Chapter 6

A s the dagger swings towards my face, I arch my back, narrowly avoiding the blade as it arcs above my head. Swinging my staff, I raise it to counterattack like Eldrin taught me, aiming to disarm, and then I jab towards the attacker, but I'm too slow. They've already moved. The momentum from my failed attempt makes me stumble. Growling in frustration, I spin on my toes. Never leave your back unguarded. Eldrin's words from his lessons are practically shouting in my head. Are you trying to get yourself killed?

My lungs burn as I bounce on my feet, my body sweating and exhausted as I face my opponent, who is watching me with his arms crossed. He appears completely unruffled, his eyebrow raised and his countenance completely unimpressed.

"What was that supposed to be?" Eldrin drawls.

Realising he's not going to attack me again, I plant the end of my staff into the ground and crouch as I try to catch my breath, using the weapon to stop myself from falling over. "You're too fast," I mutter, rolling my head back to stretch out my aching neck.

When I arrived at the training area this morning, Eldrin told me we were going for another run, but he instructed me to bring my staff. He'd been quiet, but I could feel his eyes on me as we ran, and when I stumbled and had to stop to catch my breath, he didn't chastise me. As we ran, I realised he was taking me back to the valley, his quiet place, and that made me look at him in a different light. I'm not sure why, but the fact he's willing to share it with me, to train me here, means something to me. We made our way past the ridge we stood on yesterday and ran along a winding path down to the bottom of the valley.

He hasn't said a single word to me since we left the tribes, which is not all that unusual, but he also hasn't been scowling at me. I would have asked him why he was acting so…different, but as soon as we reached the bottom of the valley, he started my training immediately.

"No," he corrects, and the sound of footsteps has me raising my head to find him offering me his hand. "You are just too slow." Frowning, I take his hand, standing up with a groan as my body protests. Eldrin crosses his arms over his chest again, looking stern as I brush myself down. "You're not using your fae abilities," he accuses.

Sighing, I look away, staring at the small copse of trees in the distance. I've been unable to access my speed and strength like I had yesterday, much to my disappointment. I brace myself for his abuse, for him to berate me and tell me I'm useless.

"You're fast for a human, but you won't win against an elf."

Shocked at the partial compliment, I turn to look at him, only to find him staring at me intently. He seems to be waiting for something, some sort of reaction from me, but as I continue to stare at him in confusion, he takes another step towards me, his anger rising now. "If I wasn't holding back, I would have killed you." He emphasises the words to get his point across, but I don't react.

What is going on with him today? He's been quiet, but he usually picks fights with me every other conversation. Even during my training when I'm not doing what he says, he's scolding me, but with none of the bite I typically expect from him.

Shaking my head, I pick up my staff, ready to go should I need to. "What's going on?" My eyes skim over him. He looks tense, although my question seems to surprise him. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"You think this is nice?" he queries with a short laugh. Ignoring the flip in my chest at the sight of his smile, I arch a single eyebrow. He knows exactly what I'm talking about. Taking in my expression, he frowns again and nods his head once, letting out a frustrated breath. "I'm not very good at this… I heard what you said the other night, and I want to be worthy of a place at your side, even if friendship is all that is… I'm trying."

His words floor me. Is this really Eldrin? The same elf who regularly instigates fights and is sullen and rude? I can't even begin to describe how much his declaration means to me. He's centuries old, set in his ways, and has even more emotional baggage than I do, but he's willing to try and change for me.

Without even realising what I'm doing, I take a step towards him, reaching out. "Eldrin…" I don't know what I would have done if I touched him, but the desire to be closer to him, to show him what his words mean to me are driving my actions. There's a look of longing on his face, but at the last second, he turns and starts walking away from me, leaving my hand grasping empty air. Frowning at the disappointment piercing my chest, I stand and watch him.

Glancing over his shoulder, he realises I'm not following and frowns, gesturing for me to hurry up. "Come. Let's try something else," he demands. His voice is back to normal, that soft tone he used is gone, and it snaps me into action.

