Rhianelle’s grandfather is ten times the size of a normal elf. White hair frames his face and his skin is mapped with scars. His eyes are the color of deep ocean. They hold the weight of ages, the memory of things long forgotten.
A pair of healers attend to the lines running from his massive arms to crystal containers that glow with soft luminescence. They look absurdly fragile next to his monumental frame. His body requires more sustenance than food alone can provide.
“Little starlight,” the ancient being rumbles. The very stones beneath our feet seem to resonate with his speech. “You’ve finally come.”
“Grandfather.” Rhianelle approaches without hesitation, her small form dwarfed by his immensity. He extends his hand and she embraces it like a child hugging a tree trunk.
Those ocean eyes turn to the rest of us.
“You’ve brought outsiders.” The words fill the room without effort. “Rainer. Bring them forward. Let me have a look.”
The giant’s gaze sweeps over us slowly and lingers on me. I feel dissected under that ancient stare. “So this is the vampire husband. I’ve heard interesting things.”
His eyes move to Aefric, Darstan, Garrett in turn. “You’ve chosen well, little starlight. These aren’t warriors who’ll bend in storms.”
The knights bow as one to the king. One of Rhianelle’s handmaidens fumbles her prayer beads. They scatter across the floor and she scrambles after them, mortified.
Both Tallulla and Lenna are flushed. The seventy-seven gods they worship feel very far away in this room.
Rhydan’s eyes settle on them briefly. “Don’t be ashamed, children. Faith is a shield.”
“Grandfather.” Rhianelle steps back from his massive finger. Her voice is steady despite the revelations hanging in the air. “We need to tell you the Fae King—“
“Plans to attack Völundr?” He shifts, and the stone beneath us groans. “Child, I knew war was coming the moment your mother drew her last breath.”
I watch Rhianelle’s expression carefully. She doesn’t react beyond a slight tightening around her eyes. “Then you know we need Kashran’s help.”
Silence stretches, heavy as the sea beyond the cliffs.
“Kashran will stand with Völundr,” he says at last, voice rolling through the chamber. “As we always have.”
Relief breaks across Rhianelle’s face before she can hide it.
“Blood is blood after all,” he continues, ancient gaze settling on her with unnerving intensity. “But before we march to war, you must understand what you’re truly facing.”
He leans forward slightly. “And for that, little starlight, you must hear a story.”
“A story?” Rhianelle echoes.
Rhydan settles back into his throne. The movement sends a low tremor through the floor, dust sifting from the vaulted ceiling. Above us, stars wheel slowly in their eternal pattern.
“Kashran and Völundr were the first,” he begins, his voice filling the chamber like distant thunder. “Before Aelfheim existed and before anyone thought to unite the territories, we were here. Kashran on the black cliffs. Völundr in the mountains and shores.”
Rhianelle shifts beside me. Her hand finds mine again.
“I was just a child when Casimir the Brave arrived on Kashran’s shores with his warships.” Rhydan’s eyes grow distant, seeing something none of us can. “I remember standing on these very cliffs, watching hundreds of ships move into harbor. They were damaged. Sails torn, hulls patched with whatever wood they could scavenge. His people looked haunted as if they’d seen the world end and barely escaped with their lives.”
Rhydan’s massive hand gestures slowly. “Casimir came to speak with Wiolant and the Kashran king. My great-great-grandfather ruled then.”
I watch the ancient elf’s face. He’s reliving it as he speaks.
“Casimir stated his desire to settle the deeper land. The elven kingdoms beyond the shores were in constant conflict, he said. He wanted to protect his people and give them a home where they could rebuild.”
“And the Kashran king warned him of the dangers?” Rainer asks.
“We all did,” Rhydan replies, voice darkening. “My great-great-grandfather. Wiolant. Every elder who still remembered the old stories.”
He looks at Rhianelle.
