Chapter 48
Aella
Despite the world seemingly falling apart, the market in Darynia continued to thrive as usual.
War hadn’t touched this place. Vendors hawked their wares with boisterous voices, trying to entice us to come their way.
The scent of cooking meat and spices from a nearby food stall tempted me to guide the girls in that direction, but we had a nice dinner planned in an hour for Rynn’s birthday, and it included all her favorite foods. I didn’t want to ruin her appetite.
Nearly a week had passed since the princess died, and the mood remained somber for most of it. Every night when I went to bed, I fell onto the mattress and wrapped myself in blankets, emotionally drained.
I wanted to beg Darrow to hold me. He was so damned accommodating to anything I asked as long as it wasn’t rough sex.
He’d probably be happy to embrace me, but if I gave in to that, what would be next?
I’d slowly lose myself in his touch until I felt for him the way poor, heartbroken Jacthor felt for his wife.
The prince spent a single day in his room after Lillian’s funeral pyre, speaking to no one as he mourned his sister.
Then, he came out pale but determined to do his job.
Armin worked from dawn to well past sunset with a single-minded focus, determined to beat back the dark elves.
It wasn’t going well despite his best efforts, but at least we hadn’t lost much ground recently.
Darrow and I took turns going to coastal and border towns to assist the Veronnian army when they were overwhelmed and needed extra help.
One night, the weather at a northern border town was just right to bring down a nighttime wind vortex wide enough to pick up over a hundred Karganoth soldiers.
They didn’t see it coming until it was too late.
I let it suck them up into the clouds before pushing a gust of wind that sent them flying miles away.
Later, I’d heard that one of our patrols had found their broken bodies being consumed by forest creatures.
They veered around the feast without interfering.
That had been satisfying during otherwise bleak days.
Jacthor left his Frostdar at Radoumar while he spent time with his children. He was barely functional, but each day he got a little better. The lord had gone from single-word responses to short sentences, which we took as a positive sign.
Meilani and I agreed that we needed to take Hadrien out today.
Hagon’s wife had been in Juvarn, helping her family fight against the dark elves, when we’d gone on our mission to Porrine, so she’d missed being here for the terrible news of the princess’ death.
She’d returned a few days ago and had taken over caring for Lillian’s daughter when the girl wasn’t at her lessons.
Hadrien was still in mourning, but a tiny spark entered her light gray eyes when we first reached the island market a couple of hours ago. She’d even chosen a few things for herself, using coins her father gave her. He’d appeared grateful when we’d proposed taking her out.
“You have time to choose one more thing before we need to get back to Crystal Castle,” I said to Rynn.
“Make it something worthwhile,” Meilani encouraged.
My cousin bit her lip, running her gaze along the many stalls.
There were dozens within view and more beyond that.
I’d begun to love the way the city was divided by different islands, though it had seemed a little strange at first. We were close enough to the water that at the end of the gravel road, I could see a green serpent head as it swam back and forth.
It was clearly hungry. The sight of them disturbed me at first, but I’d learned they rarely harmed the fae living in the city.
There were many protections in place to prevent that.
Finally, the indecision on Rynn’s face lifted. She sprinted between stalls to the next row over from us. We had to hurry to keep up, laughing as my cousin’s auburn hair and pink skirt flew behind her in her haste. Once we caught up, we found her at an indoor shop with musical instruments.
She stopped in front of a display of parlutes, which were wind instruments that ranged from eight to twelve inches long, depending on preference, and intricately carved from wood. Each had seven key holes to produce different high-note sounds.
I wanted to protest right away because I remembered three years ago when she’d gotten one before.
She’d practiced daily, but she’d been terrible.
After two weeks, Lord Morgunn had taken the instrument from her and swore she’d never play another one again.
Everyone in the castle had sighed in relief. Admittedly, I was among them.
Rynn hopped up and down, pointing at it. “Please, Aella. I never had the chance to get better, but I swear I’ll try harder this time.”
“What a lovely idea.” Meilani smiled at her. “My sister plays the parlute, and our whole family enjoys listening to her.”
I internally groaned at the encouragement.
“Oh, I want one, too,” Hadrien said, smiling in a way I hadn’t seen this past week. “We could practice together.”
I imagined the two of them fracturing the walls of Crystal Castle and rendering everyone deaf. “If you damage anyone’s eardrums, you’ll have to heal them.”
Rynn put her hands on her hips. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not even possible.”
How her ears survived her playing for those two weeks, I’ll never know.
“Please,” both girls begged, eyes pleading with me.
At my hesitation, Meilani gave me a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. I will find someplace safe for them to practice where no one will have to hear them until they get better.”
The shop owner, a large troll with a surprisingly gentle face, joined us.
“There is a siren who gives lessons three times a week on Orchard Island. The sound helps keep the birds and other animals from eating the fruit. The girls could do their lessons there and at least save you from having to hear them as much until they get better. She is an excellent instructor.”
“Do you think she has room in her class?” I asked.
It was a good idea and would get them out regularly to meet others, maybe make friends. Just because the realm was at war didn’t mean their lives had to stop. They needed some normalcy amidst the chaos, which was why I’d brought them out today and let Rynn choose her own gifts.
He nodded. “Oh, yes. She is always happy to have more students. Once they build their skills, they can move up to the next level class she has at different times. It is a wonderful arrangement.”
I’d never seen a well-spoken, cultured troll before. He was nothing like most I knew, which made me warm to him. It was the first time I’d met one I didn’t want to send flying into rubbish bins.
