Chapter 19
“She’s back!” A guard on the shorter side is running toward the gate, calling out as we cross the bridge and enter the grounds. A few more guards come running over.
“Princess! The king has been worried.”
“I’m fine. You can tell him I’ve returned, safe and unscathed.”
“Miss, we were told to bring you to him at once if you’re found.”
“That’s hardly necessary,” I say.
“Please, Miss,” the first guard, a male with a thin yellow mustache pleads.
“Okay, fine. Is he in his study?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“I know the way,” I tell the guard, turning from him. I don’t give them time to respond as I ride fast for the stables. I hear two horses following, but I don’t look back or speak to my companions.
After I dismount my horse and grab my things, I finally turn to face them. “Meet tomorrow afternoon at the library,” I tell them before heading to the castle. I don’t catch their responses as I turn away and bound up the hill.
No one apprehends me on my walk through the halls, but I hear faint chatter in my father’s study as I approach it. The door is open.
When I turn the corner and step inside, I’m met with both my father’s gaze… and Adrian’s.
“Elysande!” Adrian says, both eager and relieved as he approaches.
He stops himself just in front of me and sizes me up. It seemed for a moment like he was going to come even closer, maybe even embrace me, but the war behind his eyes didn’t settle on either of those.
“We were so worried.”
“Really? Why?” I ask. They’ve never troubled themselves with my whereabouts like this before. Then again, I’ve never left the castle grounds overnight like that before. I have fallen asleep in the library though, and no one went searching for me then.
We’ve also never had dragon shifter guests in our castle before.
“You disappeared overnight!” Adrian replies.
He looks… disheveled. Like maybe he was up very early, pacing and running his hand through his hair.
Or up most of the night. Normally, his black hair is perfectly styled and his tunic perfectly smooth.
Neither of those things are true today. “It’s dangerous out there after dark. You know that.”
“I do, obviously. But as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. I know how to handle myself.” I risk a glance at my father, who sits still, taking in the conversation with a calm silence.
“You—” Adrian shakes his head. I’ve bewildered him. “Where were you?”
“The Ellyar Inn.” Adrian’s eyebrows furrow, and father continues to remain unaffected. “I was craving a piece of hazeberry pie. Then I had a few drinks, and well… the day grew late. I had to book a room.”
“The Ellyar Inn…” His tone is full of trepidation.
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t want to invite anyone along?” He almost looks… hurt. Confused.
Why would I have invited him? As if he would take off with me on some silly quest for pie. He’s a captain of our guards, and he takes his duty very seriously. But that’s all irrelevant, since that’s not what I truly did anyway.
The guards saw me return with two dragon shifters and my father or Adrian will likely hear that piece of information eventually, but I don’t want to attempt to explain that away right now.
“It was an impulsive, spur of the moment type of thing. I… read about it in a book, and I began to crave it. I remembered I had it there once as a youngling.” I shift my gaze to my father. “You remember, right Father?”
He nods, his hands clasped on the table in front of him, his icy blue eyes focused. I can’t decipher what his mood is right now, but he was always so good at that. He certainly doesn’t seem like he was panicking about my safety only a short while ago.
Adrian looks between my father and me. He doesn’t want to drop the matter by any means, but I know he doesn’t want to push it much more in front of the king. He chooses silence.
“Captain Greenwood, would you give us a moment?”
Adrian straightens, then turns to the king and bows. He doesn’t look at me again as he leaves the room and closes the door behind him.
“Have a seat,” he commands as he watches me with interest.
I do as he says, choosing one several chairs away from him. It’s cold.
“You weren’t alone, were you?”
Oh.
“No.”
“A few males from Torrynth accompanied you on your escapade for… pie?”
“Yes.” I square my shoulders and look into his scrutinizing gaze. “You did tell me to get closer to him.”
“I did. That was before he was found at the scene of a murder. I thought you’d realize the deal was off then.”
“Why should it be? He didn’t do it.”
For some reason, I don’t think it matters to him either way. “Well, what have you discovered of our enemies?”
“Are they our enemies? I thought we were trying to make peace?”
“Elysande, you know as well as I that we will never completely have peace with them. It’s in our nature, it’s our history.”
“History can be changed. One’s nature can be changed. Just look at the world the last thousand years.” I’m already saying too much, so I shut my mouth. He smirks at me, calculating. It’s an arrogant one.
“Well, you’ll be disappointed to know that they have shared nothing of interest with me. The one with the unnaturally red eyes always has his mouth full of food or drink, and the other one simply grunts and frowns a lot.”
“They didn’t interrogate you at all? Ask you strange questions?”
“No.”
“Hmm.”
“I will keep trying, though.”
“I’m not so sure it’s a worthwhile cause anymore. I don’t want to risk your safety, and they don’t seem to be opening up to you.”
“Just give me a little more time.” I try not to sound too eager, but if he agrees to let me continue to spy on them, then it won’t look so suspicious if I’m spending more time with them while we work toward our real purpose. “I can get them to open up.”
His eyes have narrowed. He’s debating, but I don’t believe he’s suspicious. At least not about what we’re really up to.
“All right.”
