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Melantha stepped back, her gaze darting to where Farrendel and Essie stood. That strange look crossed her face again, and her expression twisted for just a moment before she looked away.
Farrendel suppressed a sigh. Apparently Melantha was not even going to take the time to say farewell to him because of Essie.
He was not sure what was going on with Melantha. She had been upset when he and Weylind had returned from the diplomatic meeting with a signed treaty and Essie in tow, and she had only become more withdrawn since then.
Perhaps some time with just her and Machasheni Leyleira here at Estyra was just what Melantha would need. If anyone could get at the heart of what was going on with Melantha, it was Machasheni.
After finishing with Jalissa, Machasheni strode to Essie and Farrendel. A hint of a smile played on her face. “I trust the two of you will enjoy your stay at Lethorel.”
“I’m sure we will.” Essie glanced up at him. “Farrendel hasn’t stopped talking about it for weeks now.”
Had he? He supposed he had talked about it more than he had anything else in the past few weeks. He always looked forward to the rest found at Lethorel, but he was especially excited to show the place to Essie.
“I am sure he has.” Machasheni’s smile turned a little extra knowing as she swung her gaze to Farrendel. “Make the most of your time at Lethorel, sasonsheni.”
What did she mean by that? Before Farrendel had a chance to even think about a response, Machasheni swept off, headed back toward Ellonahshinel.
Weylind, Rheva, Brina, Ryfon, and Jalissa were boarding the train, and Essie turned to join them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Farrendel caught sight of Melantha talking to Thanfardil, the elf in charge of all the train schedules in Tarenhiel. They were talking so low that Farrendel could not hear anything of what they were saying.
Strange, but Farrendel shrugged it away and followed Essie toward the train.
On board, he settled onto the cushioned bench in the seating car, taking the seat next to Essie. Within minutes, the train eased into motion.
Finally, they were on their way to Lethorel. Unless something major happened, there would be no war, no blood, no battles for the next three weeks.
* * *
Farrendel could not helpthe twitch of a smile as Essie bounced in her seat and craned her neck to see as much of the passing forest through the train’s broad, curving windows as she possibly could, even though hours had passed since they had boarded the train in Estyra.
On his other side, Ryfon and Brina sat reservedly, though their gazes strayed from Essie to the windows as if they were tempted to act just as excited if they had been raised with less elven dignity.
Across the way, Jalissa, Weylind, and Rheva rested sedately on the cushioned bench. Both Rheva and Weylind were reading through paperwork while Jalissa stared silently out the windows, her hands folded serenely in her lap.
Next to Farrendel, Essie all but smushed her face against the window. “How long until we get there?”
Farrendel found himself full-on smiling. “We will arrive in Arorien, a small town, this evening. Then we will ride to Lethorel by horseback the next morning.”
He straightened, his stomach tightening. Could Essie ride? He had never thought to ask. While elves had trains, they were still a relatively new invention, and elves still rode many places.
But the humans had used trains for as long as Essie had been alive. And he had gotten the impression that human royalty took carriages most places, rather than ride.
He turned toward Essie. “Can you ride? I did not think to ask.”
Thankfully, Essie grinned and plopped onto her seat so that she was facing the others rather than the windows. “Yes, of course, I ride. It is one of the skills considered proper for a lady of the Escarlish court. I also know archery. It was all the rage for the court ladies a few years ago.”
For the first time that trip, Jalissa straightened and faced Essie, interest brightening her expression. “Are you any good?”
Essie shrugged, a wry tilt to her mouth. “I was all right. I’m better with a rifle, but I’m assuming you probably don’t have any here. I’d love to brush up on my archery, even if my skills can’t compare with your elf archers.”
Jalissa’s smile warmed, as if she was glad to find something in common with her human sister-in-law. “We will have to test that. I love archery, and there are several spare bows at Lethorel. I believe Farrendel’s old bow is still there.”
Ah, yes. He had spent hours of boredom attempting to improve his archery skills. Only to realize, in the end, that archery simply was not his thing. But it had helped pass the long days when it had been just Dacha, Farrendel, and Jalissa at Lethorel while Farrendel had been growing up. “I was never any good. I always preferred my swords. Besides, it is not really my bow. I just was the last to have it handed down to me.”
“It sounds like a lot of fun.” Essie’s grin widened further, and she inched a little closer to him. “This place sounds really special to all of you. I gathered that when we talked about it at dinner, but all of you are happier the closer we get.”
How much did he dare tell her? He had yet to tell her that he was illegitimate, the reason he had spent much of his childhood isolated at Lethorel to protect him from the sneering pettiness of the court. “I spent much of my childhood there.”
