Chapter 9

T he sound of my shoes against the marble floor in the atrium is loud, echoing around me as I hurry through the glass structure. I'm not really paying attention to my surroundings, just following the need to get as far away from the queen as possible.

"Clarissa?" a male voice calls, a familiar voice, but my panic is blinding me, just driving me to keep running. My breath is knocked out of me as I run straight into something hard. The obstacle moves, hands coming up and gripping my shoulders, and I realise it's not a wall, but a person.

"Clarissa, what happened?" the voice asks. Eldrin, it's Eldrin , I tell myself, the warmth of his body breaking through my fright. Looking up, I see his familiar face, although where I'm used to seeing him scowling, instead I see concern. His hands on my shoulders help keep me upright, and I try to channel his strength to steady myself. Something about him being here helps strengthen me, helps me focus and fight through my fears.

"The queen," I start, my throat still tight as my heart tries to pound its way out of my chest. "She threatened me. She…" I knew she wanted to kill me, but being faced with it is different.

His face changes as I speak, hardening into a fierce expression. He glances around the atrium, his gaze landing on one of the guards who is trying very hard to look like he's not listening to our conversation. "Shh," he hushes, as he looks back down at me, squeezing my shoulders gently before pulling away. Swaying forward as he removes his hands, I manage to restore my balance. He's right, we shouldn't be having this conversation here, especially since the queen could return at any moment. "You're safe now. Let's go somewhere else to discuss this." Spinning on his heel, he stalks up to one of the guards stationed at the entrance of the atrium. "Find Lord Vaeril," he orders.

"But, Lord Eldrin, he's—" The guard is cut off as Eldrin whirls back around, snarling in his face.

"Find him now." His voice is low, and a deep rumbling is vibrating from his chest as he glares at the guard. "Tell him it's urgent."

"Yes, sir!"

I feel a little sorry for him as he hurries away, knowing he'll probably get in trouble for leaving his post, but right now, I don't have the energy or mental capacity to worry about him as well. Eldrin returns to my side and gestures for me to walk up the stairs. His familiar presence following just behind me reassures something inside me as we pass through the doors and into the main entrance hall.

"Where to?" My voice is quiet as I glance at him over my shoulder.

"Your rooms. We can talk freely there."

Nodding, I face forward and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Once I get to my rooms I can fall apart, but right now, there are too many eyes on us, eyes that will report straight to the queen. I won't give her the satisfaction seeing me have a meltdown in the middle of the palace under full view of everyone.

Lifting my foot to take the first step up the grand staircase, I pause as loud voices reach us. Frowning, I glance over and see an elf being forced down onto the ground by three guards. My heart pounds in my chest at the brute force they are using to pin him down. Anger bubbles inside me as I remember being treated in a similar manner when I was a slave. Seeing the dark, almost bluish skin, I realise he's a sea elf, his voice high as he replies to the guard in the middle in elvish.

"What's happening?" Wishing I could understand the lilting language, I ask Eldrin, seeing that he's watching the commotion too. A small crowd is forming now, as no one seems to be able to walk past the scene, but nobody stops to help the obviously distressed elf. Eldrin places his hand on the small of my back, as if able to sense my anger and discomfort at what's happening here.

"He's not paid his taxes." Eldrin's low voice makes me shudder, and as I glance up at him, I see he's observing with a disapproving expression. "The guards are taking what he owes."

Blinking in confusion, I shake my head. "Taxes? What?" I had no idea that the elves paid any form of tax, but I suppose it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is their rough handling of the elf pinned to the floor.

Meeting my bewildered expression, he sighs quietly, his eyes returning back to the scene as if he can't look away for long. "The sea elves who live beneath the palace have to pay a tax, it goes towards the upkeep of their lodgings."

I snort at that. I've seen the caves the sea elves live in. They are about as far away from the palace as possible, way, way below and carved into the cliffs. They did what they could with their limited resources to make it a home, but they basically live in squalor. The twins told me stories of the sea elves' homes built into the White Cliffs, far away from Galandell, and they sound glorious, so the fact that they have to pay a tax to live here only stokes my anger further. The inequality between the high elves and the sea elves is vast.

Glancing around, I see many uncomfortable expressions over what's happening, but no one moves to help the elf. "Why is no one helping?" In my outrage, my voice is louder than I'd meant it to be, and several elves standing near us glance over before quickly looking away as I meet their eyes.

Eldrin's hand suddenly moves to my shoulder, squeezing gently. It's an act of comfort, but I also sense the warning he's trying to give me. We're in a public place, and my behaviour will get back to the queen. "They fear the repercussions," he explains, which I can understand, but surely someone will help him?