Minding my staff, I jog to his side, watching him out of the corner of my eye. "No more fighting?" We're walking towards the small grove of trees, which surprises me. We've never done training that involved anything like this before.

"No, the chief is going to teach you to fight, my job is to help you access your fae side." He frowns like he can't work out why he's been picked to be the one to do this, but shakes his head and gestures to the trees ahead of us. "I thought you'd feel more at home here."

I discovered that while I was part elf, I wasn't a high elf like Vaeril and my friends, but wood elf. When I visited them in the forest before we had to escape to the mountains, I had never felt more at home anywhere else, and if I'm being honest, although we weren't there long, I miss it. Speaker Hawthorn and a couple of the other elves there worked their way into my heart. And it wasn't just the elves, but the forest too. The whole place felt welcoming, my body feeling alive while being surrounded by the magic of the trees.

Walking up to the copse, Eldrin stops just as he reaches the edge of the grove and gestures for me to go first. Looking up at the towering trees, I smile as I walk past him, reaching out and brushing my hand over one of the trunks. They're much smaller and slimmer than the trees in the elves' forest, and the leaves in the canopy are a brighter green, the sun filtering through and landing on the mossy ground in a dappled pattern. I can feel Eldrin's gaze on me, but I'm busy concentrating on the sensation of the trees around me. As I move deeper, it becomes colder as the leaves above get thicker, blocking out the sun, but that doesn't bother me. Closing my eyes, I stretch my awareness, taking a deep, calming breath.

The trees aren't sentient here, it's like they're…slumbering. In the ancient forest where the wood elves live, the trees spoke to me, welcomed me. It's very different here, the presence of magic is missing. However, there is an overall feeling of awareness, of them being connected, and with my senses extended like this, I am connected to them too. It's peaceful here, and as I push my consciousness into the ground around me, I feel my worries disappear. Something catches my attention, and I know it's Eldrin slowly making his way towards me.

"I was right."

Opening my eyes, I turn to ask him what he's talking about, only to find that I'm surrounded by greenery. Shoots and buds are sprouting from the ground in an almost perfect ring around me. My mouth drops open and I jump out of the circle, making sure not to crush any of the plants. "What happened?" I gasp, staring at the still growing shoots. This isn't possible. I gape as I watch a wildflower bloom from nothing.

"You accessed your fae side," he explains, and again, I feel his gaze on me, but I can't pull my attention from the spectacle in front of me. "Being here seems to help you ground yourself and let your magic free, allowing you to link with that part of yourself." That catches my attention.

My magic? Moving away from the still growing patch of flowers, I notice that the farther away I go, the more the growth seems to slow down, but I'm too focused on what he just said. My mind spins. I've been told more times than I can count by the magicians in Arhaven that I don't have magic, that my gifts are something else. I must be misunderstanding what he's saying. Looking up, I find Eldrin watching me with a thoughtful expression. "Explain elf magic to me."

His eyebrows shoot up at my demand, and for a moment I think he's going to bark at me, to tell me he's not my slave, but to my surprise, he leans against a tree and pulls his dagger from the sheath at his waist. "It's not magic like your magicians possess." He snarls the word ‘magician,' and I can practically feel his hatred for them from here as he carves a stick he found on the ground with his blade.

I'm suddenly grateful Eldrin was not there when Grayson found me during our escape to the mountains. The elf queen had just declared me a traitor, and we were running to the mountain tribes, and somehow, Grayson managed to track me down with our partially formed bond. It hadn't been the smoothest of reunions, given he thought Vaeril abducted me and the two of them tried to kill each other. Eldrin had been tortured for years and has a lot of unresolved rage, especially for the scarring on his face. I know he blames the magicians personally for that. Eventually, the two are going to meet, and when they do, I'm not quite sure how it's going to go down.

