Chapter 12 #2
I wished I could see his face, but I could feel the tremble in his hand as he tried to contain his laughter. “Let’s hurry. I want to make sure we get to Sariyah’s house before dinnertime is over.”
To my surprise, the town was quiet and still, with thick tension filling the air.
Only one or two people here and there walked silently, their faces tense.
Usually, a dozen or more soldiers stood chatting before or after they visited the dining hall, but the building that served all the meals was closed with the lights off.
I couldn’t remember the last time that happened.
While I didn’t spot a single dark elf, everything about the place felt off.
Few lights shone through the barracks windows.
A night patrol we passed, both female elves, had sharp, watchful gazes and kept their hands on the hilts of their swords.
We paused until they were well past us, so we wouldn’t accidentally make a sound.
It was only once we reached the family housing that the place seemed more active, muffled children’s voices reaching us as they laughed and played inside, but no one sat on their porches enjoying the night air as usual.
Keeping our steps light, I guided us to Sariyah’s home.
Since it was the commander’s place, it was a large two-story house with four bedrooms. Before my father died, I’d lived there.
Memories from when my parents and brother were still alive rushed back every time I visited.
It had been so long ago, but I cherished every one I still remembered and held them close.
Forcing myself to push those thoughts aside, I focused on my objective.
The lights were glowing within, which was a good sign.
I tested the door. To my relief, it was unlocked as usual, so we snuck inside.
I’d explained the plan to Jax when we’d walked to the ring.
First, we had to make sure Commander Norvin wasn’t home.
He’d kill the Veronnian with me without hesitation.
We listened for a moment, but I only heard one fork scraping against a plate in the dining room.
The floors were wood. We stepped on them carefully as we made our way deeper into the house, following a hallway that led to the dining room.
My friend sat there alone, eating the last bites of her meal.
“Sariyah,” I whispered.
She nearly jumped out of her chair, gaze darting back and forth.
“Aella, is that you?” she asked, frowning.
I let go of Jax’s hand, becoming visible again. “Yes, sorry. I didn’t know what to expect, so I had to sneak in here.”
“Invisible?” she asked, shocked.
Jax appeared next to me. “Aella had a little help.”
It took her a moment to comprehend what was happening, but then she jumped from her chair and rushed into my arms. “Dear nameless ones, I’m so happy to see you, Aella.”
I hugged her back, feeling some of the tension in my body ease. My friend was alive and well. I’d imagined far worse outcomes for this visit and could live with finding her healthy and whole.
“We’ve been so worried. Is everything okay?” I asked.
Sariyah pulled away and took a shaky breath. “Yes, no, I mean, it’s chaos now. My father took most of the soldiers to the south. He’s going to try getting Balzour back, so there’s hardly anyone left.”
That explained some of what we saw on the way here, but not everything.
“Chief Orran has been sending sebeskas, but he hasn’t been getting any replies,” I said, searching her face. “What else is going on?”
She swallowed and looked away. “I don’t want you to worry.”
“Sariyah, tell me.”
She let out a breath. “There have been signs of dark elf encampments to our north and east. We never see them, but our patrols find evidence of their presence there. Some of the sebeskas we’ve sent out never returned, so they must be catching them.”
Or killing them, but the thought of that was too painful to voice aloud.
“Your father left you here unguarded, knowing that?” I asked, appalled.
Sariyah straightened her shoulders. “Of course not. My father cares for my safety, and you know that, Aella. There are still about thirty fae troops here, plus other family members like me who can fight if necessary. We even have a channeler here in case we need to flee quickly.”
That gave me some comfort, but it didn’t seem like enough.
“Chief Orran offered for you to stay at the southern Andalagar tribal lands, where your grandmother grew up. It has to be safer than this, and at least you have family there,” I said. True, she hardly remembered them from a childhood visit, but it was better than nothing.
It was the compromise we’d reached while figuring out how to help Sariyah.
Half of that land was in the Oarwar Desert, and the other half in Veronna.
They flourished with plenty of resources, and the blight hadn’t struck there yet.
Also, there was no activity from the Karganoth military in that area, making it the best choice with the prince still in the southeast territory.
