No, she had told Venick instead.I am not sure.
Then we must be prepared to face an attack on all fronts.
Ellina had come to this bridge with Venick’s words in mind. She tried to study the canyon as he might. She gazed at the sheer rockface, the purples and blacks and blues of it. Across the void, she could not quite make out the bridge’s other end. A white fog had descended, clouding the mountains and the city beyond.
But then, a figure. Lean, dark. Ellina watched as it materialized through the mist. She blinked, hand already at her sword.
And saw, in the next moment, that her reaction was unwarranted. The elf moving towards her was not a southern stranger come to kill her. He was not a stranger at all, but her troopmate Kaji.
“Expecting someone else?” Kaji asked as he approached, eyes dipping to Ellina’s hand at her weapon. She made herself let go. She peeled back her fingers one by one.
“No. No one.”
Kaji was the eldest member of their troop. He was slender, willowy in his movements, artistically built. He kept his hair cropped short at the shoulders and wore a single golden ring on his smallest finger. Both the hair and the ring were unusual, but they were accepted without comment because Kaji was an impressive archer and, like Dourin, gifted with horses. Ellina had always respected him.
Kaji paused beside her. “Are you heading into the city?”
Ellina hesitated, weighing several answers before deciding—uncharacteristically—on the truth. “I am contemplating the strength of this bridge. I am wondering what would happen if we were attacked here.”
The elder elf allowed his brows to lift. “So now we must worry about enemy elves discovering our hidden city, too?” His brows lowered. His voice became dry. “Another one of your human’s insights, I suppose.”
Ellina did not like that shift in tone. She stiffened to hear Kaji criticize Venick, which was, she knew, also a criticism ofher. Kaji had been there in the forest. He had been there in the stateroom. He knew what Ellina had done for Venick, and how she had chosen his side.
Yet Kaji had also seen the vanished city of Tarrith-Mour. He had seen the conjured storm. Surely those events meantsomethingto him.
“The southerners are stronger than they once were,” Ellina replied evenly. “We cannot assume anything about their power or their weaknesses; we can only accept the danger. Venick believes we should be prepared to face an attack here in the city, and he is right.” She turned her gaze back to the castle: mountainous, carved from stone, and high, so high. Yet isolated, too, and therefore vulnerable. Again, Ellina looked at the palace as she imagined Venick might. “If this bridge were blocked or destroyed, the elves inside would have no way to escape. The queen would not. An enemy could trap us here. We would be easily overwhelmed. This palace is a fortress, but it could also be a prison.”
Kaji followed her gaze upwards. He stared at the castle for so long that Ellina thought he would not speak again. When he finally did, his voice changed. “Maybe it is good that the queen left the city, then.” He turned a pointed look at her. “Or maybe not. Elves are growing restless. The tension between those who think we are in danger and those who do not is only getting worse. If the queen was here, the matter would be decided already.”
“If Farah had stayedout of it, the matter would be decided, too,” Ellina retorted, then frowned, hearing her own words. She was suddenly filled with the same prickling unease that had gripped her during her last argument with Farah. But she did not have time to piece the feeling apart because Kaji was staring at her, bewildered by Ellina’s sudden vehemence. She regretted the outburst. She fixed her expression and smoothly changed the subject. “What you do think?”
Kaji blinked. “What do I think?”
“About the southerners.”
He slowly shook his head. “I do not know what to think.”
“But you were there in the forest. You saw the conjured storm and the vanished city.”
“Those things are not evidence of anything.”
“Yes, they are.” Kaji spread his hands in a way that showed his doubt, but Ellina persisted. “Perhaps you should speak to Venick. Ask him about the army yourself.” Ellina paused. An idea. “Will you?”
“Will I what?”
“Visit Venick. Speak with him. Ask him what he saw.”
Kaji seemed perplexed by the turn this conversation had taken. “I am not sure that is wise.”
“Why not?”
“He might not like the intrusion. I heard about the assassination attempt.”
“You are not an assassin.”
“I am a stranger to him.”
“I know,” Ellina said. “That is my point.” Kaji was still uncertain, but Ellina’s idea was growing now. It seemed to lay a hand on her shoulder. Its grip tightened. “You have doubts. So go to him. Judge for yourself.”