"All fae are magical," Eldrin finally continues, still carving the now hacked piece of wood in his hands. "We carry it in our blood, and in elves, that shows in different ways. For the sea elves, they can survive underwater far longer than should be possible and predict storms. Some of their strongest can control the water to certain extents." I'm listening intently, his voice hypnotic. His gaze flicks up from his blade, and he nods, gesturing towards me with the knife. "Wood elves can communicate with nature and encourage growth. Some can speak with the creatures of the forests too, but I don't know much about that." Nodding to acknowledge I heard him, I step closer so I can hear him better. I don't think I've ever heard him say so much in one go, and I don't think it'll happen again, so I'm making the most of it. "All high elves have a small amount of power. We are trained from a young age to push that power into metal to create our weapons, and our strongest become our greatest blacksmiths."

Images of Vaeril slaving away in a forge push their way into my mind. My heart clenches at the thought of him being a prisoner for so many years, locked away in that sweltering underground room, forced to make weapons to be used against his own kind. Elven weaponry is some of the sturdiest material known to man and one of the reasons they have survived against the magicians on the battlefield. Not only is it strong and almost impossible to break, but if the rumours are true, some of the weapons have powers. I once heard one of the soldiers returning from battle talking of a hammer that, when it hit the ground, emitted a shock wave so large that it knocked back twenty men. Which was why when I discovered and liberated Vaeril from the castle in Arhaven, I stopped the human's access to elven weaponry.

Oblivious to where my mind has wandered, Eldrin continues. "Most high elves don't have enough power to do anything else with it, but we are generally faster and stronger than the sea and wood elves." I wonder how true that is but keep my thoughts to myself. "Within the royal line, there is some magical talent. You've witnessed the queen's…abilities firsthand." Eldrin pulls a face. The forsaken. Somehow, the queen is creating and controlling them. We still don't know how she does it, we didn't even know it was possible to create the forsaken, let alone control them, but we do know that to become, one the host has to die. She had an army of them, two of whom were my friends. Pain stabs at my chest, and I screw my eyes shut to block out the images. Instantly, my bonds flare to life. My mates feel my pain and distress, and they're reaching out to me, trying to soothe me. Vaeril with his steady calmness, Grayson with his unending love, and Tor with his larger than life presence.

Eldrin doesn't ask if I'm okay, he doesn't question what's wrong or pry, but I feel him shift his weight and move closer to me. I shouldn't know these things. My senses are no longer extended, so I shouldn't be able to tell that he's watching me, or that he's trying to decide if he should reach out and touch me. We don't have a fated bond, I can't sense others this way, so why is he different? I don't move, keeping my eyes closed and my attention fully attuned on the elf behind me, and I realise the pain has gone and the memories have faded. I'd been so focused on him that the all-consuming grief and guilt waned to the background. It will never fully go away, I will carry it with me always, like I will carry the memories of those I failed with me.

Taking a deep breath, I focus on the sounds around me. The gentle breeze in the trees, the warmth of the sun filtering through the leaves and onto my skin, the gentle nudge of the forest at my awareness. Opening my eyes, I look over at the patch of wildflowers and plants where I pushed my senses into the ground. Amazement courses through me that I was able to create something so beautiful, so alive. The queen made flowers grow, only for them to die minutes later, am I really any different? Doubt courses through me as I remember the queen's show of power back in Galandell when she was trying to scare me—she succeeded.

Except yours is thanks to your wood elf heritage, not death magic , I remind myself, but that doesn't stop me from glancing over at the flowers to check if they're still alive.

Thinking over everything Eldrin told me about the elves' magic, I frown as I remember seeing Vaeril's glowing hands on several occasions, and more than just when he was imbedding it into his weapons. "I've seen Vaeril use magic before, his hands were glowing…" Horror struck, I spin around to look at Eldrin, who put his dagger away. He's standing a couple of paces from me with a look of bored amusement on his face. "Wait… Is Vaeril related to—"

"No," he scoffs, and I sigh with relief. I'm not sure I could cope if they were related. "There's some distant royalty in his ancestry, it must have passed down to him," he reasons.

