16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Aliya

A liya held the round disc of her magic in front of her as Cressida pummeled her with arrow after magical arrow. Sweat dripped from her brow into her eyes, blurring her vision. Her concentration slipped and one of Cressida's bolts got through, hitting her in the arm.

"Ouch!"

"Defend! How are you going to protect yourself if you can't maintain a basic cover?"

Aliya grunted, pulling more power and throwing it into her shield.

The air exploded. She landed on her butt with a yip.

"Too much! Have you forgotten everything you learned yesterday?" Cressida rubbed her temples. "You're extremely gifted, child. But you must learn to control the amount you use, or you will never master the results." She sighed. "Let's put this aside for the time being. I'd like to explore your abilities as they relate to shapeshifting."

Her shapeshifting? Uh, oh. "My shifting's always been easier to manage than the rest. Are they the same thing?"

"I'm not certain, but if one takes less effort than the other, perhaps we will be more successful in your training if we approach your magic through the lens of that particular ability."

Aliya tilted her head, absorbing Cressida's words. "Yes, I can give it a try. I'll need some water."

"Excellent." Cressida poured a tall glass from a pitcher Aliya hadn't noticed. "Center yourself on the feeling right before you change."

Aliya drank, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Now, reach for the magic. When you have a small tendril in hand, focus on adjusting the grass beneath you as though you were shapeshifting. Make it blue."

Aliya gave her heart a few beats to steady, then imagined pushing her ability into her feet.

"Close." Cressida's voice was strained, like she was trying to hold back a laugh.

Opening her eyes, Aliya glanced down. Heat flooded her face at the cerulean hue of her skin.

"You look like a water nymph."

Aliya held her arm out in front of her as she examined it. Was this what they looked like? They were supposed to be as elusive as dryads. "Good to know, for future reference." She swallowed and readjusted her skin tone.

The sparkle in Cressida's eyes enhanced her smile. "Try again. This time, extend the power beyond your body, out through your toes and into the surrounding glade."

"But what if I damage something permanently?" The last thing they needed were trees with blue leaves and bark.

"Don't worry. I'll stop you before it gets to that point."

An invisible weight lifted off her shoulders. Any consequences rested on Cressida's head if she failed, not on hers. With a deep breath, she let her vision blur out as she focused on the ground beneath her feet.

Cressida clapped. "Well done! And only on the second try! I think we may have found the key to unlocking your power."

She opened her eyes. An azure circle of grass, several footsteps wide, surrounded her.

Lindir burst through into the clearing, panting. He stared at Aliya for a heartbeat before turning his attention to his aunt.

Cressida glared at him. "What is it?"

He walked up and whispered in her ear.

Cressida's eyes widened as she glanced at Aliya.

"Take a break, child." She turned to Lindir. "I'll handle this." She left, heading back the way her nephew had come.

Aliya's pounding heart froze.

The young elf cast his gaze down, drawing a pattern in the grass with his toe. Several strands of hair fell across his face, hiding his eyes.

"Lindir?"

He ran his hand over his head, pulling the errant locks away and sighed. "I'm sorry. I—" Swallowing, he took a few steps toward her. "I was in the glade I showed you. In the gardens, with the fish."

She nodded, blood turning to ice.

"I overheard…well, the sun elf princess was there, talking with Elessan. She plans to use you as a political hostage against the human king."

Aliya's stomach crashed to the ground. She flung out her arms to keep her balance.

No. Not Elessan. He wouldn't. Such a backhanded, self-serving move was expected from her father, or the other nobles. But El was nothing like them.

She paused. Was he? How well did she really know him? She had been blind and na?ve to trust him so easily, just because he helped her in the woods.

Her vision turned watery as her eyes brimmed with tears. Lindir reached for her, but she jerked back out of his reach. "No. He wouldn't. You misheard." She slapped a few strands of loose hair away from her face.