The sea elf's voice shoots up an octave, getting louder and more distressed as the guard in the middle just watches with a smirk on his face. The two guards on either side stand firm, holding him down and pushing his shoulders into the hard floor, preventing him from getting up. The guard in the middle, who is also obviously the one in charge, reaches out and grabs the pinned elf's arm, pulling it with a hard yank. The sea elf cries out in pain, which then turns to a wail as the guard removes a large dagger from the sheath at his waist.

I'm moving before I even realise what I'm about to do. Kicking off my slipper-like shoes, I grab the bottom of my skirts and run towards the elf on the ground, weaving around those that stand in my way.

"No!" I shout, and the whole room seems to freeze as I move. I reach them with a speed far faster than I usually possess. Jumping in front of the guard, I throw out my arms and shield the sea elf. The guard in charge realises too late what's happening as his face turns to one of horror while the blade continues on its path and slices down towards me. I don't feel fear, only acceptance as I brace myself for the pain. Something flashes in front of me, and a quick, sharp burn slashes at my arm, but it's nothing like I expected to feel. Blinking, I suddenly register what's happening.

The main guard is on the floor with Eldrin pinning him down, snarling into his face, while the dagger glistens red against the white marble where it fell. The two guards holding the sea elf have backed away, watching me wearily. The sea elf is cowering behind me, whispering something over and over in elvish, gripping onto my arm as if it's a lifeline. A hiss escapes my lip as the pain suddenly makes itself known. Raising my arm, I see there's a small slash going diagonally across my skin. It's bleeding a little, but it's starting to clot, and I've certainly had worse.

Dismissing the wound, I turn and kneel down in front of the sea elf. "Are you okay?" I ask softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Eyes wide, he watches me with a mixture of fear and awe. "I can't pay my taxes, so they were going to take my arm," he babbles in Arhavien, his accent thick as he explains. "Without my arm, I would never be able to fish. How would I feed my family then?"

Feeling sick to my stomach, I nod in agreement. "It's okay, I won't let them hurt you." Offering him my hand, he stares at it for a moment as if it might bite him, but after a second, he places his webbed hand in mine and I help him to his feet. Spinning to face one of the guards, I prop my hands on my hips, my eyes narrowed. "How much does he owe?"

"Two hundred elvish leira." I have no idea how much this is, not having bought anything since I've been here. Not that I ever had use of money back in Arhaven either, so I have no way of knowing if this is a large sum or not.

"How is he ever supposed to pay his taxes again if you take his arm?" I argue, my face twisted with fury as I gesture to the quivering elf behind me. "This is cruel and unnecessary."

"It was the queen's orders, Lady Clarissa," he replies, but I feel guilty because his voice is shaking now. I hadn't wanted to scare him, just to make them realise that this shouldn't be happening. I'm not at all surprised that the queen ordered this.

Shaking my head and reaching for the small pouch I keep at my side, I pull out a couple of coins Vaeril had given me for emergencies. Eldrin is now standing between me and the main guard, who is watching us with an odd expression. Tapping him on the shoulder, I hold out my hand. "Is this enough?"

Dragging his eyes from the main guard, he abruptly cuts off his growling as he looks down at me. "That one is enough." He points to a large silver coin in the center of my palm. Nodding, I turn back to one of the guards and practically throw the coin at him.

"Write off his debt," I order, and the guard nods hastily. I'm unsure why the guards are acting like this around me, but I'm not going to complain. Could it be because Eldrin is with me? I've seen how the elves treat him and watch him with uneasy looks. Or is it for a different reason?

"Thank you, my lady," the sea elf calls, and when I turn to face him, he's kneeling again, but this time in a show of respect. Frowning, I offer him my hand again, the reverence in his expression making me feel uncomfortable.

"Please, don't kneel. I just wanted to help."

He watches me with wide eyes, as if unable to understand why I would do that for him. Two other sea elves hesitantly approach us, weaving through the crowd, bowing their heads as they reach me. I'm about to protest when they reach for the elf, wrapping their arms around him as they lead him away. "We will not forget your kindness," one of them tells me, dipping her head again before turning back to the elf in need.

Waiting until the elf and his companions are out of view, I look around and see everyone's watching me. So much for not causing a scene.

Turning to Eldrin, I clutch my injured arm to my chest. "Can we go back to my room now?" I feel instant relief when he nods in agreement and gestures for me to lead the way.

After what feels like a lifetime, we eventually reach my rooms, and as I push open the door, I see Naril's back as he sorts something on the large dining table. He can't have been at the border for long if he's back already , my mind reasons, but I don't have the energy to bring it up.

