“Some say she’s faking.” The maid bustled around the table, setting porcelain plates before them. She spoke as if Ellina wasn’t there. “I can see why people might think so, given that she’s the Dark Queen’s sister. But in my eye, Ellina has reason to act against the queen. She is next in line for the throne, and what good would that do if—”
“That’ll be all,” Venick interrupted coldly. “We can take it from here.”
The woman paused. Realized, belatedly, that all three occupants were frowning at her. Her cheeks took on a distinctively pink hue. “Right.” She gave an overbright smile. “Enjoy.”
Traegar turned back to Ellina. “It is true, then.” He ran a hand over his mouth and held it there, speaking through his fingers. “I heard about your lost voice, but I did not believe it. I thought it was just another lie invented by Farah to sow fear.Cessena,I…I am so sorry.”
Ellina held the elf’s gaze. Her expression was carefully composed. Still, Venick could sense it under the surface: that deep well of grief.
“Tell us about the elflands,” Venick said to change the subject. “You came from Evov, didn’t you? Is the Dark Army still tormenting its citizens?”
Traegar turned his empty plate so that its avian design faced away from him. He took his time in answering. “Evov is gone.”
Venick locked eyes with Ellina. “The city was destroyed?”
“Not destroyed.Gone.The city vanished.”
Venick heard Ellina’s sharp intake of breath. Her hands formed a question, moving quickly through a series of elven symbols. When Traegar failed to glean her meaning, Venick translated. “Evov was built into that mountain. It has stood there for generations. How is it possible that the city just vanished?”
“I could not quite believe it, either. It happened late one night. I woke to discover that I was no longer in my bed but on the cliffside, along with hundreds of others. Our houses, the streets, the palace, too—all gone. It is as if the buildings stood up and walked off, leaving its occupants behind.”
Venick sat back in his seat, trying to imagine it. Those towering structures, the sheer walls, the scale and heft of the place just…gone. Evaporated, sucked into the void. Despite his initial disbelief, Venick found that he didbelieve it. The elven city of Evov had always been magical, remaining hidden to those it did not deem worthy. The city’s enchantment had long protected its citizens until last summer when Farah used a loophole in the city’s magic to infiltrate the royal palace and stage her coup. Venick wondered if that’s why Evov had vanished. Maybe it didn’t like the changing allegiances. Maybe it had spit Farah out like a bad bite.
Venick found himself speaking around a smile. “So that’s why we haven’t yet encountered the Dark Army. We’ve been waiting for an attack, but they’re in no state for battle. They’re scrambling.”
“The Dark Army is in upheaval,” Traegar confirmed.
Venick caught Ellina’s eye. She made a wide gesture with her hands, bringing her fist up to her chin. It was the elven motion forfury.
Farah would be furious. She’d lost her base and was likely now stranded somewhere in the northern mountains. Her army might be in a state of upheaval, but they would regroup. And then they’d be coming.
Venick’s glee leaked away. “We’ll need to prepare our soldiers.” He rubbed his eyes. They’d had two sleepless nights, and it looked like he was about to have another. “I’d hoped to stay in Igor through the end of the month, but I don’t think we can afford that anymore. Farah is being forced to play her hand, which means we’ll be forced to play ours.”
Something about Traegar’s answering smile made Venick remember that the elf had chosen life as a healer instead of a soldier. “That,” he said, “is how war usually works.”
THIRTEEN
Venick departed for the barracks, but Ellina stayed. She moved to the abandoned luncheon trolly, which was arrayed with an assortment of items: a tray of miniature fruitcakes, a bowl of yellow pudding, the aforementioned raisins, and—most importantly—a notepad and charcoal pencil. Ellina returned to the table with the writing supplies. She tamped down a wave of nervousness as she scribbled a single name.Kaji?
Traegar looked stricken. “Your fellow legionnaire. I understand that he was acting as a spy for the resistance, as were you. He was caught shortly after your escape. I am sorry, Ellina. Your friend is dead.”
Ellina stared at the pencil in her unbandaged fist. The nib was blunted, the charcoal worn down to a stub. She thought of how Kaji had been an ally when she most needed an ally. A friend, when she needed a friend.
Shakily, she wrote a second name.Livila?
Traegar shook his head. “I do not know who that is.”
It was a relief, of sorts. If Livila’s name was not circulating through the elflands, maybe that meant the young servant had escaped the inquisition. Maybe she, too, had found a way free of Farah’s clutches.
A knock at the open door drew their attention.
“Sorry to interrupt,” said Erol, appearing on the threshold. “I heard we had a visitor.”
“Erol.” Traegar’s face went blank with surprise. “Is that you?”
Erol marched across the room in four swift strides and pulled Traegar to his feet. Traegar went rigid, but Erol merely touched a hand to his own chest, then reached out to place that hand on Traegar’s shoulder—an elven gesture of camaraderie. “It’s good to see you, old friend.”
The tension drained from Traegar. He huffed a small laugh and returned the gesture. They stood like that for a moment, hand to shoulder, human and elf, and despite the moment’s obvious intimacy, Ellina found that she could not look away.