Lindir's face softened. "I'm so sorry. I stayed long enough to confirm it. But don't worry—my aunt believes you'll make a more valuable ally. She'll talk to Princess Tsara, remind her you're not in sun elf lands and thus not in her jurisdiction."

Lindir kept talking, but she wasn't listening. He was wrong.

She grabbed his hand, cutting him off. "Come with me. I'll prove it to you."

He bit his lips as though that could hide the pity in his gaze.

Aliya narrowed her eyes and growled deep in her throat. She'd show him. Elessan had nothing planned today, and was going to sleep in. He'd told her so this morning.

Lindir followed, not resisting as she yanked his arm and doubled her speed. The heat of fear had been replaced with ice by the time Aliya shoved the curtain of vines out of the way. She lunged into the tree she shared with Elessan and Zadé.

"El!" She should've been worried that he might not be dressed yet. Barging into the bedroom with Lindir in tow would be awkward, to say the least. But she didn't care.

The bed was empty, the covers thrown aside as though he'd leapt from them suddenly. Butterflies fluttered in her gut. Something had happened. He had to be okay.

"Aliya."

Lindir's tone caught her attention. She pivoted, nailing him with her gaze.

He nodded toward Elessan's pack, tipped over like he'd kicked it and abandoned it there. Which was odd. El was always so protective of his backpack. The loosened knot unraveled as she grabbed the canvas bag. Her wanted poster from Westcliff tumbled onto the ground, followed by a large piece of parchment rolled up like a scroll and something about the size of her head covered in padded leather.

Aliya reached down and picked up the object. The material was soft and supple, like fleece-lined suede. She undid the buttons and peeled off the cover. "Wow." The mirror was a little larger than her hand and bordered with an off-white crystal. Quartz.

Elessan was full of surprises.

The handle turned warm and glowed a dull purple where her hand warmed it. The glass cleared, revealing a desk chair in front of a shelf of books and scrolls.

Valek.

She wrapped the mirror back in its protective case and shoved it with a little too much force into the backpack. Scrying mirrors were rare, and dangerous if one didn't know who was watching.

Elessan should have no need of such a thing… Unless he was more than a common messenger.

Lindir raised an eyebrow but didn't inquire further. He snatched the rolled parchment from the floor. He had the document open and rolled out on the bed before she could blink. "What's this?"

Aliya's jaw slackened as her fingers brushed over the lines inked in Elessan's own hand. "Lions Grove, Troutdale, Westcliff, Farnfoss…" All the towns she and Elessan had passed through since they met weeks ago.

"What's that flame-thing mean," Lindir asked, pointing at a symbol above Lions Grove.

Aliya consulted the map's legend. "Suspected presence of the Mage Underground."

"And the flame with the squiggle under it?" He directed her attention to Westcliff.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Confirmed location of the Mage Underground. Was he hunting for mages? For me?"

Lindir leaned closer, his breath tickling her ear as he looked over her shoulder. "I don't think so. At least, not just for you. See? He's got names written in various cities…Kavol Bluntforged by Westcliff, Danshor Torra by Ithabasa…"

Aliya blinked. Her memory of Westcliff wasn't the best, but she'd swear Kavol had been the name of the dwarf Elessan brought her to when she was wounded. He'd said something about not meeting until the following day. She sighed.

Lindir was still reading off names, but she quit listening.

Troop depots were highlighted. The major shipping routes were also marked, along with a red dotted line, which meant…She consulted the legend again. Famine supply lines.

Was there a food shortage she didn't know about? The lands they'd traveled through seemed healthy enough. The people had plenty to eat.

Perhaps the elves were planning to do something to the realm's harvest as part of their war strategy.

She couldn't allow that. Thousands of innocents would die. She pulled the paper closer, trying to absorb every detail.

All this info on the human realm, its strengths and weaknesses. This must have taken Elessan years to collect. Lead pooled in her gut as her blood turned to ice. The map trembled beneath her fingers. Aliya yanked her hands away, balling them into fists at her side as Lindir rolled up the parchment. "He's a spy."