"There you are," he says, turning to face me as I step into the room. "You've been gone for ages…" Trailing off, his smile drops as he takes in my bedraggled expression and bleeding arm and the furious Eldrin behind me. "What happened?"

"The queen," Eldrin growls, walking past me and heading straight to my bathroom. "She threatened Clarissa," he calls out, and I can hear him rustling around in the cupboards before reappearing a few seconds later with a first aid kit in his hands. "Then Clarissa decided to be a hero and saved a sea elf." The sarcasm in his voice makes me wince. I guess he's not very pleased with my actions in the entrance hall.

"What?" Naril exclaims. Walking over to me and grabbing my hand, he pulls me over to the table and pushes me down into a chair. "Damn, I thought it was suspicious that she sent me to the border and then called me back before I'd even been there for an hour," he mutters, examining the cut on my arm and holding his hand out for the medical kit. "But where were you? I thought we weren't going to leave her alone?" Naril fires back at his brother. "And what's this about a sea elf?"

"The queen ordered me to stay behind. What was I going to do, disobey her?" Eldrin snarls, pacing up and down the length of the room. "She wasn't gone long, about twenty minutes, but when she came back, she looked like she was running from death."

There's a pause as the two of them exchange meaningful looks, but I'm too tired to demand they tell me what's going on. With a sigh, Naril returns to my wound, cleaning it with a yellow liquid that stings. Gritting my teeth, I'm relieved to find the stinging only lasts a couple of seconds, and before I know it, the wound is dressed.

Leaning back from me, Naril looks between me and his pacing brother. "What happened?" I'm surprised he managed to wait this long before asking the question again. Opening my mouth, I prepare to tell the story when the door flies open, bouncing against the wall from the force of it.

"Clarissa?" A familiar figure hurries into the room, his eyes wide as he looks around for me. When I jump up from my chair, his head shoots around as he catches the movement, his face hardening when he sees the blood on my dress.

"Vaeril!" I cry, not caring that there are others watching as I run into his arms. He freezes for a second, then I feel the fight go out of him as he sighs and wraps his arms tightly around me, and a part of me feels like it can breathe again. Pressing my face against his chest, I inhale his scent, rubbing my cheek against the fabric of his shirt, wishing it was skin instead.

"Mate," he exhales, the word soft and full of relief as he holds me tighter. He lowers his face to the top of my head, nuzzling against my hair. We stay like this for some time, if the sighs and grumbling from Eldrin are anything to go by, but we both need this.

"Are you okay?" Vaeril finally asks, his words mumbled as he speaks without pulling away from my hair. "I felt your terror through the bond, then I got a message from one of the guards about an emergency." His fear for me flashes through the bond, clear as day.

"The queen threatened her," Eldrin growls. Raising my head from Vaeril's chest, I see Eldrin sitting in the corner of the room, his arms crossed as he watches us with narrowed eyes.

"What?" Vaeril freezes, his expression icy.

"I know as much as you at this point," Naril comments from the other side of the room. He's leaning back in his chair, his booted feet resting on the table, and he's wearing a carefree smile, but it's not genuine.

"Where were you?" my mate queries, taking a menacing step towards his friend. At least, he would have if he wasn't still holding on to me at the time.

Frowning, Naril pulls his feet from the table and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "The queen ordered me to the border."

Vaeril's expression changes then, and I feel his shock through our connection. "Hmm," he hums, glancing from one brother to the other. Sighing, he guides me back over to the chair I'd been sitting in when he arrived before pulling his own around so he can face me. He sits and runs his eyes over me again. I can tell he wants to reach out and take my hands, but he stops, clutching his own instead like he knows he won't be able to stop touching me otherwise. "Clarissa, can you tell me what happened?"

Nodding, I check that the others are close enough to be able to hear, not wanting to repeat myself. "The queen has recognised me as part elf. She reminded me that I am now her subject and I have to obey any and all orders." Eldrin curses from the other side of the room, but with a look from his brother, he quiets down so I can continue. "She knows about our bond, she said it's the only reason that she won't just kill me in case it kills you too."

Vaeril swears this time, leaning back in his chair. He's not looking at me now, but over at the twins with an expression of concentration. Vaeril hadn't wanted to reveal our bond until later, after we had sealed it, but he doesn't appear all that upset anymore.

"The queen must think we've completed the bond," he muses, and Naril nods his head in agreement. "That's why I've been avoiding you. I wasn't sure what she would do if she found out we were bonded. But now that we know, we can use that to our advantage."

I suddenly realise why this is significant. If the queen was to find out that I wasn't fully bonded to Vaeril yet, she wouldn't have a reason to keep me alive anymore. Fear floods my system as I look up at Vaeril, who's wearing a determined expression.