There's a pause as I nod, and we look at each other, his gaze intense, the silence stretching. "How did you know?" I finally inquire, breaking the tension building between us. Eldrin raises a single eyebrow, the corner of his lips twitching up, and I realise I've asked half a question. "That being surrounded by the forest would help release my fae abilities?" I rush to finish, flushing as he starts strolling towards me, that determined look on his face again.

"I guessed," is all he replies, still moving towards me. Frowning, I take a step back as he gets closer, not sure what he's about to do. "Now, protect yourself," he barks, suddenly launching himself at me, his dagger flashing in his hand seemingly from nowhere.

Instinctively, I drop to the ground and roll to the side, springing up into a defensive position and spinning to face him, snarling as I reach for my staff. Except when I rolled to avoid his attack, I lost it. Scanning the ground, I see it among the bracken. Eldrin is standing between me and my weapon, and from the smug look on his face, he knows it. Patting the hilt at my waist, I find the dagger still hanging there, but I don't pull it out, not yet. I'm not very good with a blade, and unless I'm up close, it's useless. Besides, if I'm that close to Eldrin, I've lost. I've never once won against him when I'm that close. I need to keep him at arm's length.

Eldrin takes a step towards me, and I take a step back, mirroring the movement. He moves, I move. "What are you going to do now?" he goads, knowing that without my staff, I have little fighting skill. The staff has been my strongest weapon so far, and I know if I can get it back, I have a chance. "Use every advantage you have. Focus on your speed, your strength, they are your weapons just as much as that staff."

He separated me from the staff on purpose, I realise. He's forcing me out of my comfort zone to embrace this other side of myself, and here, in the forest, I'm not being watched by anyone else. There are no expectations from anybody, it's just the two of us.

"Stop overthinking," he snaps, sheathing his dagger and charging me. I don't have time to think as he moves in a blur, almost too fast for me to see. Jumping to the side, I narrowly avoid his grasping hands before dropping into a crouch and kicking my leg out to instinctively try and trip him. A part of my brain recognises that I'm moving far too fast, but I'm fully focused on the large elf who is bearing down on me. He avoids my leg, but it throws off his momentum. Swinging the dagger towards me again, I leap back and look at my staff. I'm a little closer, thanks to his attack, but not close enough. I may be fast, but looking away costs me precious seconds in which he closes the gap between us, grabbing me and twisting me so my back is against his chest before wrapping his arms around me. I know in a real fight, I would be dead right now, but with Eldrin, it's not over until he says it's over. Kicking my leg back, I try to hook it around his or cause him pain to make him drop me, but other than a quiet grunt, it has no effect. I throw my weight, trying to drop to the ground, but that doesn't work either. Even with full fae strength, I'm never going to be stronger than him. "Use every advantage you have." His words echo in my mind. Perhaps he's not talking about strength. Is he talking about…womanly advantages? Blushing, I instantly push that thought aside.

The wind blows through the trees, caressing my skin, and I realise what he was suggesting. Closing my eyes, I make my body go still as I extend my senses once more. Welcoming the forest, I try to make my intentions clear and project what I want to do. At first, I'm not sure if it's working, nature doesn't speak to me here like it does in the wood elves' forest, but when Eldrin grunts, I open my eyes. From the way he's holding me I can't see much, however from the corner of my eye, I can see plants crawling along his arms where they restrain his chest. He grunts again and suddenly lets me go. Sprawling to the ground, I crawl to a safe distance and turn around, my eyes wide.

Brambles have burst from the soil and are climbing up his body, holding him in place, the thorns piercing his skin as the vines tighten against him. Blood rolls down his arms from where the sharp barbs cut him, yet he doesn't cry out, only a low groan escapes him as more plants grow over him.

"Mother above!" I gasp, horrified at the sight. I did this. I know he could break from the plants, but he's not fighting it, why?

