Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

ANDRIN

O ur party was small, but size didn’t matter when it came to traveling through the Edelfen.

Power did. And we had as much as I dared to take from the Embervale.

“I leave Autumn in your hands,” I told Othor, who held the Edeloak staff at his side. We stood at the edge of the courtyard, the meadow before us gilded with afternoon sunlight. Vivia stood a short distance away, one hand on the reins of her horse, Thraxos. Rane and Mirella waited in the meadow with the rest of the Shadow Eaters.

Othor’s brow furrowed. Taking my arm, he led me away from the others. Concern etched his features as he pitched his voice low. “Are you certain you can’t wait until tomorrow morning to go? It’s a long journey to the Covenant, and…” He pressed his lips together.

“Yes?” I prompted.

“I heard you encountered some difficulty at the edge of the forest this morning.”

Frustration rose. Fucking court gossip. It was bad enough that I’d let the Edelfen sneak up on me. I didn’t need the entire Embervale thinking I was too weak to fend it off alone.

But I had centuries of experience navigating court politics, and I knew my smile appeared genuine as I bent toward Othor. “Since when do you listen to rumors, Cousin?”

“I—” Othor snapped his mouth shut. “I don’t.”

“Good.” I looked at Vivia, who drew Thraxos forward until she stood next to Othor. “Lord Othor is regent in my absence, my lady. Obey him as you would me.”

The black scarf around her neck brushed her chin as she inclined her head. “Of course, sire.” She lifted her gaze, the diamonds in her hair sparkling in the sun. “No one in the Embervale will come to harm while you’re away. I give you my vow.”

“And I accept it with gratitude.” Turning from her and Othor, I strode to Rane. “Are you ready?”

The look in his eyes—there and quickly concealed—told me he shared Othor’s concerns. But Rane would never question me in front of others. And anyway, he’d already vented his displeasure in the bathing chamber the second we returned from the stable.

“You’ve been marking the edge of the Edelfen?” he’d asked, his eyes wide with outrage. “Do you know how stupid that is, Andrin?”

“Clearly not,” I’d said, sitting wearily and removing my boots. “But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”

Rane released a bitter laugh. “Why bother? You don’t listen to me. You just do whatever the fuck you want and damn the consequences.”

“I need to know how much ground we’re losing,” I grated.

“A lot.”

“No shit.” I flung my other boot across the room and stood. “That’s why we’re going to Eftar today. If I can stop myself from strangling Walto on sight, I’m going to reclaim the Kree and save Autumn.”

Rane studied me, his hands braced on his hips. After a moment, he seemed to rein in his temper. “And what of Mirella?”

“What of her?”

He looked at the doorway behind me, his gaze contemplative. “She was aroused in the stable.”

“And you liked it.”

Purple eyes flicked to mine. “I wasn’t the only one.”

Desire tightened my cock. Ignoring it—and the memory of Mirella’s sweet scent soaking the air—I went to Rane. “It doesn’t matter what I like. All that matters is the Kree. This is our chance to get it back.”

The anger fled Rane’s face, leaving worry behind. “We should wait until tomorrow. You were overcome this morning.”

“Because I was alone. I’ll have you and Kassander with me today.”

“Andrin—”

“I’ll be fine.” Turning away, I’d stripped my shirt off and headed toward the bath. “You always keep me safe.”

“Ready to leave on your command, sire,” Rane said now, jerking me back to the present. Mirella was pale and stone-faced at his side, her hair like flame against her yellow gown. The golden collar gleamed around her milky throat. Kassander and his men stood at the ready behind her.

I looked at Kassander. “Lord Rane and I will lead with Lady Mirella behind us. You and the others bring up the rear. Don’t let Mirella out of your sight.”

Kassander and the other two Shadow Eaters bowed. “It will be done, my lord,” Kassander said.

Moments later, we stepped into the Edelfen. The sunlight disappeared at once, replaced by a gray sky and thick, stagnant air. Dead leaves piled at the base of the black, twisted trees. Impenetrable shadow swirled between the trunks.