"You need to seal the bond as soon as possible," Naril urges, drinking from a glass of wine as if to cover up his concern. I've noticed this is a habit of his. Any time he shows any sort of emotion, he covers it up with his bolshy, brash behaviour.

"That is none of your business," Eldrin snarls, causing shocked looks from Naril and Vaeril, but it doesn't surprise me. I've seen the way he reacts any time someone mentions my mate or the bond between us. It causes him pain, and I wish there was something I could do about it.

"Why do you care so much?" Naril asks, frowning at his brother.

"It doesn't matter," Vaeril responds, waving off the comments before it turns into a full-scale argument. "I won't let anything happen to my mate, whether the bond is sealed or not. I won't rush Clarissa into it." Since we've arrived, he's accepted that I'm his mate, and there's a note of finality in his voice that says we won't be speaking about this again. What he doesn't know is that I agree with Naril.

Do I want to complete the bond? The jury's still out, but I do want to be safe from the queen, and if that's the way to do it, then I would gladly complete the bond. Although, I remember what the queen said about ways of silencing me, the wide eyes of the lady-in-waiting haunting my thoughts.

"What else happened with the queen?" Naril questions, pulling my mind to the present. All their eyes are on me, and it makes me feel uncomfortable, so I stare down at my hands, which are resting in my lap.

"Apparently, some of the elves think I'm special. That I'm some sign from the missing gods and goddesses that they will be returning. She wants me to deny it." My voice portrays how ridiculous I think all this is. After all, why would they think I was special? A heavy silence falls over us, which makes me glance up with a frown, only to see the look the three of them are sharing. Something is going on here, something I don't know about. "What?" I demand, not caring who speaks, I just want some answers.

Vaeril sighs, raising a hand to rub at his temples. "You know there's been trouble at the borders?" he asks, waiting for my nod of confirmation. They never told me much about it, only that Eldrin was spending more and more time there, and I assumed that they didn't tell me because it wasn't important or the information was dangerous. "There's been some trouble with the elves that live outside of Galandell. They think the queen is behind the disappearance of the gods." His voice lowers, as if he's worried someone might overhear him.

This revelation has me reeling, and I lean back in my chair as I try to process what this could mean. There's unrest amongst the elves? Could the queen be behind it? She seemed pretty insistent about wiping out the rumours , I ponder. Taking a deep breath, I look at the three of them again. "How is that possible, and how is that related to me?"

"I don't know, that's what we've been trying to discover," Eldrin replies, speaking up for the first time in a while, his eyes locked on mine. He doesn't believe it, I can tell from the slight frown between his brows, but he's the one who's having to deal with the repercussions.

"The queen wants me to visit the wood elves and dispel any rumours, then report back anyone who disagrees," I tell the room, not speaking to any one person in particular.

"She wants you to spy?" Vaeril sounds surprised. He glances over at Naril, who looks thoughtful. I'm starting to get frustrated with their silent, meaningful looks, and there's obviously something going on I'm not aware of. My anger starts stirring in my veins, and I'm about to demand they explain what's going on when Vaeril starts to speak again. "Well, we were planning a trip to see the wood elves anyway. We could use this as our reason. We wouldn't need to make up an excuse to convince the queen."

There's a general hum of agreement from the three of them, and even Eldrin looks thoughtful, his frown easing. When he stops snarling and scowling, he's pretty handsome. You could never call him beautiful like I would with most of the elves, male and female alike, he's too masculine, but he has his own beauty. Sensing my gaze, he looks at me, and I wait for his expression to immediately shut down, but to my surprise, it doesn't. In fact, his expression is intense as he stares at me, and I find myself locked in his gaze.

"You said she threatened you? What with?" Vaeril queries, pulling me from my staring match. Glancing around, I see Naril watching me with narrowed eyes, which I quickly avoid before turning to Vaeril, trying to focus on what he asked.

Get it together, Clarissa , I chide myself. Closing my eyes, I think back to my meeting with the queen. "Do you know about her ladies-in-waiting?"

I don't say anything else, I don't need to, their expressions tell me all I need to know. They are aware of the queen's ladies-in-waiting. Does the whole kingdom know, or is it just those who are close to the queen? I understand now why they are made to wear those large cloaks with the hoods hiding their faces. Nausea threatens to take over as I remember. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I continue, "Well, they removed their hoods. The queen told me there was more than one way to silence me if she couldn't kill me." A tense, heavy silence greets my words, and as I look around, I see even Naril appears angry on my behalf. Vaeril shifts, and I turn to face him, seeing his hands clenched into fists as he tries to control his temper, his fae instincts riding him hard.

