Chapter 6
Aella
It was dark when I woke. Still groggy, I wished I could sleep longer, but someone kept nudging my shoulder. They were annoyingly insistent. I struggled to open my eyes a crack to see who bothered me in the dim room.
“Aella, Aella!” Rynn said, frustration in her gaze as she hovered over me.
I lay on a bed in a guest quarters cabin that the Andalagar had assigned us after we arrived in their territory.
It was small but cozy, with one main room that fit two beds and a sitting area, and a kitchen and bathroom at the back.
I’d been too exhausted to do more than remove my boots before crashing on the nearest mattress.
My body had desperately needed rest since it still needed to finish healing, and I’d used more magic than I should have while not at full strength.
“What? What time is it?” I asked, noting that lanterns lit the room now instead of sunlight from the windows.
“Eight in the evening. You’ve been sleeping for three hours, but you need to eat.” She gestured toward the table across the room. “They brought us food.”
My stomach growled. During those days in the dungeon, I hadn’t eaten a bite.
My first meal had been that morning, but I hadn’t been able to handle more than a few spoonfuls.
I’d managed a slightly larger lunch while at Darrow’s townhouse, but worrying about him and the chaos in the capital had stunted my appetite.
She was right to wake me—even if I wished I could sleep for a few days straight.
Healing required nourishment as well as rest.
“Very well,” I said, slowly rising from the bed.
She kept glancing back at me as I weakly made it across the room. “Do you feel any better?”
“A little.”
My magic had regenerated enough to be useful, but it still wasn’t at normal levels. I also still felt some pain and discomfort from my previous injuries. It had been less than a day since Darrow pulled me from the dungeon, though with all that had happened since then, it felt more like a year.
I eased myself onto the wooden chair, gazing at plates of food crowded on the round table.
The Andalagar had been generous, but I didn’t recognize some of it.
I picked up a half shell with something slimy inside that smelled like brine.
The consistency made my stomach recoil, regardless of my hunger.
“What is this?” I asked.
Rynn shook her head. “No idea. The woman who delivered it scowled the whole time, so I just let her set it up and go. I got the impression she was the kind of person who would smack me in the back of the head if I annoyed her.”
The Andalagar were generous hosts, but they openly distrusted outsiders.
Every time I visited here, the mood was tense.
Only Prime Chief Orran had been tolerant toward me.
Even then, I suspected he did it because he needed me to acquire the missing Naforya fountain and because he enjoyed playing games that kept people on their toes.
“She didn’t say anything at all?”
“Mostly, she just kept glancing at you and frowning.” Rynn chewed her bottom lip. “She did mention she needed to talk to you once you’re up and around, but no clue how to find her.”
“I’m sure she’ll come around when it suits her,” I said.
I set the nasty shell down and went for a loaf of bread that had already been sliced into uniform pieces. Deciding to splurge, I slathered it with butter. My body needed every bit of sustenance it could get.
Rynn began eating as well, bypassing the slimy shells and fish heads they’d also arranged artfully on a silver plate.
We’d grown up too far inland to consume many sea creatures.
I enjoyed trout and salmon from rivers and lakes, but our cooks removed the heads before serving them to us.
Even when I’d visited the Andalagar before, they’d made a point of serving familiar cuisines.
They didn’t appear to be doing that now. Maybe with the dark elves' arrival, they knew we were at their mercy for a safe haven until Darrow returned. Chief Orran likely thought it would be funny to send us a meal like this, considering he had a twisted sense of humor.
Once my stomach was full of palatable foods, I went to the washroom to clean up and brush my teeth.
I was grateful that the Andalagar had always been fond of equipping their facilities with running water, considering some locations in Zadrya still preferred the old system of hauling it from the well.
I didn’t know why since it only required a basic elemental magic spell to pump through pipes and purify.
The only time I preferred a chamber pot was when I was very ill or badly injured and couldn’t go far.
At least some of my energy had returned after eating.
I would use it while I had the chance, especially considering I looked like I’d stepped out of a bramble bush.
The bag I’d brought with me had everything I needed to make myself presentable.
I brushed my hair thoroughly and plaited it to keep it out of the way.
All the while, I wondered how Darrow was doing and wondered whether or not he’d reached the princess.
I also worried about how he’d return without a portal channeler.
Would he find someone else who could do it?
And what about the dark elves? If they’d invaded Porrine, could they have spread anywhere else?
I hated sitting here and doing nothing, but I also recognized how little I could do until I fully recovered.
If I’d been at full strength after we returned from the battle at Radoumar, my uncle wouldn’t have been able to torture me in the dungeon for several days.
On the other hand, I’d weakened myself to save others.
I had no regrets about that, but I needed time to recuperate. Only then could I be useful again.
A knock sounded at the door. I took one last look at myself in the mirror, noting my fair skin was still pale, my cheekbones were sharp from weight loss, and dark circles lined my eyes.
At least my golden blonde hair, in its various shades, appeared orderly now, and I wore a fresh tunic and trousers that only seemed a little loose on me. That would have to do.
Rynn stood back nervously as our visitor entered the room.
It must have been the same woman who delivered our food, since she had the severe look my cousin had described.
The Andalagar had a shorter lifespan than elves, with their eldest making it no more than a century and a half.
This woman’s hair was completely gray and dull, pulled back in a bun.
Her face had numerous age spots and wrinkles, but her eyes were sharp, and she moved more easily than one would expect.
I had to resist the urge to step back as she came close to me.
“Can you sense your mate?” she asked, foregoing any traditional greeting.
