AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 20
Late that afternoon, Relian and his father entered the central courtyard. The sight that met Relian’s gaze stiffened his shoulders with resolve.
The warriors of Eriannon were amassed inside the palace’s gates to await orders from their commander and the king. Peace never stayed with them for long, and he’d been fighting for too many ages to be enamored with war. This time would be no different. Warhorses pawed impatiently at the ground, scenting their masters’ determination to be off. Kenhel’s captains had already taken care of any chaos by ordering everyone into disciplined groups according to their respective ranks.
As they passed the troops, all bowed their heads slightly in deference. Kenhel and his captains did so once Relian and his father stood before them.
The king spoke first, as was his right. “Everyone is in order and ready to go, are they not?”
“Yes, they are indeed, Sire.” Kenhel had the same steely glint in his eye that most of the warriors in the courtyard carried in theirs. They ached to go and deliver justice, just as Relian did.
“Good.” Talion fell silent until he turned to address the gathered soldiers. “May your journey and fight be swift and sure.” Then he rounded on Kenhel. “I want no deaths from our ranks.” His gaze flickered over Relian and the other captains, who all bowed their heads at the command in his eyes. With that, the king dismissed them.
Relian swung up onto his horse in order to lead his company out of the patina-gold gates of the palace grounds. As a prince of his realm, he actively protected his people, just as his father had before him. That didn’t only encompass meetings and councils—pushing around pen and parchment—but also physically seeing to his people’s defense. He served as a captain in the army when time permitted, especially in matters of great importance. And this was undeniably one. The darkindred had ventured too close to Eriannon. His people wouldn’t allow this trespass to stand.
A prickling prodded at the edges of his mind. He scanned the area, and the glint of red hair in the late afternoon sun caught his eye. Cal and Maggie stood in the opening of one of the Palace’s smaller paths. Ignoring how his heart sped up, Relian gave a curt nod in their direction. They must’ve met up sometime after he and Cal had made their way up through the tunnel and out a secret door in a small, little-used corridor in the palace. Knowing there hadn’t been a moment to spare, he’d told her to stay within the palace grounds and deserted her. It wasn’t the ending he’d planned for their day.
The darkindred would pay at the end of his sword for that.
***
Maggie shot Cal a glance and nodded toward the soldiers assembled in the main courtyard. “They’re going out to hunt whoever was after you and Relian?”
“Most likely, especially since they shot at us,” Cal said. “God, that’s not a sentence I thought I’d ever say. I think I’m still shaking.”
In an effort to draw her mind away from that frightful episode, she looked around the courtyard she and Maggie huddled in the corner of. The chaos that had surrounded the palace had abated somewhat. But only because so many of the elves that’d been equipped with bow and sword had vacated the area in favor of journeying outside the palace’s gates and into the town below. More than half would also probably venture outside the safety of the town’s gates.
Cal eyed the courtyard’s gate with a healthy dose of doubt. Its steadfastness and that of the town’s worried her, as they appeared more decorative than functional. Hopefully, there was more to them than it appeared. Maybe kind of like the people who’d built them—beautiful and graceful but strong and deadly, if what she saw on the training grounds was accurate.
Her mind busy processing those possibilities, Cal almost missed her friend’s words. “Well, whoever they were, they deserve payback for ruining your afternoon.”
“I’m just glad we got back here in one piece and that nothing was truly ruined.” Like Relian’s arm. Though he hadn’t bothered to change tunics—probably because it’d be futile to keep it clean—his wound had been bandaged. Hopefully, he’d come back without further injury. She rubbed her goose-bump-covered arms.
“Yeah, but it cut your date short. Rude.”
Cal cast her gaze heavenward and snorted. “I’m sure rudeness was at the forefront of our pursuers’ minds, and I wasn’t aware our outing was a date.”
Maggie pulled a face. “Oh, come on, girl.”
Cal ignored her scoff. “I think Relian suspected something was up as soon as we left the waterfall. He woke up in a normal mood, but that soon changed as we set off.” She flushed, realizing how her words must sound to uninformed and slightly wicked ears.
“Oooh, woke up, did he? I knew this would be a great story.”
“Nothing happened.” Well, nothing of that magnitude, but she didn’t feel like letting that tidbit out yet. She hadn’t found the time to sift through everything that’d occurred. If she was honest, her mind wanted to gloss over most of it. She had no way to describe what had happened, no yardstick with which to compare it. Like so much else, she’d face it when she had to, not a moment before. For the sake of her sanity, it was one day, one hour, at a time for her. “What are you, my matchmaker? I already have to contend with the king of the land as a staunch supporter of this particular human-elf relationship. All for reasons unknown to me. There has to be more to it than what they’ve admitted.”
“You’ll have to tell me how you both woke up by the waterfall. Or better yet, how you fell asleep. I sense a heavy-duty story there. And I want to hear more about that cool secret tunnel. Also, I seriously doubt His Smugness supports elf-human relationships, just yours.” Maggie’s smirk grew larger, as she apparently thought she had Cal where she wanted her. And did she ever.
“Oh, why don’t you get a life?” Cal muttered.
“I can’t do that because you know I live through yours.”
“Go get your own elf to live through. Stop using mine. After all, you’re always commenting on how gorgeous they are.”
“Ha, you admit he’s yours. As for me getting my own, I think not—not my type.” Maggie pouted. “They’re definitely eye candy, no denying it, but none have captured my attention or I, theirs. But you admit you have your own. Finally claiming Relian—going where no man has dipped in before? Hmm, I wonder if that’s true.”
A few moments passed until Cal could sputter out a reply. She slapped Maggie’s arm. “You seem to be thinking a lot about my supposed boyfriend. Who says no man—or woman—has gone there before? The way he makes out... He’s no virgin.” She shivered at the delicious memory before she snorted. “And I doubt the elves have ever been referred to as eye candy before.”
“Well, I do believe Relian prefers females, but who says he hasn’t tested other waters? Oh, I bet they’re not used to being referred to in that way. There’s a first time for everything, though.” Her eyes gleamed. “Think they might find it offensive?”