“Thank you for the suggestion.” Meilani put a gentle hand on the shop owner’s arm. “It sounds like exactly what we need, and I’m sure you could help us find the perfect parlutes for these girls if Aella agrees.”
As much as I hated to admit it, they’d defeated all my arguments, so I had to give in to the birthday gift request. “Yes. Let’s do it.”
The girls cheered while I paid for the instruments, courtesy of a pouch of coins Darrow thrust upon me before we left, and I took the instructor's information. It was heartwarming to see them genuinely happy as we departed the shop and made our way back toward the dock, where our boat waited.
Shortly before we reached it, a sebeska flew up to me with a note. I took it from the bird and unrolled the scroll. I recognized Sariyah’s handwriting, though it was a little sloppier than usual, as if she’d been in a hurry.
Aella,
I have no time to explain. The dark elves are forcing me and others from Tradain to go to Balzour tonight. I think they have something terrible planned for us. I hate to ask this, but please help me!
With love,
Sariyah
My hands shook as I rolled back the note.
Meilani gave me a concerned look. “What is it?”
Not wanting to say out loud, I handed the small scroll to her. She took a moment to read the contents before lifting a concerned gaze. “You must tell your husband.”
“Do you think he and the others will help me?” I asked, glancing at the girls, who were thankfully chatting a short distance from us about their purchases today.
Hagon’s wife shook her head. “Maybe, maybe not, but this is not something you can handle alone.”
“I know.”
Rynn turned her head and looked at me expectantly.
It was her birthday, and after all she’d been through, I didn’t want to ruin that.
Sariyah said they wouldn’t leave until tonight, so there was still time.
I would talk to Darrow and form a plan. He’d surely support me in this, especially with how hard he’d been trying with our relationship recently.
I only hated waiting when all I wanted to do was race there now, before my friend left.
“What was the message about?” Rynn asked.
“It was from Sariyah,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “She’s having some trouble, but nothing for you to worry about.”
She frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Meilani and I guided the girls toward our waiting boat.
We boarded, and I pushed a little magic to start the motor.
At first, using the strange device was a little daunting, but I had to give the clever gnome inventor credit for creating it.
The engine wasn’t used anywhere else on Zadrya because few knew it existed, but maybe someday it would become common.
We pulled up to the Crystal Castle dock.
I eased the boat toward it, proud of myself as it lined up perfectly.
The first couple of times, it hadn’t gone well, though I only caused significant damage on my first attempt.
I was also grateful that concentrating on guiding the craft had kept me from thinking of Sariyah’s situation.
We rushed the girls into the castle, ordered them to put away their things, and told them to get ready for dinner.
Meilani headed to her chambers to do the same.
As they hurried down the corridor, I mentally asked Darrow to meet me in our quarters.
We’d learned that we only needed to be within a mile of each other to use telepathy, so he responded that he’d be there in ten minutes.
Inside the bed chambers, I pulled out a lovely sapphire blue dinner gown from the wardrobe. Darrow had it made for me a couple of weeks ago, along with a few more, insisting I needed at least that many. It was so clear that he was trying to be a good husband that I didn’t argue.
I was even impressed by how well he chose designs that matched my preferences. The fronts were low-cut but only enough to show a hint of cleavage, the waists were tapered, and the skirts were wide enough to move easily. I tried not to think about how much he must have studied me to do so well.
After washing up, I stepped out of the bathing chamber to find Darrow in the room.
His gaze fell on my nearly nude body. All I wore was lacy underwear that he’d also purchased for me.
The way he looked at me said it required all his willpower not to take me into his arms. Even the veins on his neck appeared distended.
Under different circumstances, I would have used that to my advantage, but not now. I moved past him to the bed where I’d laid out my gown. Taking the note I’d left next to it, I held it out to Darrow.
“I received this from Sariyah half an hour ago,” I said.
He forced his gaze from my breasts and took the note. While he read it, I began getting dressed. His expression changed upon finishing it, thankfully smothering his arousal. He paced the room as I pulled on my gown and laced up the bodice.
“It could be a trap,” he said, rubbing his face.
I drew in a deep breath. “I know, but that doesn’t mean she’s not in danger.”
“It’s too vague.”
As much as I hated his questioning my friend, I tried to consider things from Darrow’s perspective. He didn’t know Sariyah, and she was the daughter of a military commander who’d ordered the deaths of many Veronnians. I knew I was asking a lot, but I had to convince him.
“It sounds like she was in a hurry, which is plausible. I can’t imagine how easy it would have been to reach a sebeska with dark elves everywhere,” I said, stepping closer to him.
Darrow worked his jaw. “It should have been next to impossible for her.”
“She makes enchantments for uniforms. One of them can encourage others to look elsewhere, so they don’t notice you.” That had been a helpful one I’d used once to sneak out of the castle, but it wore off after a day, so it wasn’t a good long-term spell.
He sighed. “I will send a sebeska now. By early morning, it should reach Balzour, and then I can see what’s happening there. We’ll decide what to do after that.”
“What if something happens to her before then?” I asked, giving him an imploring look.
Darrow shook his head. “If they planned to kill her, they would have done it at Tradain. Why bother sending her to Balzour? Something about this doesn’t make sense, so we cannot go there blindly.”
He was right, and I knew it, but that didn’t ease my worry much.
“Okay,” I agreed, though I hated it. “I’ll wait.”
“Aella, if there’s a way to save your friend without getting us all killed, I will do it. We simply need to be smart about it.” Darrow started to reach for me before stopping himself. “Please be patient and try to focus on Rynn this evening.”
Swallowing back a lump in my throat, I nodded. “Alright.”