Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) (20 page)

“Go get your own elf to live through. Stop using mine. After all, you’re always commenting on how gorgeous they are.”

“Ha, you admit he’s yours. As for me having my own, they’re not for me.” Maggie pouted. “They’re definitely eye candy, no denying it, but none have captured my attention or I, theirs. But you admit you have your own. Finally claiming Relian–going where no man has gone before?”

A few moments passed until Cal could sputter out a reply. “I doubt they’ve ever been referred to as candy before. And who says no man—or woman—has gone there before?”

“Well, I do believe he prefers females, but human ones seem in short supply here. Oh, and I bet they’re not used to being referred to in that way.” Her eyes gleamed. “Think they might find it offensive?”

Maggie more than likely meant one elf in particular. Cal cocked a brow. “What do you think?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Ah huh.” Cal paused and shook her head. “Wait, wait, how did we become so sidetracked?”

Maggie shrugged. “Not sure. All I know is that we know very little, Cal. It’s all conjecture. You went—you came back. Relian saw or found something along the way. It may be nothing serious.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” At Maggie’s blank look, Cal slapped her hand against her forehead. “The soldiers! They seem to be on high alert. There has to be something going on.”

“Umm, that’s true about the soldiers. But we don’t know anything about their possible enemies. In fact, we know next to nothing about this world.”

“But this fact doesn’t negate there
is
something going on. Even Relian admitted they have enemies and war. We can’t bury our heads in the ground, pretending otherwise.”

“Until we learn the language, we won’t be able to learn much,” Maggie conceded. “Not that they would tell us much anyway, but polite eavesdropping would be possible.”

“Polite eavesdropping? Is that what they call it here?” She sighed. “Guess that’s our cue to go and study, right?”

“That’s what I call it.” Maggie laughed, linking her arm with Cal’s. “I think you’re right, my lady. Let’s go!”

***

Cal sighed. Silence reigned between her and Maggie, as it did among the palace at large. They’d found a bench in one of the gardens outside the primary library and had been there for hours, undisturbed. Everyone forgot about their existence—a rare occurrence. The occasional elf, usually a servant or a sentry, would wander into their sanctuary for a bit or pass in the open corridor nearby, but no one paid any attention to their presence.

How long would the soldiers be away? Was he unharmed? Whatever endeavor he and the soldiers set out to do, it had to be dangerous. But the who, what, and where they trooped after was a mystery.

This wasn’t the first time Relian had gone out with the warriors. He often took part in patrols, sometimes to the borders. She didn’t know what borders these referred to. Now she had no way to ask.

Even with all his duties, he’d made an effort to visit her every day, even if just fifteen minutes here or there. They spent much of that time walking the gardens in silence, as verbal communication wasn’t possible. Oh, how she dreaded those meetings. But the trepidation even grew stronger when they didn’t happen, and she’d feel like a child who’d lost her favorite toy. Then when he did stop by, she would perk up until administrative matters soon called him away. His life wasn’t one of leisure.

Noise intruded. The thundering of hooves echoed off the stones that made up the palace paths and buildings. Even the stone bench they sat on reverberated with it. Maggie glanced over at her, and they both nodded. They rose quietly, leaving their books and parchment behind, and went to explore the place the racket came from.

They weren’t alone in this desire. Elves increasingly clogged the myriad hallways and corridors. Any hope for stealth disappeared. Cal clasped her shaking hands before her and took in a deep, settling breath to calm her pulse. By the time they reached the main courtyard before the palace’s gates, a whole horde of onlookers had gathered.

Cal peered past heads and shoulders. Weary riders formed groups on either side of the gate, allowing the non-mounted soldiers easy entry. That definitely explained the noise.

Stable hands came forward to help, and she craned her neck. Where was he? Surely, his posture and stance would allow her to spot him in the throng. When utter silence overtook all the elves, she halted her quest. Great, what’d happened now?

A dragging, scuffling noise she couldn’t identify sounded. She looked back toward the gate. There, two warriors drew a struggling creature into the courtyard. Two other elves served as guards, one behind and one in front of the prisoner.

