“Do not come into the house of the elves of Melowynn—for Avolire belongs to every elf, from myself to the gong farmer—and speak to me of ignoring the poor. I have worked diligently since being crowned to bring change to this nation. Years of battling against outdated thinking, laws, and regulations thatkeep the hardworking elves under the silken slipper of the vill’s owners and elite.” A small round of discontent moved over the crowd. The powerful did not like to be called out in public or hear talk of their tight hold on coin and prestige possibly slipping away. Aelir spoke true. He had made many revisions to as many laws as he could. Fighting the rich was expensive, time-consuming, and curried him no favor among those who stood here now waiting with bated breath for a death verdict. “Change takes time. I know that is not what you wish to hear, but that is the truth of the matter. I will continue to work for progress, but I will not brook anyone harming my family.You stole my children!”
The king’s roar echoed around the throne room. Jaska did not flinch nor reply. His wife wept softly as Teryn patted her shoulder, and her son curled on her lap with his face buried in her bosom.
Aelir shook his hair back, the gold mass falling to touch the back of his calves. “I cannot allow anyone, be they fueled by righteous flame or not, to abduct members of the royal family. To that end, I sentence you to a life of hard labor in the mines of the Witherhorn. You are to be transported on the morrow and will live out your life deep underground with those of the dwarven rock gangs mining for ore and gems. You will never again see the light of the sun nor feel the fresh wind on your face. If you are noted to be slacking or you try to escape the tunnels, you will be struck down and left to feed the tunnel trolls that beleaguer the dwarves. I would spend this time saying goodbye to your wife and son as you shall not see them ever again.”
Teryn’s eyes flared.
“But, Your Majesty, we were hoping that—” I shook my head to quiet his words. Now was not the time to plead for leniency. The king had been gracious. Far more gracious thanany other monarch would have been in his position. Teryn bit down on his lower lip as Masha wailed loudly.
“Take him to his cell,” Aelir snapped. “Lead his wife and son down to the dungeons. Give them fresh water, food, and seats. They have until the sun sets, then the lady wife and the boy are to be taken to the suite of Mahouk Nouradi, where they will stay until the ambassador leaves for the Black Sands and takes them with him.”
Aelir stalked back to his throne, threw himself onto it, and waved a hand at me. I slid my sword into its scabbard and gave my men directions to clear the throne room. The nobles hurried out, talking in whispers behind fans and hands, until the room stood clear of any save those on the dais. The king, the queen, his consorts, Rolim, myself, Le’ral Fylson, and Kenton with his spouse.
“That decision was surprising,” Raewyn stated while easing her slippers off her feet.
“That decision will bring you no favors from the vill’s owners or the nobility of Melowynn,” Le’ral spoke out as he moved closer to the thrones. “You should have hanged the bastard. Crimes against the crown should be shown no mercy.”
“You acted in the light of the goddess,” Kenton added, padding up the steps to look up at his weary friend. “It is not for us to play with who lives and who dies. That is for Danubia to decide.”
Fylson sighed. “Yes, and while I understand your religious take on such things, there are times that demand a swift and deadly reply.”
I knew that Le’ral spoke from a place of pain. His lover for many centuries, the former king, had been poisoned by rebels, so he had little time for those who rose up against the crown.
“Be it for good or bad, time will tell. I took the advice of my counsel, my friends, and my consorts. What happens to Jaskais now out of my hands. Few survive working in the dwarven tunnels who are not blooded dwarf.” Aelir rubbed at his temples with the tips of his fingers. “This day is far too long, and it is barely midday. I wish to return to my solar, finish the discussion with the royal architects about sealing that miserable tunnel, then visit my grandfather and my children. Dinner be damned. I’m too sick of it all to eat.”
Aelir rose, took V’alor’s hand, and exited the throne room. Raewyn glanced at me and then my cousin with a heavy sadness on her shoulders.
“His burden is a heavy one.” The queen sighed, linking fingers with Lady Merrilyn. The tall, robust blonde woman kissed the queen’s knuckles tenderly.
“Such is it for all who lead,” Le’ral said as I took my leave of the small group remaining to follow the king and his beloved to the solar to resume royal duties. During the day spent with stonemasons and architects, an elderly elf with no remembrance of the people seated at his bedside, and a couple of rowdy twins, I found my thoughts darting to Teryn. He’d left the throne room with the others, leading Masha and her son through the curious throngs to disappear from sight. The day wore on, melancholy riding all within Avolire, for the knowledge that a family was to be torn asunder on the sunrise weighed us all down.
When my shift ended, I made my way to my room, life weary and hollow inside, unsure of what lay ahead for me. Teryn would be leaving soon, taking Masha and her boy back to the arid beauty of the Black Sands, which left me experiencing a bereft feeling that I only knew how to handle in one way. Find a pub, a whore, drink, and then fuck myself out of this malaise. Only the thought of lying atop a man or woman who did not smell of sand sage or possess amber eyes did little for me and less for my cock. Mayhap a night in my quarters, supping onbarracks food and working on rosters was the better plan, I mused as I washed up at the basin, splashing water about the floor.
A tiny rap on the door sounded. I pulled on a clean shirt and opened it to find Tezen, black eyes round as coins, her breathing elevated.
“Captain, oh, Captain, come quickly to the stable! It’s Gwedel!” she yelled, streaking in to tug on the collar of my shirt. For such a small thing, she was incredibly strong. I’d been told by the princess herself that pixies are much like spiders in that they are quite strong for their size. Whether that was true or just Tezen making up fictions, I had no clue.
My heart leapt into my throat. “What is wrong with her?” I asked, shoving my feet into plain leather shoes as I darted out the door.
“I know little of horse ailments! Rush! Run! Hurry!” She flew about my head like a pesky fly as I thundered to the stables, pushing into the large barn on a dead run and skidding to a halt when I saw my mare and a dark roan gelding that belonged to Le’ral saddled and ready to ride, Teryn holding both steeds’ reins. Gwedel nickered at seeing me and passed gas.
Chest heaving, I threw a dark look at Tezen flitting over to Teryn, who was dressed for a ride in trousers, a white blouse opened to show off his firm chest, and soft leather boots.
“Amazing! It seems the beast was just corked up. Now that she’s blown out a tubber, she seems right as rain!” Tezen said, graciously taking a bottle of dark red wine from Teryn. “Thank you, Mahouk! I’ve long wanted to try a bottle of this hot Sandrayan grape, and I know just the serving wench to share it with. Good eve, Captain! Oof.”
She nearly sank to the hay-covered dirt at the weight of the bottle but managed to stay airborne enough to zig-zag out the door, her wings beating furiously.
I looked from the imp to the ambassador. “You could have simply sent a note.”
“I thought of that but given the coldness you’ve shown over the past several suns, I felt that perhaps a ruse was in order. The royal ward guard was easy enough to persuade into my machinations.”
“Hmm, a bottle of wine and she’s bought,” I mumbled, walking over to run my hand down the long nose of my mare.
“Yes, well, it took more than that, but the sprite does have a weakness for a grand love story, it seems, under all her ribaldry.”
I glanced from Gwedel to Teryn, the smells of the stable soothing the slight irritation I’d just felt. “A grand love story?”
“Yes, well, I feel it to be. Let us ride out to view the stars from the cliffs that overlook the sea. Rumor has it that the sight has led many a lover to profess their deepest desires.”
