“We’ll have to swim back,” Venick said. “Any food will be ruined by the water.”
“It is not food. It is…something to help.” The servant took Ellina’s hands in hers. She kissed them both. She spoke to Ellina in elvish, soft words meant only for them. Then she let go.
Ellina peered uncertainly at Venick. Her eyes were still wary, her expression still full of disbelief. She had been locked in that cell for who knows how long, in the dark, without the ability to speak, or even anyone to speakto. And now here was Venick, appearing out of nowhere, working with the palace elves—gods, withRaffan—to set her free. No wonder she didn’t believe it. He hardly believed it himself.
“This trapdoor connects to a secret tunnel,” Venick told her, motioning to the hole in the kitchen floor. “The tunnel leads to the bay.” He tried not to imagine that bay. He tried not to think of Eywen, and whether the horse would be where he’d left her. He didn’t consider the conjurors, or the guards, or what would happen when they discovered Ellina’s empty cell. Venick was gripped with a determination so severe it felt like fury. He would get Ellina out of here. Whatever needed to be done, he would do it. “We just have to make it to the other side. I’ll go first,” he added, but Ellina was already dropping down into the hidden passage. Venick tucked the gifted bundle into his belt and hurried after her, pausing just before he was out of sight. “Gai shila,” he said to the room of elves.Thank you.
The young elf placed a hand over her heart. “Vani am lana.” Keep her safe.
???
The moonlit bay, when they emerged on the other side of the tunnel, was quiet.
Which wasn’t true, of course. The waves churned and splashed against the rock. The wind whipped their clothes, whining across the water. Overhead, seabirds cried into the night. But there were no soldiers waiting to ambush them. No guards or conjurors. Nothing…except, perhaps, the distant holler of some alarm, and the faint smell of smoke.
“We’ll do this together,” Venick told Ellina. She stood at his shoulder, staring out across the dark water. It was difficult to make out her expression in the low light. He couldn’t guess what she was thinking. “It’s just like I taught you. The principals are the same. You have to remember to stay calm. Can you do that?”
She opened her mouth and Venick’s heart lurched, thinking that surely she would speak, surely the elves had been wrong, that there’d been some kind of mistake. But then she closed her mouth again. She wrapped her bare arms around herself.
“Ellina.” He touched her shoulder, and she flinched. He dropped his hand. “You can do this.”
She gave a stiff nod.
They moved closer to the water, creeping down the rocky path towards the mountain’s base. They were low enough now that the rocks were spotted with moss. Water sprayed their feet.
Venick watched the waves carefully. In, then out, and again. He waited until he had a feel for their rhythm. “On my count.” He considered taking her hand. “One.” He thought of how she’d flinched away from him. How she couldn’t seem to hold his gaze. “Two.” The lump in his throat was worse now. It changed his voice. “Three.”
The timing was good. They jumped, landing on a downward crest, riding the wave out away from the rocky crags. Venick started swimming through the open bay, keeping his eyes on Ellina all the while. She was kicking hard, churning the water. She seemed to favor her left side. “Use both your arms,” Venick instructed, “like this. Good, Ellina. Keep going.”
She was immediately exhausted. Venick watched her face whiten with effort. Her teeth began to chatter. She kept her eyes firmly on the opposite shore, fighting to stay afloat, but her mouth dipped under the water. Her nose.
In the end, Venick pulled her. He wrapped one arm across her chest, swam for the both of them. He found a small shoreline on the other side of the bay and hauled her into the gritty sand. For a time they simply lay there, breathing.
Ellina came to her feet first. Dawn was coming. The world was soft and grey.
She stared up at the steep cliff.
“There might be a better path, if we look…”
Ellina dropped her eyes to his. They both knew that there was no path. Even if there was, they couldn’t afford to waste time searching. Up, straight up, was the only way.
Cold, drenched, they began to climb.
???
Eywen was standing where Venick had left her. As they came down the path and Venick spotted her golden coat, he let out a breathless laugh, feeling stupid and grateful. Another gods' given stroke of luck.
He glanced at Ellina. It frightened him, how weak she seemed. A human wouldn’t have made it up that cliffside in her condition. Most elves wouldn’t have, either. The climb had drained what little was left of her strength, leaving her face pinched, her eyes hazy, like she was fighting sleep.
Or death.
Venick shoved that thought away. “Can you mount Eywen on your own?”
She could, though her movements were labored. She pulled herself up onto the horse with none of her usual grace. Once Venick was sure she was steady, he mounted Eywen behind her. “Just hold on,” he murmured, and spurred the mare forward.
???
They rode until the city disappeared behind them. Twice, Venick thought he heard the sound of elves in pursuit and pulled Eywen off the path, but never did anyone appear. If Ellina’s escape had been noticed, the elves hadn’t yet caught their trail. The mountains remained empty.