Immediately, a dark, alien presence roused in the darkness. It was nothing I could see—at least not yet—but I sensed it turning its attention to me. Whispers lifted in the air, rippling and overlapping.

A blood-curdling scream sounded directly to my right. Ears ringing, I kept walking. Leaves crunched, and footsteps pounded like someone charged from the forest.

Gaze straight ahead, I ignored the sounds.

“Andrin.”

My father stepped into my path, his dark red hair glinting in a sudden patch of sunlight. He held out his arms, tears shining in his eyes. “My son.”

I walked through him.

He reformed beside me. In the corner of my vision, his face twisted in fury. “You dare disregard me after the shame you’ve brought upon our house!” Spittle flecked my cheek as his voice climbed. “You trusted a human . You lost the Kree. The blood of thousands is on your incompetent hands!”

Clenching my jaw, I kept moving. More screams lifted on either side of the path. Glowing eyes winked in the darkness. A snarling, hunched creature staggered from the trees ahead. Gray rags hung on its emaciated form. Long, stringy white hair clung to its scalp, which was covered with moss and clumps of dirt. It swayed in the middle of the path, its back to me.

My father vanished. Rane was a steady presence at my side. Mirella’s breathing over my shoulder was even, her footsteps lighter and more rapid than those of the men behind her. In any other circumstances, her human blood was a weakness. In the Edelfen, it was a shield. She was unlikely to see much beyond shadow and decay.

The creature in the path turned slowly as we approached. Sunken eyes peered from a skeletal face. “Andrin?”

The image of a beautiful woman flickered over it. Tall and silver-haired, she regarded me with a stunned expression.

“Andrin?” she repeated. Her lovely face crumpled. “Oh gods…” She swung this way and that, as if looking for somewhere to escape. “I never wanted you to see me like this!”

The flickering image vanished, leaving her hunched and corpselike once more. Because she was a corpse, her body buried deep in the Edelfen the day after I was born.

Blood poured from her mouth. She gagged on it, coughing and sputtering as she lurched toward me. “My son,” she gasped, extending dirt-caked fingers. “My only son.”

Sweat trickled down my back. I looked past her, letting my vision go unfocused. When she was steps from crashing into me, she stopped abruptly. Her body formed into hundreds of rats. Squealing sharply, they writhed over each other in a sickening tower before collapsing.

I continued forward. Rats scurried past me and darted between my legs, screeching as they melted into the forest. Thick shadows rolled across the path a dozen steps ahead of me.

Gritting my teeth, I flung out my hands. Heat flowed down my arms, forming bars of light that burst from my fingertips like the rays of the sun. The light sliced through the shadows, which recoiled. Screams and eerie chattering sounds rose from the inky clouds as they retreated into the trees on either side of the path. A few wisps broke away from the larger clouds. Shivering in the air, they streaked toward me.

Rane lunged forward. The shadows paused, hovering above the path as if they couldn’t decide where to go.

“Come,” he said, dark power ringing in the command. The shadows raced toward him like pets summoned by their master. He swallowed them, not slowing as he took the lead.

“You waste your energy,” I said, walking faster. “I could have handled that.”

He slowed enough for me to catch up—and likely to ensure Mirella wasn’t forced to run to keep pace with us. “Undoubtedly,” he murmured without looking at me. After a beat, he spoke in a lower voice. “Don’t give it anything to twist around us.”

I didn’t answer, and I didn’t argue. Because he was right. The Edelfen longed for discord. The shadows fed on fear and disharmony. They burrowed deep into the minds of the living, unearthing terrors and secrets. Hidden worries and deep-seated doubts. The forest was generous with its torment, displaying nightmares unique to each soul foolish enough to venture within it. Outside the Edelfen, facing fears was a way to overcome them. But that strategy was worthless among the trees. In the Edelfen, confronting fears didn’t vanquish them. On the contrary, it gave them teeth.

