Page 35 of Black Sea

“They’re here willingly. They paid the captain for a ride to escape my kingdom.” He turned to look at me harshly. “Because it’s dying, Nauriel. And so are its folks.”

Guilt squeezed my heart like a vice. “I’m sorry, Amlach,” I murmured in grief.

Our group was suddenly stopped by an ox cart that had lost a wheel, blocking the street.

I took the chance to openly stare at Amlach’s rough profile while he, thanks to his height, watched the scene further ahead with an annoyed frown.

“I will speak with my father,” I said abruptly, drawing his attention back to me. “When we return.”

His half-smile was brimming with bitterness. “You won’t, Elf. When you are reunited with your family, you will forget everything we went through. Everything you felt.” His eyes were so piercing, I felt weak in the knees. “And to you, I will return to being just a human soldier.”

I held his gaze for what felt like an eternity, stunned by the inner conflict his words had stirred within me.

Wondering if he was right.

About to say he was wrong.

Further along the street, the cart was moved to the side, and our group resumed walking. As we ventured deeper into the city, the houses grew larger and more elaborate, eventually becoming villas with multiple floors.

The sweet scent of the multicolored roses that adorned the lush gardens with fountains enveloped me. I let it intoxicate me, carrying my mind away . . .

Until a child’s shriek snapped me out of my thoughts.

A short distance away, a little boy with black curly hair, wearing a short brown tunic cinched at the waist with a belt, sprinted out from behind a house. Hot on his heels was a man so thin he resembled a broomstick. He wore a white apron, stained with blood, over his dark robe, and gripped a long wooden spoon tightly. Both the boy and the man had bronze collars and bracelets.

“Come back here, you ungrateful little louse!” the man yelled in the common tongue. But, unlike the citizens of the Kingdom of Men and the Forest of Witches, he had a more rhotic accent.

He grabbed the curly-haired boy before he could cut through our procession and reach the other side of the road, shaking him so violently that the child’s head jerked backward.

“Where do you think you’re going, huh?” He struck him on his little behind with the spoon while holding his elbow. “You have been told to peel all the potatoes for tonight’s banquet!”

“But all the children of the other houses are at the park this morning!” the little one protested, crying despite his fierce look. “Why can’t I go, too?”

“They behaved nicer than you and earned a few hours of rest.” The man tried to drag him back, but the boy writhed wildly to break free. “So now go back inside and do your duty!”

“No!” the boy shouted, punching him in the chest with his tiny fists.

Once again, the man lifted his spoon.

And I couldn’t stand by and watch anymore.

Pulling Amlach with me, I lunged at the cook and blocked his arm before he could hit the boy again.

“How dare you beat a child?” I hissed.

“Back off, bitch!” the man snarled through his teeth, and he backhanded me with his free hand.

Amlach swiftly pulled me back and gave him a frontal kick to the stomach. The man fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of sandy dust.

Suddenly, the three pirates at the end of our group used their clubs to push Amlach and me back into line. Captain Escrain’s cheerful laugh blended with the sounds of chirping birds in the trees, and the chatter of onlookers on the grassy walkways and of those peering out of their windows to see what was happening.

As we advanced, I touched my cheek. I felt no pain or burning. I had lost my innate reflexes and elven strength, but fortunately, the resilience of my kind had remained intact.

“I am so slow,” I muttered, dropping my hand.

Amlach gently grasped my chin to turn my face toward him and examined my lips closely, perhaps to ensure they weren’t bleeding. “But you can still take a beating.”

Annoyed, I quickly pulled his hand away from my face, prompting him to smirk.