Page 36

Merrik had witnessed Fieran and Adry practice with Uncle Farrendel many mornings. While Fieran had always fought more lackadaisically, his heart never fully into it, Adry had a raw edge to her, the inheritance from the long line of Laesornysh warriors who had come before her.

He needed to love and support this side of her too. She was a warrior at heart, and he couldn’t hold her back from that, as much as he wished to spare her from the weight of war he carried. She would never be the kind of woman who would gladly wait in safety. No, she had been born to lead armies.

After letting the other elf get in a few strikes, Adry planted a boot on the trunk of a nearby tree and launched herself into the air, whirling and striking in a blur that had the more experienced elf warrior stumbling back a step. She pressed her advantage, attacking him with an intense ferocity.

A voice, low and lilting in elvish, spoke from somewhere behind Merrik. “It seems the Laesornysh blood runs strong enough to mostly overcome the taint of the human in her.”

Merrik glanced over his shoulder. Was the elf talking to him?

No, the elf behind him was half-turned to the elf sitting next to him. That elf made a soft sound in the back of his throat as he shook his head. “It remains to be seen if she will be a capable warrior. The elf blood in her veins was tainted already, after all.”

He was one of those elves, one who scorned Uncle Farrendel for his illegitimate birth.

Merrik opened his mouth and drew in a deep breath. He should defend Adry and her family. If he could find the words and the courage to speak up.

“True. But the magic of the ancient kings runs strong in her line.” The first elf gestured toward the whirling, furious swordfight. “Perhaps adding more elven blood to the line will overcome the deficiencies.”

The second elf made that scoffing noise in the back of his throat again. “A valid consideration. But can you imagine marrying her? Whoever marries her will always be overshadowed. It could never be an equal partnership when she has so much more power.”

Merrik swallowed, his words catching in his throat. Perhaps there was a truth to that elf’s words. Adry was so brilliant that she would overshadow whoever married her. She simply would not be able to help it.

But that was hardly a bad thing. Not for Merrik. He far preferred to be in the background.

Besides, the words just showed how wrong those elves were. In their eyes, Adry was both tainted, making her less, and yet also too much, making her outshine whoever married her. They couldn’t have it both ways.

In the clearing, the elf warrior pressed his sword to Adry’s throat. Yet he’d lost his shield, and she had one of her swords pointed at his stomach.

A draw, then. Adry would be disappointed, yet Merrik grinned and clapped loudly. If he hadn’t been in Tarenhiel, he would have given a far louder cheer. She’d fought one of the preeminent sword masters in Tarenhiel to a draw. Any other recruit would have been soundly trounced.

He looked over his shoulder and held the gaze of first one elf, then the other, putting as much pride as he could into his voice. “That is my girlfriend.”

He didn’t bother trying to defend Adry more than that. First of all, she didn’t need more defense from him. She’d proven herself there in the fighting bout on her own merits. Second, he wasn’t going to waste words on those who weren’t ready to hear them.

The two elves gaped at him.

Merrik didn’t wait for them to gather themselves enough to respond. He turned around, sitting straight on his bench as he pretended to watch the last of the matches.

Adry tried to relax and concentrate on the book she’d started weeks ago during Merrik’s surgery. She hadn’t made much progress since nor was she making much progress now. Not when she was currently using Merrik’s stomach as her pillow, and her head moved with his every breath.

They were stretched out on the forest floor in their quiet glade, the birds chirping overhead and the patches of sunlight warm where they fell between the broad leaves.

She only had herself to blame. She was, after all, the one who had insisted on using him as a pillow when Merrik had insisted they spend the afternoon out in the forest reading and resting after she’d passed her test that morning. It had seemed romantic at the time.

Granted, it was somewhat romantic. But not as romantic as she’d been hoping, leaving her both distracted and not satisfied with either the romance or the book.

Merrik heaved a deeper sigh, one that sounded as dissatisfied as she felt rather than something more contented.

“Are you struggling with your book as much as I am with mine?” She tilted her head to peer at him.

He held his book aside to look down at her. “Yes. I find myself rather distracted.”

She grinned and told herself she was going to be mature about the whole snuggling thing. She wasn’t going to poke him in the side with her finger or tickle him. But it was tempting.

A few other things were also tempting. Like kissing.

Merrik set aside his book, his smile fading, and propped himself on an elbow. “Adry, there is something…I just want you to know that I will never resent your magic. I do not mind being overshadowed.”

Adry sat up, setting her book down without any regard for saving her place. “What in Tarenhiel are you talking about? I never thought you would resent my magic.”