Page 23 of The Nymph King

“Where is she?”

“Resting in the south wing. We’re tailoring her a new wardrobe overnight, with the seamstresses working overtime. She’ll be ready to meet you tomorrow.”

Removing his cloak, Ellisar nodded. “Good. I don’t want to wait longer. There’s much at stake, and even though I trust your judgment, I need to see for myself whether she is who she says she is. And we have little time. Our enemies are looking for weaknesses. We need to shore up defenses and decide whose side of the war we’re on with this one.”

The effort of holding the breach had begun to burn behind Imani’s temples. She eased one strand of shadow back before the pressure became noticeable, leaving only enough inside the ward to carry their voices.

Below, the captain glanced toward the estate.

Her breath held and she ducked lower. Had he seen her?

He stepped closer to Ellisar. “There’s one more piece of new intel, High Sentinel.”

Ellisar looked toward the windows now, irritation crossing his face as he ripped off his other glove. “Not here.”

“It cannot wait.”

The captain lifted his hand again, and the privacy ward contracted. Magic layered over magic, sealing the courtyard more completely than before and crushing the narrow path her shadows had found. Sound vanished.

Damn him.

She pushed further, sending the shadows around the tree rather than against the barrier itself. Roots crossed under the ward. Living things ignored boundaries drawn by spells. Her darkness followed them, but seconds elapsed, and she caught nothing.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed harder.

Then the captain’s voice returned, but it was faint.

They turned to move into the estate, and the guard grabbed Ellisar’s arm to stop him. “There’s one more piece of new intel, High Sentinel.”

Ellisar shot a dark look at the captain’s hand on his arm. “What?”

He dropped his grip. “Scouts east of the Draswood saw an enormous shadow crossing the countryside. Winged. Too large to be any ordinary shifter.”

The High Sentinel cocked his head again. “Kiran.”

“That’s my assumption. If he followed her here, he may already know she reached Vathis.”

Ellisar’s hand flexed. “Anything else?”

“Word out of Niflheim says they’re heartmates.”

“That rumor I’ve heard.”

“I’m beginning to think it isn’t a rumor.”

“Agreed.” Ellisar cracked his knuckles. “But she belongs with her people. If he tries anything, he knows it won’t be an easy fight.” He paused. “I’ve taken him before, years ago. I’ll do it again to keep her here. If she’s what we’re looking for—and only if.”

The guard nodded, and the conversation ended almost immediately.

With a shudder, Imani withdrew her shadows before either man could inspect the ward’s cracks too closely. Her darkness slid back through the roots, climbed the manor’s wall, and disappeared beneath her feet just as Ellisar and the captain separated below.

Only then did she let herself breathe, her chest heaving at what she’d overheard. If Ellisar ever discovered she could reach through the protections around his private conversations, proving she was the queen might become the least dangerous chat they’d ever have.

Imani sank to the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, her nightgown fanning out. Ellisar wanted her, but only if she were queen. She had no reason to be surprised. Even if she was a Norn, technically one of his people, she was more of a liability to them than anything. For all she knew, he might toss her back into the wilderness or kill her before his court if he decided she threatened his people. When she killed Malis all those months ago, she had broken the law, and everything she knew about Ellisar suggested he upheld it with an iron fist.

Unlike Kiran’s blatant madness, she couldn’t shake Ellisar’s subtle ruthlessness. She needed to convince him of the truth somehow. His motives remained murky to her. Did he want to kill the king? Which king? It seemed he’d figured out Tanyl, but he needed her help to do it. But Kiran? Had Ellisar fought him before and won? When? How? The statement absolutely flabbergasted her. Did he still want her help taking him down, and why?

The biggest question was why the Norn elves would move from their traditionally defensive position—one they had held for decades—to an aggressive one. What did they want? Something one of the kings had been essential to Ellisar; she was sure of that. Either that, or one of the kings planned to move against them, and they needed to be prepared.