Page 14 of Forged in Fading

Aurilena rubbed her temple. “We are under strict orders to⁠—”

“Oh, you all worry too much,” Kat said. “What’s the point of all this if we don’t get him healed?”

“Fine,” Aurilena muttered, “but I refuse to be the one who has to handle you-know-whose reaction when he finds out.”

“I’m too lovable to be mad at.” Kat flashed what she probably intended to be an endearing smile, but it sent a shiver down Alvara’s spine. She seemed a little…crazed.

They plodded down a densely wooded path free from prying eyes, and the energy buzzing through Alvara’s body slowly dissipated, leaving her acutely aware of every scrape and bruise she had endured from her stay in the palace. But it was nothing compared to Pyry. “Where are we going?”

“A member’s family has a huge mansion deep in the forest, though it’s technically still within city limits,” Kat said. “It’s beautiful. They prefer to get as much space from the palace as they can. Who wouldn’t?”

Huge was an understatement. Sprawling orchards flanked the impressive estate, and all manner of lilies sprinkled the exterior despite the ice that coated both it and the surface of the small pond at its base. It even had a bridge. As they approached, a shorter elf peeked his head through the door. His eyes bulged. With a yelp, he slammed the door shut, only for it to swing open moments later.

An olive-skinned elf with hair the color of tree bark stood in the entryway, arms crossed. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Kat stepped forward, twisting her hands behind her back. “I know, Sylvi. But King Einar imprisoned them for no good reason, and we went to save Eloisa’s sister, but then she wanted to help her sweetheart⁠—”

“He needs healing,” Aurilena said.

Sylvi’s copper gaze raked up and down Pyry, whose body had sunk further with each step. “Come in. Quickly.”

He still had time. If one of these elves was an Elan healer, it would all turn out all right. It had to.

She waved them into a room lined with wooden bookshelves, volumes upon volumes stuffed in every available crevice. A few Alvara recognized from her father’s collection, but many were unfamiliar books he would have given his favorite reading chair to study.

Alvara cleared off a stack of papers from a nearby wooden chair and helped Pyry sit as gently as she could. His eyelids drooped, his face even more pale since they had left the palace.

“What is all this?” A tall, bronzed elf with light green eyes peered up at Kat and Aurilena from between mountains of parchment piled high all over his desk. “Ah. You two. Let me guess, our son?”

“He takes after you, Tam,” Sylvi said with a playful eye roll.

Tam settled himself on a stool in front of Pyry, while she slid the study doors closed.

“Any injuries other than those on his back?” he asked as he rolled up his sleeves.

“Not that I know of.” Alvara couldn’t help her hands hovering uselessly above Pyry’s wounds.

A warm green glow emanated from Tam’s fingertips as he laid his touch on the gruesome gashes, and Alvara decided she needed a distraction if she hoped to remain upright. She also needed answers.

“You said you were helping me because of my sister. Is it true? Was she really helping the humans in some kind of movement against the king?”

Kat’s eyes darted toward Tam. “He was probably talking about the Eskenti, but she wasn’t one of their members, thank Vitharen. They’re one crazy bunch.” She looked at Aurilena and cringed. “Sorry.”

“They named themselves after a weed?” Alvara’s mother fought viciously against the pesky plant each year in her own limited garden, but it always came back.

“It’s hard to kill, and so are they.” Kat shrugged. “They like to take a more…violent approach to things. It’s been a never-ending issue with the Silver Blight.”

“Kat, she has no idea what you’re talking about,” Aurilena grumbled.

“Oh, right. That’s what we call ourselves. King Einar likes to say demi-elves are a blight on his kingdom, so we embraced it. Silver Blight is a disease that turns plants gray, eventually killing them. But plants that have been crossbred are more resistant to it.” Kat flashed a smile. “Like demi-elves.” Her smile slipped, and she wrapped her arms around herself. “Eloisa stumbled into our ranks seven years back when she was still new to the city. After seeing how humans and demi-elves were being treated, she tried to save one herself. That’s when we were lucky enough to have our paths cross.”

The truth hammered a strong blow, leaving a dent in Alvara’s already damaged heart. Her sister had never mentioned anything remotely close to humans in her letters, or when she visited, though those occasions had been rare. Maybe she didn’t trust Alvara to keep her secret. Or thought she simply wouldn’t understand.

“She didn’t really fade in an accident with a student, did she?” Alvara said quietly, though she already knew the answer.

“No, she didn’t,” Kat said. “We have no idea how the king found out, but when he did—well, she gave everything for us.”

The world slowed to a stop. It felt as if Alvara were wading through water against a strong current, just trying to keep from being swept away. King Einar had killed her sister. And because of that, her mother was gone too.