His body trembles with pain as the plants continue to grow and wrap around him, lifting him from the ground, yet he still doesn't say a word. His eyes flick over to mine, and I suddenly realise what's happening. He's having a flashback, he's reliving his years of torture.

I have to stop this.

"Stop," I tell the plants, my voice cracking with emotion, yet nothing happens. If anything, they seem to be spurred on by my fear and pain, swathing around him further. Eldrin's head falls back, his eyes going wide, and I know he's not here with me anymore, his mind lost to the terror of his memory. "No!" The word is dragged from my lips as panic flares in my chest. Almost as if in time with my heartbeat, I see a thick vine snaking up his torso, and I know without a doubt it's going to wrap around his neck. The forest is trying to protect me from the threat, and if I can't control it, Eldrin is going to die.

I'm still sprawled on the ground, so I get onto all fours, and with tears rolling down my cheeks, I dig my hands into the mossy ground. Slamming my awareness into the forest, I demand it listen to me. "Stop!" I command, the power in my voice making the hair on my arms stand on end. Instantly, the plants freeze. "Let him go," I continue, the ground beneath me shaking, but I ignore it, focusing on the motionless elf suspended above the forest floor. Slowly, the vines unwind and drop him, retreating into the ground. Fighting the need to run over to him, I wait until the forest has settled in my mind. My heart is still pounding, and although I'm terrified of what nature did to him, I know it was only because of my doing. "Thank you," I whisper before pulling my awareness away, feeling the gentle caress of the forest against my mind.

Yanking my hands from the dirt, I run over to Eldrin's groaning form. He's lying on his side, his golden hair covering his face so I can't see if he's awake or not. His clothes are slashed from the thorns, and his bronze skin is marked and bleeding. I kneel at his side just as he sits up, his eyes narrowing on me as I reach out to touch him, but I don't let that deter me as I lean over and examine the wounds on his chest. While there are many of them, they don't appear to be too deep, other than the one on his right shoulder. When I pull back to look at his face, I realise how close I am to him. Sitting back on my heels, I avert my gaze, unable to meet his as shame runs through me. "Eldrin, I'm so sorry—"

"Well done," he interrupts, his voice gruff.

Confused, my eyes shoot up to his, forgetting my shame in my surprise. "What?" I don't think he's ever praised me before, and he appears just as uncomfortable giving it to me as I am receiving it.

"You accessed your abilities," he says simply. In fact, he sounds angry that he's even having to explain, like I should know this already. "I told you to use your advantages. You're never going to beat me with weapons." Groaning, he leans forward and presses the heels of his hands against his eyes. I watch him with a frown. His behaviour is completely out of character for him. I would expect him to be furious at me—after all, I just stabbed him multiple times with plants—but he's congratulating me? Did I break him? Eldrin has never been the type of instructor who has been quick to praise. But here he is, talking about training, whereas my mind is stuck on the fact I could have killed him.

I can feel his gaze on me, and I suddenly realise I've been staring at my dirt-stained hands. I look up and meet his golden eyes. "You're strong, considering you are only a quarter elf though," he ponders, his eyes narrowing on me, and I ready myself for him to berate me. "And not subtle. At all."

I stare at him in stunned silence, waiting for the reality of what just happened to hit him. Except it doesn't, or he doesn't seem to care what I just did to him. Am I really any better than those people who hurt him all those years ago? Or the queen? "That's your complaint?" My voice threatens to break, so I push my anger into it, not wanting him to see how much this has upset me. "That I wasn't subtle?" I have to work really hard to keep my tone even, but the leftover fear from thinking that I was going to lose him is making me angry. "I nearly killed you!"

He snorts. "Hardly," he drawls, but his eyes are still examining my face carefully.

I'm torn between shaking him and pulling him into my arms and hugging him. My jumbled thoughts are a mess, my chest aches as my bonds twist, and my mates feel my distress, trying to reach me through our connections. I know I should reach out, soothe them, but my whole focus is on the pained expression of the scarred elf in front of me.

