Whowasshe?
And how could she not know who Saldrea was?
Also, why’d she look human?
Probably a nymph. It would explain the shape-shifting and why she was so damned hot: all tall curves and luscious lines, that tousled hair, those large sea-green eyes. I’d been with my fair share of women back in Elysial, but none had truly captivated me. Even here in Seial, where beauty flourished among the elves and nymphs and dryads, few had truly caught my eye. Saldrea was said to be the most beautiful woman in the realm. I didn’t see it.
But that nymph…
She stirred something inside me no other woman ever had. Specifically… her incredibly strong spirit did. It felt like… home.
A part of me wanted to follow her, ask her who she was.
I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
Even if I knew who she was and wanted to see her, it wasn’t possible. My life was bound in servitude to Saldrea and the crown. My parents had been so pleased when I’d been chosen for her guard. Their status in Elysial had been elevated substantially because of it.
My life, however…
I might have lived in luxury, but the cost was putting up with the whims of a petty princess. Fighting her fights, hurting those who didn’t deserve it.
My soul was stained in blood. Even if Saldrea released me from my duty and I was free to see any woman I wished, I wasn’t sure I could, not right away at least. I’d need time to recalibrate, time to heal. I’d be no good to anyone till I got my head on straight and did some good in this world to counteract all the vileness I’d done.
I hated myself for what I’d become, a monster, a bully, and all in Saldrea’s service. That horrible woman. I hated her, but duty had been hammered into me from an early age. And she’d never let me go, she liked controlling others, watching them shred their own souls doing her bidding.
I couldn’t leave.
I was a slave to a realm ruled by elves.
We all were.
And the current Queen Regent — Saldrea’s Mother — was… I shouldn’t even think it, in case Hana read my thoughts and reported them back to Saldrea.
Not even my thoughts were my own. Hence why I was in no hurry to rejoin the others inside. I needed a moment… to watch that fascinating woman… and just breathe.
But I shouldn’t be gone for long.
Back to work.
Back to the petty, vindictive cruelty of my mistress.
Hush, still your thoughts, keep your mind clear.
Maybe someday I’d find freedom, though I suspected the only real freedom I’d find would be in death.
MYELAS
I hadabout an hour before afternoon training, which I couldn’t miss. That wouldn’t be enough time to find Izzy and give her a full explanation of this world and its oddities, but hopefully I could give her a crash course, enough to get by until I could see her again.
Luckily, finding her wasn’t hard. I just had to follow the pull of my body. The newly forming bond between us knew where she was.
I found her wandering the campus lawns behind the administration building heading for Dryada Hall. Not where I’d expected her to be, but perfect for a clandestine meeting.
She must have felt the pull as well, since she was headed straight for me as I passed between Dryada Hall and the Great Hall — also known as Anadendyra Hall — named after the previous royal family,Izzy’s family, not that I could tell her. That still grated on me.
“You!” she said, spotting me through the trees. “Myel?”
