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“And gifted.” Illeron waved a fork at his cook. “You should bring in something to show Avril.” He turned to me. “The delicacy of the work she produces is breathtaking. I am planning on commissioning a new front gate from her as soon as she begins accepting projects.”
“Truly?” Waldorf regarded his employer in wonder.
“There is no rush, though.” The elf assured the brownie. “The gate will hold for years to come. Let her enjoy her learning years. The gate can wait until she is confident in her abilities and her skills match her talents.”
“Thank you, Master Whispier. But can I mention it to Melyn? She would be delighted to know that she already has someone interested in hiring her once she completes her studies.”
“Certainly.” Illeron scraped his plate clean. “Now, if only one of your sons was as talented with food as you are.”
“Tortian completed his training four weeks ago,” Waldorf protested. “He cooks nearly as well as me.”
“Nearly?” Illeron’s eyebrows rose in mock horror. “I hope he doesn’t kill the lot of us at next month’s banquet.”
Waldorf’s sputtering brought a reluctant smile to my lips. The two of them bantered for a bit as I finished my own meal. It was good to see I wasn’t the only one who would tease the brownie, or the self-contained spymaster, for that matter. Witnessing the rapport between the two of them warmed my heart. Illeron need to be teased.
My chest ached at the thought of not being Illeron’s companion, but anyone could see that this couldn’t last. As much as I wished to remain connected like this forever, enjoying Illeron’s constant company, I knew I couldn’t. I was an outsider.
Unlike these seemingly immortal beings, I would age. I doubted Illeron would enjoy my presence once my limited beauty faded. Sure, he enjoyed kissing me and holding me now. He liked the way I looked. That wouldn’t last.
“You have grown quiet,” Illeron observed, drawing me back to the present. “Does anything hurt?”
“Did the food grow cold?” Waldorf asked. “I can heat it up. Do you want anything else? I can make more toast. Tea?”
I shook my head. “I just lost my appetite.” I offered him a warm smile. “The food tasted delicious.”
The two males exchanged a glance.
I groaned. “No reading into it. I am fine. My stomach is just full.” It was the truth.
“Good,” Illeron stood and offered me his open hand.
Instinctively, I put mine in his but instantly regretted it. He took the opportunity to use our joined hands to pull me close, tucking my arm against his side and pinning it there with his arm.
“Thank you, Waldorf,” he called over his shoulder as he almost dragged me out of the kitchen and down the corridor toward the gymnasium or, as I had heard it referred to occasionally, the training room.
“I have something to show you.” His step was light and quick. In his eagerness, he appeared to forget our height difference. His longer legs quickly ate up the distance, and I had to hurry to keep up.
“What is it?”
“I have been thinking how you could defend yourself against a shadow elf, and I have some ideas.” After that, he wouldn’t disclose any more until we reached the center of the gymnasium.
Morning sunlight flooded the space. The warmth seemed to sink into my bones, and I relaxed slightly. The few shadows were pale, which meant I could see any wraithwalkers lingering in them if I happened to be looking in their direction. Also, the patches of sunlight were bright, which I understood hindered shadow elves’ abilities.
As though reading my mind, Illeron said, “Shadow elves are slowed by direct sunlight. It hampers their wraithwalking abilities and hinders their use of their natural magic. However, these windows won’t help you much in a close combat fight.”
I frowned up at him. “Why? I am not completely helpless.”
An amused lightening of his eyes was my only warning before he snapped his fingers. The room instantly cloaked in darkness as though someone had turned off the sun. I felt the air move as he passed. Then, he was standing behind me. The firm pressure of his hand encircling my middle over my tunic was there and gone before I could even attempt to jump away. Then, as I turned to confront him, he had returned to his previous position and snapped his fingers again. The sunlight returned. Only the slight disarray of his clothing betrayed that he had moved.
“Direct sunlight only slows a shadow elf to the speed of a light elf at night and vice versa.” He produced a delicate silver lattice pendant encasing a glowing emerald. The chain attached was just as elegantly simple and graceful as the slender swirling twists of silver entwined around the brilliant stone. “A spell,” he explained as I admired the pendant. “It is embedded in the stone.”
“But won’t he sense it?” I asked.
“That is the beauty of it,” he said as he started undoing the clasp. “The spell is a simple one, no more powerful than the ones on your brownie-spelled cloak. But it will pack a powerful punch when you utter the trigger word.”
“What does it do?”
He moved around behind me to clasp the delicate chain around my neck. “I will show you.”