"I thought—" My throat constricts, cutting off my words as I think of the reality of what almost just happened. If that's how these plants reacted to me in need when I called for their aid, what would it be like in the wood elves' forest where the trees were sentient? "I thought I'd killed you. I could never live with myself if I had done that." My voice is a whisper now, and I can't hide my emotion from him anymore. His expression softens as he sees the pain on my face. He reaches out slowly towards me, as if worried I might shy away from his touch, but when I don't, his finger brushes my cheek with a feather light caress, wiping away the tears that still cling there. When he pulls away, I release a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding, my head a little dizzy, whether from lack of air or from his touch, I'm not sure.

Kneeling on the mossy ground, we continue to watch each other warily, neither one of us moving or making any indication that we should go. Something has changed between us, and I'm not quite sure what. He's covered in wounds, and I know we should go back, get him checked over, but I don't want to break this moment between us—whatever this is. Besides, then that will mean admitting to everyone exactly what I'm capable of, and I'm not sure I'm ready for them to know. For them to look at me like I'm a monster.

However, eventually, my sensible side wins out. I can't leave Eldrin in pain just to save my ego. Shifting my weight, I look down at my hands and then back up to his face.

"I triggered you." It's a statement rather than a question, and if I wanted an answer, I would have been disappointed since he only glances away, his jaw tightening. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that was going to happen." I gently place my hand on the back of his, one of the only places free of wounds from the thorns that had torn his skin. His head spins back around with that unnatural fae speed, and his eyes narrow on my hand, but he doesn't pull away. After a few seconds, his gaze flicks up to mine.

"That's why we're training," he replies, his hand turning over briefly so his fingers twine with mine before pulling away with a wince. "To discover what your strengths are."

My hand tingles from our contact, but I frown as he presses a hand to his side with a hiss of pain. "Are you okay?" Worry courses through me. The cuts seemed to be mostly surface wounds, only the one on his shoulder had worried me a little more, but his reaction concerns me. I should have insisted that we head back straightaway rather than wait.

Waving me off, he starts to push up to his feet. "I'm healing already," he grumbles, wincing as he tenderly rolls his wounded shoulder. Glancing down at his chest and now ruined shirt, he glowers at the offending fabric before grabbing it between his hands and tearing it off. My eyes briefly roam over his bare chest. He's covered in scars, but that does nothing to take away from his incredible physique. He's got a warrior's body, all toned muscles and tan skin. Although it's currently stained with blood and peppered with half healed gashes. Reaching up, he pokes at the still oozing wound on his shoulder with a grimace. "Let's not try the nature stuff again today though."

Realising I've been watching him the whole time from the ground, I quickly stand up, brushing the bracken and dirt from my leggings, pretending that I've not just been staring at him the whole time. Looking away, I walk to the nearest tree to stretch out my legs, but really, I want an excuse to put some distance between us. My fingers brush the tree as I pass it, and I immediately fall to my knees as a wave of feeling washes over me.

"Clarissa?" Eldrin calls out, and he's at my side in a heartbeat. His palms hover above me, but he doesn't touch, his eyes glued to where my hand is pressed against the tree.

The world seems to spin around me as something taps on my awareness. I don't think it means me any harm, but there is a sense of urgency there. Throwing caution to the wind, I decide to risk it and open my consciousness. At once, the plants of the grove enter my mind. Like before, they don't have a singular voice, but more like a hive mind with overall feelings rather than formed words. However, that doesn't stop me from understanding what they're trying to tell me—a warning. Thanking them with my thoughts, I pull my hand away and screw my eyes shut for a moment while my awareness settles back into my mind. I can feel Eldrin starting to lose his patience beside me, his low growl rumbling through my chest, and I know I can't leave him hanging for much longer.

"Something's coming," I whisper.