The male looked like an elf, yet not, because of his distorted features. She couldn’t quite describe the manner of their distortion, other than to say the effect was feral. It was as if an image of something nightmarish had superimposed itself over the pristine framework of an elf’s visage. The creature’s long hair appeared as if someone had taken a blunted knife to it, and was matted with a substance she didn’t want to guess at. Whatever remained of his clothes hung in tattered, filthy shreds about his skeletal form. She wanted to look away. Oh, how she desired to. But the unnatural sight captivated her by the very wrongness it portrayed.

Out of the crowd, Relian and the king emerged, along with Kenhel. People parted to make way. Kenhel addressed the soldiers guarding the creature. Grim in countenance, the soldier in front replied in a rapid stream of words Cal couldn’t follow. After he finished, gasps and a sobbing from somewhere in the crowd ensued.

The king laid a comforting hand on the soldier’s shoulder before turning away. His sonorous voice rang out in the silence, only the weeping remaining. A family of elves came forward, an adult male and female with two adolescents. The adults gestured back to the throng, seeming to want the teenagers to stay back, but the boy and girl wouldn’t be deterred. They followed their parents – at least she assumed they were—but did stay safely behind them.

The creature quieted as the four neared and cocked his head to the side. The older female reached out a tentative hand, tears in her eyes. Whatever lucidness had lurked in the creature’s eyes disappeared. He lunged. Only the restraining hands of the warriors stopped him from reaching his goal. The elvin woman fell back against her husband, sobs racking her body. It was the same weeping Cal had heard earlier.

Talion and Relian herded the family away from the scene by taking a gentle hold to arms and shoulders. The creature fell silent again, watching as they walked away.

In a flurry of movement, he lunged, managing to break free of those restraining him. He mowed into the elf standing in front of him. Sickness coiled in her stomach. The strength needed to overcome four trained elves had to be immense. The creature headed toward Relian and the family. Impossibly fast, he knocked aside any elf in his way, only focused on reaching his destination.

Warriors raised bows even as Kenhel, Relian, and the king unsheathed swords. She cringed. As she turned to Maggie, she saw the same horror on her face. Maggie’s chest heaved as if she could throw up at any time, not that Cal fared any better.

A chill sweat broke out on her forehead. They were from a world where violence was on TV and in newspapers but
never, ever
in front of them. She and Maggie grabbed onto each other as though they were anchors of stability.

Arrows riddled the body of the creature. His body jerked convulsively before the first sword could fall. He stumbled and fell, eyes wide and mouth open, revealing sharp teeth where there should’ve been normal ones.

Her eyes froze on the family. They stood paralyzed, shock and horror painted on their faces. The king’s sharp voice called out some words with a few names interspersed. Three healers, identified as so by their robes, rushed forward to take possession of the family.

All assembled remained still and didn’t move until the king again spoke. Whatever he said, while voiced gently, certainly got the elves of his palace moving.

Cal tugged on Maggie’s arm. “I think we should go.”

Maggie nodded, still pale. “That would be for the best.”

Both of them would be shaken-up for some time. The thought they were privy to events best kept amongst those native to Eria left her feeling like an interloper. She shivered in the warm air.

As they turned to go, a light brush to her shoulder caused Cal to jump and whirl around. It was Relian. His eyes roamed over her in concern before turning the same look toward Maggie. Cal’s chest tightened painfully. Even at a time like this, he made the effort to come over and comfort them. It was something she’d not expected, but why was she surprised? Relian and the king seemed only to desire their comfort.

Talion stepped up beside Relian and favored them with a kind smile. She even swore his eyes lingered on Maggie’s white face. At least he didn’t try to goad Maggie with a look, touch, or word she didn’t understand. But then, it wouldn’t have been the proper time for it, and the king always observed such societal conventions, wicked humor or not.

She focused her attention back on Relian. The chain mail shirt he wore wasn’t so pristine anymore. It was dirtied with earth and something that looked suspiciously like blood. Her gaze wandered to his hair, held back in a severe braid. At the temple, sweat dampened the black strands, and a few tendrils were working themselves loose from the braid.