It shouldn't feel like a huge betrayal. He was an elf, after all. And it's not like she was exactly human. Her vision went watery. She blinked hard, forcing the tears back. But he had seemed like such a nice guy…

How could she be so stupid? Not only did she fall for someone plotting to destroy her realm, but she let him manipulate her into marching straight into enemy territory for the elves to use as a hostage, and, as icing on the cake, she'd slept with him. Because she actually thought he had feelings for her.

Heat flooded her face. She swallowed past the lump in her throat.

She wouldn't cry in front of Lindir. Having already made a fool of herself with one elven male, the last thing she needed was to look foolish here, too.

Her father, Hart, and now Elessan.

She'd swear off men for the rest of her life.

"Come on, Svialto!" A feminine voice drifted through the doorway.

Valek! Her panicked gaze met Lindir's.

He waved to the far side of the room. "Quick! Behind the bed."

Aliya scrambled around and ducked down between the mattress and the wall as Lindir shoved the map into the backpack. He leaped and landed on silent feet beside her.

She should've burned the blasted map while she had the chance.

"Princess Enorathil!" Lady Cressida's exclamation cut through the curtain of vines over their door. "A word? Mountain elf, you're excused."

"No, Svialto." The princess was closer now. "Stay."

"I'll just go get you that thing I told you about, Tsara. You two can talk."

The vines brushed aside with a whisper as he approached the bedroom. Aliya hunkered as low as she could to the floor and held her breath as Elessan stopped in front of his pack.

"Valek," he murmured. "I thought I put this away." Something heavy landed on the bed. Footsteps receded.

Lindir relaxed beside her with a sigh.

"Here's your map, Tsara, as promised." The voices faded.

Aliya peeked over the edge of the mattress. Elessan's backpack sat on the blankets, the intricate sealing knot re-tied as usual. It was as if everything could go back to normal and Elessan hadn't been lying to her since she'd met him. As if sleeping with her hadn't been the final step to his plan.

And now her one shot to destroy the map and possibly save her realm was gone.

She really was a terrible judge of character, but it was hard to refute evidence seen with her own eyes. She'd known better than to fall for him, the first person who'd been kind to her after her wedding. When did she quit listening to that little voice of reason?

Ice water surged from the Elessan-shaped hole in her heart, threatening to overwhelm her.

She turned away from Lindir as her tears overflowed, cascading down her cheeks. With a jerking motion, she flung the liquid from her face.

"I need to be alone," she mumbled. After a few jolting steps around the bed, she escaped the inn and fled into the trees, not caring if he followed.

The sun was a finger's-width lower in the sky before the stitch in her side dulled the sharp pain of betrayal. She collapsed to all fours, sobs alternating with deep, heaving breaths.

As her weeping quieted, she studied her surroundings. Patches of purple flowers carpeted the glade. If life wasn't so terrible right now, this patch of woods would be quite stunning.

Gods. Lindir probably thought she was an imbecile and a fool. Hopefully he wouldn't come after her. She should've asked him to guide her back to the human lands. Of everyone here, he seemed like the one most inclined to actually help her.

Unlike Elessan.

It was too bad she didn't have more time to study under Cressida. In just two days, she'd learned more about her magic than she had in the rest of her life.

Something rustled in the bushes behind her. She jumped, spinning toward it.

A squirrel raced to a tree and scrambled up the trunk, disappearing into the canopy above.

Wiping the last of the tears away, she glanced around, keeping the lessons Elessan-the-traitor had taught her in mind. Her footprints in the soft dirt were a dead giveaway. It wouldn't take anyone, especially him, long to find her if she stayed here.

If she could change the color of grass, perhaps she could make her tracks look like something else.

If she only pulled the smallest amount of power for the task, in theory, she would be able to control it without Cressida's safeguards. Her magic shouldn't explode or set the whole area on fire.