Eldrin's growl stutters for a second before starting up again with vigour, and I feel him move closer, no doubt into a defensive stance, misunderstanding and thinking we're under an immediate threat. "What do you mean?" His voice has deepened with his anger, and I can feel him preparing to fight.

Opening my eyes, I clear my throat and take a deep breath, needing to explain. "The trees, they're warning me," I tell him, my voice stronger now. Turning to look at Eldrin, I try to hide my worry, but I know he sees right through it. "We need to get back to the tribes, someone's coming."

The race back to the tribes is difficult.

Both Eldrin and I are exhausted. Whatever ‘power' I used while communicating with nature has drained me, and although he's pretending otherwise, Eldrin is in pain. After a gruelling training session like the one we just had, even without the plant magic, I wouldn't usually be expected to run back. Eldrin may be a taskmaster, but even he isn't that cruel. Yet we can both feel the urgency of my words from the grove, and there's something in the air that gives me a little nudge every time we pause to catch our breath.

"Keep going," it whispers. "They need you."

Although I get the impression we're running out of time, I don't feel like we're in danger, which is a difficult concept to explain to the snarling elf at my side. Trusting in my gut feeling and the Great Mother who is guiding me, I simply dig deep and keep running.

As we near the meeting place where the tribes gather, I see two figures running towards us, my chest warming. Of course my mates would be waiting here to meet us, having felt my distress earlier, and then with our hasty return, they would have known something was wrong.

Vaeril is much faster, making it to us in what seems like seconds, his hands gripping my shoulders, bringing me to a halt as his eyes frantically scan me for injuries. Eldrin stumbles to a stop at my side, which catches Vaeril's attention. Hissing like a cat, my mate turns to his friend, who is leaning forward to catch his breath, which for Eldrin is a sign of weakness he would never usually show.

Tor reaches me and pulls me against his chest. "Clarissa." His deep voice rumbles through my body, and I release a sound of contentment as his arms wrap around me. Closing my eyes, I allow myself a couple of moments of comfort, but we can't rest, not yet. A gust of wind signals the arrival of another elf, and when I open my eyes, I see Naril gripping Eldrin's shoulders as he tries to get a response from his brother. It seems now that he's stopped, weariness has overtaken him, and I don't blame him. Even now, I can feel fatigue crawling along my limbs, making each one heavy.

Naril spins to face me, his teeth bared and his golden eyes wild. "What happened?" he demands, his voice forceful. I've never seen Naril like this before. His behaviour is more like what I'd expect from his brother, and I instinctively take a step back, only to bump into Tor's solid chest. Vaeril frowns and places a hand on his friend's shoulder, clearly worried about Eldrin but equally protective of me and still trying to get his own answers as to what's happened.

"I will tell you, I promise," I start, feeling the need to keep moving as I take Tor's hand and begin walking in the direction of the camp, dragging him behind me. "But we need to get back to the tribe—"

"No!" Naril shouts, appearing in front of me, startling me to a stop as he blocks my path. "Not until I know what happened to him."

Tor moves behind me defensively, and I know if I don't settle this soon a fight is going to break out. "Please—"

"Clarissa! I need to know how to help him," Naril begs, his face falling as he gestures behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I see that Vaeril is talking to Eldrin in a low voice, and the scarred elf is leaning against my mate for strength. His wounds are mostly healed, but some of the larger ones are still bleeding and his chest is still a mess of blood. "He's my brother. Please."

Meeting his golden eyes, eyes like his brother's, I take a deep breath and prepare for their horror. "It was my fault, I accessed my wood elf magic." My words are quiet, as if by saying it softly, it could take away the awfulness of what happened. "We were sparring, and I spread my awareness like he instructed. The plants…well, they reacted." Naril is frowning now, and I can't look at him anymore. I don't want to see his reaction when he realises I am the reason his brother is like this.

"What do you mean?"

Looking down at my clasped hands, I notice I still have dirt around my nails. "They protected me."