At some point, he’d taken up her hand. When had he done that? His palm burned against hers. She glanced down at their entwined fingers. His hand was clean. This seemed strange when his clothes and other parts of his person didn’t look to be so. A sturdy-looking leather glove covered his other hand. What did people call them? Gauntlets. That was it, though it was a silly thing to think about right now.

She lifted her gaze to his face. He still regarded her intently. Why did he look at her like that? How could these moments stretch on, yet end way too soon?

Their trance ended when the king addressed a figure behind him Cal hadn’t noticed until now. Arrein stepped around the king as he moved aside for her. Ah, she was to be their watcher for a while.

Maggie muttered under her breath, “Yay, a watchdog.”

Relian and his father both shot a look at Maggie, quirking an eyebrow in an almost identical fashion. This would’ve been amusing at another time, and the thought that intruded didn’t help. Just how much English did they understand? The thought that certain elves might have a greater grasp of English then they’d imagined was an unsettling thought. And there was no way to find out. So until they knew the truth of it, whether it was an act or not, they’d have to be careful.

As Relian released her hand, he bent down and whispered, “Holen re, Cal.”
Until later, Cal.
Even with her limited knowledge, she understood the simple farewell and fought to keep a dazed expression off her face at his closeness. He disconcerted her when she least expected it, threading through her personal bubble of space like an unerring needle finding its way toward a balloon. And just like a balloon, the air in her lungs would desert her when she most needed their aid in maintaining a calm façade.

Another fact pounded on her consciousness. He’d used her first name, a rare occurrence when others were around. Admittedly, he’d whispered it, so even those close by may not have heard. Still, his behavior was perplexing. The guys she dated had never been so intense and enticing, every word and caress a seduction to her senses. She squirmed, unsettled by the way her body responded. And her mind. When it came to him, it followed right along with her traitorous flesh.

After Talion made his goodbyes to them, she and Maggie found themselves trailing after Arrein.

Cal’s mind whirled in a hodge-podge cloud of jumbled thoughts that bounced off each other until she couldn’t untangle one from the other. The lovely architecture with its soaring star vaults hardly penetrated her consciousness, though it had often enraptured her before.

They stood outside her door before she was even aware Arrein had stopped walking. Smiling genially, the maid pushed it open and ushered her and Maggie into the room. Once she seated them under her mothering gaze, she lit a small fire in the hearth situated on the wall between her and Maggie’s adjoining rooms. Making motions with her hands, Arrein indicated she would bring a light snack to them. It was still hard for Cal to allow anyone to care for her, especially a female whose age appeared no older than either hers or Maggie’s. Though she’d never inquired about her age, Arrein was probably anything but young.

As soon as the door closed, Cal tilted her head to look at Maggie. “So what did you make of all that?”

Maggie whistled, though it didn’t have the spryness it usually had. “I don’t know, but some heavy you-know-what is going on down here. That creature-beast-elf thing was freaky.”

“And sad.”

She frowned. “Yes. Do you think those people were his family?”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Yeah, me too.” Maggie sighed. “So it—the creature – must’ve been an elf at one time. Then something happened.”

Cal drummed her fingers on the table. “I think that’s hitting on the question of the day. Something definitely happened to effect that change but what?”

“Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

Her fingers stilled. “I think that’s a given.”

“But that’s all we have, isn’t it? That it’s not normal, not natural in a decidedly bad way.”

Cal dropped her head back against the cushioned chair and gazed at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right. We know nothing, and it’s frustrating.”

“And dangerous, don’t forget dangerous.”

Cal lifted her head. “Dangerous?”

“There’s something beyond those gates.” Maggie gestured down toward the town. “Something we don’t know about that’s dangerous, and this knowledge, in and of itself, is hazardous. Do you think humans can become like that elf-thing?”

“Good question. I don’t know, but it’s not like they let us roam around the countryside. Something perilous is out there, but I think we’re relatively safe here.”