“Ellina is not here.”
“Find her. She will explain.” He was glad they were speaking in his language again. He didn’t truly believe his words.
“Yes,” Farah said slowly. “Perhaps Ellinadoeshave some explaining to do. She told me about you. You are the one she was seen fighting with in Kenath. But I do not believe Ellina mentioned traveling through the elflands with you.” She became still. The elves around them did. “You have erred by coming here, human. You have broken our laws. You have entered elven lands and infiltrated our hidden city with the intent of spreading lies. You have been found with the necklace of our missing sister. You claimelvesare building an army.”
“It’s the truth.”
Farah stiffened, and Venick knew he had misspoke. “Man knows no truth,” she replied, “and cannot be trusted.” She glanced at the guards. “I will speak to Ellina. In the stateroom, publicly, at dawn. Find her. And bring the human, too.”
???
Venick was chained to the wall by one wrist. Then he was left alone.
Time passed. It was impossible to know how much time, but Venick found he didn’t care. His mind wandered from thought to thought, dreams morphing into wakefulness morphing back into dreams until he didn’t know what was imagined and what was real, only that he was lost in both.
At some point he was given food and water. Venick didn’t even have the strength to feel grateful. He ate and drank everything. He didn’t ask questions. Didn’t think his questions would be answered, anyway. The elf who had brought him his food left, and he was alone in darkness once more.
???
Venick dreamed of Lorana.
In his dream, he relived past conversations. He picked apart gaps he had never before noticed, holes in the fabric of who she was. He remembered the way she had taught him elvish, her quick corrections. Once, she asked him to lie.
Say anything, she had said.Pick something simple, but untrue. I want you to know how it feels.
He tried to tell her he hated her. The words felt caught in his throat.
Try harder, she said. He did, but his mind became strange. The words seemed to drift away from him, sand falling through fingers. He closed his eyes, but suddenly he could not remember the elven word forhate. And who was he trying to hate, anyway? He opened his eyes.
I cannot.
Lorana nodded, pleased.
Now you, he insisted with a sly smile.I want to see what you look like when you try to lie to me.
I would never— But she blinked, her mouth popping open.
Interesting, he said, and laughed.
He woke. He remembered his dreams and relived them again.
In all her years in Irek, no elf came looking for her. No one recognized her. Even if elves knew what Miria looked like, they didn’texpectto see her in human clothes doing human things in a human city. Her disguise was perfect because it was honest. She didn’t try to hide. She didn’t need to.
But Ellina knew. Somehow, she knew about Miria’s secret life. She must know about Miria’s death, too.
Venick felt unstrung to think of Ellina in this way. He was dizzy with it. He’d suspected, during their first few days together, that Ellina must have some hidden reason for saving him. What else could possibly explain it? Why would she risk herself for a human?
Then he’d gotten to know her a little, and he started to wonder if maybe there was no hidden reason. Wasn’t it possible that Ellina had saved him for him alone? He’d even—he winced to think of it—convinced himself that she’d done it because there were feelings growing between them. He’d thought the attraction was mutual.
Gods, what an idiot he’d been.
Despite these revelations, there was still so much he didn’t understand. He wanted to know why Miria had fled Evov, why she’d chosen to come to Irek. He wanted to know why Ellina had never told anyone, had instead allowed the north to believe Miria had mysteriously vanished. Most of all, he wanted to know why Ellina bothered saving him at all when instead she could have vindicated her sister with his death. Venick closed his eyes, but behind closed lids he saw Ellina’s steady gaze, her wash of black hair, her prowess.
I wanted to kill you, when I saw you.
Because it was his fault, what had happened to her sister. Miria was dead because ofhim.
Sadness, then. It welled. He couldn’t believe, after everything, thatthiswas how it was going to end.
