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“—my lady? Cal, are you feeling well?”
“What?” Cal glanced at Relian, missing most of what he’d said. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
His face cleared slightly. “You had a most peculiar look on your face. I feared you might be ill.”
What? “Why would I be ill?”
For once, Relian floundered, seemingly at a complete loss for words. “I...well, I’d heard that humans could be sickly.” His concerned gaze roamed her face.
The idea flabbergasted her. She’d viewed Relian as beguiling and imposing but as worried? Where did he get such strange information? Their misconceptions of humans already baffled her, and she’d been there for less than a day. That he would be the type to fret over something as mundane as her health had never occurred to her. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t mundane to her, but she’d assumed she served as a means to an end—an end she couldn’t guess at.
A frisson spread through her. Was he actually concerned about her wellbeing for its own sake? Cal hastened to offer him some reassurance. But it had nothing to do with wiping that concerned look from his usually composed face. It totally didn’t. “Some are, that’s true, especially as they get older. As for me, I’ve never suffered from more than a cold or flu. Plus, I’m still young, so I don’t have to worry about age yet.”
Relian murmured something under his breath, something that suspiciously sounded like it contained the words age and problem.
“What?”
He just shrugged. “It’s not important right now. I believe I hear Maggie and Kenhel rejoining us.”
***
In spite of Cal’s pleading glances, Maggie had backed out of the tour when she arrived in the gardens. Kenhel departed shortly after. His duties as commander of the guard called. Cal didn’t know if this affected Maggie’s decision, but she refused after Kenhel had. She merely sent Cal a knowing smile and said something about being a third wheel. Cal shot her a dirty look. Thankfully, the two elves had seemed oblivious to the modern phrase.
Relian’s voice drew her back to the present. “The training grounds are to our right. This is where our warriors practice and hone their skills.” Relian withdrew one hand from behind his back, where he had them neatly folded, and pointed to his right.
She spotted many elves sparring or practicing their archery on the ranges. “The study of weaponry is popular here?” If so, was it out of need, or merely a sport that they sought to perfect?
“Sword and bow are two weapons we favor. Alas, while it is a form of art like any other, it is one we take no delight in when it comes to actual warfare. Sadly, we have use for it as the latter.”
“You have wars here?” The thought of there being actual enemies for these elves to fight was terrifying. Who’d appear more frightening—the elves or their enemies? She shuddered. If what she saw on the green displayed what the average elf warrior could do, she wanted no part of it and could only wish luck to the elves’ foes. They’d need it. It wasn’t that the elves’ fought with barbarism. The opposite was true. These warriors battled in a ruthlessly intricate dance with absolutely no feeling, no mercy. Though she didn’t know much about ancient warfare, she suspected these warriors were faster than any human that had ever lived. A few even held swords that glowed when they clashed. Magic?
“Why do the swords glow that way?”
“They’re either imbued with magic that makes each strike stronger or the soldier has put a spell on the blade to bring about a similar effect.”
“Magic is that prevalent here?”
“Of sorts. It’s not without its limits. Most people have only a meager amount and would need to join their magic with that of others to produce anything of great effect.”
She shivered. Strong, magical warriors? Because she didn’t trust that their magic was that weak.
“Why do you shudder, my lady? Don’t humans wage war any longer?” he asked softly, leveling steady eyes on her.
She struggled to follow his words. For all they were simple, they left her to flounder for their meaning. “I...of course, we have war. The layperson normally doesn’t see it practiced in person, at least where I’m from,” she finished lamely. Why did he stare so intently?
After watching her for a few seconds, he swept his gaze back over the training green. “Then you are fortunate. Once viewed, it’s not something one should forget. What you see here is nothing like true war. Never forget that, my lady. This is nothing but a parody.”
Finding herself spellbound by the cadence of his solemn voice, she stumbled over a stone skewed by the roots of a tree. Strong arms banded around her waist, saving her from yet another fall.
Relian made a chiding sound as he gently deposited her back on her feet. “There you go again. I’m always saving you from the ground, it seems.”
***
Cal’s face flamed red. “How humiliating!” she muttered under her breath, which he easily heard.
Oh, how adorable she was, and she wasn’t even trying. “Never fear, my dear, you are quite charming to catch.”
Cal raised a hand to her cheek and mumbled, “Please, can the mist appear and swallow me before I make a bigger fool of myself?