We pressed onward, and the next few hours brought more of the same. Visions of dead loved ones. The pleas and accusations of nobles I’d buried in the long years that followed the loss of the Kree. The children were the most difficult to ignore. Dragging their broken bodies across the leaves, they reached for my legs and the hem of my jacket, pleading for help. For someone to save them.

But I’d already failed them once. Looking meant failing them again, so I kept my eyes on the path, and I tuned out the sobs and screams.

Mirella’s footsteps continued at my back. Every once in a while, I risked turning enough to meet Kassender’s gaze. The Shadow Eater and his men fanned out behind Mirella like the tip of an arrow, their eyes gleaming in the gloom. Mirella was pale but steady on her feet. As our eyes met, the scent of her arousal floated at the edges of my memory.

I ignored that, too.

At long last, the blue haze of the Covenant shimmered ahead. The shadows thinned, and the trees gave way to the flat, barren ground that separated Autumn from Eftar’s mountains.

The rays of the setting sun struggled through the Edelfen’s gloom, revealing the hazy snowcaps of the peaks beyond the magical boundary. The trees on the other side of the shimmering veil were hazy blobs. A cluster of tents sat just past the treeline, pennants stirring in a slight breeze. Several horses were hobbled to the side of the small encampment. A pair of knights stood outside the largest tent, which bore an elaborate, embroidered crest on its heavy canvas. A smaller tent displayed more modest insignia.

The knights’ gazes were watchful as they scanned the boundary. Neither appeared to spot us as we approached.

Stopping, I turned and signaled to Kassander. “Fall back with your men,” I said quietly. “Monitor the shadows, and don’t come unless I call for you.”

“Yes, sire,” Kassander said. He motioned to the other two Shadow Eaters, and they moved to obey.

“Kassander,” I said.

The Shadow Eater turned back.

“The shadows lie. Question everything, even if it comes from me.”

He nodded. When he and his men retreated to the trees, I looked at Mirella. She stared at the big tent on the other side of the Covenant, her face washed in its blue light.

“That’s your father’s crest,” I said.

She looked at me, her pulse pounding in her throat. “Yes.”

“And the other?”

“Lord Vilgot of Midpeak.”

Suspicion stirred within me. What kind of trap was I walking into? Walto had outsmarted me once. I’d be damned if he did it again.

I stepped toward Mirella, ready to grab her and run. “Why does Walto bring a human lord to a meeting with elves?”

She held herself stiffly as she looked between me and Rane. “Vilgot is elfkin. My father wants me to marry him.”

Rane frowned. “You’re betrothed?”

“No,” she said, lifting her chin. “My father wants the marriage. I never consented.”

Movement at the edge of my vision drew my gaze. On the other side of the Covenant, Walto Lornlark stepped from the largest tent. He froze as he met my stare, and naked fear flashed over his face.

I let a smile touch my lips. A man emerged behind him. Short salt-and-pepper hair flowed back from a wide forehead. His was a warrior’s build, but deep lines at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth marked him as well past his prime. His skin had a grayish pallor, but that might have been due to his prominent lips, which were red and shiny as if he licked them too often. His gaze locked onto me immediately before shifting to Rane.

“Your betrothed came for you,” I murmured, turning back to Mirella. “Touching.”

“He’s not my betrothed,” she said tightly. “I won’t marry him.”

Walto continued to stare. Then he advanced toward the Covenant. Vilgot of Midpeak remained by the tent. Walto was dressed richly, the long velvet surcoat over his breastplate stitched with tiny replicas of his family crest. Sunlight glinted off something near his hip.

A golden hand, the fingers curled into a fist.

Two hundred years of anticipation clenched in my gut. Offering Walto another smile, I lifted my hand and let shadow flow down my arms. Holding the image of a chair in my mind, I pushed the smoky, sinuous clouds into a shape that matched the one in my mind. When a simple but sturdy black chair solidified on the ground, I pointed Mirella toward it.