They might be upset by that, but I've been threatened my whole life. The thing that truly scares me is the destructive potential she has with her power. "Her death magic scared me." My admission is quiet, but I'm not ashamed to admit my fear, since any sane, rational person would be afraid of that.

"Wait," Vaeril says, confusion clear on his face. "Death magic?"

Frowning, I nod. "Yeah, she touched the flowers in the garden, encouraging them to grow with her magic, but when I left, everything she touched was dead." A shudder overtakes me as I describe what I saw, but the looks the three elves are trading distract me.

"That's a new skill," Naril comments casually, relaxing back in his chair with a thoughtful expression.

"She certainly couldn't do that the last time I was here," Vaeril agrees, looking troubled as he reaches up and rubs at his brow.

"Wait, the queen has new magic?" I ask. The prospect of gaining new magic is a confusing and scary thought. Can the queen just continue to pull more magic towards her, becoming more and more powerful? "I didn't know that was possible."

"It shouldn't be," Eldrin grumbles.

Everyone falls into silence again, and I notice Vaeril's attention on my arm and the blood staining my dress. I'm surprised he's managed to hold out as long as he has. "How did you get that cut on your arm? You said something about a sea elf?" he finally inquires.

"She stepped in front of the judgement guard," Eldrin says in a despairing voice before I can say anything.

"You did what?" Vaeril turns on me, wearing an expression like he can't decide whether to be shocked or angry. Naril flashes me an impressed look, but I almost miss it because when I glance his way, he's just wearing his usual amused smirk.

I glare at Eldrin over my shoulder before turning to Vaeril in confusion. "Wait, what's a judgement guard?"

"The elf with the dagger," Eldrin tells me, and I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "He carries out the queen's judgement, but mostly they collect taxes from those who fail to pay," he explains, moving away from the wall and lumbering over to glare down at me. This makes me angry, so I push up from my chair and stand in front of him, crossing my arms over my chest to show he's not going to push me around or make me feel bad about what I did.

"He was going to cut off the sea elf's arm. No one did anything, they just stood by and listened to his screams," I tell them, looking at the other two. "I may not know elvish, but I know a cry for mercy when I hear one."

"She jumped in front of a swinging dagger, then, in front of everyone, paid the sea elf's tax." Eldrin talks over the top of my head as he addresses Vaeril.

Naril groans, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see him lowering his head into his hands. I know I caused a scene, but I also get the impression I've committed some faux pas. "It was the right thing to do. I wasn't going to stand there and let that happen when I could help!" I throw my arms in the air in exasperation. I can't believe their reactions and lack of humanity.

Vaeril shifts behind me, and the next thing I know, he's at my side, pulling me away from the frowning elf mountain and into his arms. "Oh, Clarissa, my sweet mate," he mumbles against my hair, and the bond between us hums with happiness. Something seems to have changed, like he's finally letting himself follow his instincts. I'm curious as to what has changed, but I know now is not the time to ask.

"Stupid, more like," Naril mutters from somewhere in the room. I want to throw something at him, but the desire fades since I'm too busy enjoying being in Vaeril's arms, my anger melting away.

Unfortunately, he loosens his hold and pulls back, his expression turning into one of reproach. "Yes, you did a good thing, but did you not think what the queen might make of that?" he asks, and I frown. What does he mean? I don't think she would be too happy, but she wouldn't be upset about something so small, would she?

Vaeril notices that I don't understand, his expression hardening. "You're supposed to follow her bidding, and the first thing you do is publicly disagree with her judgement."

It suddenly sinks in. She's going to think I did this as an act of rebellion against her, especially when it was so public. Even if the guards didn't tell her, there were so many watching that she's bound to find out from someone. Panic sets in. "No—I… It wasn't like that." My voice is high as I adamantly shake my head, a fine tremble taking over my body. Vaeril instinctively takes a step closer, feeling my fear through the bond.

"I know that," he says, his voice somber. "But she doesn't, and what do you think the rebels will think?"

"Mother above," I curse, the words breathy. Hugging my arms to my body, I hold them close, as if I can stop the trembling. I haven't felt this small and uncertain in a long time. I flick my gaze up to Vaeril, hating the look of sympathy in his eyes. "What do I do?"

"We'll leave in the morning and visit the wood elves for a couple of days. You'll do as she asked, and when we return, she might have calmed down by then," Vaeril answers with conviction, trying to reassure me, but his face is tight, and I know he thinks it's a huge risk.

"Do you think that will work?" I ask the room. Naril won't meet my eyes, but Eldrin is still watching me with an intense look.

"I don't know, but we can pray."