Elyssa’s eyes were wide, shock and guilt twisting her usually friendly face. “I’m so sorry. I saw something move behind me and I just reacted.”
“It’s fine,” Lora said, dropping her arm to her side. It felt strained, but nothing to worry about. Elyssa’s reaction did catch her off guard, though. She took in the path before them, leading into the woods. “Did we leave the shield? Is that why you…sort of attacked me?”
Elyssa cringed, meeting her eyes. She was more than half a head shorter than Lora, but her slim appearance was deceptive. Elyssa may look young and fragile, but she was anything but. Even now, as Lora looked her over more closely, she could see her athletic build, the strength she was hiding under baggy, worn-out shirts that had more than one hole.
“No, we’re still protected here. I was just walking around to clear my mind.” Elyssa’s eyes scanned the woods as she pushed back a loose lock of hair. “I usually pay more attention to my surroundings. I have to. But sometimes it’s nice to let your guard down.”
“I didn’t think I could sneak up on you,” Lora joked, then immediately regretted it when she caught a flash of pain on Elyssa’s face before her emotions smoothed out again. The deflection reminded her of Eyden.
“Here’s the thing—since we’re going on a mission together, I would have told you anyway—my hearing is not the best. As in, it’s pretty shitty. A lot shitty, actually. Especially in my left ear.”
“I’m sorry, if I had known—”
Elyssa’s gaze was unwavering. “I know. I’m not blaming you. And it’s okay. It’s something I’ve learned to deal with. Everyone here knows how to approach me to avoid the reaction you got, but of course you wouldn’t know.”
Lora nodded, pressing her lips together to keep from apologising again. It didn’t seem like Elyssa would want that. Knowing Elyssa’s condition, Lora was even more impressed by how she had handled herself against the fae. But she did wonder why Elyssa didn’t use fae magic to heal her. “You don’t have to tell me, but…”
“How did it happen?” Elyssa caught her questioning gaze. “I was ten. I’m not sure what happened, exactly, it’s not like we have a hospital for humans around here. But I had some kind of ear infection. It was bad. My fever wouldn’t break for days and my parents were scared out of their minds. So was Eyden. He even snuck out to try and get some medicine, that fool.” She smiled despite the shadows of her past. “Back then he was still so young and he wasn’t used to being outside our camp. He had no fucking clue how to get any fae healing items.”
Lora pictured a young Eyden, already so protective over his younger sibling, desperately trying to get medicine. She was sure he would’ve done anything for Elyssa even back then. But somehow things must have changed. There had to be a reason he was living outside these invisible walls now.
“And now? Eyden must have gotten you fae medicine later on, right?” Lora asked.
“He did once he started working for the black market. But by then, the damage was done. Irreversible, it seems.” Elyssa shrugged, her face was devoid of regret.
“Did a healer try to recover your hearing?”
“No, actually. It would be a risk to expose myself to anyone and at this point, it’s a part of me. My hearing isn’t excellent, but I sure am. I don’t need perfect hearing to fight my way out of any situation.”
“I have no doubt about that.” A knowing smile took over Lora’s face. “So you’ve never met Sahalie, then?”
“Eyden won’t tell anyone about me and vice versa. I got close to meeting Halie once, actually, by accident when I stayed over at Eyden’s. It almost got real awkward…” Elyssa trailed off as she met Lora’s eyes. “Anyway, the point is, it’s better to not expose myself to any fae when I don’t need a healer. Except for Eyden, I usually only acquaint fae with my fist.”
Lora’s thoughts were stuck on Elyssa’s insinuation. The picture of Eyden and Sahalie bothered her more than she’d like. It shouldn’t matter. Lora forced herself to focus on the first part of Elyssa’s explanation.
Meeting Elyssa’s gaze, she asked, “What do you mean you don’t tell anyone about Eyden? Everyone at the camp must know him if he used to live here.”
Elyssa pulled up her light auburn eyebrows. “Eyden really didn’t fill you in on how this all came about, did he? Typical. He probably glossed over the story, mentioning the parts that ‘matter.’” Her gaze was knowing, as if Elyssa could read her, breaking down the walls of lies and denial. “I have a feeling itallmatters to you.”
The look Lora received was as if the other girl was trying to size up her reaction. But right now, all Lora felt was confusion. She couldn’t say if it mattered when she was missing the actual information—vital information, it seemed. In answer, Lora took a seat on a tree stump close to the path, waiting for the blanks to be filled in.
Elyssa joined her, clearing her voice before continuing. “You heard about how our previous camp was discovered?”
Lora nodded. “I don’t know the details, but Eyden mentioned it ended badly.”
“It’s my second most painful memory. I was only eleven. So much death…” Elyssa’s eyes shifted from Lora’s face to the trees. “When the survivors regrouped, they realised that the fae guards must have found us because someone told them about our camp. Or someone was goddamn careless and unwillingly led them there. Eyden was the only fae living with us. He was instantly blamed.” Elyssa sighed, her eyes trailing a leaf as it fell onto the dirt path.
The pain reflecting on Elyssa’s face tore at Lora’s heart. “They all believed it was him?”
“There was a vote. I was too young to take part, but my parents fought for him—to no avail. Eyden was kicked out. He was barely sixteen. Hadn’t lived outside the camp since he was a child. My parents were outraged that they would kick him out onto the streets with nowhere to go. We’d just lost my uncle when the camp was attacked. He was like a father to Eyden. He and Eyden’s mother were…very close. It’s how he came to live with us. Then, all of a sudden, he was supposed to be kicked out and lose my parents too.”
“What did Eyden do? How did he survive?” Lora pictured a teenage Eyden, pick-pocketing to stay alive. She’d mocked him for his skill and now she wished she hadn’t.
“My parents tried to help as much as they could, sneaking out food and other necessities. But back then, we didn’t have as much as today. People noticed. Long story short, my parents decided we should leave with Eyden. But that didn’t go as planned.” A bitter laugh escaped her, eyes still trained onto the seemingly endless row of trees. “A year later, they died and I decided to live with Eyden. I wanted to be with family and without my parents, the camp wasn’t home. I can’t thank him enough for taking me in, but it wasn’t easy. Always hiding, never really interacting with other humans. With anyone but Eyden. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to do something. For myself, for all humans. So about five years ago, I re-joined the camp. Jaspen, who hadn’t been the leader before I left, let me in on one condition. Break all ties with the fae.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I’d never. Eyden is my family.” Elyssa stretched out her legs as her gaze moved to the tents visible in the distance. “I came back here because I needed a purpose. I needed to make my parents proud. And I found good people here. Friends. People who wouldn’t judge me for staying close to Eyden. But Jaspen…he’s convinced Eyden was the one who revealed the location of the last camp. He lost family in that fight. I can understand his reluctance to trust Eyden. But he needs to pull the stick out of his ass and accept that Eyden is on our side, fae or not.”