There's a pause as he absorbs what I've just said, and I wait for his hatred. "You're telling me plants did this to him?" The surprise in Naril's voice makes me look up. There's no hint of disgust or anger there, just pure shock. Not knowing how to answer, I simply nod. "They must have done a number on him if healing the wounds is taking this much energy." Naril is looking at his brother again, shaking his head as a rueful smile appears. "He's never going to live this down."

Surprise runs through me at his joke, but I can see the concern for Eldrin in his gaze. Still, I wait for his scorn, for some sort of backlash for causing harm to his brother, but it never comes.

Go, beloved. The Mother's voice echoes in my mind, and I'm jolted into action. Before it was just nature warning me, along with a gut instinct, but now that I've got a direct warning from the goddess herself, I know I need to move.

"We have to go back to the tribes, someone's coming." Everyone's attention shifts to me, and Tor spins me around to face him, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"Are we under attack?"

"Is it the queen?"

Tor and Vaeril speak at the same time, and I shake my head, already moving towards the tribes. "I don't think so, but I know it's important we're there."

Tor follows after me, but I glance over my shoulder to see what the others are doing. The two elves are moving towards Eldrin and trying to put their arms around him, except he snarls at them, pushing them away. His eyes are searching for something. He seems to settle when he sees me and stands up as straight as his healing wounds will allow him, hiding his injuries with a snarl as Naril reaches out to him again.

"Get off me," he mutters, but the words lack heat as he follows in a slow jog.

Thankfully, the meeting place isn't far and it doesn't take us long to get there. When we do, the watchers must have alerted Revna and the chiefs that something was going on, because as soon as we set foot into the camp, I see my aunt striding towards me. Except right now, it's not Aunt Revna heading my way, but the high chief, her face set into a grim expression, with Chief Arne and a couple of the others following behind. She must have been in the middle of a meeting when we arrived.

"What's happened?" she demands, her eyes scanning me and then taking in Eldrin's bloody state with a wince.

"Someone's coming." The confidence in my voice has her looking back at me in a flash. There's a pause, then she nods her head, glancing around as if searching for an invisible enemy.

"Friend or foe?" she asks, and the fact she believes me almost makes me sag with relief. I had been dreading having to try and convince her to trust the fact that I just knew. After all, if I said the trees told me, she would think I was mad. I'm about to explain that I'm not sure when an odd call cuts through the camp. It sounds almost like a bird's cry, like that of a hawk, except the effect it has on the tribespeople is instantaneous. Everyone stops what they're doing and reaches for a weapon as they wait for further instruction.

Revna curses and turns to the chiefs who are with her. "Go to your people, you know what to do." They nod and break apart until we're left with only my aunt. Turning back to us, she grits her teeth then blows out a breath. "Stay with me," is all she says before turning and striding off.

We don't get far before one of the watchmen runs up to us. "High Chief!" he calls out, stopping us in our tracks. "Strangers! At the edge of the camp!" The man is familiar, and I recognise him as one of the men from the training area yesterday. He's obviously trying not to look at me, which I don't understand, since he didn't have a problem with it yesterday. "They say they're here peacefully and want an audience with the beloved?" he finishes, his eyes finally flicking to me, and I realise why with a sinking feeling.

Mother above. We were too late. Whoever it is I was being warned about is already here, we just have to pray they don't mean us any harm.

Everyone looks at me. There are only a certain amount of people who call me ‘beloved,' but that doesn't mean the queen hasn't found out and is using it to get to me. I wouldn't put it past her.

Revna and the watchman have been discussing something while I've been internally panicking, but she dismisses him, and I realise I still have no idea what's happening. "Wait," I call out as he turns to leave. "Did they say who they are?"

"No," he replies with a shrug. "But it was pretty easy to see who they were, I could see their ears from a mile away." He glances at my companions behind me, and although he tries to hide it, I can almost hear the sneer in his voice. "They are elves."