Maybe she should let the woods burn, with Elessan and the sun-elf princess along with it. She held that rage close, savoring it for several heartbeats before setting it aside.

Burning the forest would destroy Cressida and Lindir's home, too. She had no quarrel with them. Since Elessan's life was tied with hers until she fulfilled her Irrevocable Vow, she could just refuse and take her revenge on him come the summer solstice…but she wanted to live to see many more seasons herself.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the tiny kernel within.

Maybe… "Deer tracks," she said aloud, pushing her magic into the dirt. A stag was big enough to disguise any branches she broke in her flight.

Her trail disappeared, replaced with dainty hoof prints. Nodding, she scooted back until tree bark pushed into her shoulders.

One problem fixed. Now, she needed a plan.

This clearing was as good a place as any to decide her next move. No way was she letting the elves use her as a hostage, which meant she couldn't stay here. Her training with Lady Cressida would be cut short, but she remembered the exercises the older woman taught her. She would continue honing her control on her own.

And thanks to Elessan's teaching, she was no longer incompetent in the woods. Hunting still made her cringe. But if she escaped and lost herself in the human lands, she could buy food. For a while, anyway.

She buried her face in her hands. Why did she sleep with him? How could she be so stupid?

Well, if she left, she'd never see him again. And would never breathe a word about their night together. It would be like the whole thing never happened.

Except it did.

"Ugh!" She tapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Think about something else, idiot." She took a deep breath. If she wanted to retrieve her things, including her money, she needed to sneak back into town.

She could impersonate Elessan. Or Lindir, or Cressida. Aliya peered at her clothes and frowned. No, not Lady Brightleaf. The older elf was too elegant to be caught dead wearing something as plain as Aliya's tunic.

Lindir enjoyed freedom to go where he pleased without raising suspicion. But if he saw her, it would be harder to explain to someone who didn't realize she was a shapeshifter.

Elessan it was, then.

"Aliya?"

Was she so obsessed she was imagining his voice in her head now?

"Aliya?" It came from the other side of her tree.

Nope, not in her head.

She scrambled up and lurched several steps backward. Calling on the kernel of power, she pulled out as much as she could confidently control. A ball of flames lit up her palm. Would more be better? Pink glitter wouldn't be too bad here…especially if it stuck to him. Permanently.

Knowing her luck, it'd be a lightning bolt, instead. She pared down her magic a little, to be safe.

Elessan stepped out from around the tree. His eyes widened as he stared at her fireball. "What are you doing?"

She took another step away. "Stay back! I won't be the elves' prisoner of war."

He rubbed his hand down his face and sighed. Meeting her gaze, he put his hands up and scooted back. "Aliya, you know me. I would never allow such a thing to happen. I would kill anyone who tried."

"Lindir says you and the sun elf princess are plotting to trade me to Malkov. And your map—"

"Lindir? You trust the lovesick kid over me?" Anger flashed across his face, replacing the crestfallen expression. "Look. I promised I'd protect you, and I'm a man of my word." He paused, taking a deep breath.

She clenched her jaw against the stabbing pain that slashed through her heart at the betrayal in his eyes.

"Princess Tsara is young, headstrong, and not as wise as her father. But the sun elf king and Lady Cressida are sensible. They both agree having the human queen as an ally outweighs any advantage the elves would gain using you as a hostage. You have nothing to fear." He took a tentative step forward.

She matched his advance with a stride back of her own.

Elessan's shoulders dropped. "I understand you have trust issues, after what your father did. But haven't I earned the benefit of the doubt by now?"

Aliya sighed. Perhaps. But she wasn't willing to gamble her safety and freedom. "But the map…"

"Valek." He pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and shook his head. "Aliya, that was all from before."

She wanted so much to believe him, but… "Before?"

"I've spent years, decades traveling the human realm, gathering intel and allies for the sun elf king. But then I met you and—" He swallowed and gestured to her neck. "Do you still have your mother's necklace? The one with the symbol of friendship on it?"