“No.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “I’m honestly fine here for now, and my father plans to return some of his soldiers soon to help root out the dark elves targeting our sebeskas.”
That was a relief. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I am.” She gestured for us to take seats at the table. “Are you two hungry? Thirsty?”
“I’m fine. How about you?” I asked Jax.
“Nothing, thanks.”
Sariyah and I took chairs next to each other, angling them so we could talk.
She studied me, frowning as she took a good look at my features, and likely noting the dark circles under my eyes that I hadn’t bothered to hide with glamour. “How are you? Has anything happened since I last saw you?”
I weighed what to tell her. “Darrow is back with me, but he’s recovering from some injuries. We’ll probably leave the Andalagar once he gets better.”
“Where will you go?” She chewed her lip, glancing at Jax. “Will they even welcome you in Veronna, considering everything?”
“I don’t know, but I guess Darrow will figure that out,” I said, knowing I couldn’t even speculate since we had almost all the royals with us. It was too risky to tell her in case someone gleaned the information from her mind.
Sariyah nodded. “Your husband must be in bad condition then. I’m sorry.”
“He ran into some trouble getting back to us.” Which wasn’t a lie. “But I’m sure he’ll be better soon.”
She smiled. “Good.”
We chatted for a few more minutes about innocuous things, catching up.
I wished I could have stayed longer, but I noticed Sariyah constantly checking the windows.
The tension in her body steadily increased as time passed as well.
Though she didn’t say it, I suspected she worried about being caught with us, but she didn’t want to be rude and send us away, either.
My anxiety for her grew. Was there more she wasn’t telling me?
I tried again to get her to come with us, but she refused. She’d always been stubborn once she set her mind to something. It was hard leaving my friend. What if something happened to her, and I never saw her again? I’d lost so many people in my life that it had left me paranoid.
I hugged Sariyah one more time. “Please take care and let me know if you need anything.”
“Same goes for you.” She pulled back and gripped my shoulders. “Wait a few days for my father to handle the dark elves and then try sending me a message, please? I need to know you’re okay.”
“Of course, but you'd better respond. I need to know you’re safe, too.”
Sariyah nodded vigorously, eyes getting a little teary. “I will. Promise.”
We crushed each other one more time, like it really was our last goodbye.
We hadn’t discussed much about the war, but the fear of what might happen lingered in the air.
I hated that we couldn’t stay together. Something had always been pulling us apart since my father passed, and I had to leave Tradain.
I’d never find a better friend than her.
I waved and then took Jax’s hand. We rushed through the village and headed for the woods by the ring, moving cautiously. Sariyah had said the dark elf sightings were on the other side of Tradain, but we kept our gazes alert as we moved carefully.
A part of me had worried we wouldn’t be able to find the bird, or that it might get itself killed.
Thankfully, it was alive and squawking at a warthog that was trapped in some razor brush.
The beastly animal was usually very dangerous, but something about the chicken terrified it.
The wild bird was causing the hog to cut itself into ribbons as it tried to get away.
Left with no choice, I let go of Jax’s hand.
I grabbed the chicken’s feet and then its beak, effectively shutting it up.
The darn thing wiggled like crazy, but I didn’t let go.
I ordered Jax to grab the legs, so I could have one hand free to channel the portal.
As we moved away, the warthog finally freed itself and ran like it had caught fire.
At least if there were any enemies over here, the animal would draw their attention.
It squealed loudly as it moved farther from us.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen one of those scared,” Jax said in a low voice, shaking his head. “What a strange bird.”
“I think sometimes the magic on this planet creates peculiar creatures. I used to spend a lot of time in the library and read about many one-of-a-kind animals that only appeared once, and some that started a new species,” I said as we made our way out of the woods.
He glanced at me in surprise. “You read books like that?”
“Yeah. Why not?”
Jax mulled that one over for a minute. “Once we get rid of the dark elves, you’ll have to show me some of those.”
“I’d be happy to,” I said, feeling like for the first time we actually got along. Until now, I’d had a tough time understanding what Darrow saw in him as a friend.