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"While I understand, I have to say that it has not been safe on these roads for a while, and even a talented fae soldier would struggle. It's part of the reason your retinue is so large."
I couldn't deny I'd been wondering about the number of guards that were sent to escort me back to the capital, but after finding out that Trevor was a prince and what the captain said, it made sense.
"Is it those wolf-like things?" I asked.
The captain shot a look at Thorn, and Thorn just shook his head minutely.
"All will be explained when you get to the capital," the captain assured me.
"Are we going on horseback?" Wyn asked.
I saw that her eyes were locked on the massive beasts that the fae called horses. They were easily two or three times the size of human horses, which made me wonder if human horses were somehow a descendant of fae horses, or if it was the other way round.
"Unfortunately not. We need the horses to stay fresh for if they are needed."
I knew implicitly what he meant without him having to say it. If we needed to get a quick getaway. Then we would need the horses as capable as possible, which meant not overloading them when we didn't need to. The few that I'd seen with mounts appeared to just be the leaders while all the rest of the horses carried some packs but that was it.
"We'll head in the direction of Caslean, our capital city, and when night starts to fall we'll make camp. There are talented defensive mages among the guards so have no fear, we won't be exposed to unnecessary risks just because it's night."
Once they had all stood and made their way back into their formation, I saw the elf soldiers that Thorn and Ronan had been talking about. Their ears were much more pronounced and pointed than even Thorn and Ronan's and they were quite tall, though not as tall as some of the fae in the guard.
The elves' skin had an almost whitish-purple tinge to it and their hair was white with a blue tint to it, making them quite jarring next to the warm toned leather armor they were wearing. Their eyes were a bright, almost startling blue, one that felt like ice running over my skin as they looked at me.
There were four of them total from what I could tell and one of them broke away from the others to come and get a closer look at me. "Greetings. I'm Avourel Morynore of the Thenannair clan. It's a pleasure to meet one such as yourself who is as strongly affiliated with the moon as we are." Avourel bowed slightly more at the chest than the waist and I couldn't help but wonder if I was supposed to be impressed by their clan name.
"I'm Senara and this is Wyn. It's a pleasure to meet you, too."
Avourel gave Wyn a tight-lipped smile, but I got the sense from the way her gaze darted away from my friend that she didn't think a human was worth talking to. I wasn't about to mess with those shenanigans so madea show of looking for Thorn, only to find him far ahead of me with Bertrand, Ronan,and Trevor, and some of the guards that were already walking away.
I couldn't deny that it hurt my feelings a little that Wyn and I were so easily abandoned by the three of them. "Looks like we should get moving," I said, giving Avourel a smile before taking Wyn's hand and tugging her after me as we moved to catch up with the guards.
Dehlion was right next to me the whole time. "You needn't worry, my lady. We won't leave without you. You are our primary charge.Anythingyou want or need, please feel free to ask."
The way he stressed the word “anything” made me suspicious. "Where's your moon mark?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation toward something I was more curious about than whether or not this guy was trying to get into bed with me.
He blushed ever so slightly. "On my hip, my lady. If you wish to inspect me, or any of the other guards please feel free, but I can assure you we are all moon marked. Sun kissed guards are rare in these parts and the two that are with us are up with General Thorn."
"I don't need to inspect you, Dehlion, I was just curious. Where I come from having a mark is a death sentence, so I've never known much about it other than I had to hide it if I wanted to survive."
His eyes went wide at that. "I had heard that it was dangerous in the human lands, but I didn't expect them to be so barbaric."
I snorted. "You know they think the fae are barbaric in their own way as well."
He sputtered, clearly unsure as to how to respond, and I didn't miss the way his gaze flicked over to Wyn either. I still had a hold of my friend's hand and wasn't about to let go and somehow let the two of us get separated again.
"If I may ask, my lady?—"
I held my free hand up, stopping him mid question. "You don't need to call me that. Just Senara or Sen is fine."
"As you wish, my—Senara. If I may ask, how did you hide your mark given how, uh, prominent it is?"
The way he had to search for a word that he didn't think would offend me made me smile. "It wasn't this big before I went into the veil. It used to just be on my back, but now?—"
"It extends all the way to your back?" Dehlion tripped over his own feet as he spoke, clearly in shock.
I suddenly got the impression that he was more innocent than I'd first thought. "Would you like to inspect it?" I teased.
His face flushed once more.
