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That didn’t look like something he should walk into. Let them enjoy their time together.
Edmund sat on the porch and pulled out his notebook. Ever since General Bloam had told him about his plans, Edmund had been making notes on how to create an Intelligence Office for Tarenhiel.
It would look a little bit different than the Escarlish one. After all, the elves would scout along the borders or just on the other side, but they likely weren’t going to send in long-term, undercover spies like the Escarlish did. They would rely on the information Edmund passed along from Escarland.
Instead, their Intelligence Office would concentrate more on counterintelligence than active intelligence gathering. They would need a way to weed out humans dressed as elves, and that would involve training those in key positions on what to look out for. They would also need to regularly inspect their food sources for poisons and stuff like that.
The elves could also help Escarland with counterintelligence. While telegraph lines could be tapped easily, the elven root systems could not. If they were cut, the roots shriveled and died, letting the elves know there was a problem.
Perhaps if the important telegraph lines that the Escarlish army outposts used were coated in a layer of root, they could be more secure. Everyone would know if someone had tried to tap into it because the outer root coating would shrivel and turn black.
So many ideas. He didn’t realize how long he sat there, jotting down and refining his ideas, until Jalissa’s hand rested on his arm, making him jump.
She sat on the porch next to him and rested her head on his shoulder again. “It is good to see you so happy.”
“From spying on Tarenhiel to training Tarenhiel how to effectively spy.” Edmund reached over and laced his fingers with hers. “It’s a dream come true, using my skills to protect both our kingdoms like this. But are you truly all right with this? It means I’ll never leave this life behind entirely. I’ll always be a little bit in the shadows.”
She squeezed his fingers, resting her free hand on their clasped ones. “I told you. You would not be happy unless you were using your sharp mind for work like this. This new position is a good solution for both of us.”
Glancing over his shoulder to ensure they were still alone, he leaned in and kissed her.
After a moment, she pulled away, then rose to her feet, tugging him up along with her. Her expression warmed with a coy twist to her mouth. “Come with me.”
He promptly shut his notebook and stuffed it in his pocket. Spying could wait.
* * *
Jalissa ledEdmund along the pathways of Estyra, nerves curling in her stomach a bit. This was the first time she had brought Edmund to her rooms in Estyra. Sure, they had been married for a month now, but this was the first time they were together in Estyra since their marriage.
They passed the library, the great hall spreading below them. For the past few years, Estyra’s library had become a place of pain as she mourned Elidyr, the elf she thought she had loved.
Now that she knew that Elidyr had been Edmund—and she had worked through the emotions of being lied to back then—the library was once again a place of good memories that she treasured. As Elidyr, Edmund had gotten her through some tough times, with both Weylind and Farrendel gone fighting the trolls and Melantha becoming increasingly distant.
Edmund would continue to get her through whatever challenges and trials they faced in the future.
But thanks to the recent weeks, she now knew that she was strong enough to get him through those same challenges and trials. When it counted, she had found new depths of determination and courage that she had not known she possessed.
They were stronger together, and their mission in Mongavaria had proven that in a deeper way.
Edmund met her gaze, and her heart rate sped up at the warmth in his eyes.
They reached the broad, royal branch. Weylind’s suite of rooms were grown into the tree on the right with his palatial main room first, then smaller rooms branching from there. Melantha’s old room was across the way on the left, and she and Rharreth were currently staying there while they were visiting.
Jalissa’s room was the next one on the right beside Weylind’s set of rooms while the rooms across from her were currently being used as a guest room for Averett and Paige. Julien and Vriska each had guest rooms farther down the branch while Machasheni Leyleira had claimed rooms all the way at the end.
Jalissa tightened her grip on Edmund’s hand, sure he could hear and feel the way her pulse was thundering in her chest and hammering in her wrist. “Well, this is it. Our home in Estyra.”
Edmund’s grin held a mischievous tilt a moment before he swept her up in his arms.
She laughed, squirming. “Again? You already carried me over the threshold of the cabin where we stayed for our wedding trip.”
“But that wasn’t our permanent home.” Edmund strolled forward with a steady, sure stride, showing no signs of weakness from the poison. “And I missed out on carrying you over the threshold at Buckmore Cottage.”
“No, Vriska beat you to that one.” Jalissa relaxed in his arms, smiling at the disgruntled frown that crossed his face.
“Ah, yes. Being carried into Buckmore Cottage half-dead was quite the romantic way to start our life together there.” Edmund hoisted her a little higher as he juggled her and tried to unlatch her door.
“Half-dead? More like mostly dead.” Jalissa reached down and unlatched the door for him.