She clutched the pendant through her tunic and took another half-step back. "Yes. Why?"

"It doesn't actually mean friendship. It's my family crest. At the beginning of the war, a Larimar saved my mother's life. She gave that to him to mark the debt."

Her fingers itched to pull the medallion out and study it, but she didn't dare take her eyes off him. She'd long-since memorized its image, anyway.

"I met you, and it started out as merely the chance to repay her obligation. But the more time I spent in your presence, things changed." His eyes caught hers. "I developed feelings for you. I won't let them hurt you, and I certainly won't allow them to turn you over to King Malkov."

His words were like a silk caress over her skin. Her heart ached to believe him, to bury her face in his shoulder and let him wrap his arms around her. "But you still gave the map to the sun elves."

He leaned against the same tree she had moments before and brushed his fingers through his hair, pulling it away from his face. "I had to. My mother still lives with them. If I fail in my duty and it gets her exiled—or worse, imprisoned—we have nowhere else to go."

Her stomach plunged to the ground. She'd had no idea things were so precarious for him, or that they were holding his mother over his head. "They'd really kick her out?"

Elessan nodded. "If they thought I betrayed them, they might do more than that." He tilted his head and studied her. "What were you going to do? Leave, without saying goodbye?" His voice was too calm, his words too carefully chosen.

Aliya propped herself against a young sapling, dropping the magic. She could summon the fire again at a moment's notice. But she didn't relax, either. "I was…" She swallowed past her dry throat. "I was going to borrow your shape to sneak back into Filathas to grab my things, my money, and ask Lindir for an escort to the edge of the forest. Then I planned to lose myself among the humans until I figured out a way to get close enough to Malkov to—" her voice faltered— "murder him."

Elessan bit the inside of his cheek. "I understand the desire to run. I know how tempting it can be to avoid responsibility. Truly, I do. But you swore an oath that will kill you if you don't fulfill it."

"A coerced promise. They threatened to let me die if I didn't." And now both of their lives hung in the balance.

He nodded, conceding her point. "But you promised, nonetheless. Are you a woman of your word?"

She sighed and stuck out her lower lip as her chest burned with indignation. "Yes." He should at least know that much about her.

He met her eyes, the earnestness in his gaze combusted the ice in her gut until the flames roared in her ears. "You aren't alone. If you can get me close to Malkov, I'll kill him for you."

She shook her head, exhaling forcefully to drown the hysterical laugh threatening to burst from her throat. Getting near the king was going to be just as hard if not harder than actually killing him. She may be a shapeshifter, but she was still a mage, and he had that magic-detecting tattoo that would warn him of her presence well before Elessan could get close.

As she studied Elessan's face, an invisible weight lifted from her shoulders. He was serious—he would murder Malkov for her. And doubtless for the elves and whoever else he worked for, but something about sharing the responsibility made it feel less overwhelming.

She opened her mouth but he raised a hand, interrupting her. "Not everyone is cut out to take another's life, and that's not a bad thing. The realm, no, the world will be better off with you on the throne."

He reached out and ran a finger down her jaw.

She jumped and scrambled several steps back. Somehow she'd failed to notice when he'd gotten into arm's reach. Dropping her guard so easily would cost her life if she wasn't more careful. "I don't want the crown," she snapped.

He crossed his arms. "Welcome to the burden of royalty. You'll make a good queen precisely because you don't want it."

She raised her eyebrow. What did he know about ruling? "It isn't fair, though."

"Trust me, few things in life are. But you're not alone. When your training with Lady Cressida is complete, and you're ready, the mages will stand with you. And Cressida and I will do everything we can to make sure the elves do, too." He smiled, throwing his arms wide. "Think how surprised Malkov will be when you show up on his doorstep with two armies at your back."

Aliya gasped. "Two…armies?"