I frowned, confused by the question. “No, but Dare is far away.”
“We’ve received word that the dark elves invaded Manndir this afternoon and are working to breach Lavender Castle. If your husband is trying to reach the princess, he’ll not have an easy time of it,” the woman informed me, scowling. “Full mates would be able to sense each other in danger.”
I tensed, mind racing at everything she’d just said. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”
“You may call me Jhene. I can see events as they happen—sometimes by chance, sometimes with effort. Now, I know you and Darrow finally canary-noodled not long ago, so you should be fully mated.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Have you sensed anything from him or not?”
Canary-noodled? Did she mean sex?
I blushed and glanced at Rynn, whose jaw had dropped.
This was not a conversation I wanted to have with my young cousin present—never mind that it was more than a little personal.
Were all Andalagar elders this blunt, or only this one?
I hadn’t been around them enough to know, especially since none of them had chosen to speak with me before.
I lifted my chin. “My relationship with my husband is none of your business, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak about this in front of a young girl.”
“Bah!” She waved a hand. “At my age, I don’t have time to watch my words. Answer my question.”
I didn’t see why she needed to know such a thing, but I’d cooperate to speed up the conversation, so she’d leave. “I haven’t sensed anything from Dare.”
“Have you felt him through your bond since you mated?” she asked, studying me closely.
I stilled as I began to realize what she really meant. It had been less than a week since Darrow and I slept together, and that had been intense, but I hadn’t felt a significant change between us.
Perhaps because so much had gone horribly wrong after that, I’d failed to notice.
My parents had been able to sense each other’s locations and strong emotions.
If one was in trouble, the other knew it.
While I’d only been twelve when my mother passed, I should have thought of that.
It just hadn’t been on my mind since I was always trying not to feel too much for Darrow.
My mouth opened and closed as I tried to think of my response. “No, I’ve never sensed anything. Does that mean we aren’t fated mates?”
“You are.” She shook her head, quiet for a moment. “Have you been fighting your feelings for him?”
“Well, yes, of course,” I admitted.
“Why?”
I really didn’t want to discuss this with a stranger, but I also needed to find out where she was going with her questions. “He’s cursed never to love. My dream was for a happy marriage, but it’s likely impossible with Darrow, so I prefer to keep some emotional distance from him.”
She grunted. “And that is why your bond isn’t complete because you must be open to it.”
“I…I had no idea,” I stammered.
That explained why I hadn’t known if he was dead or alive while I lay in the dungeon, and he couldn’t have known my condition, either. I should have been able to sense the general direction of his location at any time, but there was nothing. Our connection hadn’t changed at all.
“Could it also be because he can only feel limited affection for me?” I asked.
Jhene cocked her head in thought before straightening. “No. It doesn’t require love, only a willingness to bond. From my visions, I have the impression that he is plenty inclined from his end. You’re the one running from it like your crunchertraps turned on you.”
I looked away, wondering exactly what she’d seen and how much.
For her to know what she did, it must have been quite a lot.
It was horrifying to think we’d had a witness to our most intimate moments without realizing it.
The wards on Darrow’s townhouse should have been too powerful for her to penetrate, but my sister had no such protections.
The seer must have caught glimpses during the night my husband stayed there.
Something else she mentioned before struck me. “Wait, you said the dark elves invaded Manndir as well. How many? Are they attacking any other places?”
I couldn’t fathom how they’d made it so far into Zadrya without warning.
Manndir was in Hartoll on the northeast end of the continent and far from Karganoth.
They would have needed to travel by ring to get there, or maybe a contingent left from Porrine.
It would explain the timing since it was hours after the attack on the capital.
I’d thought Darrow’s trip up there would be simple, but now I worried what might happen to him, his friends, and the remaining royals.
The Andalagar woman sighed. “We estimate they sent at least a couple of thousand to invade the city in Hartoll, perhaps more. I couldn’t get a full view, but the last I looked, they were close to taking over the lord’s castle.”
“You don’t know if Dare made it inside or not?” I asked.
“No. I rarely get to choose what I see and can only direct it in a general way.”
I could hardly draw a breath. “Could he be hurt or dead, and we didn’t know?”
“Well, it’s good to see you at least care about your husband,” she said with a huff.
The gall of this woman. “Of course, I care about him. I just don’t want to love him!”
Jhene clucked her tongue disapprovingly.
“You should try to get plenty of rest,” she said, turning away from me and heading for the door. “The nameless ones only know what tomorrow might bring.”
I stood there, frustrated, as she left. How was I supposed to sleep after everything she’d just said?
Darrow might be under the God of Wrath’s control at the moment, but that didn’t mean he was infallible.
He could die without us ever resolving the many issues between us.
I needed him back whole and alive. Helplessness filled me as I sank onto my bed.
Rynn came over and gave me a gentle hug. “If anyone can handle a bunch of dark elves right now, it’s Darrow.”
“Yes, but even he has his limits,” I said, fear clawing at my chest—not only for him, but also for Loden and Jax. They had grown on me recently as well, and they mattered. In fact, all of Zadrya was in danger while I sat too weak to do anything about it.
She pulled away to look at me with wisdom far beyond her age. “Then get stronger so you can help, Aella.”
“I will,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s just hard to sleep after hearing all this.”
She gave me a sweet look. “Then I’ll help.”
“What…?”
My cousin pressed two fingertips to my forehead.
Shock filled me as my vision began to darken and my body grew heavy.
Someone had taught her how to make a person unconscious with her powers.
Usually, I could have fought it, but not in my weakened state.
I fell back onto the mattress and into a deep sleep.