“Just because I'm part snake-djinn doesn't mean I do snake things,” Killian huffed. “Do you piss all over the castle, bargest?”
“That's what that smell is,” I couldn't help teasing Conri.
But Conri ignored us, he was too busy “knocking” on the elves' door. The stone shimmered and the illusion faded away. The boulder was still there, but now there was also a wooden door set into the stone. Conri stepped back from the door and waved us all away. Gradh stepped in front of me and crossed her arms over her chest. Which made her the first thing the elf saw. Still, he knew who was standing behind Gradh.
“Princess Seren Firethorn of Twilight,” it was a dark elf who had answered the door, one I happened to know. “You are welcome here. I offer you a chant of truce. No ciurr thoirte.”
“Lord Dagur?” I asked.
Gradh stepped aside, and the dark elf I'd once met in the underground levels of Craos-Teine, came into view.
“Your Highness,” Dagur bowed. When he straightened, his icy blue eyes gleamed, shining like beacons against his pure black skin. “It's good to see you again, alive and well.”
“No thanks to your kind,” Killian growled.
“Killian,” I gave him a look. “Do you know what the word 'truce' means?”
Killian grimaced himself into silence.
“He's right,” Dagur's jaw clenched. “There's much to discuss, but first, my apologies, Princess Seren. I had no desire to see you dead. I argued against the attack, but alas, I was outvoted.”
“'Alas', you were 'outvoted'?” Killian asked. “That's it? You didn't warn her or anything?”
“I am loyal to my people first,” Dagur didn't look bothered at all. “I barely know the Princess.”
“But you do know what she stands for,” Torquil stepped forward. “And you know that Moire is trying to destroy all of the Princess' progress. I would have thought that the elves, above all other fey, would appreciate what Princess Seren is trying to do. Yet instead of helping her unite Fairy, you've sided with her enemy. Do you truly want to go to war against Unseelie and Twilight?”
“No, that's not what we want,” Dagur said. “Which is why I just offered you entry under truce instead of death at the tip of my sword.”
“As if,” Killian huffed, and I shot him another glare. “What? We could totally take this guy.”
“I alone, perhaps, nathair-sith,” Dagur said. “But not all of the elven community, which happens to lie in wait, just beneath your feet.”
“Can we go in before one of my men says something even more stupid?” I asked Dagur.
Cat gave a huff of agreement.
Dagur chuckled, “Please, come inside, Princess Seren of Twilight. My people await you eagerly.”
Chapter Eighteen
The elven enclave was more than an underground city, it was practically an underground continent. It stretched for miles beneath the Icelandic soil. Homes of all sizes, from grand palaces to miniature cottages, spread across a stone foundation, and some were even carved directly from the rock. Shrubs, vines, grass, and even small trees grew out of crevices in the walls, coating them so lushly, you almost forgot you were beneath the earth. The plants freshened the air and imparted a fragrance of ripening fruit. Fey lights hovered high above, making it brighter than the gray Icelandic morning outside.
We were led along a cobblestone road, through a growing crowd of elves. Human sized elves, of both the light and dark variety, watched us warily, while their smaller cousins smiled and waved to me, calling out greetings to me and my Guard. I nodded and smiled back, feeling like a pageant queen in a parade. They may have been the smallest of fairies, but their enthusiasm was enormous and impossible to resist. Tiny flowers were tossed to me from the top of pyramids of little elves. I think I may have giggled.
“As you see,” Dagur smirked, “we bear you no ill will here.”
“Then why did you try to kill me?” I lifted a brow.
“It's complicated,” Dagur sighed. “We'll explain it all at the assembly.”
“Assembly?” Killian asked.
“Where we're headed,” Dagur waved a hand forward, indicating a domed building which rose above the enclave like a shepherd on the lookout for wolves. “Thus the crowd,” he nodded behind us, where the elves were closing in, and following in the wake of our group. “All are invited to attend and participate when decisions are made.”
“How diplomatic,” I noted.
“We are a loyal and loving race,” Dagur smiled softly and flicked an ebony braid over his shoulder. “We value every elf, along with their opinion.”