I leave his quarters and return to my rooms. I need to drop my things off and sit down for a while. Perhaps take a nap. The last day and a half have worn me down, the effects just now beginning to trickle in.
Outside my door, however, sits an elf with shiny, straight black hair.
“Meela?”
“Wench?”
I snort.
“Where have you been?” my friend asks. No worry on her face, but plenty of curiosity.
“I went on a little adventure. Got some pie. Had a fun night with some random male at the inn.”
She scoffs. “Now I know you’re lying.”
“Am I?” I tease, tilting my head.
“Yes. Obviously.”
I gesture toward my door. “Come in. I’m tired of standing.”
She follows me inside and helps herself to a glass of red wine.
Good stuff. It makes you generally happy and less inhibited, but it can leave you with a wicked headache the next day.
And it’s nearly impossible to find, as the grapes are so incredibly rare, only grown in one small region to the south.
“I’ll take one of those,” I tell her as I flash a glance her way before entering my bedroom to change.
I throw on a soft, purple lounge dress and return to find her seated comfortably in my front room, her wine already halfway gone.
“So, tell me. My father told me your father had half the guards looking for you. He was actually kind of panicked. Especially because apparently two of the dragons were unaccounted for as well. One of which was accused of murder not three days ago.”
I take a sip of my wine, mulling her words over, trying to decide what to tell her.
She continues before I can come up with anything to say.
“Listen, I know you like having your little secrets, but you know you can tell me anything, right? You’re literally my only friend. Always have been.”
I quirk an eyebrow at her. “You have your secrets too. We don’t share secrets while we braid each other’s hair. We never have.”
“Okay, you’re right, but you should tell me anyways.”
I snort as I look away and stare at the rather colorful painting on my wall.
It depicts an old phenomenon called a sunset, and it has beautiful shades of orange, pink, red, and blue all blended together over the horizon.
It’s breathtaking. Oddly enough, it’s one of the only things that has always motivated me to keep going on my mission.
Especially on days when I’ve felt like I want to quit, throw away all my research, retire from the library forever, and enjoy my uneventful, boring life.
The painting anchors me to my dream of breaking this curse and one day setting my gaze upon a whole new sky, a whole new world.
A painting of a starry night sky hangs next to it, giving me the same kind of motivation.
Is she right? Am I the one with all the secrets? Either way, I’m not ready to tell her. I wish I could, but I simply can’t until I know where she stands in this matter. It’s too important to compromise by telling too many people.
“I went to the Ellyar inn. With Daegan and Raef.”
Her eyebrows crease. “Who the fuck are Daegan and Raef?”
I can’t help but laugh, throwing a hand over my mouth. She’s confused. “You’ve met them. Twice. The two dragon shifters from the ball. And from the library the other day. And Daegan is the one who was accused of murder, as you just reminded me a moment ago.”
Realization dawns on her face. “Oooh. That’s right. I couldn’t remember his dumb name for the life of me.”
Another laugh slips out of me.
“I’ve got to stop smoking herbs,” she comments, shaking her head. “Anyway,” her face turns serious again as she focuses on me with her brows pinched. “What the hell were you doing outside the castle walls with just the two of them?
“I was planning on going all alone when I ran into them. Or… they ran into me. And then I just mentioned it and invited them along. Trying to show them more of our land, you know? It was all very impulsive of me,” I finish with a proud grin.
She looks at me even more confused than before.
“Okay,” she replies, shaking her head. Then she pulls out some rolled up herbs. “Who am I kidding. What else would I do with my time in this boring castle?”
“You could come to the library with me?”
She looks at me like I just offered her a plate of dirt.
“Pass. I’d rather go party with the same elves I’ve been partying with for five years. Which sounds so thrilling, I know.”
“Well, Adrian recently said he would help train me when he can. I think I’m ready to start. You could join me.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “I’m sorry. Train you?” Why?”
“Yeah. I don’t know. It’s something new to do.
” As young elves, we train the basics of our elemental powers during our schooling hours.
But as we get a little older, anyone with any real talent or passion for battle begins taking separate training courses for that.
To be trained for our army. Adrian did. There are more males than females, but all are welcome.
It was never an interest of mine. Or Meela’s.
“Sounds like I’d get really sweaty doing that. I don’t think so.”
“Well then, I’m all out of ideas.”
She shrugs and finally lights the end of her rolled-up herbs with a swish of her finger. “Mind if I…?” she asks even though it’s already lit.
I shake my head.
We spend the rest of the afternoon discussing castle gossip. An elf broke up with another elf, that sort of thing. Nothing that really interests me. But I sense that Meela wants to stay and keep me company, so I indulge her, grateful for a friend.
I suppose I’ll be skipping that nap.
My mind can’t help but wander to our quest, though. And to my two new allies. I still know so little about them, and I need to know more. Perhaps I can pester them tomorrow for more information. Raef should be easy, but Daegan… he’ll take a little more work.
It's probably for the best that Meela doesn’t want to join me for any of these activities, as much as I’d love for her to. The closer she gets, the more suspicious she may get.
The stakes feel higher than ever, which means I need to be more careful than ever.