“Sit and don’t move.” Because no fucking way was she getting any closer to the Covenant. She was my sole collateral. Until I had the Kree in my hands, she was staying firmly on Ishulum soil.

Rane took her arm and pushed her into the chair.

“Stay with her,” I told him, already moving. Walto slowed as he approached the Covenant. Blue tinged his face and dark hair, which showed no trace of gray. He stayed out of arm’s reach as he came to a halt. His skin was unlined, but his eyes showed the burden of age.

He didn’t look at Mirella behind me, although he surely saw her. Vilgot certainly did. The older man’s gaze shifted constantly, returning again and again to the spot where I’d left her.

I stopped steps from the boundary and faced the man who’d betrayed my trust and set in motion the deaths of two-thirds of my people.

“Walto,” I said. “You have something of mine.”

The knights by the tent jolted. Both swept their gazes over the Covenant, their faces pale. They could hear me, but they couldn’t see me.

Walto’s expression darkened. The fear he’d displayed moments before was nowhere to be found as he reached his left hand inside his breastplate. I tensed, expecting a blade or some kind of trickery, but he withdrew a scroll. “You can’t hold Mirella in Ishulum. The laws of the Covenant forbid it.”

Fury tried to rise and choke me. I swallowed it as I fought to keep my voice even. “What would you know about the law? Except perhaps how to break it.”

He shook the scroll. “This is a betrothal contract. Vilgot of Midpeak has signed it, and so have I. Your forbears swore an oath to withdraw from Andulum. We are self-governing. You have no power in the kingdoms of men, Andrin Verdalis. This betrothal agreement is a binding contract.”

I couldn’t stifle the bark of laughter that burst from me. “And how will you enforce it?” I looked at the camp behind him. “Have you hidden a judge in your tent?”

“I don’t need to take you to court,” Walto said. “Magic is on my side. If Lord Vilgot presses his claim, the Covenant will return Mirella to her rightful owner. Me.”

A strangled gasp sounded at my back. Distaste curled in my stomach. In just a handful of words, Walto had confirmed everything Mirella claimed about her relationship with her father.

“You haven’t asked about her,” I said. “Do you care so little about your daughter’s well-being?”

He held my stare. “She seems well enough. She appears untouched.”

Untouched. My gaze fell on the roll of parchment in his hand.

Walto didn’t appear to notice. For the first time, he broke eye contact, looking over his shoulder and raising his voice. “Lord Vilgot of Midpeak, do you press your claim to my daughter, Mirella of Purecliff?”

The older man stepped away from the tent. “I do.”

Noise at my back jerked me around. Mirella screamed as she flew from the chair and slid forward across the ground. Rane and I lunged for her at the same time. He reached her first, pulling her to her feet and holding her against him.

Pain flashed across her face. She jerked in Rane’s grip, as if an invisible force yanked her forward.

I spun back to Walto, who regarded me with a slight, satisfied smile.

“You should have spent more time studying with Othor,” he said. “The laws of the Covenant are clear. I have a signed contract. The betrothal agreement gives my daughter to Vilgot of Midpeak.”

Fresh fury seared my veins. “You and I aren’t finished here.”

Walto tucked the scroll back into his breastplate. “What more is there to say?” He raised his voice. “Mirella, come!”

I turned in time to see her jerk against Rane’s grip. The muscles in his arms bulged as he held onto her. Behind them, Kassander and the other Shadow Eaters stood at the ready. They wouldn’t intervene unless I ordered it. Rane held Mirella, but he couldn’t hold her forever.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to. He only needed to hold her for a little while.

I closed the distance between us. Mirella was pale and wide-eyed as she lurched against Rane’s grip. He grimaced, yanking her more firmly against him.

“She’s untouched,” I told him. “Change that.”

Mirella’s breath hitched.

Spinning, I stalked back to the Covenant.