything more.”
I blinked.
There was no thought to accompany that, he seemed honest enough.
I had yelled at him, but only because he’d been a dick about me seeing an angel, Vyns. I had the feeling he didn’t mind now, but since our communication was clearly off, I asked him,
“Are you okay with me having Vyns in my life?”
He blinked. “Ah… yeah… sure, I guess. If you don’t need me, then—”
“That’s not what I said!” I yelled, frustrated. “Are you okay with me as a friend and fuckbuddy if I’m also doing an angel!”
Wow… that hadn’t come out quite liked I’d hoped.
Rook shrugged.
“Whatever, sure, but like I said. I shouldn’t be seen with you.”
“Yeah, tarnishing my ever-so-bright image, I heard you… and I don’t believe a word of it.”
He flinched back.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about my reputation. I’m going to change this world. Once I’m queen, there won’t be any restrictions on who people can be with. I’m going to change all of that. So why would I care about being seen with you?”
He grimaced. A guilty look. He’d known all of that.
“Which means you’re not avoiding me for my sake, but for your own.” Though as for why, I had no idea.
Does she know? I only barely caught the stray thought.
Did I know what?
“I… just can’t… be with you,” he stammered. Something flashed in his fiery eyes. Was that… fear?
Fear of me?
“What are you so damned afraid of!” I demanded.
He looked away, face tight.
Enough of this. “If you’re not man enough to tell me what’s up, then maybe you aren’t the man I thought you were!”
I waited to see if he’d say anything.
“You’re… an elf now…” he mumbled.
An elf?
He was afraid of me because I was an elf? Sure, elves in this world were generally asshats, but he knew me better than that, didn’t he? I guessed not.
Fine. Whatever.
I shook my head, disgusted that this man had turned on me for something I couldn’t control.
Spinning on my heel, I stalked out of the room, Koar falling in behind me. I’d come here to make sure Rook was okay. He was, but as for clarifying where we stood… I was even more upset and frustrated than before.
And sad.
Rook had been a friend when no one else had. He’d been there for me, even when I’d been upset at him for betraying me, even with no bond compelling him. He’d kept my secret about my bond with Myel, he’d helped me learn the ways of this world.
So, why was he pulling away now?
What had happened?
Was it really that I was an elf?
How shallow could a man get?
By the time I returned to the compound, it was noon, and the others were sitting down for lunch. Lhorine and Olinara had helped to heal Vyns and Tala, who both looked a little sheepish for having been caught like that.
I sat, clearly grumpy. Zora broke the tense silence to tell us Myel’s conjugal visit was a succubus named Alistora.
Safir took over from there, saying he’d found out who would be guarding Myel at that time.
The three jailers were already being paid by Saldrea to beat Myel, so bribing them probably wouldn’t work.
Also, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they’d actually watch Myel’s conjugal visit, if they were so inclined.
Great.
“We can put them to sleep,” Lhorine said, looking at me. “It’s like a binding, but lesser, an enchantment. Elves are usually quite adept at enchantments. It shouldn’t be hard for you to learn.”
Yet another thing for me to master before tomorrow night.
Yay!
There wasn’t enough time. I couldn’t learn it all by then. I’d fail.
I didn’t say anything. I gave a tight-lipped nod, then faked a smile to reassure everyone.
But my mood only carried over into my afternoon training, which did not go as well as Lhorine hoped. By dinner I’d managed to learn how to enhance others, but I couldn’t give them much. Still, it was something.
“You’re off today,” Lhorine said as we joined the others for a meal. “We won’t train any more this evening. Get some rest, you’re tired. We’ll start bright and early tomorrow. Okay?”
I nodded, dreading our next lesson. Just learning to do what came naturally to an elf had been hard enough, but now I needed to add enchantments and transmutation.
I’d had a class on transmutation earlier that week, which had only left me feeling overwhelmed and confused. Could I really learn it in a day?
I wasn’t so sure.