Elessan nodded. "When the sun and moon elves agree to support your claim, they'll send their troops. That's what I came to tell you. This war may be almost over."

She narrowed her eyes and peered at him. That was a little too easily won. "How exactly did you find me? I changed my tracks."

He chuckled. "Yes, you did. However, deer don't tear through the forest in such a manner unless something's chasing them. I also had a little help. Lindir pointed me in the direction you ran." He glanced at the trail of prints. "A smart idea, though. It would've worked, if you'd been a little more careful to not disturb the plant life."

He stood, holding his hand out to her. "We're due back. Lady Cressida is waiting. And if you think she's scary normally, you should see her when she's angry." He winked. "I don't know how Tsara didn't melt into a puddle at her feet."

Aliya crossed her arms. "This could be a trap. The whole thing, two armies, you helping me kill the king, it sounds too good to be true." She was done being na?ve, done trusting others rather than herself.

He frowned. "How can I convince you I'm telling the truth?"

Shaking her head, she sighed. "I don't know, El. I'm sorry."

"What about your pendant?"

She reached under her neckline, rubbing her mother's necklace, and raised an eyebrow.

"How about I swear on that? On what it means to me, and to my family."

Her eyebrows drew together as she chewed the inner corner of her lips. "Okay."

He relaxed. "I meant what I said. I won't let anything bad happen to you or allow you to be forced to do something you don't want to." He gazed into her eyes. "I care about you too much."

She focused her attention on the ground and traced a few circles in the dirt with the toe of her boot. The sun elves had his mother, and that was pretty serious leverage. "I can't ask you to choose me or your mother."

He blinked and tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"You can't split your loyalty between two diametrically opposed forces, El. Picking me over them puts your mother at risk, and if you protect your mother and help the sun elves, then you align yourself against me and my realm." She shook her head and took another step back. "I can't demand that of you. It wouldn't be fair."

"Don't be ridiculous." His expression hardened as he stepped forward. "If I work with you to kill your king, that ends the war and meets everyone's goals. How is that choosing between two sides when you both want the same thing?"

"The means are just as important as the end goal. There's a huge difference. The sun elves want to take me prisoner and use me as leverage against Malkov. If you get in the way of that, your mother's livelihood and freedom are at stake." She shook her head again. "No. I won't ask you to do that."

He flared his nostrils as his eyes bulged. "I have traveled your realm for longer than you've been alive, spying on the humans. I know better than you ever will the depths of human depravity and the horrors they inflict on each other. No one understands that more than me."

She scrambled back to the far edge of the clearing, yanking her magic to the surface. A fireball crackled over her palm with barely contained energy that matched the sudden burning in her chest and lungs. "Stay back!" Her ribs heaved as she fought for air.

He bared his teeth and took a deep breath, running a hand over the top of his head as though smoothing down his hair. Some of the intensity drained from his expression. "I also know how much good someone like you could do on the throne…not just for the humans, but for everyone. That includes my mother." His eyes softened. "And she would never forgive me if she learned I let the sun elves use one of her old friend's descendants in such a way."

The energy in her fireball flickered as she studied his face. His words rang true in her gut. But still…to risk her life trusting him…

"I would burn this world for you, if needed. Because I know what beauty you'd create from the ashes." He held his hand out to her again. "Will you please come back with me? If anything isn't to your liking, you can blast us with magic and escape. I'll do everything I can to make sure you're not followed."

She squinted, searching his face for any signs of dishonesty. She found none. "Alright." She accepted the hand he offered. Hopefully this wasn't the biggest mistake of her life.

Elessan tucked her arm into the crook of his. He gave her a watery smile. "So. You planned to ‘borrow my shape,' huh?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek and glanced at him through her eyelashes. "I hope you're not angry. Your form is the only one here I'm familiar enough with to replicate."

His laugh startled a pair of birds from a nearby tree. "If it will ever help you in any way, you can impersonate me whenever you need."